Stellar Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEL) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

Operator: Thank you. And one moment for our next question. And our next question comes from the line of Brad Milsaps with Piper Sandler. Your line is open. Please go ahead.

Brad Milsaps: Hey, good morning, guys. Thanks for all the color. Maybe I wanted to start with the coordinate interest margin. Paul, maybe could you give us an updated sense of, kind of what you feel like your maybe loan or earning asset data will be going forward as well as kind of hard to think about the, the interest bearing or the total deposit beta at the combined company, and how that would impact your core NIM?

Paul Egge: Certainly. Well, we’re actually really proud of where our kind of cumulative beta is up to this point. And we’ve obviously had a measure of acceleration in the cost of funds here in the fourth quarter, but if you a lot of people calculated certain different ways that we’re in the low end of the low teens relating to cumulative cycle deposit betas on the overall portfolio. This is hugely benefited from our very large — spring deposit base. And that’s been really powerful and hanging down that overall, holding down that overall deposit data. And ultimately, giving time for our loan betas to move really, our loans are going to be changed as a function of repricing opportunities. And for some loans, we have to wait there.

So Ray can probably comment a little more on the composition of the loan portfolio. But we’re, we feel good about the overall kind of pace of things notwithstanding the fact that we’ve seen the cost of deposit start to accelerate a little more to give time for that repricing on the asset side.

Ray Vitulli: And there’s a little color on the loan yield side or at least average way to write on those loans in the — for the fourth quarter. Loans came on it a weighted average rate of 664, which was a nice increase from the previous quarter. And then kind of just to sell a little bit of the entire quarter, we did have that towards the last half of the quarter loans are coming on at 690. So feel really good about where the new loan originations are, as far as that rate, the rate on those notes loans.

Brad Milsaps: That’s helpful. Ray, can you give us a new kind of profile breakdown of kind of variable versus fixed? Stuff that would reprise me all the changes?

Ray Vitulli: Yes, so in the combination, obviously, we had community came with a higher concentration of floating in the total portfolio. But on a combined basis we’re around 58% fixed, 42% floating. And I’d have to where we are on the on the floating and kind of breaking through. I don’t think I have that handy.

Brad Milsaps: Yes, sure. I mean, look like it looked like the lone beta was just under 30% in the quarter. So basically, you’re that that should continue to improve as some of this repricing takes place.

Ray Vitulli: Right. Got it. Got it. Okay. And then, Paul, just, I think I heard you correctly. It looks like you have about a little over 150 million in discount in total that you’ll recognize over the loss of loans, that’s versus about 130 million of CDI or so that that you set up? Is that is that the way to think about it?

Paul Egge: That’s the way to think about CDI. We gave you a little bit of guidance as to how that will scheduled expense that will come through. And we’ve been included that in the investor presentation. And I mentioned in my comments. But we’re amortizing that on an accelerated basis.