Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Fourth quarter net income totaled $10.2 million, or $0.59 per share, stable from the third quarter but more than double the earnings from the same quarter a year ago [3][7] - Return on Assets (ROA) and Net Interest Margin (NIM) were stable from the third quarter while increasing sharply from a year ago [3] - For the year, net interest income increased by 13% to $112 million due to loan growth and a decline in funding costs [8] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Loans grew at a solid 8.6% for the year, with fourth quarter originations at $145 million, 32% higher than in 2024 [4][11] - Non-performing loans decreased by 45% and non-performing assets decreased by 34% since the end of the previous year [6][12] - Fourth quarter non-interest income declined by $486,000 from the third quarter, but all categories of non-interest income increased compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, except for other income [9] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total deposits increased by 8.6% compared to the fourth quarter a year ago, with strong growth in interest-bearing non-maturity deposits [5] - Average demand deposits remained stable in 2025, comprising 16% of total deposits [5] - The average interest-bearing deposit rate declined by 55 basis points from the fourth quarter of 2024 [6] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to return to historic performance levels, focusing on resolving remaining non-performing assets [3] - There is an expectation of high single-digit growth in 2026, supported by a healthy loan pipeline [4] - The company is looking to rightsize its subordinated debt and may become more active in share buybacks after addressing this [18] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence that credit performance will continue to improve in future quarters, having turned a corner on credit issues [3] - The competitive landscape for deposits remains intense, but the company is optimistic about maintaining deposit growth [5][16] - Management anticipates that future annual credit costs will be much lower now that credit has stabilized [12] Other Important Information - Tangible book value per share increased by 7.8% during 2025, ending the year at $26.42 [14] - The effective tax rate in 2026 is expected to be between 27% and 28% [10] Q&A Session Summary Question: What is the outlook for deposit beta going forward? - Management indicated that the deposit beta is expected to continue increasing due to a large portion of the funding base maturing over the next year [16] Question: Any updates on subordinated debt refreshes? - The company plans to rightsize its $120 million subordinated debt eligible for redemption in April, looking for more attractive market opportunities [17] Question: How should we think about the buyback this year? - Management suggested that after addressing subordinated debt, there will be opportunities to be more active in buybacks [18] Question: What is the outlook for net interest margin (NIM)? - Management believes there is potential for NIM expansion as deposit costs may decrease with upcoming maturities [26] Question: What is the competition like for commercial real estate loans? - The company is facing competition but remains strategic in its lending relationships, maintaining yields above competitors [52][55]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported earnings of $1.45 per diluted share for Q4 2025, an increase from $1.19 in the linked quarter and $1.28 in Q4 2024 [3] - Return on average assets was 1.27%, and pre-provision return on average assets was 1.74% [3] - Net interest income for the quarter reached $168 million, up $10 million from the linked quarter and $22 million from Q4 2024 [3][4] - The tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio was 9.07%, with a return on tangible common equity of 14.02% for Q4 [5] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Loan growth for the quarter was $217 million, primarily due to acquired loans from the branch acquisition [6] - Deposits grew by $1 billion in Q4, with $400 million from new and existing clients and $600 million from the branch purchase [7] - The cost of deposits decreased to 1.64%, and the level of demand deposits to total deposits improved to 33.4% [8] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Southwest market showed the strongest growth, driven by quality commercial and industrial relationships [17] - Organic deposit growth for the year was 6.5%, amounting to $854 million, with Q4 organic deposit growth at $432 million [18] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The branch acquisition accelerated the company's strategy in higher growth markets by several years [4] - The company aims to continue producing high-quality earnings and has a clear path to improve credit statistics in the upcoming quarters [10][11] - The focus remains on automating non-value-added tasks to enhance productivity and efficiency [11] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Clients remain optimistic about the economy, particularly in sectors related to power generation and infrastructure improvements [12] - The company expects to maintain a diversified, relationship-oriented model that has compounded tangible book value per share at over 11% for the last 14 years [13] Other Important Information - The company increased its dividend by $0.01 per share to $0.32 for Q4 and repurchased 67,000 shares at an average price of $52.64 [6] - Non-performing assets (NPAs) increased to 95 basis points of total assets, with expectations to reduce this to historical levels in the next couple of quarters [32] Q&A Session Summary Question: Timing and details on foreclosed properties - The company took control of six properties in December after a favorable ruling from the bankruptcy court, with expectations for resolution by the end of Q2 2026 [42][43] Question: Fee income and non-interest expense expectations - Fee income is expected to grow at about 5% year-over-year, with non-interest expenses projected to grow around 5% as well [50][51] Question: Charge-offs and provisioning outlook - The company anticipates charge-offs to decrease from elevated levels seen in 2025, with a focus on maintaining appropriate reserves [76][79] Question: Capital management and buyback plans - The company has approximately 150,000 shares remaining for buyback and is focused on leveraging capital for growth in 2026 [81][82]