MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2019 Results

MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. (“MidSouth”) (NYSE:MSL) today reported a quarterly net loss available to common shareholders of $3.7 million for the second quarter of 2019 compared to net loss available to common shareholders of $1.5 million for the second quarter of 2018 and $6.6 million in net loss available to common shareholders for the first quarter of 2019. The second quarter loss is primarily due to the $3.8 million impairment charge for a shared national healthcare credit with 91% of the loan being fully reserved for and $1.1 million of expense related to the anticipated merger with Hancock Whitney Corporation. MidSouth has two additional pass rated shared national credits with a balance of $12.2 million and $22.0 million committed. The second quarter of 2018 included an after-tax charge of $4.2 million resulting from regulatory remediation costs. Excluding non-operating expenses, a loss of $0.17 per diluted share was reported for the second quarter of 2019 compared to loss per diluted share of $0.40 for the first quarter of 2019 and earnings per diluted share of $0.17 for the second quarter of 2018.

Balance Sheet

Consolidated assets decreased $143.8 million to $1.7 billion at June 30, 2019 from $1.9 billion at June 30, 2018 and essentially unchanged from March 31, 2019. Our stable core deposit base, which excludes time deposits, totaled $1.2 billion at June 30, 2019 and March 31, 2019 and accounted for 87.8% and 87.65% of deposits at June 30, 2019 and March 31, 2019, respectively. Net loans totaled $851.9 million at June 30, 2019, compared to $868.9 million at March 31, 2019 and $1.0 billion at June 30, 2018. Loans held for sale of $10.3 million at June 30, 2019 increased from $1.5 million at March 31, 2019, with an anticipated loan sale of some or all these loans set to close in the 3rd quarter of 2019.

MidSouth’s Tier 1 leverage capital ratio was 11.53% at June 30, 2019, compared to 11.60% at March 31, 2019. Tier 1 risk-based capital and total risk-based capital ratios were 18.23% and 19.50% at June 30, 2019, respectively, essentially unchanged from March 31, 2019. Tier 1 common equity to total risk-weighted assets at June 30, 2019 was 12.37%, compared to 12.48% at March 31, 2019. Tangible common equity totaled $136.0 million at June 30, 2019, unchanged from March 31, 2019. Tangible book value per share at June 30, 2019 remained constant versus the first quarter at $8.13.

Asset Quality

Nonperforming assets totaled $23.7 million at June 30, 2019, a decrease of $239,000 compared to $23.9 million reported at March 31, 2019. Allowance coverage for nonperforming loans increased to 120.79% at June 30, 2019 compared to 106.85% at March 31, 2019. The ALLL/total loans ratio was 3.20% at June 30, 2019 compared to 2.77% at March 31, 2019. The ratio of annualized net charge-offs to total loans increased to 0.64% for the three months ended June 30, 2019 compared to 0.11% at March 31, 2019, which was primarily the result of two commercial loan charge-offs in the second quarter totaling $906,000.

Total nonperforming assets to total loans plus ORE and other assets repossessed were 2.69% at June 30, 2019 compared to 2.68% at March 31, 2019. Loans classified as troubled debt restructurings, totaled $593,000 at June 30, 2019 compared to $713,000 at March 31, 2019. Total classified assets, including ORE, were $55.7 million at June 30, 2019 compared to $44.4 million at March 31, 2019, as downgrades outpaced upgrades, pay downs/pay offs, and scheduled principal amortization during the quarter. The two largest downgrades were in the commercial real estate portfolio totaling $6.5 million or approximately 59% of the total classified downgrades. As a result, the classified assets to capital ratio at MidSouth Bank was 32% at June 30, 2019 versus 25% at March 31, 2019.

More information on our energy loan portfolio and other information on quarterly results can be found on our website at MidSouthBank.com under Investor Relations/Presentations.

Second Quarter 2019 vs. First Quarter 2019 Earnings Comparison

MidSouth reported a net loss available to common shareholders of $3.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, compared to net loss available to common shareholders of $6.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019. Revenues from consolidated operations decreased $982,000 from $23.7 million in the first quarter of 2019 to $22.7 million in the second quarter of 2019, primarily as a result of the first quarter gain on sale of loans of $1.3 million in the first quarter.

The second quarter of 2019 included merger related expenses of $1.1 million. The first quarter of 2019 did not include any merger related expenses. Excluding these non-operating expenses, compared with the first quarter of 2019 noninterest expense decreased $2.2 million in the second quarter of 2019. Between the first and quarters of 2019, salaries and employee benefits expense decreased $761,000, occupancy expenses declined $345,000 and ongoing legal and professional fees declined $719,000, primarily as a result of the completion of remediation efforts.

The provision for loan losses decreased $2.8 million from the first quarter 2019 compared to the second quarter 2019. Excluding the impact of provisioning for the previously mentioned shared national healthcare credit, the provision for loan losses was essentially unchanged on a sequential quarterly basis at $1.0 million.

Dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock issued to the U.S. Treasury as a result of our participation in the Small Business Lending Fund totaled $720,000 for the second quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2019 based on a dividend rate of 9%. Dividends on the Series C Preferred Stock totaled $90,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2019 and March 31, 2019.

Fully taxable-equivalent (“FTE”) net interest income increased $509,000 from the first quarter 2019 to the second quarter 2019, primarily due to an increase in interest income on other investments and interest bearing deposits with other banks of $314,000 and $220,000, respectively, offset by a decline in tax exempt securities interest income of $120,000 due to recent selling of municipal bonds. Loan yields increased 11 basis points from first quarter levels which were depressed by the reversal of income for a significant shared national healthcare credit. The average yield on investment securities decreased 8 basis points, from 2.86% to 2.78%, due to a continued repositioning of the bond portfolio through the sale of higher yielding municipal and corporate bonds and the timing impact of the sales and reinvestments on average balances. The average yield on total earning assets increased 10 bps for the same period, from 4.41% to 4.51%, respectively. The FTE net interest margin increased 11 bps from 3.89% for the first quarter 2019 to 4.00% for the second quarter of 2019.

Second Quarter 2019 vs. Second Quarter 2018 Earnings Comparison

MidSouth reported a net loss available to common shareholders of $3.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 compared to net loss available to common shareholders of $1.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2018. Net interest income decreased $1.0 million in quarterly comparison, resulting from a $793,000 decrease in interest income primarily driven by lower loan levels, in addition to a higher interest expense of $216,000 reflecting the impact of higher interest rates. Operating noninterest income decreased $295,000, which excludes $202,000 gains on sales of investments.

Excluding remediation expenses of $5.3 million for the second quarter of 2018 and merger-related expenses of $1.1 million for the second quarter of 2019, noninterest expenses increased $750,000 in quarterly comparison and consisted primarily of a $1.0 million increase in salary and employee benefits costs from the additional staffing necessary in connection with regulatory remediation efforts. The provision for loan losses increased $4.3 million in quarterly comparison, from $440,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2018 to $4.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019 resulting primarily from the impairment of the above-mentioned shared healthcare credit. We recorded an income tax benefit of $237,000 for the second quarter of 2018 versus no benefit for the second quarter of 2019.

Interest income on loans decreased $2.3 million between the second quarter 2018 compared with the same quarter 2019 primarily due to a $219.2 million decline in average loans given ongoing efforts to reduce problem loans and slower loan originations due to an internal focus on improving loan portfolio management and loan operations.

Investment securities totaled $458.9 million, or 26.8% of total assets at June 30, 2019, versus $376.7 million, or 20.3% of total assets at June 30, 2018. The investment portfolio had an effective duration of 2.13 years, as measured on a 100 basis point parallel shock in interest rates, and a net unrealized gain of $4.2 million at June 30, 2019. FTE interest income on investments increased $859,000 in prior year quarterly comparison. The average volume of investment securities increased $90.8 million in prior year quarterly comparison, and the average tax equivalent yield on investment securities increased 24 basis points, from 2.54% to 2.78%.

The average yield on all earning assets increased 12 basis points in prior year quarterly comparison, from 4.39% for the second quarter of 2018 to 4.51% for the second quarter of 2019, due to higher yields in the loan and investment portfolios offsetting the change of mix of interest earning assets on a year-over-year basis.

Interest expense increased $216,000 in prior year quarterly comparison primarily due to a $256,000 increase in interest expense on deposits and a $23,000 increase in interest expense on junior subordinated debt, which were partially offset by a $63,000 decrease in interest expense on repurchase agreements and FHLB borrowings.

As a result of these changes in volume and yield on earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, the FTE net interest margin decreased 12 basis points, from 4.12% for the second quarter of 2018 to 4.00% for the second quarter of 2019.

Six Months Ended June 30, 2019 vs Six Months Ended June 30, 2018

MidSouth reported a net loss available to common shareholders of $10.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 compared to net loss available to common shareholders of $1.9 million for six months ended June 30, 2018. Revenues from consolidated operations decreased $993,000 in quarterly comparison, from $47.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2018 to $46.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019.

Excluding remediation expenses of $9.2 million for the first six months of 2018 and merger-related expenses of $1.1 million for the first six months of 2019, noninterest expenses increased $2.7 million in semiannual comparison and consisted primarily of a $3.0 million increase in salary and employee benefits costs from the additional staffing necessary in connection with regulatory remediation efforts. The provision for loan losses increased $11.9 million in prior year comparison, from $440,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2018 to $12.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 due primarily to impairment of the shared healthcare credit. We recorded an income tax benefit of $271,000 for the first six months of 2018 versus no benefit for the first six months of 2019.

Dividends on preferred stock totaled $1.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018. Dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock were $1.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018. Dividends on the Series C Preferred Stock totaled $180,000 for the six months ended June 30, 2019 and 2018.

Interest income on loans decreased $5.3 million primarily due to a $238.6 million decline in average loans given ongoing efforts to reduce problem loans and slower loan originations due to an internal focus on improving loan portfolio management and loan operations.

The average volume of investment securities increased $47.5 million in prior year comparison, and the average tax equivalent yield on investment securities increased 37 basis points, from 2.55% to 2.92% at June 30, 2019 .

The average yield on all earning assets increased 12 basis points in prior year comparison, from 4.56% for 2019 to 4.44% for 2019, due to a less favorable mix of earning assets given the decline in loans on a year-over-year basis.

Interest expense increased $652,000 in prior year comparison primarily due to a $698,000 increase in interest expense on deposits and a $91,000 increase in interest expense on junior subordinated debt, which were partially offset by a $137,000 decrease in interest expense on repurchase agreements and FHLB borrowings.

As a result of these changes in volume and yield on earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, the FTE net interest margin decreased 2 basis points, from 4.04% for the six months of 2018 to 4.02% for the six months of 2019.

About MidSouth Bancorp, Inc.

MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana, with assets of $1.7 billion as of June 30, 2019. MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. trades on the NYSE under the symbol “MSL.” Through its wholly owned subsidiary, MidSouth Bank, N.A., MidSouth offers a full range of banking services to commercial and retail customers in Louisiana and Texas. MidSouth Bank currently has 42 locations in Louisiana and Texas and is connected to a worldwide ATM network that provides customers with access to more than 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Additional corporate information is available at MidSouthBank.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release, including the accompanying financial statement tables, contains financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. This financial information includes certain operating performance measures, which exclude charges that are not considered part of recurring operations. Non-GAAP measures in this press release include, but are not limited to, descriptions such as “operating noninterest income,” “operating (loss) earnings per share,” “tangible common equity”, “tangible book value per share,” “operating return on average common equity,” “operating return on average assets,” and “operating efficiency ratio.” In addition, this press release, consistent with SEC Industry Guide 3, presents total revenue, net interest income, net interest margin, "non-operating expenses" and efficiency ratios on a fully taxable equivalent (“FTE”) basis, and ratios on an annualized basis. The FTE basis adjusts for the tax-favored status of net interest income from certain loans and investments using a federal tax rate of 21% for all periods beginning on or after January 1, 2018, as well as state income taxes, where applicable, to increase tax-exempt interest income to a taxable-equivalent basis. MidSouth believes this measure to be the preferred industry measurement of net interest income and it enhances comparability of net interest income arising from taxable and tax-exempt sources.

We use non-GAAP measures because we believe they are useful for evaluating our financial condition and performance over periods of time, as well as in managing and evaluating our business and in discussions about our performance. We also believe these non-GAAP financial measures provide users of our financial information with a meaningful measure for assessing our financial condition as well as comparison to financial results for prior periods. These measures should be viewed in addition to, and not as an alternative to or substitute for, measures determined in accordance with GAAP, and are not necessarily comparable to non-GAAP measures that may be presented by other companies. To the extent applicable, reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable measures as reported in accordance with GAAP are included with the accompanying financial statement tables.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve risks and uncertainties. These statements include, among others, statements regarding expected future performance and shareholder value. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “guidance,” “potential,” “continue,” “project,” “forecast,” “confident,” and similar expressions are typically used to identify forward-looking statements.

These statements are based on assumptions and assessments made by management in light of their experience and their perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors they believe to be appropriate. Any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of our future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties and may be affected by various factors that may cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, among other matters, changes in interest rates and market prices that could affect the net interest margin, asset valuation, and expense levels; changes in local economic and business conditions in the markets we serve, including, without limitation, changes related to the oil and gas industries that could adversely affect customers and their ability to repay borrowings under agreed upon terms, adversely affect the value of the underlying collateral related to their borrowings, and reduce demand for loans; increases in competitive pressure in the banking and financial services industries; increased competition for deposits and loans which could affect compositions, rates and terms; changes in the levels of prepayments received on loans and investment securities that adversely affect the yield and value of the earning assets; our ability to successfully implement and manage our strategic initiatives; costs and expenses associated with our strategic initiatives and regulatory remediation efforts and possible changes in the size and components of the expected costs and charges associated with our strategic initiatives and regulatory remediation efforts; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits and cost savings from our strategic initiatives within the anticipated time frame, if at all; the ability of the Company to comply with the terms of the formal agreement and the consent order with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; risk of noncompliance with and further enforcement actions regarding the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering statues and regulations; credit losses due to loan concentration, particularly our energy lending and commercial real estate portfolios; a deviation in actual experience from the underlying assumptions used to determine and establish our allowance for loan and lease losses (“ALLL”), which could result in greater than expected loan losses; the adequacy of the level of our ALLL and the amount of loan loss provisions required in future periods including the impact of implementation of the new CECL (current expected credit loss) methodology; future examinations by our regulatory authorities, including the possibility that the regulatory authorities may, among other things, impose additional enforcement actions or conditions on our operations, require additional regulatory remediation efforts or require us to increase our allowance for loan losses or write-down assets; changes in the availability of funds resulting from reduced liquidity or increased costs; the timing and impact of future acquisitions or divestitures, the success or failure of integrating acquired operations, and the ability to capitalize on growth opportunities upon entering new markets; the ability to acquire, operate, and maintain effective and efficient operating systems; the identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting; increased asset levels and changes in the composition of assets that would impact capital levels and regulatory capital ratios; loss of critical personnel and the challenge of hiring qualified personnel at reasonable compensation levels; legislative and regulatory changes, including the impact of regulations under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 and other changes in banking, securities and tax laws and regulations and their application by our regulators, changes in the scope and cost of FDIC insurance and other coverage; regulations and restrictions resulting from our participation in government-sponsored programs such as the U.S. Treasury’s Small Business Lending Fund, including potential retroactive changes in such programs; changes in accounting principles, policies, and guidelines applicable to financial holding companies and banking; increases in cybersecurity risk, including potential business disruptions or financial losses; acts of war, terrorism, cyber intrusion, weather, or other catastrophic events beyond our control; the effect of divestitures that may be required by regulatory authorities due to the proposed merger in certain markets in which MidSouth competes; the outcome of pending or threatened litigation, or of matters before regulatory agencies, whether currently existing or commencing in the future, including litigation related to the merger; changes in the monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. government, including policies of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board; and other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in MidSouth’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 filed with the SEC on March 18, 2019 and in its other filings with the SEC.

MidSouth does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.