CVB FINANCIAL CORP

Financial Performance

Return on Average Tangible Common Equity Reconciliation (Non-GAAP)

The return on average tangible common equity is a non-GAAP disclosure. The Company uses certain non-GAAP financial measures to provide supplemental information regarding the Company's performance. The following is a reconciliation of net income, adjusted for tax-effected amortization of intangibles, to net income computed in accordance with GAAP, a reconciliation of average tangible common equity to the Company's average stockholders' equity computed in accordance with GAAP, as well as a calculation of return on average tangible common equity.

(1)

Tax effected at respective statutory rates.

(2)

Annualized where applicable.

Net Interest Income

The principal component of our earnings is net interest income, which is the difference between the interest and fees earned on loans and investments (interest-earning assets) and the interest paid on deposits and borrowed funds (interest-bearing liabilities). Net interest margin is net interest income as a percentage of average interest-earning assets for the period. The level of interest rates and the volume and mix of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities impact net interest income and net interest margin. The net interest spread is the yield on average interest-earning assets minus the cost of average interest-bearing liabilities. Net interest margin and net interest spread are included on a tax equivalent (TE) basis by adjusting interest income utilizing the federal statutory tax rates of 21% in effect for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. Our net interest income, interest spread, and net interest margin are sensitive to general business and economic conditions. These conditions include short-term and long-term interest rates, inflation, monetary supply, and the strength of the international, national and state economies, in general, and more specifically, the local economies in which we conduct business. Our ability to manage net interest income during changing interest rate environments will have a significant impact on our overall performance. We manage net interest income through affecting changes in the mix of interest-earning assets as well as the mix of interest-bearing liabilities, changes in the level of interest-bearing liabilities in proportion to interest-earning assets, and in the growth and maturity of earning assets. See Item 2 –Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Asset/Liability and Market Risk Management – Interest Rate Sensitivity Management included herein.

The tables below present the interest rate spread, net interest margin and the composition of average interest-earning assets and average interest-bearing liabilities by category for the periods indicated, including the changes in average balance, composition, and average yield/rate between these respective periods.

(1)

Includes tax equivalent (TE) adjustments utilizing federal statutory rates of 21% in effect for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. The non TE rates were 2.63% and 2.60% for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

(2)

Includes loan fees of $748,000 and $763,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Prepayment penalty fees of $830,000 and $373,000 are included in interest income for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

(3)

Includes interest-bearing demand and money market accounts.

(1)

Includes tax equivalent (TE) adjustments utilizing federal statutory rates of 21% in effect for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. The non TE rates were 2.63% and 2.42% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 respectively.

(2)

Includes loan fees of $2.2 million and $2.4 million for nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Prepayment penalty fees of $1.9 million and $1.6 million are included in interest income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

(3)

Includes interest-bearing demand and money market accounts.

The following table presents a comparison of interest income and interest expense resulting from changes in the volumes and rates on average interest-earning assets and average interest-bearing liabilities for the periods indicated. Changes in interest income or expense attributable to volume changes are calculated by multiplying the change in volume by the initial average interest rate. The change in interest income or expense attributable to changes in interest rates is calculated by multiplying the change in interest rate by the initial volume. The changes attributable to interest rate and volume changes are calculated by multiplying the change in rate times the change in volume and reflect an adjustment for the number of days as appropriate.

Rate and Volume Analysis for Changes in Interest Income, Interest Expense and Net Interest Income

Net interest income, before provision for credit losses, of $113.6 million for the third quarter of 2024 decreased by $9.8 million, or 7.90%, from the third quarter of 2023. The decline in net interest income compared to the third quarter of 2023 was primarily due to a 26 basis point decline in net interest margin. The decline in net interest margin was the result of a 55 basis point increase in funding costs, which was partially offset by a 25 basis point increase in the average earning asset yield. The increase in earning asset yield was positively impacted by a 24 basis point increase in loan yields and a modest change in the mix of assets, with higher yielding balances at the Federal Reserve increasing and the lower yielding investment portfolio declining. Compared to the third quarter of 2023, the average balance of investment securities decreased by $462.6 million, declining from 37% to 34% of total earning assets. Conversely, the average amount of funds held at the Federal Reserve increased by $748.8 million, growing from 3.1% of total earning assets in the third quarter of 2023 to 8.2% for the third quarter of 2024.

Total interest income of $165.8 million grew by $9.5 million, or 6.10%, when compared to the third quarter of 2023. This increase was primarily due to a 25 basis point expansion of the yield on earning assets. Average loan balances declined by $257.2 million. Loan yields grew from 5.07% for the third quarter of 2023 to 5.31% for the third quarter of 2024. Likewise, the yield on investment securities increased by 3 basis points from the prior year, including the $496,000 increase in interest income associated with fair value hedges executed in June of 2023.

Total interest income and fees on loans for the third quarter of 2024 was $114.9 million, an increase of $1.7 million, or 1.54%, from the third quarter of 2023. This increase in income was primarily due to higher loan yields, which grew from 5.07% in the third quarter of 2023 to 5.31% in the second quarter of 2024. Loan yields grew year-over-year, as rising interest rates contributed to an increase in yields on loans indexed to the Prime rate or other short-term indexes, as well as higher rates from newly originated loans.

Interest income from investment securities was $33.5 million, a decrease of $2.6 million, or 7.09%, from the third quarter of 2023. The decrease was driven by a $462.6 million decline in the average balance of investment on securities, including the impact from the sale of $312 million of AFS securities during the third quarter of 2024. The three basis point increase in yield includes the positive carry on the fair value hedges executed in late June of 2023, which resulted in $4.3 million of interest income in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $3.8 million in the third quarter of 2023. Excluding the impact of these swaps, interest income on investment securities would have declined by $3.1 million.

Interest expense of $52.1 million for the third quarter of 2024, increased $19.3 million, compared to the third quarter of 2023. Total cost of funds of 1.47% for the third quarter of 2024 increased from 0.92% for the year ago quarter. This 55 basis point increase in cost of funds was primarily the result of a 104 basis point increase in the cost of total interest-bearing deposits. Interest expense on time deposits grew by $5.5 million, as total time deposits grew by $431.9 million on average over the prior year quarter, including the impact from adding $400 million of brokered time deposits during the first quarter of 2024. Interest expense for non-maturity interest-bearing deposits, increased by $7.8 million over the third quarter of 2023, as a $270.6 million decline in the average balance of these deposits was offset by an increase in the cost of these interest-bearing deposits from 1.39% in the prior year quarter to 2.22% for the third quarter of 2024. Average noninterest-bearing deposits were 59.10% of total deposits for the third quarter of 2024, compared to 62.09% for the third quarter of 2023. Interest expense on borrowings increased by $4.6 million, compared to the third quarter of 2023, due to an increase in average borrowings of $411.3 million, which had an average borrowing cost of 4.77% in the third quarter of 2024, compared to 4.84% in the prior year quarter.

Net interest income, before provision for credit losses, was $336.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, a decrease of $31.7 million, or 8.6%, compared to $368.6 million for the same period of 2023. Interest-earning assets decreased on average by $138.6 million, or 0.93%, from $14.89 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 to $14.75 billion for the same period in the current year. Our net interest margin (TE) was 3.06% for the first nine months of 2024, compared to 3.32% for the same period of 2023.

Total interest income of $482.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, was $34.3 million, or 7.64%, higher than the same period of 2023. This increase was primarily due to a 34 basis point expansion of the yield on earning assets, which offset a $138.6 million decline in average earning assets. The $138.6 million year-over-year decrease in average earning assets resulted from a decline of $449.8 million in average investment securities and a $185.6 million decrease in our average loan balances, offset by a $500.7 million increase the average amount of funds held at the Federal Reserve. The 34 basis point increase in the average earning asset yield compared to the first nine months of 2023 resulted from both a 30 basis point increase in loan yields and a $7.8 million increase in interest income from the fair value hedges that were initiated in June of 2023. The fair value hedges impacted the yield on investment securities, resulting in an increase from 2.42% for the first nine months of 2023 to 2.63% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. Interest income from funds deposited at the Federal Reserve increased by $12.9 million, primary due to a $500.7 million increase in average balances at the Federal Reserve.

Total interest income and fees on loans for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, was $345.5 million, an increase of $12.9 million, or 3.88%, when compared to the same period of 2023. This increase in income was due to higher loan yields, which grew year-over-year, as rising interest rates contributed to an increase in yields from 4.99% for the first nine months of 2023 to 5.29% for the same period of 2024.

Interest income from investment securities of $103.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, increased $315,000 from $102.7 million for the first nine months of 2023. This increase was driven by a 22 basis point increase in the yield on securities, compared to the first nine months of 2023. The increase in yield includes the positive carry on the fair value hedges executed in late June of 2023. Excluding the impact of these swaps, interest income on investment securities would have declined by $7.5 million, as average investment securities decreased by $449.8 million when compared with the third quarter of 2023.

Interest expense of $145.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, increased by $66.0 million from the same period of 2023. Total cost of funds for the first nine months of 2024 was 1.39%, compared with 0.75% for the same period of 2023. Noninterest-bearing deposits for the nine months ending September 30, 2024, declined on average by $755.2 million, compared to the first nine months of 2023, but continued to represent more than 60% of total average deposits for the nine month period. Average noninterest-bearing deposits represented 60.32% of our total deposits for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to 63.10% for the same period of 2023. The rate on interest-bearing deposits for the first nine months of 2024 increased by 125 basis points from the same period in 2023. Time deposits increased on average between the two periods by $344.0 million, with the cost of time deposits increasing from 0.62% in the prior year period to 3.19% for the first nine months of 2024. The $13.9 million increase in interest expense on time deposits was driven by the addition of $400 million in brokered time deposits during the first quarter of 2024. Non-maturity interest-bearing deposits declined on average from the prior year period by $263.3 million, while the cost of these deposits increased by 1.06%, resulting in a $30.6 million increase in interest expense. Average borrowings for the first nine months of 2024 were $1.86 billion at a cost of 4.76%, compared with 4.86% on $1.27 billion of borrowings for the same period of 2023, resulting in a $19.9 million increase in interest expense.

Provision for (Recapture of) Credit Losses

The provision for (recapture of) credit losses is a charge to earnings to maintain the allowance for credit losses at a level consistent with management’s assessment of expected lifetime losses in the loan portfolio as of the balance sheet date.

There was no provision for credit losses in the third quarter of 2024, compared to $2.0 million in provision in the third quarter of 2023. Net recoveries for the third quarter of 2024 were $156,000, compared to $28,000 in the third quarter of 2023. Allowance for credit losses represented 0.97% of total loans at September 30, 2024, compared to 0.98% at December 31, 2024 and 1.00% at September 30, 2023.

There was no provision for credit losses for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $4.0 million in provision for credit losses for the same period of 2023. We experienced credit charge-offs of $4.3 million and total recoveries of $444,000, resulting in net charge-offs of $3.9 million for 2024 year-to-date. For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we experienced credit charge-offs of $224,000 and total recoveries of $102,000, resulting in net charge-offs of $122,000. Refer to the discussion of “Allowance for Credit Losses” in Item 2 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained herein for discussion concerning observed changes in the credit quality of various components of our loan portfolio as well as changes and refinements to our methodology.

No assurance can be given that economic conditions which affect the Company’s service areas or other circumstances will or will not be reflected in future changes in the level of our allowance for credit losses and the resulting provision or recapture of provision for credit losses. The process to estimate the allowance for credit losses requires considerable judgment and our economic forecasts may continue to vary due to the uncertainty of the future impact from the recent rise in interest rates, geopolitical events, and the continued inflationary pressures will have on future interest rates, unemployment, the overall economy and resulting impact on our customers. See “Allowance for Credit Losses” under Analysis of Financial Condition herein.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income includes income derived from financial services offered to our customers, such as CitizensTrust, merchant processing and card services, international banking, and other business services. Also included in noninterest income are service charges and fees, primarily from deposit accounts, gains (net of losses) from the disposition of investment securities, loans, other real estate owned, and fixed assets, and other revenues not included as interest on earning assets.

The following table sets forth the various components of noninterest income for the periods presented.

During the third quarter of 2024, the Bank executed sale-leaseback transactions with the sale of two buildings, which operate as Banking Centers, and were simultaneously leased back, resulting in a pre-tax net gain of $9.1 million. The gains on selling the buildings were offset by realizing a pre-tax net loss of $11.6 million on the sale of $312 million of AFS securities. Third quarter income from BOLI increased $2 million, primarily due to the restructuring and enhancements in our BOLI policies completed in the fourth quarter of 2023. Third quarter 2024 noninterest income was approximately $2.6 million lower than the prior year period due to income from an equity fund distribution, related to a CRA investment, that occurred in the third quarter of 2023 .Other income in the third quarter of 2024 included an increase of approximately $1.0 million related to changes in the net asset value of certain CRA equity investments.

Trust and Investment Services represents our CitizensTrust group. The CitizensTrust group is made up of wealth management and investment services. They provide a variety of services, which include asset management, financial planning, estate planning, retirement planning, private and corporate trustee services, and probate services. Investment Services provides self-directed brokerage, 401(k) plans, mutual funds, insurance and other non-insured investment products. At September 30, 2024, CitizensTrust had approximately $4.7 billion in assets under management and administration, including $3.3 billion in assets under management. CitizensTrust generated fees of $3.6 million for the third quarter of 2024, compared to $3.2 million for the same period of 2023.

The increase in BOLI income was primarily due to the restructuring and enhancements in our BOLI policies in the fourth quarter of 2023. We recognized $320,000 in death benefits that exceeded the asset value on certain policies in the third quarter of 2024, compared with no death benefits in the third quarter of 2023. As a result of the restructuring and enhancements in BOLI policies during the fourth quarter of 2023, the income derived from increases in the cash-surrender value of the policies was $1.5 million higher in the third quarter of 2024, when compared to the third quarter of 2023.

The $5.2 million year-over-year increase in BOLI income was primarily due to the restructuring and enhancements in our BOLI policies in the fourth quarter of 2023. Trust and investment fees grew by $742,000 or 7.83% due to increased assets under management. The swap related fees reflected in 2023 resulted from the conversion to SOFR of all of our previously originated interest rate swaps indexed to LIBOR, resulting in a $600,000 period-over-period decline in these fees.

Noninterest Expense

The following table summarizes the various components of noninterest expense for the periods presented.

(1)

Noninterest expense divided by net interest income before provision for credit losses plus noninterest income.

Our ability to control noninterest expenses in relation to asset growth can be measured in terms of total noninterest expenses as a percentage of average assets. Noninterest expense as a percentage of average assets was 1.42% for the third quarter of 2024, compared to 1.33% for the third quarter of 2023.

Our ability to control noninterest expenses in relation to the level of total revenue (net interest income before provision for credit losses plus noninterest income) can be measured by the efficiency ratio and indicates the percentage of net revenue that is used to cover expenses. The efficiency ratio was 46.53% for the third quarter of 2024, compared to 39.99% for the third quarter of 2023.

Noninterest expense of $58.8 million for the third quarter of 2024, was $3.8 million, or 6.86% higher than the third quarter of 2023. The $3.8 million increase in noninterest expense year-over-year included increased staff related expenses of $1.9 million, or 5.48%. Professional services increased $738,000, including a $627,000 increase in legal expense year-over-year. Occupancy and equipment expense increased by $586,000, or 10.43%, and software expense increased $258,000, or 7.07%, year-over-year. Occupancy expense grew by $267,000, or 5.64%, when compared with the prior year quarter, including the impact of the higher occupancy costs for the two Banking Centers involved in the sale leaseback transactions.

Noninterest expense of $175.1 million for the first nine months of 2024 was $11.1 million higher than the prior year period. Year-over-year increases included a $4.9 million increase in salaries and employee benefits primarily due to inflationary pressures on salary and benefits. The $1.5 million net increase in the FDIC accrual year-over-year was the result of the FDIC increasing its initial estimate of losses from last year’s bank failures. Marketing and promotion expense increased by $886,000 primarily due to $600,000 in higher donations in the first nine months of 2024. Year-over-year expense increases included $1.0 million in higher data processing costs from new technology investments, a $614,000 increase in deferred compensation expense, and a $1.4 million increase in legal expense. The first nine month of 2024 included a $1.3 million in recapture of provision for unfunded loan commitments, compared to no provision for the same period of 2023. As a percentage of average assets, noninterest expense was 1.43% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to 1.34% for the same period of 2023. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the efficiency ratio was 46.29%, compared to 40.11% for the same period of 2023.

Income Taxes

The Company’s effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 was 24.25% and 26.25%, respectively, compared to 28.20% for both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. Our estimated annual effective tax rate also varies depending upon the level of tax-advantaged income from municipal securities and BOLI, as well as available tax credits. Investments in tax credits and higher BOLI income were the primary drivers of the lower effective tax rate in 2024.

The Company’s effective tax rates are below the nominal combined Federal and State tax rate primarily as a result of tax-advantaged income from certain municipal security investments, municipal loans and leases and BOLI, as well as available tax credits for each period.