NOTE 4 — CHANGES IN ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) BY COMPONENT
The following tables present the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. Amounts in parentheses indicate reductions to AOCI.
Unrealized Gains (Losses) Available for Sale Securities (1)
Three Months Ended September 30,
(amounts in thousands)
2024
2023
Balance at July 1
$
(131,358)
$
(168,176)
Unrealized gains (losses) arising during period, before tax
32,810
23,666
Income tax effect
(8,432)
(6,011)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications
24,378
17,655
Reclassification adjustments for (gains) losses included in net income, before tax
—
(429)
Income tax effect
—
109
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to net income
—
(320)
Amortization of unrealized loss on securities transferred from available for sale to held to maturity
1,209
1,379
Income tax effect
(311)
(350)
Amortization of unrealized loss on securities transferred from available for sale to held to maturity
898
1,029
Net current-period other comprehensive income (loss)
25,276
18,364
Balance at September 30
$
(106,082)
$
(149,812)
Unrealized Gains (Losses) Available for Sale Securities (1)
Nine Months Ended September 30,
(amounts in thousands)
2024
2023
Balance at January 1
$
(136,569)
$
(163,096)
Unrealized gains (losses) arising during period, before tax
36,439
14,535
Income tax effect
(9,351)
(3,692)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications
27,088
10,843
Reclassification adjustments for (gains) losses included in net income, before tax
749
(429)
Income tax effect
(193)
109
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) to net income
556
(320)
Amortization of unrealized loss on securities transferred from available for sale to held to maturity
3,821
3,700
Income tax effect
(978)
(939)
Amortization of unrealized loss on securities transferred from available for sale to held to maturity
2,843
2,761
Net current-period other comprehensive income (loss)
30,487
13,284
Balance at September 30
$
(106,082)
$
(149,812)
(1) Reclassification amounts for AFS debt securities are reported as gain (loss) on sale of investment securities and amortization of unrealized losses on debt securities transferred from available-for-sale to held-to-maturity is reported within interest income on the consolidated statements of income.
The amortized cost, approximate fair value and allowance for credit losses of investment securities at fair value as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 are summarized as follows:
(1)Accrued interest on AFS debt securities totaled $19.4 million and $14.7 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, and is included in accrued interest receivable on the consolidated balance sheet.
(2)Includes perpetual preferred stock issued by domestic banks and domestic bank holding companies and equity securities issued by fintech companies, without a readily determinable fair value, and CRA-qualified mutual fund shares at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. No impairments or measurement adjustments have been recorded on the equity securities without a readily determinable fair value since acquisition.
Customers’ transactions with unconsolidated VIEs include sales of consumer installment loans and investments in the securities issued by the VIEs. Customers is not the primary beneficiary of the VIEs because Customers has no right to make decisions that will most significantly affect the economic performance of the VIEs. Customers’ continuing involvement with the unconsolidated VIEs is not significant. Customers’ continuing involvement is not considered to be significant where Customers only invests in securities issued by the VIE and was not involved in the design of the VIE or where Customers has transferred financial assets to the VIE for only cash consideration. Customers’ investments in the securities issued by the VIEs are classified as AFS or HTM debt securities on the consolidated balance sheets, and represent Customers’ maximum exposure to loss.
Proceeds from the sale of AFS debt securities were $0.1 million and $240.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively. Proceeds from the sale of AFS debt securities were $4.1 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. The following table presents gross realized gains and realized losses from the sale of AFS debt securities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023:
Three Months Ended September 30,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
(amounts in thousands)
2024
2023
2024
2023
Gross realized gains
$
—
$
—
$
176
$
—
Gross realized losses
—
(429)
(925)
(429)
Net realized gains (losses) on sale of available for sale debt securities
$
—
$
(429)
$
(749)
$
(429)
These gains (losses) were determined using the specific identification method and were reported as net gain (loss) on sale of investment securities within non-interest income on the consolidated statements of income.
The following table presents AFS debt securities by stated maturity. Debt securities backed by mortgages and other assets have expected maturities that differ from contractual maturities because borrowers have the right to call or prepay and, therefore, these debt securities are classified separately with no specific maturity date:
Gross unrealized losses and fair value of Customers’ AFS debt securities for which an allowance for credit losses has not been recorded, aggregated by investment category and length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were as follows:
At September 30, 2024, there were 21 AFS debt securities with unrealized losses in the less-than-twelve-months category and 92 AFS debt securities with unrealized losses in the twelve-months-or-more category. Except for two asset-backed securities and 20 corporate notes where there was a change in future estimated cash flows as further discussed below, the unrealized losses were principally due to changes in market interest rates and credit spreads that resulted in a negative impact on the respective securities’ fair value and expected to be recovered when market prices recover or at maturity. Customers does not intend to sell any of the 113 securities, and it is not more likely than not that Customers will be required to sell any of the 113 securities before recovery of the amortized cost basis. At December 31, 2023, there were 119 AFS debt securities in an unrealized loss position.
Customers recorded an allowance for credit losses on two asset-backed securities and 20 corporate notes where there was a change in future estimated cash flows during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and on four asset-backed securities and twelve corporate notes during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023. A discounted cash flow approach is used to determine the amount of the allowance. The cash flows expected to be collected, after considering expected prepayments, are discounted at the original effective interest rate. The amount of the allowance is limited to the difference between the amortized cost basis of the security and its estimated fair value.
The following tables present the activity in the allowance for credit losses on AFS debt securities, by major security type, for the periods presented:
Three Months Ended September 30,
2024
2023
(amounts in thousands)
Asset-backed securities
Corporate notes
Total
Asset-backed securities
Corporate notes
Total
Balance at July 1
$
367
$
4,972
$
5,339
$
1,563
$
1,876
$
3,439
Credit losses on securities for which credit losses were not previously recorded
24
—
24
—
564
564
Credit losses on previously impaired securities
—
12
12
442
69
511
Decrease in allowance for credit losses on previously impaired securities
Credit losses on securities for which credit losses were not previously recorded
24
635
659
—
2,485
2,485
Credit losses on previously impaired securities
—
613
613
1,488
—
1,488
Decrease in allowance for credit losses on previously impaired securities
(200)
(385)
(585)
(311)
—
(311)
Reduction due to sales
—
—
—
—
(391)
(391)
Balance at September 30
$
307
$
4,332
$
4,639
$
1,755
$
2,094
$
3,849
At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, no AFS investment securities holding of any one issuer, other than the U.S. government and its agencies, amounted to greater than 10% of shareholders’ equity.
At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers Bank had pledged AFS investment securities aggregating $1.3 billion and $1.2 billion in fair value, respectively, as collateral primarily for immediately available liquidity from the FRB. The counterparty does not have the ability to sell or repledge these securities.
Investment securities held to maturity
The amortized cost, approximate fair value and allowance for credit losses of investment securities held to maturity as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 are summarized as follows:
(1)Accrued interest on HTM debt securities totaled $2.6 million and $2.7 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, and is included in accrued interest receivable on the consolidated balance sheet.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, Customers sold consumer installment loans that were classified as held for sale with a carrying value of $202.5 million, inclusive of $53.0 million of personal installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs, to two third party sponsored VIEs. As part of the sales, Customers recognized a loss on sale of $0.3 million, inclusive of transaction costs, in net gain (loss) on sale of loans and leases within non-interest income in the consolidated statement of income. Customers provided financing to the purchasers for a portion of the sale price in the form of $160.0 million of asset-backed securities, presented in the table above, collateralized by the sold loans. Customers will act as the servicer for the sold consumer installment loans to the VIEs, and will receive servicing fees. Customers recognized servicing assets of $2.1 million upon sale.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, Customers sold consumer installment loans that were classified as held for sale with a carrying value of $556.7 million, inclusive of $154.0 million of other installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs, to two third-party sponsored VIEs. As part of these sales, Customers recognized a loss on sale of $1.2 million, inclusive of transaction costs, in net gain (loss) on sale of loans and leases within non-interest income in the consolidated statement of income. Customers provided financing to the purchasers for a portion of the sale price in the form of $436.8 million of asset-backed securities, presented in the tables above, collateralized by the sold loans. Customers acts as the servicer for the sold consumer installment loans to one of the VIEs, and receives a servicing fee. Customers recognized a servicing asset of $3.8 million upon sale.
At the time of the sale, and at each subsequent reporting period, Customers is required to evaluate its involvement with the VIEs to determine if it holds a variable interest in the VIEs and, if so, if Customers is the primary beneficiary of the VIEs. If Customers is both a variable interest holder and the primary beneficiary of the VIEs, it would be required to consolidate the VIEs. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers concluded that its investments in asset-backed securities as well as the servicing fees are considered variable interests in the VIEs as there is a possibility, even if remote, that would result in Customers’ interests in the asset-backed securities or the servicing fees absorbing some of the losses of the VIEs.
After concluding that Customers has one or more variable interests in the VIEs, Customers must determine if it is the primary beneficiary of the VIEs. U.S. GAAP defines the primary beneficiary as the entity that has both an economic exposure to the VIE as well as the power to direct the activities that are determined to be most significant to the economic performance of the VIE. In order to make this determination, Customers needed to first establish which activities are the most significant to the economic performance of the VIEs. Based on a review of the VIEs’ activities, Customers concluded the servicing activities, specifically those performed for significantly delinquent loans contribute most significantly to the performance of the loans and thus the VIEs. The conclusion is based upon review of the historical performance of the types of consumer installment loans sold to the VIEs, as well as consideration of which activities performed by the owner or servicer of the loans contribute most significantly to the ultimate performance of the loans. The loan servicing agreements between Customers and the VIEs for a portion of the sold consumer loans provide that the VIEs have substantive kick out rights to replace Customers as the servicer with or without cause. Accordingly, as a holder of the asset-backed securities and the servicer of the loans, Customers does not have the power to direct the servicing of significantly delinquent loans given the VIEs’ substantive kick-out rights. Customers is not the servicer for the sold consumer loans to some of the VIEs and therefore does not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the economic performance of these VIEs. As the activities which most significantly affect the performance of the VIEs are not controlled by Customers, Customers has concluded that it is therefore not the primary beneficiary and does not consolidate the VIEs. Customers accounted for its investments in the asset-backed securities as HTM debt securities on the consolidated balance sheet.
The following table presents HTM debt securities by stated maturity, including debt securities backed by mortgages and other assets with expected maturities that differ from contractual maturities because borrowers have the right to call or prepay and, therefore, are classified separately with no specific maturity date:
Customers recorded no allowance for credit losses on investment securities classified as held to maturity at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. The U.S. government agency securities represent obligations issued by a U.S. government-sponsored enterprise or other federal government agency that are explicitly or implicitly guaranteed by the U.S. federal government and therefore, assumed to have zero credit losses. The private label collateralized mortgage obligations that are highly rated with sufficient overcollateralization are estimated to have no expected credit losses. Customers recorded no allowance for its investments in the asset-backed securities. Customers considered the seniority of its beneficial interests, which include overcollateralization of these asset-backed securities in the estimate of the ACL at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. The unrealized losses on HTM debt securities with no ACL were primarily due to changes in market interest rates that resulted in a negative impact on the respective securities’ fair value and are expected to be recovered when market prices recover or at maturity.
Credit Quality Indicator
Customers monitors the credit quality of HTM debt securities primarily through credit ratings provided by rating agencies. Investment grade debt securities are rated BBB- or higher by S&P Global Ratings, Baa3 or higher by Moody’s Investors Service or equivalent ratings by other rating agencies, and are generally considered to be of low credit risk. Except for the asset-backed securities and a private label collateralized mortgage obligation, all of the HTM debt securities held by Customers were investment grade or U.S. government agency guaranteed securities that were not rated at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023. The asset-backed securities and a private label collateralized mortgage obligation are not rated by rating agencies. Customers monitors the credit quality of these asset-backed securities and a private label collateralized mortgage obligation by evaluating the performance of the sold consumer installment loans and other underlying loans against the overcollateralization available for these securities.
Customers has elected to not estimate an ACL on accrued interest receivable on HTM debt securities, as it already has a policy in place to reverse or write-off accrued interest, through interest income, for debt securities in nonaccrual status in a timely manner. At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, there were no HTM debt securities past due under the terms of their agreements or in nonaccrual status.
At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers Bank had pledged HTM investment securities aggregating $412.3 million and $398.4 million in fair value, respectively, as collateral primarily for immediately available liquidity from the FRB and unused lines of credit with another financial institution. The counterparties do not have the ability to sell or repledge these securities.
NOTE 6 – LOANS HELD FOR SALE
The composition of loans held for sale as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 was as follows:
(amounts in thousands)
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Residential mortgage loans, at fair value
$
2,523
$
1,215
Personal installment loans, at lower of cost or fair value
55,799
151,040
Other installment loans, at fair value
217,098
188,062
Total loans held for sale
$
275,420
$
340,317
Total loans held for sale included NPLs of $5.3 million and $0.5 million as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, Customers sold $202.5 million of personal and other installment loans that were classified as held for sale, inclusive of $53.0 million of personal installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs, to two third-party sponsored VIEs. Customers provided financing to the purchasers for a portion of the sales price in the form of $160.0 million of asset-backed securities while $40.2 million of the remaining sales proceeds were paid in cash.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, Customers sold $556.7 million of personal and other installment loans that were classified as held for sale, inclusive of $154.0 million of other installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs, to two third-party sponsored VIEs. Customers provided financing to the purchasers for a portion of the sales price in the form of $436.8 million of asset backed securities while $115.1 million of the remaining sales proceeds were paid in cash. Refer to NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES for additional information.
NOTE 7 — LOANS AND LEASES RECEIVABLE AND ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES ON LOANS AND LEASES
The following table presents loans and leases receivable as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
(amounts in thousands)
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Loans and leases receivable:
Commercial:
Commercial and industrial:
Specialized lending (1)
$
5,468,507
$
5,006,693
Other commercial and industrial (2)
1,204,426
1,279,147
Multifamily
2,115,978
2,138,622
Commercial real estate owner occupied
981,904
797,319
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
1,326,591
1,177,650
Construction
174,509
166,393
Total commercial loans and leases receivable
11,271,915
10,565,824
Consumer:
Residential real estate
500,786
484,435
Manufactured housing
34,481
38,670
Installment:
Personal
453,739
555,533
Other
266,362
319,393
Total consumer loans receivable
1,255,368
1,398,031
Loans and leases receivable
12,527,283
11,963,855
Loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value
1,250,413
897,912
Allowance for credit losses on loans and leases
(133,158)
(135,311)
Total loans and leases receivable, net of allowance for credit losses on loans and leases (3)
$
13,644,538
$
12,726,456
(1)Includes direct finance and sales-type equipment leases of $254.3 million and $205.7 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
(2)Includes PPP loans of $30.5 million and $74.7 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
(3)Includes deferred (fees) costs and unamortized (discounts) premiums, net of $(18.1) million and $(22.7) million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
Customers’ total loans and leases receivable includes loans receivable reported at fair value based on an election made to account for these loans at fair value, and loans and leases receivable predominately reported at their outstanding unpaid principal balance, net of charge-offs, deferred costs and fees, unamortized premiums and discounts, and evaluated for impairment. The total amount of accrued interest recorded for total loans was $89.2 million and $95.0 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, and is presented in accrued interest receivable in the consolidated balance sheet. At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, there were $31.7 million and $15.8 million of individually evaluated loans that were collateral-dependent, respectively. Substantially all individually evaluated loans were collateral-dependent and consisted primarily of commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, and residential real estate loans. Collateral-dependent commercial and industrial loans were secured by accounts receivable, inventory and equipment; collateral-dependent commercial real estate loans were secured by commercial real estate assets; and residential real estate loans were secured by residential real estate assets.
The following tables summarize loans and leases receivable by loan and lease type and performance status as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023:
September 30, 2024
(amounts in thousands)
30-59 Days past due (1)
60-89 Days past due (1)
90 Days or more past due (2)
Total past due
Loans and leases not past due (3)(4)
Total loans and leases (4)
Commercial and industrial, including specialized lending
$
540
$
660
$
3,519
$
4,719
$
6,637,746
$
6,642,465
Multifamily
—
—
11,834
11,834
2,104,144
2,115,978
Commercial real estate owner occupied
—
391
8,591
8,982
972,922
981,904
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
293
701
62
1,056
1,325,535
1,326,591
Construction
—
—
—
—
174,509
174,509
Residential real estate
3,320
5,944
3,995
13,259
487,527
500,786
Manufactured housing
623
200
2,263
3,086
31,395
34,481
Installment
5,266
7,297
6,328
18,891
701,210
720,101
Total
$
10,042
$
15,193
$
36,592
$
61,827
$
12,434,988
$
12,496,815
December 31, 2023
(amounts in thousands)
30-59 Days past due (1)
60-89 Days past due (1)
90 Days or more past due (2)
Total past due
Loans and leases not past due (3)(4)
Total loans and leases (4)
Commercial and industrial, including specialized lending
$
1,516
$
322
$
4,153
$
5,991
$
6,205,114
$
6,211,105
Multifamily
16,003
—
—
16,003
2,122,619
2,138,622
Commercial real estate owner occupied
449
3,814
5,827
10,090
787,229
797,319
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
16,653
—
—
16,653
1,160,997
1,177,650
Construction
—
—
—
—
166,393
166,393
Residential real estate
10,504
2,255
3,764
16,523
467,912
484,435
Manufactured housing
1,152
343
2,869
4,364
34,306
38,670
Installment
9,255
7,866
7,211
24,332
850,594
874,926
Total
$
55,532
$
14,600
$
23,824
$
93,956
$
11,795,164
$
11,889,120
(1)Includes past due loans and leases that are accruing interest because collection is considered probable.
(2)Includes loans amounting to $0.4 million and $0.5 million as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, that are still accruing interest because collection is considered probable.
(3)Loans and leases where next payment due is less than 30 days from the report date. The tables exclude PPP loans of $30.5 million, of which $0.5 million were 30-59 days past due and $17.1 million were 60 days or more past due as of September 30, 2024, and PPP loans of $74.7 million, of which $0.7 million were 30-59 days past due and $48.5 million were 60 days or more past due as of December 31, 2023. Claims for guarantee payments are submitted to the SBA for eligible PPP loans that are more than 60 days past due.
(4)Includes PCD loans of $127.0 million and $157.2 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
The following table presents the amortized cost of loans and leases held for investment on nonaccrual status.
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
(amounts in thousands)
Nonaccrual loans with no related allowance
Nonaccrual loans with related allowance
Total nonaccrual loans
Nonaccrual loans with no related allowance
Nonaccrual loans with related allowance
Total nonaccrual loans
Commercial and industrial, including specialized lending
$
4,598
$
17
$
4,615
$
3,365
$
1,071
$
4,436
Multifamily
11,834
—
11,834
—
—
—
Commercial real estate owner occupied
4,590
4,023
8,613
5,869
—
5,869
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
763
—
763
—
—
—
Residential real estate
7,467
530
7,997
6,685
117
6,802
Manufactured housing
—
1,869
1,869
—
2,331
2,331
Installment
—
6,328
6,328
—
7,211
7,211
Total
$
29,252
$
12,767
$
42,019
$
15,919
$
10,730
$
26,649
Interest income recognized on nonaccrual loans was insignificant for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. Accrued interest reversed when the loans went to nonaccrual status was insignificant for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
Loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value
Mortgage finance loans consist of commercial loans to mortgage companies. These mortgage finance lending transactions are subject to master repurchase agreements. As a result of the contractual provisions, for accounting purposes, control of the underlying mortgage loan has not transferred and the rewards and risks of the mortgage loans are not assumed by Customers. The mortgage finance loans are designated as loans held for investment and reported at fair value based on an election made to account for the loans at fair value. Pursuant to the agreements, Customers funds the pipelines for these mortgage lenders by sending payments directly to the closing agents for funded mortgage loans and receives proceeds directly from third party investors when the underlying mortgage loans are sold into the secondary market. The fair value of the mortgage finance loans is estimated as the amount of cash initially advanced to fund the mortgage, plus accrued interest and fees, as specified in the respective agreements. The interest rates on these loans are variable, and the lending transactions are short-term, with an average life under 30 days from purchase to sale. The primary goal of these lending transactions is to provide liquidity to mortgage companies.
At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, all of Customers’ mortgage finance loans were current in terms of payment. As these loans are reported at their fair value, they do not have an ACL and are therefore excluded from ACL-related disclosures.
The changes in the ACL on loans and leases by loan and lease type for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 are presented in the tables below.
(amounts in thousands)
Commercial and industrial (1)(2)
Multifamily
Commercial real estate owner occupied
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
Construction
Residential real estate
Manufactured housing
Installment
Total
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
Ending Balance,
June 30, 2024
$
23,721
$
20,652
$
8,431
$
17,966
$
1,856
$
5,884
$
4,094
$
49,832
$
132,436
Charge-offs
(6,538)
(2,167)
(4)
—
—
(19)
—
(12,496)
(21,224)
Recoveries
1,482
—
—
—
3
40
—
2,655
4,180
Provision (benefit) for credit losses on loans and leases
6,526
(395)
2,486
(663)
(253)
(68)
(13)
10,146
17,766
Ending Balance, September 30, 2024
$
25,191
$
18,090
$
10,913
$
17,303
$
1,606
$
5,837
$
4,081
$
50,137
$
133,158
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
Ending Balance, December 31, 2023
$
23,503
$
16,343
$
9,882
$
16,859
$
1,482
$
6,586
$
4,239
$
56,417
$
135,311
Charge-offs
(19,282)
(4,073)
(26)
—
—
(38)
—
(43,356)
(66,775)
Recoveries
4,889
—
—
—
10
61
—
8,092
13,052
Provision (benefit) for credit losses on loans and leases
16,081
5,820
1,057
444
114
(772)
(158)
28,984
51,570
Ending Balance, September 30, 2024
$
25,191
$
18,090
$
10,913
$
17,303
$
1,606
$
5,837
$
4,081
$
50,137
$
133,158
(amounts in thousands)
Commercial and industrial (1)(2)
Multifamily
Commercial real estate owner occupied
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
Construction
Residential real estate
Manufactured housing
Installment
Total
Three Months Ended September 30, 2023
Ending Balance,
June 30, 2023
$
29,092
$
15,400
$
10,215
$
13,495
$
2,639
$
6,846
$
4,338
$
57,631
$
139,656
Charge-offs
(9,008)
(1,999)
(39)
—
—
(42)
—
(18,932)
(30,020)
Recoveries
6,034
—
—
—
—
29
—
6,459
12,522
Provision (benefit) for credit losses on loans and leases
(1,132)
2,469
187
2,324
491
(31)
(258)
13,005
17,055
Ending Balance, September 30, 2023
$
24,986
$
15,870
$
10,363
$
15,819
$
3,130
$
6,802
$
4,080
$
58,163
$
139,213
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023
Ending Balance, December 31, 2022
$
17,582
$
14,541
$
6,454
$
11,219
$
1,913
$
6,094
$
4,430
$
68,691
$
130,924
Allowance for credit losses on FDIC PCD loans, net of charge-offs (3)
2,576
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2,576
Charge-offs
(9,600)
(3,447)
(39)
(4,527)
—
(69)
—
(52,031)
(69,713)
Recoveries
6,439
—
34
27
116
34
—
11,350
18,000
Provision (benefit) for credit losses on loans and leases
7,989
4,776
3,914
9,100
1,101
743
(350)
30,153
57,426
Ending Balance, September 30, 2023
$
24,986
$
15,870
$
10,363
$
15,819
$
3,130
$
6,802
$
4,080
$
58,163
$
139,213
(1) Includes specialized lending.
(2) PPP loans include an embedded credit enhancement from the SBA, which guarantees 100% of the principal and interest owed by the borrower provided that the SBA’s eligibility criteria are met. As a result, the eligible PPP loans do not have an ACL.
(3) Represents $8.7 million of allowance for credit losses on PCD loans recognized upon acquisition of a venture banking loan portfolio (included within specialized lending) from the FDIC on June 15, 2023, net of $6.2 million of charge-offs for certain of these PCD loans upon acquisition.
At September 30, 2024, the ACL on loans and leases was $133.2 million, a decrease of $2.2 million from the December 31, 2023 balance of $135.3 million. The decrease in ACL for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 was primarily attributable to slight improvements in macroeconomic forecasts and a decrease in consumer installment loan balances held for investment.
Loan Modifications for Borrowers Experiencing Financial Difficulty
A borrower is considered to be experiencing financial difficulty when there is a significant doubt about the borrower’s ability to make the required principal and interest payments on the loan or to get an equivalent financing from another creditor at a market rate for a similar loan.
When borrowers are experiencing financial difficulty, Customers may make certain loan modifications as part of loss mitigation strategies to maximize expected payment. To be classified as a modification made to a borrower experiencing financial difficulty, the modification must be in the form of an interest rate reduction, principal forgiveness, or an other-than-insignificant payment delay (payment deferral), term extension, or combinations thereof.
Customers will generally try other forms of relief before principal forgiveness. Any contractual reduction in the amount of principal due without receiving payment or assets is considered forgiveness. For the purpose of this disclosure, Customers considers any contractual change in interest rate that results in a reduction in interest rate relative to the current stated interest rate as an interest rate reduction. Generally, Customers considers any delay in payment of greater than 90 days in the last 12 months to be significant. Term extensions extend the original contractual maturity of the loan. For the purpose of this disclosure, modification of contingent payment features or covenants that would have accelerated payment are not considered term extensions.
The following table presents the amortized cost of loans that were modified to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, disaggregated by class of financing receivable and type of modification granted.
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
(dollars in thousands)
Interest Rate Reduction
Term Extension
Payment Deferral
Debt Forgiveness
Interest Rate Reduction and Term Extension
Total
Percentage of Total by Financing Class
Commercial and industrial, including specialized lending
$
—
$
—
$
4,800
$
—
$
—
$
4,800
0.07
%
Manufactured housing
—
18
—
—
79
97
0.28
%
Personal installment
266
1,770
55
37
—
2,128
0.47
%
Total
$
266
$
1,788
$
4,855
$
37
$
79
$
7,025
Three Months Ended September 30, 2023
(dollars in thousands)
Term Extension
Payment Deferral
Debt Forgiveness
Interest Rate Reduction and Term Extension
Total
Percentage of Total by Financing Class
Manufactured housing
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
99
$
99
0.25
%
Personal installment
3,863
210
28
—
4,101
0.42
%
Total
$
3,863
$
210
$
28
$
99
$
4,200
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
(dollars in thousands)
Interest Rate Reduction
Term Extension
Payment Deferral
Debt Forgiveness
Interest Rate Reduction and Term Extension
Total
Percentage of Total by Financing Class
Commercial and industrial, including specialized lending
As of September 30, 2024, there were no commitments to lend additional funds to debtors experiencing financial difficulty whose loans have been modified during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024.
The following table summarizes the impacts of loan modifications made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
Three Months Ended September 30, 2023
Weighted Average
Weighted Average
(dollars in thousands)
Interest Rate Reduction (%)
Term Extension (in months)
Payment Deferral (in months)
Debt Forgiven
Interest Rate Reduction (%)
Term Extension (in months)
Payment Deferral (in months)
Debt Forgiven
Commercial and industrial, including specialized lending
—%
0
10
$
—
—%
0
0
$
—
Manufactured housing
3.8
115
0
—
4.4
31
0
—
Personal installment
13.6
5
7
12
—
6
6
20
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023
Weighted Average
Weighted Average
(dollars in thousands)
Interest Rate Reduction (%)
Term Extension (in months)
Payment Deferral (in months)
Debt Forgiven
Interest Rate Reduction (%)
Term Extension (in months)
Payment Deferral (in months)
Debt Forgiven
Commercial and industrial, including specialized lending
—
%
1
8
$
—
—
%
0
0
$
—
Multifamily
—
0
5
—
—
0
0
—
Commercial real estate owner occupied
—
0
0
—
—
4
0
—
Residential real estate
—
0
5
—
—
0
0
—
Manufactured housing
4.0
78
0
—
4.3
30
0
—
Personal installment
13.6
5
7
153
—
6
6
183
The performance of loans made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty in which modifications were made is closely monitored to understand the effectiveness of modification efforts. Loans are considered to be in payment default at 90 days or more past due. The following table presents an aging analysis of loan modifications made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty in the twelve months ended September 30, 2024 and the nine months ended ended September 30, 2023.
Commercial and industrial, including specialized lending
$
—
$
—
$
230
$
22,395
$
22,625
Multifamily
—
—
—
10,713
10,713
Residential real estate
—
—
—
52
52
Manufactured housing
19
24
37
269
349
Personal installment
436
331
665
7,393
8,825
Total
$
455
$
355
$
932
$
40,822
$
42,564
September 30, 2023 (1)
(dollars in thousands)
30-59 Days past due
60-89 Days past due
90 Days or more past due
Current
Total
Commercial real estate owner occupied
$
—
$
—
$
169
$
—
$
169
Manufactured housing
—
—
—
119
119
Personal installment
837
565
354
9,820
11,576
Total
$
837
$
565
$
523
$
9,939
$
11,864
(1) Customers adopted ASU 2022-02, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructurings and Vintage Disclosures (“ASU 2022-02”) effective January 1, 2023, therefore, the September 30, 2023 balances only include loans since ASU 2022-02 became effective.
The loans to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty that were modified during the twelve months ended September 30, 2024 that subsequently defaulted were not material. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the loans that were made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty that subsequently defaulted were not material. Customers’ ACL is influenced by loan level characteristics that inform the assessed propensity to default. As such, the provision for credit losses is impacted by changes in such loan level characteristics, such as payment performance. Loans made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty can be classified as either accrual or nonaccrual.
Credit Quality Indicators
The ACL represents management’s estimate of expected losses in Customers’ loans and leases receivable portfolio, excluding mortgage finance loans reported at fair value pursuant to a fair value option election and PPP loans receivable. Commercial and industrial including specialized lending, multifamily, owner occupied commercial real estate, non-owner occupied commercial real estate, and construction loans are rated based on an internally assigned risk rating system which is assigned at the time of loan origination and reviewed on a periodic, or on an “as needed” basis. Residential real estate, manufactured housing and installment loans are evaluated based on the payment activity of the loan.
To facilitate the monitoring of credit quality within the commercial and industrial including specialized lending, multifamily, owner occupied commercial real estate, non-owner occupied commercial real estate, and construction loan portfolios, and as an input in the ACL lifetime loss rate model for the commercial and industrial loan portfolio, the Bank utilizes the following categories of risk ratings: pass/satisfactory (includes risk rating 1 through 6), special mention, substandard, doubtful, and loss. The risk rating categories, which are derived from standard regulatory rating definitions, are assigned upon initial approval of credit to borrowers and updated periodically thereafter. Pass ratings, which are assigned to those borrowers who do not have identified potential or well-defined weaknesses and for whom there is a high likelihood of orderly repayment, are updated periodically based on the size and credit characteristics of the borrower. All other categories are updated on a quarterly basis during the month preceding the end of the calendar quarter. While assigning risk ratings involves judgment, the risk-rating process allows management to identify riskier credits in a timely manner and allocate the appropriate resources to manage those loans and leases. The 2023 Form 10-K describes Customers Bancorp’s risk rating grades.
Risk ratings are not established for certain consumer loans, including residential real estate, home equity, manufactured housing, and installment loans, mainly because these portfolios consist of a larger number of homogeneous loans with smaller balances. Instead, these portfolios are evaluated for risk mainly based upon aggregate payment history through the monitoring of delinquency levels and trends and are classified as performing and non-performing. PPP loans of $30.5 million and $74.7 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, are excluded in the tables below as these loans are fully guaranteed by the SBA, provided that the eligibility criteria are met. The following tables present the credit ratings of loans and leases receivable and current period gross write-offs as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
Term Loans Amortized Cost Basis by Origination Year as of September 30, 2024
(amounts in thousands)
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
Prior
Revolving loans amortized cost basis
Revolving loans converted to term
Total
Construction loans charge-offs:
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Total commercial loans and leases receivable
$
1,705,823
$
928,637
$
3,630,717
$
956,618
$
480,140
$
1,134,038
$
1,993,906
$
411,568
$
11,241,447
Total commercial loans and leases receivable charge-offs:
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
$
94
$
—
$
13
$
52
$
742
$
7,808
$
—
$
—
$
8,709
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
312
702
5,685
4,147
2,429
10,106
—
—
23,381
Residential real estate loans:
Performing
$
41,200
$
21,946
$
165,563
$
124,381
$
5,957
$
80,700
$
53,214
$
—
$
492,961
Non-performing
141
280
1,394
1,695
233
4,082
—
—
7,825
Total residential real estate loans
$
41,341
$
22,226
$
166,957
$
126,076
$
6,190
$
84,782
$
53,214
$
—
$
500,786
Residential real estate loans charge-offs:
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
19
$
—
$
—
$
19
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
—
—
—
—
—
38
—
—
38
Manufactured housing loans:
Performing
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
32,969
$
—
$
—
$
32,969
Non-performing
—
—
—
—
—
1,512
—
—
1,512
Total manufactured housing loans
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
34,481
$
—
$
—
$
34,481
Manufactured housing loans charge-offs:
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Installment loans:
Performing
$
81,762
$
174,647
$
240,433
$
109,349
$
35,925
$
28,770
$
43,757
$
8
$
714,651
Non-performing
39
1,880
1,552
1,119
308
442
110
—
5,450
Total installment loans
$
81,801
$
176,527
$
241,985
$
110,468
$
36,233
$
29,212
$
43,867
$
8
$
720,101
Installment loans charge-offs:
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
$
425
$
2,432
$
5,219
$
3,311
$
553
$
556
$
—
$
—
$
12,496
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
2,307
5,837
17,450
12,099
2,286
3,377
—
—
43,356
Total consumer loans
$
123,142
$
198,753
$
408,942
$
236,544
$
42,423
$
148,475
$
97,081
$
8
$
1,255,368
Total consumer loans charge-offs:
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
$
425
$
2,432
$
5,219
$
3,311
$
553
$
575
$
—
$
—
$
12,515
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
2,307
5,837
17,450
12,099
2,286
3,415
—
—
43,394
Loans and leases receivable
$
1,828,965
$
1,127,390
$
4,039,659
$
1,193,162
$
522,563
$
1,282,513
$
2,090,987
$
411,576
$
12,496,815
Loans and leases receivable charge-offs:
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
$
519
$
2,432
$
5,232
$
3,363
$
1,295
$
8,383
$
—
$
—
$
21,224
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
$
2,619
$
6,539
$
23,135
$
16,246
$
4,715
$
13,521
$
—
$
—
$
66,775
(1) Charge-offs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 included $0.8 million and $5.0 million, respectively, of commercial and industrial loans originated under the PPP that were subsequently determined to be ineligible for SBA forgiveness and guarantee and were ultimately deemed uncollectible.
Term Loans Amortized Cost Basis by Origination Year as of December 31, 2023
(amounts in thousands)
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Prior
Revolving loans amortized cost basis
Revolving loans converted to term
Total
Total commercial loans and leases receivable charge-offs:
For the Year Ended December 31, 2023
$
1,483
$
381
$
3,169
$
10,348
$
24
$
9,650
$
—
$
—
$
25,055
Residential real estate loans:
Performing
$
22,613
$
173,424
$
131,621
$
6,458
$
15,508
$
71,433
$
56,844
$
—
$
477,901
Non-performing
—
350
1,236
229
545
3,993
181
—
6,534
Total residential real estate loans
$
22,613
$
173,774
$
132,857
$
6,687
$
16,053
$
75,426
$
57,025
$
—
$
484,435
Residential real estate loans charge-offs:
For the Year Ended December 31, 2023
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
69
$
—
$
—
$
69
Manufactured housing loans:
Performing
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
98
$
36,464
$
—
$
—
$
36,562
Non-performing
—
—
—
—
—
2,108
—
—
2,108
Total manufactured housing loans
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
98
$
38,572
$
—
$
—
$
38,670
Manufactured housing loans charge-offs:
For the Year Ended December 31, 2023
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
Installment loans:
Performing
$
253,958
$
307,566
$
158,381
$
50,354
$
39,953
$
3,448
$
51,480
$
—
$
865,140
Non-performing
2,634
4,102
1,751
546
477
86
190
—
9,786
Total installment loans
$
256,592
$
311,668
$
160,132
$
50,900
$
40,430
$
3,534
$
51,670
$
—
$
874,926
Installment loans charge-offs:
For the Year Ended December 31, 2023
$
7,728
$
24,605
$
23,984
$
5,590
$
6,797
$
1,238
$
—
$
—
$
69,942
Total consumer loans
$
279,205
$
485,442
$
292,989
$
57,587
$
56,581
$
117,532
$
108,695
$
—
$
1,398,031
Total consumer loans charge-offs:
For the Year Ended December 31, 2023
$
7,728
$
24,605
$
23,984
$
5,590
$
6,797
$
1,307
$
—
$
—
$
70,011
Loans and leases receivable
$
1,570,977
$
4,397,333
$
1,521,513
$
634,860
$
347,230
$
1,173,759
$
1,843,180
$
400,268
$
11,889,120
Loans and leases receivable charge-offs:
For the Year Ended December 31, 2023
$
9,211
$
24,986
$
27,153
$
15,938
$
6,821
$
10,957
$
—
$
—
$
95,066
(1) Excludes $6.2 million of charge-offs for certain PCD loans against $8.7 million of allowance for credit losses on PCD loans recognized upon acquisition of a venture banking loan portfolio (included within specialized lending) from the FDIC on June 15, 2023. These PCD loans were originated in years 2016 to 2022.
(2) Charge-offs for the year ended December 31, 2023 included $10.7 million of commercial and industrial loans originated under the PPP that were subsequently determined to be ineligible for SBA forgiveness and guarantee and were ultimately deemed uncollectible.
Purchases and sales of loans held for investment were as follows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023:
Three Months Ended September 30,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
(amounts in thousands)
2024
2023
2024
2023
Purchases (1)
Specialized lending
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
631,252
Other commercial and industrial
602
4,977
8,005
15,285
Commercial real estate owner occupied
—
—
—
2,867
Residential real estate
—
—
—
4,238
Personal installment (2)
69,976
—
113,217
—
Other installment (2)
—
96,758
—
96,758
Total
$
70,578
$
101,735
$
121,222
$
750,400
Sales (3)
Specialized lending (4)
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
287,185
Other commercial and industrial (5)
—
6,725
23,708
54,083
Commercial real estate owner occupied (5)
—
5,671
—
24,522
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
—
—
—
16,000
Personal installment
53,021
—
53,021
—
Other installment
—
—
—
154,042
Total
$
53,021
$
12,396
$
76,729
$
535,832
(1)Amounts reported in the above table are the unpaid principal balance at time of purchase. The purchase price was 95.9% and 100.0% of the loans’ unpaid principal balance for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The purchase price was 97.5% and 87.7% of the loans’ unpaid principal balance for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(2)Installment loan purchases for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 consist of third-party originated unsecured consumer loans. None of the loans held for investment are considered sub-prime at the time of origination. Customers considers sub-prime borrowers to be those with FICO scores below 660.
(3)For the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, sales of loans held for investment resulted in no gain or loss and net losses of $0.2 million, respectively, included in net gain (loss) on sale of loans and leases in the consolidated statements of income. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, sales of loans held for investment resulted in net losses of $0.2 million and net gains of $0.2 million, respectively.
(4)Includes a loss of $5.0 million from the sale of $670.0 million of short-term syndicated capital call lines of credit ($280.7 million of loans held for investment in unpaid principal balance and $389.3 million of unfunded loan commitments) included in the consolidated statement of income for the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
(5)Primarily sales of SBA loans for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Loans Pledged as Collateral
Customers has pledged eligible commercial and residential real estate, multifamily, commercial and industrial, PPP and consumer installment loans as collateral for borrowings outstanding or available immediately from the FHLB and FRB in the amount of $7.8 billion and $7.0 billion at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
NOTE 8 — LEASES
Lessee
Customers has operating leases for its branches, certain LPOs, and administrative offices, with remaining lease terms ranging between six months and eleven years. These operating leases comprise substantially all of Customers’ obligations in which Customers is the lessee. These lease agreements typically consist of initial lease terms ranging between one and ten years, with options to renew the leases or extend the term up to ten years at Customers’ sole discretion. Some operating leases include variable lease payments that are based on an index or rate, such as the CPI. Variable lease payments are not included in the liability or ROU asset and are recognized in the period in which the obligation for those payments are incurred. Customers’ operating lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants. Pursuant to these agreements, Customers does not have any commitments that would meet the definition of a finance lease.
As most of Customers’ operating leases do not provide an implicit rate, Customers utilized its incremental borrowing rate when determining the present value of lease payments.
The following table summarizes operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities and their corresponding balance sheet location:
(amounts in thousands)
Classification
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
ASSETS
Operating lease ROU assets
Other assets
$
35,901
$
15,644
LIABILITIES
Operating lease liabilities
Other liabilities
$
37,993
$
18,048
The following table summarizes operating lease cost and its corresponding income statement location for the periods presented:
Three Months Ended September 30,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
(amounts in thousands)
Classification
2024
2023
2024
2023
Operating lease cost (1)
Occupancy expenses
$
1,792
$
1,260
$
4,277
$
3,775
(1) There were no variable lease costs for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, and sublease income for operating leases was immaterial.
Maturities of non-cancelable operating lease liabilities were as follows at September 30, 2024:
(amounts in thousands)
September 30, 2024
2024
$
1,507
2025
5,668
2026
6,328
2027
5,833
2028
5,207
Thereafter
21,187
Total minimum payments
45,730
Less: interest
7,737
Present value of lease liabilities
$
37,993
Customers does not have leases where it is involved with the construction or design of an underlying asset. Cash paid pursuant to the operating lease liabilities was $1.3 million and $3.8 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively. Cash paid pursuant to the operating lease liabilities was $1.3 million and $4.4 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively. These payments were reported as cash flows used in operating activities in the statement of cash flows.
The following table summarizes the weighted average remaining lease term and discount rate for Customers’ operating leases at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023:
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Weighted average remaining lease term (years)
Operating leases
8.6 years
5.6 years
Weighted average discount rate
Operating leases
4.08
%
3.28
%
Equipment Lessor
Customers’ commercial equipment financing group goes to market through the following origination platforms: vendors, intermediaries, direct and capital markets. The commercial equipment financing group is primarily focused on serving the following industries: transportation, construction (includes crane and utility), marine, franchise, general manufacturing (includes machine tool), helicopter/fixed wing, solar, packaging, plastics and food processing. Lease terms typically range from 24 months to 120 months. The commercial equipment financing group offers the following products: Loans, Capital Lease, PUT, TRAC, Split-TRAC, and FMV. Customers’ commercial equipment financing group leases equipments under direct finance, sales-type or operating leases.
The estimated residual values for direct finance, sales-type and operating leases are established by utilizing internally developed analyses, external studies, and/or third-party appraisals to establish a residual position. For the direct finance leases, only Customers’ Split-TRAC leases have residual risk and the unguaranteed portions are typically nominal. Expected credit losses on direct financing and sales-type leases and the related estimated residual values are included in the ACL on loans and leases.
Direct finance and sales-type equipment leases, are included in commercial and industrial loans and leases receivable and are recorded at the discounted amounts of lease payments receivable and the estimated residual value of the leased assets. Interest income on direct finance and sales-type leases is recognized over the term of the leases using the effective interest method. Any difference between the lower of the fair value of the underlying leased asset or the sum of the lease receivables and the carrying amount of the underlying leased asset would result to a gain or loss at the lease commencement date. Customers’ direct finance and sales-type lease activity primarily relates to leasing of new equipments.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, Customers’ commercial equipment financing group executed leases of commercial clean vehicles that qualified for investment tax credits. Customers accounted for these leases as sales-type leases and were included in loans and leases receivable on the balance sheet. Customers recognized a loss on sales-type leases of $14.3 million within net gain (loss) on sale of loans and leases and the corresponding investment tax credits within income tax expense (benefit) in the statements of income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024.
Customers recognized interest income from its sales-type and direct financing leases of $9.9 million and $7.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. Customers recognized interest income from its sales-type and direct financing leases of $27.0 million and $21.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
Leased assets under operating leases are reported at amortized cost net of accumulated depreciation and any impairment charges, and are presented in other assets. The depreciation expense of the leased assets is recognized on a straight-line basis over the contractual term of the leases up to the expected residual value. The expected residual value and, accordingly, the monthly depreciation expense, may change throughout the term of the lease. Operating lease rental income for leased assets is recognized in commercial lease income on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Customers periodically reviews its operating leased assets for impairment. An impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount of the operating leased asset exceeds its fair value and is not recoverable. The carrying amount of operating leased assets is not recoverable if it exceeds the sum of the undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the lease payments and the estimated residual value upon the eventual disposition of the equipment.
The following table summarizes lease receivables and investment in operating leases and their corresponding balance sheet location at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023:
(amounts in thousands)
Classification
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
ASSETS
Direct financing and sales-type leases
Lease receivables
Loans and leases receivable
$
243,859
$
190,559
Guaranteed residual assets
Loans and leases receivable
21,878
15,783
Unguaranteed residual assets
Loans and leases receivable
10,467
10,010
Deferred initial direct costs
Loans and leases receivable
1,348
1,213
Unearned income
Loans and leases receivable
(23,208)
(11,891)
Net investment in direct financing and sales-type leases
Maturities of operating and direct financing and sales-type lease receivables were as follows at September 30, 2024:
(amounts in thousands)
Operating leases
Direct financing and sales-type leases
2024
$
11,314
$
19,302
2025
41,979
63,374
2026
47,551
56,173
2027
34,377
47,608
2028
57,173
29,881
Thereafter
35,968
27,521
Total minimum payments
$
228,362
243,859
Less: interest
23,208
Present value of lease receivables
$
220,651
NOTE 9 – DEPOSITS
The components of deposits at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were as follows:
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
(amounts in thousands)
Demand, non-interest bearing
$
4,670,809
$
4,422,494
Demand, interest bearing
5,606,500
5,580,527
Savings, including money market deposit accounts
5,360,996
4,629,336
Time
2,431,084
3,287,879
Total deposits
$
18,069,389
$
17,920,236
The scheduled maturities for time deposits at September 30, 2024 were as follows:
(amounts in thousands)
September 30, 2024
2024
$
145,935
2025
771,882
2026
550,209
2027
305,184
2028
397,761
Thereafter
260,113
Total time deposits
$
2,431,084
Time deposits greater than the FDIC limit of $250,000 totaled $643.0 million and $186.3 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
Demand deposit overdrafts reclassified as loans were $1.2 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Bank had $1.5 billion and $1.1 billion in deposits, respectively, to which it had pledged $1.4 billion and $1.1 billion of available borrowing capacity through the FHLB to the depositors through a standby letter of credit arrangement, respectively.
There was no short-term debt outstanding at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
The following is a summary of additional information relating to Customers’ short-term debt:
(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2024 (1)
December 31, 2023 (2)
FRB advances
Maximum outstanding at any month end
$
—
$
—
Average balance during the period
—
120,099
Weighted-average interest rate during the period
—
%
5.23
%
FHLB advances
Maximum outstanding at any month end
150,000
—
Average balance during the period
11,496
87,407
Weighted-average interest rate during the period
5.74
%
5.16
%
Federal funds purchased
Maximum outstanding at any month end
—
—
Average balance during the period
—
3,781
Weighted-average interest rate during the period
—
%
4.97
%
(1) For the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
(2) For the year ended December 31, 2023.
At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers Bank had aggregate availability under federal funds lines totaling $1.7 billion.
Long-term debt
FHLB and FRB advances
Long-term FHLB and FRB advances at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were as follows:
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
(dollars in thousands)
Amount
Rate
Amount
Rate
FHLB advances (1)
$
1,117,229
(2)
4.24
%
(3)
$
1,203,207
3.91
%
Total long-term FHLB and FRB advances
$
1,117,229
$
1,203,207
(1) Amounts reported in the above table include fixed rate long-term advances from FHLB of $950.0 million with maturities ranging from March 2025 to March 2028, and variable rate long-term advances from FHLB of $155.0 million with maturities ranging from March 2028 to June 2029 with a returnable option that can be repaid without penalty on certain predetermined dates at Customers Bank's option, at September 30, 2024.
(2) Includes $12.2 million and $3.2 million of unamortized basis adjustments from interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges of long-term advances from FHLB at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Refer to NOTE 14 — DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES for additional information.
(3) Excludes the effect of interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges of long-term advances from FHLB.
Maturities of long-term FHLB advances were as follows at September 30, 2024:
September 30, 2024
(dollars in thousands)
Amount (1)
Rate
2024
$
—
—
%
2025
200,000
4.45
%
2026
200,000
4.32
%
2027
450,000
3.70
%
2028
180,000
4.75
%
Thereafter
75,000
5.55
%
Total long-term FHLB advances
$
1,105,000
(1) Amounts reported in the above table include variable rate long-term advances from FHLB of $155.0 million with maturities ranging from March 2028 to June 2029 with a returnable option that can be repaid without penalty on certain predetermined dates at Customers Bank's option.
The maximum borrowing capacity with the FHLB and FRB at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 was as follows:
(amounts in thousands)
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Total maximum borrowing capacity with the FHLB
$
3,565,068
$
3,474,347
Total maximum borrowing capacity with the FRB
4,180,824
3,436,000
Qualifying loans and securities serving as collateral against FHLB and FRB advances
9,508,135
8,575,137
Senior and Subordinated Debt
Long-term senior notes and subordinated debt at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were as follows:
(dollars in thousands)
Carrying Amount
Issued by
Ranking
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Rate
Issued Amount
Date Issued
Maturity
Price
Customers Bancorp
Senior (1)
$
99,033
$
98,928
2.875
%
$
100,000
August 2021
August 2031
100.000
%
Customers Bancorp
Senior
—
24,912
4.500
%
25,000
September 2019
September 2024
100.000
%
Total other borrowings
$
99,033
$
123,840
Customers Bancorp
Subordinated (2)(3)
$
72,902
$
72,766
5.375
%
$
74,750
December 2019
December 2034
100.000
%
Customers Bank
Subordinated (2)(4)
109,537
109,464
6.125
%
110,000
June 2014
June 2029
100.000
%
Total subordinated debt
$
182,439
$
182,230
(1)The senior notes will bear an annual fixed rate of 2.875% until August 15, 2026. From August 15, 2026 until maturity, the notes will bear an annual interest rate equal to a benchmark rate, which is expected to be the three-month term SOFR, plus 235 basis points. Customers Bancorp has the ability to call the senior notes, in whole, or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal balance at certain times on or after August 15, 2026.
(2)The subordinated notes qualify as Tier 2 capital for regulatory capital purposes.
(3)Customers Bancorp has the ability to call the subordinated notes, in whole, or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal balance at certain times on or after December 30, 2029.
(4)The subordinated notes had an annual fixed rate of 6.125% until June 26, 2024. From June 26, 2024 until maturity, the notes bear an annual interest rate equal to the three-month LIBOR plus 344.3 basis points. Pursuant to the Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act enacted by Congress on March 15, 2022, Customers substituted three-month term SOFR plus a tenor spread adjustment of 26.161 basis points for three-month LIBOR as the benchmark reference rate in order to calculate the annual interest rate after June 26, 2024. Customers Bank has the ability to call the subordinated notes, in whole, or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal balance at certain times on or after June 26, 2024.
On June 26, 2024, the Board of Directors of Customers Bancorp authorized a new common stock repurchase program (the “2024 Share Repurchase Program”) to repurchase up to 497,509 shares of the Company’s common stock. The term of the 2024 Share Repurchase Program will extend for one year from June 26, 2024, unless earlier terminated. Purchases of shares under the 2024 Share Repurchase Program may be executed through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, through the use of Rule 10b5-1 plans, or otherwise. The exact number of shares, timing for such purchases, and the price and terms at and on which such purchases are to be made will be at the discretion of the Company and will comply with all applicable regulatory limitations.
The Company’s previously authorized common stock repurchase program (the “Share Repurchase Program”), authorized on August 25, 2021, subsequently expired on September 27, 2023. At expiration, the Share Repurchase Program had 497,509 shares that had not been repurchased.
Customers Bancorp purchased 373,974 shares of its common stock for $18.2 million under the 2024 Share Repurchase Program during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024. Customers Bancorp purchased no shares and 1,379,883 shares of its common stock for $39.8 million under the previously authorized Share Repurchase Program during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively.
Preferred Stock
As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers Bancorp has two series of preferred stock outstanding. The table below summarizes Customers’ issuances of preferred stock that remain outstanding at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 and the dividends paid per share.
(amounts in thousands except share and per share data)
Shares at
Carrying value at
Initial Fixed Rate
Date at which dividend rate becomes floating and earliest redemption date
Floating rate of Three-Month SOFR (2) Plus:
Dividend Paid Per Share in 2024 (1)
Fixed-to-floating rate:
Issue Date
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Series E
April 28, 2016
2,300,000
2,300,000
$
55,593
$
55,593
6.45
%
June 15, 2021
5.140
%
$
2.06
Series F
September 16, 2016
3,400,000
3,400,000
82,201
82,201
6.00
%
December 15, 2021
4.762
%
$
1.99
Totals
5,700,000
5,700,000
$
137,794
$
137,794
(1) For the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
(2) Pursuant to the Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act enacted by Congress on March 15, 2022, Customers substituted three-month term SOFR plus a tenor spread adjustment of 26.161 basis points for three-month LIBOR as the benchmark reference rate on Series E and F Preferred Stock, plus 5.14% and 4.762%, respectively, beginning with dividends declared on October 25, 2023.
NOTE 12 — REGULATORY CAPITAL
The Bank and the Bancorp are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal banking agencies. Failure to meet the minimum capital requirements can result in certain mandatory, and possibly additional discretionary, actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on Customers’ financial statements. Under capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, the Bank and the Bancorp must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of their assets, liabilities and certain off-balance sheet items, as calculated under the regulatory accounting practices. The capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors. Prompt corrective action provisions are not applicable to bank holding companies.
In first quarter 2020, the U.S federal banking regulatory agencies permitted banking organizations to phase-in, for regulatory capital purposes, the day-one impact of the new CECL accounting rule on retained earnings over a period of three years. As part of its response to the impact of COVID-19, on March 31, 2020, the U.S. federal banking regulatory agencies issued an interim final rule that provided the option to temporarily delay certain effects of CECL on regulatory capital for two years, followed by a three-year transition period. The interim final rule allows banking organizations to delay for two years 100% of the day-one impact of adopting CECL and 25% of the cumulative change in the reported allowance for credit losses since adopting CECL. Customers has elected to adopt the interim final rule, which is reflected in the regulatory capital data presented below. The cumulative CECL capital transition impact as of December 31, 2021 which amounted to $61.6 million will be phased in at 25% per year beginning on January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024. As of September 30, 2024, our regulatory capital ratios reflected 25%, or $15.4 million, benefit associated with the CECL transition provisions.
Quantitative measures established by regulation to ensure capital adequacy require the Bank and the Bancorp to maintain minimum amounts and ratios (set forth in the following table) of common equity Tier 1, Tier 1, and total capital to risk-weighted assets, and Tier 1 capital to average assets (as defined in the regulations). At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Bank and the Bancorp satisfied all capital requirements to which they were subject.
Generally, to comply with the regulatory definition of adequately capitalized, or well capitalized, respectively, or to comply with the Basel III capital requirements, an institution must at least maintain the common equity Tier 1, Tier 1 and total risk-based capital ratios and the Tier 1 leverage ratio in excess of the related minimum ratios as set forth in the following table:
Minimum Capital Levels to be Classified as:
Actual
Adequately Capitalized
Well Capitalized
Basel III Compliant
(dollars in thousands)
Amount
Ratio
Amount
Ratio
Amount
Ratio
Amount
Ratio
As of September 30, 2024:
Common equity Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,777,683
12.463
%
$
641,885
4.500
%
N/A
N/A
$
998,488
7.000
%
Customers Bank
$
1,943,059
13.636
%
$
641,212
4.500
%
$
926,125
6.500
%
$
997,441
7.000
%
Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,915,476
13.429
%
$
855,847
6.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
1,212,450
8.500
%
Customers Bank
$
1,943,059
13.636
%
$
854,949
6.000
%
$
1,139,932
8.000
%
$
1,211,178
8.500
%
Total capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
2,191,266
15.362
%
$
1,141,129
8.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
1,497,732
10.500
%
Customers Bank
$
2,145,947
15.060
%
$
1,139,932
8.000
%
$
1,424,916
10.000
%
$
1,496,161
10.500
%
Tier 1 capital (to average assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,915,476
8.947
%
$
856,386
4.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
856,386
4.000
%
Customers Bank
$
1,943,059
9.082
%
$
855,807
4.000
%
$
1,069,759
5.000
%
$
855,807
4.000
%
As of December 31, 2023:
Common equity Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,661,149
12.230
%
$
611,200
4.500
%
N/A
N/A
$
950,755
7.000
%
Customers Bank
$
1,868,360
13.773
%
$
610,453
4.500
%
$
881,765
6.500
%
$
949,594
7.000
%
Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,798,942
13.245
%
$
814,933
6.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
1,154,489
8.500
%
Customers Bank
$
1,868,360
13.773
%
$
813,937
6.000
%
$
1,085,250
8.000
%
$
1,153,078
8.500
%
Total capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
2,076,550
15.289
%
$
1,086,578
8.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
1,426,133
10.500
%
Customers Bank
$
2,073,202
15.283
%
$
1,085,250
8.000
%
$
1,356,562
10.000
%
$
1,424,390
10.500
%
Tier 1 capital (to average assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,798,942
8.375
%
$
859,189
4.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
859,189
4.000
%
Customers Bank
$
1,868,360
8.708
%
$
858,225
4.000
%
$
1,072,782
5.000
%
$
858,225
4.000
%
The Basel III Capital Rules require that we maintain a 2.500% capital conservation buffer with respect to each of common equity Tier 1, Tier 1 and total capital to risk-weighted assets, which provides for capital levels that exceed the minimum risk-based capital adequacy requirements. A financial institution with a conservation buffer of less than the required amount is subject to limitations on capital distributions, including dividend payments and stock repurchases, and certain discretionary bonus payments to executive officers.
NOTE 13 — DISCLOSURES ABOUT FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Customers uses fair value measurements to record fair value adjustments to certain assets and liabilities and to disclose the fair value of its financial instruments. ASC 825, Financial Instruments, requires disclosure of the estimated fair value of an entity’s assets and liabilities considered to be financial instruments. For Customers, as for most financial institutions, the majority of its assets and liabilities are considered to be financial instruments. Many of these instruments lack an available trading market as characterized by a willing buyer and a willing seller engaging in an exchange transaction. For fair value disclosure purposes, Customers utilized certain fair value measurement criteria under ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (“ASC 820”), as explained below.
In accordance with ASC 820, the fair value of a financial instrument is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Fair value is best determined based upon quoted market prices. However, in many instances, there are no quoted market prices for Customers’ various financial instruments. In cases where quoted market prices are not available, fair values are based on estimates using present value or other valuation techniques. Those techniques are significantly affected by the assumptions used, including the discount rate and estimates of future cash flows. Accordingly, the fair value estimates may not be realized in an immediate settlement of the instrument.
The fair value guidance provides a consistent definition of fair value, focusing on an exit price in an orderly transaction (that is, not a forced liquidation or distressed sale) between market participants at the measurement date under current market conditions. If there has been a significant decrease in the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability, a change in valuation technique or the use of multiple valuation techniques may be appropriate. In such instances, determining the price at which willing market participants would transact at the measurement date under current market conditions depends on the facts and circumstances and requires the use of significant judgment. The fair value is a reasonable point within the range that is most representative of fair value under current market conditions.
The fair value guidance also establishes a fair value hierarchy and describes the following three levels used to classify fair value measurements.
Level 1: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities.
Level 2: Quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs that are observable either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.
Level 3: Prices or valuation techniques that require adjustments to inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (i.e., supported with little or no market activity).
A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair values of Customers’ financial instruments as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023:
Financial Instruments Recorded at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
Investment securities:
The fair values of equity securities with a readily determinable fair value, AFS debt securities and debt securities reported at fair value based on a fair value option election are determined by obtaining quoted market prices on nationally recognized and foreign securities exchanges (Level 1), quoted prices in markets that are not active (Level 2), matrix pricing (Level 2), which is a mathematical technique used widely in the industry to value debt securities without relying exclusively on quoted market prices for the specific securities but rather by relying on the securities’ relationship to other benchmark quoted prices, or internally and externally developed models that use unobservable inputs due to limited or no market activity of the instrument (Level 3).
When quoted market prices are not available, Customers employs an independent pricing service that utilizes matrix pricing to calculate fair value. Such fair value measurements consider observable data such as dealer quotes, market spreads, cash flows, yield curves, live trading levels, trade execution data, market consensus prepayments speeds, credit information, and respective terms and conditions for debt instruments. Management maintains procedures to monitor the pricing service’s results and has an established process to challenge their valuations, or methodologies, that appear unusual or unexpected.
Customers also utilizes internally and externally developed models that use unobservable inputs due to limited or no market activity of the instrument. These models use unobservable inputs that are inherently judgmental and reflect our best estimates of the assumptions a market participant would use to calculate fair value. Certain unobservable inputs in isolation may have either a directionally consistent or opposite impact on the fair value of the instrument for a given change in that input. When multiple inputs are used within the valuation techniques, a change in one input in a certain direction may be offset by an opposite change from another input. These assets are classified as Level 1, 2 or 3 fair values, based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements.
Loans held for sale - Residential mortgage loans (fair value option):
Customers generally estimates the fair values of residential mortgage loans held for sale based on commitments on hand from investors within the secondary market for loans with similar characteristics. These assets are classified as Level 2 fair values, based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements.
Loans held for sale - Consumer other installment loans (fair value option):
The fair value of medical installment loans within consumer other installment loans is the amount of cash initially advanced to fund the loan, as specified in the agreement with a fintech company, and generally held for up to 90 days prior to sale. These assets are classified as Level 3 fair values, based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements.
Loans receivable - Mortgage finance loans (fair value option):
The fair value of mortgage finance loans is the amount of cash initially advanced to fund the mortgage, plus accrued interest and fees, as specified in the respective agreements. The loan is used by mortgage companies as short-term bridge financing between the funding of the mortgage loans and the finalization of the sale of the loans to an investor. Changes in fair value are not generally expected to be recognized because at inception of the transaction the underlying mortgage loans have already been sold to an approved investor. Additionally, the interest rate is variable, and the transaction is short-term, with an average life of under 30 days from purchase to sale. These assets are classified as Level 2 fair values, based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements.
Derivatives (assets and liabilities):
The fair values of interest rate swaps, interest rate caps and credit derivatives are determined using models that incorporate readily observable market data into a market standard methodology. This methodology nets the discounted future cash receipts and the discounted expected cash payments. The discounted variable cash receipts and payments are based on expectations of future interest rates derived from observable market interest rate curves. In addition, fair value is adjusted for the effect of nonperformance risk by incorporating credit valuation adjustments for Customers and its counterparties. These assets and liabilities are classified as Level 2 fair values, based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements.
Derivative assets and liabilities are presented in other assets and accrued interest payable and other liabilities on the consolidated balance sheet.
Financial Instruments Recorded at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis
Collateral-dependent loans:
Collateral-dependent loans are those loans that are accounted for under ASC 326, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (“ASC 326”), in which the Bank has measured impairment generally based on the fair value of the loan’s collateral or DCF analysis. Fair value is generally determined based upon independent third-party appraisals of the properties that collateralize the loans, DCF based upon the expected proceeds, sales agreements or letters of intent with third parties. These assets are generally classified as Level 3 fair values, based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurements.
The following information should not be interpreted as an estimate of Customers’ fair value in its entirety because fair value calculations are only provided for a limited portion of Customers’ assets and liabilities. Due to a wide range of valuation techniques and the degree of subjectivity used in making these estimates, comparisons between Customers’ disclosures and those of other companies may not be meaningful.
For financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring and nonrecurring basis, the fair value measurements by level within the fair value hierarchy used at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were as follows:
September 30, 2024
Fair Value Measurements at the End of the Reporting Period Using
(amounts in thousands)
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1)
Loans receivable, mortgage finance – fair value option
—
897,912
—
897,912
Total assets – recurring fair value measurements
$
—
$
3,258,944
$
223,036
$
3,481,980
Liabilities
Derivatives
$
—
$
27,110
$
—
$
27,110
Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis:
Assets
Collateral-dependent loans
$
—
$
—
$
2,373
$
2,373
Total assets – nonrecurring fair value measurements
$
—
$
—
$
2,373
$
2,373
The changes in asset-backed securities (Level 3 assets) measured at fair value on a recurring basis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 are summarized in the tables below.
The changes in other installment loans (Level 3 assets) measured at fair value on a recurring basis, based on an election made to account for the loans at fair value for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 are summarized in the tables below.
Other Installment Loans
(amounts in thousands)
Three Months Ended September 30,
2024
2023
Balance at July 1
$
247,442
$
—
Originations
223,625
—
Sales
(200,041)
—
Principal payments
(53,928)
—
Change in fair value recognized in earnings
—
—
Balance at September 30
$
217,098
$
—
Other Installment Loans
(amounts in thousands)
Nine Months Ended September 30,
2024
2023
Balance at January 1
$
188,062
$
—
Originations
704,081
—
Sales
(518,271)
—
Principal payments
(156,774)
—
Change in fair value recognized in earnings
—
—
Balance at September 30
$
217,098
$
—
There were no transfers between levels during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
The following tables summarize financial assets and financial liabilities measured at fair value as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 on a recurring and nonrecurring basis for which Customers utilized Level 3 inputs to measure fair value. The unobservable Level 3 inputs noted below contain a level of uncertainty that may differ from what is realized in an immediate settlement of the assets. Therefore, Customers may realize a value higher or lower than the current estimated fair value of the assets.
Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements
(dollars in thousands)
Fair Value Estimate
Valuation Technique
Unobservable Input
Range (Weighted Average)
September 30, 2024
Asset-backed securities
$
16,825
Discounted cash flow
Discount rate
Annualized loss rate
Constant prepayment rate
9% - 10%
(9%)
3% - 13%
(5%)
19% - 20%
(20%)
Quantitative Information about Level 3 Fair Value Measurements
NOTE 14 — DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES
Risk Management Objectives of Using Derivatives
Customers is exposed to certain risks arising from both its business operations and economic conditions. Customers manages economic risks, including interest rate, liquidity and credit risk, primarily by managing the amount, sources, and durations of its assets and liabilities. Specifically, Customers enters into derivative financial instruments to manage exposures that arise from business activities that result in the receipt or payment of future known and uncertain cash amounts, the values of which are determined by interest rates. Customers’ derivative financial instruments are used to manage differences in the amount, timing, and duration of Customers’ known or expected cash receipts and its known or expected cash payments principally related to certain borrowings and deposits. Customers also has interest-rate derivatives resulting from an accommodation provided to certain qualifying customers, and therefore, they are not used to manage Customers’ interest-rate risk in assets or liabilities. Customers manages a matched book with respect to its derivative instruments used in this customer service in order to minimize its net risk exposure resulting from such transactions.
Fair Value Hedges of Benchmark Interest-Rate Risk
Customers is exposed to changes in the fair value of certain of its fixed rate AFS debt securities, deposits and FHLB advances due to changes in the benchmark interest rate. Customers uses interest rate swaps to manage its exposure to changes in fair value on these instruments attributable to changes in the designated benchmark interest rate such as the Fed Funds Effective Swap Rate. Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges of certain fixed rate AFS debt securities involve the payment of fixed-rate amounts to a counterparty in exchange for Customers receiving variable-rate payments over the life of the agreements without the exchange of the underlying notional amount. Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges of certain deposits and FHLB advances involve the payment of variable-rate amounts to a counterparty in exchange for Customers receiving fixed-rate payments over the life of the agreements without the exchange of the underlying notional amount. For derivatives designated and that qualify as fair value hedges, the gain or loss on the derivative as well as the offsetting loss or gain on the hedged item attributable to the hedged risk are recognized in net interest income.
At September 30, 2024, Customers had 43 outstanding interest rate derivatives with notional amounts totaling $2.3 billion that were designated as fair value hedges of certain AFS debt securities, deposits and FHLB advances. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, Customers entered into 12 and 37 interest rate derivatives with notional amounts totaling $431.6 million and $1.8 billion, respectively, that were designated as fair value hedges of certain deposits and FHLB advances. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, Customers entered into five interest rate derivatives with notional amounts totaling $1.0 billion, two of which were terminated with notional amounts totaling $550.0 million that were designated as fair value hedges of certain deposits and FHLB advances resulting in $4.6 million of basis adjustments being amortized over the remaining terms of the hedged items as a reduction in interest expense. At December 31, 2023, Customers had six outstanding interest rate derivatives with notional amounts totaling $472.5 million that were designated as fair value hedges of certain AFS debt securities and FHLB advances.
As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the following amounts were recorded on the consolidated balance sheet related to cumulative basis adjustments for fair value hedges.
Amortized Cost
Cumulative Amount of Fair Value Hedging Adjustment to Hedged Items
(amounts in thousands)
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
AFS debt securities
$
22,500
$
22,500
$
202
$
941
Deposits
1,614,617
300,000
22,191
1,432
FHLB advances
1,200,000
700,000
12,229
3,206
Derivatives Not Designated as Hedging Instruments
Customers executes interest rate swaps (typically the loan customers will swap a floating-rate loan for a fixed-rate loan) and interest rate caps with commercial banking customers to facilitate their respective risk management strategies. The customer interest rate swaps and interest rate caps are simultaneously offset by interest rate swaps and interest rate caps that Customers executes with a third party in order to minimize interest-rate risk exposure resulting from such transactions. As the interest rate swaps and interest rate caps associated with this program do not meet the hedge accounting requirements, changes in the fair value of both the customer swaps and caps and the offsetting third-party market swaps and caps are recognized directly in earnings. At September 30, 2024, Customers had 130 interest rate swaps with an aggregate notional amount of $1.3 billion and two interest rate caps with an aggregated notional amount of $55.6 million related to this program. At December 31, 2023, Customers had 132 interest rate swaps with an aggregate notional amount of $1.2 billion and two interest rate caps with an aggregate notional amount of $55.6 million related to this program.
Fair Value of Derivative Instruments on the Balance Sheet
The following tables present the fair value of Customers’ derivative financial instruments as well as their presentation on the consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
September 30, 2024
Derivative Assets
Derivative Liabilities
(amounts in thousands)
Balance Sheet Location
Fair Value
Balance Sheet Location
Fair Value
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
Interest rate swaps and caps (1)
Other assets
$
15,473
Other liabilities
$
21,474
December 31, 2023
Derivative Assets
Derivative Liabilities
(amounts in thousands)
Balance Sheet Location
Fair Value
Balance Sheet Location
Fair Value
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
Interest rate swaps and caps (1)
Other assets
$
17,903
Other liabilities
$
27,097
(1) Customers’ centrally cleared derivatives are legally settled through variation margin payments and these payments are reflected as a reduction of the related derivative asset or liability, including accrued interest, on the consolidated balance sheet.
Effect of Derivative Instruments on Net Income
The following table presents amounts included in the consolidated statements of income related to derivatives designated as fair value hedges and derivatives not designated as hedges for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
Amount of Income (Loss) Recognized in Earnings
Three Months Ended September 30,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
(amounts in thousands)
Income Statement Location
2024
2023
2024
2023
Derivatives designated as fair value hedges:
Recognized on interest rate swaps
Net interest income
$
42,717
$
6,377
$
54,453
$
13,209
Recognized on hedged AFS debt securities
Net interest income
(306)
(196)
(739)
(446)
Recognized on hedged deposits
Net interest income
(23,444)
—
(25,130)
—
Recognized on hedged FHLB advances
Net interest income
(18,967)
(6,181)
(28,584)
(12,763)
Total
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
—
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments:
Interest rate swaps and caps
Other non-interest income
$
374
$
192
$
1,109
$
332
Credit-risk-related Contingent Features
By entering into derivative contracts, Customers is exposed to credit risk. The credit risk associated with derivatives executed with customers is the same as that involved in extending the related loans and is subject to the same standard credit policies. To mitigate the credit-risk exposure to major derivative dealer counterparties, Customers only enters into agreements with those counterparties that maintain credit ratings of high quality or with central clearing parties.
Agreements with major derivative dealer counterparties contain provisions whereby default on any of Customers’ indebtedness would be considered a default on its derivative obligations. Customers also has entered into agreements that contain provisions under which the counterparty could require Customers to settle its obligations if Customers fails to maintain its status as a well/adequately capitalized institution. As of September 30, 2024, the fair value of derivatives in a net asset position related to these agreements was $5.6 million. In addition, Customers, which has collateral posting thresholds with certain of these counterparties, had received $6.1 million of cash as collateral at September 30, 2024. Customers records cash posted or received as collateral with these counterparties, except with a central clearing entity, as a reduction or an increase in the outstanding balance of cash and cash equivalents and an increase in the balance of other assets or other liabilities.
Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities
The following tables present derivative instruments that are subject to enforceable master netting arrangements. Customers’ interest rate swaps and interest rate caps with institutional counterparties are subject to master netting arrangements and are included in the tables below. Interest rate swaps and interest rate caps with commercial banking customers are not subject to master netting arrangements and are excluded from the tables below. Customers has not made a policy election to offset its derivative positions.
Gross Amounts Recognized on the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Net Amount
(amounts in thousands)
Financial Instruments
Cash Collateral Received/Posted
September 30, 2024
Interest rate derivative assets with institutional counterparties
$
10,647
$
(5,079)
$
(5,568)
$
—
Interest rate derivative liabilities with institutional counterparties
$
5,079
$
(5,079)
$
—
$
—
Gross Amounts Recognized on the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Gross Amounts Not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet
Net Amount
(amounts in thousands)
Financial Instruments
Cash Collateral Received/Posted
December 31, 2023
Interest rate derivative assets with institutional counterparties
$
17,439
$
(500)
$
(16,939)
$
—
Interest rate derivative liabilities with institutional counterparties
$
500
$
(500)
$
—
$
—
NOTE 15 — LOSS CONTINGENCIES
Loss contingencies, including claims and legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business, are recorded as liabilities when the likelihood of loss is probable and an amount or range of loss can be reasonably estimated. Management does not believe there are any such matters that will have a material effect on the consolidated financial statements that are not currently accrued for. However, in light of the uncertainties inherent in these matters, it is possible that the ultimate resolution may have a material adverse effect on Customers’ results of operations for a particular period, and future changes in circumstances or additional information could result in accruals or resolution in excess of established accruals, which could adversely affect Customers’ results of operations, potentially materially.
This report and all attachments hereto, as well as other written or oral communications made from time to time by us, may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include statements with respect to Customers Bancorp, Inc.’s strategies, goals, beliefs, expectations, estimates, intentions, capital raising efforts, financial condition and results of operations, future performance and business. Statements preceded by, followed by, or that include the words “may,” “could,” “should,” “pro forma,” “looking forward,” “would,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” or similar expressions generally indicate a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that are subject to change based on various important factors (some of which, in whole or in part, are beyond Customers Bancorp, Inc.’s control). Numerous competitive, economic, regulatory, legal and technological events and factors, among others, could cause Customers Bancorp, Inc.’s financial performance to differ materially from the goals, plans, objectives, intentions and expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements, including: a continuation of the recent turmoil in the banking industry, responsive measures taken by us and regulatory authorities to mitigate and manage related risks, regulatory actions taken that address related issues and the costs and obligations associated therewith, such as the FDIC special assessments; the potential for negative consequences resulting from regulatory violations, investigations and examinations, including potential supervisory actions, the assessment of fines and penalties, the imposition of sanctions, the need to undertake remedial actions and possible damage to our reputation; effects of competition on deposit rates and growth, loan rates and growth and net interest margin; failure to identify and adequately and promptly address cybersecurity risks, including data breaches and cyberattacks; public health crises and pandemics and their effects on the economic and business environments in which we operate; geopolitical conditions, including acts or threats of terrorism, actions taken by the United States or other governments in response to acts or threats of terrorism and military conflicts, including the war between Russia and Ukraine and escalating conflict in the Middle East, which could impact the economic conditions in the United States; the impact that changes in the economy have on the performance of our loan and lease portfolio, the market value of our investment securities, the demand for our products and services and the availability of sources of funding; the effects of actions by the federal government, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and other government agencies, that affect market interest rates and the money supply; actions that we and our customers take in response to these developments and the effects such actions have on our operations, products, services and customer relationships; higher inflation and its impacts; and the effects of any changes in accounting standards or policies. Customers Bancorp, Inc. cautions that the foregoing factors are not exclusive, and neither such factors nor any such forward-looking statement takes into account the impact of any future events. All forward-looking statements and information set forth herein are based on management’s current beliefs and assumptions as of the date hereof and speak only as of the date they are made. For a more complete discussion of the assumptions, risks and uncertainties related to our business, you are encouraged to review Customers Bancorp, Inc.’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, including any amendments thereto, that update or provide information in addition to the information included in the Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings, if any. Customers Bancorp, Inc. does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by Customers Bancorp, Inc. or by or on behalf of Customers Bank, except as may be required under applicable law.
Management’s discussion and analysis represents an overview of the financial condition and results of operations, and highlights the significant changes in the financial condition and results of operations, as presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for Customers Bancorp, Inc. (the “Bancorp” or “Customers Bancorp”), a financial holding company, and its wholly owned subsidiaries, including Customers Bank (the “Bank”), collectively referred to as “Customers” herein. This information is intended to facilitate your understanding and assessment of significant changes and trends related to Customers’ financial condition and results of operations as of and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024. All quarterly information in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis is unaudited. You should read this section in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” included in Customers’ 2023 Form 10-K.
Overview
Like most financial institutions, Customers derives the majority of its income from interest it receives on its interest-earning assets, such as loans, leases and investments. Customers’ primary source of funds for making these loans, leases and investments are its deposits and borrowings, on which it pays interest. Consequently, one of the key measures of Customers’ success is the amount of its net interest income, or the difference between the interest income on its interest-earning assets and the interest expense on its interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. Another key measure is the difference between the interest income generated by interest earning assets and the interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities, relative to the amount of average interest earning assets, which is referred to as net interest margin.
There is credit risk inherent in loans and leases requiring Customers to maintain an ACL to absorb credit losses on existing loans and leases that may become uncollectible. Customers maintains this allowance by charging a provision for credit losses on loan and leases against its operating earnings. Customers has included a detailed discussion of this process in “NOTE 2 – SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION” to Customers’ audited consolidated financial statements in its 2023 Form 10-K, as well as several tables describing its ACL in “NOTE 7 – LOANS AND LEASES RECEIVABLE AND ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES ON LOANS AND LEASES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements.
Impact of Macroeconomic and Banking Industry Uncertainties and Military Conflicts
Inflation remains slightly elevated in 2024. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates significantly throughout 2022 and into 2023 in attempts to bring the inflation to its long run target rate of two percent. The Federal Reserve has stated that inflation is moving sustainably toward two percent, and that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are roughly in balance. In light of the progress on inflation and the balance of risks, the Federal Reserve has begun lowering the federal funds rate. However, significant uncertainties exist as to the extent and timing of future rate cuts and their effects on the economic conditions.
Significant uncertainties as to future economic conditions continue to exist, including risks of higher inflation and sustained higher interest rate environment, elevated liquidity risk to the U.S. banking system and the exposure to the U.S. commercial real estate market, particularly to the regional banks, disruptions to global supply chain and labor markets and higher oil and commodity prices exacerbated by the military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East. Customers has maintained higher levels of liquidity, reserves for credit losses on loans and leases and off-balance sheet credit exposures and strong capital ratios and shifted the mix of its loan portfolio towards low credit risk commercial loans with floating or adjustable interest rates during the period of high interest rates. As the interest rates begin to decline, Customers has been reducing the Bank's asset sensitivity through derivative hedging and investment securities portfolio rebalancing. Customers remains focused on growing its non-interest bearing and lower-cost interest-bearing deposits. Customers’ exposure to higher risk commercial real estate such as the office sector is minimal, representing approximately 1% of the loan portfolio as of September 30, 2024. The Bank’s debt securities available for sale and held to maturity are available to be pledged as collateral to the FRB and FHLB for additional liquidity. The Bank had approximately $5.2 billion in immediate available liquidity from the FRB and FHLB and cash on hand of $3.1 billion as of September 30, 2024. The Bank’s estimated FDIC insured deposits represented approximately 66% of our deposits (inclusive of accrued interest) as of September 30, 2024. When including collateralized and affiliate deposits as FDIC insured, this number increased to 75% of our deposits as of September 30, 2024. Customers continues to monitor closely the impact of uncertainties affecting the macroeconomic conditions, the U.S. banking system, particularly regional banks, the military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, as well as any effects that may result from the federal government’s responses including future rate and regulatory actions; however, the extent to which inflation, interest rates and other macroeconomic and industry factors, the geopolitical conflicts and developments in the U.S. banking system will impact Customers’ operations and financial results during the remainder of 2024 and into 2025 is highly uncertain.
New Accounting Pronouncements
For information about the impact that recently adopted or issued accounting guidance will have on us, refer to “NOTE 2 – SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Customers has adopted various accounting policies that govern the application of U.S. GAAP and that are consistent with general practices within the banking industry in the preparation of its consolidated financial statements. Customers’ significant accounting policies are described in “NOTE 2 – SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION” in Customers’ audited consolidated financial statements included in its 2023 Form 10-K. Certain accounting policies involve significant judgments and assumptions by Customers that have a material impact on the carrying value of certain assets. Customers considers these accounting policies to be critical accounting policies. The judgments and assumptions used are based on historical experience and other factors, which are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Because of the nature of the judgments and assumptions management makes, actual results could differ from these judgments and estimates, which could have a material impact on the carrying values of Customers’ assets.
The critical accounting policy that is both important to the portrayal of Customers’ financial condition and results of operations and requires complex, subjective judgments is the ACL. This critical accounting policy and material estimate, along with the related disclosures, are reviewed by Customers’ Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
Customers’ ACL at September 30, 2024 represents Customers’ current estimate of the lifetime credit losses expected from its loan and lease portfolio and its unfunded lending-related commitments that are not unconditionally cancellable. Management estimates the ACL by projecting a lifetime loss rate conditional on a forecast of economic parameters and other qualitative adjustments, for the loans’ and leases’ expected remaining term.
Customers uses external sources in the creation of its forecasts, including current economic conditions and forecasts for macroeconomic variables over its reasonable and supportable forecast period (e.g., GDP growth rate, unemployment rate, BBB spread, commercial real estate and home price index). After the reasonable and supportable forecast period, which ranges from two to five years, the models revert the forecasted macroeconomic variables to their historical long-term trends, without specific predictions for the economy, over the expected life of the pool, while also incorporating prepayment assumptions into its lifetime loss rates. Internal factors that impact the quarterly allowance estimate include the level of outstanding balances, portfolio performance and assigned risk ratings. Significant loan/borrower attributes utilized in the models include property type, initial loan to value, assigned risk ratings, delinquency status, origination date, maturity date, initial FICO scores, and borrower industry and state.
The ACL may be affected materially by a variety of qualitative factors that Customers considers to reflect its current judgment of various events and risks that are not measured in our statistical procedures, including uncertainty related to the economic forecasts used in the modelled credit loss estimates, nature and volume of the loan and lease portfolio, credit underwriting policy exceptions, peer comparison, industry data, and model and data limitations. The qualitative allowance for economic forecast risk is further informed by multiple alternative scenarios, as deemed applicable, to arrive at a scenario or a composite of scenarios supporting the period-end ACL balance. The evaluation process is inherently imprecise and subjective as it requires significant management judgment based on underlying factors that are susceptible to changes, sometimes materially and rapidly. Customers recognizes that this approach may not be suitable in certain economic environments such that additional analysis may be performed at management’s discretion. Due in part to its subjectivity, the qualitative evaluation may be materially impacted during periods of economic uncertainty and late breaking events that could lead to a revision of reserves to reflect management’s best estimate of expected credit losses.
The ACL is established in accordance with our ACL policy. The ACL Committee, which includes the President, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer, Chief Banking Officer, and Chief Credit Officer, among others, reviews the adequacy of the ACL each quarter, together with Customers’ risk management team. The ACL policy, significant judgments and the related disclosures are reviewed by Customers’ Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
The net decrease in our estimated ACL as of September 30, 2024 as compared to December 31, 2023 resulted primarily from slight improvements in macroeconomic forecasts and lower consumer installment loan balances held for investment. The provision for credit losses on loans and leases was $17.8 million and $51.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, for an ending ACL balance of $138.8 million ($133.2 million for loans and leases and $5.6 million for unfunded lending-related commitments) as of September 30, 2024.
To determine the ACL as of September 30, 2024, Customers utilized Moody’s September 2024 Baseline forecast to generate its modelled expected losses and considered Moody’s other alternative economic forecast scenarios to qualitatively adjust the modelled ACL by loan portfolio in order to reflect management’s reasonable expectations of current and future economic conditions. The Baseline forecast at September 2024 assumed slight improvements in macroeconomic forecasts from the second quarter 2024 forecasts of macroeconomic conditions used by Customers; the Federal Reserve Board lowering interest rates by 0.25 percentage point twice in 2024; failures of several regional banks in the first half of 2023 and recent issues around other banks are not symptomatic of a broader problem in the U.S. financial system and policymakers’ aggressive response will ensure that the failures do not weaken the financial system or further undermine economic growth; the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine continuing for the foreseeable future but its impact on energy, agriculture and other commodity markets and the global economy continues to fade; the war in Israel not spreading to other parts of the Middle East and disrupting global energy markets; the CPI rising 2.9% in 2024 and 2.4% in 2025; and the unemployment rate rising to 4.1% in 2024 and 2025. Customers continues to monitor the impact of the U.S. banking system weaknesses, military conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in the Middle East, inflation, and monetary and fiscal policy measures on the U.S. economy and, if pace of the expected recovery is worse than expected, further meaningful provisions for credit losses could be required.
As of December 31, 2023, the ACL ending balance was $138.2 million ($135.3 million for loans and leases and $2.9 million for unfunded lending-related commitments). To determine the ACL as of December 31, 2023, Customers utilized the Moody’s December 2023 Baseline forecast to generate its modelled expected losses and considered Moody’s other alternative economic forecast scenarios to qualitatively adjust the modelled ACL by loan portfolio in order to reflect management’s reasonable expectations of current and future economic conditions. The Baseline forecast at December 31, 2023 assumed lower growth rates in macroeconomic forecasts compared to the macroeconomic forecasts used by Customers in 2022; the Federal Reserve Board not raising the effective fed funds rate further as it has reached its terminal range of 5.25% to 5.5%, and easing gradually beginning in mid-2024; the federal government avoiding a shutdown in the fourth quarter 2023 and remaining in continuous operation through 2024; recent U.S. bank failures are not symptomatic of a broader problem in the U.S. financial system and policymakers’ aggressive response will ensure that the failures do not weaken the financial system or the U.S. economy; the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine continuing for the foreseeable future but its fallout on energy, agriculture and other commodity markets and the global economy fading; the war in Israel not broadening to a regional conflict and disrupting global energy markets; the CPI rising 2.8% in 2024 and 2.4% in 2025; and the unemployment rate rising to 4.0% in 2024 and 4.1% in 2025.
One of the most significant judgments influencing the ACL is the macroeconomic forecasts from Moody’s. Changes in the economic forecasts could significantly affect the estimated credit losses which could potentially lead to materially different allowance levels from one reporting period to the next. Given the dynamic relationship between macroeconomic variables within Customers’ modelling framework, it is difficult to estimate the impact of a change in any one individual variable on the ACL. However, to illustrate a hypothetical sensitivity analysis, management calculated a quantitative allowance using a 100% weighting applied to an adverse scenario. This scenario includes assumptions around the elevated interest rates weakening credit-sensitive consumer spending and confidence much more than expected; concerns about bank failures raising fears of further collapse in the banking industry, reducing consumer confidence and causing banks to tighten lending standards; the Federal Reserve keeping the fed funds rate at the target range throughout the second quarter of 2024 but easing beginning in the third quarter 2024 as the economy weakens, and below the target range under the Baseline scenario beginning in the first quarter of 2025; military conflict between Russia and Ukraine persisting longer than expected; worries grow that the military conflict in Israel leading to a wider military conflict; unemployment beginning to increase significantly in the fourth quarter of 2024 and the U.S. economy falling into recession in the fourth quarter of 2024. Under this scenario, as an example, the unemployment rate is estimated at 4.5% and 7.9% in 2024 and 2025, respectively. These numbers represent a 0.4% and 3.8% higher unemployment estimate than the Baseline scenario projection of 4.1% for the same time periods, respectively. To demonstrate the sensitivity to key economic parameters, management calculated the difference between a 100% Baseline weighting and a 100% adverse scenario weighting for modelled results. This would result in an incremental quantitative impact to the ACL of approximately $64 million at September 30, 2024. This resulting difference is not intended to represent an expected increase in ACL levels since (i) Customers may use a weighted approach applied to multiple economic scenarios for its ACL process, (ii) the highly uncertain economic environment, (iii) the difficulty in predicting inter-relationships between macroeconomic variables used in various economic scenarios, and (iv) the sensitivity analysis does not account for any qualitative adjustments incorporated by Customers as part of its overall ACL framework.
There is no certainty that Customers’ ACL will be appropriate over time to cover losses in our portfolio as economic and market conditions may ultimately differ from our reasonable and supportable forecast. Additionally, events adversely affecting specific customers, industries, or Customers’ markets, such as geopolitical instability, risks of rising inflation including a near-term recession, or worsening of the U.S. banking system could severely impact our current expectations. If the credit quality of Customers’ customer base materially deteriorates or the risk profile of a market, industry, or group of customers changes materially, Customers’ net income and capital could be materially adversely affected which, in turn could have a material adverse effect on Customers’ financial condition and results of operations. The extent to which the geopolitical instability, risks of rising inflation and worsening of the U.S. banking system have and will continue to negatively impact Customers’ businesses, financial condition, liquidity and results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be forecasted with precision at this time.
For more information, refer to “NOTE 7 – LOANS AND LEASES RECEIVABLE AND ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES ON LOANS AND LEASES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements.
The following table sets forth the condensed statements of income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023:
Three Months Ended September 30,
QTD
Nine Months Ended September 30,
YTD
(dollars in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
% Change
2024
2023
Change
% Change
Net interest income
$
158,545
$
199,773
$
(41,228)
(20.6)
%
$
486,583
$
514,943
$
(28,360)
(5.5)
%
Provision for credit losses
17,066
17,856
(790)
(4.4)
%
52,257
61,088
(8,831)
(14.5)
%
Total non-interest income
8,557
17,775
(9,218)
(51.9)
%
60,825
51,893
8,932
17.2
%
Total non-interest expense
104,018
89,466
14,552
16.3
%
306,639
258,896
47,743
18.4
%
Income before income tax expense (benefit)
46,018
110,226
(64,208)
(58.3)
%
188,512
246,852
(58,340)
(23.6)
%
Income tax expense (benefit)
(725)
23,470
(24,195)
(103.1)
%
33,958
58,801
(24,843)
(42.2)
%
Net income
46,743
86,756
(40,013)
(46.1)
%
154,554
188,051
(33,497)
(17.8)
%
Preferred stock dividends
3,806
3,803
3
0.1
%
11,391
10,826
565
5.2
%
Net income available to common shareholders
$
42,937
$
82,953
$
(40,016)
(48.2)
%
$
143,163
$
177,225
$
(34,062)
(19.2)
%
Customers reported net income available to common shareholders of $42.9 million and $143.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, compared to net income available to common shareholders of $83.0 million and $177.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively. Factors contributing to the change in net income available to common shareholders for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 were as follows:
Net interest income
Net interest income decreased $41.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily due to higher-than-expected purchase discount accretion of approximately $27 million recognized on the venture banking loan portfolio acquired from the FDIC on June 15, 2023 due to loan maturities and increased payoffs during the three months ended September 30, 2023 and higher interest expense on deposits, offset in part by lower interest expense from lower average balances of borrowings. Average interest-earning assets decreased by $790.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in interest-earning assets was primarily driven by decreases in investment securities, commercial and industrial loans and consumer installment loans as Customers continued its de-risking strategy and the build out of our held for sale strategy. NIM decreased by 64 basis points to 3.06% for the three months ended September 30, 2024 from 3.70% for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The NIM decrease was primarily attributable to higher-than-expected purchase discount accretion of approximately $27 million recognized on the venture banking loan portfolio acquired from the FDIC on June 15, 2023 due to loan maturities and increased payoffs during the three months ended September 30, 2023, and higher market interest rates on deposits which drove a 27 basis point increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023. Customers’ total cost of funds, including non-interest bearing deposits was 3.59% and 3.48% for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Net interest income decreased $28.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily due to lower interest income in specialized lending, other commercial and industrial loans and leases and consumer installment loans and higher interest expense on deposits, offset in part by lower interest expense from lower average balances of borrowings. Average interest-earning assets decreased by $332.3 million, primarily related to decreases in specialized lending, PPP loans included in other commercial and industrial loans and leases and consumer installment loans as Customers continued its de-risking strategy and the build out of our held for sale strategy and investment securities, partially offset by an increase in interest-earning deposits. NIM decreased by 12 basis points to 3.16% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 from 3.28% for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The NIM decrease was primarily attributable to higher-than-expected purchase discount accretion of approximately $27 million recognized on the venture banking loan portfolio acquired from the FDIC due to loan maturities and increased payoffs during the three months ended September 30, 2023 and higher market interest rates on deposits, which drove a 49 basis point increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities. Customers’ total cost of funds, including non-interest bearing deposits was 3.55% and 3.42% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
The $0.8 million decrease in the provision for credit losses included $0.7 million increase in provision for credit losses on loans and leases for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023, which primarily reflects higher balances in commercial and industrial loan balances held for investment, partially offset by lower consumer installment loan balances held for investment. The ACL on off-balance sheet credit exposures is presented within accrued interest payable and other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet and the related provision is presented as part of other non-interest expense on the consolidated statement of income. The ACL on loans and leases held for investment represented 1.06% of total loans and leases receivable at September 30, 2024, compared to 1.10% of total loans and leases receivable at September 30, 2023. Net charge-offs for the three months ended September 30, 2024 were $17.0 million, or 50 basis points of average loans and leases on an annualized basis, compared to net charge-offs of $17.5 million, or 50 basis points on an annualized basis, for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in net charge-offs for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023, was primarily due to lower charge-offs for consumer installment loans, partially offset by higher charge-offs for commercial and industrial loans.
The $8.8 million decrease in the provision for credit losses included $5.9 million decrease in provision for credit losses on loans and leases for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023, primarily reflects the recognition of slight improvements in macroeconomic forecasts and lower consumer installment loan balances held for investment. Net charge-offs for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 were $53.7 million, or 54 basis points of average loans and leases on an annualized basis, compared to net charge-offs of $51.7 million, or 47 basis points on an annualized basis, for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The net charge-offs of $51.7 million for nine months ended September 30, 2023 excluded $6.2 million of charge-offs for certain PCD loans acquired from the FDIC applied against $8.7 million of allowance for credit losses on PCD loans recognized upon acquisition of the venture banking loan portfolio on June 15, 2023. The increase in net charge-offs for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023, excluding the charge-offs for certain PCD loans acquired from the FDIC, was primarily due to higher charge-offs for commercial and industrial loans, partially offset by decreases in charge-offs for non-owner occupied commercial real estate and consumer installment loans.
The provision for credit losses for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 also included a benefit to provision for credit losses of $0.7 million and a provision of $0.8 million, respectively, on certain asset-backed securities and corporate notes included in our investment securities available for sale. The provision for credit losses on certain asset-backed securities and corporate notes included in our investment securities available for sale was $0.7 million and $3.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Non-interest income
The $9.2 million decrease in non-interest income for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from an increase of $14.2 million in net loss on sale of loans and leases, which included a loss of $14.3 million on leases of commercial clean vehicles that were accounted for as sales-type leases during the three months ended September 30, 2024, partially offset by increases of $2.0 million in loan fees and $1.2 million in commercial lease income for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023. These commercial clean vehicle leases generated the same amount of investment tax credits that were included as a benefit to income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2024. Refer to “NOTE 8 — LEASES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information on the sales-type leases of commercial clean vehicles.
The $8.9 million increase in non-interest income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from $11.0 million of unrealized gain on equity method investment with a fair value of $16.0 million purchased at a discount for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, $5.0 million of loss on sale of capital call lines of credit for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, and increases of $4.2 million in loan fees and $2.9 million in commercial lease income. These increases were offset in part by an increase of $13.7 million in net loss on sale of loans and leases, which included a loss of $14.3 million on leases of commercial clean vehicles that were accounted for as sales-type leases during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, and a decrease of $2.3 million in bank-owned life insurance income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023. These commercial clean vehicle leases generated the same amount of investment tax credits that were included as a benefit to income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. Refer to “NOTE 8 — LEASES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information on the sales-type leases of commercial clean vehicles.
The $14.6 million increase in non-interest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from increases of $13.9 million in salaries and employee benefits, $5.9 million in other non-interest expense and $0.5 million in professional services. These increases were offset in part by a legal settlement expense of $4.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023, and decreases of $2.1 million in technology, communication and bank operations and $0.6 million in FDIC assessments, non-income taxes and regulatory fees for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023.
The $47.7 million increase in non-interest expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from increases of $29.4 million in salaries and employee benefits, $10.5 million in FDIC assessments, non-income taxes and regulatory fees, $12.3 million in other non-interest expense and $3.1 million in technology, communication and bank operations. These increases were offset in part by a legal settlement expense of $4.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, and a decrease of $3.9 million in professional services for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Included in the $10.5 million increase in FDIC assessments, non-income taxes and regulatory fees for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $4.2 million in FDIC premiums related to periods prior to 2024 and $0.7 million related to an increase in industry-wide FDIC special assessment associated with the bank failures of March 2023. Included in the $3.1 million increase in technology, communication and bank operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $7.1 million of deposit servicing-related fees related to periods prior to 2024.
Income tax expense (benefit)
Customers’ effective tax rate was (1.58)% for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to 21.29% for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in the effective tax rate primarily resulted from an increase in estimated income tax credits for the year ending December 31, 2024, including $14.3 million of investment tax credits generated from commercial clean vehicles during the three months ended September 30, 2024. These investment tax credits from commercial clean vehicle leases were the same amount as the loss on leases of commercial clean vehicles included within net gain (loss) on sale of loans and leases.
Customers’ effective tax rate was 18.01% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to 23.82% for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in the effective tax rate primarily resulted from an increase in estimated income tax credits for the year ending December 31, 2024, including $14.3 million of investment tax credits generated from commercial clean vehicles during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, partially offset by tax expense on surrendered bank-owned life insurance policies of $4.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. These investment tax credits from commercial clean vehicle leases were the same amount as the loss on leases of commercial clean vehicles included within net gain (loss) on sale of loans and leases.
Preferred stock dividends
Preferred stock dividends were $3.8 million and $3.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Preferred stock dividends were $11.4 million and $10.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. There were no changes to the amount of preferred stock outstanding during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
NET INTEREST INCOME
Net interest income (the difference between the interest earned on loans and leases, investments and interest-earning deposits with banks, and interest paid on deposits, borrowed funds and subordinated debt) is the primary source of Customers’ earnings. The following table summarizes Customers’ net interest income, related interest spread, net interest margin and the dollar amount of changes in interest income and interest expense for the major categories of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023. Information is provided for each category of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities with respect to (i) changes attributable to volume (i.e., changes in average balances multiplied by the prior-period average rate) and (ii) changes attributable to rate (i.e., changes in average rate multiplied by prior-period average balances). For purposes of this table, changes attributable to both rate and volume which cannot be segregated have been allocated proportionately to the change due to volume and the change due to rate.
(1)For presentation in this table, average balances and the corresponding average yields for investment securities are based upon historical cost, adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts.
(2)Includes owner occupied commercial real estate loans.
(3)Includes PPP loans.
(4)Includes non-accrual loans, the effect of which is to reduce the yield earned on loans and leases, and deferred loan fees.
(5)Total costs of deposits (including interest bearing and non-interest-bearing) were 3.46% and 3.24% for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(6)Tax-equivalent basis, using an estimated marginal tax rate of 26% for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, presented to approximate interest income as a taxable asset.
Net interest income decreased $41.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily due to lower interest income on commercial and industrial loans and leases, primarily in specialized lending and higher interest expense on deposits, offset in part by lower average balances of borrowings. The decrease in net interest income in specialized lending was primarily attributable to higher-than-expected purchase discount accretion of approximately $27 million recognized on the venture banking loan portfolio acquired from the FDIC on June 15, 2023 due to loan maturities and increased payoffs during the three months ended September 30, 2023. Average interest-earning assets decreased by $790.4 million, primarily related to decreases in investment securities, commercial and industrial loans and consumer installment loans. Total consumer installment loans decreased for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023, as consumer installment loans held for investment decreased primarily for risk management purposes and the build out of our held for sale strategy in 2024 in which we accumulate loans with the intent to sell in the future. During the three months ended September 30, 2024, Customers sold $202.5 million of consumer installment loans that were classified as held for sale, inclusive of $53.0 million of personal installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, to two third-party sponsored VIEs. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information on the sale of consumer installment loans to third-party sponsored VIEs.
NIM decreased by 64 basis points to 3.06% for the three months ended September 30, 2024 from 3.70% for the three months ended September 30, 2023 resulting primarily from higher-than-expected purchase discount accretion of approximately $27 million recognized on the venture banking loan portfolio acquired from the FDIC due to loan maturities and increased payoffs during the three months ended September 30, 2023, and higher market interest rates on deposits which drove a 27 basis point increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023. Customers’ total cost of funds, including non-interest bearing deposits was 3.59% and 3.48% for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(1)For presentation in this table, average balances and the corresponding average yields for investment securities are based upon historical cost, adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts.
(2)Includes owner occupied commercial real estate loans.
(3)Includes PPP loans.
(4)Includes non-accrual loans, the effect of which is to reduce the yield earned on loans and leases, and deferred loan fees.
(5)Total costs of deposits (including interest bearing and non-interest-bearing) were 3.44% and 3.23% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(6)Tax-equivalent basis, using an estimated marginal tax rate of 26% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, presented to approximate interest income as a taxable asset.
Net interest income decreased $28.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily due to lower interest income in specialized lending, other commercial and industrial loans and leases and consumer installment loans and higher interest expense on deposits, offset in part by lower interest expense from lower average balances of borrowings. The decrease in interest income in specialized lending was attributable to higher-than-expected purchase discount accretion of approximately $27 million recognized on the venture banking loan portfolio acquired from the FDIC on June 15, 2023 due to loan maturities and increased payoffs during the nine months ended September 30, 2023. Average interest-earning assets decreased by $332.3 million, primarily in specialized lending, PPP loans included in other commercial and industrial loans and leases, consumer installment loans as Customers continued its de-risking strategy and the build out of our held for sale strategy and investment securities, partially offset by an increase in interest-earning deposits. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, Customers sold $202.5 million of consumer installment loans that were classified as held for sale, inclusive of $53.0 million of personal installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, to two third-party sponsored VIEs. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information on the sale of consumer installment loans to third-party sponsored VIEs.
NIM decreased by 12 basis points to 3.16% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 from 3.28% for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 resulting primarily from higher-than-expected purchase discount accretion of approximately $27 million recognized on the venture banking loan portfolio acquired from the FDIC due to loan maturities and increased payoffs during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and higher market interest rates on deposits, which drove a 49 basis point increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities. Customers’ total cost of funds, including non-interest bearing deposits was 3.55% and 3.42% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
PROVISION FOR CREDIT LOSSES
The provision for credit losses is a charge to earnings to maintain the ACL at a level consistent with management’s assessment of expected lifetime losses in the loan and lease portfolio at the balance sheet date. Customers recorded a provision for credit losses on loans and leases during the three months ended September 30, 2024, which resulted primarily from higher balances in commercial and industrial loan balances held for investment, partially offset by lower consumer installment loan balances held for investment. Customers recorded a provision for credit losses of $17.8 million for loans and leases and $0.6 million for lending-related commitments, respectively, for the three months ended September 30, 2024. Customers recorded a provision for credit losses of $17.1 million for loans and leases and $48 thousand for lending-related commitments, respectively, for the three months ended September 30, 2023. Net charge-offs for the three months ended September 30, 2024 were $17.0 million, or 50 basis points of average loans and leases on an annualized basis, compared to net charge-offs of $17.5 million, or 50 basis points of average loans and leases on an annualized basis, for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The decrease in net charge-offs for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023, was primarily due to lower charge-offs for consumer installment loans, partially offset by higher charge-offs for commercial and industrial loans.
Customers recorded a provision for credit losses of $51.6 million for loans and leases and $2.7 million for lending-related commitments, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, which resulted primarily from the recognition of slight improvements in macroeconomic forecasts and lower consumer installment loan balances held for investment. Customers recorded a provision for credit losses of $57.4 million for loans and leases and $24 thousand for lending-related commitments, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. Net charge-offs for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 were $53.7 million, or 54 basis points of average loans and leases on an annualized basis, compared to net charge-offs of $51.7 million, or 47 basis points of average loans and leases on an annualized basis, for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The net charge-offs of $51.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 excluded $6.2 million of charge-offs for certain PCD loans acquired from the FDIC applied against $8.7 million of allowance for credit losses on PCD loans recognized upon acquisition of the venture banking loan portfolio on June 15, 2023. The increase in net charge-offs for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023, excluding the charge-offs for certain PCD loans acquired from the FDIC, was primarily due to higher charge-offs for commercial and industrial loans, partially offset by decreases in charge-offs for non-owner occupied commercial real estate and consumer installment loans.
For more information about the provision and ACL and our loss experience on loans and leases, refer to “Credit Risk” and “Asset Quality” herein.
The provision for credit losses for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 also included a benefit to provision for credit losses of $0.7 million and a provision of $0.8 million, respectively, on certain asset-backed securities and corporate notes included in our investment securities available for sale. The provision for credit losses on certain asset-backed securities and corporate notes included in our investment securities available for sale was $0.7 million and $3.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information.
The table below presents the components of non-interest income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
Three Months Ended September 30,
QTD
Nine Months Ended September 30,
YTD
(dollars in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
% Change
2024
2023
Change
% Change
Commercial lease income
$
10,093
$
8,901
$
1,192
13.4
%
$
30,058
$
27,144
$
2,914
10.7
%
Loan fees
8,011
6,029
1,982
32.9
%
18,524
14,290
4,234
29.6
%
Bank-owned life insurance
2,049
1,973
76
3.9
%
7,317
9,617
(2,300)
(23.9)
%
Mortgage finance transactional fees
1,087
1,018
69
6.8
%
3,091
3,468
(377)
(10.9)
%
Net gain (loss) on sale of loans and leases
(14,548)
(348)
(14,200)
NM
(14,776)
(1,109)
(13,667)
NM
Loss on sale of capital call lines of credit
—
—
—
—
%
—
(5,037)
5,037
(100.0)
%
Net gain (loss) on sale of investment securities
—
(429)
429
(100.0)
%
(749)
(429)
(320)
74.6
%
Unrealized gain on equity method investments
—
—
—
—
%
11,041
—
11,041
NM
Other
1,865
631
1,234
195.6
%
6,319
3,949
2,370
60.0
%
Total non-interest income
$
8,557
$
17,775
$
(9,218)
(51.9)
%
$
60,825
$
51,893
$
8,932
17.2
%
Commercial lease income
Commercial lease income represents income earned on commercial operating leases originated by Customers’ commercial equipment financing group in which Customers is the lessor. The $1.2 million increase in commercial lease income for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from the growth of Customers’ equipment finance business.
The $2.9 million increase in commercial lease income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from the growth of Customers’ equipment finance business.
Loan fees
The $2.0 million increase in loan fees for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from increases in fees earned on unused lines of credit and other fees from consumer borrowers, partially offset by decreases in servicing related revenue and other fees from borrowers.
The $4.2 million increase in loan fees for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from increases in fees earned on unused lines of credit and other fees from borrowers, partially offset by a decrease in servicing related revenue.
Bank-owned life insurance
Bank-owned life insurance income represents income earned on life insurance policies owned by Customers including an increase in cash surrender value of the policies and any benefits paid by insurance carriers under the policies. The $0.1 million increase in bank-owned life insurance income for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from an increase in cash surrender value of the policies.
The $2.3 million decrease in bank-owned life insurance income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from a decrease in death benefits paid by insurance carriers under the policies.
The $14.2 million increase in net loss on sale of loans and leases for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from $14.3 million of loss on leases of commercial clean vehicles that were accounted for as sales-type leases during the three months ended September 30, 2024, and a loss of $0.3 million, inclusive of transaction costs, on sales of $202.5 million in consumer installment loans, inclusive of $53.0 million of personal installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs, to two third-party sponsored VIEs for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $0.2 million in losses on sales of $12.4 million of SBA loans and $0.2 million in losses on sales of consumer installment loans for the three months ended September 30, 2023. The commercial clean vehicle leases generated the same amount of investment tax credits that were included as a benefit to income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2024. Refer to “NOTE 8 — LEASES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information on the sales-type leases of commercial clean vehicles. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information on the sale of consumer installment loans to third-party sponsored VIEs. There can be no assurance that Customers will realize gains from sales of loans in 2024 given the significant uncertainty in the capital markets.
The $13.7 million increase in net loss on sale of loans and leases for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from $14.3 million of loss on leases of commercial clean vehicles that were accounted for as sales-type leases during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, a loss of $0.3 million, inclusive of transaction costs, on sales of $202.5 million in consumer installment loans, inclusive of $53.0 million of personal installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs, to two third-party sponsored VIEs and a loss of $0.2 million, inclusive of transaction costs, on sale of $23.7 million in commercial and industrial loans for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to $0.2 million in net gains on sales of $78.6 million of SBA loans, $0.2 million in losses on sales of consumer installment loans and a loss of $1.2 million, inclusive of transaction costs, on sales of $556.7 million in consumer installment loans that were classified as held for sale, inclusive of $154.0 million of other installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs, to two third-party sponsored VIEs for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. The commercial clean vehicle leases generated the same amount of investment tax credits that were included as a benefit to income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. Refer to “NOTE 8 — LEASES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information on the sales-type leases of commercial clean vehicles. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information on the sale of consumer installment loans to third-party sponsored VIEs. There can be no assurance that Customers will realize gains from sales of loans in 2024 given the significant uncertainty in the capital markets.
Loss on sale of capital call lines of credit
The $5.0 million decrease in realized loss from the sale of capital call lines of credit for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 reflected the sale of $670.0 million of short-term syndicated capital call lines of credit within specialized lending, inclusive of accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, compared to no such sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. Customers decided to exit completely the non-strategic, short-term syndicated capital call lines of credit with borrowers that Customers had no deposit relationships during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Net gain (loss) on sale of investment securities
The $0.4 million decrease in net loss on sale of investment securities for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 reflects a gain realized from the sale of $0.1 million in AFS debt securities for the three months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the sale of $5.0 million in AFS debt securities for the three months ended September 30, 2023. There can be no assurance that Customers will realize gains from sales of investment securities in 2024, given the significant uncertainty in the capital markets and fluctuations in our funding needs, which may impact Customers’ investment strategy.
The $0.3 million increase in net loss on sale of investment securities for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 reflects net losses realized from the sales of $241.6 million in AFS debt securities for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the sale of $5.0 million in AFS debt securities for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. There can be no assurance that Customers will realize gains from sales of investment securities in 2024, given the significant uncertainty in the capital markets and fluctuations in our funding needs, which may impact Customers’ investment strategy.
The $11.0 million increase in unrealized gain on the equity method investments for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 reflects unrealized gain from the equity method investment with a fair value of $16.0 million purchased at a discount during the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
Customers accounts for unconsolidated partnerships and certain other investments using the equity method of accounting if it has the ability to significantly influence the operating and financial policies of the investee. This is generally presumed to exist when Customers owns between 20% and 50% of a corporation, or when it has greater than 3% to 5% interest in a limited partnership or similarly structured entity. Under the equity method, Customers records its equity ownership share of net income or loss of the investee within other non-interest income. Investments accounted for under the equity method of accounting are included within other assets on the consolidated balance sheets.
Other non-interest income
The $1.2 million increase in other non-interest income for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from increases in income from equity securities and SERP.
The $2.4 million increase in other non-interest income for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from an increase in income from equity securities, SERP and derivatives.
NON-INTEREST EXPENSE
The table below presents the components of non-interest expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
Three Months Ended September 30,
QTD
Nine Months Ended September 30,
YTD
(dollars in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
% Change
2024
2023
Change
% Change
Salaries and employee benefits
$
47,717
$
33,845
$
13,872
41.0
%
$
128,689
$
99,310
$
29,379
29.6
%
Technology, communication and bank operations
13,588
15,667
(2,079)
(13.3)
%
51,719
48,663
3,056
6.3
%
Commercial lease depreciation
7,811
7,338
473
6.4
%
23,610
22,541
1,069
4.7
%
Professional services
9,048
8,569
479
5.6
%
21,505
25,357
(3,852)
(15.2)
%
Loan servicing
3,778
3,858
(80)
(2.1)
%
11,325
13,296
(1,971)
(14.8)
%
Occupancy
2,987
2,471
516
20.9
%
8,454
7,750
704
9.1
%
FDIC assessments, non-income taxes and regulatory fees
7,902
8,551
(649)
(7.6)
%
31,607
21,059
10,548
50.1
%
Advertising and promotion
908
650
258
39.7
%
2,844
2,245
599
26.7
%
Legal settlement expense
—
4,096
(4,096)
(100.0)
%
—
4,096
(4,096)
(100.0)
%
Other
10,279
4,421
5,858
132.5
%
26,886
14,579
12,307
84.4
%
Total non-interest expense
$
104,018
$
89,466
$
14,552
16.3
%
$
306,639
$
258,896
$
47,743
18.4
%
Salaries and employee benefits
The $13.9 million increase in salaries and employee benefits for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from an increase in average full-time equivalent team members including the addition of new banking teams, annual merit increases, incentives and severance.
The $29.4 million increase in salaries and employee benefits for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from an increase in average full-time equivalent team members including the addition of new banking teams, annual merit increases, incentives and severance.
Technology, communication and bank operations
The $2.1 million decrease in technology, communication and bank operations expense for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from a decrease in deposit servicing-related expenses resulting from lower servicing fees, partially offset by an increase of $2.9 million in fees for software and processing fees.
The $3.1 million increase in technology, communication and bank operations expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from an increase of $9.7 million in fees for software and processing fees, partially offset by a decrease in deposit servicing-related expenses resulting from lower servicing fees and other technology related expenses.
Customers incurred expenses of $3.0 million and $7.9 million to BM Technologies under the deposit servicing agreement included within the technology, communication and bank operations expense during the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Customers incurred expenses of $17.1 million and $22.8 million to BM Technologies under the deposit servicing agreement included within the technology, communication and bank operations expense during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The deposit servicing fees of $17.1 million incurred to BM Technologies for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 included $7.1 million for periods prior to 2024.
Professional services
The $0.5 million increase in professional services for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from increases in consulting fees including to enhance the Bank’s risk management infrastructure, partially offset by decreases in legal and other professional services.
The $3.9 million decrease in professional services for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from decreases in legal and other professional services, partially offset by increases in consulting fees including to enhance the Bank’s risk management infrastructure.
FDIC assessments, non-income taxes and regulatory fees
The $0.6 million decrease in FDIC assessments, non-income taxes and regulatory fees for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from a decrease in Pennsylvania bank shares taxes. Customers recorded a credit of $3.0 million for Pennsylvania bank shares taxes relating to periods prior to 2024 during the three months ended September 30, 2024.
The $10.5 million increase in FDIC assessments, non-income taxes and regulatory fees for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from an increase in FDIC assessment rates, FDIC premiums of $4.2 million relating to periods prior to 2024 and an increase in the estimated FDIC special assessments of $0.7 million. In November 2023, FDIC issued a final rule to implement a special assessment of 3.36 basis points on the uninsured deposits in excess of $5 billion as of December 31, 2022 to recover the losses arising from the closures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in early March 2023. Customers recorded an additional special assessment of $0.7 million based on the updated estimate of the losses from the FDIC for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. The special assessment will be paid over eight quarterly periods beginning in the first quarter 2024. Customers had approximately $6.4 billion in uninsured deposits as of December 31, 2022. The total special assessment amount to be paid by Customers may vary based on collections ultimately received by the FDIC to recover its losses. Customers also recorded a credit of $3.0 million for Pennsylvania bank shares taxes relating to periods prior to 2024 during the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
Legal settlement expense
The $4.1 million decrease in legal settlement expense for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 reflects expenses from a settlement with a third party PPP service provider for the three months ended September 30, 2023.
The $4.1 million decrease in legal settlement expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 reflects expenses from a settlement with a third party PPP service provider for the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Other non-interest expense
The $5.9 million increase in other non-interest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from increases in fees paid to a fintech company related to consumer installment loans originated and held for sale as a part of the Bank’s held for sale strategy, provision for operating losses and the provision for credit losses on unfunded lending-related commitments.
The $12.3 million increase in other non-interest expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from increases in fees paid to a fintech company related to consumer installment loans originated and held for sale as a part of the Bank’s held for sale strategy and the provision for credit losses on unfunded lending-related commitments.
INCOME TAXES
The table below presents income tax expense (benefit) and the effective tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
Three Months Ended September 30,
QTD
Nine Months Ended September 30,
YTD
(dollars in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
% Change
2024
2023
Change
% Change
Income before income tax expense (benefit)
$
46,018
$
110,226
$
(64,208)
(58.3)
%
$
188,512
$
246,852
$
(58,340)
(23.6)
%
Income tax expense (benefit)
(725)
23,470
(24,195)
(103.1)
%
33,958
58,801
(24,843)
(42.2)
%
Effective tax rate
(1.58)
%
21.29
%
18.01
%
23.82
%
The $24.2 million decrease in income tax expense for the three months ended September 30, 2024, when compared to the same period in the prior year, primarily resulted from lower pre-tax income and an increase in estimated income tax credits for the year ending December 31, 2024, including $14.3 million of investment tax credits generated from commercial clean vehicles during the three months ended September 30, 2024. These investment tax credits from commercial clean vehicle leases were the same amount as the loss on leases of commercial clean vehicles included within net gain (loss) on sale of loans and leases. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2024, when compared to the same period in the prior year, primarily resulted from an increase in estimated income tax credits for the year ending December 31, 2024.
The $24.8 million decrease in income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, when compared to the same period in the prior year, primarily resulted from lower pre-tax income and an increase in estimated income tax credits for the year ending December 31, 2024, including $14.3 million of investment tax credits generated from commercial clean vehicles during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, partially offset by tax expense on surrendered bank-owned life insurance policies of $4.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. These investment tax credits from commercial clean vehicle leases were the same amount as the loss on leases of commercial clean vehicles included within net gain (loss) on sale of loans and leases. The decrease in the effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, when compared to the same period in the prior year, primarily resulted from an increase in estimated income tax credits for the year ending December 31, 2024, partially offset by tax expense on surrendered bank-owned life insurance policies of $4.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
PREFERRED STOCK DIVIDENDS
Preferred stock dividends were $3.8 million and $3.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Preferred stock dividends were $11.4 million and $10.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. There were no changes to the amount of preferred stock outstanding during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
On June 15, 2021, the Series E Preferred Stock became floating at three-month LIBOR plus 5.14%, compared to a fixed rate of 6.45%. On December 15, 2021, the Series F Preferred Stock became floating at three-month LIBOR plus 4.762%, compared to a fixed rate of 6.00%. Pursuant to the Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act enacted by Congress on March 15, 2022, Customers substituted three-month term SOFR plus a tenor spread adjustment of 26.161 basis points for three-month LIBOR as the benchmark reference rate on Series E and F Preferred Stock, plus 5.14% and 4.762%, respectively, beginning with dividends declared on October 25, 2023.
Customers’ total assets were $21.5 billion at September 30, 2024. This represented an increase of $139.8 million from total assets of $21.3 billion at December 31, 2023. The increase in total assets was primarily driven by increases of $563.4 million in loans and leases receivable, $352.5 million in loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value and $6.4 million in investment securities, at fair value, partially offset by decreases of $758.3 million in cash and cash equivalents, $64.9 million in loans held for sale and $38.7 million in investment securities held to maturity.
Total liabilities were $19.7 billion at September 30, 2024. This represented a decrease of $23.0 million from $19.7 billion at December 31, 2023. The decrease in total liabilities primarily resulted from decreases of $86.0 million in FHLB advances, $61.5 million in accrued interest payable and other liabilities and $24.8 million in other borrowings, partially offset by an increase of $149.2 million in total deposits.
The following table sets forth certain key condensed balance sheet data as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023:
(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Change
% Change
Cash and cash equivalents
$
3,088,022
$
3,846,346
$
(758,324)
(19.7)
%
Investment securities, at fair value
2,412,069
2,405,640
6,429
0.3
%
Investment securities held to maturity
1,064,437
1,103,170
(38,733)
(3.5)
%
Loans held for sale
275,420
340,317
(64,897)
(19.1)
%
Loans and leases receivable
12,527,283
11,963,855
563,428
4.7
%
Loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value
1,250,413
897,912
352,501
39.3
%
Allowance for credit losses on loans and leases
(133,158)
(135,311)
2,153
(1.6)
%
Bank-owned life insurance
295,531
292,193
3,338
1.1
%
Other assets
455,083
366,829
88,254
24.1
%
Total assets
21,456,082
21,316,265
139,817
0.7
%
Total deposits
18,069,389
17,920,236
149,153
0.8
%
FHLB advances
1,117,229
1,203,207
(85,978)
(7.1)
%
Other borrowings
99,033
123,840
(24,807)
(20.0)
%
Subordinated debt
182,439
182,230
209
0.1
%
Accrued interest payable and other liabilities
186,812
248,358
(61,546)
(24.8)
%
Total liabilities
19,654,902
19,677,871
(22,969)
(0.1)
%
Total shareholders’ equity
1,801,180
1,638,394
162,786
9.9
%
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity
$
21,456,082
$
21,316,265
$
139,817
0.7
%
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents include cash and due from banks and interest-earning deposits. Cash and due from banks consists mainly of vault cash and cash items in the process of collection. Cash and due from banks were $39.4 million and $45.2 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Cash and due from banks balances vary from day to day, primarily due to variations in customers’ deposit activities with the Bank.
Interest-earning deposits consist of cash deposited at other banks, primarily the FRB. Interest-earning deposits were $3.0 billion and $3.8 billion at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The balance of interest-earning deposits varies from day to day, depending on several factors, such as fluctuations in customers’ deposits with Customers, payment of checks drawn on customers’ accounts and strategic investment and risk management decisions made to optimize Customers’ net interest income, while effectively managing interest-rate risk and liquidity. The decrease in interest-earning deposits from December 31, 2023 primarily resulted from deploying excess cash into loans and investment securities.
The investment securities portfolio is an important source of interest income and liquidity. It consists primarily of mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations guaranteed by agencies of the United States government, asset-backed securities, collateralized loan obligations, commercial mortgage-backed securities, private label collateralized mortgage obligations, corporate notes and certain equity securities. In addition to generating revenue, the investment portfolio is maintained to manage interest-rate risk, provide liquidity, serve as collateral for other borrowings, and diversify the credit risk of interest-earning assets. The portfolio is structured to optimize net interest income given the changes in the economic environment, liquidity position and balance sheet mix.
At September 30, 2024, investment securities at fair value totaled $2.4 billion compared to $2.4 billion at December 31, 2023. The slight increase primarily resulted from purchases of $665.8 million in asset-backed securities, agency-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations, collateralized loan obligations and corporate notes and an increase in the fair value of AFS debt securities, or a decrease in unrealized losses of $36.4 million primarily due to changes in market interest rates and credit spreads, partially offset by the maturities, calls and principal repayments totaling $458.0 million and the sales of $240.8 million of asset-backed securities, collateralized loan obligations, corporate notes and private label collateralized mortgage obligations for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
For financial reporting purposes, AFS debt securities are reported at fair value. Unrealized gains and losses on AFS debt securities, other than credit losses, are included in other comprehensive income (loss) and reported as a separate component of shareholders’ equity, net of the related tax effect. Changes in the fair value of equity securities with a readily determinable fair value and securities reported at fair value based on a fair value option election are recorded in non-interest income in the period in which they occur. Customers recorded a benefit to provision for credit losses of $0.7 million and provision of $0.7 million on certain asset-backed securities and corporate notes included in our investment securities at fair value for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” and “NOTE 13 – DISCLOSURES ABOUT FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information.
The following table sets forth information about the maturities and weighted-average yield of the AFS debt securities portfolio. The weighted-average yield is computed based on a constant effective interest rate over the contractual life of each security adjusted for prepayment estimates, and considers the contractual coupon, amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts. Yields exclude the impact of related hedging derivatives.
The agency-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations in the AFS portfolio were issued by Ginnie Mae and Freddie Mac, and contain guarantees for the collection of principal and interest on the underlying mortgages.
Investment securities held to maturity
At September 30, 2024, investment securities held to maturity totaled $1.1 billion compared to $1.1 billion at December 31, 2023. The slight decrease in investment securities held to maturity primarily resulted from the maturities, calls and principal repayments totaling $217.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, partially offset by purchases of $160.0 million of asset-backed securities in VIEs in connection with the sale of consumer installment loans and $14.8 million of CRA-qualified, agency-guaranteed collateralized mortgage obligations.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, Customers sold $202.5 million of personal and other installment loans that were classified as held for sale, inclusive of $53.0 million of personal installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs, to two third-party sponsored VIEs. Customers provided financing to the purchasers for a portion of the sales price in the form of $160.0 million of asset-backed securities collateralized by the sold loans. Customers accounts for its investment in the asset-backed securities as HTM debt securities on the consolidated balance sheet. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information.
The following table sets forth information about the maturities and weighted-average yield of the investment securities held to maturity. The weighted-average yield is computed based on a constant effective interest rate over the contractual life of each security adjusted for prepayment estimates, and considers the contractual coupon, amortization of premiums, accretion of discounts and amortization of unrealized losses upon transfer from investment securities available for sale to held to maturity, along with the unrealized loss in accumulated other comprehensive income.
The agency-guaranteed mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations in the HTM portfolio were issued by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae, and contain guarantees for the collection of principal and interest on the underlying mortgages.
Investment securities classified as HTM are those debt securities that Customers has both the intent and ability to hold to maturity regardless of changes in market conditions, liquidity needs, or changes in general economic conditions. For financial reporting purposes, these securities are reported at cost, adjusted for the amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts, computed by a method which approximates the interest method over the terms of the securities. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” and “NOTE 13 – DISCLOSURES ABOUT FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information.
LOANS AND LEASES
Existing lending relationships are primarily with small and middle market businesses and individual consumers primarily in Berks County and Southeastern Pennsylvania (Bucks, Chester and Philadelphia Counties); New York (Westchester and Suffolk Counties and Manhattan); Hamilton, New Jersey; Boston, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; Portsmouth, New Hampshire; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Wilmington, North Carolina; and nationally for certain loan and deposit products. The portfolio of specialized lending loans and leases and mortgage finance loans is nationwide. The loan portfolio consists primarily of loans to support mortgage companies’ funding needs, multifamily, commercial real estate and commercial and industrial loans. Customers continues to focus on small and middle market business loans to grow its commercial lending efforts, particularly its commercial and industrial loan and lease portfolio and its specialized lending business. Customers also focuses its lending efforts on local-market mortgage and home equity lending and the origination and purchase of unsecured consumer loans (installment loans), including personal, student loan refinancing, home improvement and medical loans through arrangements with fintech companies and other market place lenders nationwide. Customers is transitioning its consumer installment lending strategy from a held for investment to a held for sale business to reduce its exposure to credit risk.
Commercial Lending
Customers’ commercial lending is broadly divided into the following groups: small and middle market business banking, specialized banking, multifamily and commercial real estate lending, mortgage finance, and SBA lending. This grouping is designed to allow for greater resource deployment, higher standards of risk management, strong asset quality, lower interest-rate risk and higher productivity levels.
As of September 30, 2024, Customers had $12.5 billion in commercial loans outstanding, totaling approximately 89.1% of its total loan and lease portfolio, which includes loans held for sale and loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value, compared to commercial loans outstanding of $11.5 billion, comprising approximately 86.8% of its total loan and lease portfolio at December 31, 2023.
The commercial lending group focuses primarily on companies with annual revenues ranging from $1 million to $100 million, which typically have credit requirements between $0.5 million and $10 million. The small and middle market business banking platform originates loans, including SBA loans, through the branch network sales force and a team of dedicated relationship managers. The support administration of this platform is centralized, including technology, risk management, product management, marketing, performance tracking and overall strategy. Credit and sales training has been established for Customers’ sales force, ensuring that it has small business experts in place providing appropriate financial solutions to the small business owners in its communities. The division approach focuses on industries that offer high asset quality and are deposit rich to drive profitability.
Customers’ specialized banking includes equipment finance, healthcare lending, real estate specialty finance, fund finance, technology and venture capital banking and financial institutions group. Customers’ lender finance vertical within fund finance provides variable rate loans secured by diverse collateral pools to private debt funds. Customers’ capital call lines vertical within fund finance provides variable rate loans secured by collateral pools and limited partnership commitments from institutional investors in private equity funds and cash management services to the alternative investment industry. Customers’ technology and venture capital banking group services the venture-backed growth industry from seed-stage through late-stage.
Customers’ mortgage finance primarily provides financing to mortgage bankers for residential mortgage originations from loan closing until sale in the secondary market. The underlying residential loans are taken as collateral for Customers’ commercial loans to the mortgage companies. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, mortgage finance loans totaled $1.3 billion and $897.9 million, respectively, and are reported as loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value on the consolidated balance sheet.
Customers’ commercial equipment financing group goes to market through the following origination platforms: vendors, intermediaries, direct and capital markets. The commercial equipment financing group is primarily focused on serving the following industries: transportation, construction (includes crane and utility), marine, franchise, general manufacturing (includes machine tool), helicopter/fixed wing, solar, packaging, plastics and food processing. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers had $645.3 million and $547.0 million, respectively, of equipment finance loans outstanding. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers had $254.3 million and $205.7 million, respectively, of equipment finance leases outstanding. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers had $199.9 million and $205.7 million, respectively, of operating leases entered into under this program, net of accumulated depreciation of $88.6 million and $77.7 million, respectively.
Customers’ multifamily lending group is focused on retaining a portfolio of high-quality multifamily loans within Customers’ covered markets. These lending activities use conservative underwriting standards and primarily target the refinancing of loans with other banks or provide purchase money for new acquisitions by borrowers. The primary collateral for these loans is a first lien mortgage on the multifamily property, plus an assignment of all leases related to such property. As of September 30, 2024, Customers had multifamily loans of $2.1 billion outstanding, comprising approximately 15.1% of the total loan and lease portfolio, compared to $2.1 billion, or approximately 16.2% of the total loan and lease portfolio, at December 31, 2023.
Consumer Lending
Customers provides unsecured consumer installment loans, residential mortgage and home equity loans to customers nationwide primarily through relationships with fintech companies. Customers has continued to build out its held for sale strategy in 2024 in which we accumulate loans with the intent to sell in the future while reducing consumer installment loans held for investment. The installment loan portfolio consists largely of originated and purchased personal, student loan refinancing, home improvement and medical loans. None of the loans held for investment are considered sub-prime at the time of origination. Customers considers sub-prime borrowers to be those with FICO scores below 660. Customers has been selective in the consumer loans it has been purchasing. Home equity lending is offered to solidify customer relationships and grow relationship revenues in the long term. This lending is important in Customers’ efforts to grow total relationship revenues for its consumer households. As of September 30, 2024, Customers had $1.5 billion in consumer loans outstanding (including consumer loans held for investment and held for sale), or 10.9% of the total loan and lease portfolio, compared to $1.7 billion, or 13.2% of the total loan and lease portfolio, as of December 31, 2023.
Purchases and sales of loans held for investment were as follows for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023:
Three Months Ended September 30,
Nine Months Ended September 30,
(amounts in thousands)
2024
2023
2024
2023
Purchases (1)
Specialized lending
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
631,252
Other commercial and industrial
602
4,977
8,005
15,285
Commercial real estate owner occupied
—
—
—
2,867
Residential real estate
—
—
—
4,238
Personal installment (2)
69,976
—
113,217
—
Other installment (2)
—
96,758
—
96,758
Total
$
70,578
$
101,735
$
121,222
$
750,400
Sales (3)
Specialized lending (4)
$
—
$
—
$
—
$
287,185
Other commercial and industrial (5)
—
6,725
23,708
54,083
Commercial real estate owner occupied (5)
—
5,671
—
24,522
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
—
—
—
16,000
Personal installment
53,021
—
53,021
—
Other installment
—
—
—
154,042
Total
$
53,021
$
12,396
$
76,729
$
535,832
(1)Amounts reported in the above table are the unpaid principal balance at time of purchase. The purchase price was 95.9% and 100.0% of the loans’ unpaid principal balance for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The purchase price was 97.5% and 87.7% of the loans' unpaid principal balance for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(2)Installment loan purchases for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 consist of third-party originated unsecured consumer loans. None of the loans held for investment are considered sub-prime at the time of origination. Customers considers sub-prime borrowers to be those with FICO scores below 660.
(3)For the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, sales of loans held for investment resulted in no gain or loss and net losses of $0.2 million, respectively, included in net gain (loss) on sale of loans and leases in the consolidated statements of income. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, sales of loans held for investment resulted in net losses of $0.2 million and net gains of $0.2 million, respectively.
(4)Includes a loss of $5.0 million from the sale of $670.0 million of short-term syndicated capital call lines of credit ($280.7 million of loans held for investment in unpaid principal balance and $389.3 million of unfunded loan commitments) included in the consolidated statement of income for the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
(5)Primarily sales of SBA loans for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Loans Held for Sale
The composition of loans held for sale as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 was as follows:
(amounts in thousands)
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Residential mortgage loans, at fair value
$
2,523
$
1,215
Personal installment loans, at lower of cost or fair value
55,799
151,040
Other installment loans, at fair value
217,098
188,062
Total loans held for sale
$
275,420
$
340,317
Loans held for sale are reported on the consolidated balance sheet at either fair value (due to the election of the fair value option) or at the lower of cost or fair value. An ACL is not recorded on loans that are classified as held for sale.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, Customers sold $202.5 million of personal and other installment loans that were classified as held for sale, inclusive of $53.0 million of personal installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs, to two third-party sponsored VIEs. Customers provided financing to the purchasers for a portion of the sales price in the form of $160.0 million of asset-backed securities while $40.2 million of the remaining sales proceeds were paid in cash.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, Customers sold $556.7 million of personal and other installment loans that were classified as held for sale, inclusive of $154.0 million of other installment loans transferred from held for investment to held for sale, accrued interest and unamortized deferred loan origination costs, to two third-party sponsored VIEs. Customers provided financing to the purchasers for a portion of the sales price in the form of $436.8 million of asset backed securities while $115.1 million of the remaining sales proceeds were paid in cash. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information.
Total Loans and Leases Receivable
The composition of total loans and leases receivable (excluding loans held for sale) was as follows:
(amounts in thousands)
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Loans and leases receivable:
Commercial:
Commercial and industrial:
Specialized lending (1)
$
5,468,507
$
5,006,693
Other commercial and industrial (2)
1,204,426
1,279,147
Multifamily
2,115,978
2,138,622
Commercial real estate owner occupied
981,904
797,319
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
1,326,591
1,177,650
Construction
174,509
166,393
Total commercial loans and leases receivable
11,271,915
10,565,824
Consumer:
Residential real estate
500,786
484,435
Manufactured housing
34,481
38,670
Installment:
Personal
453,739
555,533
Other
266,362
319,393
Total consumer loans receivable
1,255,368
1,398,031
Loans and leases receivable
12,527,283
11,963,855
Loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value
1,250,413
897,912
Allowance for credit losses on loans and leases
(133,158)
(135,311)
Total loans and leases receivable, net of allowance for credit losses on loans and leases (3)
$
13,644,538
$
12,726,456
(1)Includes direct finance and sales-type equipment leases of $254.3 million and $205.7 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
(2)Includes PPP loans of $30.5 million and $74.7 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
(3)Includes deferred (fees) costs and unamortized (discounts) premiums, net of $(18.1) million and $(22.7) million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
Loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value
The mortgage finance product line primarily provides financing to mortgage companies nationwide from the time of origination of the underlying mortgage loans until the mortgage loans are sold into the secondary market. As a mortgage finance lender, Customers provides a form of financing to mortgage bankers by purchasing for resale the underlying residential mortgages on a short-term basis under a master repurchase agreement. These loans are reported as loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value on the consolidated balance sheets. Because these loans are reported at their fair value, they do not have an ACL and are therefore excluded from ACL-related disclosures. At September 30, 2024, all of Customers’ mortgage finance loans were current in terms of payment.
Customers is subject to the risks associated with such lending, including, but not limited to, the risks of fraud, bankruptcy and default of the mortgage banker or of the underlying residential borrower, any of which could result in credit losses. Customers’ mortgage finance lending team members monitor these mortgage originators by obtaining financial and other relevant information to reduce these risks during the lending period. Loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value totaled $1.3 billion and $897.9 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
Customers manages credit risk by maintaining diversification in its loan and lease portfolio, establishing and enforcing prudent underwriting standards and collection efforts, and continuous and periodic loan and lease classification reviews. Management also considers the effect of credit risk on financial performance by reviewing quarterly and maintaining an adequate ACL. Credit losses are charged-off when they are identified, and provisions are added for current expected credit losses, to the ACL at least quarterly. The ACL is estimated at least quarterly.
The provision for credit losses on loans and leases was $17.8 million and $51.6 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively. The provision for credit losses on loans and leases was $17.1 million and $57.4 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, respectively. The ACL maintained for loans and leases receivable (excluding loans held for sale and loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value) was $133.2 million, or 1.06% of loans and leases receivable at September 30, 2024, and $135.3 million or 1.13% of loans and leases receivable at December 31, 2023.
The decrease in the ACL resulted primarily from slight improvements in macroeconomic forecasts and a decrease in consumer installment loan balances held for investment. Net charge-offs were $17.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024, a decrease of $0.5 million compared to the same period in 2023. Net charge-offs were $53.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, an increase of $2.0 million compared to the same period in 2023. The net charge-offs for nine months ended September 30, 2023 excluded $6.2 million of charge-offs for certain PCD loans acquired from the FDIC applied against $8.7 million of allowance for credit losses on PCD loans recognized upon acquisition of the venture banking loan portfolio on June 15, 2023. The increase in net charge-offs, excluding the charge-offs for certain PCD loans acquired from the FDIC, was primarily due to higher charge-offs for commercial and industrial loans, partially offset by decreases in charge-offs for non-owner occupied commercial real estate and consumer installment loans. Refer to the tables of changes in Customers’ ACL for annualized net-charge offs to average loans by loan type for the periods indicated.
The tables below present changes in Customers’ ACL for the periods indicated.
(amounts in thousands)
Commercial and industrial (1)(2)
Multifamily
Commercial real estate owner occupied
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
Construction
Residential real estate
Manufactured housing
Installment
Total
Three Months Ended September 30, 2024
Ending Balance,
June 30, 2024
$
23,721
$
20,652
$
8,431
$
17,966
$
1,856
$
5,884
$
4,094
$
49,832
$
132,436
Charge-offs (3)
(6,538)
(2,167)
(4)
—
—
(19)
—
(12,496)
(21,224)
Recoveries (3)
1,482
—
—
—
3
40
—
2,655
4,180
Provision (benefit) for credit losses on loans and leases
6,526
(395)
2,486
(663)
(253)
(68)
(13)
10,146
17,766
Ending Balance, September 30, 2024
$
25,191
$
18,090
$
10,913
$
17,303
$
1,606
$
5,837
$
4,081
$
50,137
$
133,158
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
Ending Balance, December 31, 2023
$
23,503
$
16,343
$
9,882
$
16,859
$
1,482
$
6,586
$
4,239
$
56,417
$
135,311
Charge-offs (3)
(19,282)
(4,073)
(26)
—
—
(38)
—
(43,356)
(66,775)
Recoveries (3)
4,889
—
—
—
10
61
—
8,092
13,052
Provision (benefit) for credit losses on loans and leases
16,081
5,820
1,057
444
114
(772)
(158)
28,984
51,570
Ending Balance, September 30, 2024
$
25,191
$
18,090
$
10,913
$
17,303
$
1,606
$
5,837
$
4,081
$
50,137
$
133,158
Annualized Net Charge-offs to Average Loans and Leases
Provision (benefit) for credit losses on loans and leases
(1,132)
2,469
187
2,324
491
(31)
(258)
13,005
17,055
Ending Balance, September 30, 2023
$
24,986
$
15,870
$
10,363
$
15,819
$
3,130
$
6,802
$
4,080
$
58,163
$
139,213
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023
Ending Balance, December 31, 2022
$
17,582
$
14,541
$
6,454
$
11,219
$
1,913
$
6,094
$
4,430
$
68,691
$
130,924
Allowance for credit losses on FDIC PCD loans, net of charge-offs (4)
2,576
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
2,576
Charge-offs (3)
(9,600)
(3,447)
(39)
(4,527)
—
(69)
—
(52,031)
(69,713)
Recoveries (3)
6,439
—
34
27
116
34
—
11,350
18,000
Provision (benefit) for credit losses on loans and leases
7,989
4,776
3,914
9,100
1,101
743
(350)
30,153
57,426
Ending Balance, September 30, 2023
$
24,986
$
15,870
$
10,363
$
15,819
$
3,130
$
6,802
$
4,080
$
58,163
$
139,213
Annualized Net Charge-offs to Average Loans and Leases
Three Months Ended September 30, 2023
(0.18)
%
(0.37)
%
(0.02)
%
—
%
—
%
(0.01)
%
—
%
(4.83)
%
(0.56)
%
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023
(0.09)
%
(0.32)
%
0.00
%
(0.73)
%
0.12
%
(0.01)
%
—
%
(6.80)
%
(0.79)
%
(1)Includes specialized lending.
(2)PPP loans include an embedded credit enhancement from the SBA, which guarantees 100% of the principal and interest owed by the borrower provided that the SBA’s eligibility criteria are met. As a result, the eligible PPP loans do not have an ACL.
(3)Charge-offs and recoveries on PCD loans that are accounted for in pools are recognized on a net basis when the pool matures.
(4)Represents $8.7 million of allowance for credit losses on PCD loans recognized upon acquisition of a venture banking loan portfolio (included within specialized lending) from the FDIC on June 15, 2023, net of $6.2 million of charge-offs for certain of these PCD loans upon acquisition.
The ACL is based on a quarterly evaluation of the loan and lease portfolio held for investment and is maintained at a level that management considers adequate to absorb expected losses as of the balance sheet date. All commercial loans, with the exception of PPP loans and mortgage finance loans, which are reported at fair value, are assigned internal credit-risk ratings, based upon an assessment of the borrower, the structure of the transaction and the available collateral and/or guarantees. All loans and leases are monitored regularly by the responsible officer, and the risk ratings are adjusted when considered appropriate. The risk assessment allows management to identify problem loans and leases timely. Management considers a variety of factors and recognizes the inherent risk of loss that always exists in the lending process. Management uses a disciplined methodology to estimate an appropriate level of ACL. Refer to Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates herein and “NOTE 2 – SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION” to Customers’ audited consolidated financial statements in its 2023 Form 10-K for further discussion on management’s methodology for estimating the ACL.
Customers’ commercial real estate, commercial and residential construction, consumer residential and commercial and industrial loan types have real estate as collateral (collectively, “the real estate portfolio”) primarily in the form of a first lien position. Current appraisals providing current value estimates of the property are received when Customers’ credit group determines that the facts and circumstances have significantly changed since the date of the last appraisal, including that real estate values have deteriorated. The credit committee and loan officers review loans that are 15 or more days delinquent and all non-accrual loans on a periodic basis. In addition, loans where the loan officers have identified a “borrower of interest” are discussed to determine if additional analysis is necessary to apply the risk-rating criteria properly. The risk ratings for the real estate loan portfolio are determined based upon the current information available, including but not limited to discussions with the borrower, updated financial information, economic conditions within the geographic area and other factors that may affect the cash flow of the loan. If a loan is individually evaluated for impairment, the collateral value or discounted cash flow analysis is generally used to determine the estimated fair value of the underlying collateral, net of estimated selling costs, and compared to the outstanding loan balance to determine the amount of reserve necessary, if any. Appraisals used in this evaluation process are typically less than two years aged. For loans where real estate is not the primary source of collateral, updated financial information is obtained, including accounts receivable and inventory aging reports and relevant supplemental financial data to estimate the fair value of the loan, net of estimated selling costs, and compared to the outstanding loan balance to estimate the required reserve. Customers’ exposure to higher risk commercial real estate such as the office sector is minimal, representing approximately 1% of the total loan and lease portfolio as of September 30, 2024.
These impairment measurements are inherently subjective as they require material estimates, including, among others, estimates of property values in appraisals, the amounts and timing of expected future cash flows on individual loans, and general considerations for historical loss experience, economic conditions, uncertainties in estimating losses and inherent risks in the various credit portfolios, all of which require judgment and may be susceptible to significant change over time and as a result of changing economic conditions or other factors. Pursuant to ASC 326, individually assessed loans, consisting primarily of non-accrual and restructured loans, are considered in the methodology for determining the ACL. Individually assessed loans are generally evaluated based on the expected future cash flows or the fair value of the underlying collateral if principal repayment is expected to substantially come from the operation of the collateral or fair value of the collateral less estimated costs to sell if repayment of the loan is expected to be provided from the sale of such collateral. Shortfalls in the underlying collateral value for loans or leases determined to be collateral dependent are charged off immediately. Subsequent to an appraisal or other fair value estimate, management will assess whether there was a further decline in the value of the collateral based on changes in market conditions or property use that would require additional impairment to be recorded to reflect the particular situation, thereby increasing the ACL on loans and leases held for investment.
Asset Quality
Customers classifies the loan and lease receivables by product or other characteristic generally defining a shared characteristic with other loans or leases in the same group. Charge-offs from originated and acquired loans and leases held for investment are absorbed by the ACL. The schedule that follows includes both loans held for sale and loans held for investment.
NPA to Loans and Leases + OREO and Repossessed Assets (%)
Loan and Lease Type
Commercial and industrial, including specialized lending (1)
$
6,672,933
$
6,667,097
$
1,200
$
21
$
4,615
$
—
$
4,615
0.07
%
0.07
%
Multifamily
2,115,978
2,104,144
391
—
11,834
—
11,834
0.56
%
0.56
%
Commercial real estate owner occupied
981,904
972,900
293
—
8,613
—
8,613
0.88
%
0.88
%
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
1,326,591
1,325,535
—
—
763
—
763
0.06
%
0.06
%
Construction
174,509
174,509
—
—
—
—
—
—
%
—
%
Total commercial loans and leases receivable
11,271,915
11,244,185
1,884
21
25,825
—
25,825
0.23
%
0.23
%
Residential
500,786
483,871
8,918
—
7,997
—
7,997
1.60
%
1.60
%
Manufactured housing
34,481
31,395
823
394
1,869
—
1,869
5.42
%
5.42
%
Installment
720,101
701,210
12,563
—
6,328
—
6,328
0.88
%
0.88
%
Total consumer loans receivable
1,255,368
1,216,476
22,304
394
16,194
—
16,194
1.29
%
1.29
%
Loans and leases receivable
12,527,283
12,460,661
24,188
415
42,019
—
42,019
0.34
%
0.34
%
Loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value
1,250,413
1,250,413
—
—
—
—
—
—
%
—
%
Total loans held for sale
275,420
264,073
6,040
—
5,307
—
5,307
1.93
%
1.93
%
Total portfolio
$
14,053,116
$
13,975,147
$
30,228
$
415
$
47,326
$
—
$
47,326
0.34
%
0.34
%
Asset Quality at September 30, 2024 (continued)
(dollars in thousands)
Total Loans and Leases
Non-accrual / NPL
ACL
Reserves to Loans and Leases (%)
Reserves to NPLs (%)
Loan and Lease Type
Commercial and industrial, including specialized lending (1)
$
6,672,933
$
4,615
$
25,191
0.38
%
545.85
%
Multifamily
2,115,978
11,834
18,090
0.85
%
152.86
%
Commercial real estate owner occupied
981,904
8,613
10,913
1.11
%
126.70
%
Commercial real estate non-owner occupied
1,326,591
763
17,303
1.30
%
2267.76
%
Construction
174,509
—
1,606
0.92
%
—
%
Total commercial loans and leases receivable
11,271,915
25,825
73,103
0.65
%
283.07
%
Residential
500,786
7,997
5,838
1.17
%
73.00
%
Manufactured housing
34,481
1,869
4,080
11.83
%
218.30
%
Installment
720,101
6,328
50,137
6.96
%
792.30
%
Total consumer loans receivable
1,255,368
16,194
60,055
4.78
%
370.85
%
Loans and leases receivable
12,527,283
42,019
133,158
1.06
%
316.90
%
Loans receivable, mortgage finance, at fair value
1,250,413
—
—
—
%
—
%
Total loans held for sale
275,420
5,307
—
—
%
—
%
Total portfolio
$
14,053,116
$
47,326
$
133,158
0.95
%
281.36
%
(1) Includes PPP loans of $30.5 million within commercial and industrial, including specialized lending, and classified as current. PPP loans of $0.5 million were 30-59 days past due and $17.1 million were 60 days or more past due as of September 30, 2024. PPP loans were $74.7 million, of which $0.7 million were 30-59 days past due and $48.5 million were 60 days or more past due as of December 31, 2023. Claims for guarantee payments are submitted to the SBA for eligible PPP loans more than 60 days past due.
The total loan and lease portfolio was $14.1 billion at September 30, 2024 compared to $13.2 billion at December 31, 2023, and $47.3 million, or 0.34% of loans and leases, were non-performing at September 30, 2024 compared to $27.1 million, or 0.21% of loans and leases, at December 31, 2023. The total loan and lease portfolio was supported by an ACL of $133.2 million (281.36% of NPLs and 0.95% of total loans and leases) and $135.3 million (499.12% of NPLs and 1.02% of total loans and leases), at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
Customers offers a variety of deposit accounts, including checking, savings, MMDA, and time deposits. Deposits are primarily obtained from Customers’ geographic service area and nationwide through our single point of contact relationship managers, our branchless digital banking products, our white label relationship, deposit brokers, listing services and other relationships.
In April 2024, Customers onboarded 10 experienced commercial and business banking teams in New York, California and Nevada to accelerate the Bank’s deposit growth potential. The new teams are expected to enhance its presence in New York City, where it has successfully operated for over seven years; reinforce its dedication to Los Angeles; add representation in Orange County, California; and bring client coverage to the communities of Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada. All newly onboarded bankers are highly respected in the commercial deposits space and augment existing expertise in private banking, treasury management, and commercial and industrial lending. They are expected to enhance the growth of the Bank’s low-cost, relationship-focused deposit portfolio, and their addition strengthens the Bank’s commitment to its single point of contact relationship-oriented service approach.
Customers Bank also provides TassatPayTM instant blockchain-based digital payments platform via CBITTM, which allows clients to make instant payments in U.S. dollars. CBIT may only be created by, transferred to and redeemed by commercial customers of Customers Bank on the instant B2B payments platform by maintaining U.S. dollars in deposit accounts at Customers Bank. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers Bank held $2.8 billion of deposits from customers participating in CBIT, which are reported as deposit liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. As of September 30, 2024, substantially all the CBIT-related deposit accounts are non-interest bearing. Each CBIT is minted with precisely one U.S. dollar equivalent, and those dollars are held in a non-interest bearing omnibus deposit account until the CBIT is burned or redeemed. The number of CBIT outstanding in the CBIT instant payments platform is always equal to the U.S. dollars held in the omnibus deposit account at Customers Bank and is reported as a deposit liability in the consolidated balance sheet. The deposits from customers participating in CBIT include the omnibus deposit account established for the CBIT instant payments platform, which had an outstanding balance of $1.2 billion and $826.9 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
The components of deposits were as follows at the dates indicated:
(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Change
% Change
Demand, non-interest bearing
$
4,670,809
$
4,422,494
$
248,315
5.6
%
Demand, interest bearing
5,606,500
5,580,527
25,973
0.5
%
Savings, including MMDA
5,360,996
4,629,336
731,660
15.8
%
Non-time deposits
15,638,305
14,632,357
1,005,948
6.9
%
Time deposits
2,431,084
3,287,879
(856,795)
(26.1)
%
Total deposits
$
18,069,389
$
17,920,236
$
149,153
0.8
%
Total deposits were $18.1 billion at September 30, 2024, an increase of $149.2 million, or 0.8%, from $17.9 billion at December 31, 2023. The increase in total deposits was primarily due to increases in savings, including MMDA of $731.7 million, or 15.8%, to $5.4 billion at September 30, 2024, from $4.6 billion at December 31, 2023, non-interest bearing demand deposits of $248.3 million, or 5.6%, to $4.7 billion at September 30, 2024 from $4.4 billion at December 31, 2023 and interest bearing demand deposits of $26.0 million, or 0.5%, to $5.6 billion at September 30, 2024, from $5.6 billion at December 31, 2023. The increases were partially offset by a decrease in time deposits of $856.8 million, or 26.1%, to $2.4 billion at September 30, 2024, from $3.3 billion at December 31, 2023.
The total amount of estimated uninsured deposits totaled $6.1 billion and $5.4 billion at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Time deposits greater than the FDIC limit of $250,000 totaled $643.0 million and $186.3 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Bank had $1.5 billion and $1.1 billion in deposits, respectively, to which it had pledged $1.4 billion and $1.1 billion of available borrowing capacity through the FHLB to the depositors through a standby letter of credit arrangement, respectively.
FHLB ADVANCES AND OTHER BORROWINGS
Borrowed funds from various sources are generally used to supplement deposit growth and meet other operating needs. Customers’ borrowings include short-term and long-term advances from the FHLB, FRB, federal funds purchased, senior unsecured notes and subordinated debt. Subordinated debt is also considered as Tier 2 capital for certain regulatory calculations.
There weas no short-term debt outstanding at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
Long-term debt
FHLB and FRB Advances
Long-term FHLB and FRB advances at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were as follows:
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
(dollars in thousands)
Amount
Rate
Amount
Rate
FHLB advances (1)
$
1,117,229
(2)
4.24
%
(3)
$
1,203,207
3.91
%
Total long-term FHLB and FRB advances
$
1,117,229
$
1,203,207
(1) Amounts reported in the above table include fixed rate long-term advances from FHLB of $950.0 million with maturities ranging from March 2025 to March 2028, and variable rate long-term advances from FHLB of $155.0 million with maturities ranging from March 2028 to June 2029 with a returnable option that can be repaid without penalty on certain predetermined dates at Customers Bank’s option, at September 30, 2024.
(2) Includes $12.2 million and $3.2 million of unamortized basis adjustments from interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges of long-term advances from FHLB at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. Refer to “NOTE 14 — DERIVATIVE INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING ACTIVITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information.
(3) Excludes the effect of interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges of long-term advances from FHLB.
The maximum borrowing capacity with the FHLB and FRB at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 was as follows:
(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Total maximum borrowing capacity with the FHLB
$
3,565,068
$
3,474,347
Total maximum borrowing capacity with the FRB
4,180,824
3,436,000
Qualifying loans and securities serving as collateral against FHLB and FRB advances
9,508,135
8,575,137
Senior Notes and Subordinated Debt
Long-term senior notes and subordinated debt at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023 were as follows:
(dollars in thousands)
Carrying Amount
Issued by
Ranking
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Rate
Issued Amount
Date Issued
Maturity
Price
Customers Bancorp
Senior (1)
$
99,033
$
98,928
2.875
%
$
100,000
August 2021
August 2031
100.000
%
Customers Bancorp
Senior
—
24,912
4.500
%
25,000
September 2019
September 2024
100.000
%
Total other borrowings
$
99,033
$
123,840
Customers Bancorp
Subordinated (2)(3)
$
72,902
$
72,766
5.375
%
$
74,750
December 2019
December 2034
100.000
%
Customers Bank
Subordinated (2)(4)
109,537
109,464
6.125
%
110,000
June 2014
June 2029
100.000
%
Total subordinated debt
$
182,439
$
182,230
(1)The senior notes will bear an annual fixed rate of 2.875% until August 15, 2026. From August 15, 2026 until maturity, the notes will bear an annual interest rate equal to a benchmark rate, which is expected to be the three-month term SOFR, plus 235 basis points. Customers Bancorp has the ability to call the senior notes, in whole, or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal balance at certain times on or after August 15, 2026.
(2)The subordinated notes qualify as Tier 2 capital for regulatory capital purposes.
(3)Customers Bancorp has the ability to call the subordinated notes, in whole, or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal balance at certain times on or after December 30, 2029.
(4)The subordinated notes had an annual fixed rate of 6.125% until June 26, 2024. From June 26, 2024 until maturity, the notes bear an annual interest rate equal to the three-month LIBOR plus 344.3 basis points. Pursuant to the Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act enacted by Congress on March 15, 2022, Customers substituted three-month term SOFR plus a tenor spread adjustment of 26.161 basis points for three-month LIBOR as the benchmark reference rate in order to calculate the annual interest rate after June 26, 2024. Customers Bank has the ability to call the subordinated notes, in whole, or in part, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal balance at certain times on or after June 26, 2024.
The components of shareholders' equity were as follows at the dates indicated:
(dollars in thousands)
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Change
% Change
Preferred stock
$
137,794
$
137,794
$
—
—
%
Common stock
35,734
35,459
275
0.8
%
Additional paid in capital
571,609
564,538
7,071
1.3
%
Retained earnings
1,302,745
1,159,582
143,163
12.3
%
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net
(106,082)
(136,569)
30,487
(22.3)
%
Treasury stock
(140,620)
(122,410)
(18,210)
14.9
%
Total shareholders' equity
$
1,801,180
$
1,638,394
$
162,786
9.9
%
Shareholders’ equity increased $162.8 million, or 9.9%, to $1.8 billion at September 30, 2024 when compared to shareholders’ equity of $1.6 billion at December 31, 2023. The increase primarily resulted from increases of $143.2 million in retained earnings and $30.5 million in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net.
The increases in common stock and additional paid in capital resulted primarily from the issuance of common stock under share-based compensation arrangements for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
The increase in retained earnings resulted from net income of $154.6 million, partially offset by preferred stock dividends of $11.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
The increase in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net primarily resulted from a decrease of $36.4 million in unrealized losses on AFS debt securities due to changes in interest rates and credit spreads and income tax effect of $9.4 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2024.
The increase in treasury stock resulted from repurchases of 373,974 shares of its common stock for $18.2 million under the 2024 Share Repurchase Program during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. On June 26, 2024, the Board of Directors of Customers Bancorp authorized a new common stock repurchase program, the 2024 Share Repurchase Program, to repurchase up to 497,509 shares of the Company’s common stock. The Company’s previously authorized common stock repurchase program, the Share Repurchase Program, authorized on August 25, 2021, subsequently expired on September 27, 2023. At expiration, the Share Repurchase Program had 497,509 shares that had not been repurchased.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Liquidity for a financial institution is a measure of that institution’s ability to meet depositors’ needs for funds, to satisfy or fund loan and lease commitments and for other operating purposes. Ensuring adequate liquidity is an objective of the asset/liability management process. Customers coordinates its management of liquidity with its interest rate sensitivity and capital position, and strives to maintain a strong liquidity position that is sufficient to meet Customers’ short-term and long-term needs, commitments and contractual obligations.
Customers is involved with financial instruments and other commitments with off-balance sheet risks. Financial instruments with off-balance sheet risks are incurred in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of the Bank’s customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit, including unused portions of lines of credit, and standby letters of credit. Those instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of the amount recognized on the consolidated balance sheet.
With commitments to extend credit, exposure to credit loss in the event of non-performance by the other party to the financial instrument is represented by the contractual amount of those instruments. The same credit policies are used in making commitments and conditional obligations as for on-balance sheet instruments. Because they involve credit risk similar to extending a loan and lease, these financial instruments are subject to the Bank’s credit policy and other underwriting standards.
Customers recognized a provision for credit losses on unfunded lending-related commitments of $0.6 million and $2.7 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, respectively, resulting in an ACL of $5.6 million as of September 30, 2024. Customers had an ACL on unfunded lending-related commitments of $2.9 million as of December 31, 2023.
Customers’ contractual obligations and other commitments representing required and potential cash outflows include operating leases, demand deposits, time deposits, long-term advances from FHLB, unsecured senior notes, subordinated debt, loan and other commitments as of September 30, 2024. Refer to “NOTE 8 – LEASES”, “NOTE 9 – DEPOSITS” and “NOTE 10 – BORROWINGS” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information.
At September 30, 2024, Customers had $3.1 billion of cash on hand and $3.5 billion of investment securities. Customers’ investment portfolio, including debt securities available for sale and held to maturity provides periodic cash flows through regular maturities and amortization and can be used as collateral to secure additional funding. We maintain a strong liquidity position, with approximately $8.3 billion of liquidity immediately available consisting of cash on hand and available borrowing capacity from the FHLB and the FRB, which covered approximately 136% of uninsured deposits and approximately 183% of uninsured deposits less collateralized and affiliate deposits at September 30, 2024. Our loan to deposit ratio was 78% at September 30, 2024. Customers’ principal sources of funds are deposits, borrowings, principal and interest payments on loans and leases, other funds from operations, and proceeds from common and preferred stock issuances. Borrowing arrangements are maintained with the FHLB and the FRB to meet short-term liquidity needs. Longer-term borrowing arrangements are also maintained with the FHLB and the FRB. As of September 30, 2024, Customers’ borrowing capacity with the FHLB was $3.6 billion, of which $1.1 billion was utilized in borrowings and $1.4 billion of available capacity was utilized to collateralize deposits. As of December 31, 2023, Customers’ borrowing capacity with the FHLB was $3.5 billion, of which $1.2 billion was utilized in borrowings and $1.1 billion of available capacity was utilized to collateralize deposits. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers’ borrowing capacity with the FRB was $4.2 billion and $3.4 billion, respectively. None of this capacity was utilized as of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
Customers Bank provides blockchain-based digital payments via CBIT, which allows clients to make instant payments in U.S. dollars. CBIT may only be created or minted by, transferred to and redeemed by commercial customers of Customers Bank on the instant B2B payments platform by maintaining U.S. dollars in deposit accounts at Customers Bank. CBIT is not listed or traded on any digital currency exchange. As of September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers Bank held $2.8 billion of deposits from customers participating in CBIT, which are reported as deposit liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. As of September 30, 2024, substantially all the CBIT-related deposit accounts are non-interest bearing.
The CBIT instant payments platform provides a closed-system for intrabank commercial transactions and is not intended to be a trading platform for tokens or digital assets. CBIT tokens are used only in connection with the CBIT instant payments platform and are not securities for purposes of applicable securities laws. There are no scenarios in which the transaction or redemption value of one CBIT would not be equal to one U.S. dollar. Each CBIT is minted with precisely one U.S. dollar equivalent, and those dollars are held in a non-interest bearing omnibus deposit account until the CBIT is burned or redeemed. The number of CBIT outstanding in the CBIT instant payments platform is always equal to the U.S. dollars held in the omnibus deposit account at Customers Bank and is reported as a deposit liability in the consolidated balance sheet. The deposits from customers participating in CBIT include the omnibus deposit account, which had an outstanding balance of $1.2 billion and $826.9 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.
The table below summarizes Customers’ cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023:
Nine Months Ended September 30,
(dollars in thousands)
2024
2023
Change
% Change
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
$
11,655
$
243,106
$
(231,451)
(95.2)
%
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
(745,024)
1,997,172
(2,742,196)
(137.3)
%
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
(24,955)
723,890
(748,845)
(103.4)
%
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
$
(758,324)
$
2,964,168
$
(3,722,492)
(125.6)
%
Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities
Cash provided by operating activities of $11.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 resulted from proceeds from the sales and repayments of loans held for sale of $952.3 million, which included cash proceeds from the sales of consumer installment loans that were classified as held for sale to third-party sponsored VIEs during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, net income of $154.6 million and net non-cash operating adjustments of $56.5 million, partially offset by origination and purchases of loans held for sale of $1.0 billion, a decrease in accrued interest payable and other liabilities of $61.3 million and an increase in accrued interest receivable and other assets of $56.4 million. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information on the sale of consumer installment loans held for sale to third-party sponsored VIEs.
Cash provided by operating activities of $243.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 resulted from proceeds from the sales and repayments of loans held for sale of $454.9 million, which included cash proceeds from the sales of consumer installment loans that were classified as held for sale to third-party sponsored VIEs during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, net income of $188.1 million, net non-cash operating adjustments of $36.3 million, an increase in accrued interest payable and other liabilities of $33.3 million and a decrease in accrued interest receivable and other assets of $0.9 million, partially offset by origination and purchases of loans held for sale of $470.3 million. Refer to “NOTE 5 – INVESTMENT SECURITIES” to Customers’ unaudited consolidated financial statements for additional information on the sale of consumer installment loans held for sale to third-party sponsored VIEs.
Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities
Cash used in investing activities of $745.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 primarily resulted from purchases of investment securities available for sale of $665.8 million and CRA-qualified investment securities held to maturity of $14.8 million, net increase in loans and leases, excluding mortgage finance loans of $538.6 million, net origination of mortgage finance loans of $353.1 million, purchases of loans of $121.2 million and purchases of leased assets under lessor operating leases of $31.3 million, partially offset by proceeds from maturities, calls, and principal repayments of investment securities available for sale of $458.0 million and held to maturity of $217.3 million, proceeds from sales of investment securities available for sale of $240.8 million, proceeds from sales of loans and leases of $34.4 million, net proceeds from sale of FHLB, Federal Reserve Bank, and other restricted stock of $15.5 million and proceeds from sales of leased assets under lessor operating leases of $14.6 million.
Cash provided by investing activities of $2.0 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from a net decrease in loans and leases, excluding mortgage finance loans of $1.6 billion primarily from PPP loan forgiveness and guarantee payments by the SBA, proceeds from the sales of loans and leases of $409.5 million including the sales of capital call lines of credit held for investment, proceeds from net repayments of mortgage finance loans of $380.9 million, proceeds from maturities, calls, and principal repayments of investment securities available for sale of $228.5 million and held to maturity of $175.9 million, proceeds from surrenders of BOLI of $56.6 million and proceeds from sales of investment securities available for sale of $4.1 million, partially offset by purchases of loans of $702.4 million including loans purchased from the FDIC, purchases of investment securities held to maturity of $73.1 million, net purchases of FHLB, Federal Reserve Bank, and other restricted stock of $51.7 million and purchases of leased asset under lessor operating leases of $20.3 million.
Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities
Cash used in financing activities of $25.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 primarily resulted from repayments of long-term borrowed funds from the FHLB and the FRB of $250.0 million, repayments of other long-term borrowings of $25.0 million, purchases of treasury stock of $18.2 million and dividends paid on preferred stock of $11.5 million, partially offset by proceeds from long-term borrowed funds from the FHLB and the FRB of $155.0 million and a net increase in deposits of $128.4 million.
Cash provided by financing activities of $723.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 primarily resulted from proceeds from long-term borrowed funds from the FHLB and the FRB of $2.6 billion and a net increase in deposits of $36.6 million, partially offset by repayments of long-term borrowed funds from the FHLB and the FRB of $1.5 billion, a net decrease in short-term borrowed funds from the FHLB of $300.0 million and purchases of treasury stock of $39.8 million.
CAPITAL ADEQUACY
The Bank and the Bancorp are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by federal banking agencies. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can result in certain mandatory, and possibly additional discretionary, actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on Customers’ financial statements. Under capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, the Bank and the Bancorp must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of their assets, liabilities and certain off-balance sheet items, as calculated under the regulatory accounting practices. The capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors. Prompt corrective action provisions are not applicable to bank holding companies.
In first quarter 2020, the U.S federal banking regulatory agencies permitted banking organizations to phase-in, for regulatory capital purposes, the day-one impact of the new CECL accounting rule on retained earnings over a period of three years. As part of its response to the impact of COVID-19, on March 31, 2020, the U.S. federal banking regulatory agencies issued an interim final rule that provided the option to temporarily delay certain effects of CECL on regulatory capital for two years, followed by a three-year transition period. The interim final rule allows banking organizations to delay for two years 100% of the day-one impact of adopting CECL and 25% of the cumulative change in the reported allowance for credit losses since adopting CECL. Customers has elected to adopt the interim final rule, which is reflected in the regulatory capital data presented below. The cumulative CECL capital transition impact as of December 31, 2021 which amounted to $61.6 million will be phased in at 25% per year beginning on January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024. As of September 30, 2024, our regulatory capital ratios reflected 25%, or $15.4 million, benefit associated with the CECL transition provisions.
Quantitative measures established by regulation to ensure capital adequacy require the Bank and the Bancorp to maintain minimum amounts and ratios (set forth in the following table) of common equity Tier 1, Tier 1, and total capital to risk-weighted assets, and Tier 1 capital to average assets (as defined in the regulations). At September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Bank and the Bancorp met all capital adequacy requirements to which they were subject.
Generally, to comply with the regulatory definition of adequately capitalized, or well capitalized, respectively, or to comply with the Basel III capital requirements, an institution must at least maintain the common equity Tier 1, Tier 1, and total risk-based capital ratios and the Tier 1 leverage ratio in excess of the related minimum ratios set forth in the following table:
Minimum Capital Levels to be Classified as:
Actual
Adequately Capitalized
Well Capitalized
Basel III Compliant
(dollars in thousands)
Amount
Ratio
Amount
Ratio
Amount
Ratio
Amount
Ratio
As of September 30, 2024:
Common equity Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,777,683
12.463
%
$
641,885
4.500
%
N/A
N/A
$
998,488
7.000
%
Customers Bank
$
1,943,059
13.636
%
$
641,212
4.500
%
$
926,125
6.500
%
$
997,441
7.000
%
Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,915,476
13.429
%
$
855,847
6.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
1,212,450
8.500
%
Customers Bank
$
1,943,059
13.636
%
$
854,949
6.000
%
$
1,139,932
8.000
%
$
1,211,178
8.500
%
Total capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
2,191,266
15.362
%
$
1,141,129
8.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
1,497,732
10.500
%
Customers Bank
$
2,145,947
15.060
%
$
1,139,932
8.000
%
$
1,424,916
10.000
%
$
1,496,161
10.500
%
Tier 1 capital (to average assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,915,476
8.947
%
$
856,386
4.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
856,386
4.000
%
Customers Bank
$
1,943,059
9.082
%
$
855,807
4.000
%
$
1,069,759
5.000
%
$
855,807
4.000
%
As of December 31, 2023:
Common equity Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,661,149
12.230
%
$
611,200
4.500
%
N/A
N/A
$
950,755
7.000
%
Customers Bank
$
1,868,360
13.773
%
$
610,453
4.500
%
$
881,765
6.500
%
$
949,594
7.000
%
Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,798,942
13.245
%
$
814,933
6.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
1,154,489
8.500
%
Customers Bank
$
1,868,360
13.773
%
$
813,937
6.000
%
$
1,085,250
8.000
%
$
1,153,078
8.500
%
Total capital (to risk-weighted assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
2,076,550
15.289
%
$
1,086,578
8.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
1,426,133
10.500
%
Customers Bank
$
2,073,202
15.283
%
$
1,085,250
8.000
%
$
1,356,562
10.000
%
$
1,424,390
10.500
%
Tier 1 capital (to average assets)
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
$
1,798,942
8.375
%
$
859,189
4.000
%
N/A
N/A
$
859,189
4.000
%
Customers Bank
$
1,868,360
8.708
%
$
858,225
4.000
%
$
1,072,782
5.000
%
$
858,225
4.000
%
The Basel III Capital Rules require that we maintain a 2.500% capital conservation buffer with respect to each of common equity Tier 1, Tier 1 and total capital to risk-weighted assets, which provides for capital levels that exceed the minimum risk-based capital adequacy requirements. A financial institution with a conservation buffer of less than the required amount is subject to limitations on capital distributions, including dividend payments and stock repurchases, and certain discretionary bonus payments to executive officers. As of September 30, 2024, the Bank and the Bancorp were in compliance with the Basel III requirements.
Effect of Government Monetary Policies
Our earnings are and will be affected by domestic economic conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government and its agencies. An important function of the Federal Reserve Board is to regulate the money supply and interest rates. Among the instruments used to implement those objectives are open market operations in United States government securities and changes in reserve requirements against member bank deposits. These instruments are used in varying combinations to influence overall growth and distribution of bank loans and leases, investments, and deposits, and their use may also affect rates charged on loans and leases or paid for deposits.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Interest Rate Sensitivity
The largest part of Customers’ net income is net interest income, and the majority of its financial instruments are interest rate sensitive assets and liabilities with various term structures and maturities. One of the primary goals of management is to optimize net interest income while minimizing interest rate risk. Interest rate risk is derived from timing differences in the repricing of assets and liabilities, loan prepayments, deposit withdrawals and differences in lending and funding rates. Customers’ asset/liability committee actively looks to monitor and control the economic impact of changes in interest rates on the mix of interest rate sensitive assets and interest rate sensitive liabilities.
Customers uses two complementary methods to effectively measure and manage interest rate risk. The two types of simulation analysis used to determine the impact of changes in interest rates under various hypothetical interest rate scenarios are income scenario modeling and estimates of economic value (EVE). The combination of these two methods supplies a reasonably comprehensive summary of the levels of interest rate risk of Customers’ exposure to time factors and changes in interest rate environments.
Income scenario modeling is used to measure interest rate sensitivity and manage interest rate risk over a near term horizon. Income scenario considers not only the impact of changing market interest rates upon forecasted net interest income but also other factors such as yield curve relationships, the volume and mix of assets and liabilities, customer preferences and general market conditions.
Through the use of income scenario modeling, Customers has estimated the net interest income for the twelve months ending September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, based upon the assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet financial instruments including derivatives in existence at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
Customers has also estimated changes to that projected twelve-month net interest income based upon interest rates rising or falling immediately (“rate shocks”). For upward rate shocks modeling a rising rate environment at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers used a parallel and sustained shift in interest rates, in which the base market interest rate forecast was immediately increased by 100, 200, and 300 basis points. For downward rate shocks modeling a falling rate environment at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, Customers used a parallel and sustained shift in interest rates, in which the base market interest rate forecast was immediately decreased by 100, 200 and 300 basis points. The following table reflects the estimated percentage change in projected twelve-month net interest income under the rate shocks versus the base projected net interest income for the twelve months ending September 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024, resulting from changes in interest rates.
Net change in net interest income
% Change
Rate Shocks
September 30, 2024
December 31, 2023
Up 3%
4.4%
9.9%
Up 2%
3.3%
6.6%
Up 1%
2.2%
3.6%
Down 1%
(2.5)%
(3.5)%
Down 2%
(5.4)%
(7.2)%
Down 3%
(8.5)%
(11.2)%
EVE considers a longer-term horizon and estimates the hypothetical discounted net present value of asset and liability cash flows. Discount rates are based upon market prices for comparable assets and liabilities. Upward and downward rate shocks are used to measure sensitivity of EVE in relation to a constant rate environment. For upward rate shocks modeling a rising rate environment at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, current market interest rates were shocked by a parallel and sustained shift in interest rates, in which the base market interest rate forecast was immediately increased by 100, 200, and 300 basis points. For downward rate shocks modeling a falling rate environment at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, current market interest rates were shocked by a parallel and sustained shift in interest rates, in which the base market interest rate forecast was immediately decreased by 100, 200 and 300 basis points. This method of measurement primarily evaluates the longer term repricing risks and embedded options in Customers Bank’s balance sheet. The following table reflects the estimated change in EVE at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, resulting from shocks to interest rates.
Management believes that the assumptions and combination of methods used in evaluating interest rate risk are reasonable. However, the interest rate sensitivity of our assets, liabilities and off-balance sheet financial instruments, as well as the estimated effect of changes in interest rates on estimated net interest income, could vary substantially if different assumptions are used or actual experience differs from the assumptions used in the model.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
(a) Management’s Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures. As of the end of the period covered by this report, Customers Bancorp carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of Customers Bancorp’s management, including Customers Bancorp’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of Customers Bancorp’s disclosure controls and procedures as defined in the Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e). Based upon the evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that Customers Bancorp’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of September 30, 2024.
(b)Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. During the quarter ended September 30, 2024, there have been no changes in Customers Bancorp’s internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, Customers Bancorp’s internal control over financial reporting.
For information on Customers’ legal proceedings, refer to “NOTE 15 – LOSS CONTINGENCIES” to the unaudited consolidated financial statements.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
In addition to the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report, you should carefully consider the factors discussed in “Risk Factors” included within the 2023 Form 10-K and subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. There are no material changes from the risk factors included within the 2023 Form 10-K and subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The risks described within the 2023 Form 10-K and subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q are not the only risks facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently believe to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results. Refer to “Item 2 – Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
On June 26, 2024, the Board of Directors of Customers Bancorp authorized a new common stock repurchase program, the 2024 Share Repurchase Program, to repurchase up to 497,509 shares of the Company’s common stock. The term of the 2024 Share Repurchase Program will extend for one year from June 26, 2024, unless earlier terminated. Purchases of shares under the 2024 Share Repurchase Program may be executed through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, through the use of Rule 10b5-1 plans, or otherwise. The exact number of shares, timing for such purchases, and the price and terms at and on which such purchases are to be made will be at the discretion of the Company and will comply with all applicable regulatory limitations. The common shares repurchased during the three months ended September 30, 2024 pursuant to the 2024 Share Repurchase Program were as follows:
Period
Total Number of Shares Purchased
Average Price Paid per Share
Total Number of Shares purchased as part of publicly announced plans or programs
Maximum Number of Shares that may yet be purchased under the plans or programs
July 1 - July 31, 2024
—
$
—
—
497,509
August 1 - August 31, 2024
193,662
47.76
193,662
303,847
September 1 - September 30, 2024
180,312
48.52
180,312
123,535
Total
373,974
$
48.13
373,974
123,535
Dividends on Common Stock
Customers Bancorp historically has not paid any cash dividends on its shares of common stock and does not expect to do so in the foreseeable future.
Any future determination relating to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of Customers Bancorp’s Board of Directors and will depend on a number of factors, including earnings and financial condition, liquidity and capital requirements, the general economic and regulatory climate, ability to service any equity or debt obligations senior to our common stock, including obligations to pay dividends to the holders of Customers Bancorp’s issued and outstanding shares of preferred stock and other factors deemed relevant by the Board of Directors.
In addition, as a bank holding company, Customers Bancorp is subject to general regulatory restrictions on the payment of cash dividends. Federal bank regulatory agencies have the authority to prohibit bank holding companies from engaging in unsafe or unsound practices in conducting their business, which, depending on the financial condition and liquidity of the holding company at the time, could include the payment of dividends. Further, various federal and state statutory provisions limit the amount of dividends that bank subsidiaries can pay to their parent holding company without regulatory approval. Generally, subsidiaries are prohibited from paying dividends when doing so would cause them to fall below the regulatory minimum capital levels, and limits exist on paying dividends in excess of net income for specified periods.
Beginning January 1, 2015, the ability to pay dividends and the amounts that can be paid will be limited to the extent the Bank’s capital ratios do not exceed the minimum required levels plus 250 basis points, as these requirements were phased in through January 1, 2019.
During the third quarter of 2024, no director or officer (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) of the Exchange Act) adopted,terminated or modified any “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements” or “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangements,” as each term is defined in Item 408(a) of Regulation S-K.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
Customers Bancorp, Inc.
November 12, 2024
By:
/s/ Jay S. Sidhu
Name:
Jay S. Sidhu
Title:
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer)