Net Interest Margin
The net interest margin (“NIM”) for the fourth quarter of 2019 was 2.04%, up five basis points compared to the third quarter of 2019 NIM and was down five basis points relative to theyear-ago NIM. The fourth quarter yield on average interest-earning assets declined four basis points to 3.78% on a linked-quarter basis, mainly due to a lower yield on the securities portfolio, but was more than offset by a 10 basis point sequential decline in the overall cost of funds to 1.94%.
Prepayment income for the fourth quarter of 2019 totaled $17.9 million up 26% sequentially and up 89% year-over-year. Prepayment income contributed 14 basis points to this quarter’s NIM, up three basis points from the previous quarter and up nine basis points from theyear-ago quarter. Excluding the impact from prepayment income, the fourth quarter NIM, on a non-GAAP basis, would have been 1.90%, up two basis points andin-line with expectations.
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, the NIM was 2.02%, down 23 basis points compared to the twelve months ended December 31, 2018. The yield on average interest-earning assets rose 12 basis points to 3.80%, while the cost of funds increased by 39 basis points to 2.01%.
Prepayment income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 totaled $54.2 million, up 9% relative to prepayment income for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018. Prepayment income added 12 basis points to the full-year 2019 NIM compared to 11 basis points to the full-year 2018 NIM. Excluding the impact from prepayment income, the full-year 2019 NIM, on a non-GAAP basis, would have been 1.90%, down 24 basis points compared to full-year 2018.
Provision for Loan Losses
In the fourth quarter of 2019, the Company reported a provision for loan losses of $1.7 million compared to a provision for loan losses of $4.8 million in the previous quarter and a provision for loan losses of $2.8 million in theyear-ago quarter.
On ayear-to-date basis, the provision for loan losses was $7.1 million, down $11.2 million or 61% compared to the $18.3 million in 2018. This was due to a lower amount of taxi medallion-related charge-offs in 2019 compared to 2018.
Non-Interest Income
For the three months ended December 31, 2019,non-interest income totaled $17.5 million, down $6.9 million compared to the previous quarter and down $5.6 million compared to theyear-ago fourth quarter. Included in the prior quarter of 2019 was a $7.9 million gain on the sale-leaseback of a branch property in Florida. Included in theyear-ago quarter was $4.6 million of revenue related to our former wealth management business, Peter B. Cannell & Co., Inc. which was divested in the first quarter of 2019.
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2019,non-interest income totaled $84.2 million, down $7.3 million or 8% compared to the $91.6 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018. Included in the full-year 2018 amount was revenue of $20.3 million related to the aforementioned wealth management business, versus no such revenue in full-year 2019. Also included in the full-year 2019 period were net gains on securities of $7.7 million compared to a net loss on securities of $2.0 million in full-year 2018 and the previously discussed branch sale-leaseback gain compared to no such gains in full-year 2018.
Non-Interest Expense
Totalnon-interest expense for the three months ended December 31, 2019 was $126.1 million compared to $123.3 million in the prior quarter and $134.9 million in theyear-ago quarter. The prior quarter included approximately $1.4 million in severance costs. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2019, totalnon-interest expense was $511.2 million versus $546.6 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018. In 2019,non-interest expense included $10.4 million of certain items related to severance costs and branch rationalization costs.
The efficiency ratio for the current fourth quarter was 48.51% compared to 47.37% during the previous quarter and 49.92% during theyear-ago quarter.
Income Taxes
Income tax expense for the three months ended December 31, 2019 was $31.0 million compared to $33.2 million in the previous quarter and $30.9 million in theyear-ago quarter. This translates into an effective tax rate of 23.43% for the current quarter compared to 25.09% in the previous quarter and 23.27% in theyear-ago quarter.
For full-year 2019, income tax expense totaled $128.3 million compared to $135.3 million for full-year 2018. The effective tax rate in 2019 was 24.51% compared to 24.25% in 2018.
About New York Community Bancorp, Inc.
Based in Westbury, NY, New York Community Bancorp, Inc. is a leading producer of multi-family loans onnon-luxury, rent-regulated apartment buildings in New York City, and the parent of New York Community Bank. At December 31, 2019, the Company reported assets of $53.6 billion, loans of $41.7 billion, deposits of $31.7 billion, and stockholders’ equity of $6.7 billion.
Reflecting our growth through a series of acquisitions, the Company operates 238 branches through eight local divisions, each with a history of service and strength: Queens County Savings Bank, Roslyn Savings Bank, Richmond County Savings Bank, Roosevelt Savings Bank, and Atlantic Bank in New York; Garden State Community Bank in New Jersey; Ohio Savings Bank in Ohio; and AmTrust Bank in Florida and Arizona.
Post-Earnings Release Conference Call
The Company will host a conference call on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss its fourth quarter and full-year 2019 performance. The conference call may be accessed by dialing (877)407-8293 (for domestic calls) or (201)689-8349 (for international calls) and asking for “New York Community Bancorp” or “NYCB.” A replay will be available approximately three hours following completion of the call through 11:59 p.m. on February 2, 2020 and may be accessed by calling (877)660-6853 (domestic) or (201)612-7415 (international) and providing the following conference ID: 13697574. In addition, the conference call will be webcast at ir.myNYCB.com, and archived through 5:00 p.m. on February 26, 2020.
Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This earnings release and the associated conference call may includeforward-looking statements by the Company and our authorized officers pertaining to such matters as our goals, intentions, and expectations regarding revenues, earnings, loan production, asset quality, capital levels, and acquisitions, among other matters; our estimates of future costs and benefits of the actions we may take; our assessments of probable losses on loans; our assessments of interest rate and other market risks; and our ability to achieve our financial and other strategic goals.
Forward-looking statements are typically identified by such words as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “outlook,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “project,” “should,” and other similar words and expressions, and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, which change over time. Additionally,forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made; the Company does not assume any duty, and does not undertake, to update ourforward-looking statements. Furthermore, becauseforward-looking statements are subject to assumptions and uncertainties, actual results or future events could differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in our statements, and our future performance could differ materially from our historical results.
Ourforward-looking statements are subject to the following principal risks and uncertainties: general economic conditions and trends, either nationally or locally; conditions in the securities markets; changes in interest rates; changes in deposit flows, and in the demand for deposit, loan, and investment products and other financial services; changes in real estate values; changes in the quality or composition of our loan or investment portfolios; changes in competitive pressures among financial institutions or fromnon-financial institutions; our ability to obtain the necessary shareholder and regulatory approvals of any acquisitions we may propose; our ability to successfully integrate any assets, liabilities, customers, systems, and management personnel we may acquire into our operations, and our ability to realize related revenue synergies and cost savings within expected time frames; changes in legislation, regulations, and policies; and a variety of other matters which, by their nature, are subject to significant uncertainties and/or are beyond our control.
More information regarding some of these factors is provided in the Risk Factors section of our Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 and in other SEC reports we file. Ourforward-looking statements may also be subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those we may discuss in this news release, on our conference call, during investor presentations, or in our SEC filings, which are accessible on our website and at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov.
- Financial Statements and Highlights Follow -