Banner Corporation Reports Net Income of $48.0 Million, or $1.39 Per Diluted Share, for Second Quarter 2022; Declares...

WALLA WALLA, Wash., July 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Banner Corporation (NASDAQ GSM: BANR) (Banner), the parent company of Banner Bank, today reported net income of $48.0 million, or $1.39 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2022, a 9% increase compared to $44.0 million, or $1.27 per diluted share, for the preceding quarter and a 12% decrease compared to $54.4 million, or $1.56 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2021. Banner's second quarter 2022 results include $4.5 million of provision for credit losses, compared to $7.0 million in recapture of provision for credit losses in the preceding quarter and $10.3 million in recapture of provision for credit losses in the second quarter of 2021. In addition, during the second quarter of 2022 Banner recognized a $7.8 million gain related to the recently completed branch sale. In the first six months of 2022, net income was $91.9 million, or $2.66 per diluted share, compared to net income of $101.2 million, or $2.88 per diluted share for the same period a year earlier. Banner's first six months of 2022 results include $2.4 million in recapture of provision for credit losses, compared to $19.5 million in recapture of provision for credit losses in the first six months of 2021.

Banner announced that its Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.44 per share. The dividend will be payable August 12, 2022, to common shareholders of record on August 2, 2022.

Banner's second quarter operating results reflect the continued successful execution of our super community bank strategy, and the ongoing implementation of Banner Forward, said Mark Grescovich, President and CEO. Our performance for the second quarter of 2022 benefited from solid loan growth, higher yields on interest-earning assets that led to net interest margin expansion, and the closing of the branch sale. Our continued focus on cultivating new client relationships contributed to our core deposits increasing 5% and loans, excluding PPP loans, increasing 7%, compared to June30, 2021. We believe Banner remains well positioned for rising interest rates with an asset sensitive position which should further expand our net interest margin, and ample on-balance sheet liquidity to support loan demand and mitigate rising deposit costs. Our approach of consistently delivering outstanding service and value to our clients, communities, colleagues, company and shareholders while meeting our performance objectives continues to guide our success.