CATY - Cathay General Bancorp Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Results

Cathay General Bancorp (the “Company”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) (Nasdaq: CATY), the holding company for Cathay Bank, today announced its unaudited financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2023. The Company reported net income of $354.1 million, or $4.86 per share, for the year ended December 31, 2023 and net income of $82.5 million, or $1.13 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2023. The fourth quarter net income included a $11.3 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, charge for the one-time FDIC special assessment.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

HIGHLIGHTS

• Diluted earnings per share for the year increased to $4.86.
• Total loans increased $1.3 billion, or 7.1%, to $19.55 billion in 2023.
• Total deposits increased $820.2 million, or 4.4%, to $19.33 billion in 2023.

“Total loans increased by $1.3 billion to $19.55 billion for the year and diluted earnings per share for the year increased to $4.86 per share,” commented Chang M. Liu, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

INCOME STATEMENT REVIEW
FOURTH QUARTER 2023 COMPARED TO THE THIRD QUARTER 2023

Net income for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, was $82.5 million, an increase of $0.1 million, or 0.1%, compared to net income of $82.4 million for the third quarter of 2023. Diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $1.13 per share compared to $1.13 per share for the third quarter of 2023. Net income for the fourth quarter included an $11.3 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, one-time FDIC special assessment as a result of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.

Return on average stockholders’ equity was 12.21% and return on average assets was 1.40% for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, compared to a return on average stockholders’ equity of 12.36% and a return on average assets of 1.42% in the third quarter of 2023.

Net interest income before provision for credit losses

Net interest income before provision for credit losses decreased $3.5 million, or 1.9%, to $182.1 million during the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to $185.6 million in the third quarter of 2023. The decrease was due primarily to an increase in interest deposit expense, partially offset by an increase in interest income from loans and securities.

The net interest margin was 3.27% for the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to 3.38% for the third quarter of 2023.

For the fourth quarter of 2023, the yield on average interest-earning assets was 5.99%, the cost of funds on average interest-bearing liabilities was 3.59%, and the cost of average interest-bearing deposits was 3.50%. In comparison, for the third quarter of 2023, the yield on average interest-earning assets was 5.89%, the cost of funds on average interest-bearing liabilities was 3.33%, and the cost of average interest-bearing deposits was 3.23%. The increase in the yield on average interest-bearing liabilities resulted mainly from higher interest rates on deposits driven by the higher repricing of maturing time deposits in the fourth quarter. The increase in the yield on average interest-earning assets resulted mainly from higher interest rates on loans due to the increasing rate environment. The net interest spread, defined as the difference between the yield on average interest-earning assets and the cost of funds on average interest-bearing liabilities, was 2.40% for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to 2.56% for the third quarter of 2023.

Provision for credit losses

The Company recorded a provision for credit losses of $1.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to $7.0 million in the third quarter of 2023. As of December 31, 2023, the allowance for credit losses decreased by $2.4 million to $163.6 million, or 0.84% of gross loans, compared to $166.0 million, or 0.87% of gross loans as of September 30, 2023.

The following table sets forth the charge-offs and recoveries for the periods indicated:

Non-interest income

Non-interest income, which includes revenues from depository service fees, letters of credit commissions, securities gains (losses), wealth management fees, and other sources of fee income, was $23.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of $15.3 million, or 194.8%, compared to $7.8 million for the third quarter of 2023. The increase was primarily due to an increase of $15.2 million in gain on equity securities, when compared to the third quarter of 2023.

Non-interest expense

Non-interest expense increased $16.5 million, or 17.6%, to $110.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to $94.0 million in the third quarter of 2023. The increase in non-interest expense in the fourth quarter of 2023 was primarily due to an increase of $11.3 million in FDIC and State assessments, an increase of $3.0 million in amortization expense of investments in low-income housing and alternative energy partnerships, an increase of $1.3 million in salaries and employee benefits and an increase of $671 thousand in one-time restructuring costs, when compared to the third quarter of 2023. The efficiency ratio, defined as non-interest expense divided by the sum of net interest income before provision for loan losses plus non-interest income, was 53.84% in the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to 48.57% for the third quarter of 2023.

Income taxes

The effective tax rate for the fourth quarter of 2023 was 11.28%, compared to 10.95% for the third quarter of 2023. The effective tax rate includes the impact of alternative energy investments and low-income housing tax credits.

BALANCE SHEET REVIEW

Gross loans were $19.55 billion as of December 31, 2023, an increase of $1.3 billion, or 7.1%, from $18.25 billion as of December 31, 2022. The increase was primarily due to increases of $935.9 million, or 10.6%, in commercial real estate loans, $585.8 million, or 11.2%, in residential mortgage loans, offset by a decrease of $136.7 million, or 24.4%, in construction loans, and a decrease of $78.6 million, or 24.2%, in home equity loans. For the fourth quarter of 2023, gross loans increased by $524.3 million, or 11.5% annualized.

The loan balances and composition as of December 31, 2023, compared to September 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, are presented below:

Total deposits were $19.33 billion as of December 31, 2023, an increase of $820.2 million, or 4.4%, from $18.51 billion as of December 31, 2022.

The deposit balances and composition as of December 31, 2023, compared to September 30, 2023, and December 31, 2022, are presented below:

ASSET QUALITY REVIEW

As of December 31, 2023, total non-accrual loans were $66.7 million, a decrease of $2.2 million, or 3.2%, from $68.9 million as of December 31, 2022, and a decrease of $10.6 million, or 13.7%, from $77.3 million as of September 30, 2023.

The allowance for loan losses was $154.6 million and the allowance for off-balance sheet unfunded credit commitments was $9.1 million as of December 31, 2023. The allowances represent the amount estimated by management to be appropriate to absorb credit losses inherent in the loan portfolio, including unfunded credit commitments. The allowance for loan losses represented 0.79% of period-end gross loans, and 209.33% of non-performing loans as of December 31, 2023. The comparable ratios were 0.80% of period-end gross loans, and 182.12% of non-performing loans as of December 31, 2022.

The changes in non-performing assets and loan modifications to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty as of December 31, 2023, compared to December 31, 2022, and September 30, 2023, are presented below:

The ratio of non-performing assets to total assets was 0.40% as of December 31, 2023, compared to 0.39% as of December 31, 2022. Total non-performing assets increased $8.8 million, or 10.4%, to $93.3 million as of December 31, 2023, compared to $84.5 million as of December 31, 2022, primarily due to an increase of $15.4 million, or 378.0%, in other real estate owned, offset by a decrease of $4.4 million, or 38.2%, in accruing loans past due 90 days or more and a decrease of $2.2 million, or 3.2%, in non-accrual loans.

CAPITAL ADEQUACY REVIEW

As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 12.82%, total risk-based capital ratio of 14.30%, and Tier 1 leverage capital ratio of 10.55%, calculated under the Basel III capital rules, continue to place the Company in the “well capitalized” category for regulatory purposes, which is defined as institutions with a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio equal to or greater than 8%, a total risk-based capital ratio equal to or greater than 10%, and a Tier 1 leverage capital ratio equal to or greater than 5%. As of December 31, 2022, the Company’s Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio was 12.21%, total risk-based capital ratio was 13.73%, and Tier 1 leverage capital ratio was 10.08%.

FULL YEAR REVIEW

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2023, was $354.1 million, a decrease of $6.5 million, or 1.8%, compared to net income of $360.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $4.86, compared to $4.83 per share for the year ended December 31, 2022. The net interest margin for the year ended December 31, 2023 was 3.45%, compared to 3.63% for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Return on average stockholders’ equity was 13.56% and return on average assets was 1.56% for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to a return on average stockholders’ equity of 14.70% and a return on average assets of 1.69% for the year ended December 31, 2022. The efficiency ratio for the year ended December 31, 2023, was 46.97%, compared to 38.38% for the year ended December 31, 2022.

CONFERENCE CALL

Cathay General Bancorp will host a conference call to discuss its fourth quarter and year-end 2023 financial results this afternoon, Wednesday, January 24, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Analysts and investors may dial in and participate in the question-and-answer session. To access the call, please dial 1-833-816-1377 and enter Conference ID 10185350. The presentation accompanying this call and access to the live webcast is available on our site at www.cathaygeneralbancorp.com and a replay of the webcast will be archived for one year within 24 hours after the event.

ABOUT CATHAY GENERAL BANCORP

Cathay General Bancorp is a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: CATY) and is the holding company for Cathay Bank, a California state-chartered bank. Founded in 1962, Cathay Bank offers a wide range of financial services and currently operates over 60 branches across the United States in California, New York, Washington, Texas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Nevada, and New Jersey. Overseas, it has a branch outlet in Hong Kong, and representative offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Taipei. To learn more about Cathay Bank, please visit www.cathaybank.com . Cathay General Bancorp’s website is at www.cathaygeneralbancorp.com . Information set forth on such websites is not incorporated into this press release.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements made in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the applicable provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding management’s beliefs, projections, and assumptions concerning future results and events. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, such words as “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “hopes,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “predicts,” “potential,” “possible,” “optimistic,” “seeks,” “shall,” “should,” “will,” and variations of these words and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates, beliefs, projections, and assumptions of management and are not guarantees of future performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. Such risks and uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, adverse developments or conditions related to or arising from local, regional, national and international business, market and economic conditions and events and the impact they may have on us, our customers and our operations, assets and liabilities; possible additional provisions for loan losses and charge-offs; credit risks of lending activities and deterioration in asset or credit quality; extensive laws and regulations and supervision that we are subject to including potential future supervisory action by bank supervisory authorities; increased costs of compliance and other risks associated with changes in regulation; higher capital requirements from the implementation of the Basel III capital standards; compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and other money laundering statutes and regulations; potential goodwill impairment; liquidity risk; fluctuations in interest rates; risks associated with acquisitions and the expansion of our business into new markets; inflation and deflation; real estate market conditions and the value of real estate collateral; our ability to generate anticipated returns on our investments and financings, including in tax-advantaged projects; environmental liabilities; our ability to compete with larger competitors; our ability to retain key personnel; successful management of reputational risk; natural disasters, public health crises and geopolitical events; general economic or business conditions in Asia, and other regions where Cathay Bank has operations; failures, interruptions, or security breaches of our information systems; our ability to adapt our systems to technological changes; risk management processes and strategies; adverse results in legal proceedings; certain provisions in our charter and bylaws that may affect acquisition of the Company; changes in accounting standards or tax laws and regulations; market disruption and volatility; restrictions on dividends and other distributions by laws and regulations and by our regulators and our capital structure; issuance of preferred stock; successfully raising additional capital, if needed, and the resulting dilution of interests of holders of our common stock; the soundness of other financial institutions; and general competitive, economic political, and market conditions and fluctuations.

These and other factors are further described in Cathay General Bancorp’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 (Item 1A in particular), other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and other filings Cathay General Bancorp makes with the SEC from time to time. Actual results in any future period may also vary from the past results discussed in this press release. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or review any forward-looking statement to reflect circumstances, developments or events occurring after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.