ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
We are subject to numerous risks, many of which are inherent to our business. As a financial services organization, we must balance revenue generation and profitability with the risks associated with our business activities. For information about how our risk oversight and management process operates, see Item 7 of this Report, MD&A – "Risk Management.” The following discussion highlights specific risks that could affect us and our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Based on the information currently known, we believe that the following information identifies the material risk factors affecting us. The risks and uncertainties we face are not limited to those described below. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known or that we currently believe to be immaterial may also adversely affect our business.
You should carefully consider each of the following risks and all the other information set forth in this Report. If any of the following risks and uncertainties develop into actual events or if the circumstances described in the risks and uncertainties occur or continue to occur, these events or circumstances could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. These events could also have a negative effect on the trading price of our securities.
1. Credit Risk
Our results of operations are significantly affected by the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans.
Lending money is an essential part of the banking business. However, for various reasons, borrowers do not always repay their loans. The risk of non-payment is affected by credit risks of a particular borrower, changes in economic conditions that impact certain geographic markets or industries, fluctuations in interest rates on adjustable-rate loans, the duration of the loan, and in the case of a collateralized loan, uncertainties as to the future value of the collateral.
Generally, commercial loans and leases present a greater risk of non-payment by a borrower than other types of loans. They typically involve larger loan balances and are particularly sensitive to economic conditions. The borrower’s ability to repay usually depends on the successful operation of its business and income stream. Some of our commercial borrowers have multiple loans outstanding with us, which means that an adverse development with respect to one loan or one credit relationship can expose us to a significantly greater risk of loss. In the case of commercial and industrial loans, collateral often consists of accounts receivable, inventory, property and equipment, which may not yield substantial recovery of principal losses incurred, and is susceptible to deterioration, declining valuations, or other losses in advance of liquidation of such collateral. Consumer loan collections are dependent on the borrower’s continuing financial stability, and thus are more likely to be affected by adverse personal circumstances. Furthermore, the application of various federal and state laws may limit the amount that can be recovered on these loans. For additional information, see the Lending Activity section of MD&A, which is included in Item 7 of this Report.
Our mortgage banking profitability could be significantly reduced if we are not able to originate and resell a high volume of mortgage loans.
Mortgage banking is generally considered a volatile source of income because it depends largely on the volume of loans we originate and sell in the secondary market. If our originations of mortgage loans decrease, resulting in fewer loans that are available to be sold to investors, this would result in a decrease in mortgage revenues and a corresponding decrease in non-interest income.
•Mortgage loan production levels are sensitive to changes in economic conditions and activity, strengths or weaknesses in the housing market, changes in FRB monetary policies, interest rate fluctuations and the availability of an active secondary market or originations that could shift to adjustable-rate products which may be held in the portfolio. Generally, any sustained period of decreased economic activity or higher interest rates could reduce demand for mortgage loans and refinancings, while, conversely, any sustained period of increased economic activity and decreasing interest rates could increase the demand for mortgage loans and loan repayments. In addition, our results of operations are affected by the amount of non-interest expense associated with mortgage banking activities, such as salaries, commissions and employee benefits, occupancy, equipment and data processing expense and other operating costs. During periods of reduced loan demand, our results of operations may be adversely affected to the extent that we are unable to reduce expenses commensurate with the decline in loan originations.
•Future changes to our eligibility to participate in the programs offered by the government-sponsored entities (GSEs) and other secondary purchasers, or the loan criteria of the GSEs and other secondary purchasers could also result in a lower volume of corresponding loan originations and sales.
•The estimates of revenues produced by the models we use to assess the impact of interest rates on mortgage-related revenues are dependent on estimates and assumptions of future loan demand, prepayment speeds and other factors which may differ from actual subsequent experience.
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Our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected if we must further increase our provision for credit losses or if our ACL is not sufficient to absorb actual losses.
There is no precise method of predicting loan losses. We can give no assurance that our ACL will be sufficient to absorb actual loan losses. Excess loan losses could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The level of the ACL reflects the judgment and estimates of management regarding the amount and timing of future cash flows, current fair value of the underlying collateral and other qualitative risk factors that may affect the loan. Determination of the allowance is inherently subjective and is based on factors that are susceptible to significant change. Continuing deterioration in economic conditions affecting borrowers, new information regarding existing loans, suspected fraud, identification of additional problem loans and other factors, both within and outside of our control, may require an increase in the ACL. In addition, bank regulatory agencies periodically review our ACL and may require an increase in the provision for credit losses or the recognition of additional loan charge-offs, based on judgments different from those of management. In addition, if charge-offs in future periods exceed the ACL, we will need additional provisions to increase the ACL. Any increases in the ACL will result in a decrease in net income and capital and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. For additional discussion relating to this matter, refer to the Allowance and Provision for Credit Losses section of MD&A, which is included in Item 7 of this Report.
2. Market Risk
Our business and financial performance is impacted significantly by market interest rates and changes in those rates. The monetary, tax and other policies of governmental agencies, including the UST and the FRB, have a direct impact on interest rates and overall financial market performance over which we have no control and which may not be able to be predicted with reasonable accuracy.
As a result of the high percentage of our assets and liabilities that are in the form of interest-bearing or interest-related instruments, changes in interest rates, in the shape of the yield curve or in spreads between different market interest rates can have a material effect on our business, profitability and the value of our financial assets and liabilities. Such scenarios may include the following:
•changes in interest rates or interest rate spreads can affect the difference between the interest earned on assets and the interest paid on liabilities, which impacts FNBPA’s overall net interest income and profitability;
•such changes can affect the ability of borrowers to meet obligations under variable or adjustable-rate loans and other debt instruments and can, in turn, affect our loss rates on those assets;
•such changes may decrease the demand for interest rate-based products or services, including bank loans and deposit products and the subordinated notes offered by our subsidiary, FNB Financial Services, LP;
•such changes can also affect our ability to hedge various forms of market and interest rate risks and may decrease the profitability or increase the risk associated with such hedges; and
•movements in interest rates also affect mortgage repayment speeds and could result in impairments of MSAs or otherwise affect the profitability of such assets.
The monetary, tax and other policies of the U.S. Government and its agencies also have a significant impact on interest rates and overall financial market performance. The FRB regulates the national supply of bank credit and certain interest rates through the implementation of certain monetary policies and actions. Due to elevated levels of inflation and corresponding pressure to raise interest rates, the FRB announced in January 2022 that it would be slowing the pace of its bond purchasing and increasing the target range for the federal funds rate over time, which it did from March 2022 to July 2023. The FOMC has since paused increases to the target federal funds rate. Although economists are projecting that the target funds rate will likely decline in small periodic increments, the timing, extent, and frequency of such reductions remain uncertain.
Changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates, could influence not only the interest we receive on loans and investments and the amount of interest we pay on deposits and borrowings, but such changes could also affect (i) our ability to originate loans and obtain deposits; (ii) the fair value of our financial assets and liabilities; and (iii) the average duration of our mortgage portfolio and other interest-earning assets. If the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowings increase at a faster rate than the interest rates received on loans and other investments, our net interest income, and therefore earnings, could be adversely affected. Earnings could also be adversely affected if the interest rates received on loans and other investments fall more quickly than the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowings. Interest rate risk may also result from timing differences in the maturity and re-pricing characteristics of assets and liabilities, changes in the shape of the yield curve, hedging activity and the potential exercise of explicit or embedded options.
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Any substantial, unexpected, prolonged change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations, and any related economic downturn, especially domestically and in the regions in which we operate, may adversely affect our asset quality, deposit levels, loan demand and results of operations. Also, our interest rate risk modeling techniques and assumptions likely may not fully predict or capture the impact of actual or future interest rate changes on our balance sheet.
Changes in interest rates could reduce the value of our AFS securities holdings which would increase our accumulated other comprehensive loss and thereby negatively impact stockholders’ equity.
We maintain an investment portfolio consisting of various high-quality liquid fixed-income securities. The total carrying value of the AFS securities portfolio as of December 31, 2023 was $3.3 billion and the estimated duration of the portfolio was approximately 3 years. The nature of fixed-income securities is such that changes in market interest rates impact the value of these assets. Based on the duration of our AFS securities portfolio, a one percent increase or decrease in market rates is projected to positively or negatively impact the market value of the AFS securities portfolio by approximately $100.1 million. Increases or decreases in market interest rates are expected to further increase or decrease our AOCI (loss) and thereby decrease stockholders’ equity. Further, the FRB and the OCC may consider increases in AOCI when evaluating our regulatory capital position, although current capital regulations permit AOCI to be excluded from capital for institutions of our size.
3. Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk could impair our ability to fund operations and meet our obligations as they become due.
Our ability to implement our business strategy will depend on our liquidity and ability to obtain funding for loan originations, working capital and other general purposes. Liquidity is needed to fund various obligations, including credit commitments to borrowers, mortgage and other loan originations, withdrawals by depositors, repayment of borrowings, dividends to shareholders, operating expenses and capital expenditures. Liquidity risk is the potential that we will be unable to meet our obligations as they come due, capitalize on growth opportunities as they arise, or pay regular dividends on our common stock because of illiquid assets or an inability to obtain satisfactory funding. Our preferred sources for funding are deposits and customer repurchase agreements, which are low cost and stable sources of funding for us. We compete with commercial banks, savings banks and credit unions, as well as numerous non-depository competitors for deposits and customer repurchase agreements. If a significant portion of our deposits were to be withdrawn within a short period of time or if we are unable to attract and maintain sufficient levels of deposits and customer repurchase agreements to fund our loan growth and liquidity objectives, we may be subject to paying higher funding costs by raising interest rates that are paid on deposits and customer repurchase agreements or cause us to source funds from third-party providers which may be higher cost funding, impacting our net interest margin and overall profitability. Additionally, our ability to attract depositors during a time of actual or perceived distress or instability in the marketplace may be limited. Because our AFS investment securities lose value when interest rates rise, after-tax proceeds resulting from the sale of such assets may be diminished during periods when interest rates are elevated. However, the sale of all or a material portion of our securities portfolio to increase liquidity in the face of withdrawals would cause the realization of significant losses that would, in turn, reduce our regulatory capital position.
Our growth may require us to raise additional capital in the future, but that capital may not be available when it is needed.
We are required by federal and state regulatory authorities to maintain adequate levels of capital to support our operations (see discussion under “Government Supervision and Regulation” included in Item 1 of this Report). As a financial holding company, we seek to maintain capital sufficient to meet the “well-capitalized” standard set by regulators. While we anticipate that our current capital resources will satisfy our capital requirements for the foreseeable future, we may, at some point need to raise additional capital to support current operations or continued growth.
The availability of additional capital or financing will depend on a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including market conditions, credit availability, our credit ratings and credit capacity, marketability of our stock, and the possibility that lenders and investors could develop a negative perception of our long- or short-term financial prospects if we incur large credit losses or if the level of business activity decreases due to economic conditions. Accordingly, there can be no assurance of our ability to expand our operations through organic growth or acquisitions. As such, we may be forced to delay raising capital, issue shorter-term securities than desired or bear an unattractive cost of capital, which could decrease profitability and significantly reduce financial flexibility. In addition, if we decide to raise additional equity capital, it could be dilutive to our existing stockholders.
We are dependent on dividends from our subsidiaries to meet our financial obligations and pay dividends to stockholders.
We are a holding company and conduct almost all our operations through our subsidiaries. We do not have any significant assets other than cash and the stock of our subsidiaries. Accordingly, we depend on dividends from our subsidiaries, in
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particular FNBPA, to meet our financial obligations and to pay dividends to stockholders. Our right to participate in any distribution of earnings or assets of our subsidiaries is subject to the prior claims of creditors of such subsidiaries. Under federal law, the amount of dividends that a national bank, such as FNBPA, may pay in a calendar year is dependent on the amount of our net income for the current year combined with our retained net income for the two preceding years. The OCC has the authority to prohibit FNBPA from paying dividends if it determines such payment would be an unsafe and unsound banking practice. Likewise, our state-based entities are subject to state laws governing dividend practices and payments.
Regulatory authorities may restrict our ability to pay dividends on, and make repurchases of, our common stock.
Dividends on our common stock will be payable only if, when and as authorized and declared by our Board of Directors; however, our ability to pay dividends and make stock repurchases may be limited due to banking laws and regulations and limitations imposed by our banking regulators (including OCC limiting dividends from FNBPA). In certain circumstances, we will not be able to make a capital distribution unless the FRB approves such distribution, including if the dividend could not be fully funded by our net income over the last four quarters (net of dividends paid), our prospective rate of earnings retention appears inconsistent with our capital needs, asset quality, and overall financial condition, or we will not be able to continue meeting the minimum required capital ratios. As a bank holding company, we also are required to consult with the FRB before increasing dividends or redeeming or repurchasing capital instruments. Additionally, the FRB could prohibit or limit our payment of dividends if it determines that payment of the dividend would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice. There can be no assurance that we will declare and pay any dividends or repurchase any shares of our common stock in the future.
We have outstanding securities senior to common stock which could limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock.
We have outstanding TPS that are senior to our common stock and could adversely affect our ability to declare or pay dividends or distributions on our common stock. The terms of the TPS prohibit us from declaring or paying dividends or making distributions on our junior capital stock, including the common stock, or purchasing, acquiring, or making a liquidation payment on any junior capital stock, if: (1) an event of default has occurred and is continuing under the junior subordinated debentures underlying the TPS, (2) we are in default with respect to a guarantee payment under the guarantee of the related TPS, or (3) we have given notice of our election to defer interest payments, but the related deferral period has not yet commenced or a deferral period is continuing. If we experience a material deterioration in our financial condition, liquidity, capital, results of operations or risk profile, our regulators may not permit us to make future payments on our TPS, which would also prevent us from paying any dividends on our common stock.
4. Reputation Risk
Our key assets include our brand and reputation and our business may be affected by how we are perceived by the public.
Our brand and our reputation are our key assets. Our ability to attract and retain banking, insurance, wealth management and corporate clients and employees is highly dependent upon external perceptions of our culture, level of service, security, trustworthiness, business practices and financial condition. Negative perceptions or publicity regarding these matters could damage our reputation among existing customers and corporate clients and employees, which could make it difficult for us to attract new clients and employees and retain existing ones. Adverse developments with respect to our financial services activities, the financial services industry or sociopolitical events and circumstances may also, by association, negatively impact our reputation, or result in greater regulatory or legislative scrutiny or litigation against us. Although we monitor developments for areas of potential risk to our reputation and brand, negative perceptions or publicity could materially and adversely affect our revenues and profitability.
We are subject to environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks that could adversely affect our reputation and the market price of our securities.
We are subject to a variety of risks arising from ESG matters. ESG matters include climate risk, hiring practices, the diversity of our work force, and equitable treatment of our employees, customers and third parties with whom we otherwise do business. Risks arising from ESG matters, including shifts in investor approaches related to ESG, may adversely affect, among other things, our reputation and the market price of our securities.
Further, we may be exposed to negative publicity (e.g., traditional and social media) based on the identity and activities of those to whom we lend and with which we otherwise do business, and the public’s view of the approach and performance of our customers and business partners with respect to ESG matters. Such negative publicity could adversely impact our relationships and reputation with our existing and prospective customers and potentially have an adverse effect on our ability to attract and retain customers and employees and could have a negative impact on the market price for our securities.
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Investors may consider the steps taken and resources allocated by financial institutions and other commercial organizations to address ESG matters when making investment decisions. Certain investors have incorporated the business risks of climate change and the adequacy of companies’ responses to the risks posed by climate change into their investment theses.
Increased attention to ESG matters also has caused public officials, including certain state attorneys general, treasurers, and legislators, to take various actions to impact the extent to which ESG principles are considered by private investors, including actions to limit business with government entities or the initiation of an investigation or enforcement action because of what is perceived to be, depending on the governmental authority, either our unwarranted focus or lack of focus on ESG matters.
5. Operational Risk
Our failure to continue to recruit and retain qualified banking professionals could adversely affect our ability to compete successfully and affect our profitability.
Our continued success and future growth depend heavily on our ability to attract and retain highly skilled, diverse and motivated banking professionals. We compete against many institutions with greater financial resources both within our industry and in other industries to attract these qualified individuals. Our failure to recruit and retain adequate talent could reduce our ability to compete successfully and adversely affect our business and profitability.
The financial soundness of other financial institutions may adversely affect FNB, FNBPA and other affiliates.
Financial institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty and other relationships. FNB, FNBPA and other affiliates are exposed to many different industries and counterparties and they routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including brokers and dealers, commercial banks, investment banks and other institutional clients. Many of these types of transactions expose FNB, FNBPA and other affiliates to credit risk in the event of default of the counterparty or client. In addition, FNBPA and other affiliates’ credit risks may be exacerbated when the collateral held by us cannot be realized or is liquidated at prices that are not sufficient to recover the full amount of the loan or derivative exposure that we are due.
We are subject to operational risk that could damage our reputation and our business. We engage in a variety of businesses and rely on systems, employees, service providers and counterparties to properly process a high volume of transactions.
Like all businesses, we are subject to operational risk, which represents the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes in our systems, human error and external events. Operational risk also encompasses technology, compliance and legal risk. Many strategic initiatives, including those related to products, staffing, and business processes, could substantially increase operational risk. We are also exposed to operational risk through our outsourcing arrangements, and the effect the changes in circumstances or capabilities of our outsourcing vendors can have on our ability to continue to perform operational functions necessary to our business.
External and internal risk has proliferated in recent years.
The shift in recent years to digital, mobile, and online platforms have resulted in a large volume of payment transactions being executed more quickly leaving banks less time to identify and counteract fraud, and recover the funds misappropriated by fraudulent actors. Moreover, the level of sophistication of fraud has increased in part due to greater collaboration among bad actors, including the exchange of stolen data, new techniques and expertise available on the dark web. The financial services industry is continually developing and forcing countermeasures to prevent, detect and remediate the ever-shifting fraud landscape and the ability to quickly adapt to new threats is a critical element of fraud prevention.
Changes and instability in economic conditions and financial markets, including a contraction of economic activity, could adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Our financial performance depends, to a certain extent, upon global, domestic and local economic and political conditions, as well as governmental monetary policies. Conditions such as changes in interest rates, money supply, levels of employment and other factors beyond our control may have a negative impact on economic activity. Any contraction of economic activity, including an economic recession or an inflationary environment, may adversely affect our asset quality, deposit levels and loan demand and, therefore, our earnings. In particular, interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond our control, including global, domestic and local economic conditions and the policies of various governmental and regulatory agencies and, specifically, the FRB. Throughout 2022 and 2023, the FOMC raised the target range for the federal funds rate on 11 separate occasions citing economic and geopolitical disruptions, and signaled that current FRB direction is to begin lowering rates at some point during 2024 as inflation returns to more normalized levels.
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Financial institutions also face a comparatively heightened credit risk. Of note, because we have a significant amount of real estate loans, decreases in real estate values could adversely affect the value of property used as collateral, which, in turn, can adversely affect the value of our loan and investment portfolios. Adverse economic developments, specifically including inflation-related impacts, may have a negative effect on the ability of our borrowers to make timely repayments of their loans or to finance future home purchases. According to the FRB’s October 2023 Financial Stability Report, commercial real estate (CRE) values remained elevated relative to fundamentals, even as prices continued to decline. While CRE values continue to fluctuate, some markets are showing signs of stabilizing prices. However, the outlook for CRE remains dependent on the broader economic environment and, specifically, how major subsectors respond to a rising interest rate environment and higher prices for commodities, goods and services. In any case, credit performance over the medium-and long-term is susceptible to economic and market forces and therefore forecasts remain uncertain, with some degree of instability in the CRE markets expected in the coming quarters as loans are refinanced in markets with higher vacancy rates under current economic conditions. Instability and uncertainty in the commercial and residential real estate markets, as well as in the broader commercial and retail credit markets, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges and uncertainties affecting the stability of regions and countries around the globe could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. For instance, in response to the Russia-Ukraine war, the U.S. has imposed, and is likely to continue to impose, significant financial and economic sanctions and export controls against certain Russian organizations and individuals, with similar actions being taken by the European Union, the United Kingdom and other jurisdictions. The Russian invasion and subsequent sanctions had and could continue to have certain negative impacts on global and regional financial markets and economic conditions. In addition, the attacks by Hamas on Israel in October 2023, Israel’s response and a potential broader armed conflict in the Middle East are likely to continue impacting the global economy, including that of the United States and have added to concerns of a widening conflict in the Middle East. In particular, oil prices have become increasingly volatile in the aftermath of the attacks on Israel. Each of the developments described above, or any combination of them, could adversely affect our businesses, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business could be adversely affected by difficult economic conditions in the regions in which we operate.
We operate in seven states and the District of Columbia. Most of our customers are individuals and small- and medium-sized businesses that are dependent upon their regional economies. The economic conditions in these local markets may be different from, and in some instances worse than, economic conditions in the U.S. as a whole. Challenging macroeconomic, recessionary and employment conditions in the market areas we serve could result in the following consequences, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, such as: demand for our loans, deposits and services may decline; loan delinquencies, problem assets, foreclosures and charge-offs may increase; weak economic conditions could limit the demand for loans by creditworthy borrowers, limiting our capacity to leverage our retail deposits and maintain our net interest income; collateral for our loans may decline in value; and the amount of our low-cost or non-interest-bearing deposits may decrease.
The banking and financial services industry continually encounters technological change, especially in the systems that are used to deliver products to, and execute transactions on behalf of customers. If we fail to continue to invest in technological improvements as they become appropriate or necessary, our ability to compete effectively could be severely impaired.
The banking and financial services industry continually undergoes technological changes, with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services, including recent and rapid developments in artificial intelligence. The effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial institutions to better compete for and serve customers and reduce costs. Our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to address customer needs by using secure technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands, as well as create additional efficiencies in our operations. Many of our larger competitors have greater resources to invest in technological improvements, and we may not effectively implement new technology-driven products and services or do so as quickly as our competitors. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the banking and financial services industry could negatively affect our revenue and profitability.
In addition, transactions utilizing digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and other similar assets, have increased over the course of the last several years. Certain characteristics of digital asset transactions, including their speed and anonymity are appealing to certain consumers notwithstanding the various risks posed by such transactions. Accordingly, digital asset service providers - which, at present are not subject to the extensive regulation as banking organizations and other financial institutions - have become active competitors for our customers' banking business. The process of eliminating banks as intermediaries, known as "disintermediation," could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of customer deposits and the related income generated from those deposits. Further, an initiative by the CFPB, as prompted by the Biden Administration, to promote “open and decentralized banking” through the proposal of a Personal Financial Data Rights rule designed to facilitate the transfer of customer information at the direction of the customer to other financial institutions could lead to greater
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competition for products and services among banks and non-banks alike if a final rule is adopted. The timing of and prospects for any such action are uncertain at this time. The loss of these revenue streams and the higher cost of deposits as a source of funds could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
An interruption in or breach in security of our information systems, or other cybersecurity risks, could result in a loss of customer business, increased compliance and remediation costs, civil litigation or governmental regulatory action, and have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
As part of our business, we collect, process and retain sensitive and confidential client and customer information in both paper and electronic form and rely heavily on communications and information systems for these functions. This information includes non-public, personally-identifiable information that is protected under applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Additionally, certain of these data processing functions are not handled by us directly, but are outsourced to third-party providers. We have experienced cyber-attacks in the past, none of which have had a material impact on our business or operations, and expect to continue to be the target of cyber-attacks. Our current facilities and systems, as well as those of our third-party service providers, may be vulnerable to security breaches, acts of vandalism and other physical security threats, computer viruses or compromises, ransomware attacks, misplaced or lost data, programming and/or human errors or other similar events. While we have policies, procedures and practices designed to prevent or limit the effect of the failure, interruption, or security breach of our communications and information systems, we cannot completely ensure that any such failures, interruptions, or security breaches will not occur or, if they do occur, that they will be adequately addressed. Any security breach involving the misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of our confidential business, employee or customer information, whether originating with us, our vendors or retail businesses, could severely damage our reputation, expose us to the risks of civil litigation and liability, require the payment of regulatory fines or penalties or undertaking of costly remediation efforts with respect to third parties affected by a security breach, disrupt our operations, and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The cost of our day-to-day cybersecurity monitoring and protection systems and controls may increase over time. We may also need to expend substantial resources to comply with the data security breach notification requirements adopted by banking regulators and the states, which have varying levels of individual, consumer, regulatory or law enforcement notification and remediation requirements in certain circumstances in the event of a security breach.
Cybersecurity risks appear to be growing and, as a result, the cyber-resilience of banking organizations is of increased importance to federal and state banking agencies and other regulators. New or revised laws and regulations may significantly impact our current and planned privacy, data protection and information security-related practices, the collection, use, sharing, retention and safeguarding of consumer and employee information, and current or planned business activities. Compliance with current, proposed, or future privacy, data protection and information security laws to which we are subject could result in higher compliance and technology costs and could restrict our ability to provide certain products and services, which could materially and adversely affect our profitability.
As technology advances, the ability and speed to initiate transactions and access data has also become more widely distributed among mobile devices, personal computers, automated teller machines, remote deposit capture sites and similar access points, some of which are not controlled or secured by us. It is possible that we could have exposure to liability and suffer losses as a result of a security breach or cyber-attack that occurred through no fault of ours. Although we maintain specific “cyber” insurance coverage, the amount or form of coverage may not be adequate in any particular case. As cyber threats continue to evolve and increase, we may be required to spend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective and preventative measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities.
Our day-to-day operations rely heavily on the proper functioning of products, information systems and services provided by third-party, external vendors.
We rely on certain external vendors to provide products, information systems and services necessary, including our core processing system, to maintain our day-to-day operations. These third parties provide key components of our business operations such as data processing, recording and monitoring transactions, online banking interfaces and services, Internet connections and network access. Any complications caused by these third parties, including those resulting from disruptions in communication services provided by a vendor, failure of a vendor to handle current or higher volumes, cyber-attacks and security breaches at a vendor (including zero-day attacks associated with vulnerabilities in third-party software that were not previously known), failure of a vendor to comply with applicable laws and regulations or to conform to our internal controls and risk management procedures, and failure of a vendor to provide services for any reason or poor performance of services, could adversely affect our ability to deliver products and services to our customers and otherwise conduct our business.
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There may be risks resulting from the extensive use of models in our business.
We rely on quantitative models to measure risks and to estimate certain financial values. Models may be used in such processes as determining the pricing of various products, developing presentations made to market analysts and others, creating loans and extending credit, measuring interest rate and other market risks, predicting losses, assessing capital adequacy, developing strategic planning initiatives, capital stress testing and calculating regulatory capital levels, as well as to estimate the value of financial instruments and Balance Sheet items. Poorly designed or implemented models present the risk that our business decisions based on information incorporating models will be adversely affected due to the inadequacy of such information. Also, information we provide to the public or to our regulators based on poorly designed or implemented models could be inaccurate or misleading. Certain decisions that the regulators make, including those related to capital distributions and dividends to our stockholders, could be adversely affected due to the regulator’s perception that the quality of the models used to generate our relevant information is insufficient.
Our asset valuations may include methodologies, estimations and assumptions that are subject to differing interpretations and this, along with market factors such as volatility in one or more markets or industries, could result in changes to asset valuations that may materially adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.
We must use estimates, assumptions and judgments when assets are measured and reported at fair value. Assets carried at fair value inherently result in a higher degree of financial statement volatility. Because the assets are carried at fair value, a decline in their value may cause us to incur losses even if the assets in question present minimal risk. Fair values and information used to record valuation adjustments for certain assets and liabilities are based on quoted market prices and/or other observable inputs provided by independent third-party resources, when available. When such third-party information is not available, we estimate fair value primarily by using cash flow and other financial modeling techniques utilizing assumptions such as credit quality, liquidity, interest rates and other relevant inputs. Changes in underlying factors or assumptions in any of the areas underlying these estimates could materially impact our future financial condition and results of operations.
Hurricanes, tornadoes, excessive rainfall, droughts or other adverse weather events, and public health emergencies could negatively affect the local economies in the markets of our footprint, or disrupt our operations in those markets, which could have an adverse effect on our business or results of operations.
The economy of the markets in our footprint is affected, from time to time, by adverse weather events and other disruptions, including as a result of public health issues. We cannot predict whether, or to what extent, damage caused by future weather conditions or other disruptions will affect our operations, customers or the economies in our markets. Weather events could cause a disruption in our day-to-day business activities in branches within our markets, a decline in loan originations, destruction or decline in the value of properties securing our loans, or an increase in the risks of delinquencies, foreclosures, and loan losses. Even if a weather event does not cause any physical damage in our markets, it could affect the market value of property within our footprint, particularly agricultural interests, which are highly sensitive to excessive rainfall or droughts.
6. Legal and Compliance Risk
Fiscal challenges facing the U.S. government could negatively impact financial markets which in turn could have an adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.
A U.S. government debt default, threatened or wide spread perception of a potential debt default, or downgrade of the sovereign credit ratings of the U.S. by credit rating agencies, could have an adverse impact on financial markets, interest rates and economic conditions in the U.S. and worldwide.
Federal budget deficit concerns and the potential for political conflict over legislation to fund U.S. government operations and raise the U.S. government's debt limit may increase the possibility of a default by the U.S. government on its debt obligations, related credit-rating downgrades, or an economic recession in the U.S. Many of our investment securities are issued by the U.S. government and government agencies and sponsored entities. As a result of uncertain domestic political conditions, including potential future federal government shutdowns, possible reductions in federal government spending, and the possibility of the federal government defaulting on its obligations for a period of time, investments in financial instruments issued or guaranteed by the federal government pose liquidity risks. A further downgrade, or a downgrade by other rating agencies, as well as sovereign debt issues facing the governments of other countries, could have a material adverse impact on financial markets and economic conditions in the U.S. and worldwide.
In addition to affecting the price and liquidity of U.S. government securities, a government default or threat of default could disrupt the market for or affect the pricing of repurchase agreements in U.S. government securities (Repos) a type of secured financing transaction used by many financial institutions, including FNBPA, to manage short-term funding needs, invest short-term cash balances and manage inventories of government securities. Overnight rates on Repo transactions are used by the
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FRB to calculate SOFR. A disruption in the Repo markets could affect interest rates paid on SOFR-benchmarked loans and payments on swaps and other financial contracts that use SOFR as a benchmark rate.
A debt default or further downgrades to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or its perceived creditworthiness could also adversely affect the ability of the U.S. government to support the financial stability of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the FHLBs, with which we do business, obtains financing, engages with for sales of mortgages, and in whose securities we invest.
Our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by changes in federal, state or local tax rules and regulations, or interpretations.
We are subject to legislative tax rate changes that could increase our effective tax rates. Depending on enactment dates, these law changes may be retroactive to previous periods which could negatively affect our current and future financial performance.
Our future effective tax rates could be affected by additional changes in the federal tax rates and in tax rates in jurisdictions where our income is earned, by changes in or our interpretation of tax rules and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we do business, by unexpected negative changes in business and market conditions that could reduce certain tax benefits, or by changes in the valuation of our DTAs and DTLs. Changes in statutory tax rates or DTAs and DTLs may adversely affect our profitability and results of operations in future periods.
Our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by changes in accounting policies, standards and interpretations.
The FASB, regulatory agencies and other bodies that establish accounting standards periodically change the financial accounting and reporting standards governing the preparation of our financial statements. Additionally, those bodies that establish and interpret the accounting standards (such as the FASB, SEC and banking regulators) may change prior interpretations or positions on how these standards should be applied. Changes resulting from these new standards may result in materially different financial results and may require that we change how we process, analyze and report financial information and that we change financial reporting controls.
Climate change and related legislative and regulatory initiatives may result in operational changes and expenditures that could significantly impact our business.
The current and anticipated effects of climate change are creating an increasing level of concern for the state of the global environment. The U.S. Congress, state legislatures and federal and state regulatory agencies have continued to propose and advance numerous legislative and regulatory initiatives seeking to mitigate the effects of climate change. Such initiatives have been pursued with rigor under the current Presidential Administration. The leadership of the federal banking agencies, including the FRB and the OCC, have emphasized that their supervisory charge is not to regulate climate concerns, but rather focus on climate-related risks that are faced by banking organizations of all types and sizes, specifically including physical and transition risks, and are in the process of enhancing supervisory expectations through the implementation of climate related regulations and guidelines governing banks' risk management practices, which will likely result in increased compliance costs and other compliance-related risks.
The above measures may also result in the imposition of taxes and fees, the required purchase of emission credits, and the implementation of significant operational changes, each of which may require us to expend significant capital and incur compliance, operating, maintenance and remediation costs. Given the lack of empirical data on the credit and other financial risks posed by climate change, it is impossible to predict how climate change may impact our financial condition and operations; however, as a banking organization, the physical effects of climate change may present certain unique risks to us.
Additionally, in March 2022, the SEC proposed new climate-related disclosure rules, which if adopted, would require new climate-related disclosures in SEC filings and audited financial statements. If adopted, these rules would impose increased costs, which could materially and adversely affect our financial performance.
We could be adversely affected by changes in the law, especially changes in the regulation of the banking industry.
We operate in a highly regulated environment and our businesses are subject to supervision, regulation, enforcement and prosecution by numerous governmental agencies, including at the federal and state levels. Regulations are generally intended to provide protection for depositors, borrowers and other customers, as well as the stability of the financial services industry, rather than for investors in our securities. We are subject to changes in federal and state law, regulations, governmental policies, agency supervisory and enforcement policies and priorities, and tax laws and accounting principles. Changes in regulations or the regulatory environment could adversely affect the banking and financial services industry as a whole and could limit our growth and the return to investors by restricting such activities as, the payment of dividends and stock repurchases, balance sheet growth, investments, loans and interest rates, assessments of fees, such as overdraft and interchange fees, the provision of
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securities, insurance, brokerage or trust services, mergers with or acquisitions of other institutions or branches, the types of deposit and non-deposit activities in which our subsidiaries may engage, and offering of new products and services.
Under regulatory capital adequacy guidelines and other regulatory requirements, FNB and FNBPA must meet guidelines subject to qualitative judgments by regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors. On July 27, 2023, the federal banking agencies, including the OCC, issued a proposed rule to implement the final components of the Basel III standards. Among other things, the proposed rule would substantially change the existing calculation of risk-weighted assets and require banking organizations to use revised models for such calculations. While the proposed rule would not apply to FNB or FNBPA directly based upon our current asset size, many of the principles included in this proposed rulemaking could result in increased supervisory expectations and closer regulatory scrutiny for institutions that experience substantial growth. For example, the proposed rule would add back the impact of AOCI (loss) to the calculation of regulatory capital for institutions above $100 billion in assets and institutions below that threshold would be subject to federal banking agencies' discretion to require institutions to have higher capital cushions to address a variety of supervisory concerns, which may include a high level of AOCI (loss). Changes to present capital and liquidity requirements could restrict our activities and require us to maintain additional capital. Compliance with heightened capital standards may reduce our ability to generate or originate revenue-producing assets and thereby restrict revenue generation from banking and non-banking operations. If we fail to meet these minimum capital guidelines and other regulatory requirements, our financial condition would be materially and adversely affected.
In response to several large bank failures in the spring of 2023, the federal banking agencies have engaged in rulemaking that likely will significantly increase compliance costs should we grow in excess of $50 billion in assets.
Our overdraft protection programs and corresponding revenue may be impacted by possible new federal regulatory requirements or scrutiny or industry trends regarding such practices.
Members of Congress and the leadership of the OCC, FDIC and CFPB have expressed a heightened interest in bank overdraft protection programs. The CFPB has used its supervision process to obtain additional information about financial institutions’ overdraft practices and has indicated that it intends to pursue enforcement actions against financial institutions, and their executives, that oversee overdraft practices that are deemed to be unlawful. The CFPB also has published guidance containing instructions for financial institutions to avoid the imposition of unlawful overdraft fees. In January 2024, the CFPB proposed two rules addressing financial institutions’ consumer overdraft and non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee practices by narrowing an existing exemption from the Truth in Lending Act (Regulation Z) for the extension of overdraft credit, thereby subjecting overdraft credit to disclosure and other regulatory compliance obligations, and under those authorities prohibiting the imposition of NSF fees on transactions that are declined instantaneously or near-instantaneously. Further, in 2023, the CFPB brought enforcement actions and imposed substantial civil money penalties against certain financial institutions for overdraft practices and inadequate disclosures that the CFPB alleged to be unlawful and inadequately disclosed for, among other things, systematically and repeatedly charging fees to customers with insufficient funds in their accounts, charging overdraft fees without proper consent, and misleading customers about the terms and costs of overdraft coverage. Each of these actions is part of the CFPB’s broader supervision and enforcement initiative targeting so-called consumer “junk fees.”
In addition, the OCC issued a bulletin in April 2023 to address the risks associated with national banks’ overdraft protection programs and overdraft fees. Specifically, the OCC noted in the bulletin that “authorize positive, settle negative” (APSN) transaction and representment fee practices may present a heightened risk of violations of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act of 2010, which prohibits unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices. An APSN transaction refers to the practice of assessing overdraft fees on debit card transactions that authorize when a customer’s available balance is positive but later post to the account when the available balance is negative. Representment fees refer to assessing an additional fee each time a third party submits the same transaction for payment after a bank returns the transaction for non-sufficient funds. The OCC further noted that banks should establish and maintain sound risk management of overdraft protection programs by establishing effective board and management oversight and appropriate procedures and practices for managing risks associated with overdraft protection programs.
In response to this increased governmental scrutiny of the financial services industry, and in anticipation of possible enhanced supervision and enforcement of overdraft protection practices in the future, certain banking organizations including FNB have modified their overdraft protection programs, including by discontinuing the imposition of overdraft transaction fees. These competitive pressures from our peers, as well as any adoption by our regulators of new rules or supervisory guidance, including the new rules proposed by the CFPB, or more aggressive examination and enforcement policies in respect of banks’ overdraft protection practices, could cause us to modify our program and practices in ways that may have a negative impact on our revenue and earnings. In addition, as supervisory expectations and industry practices regarding overdraft protection programs change, our continued offering of overdraft protection may result in negative public opinion and increased reputation risk. Despite our effort to modify our overdraft practices to conform to recent regulatory guidance and expectations, and industry
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practices, we may remain subject to regulatory criticism or potential enforcement action, particularly in view of the CFPB's aggressive interpretations and guidance regarding bank overdraft practices, and potentially subject to negative public reaction through our continued offering of certain of these products and services.
Certain provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and By-laws and Pennsylvania law may discourage takeovers.
Our Articles of Incorporation and By-laws contain certain anti-takeover provisions that may discourage or may make more difficult or expensive a tender offer, change in control or takeover attempt that is opposed by our Board of Directors. In particular, our Articles of Incorporation and By-laws:
•require shareholders to give us advance notice to nominate candidates for election to our Board of Directors or to solicit proxies in support of such candidates, or to make shareholder proposals at a shareholders’ meeting;
•permit our Board of Directors to issue, without approval of our common shareholders unless otherwise required by law, preferred stock with such terms as our Board of Directors may determine;
•require the vote of the holders of at least 75% of our voting shares for shareholder amendments to our By-laws;
•in the case of a proposed business combination with a shareholder owning 10% or more of the voting shares of FNB, the vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the voting shares not owned by such shareholder is required to approve the business combination, unless it is approved by a majority of FNB’s disinterested directors.
Under Pennsylvania law, only shareholders holding at least 25% of a corporation’s outstanding stock may call a special meeting for any purpose. In addition, Pennsylvania law provides that in discharging their duties, including in the context of a takeover attempt, the board of directors, committees of the board and individual directors may consider a broad range of factors as they deem pertinent, which may include but is not limited to shareholders’ interests, in considering the best interests of the corporation.
These provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and By-laws and of Pennsylvania law could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change in control, even though the holders of a majority of our stock may consider such proposals desirable. Such provisions could also make it more difficult for third parties to remove and replace members of our Board of Directors. Moreover, these provisions could diminish the opportunities for shareholders to participate in certain tender offers, including tender offers at prices above the then-current market price of our common stock, and may also inhibit increases in the trading price of our common stock that could result from takeover attempts.
Volatility in the banking sector, triggered by the failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank, has resulted in agency rulemaking activities and changes in agency policies and priorities that could subject FNB and FNBPA to enhanced government regulation and supervision.
On March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB) was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (the CDFPI). Two days later, on March 12, 2023, Signature Bank (SBNY) also failed. Nearly two months later, on May 1, 2023, First Republic Bank (FRC) was closed by the CDFPI. In each case, the FDIC was appointed as receiver. Each of these institutions experienced significant deposit losses in the run-up to their ultimate failures. Investor and customer confidence in the banking sector—particularly with regard to mid-size and larger regional banking organizations—waned in response to these failures.
Further evaluation of recent developments in the banking sector has led to governmental initiatives intended to prevent future bank failures and stem significant deposit outflows from the banking sector, including (i) agency rulemaking to modify and enhance relevant regulatory requirements, specifically with respect to liquidity risk management, deposit concentrations, capital adequacy, stress testing and contingency planning, and safe and sound banking practices; and (ii) enhancement of the agencies’ supervision and examination policies and priorities. Examiners at the federal banking agencies generally have increased their focus on levels of uninsured deposits, liquidity and contingency funding plans.
We cannot predict with certainty which proposed rules will be adopted or if other initiatives may be pursued by lawmakers and agency leadership, nor can we predict the terms and scope of any such initiatives, including whether we would be impacted. However, any of the proposed or potential changes could, among other things, subject us to additional costs, limit the types of financial services and products we may offer, and limit our future growth, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
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The proportion of our deposit account balances that exceed FDIC insurance limits may expose FNBPA to enhanced liquidity risk in times of financial distress.
In the wake of the failures of SIVB, SBNY, and FRC, which the FDIC concluded were generated by, in significant part, a high volume of uninsured deposits, many large depositors across the industry have withdrawn deposits in excess of applicable deposit insurance limits and deposited these funds in other financial institutions. In many instances, depositors moved these funds into money market mutual funds or other similar securities accounts in an effort to diversify the risk of further bank failure(s).
Uninsured deposits historically have been viewed by the FDIC as less stable than insured deposits. The federal banking agencies, including the FDIC and OCC, issued an interagency policy statement in July 2023, noting that banks should maintain actionable contingency funding plans that take into account a range of possible stress scenarios, assess the stability of their funding and maintain a broad range of funding sources, ensure that collateral is available for borrowing, and review and revise contingency funding plans periodically and more frequently as market conditions and strategic initiatives change.
If a significant portion of our deposits were to be withdrawn within a short period of time such that additional sources of funding would be required to meet withdrawal demands, we may be unable to obtain funding at favorable terms, which may have an adverse effect on our net interest margin. Moreover, obtaining adequate funding to meet our deposit obligations may be more challenging during periods of elevated prevailing interest rates, such as the present period. Our ability to attract depositors during a time of actual or perceived distress or instability in the marketplace may be limited. Further, interest rates paid for borrowings generally exceed the interest rates paid on deposits. This spread may be exacerbated by higher prevailing interest rates. In addition, because our AFS investment securities lose value when interest rates rise, after-tax proceeds resulting from the sale of such assets may be diminished during periods when interest rates are elevated. Under such circumstances, we may be required to access funding from sources such as the Federal Reserve’s discount window in order to manage our liquidity risk.
We have experienced increases in our FDIC insurance assessments due to the bank failures that occurred in 2023.
The losses incurred by the DIF in connection with the resolution of SIVB and SBNY are required by law to be recovered through one or more special assessments on depository institutions and, potentially, their holding companies if the FDIC determines such action to be appropriate and the Secretary of the UST concurs with the FDIC’s determination. On November 16, 2023, the FDIC issued its final rule that would impose such special assessments. There is the possibility for the FDIC to impose a one-time shortfall special assessment. This will occur if the total amount collected by the FDIC special assessment does not meet the final loss amounts of SIVB and SBNY after the termination of the receiverships. FNBPA had uninsured deposits of $16.1 billion as of December 31, 2022, and we accrued and expensed a special assessment of $29.9 million based on the assessment base of $11.1 billion, which excludes the first $5 billion of FNBPA’s uninsured deposits as of December 31, 2022. Although we cannot predict if there will be a subsequent shortfall after the eight quarters, any additional increase in our assessment fees could have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Adverse changes to our credit ratings could limit our access to funding and increase our borrowing costs.
Credit ratings are subject to ongoing review by rating agencies, which consider a number of factors, including our financial strength, performance, prospects and operations as well as factors not under our control. Other factors that influence our credit ratings include changes to the rating agencies’ methodologies for our industry or certain security types; the rating agencies’ assessment of the general operating environment for financial services companies; our relative positions in the markets in which we compete; our various risk exposures and risk management policies and activities; pending litigation and other contingencies; our reputation; our liquidity position, diversity of funding sources and funding costs; the current and expected level and volatility of our earnings; our capital position and capital management practices; our corporate governance; current or future regulatory and legislative initiatives; and the agencies’ views on whether the U.S. government would provide meaningful support to FNB or its subsidiaries in a crisis. Rating agencies could make adjustments to our credit ratings at any time, and there can be no assurance that they will maintain our ratings at current levels or that downgrades will not occur.
Any downgrade in our credit ratings could potentially adversely affect the cost and other terms upon which we are able to borrow or obtain funding, increase our cost of capital and/or limit our access to capital markets. Credit rating downgrades or negative watch warnings could negatively impact our reputation with lenders, investors and other third parties, which could also impair our ability to compete in certain markets or engage in certain transactions. In particular, holders of deposits which exceed FDIC insurance limits may perceive such a downgrade or warning negatively and withdraw all or a portion of such deposits. While certain aspects of a credit rating downgrade are quantifiable, the impact that such a downgrade would have on our liquidity, business and results of operations in future periods is inherently uncertain and would depend on a number of interrelated factors, including, among other things, the magnitude of the downgrade, the rating relative to peers, the rating assigned by the relevant agency pre-downgrade, individual client behavior and future mitigating actions we might take.
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We are subject to supervision and examination by U.S. government authorities and may become subject to investigations, enforcement actions, fines, and other adverse effects.
The federal banking agencies, including the OCC, the CFPB, as well as the DOJ, have in recent years adopted a more aggressive enforcement posture in line with general enforcement priorities - specifically with respect to consumer protection issues and anti-discrimination lending laws. These government agencies have expressed a heightened interest in fair lending and loan servicing, mortgage loan origination and mortgage loan servicing, bank and financial institution sales practices, management of consumer accounts and the charging of overdraft and various other fees, fair credit reporting, predatory lending, debt collection, and meaningful disclosure of credit and savings terms, among others, and perform periodic reviews, examinations, and investigations in these areas. An adverse finding or outcome of any such review, examination, or investigation that involves an assertion of regulatory noncompliance or a violation of law could result in possible fines, penalties, restitution, or other forms of remediation that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or reputation.
Further evaluation of recent developments after the failures of SIVB, SBNY, and FRC may lead to legislative and regulatory initiatives intended to prevent future bank failures, raise capital requirements and stem significant deposit outflows from the banking sector. Although we cannot predict with certainty which initiatives may be pursued by lawmakers and agency leadership, nor can we predict the terms and scope of any such initiatives, any potential changes could, among other things, subject us to additional costs and capital requirements, limit the types of financial services and products we may offer, and limit our future growth, any of which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
We are subject to the CRA and fair lending laws, and failure to comply with these laws could lead to material penalties.
The CRA, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), the Fair Housing Act and other fair lending laws and regulations impose nondiscriminatory lending requirements on financial institutions. The CRA requires the OCC, in connection with its examination of a national bank, to assess the institution’s record of meeting the credit needs of its community and to take such record into account in its evaluation of certain applications by such institution. All institutions insured by the FDIC must publicly disclose their rating. On October 24, 2023, the federal banking agencies issued a joint final rule to revise the regulations implementing CRA. FNBPA is considered a “large bank” under the final rule and therefore will be evaluated under new lending, retail services and products, community development financing and community development services tests in respect of our compliance with the statute and rule. The final rule also imposes certain data reporting requirements that will apply to FNBPA. As we prepare for implementation of the final rule, we expect to incur increased compliance costs, and we may be exposed to compliance-related risks after the final rule has been implemented in full.
The fair lending laws prohibit discrimination in the provision of banking services on the basis of prohibited factors including, among others, race, color, national origin, gender, and religion. The enforcement of these laws has been an increasing focus for the CFPB and other regulators. Of note, in March 2022, the Director of the CFPB has indicated that the CFPB will prioritize enforcement of ECOA, as implemented by the CFPB’s Regulation B, which prohibits discrimination in any aspect of a credit transaction, by revising its Supervision and Examination Manual to explicitly incorporate anti-discrimination considerations in respect of evaluations of potential unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts and practices (UDAAPs). The CFPB’s action represents not only a continuation of the agency’s commitment to a more aggressive enforcement approach, but also a shift in supervision and examination policy and procedure that may result in the commencement of enforcement actions against financial institutions involving a broader range of cited violations of the federal consumer financial laws and expanded allegations of UDAAPs.
Under the fair lending laws, we may be liable if our policies result in a disparate treatment of or have a disparate impact on a protected class of applicants or borrowers and may also be subject to investigation by the DOJ. A successful challenge to our institution’s performance under the CRA or fair lending laws and regulations could result in a wide variety of sanctions, including the required payment of damages and civil money penalties, injunctive relief, imposition of restrictions on mergers and acquisitions activity and restrictions on expansion activity. Private parties may also have the ability to challenge our performance under fair lending laws in private class action litigation.
The consent orders entered into by FNBPA with the DOJ and the North Carolina State Department of Justice will cause us to incur additional compliance costs, may harm our reputation and may restrict our ability to engage in certain business activities and transactions, and our failure to comply with the terms of such consent orders may subject us to further enforcement actions.
On February 5, 2024, FNBPA announced its entry into consent orders (together, the "Consent Orders") with the DOJ and the North Carolina State Department of Justice. The Consent Orders resolve allegations that, from 2017 to 2021, FNBPA—including as a successor in interest to Yadkin Bank, which FNBPA acquired in 2017, committed violations of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B), as well as the North Carolina Unfair and Deceptive Practices Act,
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within the Charlotte, North Carolina, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina assessment areas. The Consent Orders were approved by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina on February 13, 2024.
We are committed to full compliance with the Consent Orders; however, achieving such compliance will require attention from our management, and will cause us to bear costs to implement their terms. Actions taken to achieve compliance with the Consent Orders may affect our business or financial performance, and may require us to reallocate resources away from existing operations or to alter our business practices, operations, products and services, and risk management practices. Our failure to comply with the requirements of the Consent Orders could cause us to incur additional significant compliance costs or subject us to additional enforcement action, and any deficiencies in our compliance practices, as well as the terms of the Consent Orders, could result in additional inquiries, investigations or enforcement actions. Further, the existence of the Consent Orders may adversely affect our reputation in the communities we serve and among third parties with which we conduct business.
Under the current regulatory framework governing proposed business combinations, an institution’s compliance with the fair lending laws and whether it is subject to an open or pending enforcement action are significant factors for the federal banking agencies in determining whether a proposed transaction is consistent with safe and sound banking principles. Further, the OCC has announced a proposed rule to amend and enhance its regulatory framework for review of proposed national bank merger transactions under the Bank Merger Act (BMA). Under the OCC’s proposed rule, the OCC staff is unlikely to view a proposed merger transaction involving an acquirer with an open or pending fair lending enforcement action as being consistent with approval under the BMA. Although the Consent Orders constitute the resolution of open enforcement actions, under the OCC’s proposed rule ongoing compliance in a timely manner with the Consent Orders would be an important factor in the OCC’s evaluation of any proposed transaction we may present to the OCC for approval. The Consent Orders will be in effect for a minimum of five years, which term could be longer depending upon the extent and timing of the requisite loan subsidies that will be paid by FNBPA to qualified applicants. Accordingly, if the OCC’s proposed rule is adopted as proposed, our ability to pursue strategic growth initiatives involving combinations with other banking organizations may be substantially limited. As a result, should we pursue future bank acquisitions, we expect the bank regulatory approval process to be prolonged and more costly than we have experienced in the past, which restrictions could materially adversely affect our business, results of operation and financial condition.
7. Strategic Risk
If we are not able to continue our historical levels of growth, we may not be able to maintain our historical revenue trends.
To achieve our past levels of growth, we have focused on both organic growth and acquisitions. We may not be able to sustain our historical rate of growth or may not be able to grow at all. More specifically, we may not be able to obtain the financing necessary to fund additional growth. Various factors, such as economic conditions, regulatory and other governmental concerns and competition, may impede or prohibit the opening of new retail branches or optimizing our existing branch network. If we are not able to continue our historical levels of growth, we may not be able to maintain our historical revenue trends.
On January 29, 2024, the OCC announced a proposed rule to amend the procedures and principles followed by the OCC when reviewing proposed national bank merger transactions under the BMA. If adopted as proposed, the proposed rule would eliminate existing regulatory procedures under the OCC’s regulations providing for expedited review and streamlining of BMA applications for acquiring institutions that meet certain minimum qualifications and implement certain principles to be followed by the OCC when reviewing applications under the BMA. Such principles would, among other things, establish indicators of proposed transactions that generally are consistent with regulatory approval, as well as those that raise supervisory or regulatory concerns and therefore would require applicants to address or remediate specific areas of concern in order to secure regulatory approval. Of note, any transaction whereby the resulting institution would have combined assets of $50 billion or more would not be generally consistent with regulatory approval, nor would any transaction for which the applicant has insufficient CRA or examination ratings, is the subject of an open or pending BSA/anti-money laundering (AML) or fair lending enforcement action, or has failed to comply with the terms of an existing enforcement action. In such cases, BMA applications would be subject to additional scrutiny and are more likely to involve extended processing periods and/or result in denials of approval or regulatory requests to withdraw the application. The proposed rule is subject to a public comment period and the timing and prospects for the adoption by the OCC of a final rule are not certain at this time. If the proposed rule is adopted as proposed, our ability to further grow through bank acquisitions may be substantially limited based upon our current asset size and the recent consent orders entered into by FNBPA with the DOJ and the North Carolina State Department of Justice to resolve allegations of fair lending violations. Further, should we pursue future bank acquisitions, we expect the bank regulatory approval process to be prolonged and more costly than we have experienced in the past.
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ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
NONE.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
The Information Security Department reports to the Chief Information Security Officer and then directly to the Chief Risk Officer, to ensure the coordinated and consistent implementation of risk management initiatives and strategies on a day-to-day basis. Results of the information and cybersecurity efforts and recommendations are reported to the Risk Management Council no less than quarterly which is then shared with the Board Risk Committee. The Board Risk Committee is primarily responsible for overseeing risk management, including risks associated with cybersecurity and potential threats thereto. Our management is directly involved in assessing and managing cybersecurity risks. As noted, we employ a Chief Risk Officer, along with information security personnel in our Information Security Department. The Chief Risk Officer regularly reports to our Risk Management Council, which is comprised of our senior leadership. See “Risk Management” in section of MD&A for an overview of our risk management framework.
The Information Security Department uses the National Institute of Standards and Technology framework for improving critical infrastructure by measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of information and cybersecurity controls. We have various processes for risk assessment, vulnerability management, threat management, independent penetration testing, security architecture, access management, network security management, security event monitoring and security awareness. Certain processes involve the use of third parties. A summary of each process is below.
Risk Assessment Process. On an annual basis, a risk assessment and maturity analysis is performed for the FNB environment based on the NIST CSF Framework. The risk assessment takes into consideration a combination of risks related to the identification, prevention, detection, response, and recovery from cyber events. The risk assessment considers the inherent risk and controls implemented in the FNB environment and measures the residual risk to ensure it is within the FNB risk tolerance.
Vulnerability Management Process. Regular internal and external vulnerability scanning is conducted at varying intervals to proactively identify configuration weaknesses, missing patches and other vulnerabilities in the FNB information systems environment. Identified vulnerabilities are classified and scored based on their Common Vulnerability Scoring System or CVSS score, known exploitation or malware impacting the vulnerability, and the age in the environment. We prioritize the patching of critical and severe vulnerabilities.
Threat Management Process. In addition to the regular and routine vulnerability scanning, FNB relies on various threat intelligence feeds for the identification and awareness of potential threats that could impact the FNB environment. Using third party vendors to assist, threats are integrated into our monitoring solutions, email filtering, web-browsing controls, malware detection, and perimeter firewalls to proactively prevent, detect and deter threats with the capability to impact the FNB environment.
Independent Penetration Testing. On an annual basis, we engage with an independent third-party provider to perform various penetration tests of the environment. The penetration tests look at our customer facing applications, how we respond to social engineering activities, overall external attack surface and internal vulnerabilities. Issues identified from the penetration tests are tracked and escalated to ensure appropriate remediation occurs before closure.
Security Architecture. To ensure the secure configuration, design, and implementation of our internally hosted and third-party hosted systems, security architecture reviews are conducted. The architecture reviews entail a series of questions. These questions are reviewed with internal IT and third-party vendor contacts to ensure the implementation is meeting policies, is configured with strong security practices, and utilizes appropriate access controls.
Access Management. Utilizing a least privilege, need-to-know access methodology, access is controlled through a centralized user access management function responsible for the provisioning, transfer and deprovisioning of users’ access. Access management also performs routine reviews of application and systems access to ensure access remains appropriate. For third-party hosted environments, access management works with security architecture to ensure single sign-on controls are employed or additional factors are utilized to prevent unauthorized access to these environments.
Network Security Management. The security of the FNB network infrastructure is maintained via
•internal and perimeter firewalls with intrusion detection,
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•the use of some network segmentation to isolate access to certain applications and systems,
•VLANs or virtual local area networks,
•email filtering to identify spam, malware, and phishing messages in received email messages,
•malware detection,
•data loss prevention controls to prevent the theft, or mass exfiltration of data,
•Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to control remote access to our network,
•intrusion detection capabilities,
•network access controls (NAC) to prevent unauthorized assets from connecting to the network, and
•web filtering.
Security Event Monitoring. A centralized security monitoring team is responsible for the response to alerts generated from a consolidated log collection system. Log collection occurs from various assets and hosted environments. The monitoring tool is third-party provided SIEM, and enables threat identification, detects suspicious activity in the environment using the MITRE Att&ck® framework, performs user behavior analytics, and endpoint detection and response. Alerts are investigated to ascertain whether a cyber incident is occurring or not.
Security Awareness. Annual training is conducted for continuing education for all employees. Routine phishing tests are administered routinely. We also post articles on our intranet of common attack schemes for our employee’s awareness.
We have a Vendor Management department that established policies and procedures to follow when utilizing external third-parties. Third-party vendors are thoroughly vetted, approved and inventoried before partnership begins. Vendor Management ensures key risk components are mitigated based on acceptable Company standards. Any third parties used in any cybersecurity processes are vetted through our vendor management process.
Risks from Cybersecurity threats or previous incidents have not materially affected business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition.
See cybersecurity risk factors in Item 1A. Risk Factors.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our corporate headquarters are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh headquarters, which are leased, are also occupied by employees of the Community Banking, Wealth Management and Insurance segments, including customer support and operations personnel. We also lease office space for regional headquarters in the Cleveland, Ohio, Baltimore, Maryland, and Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina markets. In Hermitage, Pennsylvania, we continue to maintain administrative offices, as well as offices for personnel of the Community Banking and Wealth Management segments, in a six-story office building, and a data processing and technology center in a two-story office building, both of which are owned by us. Additionally, we lease other office space in Harrisburg and Hermitage, Pennsylvania, and in Raleigh, North Carolina which houses various support departments.
The operating leases for the branches/retail offices of the Community Banking segment expire at various dates through the year 2051 and generally include options to renew. We have other operating leases that have not commenced, including the lease, with a related party, of the future new FNB headquarters building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During 2023, several floors of the FNB headquarters building have been made available to FNB for the purpose of constructing our office spaces, and we commenced the lease of those floors. For additional information regarding the lease commitments, see Note 11, “Leases” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, which is included in Item 8 of this Report.
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Following is a table that shows the branches/retail offices, by state, and the branches/retail offices owned and leased for the Community Banking segment:
December 31, 2023 Community Banking
Pennsylvania 184
Maryland 31
West Virginia 2
North Carolina 93
South Carolina 6
Washington, D.C. 1
Virginia 2
Total number of branches/retail offices 346
Total branches/retail offices owned 192
Total branches/retail offices leased 154
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
We are involved in various pending and threatened legal proceedings in which claims for monetary damages and other relief are asserted. These claims result from ordinary business activities relating to our current and/or former operations. Although the ultimate outcome for any asserted claim cannot be predicted with certainty, we believe that we have valid defenses for all asserted claims. In accordance with applicable accounting guidance, when a loss is considered probable and reasonably estimable, we, in conjunction with internal and outside counsel handling the matter, record a liability in the amount of our best estimate for the ultimate loss. We continue to monitor the matter for further developments that could affect the amount of the accrued liability that has previously been established.
Litigation expense represents a key area of judgment and is subject to uncertainty and factors outside of our control. Significant judgment is required in making these estimates and our financial liabilities may ultimately be more or less than the current estimate.
The information required by this Item is set forth in the “Other Legal Proceedings” discussion in Note 17, “Commitments, Credit Risk and Contingencies” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, which is included in Item 8 of this Report, and which is incorporated herein by reference in response to this Item.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not Applicable.
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INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
The name, age and principal occupation for each of our executive officers as of January 31, 2024 are set forth below:
Name Age Principal Occupation
Vincent J. Delie, Jr. 59 Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Vincent J. Calabrese, Jr. 61 Chief Financial Officer
Gary L. Guerrieri 63 Chief Credit Officer
James G. Orie 65 Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
James L. Dutey 50 Corporate Controller and Principal Accounting Officer
David B. Mitchell, II 66 Chief Wholesale Banking Officer
Barry C. Robinson 60 Chief Consumer Banking Officer
There are no family relationships among any of the above executive officers, and there is no arrangement or understanding between any of the above executive officers and any other person pursuant to which he was selected as an officer. The executive officers are elected by our Board of Directors, subject in certain cases to the terms of an employment agreement between the officer and us.
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PART II.
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “FNB.” As of January 31, 2024, there were 14,596 holders of record of our common stock. In April 2022, our Board of Directors authorized an additional $150 million available to repurchase shares of our common stock, bringing the total amount authorized for repurchase to $300 million.
The information required by this Item 5 with respect to securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans is set forth in Part III, Item 12 of this Report.
We did not purchase any of our own equity securities during the fourth quarter of 2023.
STOCK PERFORMANCE GRAPH
Comparison of Total Return on F.N.B. Corporation’s Common Stock with Certain Averages
The following five-year performance graph compares the cumulative total shareholder return (assuming reinvestment of dividends) on our common stock (t), the S&P MidCap 400 Index (n), KBW NASDAQ Regional Banking Index (p) and Russell 1000 Index (l). This stock performance graph assumes $100 was invested on December 31, 2018, and the cumulative return is measured as of each subsequent fiscal year end.
F.N.B. Corporation Five-Year Stock Performance
Total Return, Including Stock and Cash Dividends
Source: S & P Global Market Intelligence
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
MD&A represents an overview of and highlights material changes to our financial condition and consolidated results of operations. This MD&A should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes presented in Item 8 of this Report. Results of operations for the periods included in this review are not necessarily indicative of results to be obtained during any future period.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This Report may contain statements regarding our outlook for earnings, revenues, expenses, tax rates, capital and liquidity levels and ratios, asset quality levels, financial position and other matters regarding or affecting our current or future business and operations. These statements can be considered “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward‐looking statements involve various assumptions, risks and uncertainties which can change over time. Actual results or future events may be different from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements and may not align with historical performance and events. As forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, caution should be exercised against placing undue reliance upon such statements. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "believe," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "outlook," "estimate," "forecast," "will," "should," "project," "goal," and other similar words and expressions. We do not assume any duty to update forward-looking statements, except as required by federal securities laws.
Our forward-looking statements are subject to the following principal risks and uncertainties:
•Our business, financial results and balance sheet values are affected by business, economic and political circumstances, including, but not limited to: (i) developments with respect to the U.S. and global financial markets; (ii) supervision, regulation, enforcement and other actions by several governmental agencies, including the FRB, FDIC, FSOC, DOJ, CFPB, UST, OCC and HUD, state attorney generals and other governmental agencies whose actions may affect, among other things, our consumer and mortgage lending and deposit practices, capital structure, investment practices, dividend policy, annual FDIC insurance premium assessment and growth, money supply, market interest rates or otherwise affect business activities of the financial services industry; (iii) a slowing of the U.S. economy in general and regional and local economies within our market area; (iv) inflation concerns; (v) the impacts of tariffs or other trade policies of the U.S. or its global trading partners; and (vi) the sociopolitical environment in the U.S.
•Business and operating results are affected by our ability to identify and effectively manage risks inherent in our businesses, including, where appropriate, through effective use of systems and controls, third-party insurance, derivatives, and capital management techniques, and to meet evolving regulatory capital and liquidity standards.
•Competition can have an impact on customer acquisition, growth and retention, and on credit spreads, deposit gathering and product pricing, which can affect market share, loans, deposits and revenues. Our ability to anticipate, react quickly and continue to respond to technological changes and significant adverse industry and economic events can also impact our ability to respond to customer needs and meet competitive demands.
•Business and operating results can also be affected by difficult to predict uncertainties, such as widespread natural and other disasters, wars, pandemics, including post-pandemic return to normalcy, global events and geopolitical instability, including the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and the emerging military conflict in Israel and Gaza, shortages of labor, supply chain disruptions and shipping delays, terrorist activities, system failures, security breaches, significant political events, cyber-attacks, international hostilities or other extraordinary events which are beyond our control and may significantly impact the U.S. or global economy and financial markets generally, or us or our counterparties, customers or third-party vendors specifically.
•Legal, regulatory and accounting developments could have an impact on our ability to operate and grow our businesses, financial condition, results of operations, competitive position, and reputation. Reputational impacts could affect matters such as business generation and retention, liquidity, funding, and the ability to attract and retain talent. These developments could include:
◦Policies and priorities of the current U.S. presidential administration, including legislative and regulatory reforms, more aggressive approaches to supervisory or enforcement priorities with consumer and antidiscrimination lending laws by the federal banking regulatory agencies and the DOJ, changes affecting oversight of the financial services industry, regulatory obligations or restrictions, consumer protection, taxes,
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employee benefits, compensation practices, pension, bankruptcy and other industry aspects, and changes in accounting policies and principles.
◦Ability to continue to attract, develop and retain key talent.
◦Changes to regulations or accounting standards governing bank capital requirements, loan loss reserves and liquidity standards.
◦Changes in monetary and fiscal policies, including interest rate policies and strategies of the FOMC.
◦Unfavorable resolution of legal proceedings or other claims and regulatory and other governmental investigations or inquiries. These matters may result in monetary judgments or settlements, enforcement actions or other remedies, including fines, penalties, restitution or alterations in our business practices, including financial and other types of commitments, and in additional expenses and collateral costs, and may cause reputational harm to FNB.
◦Results of the regulatory examination and supervision process, including our failure to satisfy requirements imposed by the federal bank regulatory agencies or other governmental agencies.
◦Business and operating results are affected by our ability to effectively identify and manage risks inherent in our businesses, including, where appropriate, through effective use of policies, processes, systems and controls, third-party insurance, derivatives, and capital and liquidity management techniques.
◦The impact on our financial condition, results of operations, financial disclosures and future business strategies related to the impact on the ACL due to changes in forecasted macroeconomic conditions as a result of applying the “current expected credit loss” accounting standard, or CECL.
◦A failure or disruption in or breach of our operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of third parties, including as a result of cyber-attacks or campaigns.
◦Increased funding costs and market volatility due to market illiquidity and competition for funding.
We caution that the risks identified here are not exhaustive of the types of risks that may adversely impact us and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied as a result of these risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risk factors and other uncertainties described under Item 1A. Risk Factors and the Risk Management sections in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (including the MD&A section), our subsequent 2024 Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q (including the risk factors and risk management discussions) and our other subsequent filings with the SEC, which are available on our corporate website at https://www.fnb-online.com/about-us/investor-information/reports-and-filings or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. We have included our web address as an inactive textual reference only. Information on our website is not part of our SEC filings.
APPLICATION OF CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Our Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. Application of these principles requires management to make estimates, assumptions and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying Notes. These estimates, assumptions and judgments are based on information available as of the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements; accordingly, as this information changes, the Consolidated Financial Statements could reflect different estimates, assumptions and judgments. Certain policies inherently are based to a greater extent on estimates, assumptions and judgments of management and, as such, have a greater possibility of producing results that could be materially different than originally reported.
The most significant accounting policies followed by FNB are presented in Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, which is included in Item 8 of this Report. These policies, along with the disclosures presented in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, provide information on how we value significant assets and liabilities in the Consolidated Financial Statements, how we determine those values and how we record transactions in the Consolidated Financial Statements.
Management views critical accounting policies to be those which are highly dependent on subjective or complex judgments, estimates and assumptions, and where changes in those estimates and assumptions could have a significant impact on the Consolidated Financial Statements. Management currently views the determination of the ACL, fair value of financial instruments, goodwill and other intangible assets, and income taxes and DTAs to be critical accounting policies.
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Allowance for Credit Losses
The ACL is a valuation account that is deducted from the amortized cost basis of loans and leases resulting in the net amount expected to be collected. We charge off loans against the ACL in accordance with our policies or if a loss-confirming event occurs. Expected recoveries do not exceed the aggregate of the amounts previously charged-off and expected to be charged-off. The model used to calculate the ACL is dependent on the portfolio composition and credit quality, as well as historical experience, current conditions and forecasts of economic conditions and interest rates. Specifically, the following considerations are incorporated into the ACL calculation: a third-party macroeconomic forecast scenario; a 24-month R&S forecast period for macroeconomic factors with a reversion to the historical mean on a straight-line basis over a 12-month period; and the historical through-the-cycle default mean calculated using an expanded period to include a prior recessionary period. Adjustments are made to the calculation of expected losses to address differences in current loan-specific risk characteristics such as differences in lending policies and procedures, underwriting standards, experience and depth of relevant personnel, the quality of our credit review function, concentrations of credit, external factors such as the regulatory, legal and technological environments; competition; and events such as natural disasters and other relevant factors. Such factors are used to adjust the quantitative output based on historical probabilities of default and severity of loss so that they reflect management's expectation of future conditions based on a R&S forecast. To the extent the lives of the loans in the portfolio extend beyond the period for which a R&S forecast can be made, the model reverts over 12 months on a straight-line basis back to the historical rates of default and severity of loss over the remaining life of the loans.
Determining the appropriateness of the ACL is complex and requires significant management judgment about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. Due to those significant management judgments and the factors included in the calculation, significant changes to the ACL level could occur in future periods.
The Provision for Credit Losses section in the Results of Operations includes a discussion of the factors affecting changes in the ACL during the current period. See Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 6, “Loans and Leases” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on the ACL.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
We use fair value measurements to record fair value adjustments to certain financial assets and liabilities and determine fair value disclosures. Additionally, from time to time we may be required to record at fair value other assets on a non-recurring basis, such as loans held for sale, certain impaired loans, MSRs, OREO and certain other assets. The accounting guidance for fair value measurements includes a three-level hierarchy for disclosure of assets and liabilities recorded at fair value based on whether the inputs to the valuation methodology used for measurement are observable or unobservable. Judgment is required to determine which level of the three-level hierarchy certain assets or liabilities measured at fair value are classified.
Fair value represents the price that would be received to sell a financial asset or paid to transfer a financial liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. We use significant and complex estimates, assumptions and judgments when certain assets and liabilities are required to be recorded at or adjusted to fair value. Where available, fair value and information used to record valuation adjustments for certain assets or liabilities is based on either quoted market prices or are provided by independent third-party sources, including appraisers and valuation specialists. When such third-party information is not available, we may estimate fair value by using cash flow and other financial modeling techniques. Our assumptions about what a market participant would use in pricing an asset or liability is developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. These estimates are inherently subjective and can result in significant changes in the fair value estimates over the life of the asset or liability. Assets and liabilities carried at fair value inherently result in a higher degree of financial statement volatility.
See Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 26, “Fair Value Measurements” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of accounting for financial instruments.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
As a result of acquisitions, we have recorded goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. Goodwill represents the cost of acquired companies in excess of the fair value of net assets, including identifiable intangible assets, at the acquisition date. Our recorded goodwill relates to value inherent in our Community Banking, Wealth Management and Insurance segments.
The value of goodwill and other identifiable intangibles is dependent upon our ability to provide high quality, cost-effective services in the face of competition. As such, these values are supported ultimately by revenue that is driven by the volume of
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business transacted. A decline in earnings as a result of a lack of growth or our inability to deliver cost-effective services over sustained periods can lead to impairment in value, which could result in additional expense and adversely impact earnings in future periods.
Goodwill and other intangibles are subject to impairment testing at the reporting unit level, which must be conducted at least annually. We perform annual impairment testing during the fourth quarter, or more frequently if impairment indicators exist. We also continue to monitor other intangibles for impairment and to evaluate carrying amounts, as necessary.
In connection with the preparation of the year-end 2023 financial statements, we completed our annual goodwill impairment test as of October 1, 2023. No impairment was identified in any of our reporting units. We also performed a qualitative analysis through year-end and concluded that it was not more-likely-than-not that the fair value of one or more of our reporting units was below its respective carrying amount, and therefore no triggering event has occurred, as of December 31, 2023.
Inputs and assumptions used in estimating fair value include projected future cash flows, discount rates reflecting the risk inherent in future cash flows, long-term growth rates, anticipated cost savings and an evaluation of market comparables and recent transactions. Goodwill assessments are highly sensitive to economic projections and the related assumptions and estimates used by management. In the event of a prolonged economic downturn or deterioration in the economic outlook, interim quantitative assessments of our goodwill balance could be required in future periods. Any impairment charge would not directly affect our capital ratios, tangible common equity, tangible book value per share or liquidity position.
See Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 10, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of accounting for goodwill and other intangible assets.
Income Taxes and Deferred Tax Assets
We are subject to the income tax laws of federal, state and other taxing jurisdictions where we conduct business. The laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and various taxing authorities. In determining the provision for income taxes, management must make judgments and estimates about the application of these inherently complex tax statutes, related regulations and case law. In the process of preparing our tax returns, management attempts to make reasonable interpretations of the tax laws. These interpretations are subject to challenge by the taxing authorities or based on management’s ongoing assessment of the facts and evolving case law.
We determine deferred income taxes using the balance sheet method. Under this method, the net DTA or DTL is based on the tax effects of the differences between the book and tax bases of assets and liabilities, and recognizes the effect of enacted changes in tax rates and laws in the period in which they occur. That effect would be included in income in the reporting period that includes the enactment date of the change. See the Results of Operations, Income Taxes section later in this MD&A for further tax-related discussion.
On a quarterly basis, management assesses the reasonableness of our effective tax rate based on management’s current best estimate of pretax earnings and the applicable taxes for the full year. DTAs and DTLs are assessed on an annual basis, or sooner, if business events or circumstances warrant. DTAs represent amounts available to reduce income taxes payable on taxable income in future years. Such assets arise because of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities, and from operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. We evaluate the recoverability of these future tax deductions and credits by assessing the adequacy of future expected taxable income from all sources, including reversal of taxable temporary differences, forecasted operating earnings and available tax planning strategies.
We establish a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that we will not be able to realize a benefit from our DTAs, or when future deductibility is uncertain. Periodically, the valuation allowance is reviewed and adjusted based on management’s assessments of realizable DTAs.
See Note 1, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 20, “Income Taxes” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of accounting for income taxes.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements and Developments
Note 2, “New Accounting Standards” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, which is included in Item 8 of this Report, discusses new accounting pronouncements adopted by us in 2023 and the expected impact of accounting pronouncements recently issued but not yet required to be adopted.
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USE OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES AND KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
To supplement our Consolidated Financial Statements presented in accordance with GAAP, we use certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as operating net income available to common stockholders, operating earnings per diluted common share, return on average tangible common equity, operating return on average tangible common equity, return on average tangible assets, tangible book value per common share, the ratio of tangible equity to tangible assets, the ratio of tangible common equity to tangible assets, net loan charge-offs, excluding an isolated commercial loan charge-off due to alleged fraud to total average loans and leases, operating non-interest income, operating non-interest expense, efficiency ratio and net interest margin (FTE) to provide information useful to investors in understanding our operating performance and trends, and to facilitate comparisons with the performance of our peers. Management uses these measures internally to assess and better understand our underlying business performance and trends related to core business activities. The non-GAAP financial measures and key performance indicators we use may differ from the non-GAAP financial measures and key performance indicators other financial institutions use to assess their performance and trends.
These non-GAAP financial measures should be viewed as supplemental in nature, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, our reported results prepared in accordance with GAAP. When non-GAAP financial measures are disclosed, the SEC's Regulation G requires: (i) the presentation of the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP and (ii) a reconciliation of the differences between the non-GAAP financial measure presented and the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Reconciliations of non-GAAP operating measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are included later in this report under the heading “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Key Performance Indicators to GAAP”.
Management believes items such as merger expenses, FDIC special assessment, realized loss on securities restructuring, valuation allowance on auto loans held-for-sale, initial provision for non-PCD loans acquired and branch consolidation costs are not organic to run our operations and facilities. These items are considered significant items impacting earnings as they are deemed to be outside of ordinary banking activities. These costs are specific to each individual transaction and may vary significantly based on the size and complexity of the transaction.
To facilitate peer comparisons of net interest margin and efficiency ratio, we use net interest income on a taxable-equivalent basis in calculating net interest margin by increasing the interest income earned on tax-exempt assets (loans and investments) to make it fully equivalent to interest income earned on taxable investments (this adjustment is not permitted under GAAP). Taxable-equivalent amounts for 2023, 2022 and 2021 were calculated using a federal statutory income tax rate of 21%.
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OVERVIEW
FNB, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a diversified financial services company operating in seven states and the District of Columbia. Our market coverage spans several major metropolitan areas including: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; Cleveland, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham and the Piedmont Triad (Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point) in North Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. As of December 31, 2023, we had 346 branches throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington D.C. and Virginia. We provide a full range of commercial banking, consumer banking, insurance and wealth management solutions through our subsidiary network which is led by our largest affiliate, FNBPA. Commercial banking solutions include corporate banking, small business banking, investment real estate financing, government banking, business credit, capital markets and lease financing. Consumer banking products and services include deposit products, mortgage lending, consumer lending and a complete suite of mobile and online banking services. Wealth management services include asset management, private banking and insurance.
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
For the full year of 2023, net income available to common stockholders was $476.8 million, or $1.31 per diluted common share. Comparatively, full-year 2022 net income available to common stockholders totaled $431.1 million, or $1.22 per diluted common share. On an operating basis, full-year 2023 earnings per diluted common share (non-GAAP) was $1.57, excluding $116.2 million (pre-tax) of significant items impacting earnings. Operating earnings per diluted common share (non-GAAP) for the full year of 2022 was $1.40, excluding $80.8 million (pre-tax) of significant items impacting earnings.
The beginning of 2023 started with the banking industry disruption caused by the Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank failures. We were well-positioned to meet the needs of our customers and communities through those challenges given our strategic focus to maintain a diversified and granular deposit base, conservative and prudent balance sheet management for the long-term, and sound risk management policies and governance as we achieved full year operating earnings per diluted common share (non-GAAP) totaling a record $1.57, record revenue of $1.6 billion and tangible book value per common share (non-GAAP) growth of $1.20, or 14.5%, year-over-year, to an all-time high of $9.47. Total average deposits grew $568.3 million, or 1.7%, and we ended the year with approximately 78% of total deposits insured by the FDIC or collateralized.
As part of our strategy to optimize the balance sheet and improve future earnings, in the fourth quarter of 2023, we completed the sale of $648.7 million of AFS investment securities and transferred $355 million of indirect auto loans to held-for-sale as part of our ongoing proactive balance sheet management strategy. The sale of AFS investment securities resulted in a realized loss (pre-tax) of $67.4 million. We reinvested proceeds from the sale of those investment securities with an average yield of 1.08% into investment securities with yields approximately 350 basis points higher with a similar duration and convexity profile. The transfer of the indirect auto loans to held-for-sale resulted in a negative valuation allowance impact of $16.7 million (pre-tax) recognized in other non-interest expense due primarily to changes in interest rates from time of origination. The sale of these loans closed in February 2024 with the proceeds used to repay borrowings that have a similar yield to the sold loans. The transfer to held-for-sale benefited the loan-to-deposit ratio by approximately 100 basis points. The cumulative impact of these balance sheet actions has a tangible book value earn back period of less than one year, versus an earn-back period of five years for a stock buyback, an alternative use of capital, and significantly higher earnings accretion from the repositioned investment securities yields. We also announced the February 2024 redemption of all $110 million of Series E preferred stock.
Income Statement Highlights (2023 compared to 2022)
•Record total revenue of $1.6 billion, an increase of $127.5 million, or 8.8%, led to net income available to common stockholders of $476.8 million, an increase of $45.7 million, or 10.6%, and operating net income available to common stockholders (non-GAAP) of $568.6 million, an increase of $73.7 million, or 14.9%.
•Earnings per diluted common share was $1.31, compared to $1.22, an increase of 7.4%.
•Operating earnings per diluted common share (non-GAAP) was $1.57, compared to $1.40, an increase of 12.1%.
•Net interest income was $1.3 billion, compared to $1.1 billion, up 17.6%, primarily due to the benefit of growth in earning assets, the impact from the higher interest rate environment and deposit growth accompanied by prudent management of deposit betas.
•Net interest margin (FTE) (non-GAAP) increased 32 basis points to 3.35% from 3.03%. The FOMC raised the target federal funds rate by a total of 100 basis points in 2023. The yield on earning assets (non-GAAP) increased 153 basis points to 5.00%, primarily reflecting higher yields on loans, investment securities and interest-bearing deposits
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with banks due to the impact of the higher interest rate environment. The cost of funds increased 127 basis points to 1.73% due to the costs of interest-bearing deposits increasing 164 basis points to 2.13%, short-term borrowings increasing 203 basis points and long-term debt increasing 110 basis points primarily from the August 2022 offering of $350 million in senior notes, partially offset by the maturity of $300 million in 2.20% fixed-rate senior notes in February of 2023.
•The provision for credit losses totaled $71.8 million, compared to $64.2 million which included $28.5 million of initial provision for non-PCD loans associated with the Howard and Union acquisitions in 2022. The provision for credit losses for 2023 was primarily due to loan growth, the previously disclosed $31.9 million isolated commercial loan that was charged off in the third quarter of 2023 due to alleged fraud and other charge-off activity.
•Non-interest income was $254.3 million, decreasing $69.2 million, or 21.4%, compared to $323.6 million, primarily due to a $67.4 million realized loss (pre-tax) on investment securities restructuring. On an operating basis (non-GAAP), non-interest income totaled $321.7 million, when adjusting for the investment securities restructuring and decreases in service charges, capital markets income and other non-interest income, partially offset by an increase in wealth management revenues, interchange and card transaction fees and dividends on non-marketable equity securities.
•Non-interest expense was $915.4 million, compared to $826.4 million. Excluding significant items totaling $48.8 million in 2023 and $52.3 million in 2022, operating non-interest expense (non-GAAP) increased $92.5 million, or 11.9%. Salaries and employee benefits increased $35.4 million, or 8.3%, due to normal merit increases, production-related commissions and the addition of the acquired Union expense base. Occupancy and equipment increased $17.2 million, or 11.9%, primarily from technology-related investments.
•FDIC insurance expense of $60.8 million included a $29.9 million FDIC special assessment. The special assessment was considered a significant item impacting earnings as it reflected replenishment of the FDIC's DIF associated with protecting uninsured depositors following the closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.
•The efficiency ratio (non-GAAP) remained at a favorable level of 51.2%, compared to 52.1%.
•Income tax expense decreased $14.8 million, or 13.1%. The effective tax rate was 16.9%, compared to 20.6%, primarily due to renewable energy investment tax credits recognized in 2023 as part of a solar project financing transaction originated by our commercial leasing business.
•Return on average tangible common equity ratio (non-GAAP) was 15.5%, compared to 15.3%.
Balance Sheet Highlights (period-end balances, 2023 compared to 2022, unless otherwise indicated)
•Total assets were $46.2 billion, compared to $43.7 billion, an increase of $2.4 billion, or 5.6%, primarily from organic growth in loans.
•Average loans totaled $31.4 billion, an increase of $3.5 billion, or 12.7%, due to healthy organic growth across our footprint, as well as adding the Union loans to portfolio balances. Growth in average commercial loans totaled $1.9 billion, or 10.7%, including growth of $1.0 billion, or 9.3%, in commercial real estate and $793.7 million, or 12.2%, in commercial and industrial loans. Growth in total average consumer loans totaled $1.6 billion, or 16.5%, and was due to an increase in residential mortgage loans of $1.4 billion, or 31.3%, indirect installment loans of $134.8 million, or 9.8%, and direct home equity installment loans of $68.6 million, or 2.6%.
•Total average investment securities were $7.2 billion, compared to $7.1 billion, an increase of $14.1 million, or 0.2%.
•Total average deposits grew $568.3 million, or 1.7%, led by an increase in average time deposits of $2.2 billion, or 72.3%, offset by declines of $739.2 million, or 6.4% in non-interest-bearing deposits, $655.3 million, or 4.4%, in interest-bearing demand deposits and $209.4 million, or 5.3%, in savings deposits. The increase in average time deposits offset the decline in other deposit categories as customers continue to migrate deposit balances into higher-yielding deposit products.
•The ratio of loans to deposits was 93.1%, compared to 87.0%, as loan growth outpaced deposit growth on a year-over-year basis.
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•The ratio of non-performing loans plus OREO to total loans and lease plus OREO decreased 5 basis points to 0.34%. Total delinquency decreased 1 basis point to 0.70%, compared to 0.71%. Both measures continue to remain at historically low levels.
•Net charge-offs totaled $67.7 million, or 0.22% of total average loans, compared to $16.2 million, or 0.06%. Excluding the previously mentioned charge-off, net charge-offs would have been $35.9 million, or 0.11% of total average loans (non-GAAP), remaining at historically low levels.
•The dividend payout ratio for 2023 was 36.5%, compared to 39.5%.
•During 2023, we repurchased nearly 3.1 million shares of our common stock at a weighted average share price of $11.61 for $36.5 million. There currently is $139.1 million of the authorized amount remaining for future repurchase activity.
•The ratio of the ACL to total loans and leases was 1.25%, compared to 1.33%, reflecting net loan growth and charge-off activity. The ACL on loans and leases totaled $406 million at December 31, 2023, compared to $402 million with the increase reflecting net loan growth.
•Tangible book value per common share (non-GAAP) of $9.47 increased 14.5% from year-end 2022. AOCI reduced the tangible book value per common share (non-GAAP) by $0.65 as of December 31, 2023, compared to $0.99 at the end of 2022, primarily due to the impact of higher interest rates on the fair value of AFS securities.
•The CET1 regulatory capital ratio was 10.04%, benefiting from retained earnings growth, compared to 9.82%.
TABLE 1
Reported results
Net income available to common stockholders (millions) $ 476.8 $ 431.1
Net income per diluted common share 1.31 1.22
Book value per common share (period-end) 16.56 15.39
Operating results (non-GAAP)
Operating net income available to common stockholders (millions) $ 568.6 $ 494.9
Operating net income per diluted common share 1.57 1.40
Average diluted common shares outstanding (thousands) 362,898 354,052
Significant items impacting earnings (1) (millions)
Pre-tax merger-related expenses $ (2.2) $ (45.3)
After-tax impact of merger-related expenses (1.8) (35.8)
Pre-tax provision expense related to acquisitions — (28.5)
After-tax impact of provision expense related to acquisitions — (22.5)
Pre-tax branch consolidation costs — (7.0)
After-tax impact of branch consolidation costs — (5.5)
Pre-tax FDIC assessment (29.9) —
After-tax impact of FDIC assessment (23.7) —
Pre-tax loss on securities restructuring (67.4) —
After-tax loss on securities restructuring (53.2) —
Pre-tax valuation allowance on auto loans held-for-sale (16.7) —
After-tax valuation allowance on auto loans held-for-sale (13.2) —
Total significant items pre-tax $ (116.2) $ (80.8)
Total significant items after-tax $ (91.9) $ (63.8)
Capital measures
Tangible common equity to tangible assets (period-end) (non-GAAP) 7.79 7.24
Tangible book value per common share (period-end) (non-GAAP) $ 9.47 $ 8.27
(1) Favorable (unfavorable) impact on earnings
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Industry Developments
BANKING INDUSTRY DISRUPTION
During the second week of March 2023, Silicon Valley Bank failed and was taken over by federal regulators. The size of the bank, being over $200 billion in assets, made it the second largest U.S. bank to ever fail. Subsequently, that week, Signature Bank with assets over $100 billion, was also closed by federal regulators. On May 1, 2023, it was announced that First Republic Bank was another bank closed by federal regulators. While these failures were idiosyncratic in nature, these events called into question the stability of the entire banking sector and sparked customer fears of potential loss of deposit balances exceeding the FDIC's $250,000 insurance limit.
While the high-profile bank failures had a diminishing effect on public confidence of the banking system, the federal government took mitigating action. To strengthen public confidence, the federal government announced that all depositors of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank would be protected with any losses to the DIF recovered by a special assessment on banks. We recognized the special assessment of $29.9 million in non-interest expense in the fourth quarter of 2023. In addition to those actions, the FRB made available additional funding to eligible depository institutions to help assure banks the ability to meet the needs of all their depositors. This action bolstered the capacity of the banking system to safeguard deposits and ensure the ongoing provision of money and credit to the economy.
The additional funding was made available through the creation of a new Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP), offering loans of up to one year in length to banks, savings associations, credit unions and other eligible depository institutions pledging U.S. Treasuries, agency debt and mortgage-backed securities and other qualifying assets as collateral. These assets are valued at par. The BTFP is an additional source of liquidity against high-quality securities, eliminating an institution's need to quickly sell those securities in times of stress. Advances can be requested under the BTFP until March 11, 2024. As of December 31, 2023, we have not participated in this program. Additionally, our total deposit balances have remained stable as a result of our granular deposit base with our average customer deposit account balance at approximately $30,000 (below the peer median) and our median consumer deposit account balance at approximately $5,600 as of December 31, 2023. FDIC-insured or collateralized deposits represented approximately 78% of our total deposits at December 31, 2023, which was higher than our peer median (based on peer data as of September 30, 2023) and we had ample liquidity to fund up to an estimated 146% of our uninsured and non-collateralized deposits.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022
Net income available to common stockholders was $476.8 million or $1.31 per diluted common share, compared to net income available to common stockholders of $431.1 million or $1.22 per diluted common share. Operating earnings per diluted common share (non-GAAP) was $1.57 compared to $1.40. The results for 2023 included net interest income of $1.3 billion, a 17.6% increase, driven by strong earning asset growth and a higher interest rate environment, provision for credit losses of $71.8 million, including $31.9 million in provision for the previously disclosed commercial loan fully charged-off during the third quarter of 2023 due to alleged fraud, the sale of $648.7 million in AFS investment securities resulting in a realized loss (pre-tax) of $67.4 million, $29.9 million of FDIC special assessment expense, a negative valuation allowance of $16.7 million (pre-tax) on auto loans held-for-sale and $2.2 million of merger-related expenses. In comparison, the results for 2022 included provision for credit losses of $64.2 million including $28.5 million of initial provision for non-PCD loans associated with the Howard and Union acquisitions, the impact of $7.0 million of branch consolidation expenses and $45.3 million of merger-related expenses.
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The major categories of the Consolidated Statements of Income and their respective impact to the increase (decrease) in net income are presented in the following table:
TABLE 2
Year EndedDecember 31 $Change %Change
(in thousands, except per share data) 2023 2022
Less: Preferred stock dividends 8,041 8,041 — —
Earnings per common share – Basic $ 1.32 $ 1.23 $ 0.09 7.3 %
Cash dividends per common share 0.48 0.48 — —
The following table presents selected financial ratios and other relevant data used to analyze our performance:
TABLE 3
Return on average equity 8.29 % 8.02 %
Return on average tangible common equity (1) 15.45 15.31
Return on average assets 1.09 1.05
Return on average tangible assets (1) 1.19 1.14
Book value per common share $ 16.56 $ 15.39
Tangible book value per common share (1) 9.47 8.27
Average equity to average assets 13.12 13.05
Tangible equity to tangible assets (1) 8.03 7.50
Tangible common equity to tangible assets (1) 7.79 7.24
Common equity tier 1 capital ratio 10.04 9.82
(1) Non-GAAP
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The following table provides information regarding the average balances and yields earned on interest-earning assets (non-GAAP) and the average balances and rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities:
TABLE 4
Year Ended December 31
Assets
Interest-earning assets:
Federal funds sold — — — 500 29 5.81 — — —
Liabilities
Interest-bearing liabilities:
Deposits:
(1)The average balances and yields earned on securities are based on historical cost.
(2)The interest income amounts are reflected on an FTE basis (non-GAAP), which adjusts for the tax benefit of income on certain tax-exempt loans and investments using the federal statutory tax rate of 21%. The yield on earning assets and the net interest margin are presented on an FTE basis (non-GAAP). We believe this measure to be the preferred industry measurement of net interest income and provides relevant comparison between taxable and non-taxable amounts.
(3)Average loans and leases consist of average total loans, including non-accrual loans, less average unearned income.
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Net Interest Income
Net interest income on an FTE basis (non-GAAP) of $1.3 billion increased $197.8 million, or 17.5%, from $1.1 billion as the higher interest rate environment benefited earning asset yields given the asset sensitive positioning of the balance sheet and higher yields on new loan originations, which was partially offset by the higher cost of interest-bearing deposits given that customer preferences are migrating toward higher yielding deposit products and the current competitive banking industry. Average interest-earning assets of $39.7 billion increased $2.4 billion, or 6.4%, primarily driven by an increase of $3.5 billion in average loans and leases which included organic loan origination activity and acquired Union loans offset by a decline in interest-bearing deposits with banks. Average interest-bearing liabilities of $27.0 billion increased $2.8 billion, or 11.6%, driven by an increase of $1.3 billion in average interest-bearing deposits which included organic growth in new and existing customer relationships and acquired Union deposits, and an increase in average borrowings of $1.5 billion. Our net interest margin FTE (non-GAAP) was 3.35%, compared to 3.03%, as the yield on earning assets increased 153 basis points to 5.00%, reflecting variable-rate loans that repriced upwards in 2023, as well as higher yields on new loan originations, investment securities and interest-bearing deposits with banks due to the impact of the higher interest rate environment. The total cost of funds increased 127 basis points to 1.73%, primarily due to a 164 basis point increase in interest-bearing deposit costs. The rates paid on short-term and long-term borrowings increased 203 and 110 basis points, respectively, due to the higher interest rate environment. Additionally, average non-interest-bearing deposits decreased $739.2 million, or 6.4% as customers shifted balances into higher yielding deposit products.
The following table provides certain information regarding changes in net interest income on an FTE basis (non-GAAP) attributable to changes in the average volumes and yields earned on interest-earning assets and the average volume and rates paid for interest-bearing liabilities for the periods indicated:
TABLE 5
(in thousands) Volume Rate Net Volume Rate Net
Interest Income (1)
Interest Expense (1)
Deposits:
(1)The amount of change not solely due to rate or volume changes was allocated between the change due to rate and the change due to volume based on the net size of the rate and volume changes.
(2)Interest income amounts are reflected on an FTE basis (non-GAAP) which adjusts for the tax benefit of income on certain tax-exempt loans and investments using the federal statutory tax rate of 21%. We believe this measure to be the preferred industry measurement of net interest income and provides relevant comparison between taxable and non-taxable amounts.
Interest income on an FTE basis (non-GAAP) of $2.0 billion for 2023, increased $688.8 million or 53.1% from 2022, resulting from the interest rate increases by the FOMC and an increase in interest-earning assets of $2.4 billion. The increase in earning assets was primarily driven by a $3.5 billion, or 12.7%, increase in average loans, partially offset by a decrease of $1.1 billion, or 51.6%, in average interest-bearing deposits with banks. Growth in total average commercial loans included $1.0 billion, or 9.3%, in commercial real estate loans and an increase of $793.7 million, or 12.2%, in commercial and industrial loans driven by a combination of organic loan origination activity led by the Cleveland, Pittsburgh and South Carolina markets as well as
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adding the acquired Union loans. Average consumer loans increased $1.6 billion, or 16.5%, with an increase in residential mortgage loans of $1.4 billion, or 31.3%, reflecting adjustable-rate mortgages held in portfolio on the balance sheet and the continued success of the Physicians First mortgage program, which is a program that provides a bundled suite of specialized products to meet the personal and professional needs of physicians, dentists, veterinarians and other healthcare professionals. Additionally, indirect installment loans increased $134.8 million, or 9.8%, and direct home equity installment loans increased $68.6 million, or 2.6%, driven by organic loan origination activity throughout 2023. Additionally, the net increase in investment securities interest income was a result of replacing maturing securities with higher yielding securities, as the average total securities portfolio yield increased 48 basis points.
Interest expense of $656.1 million for 2023 increased $491.0 million, or 297.2%, from 2022 primarily due to the higher interest rate environment and an increase in average interest-bearing deposits. The growth in average deposits reflected solid organic growth in new and existing customer relationships and the additions from the Union acquisition. Average interest-bearing deposits increased $1.3 billion, or 6.0%, which reflects the benefit of solid organic growth in customer relationships and the acquired Union deposits. Average time deposits increased $2.2 billion, or 72.3%, as customer preferences had shifted given interest rate increases. Average short-term borrowings increased $648.4 million, or 45.4%, primarily due to an increase in short-term FHLB borrowings of $629.2 million. Average long-term borrowings increased $849.4 million, or 101.6%, primarily due to an increase of $857.0 million in long-term FHLB borrowings, as we have maintained additional liquidity following the banking industry disruption in early 2023. Additionally, senior debt decreased $29.8 million resulting from the issuance of $350 million in 5.150% fixed-rate senior notes during August 2022, partially offset by the maturity of $300 million in 2.20% fixed-rate senior notes in February 2023. The rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities increased 175 basis points to 2.43% for 2023, compared to 2022, as the cost of interest-bearing deposits increased 164 basis points from 0.49% to 2.13%. These increases were primarily due to increased deposit competition and market trends resulting from the interest rate actions taken by the FOMC and the industry disruption in early 2023, combined with the issuance of senior debt in August 2022, partially offset by the maturity in February of 2023.
Provision for Credit Losses
Provision for credit losses is determined based on management’s estimates of the appropriate level of ACL needed to absorb probable life-of-loan losses in the loan and lease portfolio, after giving consideration to charge-offs and recoveries for the period. The following table presents information regarding the provision for credit loss expense and net charge-offs for the years 2021 through 2023:
TABLE 6
(dollars in thousands) 2023 2022 $Change %Change 2021 $Change %Change
Net loan charge-offs / total average loans and leases 0.22 % 0.06 % 0.06 %
Provision for credit losses of $71.7 million during 2023 increased $7.5 million from 2022. The provision for credit losses in 2022 included $28.5 million of initial provision for non-PCD loans associated with the Howard and Union acquisitions. The 2023 provision for credit losses was primarily due to loan growth, normal charge-off activity and $31.9 million in provision for the previously disclosed commercial loan that was fully charged-off during the third quarter of 2023 due to alleged fraud. Our non-performing loan coverage position remains strong at 378%. Net charge-offs of $67.7 million for 2023 increased $51.6 million from 2022. Excluding the previously mentioned charge-off, net charge-offs would have been $35.9 million, or 0.11% of total average loans (non-GAAP), remaining at historically low levels. The ACL was $405.6 million, an increase of $3.9 million, with the ratio of the ACL to total loans and leases decreasing 8 basis points to 1.25%, reflecting strong loan growth and the
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previously mentioned charge-off activity. For additional information relating to the allowance and provision for credit losses, refer to the Allowance for Credit Losses section of this MD&A.
Non-Interest Income
The breakdown of non-interest income for the years 2021 through 2023 is presented in the following table:
TABLE 7
(dollars in thousands) 2023 2022 $Change %Change 2021 $Change %Change
n/m - not meaningful
Total non-interest income of $254.3 million for 2023 decreased $69.2 million, or 21.4%, from $323.6 million in 2022. Excluding significant items totaling $67.4 million in 2023, operating non-interest income (non-GAAP) decreased $1.9 million, or 0.6%. The 2023 compared to 2022 variances in significant individual non-interest income items are further explained in the following paragraphs.
Service charges of $81.9 million decreased $5.0 million, or 5.8%, from $86.9 million, with strong treasury management services and higher customer activity largely offsetting the impact of overdraft practice changes that we implemented in the first quarter of 2023.
Trust services of $42.5 million increased $3.5 million, or 8.9%, from the same period of 2022, primarily driven by strong organic revenue production, as well as the market value of assets under management increasing $789.8 million, or 10.1%, to $8.6 billion at December 31, 2023 given overall market conditions.
Insurance commissions and fees of $23.1 million decreased $1.1 million, or 4.7%, from $24.3 million, with the reduction primarily driven by lower title insurance fees resulting from slowing mortgage demand in the current interest rate environment.
Securities commissions and fees of $27.7 million increased $4.0 million, or 16.9%, from $23.7 million, due to increased annuity sales activity, as the increasing interest rate environment provided attractive annuity rates, combined with revenue contributions across the geographic footprint, most notably in the Pittsburgh and Carolina regions.
Capital markets income of $27.1 million decreased $8.2 million, or 23.2%, from $35.3 million, reflecting increased contributions from international banking and debt capital markets offset by decreases in swap fees and syndications as commercial customer transactions have slowed in this macroeconomic environment.
Mortgage banking operations income of $20.7 million increased slightly by 0.2%, from $20.6 million. During 2023, we sold $1.0 billion of originated residential mortgage loans, a decrease of 10.9% compared to $1.1 billion for 2022. Rate volatility compressed gain on sale margins which were mostly offset by growing mortgage held for sale pipelines. Full year mortgage originations increased 4.4% from 2022. Net servicing income increased $3.5 million, or 60.6%, due to low prepayment speeds with rising rates and a larger servicing book. An impairment charge increased $2.7 million in 2023 from 2022.
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Dividends on non-marketable equity securities of $21.3 million increased $9.3 million, or 77.9%, from $12.0 million, reflecting higher FHLB dividends due to additional borrowings and an increase in the average dividend rate.
We had net securities losses of $67.4 million primarily due to the sale of $648.7 million of AFS securities in the fourth quarter of 2023 as part of a balance sheet optimization strategy.
Other non-interest income was $12.8 million and $19.0 million for 2023 and 2022, respectively, due to other miscellaneous income fluctuations and from the decline in Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) funds income, reflecting normal fluctuations based on the performance of the underlying portfolio companies.
The following table presents non-interest income excluding significant items impacting earnings:
TABLE 8
(dollars in thousands) 2023 2022 Change Change
Significant items:
Loss on securities restructuring 67,354 —
(1) Non-GAAP
Non-Interest Expense
The breakdown of non-interest expense for the years 2021 through 2023 is presented in the following table:
TABLE 9
(dollars in thousands) 2023 2022 $Change %Change 2021 $Change %Change
Total non-interest expense of $915.4 million for 2023 increased $89.0 million, or 10.8%, from $826.4 million in 2022. Excluding significant items totaling $48.8 million in 2023 and $52.3 million in 2022, operating non-interest expense (non-GAAP) increased $92.5 million, or 11.9%. The 2023 compared to 2022 variances in significant individual non-interest expense items are further explained in the following paragraphs.