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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., April 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Blue Ridge Bankshares, Inc. (the "Company") (NYSE American: BRBS), the holding company of Blue Ridge Bank, National Association ("Blue Ridge Bank") and BRB Financial Group, Inc. ("BRB Financial Group"), announced today financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2022. For the first quarter of 2022, the Company reported net income from continuing operations of $17.4 million, or $0.93 earnings per diluted common share, compared to $12.8 million, or $0.68 earnings per diluted common share, for the fourth quarter of 2021, and $4.2 million, or $0.28 earnings per diluted common share, for the first quarter of 2021. Earnings per diluted common share for all periods presented is reflective of the 3-for-2 stock split effective April 30, 2021. Net income for all periods presented also reflected merger-related expenses, as further discussed below.

The Company reported total assets of $2.72 billion as of March 31, 2022, an increase from $2.67 billion as of December 31, 2021, while reported loans held for investment, excluding Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loans, grew $66.2 million in the first quarter of 2022, an annualized growth rate of 14.9%. The Company's commercial and industrial loan portfolio grew $59.9 million in the first quarter of 2022, an annualized growth rate of 74.7%.

The Company sold its majority interest in MoneyWise Payroll Solutions, Inc. ("MoneyWise") to the holder of the minority interest in MoneyWise in the first quarter of 2022. Asset and liability balances and income statement amounts related to MoneyWise are reported as discontinued operations for all periods presented.

The Company completed the merger of Bay Banks of Virginia, Inc. ("Bay Banks"), the holding company of Virginia Commonwealth Bank, into the Company on January 31, 2021. Immediately following the completion of the merger, Virginia Commonwealth Bank was merged into Blue Ridge Bank (collectively, the "Bay Banks Merger"). Earnings for the first quarter of 2021 included the earnings of Bay Banks from the effective date of the merger.

"The Company experienced robust loan demand to start the year", said Brian K. Plum, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "We are seeing strong, sustained loan demand in our markets. Our team is doing outstanding work building on forward momentum across our geographies and business lines to capitalize on the meaningful opportunities which exist."

Fintech Business

The Company continues to grow its infrastructure to support the expansion of its fintech partners. The Company ended the first quarter of 2022 with active partnerships including Unit, Flexible Finance, Increase, Upgrade, Kashable, Jaris, Aeldra, Grow Credit, MentorWorks, and Marlette. Several of the Company's fintech partners are experiencing rapid adoption of their offerings, and consequently, the Company has benefited by significant deposit growth. Deposits related to fintech relationships were approximately $329 million as of March 31, 2022, up from approximately $189 million as of December 31, 2021. Loans held for sale and loans held for investment related to fintech relationships totaled $21.5 million and $24.1 million as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. Interest and fee income related to fintech partnerships represented approximately $1.3 million of revenue for the Company for both the first quarter of 2022 and fourth quarter of 2021. The Company's fintech relationships also generated assets under management of $48.4 million in BRB Financial Group's Trust Division as of March 31, 2022, compared to $0 at December 31, 2021.

Mortgage Division

The Company's mortgage division, which consists of a retail division operating as Monarch Mortgage and a wholesale division operating as LenderSelect Mortgage Group, reported net income of $2.3 million and $15 thousand for the first quarter of 2022 and fourth quarter of 2021, respectively. Income attributable to mortgage servicing rights was $6.7 million for the first quarter of 2022, an increase of $5.2 million compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. Mortgage servicing rights income in the first quarter of 2022 was attributable to fair value adjustments of $3.8 million and new servicing rights retained of $2.9 million. The increase in income attributable to mortgage servicing rights was partially offset by lower income from other residential mortgage banking activities, as quarterly mortgage volumes declined to $151.4 million for the first quarter of 2022 compared to $234.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2021. The decline in mortgage volumes in the first quarter of 2022 was primarily attributable to a decline in demand for mortgages as market interest rates increased significantly in the same period. Noninterest expenses reported for the Company's mortgage division were $6.9 million and $7.2 million for first quarter of 2022 and fourth quarter of 2021, respectively. The Company reduced mortgage personnel in both the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, resulting in total annualized noninterest expense savings of $1.5 million, the full benefit of which will be realized starting in the second quarter of 2022.

Income Statement

Net Interest Income

Net interest income was $23.7 million for the first quarter of 2022 compared to $20.9 million for the fourth quarter of 2021 and $20.0 million for the first quarter of 2021, while accretion of acquired loan discounts included in interest income was $2.7 million, $765 thousand, and $271 thousand for the same respective periods. Amortization of purchase accounting adjustments on assumed time deposits and borrowings, which reduced interest expense, was $502 thousand, $709 thousand, and $725 thousand in the same respective periods.

Included in interest income for the first quarter of 2022 and fourth and first quarters of 2021 were $393 thousand, $458 thousand, and $2.5 million, respectively, of PPP loan interest income and fees, net of costs. PPP loans were partially funded through the PPP Liquidity Facility ("PPPLF"), offered by the Federal Reserve Banks to fund PPP loans, and interest expense incurred for the PPPLF was $14 thousand, $46 thousand, and $304 thousand for the first quarter of 2022 and the fourth and first quarters of 2021, respectively.

Net interest margin for the first quarter of 2022 was 3.88% compared to 3.39% and 3.43% for the fourth and first quarters of 2021, respectively. Accretion and amortization of purchase accounting adjustments had a 53, 24, and 17 basis point positive effect on net interest margin for the same respective periods. In addition to the positive effect of these purchase accounting adjustments, net interest income and margin was positively affected by higher average balances of loans held for investment and higher rates on these loans, as well as lower funding costs, which declined to 0.36% for the first quarter of 2022 from 0.42% and 0.45% for the fourth and first quarters of 2021, respectively.

Provision for Loan Losses

The Company recorded a provision for loan losses of $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2022 compared to $117 thousand for the fourth quarter of 2021 and no provision in the first quarter of 2021. The increase in provision for loan losses in the first quarter of 2022 was primarily due to additional reserves for loan growth and higher specific reserves for three relationships.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income for the first quarter of 2022 was $24.1 million compared to $21.9 million and $15.5 million for the fourth and first quarters of 2021, respectively. Mortgage banking income, including mortgage servicing rights, contributed $9.6 million, $5.9 million, and $12.7 million of noninterest income in the first quarter of 2022 and the fourth and first quarters of 2021, respectively. Included in noninterest income in the fourth quarter of 2021 was a $6.2 million gain on the termination of interest rate swaps that hedged interest rates on certain FHLB advances. Noninterest income in the first quarter of 2022 and the fourth quarter of 2021 included $9.4 million and $5.7 million, respectively, of fair value adjustments for the Company's equity investments, primarily in certain fintech companies.

Noninterest Expense 

Noninterest expense for the first quarter of 2022 was $22.7 million compared to $25.1 million and $30.2 million for the fourth and first quarters of 2021, respectively. Salaries and employee benefit expenses decreased $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2022 from the fourth quarter of 2021, primarily due to higher health insurance, incentives, and discretionary benefit plan contribution expenses in the fourth quarter of 2021. Lower salaries and employee benefit expenses attributable to the mortgage division in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of 2021 were partially offset by the addition of personnel to support the growing fintech business and commercial lenders. Merger-related expenses for the first quarter of 2022 and the fourth quarter of 2021 were $50 thousand and $171 thousand, respectively, attributable to the now-terminated FVCBankcorp, Inc. merger, while merger-related expenses of $9.0 million in the first quarter of 2021 were attributable to the Bay Banks Merger.

Balance Sheet

Loans held for investment, excluding PPP loans, increased $66.2 million to $1.84 billion at March 31, 2022 from $1.78 billion at December 31, 2021, an annualized growth rate of 14.9%. Most of this increase was attributable to net growth in commercial and industrial loans and commercial mortgages of $59.9 million and $46.7 million, respectively, partially offset by declines in commercial construction and consumer loans of $22.0 million and $12.5 million, respectively. Loans held for sale, which comprise primarily of residential mortgages, decreased $80.9 million to $41.0 million at March 31, 2022 from $121.9 million at December 31, 2021. This decline was primarily attributable to sales of mortgages into the secondary market in the first quarter of 2022 that exceeded mortgage originations due to the reasons noted previously.

Total deposits at March 31, 2022 were $2.35 billion, an increase of $56.3 million from December 31, 2021. Noninterest-bearing demand deposits grew $60.4 million primarily due to the Company's fintech partnerships, as noted previously.

The Company changed its accounting method for mortgage servicing rights from the amortization method to the fair value measurement method beginning in the first quarter of 2022. The after-tax difference in carrying values of its mortgage servicing rights assets under the two methods at the beginning of the quarter resulted in a positive cumulative effect adjustment to shareholders' equity of $3.5 million.

Asset Quality

Nonperforming loans, which include nonaccrual loans and loans 90 days or more past due and accruing interest¹, totaled $14.4 million at March 31, 2022 and $16.1 million at December 31, 2021. The ratio of nonperforming loans to total assets was 0.53% and 0.60% at March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively. The Company's allowance for loan losses was $12.0 million at March 31, 2022, or 0.65% as a percentage of gross loans held for investment, excluding PPP loans², compared to 0.68% at December 31, 2021 and 0.79% at March 31, 2021. The decline in this ratio from December 31, 2021 to March 31, 2022 was primarily attributable to a partial charge-off of a nonaccrual commercial loan related to one relationship, partially offset by reserve needs for loan growth in the first quarter of 2022. Remaining acquired loan discounts related to loans acquired in the Company's completed mergers were $13.5 million as of March 31, 2022 and $16.2 million as of December 31, 2021.

¹ Excludes purchased credit-impaired loans.

² The Company holds no allowance for loan losses on PPP loans as they are fully guaranteed by the U.S. government.

Capital

The Company previously announced that on April 6, 2022 its board of directors declared a $0.1225 per common share quarterly dividend, payable April 29, 2022 to shareholders of record as of April 18, 2022. Tangible book value per share, a non-GAAP (defined below) measure, was $13.09 and $13.01 as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, respectively.

Primarily as a result of an increase in market interest rates in the first quarter of 2022, the market value of the Company's portfolio of securities available for sale declined approximately $22.6 million, which resulted in a corresponding after-tax decline in stockholders' equity of $17.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022. The accumulated other comprehensive loss ("AOCL") attributable to this securities portfolio as of March 31, 2022 was $21.5 million, or $1.14 per book value per share, compared to a $3.6 million AOCL, or $0.19 per book value per share, as of December 31, 2021.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The accounting and reporting policies of the Company conform to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and prevailing practices in the banking industry. However, management uses certain non-GAAP measures to supplement the evaluation of the Company's performance. Management believes presentations of these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful supplemental information that is essential to a proper understanding of the operating results of the Company's core businesses. These non-GAAP disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for operating results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies. Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP measures are included at the end of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release of the Company contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements represent plans, estimates, objectives, goals, guidelines, expectations, intentions, projections, and statements of the Company's beliefs concerning future events, business plans, objectives, expected operating results and the assumptions upon which those statements are based. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate, or imply future results, performance or achievements, and are typically identified with words such as "may," "could," "should," "will," "would," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "aim," "intend," "plan," or words or phases of similar meaning.  The Company cautions that the forward-looking statements are based largely on its expectations and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that are subject to change based on factors which are, in many instances, beyond the Company's control. Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those contemplated, expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

The following factors, among others, could cause the Company's financial performance to differ materially from that expressed in such forward-looking statements: (i) the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which the Company conducts operations; (ii) geopolitical conditions, including acts or threats of terrorism and/or military conflicts, or actions taken by the United States or other governments in response to acts or threats of terrorism and/or military conflicts, which could impact business and economic conditions in the United States and abroad; (iii) the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the adverse impact on the Company's business and operations and on the Company's customers which may result, among other things, in increased delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures and losses on loans; (iv) the occurrence of significant natural disasters, including severe weather conditions, floods, health related issues, and other catastrophic events; (v) the Company's management of risks inherent in its real estate loan portfolio, and the risk of a prolonged downturn in the real estate market, which could impair the value of the Company's collateral and its ability to sell collateral upon any foreclosure; (vi) changes in consumer spending and savings habits; (vii) technological and social media changes; (viii) the effects of, and changes in, trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including interest rate policies of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, inflation, interest rate, market and monetary fluctuations; (ix) changing bank regulatory conditions, policies or programs, whether arising as new legislation or regulatory initiatives, that could lead to restrictions on activities of banks generally, or the Company's subsidiary bank in particular, more restrictive regulatory capital requirements, increased costs, including deposit insurance premiums, regulation or prohibition of certain income producing activities or changes in the secondary market for loans and other products; (x) the impact of changes in financial services policies, laws and regulations, including laws, regulations and policies concerning taxes, banking, securities and insurance, and the application thereof by regulatory bodies; (xi) the impact of changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting the real estate industry; (xii) the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted from time to time by bank regulatory agencies, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other accounting standards setting bodies; (xiii) the timely development of competitive new products and services and the acceptance of these products and services by new and existing customers; (xiv) the willingness of users to substitute competitors' products and services for the Company's products and services; (xv) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company; (xvi) reputational risk and potential adverse reactions of the Company's customers, suppliers, employees or other business partners; (xvii) the effects of acquisitions the Company may make, including, without limitation, the failure to achieve the expected revenue growth and/or expense savings from such transactions; (xiii) changes in the level of the Company's nonperforming assets and charge-offs; (xix) the Company's involvement, from time to time, in legal proceedings and examination and remedial actions by regulators; (xx) potential exposure to fraud, negligence, computer theft and cyber-crime; (xxi) the Company's ability to pay dividends; (xxii) the Company's involvement as a participating lender in the PPP as administered through the U.S. Small Business Administration; and (xiii) other risks and factors identified in the "Risk Factors" sections and elsewhere in documents the Company files from time to time with the SEC.

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