Business
Eastern Bankshares, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter 2023 Financial Results
~ Earnings, Capital, and Liquidity Enhancements Resulting from Eastern Insurance Group LLC Asset Sale ~ ~ Growth in Core Deposits and Reduction in Wholesale
About this update from Eastern Bankshares, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n~ Earnings, Capital, and Liquidity Enhancements Resulting from Eastern Insurance Group LLC Asset Sale ~\n~ Growth in Core Deposits and Reduction in Wholesale Funding ~\n\n\n BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nEastern Bankshares, Inc. (the “Company,” or together with its subsidiaries, “Eastern”) (NASDAQ Global Select Market: EBC), the stock holding company of Eastern Bank, today announced its 2023 fourth quarter financial results and the declaration of a quarterly cash dividend.\n\n\nOn October 31, 2023, the Company completed the sale of the insurance operations of Eastern Insurance Group, LLC (“Eastern Insurance”), to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (“Gallagher”) for gross consideration of $515 million (“the insurance transaction”). The company recorded an after-tax gain of $294.5 million which is included in the fourth quarter results. The insurance transaction significantly improved the capital and funding position of the Company and will allow the Company to focus on the growth and strategic initiatives of its core banking business, including its pending merger with Cambridge Bancorp (“Cambridge”) (“the merger”), which was previously announced on September 19, 2023. The merger is expected to close early in the second quarter of 2024, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals as previously disclosed.\n\n\n\"2023 was a year of strategic repositioning for Eastern,” said Bob Rivers, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board of Eastern Bankshares, Inc. and Eastern Bank. “We realized early in 2023 that all banks were going to face significant challenges due to higher interest rates, changing customer deposit preferences and a very difficult macroeconomic environment. We responded by repositioning our securities portfolio in the first quarter, which allowed us to improve both our liquidity and earnings outlook, and followed with the sale of Eastern Insurance in the second half of the year to capitalize on the valuation premium it commanded. The insurance transaction provided us additional liquidity and capital, and positioned us to announce our merger with Cambridge Bancorp, a highly attractive in-market merger partner with a valuable wealth management business. We are very confident that these transactions provide us with a greater financial foundation, stronger earnings for our shareholders, and a leading market share in our footpr...