MRBK - Meridian Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2023 Results and Announces a Quarterly Dividend of $0.125 per Common Share.

MALVERN, Pa., July 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meridian Corporation (Nasdaq: MRBK) today reported:

• Net income of $4.6 million and diluted earnings per share of $0.41 for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023.
• Return on average assets and return on average equity for the second quarter of 2023 were 0.86% and 12.08%, respectively.
• Net interest margin was 3.33% for the second quarter of 2023, with loan yield of 6.89%.
• Total assets at June 30, 2023 were $2.2 billion, compared to $2.2 billion at March 31, 2023 and $1.9 billion at June 30, 2022.
• Second quarter commercial loan growth was $27.4 million, or 7.2% annualized; residential and home equity loans increased by $14.2 million on a combined basis, or 18.9% annualized.
• Second quarter deposit growth was $12.2 million, or 2.8% annualized.
• Non-interest bearing deposits were up $6.5 million, or 10% annualized.
• The Company repurchased 127,849 shares of its common stock at an average price of $12.21 per share during the second quarter. The repurchase plan expired mid April.
• On July 27, 2023, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per common share, payable August 21, 2023 to shareholders of record as of August 14, 2023.
  

Christopher J. Annas, Chairman and CEO commented, “Meridian’s second quarter revenue of $43.0 million generated earnings of $4.6 million, or $0.41 per diluted share. Annual loan growth in the core CRE, C&I and SBA portfolios are expected to again approach 15%. These groups also bring deposits and other referrals, which enhances overall yields. Construction lending for residential and multi-family is still robust because of high demand, as for-sale homes are at historical lows. Credit has not deteriorated meaningfully in any segment and we remain diligent with our credit process and diversification."

Mr. Annas added, "Total business deposits increased to 58% of total deposits, with non-interest bearing accounts up in the quarter by 10% on annualized basis. The margin was down from the prior quarter mostly due to higher deposit expense, as customers have increasing awareness of rate moves. The historical lag effect is gone. We have adjusted well to the tumultuous environment created by the historic Federal Reserve interest rate moves, but the impact on margins continues. We are well positioned for a rise or fall and will not bet on either event.

The mortgage segment is following the historical seasonal pattern, as operations improved throughout the quarter. Despite increased hiring of mortgage loan officers, the lack of homes for sale limits production. Another factor is the thousands of homes purchased by investors and private equity over the past 10 years, being rented and not available for sale. We will continue to monitor the impact of market conditions on our mortgage operations and are prepared to make further adjustments if warranted."

Mr. Annas concluded, "Our exceptional growth results from being highly visible in our regions, and being the preferred bank in the Delaware Valley. We are focusing less on opportunities that do not bring other business, such as portfolio mortgages or equipment leases."

Select Condensed Financial Information

Income Statement - Second Quarter 2023 Compared to First Quarter 2023

Net income of $4.6 million, increased $624 thousand from $4.0 million for the first quarter driven by higher levels of non-interest income. Net interest income decreased $580 thousand, or 3.3%, on a tax equivalent basis due to a lower interest margin. Non-interest income increased $2.5 million or 37.5%, while non-interest expense increased $1.8 million, or 10.3%. Detailed explanations of the major categories of income and expense follow below.

Net Interest income

The rate/volume analysis table below analyzes dollar changes in the components of interest income and interest expense as they relate to the change in balances (volume) and the change in interest rates (rate) of tax-equivalent net interest income for the periods indicated and allocated by rate and volume. Changes in interest income and/or expense related to changes attributable to both volume and rate have been allocated proportionately based on the relationship of the absolute dollar amount of the change in each category.

Interest income increased $2.9 million on a tax equivalent basis, quarter-over-quarter, due to an extra day of interest earned in the period, as well as a higher yield on earning assets and higher levels of average earning assets. The yield on earnings assets rose 26 basis points during the period, while average earning assets increased by $75.2 million.

The yield on total loans increased 26 basis points and the yield on cash and investments increased 5 basis points combined, reflecting the impact on rates caused by the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. Nearly $682 million in loans repriced during the quarter with an average increase of 41 basis points. Average total loans, excluding residential loans for sale, increased $64.4 million. Construction, commercial real estate, and small business loans, which increased $47.9 million on average, combined, made up the majority of the increase. Home equity loans and residential real estate loans held in portfolio increased $44.8 million on average, combined. Residential loans for sale increased $11.7 million.

Total interest expense increased $3.5 million, quarter-over-quarter, due primarily to market interest rate rises, and increases in both deposit and borrowing balances, as well as an extra day of interest. Interest expense on deposits increased $2.6 million as total average deposits increased $45.2 million and the cost of interest-bearing deposits increased 56 basis points to 3.73%. Interest expense on borrowings increased $892 thousand as total average short-term borrowings increased $63.1 million and the cost increased 22 basis points.

Net interest margin decreased 28 basis points to 3.33% for the second quarter from 3.61% for the first quarter, as the cost of funds outpaced the increase in yield on earnings assets. The margin was also affected by a reduction in average non-interest bearing deposits, which although have increased from March 31, 2023, were down on average by $29.4 million for the quarter.

The provision for credit losses decreased to $705 thousand for the second quarter from $1.4 million for the first quarter. The favorable decline of $694 thousand was largely due to a $467 thousand decline in charge-offs period over period, as well as the improvement in certain qualitative factors considered in our allowance for credit losses. As we are focusing on loan portfolios that provide other business opportunities and higher yields, we have put less emphasize on growing other portfolios and therefore certain qualitative factors were adjusted as growth in and concentration of our lease portfolio has diminished.

Non-interest income

The following table presents the components of non-interest income for the periods indicated:

Total non-interest income increased $2.5 million, or 37.5%, quarter-over-quarter. Mortgage banking income increased $1.8 million or 54.3% quarter-over-quarter, due to higher levels of loan originations. Although interest rates remain high, seasonality is a key factor in the increase in loan originations, which were $59 million over the prior quarter. Partially offsetting the increase in loan volume, the gain on sale margins decreased 25 basis points over the prior quarter. The fair value of loans held for sale, derivatives instruments and net gain on hedging activity increased $53 thousand in total.

SBA loan income increased $1.1 million, or 147.8%, over the prior quarter as more than double the amount of SBA loans were sold into the secondary market in the second quarter. $27.8 million of loans were sold in the quarter-ending June 30, 2023 at a gross margin of 7.0%, compared to $10.9 million in loans sold in the quarter-ending March 31, 2023 at a gross margin of 7.7%.

Wealth management income increased $39 thousand, or 3.3%, for the quarter-ended June 30, 2023 over the prior quarter due to an increase in the number of individual account customers, combined with the effect of market conditions on assets under management. Other non-interest income decreased $51 thousand, or 4.3%, over the prior quarter due largely to swap fee income recorded in the prior quarter that was not repeated in the current quarter.

Non-interest expense

The following table presents the components of non-interest expense for the periods indicated:

Salaries and employee benefits increased $1.1 million overall, with bank and wealth segments combined having increased $665 thousand, and the mortgage segment increased $426 thousand. Bank and wealth segment salaries and employee benefits were up due to incentive and stock based compensation. Mortgage related salaries and benefits were up quarter-over-quarter due to the variable nature of such expenses at this segment related to origination volume.

Professional fees increased $181 thousand during the current quarter as we incurred OREO expense relating to the expected disposition and sale of the property and non-performing loan workout expenses. Advertising and promotion expense increased $230 thousand from the prior quarter as community outreach efforts, business development activities and related promotional costs were higher in the second quarter. Data processing and software costs were up quarter-over-quarter driven by an increase in customer account volume. Other non-interest expense increased $179 thousand over the prior quarter due largely to an increase in FDIC insurance expense, which reflected the new 2 basis point increase in assessment.

Balance Sheet - June 30, 2023 Compared to March 31, 2023

As of June 30, 2023, total assets decreased $22.9 million, or 1.0%, to $2.2 billion from March 31, 2023. This decline in assets was due to a reduction in cash and investments in support if higher yielding loans. Interest-bearing cash decreased $63.7 million, or 63.7%, to $36.3 million as of June 30, 2023 from March 31, 2023. Investments available for sale decreased $16.3 million, or 11.4%, as we sold $15.4 million in investments available for sale in the second quarter.

Portfolio loan growth was $41.7 million, or 2.3% quarter-over-quarter. Commercial mortgage loans increased $31.2 million, or 5.1%, construction loans increased $18.7 million, or 7.0%, residential real estate loans held in portfolio increased $9.0 million, or 3.8%, while home equity lines and loans increased $5.2 million, or 8.3% as well. Partially offsetting portfolio loan growth were commercial loans which decreased $20.8 million, or 6.3%, due to the sale of $21.8 million in shared national credits, and lease financings that decreased $1.0 million, or 0.7% from March 31, 2023. Both decreases were the result of reallocation of funds to higher yielding and relationship- based portfolios.

Total deposits increased $12.2 million, or 0.7%, quarter-over-quarter. Noninterest-bearing deposits and money market accounts increased $6.5 million, and $62.6 million, respectively, during the period, while interest-bearing demand deposits decreased $76.7 million during the period. Most of the changes in the interest-bearing checking and the money market accounts came from municipal deposits. Time deposits increased $19.7 million, or 3.1%, from retail and wholesale efforts as customers opt for higher term interest rates.

Consolidated stockholders’ equity of the Corporation increased by $913 thousand from March 31, 2023, to $154.0 million as of June 30, 2023. Changes to equity for the current quarter included net income of $4.6 million, partially offset by a $952 thousand decline in other comprehensive income, dividends paid of $1.4 million, and share repurchases of $1.6 million. The Community Bank Leverage Ratio for the Bank was 9.22% at June 30, 2023.

The following table presents capital ratios of the Bank, unless otherwise noted, at the dates indicated:

Asset Quality Summary

The ratio of non-performing loans to total loans increased to 1.44% as of June 30, 2023, from 1.25% at March 31, 2023, while non-performing assets to total assets was 1.32% as of June 30, 2023, compared to 1.11% at March 31, 2023. There was $1.7 million in other real estate owned included in non-performing assets, the result of taking possession of a well collateralized residential real estate property at the prior year end. Total non-performing loans of $27.4 million as of June 30, 2023, increased $4.3 million from $23.1 million as March 31, 2023 due to downgrades of 4 SBA loans, 1 commercial loan and several small balance equipment leases as of June 30, 2023.

Meridian realized net charge-offs of 0.05% of total average loans for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, down from the quarter ended March 31, 2023 level of 0.08%. Net charge-offs for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 were $986 thousand, comprised of $1.2 million in charge-offs, with $169 thousand in recoveries for the quarter. While nearly all of the charge-offs for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 continue to be from small ticket equipment leases, the level of charge-offs in this portfolio declined by $689 thousand, while we also realized $149 thousand of recoveries related to the small ticket equipment lease portfolio.

The ratio of allowance for credit losses to total loans held for investment, excluding loans at fair value and PPP loans (a non-GAAP measure, see reconciliation in the Appendix), was 1.10% as of June 30, 2023 compared to 1.13% as of March 31, 2023. As of June 30, 2023 there were specific reserves of $2.6 million against non-performing loans, an increase from $2.5 million as of March 31, 2023 due to the establishment of a specific reserve on a commercial loan that was classified as a non-performing loan during the current quarter.

Bank Sector Concerns

Meridian is a regional community bank with loans and deposits that are well diversified in size, type, location and industry. We manage this diversification carefully, while avoiding concentrations in business lines. Meridian’s model continues to build on our strong and stable financial position, which serves our regional customers and communities with the banking products and services needed to help build their prosperity.

As a commercial bank, the majority of Meridian's deposit base is comprised of business deposits (58%), with consumer deposits amounting to 11% at June 30, 2023. Municipal deposits (8%) and brokered deposits (23%) provide growth funding. Historically, business deposits lag loan fundings. A typical business relationship maintains operating accounts, investment accounts or sweep accounts and business owners may also have personal savings or wealth accounts. Deposit balances in business accounts have a tendency to be higher on average than consumer accounts. At June 30, 2023, 63% of business accounts and 87% of consumer accounts were fully insured by the FDIC. The municipal deposits are 100% collateralized and brokered deposits are 100% FDIC insured. The level of uninsured deposits for the entire deposit base was 23% at June 30, 2023.

Total balance sheet liquidity, which is derived from cash and investments, as well as salable commercial loans and residential mortgage loans held for sale, was $276.8 million at June 30, 2023, down from $317.8 million at March 31, 2023. Meridian maintains a high-quality investment bond portfolio comprised of U.S Treasuries, government agencies, government agency mortgage-backed securities, and general obligation municipal securities with an average duration of 4 years. Meridian’s investment portfolio represented 7.5% of total assets at June 30, 2023, compared to 8.1% at March 31, 2023. Total cash at June 30, 2023 was $47 million compared to $109 million at March 31, 2023 and $37.1 million at June 30, 2022.

Meridian also maintains borrowing arrangements with various correspondent banks to meet short-term liquidity needs and has access to approximately $853.3 million in liquidity from numerous sources, including its borrowing capacity with the FHLB and other financial institutions, as well as funding through the CDARS program or through brokered CD arrangements. In addition, the Bank is eligible to receive funds under the new Bank Term Funding Program ("BTFP") announced by the Federal Reserve. At June 30, 2023 Meridian elected to secure $33 million in borrowings from the Federal Reserve under the BTFP due to the favorable rate. Management believes that the above sources of liquidity provide Meridian with the necessary resources to meet its short-term and long-term funding requirements.

About Meridian Corporation

Meridian Bank, the wholly owned subsidiary of Meridian Corporation, is an innovative community bank serving Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. Through more than 20 offices, including banking branches and mortgage locations, Meridian offers a full suite of financial products and services. Meridian specializes in business and industrial lending, retail and commercial real estate lending, electronic payments, and wealth management solutions through Meridian Wealth Partners. Meridian also offers a broad menu of high-yield depository products supported by robust online and mobile access. For additional information, visit our website at www.meridianbanker.com . Member FDIC.

“Safe Harbor” Statement

In addition to historical information, this press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements with respect to Meridian Corporation’s strategies, goals, beliefs, expectations, estimates, intentions, capital raising efforts, financial condition and results of operations, future performance and business. Statements preceded by, followed by, or that include the words “may,” “could,” “should,” “pro forma,” “looking forward,” “would,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” or similar expressions generally indicate a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that are subject to change based on various important factors (some of which, in whole or in part, are beyond Meridian Corporation’s control). Numerous competitive, economic, regulatory, legal and technological factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include, without limitation, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and government responses thereto; on the U.S. economy, including the markets in which we operate; actions that we and our customers take in response to these factors and the effects such actions have on our operations, products, services and customer relationships; and the risk that the Small Business Administration may not fund some or all Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan guaranties; increased competitive pressures; changes in the interest rate environment; changes in general economic conditions and conditions within the securities markets; legislative and regulatory changes; and the effects of inflation, a potential recession, among others, could cause Meridian Corporation’s financial performance to differ materially from the goals, plans, objectives, intentions and expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. Meridian Corporation cautions that the foregoing factors are not exclusive, and neither such factors nor any such forward-looking statement takes into account the impact of any future events. All forward-looking statements and information set forth herein are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions as of the date hereof and speak only as of the date they are made. For a more complete discussion of the assumptions, risks and uncertainties related to our business, you are encouraged to review Meridian Corporation’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that update or provide information in addition to the information included in the Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings, if any. Meridian Corporation does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by Meridian Corporation or by or on behalf of Meridian Bank.

Contact:
Christopher Annas
cannas@meridianbanker.com
484-568-5000

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