SUFFOLK, Va., Oct. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TowneBank (the "Company" or "Towne") (NASDAQ: TOWN) today reported earnings for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 of $81.78 million, or $0.88 per diluted share, compared to $44.30 million, or $0.58 per diluted share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. Excluding certain items affecting comparability, core earnings (non-GAAP) were $83.85 million, or $0.91 per diluted share, in the current quarter compared to $68.77 million, or $0.90 per diluted share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2025.

"Our third-quarter results demonstrate the strength of our Main Street Banking model and our disciplined execution against strategic objectives. We expanded margin to 3.92%, generated a core return on average assets of 1.49% and delivered a core return on average tangible common equity of 16.63%, with each metric meeting or exceeding the pro forma assumptions established at the time of the Dogwood State Bank merger announcement. The recently announced blueharbor bank partnership further reflects our commitment to pursuing attractive in-market opportunities that are strategically aligned, financially accretive and characterized by low execution risk. Together with our emphasis on maintaining balance sheet flexibility, these initiatives position us well to continue creating long-term value for shareholders," said G. Robert Aston, Jr., Executive Chairman.

Highlights for Third Quarter 2026:

• Total revenues were $257.89 million, an increase of $35.31 million, or 15.86%, compared to third quarter 2025. Net interest income increased $49.26 million, as higher loan volumes and improved yields on loans and securities drove growth in interest income while cost of deposits decreased by 24 basis points compared to third quarter 2025. Noninterest income decreased $13.95 million. This decrease was primarily attributable to the sale of the Company's Resort Property Management segment in the second quarter of 2026, which resulted in a $20.45 million reduction in property management income during the quarter compared to the third quarter of 2025.
• Noninterest-bearing deposits increased $139.53 million, or 2.39%, compared to the linked quarter driven by growth in commercial deposits.
• Total deposits were $18.46 billion, a decrease of 1.36%, or $254.56 million, compared to June 30, 2026.
• Loans held for investment were $15.10 billion, a decrease of $69.37 million, or 0.46%, compared to June 30, 2026.
• The Company repaid $50.00 million in short term FHLB advances and $26.25 million in acquired subordinated debt in the quarter.
• Annualized return on common shareholders' equity was 10.76% compared to 7.75% in third quarter 2025. Excluding certain items affecting comparability, annualized return on common shareholders' equity (non-GAAP) was 11.03% compared to 12.03% in third quarter 2025.
• Annualized return on average tangible common shareholders' equity (non-GAAP) was 16.24% compared to 11.45% in third quarter 2025. Excluding certain items affecting comparability, annualized return on average tangible common shareholders' equity (non-GAAP) was 16.63% compared to 17.31% in third quarter 2025.
• Net interest margin was 3.89% for the quarter and tax-equivalent net interest margin (non-GAAP) was 3.92%, including purchase accounting accretion of 20 basis points, compared to the prior year quarter net interest margin of 3.48% and tax-equivalent net interest margin (non-GAAP) of 3.50%, including purchase accounting accretion of 8 basis points.
• We expect net interest income to be impacted by net purchase accounting accretion income of $3.50 million and $11.61 million in the remainder of 2026 and 2027, respectively.
• The effective tax rate was 17.72% in the quarter compared to 16.82% in third quarter 2025 and 23.72% in the linked quarter. The change in the effective rate in third quarter 2026 compared to 2025 was attributable to a decrease in non-deductible merger related expenses compared to the prior year. The change in the effective rate in third quarter 2026 compared the linked quarter was due to recognition of state tax expense related to the sale of the Resort Property Management business, which occurred in the second quarter of 2026.
  
  

"We remain confident in the resilience of our operating model, which is anchored by a high-quality, low-cost deposit base, industry-leading credit performance, and disciplined capital allocation. Together, these strengths create a sustainable competitive advantage across multiple economic cycles. Looking ahead, our priorities include the successful integration of Dogwood’s systems and identifying attractive opportunities to grow and enhance our Towne Financial Services platform," stated William I. Foster III, President and Chief Executive Officer.

Quarterly Net Interest Income:

• Net interest income increased $49.26 million, to $196.21 million in third quarter 2026 compared to $146.95 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. The increase was primarily due to a $51.25 million increase in interest income resulting from a combination of higher earning-asset volumes and improved yields.
• Average interest-earning assets totaled $20.01 billion at September 30, 2026, compared to $20.19 billion in the linked quarter, a decrease of $177.00 million, or 0.88%.
• Loans held for investment yield increased 16 basis points to 5.85% at September 30, 2026, from 5.69% in the linked quarter, and 20 basis points from 5.65% at September 30, 2025.
• The cost of interest-bearing deposits was 2.21% for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, compared to 2.24% in the linked quarter and 2.55% in third quarter 2025. Interest expense on deposits increased $1.09 million, or 1.58%, compared to the prior year quarter, as growth in deposit balances more than offset the benefit of lower rates.
• Our total cost of deposits decreased to 1.51% from 1.55% for the linked quarter and 1.75% for the quarter ended September 30, 2025 due to lower interest-bearing deposit rates.
• Average interest-bearing liabilities totaled $13.01 billion, a decrease of $256.99 million, or 1.94%, from the linked quarter.
• Total borrowings decreased $91.59 million compared to the linked quarter, due to repayment of a portion of debt assumed in acquisitions.
  
  

Quarterly Provision for Credit Losses:

• The quarterly provision for credit losses was a benefit of $1.18 million compared to an expense of $15.28 million in the prior year quarter and $0.63 million in the linked quarter.
• The allowance for credit losses on loans decreased $0.54 million in third quarter 2026 compared to the linked quarter.
• Net loan charge-offs were $2.45 million in the quarter, $5.76 million in the linked quarter, and $255 thousand in the prior year quarter. The increase from the prior year quarter was primarily driven by charge-offs related to indirect and acquired SBA loan portfolios.
• The ratio of net charge-offs to average loans on an annualized basis was 0.06% in third quarter 2026, 0.15% in the linked quarter, and 0.01% in third quarter 2025.
• The allowance for credit losses on loans represented 1.32% of total loans at September 30, 2026, and June 30, 2026, compared to 1.11% at September 30, 2025. Our September 30, 2026 allowance for credit losses is further broken down into community banking which represented 1.21% of total loans and government guaranteed lending which represented 0.11% of total loans.
• The allowance for credit losses on loans was 5.10 times nonperforming loans compared to 6.16 times at June 30, 2026 and 19.38 times at September 30, 2025.
  
  

Quarterly Noninterest Income:

• Total noninterest income was $61.68 million compared to $75.63 million in 2025, a decrease of $13.95 million, or 18.45%.
• Government guaranteed lending income, net was $0.62 million in third quarter 2026 and represented a new noninterest income source in 2026 related to the acquisition of Dogwood.   Current quarter results were negatively impacted by a purchase accounting adjustment and are expected to normalize in future quarters.
• Residential mortgage banking income was $11.19 million compared to $13.12 million in third quarter 2025 driven by margin compression. Loan volume increased to $639.73 million in third quarter 2026 from $636.36 million in third quarter 2025. Residential purchase activity was 91.25% of production volume in third quarter 2026 compared to 91.84% in third quarter 2025.
• Gross margins on residential mortgage sales were 2.95%, a decrease of 2 basis points from 2.97% in the linked quarter and 37 basis points from 3.32% in third quarter 2025.
• Noninterest income included $2.69 million in gains, driven primarily by adjustments to the gain recognized on the sale of the Company's Resort Property Management segment and by the contribution of property to an entity in which the Company holds a minority interest.
  
  

Quarterly Noninterest Expense:

• Total noninterest expense was $159.47 million compared to $153.74 million in 2025, an increase of $5.73 million, or 3.73%. Increases in salaries and employee benefits, occupancy costs, and amortization expense, were partially offset by lower acquisition related expenses.
• An increase in banking personnel related to the Dogwood acquisition represented $8.55 million of the $11.68 million increase in salaries and benefits expenses, compared to the prior year quarter. Additional contributing factors include annual base salary adjustments that go into effect in third quarter each year and higher health insurance costs.
  
  

Consolidated Balance Sheet Highlights:

• Total assets were $22.18 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, a $434.25 million decrease compared to $22.62 billion at June 30, 2026.
• Loans held for investment decreased $69.37 million, or 0.46%, compared to the linked quarter, but increased $77.79 million in our Carolina markets.
• Mortgage loans held for sale decreased $36.78 million, or 17.31%, compared to prior year and $99.88 million, or 36.24%, compared to the linked quarter, primarily driven by lower production volume.
• Government guaranteed loans held for sale decreased $24.91 million compared to the linked quarter.
• Total deposits decreased $254.56 million, or 1.36%, compared to the linked quarter, driven by declines in interest-bearing deposits.
• Noninterest-bearing deposits increased $139.53 million, or 2.39%, compared to the linked quarter.
• The Company repaid a portion of acquired subordinated debt and FHLB borrowings in the quarter, contributing to a $91.59 million, or 20.34%, decrease in borrowings compared to the linked quarter.
  
  

Investment Securities:

• Total investment securities were $3.10 billion at September 30, 2026 and June 30, 2026, compared to $2.87 billion at September 30, 2025. The weighted average duration of the portfolio at September 30, 2026 was 3.7 years. The carrying value of the available-for-sale debt securities portfolio included net unrealized losses of $186.87 million at September 30, 2026, compared to $85.14 million at June 30, 2026 and $87.87 million at September 30, 2025, with the changes in fair value marks due to the change in interest rates.
  
  

Loans and Asset Quality:

• Total loans held for investment were $15.10 billion at September 30, 2026 and $15.17 billion at June 30, 2026.
• Nonperforming assets, which consists of nonperforming loans, foreclosed property, and former bank premises, were $47.08 million, or 0.21% of total assets, compared to $48.31 million, or 0.21%, at the linked quarter end, and $10.38 million, or 0.05%, at September 30, 2025.
• Nonperforming loans were 0.26% of period end loans at September 30, 2026, 0.21% in the linked quarter, and 0.06% at September 30, 2025. The increase over prior year was primarily driven by loans acquired in the Dogwood transaction.
• Foreclosed property and former bank premises totaled $8.02 million at September 30, 2026, and consisted of $0.93 million in other real estate owned, $0.68 million in repossessed autos, and $6.41 million in acquisition-related former bank premises. Foreclosed property and former bank premises totaled $15.88 million at June 30, 2026, and consisted of $0.51 million in other real estate owned, $1.32 million in repossessed autos, and $14.06 million in acquisition-related former bank premises.
  
  

Deposits and Borrowings:

• Total deposits were $18.46 billion compared to $18.71 billion at June 30, 2026, a decrease of $254.56 million, or 1.36%, from the linked quarter.
• The ratio of period end loans held for investment to deposits was 81.81% compared to 81.06% at June 30, 2026, and 80.93% at September 30, 2025.
• Noninterest-bearing deposits were 32.41% of total deposits at September 30, 2026 compared to 31.22% at June 30, 2026 and 31.09% at September 30, 2025. Noninterest-bearing deposits increased $139.53 million, or 2.39%, compared to the linked quarter.
• Total borrowings were $358.65 million compared to $450.24 million at June 30, 2026, a decrease of $91.59 million, or 20.34%.
  
  

Capital:

• Book value per common share was $32.13 compared to $32.40 at June 30, 2026 and $30.27 at September 30, 2025.
• Tangible book value per common share (non-GAAP) was $22.30 compared to $22.60 at June 30, 2026 and $21.49 at September 30, 2025.
  
  

About TowneBank:
Founded in 1999, TowneBank is a company built on relationships, offering a full range of banking and other financial services, with a focus of serving others and enriching lives. Dedicated to a culture of caring, Towne values all employees and members by embracing their diverse talents, perspectives, and experiences.

Today, TowneBank operates over 70 banking offices throughout Hampton Roads and Central Virginia, Eastern and Central North Carolina, the Greenville and upstate region of South Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina – serving as a local leader in promoting the social, cultural, and economic growth in each community. Towne offers a competitive array of business and personal banking solutions, delivered with only the highest ethical standards. Experienced local bankers providing a higher level of expertise and personal attention with local decision-making are key to the TowneBank strategy. TowneBank has grown its capabilities beyond banking to provide expertise through its affiliated companies that include Towne Wealth Management, Towne Insurance Agency, Towne Benefits, TowneBank Mortgage, TowneBank Commercial Mortgage, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices RW Towne Realty, Towne 1031 Exchange, and Towne Trust Company, N.A. With total assets of $22.18 billion as of September 30, 2026, TowneBank is one of the largest banks headquartered in Virginia.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures:
This press release contains certain financial measures determined by methods other than in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Such non-GAAP financial measures include the following: fully tax-equivalent net interest margin, core operating earnings, core net income, tangible book value per common share, total risk-based capital ratio, tier one leverage ratio, tier one capital ratio, and the tangible common equity to tangible assets ratio. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to assess the performance of TowneBank’s core business and the strength of its capital position. Management believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide meaningful additional information about TowneBank to assist investors in evaluating operating results, financial strength, and capitalization. The non-GAAP financial measures should be considered as additional views of the way our financial measures are affected by significant charges for credit costs and other factors. These non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as a substitute for operating results determined in accordance with GAAP and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies. The computations of the non-GAAP financial measures used in this presentation are referenced in a footnote or in the appendix to this presentation.

Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only the beliefs, expectations, or opinions of TowneBank and its management regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of such words as: "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan,” "estimate," or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional terms, such as "will," "would," "should," "could," "may," "likely," "probably," or "possibly." These statements may address issues that involve significant risks, uncertainties, estimates, and assumptions made by management. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, among others, competitive pressures in the banking industry that may increase significantly; changes in the interest rate environment that may reduce margins and/or the volumes and values of loans made or held as well as the value of other financial assets held; an unforeseen outflow of cash or deposits or an inability to access the capital markets, which could jeopardize our overall liquidity or capitalization; changes in the creditworthiness of customers and the possible impairment of the collectability of loans; insufficiency of our allowance for credit losses due to market conditions, inflation, changing interest rates or other factors; adverse developments in the financial industry generally, responsive measures to mitigate and manage such developments, related supervisory and regulatory actions and costs, and related impacts on customer and client behavior; general economic conditions, either nationally or regionally, that may be less favorable than expected, resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in credit quality and/or a reduced demand for credit or other services; geopolitical instability, including wars, conflicts, trade restrictions and tariffs, civil unrest, and terrorist attacks and the potential impact, directly or indirectly, on our business; the effects of weather-related or natural disasters, which may negatively affect our operations and/or our loan portfolio and increase our cost of conducting business; public health events (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) and governmental and societal responses to them; changes in the legislative or regulatory environment, including changes in accounting standards and tax laws and changes impacting the rulemaking, supervision, examination and enforcement priorities of the federal banking agencies, that may adversely affect our business; our ability to successfully integrate the businesses from recently completed and pending acquisitions, including our recent merger with Dogwood State Bank and our pending merger with blueharbor bank, to the extent that that process may take longer or be more difficult, time-consuming, or costly to accomplish than expected; our ability to close the transaction with blueharbor bank when expected or at all because required approvals and other conditions to closing are not received or satisfied on the proposed terms or on the anticipated schedule, deposit attrition, operating costs, customer losses, and business disruption associated with recently completed or pending acquisitions, including reputational risk and adverse effects on relationships with employees, customers or other business partners, that may be greater than expected; costs or difficulties related to the integration of the businesses that we have acquired that may be greater than expected; expected growth opportunities or cost savings associated with recently completed or pending acquisitions that may not be fully realized or realized within the expected time frame; the diversion of management's attention and time from ongoing business operations and opportunities on merger and integration related matters; the introduction of new lines of business or new products and services; cybersecurity threats or attacks, whether directed at us or at vendors or other third parties with which we interact; the implementation of new technologies, and the ability to develop and maintain reliable electronic systems; competitors that may have greater financial resources and develop products that enable them to compete more successfully; changes in business conditions; changes in the securities market; and changes in our local economy with regard to our market area, including any adverse impact of actual and proposed cuts to federal spending, including defense, security and military spending, on the economy. Any forward-looking statements made by us or on our behalf speak only as of the date they are made or as of the date indicated, and we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. For additional information on factors that could materially influence forward-looking statements included in this report, see the "Risk Factors" in TowneBank’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 and related disclosures in other filings that have been, or will be, filed by TowneBank with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Media contact:
G. Robert Aston, Jr., Executive Chairman, 757-638-6780
William I. Foster III, President and Chief Executive Officer, 757-417-6482

Investor contact:
William B. Littreal, Chief Financial Officer, 757-638-6813