Noninterest Expense
Noninterest expense was $142.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, an increase of $22.9 million compared to noninterest expense of $119.4 million in the prior quarter.
The efficiency ratio was 67.3% and 58.3% for the quarters ended December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, respectively.
Taxes
The effective tax rate was 24.0% and 23.8% for the quarters ended December 31, 2023 and September 30, 2023, respectively.
Asset Quality
The allowance for credit losses was $156.5 million, or 1.09% of total loans and leases, as of December 31, 2023, compared to $154.8 million, or 1.08% of total loans and leases, as of September 30, 2023. The reserve for unfunded commitments was $35.6 million as of December 31, 2023 compared to $37.8 million as of September 30, 2023. Net charge-offs were $5.8 million, or 0.16% of average loans and leases on an annualized basis, for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, compared to net recoveries of $0.3 million, or 0.01% of average loans and leases on an annualized basis, for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. Total non-performing assets were $18.6 million, or 0.13% of total loans and leases and other real estate owned, on December 31, 2023, compared to total non-performing assets of $14.6 million, or 0.10% of total loans and leases and other real estate owned, on September 30, 2023.
Capital
Total stockholders' equity was $2.5 billion on December 31, 2023 an increase of $135.1 million from $2.4 billion as of September 30, 2023.
The tier 1 leverage, common equity tier 1 and total capital ratios were 8.64%, 12.39% and 13.57%, respectively, on December 31, 2023, compared with 8.45%, 12.21% and 13.38%, respectively, on September 30, 2023.
The Company did not repurchase any shares in the fourth quarter.
As to the stock repurchase program approved for 2024, repurchases of shares of the Company’s common stock may be conducted through open-market purchases, which may include purchases under a trading plan adopted pursuant to Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 10b5-1, or through privately negotiated transactions. The timing and exact amount of share repurchases, if any, will be subject to management’s discretion and various factors, including the Company’s capital position and financial performance, as well as market conditions. The repurchase program may be suspended, terminated or modified at any time for any reason.
First Hawaiian, Inc.
First Hawaiian, Inc. (NASDAQ:FHB) is a bank holding company headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. Its principal subsidiary, First Hawaiian Bank, founded in 1858 under the name Bishop & Company, is Hawaii’s oldest and largest financial institution with branch locations throughout Hawaii, Guam and Saipan. The company offers a comprehensive suite of banking services to consumer and commercial customers including deposit products, loans, wealth management, insurance, trust, retirement planning, credit card and merchant processing services. Customers may also access their accounts through ATMs, online and mobile banking channels. For more information about First Hawaiian, Inc., visit the Company’s website, www.fhb.com.
Conference Call Information
First Hawaiian will host a conference call to discuss the Company’s results today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time, 8:00 a.m. Hawaii Time.
To access the call by phone, please register via the following link:
https://register.vevent.com/register/BIb0fdeb3d43a84da4acc2b0efeb9ba356, and you will be provided with dial in details. To avoid delays, we encourage participants to dial into the conference call fifteen minutes ahead of the scheduled start time.
A live webcast of the conference call, including a slide presentation, will be available at the following link: www.fhb.com/earnings. The archive of the webcast will be available at the same location.