The First of Long Island Corporation Reports Earnings for the Year Ended December 31, 2024

MELVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The First of Long Island Corporation (Nasdaq: FLIC, the “Company” or the “Corporation”), the parent of The First National Bank of Long Island (the “Bank”), reported earnings for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2024. President and Chief Executive Officer Chris Becker commented on the Company's results: "Our team is focused on best positioning our company for the future and its pending merger with ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. In that regard, our net interest margin bottomed out during the first quarter of 2024 and began its recovery during the remainder of the year. Excluding loss on securities in 2023, noninterest income increased nearly 23% largely related to new and recurring fee income categories. Noninterest expense was well controlled with an increase of 1.6% when compared to the prior year after backing out $3.1 million of merger and branch consolidation expenses in 2024. Finally, asset quality remains strong. We look forward to the changes to come in 2025, which will offer new and exciting opportunities to our stockholders, customers, employees and communities." Analysis of Earnings - 2024 Earnings Net income and diluted earnings per share ("EPS") for the year ended December 31, 2024, were $17.1 million and $0.75, respectively, as compared to $26.2 million and $1.16, respectively, in 2023. The principal drivers of the change in net income were a decline in net interest income of $13.6 million, or 15.7%, and a provision for credit losses of $359,000 as compared to a provision reversal of $326,000 in 2023, partially offset by a loss on sales of securities of $3.5 million in the first quarter of 2023, an increase in remaining noninterest income of $2.2 million, an increase in noninterest expense of $4.1 million and a decrease in income tax expense of $3.5 million. The year ended December 31, 2024 produced a return on average assets ("ROA") of 0.40%, a return on average equity ("ROE") of 4.49%, an efficiency ratio of 79.00%, and a net interest margin of 1.83%. For the year ended December 31, 2024, net interest income declined due to an increase in interest expense of $25.5 million that was only partially offset by an $11.8 million increase in interest income. Year over year, the cost of interest-bearing liabilities increased 90 basis points while the yield on interest-earning assets increased 31 basis points. The Bank's balance sheet remains liability sensitive, however the pace of repricing of average interest-earning assets began outpacing the repricing of average interest-bearing liabilities in the second half of the year as the Fed's easing of interest rates allowed the Bank to reduce nonmatured deposit rates. The Bank recorded a provision for credit losses of $359,000 during 2024, compared to a provision reversal of $326,000 in 2023. The allowance for credit losses declined when compared to year-end 2023 largely due to declines in historical loss rates and reserves on individually evaluated loans, partially offset by a deterioration in current and forecasted economic conditions, including adjustments for rent stabilization status of multifamily properties. The reserve coverage ratio remained stable at 0.88% of total loans at December 31, 2024 as compared to 0.89% at December 31, 2023. Past due loans and nonaccrual loans were at $270,000 and $3.2 million, respectively, on December 31, 2024. Overall credit quality of the loan and investment portfolios remains strong. Noninterest income, excluding the loss on sales of securities of $3.5 million in the 2023 period, increased $2.2 million, or 22.8%, year over year. Recurring components of noninterest income including bank-owned life insurance (“BOLI”) and service charges on deposit accounts had increases of 8.1% and 11.3%, respectively. Other noninterest income increased 45.7% and included increases of $655,000 in merchant card services, $465,000 in back-to-back swap fees, $377,000 of BOLI benefit payments, and $242,000 in pension income, which were partially offset by a gain on disposition of premises and fixed assets of $240,000 in 2023. Noninterest expense increased $4.1 million, or 6.4%, for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the prior year. The change in noninterest expense is mainly attributable to branch consolidation and merger expenses of $1.9 million and $1.2 million, respectively. Noninterest expense excluding merger and branch consolidation expenses increased by $1.0 million or 1.6%. The 6.3% year-over-year increase in salaries and employee benefits included a variety of compensation and benefit categories including the vesting of certain awards during the fourth quarter of 2024. The decrease of $554,000 in occupancy and equipment expense was largely due to the ongoing branch optimization strategy. Lower other expenses included a decrease in telecommunication expenses of $510,000 due to efficiencies with system upgrades and a smaller provision for off-balance sheet commitments of $310,000 due to a decrease in off-balance sheet credit exposure. Income tax expense decreased $3.5 million, and the effective tax rate declined from 11.0% in 2023 to (1.9%) in 2024. The decline in the effective tax rate is mainly due to an increase in the percentage of pre-tax income derived from the Bank’s real estate investment trust, reducing the state and local income tax due. The decrease in income tax expense reflects the lower effective tax rate and a decline in pre-tax income. Analysis of Earnings – Fourth Quarter 2024 Versus Fourth Quarter 2023 Net income for the fourth quarter of 2024 decreased $2.8 million as compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. The change in net income is mainly attributable to an increase in salaries and employee benefits expense of $2.4 million for substantially the same reasons discussed above with respect to the year-over-year changes, a $1.9 million decline in net interest income along with a $1.4 million increase in branch consolidation expenses. This was partially offset by a provision reversal for credit losses of $381,000 as compared to a provision of $901,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023, back-to-back swap fees of $233,000 and a BOLI benefit payment of $225,000, both recorded in the current period and an increase in merchant card services income of $186,000. The quarter produced a ROA of 0.31%, a ROE of 3.35%, an efficiency ratio of 86.78%, and a net interest margin of 1.83%. Analysis of Earnings – Fourth Quarter 2024 Versus Third Quarter 2024 Net income for the fourth quarter of 2024 decreased $1.4 million compared to the third quarter of 2024. The decrease in net income was primarily due to an increase in salaries and employee benefits of $856,000, additional branch consolidation expenses of $840,000 and a decrease in net interest income of $573,000, partially offset by a provision reversal for credit losses of $381,000 in the fourth quarter as compared to a provision of $170,000 in the third quarter and a decrease in merger expenses of $571,000. The decline in net interest income was primarily due to a net interest margin decrease of 6 basis points when compared to the linked quarter, which was largely due to lower income on the fair value derivative. Liquidity On December 31, 2024, overnight advances and other borrowings were down by $70.0 million and $37.5 million, respectively, from prior year end. At year-end, the Bank had $583.0 million in collateralized borrowing lines with the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York and the Federal Reserve Bank, $20.0 million unsecured line of credit with a correspondent bank and $265.5 million in unencumbered cash and securities. In total, $868.5 million in liquidity was available on December 31, 2024. Uninsured deposits were 45.8% of total deposits at December 31, 2024. Capital The Corporation’s capital position remains strong with a leverage ratio of approximately 10.12% on December 31, 2024. Book value per share was $16.77 on December 31, 2024, versus $16.83 on December 31, 2023. The accumulated other comprehensive loss component of stockholders’ equity is mainly comprised of a net unrealized loss in the available-for-sale securities portfolio due to higher market interest rates. The Company declared its quarterly cash dividend of $0.21 per share during the quarter. There were no share repurchases during the quarter. Forward Looking Information This earnings release contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of that term as set forth in Rule 175 of the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements are generally contained in sentences including the words “may” or “expect” or “could” or “should” or “would” or “believe” or “anticipate”. The Corporation cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause future results to vary from current management expectations include, but are not limited to, changing economic conditions; legislative and regulatory changes; monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government; changes in interest rates; deposit flows and the cost of funds; demand for loan products; competition; changes in management’s business strategies; changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines; changes in real estate values; and other factors discussed in the “risk factors” section of the Corporation’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Corporation assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more detailed financial information please see the Corporation’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. The Form 10-K will be available through the Bank’s website at www.fnbli.com on or about March 12, 2025, when it is anticipated to be electronically filed with the SEC. Our SEC filings are also available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS(Unaudited) 12/31/2024 12/31/2023 (dollars in thousands) Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $38,330 $60,887 Investment securities available-for-sale, at fair value 624,779 695,877 Loans: Commercial and industrial 136,732 116,163 Secured by real estate: Commercial mortgages 1,963,107 1,919,714 Residential mortgages 1,084,090 1,166,887 Home equity lines 36,468 44,070 Consumer and other 1,210 1,230 3,221,607 3,248,064 Allowance for credit losses (28,331) (28,992) 3,193,276 3,219,072 Restricted stock, at cost 27,712 32,659 Bank premises and equipment, net 29,135 31,414 Right-of-use asset - operating leases 18,951 22,588 Bank-owned life insurance 117,075 114,045 Pension plan assets, net 11,806 10,740 Deferred income tax benefit 36,192 28,996 Other assets 22,080 19,622 $4,119,336 $4,235,900 Liabilities: Deposits: Checking $1,074,671 $1,133,184 Savings, NOW and money market 1,574,160 1,546,369 Time 616,027 591,433 3,264,858 3,270,986 Overnight advances — 70,000 Other borrowings 435,000 472,500 Operating lease liability 21,964 24,940 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 18,648 17,328 3,740,470 3,855,754 Stockholders' Equity: Common stock, par value $0.10 per share: Authorized, 80,000,000 shares; Issued and outstanding, 22,595,349 and 22,590,942 shares 2,260 2,259 Surplus 79,731 79,728 Retained earnings 354,051 355,887 436,042 437,874 Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax (57,176) (57,728) 378,866 380,146 $4,119,336 $4,235,900 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME(Unaudited) Year Ended Three Months Ended 12/31/2024 12/31/2023 12/31/2024 12/31/2023 (dollars in thousands) Interest and dividend income: Loans $137,092 $127,866 $34,413 $33,160 Investment securities: Taxable 26,412 22,663 5,711 6,786 Nontaxable 3,826 4,954 954 978 167,330 155,483 41,078 40,924 Interest expense: Savings, NOW and money market deposits 45,254 32,164 11,617 9,976 Time deposits 27,509 19,267 6,761 6,181 Overnight advances 401 950 9 354 Other borrowings 20,947 16,237 4,664 4,455 94,111 68,618 23,051 20,966 Net interest income 73,219 86,865 18,027 19,958 Provision (credit) for credit losses 359 (326) (381) 901 Net interest income after provision (credit) for credit losses 72,860 87,191 18,408 19,057 Noninterest income: Bank-owned life insurance 3,456 3,197 883 814 Service charges on deposit accounts 3,376 3,034 833 791 Net loss on sales of securities — (3,489) — — Gain on disposition of premises and fixed assets 21 240 — — Other 5,215 3,354 1,504 792 12,068 6,336 3,220 2,397 Noninterest expense: Salaries and employee benefits 39,720 37,373 10,551 8,105 Occupancy and equipment 12,586 13,140 3,297 3,166 Merger expenses 1,161 — 295 — Branch consolidation expenses 1,934 — 1,387 — Other 12,763 13,546 3,128 3,536 68,164 64,059 18,658 14,807 Income before income taxes 16,764 29,468 2,970 6,647 Income tax (credit) expense (312) 3,229 (274) 588 Net income $17,076 $26,239 $3,244 $6,059 Share and Per Share Data: Weighted Average Common Shares 22,527,300 22,550,562 22,548,966 22,586,296 Dilutive restricted stock units 121,393 82,609 221,692 122,961 Dilutive weighted average common shares 22,648,693 22,633,171 22,770,658 22,709,257 Basic EPS $0.76 $1.16 $0.14 $0.27 Diluted EPS 0.75 1.16 0.14 0.27 Cash Dividends Declared per share 0.84 0.84 0.21 0.21 FINANCIAL RATIOS(Unaudited)ROA 0.40% 0.62% 0.31% 0.57%ROE 4.49 7.14 3.35 6.68 Net Interest Margin 1.83 2.16 1.83 2.00 Efficiency Ratio 79.00 65.52 86.78 65.47 PROBLEM AND POTENTIAL PROBLEM LOANS AND ASSETS(Unaudited) 12/31/2024 12/31/2023 (dollars in thousands) Loans including modifications to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty: Modified and performing according to their modified terms $421 $431 Past due 30 through 89 days 270 3,086 Past due 90 days or more and still accruing — — Nonaccrual 3,229 1,053 3,920 4,570 Other real estate owned — — $3,920 $4,570 Allowance for credit losses $28,331 $28,992 Allowance for credit losses as a percentage of total loans 0.88% 0.89%Allowance for credit losses as a multiple of nonaccrual loans 8.8x 27.5x AVERAGE BALANCE SHEET, INTEREST RATES AND INTEREST DIFFERENTIAL(Unaudited) Year Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Average Interest/ Average Average Interest/ Average (dollars in thousands) Balance Dividends Rate Balance Dividends Rate Assets: Interest-earning bank balances $60,259 $3,221 5.35% $48,879 $2,508 5.13%Investment securities: Taxable (1) 611,936 23,191 3.79 584,450 20,155 3.45 Nontaxable (1) (2) 152,575 4,843 3.17 196,341 6,271 3.19 Loans (1) (2) 3,237,664 137,092 4.23 3,260,903 127,868 3.92 Total interest-earning assets 4,062,434 168,347 4.14 4,090,573 156,802 3.83 Allowance for credit losses (28,613) (30,291) Net interest-earning assets 4,033,821 4,060,282 Cash and due from banks 32,207 30,847 Premises and equipment, net 30,700 32,027 Other assets 124,909 112,833 $4,221,637 $4,235,989 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity: Savings, NOW & money market deposits $1,591,320 45,254 2.84 $1,657,947 32,164 1.94 Time deposits 622,229 27,509 4.42 553,096 19,267 3.48 Total interest-bearing deposits 2,213,549 72,763 3.29 2,211,043 51,431 2.33 Overnight advances 7,156 401 5.60 17,529 950 5.42 Other borrowings 446,837 20,947 4.69 380,399 16,237 4.27 Total interest-bearing liabilities 2,667,542 94,111 3.53 2,608,971 68,618 2.63 Checking deposits 1,135,579 1,220,947 Other liabilities 38,159 38,575 3,841,280 3,868,493 Stockholders' equity 380,357 367,496 $4,221,637 $4,235,989 Net interest income (2) $74,236 $88,184 Net interest spread (2) 0.61% 1.20%Net interest margin (2) 1.83% 2.16% (1) The average balances of loans include nonaccrual loans. The average balances of investment securities exclude unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities.(2) Tax-equivalent basis. Interest income on a tax-equivalent basis includes the additional amount of interest income that would have been earned if the Corporation's investment in tax-exempt loans and investment securities had been made in loans and investment securities subject to federal income taxes yielding the same after-tax income. The tax-equivalent amount of $1.00 of nontaxable income was $1.27 for each period presented using the statutory federal income tax rate of 21%. AVERAGE BALANCE SHEET, INTEREST RATES AND INTEREST DIFFERENTIAL(Unaudited) Three Months Ended December 31, 2024 2023 Average Interest/ Average Average Interest/ Average (dollars in thousands) Balance Dividends Rate Balance Dividends Rate Assets: Interest-earning bank balances $41,393 $497 4.78% $39,134 $539 5.46%Investment securities: Taxable (1) 585,774 5,214 3.56 642,590 6,247 3.89 Nontaxable (1) (2) 152,028 1,207 3.18 157,098 1,238 3.15 Loans (1) 3,240,254 34,413 4.25 3,245,232 33,160 4.09 Total interest-earning assets 4,019,449 41,331 4.11 4,084,054 41,184 4.03 Allowance for credit losses (28,679) (29,577) Net interest-earning assets 3,990,770 4,054,477 Cash and due from banks 30,311 29,175 Premises and equipment, net 29,868 31,792 Other assets 131,573 105,902 $4,182,522 $4,221,346 Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity: Savings, NOW & money market deposits $1,597,769 11,617 2.89 1,626,615 9,976 2.43 Time deposits 612,334 6,761 4.39 602,256 6,181 4.07 Total interest-bearing deposits 2,210,103 18,378 3.31 2,228,871 16,157 2.88 Overnight advances 761 9 4.70 25,055 354 5.61 Other borrowings 416,413 4,664 4.46 390,326 4,455 4.53 Total interest-bearing liabilities 2,627,277 23,051 3.49 2,644,252 20,966 3.15 Checking deposits 1,132,122 1,176,276 Other liabilities 37,578 41,063 3,796,977 3,861,591 Stockholders' equity 385,545 359,755 $4,182,522 $4,221,346 Net interest income (2) $18,280 $20,218 Net interest spread (2) 0.62% 0.88%Net interest margin (2) 1.83% 2.00% (1) The average balances of loans include nonaccrual loans. The average balances of investment securities exclude unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities.(2) Tax-equivalent basis. Interest income on a tax-equivalent basis includes the additional amount of interest income that would have been earned if the Corporation's investment in tax-exempt investment securities had been made in investment securities subject to federal income taxes yielding the same after-tax income. The tax-equivalent amount of $1.00 of nontaxable income was $1.27 for each period presented using the statutory federal income tax rate of 21%. For More Information Contact:Janet Verneuille, SEVP and CFO(516) 671-4900, Ext. 7462

The First of Long Island Corporation Reports Earnings for the Year Ended December 31, 2024

FAQ

Why Neutral?

How important is it?

Why Short Term?

Related Companies

Related News