Preferred Bank Reports First Quarter Results

Core Insights - Preferred Bank reported a net income of $30.0 million or $2.23 per diluted share for Q1 2025, reflecting a slight decrease from the previous quarter and a larger decrease compared to the same quarter last year, primarily due to reduced net interest income [1][3][7] Financial Performance - Net interest income was $62.7 million, down $6.5 million from the previous quarter and $5.8 million from the same quarter last year, largely due to a $2.8 million reversal of interest income from nonaccrual loans [2][7] - Noninterest income increased to $4.0 million, up $361,000 from the prior quarter and $933,000 from the same quarter last year, driven by higher letter of credit fee income and gains on sales of SBA loans [2][8] - Noninterest expense totaled $23.4 million, a decrease of $4.9 million from the previous quarter but an increase of $3.3 million compared to the same quarter last year, influenced by higher personnel and OREO expenses [2][9] Asset Quality - Non-accrual loans amounted to $78.9 million, primarily consisting of two well-secured loans totaling $65.6 million, with no anticipated losses [4][13] - Total criticized loans decreased to $129.2 million from $158.2 million at year-end, indicating improved asset quality [4][14] - The provision for credit losses was $700,000, significantly lower than the $2.0 million in the previous quarter and $4.4 million in the same quarter last year [15] Capitalization and Ratios - As of March 31, 2025, the Bank's tangible capital ratio was 10.96%, leverage ratio was 11.52%, and total capital ratio stood at 15.15%, showing stable capitalization [16][28] - Return on average assets was 1.76% and return on beginning equity was 15.96%, reflecting solid profitability metrics [9][27] Balance Sheet Summary - Total gross loans were $5.63 billion, a slight decrease from the previous quarter, while total deposits increased by $155.9 million to $6.07 billion [12][28] - Total assets rose to $7.1 billion, an increase of $176.7 million from the previous quarter, indicating growth in the Bank's overall financial position [12][28]