Cullen/Frost Bankers(CFR)2025-05-01 18:00Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q1 2025, Cullen/Frost earned $149.3 million or $2.3 per share, compared to $134 million or $2.06 per share in the same quarter last year, representing a year-over-year increase in earnings [4] - Return on average assets and average common equity were 1.19% and 15.54% respectively, compared to 1.09% and 15.22% in the same quarter last year [5] - Average deposits increased by 2.3% to $41.7 billion from $40.7 billion year-over-year, while average loans grew by 8.8% to $20.8 billion from $19.1 billion [5] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Average consumer deposits, making up 47% of the deposit base, grew by 3.8% year-over-year, while average consumer loan balances increased by 20.5% [7][8] - In the commercial banking sector, average loan balances grew by $1.1 billion or 6.6% year-over-year, with commercial real estate (CRE) balances increasing by 8.9% and energy balances by 19.8% [10] - New loan commitments totaled $1.28 billion in Q1 2025, up 1.5% from $1.26 billion in Q1 2024 [10] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The overall expansion efforts generated $2.64 billion in deposits and $1.9 billion in loans, exceeding goals by 27% and 402% respectively [6] - Non-performing assets declined to $85 million at the end of Q1 2025 from $93 million at year-end, representing 41 basis points of period-end loans [12] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company continues to focus on organic growth and expansion, with plans to open its 200th financial center in the Austin region [5][6] - The strategy has resulted in a 50% increase in financial centers since late 2018, with ongoing identification of new Texas locations for expansion [6] - The company aims for its expansion efforts to be accretive to earnings beginning in 2026 [6] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the consumer banking business, citing strong customer satisfaction and a leading position in Texas for consumer banking satisfaction [8] - The company anticipates net interest income growth for the full year 2025 to be in the range of 5% to 7%, up from prior guidance of 4% to 6% [23] - Management noted that while some commercial customers are cautious, there is a high degree of confidence in their ability to pass on costs to consumers [37] Other Important Information - The net interest margin increased by 7 basis points to 3.6% due to higher yielding taxable securities and loans [18] - The investment portfolio averaged $19.4 billion during Q1 2025, with a net unrealized loss of $1.4 billion, a decrease from the previous quarter [19] - The company recorded a 15% year-over-year increase in insurance commissions, driven by better alignment with the commercial banking group [81] Q&A Session Summary Question: How should we think about the deposit beta on interest-bearing deposits? - The cumulative beta is about 47%, with spot beta around 50%, expected to hold as rate cuts occur [30] Question: What is the trajectory for expenses throughout the year? - Expenses are expected to be in the high single digits, with technology costs continuing to rise [32][34] Question: What is the sentiment among commercial customers regarding investments? - Some customers are waiting for clarity on tariffs and costs, but there is a high level of confidence in passing costs along [37] Question: Why is the loan growth guidance unchanged despite a strong pipeline? - Headwinds from commercial real estate payoffs are affecting loan growth, despite a strong pipeline [43] Question: What is the outlook for non-interest income growth? - Non-interest income growth is expected to be driven by increased volume from new relationships and insurance commissions [108]