Core Insights - Freedom Financial Holdings reported a net income of $1,122,930 or $0.16 per diluted share for Q3 2025, marking a 40.4% increase from Q2 2025 and a 225.6% increase from Q3 2024 [1][8] - The company achieved a net interest margin of 2.66%, which is flat compared to the previous quarter but up by 34 basis points from the same period last year [1][3] - Total assets decreased to $1.03 billion, down 3.80% from the previous quarter, primarily due to a reduction in brokered funding [1][10] Financial Performance - Net interest income for Q3 2025 was $6.75 million, a decrease of 1.85% from the linked quarter but an increase of 10.66% from Q3 2024 [3][6] - Non-interest income rose to $1.42 million, reflecting an 8.47% increase from the linked quarter and a 23.40% increase from the same period in 2024, driven by higher revenue from SBIC and BOLI products [5][8] - Total revenue was $8.17 million, a decrease of 0.2% from the linked quarter but an increase of 12.69% from the same quarter last year [6][17] Asset Quality - Non-accrual loans increased to 2.3% of loans held-for-investment, up from 1.45% in the previous quarter [7][9] - Total non-performing assets were 1.65% of total assets, compared to 0.98% in the linked quarter [7][9] Capital and Liquidity - Stockholders' equity increased to $87.19 million, up from $84.12 million in the previous quarter [11] - The company maintained strong capital ratios, with a Total Capital Ratio of 15.53% and a Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio of 14.64% as of September 30, 2025 [12] Loan and Deposit Trends - Total deposits decreased by $63.2 million or 6.89% during the quarter, with a significant portion attributed to the intentional reduction in brokered CDs [1][10] - Loans held-for-investment decreased slightly by $737 thousand or 0.10% during the quarter [1][10]

Core Insights - The company reported strong financial results for the third quarter of 2025, with significant growth in net interest income and non-interest income, leading to a net income of $20.1 million or $0.99 per diluted share [3][4][20] - The company expects to exceed previous guidance for return on average assets (ROAA) and return on equity (ROE), projecting ROAA to exceed 115 basis points and ROE to be greater than 12% [2][20] - Loan growth was primarily driven by commercial lending, particularly in the Upstate New York market, with total commercial loans increasing by 1.6% from June 30, 2025, and 8.3% year over year [1][4][5] Financial Performance - Net interest income reached a record high of $51.8 million, up 5.4% from the previous quarter, while non-interest income increased by 13.6% to $12.1 million [14][15] - The efficiency ratio improved to about 58%, below the targeted 60% threshold, indicating effective expense management [20] - The company anticipates full-year expenses to be approximately $141 million, slightly higher than the original guidance of $140 million [19] Loan and Deposit Growth - Total loans grew by 1.2%, with commercial lending being the main contributor, while total deposits increased by 3.9% to $5.36 billion [4][10] - Consumer indirect loan balances showed a slight increase of 0.6% from the previous quarter, although they were down 4.1% year over year [6] - Residential lending remained flat compared to the previous year, with a healthy pipeline for mortgage and home equity applications, up 12% and 11% year over year, respectively [7] Credit Quality - The company reported a low annualized net charge-off ratio of 18 basis points, significantly lower than the previous quarter and in line with the prior year [8][9] - Non-performing loans increased slightly to 74 basis points but showed a notable decrease from 94 basis points a year ago, indicating overall solid asset quality [9][10] Capital Management - The company has improved its tangible common equity (TCE) to 8.74% and common equity Tier 1 ratio to 11.15%, reflecting strong earnings and active balance sheet management [21][22] - A share repurchase plan was refreshed, indicating confidence in capital levels and a strategy to support share value [21][22] Outlook - The company is optimistic about maintaining loan growth momentum into 2026, with expectations for mid-single-digit growth rates [5][29] - Guidance for net interest margin is tightened to between 350 and 355 basis points, with expectations for modest margin pressure in the fourth quarter due to recent Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) activities [13][14]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The third quarter reflected continued momentum in core earnings with net interest margin expanding by 11 basis points to 3.28% [4] - Customer fees, excluding net credit valuation adjustment, grew by $10 million, while adjusted expenses declined by $1 million, leading to an improved efficiency ratio of 59.6% [4] - Average loans and customer deposits increased by annualized rates of 2.1% and 3.1% respectively compared to the prior quarter [4] - Diluted earnings per share was $1.48 compared to $1.63 in the prior period and $1.37 in the year-ago period [5][6] - Adjusted non-interest income was $174 million for the quarter, representing a 6% increase versus the second quarter and an 8% increase versus the year-ago quarter [10] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Net interest income increased by $52 million, or 8%, relative to the third quarter of 2024, benefiting from fixed asset repricing and favorable shifts in the composition of average interest-earning assets [7][8] - Customer-related non-interest income was $163 million for the quarter, slightly down from $164 million in the prior period but up from $158 million one year ago [10] - Capital market fees, excluding net CVA, increased by 25% compared to the prior year period, driven by higher loan syndications and customer swap fee revenue [10] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Average loans increased by 2.1% annualized over the previous quarter and 3.6% over the year-ago period [12] - Average non-interest-bearing deposits grew approximately $192 million, or 0.8% compared to the prior quarter [13] - Total borrowings declined by $1.8 billion during the quarter, with short-term FHLB advances decreasing by $2.3 billion [14] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company expects to continue producing positive operating leverage as revenue growth outpaces non-interest expense growth [19] - The outlook for customer-related fee income in the third quarter of 2026 is moderately increasing relative to the third quarter of 2025, driven by increased customer activity and new client acquisitions [11] - The company is focused on maintaining a strong capital position and is open to M&A opportunities, particularly smaller deals that enhance market density [50][51] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence that the recent credit issues are isolated incidents and emphasized the strength of their credit history [22][24] - The company anticipates continued loan growth driven by commercial loans, despite some recent paydowns and payoffs [56][59] - Management noted that the current regulatory environment is shifting towards a focus on solid regulation, which they view positively [72][74] Other Important Information - The company recorded a $49 million provision for credit loss, with net charge-offs in the quarter at $56 million, or 37 basis points of loans on an annualized basis [4][16] - The allowance for credit losses as a percentage of loans remains stable at 1.2% [17] - The common equity tier one ratio this quarter was 11.3%, indicating a strong capital position [18] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you talk about the isolated incident regarding the charge this quarter? - Management reviewed the portfolio and believes it is an isolated incident, with no similar loans found [22][23] Question: How much fixed-rate asset repricing is factored into the NII guide outlook? - The guidance includes expectations for fixed-rate loans and securities, with potential yield increases embedded [27][28] Question: What is the outlook for operating leverage? - Management expects positive operating leverage but did not provide a specific range at this time [34][35] Question: How has loan demand changed over the last 90 days? - Loan spreads have improved slightly, and production has been up in most months this year compared to 2024 [65][66] Question: What is the company's current risk appetite? - The company will continue its historical underwriting practices, and the recent credit issues will not impact loan growth [80][81]

Core Viewpoint - Freedom Financial Holdings reported strong financial results for the first quarter of 2025, with a significant increase in net income and improvements in key financial metrics despite a challenging economic environment [1][2]. Financial Performance - Net income for Q1 2025 was $2,019,348, or $0.28 per diluted share, representing a 73.4% increase compared to the same quarter in 2024 [1][11]. - Net interest income was $7.72 million, up 20.17% from the previous quarter but down 17.91% from Q1 2024 [3][11]. - Total revenue increased by 13.04% compared to the linked quarter and 12.65% year-over-year [6][11]. Cost and Efficiency - Non-interest expenses decreased by $447,995, or 6.93%, compared to the linked quarter, and by 3.30% compared to the same period in 2024 [7][11]. - The Efficiency Ratio improved to 69.22% for Q1 2025, down from 84.07% in the previous quarter and 80.64% in Q1 2024 [8][11]. Asset Quality - Non-accrual loans decreased by 22% to $10.7 million, representing 1.45% of loans held-for-investment [2][9]. - Total non-performing assets were 1.01% of total assets as of March 31, 2025, down from 1.25% at the end of the previous quarter [9][10]. Capital and Liquidity - Total assets were $1.08 billion, a decrease of $8.3 million from December 31, 2024 [12][11]. - Stockholders' equity was $81.11 million, slightly down from $81.44 million at the end of 2024 [13][11]. - The Company maintained strong capital ratios, with a Total Capital Ratio of 14.95% as of March 31, 2025 [15][11]. Shareholder Actions - The Company repurchased 177,692 shares under its share repurchase program, with a total of 214,400 shares repurchased out of the 250,000 authorized [14][11].