Hanmi Earns $9.5 Million in Second Quarter of 2013 with Pretax Income Up 78% Year-Over-Year and Net Interest Margin Increasing to 4.10%

LOS ANGELES, July 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hanmi Financial Corporation (Nasdaq:HAFC), the holding company for Hanmi Bank (the "Bank"), today reported that pretax earnings improved 3.7% in the second quarter of 2013 and 78.4% for the year, reflecting solid loan growth, increasing core deposits, improving operating efficiencies and expanding net interest margin. With provisioning at the full statutory tax rate, net income was $9.5 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2013, compared to $10.1 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2013. In the second quarter of 2012, following a net tax benefit of $47.2 million resulting from the reversal of a $53.1 million deferred tax asset ("DTA") valuation allowance, Hanmi earned $55.8 million, or $1.77 per diluted share. In the second quarter of 2013, pretax income increased 78.4% to $15.3 million from $8.6 million in the second quarter of 2012, and was up 3.7% from $14.8 million in the first quarter of 2013. Tangible book value increased 13.2% to $12.47 per share at June 30, 2013, compared to $11.02 at June 30, 2012.

In the first six months of 2013, net income was $19.6 million, or $0.62 per diluted share, compared to $63.1 million, or $2.00 per diluted share, in the first six months of 2012, which included the $47.2 million net tax benefit from the DTA valuation allowance reversal in the second quarter of 2012. Pretax income increased 88.1% to $30.1 million in the first six months of 2013 from $16.0 million in the first six months of 2012.

"Our net interest margin jumped 24 basis points to 4.10% from the first quarter of 2013, reflecting on-going investment of funds into higher yielding loans and cost savings from the redemption of $80 million of trust preferred securities," said C. G. Kum, President and Chief Executive Officer. "As our organic growth initiatives continue to succeed in expanding our loan portfolio and putting our capital to work into more productive assets, we anticipate our profitability will remain strong. We are also excited about our expansion efforts in the state of Texas, where our new loan production office will officially open in early August."

"In the second quarter of 2013, provision for income taxes was up by 24.3%, resulting in an effective tax rate of 38%. We currently project our annual effective tax rate will be between 38 to 39%. The provision for income taxes in the first quarter of 2013 was reduced by a discrete deferred tax item," said Mark Yoon, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. "In addition, the sizable benefit generated from the DTA reversal had a significant impact on earnings in the second quarter of 2012."

Financial Highlights (at or for the period ended June 30, 2013)

• Net income for the second quarter of 2013 was $9.5 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, compared to $10.1 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2013.
• Net interest margin ("NIM") increased to 4.10% in the second quarter of 2013, up 24 basis points from 3.86% in the first quarter of 2013 and up 26 basis points from 3.84% in the second quarter of 2012.  Yields on earning assets improved 16 basis points to 4.59%, while the cost of interest-bearing liabilities continued to improve by 11 basis points to 0.78% during the second quarter of 2013. 
• New loan production for the second quarter of 2013 totaled $163.8 million, consisting of $119.5 million of commercial real estate loans, $31.2 million of Small Business Administration ("SBA") loans, $11.9 million of commercial term and lines of credit loans, and $1.2 million of consumer loans.
• Asset quality improved during the second quarter of 2013, with non-performing assets ("NPAs") declining to 1.04% of total assets. Net charge offs also continued to improve, totaling $1.6 million, or 0.30% of average gross loans on an annualized basis.
• The redemption of the remaining $50 million in trust preferred securities ("TPS") in April 2013 resulted in an interest cost reduction of $510,000 in the second quarter of 2013. 
• Tangible common equity ratio was 14.22% and tangible book value was $12.47 per share at June 30, 2013, up 13.2% from $11.02 at June 30, 2012.

Results of Operations

Net interest income, before provision for credit losses, increased 6.1% to $27.2 million for the second quarter of 2013, from $25.6 million for the first quarter of 2013, and was up 7.9% from $25.2 million for the second quarter of 2012. Interest and dividend income increased 3.3% from the first quarter of 2013 and 1.4% from the second quarter of 2012, while interest expense decreased 14.9% and 32.7% from the first quarter of 2013 and the second quarter of 2012, respectively. Year to date, net interest income before provision for credit losses improved 6.1% to $52.8 million compared to $49.7 million for the first six months of 2012.

NIM in the second quarter of 2013 was 4.10%, up from 3.86% in the first quarter of 2013 and 3.84% in the second quarter a year ago. For the first six months of 2013, NIM increased to 3.98% from 3.77% for the first six months of 2012. "The redemption of TPS, coupled with solid loan growth and significantly reduced low yielding cash and cash equivalents, boosted NIM this quarter.  Once the full impact of the $80 million TPS redemption is realized starting from the third quarter of 2013, the expected annual savings will be $2.5 million," said Yoon. The following table details the asset yields, liability costs, spread and margin.

With steadily improving asset quality, Hanmi has not taken a provision for credit losses in the past four quarters. In the second quarter of 2012, Hanmi recorded a $4.0 million provision, bringing its provision for the first six months of 2012 to $6.0 million. Total net charge-offs in the second quarter of 2013 were $1.6 million, down from $2.3 million in the first quarter of 2013 and from $13.4 million in the second quarter of 2012.  Allowance for loan losses ("ALLL") decreased slightly to $59.9 million, or 2.74% of gross loans, and 214.03% of NPAs, at June 30, 2013. 

Net interest income after provision for credit losses increased 6.1% to $27.2 million in the second quarter of 2013, compared to $25.6 million in the first quarter of 2013, and was up 28.3% from $21.2 million in the second quarter of 2012. For the first six months of 2013, net interest income after the provision for credit losses increased 20.7% to $52.8 million compared to $43.7 million for the first six months of 2012.

Non-interest income in the second quarter of 2013 was $8.2 million, compared to $8.4 million in the first quarter of 2013. The modest decline in the second quarter of 2013 reflects lower gains from selling SBA loans and higher losses from selling non-performing loans ("NPLs"), partially offset by higher insurance commissions and gains recognized from selling securities. For the first six months of 2013, non-interest income increased 52.5% to $16.5 million from $10.8 million for the first six months of 2012, reflecting a significant reduction in losses from selling NPLs, partially offset by lower gains from selling SBA loans and investment securities. 

Non-interest expense in the second quarter of 2013 was $20.0 million, compared to $19.2 million in the first quarter of 2013, and $19.8 million in the second quarter of 2012. For the first six months of 2013, non-interest expense was $39.1 million, compared to $38.5 million for the first six months of 2012. "Compensation and occupancy remain the largest components of operating expense, and both line items together with recurring expenditures are stable for the year and the quarter, due to the cost control initiatives put in place in the past few years," said Yoon. Yoon added that "deposit insurance premiums and regulatory assessments were down for the year, due to lower premium and assessment rates as a result of overall improvement in our financial condition. Second quarter expenses are estimated to be the quarterly run rate for the remainder of 2013. Professional fees remained elevated in the second quarter of 2013, due to legal expenses incurred in defending lawsuits in the ordinary course of business, as well as professional and legal expenses related to strategic reviews. We expect our costs for professional advisors will be moderate in the second half of the year."

Balance Sheet

Assets totaled $2.77 billion at June 30, 2013, down from $2.79 billion at March 31, 2013 and $2.85 billion at June 30, 2012. "While total assets are relatively stable, the mix of assets and liabilities continues to improve with cash and cash equivalents down 46% in the second quarter of 2013 and 74% year-over-year. One of our strategic focuses to increase franchise value continues to enhance our deposit mix by increasing demand deposits with relationship-based lending," said Kum.

In the second quarter of 2013, the Bank produced 223 new loans totaling $163.8 million, of which $31.2 million were SBA loans, $119.5 million were commercial real estate loans including $43.9 million of owner-occupied property loans, $11.9 million were commercial and industrial loans, and $1.2 million were consumer loans. Overall loan production was up 12.6% from the second quarter of 2012, and down 8.3% from the first quarter of 2013. The decreased loan production over the first quarter of 2013 was primarily attributable to a loan production initiative promoting portfolio diversification. "We remain bullish on our loan growth prospects for the rest of the year, as we have a solid pipeline of prospective loans. And as indicated earlier, we are expecting Texas to begin contributing to SBA loan production in the second half of the year," said Kum.

Loans receivable, excluding loans held for sale, increased 3.3% in the second quarter of 2013 and 13.3% year-over-year to $2.13 billion at June 30, 2013, up from $2.06 billion at March 31, 2013 and $1.88 billion at June 30, 2012. Loans held for sale totaled $2.6 million at June 30, 2013, compared to $6.0 million at March 31, 2013 and $5.1 million at June 30, 2012.  Average gross loans, net of deferred loan fees, increased to $2.17 billion for the second quarter of 2013, up from $2.07 billion for the first quarter of 2013 and $2.00 billion for the second quarter of 2012.

Average deposits for the second quarter of 2013 were $2.37 billion, up slightly from $2.35 billion for the first quarter of 2013 and $2.31 billion for the second quarter of 2012. The overall mix of funding continued to improve with time deposits declining and low- and no-cost transaction account balances increasing. The deposit mix for the past year is detailed in the table below.

At June 30, 2013, total stockholders' equity was $395.4 million. Tangible common stockholders' equity was $394.1 million at June 30, 2013, or 14.22% of tangible assets, compared to $347.0 million, or 12.20% of tangible assets, at June 30, 2012. Tangible book value per share was $12.47 at June 30, 2013, up from $12.28 at March 31, 2013, and $11.02 at June 30, 2012.

Asset Quality

NPLs, excluding loans held for sale, decreased 15.0% to $28.0 million at June 30, 2013, compared to $32.9 million at March 31, 2013 and decreased 38.0% from $45.1 million at June 30, 2012. Troubled debt restructurings ("TDRs"), totaled $29.0 million at June 30, 2013, down from $31.7 million at March 31, 2013 and $35.8 million at June 30, 2012. Of these TDRs, $14.1 million were included in NPLs.   Six loans totaling $2.6 million were classified as held for sale and recorded at the lower of cost or fair value at June 30, 2013.  The following table shows NPLs in each category:

"With the economic recovery beginning to gain momentum, our asset quality is continuing to improve. We were further able to reduce the number of problem loan sales this year. Second quarter NPL sales totaled $4.4 million, bringing total loans sales for the first half of 2013 to $5.9 million," said J.H. Son, Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. "Losses associated with our loan sales strategy were just $557,000 in the first half of 2013, compared to $7.7 million in the first half of 2012." Classified loans were $89.6 million, or 4.1% of gross loans, at June 30, 2013, down from $95.1 million, or 4.5%, at March 31, 2013 and from $142.7 million, or 7.32%, at June 30, 2012.    

Delinquent loans that are less than 90 days past due and still accruing interest decreased to $2.6 million at June 30, 2013, or 0.12% of gross loans, compared to $4.7 million, or 0.24% of gross loans, at June 30, 2012. At June 30, 2013, ALLL was $59.9 million, or 2.74% of gross loans and 214.03% of NPLs, compared to 3.69% and 159.26%, respectively, at June 30, 2012. For the second quarter of 2013, net charge-offs were $1.6 million, compared to $2.3 million for the first quarter of 2013 and $13.4 million for the second quarter of 2012.  

Conference Call

Management will host a conference call today, July 23, 2013, at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. ET) to discuss these results. This call will also be broadcast live via the internet.  Investment professionals and all current and prospective stockholders are invited to access the live call by dialing 1-480-629-9645 before 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time, using access code HANMI.  To listen to the call online, either live or archived, visit the Investor Relations page of Hanmi's website at www.hanmi.com.

About Hanmi Financial Corporation

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Hanmi Bank, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hanmi Financial Corporation, provides services to the multi-ethnic communities of California, with 27 full-service offices in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Diego counties, and loan production offices in Texas and Washington State.  Hanmi Bank specializes in commercial, SBA and trade finance lending, and is a recognized community leader.  Hanmi Bank's mission is to provide a full range of quality products and premier services to its customers and to maximize stockholder value.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are included in accordance with the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "could," "expects," "plans," "intends," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," or "continue," or the negative of such terms and other comparable terminology. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are "forward–looking statements" for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including, but not limited to, statements about anticipated future operating and financial performance, financial position and liquidity, business strategies, regulatory and competitive outlook, investment and expenditure plans, capital and financing needs and availability, plans and objectives of management for future operations, developments regarding our capital plans, strategic alternatives for a possible business combination, merger or sale transaction and other similar forecasts and statements of expectation and statements of assumption underlying any of the foregoing. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statement. These factors include the following: failure to maintain adequate levels of capital and liquidity to support our operations; the effect of regulatory orders we have entered into and potential future supervisory action against us or Hanmi Bank; general economic and business conditions internationally, nationally and in those areas in which we operate; volatility and deterioration in the credit and equity markets; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits; availability of capital from private and government sources; demographic changes; competition for loans and deposits and failure to attract or retain loans and deposits; fluctuations in interest rates and a decline in the level of our interest rate spread; risks of natural disasters related to our real estate portfolio; risks associated with Small Business Administration loans; failure to attract or retain key employees; changes in governmental regulation, including, but not limited to, any increase in FDIC insurance premiums; ability of Hanmi Bank to make distributions to Hanmi Financial, which is restricted by certain factors, including Hanmi Bank's retained earnings, net income, prior distributions made, and certain other financial tests; ability to identify a suitable strategic partner or to consummate a strategic transaction; adequacy of our allowance for loan losses; credit quality and the effect of credit quality on our provision for credit losses and allowance for loan losses; changes in the financial performance and/or condition of our borrowers and the ability of our borrowers to perform under the terms of their loans and other terms of credit agreements; our ability to control expenses; and changes in securities markets. In addition, we set forth certain risks in our reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including, in Item 1A of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and current and periodic reports that we will file with the SEC hereafter, which could cause actual results to differ from those projected. We undertake no obligation to update such forward-looking statements except as required by law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Tangible Common Equity to Tangible Assets Ratio

Tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio is supplemental financial information determined by a method other than in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). This non-GAAP measure is used by management in the analysis of Hanmi Financial and Hanmi Bank's capital strength. Tangible equity is calculated by subtracting goodwill and other intangible assets from total stockholders' equity. Banking and financial institution regulators also exclude goodwill and other intangible assets from total stockholders' equity when assessing the capital adequacy of a financial institution. Management believes the presentation of this financial measure excluding the impact of these items provides useful supplemental information that is essential to a proper understanding of the capital strength of Hanmi Financial and Hanmi Bank. This disclosure should not be viewed as a substitution for results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor is it necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies.

The following table reconciles this non-GAAP performance measure to the GAAP performance measure for the periods indicated:

CONTACT: Hanmi Financial Corporation
         Shick (Mark) Yoon
         SVP & Chief Financial Officer
         Direct Phone: 213-427-5636

         Christina Lee
         FVP, Senior Strategy Officer
         Direct Phone:  213-427-5631

Released July 23, 2013