Banner Corporation Announces Second Quarter Results; Includes Provision for Loan Losses of $15 Million and Non-cash Write-down of Goodwill; Remains “Well Capitalized”
Walla Walla, WA – July 28, 2008 - Banner Corporation (NASDAQ GMS: BANR), the parent company of Banner Bank and Islanders Bank, today reported that, as a result of the significant decline in its stock price and market capitalization during the second quarter in conjunction with similar declines in the value of most financial institutions and the ongoing disruption in related financial markets, it has decided to reduce the carrying value of goodwill by $50 million in its Statement of Financial Condition as of June 30, 2008. While this write-down of goodwill is a non-cash charge that does not affect the Company’s or the Banks’ liquidity or operations, the adjustment brings the Company’s book value and tangible book value more closely in line with each other and more accurately reflects current market conditions. Also, since goodwill is excluded from regulatory capital, this impairment charge (which is not deductible for tax purposes) does not have an adverse effect on the regulatory capital ratios of the Company or either of its subsidiary banks, each of which continues to remain “well capitalized” under the regulatory requirements.
Banner also reported that, as a result of a $15 million provision for loan losses, the Company recorded a net operating loss, excluding fair value adjustments and the goodwill impairment charge*, of $2.7 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2008, compared to net operating income, excluding fair value adjustments, of $8.3 million, or $0.56 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2007. For the six months ended June 30, 2008, net operating income, excluding fair value adjustments and the goodwill impairment charge, was $587,000, or $0.04 per share, compared to $15.4 million, or $1.12 per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2007.
“The first half of 2008 has presented a challenging operating environment for Banner, as well as for the entire financial services industry,” stated D. Michael Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer. “This difficult environment has led to a great deal of uncertainty with respect to the valuation of certain assets, including goodwill. As goodwill is deducted for the purpose of regulatory capital calculations, is ignored by most institutional investors and has no effect on liquidity or operations, there is no meaningful economic effect from this non-cash accounting entry. At least annually and more often if appropriate, all companies are required to determine the appropriate carrying value of goodwill as an asset. As a result of the significant decline in many banks’ common stock prices, including Banner’s, and the lack of merger transactions in recent months, measuring the value of goodwill at June 30, 2008 has become difficult and imprecise at best; however, it is clear that the value has declined. Therefore, we have taken this action to reflect current market conditions as of June 30, 2008. It is important to note that this change is not a result of any concern with the performance of any of last year’s acquisitions, each of which is performing in line with our expectations at the time of purchase.”
“This difficult environment, including in particular a weakened housing market, also required that we significantly increase our provision for loan losses in order to build our reserves,” Jones added. “This elevated level of loan loss provisioning depressed our operating results but was an appropriate response to an increase in non-performing loans and further stress in housing markets which in the second quarter became more apparent in the Puget Sound (Seattle) region as well as in the greater Portland, Oregon and Boise, Idaho areas. Aside from the obvious concerns related to housing markets, the Company’s operations continued to progress well during the quarter, reflecting the commitment of our dedicated employees. We are particularly pleased to have added two new branches during the quarter, one in Bellevue, Washington, and one in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon, two important locations for the long-term success of the Company. And, as we have indicated before, we continue to have a very positive view on the future economic prospects for the Northwest markets that we serve.”
*Earnings information excluding the goodwill impairment charge and fair value adjustments (net income from recurring operations) represent non-GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) financial measures. Management has presented these non-GAAP financial measures in this earnings release because it believes that they provide more useful and comparative information to assess trends in the Company’s core operations reflected in the current quarter and year-to-date results. Where applicable, the Company has also presented comparable earnings information using GAAP financial measures.
Credit Quality
“The housing market has continued to soften in our primary markets in the Puget Sound, Portland and Boise, resulting in increasing delinquencies and non-performing assets, primarily construction and land development loans,” said Jones. “As a result, we have chosen again this quarter to increase our reserves through a higher level of provisioning, as property values have clearly declined. As well as covering known issues and net charge-offs, the second quarter’s provision allowed us to maintain an appropriate portion of the allowance for loan losses against loans that are currently performing according to their repayment terms.”
Banner added $15.0 million to its provision for loan losses in the second quarter of 2008, compared to $6.5 million in the first quarter of 2008 and $1.4 million in the second quarter of 2007. The allowance for loan losses at June 30, 2008 was $58.6 million, representing 1.47% of total loans outstanding. Non-performing loans were $89.9 million at June 30, 2008, compared to $54.4 million in the previous quarter and $13.2 million at June 30, 2007. In addition, Banner’s real estate owned and repossessed assets increased to $11.4 million at June 30, 2008 compared to $7.6 million in the previous quarter and $1.7 million at June 30, 2007. Banner’s net charge-offs in the current quarter totaled $6.9 million, or 0.18% of average loans.
“Although one-to-four family residential construction and related lot and land loans represent 26% of our portfolio and 81% of our nonperforming assets, they are significantly diversified with respect to geography and sub-markets, price ranges and borrowers,” added Jones. “We are proactively monitoring and managing this portion of our portfolio and we are actively engaged with our borrowers in resolving problem loans.” The geographic distribution of construction and land development loans is approximately 29% in the greater Puget Sound market, 33% in the greater Portland, Oregon market, and 7% in the greater Boise, Idaho market, with the remaining 31% distributed in various eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and northern Idaho markets served by Banner Bank. While nonperforming assets are similarly geographically disbursed, they are concentrated largely in land and land development loans. The geographic distribution of nonperforming construction, land and land development loans and real estate owned included approximately $34.2 million, or 42%, in the Puget Sound region, $17.6 million, or 22%, in the greater Portland market area and $18.6 million, or 23%, in the greater Boise market area. “Although additional charge-offs will undoubtedly occur, based on recent appraisals, regular inspections and our understanding of the local markets, we are confident losses will not approach the overly pessimistic projections of certain analysts and equity market participants,” stated Jones. “And, while the current imbalance in the housing markets will likely require twelve to eighteen months to be fully resolved, we believe we have the management and resources to address these challenges and still maintain a strong forward momentum that will allow Banner Corporation and our talented employees to prosper from the many business opportunities available across our Northwest franchise.”
Income Statement Review
Banner’s net interest margin was 3.50% for the second quarter of 2008, compared to 3.63% in the preceding quarter and 4.11% for the second quarter of 2007. For the first half of 2008, the net interest margin was 3.56% compared to 4.04% in the first half of 2007. Funding costs decreased 44 basis points compared to the previous quarter and decreased 105 basis points from the second quarter a year earlier, while asset yields decreased 55 basis points from the prior linked quarter and 160 basis points from the second quarter a year ago.
“During the second quarter we continued to experience decreasing asset yields which significantly reduced our net interest margin, as the full impact of the Federal Reserve’s earlier rate cuts were realized and changes in the mix of the loan portfolio reduced the proportional contribution of some of the higher yielding loan categories,” said Jones. “Deposit costs also declined in the second quarter of 2008, but have not yet matched the more immediate impact of lower market interest rates on a substantial portion of our loan portfolio. In addition, the higher level of delinquencies is also reflected in our lower net interest margin, as non-accruing loans reduced the margin by approximately 16 basis points in this year’s second quarter compared to approximately three basis points in the same quarter a year earlier.”
In the second quarter of 2008, net interest income before the provision for loan losses was $37.0 million, compared to $37.4 million in the preceding quarter and $38.1 million in the same quarter a year ago. In the first half of 2008, net interest income before the provision for loan losses increased 6% to $74.3 million, compared to $70.3 million in the first half of 2007. Revenues from recurring operations (net interest income before the provision for loan losses plus other operating income excluding fair value adjustments) were $45.0 million in the second quarter of 2008, up slightly from $44.7 million for the first quarter of 2008 and essentially unchanged from the second quarter a year ago. Revenues from recurring operations for the first half of 2008 increased 9% to $89.7 million, compared to $82.3 million in the first half of 2007.
Total other operating income from recurring operations (excluding fair value adjustments) for the second quarter increased to $8.0 million up from $7.4 million in the preceding quarter and increased 16% compared to $6.9 million for the same quarter a year ago. For the first half of 2008, total other operating income from recurring operations increased 28% to $15.3 million, compared to $12.0 million in the first half of 2007. Income from deposit fees and other service charges increased to $5.5 million in the second quarter of 2008, compared to $5.0 million for the preceding quarter, and increased 34% from $4.1 million in the second quarter a year ago. Income from mortgage banking operations, at $1.6 million, was nearly unchanged in the second quarter compared to the preceding quarter but decreased slightly from $1.8 million in the same period a year ago. For the first half of the year, mortgage banking revenues were essentially unchanged but are likely to decline modestly over the remainder of the year given the lower levels of residential sales activity.
“Our expense ratios were higher in the second quarter, compared to the first quarter of the year, largely as a result of higher collection costs and other professional fees, as well as $678,000 of combined operating expenses and valuation adjustments for real estate owned and other repossessed assets and $306,000 of increased costs of FDIC insurance,” said Jones. “During the quarter we incurred additional costs associated with the opening of our two new offices. Although we anticipate collection costs will continue to be above historical levels for the next few quarters, we expect little change in total operating expense levels going forward this year and have no plans to add additional branches during the remainder of the year.” Other operating expenses from recurring operations (excluding the goodwill write-off) were $35.2 million in the second quarter of 2008, compared to $33.7 million in the preceding quarter and $31.3 million in the second quarter a year ago. The increase from the prior year reflects the effects of new branch openings and last year’s acquisitions. For the first half of the year other operating expenses from recurring operations were $68.9 million compared to $57.4 million in the first half of 2007. Operating expenses from recurring operations as a percentage of average assets was 3.08% in the second quarter of 2008, compared to 3.01% in the previous quarter and 3.14% in the second quarter a year ago.
Balance Sheet Review
“We have significantly slowed our origination of construction and land development loans as we remain very cautious in our underwriting,” said Jones. “As a result, our construction and development loan balances declined by $32 million during the most recent quarter compared to March 31, 2008 balances, including a $31 million decrease in one-to-four family construction loans. By contrast, we continued to have good growth in all other loan categories.” Net loans increased 9% to $3.91 billion at June 30, 2008, compared to $3.58 billion a year earlier. Assets increased 9% to $4.64 billion at June 30, 2008, compared to $4.27 billion a year earlier.
Total deposits increased 5% to $3.76 billion at June 30, 2008, compared to $3.59 billion at the end of June 2007. Non-interest-bearing accounts increased 5% and certificates of deposit increased 13% during the twelve months ending June 30, 2008, while total transaction and savings accounts decreased 7%. “Our retail deposit activity has been steady, although we have seen a decline in average deposit balances for certain real estate-related customers as their business activity has slowed,” said Jones. “We are optimistic that our expanded branch network will deliver continued deposit growth and related fee income as we have experienced a healthy increase in the number of transaction deposit accounts.”
Tangible shareholders’ equity at June 30, 2008 was $295.2 million compared to $273.6 million at June 30, 2007. Tangible book value per share was $18.38 at quarter-end, compared to $17.72 a year earlier. During the quarter ended June 30, 2008, the Company issued 402,000 shares of common stock through its Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase Plan and in connection with the exercise of vested stock options at an average price of $18.13 per share. At June 30, 2008, Banner had 16.3 million shares outstanding, while it had 15.7 million shares outstanding a year ago.
“In the past few months, the market price of Banner’s common stock has significantly declined due in part to the uncertainty revolving around the U.S. housing market and Banner’s commitment to loans for construction of one-to-four family dwellings and related land and lot loans,” said Jones. “Further, we believe the price has been partially influenced by speculation by short sellers concerning our potential need to raise additional capital. To set the record straight, aside from continuation of our dividend reinvestment and stock purchase plan, Banner Corporation does not now intend to sell common stock or issue other capital instruments as our analysis indicates that the Company and its subsidiary banks have sufficient capital to accommodate the orderly collection of existing housing and land loan portfolios at current price levels and absorption rates and remain well capitalized during the entire process.
Accounting Treatments
Banner Corporation adopted SFAS No. 159, The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities, and SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements, effective January 1, 2007. SFAS No. 159, which was issued in February 2007, generally permits the measurement of selected eligible financial instruments at fair value at specified election dates. SFAS No. 157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and expands disclosures about fair value measurement. The Company has chosen to apply SFAS No. 159 to certain investment securities and wholesale borrowings, including its junior subordinated debentures, to allow it more flexibility with respect to the management of those assets and liabilities and its interest rate risk position.
Restatement and Reclassification
The Statement of Financial Condition for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 has been restated to reflect non-material cumulative adjustments to the common stock and retained earnings components of stockholders’ equity related to the tax treatment of certain elements of stock-based compensation for periods prior to January 1, 2007. The effects of these adjustments are reductions of $380,000 in income taxes payable and $2.4 million in retained earnings and increases of $2.8 million and $380,000, respectively, in common stock (paid-in capital) and total stockholders’ equity as of December 31, 2006. These adjustments have immaterially affected certain previously reported ratios for the quarter ended June 30, 2007.
In addition, certain reclassifications have been made to the prior periods’ consolidated financial statements and/or schedules to conform to the current period’s presentation. These reclassifications may have slightly affected certain ratios for the prior periods. These reclassifications had no effect on retained earnings or net income as previously presented and the effect of these reclassifications is considered immaterial.
In addition, certain reclassifications have been made to the prior periods’ consolidated financial statements and/or schedules to conform to the current period’s presentation. These reclassifications may have slightly affected certain ratios for the prior periods. These reclassifications had no effect on retained earnings or net income as previously presented and the effect of these reclassifications is considered immaterial.
Conference Call
Banner will host a conference call on Tuesday, July 29, 2008, at 7:00 a.m. PDT, to discuss second quarter results. The conference call can be accessed live by telephone at 303-205-0044. To listen to the call online, go to the Company’s website at www.bannerbank.com. An archived recording of the call can be accessed by dialing 303-590-3000, passcode 11116845# until Tuesday, August 5, 2008, or via the Internet at www.bannerbank.com.
About the Company
Banner Corporation is a $4.6 billion bank holding company operating two commercial banks in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Banner serves the Pacific Northwest region with a full range of deposit services and business, commercial real estate, construction, residential, agricultural and consumer loans. Visit Banner Bank on the Web at www.bannerbank.com.
This press release contains statements that the Company believes are “forward-looking statements.” These statements relate to the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance or business. You should not place undue reliance on these statements, as they are subject to risks and uncertainties. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind these risks and uncertainties, as well as any cautionary statements the Company may make. Moreover, you should treat these statements as speaking only as of the date they are made and based only on information then actually known to the Company. There are a number of important factors that could cause future results to differ materially from historical performance and these forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, the credit risks of lending activities, including changes in the level and trend of loan delinquencies and write-offs; changes in general economic conditions, either nationally or in our market areas; changes in the levels of general interest rates, deposit interest rates, our net interest margin and funding sources; fluctuations in the demand for loans, the number of unsold homes and other properties and fluctuations in real estate values in our market areas; results of examinations of us by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and our bank subsidiaries by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Banks or other regulatory authorities, including the possibility that any such regulatory authority may, among other things, require us to increase our reserve for loan losses or to write-down assets; fluctuations in agricultural commodity prices, crop yields and weather conditions; our ability to control operating costs and expenses; our ability to implement our branch expansion strategy; our ability to successfully integrate any assets, liabilities, customers, systems, and management personnel we have acquired or may in the future acquire into our operations and our ability to realize related revenue synergies and cost savings within expected time frames and any goodwill charges related thereto; our ability to manage loan delinquency rates; our ability to retain key members of our senior management team; costs and effects of litigation, including settlements and judgments; increased competitive pressures among financial services companies; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; legislative or regulatory changes that adversely affect our business; adverse changes in the securities markets; inability of key third-party providers to perform their obligations to us; changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the financial institution regulatory agencies or the Financial Accounting Standards Board; war or terrorist activities; other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory, and technological factors affecting our operations, pricing, products and services and other risks detailed in Banner’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007.