Figure 1

Well-Positioned Balance Sheet

LOS ANGELES, July 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PacWest Bancorp (Nasdaq: PACW) -

SECOND QUARTER 2021 RESULTS

SECOND QUARTER 2021 HIGHLIGHTS

• Net Earnings of $180.5 Million or $1.52 Per Diluted Share

• Core Deposits Up $1.5 Billion or 22.9% annualized in 2Q21; Represents 91% of Total Deposits

• Loan Growth of $527.0 Million or 11.1% annualized, Excluding PPP Loan Activity, Growth of $997.1 Million or 22.3% annualized

• Civic Loan Production of $423 Million in 2Q21, Compared to $231 Million for Two Months in 1Q21

• Provision for Credit Losses Benefit of $88.0 Million in 2Q21 Compared to Benefit of $48.0 Million in 1Q21

• Net Interest Income (TE) of $270.1 Million, Compared To $264.6 Million in 1Q21

• Noninterest Income of $40.4 Million With Continued Strength in Warrant Income

• Noninterest Expense of $151.8 Million, Up 1% From 1Q21, Driven By Three Months of Civic Financial Services (“Civic”) Operations Compared to Two Months in 1Q21 and Higher Variable Compensation From Strong Growth Across the Company

• Classified and Special Mention Loans Fell $15.9 Million and $96.9 Million, Respectively, From 1Q21

• ACL Ratio of 1.54% and ALLL Ratio of 1.16%; Excluding PPP Loans, ACL Ratio of 1.59% and ALLL Ratio of 1.19%

• Net Recoveries of $5.2 Million (11bps of Average Loans and Leases)

• Cost of Deposits Decreased 1 bp to 10 bps

• Loan and Lease Production of $1.7 Billion Up From $1.6 Billion in 1Q21; WAC of 4.55% vs. 4.36% in 1Q21

• Strong Capital Position – CET1 Ratio of 10.41%

• Total Capital Ratio Increased From 13.60% at 1Q21 to 14.99% at 2Q21

• Tangible Book Value Per Share Increased From $20.39 at 1Q21 to $21.95 at 2Q21

CEO COMMENTARY
Matt Wagner, President and CEO, commented, “We continued to experience strong deposit growth in the second quarter driven by outstanding growth from our venture banking as well as our commercial banking clients resulting in increased liquidity. The excess liquidity at the Fed continues to be a drag on our net interest margin, which had a negative impact of approximately 73 basis points in the second quarter, however, net interest income is growing as we continue to deploy the excess liquidity.”

“We had significant loan growth in the second quarter as the economy begins to re-open after the pandemic. This loan growth was despite a $470 million reduction in the PPP loan portfolio due to increased forgiveness activity by the SBA. Excluding PPP loan activity, our loans grew by $997 million or 22.3% annualized.”

“The continued improvement in credit quality as evidenced by the net recoveries for the first half of the year and continued decreases in nonaccrual, special mention and classified loans and leases along with improved economic conditions related to the CECL forecast resulted in a provision benefit for the second consecutive quarter. Our ACL ratio, excluding PPP loans, decreased from 2.14% in the first quarter to 1.59% as of the end of the second quarter. Our second quarter results produced a return on average assets of 2.11% and a return on average tangible equity of 29.25%.”

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0623d789-0178-417f-bc6c-55dc09803da8

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

INCOME STATEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

NET INTEREST INCOME

Net interest income increased by $5.0 million to $266.3 million for the second quarter of 2021 compared to $261.3 million for the first quarter of 2021 due mainly to higher income on investment securities and loans and leases, partially offset by higher interest expense resulting from the $400 million of subordinated debt issued on April 30, 2021. The tax equivalent yield on average loans and leases was 5.18% for the second quarter of 2021 compared to 5.20% for the first quarter of 2021. The decrease in the tax equivalent yield on average loans and leases was primarily due to lower amortized loan fee income of $1.4 million and lower loan discount accretion of $0.4 million.

The tax equivalent NIM was 3.40% for the second quarter of 2021 compared to 3.69% for the first quarter of 2021. The decrease in the NIM was primarily due to the change in the earning assets mix driven by the increase in the investment portfolio and cash at the Federal Reserve as a percentage of earning assets. The average balance of deposits in financial institutions increased by $1.6 billion to $6.3 billion, the average balance of investment securities increased by $1.1 billion to $6.5 billion, and the average balance of loans and leases increased by $130.1 million in the second quarter of 2021. This excess liquidity had a negative impact on the second quarter tax equivalent NIM of approximately 73 basis points.

The cost of average total deposits decreased to 0.10% in the second quarter of 2021 from 0.11% for the first quarter of 2021. The lower cost of average total deposits was due primarily to the increased average balance of noninterest-bearing deposits.

PROVISION FOR CREDIT LOSSES

The following table presents details of the provision for credit losses for the periods indicated:

The provision for credit losses decreased by $40.0 million to a benefit of $88.0 million for the second quarter of 2021 compared to a $48.0 million benefit for the first quarter of 2021. This reduction reflected improvement in both macro-economic forecast variables and loan portfolio credit quality metrics along with decreased provisions for individually evaluated loans and leases and for unfunded commitments.

NONINTEREST INCOME

The following table presents details of noninterest income for the periods indicated:

Noninterest income decreased by $4.5 million to $40.4 million for the second quarter of 2021 compared to $44.8 million for the first quarter of 2021 due primarily to a decrease of $5.5 million in dividends and gains on equity investments and a $1.2 million decrease in other income, offset partially by increases of $1.5 million in other commissions and fees and $1.3 million in gain on sale of loans and leases. The decrease in dividends and gains on equity investments was due primarily to a $10.1 million gain on one equity investment in the first quarter of 2021, offset partially by higher net fair value gains on equity investments still held. The decrease in other income was due primarily to lower foreign currency translation gains and negative fair value adjustments related to servicing assets. The increase in other commissions and fees was due primarily to higher foreign exchange transaction fees and customer success fees. The increase in the gain on sale of loans and leases resulted from the sales of $52.2 million of loans for gains of $1.4 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared to sales of $72.6 million for gains of $0.1 million in the first quarter of 2021. Warrant income decreased slightly in the second quarter of 2021, but remained at elevated levels and was the third highest quarter ever.

NONINTEREST EXPENSE

The following table presents details of noninterest expense for the periods indicated:

Noninterest expense increased by $1.6 million to $151.8 million for the second quarter of 2021 compared to $150.1 million for the first quarter of 2021 due primarily to an increase of $10.9 million in compensation expense, offset partially by decreases of $6.9 million in other expense, $3.2 million in acquisition, integration and reorganization costs and $1.1 million in insurance and assessments expense. The increase in compensation expense was mostly due to compensation expense related to the Civic operations as a result of three months of activity in the second quarter of 2021 compared to two months of activity in the first quarter of 2021, in addition to increases in loan production across the Company which contributed to an increase in variable compensation during the second quarter of 2021. The decrease in other expense was largely due to a legal settlement accrual in the first quarter of 2021. The decrease in acquisition, integration and reorganization costs was due to lower advisory services and integration expenses related to the closed Civic acquisition and the pending acquisition of MUFG Union Bank’s Homeowners Association Services Division. The decrease in insurance and assessments expense was primarily due to lower FDIC assessment expense resulting from a lower assessment rate partially offset by a higher assessment base.

INCOME TAXES

The effective income tax rate was 25.7% in the second quarter of 2021 compared to 26.3% for the first quarter of 2021. The decrease in the effective tax rate is due mainly to tax benefits resulting from the vesting of restricted stock and return-to-provision adjustments recorded in the second quarter of 2021. The effective income tax rate for the full year 2021 is estimated to be in the range of 25% to 27%.

BALANCE SHEET HIGHLIGHTS

DEPOSITS AND CLIENT INVESTMENT FUNDS

The following table presents the composition of our deposit portfolio as of the dates indicated:

At June 30, 2021, core deposits totaled $27.0 billion or 91% of total deposits, including $11.3 billion of noninterest-bearing demand deposits or 38% of total deposits. Core deposits increased by $1.5 billion or 22.9% annualized in the second quarter of 2021 driven by continued strong deposit growth from our venture banking clients.

In addition to deposit products, we also offer alternative, non-depository cash investment options for select clients. These alternative options include investments managed by Pacific Western Asset Management Inc. (“PWAM”), our registered investment advisor subsidiary, and third-party sweep products. Total off-balance sheet client investment funds at June 30, 2021 were $1.3 billion, of which $1.0 billion was managed by PWAM.

LOANS AND LEASES

The following table presents roll forwards of loans and leases held for investment, net of deferred fees, for the periods indicated:

Loans and leases held for investment, net of deferred fees, increased by $527.0 million or 11.1% annualized in the second quarter of 2021 to $19.5 billion at June 30, 2021. Excluding PPP loan activity, loans grew by $997.1 million or 22.3% annualized. The increase in the loans and leases balance for the second quarter of 2021 was primarily due to increases in the income producing and other residential, asset-based and venture capital portfolios partially offset by a reduction in the other commercial portfolio due to increased PPP loan forgiveness. The PPP forgiveness in the second quarter of 2021 was $506 million, up from $354 million in the first quarter of 2021. Remaining PPP loans total $609 million as of June 30, 2021 with $15.6 million of net fees to amortize over the remaining life of the loans. The weighted average rate on the $1.7 billion of new production for the second quarter of 2021 increased to 4.55% from 4.36% in the first quarter of 2021 due mainly to a lower amount of PPP loan originations in the second quarter compared to the first quarter.

The following table presents the composition of loans and leases held for investment by loan portfolio segment and class, net of deferred fees, as of the dates indicated:

ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES

The following tables present roll forwards of the allowance for credit losses for the periods indicated:

The following table presents allowance for credit losses information as of and for the dates and periods indicated:

The allowance for credit losses decreased by $82.8 million in the second quarter of 2021 to $300.2 million at June 30, 2021. The decrease in the allowance for credit losses during the second quarter of 2021 was attributable to a provision for credit losses benefit of $88.0 million partially offset by $5.2 million in net recoveries. The allowance for credit losses ratio, excluding PPP loans, of 1.59% remains robust and significantly higher than the pre-pandemic level of 0.97% as of the January 1, 2020 CECL adoption date.

Net recoveries were $5.2 million for the second quarter of 2021. Gross charge-offs of $0.8 million were reduced by recoveries of $6.0 million.

Net charge-offs were $2.7 million for the first quarter of 2021. Gross charge-offs of $4.0 million were reduced by recoveries of $1.3 million.

CREDIT QUALITY

The following table presents loan and lease credit quality metrics as of the dates indicated:

Since pro-actively downgrading certain loans at the onset of the pandemic in the first quarter of 2020, special mention loans and leases have decreased $362.6 million from their peak in the first quarter of 2020, while classified loans and leases have decreased $146.0 million from their peak in the second quarter of 2020, and each have continued their steady decline in the second quarter of 2021. Classified and nonaccrual loans and leases are below their pre-pandemic levels and are at their lowest levels since December 31, 2013.

The following table presents nonaccrual loans and leases and accruing loans and leases past due between 30 and 89 days by loan portfolio segment and class as of the dates indicated:

During the second quarter of 2021, nonaccrual loans and leases decreased by $10.8 million due primarily to the payoff of one retail commercial real estate loan.

CAPITAL

The following table presents certain actual capital ratios and ratios excluding PPP loans:

ABOUT PACWEST BANCORP

PacWest Bancorp (“PacWest”) is a bank holding company with over $34 billion in assets headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with an executive office in Denver, Colorado, with one wholly-owned banking subsidiary, Pacific Western Bank (the “Bank”). The Bank has 70 full-service branches located in California, one branch located in Durham, North Carolina, and one branch located in Denver, Colorado. The Bank provides community banking products including lending and comprehensive deposit and treasury management services to small and medium-sized businesses conducted primarily through our California-based branch offices and Denver, Colorado branch office. The Bank offers national lending products including asset-based, equipment, and real estate loans and treasury management services to established middle-market businesses on a national basis. The Bank also offers venture banking products including a comprehensive suite of financial services focused on entrepreneurial and venture-backed businesses and their venture capital and private equity investors, with offices located in key innovative hubs across the United States. For more information about PacWest Bancorp or Pacific Western Bank, visit www.pacwest.com.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This communication contains certain forward-looking information about PacWest that is intended to be covered by the safe harbor for “forward-looking statements” provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical or current facts, including statements about future financial and operational results, expectations, or intentions are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on information available at the time of the communication and are based on current beliefs and expectations of the Company’s management and are subject to significant risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected PacWest, its employees, customers and third-party service providers, and the ultimate extent of the impacts on its business, financial position, results of operations, liquidity and prospects is uncertain. The risks from the COVID-19 pandemic have decreased as the pandemic subsides, however, new variants may continue to impact key macro-economic indicators such as unemployment and GDP and may have a material impact on our allowance for credit losses and related provision for credit losses. Continued deterioration in general business and economic conditions could adversely affect PacWest’s revenues and the values of its assets, including goodwill, and liabilities, lead to a tightening of credit, and increase stock price volatility. In addition, PacWest’s results could be adversely affected by changes in interest rates, sustained high unemployment rates, deterioration in the credit quality of its loan portfolio or in the value of the collateral securing those loans, deterioration in the value of its investment securities, the magnitude of individual loan losses on security monitoring loans, and legal and regulatory developments. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth or implied in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including the risk factors described in documents filed by PacWest with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

We are under no obligation (and expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.