UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS INC [UCBI] Filings

10-Q 1 ucbi-20230930.htm 10-Q ucbi-20230930

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

☒

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2023

☐

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Transition Period from ___________ to ___________

Commission file number 001-35095

UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Georgia						58-1807304
(State of incorporation)						(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)


125 Highway 515 East
Blairsville, Georgia						30512
(Address of principal executive offices)						(Zip code)

(706) 781-2265

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)


Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of Each Class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common stock, par value $1 per share	UCBI	Nasdaq Global Select Market
Depositary shares, each representing 1/1000th interest in a share of Series I Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock	UCBIO	Nasdaq Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Date File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer

☒

Accelerated filer

☐

Non-accelerated filer

☐

Smaller reporting company

☐

Emerging growth company

☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes ☐ No ☒

There were 118,979,851 shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $1 per share, outstanding as of October 31, 2023.

UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.

FORM 10-Q

INDEX


		Glossary of Defined Terms	3

		Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements	4

PART I - Financial Information
	Item 1.	Financial Statements

		Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)	5

		Consolidated Statements of Income (unaudited)	6

		Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (unaudited)	7

		Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity (unaudited)	8

		Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)	9

		Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements	10

	Item 2.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	40

	Item 3.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	60

	Item 4.	Controls and Procedures	60

PART II - Other Information

	Item 1.	Legal Proceedings	61

	Item 1A.	Risk Factors	61

	Item 2.	Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.	61




	Item 6.	Exhibits	62

Glossary of Defined Terms

The following terms may be used throughout this report, including the consolidated financial statements and related notes.


Term						Definition
2022 10-K						United’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on February 24, 2023
ACL						Allowance for credit losses
AFS						Available-for-sale
ALCO						Asset/Liability Management Committee
AOCI						Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)


ARR						Alternative reference rate
ASU						Accounting standards update
Bank						United Community Bank
Board						United Community Banks Inc., Board of Directors
BOLI						Bank-owned life insurance
CECL						Current expected credit loss
CET1						Common equity tier 1
CME						Chicago Mercantile Exchange
Company						United Community Banks Inc. (interchangeable with "United" below)
CVA						Credit valuation adjustment
FASB						Financial Accounting Standards Board
FDIC						Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
FDM						Modification made to borrowers experiencing financial difficulty
Federal Reserve						Federal Reserve System
First Miami						First Miami Bancorp, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, First National Bank of South Miami
FHLB						Federal Home Loan Bank
FOMC						Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Markets Committee
FTE						Fully taxable equivalent
GAAP						Accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America
GSE						U.S. government-sponsored enterprise


Holding Company						United Community Banks, Inc. on an unconsolidated basis
HTM						Held-to-maturity
LIBOR						London Interbank Offered Rate
LIHTC						Low- income housing tax credit
MD&A						Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
MBS						Mortgage-backed securities
NOW						Negotiable order of withdrawal
NPA						Nonperforming asset
OCI						Other comprehensive income (loss)
OREO						Other real estate owned
PCD						Purchased credit deteriorated
Progress						Progress Financial Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Progress Bank & Trust
Reliant						Reliant Bancorp, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Reliant Bank
Report						Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ending September 30, 2023
SBA						United States Small Business Administration

SEC						Securities and Exchange Commission
SOFR						Secured Overnight Financing Rate


TDR						Troubled debt restructuring
U.S. Treasury						United States Department of the Treasury
United						United Community Banks, Inc. and its direct and indirect subsidiaries
USDA						United States Department of Agriculture
VIE						Variable interest entity

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This Report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are neither statements of historical or current fact nor are they assurances of future performance and generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes”, “expects”, “may”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “projects”, “plans”, “goal”, “targets”, “potential”, “estimates”, “pro forma”, “seeks”, “intends”, or “anticipates”, or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include discussions of strategy, financial projections, guidance and estimates (including their underlying assumptions), statements regarding plans, objectives, expectations or consequences of various transactions or events, and statements about our future performance, operations, products and services, and should be viewed with caution.

Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and changes in circumstances, many of which are beyond our control, and that are difficult to predict as to timing, extent, likelihood and degree of occurrence, and that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results implied or anticipated by the statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to the following:

•negative economic and political conditions that adversely affect the general economy, the banking sector, housing prices, the real estate market, the job market, consumer confidence, the financial condition of our borrowers and consumer spending habits, which may affect, among other things, the levels of NPAs, charge-offs and provision expense;

•changes in loan underwriting, credit review or loss policies associated with economic conditions, examination conclusions or regulatory developments;

•the potential effects of pandemics or public health conditions on the economic and business environments in which we operate, including the impact of actions taken by governmental authorities to address these situations;

•strategic, market, operational, liquidity and interest rate risks associated with our business;

•potential fluctuations or unanticipated changes in the interest rate environment, including interest rate changes made by the Federal Reserve, replacements of LIBOR and replacement or reform of other interest rate benchmarks, as well as cash flow reassessments may reduce net interest margin and/or the volumes and values of loans made or held as well as the value of other financial assets;

•any unanticipated or greater than anticipated adverse conditions in the national or local economies in which we operate;

•our loan concentration in industries or sectors that may experience unanticipated or greater than anticipated adverse conditions than other industries or sectors in the national or local economies in which we operate;

•the risks of expansion into new geographic or product markets;

•risks with respect to our ability to identify and complete future mergers or acquisitions as well as our ability to successfully expand and integrate those businesses and operations that we acquire;

•our ability to attract and retain key employees;

•competition from financial institutions and other financial service providers including non-bank financial technology providers and our ability to attract customers from other financial institutions;

•losses due to fraudulent and negligent conduct of our customers, third-party service providers or employees;

•cybersecurity risks and the vulnerability of our network and online banking portals, and the systems or parties with whom we contract, to unauthorized access, computer viruses, phishing schemes, spam attacks, human error, natural disasters, power loss and other security breaches that could adversely affect our business and financial performance or reputation;

•our reliance on third parties to provide key components of our business infrastructure and services required to operate our business;

•the risk that we may be required to make substantial expenditures to keep pace with regulatory initiatives and the rapid technological changes in the financial services market;

•the availability of and access to capital, particularly if there were to be increased capital requirements or enhanced regulatory supervision;

•legislative, regulatory or accounting changes that may adversely affect us;

•volatility in the ACL resulting from the CECL methodology, either alone or as that may be affected by conditions affecting our business;

•adverse results (including judgments, costs, fines, reputational harm, inability to obtain necessary approvals and/or other negative effects) from current or future litigation, regulatory proceedings, examinations, investigations, or similar matters, or developments related thereto;

•any matter that would cause us to conclude that there was impairment of any asset, including intangible assets, such as goodwill;

•limitations on our ability to declare and pay dividends and other distributions from the Bank to the Holding Company, which could affect Holding Company liquidity, including its ability to pay dividends to shareholders or take other capital actions;

•the potential effects of events beyond our control that may have a destabilizing effect on financial markets and the economy, such as inflation or recession, terrorist activities, wars and other foreign conflicts, climate change, disruptions in our customers’ supply chains, disruptions in transportation, essential utility outages or trade disputes and related tariffs; and

•other risks and uncertainties disclosed in documents filed or furnished by us with or to the SEC, any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, implied or otherwise anticipated by such forward-looking statements.

We caution readers that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, is not necessarily in order of importance and readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by any forward-looking statements also may be found in our 2022 10-K (including the “Risk Factor” section of that report), Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC and available at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. We do not intend to and, except as required by law, hereby disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained in this Report, which speaks only as of the date of its filing with the SEC, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. The financial statements and information contained herein have not been reviewed, or confirmed for accuracy or relevance, by the FDIC or any other regulator.

Part I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.
Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)
(in thousands, except share data)


	September 30, 2023		December 31, 2022
ASSETS
Cash and due from banks	$	192,726	$	195,771
Interest-bearing deposits in banks	566,779		316,082
Federal funds and other short-term investments	—		135,000
Cash and cash equivalents	759,505		646,853
Debt securities available-for-sale	3,182,112		3,614,333
Debt securities held-to-maturity (fair value $1,992,364 and $2,191,073, respectively)	2,518,773		2,613,648
Loans held for sale	37,110		13,600
Loans and leases held for investment	18,202,807		15,334,627
Less allowance for credit losses - loans and leases	(201,557)		(159,357)
Loans and leases, net	18,001,250		15,175,270
Premises and equipment, net	371,435		298,456
Bank owned life insurance	344,647		299,297



Goodwill and other intangible assets, net	994,142		779,248
Other assets	660,233		568,179
Total assets	$	26,869,207	$	24,008,884
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Liabilities:
Deposits:
Noninterest-bearing demand	$	6,782,031	$	7,643,081



Interest-bearing deposits	16,075,837		12,233,426


Total deposits	22,857,868		19,876,507
Short-term borrowings	37,348		158,933
Federal Home Loan Bank advances	—		550,000
Long-term debt	324,786		324,663

Accrued expenses and other liabilities	465,381		398,107
Total liabilities	23,685,383		21,308,210
Shareholders' equity:
Preferred stock, $1 par value: 10,000,000 shares authorized; 3,745 and 4,000 shares Series I issued and outstanding, respectively; $25,000 per share liquidation preference	90,283		96,422
Common stock, $1 par value: 200,000,000 shares authorized, 118,975,652 and 106,222,758 shares issued and outstanding, respectively	118,976		106,223
Common stock issuable: 608,646 and 607,128 shares, respectively	12,782		12,307
Capital surplus	2,697,671		2,306,366
Retained earnings	596,617		508,844
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(332,505)		(329,488)
Total shareholders' equity	3,183,824		2,700,674
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$	26,869,207	$	24,008,884

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements (unaudited).


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.
Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)
(in thousands, except per share data)


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2023		2022		2023		2022

Interest revenue:
Loans, including fees	$	273,781	$	174,065	$	760,696	$	476,072
Investment securities, including tax exempt of $1,722, $2,568, $5,563 and $7,762, respectively	44,729		36,953		125,775		91,043
Deposits in banks and short-term investments	4,637		2,869		11,938		5,209
Total interest revenue	323,147		213,887		898,409		572,324

Interest expense:






Deposits	116,733		9,880		263,811		17,313
Short-term borrowings	189		27		3,186		27
Federal Home Loan Bank advances	—		—		5,761		—
Long-term debt	3,669		4,206		11,339		12,515
Total interest expense	120,591		14,113		284,097		29,855
Net interest revenue	202,556		199,774		614,312		542,469
Provision for credit losses	30,268		15,392		74,804		44,082
Net interest revenue after provision for credit losses	172,288		184,382		539,508		498,387

Noninterest income:
Service charges and fees	10,315		9,569		28,791		28,644
Mortgage loan gains and other related fees	6,159		6,297		17,264		29,420
Wealth management fees	6,451		5,879		17,775		17,759
Gains from sales of other loans, net	2,688		2,228		6,909		9,226
Lending and loan servicing fees	2,985		2,946		9,979		7,518
Securities losses, net	—		—		(1,644)		(3,688)
Other	3,379		5,003		19,499		15,474
Total noninterest income	31,977		31,922		98,573		104,353
Total revenue	204,265		216,304		638,081		602,740

Noninterest expenses:
Salaries and employee benefits	81,173		67,823		236,121		208,062
Communications and equipment	10,902		8,795		31,654		27,718
Occupancy	10,941		9,138		31,024		27,381
Advertising and public relations	2,251		2,544		6,914		6,332
Postage, printing and supplies	2,386		2,190		7,305		6,308
Professional fees	7,006		4,821		19,670		14,670
Lending and loan servicing expense	2,697		2,333		7,546		7,746
Outside services - electronic banking	2,561		3,159		8,646		8,629
FDIC assessments and other regulatory charges	4,314		2,356		12,457		6,796
Amortization of intangibles	4,171		1,678		11,120		5,207
Merger-related and other charges	9,168		1,746		21,444		17,905
Other	6,904		6,172		22,785		16,066
Total noninterest expenses	144,474		112,755		416,686		352,820
Income before income taxes	59,791		103,549		221,395		249,920
Income tax expense	11,925		22,388		47,941		53,898
Net income	$	47,866	$	81,161	$	173,454	$	196,022

Net income available to common shareholders	$	46,775	$	79,035	$	168,245	$	189,858

Net income per common share:
Basic	$	0.39	$	0.74	$	1.44	$	1.78
Diluted	0.39		0.74		1.44		1.78
Weighted average common shares outstanding:
Basic	119,506		106,687		116,925		106,616
Diluted	119,624		106,800		117,084		106,732

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements (unaudited).


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Unaudited)
(in thousands)


	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
	Before-tax Amount		Tax (Expense) Benefit		Net of Tax Amount		Before-tax Amount		Tax (Expense) Benefit		Net of Tax Amount
2023
Net income	$	59,791	$	(11,925)	$	47,866	$	221,395	$	(47,941)	$	173,454
Other comprehensive income:
Unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities:
Unrealized holding losses	(38,209)		8,900		(29,309)		(14,683)		3,398		(11,285)

Reclassification adjustment for losses included in net income	—		—		—		1,644		(374)		1,270
Net unrealized losses	(38,209)		8,900		(29,309)		(13,039)		3,024		(10,015)


Amortization of unrealized losses on held-to-maturity securities transferred from available-for-sale	2,478		(593)		1,885		7,964		(1,917)		6,047

Derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges:
Unrealized holding gains on derivatives	1,091		(279)		812		3,192		(815)		2,377
Gains on derivative instruments realized in net income	(42)		11		(31)		(2,098)		536		(1,562)
Net cash flow hedge activity	1,049		(268)		781		1,094		(279)		815


Amortization of defined benefit pension plan net periodic pension cost components	61		(16)		45		183		(47)		136


Total other comprehensive loss	(34,621)		8,023		(26,598)		(3,798)		781		(3,017)
Comprehensive income	$	25,170	$	(3,902)	$	21,268	$	217,597	$	(47,160)	$	170,437

2022
Net income	$	103,549	$	(22,388)	$	81,161	$	249,920	$	(53,898)	$	196,022
Other comprehensive loss:
Unrealized losses on available-for-sale securities:
Unrealized holding losses	(104,754)		24,495		(80,259)		(429,607)		101,269		(328,338)
Reclassification of securities from available-for-sale to held-to-maturity	—		—		—		87,444		(20,770)		66,674
Reclassification adjustment for losses included in net income	—		—		—		3,688		(979)		2,709
Net unrealized losses	(104,754)		24,495		(80,259)		(338,475)		79,520		(258,955)
Unrealized losses on held-to-maturity securities transferred from available-for-sale:
Reclassification of unrealized losses	—		—		—		(87,444)		20,770		(66,674)
Amortization of unrealized losses	4,473		(1,073)		3,400		6,242		(1,495)		4,747
Net activity	4,473		(1,073)		3,400		(81,202)		19,275		(61,927)
Derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges:
Unrealized holding gains on derivatives	5,034		(1,286)		3,748		12,914		(3,299)		9,615
Losses on derivative instruments realized in net income	48		(12)		36		295		(75)		220
Net cash flow hedge activity	5,082		(1,298)		3,784		13,209		(3,374)		9,835


Amortization of defined benefit pension plan net periodic pension cost components	169		(43)		126		510		(130)		380


Total other comprehensive loss	(95,030)		22,081		(72,949)		(405,958)		95,291		(310,667)
Comprehensive income (loss)	$	8,519	$	(307)	$	8,212	$	(156,038)	$	41,393	$	(114,645)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements (unaudited).


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity (Unaudited)
(in thousands except share data)


	Shares of Common Stock	Preferred Stock		Common Stock		Common Stock Issuable		Capital Surplus		Retained Earnings		Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)		Total

Balance at June 30, 2022	106,033,960	$	96,422	$	106,034	$	11,448	$	2,304,608	$	396,970	$	(264,194)	$	2,651,288
Net income										81,161				81,161
Other comprehensive loss												(72,949)		(72,949)


Preferred stock dividends										(1,719)				(1,719)
Common stock dividends ($0.22 per share)										(23,624)				(23,624)
Impact of equity-based compensation awards	126,400			126		389		(168)						347
Impact of other United sponsored equity plans	2,501			3		129		74						206

Balance at September 30, 2022	106,162,861	$	96,422	$	106,163	$	11,966	$	2,304,514	$	452,788	$	(337,143)	$	2,634,710


Balance at June 30, 2023	115,265,912	$	96,165	$	115,266	$	12,228	$	2,610,523	$	577,316	$	(305,907)	$	3,105,591
Net income										47,866				47,866
Other comprehensive loss												(26,598)		(

UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS INC [UCBI] Filings

UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS INC [UCBIO] Filings