Hope Bancorp Reports 2020 Second Quarter Financial Results

Hope Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: HOPE), the holding company of Bank of Hope (the “Bank”), today reported unaudited financial results for its three and six-month periods ended June 30, 2020.

For the three months ended June 30, 2020, net income totaled $26.8 million, or $0.22 per diluted common share, compared with $26.0 million, or $0.21 per diluted common share for the 2020 first quarter. In the year-ago second quarter, net income totaled $42.7 million, or $0.34 per diluted common share.

“The second quarter of 2020 represented the most challenging operating environment in the history of our Bank, with the COVID-19 crisis exacerbated by the aggregate 150 basis point reduction in the Fed Funds rate in March and the mounting social justice movement across the nation,” said Kevin S. Kim, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Hope Bancorp, Inc. “Notwithstanding these strong headwinds, I am proud of how the entire Bank of Hope team came together and has been managing through this difficult period. We delivered solid loan production, significant core deposit growth and positive deposit cost trends, as well as meaningful cost reductions. We also supported many of our customers impacted by COVID-19 with modifications under the CARES Acts during the quarter and maintained relatively stable asset quality metrics. While our net interest margin was heavily impacted by the rate cuts, as well as a buildup of our liquidity and resulting excess cash balances, we believe this quarter represents the trough. Going forward, we expect stable loan yields, continued reductions in our deposit costs and the deployment of excess cash balances will lead to an expansion of our net interest margin in the coming quarters.

“We are in the late stages of developing additional initiatives in light of the new normal designed to restructure our balance sheet and contain expenses to further optimize our operational performance. We believe the near-term implementation of these initiatives will lead to improved profitability as we progress through the year and beyond. With our robust capital and liquidity positions, as well as the successes achieved to date with our deposit initiatives, we have great confidence in our ability to navigate through this new landscape and emerge as an even stronger regional bank to support the financial needs of our customers and communities and deliver greater value to our shareholders.”

Q2 2020 Highlights

• New loan originations totaled $832 million, including $480 million of PPP loans, which led to a 2.3% increase in loans receivable quarter-over-quarter, or 9% annualized.
• Total deposits increased 10.0% quarter-over-quarter, of which the vast majority of the growth was in noninterest bearing demand deposits.
• Continuation of favorable mix-shift to lower-cost core deposits contributed to a 47 basis point reduction quarter-over-quarter in total deposit costs.
• NIM compression of 52 basis points represents the trough, with expansion expected going forward from stable loan yields, continued reduction in deposit costs and deployment of excess cash.
• Strategic reductions in noninterest expenses contributed to an improved 1.60% ratio as a percentage of average assets, versus 1.87% in the preceding first quarter.
• Continued build up of reserves with allowance for credit losses as a percentage of loans receivable increasing to 1.26% at June 30, 2020 from 1.15% at March 31, 2020.

Financial Highlights

Operating Results for the 2020 Second Quarter

Net interest income before provision for credit losses for the 2020 second quarter totaled $109.8 million, compared with $119.3 million in the 2020 first quarter. The decrease primarily reflects a full quarter’s impact of the aggregate 150 basis point decrease in the Fed Funds rate in March 2020, along with a large payoff of an acquired loan that contributed $5.6 million in purchase accounting discount accretion in the first quarter of 2020. Net interest income before provision for credit losses amounted to $117.2 million in the year-ago second quarter.

The net interest margin for the 2020 second quarter decreased 52 basis points to 2.79% from 3.31% in the preceding first quarter and was primarily impacted by the Fed Funds rate reductions and a significant increase in lower-yielding cash balances as the Company temporarily increased its excess liquidity as a precautionary measure in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the large payoff mentioned above benefited the 2020 first quarter net interest margin by 16 basis points. The net interest margin for the 2019 second quarter was 3.31%.

The weighted average yield on loans for the 2020 second quarter decreased 83 basis points to 4.23% from 5.06% in the 2020 first quarter, reflecting the repricing of variable rate loans in the Company’s portfolio as a result of the 150 basis point reduction in the Fed Funds rate. In the year-ago second quarter, the weighted average yield on loans was 5.32%.

The weighted average cost of deposits for the 2020 second quarter decreased 47 basis points to 0.87% from 1.34% for the 2020 first quarter and decreased 75 basis points from 1.62% for the year-ago second quarter. The significant improvements in the weighted average cost of deposits reflects the Company’s ongoing success with its initiative to enhance its deposit mix to favor lower-cost core deposits.

Noninterest income totaled $11.2 million for the 2020 second quarter, compared with $13.3 million for the preceding first quarter and $12.3 million for the 2019 second quarter. The Company noted a 38% reduction in service fees on deposit accounts as transaction volumes decreased significantly in the midst of the COVID-19 related lockdowns. In addition, the net gains on sales of other loans in the preceding first quarter included gains from a bulk sale of residential mortgage loans, together with sales of new residential mortgage originations.

Noninterest expense for the 2020 second quarter declined 7% to $67.0 million from $72.1 million in the preceding first quarter, with reductions in compensation expense and professional fees being the largest factors driving the improvement. In the year-ago second quarter, noninterest expense totaled $71.4 million. Noninterest expense as a percentage of average assets for the 2020 second quarter improved to 1.60% from 1.87% for the 2020 first quarter and 1.88% for the 2019 second quarter.

Salaries and employee benefits expense for the 2020 second quarter decreased 9% to $38.9 million from $42.5 million for the 2020 first quarter. The Company noted that PPP loan origination costs of $5.2 million was a material factor in the reduced compensation expense for the current quarter. In the 2019 second quarter, salaries and employee benefits expense totaled $39.3 million.

The effective tax rate for the 2020 second quarter was 26.8%, compared with 19.9% for the preceding first quarter, reflecting the Company’s projections for increased pretax income in the second half of 2020 than previously budgeted. In the year-ago second quarter, the effective tax rate was 25.0%.

Balance Sheet Summary

New loan originations funded during the 2020 second quarter totaled $832.0 million and included SBA PPP loan originations of $480.1 million, traditional SBA loan production of $5.9 million and residential mortgage loan originations of $72.3 million. This compares with 2020 first quarter originations of $624.5 million, including traditional SBA loan production of $49.8 million and residential mortgage loan originations of $37.4 million. In the year-ago second quarter, new loan originations funded totaled $503.9 million, including SBA loan production of $37.2 million and residential mortgage loan originations of $74.0 million.

At June 30, 2020, loans receivable increased 2.3% to $12.87 billion from $12.58 billion at March 31, 2020 and increased 7.5% from $11.98 billion at June 30, 2019.

Total deposits at June 30, 2020 increased by $1.29 billion, or 10.0% quarter-over-quarter, to $14.12 billion from $12.84 billion at March 31, 2020, with $1.03 billion of the increase in noninterest bearing demand deposits, of which approximately $326 million is identified as being related to PPP loans that the Company originated. Total deposits at June 30, 2019 amounted to $12.17 billion. The increases in total deposits versus the comparable periods reflect a continuation of a positive shift in the mix of deposits favoring core deposits over the last year.

Following is the deposit composition as of June 30, 2020, March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2019:

Reflecting the continued favorable mix-shift in deposits, total cost of deposits decreased 47 basis points to 0.87% from 1.34% for the 2020 first quarter and decreased 75 basis points from 1.62% for the 2019 second quarter.

Allowance for Credit Losses

The 2020 second quarter provision for credit losses under the CECL methodology was $17.5 million, compared with $28.0 million for the preceding first quarter. This compares with a provision for loan losses under the prior incurred loss methodology of $1.2 million for the 2019 second quarter.

The provision for credit losses for the 2020 second quarter reflects updated macroeconomic variables incorporating the Moody’s Analytics Baseline scenario published June 2020, enhanced qualitative factors in the Company’s ACL methodology, relatively stable asset quality metrics and minimal credit losses, as well as an additional Management overlay to accounts related to COVID-19 modifications.

The ACL as of June 30, 2020 increased to $161.8 million from $144.9 million at March 31, 2020 and from $94.1 million at June 30, 2019. As a percentage of loans receivable (excluding loans held for sale), the ACL rose to 1.26% at June 30, 2020 from 1.15% at March 31, 2020 and from 0.79% at June 30, 2019. The coverage ratio of the ACL to nonperforming loans was 118.82%, 124.06% and 88.73% at June 30, 2020, March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2019, respectively.

Credit Quality

Following are the components of nonperforming assets as of June 30, 2020, March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2019:

Following are the components of criticized loan balances as of June 30, 2020, March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2019:

During the 2020 second quarter, net charge offs were minimal at $652,000, or 0.02% of average loans receivable on an annualized basis. This compares with net charge offs of $3.4 million, or 0.11% of average loans receivable on an annualized basis for the 2020 first quarter and net charge offs for the 2019 second quarter of $1.4 million, or 0.05% of average loans receivable on an annualized basis.

Individually evaluated loans (previously referred to as impaired loans prior to the adoption of CECL) totaled $116.1 million at June 30, 2020. This compares with individually evaluated loans of $118.7 million at March 31, 2020 and impaired loans of $106.0 million at June 30, 2019. The Company attributed $22.2 million of the increase in individually evaluated loans in the 2020 first quarter to the reclassification of PCD (formerly purchased credit-impaired loans) due to the implementation of the new CECL accounting standards.

Capital

At June 30, 2020, the Company and the Bank continued to exceed all regulatory capital requirements to be classified as a “well-capitalized” financial institution. Following are capital ratios for the Company as of June 30, 2020, March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2019:

As previously announced, the Company has elected to defer the impact of the adoption of CECL for two years, at which time the impact will be phased-in over a three year period. Therefore, the Day 1 CECL adjustment has not had an impact to the Company’s regulatory capital ratios as of June 30, 2020.

Following are tangible common equity (“TCE”) per share and TCE as a percentage of tangible assets as of June 30, 2020, March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2019:

Management reviews tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio in evaluating the Company’s and the Bank’s capital levels and has included these figures and tangible common equity per share figures in response to market participant interest in tangible common equity as a measure of capital. A reconciliation of the GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures is provided in the accompanying financial information.

Investor Conference Call

The Company previously announced that it will host an investor conference call on Friday, July 31, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time / 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time to review financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2020. Investors and analysts are invited to access the conference call by dialing 866-235-9917 (domestic) or 412-902-4103 (international) and asking for the “Hope Bancorp Call.” A presentation to accompany the earnings call will be available at the Investor Relations section of Hope Bancorp’s website at www.ir-hopebancorp.com. Other interested parties are invited to listen to a live webcast of the call available at the Investor Relations section of Hope Bancorp’s website. After the live webcast, a replay will remain available in the Investor Relations section of Hope Bancorp’s website for one year. A telephonic replay of the call will be available at 877-344-7529 (domestic) or 412-317-0088 (international) for one week through August 7, 2020, replay access code 10146201.

About Hope Bancorp, Inc.

Hope Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company of Bank of Hope, the first and only super regional Korean-American bank in the United States with $17.2 billion in total assets as of June 30, 2020. Headquartered in Los Angeles and serving a multi-ethnic population of customers across the nation, Bank of Hope operates 58 full-service branches in California, Washington, Texas, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia and Alabama. The Bank also operates SBA loan production offices in Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Portland, Oregon, New York City, Northern California and Houston; commercial loan production offices in Northern California and Seattle; residential mortgage loan production offices in Southern California; and a representative office in Seoul, Korea. Bank of Hope specializes in core business banking products for small and medium-sized businesses, with an emphasis in commercial real estate and commercial lending, SBA lending and international trade financing. Bank of Hope is a California-chartered bank, and its deposits are insured by the FDIC to the extent provided by law. Bank of Hope is an Equal Opportunity Lender. For additional information, please go to bankofhope.com. By including the foregoing website address link, the Company does not intend to and shall not be deemed to incorporate by reference any material contained or accessible therein.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, expectations regarding the business environment in which we operate, projections of future performance, perceived opportunities in the market and statements regarding our business strategies, objectives and vision. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “will,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates” or similar expressions. With respect to any such forward-looking statements, the Company claims the protection provided for in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties. The Company’s actual results, performance or achievements may differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: possible deterioration in economic conditions in our areas of operation; interest rate risk associated with volatile interest rates and related asset-liability matching risk; liquidity risks; risk of significant non-earning assets, and net credit losses that could occur, particularly in times of weak economic conditions or times of rising interest rates; the failure of or changes to assumptions and estimates underlying the Company’s allowances for credit losses, regulatory risks associated with current and future regulations, and the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our financial position, results of operations, liquidity, and capitalization. For additional information concerning these and other risk factors, see the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of events or circumstances after the date of such statements except as required by law.