Umpqua Holdings reports Q4 EPS 38c, consensus 53c

Reports Q4 Net interest income was $305M for the fourth quarter, up $18M from the prior quarter. The increase reflects the favorable impact of higher interest rates on our asset sensitive balance sheet and higher average earning asset balances relative to the prior quarter.The Company’s net interest margin was 4.01% for the fourth quarter of 2022, up 13 basis points from 3.88% for the third quarter of 2022. The increase is primarily attributable to higher earning asset yields that outpaced the rising cost of interest-bearing liabilities. The cost of interest-bearing deposits increased to 0.77% for the fourth quarter of 2022 compared to 0.23% for the third quarter of 2022, and it was 1.07% on December 31, 2022 compared to 0.38% on September 30. CEO Commentary: "Continued growth, outstanding credit quality, and net interest margin expansion again characterize Umpqua’s quarterly results and round out what has been an exceptional year for the bank," said Cort O’Haver, President and CEO. "As we look forward to our upcoming merger with Columbia Banking System, which we expect to close on February 28, 2023, I want to thank our teams for their tireless efforts over the past 15 months. Umpqua associates’ support of each other and dedicated focus on relationship banking with our customers and within our communities is evidenced by our ability to profitably grow the bank while simultaneously planning for our transformational combination with Columbia."