Business
First Business Bank Reports Record Fourth Quarter 2024 Net Income of $14.2 Million
-- Record operating revenue, strong net interest margin, and positive operating leverage drive record pre-tax, pre-provision earnings -- MADISON,
About this update from First Business Financial Services, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n-- Record operating revenue, strong net interest margin, and positive operating leverage drive record pre-tax, pre-provision earnings --\n\n\n MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nFirst Business Financial Services, Inc. (the “Company”, the “Bank”, or “First Business Bank”) (Nasdaq:FBIZ) reported quarterly net income available to common shareholders of $14.2 million, or earnings per share (\"EPS\") of $1.71. This compares to net income available to common shareholders of $10.3 million, or $1.24 per share, in the third quarter of 2024 and $9.6 million, or $1.15 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2023. EPS for the fourth quarter of 2024 included tax and Small Business Administration (\"SBA\") recourse reserve benefits totaling $0.28 per share.\n\n\n“First Business Bank’s excellent execution throughout 2024 culminated in outstanding fourth quarter performance,” said Corey Chambas, Chief Executive Officer. “Our success is attributable to our deep client relationships and exceptional team, who produced near 10% loan growth once again. At the same time, we are very pleased with the 13% expansion of fee income in the fourth quarter, which helped drive an improved efficiency ratio. Excluding the tax and recourse benefits in the quarter, our earnings per share amounted to $1.43, marking growth of 15% and 24% from the linked and prior year quarters and supporting our key focus on meaningful tangible book value expansion. We remain confident in our ability to execute our strategic plan and achieve 10% balance sheet and top line revenue growth in 2025.”\n\n\nQuarterly Highlights\n\n\n\nConsistent Loan Growth. Loans increased $63.6 million, or 8.3% annualized, from the third quarter of 2024, and $263.8 million, or 9.3%, from the fourth quarter of 2023, reflecting growth throughout the Company.\n\n\n\nStrong Net Interest Margin. The Company's long-held match-funding strategy and pricing discipline produced a net interest margin of 3.77%, compared to 3.64% for the linked quarter. Net interest income grew 6.9% from the linked quarter and 12.2% from the prior year quarter.\n\n\n\nRecord Operating Revenue. Operating revenue increased to $41.2 million, up 8.1% and 12.3% from the linked and prior year quarters, respectively, driven by loan growth, strong net interest margin, and fee income expansion.\n\n\n\nContinued Private Wealth Management Expans...