Blue Foundry Bancorp Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2022 Results

Globe Newswire 25-Jan-2023 8:15 AM

RUTHERFORD, N. J. , Jan. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Foundry Bancorp (NASDAQ:BLFY) (the "Company"), the holding company for Blue Foundry Bank (the "Bank"), today reported net income of $2.4 million, or $0.09 per diluted common share, for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to a net loss of $36.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Net income was $562 thousand, or $0.02 per diluted common share, for the three months ended December 31, 2022 compared to $1.2 million, or $0.05 per diluted common share, for the three months ended September 30, 2022, and a net loss of $19.6 million, or $(0.75) per diluted common share, for the three months ended December 31, 2021.

James D. Nesci, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Our fourth quarter was highlighted by continued strong loan growth. In 2022, consistently robust and diverse loan production drove a 20% increase in gross loans. Additionally, the Company's focus on attracting customers to our suite of consumer-friendly deposit products led to a 13% annual increase in core deposits."

He continued, "While today's economic environment remains difficult, we are steadfast in executing on our strategic priorities. We are also committed to the underwriting standards that have resulted in consistently strong asset quality, and both our bank and holding company remain well capitalized."

Highlights for the fourth quarter of 2022:

• Gross loans grew by $51.3 million, or 3.4%, compared to the linked quarter, led by growth in commercial portfolios.
• Loan originations totaled $68.2 million for the quarter, and included originations of $35.4 million in non-residential loans, and $24.2 million in multifamily loans.
• Total deposits increased $22.4 million, or 1.8%, compared to the linked quarter, driven by growth in time deposits.
• Non-interest expense, excluding the provision for commitments and letters of credit, decreased $427 thousand, or 3.2%, compared to the linked quarter.
• Net interest income for the quarter was $12.9 million, a decrease of $888 thousand, or 6.4%, compared to the prior quarter, and an increase of $590 thousand, or 4.8%, compared to the prior year quarter.
• Net interest margin was 2.62%, a 22 basis point decrease compared to the linked quarter and a one basis point decrease from the prior year quarter.
• The Company recorded a release of provision for loan losses of $224 thousand and a release of provision for commitments and letters of credit of $203 thousand.
• During the quarter, 632,073 shares were repurchased at a weighted average cost of $12.40. 1,298,762 shares have been repurchased as of December 31, 2022, representing 46% of the stock authorized for repurchase under the Company's initial stock repurchase program announced in July 2022.
• Tangible book value per share increased 19 cents to $14.28.
  
  

Lending Franchise

The Company continues to diversify its lending franchise by focusing on growing the commercial portfolio. During the fourth quarter of 2022, gross loans increased by $51.3 million primarily due to strong growth within the Company's non-residential and multifamily portfolios.

The details of the loan portfolio are below:

The commercial and industrial portfolio includes Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, net of deferred fees, which totaled $477 thousand at December 31, 2022, $557 thousand at September 30, 2022, $2.0 million at June 30, 2022, $8.1 million at March 31, 2022, and $16.8 million at December 31, 2021.

Retail Banking Franchise

As of December 31, 2022, core deposits totaled $872.6 million, an increase of $99.4 million or 12.8% from December 31, 2021. The Company remains focused on attracting the full banking relationship of small- to medium-sized businesses through an extensive suite of deposit products.

The details of deposits are below:

Financial Performance Overview:        

Fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of 2021

Net interest income compared to the fourth quarter of 2021:

• Net interest income was $12.9 million, an increase of $590 thousand.
• Net interest margin decreased one basis point to 2.62%.
• Yield on average interest-earning assets increased 52 basis points to 3.55%.
• Cost of average interest-bearing deposits increased 48 basis points to 0.82%, reflecting the competitive rate environment in our primary market.
• Average loans increased by $235.2 million and average interest-bearing deposits decreased by $6.7 million.
  

Non-interest expense compared to the fourth quarter of 2021:

• Non-interest expense was $12.9 million, a decrease of $4.5 million driven by the absence in the 2022 quarter of non-recurring expenses of: a $2.0 million loss on pension withdrawal and $755 thousand in debt extinguishment costs.
• Excluding non-recurring items referenced above, non-interest expense decreased $1.8 million. Fees for professional services declined $872 thousand and advertising costs declined $728 thousand as management focused on reducing discretionary expenses. The provision for commitments and letters of credit was also lower by $351 thousand. These decreases were partially offset by an increase of $599 thousand in compensation and benefits costs which included expenses related to equity grants.

Income tax expense compared to the fourth quarter of 2021:

• Income tax expense was $164 thousand compared to $16.1 million for the prior year quarter. The 22.5% effective tax rate for the quarter reflects discrete state and federal tax items recognized in the fourth quarter, however, management expects the effective tax rate to remain near 10% for the near future. The Company had previously established and continues to maintain a full valuation allowance on its deferred tax assets. Although the Company had a loss before income tax in the prior year quarter, the tax expense recorded in that period reflects the impact of the initial recognition of the full valuation allowance on the Company's deferred tax assets.
  

Year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021

Net interest income compared to the year ended December 31, 2021:

• Net interest income was $51.8 million, an increase of $8.9 million.
• Net interest margin increased by 52 basis points to 2.73%.
• Yield on average interest-earning assets increased 40 basis points to 3.28%.
• Cost of average interest-bearing deposits decreased 14 basis points to 0.47%, due to a shift to core deposits partially offset by the competitive rate environment in our primary market.
• Average loans increased by $132.6 million and average interest-bearing deposits decreased by $61.6 million.
  

Non-interest expense compared to the year ended December 31, 2021:

• Non-interest expense was $52.8 million, a decrease of $21.9 million driven by the absence in 2022 of non-recurring expenses of: a $11.2 million loss on pension withdrawal, a $9.0 million charitable contribution, and $2.2 million in debt extinguishment costs.
• Excluding non-recurring items referenced above, non-interest expense increased $464 thousand. An increase of $3.5 million in compensation and benefits costs was driven by raises, hiring, an increase in cash incentive compensation expense, and costs associated with equity grants made under the shareholder-approved equity incentive plan. In addition, the costs associated with being a public company increased $1.0 million in 2022. These increases were partially offset by a reduction of $1.3 million in advertising and $1.2 million in data processing, and a lower provision for commitments and letters of credit of $1.0 million.

Income tax expense compared to the year ended December 31, 2021:

• Income tax expense was $338 thousand compared to $9.6 million for the prior year period. The year-to-date effective tax rate of 12.4% reflects the Company's current tax position. The Company had previously established and continues to maintain a full valuation allowance on its deferred tax assets. Although the Company had a loss before income tax in the prior year, the tax expense recorded in that year reflects the impact of the initial recognition of the full valuation allowance on the Company's deferred tax assets.
  

Balance Sheet Summary:

December 31, 2022 compared to December 31, 2021

Cash and cash equivalents:

• Cash and cash equivalents decreased $152.3 million compared to December 31, 2021 as the Company deployed cash primarily into higher yielding loans and securities.
  

Securities available-for-sale:

• Securities available-for-sale decreased $10.6 million to $314.2 million as purchases of securities were more than offset by the fair value decline in the portfolio, as well as amortization and calls.
• The rising rate environment contributed to a $37.3 million decline in the net unrealized position of the portfolio.

Gross loans:

• Gross loans held for investment increased $261.1 million to $1.54 billion. Excluding PPP, gross loans increased by $277.9 million.
• Multifamily loans increased $175.0 million, non-residential real estate loans increased $74.8 million, and residential loans increased $33.5 million.
• Originations totaled $488.2 million, including originations of $285.4 million in multifamily loans, $128.7 million in non-residential real estate loans, and $44.1 million in construction loans. In addition, $106.1 million of conforming residential mortgages in New Jersey were purchased during the period.
  

Deposits and borrowings:

• Deposits totaled $1.29 billion, an increase of $41.8 million since December 31, 2021. Core deposits represented 67.7% of total deposits compared to 62.0% at December 31, 2021.
• FHLB borrowings increased by $125.0 million to $310.5 million to support loan growth.

Capital:

• Shareholders' equity decreased by $35.8 million to $393.7 million. The decrease was primarily driven by a $24.3 million reduction in accumulated other comprehensive income reflecting the net impact that the interest rate environment had on the Company's available-for-sale securities and the swap agreements used in its cash flow hedges. The Company also repurchased 1,298,762 of its shares at a cost of $15.6 million. 299,481of the shares repurchased were used to fund the shareholder-approved restricted stock grants. These decreases were partially offset by net income of $2.4 million.
• Tangible equity to tangible assets was 19.24% and tangible common equity per share outstanding was $14.28.
• The Bank's capital ratios remain above the FDIC's "well capitalized" standards.
  

Asset quality:

• Non-performing loans totaled $7.8 million, or 0.50% of total loans compared to $12.0 million, or 0.94% of total loans at December 31, 2021.
• The allowance for loan losses represented 0.87% of total loans compared to 1.13% at December 31, 2021. The allowance for loan losses was 172.52% of non-performing loans compared to 120.38% at December 31, 2021.
• The Company recorded a net release of provision for loan losses of $224 thousand for the quarter ended December 31, 2022 and $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 driven by significant pay downs within the construction and land portfolio, partially offset by growth in our multifamily portfolio.
• Net recoveries were $24 thousand for the quarter ended December 31, 2022 and for the year ended December 31, 2022 net charge-offs were $24 thousand.

About Blue Foundry

Blue Foundry Bancorp is the holding company for Blue Foundry Bank, a place where things are made, purpose is formed, and ideas are crafted. Headquartered in Rutherford NJ, with a presence in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic and Somerset counties, Blue Foundry Bank is a full-service, innovative bank serving the doers, movers, and shakers in our communities. We offer individuals and businesses alike the tailored products and services they need to build their futures. With a rich history dating back more than 145 years, Blue Foundry Bank has a longstanding commitment to its customers and communities. To learn more about Blue Foundry Bank visit BlueFoundryBank.com or call (888) 931-BLUE. Member FDIC.

Conference Call Information

A conference call discussing Blue Foundry's fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2022 financial results will be held today, Wednesday, January 25, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. (EST). To listen to the live call, please dial 1-833-927-1758 (toll free), 1-646-904-5544 (local) or 1-929-526-1599 (all other locations) and use access code 372166. The webcast (audio only) will be available on BlueFoundryBank.com. The conference call will be recorded and will be available on the Company's website for one month.        

Contact:
James D. Nesci
President and Chief Executive Officer
BlueFoundryBank.com
jnesci@bluefoundrybank.com 
201-972-8900

BLUE FOUNDRY BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARY
Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition

BLUE FOUNDRY BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARY
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(Dollars in thousands except per share data) (Unaudited)

BLUE FOUNDRY BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARY
Consolidated Financial Highlights
(Dollars in thousands except for share data) (Unaudited)

BLUE FOUNDRY BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARY
Analysis of Net Interest Income
(Unaudited)

BLUE FOUNDRY BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARY
Adjusted Pre-Provision Net Revenue (Non-GAAP)
(Dollars in thousands except per share data) (Unaudited)

This press release contains certain supplemental financial information, described in the table below, which has been determined by methods other than U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP") that management uses in its analysis of Blue Foundry's performance. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide information useful to investors in understanding Blue Foundry's financial results. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered a substitute for GAAP basis measures and results and Blue Foundry strongly encourages investors to review its consolidated financial statements in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names.

Net income, as presented in the Consolidated Statements of Operations, includes the provision for loan losses, provision for commitments and letters of credit, and income tax expense while pre-provision net revenue does not.