Eagle Financial Services Inc

Thank you for standing by. My name is Jordan and I'll be your conference operator today. At this time, I'd like to welcome everyone to the Eagle Financial Services Inc U4 earnings call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. I'd now like to turn the call over to Nick Smith to begin the meeting. Please go ahead.

Good morning and thank you for joining us for our fourth quarter earnings conference call. Before we begin, Please note that the information provided during this call contains forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those statements. Please refer to our most recent Form 10-K, our Q4 earnings release, and other filings with the SEC for a detailed discussion of risk factors. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information except as required by law. Also during the call, we will discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures in reference to the company's performance. You can see our reconciliation of these measures and GAAP financial measures in the appendix to our presentation, which can be found on our investor relations website. With us today are our CEO, Brandon Maury, our CFO, Kate Chappell, and our Chief Banking Officer, Joe Zantrovich. I will now turn the call over to Brandon.

Thank you, Nick, and thank you all for joining us today. Our fourth quarter results reflect both the progress we've made throughout 2025 and the intentional way we executed our strategy. For the quarter, we reported net income of $4.3 million compared to $5.6 million in the third quarter. The length quarter change was driven primarily by lower net interest income and higher salaries and benefits, which we anticipated as part of our continued investment in our people. Kate will walk through our income statement in greater detail later in the call. Credit quality remains stable. Non-performing assets ended the year at 14.6 million or 0.77% of total assets, which compares to 14.3 million or 0.74% last quarter. While NPAs are higher than the prior year due to several large relationships moving to non-accrual that we have discussed in prior quarters, we remain confident in our collateral position and outlook. At the beginning of the year, following our successful capital raise, we set some ambitious goals. We wanted to build a more granular and relationship-driven loan portfolio, grow core deposits and fee income by showing up for our customers with our full suite of products, and expanded markets where we knew we could make a meaningful difference. We accomplished these goals and we did it together. I'm especially proud of how we achieved this. Despite expected headwinds from marine runoff, our commercial teams continued to deliver strong organic loan growth. Our third quarter momentum continued in the fourth quarter with an additional $13.1 million in net loan growth driven by commercial real estate and C&I lending. This is clear evidence that our commercial engine is both resilient and scalable. As we wrap up 2025, I am genuinely proud of what our team accomplished this year. Our fourth quarter results put a fitting close on a year defined by focus and follow through. We strengthened our balance sheet, kept asset quality on solid footing, and continued to perform at a level that compares favorably to many of our peers. Now, I'll let Kate talk you through more of our fourth quarter results. Kate?

Thanks, Brandon. Last night, we reported net income of $4.3 million, or $0.81 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2025. As Brandon mentioned, our profitability remained solid, with an annualized return on average assets of 0.91%, and an annualized return on average equity of 9.18% for the quarter. Our efficiency ratio was 70.3% in the fourth quarter compared to 64.1% in the third quarter. Our net interest income was 16.4 million in the fourth quarter, which was a 4.8% decrease from the third quarter due to the expected outflow of excess cash as the customer worked through the disposition of proceeds from the sale of their business. Our net interest margin increased to 3.61%, up from 3.58% in the third quarter, reflecting the continued improvement in earning asset yields and a better funding mix over the past year. Turning to non-interest income and expenses, non-interest income totaled $5.4 million in the fourth quarter, up from $5.2 million in the third quarter. Within fee income, we continue to see strong contributions from wealth management. where fees increased to $2.3 million, up 25% from the third quarter, driven partially by the recognition of account settlement fees. Looking ahead to 2026, we expect both wealth management fees and gain on sale revenue to remain generally consistent with 2025 levels. On the expense side, non-interest expense was $15.5 million, which represented an 8% increase compared to the third quarter. the quarter-over-quarter increase was driven primarily by higher salaries and employee benefits, reflecting increased headcount and incentive compensation tied to our performance. As I noted earlier, our efficiency ratio was 70% for the quarter. The increase from the third quarter primarily reflects the combination of lower net interest income and higher operating expenses, partially offset by higher fee income. Looking forward to 2026, we anticipate the efficiency ratio to move slightly below 70%. As spread income continues to improve and salaries and benefits expenses move to a more normalized level. I will now let Joe speak about the loan portfolio.

Thank you, Kate. The fourth quarter continued our strong momentum in lending activity. The loan portfolio expanded by 13.1 million, driven by 67 million in total originations, and $18.5 million of growth in commercial loan categories. This is partially offset by a $10.3 million reduction in the marine portfolio. The fourth quarter continued to demonstrate our disciplined lending execution as we experienced good activity across our commercial lines. Demand in all our markets remained steady, and our relationship-driven approach continues to set us apart as clients look for consistency, responsiveness, and a true long-term partner. As we move into 2026, our loan pipeline is up over 100 million when compared to January of 2025. We are seeing solid opportunities, not only in our established markets, but also through new and expanding client relationships. We also expect continued growth from our commercial team in Maryland as they build momentum and expand their presence. Looking ahead, we expect commercial loan production to remain consistent with our strategy. We will stay focused on strengthening relationships, maintaining our credit discipline, and supporting quality growth. With the team we have in place, we feel well positioned to continue delivering balanced, high quality results. Brandon.

Thanks, Joe. As we enter 2026, our foundation is strong. We remain grounded in the values that have guided the Bank of Clark for more than 140 years. Leadership in our markets, outstanding service to our customers, commitment to community, adaptability as conditions change, and loyalty to one another and those we serve. I am grateful for the continued support of our shareholders and optimistic about what we will accomplish next for them, for our employees, and for the communities that we are proud to support. We continue to engage in conversations with potential bank partners that align with our community-focused model and long-term strategic objectives. Our approach to mergers and acquisitions remains disciplined. and we will only pursue opportunities that clearly enhance the strength and value of our franchise. At the same time, we remain a strong organic growth company. The progress we delivered this year reflects the effectiveness of our execution and our relationship-based approach to banking. We believe our platform is well positioned to scale, and we are confident in our ability to deliver meaningful and sustainable growth. Thank you all for joining today's call. We appreciate your continued support and we are excited about the opportunities ahead as we continue to execute on our strategic plan.

This concludes today's meeting. You may now disconnect.