CEO: Improving Credit Quality Top Priority for 2025
Discussion of Outlook; President & Chief Executive Officer, Jeffrey G. Ludwig: "Entering 2025, improving credit quality was our number one priority and throughout the year, we took significant steps to reduce our risk in the loan portfolio and strengthen our balance sheet. We have significantly enhanced our credit talent, culture, and underwriting standards in 2025, and while non-performing assets remain above our 0.75% target, we believe the actions taken in 2025 position us well for continued improvement. We accomplished this without raising any additional capital while also continuing to invest in our core businesses. Our capital position improved, with the common equity tier 1 capital ratio rising to 9.89% and approaching our 10.0% target. With the Company's shares trading near tangible book value during the quarter, we repurchased $9.6 million of common stock. Revenue trends remained positive in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a strong net interest margin and roughly 6.5% annualized loan growth in our Community Bank. Also, our wealth management business posted another record quarter. We continue to invest in these businesses and expect solid momentum to continue in 2026."
