WEST DES MOINES, Iowa , Jan. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- West Bancorporation, Inc. (Nasdaq: WTBA; the “Company”), parent company of West Bank, today reported 2023 net income of $24.1 million, or $1.44 per diluted common share, compared to 2022 net income of $46.4 million, or $2.76 per diluted common share. Net income for the fourth quarter 2023 was $4.5 million, or $0.27 per diluted common share, compared to third quarter 2023 net income of $5.9 million, or $0.35 per diluted common share, and fourth quarter 2022 net income of $8.9 million, or $0.53 per diluted common share. On January 24, 2024, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.25 per common share. The dividend is payable on February 21, 2024, to stockholders of record on February 7, 2024.

David Nelson, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, commented, “Like the rest of our industry, our Company experienced some significant margin challenges in 2023. The interest rate environment, including dramatic increases in short-term rates, an ongoing inverted yield curve and aggressive deposit competition, had a significant impact on our cost of funds and net interest margin. We have a clear understanding of what is driving our challenges, along with a clear understanding of our path forward to more normalized margins.”

David Nelson added, “Despite the challenges of the interest rate environment, our credit quality remains pristine. We have no loans greater than 30 days past due and only one classified loan for $296 thousand at December 31, 2023. We continue to closely monitor and manage our credit quality as the economy and our customers respond to a higher interest rate environment.”

Fourth Quarter 2023 Compared to Third Quarter 2023 Overview

• Loans increased $77.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, or 10.9 percent annualized.
  

• A credit loss expense of $500 thousand was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to a credit loss expense of $200 thousand in the third quarter of 2023. $300 thousand of the expense in the fourth quarter was allocated to the allowance for credit losses on loans, which was due to loan growth. The additional $200 thousand expensed in the fourth quarter was allocated to the allowance for unfunded commitments. The expense in the third quarter of 2023 was due to loan growth.
  

• The allowance for credit losses to total loans was 0.97 percent at December 31, 2023, compared to 0.99 percent at September 30, 2023. Nonaccrual loans at December 31, 2023 consisted of one loan with a balance of $296 thousand, compared to one loan with a balance of $303 thousand at September 30, 2023.
  

• Deposits increased $218.2 million, or 7.9 percent, in the fourth quarter of 2023. Brokered deposits totaled $305.4 million at December 31, 2023, compared to $237.0 million at September 30, 2023, an increase of $68.4 million. Excluding brokered deposits, deposits increased $149.8 million, or 6.0 percent, during the fourth quarter of 2023. As of December 31, 2023, estimated uninsured deposits, which excludes deposits in the IntraFi^? reciprocal network, brokered deposits and public funds protected by state programs, were approximately 28.2 percent of total deposits.
  

• Borrowed funds decreased to $592.6 million at December 31, 2023, compared to $705.1 million at September 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease of $111.2 million in federal funds purchased and other short-term borrowings.
  

• The efficiency ratio (a non-GAAP measure) was 64.66 percent for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to 60.83 percent for the third quarter of 2023. The increase in the efficiency ratio was primarily due to the decrease in noninterest income. This decrease was primarily attributable to $431 thousand in loan swap fees that were earned in the third quarter of 2023.
  

• Net interest margin, on a fully tax-equivalent basis (a non-GAAP measure), was 1.87 percent for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to 1.91 percent for the third quarter of 2023. Net interest income for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $16.4 million, compared to $16.6 million for the third quarter of 2023. The rising cost of deposits has increased interest expense faster than the increase in interest income from loan repricing and loan originations.
  

• In December 2023, the Company sold approximately $11.3 million of securities from the available for sale securities portfolio and realized a net loss of $431 thousand. The proceeds from this sale were reinvested in the loan portfolio and have an estimated earn back period of approximately 1 year.
  

• The tangible common equity ratio was 5.88 percent at December 31, 2023, compared to 5.51 percent at September 30, 2023. The increase was attributable to the decrease in accumulated other comprehensive loss, which was primarily driven by the effect of decreasing long-term interest rates in the fourth quarter on the unrealized market value adjustment of our available for sale investment portfolio.

Fourth Quarter 2023 Compared to Fourth Quarter 2022 Overview

• Loans increased $184.7 million at December 31, 2023, or 6.7 percent, compared to December 31, 2022.
  

• Deposits increased $93.4 million at December 31, 2023, compared to December 31, 2022. Included in deposits were brokered deposits totaling $305.4 million at December 31, 2023, compared to $272.7 million at December 31, 2022. Excluding brokered deposits, deposits increased $60.7 million, or 2.3 percent, as of December 31, 2023 compared to December 31, 2022.
  

• Borrowed funds increased to $592.6 million at December 31, 2023, compared to $485.9 million at December 31, 2022. The increase included an increase of $160.0 million in FHLB one-month rolling advances hedged with long-term interest rate swaps, partially offset by a decrease of $49.7 million in federal funds purchased and other short-term borrowings.
  

• The efficiency ratio (a non-GAAP measure) was 64.66 percent for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to 50.42 percent for the fourth quarter of 2022. The increase in the efficiency ratio in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 was primarily due to the decrease in net interest income.
  

• Net interest margin, on a fully tax-equivalent basis (a non-GAAP measure), was 1.87 percent for the fourth quarter of 2023, compared to 2.49 percent for the fourth quarter of 2022. Net interest income for the fourth quarter of 2023 was $16.4 million, compared to $20.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2022. In 2023, the rising cost of deposits and borrowed funds and the change in mix of funding increased interest expense faster than the increase in interest income from loan repricing and loan originations.
  

Year Ended 2023 Compared to Year Ended 2022 Overview

• The credit loss expense recorded in 2023 was $700 thousand, compared to a credit loss benefit of $2.5 million in 2022. The credit loss expense recorded in 2023 was associated with growth in loans and unfunded commitments. The credit loss benefit recorded in 2022 was primarily due to the reversal of a specific reserve on an impaired loan and the reduction of certain qualitative factors resulting from the sustained performance of loans after the expiration of COVID-19 modifications and continued improvement in classified loans.
  

• Net interest income declined $22.7 million in 2023 compared to 2022. Net interest margin decreased to 2.01 percent in 2023, compared to 2.76 percent in 2022. The decline in both net interest income and net interest margin was primarily due to the rising cost of deposits and borrowed funds and the change in mix of funding, which increased interest expense faster than the increase in interest income from loan repricing and loan originations.
  

The Company plans to file its report on Form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or before February 22, 2024. Please refer to that document for a more in-depth discussion of the Company’s financial results. The Form 10-K will be available on the Investor Relations section of West Bank’s website at www.westbankstrong.com.

The Company will discuss its results in a conference call scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, January 25, 2024. The telephone number for the conference call is 888-300-4030. The conference ID for the conference call is 3218904. A recording of the call will be available until February 8, 2024, by dialing 800-770-2030.

About West Bancorporation, Inc. (Nasdaq: WTBA)

West Bancorporation, Inc. is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa. Serving customers since 1893, West Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of West Bancorporation, Inc., is a community bank that focuses on lending, deposit services, and trust services for small- to medium-sized businesses and consumers. West Bank has six offices in the Des Moines, Iowa metropolitan area, one office in Coralville, Iowa, and four offices in Minnesota in the cities of Rochester, Owatonna, Mankato and St. Cloud.

Certain statements in this report, other than purely historical information, including estimates, projections, statements relating to the Company’s business plans, objectives and expected operating results, and the assumptions upon which those statements are based, are “forward-looking statements” within the meanings of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements may appear throughout this report. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “future,” “confident,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “strategy,” “plan,” “opportunity,” “will be,” “will likely result,” “will continue” or similar references, or references to estimates, predictions or future events. Such forward-looking statements are based upon certain underlying assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Because of the possibility that the underlying assumptions are incorrect or do not materialize as expected in the future, actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements.  Risks and uncertainties that may affect future results include: interest rate risk, including the effects of recent and potential additional rate increases by the Federal Reserve; fluctuations in the values of the securities held in our investment portfolio, including as a result of changes in interest rates; competitive pressures, including from non-bank competitors such as “fintech” companies and digital asset service providers; pricing pressures on loans and deposits; our ability to successfully manage liquidity risk; changes in credit and other risks posed by the Company’s loan portfolio, including declines in commercial or residential real estate values or changes in the allowance for credit losses dictated by new market conditions, accounting standards or regulatory requirements; the concentration of large deposits from certain clients who have balances above current FDIC insurance limits; changes in local, national and international economic conditions, including rising rates of inflation and possible recession; the effects of recent developments and events in the financial services industry, including the large-scale deposit withdrawals over a short period of time at Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank that resulted in the failure of those institutions; changes in legal and regulatory requirements, limitations and costs including in response to the recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank; changes in customers’ acceptance of the Company’s products and services; the occurrence of fraudulent activity, breaches or failures of our or our third-party partners’ information security controls or cyber-security related incidents, including as a result of sophisticated attacks using artificial intelligence and similar tools; unexpected outcomes of existing or new litigation involving the Company; the monetary, trade and other regulatory policies of the U.S. government; acts of war or terrorism, including the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, widespread disease or pandemics, or other adverse external events; risks related to climate change and the negative impact it may have on our customers and their businesses; changes to U.S. tax laws, regulations and guidance; potential changes in federal policy and at regulatory agencies as a result of the upcoming 2024 presidential election; talent and labor shortages; the new 1 percent excise tax on stock buybacks by publicly traded companies; and any other risks described in the “Risk Factors” sections of reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update such forward-looking statements to reflect current or future events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

(1) Includes accumulated other comprehensive loss.
(2) Closing stock price divided by book value per common share.
(3) Closing stock price divided by annualized earnings per common share (basic).
(4) Annualized dividend divided by period end closing stock price.
(5) Annualized net income divided by average assets.
(6) Annualized net income divided by average stockholders’ equity.
(7) Annualized tax-equivalent net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets.
(8) Annualized tax-equivalent interest income on interest-earning assets divided by average interest-earning assets.
(9) Noninterest expense (excluding other real estate owned expense and write-down of premises) divided by noninterest income (excluding net securities gains/losses and gains/losses on disposition of premises and equipment) plus tax-equivalent net interest income.
(10) Total nonperforming assets divided by total assets.
(11) Allowance for credit losses divided by total loans.        
(12) Common equity less intangible assets (none held) divided by tangible assets.
(13) A non-GAAP measure.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

This report contains references to financial measures that are not defined in GAAP. Such non-GAAP financial measures include the Company’s presentation of net interest income and net interest margin on a fully taxable equivalent (FTE) basis and the presentation of the efficiency ratio on an adjusted and FTE basis, excluding certain income and expenses. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to both management and investors to analyze and evaluate the Company’s financial performance. These measures are considered standard measures of comparison within the banking industry. Additionally, management believes providing measures on a FTE basis enhances the comparability of income arising from taxable and nontaxable sources. Limitations associated with non-GAAP financial measures include the risks that persons might disagree as to the appropriateness of items included in these measures and that different companies might calculate these measures differently. These non-GAAP disclosures should not be considered an alternative to the Company’s GAAP results. The following table reconciles the non-GAAP financial measures of net interest income and net interest margin on a fully taxable equivalent basis and efficiency ratio on an adjusted and FTE basis.