Strong Quarterly and Yearly Earnings Growth
Net income of $16.0M in Q4 vs. $10.8M in prior quarter; EPS $0.83 vs. $0.56 QoQ. Adjusted EPS up 41% year-over-year.
Net Interest Income and Margin Expansion
Net interest income $40.7M, up 5% QoQ and 24% YoY. Net interest margin 2.56%, +16 bps QoQ and +61 bps YoY; management projects further NIM tailwinds (swap termination +13 bps by Q3 and organic +3-4 bps/quarter assuming stable Fed funds).
Deposit Growth and Funding Mix Improvement
End market deposits up 1% QoQ and 9% YoY; wholesale funding down $165M (−21% from September), contributing to improved funding mix and margin.
Wealth Management Momentum
Wealth management revenues +5% QoQ; average AUA +4% QoQ and +9% YoY. Executed a wealth asset purchase (Lighthouse) and added business development/financial planning resources; average fees ~60 bps.
Mortgage Production Strength (Full Year)
Full year mortgage originations $667M, up 31% YoY. Mortgage origination and sales volumes increased 21% and 25% respectively; mortgage banking revenues $3.3M in Q4, +14% YoY (seasonally −7% QoQ).
Credit and Asset Quality Improvement
Provision for credit losses normalized; nonaccruing loans 25 bps of total loans; nonaccruing commercial loans 0; past due loans 22 bps; net recoveries $160k in Q4. One CRE past due was brought current in January.
Capital and Equity Position
Total equity $544M, up $11M QoQ. CET1 ~11.9% (near 12%), risk-based capital ~13%; dividend maintained at $0.56 per share.
Strategic Commercial Bank Hiring and Branch Expansion
Hired a 4-person institutional/commercial banking team (from Brookline) focused on Northeast C&I and not-for-profit clients; plan to open a de novo branch in Pawtucket in 2026 to expand local footprint.