Third Coast Bancshares (TCBX) Q1 2024 Earnings Call Transcript

Executive Summary

Record profitability: Net income rose to $10.4M with diluted EPS of $0.61; NIM held essentially flat at 3.60% while the efficiency ratio improved to 64.11%.
Balance sheet expansion accelerated: Loans grew 3.0% q/q to $3.75B and deposits rose 6.5% q/q to $4.05B, taking total assets to $4.66B.
Management emphasized operating leverage from cost actions and technology, introduced a “1% initiative,” and guided FY24 net interest income growth to “over 10%,” loan growth of $300–$400M, and noninterest expense growth of <5%.
Q2 outlook: Margin expected to be flat sequentially; deposit seasonality in April reversed mix pressure and should aid margin stability.
Consensus estimates were not available from S&P Global at the time of request; management stated it “beat expectations in nearly every category,” but we cannot validate vs Street numbers without SPGI data.

What Went Well and What Went Wrong

What Went Well

Record EPS and profitability with operating discipline: “Third Coast beat expectations in nearly every category” driven by strong loan growth, cost optimization, and efficiency gains; diluted EPS reached a record $0.61.
Strong deposit and loan growth: Deposits +6.5% q/q to $4.05B and loans +3.0% q/q to $3.75B; asset base reached $4.66B.
Efficiency improvement: Efficiency ratio improved to 64.11% from 66.89% in Q4, with continued focus on automation and surgical project prioritization.

What Went Wrong

Credit metrics ticked higher: Nonperforming loans rose to $21.7M (0.58% of loans), up from $17.3M (0.48%) in Q4; net charge-offs of $742K in the quarter.
Deposit mix pressure: Noninterest-bearing demand fell to 10.5% of deposits from 12.1% in Q4, pressuring funding costs; average deposit cost increased 2 bps q/q to 4.09%.
Rising interest expense: Interest expense increased to $40.8M (+2.7% q/q), offsetting part of the benefit from higher earning asset yields.

View the full earnings report

Transcript

Operator (participant)

Greetings, and Welcome to the Third Coast Bank First Quarter Earnings Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. A brief question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. If anyone should require operator assistance during the conference, please press star zero on your telephone keypad. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce your host, Natalie Hairston. Thank you. You may begin.

Natalie Hairston (Investor Relations)

Thank you, operator, and good morning, everyone. We appreciate you joining us for Third Coast Bancshares conference call and webcast to review our first quarter 2024 results. With me today is Bart Caraway, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer; John McWhorter, Chief Financial Officer; and Audrey Duncan, Chief Credit Officer. First, a few housekeeping items. There will be a replay of today's call, and it will be available by webcast on the Investors section of our website at ir.thirdcoast.bank. There will also be a telephonic replay available until May 2nd, and more information on how to access these replay features was included in yesterday's earnings release.

Please note that the information reported on this call speaks only as of today, April 25th, 2024, and therefore, you are advised that any time-sensitive information may no longer be accurate as of the time of replay, listening, or transcript reading. In addition, the comments made by management during this conference call may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements reflect the current views of management.

However, various risks, uncertainties, and contingencies could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed in the statements made by management. The listener or reader is encouraged to read the annual report on Form 10-K that was filed on March 7th, 2024, to better understand those risks, uncertainties, and contingencies. The comments made today will also include certain non-GAAP financial measures. Additional details and reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures were included in yesterday's earnings release, which can be found on the Third Coast website. Now, I would like to turn the call over to Third Coast Chairman, President, and CEO, Mr. Bart Caraway. Bart?

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

Thanks, Natalie, and good morning, everyone. Welcome to the TCBX first quarter 2024 earnings call. I'll begin with highlights from the quarter. John will cover profitability metrics in more detail. Audrey will present the credit quality review. Then I will conclude with our outlook and expectations for the second quarter through the remainder of the year. As you can glean from the earnings release, Third Coast beat expectations in nearly every category, with successive record quarterly profits attributed to a strong loan growth, enhanced operational efficiency, and successful execution of the company's expense optimization plan. We do expect these factors to continue driving consistent financial improvement as per our plan. In terms of cost savings initiatives, we continue to capitalize on automation, software enhancements, staffing adjustments, and workflow advances.

Additionally, we have introduced a new 1% initiative to boost overall efficiencies, wherein we are encouraging every employee to suggest improvements. Altogether, we believe there is still opportunity to gain efficiency in operations, and it remains a high priority for the management team. Our focus on operational leverage has also benefited from strong loan growth of over $107 million in net new funds for the quarter, reflecting a trend of attracting high-quality customers. Deposit growth was also strong, resulting from initiatives implemented over the past year. Nearly all business segments have exceeded their deposit goals. In particular, success in deposit acquisition by our commercial and specialty groups.

Treasury services have also led to solid core account expansion, and kudos to our retail group and financial advisors for their significant contributions over the last year. I attribute our positive trends to a sound strategic plan, a skilled management team executing well, and a group of exceptional bankers aligned with stakeholder objectives. Additionally, it certainly helps that we operate in resilient and growing markets throughout Texas. We believe our first quarter results underscore the company's long-term ability to provide valuable, relevant services to our market and continues to prove out the value of our strategic model. With that, I'll turn it over to John for the company's profitability update. John?

John McWhorter (CFO)

Thank you, Bart, and good morning, everyone. In yesterday's earnings release, we provided the detailed financial tables, so today I'll offer further insights into specific profitability metrics for the first quarter. We reported first quarter net income of $10.4 million, resulting in an 11% return on equity and record diluted earnings per share of $0.61. Net interest income was up 12.5% on an annualized days adjusted basis. The increase was primarily due to better yields on investments and higher average loans. Non-interest expenses were down 1.9% or $500,000 due to cost-cutting initiatives implemented in prior quarters. Investment securities are up $68.2 million, and the current yield on the portfolio is 6.15% versus 5.36% in the previous quarter. Deposit growth for the quarter was $248 million, more than double our loan growth of $107 million.

This resulted in a loan-to-deposit ratio falling to 92.5% and resulted in net interest margin pressure, which declined 1 basis point. Much of this quarter's deposit and loan growth was seasonal. As of today, loans are down $30 million, and deposits are down $175 million. On April 10th, we sold our five-year pay fixed swap, realizing a gain of $5.25 million. This will be accreted into income at roughly $275,000 per quarter. That completes the financial review, and at this point, I'll pass the call to Audrey for our credit quality review.

Audrey Duncan (Chief Credit Officer)

Thanks, John, and good morning, everyone. Given the current economic climate, we understand that investors are focused more than ever on credit quality. Despite the difficulties presented in 2023, Third Coast's loan portfolio has remained strong. Non-performing assets increased by $4.4 million and represented 0.47% of total assets. The increase was attributed to a $1.5 million increase in non-accruals and a $2.9 million increase in loans over 90 days past due and still accruing. The non-accrual increase was primarily due to four relationships being placed on non-accrual, two of which had 75% SBA guarantees, one of which represented our 5% portion of a Main Street loan, and one small mortgage loan. The increase in loans past due over 90 days and still accruing was a matured real estate loan that was pending renewal.

Net charge-offs of $742,000 for the quarter were primarily the result of the charge-off of two C&I loans. Charge-offs for the quarter totaled $839,000, and we recognized recoveries of $97,000. Provisions for credit losses totaled $1.6 million for the first quarter, which was related to provisioning for new loans and commitments. The ACL remained at 1.02% of total loans and was right in the middle of the range. The loan portfolio mix remained well balanced, with percentages similar to the previous quarter. C&I loans represented 36% of total loans. Construction, development, and land loans remained at 19%, while owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied CRE represented 14% and 16% of total loans, respectively. Office represented 3.9% of total loans, with a little over half being owner-occupied.

Medical office was another 1.3% of total loans. Office and medical office loans increased less than $1 million each for the quarter. The office portfolio generally consists of Class B, with some owner-occupied C space, and is all located in our Texas footprint. The average LTV of our office portfolio is approximately 60%, and the average LTV for medical office is approximately 55%. Multifamily represented 3.2% of total loans, which was a slight increase from 3% of total loans the previous quarter, and had an average LTV of 59%. Our credit management practices are robust, with regional credit officers dedicated to each of our verticals. The credit officers have an average of 30 years of experience, and each one is highly experienced in their specific vertical.

They hold regular meetings to review their portfolios, and the corporate banking and builder finance groups maintain trend cards that track financial trends and covenants on each borrower, as well as comparing projections to actual performance. The commercial banking vertical monitors covenant and borrowing-based compliance, tracks financial trends, and reviews loans on at least an annual basis. In addition, stress testing is conducted at both the individual loan level, at origination and renewal, as well as annually on a portfolio-wide basis. With that, I'll turn the call back to Bart. Bart?

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

Thank you, Audrey. Moving forward into the second quarter and the rest of the year, as referenced earlier, our team continues to execute on the company's strategic objectives. Priorities involve diversifying our deposit portfolio, reducing the company's cost of funds, managing expenses, and enhancing operational efficiencies. Additionally, we are focused on revenue generation and identifying strategic opportunities for future growth, building upon our efforts from previous years. Loan pipelines remain robust. We, therefore, continue to expect growth of $300 million-$400 million for the year. This should drive net interest income growth to exceed 10%, coupled with non-interest expense growth of less than 5%.

We believe the company will gain more operating leverage over the next few quarters. Our team's dedication to adaptability, innovation, and strategic planning positions us to overcome challenges and to capitalize on opportunities as we progress through the year. We are making headway in driving quality growth, enhancing the customer experience, and building excellence in our operations. This concludes our prepared remarks. I would now like to turn the call back over to the operator for the question and answer session. Operator?

Operator (participant)

Thank you. We will now be conducting a question-and-answer session. If you would like to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad. A confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press star two if you would like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. First question comes from Bernard Von Gizycki with Deutsche Bank. Please go ahead.

Bernard Von Gizycki (Equity Research Analyst)

Hey, guys. Good morning. So just wanted to discuss some of the drivers of the NIM. You know, it came in better than expected. It just declined just 1 basis point. Obviously, there was some good cost controls with interest-bearing deposit costs and total interest-bearing liabilities declined 2 basis points. Loan yields were flat, but there was a nice uptick in securities, which I believe picked up 79 basis points. So could you just provide some color on the pricing dynamics, and maybe some expectations on the NIM for 2Q?

John McWhorter (CFO)

Yeah. So Bernie, you know, we sold our swap in April, and that, that was providing, you know, a nice tailwind. And remember, that's a, a reduction to, to interest expense that we won't have as much in the second quarter, but what we will have is now basically locked in, guaranteed for the next five years. All in everything, including the uptick in investments, I think the margin's gonna be flat in the second quarter. I mean, if I had to pick a number, I'd say we're gonna be exactly where we are today. I know there's a lot of moving parts.

You know, the, the one big drag that we had, the margin would have been up, but we had so much cash come in late in the first quarter, and our spread on that was, you know, 10 basis points, 20 basis points. So that was a real drag on the margin. And while I'm thinking about it, one thing that may have been a little misleading about my comment on the seasonality, that was just concerning our deposits, not so much our loans.

Our loans were down a little bit in April, but that was just because of a payoff. Nothing unusual there. We're obviously still early in the quarter, but deposits were seasonal. A lot of that money has gone out. You know, that changes our mix. That will certainly help improve the margin. And, you know, all in net-net, I think the margin will be pretty stable.

Bernard Von Gizycki (Equity Research Analyst)

Okay, I appreciate that. And John, just maybe following up, I believe, and Bart, when you mentioned the net interest income guide for the full year, I think you said +10%. I think the previous guide was +10%-15%. Just wanted to make sure, you know, if you could just confirm, and if that's the case, why it's the lower and, what kind of rate cuts are you, or if any, what are you assuming in that forward price?

John McWhorter (CFO)

Yeah, and we weren't necessarily trying to guide to a lower number. It's, you know, there's the uncertainty there because of the lumpiness in the portfolio. You know, if you look at our average loan balances, much of our loan growth came late in the first quarter. That, you know, doesn't do anything to help us when we're thinking about full year numbers. I mean, literally, most of the growth that we had was in the last two or three weeks of March. So just kind of layering that in. It may make it a little harder to get to the 15%. It just depends on.

Yeah, and you know, on the margin, certainly we haven't had the strain that a lot of banks have had. I mean, since the beginning of the cycle, I think we're down 17 basis points, if I remember right. So, you know, we don't expect a lot of pressure. You know, we're not gonna have a big drop and then a big uptick the way some of the other banks have had. You know, the non-interest bearing specifically is... I mean, that's hard to model. I mean, it certainly dropped more this quarter than I would have expected. I think some of that was tax-related and will come back to us. So we'll, you know, if anything, have a little bit of an increase this time.

But we're bringing on new treasury customers all the time that are non-interest bearing, but that was certainly a little bit of a surprise to us to see that drop so much, and certainly weighed on the margin, but I don't expect that to happen again. Yeah, and to follow up on your question, Michael, with regard to you know where we're doing internally, you know, deposits were certainly one of the top three objectives that we've had for the entire bank, and every line of business.

You know, has been charged with developing a plan to help us grow those deposits. And I think it's been very, very helpful, because in the last 12 months, we've seen the fruition of, you know, a lot of these plans helping us grow the deposit side. So, what I would tell you is we probably have a couple of other products that we're working on. Certainly, we're in the midst of executing on, you know, each one of the lines of business's plans, and it's been relatively successful in a pretty hard market. And part of it, too, is we do have the benefit.

Again, we have a lot of bankers that joined us over the last, call it, two years, and they're still moving business over. So we are fortunate that we have the benefit of kind of a pipeline of customers that we continue to work on. You know, moving deposits is slow, right? So especially whenever it's bigger commercial accounts. But, you know, treasury has been instrumental, as John said. We've actually had a nice uptick in those commercial accounts, and it's just more of the same executing at this point.

Michael Rose (Managing Director)

That, that's great, Collier. I appreciate it. Maybe just as a follow-up, I, you know, expenses step down this quarter, and I think you said less than, you know, kind of 5% year-on-year growth. Can you just talk about some of the-- You know, I know you guys have done some cost cutting, and, you know, you guys are highly focused on expenses, but at the same time,

I mean, you know, ongoing investments to continue to build, you know, the earnings power of the company, right? And I know some of that is on the deposit side, as you just mentioned, John, or Bart, excuse me. Can you just talk about some of the other areas that, you know, you're continuing to invest in, you know, as we think, you know, beyond kind of this year and into the next couple of years? Thanks.

John McWhorter (CFO)

Yeah. So, Michael, you know, the biggest number, of course, is salary expenses, and we do all of our annual raises in the first quarter. So we have a pretty good handle on that number going forward. We don't have a lot of openings. We're not looking to hire a lot of people, so it helps give us confidence on that number. You know, we did talk about opening a branch. Obviously, we have to hire people for that, but we literally have 30 fewer employees today than we did a year ago. So we think we've done a pretty good job managing that. You know, I'd say a pretty good confidence on salary numbers going forward, not increasing too much. Some of the other things are, you know, a little harder.

Sometimes you have legal expenses you weren't expecting or consulting or that sort of thing. But, you know, no big expenses that I'm aware of that we're soon to add. We do have one more branch that is kind of in process, but we already have employees there, so there's not gonna be a big increase in expense. It's an administrative office today and will become a full branch within months, I think. But again, no big increase in expense. You know, I think holding under that 5%, unless something out of the ordinary happens, should be relatively easy.

And a little different color, taking it from a different perspective, Michael, is that, you know, we kind of have decided to really focus in on priorities. So, you know, for us, particularly when it looks like, like project management or new software, I mean, we have really been surgical in our approach, that we've simplified our processes and any new projects have been tailored down to just a handful versus broader. So, you know, we're spending more resources in focusing on the important things, which is developing deposits, developing business, and less distractions from other things. And I think we're just getting better and better at refining. And what I'd also say is there's a philosophical difference in the company, that it's not just big things like staffing, it's little things.

So, you know, there's a focus in just everywhere, any job position, looking at how we can simplify it and do it more efficiently. A lot of little, little things add up to big things, right? So it's big and little things happening, and it's kind of changing hearts and minds internally, that we're all rowing in the same direction. I think we still have a lot of efficiencies to gain, as these things take momentum.

Michael Rose (Managing Director)

No, that's great and well understood. And, you know, I think putting it all together, just last question, you know, for me, is just, you know, you—Bart, you talked about, you know, operating leverage and, you know, the strength there, I think, for a growth bank, you know, especially given the intense focus on the expense side and being surgical, as you mentioned. You know, as we think kind of intermediate to longer term, you know, balancing the growth and investment together, I mean, do you think ultimately the goal at this point in your life cycle is to continue to drive that efficiency ratio down, you know, again, intermediate, longer term, to somewhere below 60%? Does that just theoretically feel right, you know, as you think about, you know, the franchise over the next three to five years?

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

It's funny you say that. Well, one, it's not gonna take 3three to five years, but you know, there's a strong emphasis internally to get our efficiency ratio to something that starts with a five. So, that's what I've been said, and everybody in the organization knows it, and everybody has been just great supporters of trying to get us there. So, you know, I'm not gonna predict exactly when we get to something that starts with a five, but I will tell you, internally, there's a heavy emphasis of us finding our way there. And, you know, part of that will be a little growth, but you know, it's also more focused on the expense side, and the two's gonna marry up. you know, and hopefully, we get there a lot sooner than what y'all think.

Michael Rose (Managing Director)

Perfect. And I lied, maybe one last one, just for John. What drove the increase in service charges this quarter, and is that a decent run rate to think about? I'm just curious if there's any kind of one-time, you know, catch-up or anything in there. Thanks.

John McWhorter (CFO)

Third Coast Bancshares - Q1 2024

Executive Summary

What Went Well and What Went Wrong

What Went Well

What Went Wrong

Transcript

Operator (participant)

Natalie Hairston (Investor Relations)

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Audrey Duncan (Chief Credit Officer)

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

Operator (participant)

Bernard Von Gizycki (Equity Research Analyst)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Bernard Von Gizycki (Equity Research Analyst)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Bernard Von Gizycki (Equity Research Analyst)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Operator (participant)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Michael Rose (Managing Director)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Michael Rose (Managing Director)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Michael Rose (Managing Director)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Michael Rose (Managing Director)

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

Michael Rose (Managing Director)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Michael Rose (Managing Director)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Operator (participant)

Woody Lay (VP)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Woody Lay (VP)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Woody Lay (VP)

Audrey Duncan (Chief Credit Officer)

Woody Lay (VP)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Woody Lay (VP)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Operator (participant)

Thomas Wendler (Analyst)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Thomas Wendler (Analyst)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Thomas Wendler (Analyst)

Audrey Duncan (Chief Credit Officer)

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

Audrey Duncan (Chief Credit Officer)

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

Audrey Duncan (Chief Credit Officer)

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

Audrey Duncan (Chief Credit Officer)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Audrey Duncan (Chief Credit Officer)

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

Thomas Wendler (Analyst)

John McWhorter (CFO)

Thomas Wendler (Analyst)

Operator (participant)

Bart Caraway (Chairman, President, and CEO)

Operator (participant)