Highlights

• Quarterly net income available to common stockholders of $58.6 million or $1.37 per diluted common share
• Annual net income available to common stockholders of $204.1 million or $4.79 per diluted common share
• Quarterly loan growth of $504.8 million or 5%
• Annual loan growth of $1.47 billion or 15%. Excluding decreases in Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loans, annual loan growth was $1.66 billion or 17%.
• Total revenue growth during the quarter of $10.1 million or 5% and $37.0 million or 5% during the year
• Nonperforming assets to total assets declined to 0.33% and 30-89 day loan delinquencies fell to 0.04% of total loans
• Net loan recoveries for the quarter of $1.7 million
• Completed the consolidation of two bank charters during the fourth quarter for a total five charter consolidations completed in 2022

DENVER, Jan. 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Heartland Financial USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: HTLF) today reported the following results for the quarter ended December 31, 2022 compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2021:

• Net income available to common stockholders of $58.6 million compared to $47.6 million, an increase of $11.1 million or 23%.
• Earnings per diluted common share of $1.37 compared to $1.12, an increase of $0.25 or 22%.
• Net interest income of $165.2 million compared to $137.2 million, an increase of $28.0 million or 20%.
• Return on average assets of 1.21% compared to 1.03%.
• Return on average common equity of 15.02% compared to 9.15%.
• Return on average tangible common equity (non-GAAP) of 25.19% compared to 13.47%.

HTLF reported the following results for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the year ended December 31, 2021:

• Net income available to common stockholders of $204.1 million compared to $211.9 million, a decrease of $7.7 million or 4%.
• Earnings per diluted common share of $4.79 compared to $5.00, a decrease of $0.21 or 4%.
• Net interest income of $598.2 million compared to $560.6 million, an increase of $37.7 million or 7%.
• Return on average assets of 1.08% compared to 1.19%.
• Return on average common equity of 11.74% compared to 10.49%.
• Return on average tangible common equity (non-GAAP) of 18.56% compared to 15.59%.

Commenting on HTLF's 2022 results, Bruce K. Lee, HTLF’s president and chief executive officer, said, "HTLF delivered strong fourth quarter and full year results while executing our strategic plans for driving organic growth, improving customer experience and consolidating charters. We continue to demonstrate strong momentum, passing $20 billion in total assets and delivering a record $726.5 million in total revenue for 2022."

Charter Consolidation Update

During the fourth quarter of 2022, the charters of Arizona Bank & Trust and Illinois Bank & Trust were consolidated into HTLF Bank. Citywide Banks, Premier Valley Bank, Minnesota Bank & Trust, Arizona Bank & Trust and Illinois Bank & Trust are now operating as divisions of HTLF Bank. The remaining six charters are expected to be consolidated by the end of 2023. Charter consolidation follows a template that retains the current brands, local leadership and local decision making.

Consolidation restructuring costs are projected to be $19-$20 million with approximately $10 million of expenses remaining to be incurred through 2023. Charter consolidation is designed to eliminate redundancies and improve HTLF’s operating efficiency and capacity to support ongoing product and service enhancements, as well as current and future growth. HTLF realized some operating efficiency and financial benefits in the third and fourth quarters of 2022 with the completion of five charter consolidations, and total benefits are estimated to be approximately $20.0 million annually after the project is completed.

Effective December 31, 2022, the address of HTLF's headquarters was changed to Denver, Colorado, which is where HTLF Bank is headquartered.

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

Net interest margin, expressed as a percentage of average earning assets, was 3.61% (3.65% on a fully tax-equivalent basis, non-GAAP) during the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to 3.08% (3.12% on a fully tax-equivalent basis, non-GAAP) during the fourth quarter of 2021.

Total interest income and average earning asset changes for the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of 2021 were:

• Total interest income was $204.7 million, which was an increase of $60.7 million or 42% from $144.0 million and primarily attributable to higher yields and an increase in average earning assets.
• Total interest income on a tax-equivalent basis was $206.9 million, which was an increase of $60.8 million or 42% from $146.0 million.
• Average earning assets increased $493.9 million or 3% to $18.18 billion compared to $17.68 billion, which was primarily attributable to loan growth.
• The average rate on earning assets increased 124 basis points to 4.52% compared to 3.28%, which was primarily due to recent increases in market interest rates and a shift in earning asset mix. Total average securities were 39% of total average earning assets compared to 44%.

Total interest expense and average interest bearing liability changes for the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of 2021 were:

• Total interest expense was $39.5 million, an increase of $32.6 million from $6.8 million, which was attributable to an increase in the average interest rate paid and an increase in average interest bearing liabilities.
• The average interest rate paid on HTLF's interest bearing liabilities increased to 1.31% compared to 0.27%, which was primarily due to recent increases in market interest rates.
• Average interest bearing deposits increased $1.65 billion or 17% to $11.31 billion from $9.66 billion which was primarily attributable to deposit growth. Total average interest bearing deposits were 65% of total average deposits compared to 59%.
• The average interest rate paid on HTLF's interest bearing deposits increased 100 basis points to 1.13% compared to 0.13%.
• Average borrowings increased $121.4 million to $670.2 million from $548.9 million. The average interest rate paid on HTLF's borrowings was 4.30% compared to 2.66%.
  

Net interest income increased for the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of 2021:

• Net interest income totaled $165.2 million compared to $137.2 million, which was an increase of $28.0 million or 20%.
• Net interest income on a tax-equivalent basis (non-GAAP) totaled $167.4 million compared to $139.2 million, which was an increase of $28.2 million or 20%.

Noninterest Income and Noninterest Expense

Total noninterest income was $30.0 million during the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to $32.7 million during the fourth quarter of 2021, a decrease of $2.8 million or 8%. Significant changes by noninterest income category for the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of 2021 were:

• Service charges and fees increased $2.1 million or 14% to $17.4 million from $15.3 million, which was primarily attributable to an increase in credit card revenue. Credit card revenue increased $1.3 million or 24% to $6.5 million compared to $5.2 million.
• Net securities losses totaled $153,000 compared to net securities gains of $1.6 million, which was a decrease of $1.7 million.
• Net gains of sales of loans held for sale decreased $3.3 million to $888,000 compared to $4.2 million, primarily due to a decrease of loans sold to the secondary market.
  

Total noninterest expense for the fourth quarter of 2022 was $117.2 million compared to $115.4 million for the same quarter of 2021, which was an increase of $1.8 million or 2%. Significant changes within the noninterest expense category for the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of 2021 were:

• Salaries and employee benefits totaled $61.6 million compared to $63.0 million, which was a decrease of $1.4 million or 2% and included lower salary expense due to a reduction of full-time equivalent employees which was partially offset by higher incentive compensation expense.
• Net losses on sales/valuation of assets totaled $2.4 million compared to $214,000, which was an increase of $2.2 million. HTLF recorded losses primarily associated with franchise optimization activities in the fourth quarter of 2022.
• Acquisition, integration and restructuring costs totaled $2.4 million compared to $2.0 million, an increase of $453,000 or 23% due to the progression of the charter consolidation project.
• Partnership investment in tax credit projects increased $698,000 or 27% to $3.2 million compared to $2.5 million. The expense is dependent upon the number and timing of tax credit projects placed into service.
• Occupancy expense decreased $377,000 or 5% to $6.9 million compared to $7.3 million, and furniture and equipment decreased $345,000 or 10% to $3.0 million from $3.4 million. These decreases are primarily attributable to the reduction in branch locations. Branch locations totaled 119 at December 31, 2022 compared to 130 at December 31, 2021.
• Other noninterest expenses totaled $15.4 million compared to $14.6 million, which was an increase of $801,000 or 5%. Credit card processing expense, which is driven by volume, totaled $4.1 million compared to $3.3 million, an increase of $794,000 or 24%.

HTLF's effective tax rate was 18.68% for the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to 17.16% for the fourth quarter of 2021. The following items impacted HTLF's fourth quarter 2022 and 2021 tax calculations:

• Solar energy tax credits of $2.5 million in each quarterly calculation.
• Federal low-income housing tax credits of $263,000 and $135,000.
• New markets tax credits of $75,000 in each quarterly calculation.
• Historic rehabilitation tax credits of $842,000 and $272,000.
• Tax-exempt interest income as a percentage of pre-tax income of 11.80% compared to 9.86%.
• Tax benefits of $165,000 and $491,000 related to the release of valuation allowances on deferred tax assets.

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, HTLF's effective tax rate was 20.76% and 20.10%, respectively.

Total Assets, Total Loans and Total Deposits

Total assets were $20.24 billion at December 31, 2022, an increase of $969.7 million or 5% from $19.27 billion at year-end 2021. Securities represented 35% and 40% of total assets at December 31, 2022, and December 31, 2021, respectively.

Total loans held to maturity were $11.43 billion at December 31, 2022, compared to $10.92 billion at September 30, 2022 and $9.95 billion at December 31, 2021. Excluding total PPP loans, loans increased $507.3 million or 5% during the fourth quarter of 2022 and $1.66 billion or 17% since year-end 2021.

Significant changes by loan category at December 31, 2022 compared to September 30, 2022 included:

• Commercial and business lending, which includes commercial and industrial PPP, and owner occupied commercial real estate loans, increased $162.6 million or 3% to $5.74 billion at December 31, 2022, compared to $5.58 billion at September 30, 2022.
  • PPP loans originated in 2020 ("PPP I") loans decreased $423,000 or 23%. PPP loans originated in 2021 ("PPP II") decreased $2.1 million or 18%.
  • Excluding total PPP loans, commercial and business lending increased $165.0 million or 3% to $5.73 billion from $5.56 billion.
• Commercial real estate lending, which includes non-owner occupied commercial real estate and construction loans, increased $191.5 million or 6% to $3.41 billion from $3.22 billion.
• Agricultural and agricultural real estate loans totaled $920.5 million compared to $781.4 million, an increase of $139.2 million or 18%.
• Consumer loans increased $11.2 million or 2% to $506.7 million from $495.5 million.

Significant changes by loan category at December 31, 2022 compared to December 31, 2021 included:

• Commercial and business lending, which includes commercial and industrial PPP, and owner occupied commercial real estate loans, increased $655.4 million or 13% to $5.74 billion at December 31, 2022, compared to $5.09 billion at December 31, 2021.
  • PPP I loans decreased $25.7 million or 95%. PPP II loans decreased $163.2 million or 94%.
  • Excluding total PPP loans, commercial and business lending increased $844.3 million or 17% to $5.73 billion from $4.89 billion.
• Commercial real estate lending, which includes non-owner occupied commercial real estate and construction loans, increased $540.3 million or 19% to $3.41 billion from $2.87 billion.
• Agricultural and agricultural real estate loans totaled $920.5 million, an increase of $166.8 million or 22% from $753.8 million.
• Consumer loans increased $87.2 million or 21% to $506.7 million from $419.5 million.  

Total deposits were $17.51 billion as of December 31, 2022, $17.27 billion as of September 30, 2022 and $16.42 billion at December 31, 2021. Significant deposit changes by category at December 31, 2022 compared to September 30, 2022 included:

• Demand deposits decreased $382.2 million or 6% to $5.70 billion compared to $6.08 billion.
• Savings deposits decreased $66.1 million or 1% to $9.99 billion from $10.06 billion.
• Time deposits increased $694.2 million or 62% to $1.82 billion from $1.12 billion.
  

Significant deposit changes by category at December 31, 2022 compared to December 31, 2021 included:

• Demand deposits decreased $794.0 million or 12% to $5.70 billion compared to $6.50 billion.
• Savings deposits increased $1.10 billion or 12% to $9.99 billion from $8.90 billion. The increase was primarily attributable in an increase of $855.6 million in wholesale funding deposits, which totaled $1.09 billion at December 31, 2022 compared to $235.0 million at December 31, 2021.
• Time deposits increased $793.3 million or 77% to $1.82 billion from $1.02 billion.
  

The increase in time deposits for both the fourth quarter of 2022 and for the year ended December 31, 2022, was primarily attributable to an increase in wholesale funding time deposits, which totaled $965.7 million at December 31, 2022, compared to $150.0 million at September 30, 2022, and $0 at December 31, 2021.

Provision and Allowance

Provision and Allowance for Credit Losses for Loans
Provision for credit losses for loans for the fourth quarter of 2022 was $2.1 million, which was an increase of $8.9 million from $6.8 million of provision benefit recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021. The provision expense for the fourth quarter of 2022 was impacted by strong quarterly loan growth, net recoveries of $1.7 million, and healthy current credit performance. Management utilized a macroeconomic outlook in the estimation of the allowance for credit losses that anticipates a moderate recession developing within the next twelve months. The provision benefit recorded in the fourth quarter of 2021 reflected an improving credit environment and macroeconomic outlook.

HTLF's allowance for credit losses for loans totaled $109.5 million at December 31, 2022, compared to $110.1 million at December 31, 2021. The following items have impacted HTLF's allowance for credit losses for loans for the year ended December 31, 2022:

• Provision expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, totaled $10.6 million.
• Net charge offs of $11.2 million were recorded for the year or 0.11% of average loans.

Provision and Allowance for Credit Losses for Unfunded Commitments
HTLF's allowance for unfunded commitments totaled $20.2 million and $15.5 million at December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021. The following impacted HTLF's allowance for credit losses for unfunded commitments during 2022:

• Provision expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, totaled $4.7 million.
• Unfunded commitments increased $899.5 million or 23% to $4.73 billion at December 31, 2022 compared to $3.83 billion at December 31, 2021.

Total Provision and Allowance for Lending Related Credit Losses
The total provision expense for lending related credit losses was $3.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to provision benefit of $5.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2021. The total allowance for lending related credit losses was $129.7 million at December 31, 2022, which was 1.13% of total loans as of December 31, 2022, compared to $125.6 million or 1.26% of total loans as of December 31, 2021.

Nonperforming Assets

Nonperforming assets decreased $5.0 million or 7% to $66.9 million, which was 0.33% of total assets at December 31, 2022, compared to $71.9 million or 0.37% of total assets at December 31, 2021. Nonperforming loans were $58.5 million or 0.51% of total loans at December 31, 2022, compared to $69.9 million or 0.70% of total loans at December 31, 2020. At December 31, 2022, loans delinquent 30-89 days were 0.04% of total loans compared to 0.07% of total loans at December 31, 2021.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This earnings release contains references to financial measures which are not defined by generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). Management believes the non-GAAP measures are helpful for investors to analyze and evaluate the company's financial condition and operating results. However, these non-GAAP measures have inherent limitations and should not be considered a substitute for operating results determined in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, because non-GAAP measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare the non-GAAP measures in this earnings release with other companies' non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations of each non-GAAP measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure may be found in the financial tables in this earnings release.

Below are the non-GAAP measures included in this earnings release, management's reason for including each measure and the method of calculating each measure:

• Annualized net interest margin, fully tax-equivalent, adjusts net interest income for the tax-favored status of certain loans and securities. Management believes this measure enhances the comparability of net interest income arising from taxable and tax-exempt sources.
• Efficiency ratio, fully tax equivalent, expresses noninterest expenses as a percentage of fully tax-equivalent net interest income and noninterest income. This efficiency ratio is presented on a tax-equivalent basis which adjusts net interest income and noninterest expenses for the tax favored status of certain loans, securities, and tax credit projects. Management believes the presentation of this non-GAAP measure provides supplemental useful information for proper understanding of the financial results as it enhances the comparability of income and expenses arising from taxable and nontaxable sources and excludes specific items as noted in reconciliation contained in this earnings release.
• Net interest income, fully tax equivalent, is net income adjusted for the tax-favored status of certain loans and securities. Management believes this measure enhances the comparability of net interest income arising from taxable and tax-exempt sources.
• Tangible book value per common share is total common equity less goodwill and core deposit and customer relationship intangibles, net, divided by common shares outstanding, net of treasury. This measure is included as it is considered to be a critical metric to analyze and evaluate use of equity, financial condition and capital strength.
• Tangible common equity ratio is total common equity less goodwill and core deposit and customer relationship intangibles, net, divided by total assets less goodwill and core deposit and customer relationship intangibles, net. This measure is included as it is considered to be a critical metric to analyze and evaluate financial condition and capital strength.
• Annualized return on average tangible common equity is net income excluding intangible amortization calculated as (1) net income excluding tax-effected core deposit and customer relationship intangibles amortization, divided by (2) average common equity less goodwill and core deposit and customer relationship intangibles, net. This measure is included as it is considered to be a critical metric to analyze and evaluate use of equity, financial condition and capital strength.
• Annualized ratio of core expenses to average assets adjusts noninterest expenses to exclude specific items noted in the reconciliation. Management includes this measure as it is considered to be a critical metric to analyze and evaluate controllable expenses related to primary business operations.
  

Conference Call Details

HTLF will host a conference call for shareholders, analysts and other interested parties at 5:00 p.m. EDT today. To join via webcast, please visit https://ir.htlf.com/news-and-events/event-calendar/default.aspx 10 minutes prior to the call. A replay will be available until January 29, 2024, by logging on to www.htlf.com.

About HTLF

Heartland Financial USA, Inc., operating under the brand name HTLF, is a bank holding company with assets of $20.24 billion. HTLF has banks serving communities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, Texas and Wisconsin. HTLF is committed to its core commercial business, supported by a strong retail operation, and provides a diversified line of financial services including treasury management, wealth management, investments and residential mortgage. Additional information is available at www.htlf.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release (including any information incorporated herein by reference), and future oral and written statements of the company and its management, may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, with respect to the business, financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives and future performance of HTLF.

Any statements about the company's expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and may be forward-looking. Forward-looking statements may include information about possible or assumed future results of the company's operations or performance. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the use of the words such as "believe", "expect", "intent", "anticipate", "plan", "intend", "estimate", "project", "may", "will", "would", "could", "should", "may", "view", "opportunity", "potential", or similar or negative expressions of these words or phrases that are used in this release, and future oral and written statements of the company and its management. Although the company may make these statements based on management’s experience, beliefs, expectations, assumptions and best estimate of future events, the ability of the company to predict results or the actual effect or outcomes of plans or strategies is inherently uncertain, and there may be events or factors that management has not anticipated. Therefore, the accuracy and achievement of such forward-looking statements and estimates are subject to a number of risks, many of which are beyond the ability of management to control or predict, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in its forward-looking statements. These factors, which the company currently believes could have a material effect on its operations and future prospects, are detailed below and in the risk factors in HTLF's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the "Risk Factors" section under Item 1A of Part I of the company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, include, among others:

• COVID-19 Pandemic Risks, including risks related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures enacted by the U.S. federal and state governments and adopted by private businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic;
• Economic and Market Conditions Risks, including risks related to changes in the U.S. economy in general and in the local economies in which HTLF conducts its operations and future civil unrest, natural disasters, pandemics, persistent inflation, supply chain issues, labor shortages, terrorist threats or acts of war;
• Credit Risks, including risks of increasing credit losses due to deterioration in the financial condition of HTLF's borrowers, changes in asset and collateral values and climate and other borrower industry risks which may impact the provision for credit losses and net charge-offs;
• Liquidity and Interest Rate Risks, including the impact of capital market conditions, rising interest rates and changes in monetary policy on our borrowings and net interest income;
• Operational Risks, including processing, information systems, cybersecurity, vendor, business interruption, and fraud risks;
• Strategic and External Risks, including competitive forces impacting our business and strategic acquisition risks;
• Legal, Compliance and Reputational Risks, including regulatory and litigation risks; and
• Risks of Owning Stock in HTLF, including stock price volatility and dilution as a result of future equity offerings and acquisitions.

There can be no assurance that other factors not currently anticipated by HTLF will not materially and adversely affect the company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, many of these risks and uncertainties are currently amplified by and may continue to be amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of varying governmental responses that affect the company’s customers and the economies where they operate. Additionally, all statements in this release, including forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. The company does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions which may be made to or correct or update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or to otherwise update any statement in light of new information or future events. Further information concerning HTLF and its business, including additional factors that could materially affect the company’s financial results, is included in the company’s filings with the SEC.

-FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW-