Central Pacific Financial Corp. Reports Third Consecutive Profitable Quarter

HONOLULU, Oct. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Central Pacific Financial Corp. (NYSE: CPF), parent company of Central Pacific Bank (the "Bank"), today reported net income for the third quarter of 2011 of $11.6 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, compared to a net loss in the third quarter of 2010 of $72.5 million, or $49.27 per diluted share, and net income in the second quarter of 2011 of $8.2 million, or $0.20 per diluted share.

"We are pleased to report our third consecutive profitable quarter and remain encouraged by the progress we are making in executing our recovery plan," said John C. Dean, President and Chief Executive Officer.  "Continued improvement in our credit risk profile and an overall reduction in our nonperforming assets allowed us to significantly reduce our allowance for loan and lease losses.  Our quarterly results also included a nonrecurring charge related to the prepayment of long-term borrowings at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle, which will improve our net interest margin going forward."

Significant Highlights and Third Quarter Results

• Reported third consecutive profitable quarter with net income of $11.6 million, compared to net income of $8.2 million in the second quarter of 2011.
• For the second consecutive quarter, the Company did not incur any credit costs as it reduced its allowance for loan and lease losses (ALLL) by an amount greater than net foreclosed asset expense and write-downs of loans held for sale.  The reduction in the ALLL resulted in a credit to the provision for loan and lease losses of $19.1 million, compared to a credit of $8.8 million during the second quarter of 2011.
• Reduced nonperforming assets by $26.0 million to $223.3 million at September 30, 2011 from $249.3 million at June 30, 2011.
• The ALLL, as a percentage of total loans and leases, decreased to 6.96% at September 30, 2011, compared to 8.16% at June 30, 2011.  In addition, the Company had an ALLL, as a percentage of nonperforming assets, of 64.23% at September 30, 2011, compared to 66.95% at June 30, 2011.
• Reduced future interest expense by paying down long-term borrowings at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle totaling $120.5 million with a weighted average interest rate of 4.36%.  Prepaying these borrowings resulted in the recognition of a one-time loss on the early extinguishment of debt totaling $6.2 million.
• Agreed to contribute $5.0 million to the Central Pacific Bank Foundation to continue the bank's longstanding commitment to support its local communities.
• Reached a $ 1.2 million settlement of a class action lawsuit related to the Company's practices for assessing overdraft fees.  The settlement is subject to the approval of the First Circuit Court of Hawaii in Honolulu.
• Maintained tier 1 risk-based capital, total risk-based capital, and leverage capital ratios as of September 30, 2011 of 22.63%, 23.94%, and 13.19%, respectively, compared to 22.48%, 23.80%, and 13.13%, respectively, as of June 30, 2011.  The Company's capital ratios continue to exceed the minimum levels required for a "well-capitalized" regulatory designation.
• Appointed Denis Isono as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective October 1, 2011.  Isono has 39 years of experience in banking and financial management and has been with the Company since 2002, previously as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer.

Earnings Highlights

Net interest income for the third quarter of 2011 was $29.8 million, compared to $27.4 million in the year-ago quarter and $29.0 million in the second quarter of 2011.  The net interest margin was 3.05%, compared to 2.74% in the year-ago quarter and 3.04% in the second quarter of 2011.  The improvement in the Company's net interest margin reflects its continued efforts to redeploy a portion of its excess liquidity into higher yielding investment securities and further reduce its overall funding costs.  During the quarter, the Company prepaid certain long-term borrowings at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle totaling $120.5 million with a weighted average interest rate of 4.36%.  The prepayment of these borrowings resulted in the recognition of a one-time loss on the early extinguishment of debt totaling $6.2 million.

The provision for loan and lease losses for the third quarter of 2011 was a credit of $19.1 million, compared to a credit of $8.8 million in the second quarter of 2011 and a charge of $79.9 million in the third quarter of 2010.  The reduction was the result of continued improvement in the Company's credit risk profile as evidenced by further declines in nonperforming assets during the quarter, which is described more fully below.

Other operating income for the third quarter of 2011 totaled $11.5 million, compared to $11.7 million in the year-ago quarter and $10.9 million in the second quarter of 2011.  The decrease from the year-ago quarter was primarily due to lower gains on sales of residential mortgage loans of $0.9 million, partially offset by higher unrealized gains on outstanding interest rate locks of $0.8 million.  The sequential-quarter increase was primarily due to higher unrealized gains on outstanding interest rate locks of $0.8 million, partially offset by investment securities gains of $0.3 million recorded in the second quarter of 2011.

Other operating expense for the third quarter of 2011 totaled $48.8 million, compared to $31.7 million in year-ago quarter and $40.5 million in the second quarter of 2011.  The increase from the year-ago quarter was primarily attributable to:  (1) the aforementioned one-time loss on early extinguishment of debt of $6.2 million, (2) higher charitable contributions of $5.1 million, (3) higher net credit-related charges (which includes changes in the reserves for unfunded commitments, foreclosed asset expense, and write-downs of foreclosed asset expense) of $4.6 million, (4) higher salaries and employee benefits of $1.5 million, and (5) the accrual of a $1.2 million settlement of a class action lawsuit related to the Company's practices for assessing overdraft fees, partially offset by lower FDIC insurance of $2.3 million.  The sequential quarter increase was primarily attributable to: (1) the loss on early extinguishment of debt of $6.2 million, (2) higher charitable contributions of $4.8 million, and (3) the $1.2 million accrual for the settlement of a class action lawsuit, partially offset by (1) lower net credit-related charges of $1.4 million, (2) lower FDIC insurance of $1.3 million, and (3) a lower provision for repurchased residential mortgage loans of $1.0 million.

The efficiency ratio for the third quarter of 2011 was 98.0% (excluding the loss on early extinguishment of debt of $6.2 million and foreclosed asset expense of $1.3 million), compared to 81.7% in the year-ago quarter (excluding foreclosed asset income of $1.0 million) and 94.3% (excluding foreclosed asset expense of $0.8 million and write-downs of loans held for sale totaling $3.1 million) in the second quarter of 2011.

The Company continues to recognize a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax assets and did not record any income tax benefit or expense during the third quarter of 2011.

Balance Sheet Highlights

Total assets at September 30, 2011 were $4.1 billion, compared to $4.2 billion and $4.1 billion at September 30, 2010 and June 30, 2011, respectively.

Total loans and leases at September 30, 2011 were $2.1 billion, compared to $2.4 billion and $2.0 billion at September 30, 2010 and June 30, 2011, respectively.  The current quarter increase was primarily due to an increase in the residential mortgage loan portfolio of $96.2 million, partially offset by decreases in the construction and development, commercial loan and commercial mortgage loan portfolios of $45.4 million, $18.5 million and $15.5 million, respectively.

Total deposits at September 30, 2011 were $3.3 billion, compared to $3.2 billion at September 30, 2010 and June 30, 2011, respectively.  Core deposits, which include demand deposits, savings and money market deposits, and time deposits less than $100,000, totaled $2.7 billion at September 30, 2011.  This represents a decrease of $64.8 million from a year ago and an increase of $23.4 million from June 30, 2011.  Significant changes in total deposits during the quarter included an increase in time deposits, interest bearing demand deposits and savings and money market deposits of $72.3 million, $44.6 million and $6.6 million, respectively, while non-interest-bearing demand deposits decreased by $5.8 million.

Total shareholders' equity was $440.9 million at September 30, 2011, compared to $80.5 million and $423.8 million at September 30, 2010 and June 30, 2011, respectively.

Asset Quality

Nonperforming assets at September 30, 2011 totaled $223.3 million, or 5.42% of total assets, compared to $249.3 million, or 6.03% of total assets at June 30, 2011.  The sequential-quarter decrease in the Company's nonperforming assets was primarily attributable to loan pay-downs and pay-offs totaling $27.5 million, sales of foreclosed properties totaling $9.8 million, charge-offs totaling $5.0 million, write-downs totaling $1.5 million and transfers of loans back to accrual status totaling $3.0 million.  The sequential-quarter decrease reflects net reductions in Hawaii and Mainland construction and development assets totaling $7.4 million and $11.2 million, respectively, Mainland commercial mortgage assets totaling $6.3 million, and Hawaii residential mortgage assets totaling $2.2 million, partially offset by a net increase in Hawaii commercial mortgage assets totaling $1.2 million.

Loans delinquent for 90 days or more still accruing interest totaled $0.4 million at September 30, 2011, compared to $4,000 at June 30, 2011.  In addition, loans delinquent for 30 days or more still accruing interest totaled $4.5 million at September 30, 2011, compared to $3.5 million at June 30, 2011.

Net loan charge-offs in the third quarter of 2011 totaled $4.4 million, compared to $64.3 million in the year-ago quarter and $2.3 million in the second quarter of 2011.  Net charge-offs included the following significant amounts:  Mainland construction and development loans totaling $2.5 million and Hawaii construction and development loans totaling $1.6 million.

The ALLL, as a percentage of total loans and leases, was 6.96% at September 30, 2011, compared to 8.16% at June 30, 2011.  The ALLL, as a percentage of nonperforming assets, was 64.23% at September 30, 2011, compared to 66.95% at June 30, 2011.

Construction and Development Loans

At September 30, 2011, the construction and development loan portfolio (excluding owner-occupied loans) totaled $181.3 million, or 8.8%, of the total loan portfolio.  Of this amount, $98.5 million were located in Hawaii and $82.8 million were located on the Mainland.  This portfolio decreased by $45.2 million from June 30, 2011 and by $273.2 million from September 30, 2010.  The sequential quarter decrease was primarily due to loan pay downs and reflects decreases in the Hawaii and Mainland construction and development loan portfolios (excluding owner-occupied loans) of $41.6 million and $3.6 million, respectively.

The ALLL established for these loans was $27.3 million at September 30, 2011, or 15.0%, of the total outstanding balance, compared to $41.6 million, or 18.4%, of the total outstanding balance at June 30, 2011.  Of this amount, $16.9 million related to construction and development loans in Hawaii and $10.4 million related to construction and development loans on the Mainland.

Nonperforming construction and development assets in Hawaii totaled $100.3 million at September 30, 2011, or 2.4%, of total assets.  At September 30, 2011, this balance was comprised of portfolio loans totaling $57.9 million and foreclosed properties totaling $42.4 million.  Nonperforming assets related to this sector totaled $107.7 million at June 30, 2011.

Nonperforming construction and development assets on the Mainland totaled $46.2 million at September 30, 2011, or 1.1%, of total assets.  At September 30, 2011, this balance was comprised of portfolio loans totaling $30.2 million and foreclosed properties totaling $16.0 million.  Nonperforming assets related to this sector totaled $57.4 million at June 30, 2011.

Capital Levels

At September 30, 2011, the Company's Tier 1 risk-based capital, total risk-based capital, and leverage capital ratios were 22.63%, 23.94%, and 13.19%, respectively, compared to 22.48%, 23.80%, and 13.13%, respectively, at June 30, 2011.  The Company's capital ratios continue to exceed the minimum levels required by both the Memorandum of Understanding between the bank and its regulators (the "MOU") and the levels required for a "well-capitalized" regulatory designation.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains certain references to financial measures that have been adjusted to exclude certain expenses and other specified items.  These financial measures differ from comparable measures calculated and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP") in that they exclude unusual or non-recurring charges, losses, credits or gains.  This press release identifies the specific items excluded from the comparable GAAP financial measure in the calculation of each non-GAAP financial measure.    Management believes that financial presentations excluding the impact of these items provide useful supplemental information that is important to a proper understanding of the Company's core business results by investors.  These presentations should not be viewed as a substitute for results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP financial measures presented by other companies.  

Conference Call

The Company's management will host a conference call today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time (7:00 a.m. Hawaii Time) to discuss the quarterly results.  Individuals are encouraged to listen to the live webcast of the presentation by visiting the investor relations page of the Company's website at http://investor.centralpacificbank.com.  Alternatively, investors may participate in the live call by dialing 1-877-317-6789.  A playback of the call will be available through November 28, 2011 by dialing 1-877-344-7529 (passcode: 10005206) and on the Company's website.

About Central Pacific Financial Corp.

Central Pacific Financial Corp. is a Hawaii-based bank holding company with approximately $4.1 billion in assets.  Central Pacific Bank, its primary subsidiary, operates 34 branches, 120 ATMs, and a residential mortgage subsidiary in the state of Hawaii.  For additional information, please visit the Company's website at http://www.centralpacificbank.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This document may contain forward-looking statements concerning projections of revenues, income/loss, earnings/loss per share, capital expenditures, dividends, capital structure, or other financial items, concerning plans and objectives of management for future operations, concerning future economic performance, or concerning any of the assumptions underlying or relating to any of the foregoing.  Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts, and may include the words "believes", "plans", "intends", "expects", "anticipates", "forecasts" or words of similar meaning.  While we believe that our forward-looking statements and the assumptions underlying them are reasonably based, such statements and assumptions are by their nature subject to risks and uncertainties, and thus could later prove to be inaccurate or incorrect.  Accordingly, actual results could materially differ from projections for a variety of reasons, to include, but not limited to: the impact of local, national, and international economies and events, including natural disasters, on the Company's business and operations and on tourism, the military, and other major industries operating within the Hawaii market and any other markets in which the Company does business; the impact of regulatory actions on the Company including the MOU entered into with the FDIC and the DFI on May 5, 2011 and the Memorandum of Understanding entered into on February 9, 2011 with the FDIC and the DFI relating to the Bank Secrecy Act; the impact of legislation affecting the banking industry including the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the Dodd-Frank Act Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; the impact of competitive products, services, pricing, and other competitive forces; movements in interest rates; loan delinquency rates and changes in asset quality generally; volatility in the financial markets and uncertainties concerning the availability of debt or equity financing; and the impact of regulatory supervision.  For further information on factors that could cause actual results to materially differ from projections, please see the Company's publicly available Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including the Company's 2010 Form 10-K and 2011 Form 10-Qs.  The Company does not update any of its forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Central Pacific Financial Corp.