Cadence Bancorporation Reports Second Quarter 2017 Results

“We are pleased to report our second quarter results. The quarter reflected record net income, driven by continued organic growth and an ongoing focus on efficiency and profitability. We have seen meaningful customer acquisition and development throughout the company, as well as positive movement in our margins and continued stabilization of credit. Our bankers have focused on core deposit growth, and generated a notable improvement in deposit mix this quarter. We feel good about the quarter’s results, and our team is optimistic and energized about our progress,” said Paul Murphy, Cadence’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

• Net income for the second quarter of 2017 was $29.0 million compared to $14.8 million in the second quarter of 2016, a 95% increase, and an 11% increase compared to first quarter of 2017 net income of $26.1 million.
• On a per-share basis, net income was $0.35 per diluted common share for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $0.20 in the second quarter a year earlier and $0.35 in the first quarter of 2017. Earnings per share for the period ending June 30, 2017 reflect increases in net income offset by the $0.03 dilutive effect of the common stock offering in the second quarter of 2017.
• Annualized returns on average assets, common equity and tangible common equity(1) for the second quarter of 2017 were 1.19%, 9.29% and 12.63%, respectively, as compared to 0.65%, 5.47% and 7.90%, respectively, for the second quarter of 2016, and 1.10%, 9.71% and 13.96%, respectively, for the first quarter of 2017.
• Net interest margin increased 39 basis points to 3.71% in the second quarter of 2017 from 3.32% for the second quarter of 2016, and increased 25 basis points from 3.46% in the first quarter of 2017.
• Total assets were $9.8 billion at June 30, 2017, an increase of $589.8 million, or 6%, as compared to $9.2 billion as of June 30, 2016, and up $90.6 million, or 1%, from $9.7 billion as of March 31, 2017.
• Loans were $7.7 billion at June 30, 2017, an increase of $554.6 million, or 8%, as compared to $7.2 billion at June 30, 2016, and up $155.1 million, or 2%, from $7.6 billion as of March 31, 2017.
• Core deposits (total deposits excluding brokered) of $7.2 billion at June 30, 2017 grew $813.7 million, or 13%, from June 30, 2016, and were $410.1 million higher, or 6%, from March 31, 2017.

Period End Balance Sheet:

Cadence continued to enjoy solid growth, completing the second quarter of 2017 with total assets of $9.8 billion, an increase of $589.8 million, or 6.4%, from June 30, 2016, and an increase of $90.6 million, or 0.9%, from March 31, 2017.

Loans at June 30, 2017 were $7.7 billion, an increase of $554.6 million, or 7.7%, compared with $7.2 billion at June 30, 2016, reflecting growth primarily in our commercial and residential loan portfolios. Linked quarter loans increased $155.1 million, or 2.1%, from $7.6 billion at March 31, 2017, reflecting growth in specialized, general commercial & industrial, and consumer mortgage lending. Organic loan production as well as our pipeline remain robust, with payoffs and paydowns impacting net growth in the quarter.

Cadence’s energy lending portfolio continued to demonstrate improving credit quality, with balances totaling $902.3 million, or 11.7%, of total loans at June 30, 2017, as compared to $903.9 million, or 11.9%, of total loans at March 31, 2017. At June 30, 2017, Midstream continued to make up the largest component of energy loans at 54.7%, followed by Exploration and Production at 35.7% and Energy Services at 9.6%.

Core deposits were $7.2 billion at June 30, 2017, an increase of 12.8%, or $813.7 million, compared to June 30, 2016, and an increase of 6.1%, or $410.2 million, compared to March 31, 2017. The increases in core deposits were a result of expansion of commercial deposit relationships and treasury management services impacting noninterest bearing and interest bearing deposits, as well as retail time deposit growth. As of June 30, 2017, brokered deposits totaled $0.7 billion (9.4% of total deposits) as compared to June 30, 2016 at $1.3 billion (16.9% of total deposits) and March 31, 2017 at $1.1 billion (13.6% of total deposits). Total deposits at June 30, 2017 were $7.9 billion, an increase of $257.7 million, or 3.4%, compared with $7.7 billion at June 30, 2016, reflecting the growth in core deposits offset by $556.0 million, or 42.8%, reduction in brokered deposits. Linked quarter total deposits increased $88.7 million, or 1.1%, from $7.8 billion at March 31, 2017, due primarily to the core deposit growth supporting proactive reductions in brokered deposits during the quarter, with brokered deposits declining $321.5 million, or 30.2%, linked quarter. Wholesale funds to total assets of 9.4% at June 30, 2017 improved meaningfully during the quarter as compared to 14.1% and 14.7% at June 30, 2016 and March 31, 2017, respectively.

On April 13, 2017, we executed on our initial public offering, issuing 8.6 million shares with net proceeds adding $155.7 million to tangible common equity during the quarter, and increasing average diluted shares to 82.0 million for the second quarter of 2017, as compared to 75.3 million and 75.7 million in the second quarter of 2016 and first quarter of 2017, respectively.

Results of Operations for the Quarter:

Net income for the second quarter of 2017 was $29.0 million, up 95.2% from net income of $14.8 million in the second quarter of 2016, and up 10.9% from net income of $26.1 million in the first quarter of 2017. The year-over-year net income improvement was driven by continued earning asset and revenue growth, margin improvement, flat expenses, and improved credit costs. The increase in net income on a linked quarter basis was due primarily to organic growth, a favorable impact of the recent short-term rate increases on our net interest margin, and favorable recovery results in acquired-credit-impaired loans. Pre-tax, pre-provision earnings(1) were $49.2 million for the second quarter of 2017 as compared to $44.5 million in the first quarter of 2017. On a per-share basis, net income was $0.35 per diluted common share for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $0.20 a year earlier and $0.35 for the linked quarter. Earnings per share for the period ending June 30, 2017 reflect increases in net income offset by the $0.03 dilutive effect of the common stock offering in the second quarter of 2017. The second quarter of 2017 annualized returns on average assets, common equity and tangible common equity(1) were 1.19%, 9.29% and 12.63%, respectively, as compared to 0.65%, 5.47% and 7.90%, respectively, for the second quarter of 2016, and 1.10%, 9.71% and 13.96% for the first quarter of 2017.

Net interest margin for the second quarter of 2017 was 3.71% as compared to 3.32% for the second quarter of 2016 and 3.46% for the first quarter of 2017. The increase resulted from deposit costs lagging the change in earning asset yields due to short-term rate increases during the periods, the impact of decreased interest-sensitive brokered deposits and increased free-funding sources during the periods as well as increased loan yields in both the originated and acquired loan portfolios. Earning asset yields for the second quarter of 2017 were 4.45%, up from 3.97% in the second quarter of 2016 and 4.13% in the first quarter of 2017. Total cost of deposits for the second quarter of 2017 was 59 basis points versus 46 basis points in the prior year’s quarter and 49 basis points in the linked quarter. Total cost of funds for the second quarter of 2017 was 81 basis points versus 69 basis points in the prior year’s quarter and 71 basis points in the linked quarter.

Net interest income for the second quarter of 2017 was $82.4 million as compared to $69.3 million during the same period in 2016, an increase of $13.1 million, or 19.0%. Linked quarter, net interest income increased $7.6 million, or 10.2%, from $74.8 million in the first quarter of 2017. The increases were driven by both solid loan growth during the periods and meaningful increases in the yield on loans, with loan yields increasing to 4.74% for the second quarter of 2017 versus 4.24% for the second quarter of 2016 and 4.34% for the first quarter of 2017. Yield on loans, excluding acquired-impaired loans, were 4.36%, 3.93% and 4.14% for the second quarter of 2017, second quarter of 2016 and first quarter of 2017, respectively, demonstrating the interest-sensitivity inherent in the loan portfolio. Interest income on loans, excluding acquired-impaired loans, was $79.9 million for the second quarter of 2017, an increase of $13.4 million, or 20.3%, from the second quarter of 2016, and an increase of $6.0 million or 8.2% from the first quarter of 2017. Total accretion for acquired credit-impaired loans was $10.6 million in the second quarter of 2017, up $1.3 million from the second quarter of 2016 and up $3.6 million from the first quarter of 2017. The increased accretion in the second quarter of 2017 was due to accelerated timing of certain payoffs and paydowns in acquired loans.

Noninterest income for the second quarter of 2017 was $23.0 million as compared to $23.1 million during the same period in 2016, a decrease of $0.1 million, or 0.5%. The year-over-year change included an increase in service fees and revenue to $22.1 million at June 30, 2017 versus $20.0 million for June 30, 2016 reflecting broad based business line growth during the year, partially offset by lower securities gains and other revenues in the second quarter of 2017. Linked quarter, noninterest income decreased $1.1 million or 4.6% from $24.1 million for the first quarter of 2017. The quarter’s change included growth in mortgage banking fees, offset primarily by the impact of first quarter 2017 seasonally higher trust and insurance revenues in the second quarter of 2017. Assets under management grew $187.5 million, or 3.5%, during the quarter to $5.6 billion.

Noninterest expense for the second quarter of 2017 was $56.1 million as compared to $55.9 million during the same period in 2016, an increase of $0.2 million, or 0.5%. Salaries and employee benefits expense of $34.7 million in the second quarter of 2017 increased $1.6 million, or 5.0%, compared to the second quarter of 2016, including a $1.0 million increase in certain long-term incentive plan costs related to the increase in our common stock value associated with our becoming a public company. These costs were offset by lower FDIC insurance assessments, lower intangible asset scheduled amortization and other expenses as a result of targeted expense management efforts. Linked quarter, noninterest expenses increased $1.8 million, or 3.3%, from $54.3 million for the first quarter of 2017, including the $1.0 million in incremental incentive compensation expense associated with the second quarter valuation increase of Cadence Bancorporation associated with its IPO.

The efficiency ratio(1) for the second quarter of 2017 was 53.27%, an improvement relative to both the second quarter of 2016 and first quarter of 2017 results of 60.49% and 54.95%, respectively, reflecting ongoing focus on efficiency and revenue growth.

Asset Quality:

Nonperforming assets (NPAs) declined during the quarter, totaling $141.4 million, or 1.8%, of total loans, OREO and other NPAs at June 30, 2017, down from $171.0 million, or 2.3%, at March 31, 2017, and down from $195.5 million, or 2.7%, at June 30, 2016. The decline as compared to the prior year is due primarily to resolutions, paydowns and general improvement of energy credits. At June 30, 2017, $109.4 million, or 77.4%, of the nonperforming assets (“NPAs”) related to the energy portfolio, down from $135.0 million at March 31, 2017. Additionally, of the $93.0 million in energy nonperforming loans included in total nonperforming assets at June 30, 2017, over 90% were paying in accordance with contractual terms.

The allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) was $93.2 million, or 1.21% of total loans, at June 30, 2017, as compared to $87.1 million, or 1.22% of total loans, at June 30, 2016 and $88.3 million, or 1.17% of total loans, at March 31, 2017. At June 30, 2017, the allowance included reserves for the energy portfolio of 3.15% as compared to 2.80% at June 30, 2016 and 3.44% at March 31, 2017.

“With the momentum we have achieved year-to-date, we look forward to and are positive about the outlook for Cadence,” stated Mr. Murphy.

Supplementary Financial Tables:

Supplementary Financial Tables are included in this release following the customary disclosure information.

Second Quarter 2017 Earnings Conference Call:

Cadence Bancorporation executive management will host a conference call to discuss second quarter 2017 results on Thursday, July 27, 2017, at 10.00 a.m. CT / 11:00 a.m. ET. Slides to be presented by management on the conference call can be viewed by visiting www.cadencebank.com, clicking through the following links: “Investor Relations”, “Events & Presentations” and “Event Calendar”.

Conference Call Access:

To access the conference call, please dial one of the following numbers approximately 10-15 minutes prior to the start time to allow time for registration, and use the Elite Entry Number provided below.

For those unable to participate in the live presentation, a replay will be available through August 10, 2017. To access the replay, please use the following numbers:

Webcast Access:

A webcast of the conference call as well as the slides to be presented by management can be viewed by visiting www.cadencebank.com, clicking through the following links: “Investor Relations”, “Events & Presentations” and “Event Calendar”.

About Cadence Bancorporation

Cadence Bancorporation (NYSE:CADE) is a $9.8 billion in assets regional bank holding company headquartered in Houston, Texas. Through its affiliates, Cadence operates 65 locations in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas, and provides corporations, middle-market companies, small businesses and consumers with a full range of innovative banking and financial solutions. Services and products include commercial and business banking, treasury management, specialized lending, commercial real estate, foreign exchange, wealth management, investment and trust services, financial planning, retirement plan management, business and personal insurance, consumer banking, consumer loans, mortgages, home equity lines and loans, and credit cards. Clients have access to leading-edge online and mobile solutions, interactive teller machines, and 55,000 ATMs. The Cadence team of 1,200 associates is committed to exceeding customer expectations and helping their clients succeed financially. Cadence Bank, N.A., Cadence Insurance, and Linscomb & Williams are direct or indirect subsidiaries of Cadence Bancorporation.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to, among other things, future events and our results of operations, financial condition and financial performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “will likely result,” “expect,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “projection,” “would” and “outlook,” or the negative version of those words or other comparable words of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond our control. Accordingly, we caution you that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, actual results may prove to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, the “Risk Factors” referenced in our Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), other risks and uncertainties listed from time to time in our reports and documents filed with the SEC, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and the following factors: business and economic conditions generally and in the financial services industry, nationally and within our current and future geographic market areas; economic, market, operational, liquidity, credit and interest rate risks associated with our business; lack of seasoning in our loan portfolio; deteriorating asset quality and higher loan charge-offs; the laws and regulations applicable to our business; our ability to achieve organic loan and deposit growth and the composition of such growth; increased competition in the financial services industry, nationally, regionally or locally; our ability to maintain our historical earnings trends; our ability to raise additional capital to implement our business plan; material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting; systems failures or interruptions involving our information technology and telecommunications systems or third-party servicers; the composition of our management team and our ability to attract and retain key personnel; the fiscal position of the U.S. federal government and the soundness of other financial institutions; the composition of our loan portfolio, including the identify of our borrowers and the concentration of loans in energy-related industries and in our specialized industries; the portion of our loan portfolio that is comprised of participations and shared national credits; and the amount of nonperforming and classified assets we hold. Cadence can give no assurance that any goal or plan or expectation set forth in forward-looking statements can be achieved and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this communication, and Cadence does not intend, and assumes no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events or circumstances, except as required by applicable law.

About Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Certain of the financial measures and ratios we present, including “efficiency ratio,” “adjusted noninterest expenses,” “adjusted operating revenue,” “tangible common equity ratio,” “tangible book value per share” and “return on average tangible common equity” and “pre-tax, pre-provision net earnings,” are supplemental measures that are not required by, or are not presented in accordance with, U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). We refer to these financial measures and ratios as “non-GAAP financial measures.” We consider the use of select non-GAAP financial measures and ratios to be useful for financial and operational decision making and useful in evaluating period-to-period comparisons. We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful supplemental information regarding our performance by excluding certain expenditures or assets that we believe are not indicative of our primary business operating results or by presenting certain metrics on a fully taxable equivalent basis. We believe that management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing our performance and when planning, forecasting, analyzing and comparing past, present and future periods.

These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with GAAP and you should not rely on non-GAAP financial measures alone as measures of our performance. The non-GAAP financial measures we present may differ from non-GAAP financial measures used by our peers or other companies. We compensate for these limitations by providing the equivalent GAAP measures whenever we present the non-GAAP financial measures and by including a reconciliation of the impact of the components adjusted for in the non-GAAP financial measure so that both measures and the individual components may be considered when analyzing our performance. A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to the comparable GAAP financial measures is included at the end of the financial statement tables (Table 7).

(1) Considered a non-GAAP financial measure. See Table 7 “Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for a reconciliation of our non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

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