UMPQUA REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL-YEAR 2021 RESULTS

PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --

CEO Commentary

"Umpqua's fourth quarter results round out an outstanding year for the bank that is particularly commendable given the ongoing challenges faced by our associates, customers, and communities" said Cort O'Haver, President and CEO. "Non-PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan growth of $930 million marks the highest quarterly growth in the bank's history, and it highlights the success of multi-year initiatives that are further evidenced through core commercial fee growth and a continued reduction of our total cost of deposits to just six basis points. The quarter's growth demonstrates our ability to keep our teams focused on organically expanding our franchise and creating shareholder value while meticulously planning for our previously announced combination with Columbia Banking System."

–   Cort O'Haver, President and CEO of Umpqua Holdings Corporation

Balance Sheet
Total consolidated assets were $30.6 billion as of December 31, 2021, compared to $30.9 billion as of September 30, 2021 and $29.2 billion as of December 31, 2020.  Including secured off-balance sheet lines of credit, total available liquidity was $15.3 billion as of December 31, 2021, representing 50% of total assets and 58% of total deposits.

Gross loans and leases were $22.6 billion as of December 31, 2021, an increase of $583.2 million from $22.0 billion as of September 30, 2021. The increase is primarily due to balanced, non-PPP loan growth of $929.5 million that substantially offset a $346.3 million decline in PPP balances as related loan forgiveness continued. Please refer to the additional loan tables in the Q4 2021 Earnings Presentation for select underwriting characteristics of the loan portfolio.

Total deposits were $26.6 billion as of December 31, 2021, a decrease of $313.7 million from $26.9 billion as of September 30, 2021. This decrease was primarily attributable to anticipated outflows related to the April 2021 sale of Umpqua Investments, a continued decline in personal certificates of deposit balances, and normal seasonal trends related to customer tax and escrow payments.

Net Interest Income
Net interest income was $233.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2021, down $1.7 million from the prior quarter. The decrease is due to a $5.9 million reduction in PPP-related fee income accreted into interest income, with the effect partially offset by higher non-PPP loan income and higher investment securities income due to higher average balances in the quarter and a reduction in the cost of interest-bearing deposits.

The Company's net interest margin was 3.15% for the fourth quarter of 2021, down 6 basis points from 3.21% for the third quarter of 2021. The decrease is attributable to the aforementioned decline in PPP-related fees. Please refer to the Q4 2021 Earnings Presentation for additional net interest margin change details and interest rate sensitivity information.

Credit Quality
The allowance for credit losses was $261.2 million, or 1.16% of loans and leases, as of December 31, 2021, which was down from $269.3 million, or 1.23% of loans and leases, as of September 30, 2021.  The recapture of provision for credit losses was $0.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2021, compared to a recapture of $18.9 million for the third quarter of 2021. The current quarter's modest recapture of provision reflects improvement in economic forecasts used in credit models that was largely offset by allowance requirements for new loan generation.

Net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans and leases increased by two basis points from the prior quarter to 0.13% of average loans and leases for the fourth quarter of 2021 (annualized).  Net charge-off activity within the FinPac portfolio remained below its historical average for the second consecutive quarter. As of December 31, 2021, non-performing assets were 0.17% of total assets, compared to 0.17% as of September 30, 2021 and 0.24% as of December 31, 2020.

Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL)
On January 1, 2020, we adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments —Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ("CECL").  In applying CECL, we use credit models that factor in economic forecasts to project life of loan performance.  At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic forecasts projected significant, negative COVID-19 related impacts to the economy; therefore we recorded significant provisions for credit losses in the first and second quarters of 2020. As those future economic forecasts stabilized as well as incorporating loan mix changes, we recorded a recapture of $0.7 million of the allowance for credit losses in the current period.

Non-interest Income
Non-interest income was $82.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2021, up $9.0 million from the prior quarter and driven primarily by the increase in net mortgage banking revenue. As detailed in our segment disclosures, non-interest income for the Core Banking segment includes a fair value loss of $3.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2021, driven by an increase in long-term interest rates and their effect on fair value adjustments related to investment securities, swap derivatives, and loans carried at fair value. This compares to a fair value gain of $4.5 million in the third quarter of 2021, and the $8.0 million decline in fair value change between periods from these specific items was primarily driven by a $6.1 million decline in fair value change for loans carried at fair value, which is captured in other income. Please refer to the Q4 2021 Earnings Presentation for additional details related to other non-interest income.

Revenue from the origination and sale of residential mortgages was $23.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2021, a decrease of $6.7 million from the prior quarter. This decline reflects a sequential quarter decrease of $116.0 million or 11.8% in for-sale mortgage origination volume given anticipated seasonal trends and a decrease of 36 basis points in the home lending gain on sale margin to 2.71% for the fourth quarter of 2021 due to a seasonal decline in the locked pipeline. Interest rate movements favorably impacted valuation of the MSR asset, resulting in a net write-up during the quarter of $10.1 million, which includes a $15.4 million fair value gain related to model inputs. Of the current quarter's mortgage production, 54% related to purchase activity, compared to 61% for the prior quarter and 48% for the same period in the prior year.

Non-interest Expense
Non-interest expense was $199.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2021, an increase of $16.0 million from the prior quarter level. The current quarter includes $15.2 million in merger-related expenses and $3.0 million in exit and disposal costs related to store consolidations and back-office lease exits. Please refer to the Q4 2021 Earnings Presentation for quarterly expense change details.

Capital
As of December 31, 2021, the Company's book value per common share increased to $12.69 from $12.57 in the prior quarter, and its tangible book value per common share² increased to  $12.65 from $12.52 in the prior quarter. 

The Company's estimated total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio was 14.3% and its estimated Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio was 11.6% as of December 31, 2021. The Company remains above current "well-capitalized" regulatory minimums. The regulatory capital ratios as of December 31, 2021 are estimates, pending completion and filing of the Company's regulatory reports.

Segment Disclosures
Segment disclosures on pages 19, 20 and 21 of this press release provide additional detail on the Company's two operating segments: Core Banking and Mortgage Banking.

The Core Banking segment includes all lines of business, except Mortgage Banking, including wholesale, retail, wealth management, as well as the operations, technology, and administrative functions of the Bank and Holding Company.  The Mortgage Banking segment includes the revenue earned from the production and sale of residential real estate loans, the servicing income from our serviced loan portfolio, the quarterly changes to the mortgage servicing rights (MSR) asset, and the specific expenses that are related to mortgage banking activities including variable commission expenses.  Revenue and related expenses for residential real estate loans held for investment are included in the Core Banking segment as portfolio loans are an anchor product for our consumer channels and are originated through a variety of channels throughout the Company.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to results presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (GAAP), this press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures.  The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with information useful in understanding the Company's financial performance; however, readers of this document are urged to review these non-GAAP financial measures in conjunction with the GAAP results as reported.

Management believes tangible common equity and the tangible common equity ratio are useful measures of capital adequacy because they provide a meaningful base for period-to-period and company-to-company comparisons, which management believes will assist investors in assessing the capital of the Company and the ability to absorb potential losses. Tangible common equity is calculated as total shareholders' equity less goodwill and other intangible assets, net (excluding MSRs). Tangible assets are total assets less goodwill and other intangible assets, net (excluding MSRs).  The tangible common equity ratio is calculated as tangible common shareholders' equity divided by tangible assets.

The following table provides reconciliations of ending shareholders' equity (GAAP) to ending tangible common equity (non-GAAP), and ending assets (GAAP) to ending tangible assets (non-GAAP).

About Umpqua Holdings Corporation
Umpqua Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: UMPQ) is the parent company of Umpqua Bank, an Oregon-based bank recognized for its entrepreneurial approach, innovative customer experience, and distinctive banking solutions. Umpqua Bank has locations across Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho and Nevada. Umpqua Holdings Corporation is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Umpqua Bank has been recognized for its innovative customer experience and banking strategy by national publications including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Fast Company and CNBC. The company has been recognized for eight years in a row on FORTUNE magazine's list of the country's "100 Best Companies to Work For," and was recently named by The Portland Business Journal the Most Admired Financial Services Company in Oregon for the sixteenth consecutive year. In addition to its retail banking presence, Umpqua Bank also owns Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc., a nationally recognized commercial finance company that provides equipment leases to businesses. For more information, visit www.umpquabank.com.

Earnings Conference Call Information
The Company will host its fourth quarter 2021 earnings conference call on Thursday, January 20, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. PT (1:00 p.m. ET).  During the call, the Company will provide an update on recent activities and discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2021 financial results.  There will be a live question-and-answer session following the presentation.  To join the call, please dial (866) 440-7407 ten minutes prior to the start time and enter conference ID: 3384189. A re-broadcast will be available approximately two hours after the call by dialing (855) 859-2056 and entering conference ID 3384189.  The earnings conference call will also be available as an audio cast, which can be accessed on the Company's investor relations page at https://www.umpquabank.com/investor-relations/.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "Safe-Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which management believes are a benefit to shareholders. These statements are necessarily subject to risk and uncertainty and actual results could differ materially due to various risk factors, including those set forth from time to time in our filings with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and we undertake no obligation to update any such statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "seeks," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "target," "projects," "outlook," "forecast," "will," "may," "could," "should," "can" and similar references to future periods. In this press release we make forward-looking statements about strategic and growth initiatives. Risks that could cause results to differ from forward-looking statements we make are set forth in our filings with the SEC and include, without limitation: current and future economic and market conditions, including the effects of declines in housing and commercial real estate prices, high unemployment rates, and any slowdown in economic growth particularly in the western United States; the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, including on our credit quality, deferral programs, and business operations, as well as its impact on general economic and financial market conditions; economic forecast variables that are either materially worse or better than end of quarter projections and deterioration in the economy that exceeds current consensus estimates; our ability to effectively manage problem credits; our ability to successfully implement efficiency and operational excellence initiatives; our ability to successfully develop and market new products and technology; changes in laws or regulations; the ability to complete, or any delays in completing, the proposed transaction between us and Columbia Banking System, Inc.; any failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction when expected or at all; certain restrictions during the pendency of the proposed transaction that may impact our ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions; the possibility that the transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events, diversion of management's attention from ongoing business operations and opportunities; and potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the announcement or completion of the transaction. We also caution that the amount and timing of any future common stock dividends or repurchases will depend on the earnings, cash requirements and financial condition of the Company, market conditions, capital requirements, applicable law and regulations (including federal securities laws and federal banking regulations), and other factors deemed relevant by the Company's Board of Directors, and may be subject to regulatory approval or conditions.