East West Bancorp, Inc. (“East West” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: EWBC), parent company of East West Bank, reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2023. Second quarter 2023 net income was $312.0 million, or $2.20 per diluted share, up from $258.3 million, or $1.81 per diluted share in the prior year period. Year-over-year, net income and earnings per share both increased 21%.

“We are pleased with our operating performance for the second quarter, which continues the strong trajectory from the first quarter of 2023. For the second quarter of 2023, both deposits and loans grew 7% linked quarter annualized, to $55.7 billion and $49.8 billion, respectively,” stated Dominic Ng, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of East West. “For the second quarter of 2023, we earned industry-leading returns of 1.85% on average assets and 21.0% on average tangible common equity¹. Net interest margin was 3.55%, a healthy margin in the current environment, and asset quality continued to be outstanding with net charge-offs of 0.06% annualized.”

“We remain focused on ensuring both the strength and stability of our balance sheet, capital, liquidity and earnings power. Our tangible common equity ratio¹ increased to 8.80% and our common equity tier 1 capital ratio increased to 13.17% as of June 30, 2023. We believe that through the strength of our diversified business model and the growth opportunities we see in our markets, we will continue to generate strong returns for shareholders, for the remainder of 2023 and for years to come,” concluded Ng.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

BALANCE SHEET

• Total Assets – Total assets reached a record $68.5 billion as of June 30, 2023, an increase of $1.3 billion, or 2%, from $67.2 billion as of March 31, 2023.
  
  
  
  Second quarter 2023 average interest-earning assets of $64.1 billion were up $2.6 billion, or 4%, from $61.5 billion in the first quarter of 2023. Quarter-over-quarter, average loans grew $701.9 million and average interest-bearing cash and deposits with banks increased $1.8 billion.

• Strong Capital Levels – As of June 30, 2023, stockholders’ equity was $6.5 billion, or $45.67 per share, both up 2% quarter-over-quarter. The stockholders’ equity to asset ratio was 9.43% as of June 30, 2023, an increase of five basis points quarter-over-quarter.
  
  
  
  As of June 30, 2023, tangible book value³ per share was $42.33, up 3% quarter-over-quarter. The tangible common equity ratio³ was 8.80%, an increase of six basis points quarter-over-quarter.
  
  
  
  All of East West’s regulatory capital ratios are well in excess of regulatory requirements for well-capitalized institutions, as well as above regional and national bank averages. The common equity tier 1 (“CET1”) capital ratio increased to 13.17%, and the total risk-based capital ratio increased to 14.60%, as of June 30, 2023.

• Total Loans – Total loans reached a record $49.8 billion as of June 30, 2023, an increase of $906.3 million, or 2%, from $48.9 billion as of March 31, 2023. Year-over-year, total loans grew $3.3 billion, or 7%, from $46.5 billion as of June 30, 2022.
  
  
  
  Second quarter 2023 average loans of $48.9 billion grew $701.9 million, or 1.5%, from the first quarter of 2023. Growth in average residential mortgage and commercial real estate loans was partially offset by a decrease in average commercial and industrial loans.

• Total Deposits – Total deposits were $55.7 billion as of June 30, 2023, an increase of $921.4 million, or 2%, from $54.7 billion as of March 31, 2023. Noninterest-bearing deposits made up 30% of our total deposits as of June 30, 2023, compared with 33% as of March 31, 2023. Year-over-year, deposits increased $1.3 billion, or 2%, from $54.3 billion as of June 30, 2022.
  
  
  
  Second quarter 2023 average deposits of $54.3 billion were down $669.0 million, or 1%, from the first quarter of 2023. During the second quarter, growth in average interest-bearing checking and time deposits was offset by declines in other deposit categories, which largely reflected customers seeking higher yields in a rising interest rate environment.

OPERATING RESULTS

Second Quarter Earnings – Second quarter 2023 net income was $312.0 million, and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) were $2.20. Second quarter 2023 net income and EPS both decreased 3% from first quarter 2023 net income of $322.4 million and diluted EPS of $2.27. Second quarter 2023 net income and EPS both increased 21% from second quarter 2022 net income of $258.3 million and diluted EPS of $1.81.

Net income and diluted EPS for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were $634.5 million and $4.47, an increase of 28% and 29%, respectively, from the six months ended June 30, 2022.

Second Quarter 2023 Compared to First Quarter 2023

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

Net interest income (“NII”) totaled $566.7 million, a decrease of 6% from $599.9 million. Net interest margin (“NIM”) of 3.55% declined 41 basis points from 3.96%.

• The change in NIM was primarily driven by a higher cost of interest-bearing deposits and changes in the deposit mix in favor of higher-cost deposits, partially offset by higher loan volumes and expanding interest-earning asset yields.
• The average loan yield was 6.33%, up 19 basis points from the first quarter. The average interest-earning asset yield was 5.67%, up 16 basis points from the first quarter.
• The average cost of funds was 2.31%, up 62 basis points from the first quarter. The average cost of deposits was 2.12%, up 52 basis points from the first quarter.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income totaled $78.6 million in the second quarter, an increase of $18.7 million, or 31%, from $60.0 million in the first quarter.

• Fee income was $69.3 million, up $3.0 million, or 5%, from $66.3 million in the first quarter, reflecting growth across all fee income categories.
• Interest rate contracts and other derivative income was $7.4 million in the second quarter, up from $2.6 million in the first quarter. The change reflected both growth in customer-driven revenue and a favorable change in mark-to-market adjustments.
• Other investment income was $4.0 million for the second quarter, up $2.1 million from $1.9 million in the first quarter, reflecting higher income from Community Reinvestment Act investments during the second quarter.

Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense totaled $261.8 million in the second quarter, compared with $218.4 million in the first quarter. Second quarter noninterest expense consisted of $205.4 million of adjusted noninterest expense⁴, $55.9 million in amortization of tax credit and other investments, and $0.5 million in amortization of core deposit intangibles.

• Adjusted noninterest expense of $205.4 million increased $1.4 million, or 1%, from $204.0 million in the first quarter.
• Compensation and employee benefits was $124.9 million, a decrease of $4.7 million or 4%, largely due to higher seasonal costs in the first quarter.
• Amortization of tax credit and other investments totaled $55.9 million in the second quarter, compared with $10.1 million in the first quarter. Quarter-over-quarter variability in the amortization of tax credits and other investments primarily reflects the impact of investments that close in a given period and are projected to generate tax credits by the end of the year.
• The efficiency ratio was 40.6% in the second quarter, compared with 33.1% in the first quarter and the adjusted efficiency ratio⁴ was 31.8% in the second quarter, compared with 30.5% in the first quarter.

TAX RELATED ITEMS

Second quarter 2023 income tax expense was $45.6 million, and the effective tax rate was 12.7%, compared with 23.5% for the first quarter of 2023. The lower effective tax rate was mainly due to an additional $97 million of tax credits in renewable energy investments that closed during the second quarter. The effective tax rate for the first six months of 2023 was 18.6% compared with 22.4% for the first six months of 2022. We currently estimate that the full year tax rate for 2023 will be approximately 20%.

ASSET QUALITY

The asset quality of our loan portfolio continues to be strong. Second quarter 2023 provision for credit losses was $26.0 million, compared with $20.0 million in the first quarter of 2023.

• The allowance for loan losses increased to $635.4 million, or 1.28% of loans held-for-investment (“HFI”), as of June 30, 2023, compared with $619.9 million, or 1.27% of loans HFI, as of March 31, 2023.
• Second quarter 2023 net charge-offs were $7.5 million or annualized 0.06% of average loans HFI, compared with $0.6 million or annualized 0.01% of average loans HFI, for the first quarter of 2023.
• The criticized loans ratio improved 24 basis points quarter-over-quarter to 1.63% of loans HFI as of June 30, 2023, compared with 1.87% as of March 31, 2023. Criticized loans decreased $102.3 million, or 11%, quarter-over-quarter to $811.8 million as of June 30, 2023, compared with $914.1 million as of March 31, 2023.
• The nonperforming assets ratio was 0.17% of total assets as of June 30, 2023, compared with 0.14% of total assets as of March 31, 2023. Nonperforming assets increased $22.1 million, or 24%, quarter-over-quarter to $115.5 million as of June 30, 2023, from $93.4 million as of March 31, 2023.

CAPITAL STRENGTH

Capital levels for East West are strong and all capital ratios expanded quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year. The following table presents the regulatory capital metrics as of June 30, 2023, March 31, 2023 and June 30, 2022.

DIVIDEND PAYOUT AND CAPITAL ACTIONS

East West’s Board of Directors has declared third quarter 2023 dividends for the Company’s common stock. The common stock cash dividend of $0.48 per share is payable on August 15, 2023, to stockholders of record on August 1, 2023.

On March 3, 2020, East West’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $500 million of East West’s common stock, of which $254 million remains available. East West did not repurchase any shares during the second quarter of 2023.

Conference Call

East West will host a conference call to discuss second quarter 2023 earnings with the public on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. PT/11:30 a.m. ET. The public and investment community are invited to listen as management discusses second quarter 2023 results and operating developments.

• The following dial-in information is provided for participation in the conference call: calls within the U.S. – (877) 506-6399; calls within Canada – (855) 669-9657; international calls – (412) 902-6699.
• A presentation to accompany the earnings call will be available on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at www.eastwestbank.com/investors.
• A listen-only live broadcast of the call will also be available on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s website at www.eastwestbank.com/investors.
• A replay of the conference call will be available on July 20, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. PT/2:30 p.m. ET through August 20, 2023. The replay numbers are: within the U.S. – (877) 344-7529; within Canada – (855) 669-9658; international calls – (412) 317-0088; and the replay access code is: 5177099.

About East West

East West provides financial services that help customers reach further and connect to new opportunities. East West Bancorp, Inc. is a public company (Nasdaq: “EWBC”) with total assets of $68.5 billion. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, East West Bank, is the largest independent bank headquartered in Southern California, and operates over 120 locations in the United States and Asia. The Bank’s markets in the United States include California, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Texas, and Washington. For more information on East West, visit www.eastwestbank.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters set forth herein (including any exhibits hereto) contain forward-looking statements that are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for such statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In addition, the Company may make forward-looking statements in other documents that it files with, or furnishes to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and management may make forward-looking statements to analysts, investors, media members and others. Forward-looking statements are those that do not relate to historical facts and that are based on current assumptions, beliefs, estimates, expectations and projections, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond the Company’s control. Forward-looking statements may relate to various matters, including the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance, business or industry, and usually can be identified by the use of forward-looking words, such as “anticipates,” “assumes,” “believes,” “can,” “continues,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “goal,” “intends,” “likely,” “may,” “might,” “objective,” “plans,” “potential,” “projects,” “remains,” “should,” “target,” “trend,” “will,” “would,” or similar expressions or variations thereof, and the negative thereof, but these terms are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as they are subject to risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described below. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should keep in mind these risks and uncertainties, as well as any cautionary statements the Company may make.

There are various important factors that could cause future results to differ materially from historical performance and any forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such differences, include, but are not limited to: changes in the global economy, including an economic slowdown, capital or financial market disruption, supply chain disruption, level of inflation, interest rate environment, housing prices, employment levels, rate of growth and general business conditions, which could result in, among other things, reduced demand for loans, reduced availability of funding or increased funding costs, declines in asset values and /or recognition of allowance for credit losses; changes in local, regional and global business, economic and political conditions and geopolitical events, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; the soundness of other financial institutions and the impacts related to or resulting from recent bank failures and other economic and industry volatility, including potential increased regulatory requirements, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insurance premiums, losses in the value of our investment portfolio, deposit withdrawals, or other adverse consequences of negative market perceptions of the banking industry or the Company; changes in laws or the regulatory environment, including regulatory reform initiatives and policies of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”), the FDIC, the SEC, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation — Division of Financial Institutions, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore; changes and effects thereof in trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including the ongoing trade, economic and political disputes between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China and the monetary policies of the Federal Reserve; changes in the commercial and consumer real estate markets; changes in consumer or commercial spending, savings and borrowing habits, and patterns and behaviors; the impact from potential changes to income tax laws and regulations, federal spending and economic stimulus programs; the impact of any future U.S. federal government shutdown and uncertainty regarding the U.S. federal government’s debt limit and credit rating; the Company’s ability to compete effectively against financial institutions and other entities, including as a result of emerging technologies; the success and timing of the Company’s business strategies; the Company’s ability to retain key officers and employees; the impact on the Company’s funding costs, net interest income and net interest margin from changes in key variable market interest rates, competition, regulatory requirements and the Company’s product mix; changes in the Company’s costs of operation, compliance and expansion; the Company’s ability to adopt and successfully integrate new technologies into its business in a strategic manner; the impact of the benchmark interest rate reform in the U.S. including the transition away from the U.S. dollar (“USD”) London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to alternative reference rates; the impact of communications or technology disruption, failure in, or breach of, the Company’s operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of third party vendors with which the Company does business, including as a result of cyber-attacks; and other similar matters which could result in, among other things, confidential and/or proprietary information being disclosed or misused, and materially impact the Company’s ability to provide services to its clients; the adequacy of the Company’s risk management framework, disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting; future credit quality and performance, including the Company’s expectations regarding future credit losses and allowance levels; the impact of adverse changes to the Company’s credit ratings from major credit rating agencies; the impact of adverse judgments or settlements in litigation; the impact on the Company’s operations due to political developments, pandemics, wars, civil unrest, terrorism or other hostilities that may disrupt or increase volatility in securities or otherwise affect business and economic conditions; heightened regulatory and governmental oversight and scrutiny of the Company’s business practices, including dealings with consumers; the impact of reputational risk from negative publicity, fines, penalties and other negative consequences from regulatory violations, legal actions and the Company’s interactions with business partners, counterparties, service providers and other third parties; the impact of regulatory investigations and enforcement actions; changes in accounting standards as may be required by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other regulatory agencies and their impact on the Company’s critical accounting policies and assumptions; the Company’s capital requirements and its ability to generate capital internally or raise capital on favorable terms; the impact on the Company’s liquidity due to changes in the Company’s ability to receive dividends from its subsidiaries; any strategic acquisitions or divestitures; changes in the equity and debt securities markets; fluctuations in the Company’s stock price; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; the impact of increased focus on social, environmental and sustainability matters, which may affect the Company’s operations as well as those of its customers and the economy more broadly; and the impact of climate change, natural or man-made disasters or calamities, such as wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, flooding and earthquakes or other events that may directly or indirectly result in a negative impact on the Company’s financial performance.

For a more detailed discussion of some of the factors that might cause such differences, see the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 under the heading Item 1A. Risk Factors and the information set forth under Item 1A. Risk Factors in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. You should treat forward-looking statements as speaking only as of the date they are made and based only on information then actually known to the Company. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of events or circumstances after the date of such statements except as required by law.