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BayFirst Financial Corp. Reports Second Quarter 2024 Results; Highlighted by Improved Operating Efficiencies and Lower Net Charge-Offs
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., July 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BayFirst Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: BAFN) (“BayFirst” or the “Company”), parent company of BayFirst
About this update from Bayfirst Financial Corp.
[{"type":"text","content":"ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., July 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BayFirst Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: BAFN) (“BayFirst” or the “Company”), parent company of BayFirst National Bank (the “Bank”) today reported net income of $0.9 million, or $0.12 per diluted common share, for the second quarter of 2024, an increase of 5.1% compared to $0.8 million, or $0.11 per diluted common share, in the first quarter of 2024. Net income increased due to higher net interest income and lower provision for credit losses and compensation expense, partially offset by lower gain on sale of government guaranteed loans resulting from a decrease in balance of loans sold. “We are pleased with the improvement in credit administration during the second quarter which resulted in a $1.1 million decrease in our provision for credit losses from the previous quarter,” stated Thomas G. Zernick, Chief Executive Officer. \"As we stated in the past, the SBA 7(a) working capital loans we offer often provide resources to small businesses struggling with economic factors like high inflation. Similar to other SBA lenders, we expanded our portfolio management efforts in the second quarter to help borrowers who continue to make timely payments by offering loan modification options. These efforts helped reduce net charge-offs during the quarter.\" “Our CreditBench team worked hard to produce almost $100 million in new government guaranteed loans during the second quarter. However, this volume was below both the first quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2023. With less loan balances sold in the market, our gains from the sale of government guaranteed loans were below the prior quarter and our expectations. Our team is focused on meeting loan origination targets in line with past performance, while also promoting acceptable credit and profitability metrics.” “Furthermore, earlier in the year we opened our twelfth banking center, completing our near-term branch expansion plans. At the same time, we have been successful at reducing operating expenses by leveraging technology investments to reduce headcount and related incentive compensation, renegotiating key vendor contracts, and reducing other expenses while successfully growing the franchise. These reductions helped reduce noninterest expense in the second quarter by $1.2 million, and we expect those savings to increase in futur...