FFNW - First Financial Northwest, Inc. Reports Net Income of $1.2 Million or $0.13 per Diluted Share for the Fourth Quarter and $1.1 Million or $0.12 per Diluted Share for the Year Ended December 31, 2024

RENTON, Wash., Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Financial Northwest, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ GS: FFNW), the holding company for First Financial Northwest Bank (the “Bank”), today reported net income for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, of $1.2 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $608,000, or $(0.07) per diluted share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and net income of $1.2 million, or $0.13 per diluted share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, the Company reported net income of $1.1 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, compared to net income of $6.3 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2023.

The improved performance in the current quarter compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2024, was due primarily to a $1.3 million recapture of provision for credit losses. This compares to a provision for credit losses of $1.6 million in the prior quarter that mainly related to two participation loans to a single borrowing entity totaling approximately $6.0 million, where we were not the lead lender. During the quarter ended December 31, 2024, one of the two loans was paid in full and the borrower paid down the balance on the other loan using proceeds from the sale of another property. Subsequently, we received an updated appraisal of the property securing the remaining loan that confirmed a value sufficient to support the recapture of the previously allocated specific reserve for this loan.

“I am pleased to report that our net loans receivable increased $14.0 million in the quarter as our lending teams continue to focus on growing our loan portfolio. In addition, our credit quality remained strong, with only $842,000 in nonaccrual loans, representing 0.07% of our $1.16 billion total loan portfolio,” stated Joseph W. Kiley III, President and CEO.

“We continue to prepare for the closing of the sale of the Bank to Global Federal Credit Union (“Global”), as we await the final required approval from Global’s primary regulator, the National Credit Union Administration, before we can proceed towards closing the transaction,” concluded Kiley.

Highlights for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2024:

• Net loans receivable totaled $1.14 billion at December 31, 2024, compared to $1.13 billion at September 30, 2024, and $1.18 billion at December 31, 2023.
• Book value per common share was $17.50 at December 31, 2024, compared to $17.39 at September 30, 2024, and $17.61 at December 31, 2023.
• The Bank’s Tier 1 leverage and total capital ratios were 11.2% and 16.7% at December 31, 2024, compared to 10.9% and 16.7% at September 30, 2024, and 10.2% and 16.2% at December 31, 2023, respectively.
• Credit quality remained strong with nonaccrual loans totaling $842,000, or 0.07% of total loans at December 31, 2024.
• A $1.3 million recapture of provision for credit losses was recorded in the current quarter, compared to a $1.6 million and no provision for credit losses recorded during the prior quarter and the same quarter a year ago, respectively. We recorded a $50,000 recapture of provision for credit losses for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to a $208,000 recapture of provision for credit losses for the year ended December 31, 2023.
  

Deposits decreased $36.0 million to $1.13 billion at December 31, 2024, compared to $1.17 billion at September 30, 2024, and decreased $62.7 million compared to $1.19 billion at December 31, 2023. The decrease in deposits at December 31, 2024, compared to September 30, 2024, was due primarily to a $19.7 million decrease in noninterest-bearing demand deposits and a $15.5 million decrease in money market deposits. The decrease in deposits at December 31, 2024, from December 31, 2023, reflects declines in all deposit categories except for retail certificates of deposit which increased $91.8 million.

Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) advances totaled $110.0 million at December 31, 2024, compared to $100.0 million at September 30, 2024, and $125.0 million at December 31, 2023. Of the total FHLB advances at December 31, 2024, $100.0 million were tied to cash flow hedge agreements under which the Bank pays a fixed rate and receives a variable rate in return to assist in the Bank’s interest rate risk management efforts. These cash flow hedge agreements had a weighted average remaining term of 27.8 months and a weighted average fixed interest rate of 1.93% as of December 31, 2024. The average cost of borrowings was 2.35% for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to 3.19% for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and 2.40% for the quarter ended December 31, 2023.

The following table presents a breakdown of our total deposits (unaudited):

The following tables present an analysis of total deposits by branch office (unaudited):

Net loans receivable totaled $1.14 billion at December 31, 2024, compared to $1.13 billion at September 30, 2024, and $1.18 billion at December 31, 2023. The increase in the current quarter compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2024, was due to growth in non-residential commercial real estate, construction/land, consumer and one-to-four family residential loans, partially offset by declines in multifamily and business lending. The average balance of net loans receivable totaled $1.13 billion for both the quarters ended December 31, 2024, and September 30, 2024, compared to $1.17 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. For the year ended December 31, 2024, the average balance of net loans receivable was $1.14 billion, compared to $1.17 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023.

The allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) represented 1.30% of total loans receivable at December 31, 2024, compared to 1.42% of total loans receivable at September 30, 2024, and 1.28% at December 31, 2023. The change in the ACL at December 31, 2024, compared to September 30, 2024, related primarily to activity on the single lending relationship discussed above.

Nonaccrual loans totaled $842,000 at December 31, 2024, compared to $853,000 at September 30, 2024, and $220,000 at December 31, 2023. There was no other real estate owned at December 31, 2024, September 30, 2024, or December 31, 2023.

Net interest income totaled $8.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to $8.5 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and $9.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in the current quarter compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2024, was primarily due to declines in interest from earning assets, partially offset by declines in interest expense. For the year ended December 31, 2024, net interest income totaled $34.8 million, compared to $40.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as total interest expense increased by $5.0 million and total interest income declined by $800,000.

Total interest income decreased $419,000 to $19.0 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to $19.4 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and decreased $1.3 million compared to $20.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in total interest income during the current quarter compared to the prior quarter was primarily due to a $250,000 or 29.0% decline in interest income earned on interest-earning deposits held with banks. This decline resulted from a 54 basis point decrease in the average yield earned on these deposits, coupled with a $13.6 million reduction in their average balance. Additionally, interest income on loans, including fees, declined by $146,000 or 0.9%, primarily due to a $2.5 million decrease in the average balance of loans and, to a lesser extent, a four basis point decrease in the yield earned on loans. The decrease in total interest income during the current quarter compared to the comparable quarter in 2023 was primarily due to declines in interest income on loans, including fees, of $631,000, investments of $449,000, and interest-earning deposits with banks of $267,000, partially offset by an increase in dividends on FHLB stock of $56,000.

Yield on loans, the largest component of our interest-earning assets, declined to 5.82% during the recent quarter, compared to 5.86% and 5.83% for the quarters ended September 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023, respectively. The yield on investment securities for the current quarter was 4.29%, down slightly from 4.30% last quarter and up from 4.11% a year ago.

Total interest expense was $10.6 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, down from $11.0 million for both quarters ended September 30, 2024, and December 31, 2023. The decrease from the quarter ended September 30, 2024, was due to lower interest expense related to FHLB advances and other borrowings, which declined due to a decline in the average balance of FHLB advances and other borrowings, partially offset by higher interest expense on deposits driven by an increase in the average balance of interest-bearing deposits. The decrease from the quarter ended December 31, 2023, was due to lower interest expense on deposits and FHLB advances and other borrowings, primarily as a result of lower average balances of these liabilities.

Net interest margin was 2.50% for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to 2.46% for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and 2.54% for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The increase in the net interest margin for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to the prior quarter was primarily due to a decline in the average balance of total interest-earning assets, as net interest income was relatively unchanged during the periods. The decrease in the net interest margin for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to the same quarter a year ago was primarily due to a decline in net interest income, which was partially offset by a decline in the average balance of total interest-earning assets. The net interest margin for the month of December 2024 was 2.55%.

Noninterest income for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, totaled $658,000, down from $677,000 for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and up from $633,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The decrease compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2024, was primarily due to lower loan and deposit related fees and BOLI income, partially offset by an increase in wealth management revenue. Noninterest income remained nearly flat at $2.8 million for both the years ended December 31, 2024, and December 31, 2023, as increases in BOLI income, wealth management revenue and loan related fees in the current year were nearly entirely offset by decreases in deposit related fees and other noninterest income.

Noninterest expense totaled $8.9 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, compared to $8.5 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024, and $8.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The increase from the quarter ended September 30, 2024, was primarily due to a $860,000 increase in salaries and employee benefits due to 2025 merit increases implemented in December 2024, as well as year-end accruals related to incentive compensation, partially offset by decreases in nearly all other categories, most notably professional fees and other general and administrative expenses. Incentive compensation increased due to the project that modified certain loans that would have otherwise been ineligible for Global Federal Credit Union to hold on their balance sheet. The increase compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2023, was primarily due to a $644,000 increase in salaries and employee benefits and an $87,000 increase in data processing expenses, partially offset by decreases across other expense categories. Noninterest expense totaled $36.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $35.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The year-over-year increase was primarily due to an increase in professional fees, data processing and salaries and employee benefits, partially offset by lower marketing and other general and administrative expenses and regulatory assessments.

First Financial Northwest, Inc. is the parent company of First Financial Northwest Bank; an FDIC insured Washington State-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Renton, Washington, serving the Puget Sound Region through 15 full-service banking offices. For additional information about us, please visit our website at ffnwb.com and click on the “Investor Relations” link at the bottom of the page.

Forward-looking statements:

When used in this press release and in other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), in press releases or other public stockholder communications, or in oral statements made with the approval of an authorized executive officer, the words or phrases “believe,” “will,” “will likely result,” “are expected to,” “will continue,” “is anticipated,” “estimate,” “project,” “plans,” or similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent management’s current expectations and forecasts regarding future events many of which are inherently uncertain and outside of our control. Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, assumptions and statements about, among other things, our pending transaction with Global Federal Credit Union (“Global”) whereby Global, pursuant to the definitive purchase and assumption agreement (the “P&A Agreement”), will acquire substantially all of the assets and assume substantially all of the liabilities of the Bank, expectations of the business environment in which we operate, projections of future performance or financial items, perceived opportunities in the market, potential future credit experience, and statements regarding our mission and vision. These forward-looking statements are based on current management expectations and may, therefore, involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ, possibly materially from those currently expected or projected in these forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, us and could negatively affect our operating and stock performance. Factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, the following: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the right of one or all of the parties to terminate the P&A Agreement; delays in completing the P&A Agreement; the failure to obtain necessary regulatory approvals or to satisfy any of the other conditions to the Global transaction, including the P&A Agreement, on a timely basis or at all; delays or other circumstances arising from the dissolution of the Bank and the Company following completion of the P&A Agreement; diversion of management’s attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities during the pending Global transaction; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the announcement of the Global transaction; adverse impacts to economic conditions in our local market areas, other markets where the Company has lending relationships, or other aspects of the Company’s business operations or financial markets, including, without limitation, as a result of employment levels, labor shortages and the effects of inflation, a recession or slowed economic growth; changes in the interest rate environment, including increases or decreases in the Federal Reserve benchmark rate and duration at which such interest rate levels are maintained, which could adversely affect our revenues and expenses, the value of assets and obligations, and the availability and cost of capital and liquidity; the impact of inflation and the current and future monetary policies of the Federal Reserve in response thereto; the effects of any federal government shutdown; increased competitive pressures, including repricing and competitors’ pricing initiatives, and their impact on our market position, loan, and deposit products; legislative and regulatory changes; the impact of bank failures or adverse developments at other banks and related negative press about the banking industry in general on investor and depositor sentiment; disruptions, security breaches, or other adverse events, failures or interruptions in, or attacks on, our information technology systems or on the third-party vendors who perform several of our critical processing functions; effects of critical accounting policies and judgments, including the use of estimates in determining the fair value of certain of our assets, which estimates may prove to be incorrect and result in significant declines in valuation; the potential effects of new tariffs or changes to existing trade policies that could affect economic activity or specific industry sectors; the effects of climate change, severe weather events, natural disasters, pandemics, epidemics and other public health crises, acts of war or terrorism, civil unrest and other external events on our business; and other factors described in the Company’s latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission – that are available on our website at www.ffnwb.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

Any of the forward-looking statements that we make in this Press Release and in the other public statements are based upon management’s beliefs and assumptions at the time they are made and may turn out to be wrong because of the inaccurate assumptions we might make, because of the factors illustrated above or because of other factors that we cannot foresee. Therefore, these factors should be considered in evaluating the forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. We do not undertake and specifically disclaim any obligation to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

The following table presents a breakdown of the loan portfolio (unaudited):

⁽¹⁾ Concentrations of credit percentages are for First Financial Northwest Bank only using classifications in accordance with FDIC regulatory guidelines.