First US Bancshares, Inc. Reports First Quarter 2021 Results

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First US Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: FUSB) (the “Company”), the parent company of First US Bank (the “Bank”), today reported net income of $950,000, or $0.14 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 (“1Q2021”), compared to $847,000, or $0.13 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 (“1Q2020”) and $1,045,000, or $0.15 per diluted share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2020 (“4Q2020”).

Growth in total loans for the quarter was $20.4 million, or an increase of 3.1%, compared to December 31, 2020. Loan growth was most pronounced in the Bank’s commercial real estate and indirect lending portfolios. Total deposits increased by 4.6%, or $35.8 million, during the first quarter of 2021 from the previous quarter.

“We are pleased that we were able to keep loan growth going at a strong pace during the first quarter,” stated James F. House, President and CEO of the Company. “Deposit growth continued to be robust, and we were able to deploy a significant portion of that growth into earning assets during the quarter. In addition, credit metrics in the loan portfolio improved and nonperforming assets decreased. This all adds up to a strong start for 2021,” continued Mr. House.

Financial Highlights

Loan Growth – The table below summarizes loan balances by portfolio category at the end of each of the most recent five quarters as of March 31, 2021.

Loan growth during 1Q2021 was distributed primarily between real estate lending and indirect lending which netted growth of $13.7 million and $12.4 million, respectively. Growth in real estate lending was split between construction and non-residential real estate, partially offset by a reduction in single family residential lending. Growth in the indirect portfolio continued to be focused on consumer loans secured by collateral that includes recreational vehicles, campers, boats, horse trailers and cargo trailers. The Bank operates indirect lending in an 11-state footprint primarily in the southeastern United States.

Aside from indirect lending, other consumer loan categories decreased during 1Q2021. The direct consumer and branch retail categories, which consist primarily of loans at the Bank’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Acceptance Loan Company (“ALC”), decreased by a total of $3.8 million during 1Q2021. The Bank’s commercial and industrial (“C&I”) portfolio also decreased during 1Q2021 by $4.8 million. However, the Bank continued to participate in the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) administered by the Small Business Administration (“SBA”). The PPP contributed $2.9 million in loan growth during 1Q2021, which partially offset reductions in C&I.

Net Interest Income and Margin – Margin compression remained a challenge for the Company during 1Q2021 due in part to the interest rate environment that has persisted since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Net interest margin totaled 4.40% for 1Q2021, compared to 4.59% for 4Q2020 and 4.97% for 1Q2020. In addition to the prevailing interest rate environment, loan portfolio reductions in the higher-yielding direct consumer portfolio, coupled with significant influxes of investable cash through deposit growth, have also contributed to margin compression. In this environment, management has continued to reprice deposit liabilities at lower rates upon maturity. Due to these repricing efforts, annualized average total funding costs decreased to 0.39% in 1Q2021, compared to 0.47% in 4Q2020 and 0.87% in 1Q2020. The resulting reduction in interest expense led to net interest income totaling $9.1 million in 1Q2021, compared to $8.9 million in 1Q2020, a year-over-year increase of $0.2 million, or 2.0%.

Management expects the current lower interest rate environment, coupled with substantial growth in investable cash balances, to continue to put pressure on net interest income and margin. Accordingly, we will remain focused on deploying investable cash balances into loans that meet the Company’s established credit standards, while at the same time seeking to reduce interest expense through continued liability repricing.

Loan Loss Provision – 1Q2021 loan loss provisioning decreased by $0.1 million compared to 4Q2020 and decreased by $0.2 million compared to 1Q2020. The decrease in provisioning compared to both prior quarters was due in part to improvement in the credit quality of the loan portfolio resulting from reductions in ALC’s consumer-related portfolio. As of March 31, 2021, total loans at ALC, which contain the highest charge-off rates in the Company’s loan portfolio, were reduced by $3.9 million compared to December 31, 2020 and were reduced by $9.9 million compared to March 31, 2020. The loan volume reductions at ALC led to lower credit losses, but also contributed to margin compression as the mix of higher interest-earning loans decreased relative to the earlier quarters.

In addition to changes in the credit quality mix of the Company’s loan portfolio, the overall economic outlook in the markets served by the Company continued to improve during 1Q2021 compared to the prior fiscal year. During 2020, over 1,900 of the Company’s borrowers requested and were granted COVID-19 pandemic-related payment deferments. As of March 31, 2021, loans that continued to be in pandemic-related deferment totaled $1.2 million, compared to $8.1 million as of December 31, 2020, $18.4 million as of September 30, 2020 and $95.2 million as of June 30, 2020. Management believes that the decrease in deferred loans over the past three quarters is indicative of the strength of the credit quality within the portfolio. Although a measure of economic uncertainty continues to exist, management believes that the allowance, which was calculated under an incurred loss model, was sufficient to absorb losses in the Company’s loan portfolio based on circumstances existing as of March 31, 2021. The Company will continue to closely monitor the impact of changing economic circumstances on the Company’s loan portfolio. In accordance with relevant accounting guidance for smaller reporting companies, the Company has not yet adopted the Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) accounting model for the calculation of credit losses and is currently evaluating the impact that adopting CECL will have on the Company’s financial statements. Due to its classification as a smaller reporting company by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company is not required to implement the CECL model until January 1, 2023; however, early adoption is permissible.

Non-interest Income – Non-interest income was $1.0 million for both 1Q2021 and 4Q2020, compared to $1.3 million for 1Q2020. The decreases in both latter quarters compared to 1Q2020 resulted primarily from reductions in service charges and related fees on the Bank’s deposit accounts, as well as reductions in secondary market mortgage revenues. The decrease in service charges is consistent with changes in deposit customer behaviors since the onset of the pandemic. The reduction in secondary market mortgage fees resulted from the discontinuance of the Bank’s mortgage division that became effective in 4Q2020. Although the discontinuance resulted in a reduction in non-interest income, non-interest expense, primarily salaries and benefits, was reduced commensurately.

Non-interest Expense – Non-interest expense in 1Q2021 decreased $0.1 million compared to both 4Q2020 and 1Q2020 due primarily to reductions in salaries and employee benefits. A portion of the expense reduction was associated with the discontinuation of the secondary mortgage marketing division.

Balance Sheet Growth – Total assets as of March 31, 2021 increased by $36.0 million, or 4.0%, compared to December 31, 2020, and increased by $138.0 million, or 17.5%, compared to March 31, 2020. Growth in deposits totaled $35.8 million, or 4.6%, in 1Q2021 from 4Q2020, and $135.4 million, or 19.8%, comparing March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2020. The deposit growth reflected the impact of the pandemic on both business and consumer deposit holders, including preferences for liquidity, loan payment deferments, tax payment deferments, government stimulus receipts and generally lower consumer spending. Of the total increase in deposits during 1Q2021, $12.7 million represented non-interest-bearing deposits, while $23.1 million were interest-bearing. The growth comparing March 31, 2021 to March 31, 2020 included $32.0 million in wholesale deposits that were acquired by the Bank at a weighted average total cost of 0.40% and have a weighted average term of 51 months. Along with interest rate swaps that the Company had previously put in place, the wholesale deposits serve to mitigate a portion of risk associated with rising interest rates. Wholesale funding also provides the Company with additional liquidity that enables management to continue its focus on reducing interest expense on core deposits.

Asset Quality – Non-performing assets, including loans in non-accrual status and other real estate owned (OREO), totaled $3.5 million as of March 31, 2021, compared to $4.0 million as of December 31, 2020 and $4.7 million as of March 31, 2020. As a percentage of total assets, non-performing assets improved to 0.37% as of March 31, 2021, compared to 0.45% as of December 31, 2020 and 0.60% as of March 31, 2020.

Cash Dividend – The Company declared a cash dividend of $0.03 per share on its common stock in the first quarter of 2021, which is consistent with the Company’s dividend declaration for each quarter of 2020.

Regulatory Capital – During 1Q2021, the Bank continued to maintain capital ratios at higher levels than the ratios required to be considered a “well-capitalized” institution under applicable banking regulations. As of March 31, 2021, the Bank’s common equity Tier 1 capital and Tier 1 risk-based capital ratios were each 11.42%. Its total capital ratio was 12.50%, and its Tier 1 leverage ratio was 8.73%.

Liquidity – As of March 31, 2021, the Company continued to maintain excess funding capacity sufficient to provide adequate liquidity for loan growth, capital expenditures and ongoing operations. The Company benefits from a strong core deposit base, a liquid investment securities portfolio and access to funding from a variety of sources, including federal funds lines, Federal Home Loan Bank advances and brokered deposits. About First US Bancshares, Inc.

First US Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company that operates banking offices in Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia through First US Bank. In addition, the Company’s operations include Acceptance Loan Company, Inc., a consumer loan company, and FUSB Reinsurance, Inc., an underwriter of credit life and credit accident and health insurance policies sold to the Bank’s and ALC’s consumer loan customers. The Company files periodic reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Copies of its filings may be obtained through the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or at www.firstusbank.com. More information about the Company and the Bank may be obtained at www.firstusbank.com. The Company’s stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “FUSB.”

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, as defined by federal securities laws. Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These statements may address issues that involve significant risks, uncertainties, estimates and assumptions made by management. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements following the date of this press release, except as required by law. In addition, the Company, through its senior management, may make from time to time forward-looking public statements concerning the matters described herein. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily estimates reflecting the best judgment of the Company’s senior management based upon current information and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.

Certain factors that could affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements are identified in the public filings made by the Company with the SEC, and forward-looking statements contained in this press release or in other public statements of the Company or its senior management should be considered in light of those factors. Specifically, with respect to statements relating to the sufficiency of the allowance for loan and lease losses, loan demand, cash flows, interest costs, growth and earnings potential, expansion and the Company’s positioning to handle the challenges presented by COVID-19, these factors include, but are not limited to, the rate of growth (or lack thereof) in the economy generally and in the Bank’s and ALC’s service areas; market conditions and investment returns; changes in interest rates; the impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business, the Company’s customers, the communities that the Company serves and the United States economy, including the impact of actions taken by governmental authorities to try to contain the virus and protect against it, through vaccinations and otherwise, or address the impact of the virus on the United States economy (including, without limitation, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and subsequent federal legislation) and the resulting effect on the Company’s operations, liquidity and capital position and on the financial condition of the Company’s borrowers and other customers; the pending discontinuation of LIBOR as an interest rate benchmark; the availability of quality loans in the Bank’s and ALC’s service areas; the relative strength and weakness in the consumer and commercial credit sectors and in the real estate markets; collateral values; cybersecurity threats; and risks related to the Paycheck Protection Program. There can be no assurance that such factors or other factors will not affect the accuracy of such forward-looking statements.

FIRST US BANCSHARES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESSELECTED FINANCIAL DATA – LINKED QUARTERS(Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Data)

FIRST US BANCSHARES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESNET INTEREST MARGINTHREE MONTHS ENDED MARCH 31, 2021 AND 2020(Dollars in Thousands)(Unaudited)

FIRST US BANCSHARES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESINTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS(Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Data)

FIRST US BANCSHARES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESINTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS(Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Data)(Unaudited)

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to the financial results presented in this press release that have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), the Company’s management believes that certain non-GAAP financial measures and ratios are beneficial to the reader. These non-GAAP measures have been provided to enhance overall understanding of the Company’s current financial performance and position. Management believes that these presentations provide meaningful comparisons of financial performance and position in various periods and can be used as a supplement to the GAAP-based measures presented in this press release. The non-GAAP financial results presented should not be considered a substitute for the GAAP-based results. Management believes that both GAAP measures of the Company’s financial performance and the respective non-GAAP measures should be considered together.

The non-GAAP measures and ratios that have been provided in this press release include measures of tangible assets and equity and certain ratios that include tangible assets and equity. Discussion of these measures and ratios is included below, along with reconciliations of such non-GAAP measures to GAAP amounts included in the financial statements previously presented in this press release.

Tangible Balances and Measures

In addition to capital ratios defined by GAAP and banking regulators, the Company utilizes various tangible common equity measures when evaluating capital utilization and adequacy. These measures, which are presented in the financial tables in this press release, may also include calculations of tangible assets. As defined by the Company, tangible common equity represents shareholders’ equity less goodwill and identifiable intangible assets, while tangible assets represent total assets less goodwill and identifiable intangible assets.

Management believes that the measures of tangible equity are important because they reflect the level of capital available to withstand unexpected market conditions. In addition, presentation of these measures allows readers to compare certain aspects of the Company’s capitalization to other organizations. In management’s experience, many stock analysts use tangible common equity measures in conjunction with more traditional bank capital ratios to compare capital adequacy of banking organizations with significant amounts of goodwill or other intangible assets that typically result from the use of the purchase accounting method in accounting for mergers and acquisitions.

These calculations are intended to complement the capital ratios defined by GAAP and banking regulators. Because GAAP does not include these measures, management believes that there are no comparable GAAP financial measures to the tangible common equity ratios that the Company utilizes. Despite the importance of these measures to the Company, there are no standardized definitions for the measures, and, therefore, the Company’s calculations may not be comparable with those of other organizations. In addition, there may be limits to the usefulness of these measures to investors. Accordingly, management encourages readers to consider the Company’s consolidated financial statements in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure. The table below reconciles the Company’s calculations of these measures to amounts reported in accordance with GAAP.