Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

Nicole Stokes: Yes. I’m glad that is exactly the messaging — is that we did have these three one-timers or two. I don’t know that the deferred FAS 91 fee. I think that will continue. But as far as the mortgage was variable. So when mortgage production comes back down kind of in the fourth quarter, so I think third quarter would be similar to second quarter and then stepping down in the fourth quarter. And then the fraud, forgery and again the litigation resolution, that would be a nonrecurring or not expected to recur.

Brady Gailey: Okay. All right. And then I know you guys have guided to an efficiency ratio of 52% to 55%. As the margin has been coming down, like it did in the last three quarters, the efficiency ratio has gone from 50% to 52%, now 54%. Like it feels like just given the revenue headwinds, I mean, for you guys and for the industry. I think it feels like that efficiency ratio could potentially slip above that range in the near-term. Is that — do you think that’s possible? Or is there stuff you can do like cost cutting on the expense side to keep it at 55% or below?

Nicole Stokes: Yes, our target is still that 55%. And while it did creep up a little bit more, and I think even when you go back to last year when we gave the guidance — started at 52% to 55%, people said that’s a really big range. What is the difference there? And we even said that’s really where we see our margin. 52% would be depending upon what rates do and really a stronger margin, 55% would be depending on rates and a lower margin. So our forecast still has us in that 52% to 55%, obviously, closer to the 55%, and when you take out some of these one-offs this quarter, that 53.5% kind of comes down closer to 53%. So we’re halfway between the — we’re actually on the lower end of the 52% to 55%. So goal is still to stay under that 55% by the end of the year — for the remainder of this year.

Brady Gailey: Okay. And then finally for me, I mean, the reserve took another step up this quarter. It’s a pretty robust level now. How do you think about continued reserve build from here? Do you think that if macro factors continue to decline a little bit, you’ll see some more reserve build? Or do you feel like you really kind of front-loaded it and you’re going to be happy with where is that for the near-term?

Nicole Stokes: Yes. Our 98% of our provision for this quarter is really model-driven that’s coming from the CRE pricing index. We use a one year economic forecast. So I feel like until the forecast model starts showing some improvement versus declining CRE prices. And until it starts showing improving economic conditions, reserve builds could continue depending upon the forecast. But again, it’s all driven kind of by that forecast. This was not qualitative factors that drove this. This was model driven.

Operator: We have our next question from Casey Whitman from Piper Sandler. Your line is now open.

Casey Whitman: So piggybacking on some of the earlier questions, we may not hit the bottom for the margin, but do you think that with loan growth that we maybe have reached an inflection point where we might see NII stabilize or start to grow from the second quarter level in the back half of the year? Or do you think that’s a little too optimistic?