Fort Lauderdale, FL, Nov. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OptimumBank Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: OPHC) ("OptimumBank” or the "Company”) today reported robust financial performance for the third quarter of 2024. For the three months ended September 30, 2024, the Company achieved net income of $3.3 million, or $0.34 per basic share and $0.32 per diluted share, compared to net income of $1.2 million, or $0.18 per basic and diluted share, for the same period in 2023. This reflects significant growth in both earnings and profitability year-over-year.

Key Financial Highlights:

 ●Net interest income for the third quarter of 2024 reached $8.962 million, a significant increase of 51.5% from $5.914 million in the third quarter of 2023, primarily driven by a 44.9% rise in average interest-earning assets.    ●Net interest margin increased to 3.96%, up from 3.79% in the third quarter of 2023, reflecting growth in average interest-earning assets and the impact of higher costs on interest-bearing deposits.    ●Noninterest income increased to $1.115 million for the third quarter of 2024, a 22.4% increase from $911,000 for the same period in 2023, driven mainly by higher service charges and an increase in other noninterest income. Asset and Deposit Growth:

 ●Gross loans expanded to $778million as of September 30, 2024, from as of December 31, 2023, reflecting solid business growth.    ●Total deposits grew by 26.1% to $806.5 million, from $639.5 million for December 31, 2023. The increase is driven by both noninterest-bearing demand deposits and time deposits, which rose by 134.5% to $285.7 million. Capital Position:

 ●The Tier 1 capital to total assets ratio improved to 10.38% as of September 30, 2024, compared to 10.00% at the end of 2023, reflecting a strong capital base supporting continued growth. Chairman of the Board Commentary

Moishe Gubin, Chairman of OptimumBank Holdings, Inc., stated, "We are pleased to report robust financial performance for the third quarter of 2024, highlighting the effectiveness of our strategy. Our net income reached $3.3 million, or $0.34 per basic share and $0.32 per diluted share, compared to $1.6 million for the same period last year. This significant improvement reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering value to our shareholders while enhancing operational efficiency.”

"Our net interest income grew to $8.962 million, representing a strong increase of 51.5% from $5.914 million in the third quarter of 2023, driven primarily by a 44.9% increase in average interest-earning assets. Additionally, we experienced an improvement in our net interest margin, which increased to 3.96% from 3.79% in the third quarter of 2023, showcasing our effective asset utilization despite rising costs associated with interest-bearing deposits.”

"We also achieved noteworthy growth in noninterest income, which rose to $1.115 million-up 22.4% from $911,000 in the same period last year. This increase was primarily attributed to higher service charges and an increase in other noninterest income, underscoring the strength of our diversified revenue streams. Concurrently, our noninterest expenses increased by 45.0% to $5.285 million, largely due to investments in salaries, employee benefits, and data processing costs, which are critical to supporting our growth initiatives. In short order, many of the added expenses are expected to generate additional income, as much of these expenses went toward expanding our SBA department and enhanced software to provide additional treasury management tools to our customers.”

"On the asset side, our gross loans expanded to $778 million, reflecting strong demand for our lending products. Total deposits grew by 26.1% to $806.5 million, driven by a substantial 134.5% increase in time deposits.”

"As we look ahead, we remain optimistic about our ability to build on these achievements and sustain our growth momentum. We have also commenced our active ATM offering, which is regularly providing us with additional capital to support our balance sheet. We are grateful for the continued support of our stakeholders and remain dedicated to enhancing our market position through strategic lending, disciplined expense management, and operational innovation.”

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

Three Months Ended

(Dollars in thousands)

  September 30, 2024  September 30, 2023  % Change Average interest-earning assets $904,772  $624,412   44.9%Net interest income $8,962  $5,914   51.6%Net interest margin  3.96%  3.79%  17 bps  Net interest income for the third quarter of 2024 was $8.962 million, reflecting a 51.5% increase from $5.914 million in the third quarter of 2023. This growth was primarily driven by a 44.9% increase in average interest-earning assets from the prior year, contributing significantly to the rise in net interest income. The net interest margin improved to 3.96% from 3.79%, up by 17 basis points, demonstrating effective asset utilization and growth despite increased interest-bearing deposit costs.

Noninterest Income

Three Months and Nine Months Ended September 30

(Dollars in thousands)

  Three Months Ended September 30, 2024  Three Months Ended September 30, 2023  Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024  Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023 Service charges and fees $990  $881  $2,822  $2,359 Other $125  $30  $733  $53 Total noninterest income $1,115  $911  $3,555  $2,412  Noninterest income for the third quarter of 2024 was $1.115 million, a 22.4% increase from $911,000 in the same period in 2023. The increase was primarily driven by higher service charges and fees, which rose to $990,000 from $881,000 in the third quarter of 2023. Additionally, there was a significant increase in other noninterest income, which grew to $125,000 from $30,000 in the third quarter of 2023.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, noninterest income totaled $3.555 million, a substantial increase of 47.4% compared to $2.412 million for the same period in 2023. This growth was again primarily due to higher service charges and fees, which increased to $2.822 million from $2.359 million year-over-year, coupled with a notable rise in other noninterest income, which jumped to $733,000 from $53,000 in the previous year.

Noninterest Expense

Three Months and Nine Months Ended September 30

(Dollars in thousands)

  Three Months Ended September 30, 2024  Three Months Ended September 30, 2023  Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024  Nine Months Ended September 30, 2023 Salaries and employee benefits $3,078  $2,141  $8,958  $6,148 Professional fees $266  $161  $699  $529 Occupancy and equipment $234  $204  $642  $581 Data processing $574  $455  $1,702  $1,206 Regulatory assessment $241  $89  $593  $522 Litigation Settlement  -   -   -  $375 Other $892  $601  $2,484  $1,614 Total noninterest expenses $5,285  $3,651  $15,078  $10,975  Noninterest expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, reached $15.1 million, up 37.4% from $11.0 million in the same period in 2023. This increase reflects strategic investments to support the bank's expansion and prepare for continued growth.

A large portion of this increase was driven by higher salaries and employee benefits, which rose to $9.0 million from $6.1 million, reflecting the bank's commitment to building a workforce capable of managing our expanding service offerings. Data processing expenses also grew from $1.2 million to $1.7 million, due to investments in advanced treasury management software. This new software enables us to better support our current clients' needs and attract new clients, generating additional fee income as we expand our treasury management capabilities.

Further contributing to the rise in expenses were increases in regulatory assessments, up from $522,000 to $593,000, and professional fees, which rose to $699,000 from $529,000. These costs reflect both heightened compliance efforts in line with the bank's growing operations and the specialized expertise needed to scale our services. Together, these investments in talent, technology, and compliance are part of our strategy to position the bank for sustainable growth, allowing us to serve a broader client base while moving closer to our goal of becoming a $1 billion institution.

Loans and Credit Quality

(Dollars in thousands)

  September 30, 2024  December 31, 2023  % Change Gross Loans $778,058  $680,071   14.4%Less: Net Deferred Loan Fees and Costs $(807) $(1,294)  (38)%Less: Allowance for Credit Losses $(8,337) $(7,683)  8.5%Loans, Net $768,914  $671,094   14.6%

Change in Allowance for Credit Losses

(Dollars in thousands)

Loan Type Beginning Balance  Credit Loss Expense (Income)  Charge-offs  Recoveries  Ending Balance Three Months Ended September 30, 2024                 $8,337 Residential Real Estate $970  $265  $-  $-  $1,235 Multi-Family Real Estate $712  $114  $-  $-  $826 Commercial Real Estate $4,303  $(803) $-  $-  $3,500 Land and Construction $1,677  $605  $-  $-  $2,282 Commercial $134  $47  $-  $-  $181 Consumer $412  $181  $(366) $86  $313 

Loan Type Beginning Balance  Credit Loss Expense (Income)  Charge-offs  Recoveries  Ending Balance Three Months Ended September 30, 2023                 $7,200 Residential Real Estate $883  $(113) $-  $-  $770 Multi-Family Real Estate $1,037  $184  $-  $-  $1,221 Commercial Real Estate $2,802  $620  $-  $-  $3,422 Land and Construction $680  $194  $-  $-  $874 Commercial $135  $102  $(10) $-  $227 Consumer $1,108  $337  $(872) $113  $686 

Nine Months Ended September 30

(Dollars in thousands)

  September 30, 2024  December 31,

2023  September 30, 2023  % Change December 31, 2023  % Change September 30, 2023 Allowance for Credit Losses $                 8,337  $              7,683  $   7,200                    8.5%              15.8% As of September 30, 2024, gross loans reached $778.1 million, a significant increase of 14.4% from $680.1 million at the end of December 2023. After accounting for net deferred loan fees and costs, which decreased by 37.6.% to $(807,000), and an increase of 8.5% in the allowance for credit losses, the total net loans amount to $768.9 million, reflecting a 14.6% rise from $671.1 million at the close of 2023.

The allowance for credit losses at the end of September 2024 stands at $8.3 million, up 8.5% from $7.7 million as of December 31, 2023. This increase can be attributed to a combination of credit loss expense adjustments and recoveries across different loan categories. The breakdown of the allowance for credit losses reveals the following key changes, for the three months ended September 30, 2024:

 ●Residential Real Estate: Increase slightly to $1.2 million from $970,000.    ●Multi-Family Real Estate: Increase to $826,000 from $712,000.    ●Commercial Real Estate: Rose to $3.5 million from $4.3 million, reflecting a credit loss expense of $803,000.    ●Land and Construction: Increased to $2.3 million, up from $1.7 million, with a credit loss expense of $605,000.    ●Commercial Loans: Increased to $181,000 from $134,000, after a credit loss expense of $47,000    ●Consumer Loans: Improved to $313,000 from $412,000, with a notable credit loss recovery of $86,000 after accounting for $366,000 in charge-offs. On September 30, 2024, the allowance for credit losses stands at 1.07% of total loans and covers 382% of nonperforming loans, reinforcing the bank's commitment to prudent risk management.

Deposits

Deposits Summary

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in thousands)

  September 30, 2024  December 31, 2023  % Change September 30, 2024 vs. December 31, 2023 Total Deposits $806,506  $639,581   26%Noninterest-bearing demand deposits $202,373  $194,892   3.8%Savings, NOW, and money-market deposits $318,402  $322,932   -1.4%Time deposits $285,731