Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

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Tim Hicks: Yes, Matt. Obviously, our growth in both funded and unfunded, has contributed to our risk-weighted asset growth over the last several quarters. We’ve got a lot of earnings power, obviously, as we’ve demonstrated over the last quarter or two, and we have the ability to do multiple capital deployments, which you saw in the fourth quarter, where we had good growth and a little bit of share repurchases. So we’re comfortable where we are on CET1. I don’t know that you’ll see that much risk-weighted asset growth that we have. Obviously, the funded growth, we’ve outlined our thoughts there on the unfunded as we approach the end of the year, the unfunded balance is likely to decline some which will give us some relief on the risk-weighted asset side. So we’ve got some internal targets on CET1. We’re well ahead of those and expect to continue to be well ahead of those as we go throughout the year.

Matt Olney: Okay. Perfect. Thank you for that, Tim. I appreciate it. And then going back to the core spread discussion, obviously impressive in the fourth quarter. The loan yields were particularly impressive in 4Q. And I think those loan betas moved up higher than 4Q versus 3Q. Any color you can give us as far as the higher betas we’re seeing in 4Q? I know Brandon mentioned some potential extension fees in 2023. In the future, do we see any of that in the fourth quarter? Thanks.

George Gleason: I would say, Matt, that was a fairly typical run rate for minimum interest, extension fees and so forth in Q4. It wasn’t particularly low. It wasn’t particularly high. It was kind of in the range of what we would have considered to be a normal range. And I don’t think we have the expectation that’s going to be a huge factor in 2023. I think we will see a fairly typical run rate on that. I mean it will vary up and down a few million dollars from quarter-to-quarter, but that’s not going to have a big impact on our margin over the course of the year or probably more than a few basis points in any particular quarter.

Matt Olney: And George, if it wasn’t the fees in the fourth quarter, any other color on the stronger loan betas we saw in 4Q versus 3Q?

George Gleason: Everything that was variable was off its floor essentially and the Fed was moving quickly. So we €“ those translates to into our loan yields. Obviously, loan yields will go up less rapidly with the Fed moving 25 basis points instead of 75 and 50. So there is €“ what we can do there on increasing loan yields is definitely tied to a large extent to the magnitude of Fed rate increases.

Matt Olney: Okay. And then just lastly, around thinking about liquidity and funding the growth in €˜23. Clearly, deposit growth is going to be a big factor this year. But on the securities portfolio, you disclosed kind of what the cash flows you expect this year from that. Will that be a source of funding for loan growth? Just curious if you think you could work down that portfolio in terms of size this year? And if so, how much?

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