CBOA Financial, Inc. Reports Consolidated Earnings of $395,000 in 2Q 2020

TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CBOA Financial, Inc. (OTCMKTS:CBOF) (the "Company"), parent company of Commerce Bank of Arizona (the "Bank" or "CBAZ"), announced that consolidated net income for quarter ending June 30, 2020 increased 6.5% to $395,000, from $371,000 in the first quarter of 2020.

Chris Webster, Bank President and Chief Executive Officer commented, "Despite the many operational challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are proud to complete another strong quarter. We experienced significant loan growth related to SBA's Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), however organic loan growth was also meaningful. Deposit growth was strong as many new customers moved their entire business banking relationship to us." Webster added, "It's also important to note that although the effective yield on our PPP loans is substantially below our core loan portfolio, we continued to maintain a robust net interest margin despite the Federal Reserve swiftly cutting interest rates 150 basis points in March, which caused many of our assets to reprice. Lastly, we have fully adapted to serving the banking of our customers using a variety of means including branch banking by appointment, mobile and on-line banking services."

Second Quarter 2020 Highlights

• Net Income for the quarter was $395,000;
• NIM was 4.51% for the quarter;
• Deposit grew 26% during the quarter.

Operational Highlights
Interest income was aided by an influx of PPP loans during the second quarter that bolstered earnings by $750,000 compared with prior periods due to recognized fee income.  Further contributing to the growth in net interest income was a $64,000 decline in interest expense despite the $64.8 million increase in total deposits during the quarter.

The Bank's $460,000 negative non-interest income was driven by $548,000 in writedowns of OREO properties which the Bank acquired primarily in the 2012-2015 time period. The Bank has aggressively priced these assets in response to the continuing difficulty of marketing these types of properties, which was exacerbated by the pandemic.

Balance Sheet
Total assets increased by 29% to $315.2 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and increased 35% compared to $233.9 million a year ago. Total asset growth from June 2019 to June 2020 consisted of PPP loans funding CBAZ deposit accounts totaling $63 million, and organic net deposit growth of roughly $15 million.

Traditional gross loans rose $3.5 million since first quarter 2020 ending the second quarter at $178 million. Including the $63 million in PPP loans, total gross loans increased by 38% to $241 million in the quarter and increased 35% compared to $179 million a year ago. Total deposits increased by 26% to $268.8 million during the quarter and increased 32% compared to $204 million a year ago.

The allowance for loan losses totaled $2.99 million at June 30, 2020, or 1.68% of "traditional" non-PPP loans, compared to 1.71% in the previous quarter, and was 1.24% for the quarter with the PPP loans included. Though the Bank's recorded reserve did not materially change, worsening economic factors and pandemic related payment deferrals are being accounted for in the Bank's reserve calculation. Due to a large "unallocated" reserve, the Bank remained adequately reserved for the quarter.

Shareholders' equity increased to $23.0 million at June 30, 2020, from $22.3 million the preceding quarter. At June 30, 2020, book value and tangible book value were $2.81 per share compared to $2.71 per share at March 31, 2020 and $2.57 per share a year ago. The growth in total assets associated with the PPP loans originated during the second quarter 2020 was the primary driver of the decline in the Bank's Tier 1 Leverage ratio.  Excluding the PPP loans, the Bank's second quarter 2020 Tier 1 Leverage ratio would have been 10.7%, just slightly lower than 11.2% for first quarter 2020 and 10.7% as of June 30, 2019.

Capital Management
Capital ratios exceeded regulatory guidelines for a well-capitalized institution under Basel III and Dodd Frank Wall Street Reform requirements at June 30, 2020. Capital ratios are presented below.

About the Company
Commerce Bank of Arizona, established in 2002 in Tucson, Arizona, is a full-service community bank that caters to small-to mid-sized businesses and real estate professionals. CBAZ offers commercial clients with a variety of services ranging from U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) financing solutions, construction loans, and commercial real estate loans. CBOA Financial, Inc is a single-bank holding company and parent of the Bank. The Company is traded over-the-counter as CBOF. For additional information, visit: www.commercebankaz.com.

Forward-looking Statements
This press release may include forward-looking statements about CBOA Financial, Inc. or Commerce Bank of Arizona. These statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following factors: competition, fluctuations in interest rates, dependency on key individuals, loan defaults, geographical concentration, litigation and changes in federal laws, regulations and interpretations thereof. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based on information available at the time of the release, and CBOA Financial, Inc. and Commerce Bank of Arizona assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Contact:
Chris Webster
President & CEO
480-253-4511
cwebster@commercebankaz.com 

SOURCE Commerce Bank of Arizona