First Commonwealth Announces First Quarter 2026 Earnings; Increases Quarterly Dividend

INDIANA, Pa., April 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE: FCF) today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2026.

Financial Summary

First Quarter 2026 Highlights

Financial results

• GAAP Net income of $37.5 million and diluted earnings per share totaled $0.37, a decrease of $7.3 million, or $0.06 per share from the prior quarter and an increase of $4.9 million, or $0.05 per share from first quarter of 2025.

  • Core pre-tax pre-provision net revenue (PPNR)(1) totaled $57.9 million, a decrease of $5.3 million from the prior quarter and an increase of $11.0 million from the first quarter of 2025. The decrease from the prior quarter was primarily as a result of a $4.2 million decrease in net interest income (FTE)

• End of period loans (excluding loans held for sale) decreased $74.2 million, or 3.2% annualized from the previous quarter

  • Loans held for sale decreased $239.8 million from the previous quarter due primarily to the sale of a $225.4 million Commercial portfolio during the quarter that had been moved to held for sale at year end as previously disclosed

• Average deposits increased $67.1 million, or 2.7% annualized from the previous quarter

  • End of period deposits increased $158.9 million, or 6.3% annualized from the previous quarter

• The loan-to-deposit ratio decreased 447 basis points to 90.9% in the first quarter of 2026

• Net interest income (FTE) of $109.3 million decreased $4.2 million from the previous quarter and increased $13.5 million from the first quarter of 2025

• Noninterest income (excluding security gains of $0.2 million in 1Q26 and $0.4 million in 4Q25) of $24.4 million increased $0.1 million from the previous quarter and increased $1.9 million from the first quarter of 2025

• Noninterest expense (excluding merger-related expense of $0.1 million in 1Q26 and $0.2 million in 4Q25 and $0.1 million in 1Q25) of $75.5 million increased $1.2 million from the previous quarter and increased $4.3 million from the first quarter of 2025

• Tangible book value per share increased $0.12, or 4.3% annualized from the previous quarter

  • AOCI as a percentage of tangible common equity increased 30 basis points to 5.90% in the first quarter of 2026

Profitability

• The net interest margin of 3.92% decreased 6 basis points compared to the prior quarter and increased 30 basis points from the first quarter of 2025

• The core efficiency ratio⁽¹⁾ increased 259 basis points to 55.43% compared to the prior quarter and decreased 365 basis points from the first quarter of 2025

• Core ROAA decreased 21 basis points to 1.24% compared to the prior quarter and increased 10 basis points from the first quarter of 2025

• Core pre-tax pre-provision ROAA⁽¹⁾ decreased 13 basis points to 1.92% compared to the prior quarter and increased 29 basis points from the first quarter of 2025

Strong capital positions

• On April 28, 2026, the Board of Directors authorized a 3.7% increase in the quarterly cash dividend to shareholders

• The Bank-level Total Capital Ratio was 13.8% at March 31, 2026, which represents $376.3 million in excess capital above the regulatory “well capitalized” requirement of 10.0%

• A total of 1,284,457 shares at a weighted average price of $17.67 were repurchased during the first quarter of 2026 under the Company’s previously authorized share repurchase programs. The remaining repurchase capacity under the current program was $18.4 million as of March 31, 2026
  

Asset quality

• The total provision for credit losses was $10.7 million, an increase of $3.7 million from the previous quarter primarily due to a $4.2 million increase in reserves for individually analyzed commercial credits

• Reserve build/(release)⁽²⁾ was $3.4 million, which resulted in reserves to total loans of 1.37%, which is an increase of 5 basis points from the previous quarter

• Nonperforming loans of $92.3 million increased $0.6 million from the previous quarter

  • Subsequent to March 31, 2026, two individually analyzed nonaccrual commercial credits with an outstanding balance of $5.6 million with associated reserves of $3.3 million were sold or paid off.

• Net charge-offs on loans totaled $8.2 million, a decrease of $3.1 million from the prior quarter

  • Net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans outstanding (annualized) was 0.35% in the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of 11 basis points from the previous quarter

“Despite some credit headwinds, we were pleased to see our capital and liquidity strengthen during the quarter, supported by a strong net interest margin, and stable seasonally-adjusted fee income,” said T. Michael Price, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Organic loan growth was muted, reflecting elevated payoffs, but overall origination and credit trends remain well-managed. Looking ahead, we are confident in our positioning across our core businesses, and expect continued momentum as we progress through the year.”

Earnings

Net income for the first quarter of 2026 was $37.5 million, or $0.37 per share, compared to $44.9 million, or $0.43 per share in the fourth quarter of 2025 and $32.7 million, or $0.32 per share for the first quarter of 2025.

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

Net interest income (FTE) of $109.3 million decreased $4.2 million from the previous quarter and increased $13.5 million from the prior year quarter. The decrease from the prior quarter was primarily due to a $2.6 million decrease due to less days in the quarter, a $170.1 million decrease in average loans and compression of the net interest margin (NIM).

The NIM for the first quarter of 2026 was 3.92% as compared to 3.98% in the prior quarter and 3.62% in the year ago quarter. The decrease from the prior quarter was primarily due to a nine basis point decrease in the yield on earning assets that was only partially offset by a 5 basis point decrease in the cost of funds.

Total average deposits grew $67.1 million in the first quarter of 2026 as compared to the previous quarter. Average interest-bearing demand and savings deposits grew $91.2 million and average total time deposits increased $13.6 million from the prior quarter. The increase in interest bearing deposits was partially offset by a $37.7 million decrease in average noninterest-bearing deposits.

End of period deposits increased $158.9 million, or 6.3% annualized from the previous quarter, including a $161.0 million increase in savings deposits and a $40.0 million increase in interest-bearing demand deposits, which together offset a $39.5 million decrease in time deposits and a $2.6 million decrease in noninterest-bearing demand deposits.

Asset Quality

Provision for credit losses totaled $10.7 million in the first quarter of 2026 as compared to $7.0 million in the previous quarter. The increase from the previous quarter was primarily driven by a $4.2 million increase in reserves for individually analyzed commercial credits due to $9.6 million of reserves for three commercial credits that were moved to nonaccrual during the quarter.

The allowance for credit losses (ACL) as a percentage of end-of-period loans was 1.37% in the first quarter, which was an increase of 5 basis points from the previous quarter.

At March 31, 2026, nonperforming loans totaled $92.3 million as compared to $91.8 million in the prior quarter and $59.4 million in the first quarter of 2025.

Subsequent to March 31, 2026, two individually analyzed nonaccrual commercial credits with an outstanding balance of $5.6 million with associated reserves of $3.3 million were sold or paid off. This resulted in an additional chargeoff of $0.1 million in April 2026.

Nonperforming loans represented 0.98% of total loans as of March 31, 2026, as compared to 0.94% and 0.65% for the periods ended December 31, 2025, and March 31, 2025, respectively.

At March 31, 2026, criticized loans totaled $284.6 million, an increase of $17.5 million from the previous quarter.

During the first quarter of 2026, net charge-offs were $8.2 million, compared to $11.3 million in the prior quarter and $3.1 million in the first quarter of 2025.

Net charge-offs were 0.35%, 0.46% and 0.14% of average loans (annualized) for the periods ended March 31, 2026, December 31, 2025 and March 31, 2025, respectively.

Noninterest Income and Noninterest Expense

Noninterest income (excluding security gains of $0.2 million in 1Q26 and $0.4 million in 4Q25) of $24.4 million increased $0.1 million from the previous quarter and increased $1.9 million from the first quarter of 2025.

The $0.1 million increase from the previous quarter was primarily driven by a $0.4 million increase in insurance and retail brokerage revenue and a $0.3 million increase in gain on sale of mortgage loans, which was partially offset by $0.3 million decrease in card-related interchange income and a $0.3 million decrease in service charges on deposit accounts due to seasonally lower transaction volume and the number of days in the quarter.

Noninterest expense (excluding merger-related expense of $0.1 million in 1Q26 and $0.2 million in 4Q25 and $0.1 million in 1Q25) of $75.5 million increased $1.2 million from the previous quarter and increased $4.3 million from the first quarter of 2025. The $1.2 million increase from the previous quarter was primarily the result of a $0.8 million increase in Pennsylvania shares tax expense due to a tax reimbursement in the previous quarter, a $0.6 million increase in salaries and benefits, a $0.6 million increase in occupancy expense due to a $0.6 million increase in snow removal expense and a $0.3 million increase in the loss on sale or writedown of assets due to a $0.5 million prepayment penalty on the early extinguishment of FHLB borrowings. Partially offsetting these increases was a $0.4 million decrease in other professional fees and a $0.3 million decrease in other operating expenses due to a $0.3 million decrease in travel expenses.

The core efficiency ratio was 55.43% during the first quarter of 2026 as compared to 52.84% in the previous quarter and 59.08% in the first quarter of 2025.

Full time equivalent staff was 1,592, 1,567 and 1,538 at March 31, 2026, December 31, 2025 and March 31, 2025, respectively.

Dividends and Capital

First Commonwealth Financial Corporation declared a common stock quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, which represents a 3.7% increase from the previous quarter. The cash dividend is payable on May 22, 2026 to shareholders of record as of May 8, 2026. This dividend represents a 3.0% projected annual yield utilizing the April 27, 2026 closing market price of $18.64.

First Commonwealth’s capital ratios for Total, Tier I, Leverage and Common Equity Tier I at March 31, 2026 were 14.9%, 13.2%, 10.9% and 12.5% respectively. First Commonwealth’s current capital levels exceed the fully phased-in Basel III capital requirements issued by U.S. bank regulators.

Conference Call

First Commonwealth will host a quarterly conference call to discuss its financial results for the first quarter of 2026 on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 at 2:00 PM (ET). The call can be accessed by dialing (toll free) 1-888-330-3181 conference ID # 4651379 or through the company’s web page, http://www.fcbanking.com/InvestorRelations. A replay of the call will be available approximately one hour following the conclusion of the conference by dialing 1-800-770-2030 and entering the conference ID # 4651379. A link to the webcast replay will also be accessible on the company’s web.

About First Commonwealth Financial Corporation

First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (NYSE: FCF), headquartered in Indiana, Pennsylvania, is a financial services company with 126 community banking offices in 30 counties throughout western and central Pennsylvania and throughout Ohio, as well as commercial lending operations in Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Canton, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio. The company also operates mortgage offices in Wexford, Pennsylvania, as well as Hudson and Lewis Center, Ohio. First Commonwealth provides a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking, mortgage, equipment finance, wealth management and insurance products and services through its subsidiaries First Commonwealth Bank and First Commonwealth Insurance Agency. For more information about First Commonwealth or to open an account today, please visit www.fcbanking.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this release that are not historical facts 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 (the “Exchange Act”), and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, notwithstanding that such statements are not specifically identified as such. In addition, certain statements may be contained in our future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in press releases, and in oral and written statements made by us or with our approval that are not statements of historical fact and constitute “forward-looking statements” as well. These statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “plan,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate” or words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks, assumptions and uncertainties, and could be affected by many factors, including, but not limited to: (1) volatility and disruption in national and international financial markets; (2) the effects of and changes in trade and monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board; (3) inflation, interest rate, commodity price, securities market and monetary fluctuations; (4) the effect of changes in laws and regulations (including laws and regulations concerning taxes, banking, securities and insurance) with which First Commonwealth or its customers must comply; (5) the soundness of other financial institutions; (6) political instability; (7) impairment of First Commonwealth’s goodwill or other intangible assets; (8) acts of God or of war or terrorism; (9) the timely development and acceptance of new products and services and perceived overall value of these products and services by users; (10) changes in consumer spending, borrowings and savings habits; (11) changes in the financial performance and/or condition of First Commonwealth’s borrowers; (12) technological changes; (13) acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses; (14) First Commonwealth’s ability to attract and retain qualified employees; (15) changes in the competitive environment in First Commonwealth’s markets and among banking organizations and other financial service providers; (16) the ability to increase market share and control expenses; (17) the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the regulatory agencies, as well as the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and other accounting standard setters; (18) the reliability of First Commonwealth’s vendors, internal control systems or information systems; (19) the costs and effects of legal and regulatory developments, the resolution of legal proceedings or regulatory or other governmental inquiries, the results of regulatory examinations or reviews and the ability to obtain required regulatory approvals; and (20) other risks and uncertainties described in this report and in the other reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements in this release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Relations:
Ron Wahl
Communications and Media Relations
Phone: 724-463-6806
E-mail: [email protected]

Investor Relations:
Ryan M. Thomas
Vice President / Finance and Investor Relations
Phone: 724-463-1690
E-mail: [email protected]