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8-K - 8-K - First Foundation Inc.d808593d8k.htm

Exhibit 99.1

First Foundation Announces 23% increase in Earnings;

Shares will Commence Trading on the NASDAQ Global Stock Market on November 3, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — IRVINE, CA — October 23, 2014 — First Foundation Inc., a financial services company that provides investment management, wealth planning, consulting, trust and banking services primarily to high-net-worth individuals and businesses, today reported its financial results for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2014.

Results of Operations

Net income for First Foundation, which has two wholly owned operating subsidiaries, First Foundation Advisors and First Foundation Bank, increased 23% to $5.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 as compared to $4.4 million for corresponding period in 2013. Net income for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2014 for First Foundation, was $2.7 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, and $5.4 million, or $0.66 per diluted share, respectively, as compared to net income of $1.5 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, and $4.4 million, or $0.57 per diluted share for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively.

For the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2014, total revenues, which consist of net interest income and noninterest income, increased by 30% and 20%, respectively as compared to the corresponding periods in 2013. During the first nine months of 2014, assets under management at First Foundation Advisors increased by 31% on an annualized basis, and consolidated loans and deposits increased by 29% and 25%, respectively, in each case on an annualized basis.

“Our strong results for the current year reflect the continued success of our comprehensive wealth management offerings and the dedication and hard work of our employees” stated Scott Kavanaugh, Chief Executive Officer of First Foundation. “We expect to be able to maintain our strong growth with enhanced efficiencies going forward and, as a result, we should be able to provide increasing returns to our shareholders.” Mr. Kavanaugh added.

As a result of favorable resolutions of certain assets obtained in the 2012 acquisition of Desert Commercial Bank, in 2014 First Foundation has recognized $960,000 of expense related to an earn-out agreement. As a result, First Foundation will be issuing approximately 64,000 shares of its common stock as payment for this earn-out to the prior shareholders of Desert Commercial Bank.

Listing of Shares on the NASDAQ Global Stock Market

First Foundation has also announced that it expects its shares of common stock to be listed and to begin trading on the NASDAQ Global Stock Market under the trading symbol “FFWM” on Monday, November 3, 2014 “We believe that listing our common stock on NASDAQ will benefit our shareholders by increasing the liquidity of their shares and is also a next step in our continued growth,” Mr. Kavanaugh stated, “as it will provide additional opportunities for us to use our stock to make acquisitions and to raise additional capital as needed.”

The following firms have agreed to be market makers for First Foundation common stock when it is listed on NASDAQ: Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc.; Sandler O’Neill & Partners, L.P.; Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, a Stifel Company; D.A. Davidson; Raymond James & Associates Inc.; and Western Financial Corporation. Their contact information will be provided on the investor relations section of our website at www.ff-inc.com.

About First Foundation

First Foundation, a financial institution founded in 1990, provides integrated investment management, wealth planning, consulting, trust and banking services. The company is headquartered in Irvine with offices in Irvine, Newport Beach, Pasadena, West Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Desert and the Imperial Valley in California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, please visit our website at www.ff-inc.com.


Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this news release regarding our expectations and beliefs about our future financial performance and financial condition, as well as trends in our business and markets are “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements often include words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” or “may.” The forward looking statements in this news release are based on current information and on assumptions that we make about future events and circumstances that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that are often difficult to predict and beyond our control. As a result of those risks and uncertainties, our actual financial results in the future could differ, possibly materially, from those expressed in the forward looking statements contained in this news release and could cause us to make changes to our future plans. Those risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk of incurring loan losses, which is an inherent risk of the banking business; the risk that the economic recovery in the United States will stall or will be adversely affected by domestic or international economic conditions and the risk that the Federal Reserve Board will continue to keep interest rates low, any of which could adversely affect our interest income and interest rate margins and, therefore, our future operating results; and the risk that the performance of our investment management business or of the equity and bond markets could lead clients to move their funds from or close their investment accounts with us, which would reduce our assets under management and adversely affect our operating results. Additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties to which our business and future financial performance are subject is contained in Item 1A, entitled “Risk Factors” in our 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 that we filed with the SEC on March 25, 2014, and readers of this news release are urged to review that additional information contained in that Annual Report. Due to these and other possible uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this news release, which speak only as of today’s date, or to make predictions based solely on historical financial performance. We also disclaim any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this news release or in the above-referenced 2013 Annual Report, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law or NASDAQ rules.

Contact:

John Michel

Chief Financial Officer

First Foundation Inc.

949-202-4160

Email: jmichel@ff-inc.com

 

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FIRST FOUNDATION INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

     September 30,
2014
(unaudited)
    December 31,
2013
 

ASSETS

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 28,842      $ 56,954   

Securities available-for-sale (“AFS”)

     134,760        59,111   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loans, net of deferred fees

     1,101,775        903,645   

Allowance for loan and lease losses (“ALLL”)

     (10,150     (9,915
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loans

     1,091,625        893,730   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Premises and equipment, net

     2,452        3,249   

Investment in FHLB stock

     9,776        6,721   

Deferred taxes

     10,639        12,052   

Real estate owned (“REO”)

     334        375   

Other assets

     6,085        5,168   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Assets

   $ 1,284,513      $ 1,037,360   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

    

Liabilities:

    

Deposits

   $ 951,164      $ 802,037   

Borrowings

     228,682        141,063   

Accounts payable and other liabilities

     10,807        7,498   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

     1,190,653        950,598   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and contingencies

     —          —     

Shareholders’ Equity

    

Common Stock, par value $.001: 20,000,000 shares authorized; 7,736,736 and 7,733,514 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2013, respectively

     8        8   

Additional paid-in-capital

     76,721        76,334   

Retained earnings

     17,378        11,990   

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

     (247     (1,570
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Shareholders’ Equity

     93,860        86,762   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

   $ 1,284,513      $ 1,037,360   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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FIRST FOUNDATION INC.

CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS — Unaudited

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

     For the Quarter
Ended September 30,
     For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
 
     2014      2013      2014      2013  

Interest income:

           

Loans

   $ 11,404       $ 9,108       $ 31,735       $ 28,111   

Securities

     799         304         1,741         480   

Fed funds sold and interest-bearing deposits

     181         112         514         287   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total interest income

     12,384         9,524         33,990         28,878   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Interest expense:

           

Deposits

     953         781         2,595         2,328   

Borrowings

     284         105         682         232   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total interest expense

     1,237         886         3,277         2,560   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net interest income

     11,147         8,638         30,713         26,318   

Provision for loan losses

     —           445         235         1,753   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net interest income after provision for loan losses

     11,147         8,193         30,478         24,565   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Noninterest income:

           

Asset management, consulting and other fees

     5,812         4,597         16,053         13,508   

Other income

     925         491         2,651         1,323   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total noninterest income

     6,737         5,088         18,704         14,831   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Noninterest expense:

           

Compensation and benefits

     8,764         7,172         25,278         21,437   

Occupancy and depreciation

     1,867         1,870         5,499         4,712   

Professional services and marketing costs

     1,192         982         4,540         3,013   

Other expenses

     1,272         914         4,195         3,197   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total noninterest expense

     13,095         10,938         39,512         32,359   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income before taxes on income

     4,789         2,343         9,670         7,037   

Taxes on income

     2,130         890         4,282         2,674   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net income

   $ 2,659       $ 1,453       $ 5,388       $ 4,363   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net income per share:

           

Basic

   $ 0.34       $ 0.20       $ 0.70       $ 0.59   

Diluted

   $ 0.32       $ 0.19       $ 0.66       $ 0.57   

Shares used in computation:

           

Basic

     7,735,350         7,414,527         7,734,372         7,402,044   

Diluted

     8,240,424         7,756,475         8,188,633         7,708,028   

 

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FIRST FOUNDATION INC.

SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

(in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

 

     As of and for the
Nine Months Ended
September 30,
    As of and for
the Year Ended
December 31,
2013
 
     2014     2013    
     Unaudited     Unaudited        

Selected Income Statement Data:

      

Net interest income

   $ 30,713      $ 26,318      $ 35,674   

Provision for loan losses

     235        1,753        2,395   

Noninterest Income:

      

Asset management, consulting and other fees

     16,053        13,508        18,240   

Other

     2,651        1,323        1,584   

Noninterest expense

     39,512        32,359        43,622   

Income before taxes

     9,670        7,037        9,481   

Net income(1)

     5,388        4,363        7,851   

Share and Per Share Data:

      

Net income per share:

      

Basic

   $ 0.70      $ 0.59      $ 1.06   

Diluted

     0.66        0.57        1.01   

Tangible book value per share(2)

   $ 12.10      $ 10.48      $ 11.18   

Shares outstanding at end of period

     7,736,736        7,414,527        7,733,514   

Selected Balance Sheet Data:

      

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 28,842      $ 50,353      $ 56,954   

Loans, net of deferred fees

     1,101,775        845,536        903,645   

Allowance for loan and lease losses (“ALLL”)

     (10,150     (9,345     (9,915

Total assets

     1,284,513        961,551        1,037,360   

Noninterest-bearing deposits

     259,013        204,754        217,782   

Interest-bearing deposits

     692,151        556,605        584,255   

Borrowings — FHLB Advances

     208,000        107,000        134,000   

Borrowings — term note

     20,682        7,250        7,063   

Shareholders’ equity

     93,860        78,005        86,762   

Selected Performance and Capital Ratios:

      

Return on average assets — annualized

     0.63     0.66     0.86

Return on average equity — annualized

     7.9     7.7     10.2

Net yield on interest-earning assets

     3.68     4.10     4.04

Efficiency ratio (3)(5)

     77.6     78.6     78.6

Noninterest income as a % of total revenues

     37.8     36.0     35.7

Tangible common equity to tangible assets(2)

     7.29     8.09     8.34

Other Information:

      

Assets under management (end of period)

   $ 3,198,284      $ 2,482,305      $ 2,594,961   

NPAs to total assets

     0.25     0.40     0.32

Charge-offs to average loans — annualized

     0.00     0.13     0.10

Ratio of ALLL to loans(4)

     0.93     1.18     1.16

 

(1) Reflects effective tax rates of 44.3% and 38.0% for the nine months ended September 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively, and 17.2% for the year ended December 31, 2013.

 

(2) Tangible common equity, (also referred to as tangible book value) and tangible assets, are equal to common equity and assets, respectively, less $0.2 million of intangible assets as of September 30, 2014, and less $0.3 million of intangible assets as of December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2013.

 

(3) The efficiency ratio is the ratio of noninterest expense to the sum of net interest income and noninterest income.

 

(4) This ratio excludes loans acquired in an acquisition as GAAP requires estimated credit losses for acquired loans to be recorded as discounts to those loans.

 

(5) The efficiency ratio for 2014 excludes $1.0 million in costs related to a cancelled initial public offering, a $1.0 million gain on sale of REO and a $1.0 million expense representing a payout to the prior shareholders of an acquired company under a holdback agreement.

 

5


FIRST FOUNDATION INC.

SEGMENT REPORTING — Unaudited

(in thousands)

 

     For the Quarter
Ended September 30,
    For the Nine Months
Ended September 30,
 
     2014     2013     2014     2013  

Banking:

        

Interest income

   $ 12,384      $ 9,524      $ 33,990      $ 28,878   

Interest expense

     1,014        807        2,753        2,417   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net interest income

     11,370        8,717        31,237        26,461   

Provision for loan losses

     —          445        235        1,753   

Noninterest income

     1,765        953        4,694        2,829   

Noninterest expense

     8,216        6,048        22,773        17,922   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before taxes on income

   $ 4,919      $ 3,177      $ 12,923      $ 9,615   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Wealth Management:

        

Noninterest income

   $ 5,113      $ 4,233      $ 14,400      $ 12,292   

Noninterest expense

     4,351        4,408        13,576        13,017   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before taxes on income

   $ 762      $ (175   $ 824      $ (725
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Other and Eliminations:

        

Interest income

   $ —        $ —        $ —        $ —     

Interest expense

     223        79        524        143   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net interest income

     (223     (79     (524     (143

Provision for loan losses

     —          —          —          —     

Noninterest income

     (141     (98     (390     (290

Noninterest expense

     528        482        3,163        1,420   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income before taxes on income

   $ (892   $ (659   $ (4,077   $ (1,853
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

6