Earnings of Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (AUB) increased to $0.39 per share in the second quarter from $0.09 per share in the first quarter of 2020. The earnings improvement was attributable to a lower provision expense, loan growth, and gain on securities transactions. Earnings will likely continue to increase in the year ahead because of management’s cost-cutting efforts and an accelerated booking of fees under the Paycheck Protection Program. Further, the provision expense will likely decline sequentially but remain above normal. Considering these factors, I’m expecting earnings to more than double in the second half