NEW YORK, July 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Valley National Bancorp (NASDAQ: VLY), the holding company for Valley National Bank, today reported net income for the second quarter 2025 of $133.2 million, or $0.22 per diluted common share, as compared to the first quarter 2025 net income of $106.1 million, or $0.18 per diluted common share, and net income of $70.4 million, or $0.13 per diluted common share, for the second quarter 2024. Excluding all non-core income and charges, our adjusted net income (a non-GAAP measure) was $134.4 million, or $0.23 per diluted common share, for the second quarter 2025, $106.1 million, or $0.18 per diluted common share, for the first quarter 2025, and $71.6 million, or $0.13 per diluted common share, for the second quarter 2024. See further details below, including a reconciliation of our non-GAAP adjusted net income, in the "Consolidated Financial Highlights" tables.

Ira Robbins, CEO, commented, "I am pleased by the continued balance sheet strength and commercial loan growth exhibited during the second quarter. Our profitability metrics are trending positively, consistent with our expectations for improvement throughout the year. We remain focused on growing low-cost deposits, which we expect will support our aspirations in 2025 and beyond.”

Mr. Robbins continued, “Our quarterly credit results continued to improve as illustrated by the significant reduction in our provision for loan losses on both a quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year basis. Our allowance coverage ratio remains at a comfortable level, and we expect general stability going forward.”

Key financial highlights for the second quarter 2025:

• Net Interest Income and Margin: Our net interest margin on a tax equivalent basis increased by 5 basis points to 3.01 percent in the second quarter 2025 as compared to 2.96 percent for the first quarter 2025. Net interest income on a tax equivalent basis of $433.7 million for the second quarter 2025 increased $12.3 million compared to the first quarter 2025 and increased $30.7 million as compared to the second quarter 2024. The increase in net interest income from the first quarter 2025 was mainly driven by higher yields on new loan originations, increases in average loans and taxable investments and one additional day during the second quarter 2025. See additional details in the "Net Interest Income and Margin" section below.
• Loan Portfolio: Total loans increased $734.3 million, or 6.0 percent on an annualized basis, to $49.4 billion at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025 mostly due to increases of $719.8 million and $137.6 million in commercial and industrial (C&I) and automobile loans, respectively. Total commercial real estate (CRE) loans (including construction loans) decreased $288.6 million from March 31, 2025 largely due to normal repayments and continued selective origination activity. As a result, our CRE loan concentration ratio (defined as total commercial real estate loans held for investment and held for sale, excluding owner occupied loans, as a percentage of total risk-based capital) declined to approximately 349 percent at June 30, 2025 from 353 percent at March 31, 2025. See the "Loans" section below for more details.
• Allowance and Provision for Credit Losses for Loans: The allowance for credit losses for loans totaled $594.0 million and $594.1 million at June 30, 2025 and March 31, 2025, respectively, representing 1.20 percent and 1.22 percent of total loans at each respective date. During the second quarter 2025, we recorded a provision for credit losses for loans of $37.8 million as compared to $62.7 million and $82.1 million for the first quarter 2025 and second quarter 2024, respectively. See the "Credit Quality" section below for more details.
• Credit Quality: Net loan charge-offs totaled $37.8 million for the second quarter 2025 as compared to $41.9 million and $36.8 million for the first quarter 2025 and second quarter 2024, respectively. Non-accrual loans totaled $354.4 million, or 0.72 percent of total loans, at June 30, 2025 as compared to $346.5 million, or 0.71 percent of total loans, at March 31, 2025. Total accruing past due loans (i.e., loans past due 30 days or more and still accruing interest) increased $147.5 million to $199.2 million, or 0.40 percent of total loans, at June 30, 2025 as compared to $51.7 million, or 0.11 percent of total loans, at March 31, 2025. The majority of this increase related to three CRE loans, of which two were no longer past due in July 2025. See the "Credit Quality" section below for more details.
• Deposits: Total deposit balances increased $759.4 million to $50.7 billion at June 30, 2025 as compared to $50.0 billion at March 31, 2025 mainly due to increases in both direct and indirect (brokered) customer time deposits during the second quarter 2025, partially offset by the outflows of certain indirect customer deposits in the savings, NOW and money market deposit category. Non-interest bearing deposits increased $118.2 million to $11.7 billion at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025. See the "Deposits" section below for more details.
• Subordinated Debt Redemptions: On June 15, 2025, we redeemed in full $115 million of 5.25 percent fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes issued in June 2020 and due in June 2030. The transaction was accounted for as an early debt extinguishment and resulted in a $922 thousand pre-tax loss reported within non-interest expense for the second quarter 2025. In addition, we repaid $100 million of 4.55 percent fixed rate subordinated notes that matured on June 30, 2025.
• Non-Interest Income: Non-interest income increased $4.3 million to $62.6 million for the second quarter 2025 as compared to the first quarter 2025 mainly due to increases of $2.8 million and $2.0 million in capital markets income and service charges on deposit accounts, respectively. The increase in capital markets income was largely driven by a higher volume of interest rate swap transactions executed for commercial loan customers during the second quarter 2025.
• Non-Interest Expense: Non-interest expense increased $7.5 million to $284.1 million for the second quarter 2025 as compared to the first quarter 2025 largely due to an increase of $4.3 million in professional and legal fees driven by higher consulting and legal expenses. Salary and employee benefits expense also increased $2.8 million from the first quarter 2025 mainly due to annual salary merit increases late in the first quarter 2025 and higher cash incentive compensation and severance related expenses. These items were partially offset by lower payroll taxes.
• Efficiency Ratio: Our efficiency ratio was 55.20 percent for the second quarter 2025 as compared to 55.87 percent and 59.62 percent for the first quarter 2025 and second quarter 2024, respectively. See the "Consolidated Financial Highlights" tables below for additional information regarding our non-GAAP measures.
• Performance Ratios: Annualized return on average assets (ROA), shareholders’ equity (ROE) and tangible ROE were 0.86 percent, 7.08 percent and 9.62 percent for the second quarter 2025, respectively. Annualized ROA, ROE, and tangible ROE, adjusted for non-core income and charges, were 0.87 percent, 7.15 percent and 9.71 percent for the second quarter 2025, respectively. See the "Consolidated Financial Highlights" tables below for additional information regarding our non-GAAP measures.

Net Interest Income and Margin

Net interest income on a tax equivalent basis of $433.7 million for the second quarter 2025 increased $12.3 million compared to the first quarter 2025 and increased $30.7 million as compared to the second quarter 2024. Interest income on a tax equivalent basis increased $20.3 million to $806.3 million for the second quarter 2025 as compared to the first quarter 2025. The increase was mostly driven by (i) higher yields on new loan originations, (ii) increased average loan balances driven by new organic loan originations largely within the C&I loan portfolio, (iii) additional interest income from purchases of taxable investments mainly within the available for sale portfolio during the first half of 2025 and (iv) one additional day in the second quarter 2025. Total interest expense increased $8.0 million to $372.6 million for the second quarter 2025 as compared to the first quarter 2025 largely due to (i) a $548.7 million increase in average time deposit balances, (ii) the increased cost of certain non-maturity deposits and (iii) the aforementioned increase in day count. See the "Deposits" and "Other Borrowings" sections below for more details.

Net interest margin on a tax equivalent basis of 3.01 percent for the second quarter 2025 increased by 5 basis points from 2.96 percent for the first quarter 2025 and increased 17 basis points from 2.84 percent for the second quarter 2024. The increase as compared to the first quarter 2025 was mostly due to the 7 basis point increase in the yield on average interest earning assets largely caused by higher interest rates on new loan originations in the second quarter 2025 and higher yielding investment purchases. The overall cost of average interest bearing liabilities increased 2 basis points to 3.56 percent for the second quarter 2025 as compared to the first quarter 2025 mostly due to higher interest rates on certain non-maturity deposit products, partially offset by a lower overall cost of time deposits driven by both new volumes and maturities. Our cost of total average deposits was 2.67 percent for the second quarter 2025 as compared to 2.65 percent and 3.18 percent for the first quarter 2025 and the second quarter 2024, respectively.

Loans, Deposits and Other Borrowings

Loans. Total loans increased $734.3 million, or 6.0 percent on an annualized basis, to $49.4 billion at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025 mainly due to increases in the C&I and automobile loan portfolios, partially offset by lower CRE loan balances. C&I loans grew by $719.8 million, or 28.4 percent on an annualized basis, to $10.9 billion at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025 largely due to our continued strategic focus on organic growth within this category. Automobile loans increased by $137.6 million, or 27.0 percent on an annualized basis, to $2.2 billion at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025 mainly due to high quality consumer demand generated by our indirect auto dealer network and low prepayment activity within the portfolio. Residential mortgage loans also moderately increased $73.6 million to $5.7 billion at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025 as new loan originations outpaced repayment activity. Total CRE (including construction) loans decreased $288.6 million to $28.8 billion at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025. The decrease was largely driven by runoff from repayment activity and our efforts to focus new CRE loan originations on more profitable holistic banking clients. Additionally, construction loans decreased $172.1 million to $2.9 billion at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025 mainly due to the migration of completed projects to permanent financing within the multifamily loan category of the CRE loan portfolio during the second quarter 2025.

Deposits. Actual ending balances for deposits increased $759.4 million to $50.7 billion at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025 due to increases of $962.9 million and $118.2 million in time deposits and non-interest bearing deposits, respectively, partially offset by a $321.6 million decrease in savings, NOW and money market deposit balances. The increase in time deposit balances was mainly driven by continued deposit inflows from new promotional retail CD offerings and additional fully-insured indirect (i.e., brokered) customer CDs during the second quarter 2025. The increase in non-interest bearing deposit balances was mostly due to higher commercial customer deposit inflows in the second quarter 2025. Savings, NOW and money market deposit balances decreased at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025 largely due to lower indirect customer deposits, as well as some seasonal runoff in governmental deposits account balances. Total indirect customer deposits (including both brokered money market and time deposits) totaled $6.5 billion and $6.3 billion at June 30, 2025 and March 31, 2025, respectively. Non-interest bearing deposits; savings, NOW and money market deposits; and time deposits represented approximately 23 percent, 52 percent and 25 percent of total deposits as of June 30, 2025, respectively, as compared to 23 percent, 53 percent and 24 percent of total deposits as of March 31, 2025, respectively.

Other Borrowings. Short-term borrowings, consisting of securities sold under agreements to repurchase and FHLB advances, increased $103.2 million to $162.2 million at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025 largely due to an increase in FHLB advances. Long-term borrowings totaled $2.9 billion at June 30, 2025 and remained relatively unchanged as compared to March 31, 2025. In June 2025, we fully redeemed $215 million of subordinated notes that were mostly offset by the issuance of new long-term FHLB advances during the second quarter 2025.

Credit Quality

Non-Performing Assets (NPAs). Total NPAs, consisting of non-accrual loans, other real estate owned (OREO) and other repossessed assets, increased $4.6 million to $360.8 million at June 30, 2025 as compared to March 31, 2025. Non-accrual loans increased $7.9 million to $354.4 million at June 30, 2025 as compared to $346.5 million at March 31, 2025 mainly because of a net increase in non-performing CRE loans during the second quarter 2025, which was partially offset by a decline in non-performing C&I loans. Non-accrual C&I loans decreased largely due to the full charge-offs of four loan relationships totaling $17.4 million during the second quarter 2025. Non-accrual loans represented 0.72 percent of total loans at June 30, 2025 as compared to 0.71 percent of total loans at March 31, 2025. OREO decreased $2.9 million to $4.8 million at June 30, 2025 from March 31, 2025 mostly due to the fair valuation write-down related to one CRE property recorded during the second quarter 2025.

Accruing Past Due Loans. Total accruing past due loans (i.e., loans past due 30 days or more and still accruing interest) increased $147.5 million to $199.2 million, or 0.40 percent of total loans, at June 30, 2025 as compared to $51.7 million, or 0.11 percent of total loans, at March 31, 2025.

Loans 30 to 59 days past due increased $89.5 million to $123.0 million at June 30, 2025 as compared to March 31, 2025 due, in large part, to one $39.2 million CRE loan and one $35.0 million construction loan included in this early stage delinquency category at June 30, 2025. The $39.2 million CRE loan 30 to 59 days past due was subsequently paid in full by the borrower in July 2025. Loans 60 to 89 days past due increased $62.8 million to $73.3 million at June 30, 2025 as compared to March 31, 2025 mainly due to a $60.6 million CRE loan. This past due loan was subsequently modified and was brought current to its restructured terms in July 2025. Loans 90 days or more past due and still accruing interest decreased $4.8 million to $2.9 million at June 30, 2025 as compared to March 31, 2025 mainly due to a decrease in residential mortgage loan delinquencies. All loans 90 days or more past due and still accruing interest are well-secured and in the process of collection.

Allowance for Credit Losses for Loans and Unfunded Commitments. The following table summarizes the allocation of the allowance for credit losses to loan categories and the allocation as a percentage of each loan category at June 30, 2025, March 31, 2025 and June 30, 2024:

Our loan portfolio, totaling $49.4 billion at June 30, 2025, had net loan charge-offs totaling $37.8 million for the second quarter 2025 as compared to $41.9 million and $36.8 million for the first quarter 2025 and the second quarter 2024, respectively. Gross loan charge-offs totaled $42.1 million for the second quarter 2025 and included $23.1 million of partial and full charge-offs related to five non-performing C&I loan relationships with combined specific reserves of $11.2 million at March 31, 2025.

The allowance for credit losses for loans, comprised of our allowance for loan losses and unfunded credit commitments, as a percentage of total loans was 1.20 percent at June 30, 2025, 1.22 percent at March 31, 2025, and 1.06 percent at June 30, 2024. For the second quarter 2025, the provision for credit losses for loans totaled $37.8 million as compared to $62.7 million and $82.1 million for the first quarter 2025 and second quarter 2024, respectively. The second quarter 2025 provision reflects, among other factors, the impact of loan growth mainly within the C&I loan portfolio and loan charge-offs, partially offset by a decline in quantitative reserves in certain loan categories and lower specific reserves associated with collateral dependent loans at June 30, 2025.

Capital Adequacy

Valley's total risk-based capital, Tier 1 capital, common equity tier 1 capital, and Tier 1 leverage capital ratios were 13.67 percent, 11.57 percent, 10.85 percent and 9.49 percent, respectively, at June 30, 2025 as compared to 13.91 percent, 11.53 percent, 10.80 percent and 9.41 percent, respectively, at March 31, 2025. The reduction in our total risk-based capital ratio reflects the early redemption of our $115 million of 5.25 percent fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes due in June 2030, which was previously eligible for full regulatory capital treatment.

Investor Conference Call

Valley’s CEO, Ira Robbins, will host a conference call with investors and the financial community at 11:00 AM (ET) today to discuss Valley's second quarter 2025 earnings. Interested parties should preregister using this link: https://register.vevent.com/register to receive the dial-in number and a personal PIN, which are required to access the conference call. The teleconference will also be webcast live: https://edge.media-server.com and archived on Valley’s website through Monday, August 25, 2025. Investor presentation materials will be made available prior to the conference call at valley.com.

About Valley

As the principal subsidiary of Valley National Bancorp, Valley National Bank is a regional bank with approximately $63 billion in assets. Valley is committed to giving people and businesses the power to succeed. Valley operates many convenient branch locations and commercial banking offices across New Jersey, New York, Florida, Alabama, California, and Illinois, and is committed to providing the most convenient service, the latest innovations and an experienced and knowledgeable team dedicated to meeting customer needs. Helping communities grow and prosper is the heart of Valley’s corporate citizenship philosophy. To learn more about Valley, go to valley.com or call our Customer Care Center at 800-522-4100.

Forward-Looking Statements

The foregoing contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are not historical facts and include expressions about management’s confidence and strategies and management’s expectations about our business, new and existing programs and products, acquisitions, relationships, opportunities, taxation, technology, market conditions and economic expectations. These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as “intend,” “should,” “expect,” “believe,” “view,” “opportunity,” “allow,” “continues,” “reflects,” “would,” “could,” “typically,” “usually,” “anticipate,” “may,” “estimate,” “outlook,” “project” or similar statements or variations of such terms. Such forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

• the impact of market interest rates and monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. federal government and its agencies in connection with prolonged inflationary pressures, which could have a material adverse effect on our clients, our business, our employees, and our ability to provide services to our customers;
• the impact of unfavorable macroeconomic conditions or downturns, including instability or volatility in financial markets resulting from the impact of tariffs, any retaliatory actions, related market uncertainty, or other factors; U.S. government debt default or rating downgrade; unanticipated loan delinquencies; loss of collateral; decreased service revenues; increased business disruptions or failures; reductions in employment; and other potential negative effects on our business, employees or clients caused by factors outside of our control, such as new legislation and policy changes under the current U.S. presidential administration, geopolitical instabilities or events, natural and other disasters, including severe weather events, health emergencies, acts of terrorism, or other external events;
• the impact of any potential instability within the U.S. financial sector or future bank failures, including the possibility of a run on deposits by a coordinated deposit base, and the impact of the actual or perceived concerns regarding the soundness, or creditworthiness, of other financial institutions, including any resulting disruption within the financial markets, increased expenses, including Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance assessments, or adverse impact on our stock price, deposits or our ability to borrow or raise capital;
• the impact of negative public opinion regarding Valley or banks in general that damages our reputation and adversely impacts business and revenues;
• changes in the statutes, regulations, policies, or enforcement priorities of the federal bank regulatory agencies;
• the loss of or decrease in lower-cost funding sources within our deposit base;
• damage verdicts, settlements or restrictions related to existing or potential class action litigation or individual litigation arising from claims of violations of laws or regulations, contractual claims, breach of fiduciary responsibility, negligence, fraud, environmental laws, patent, trademark or other intellectual property infringement, misappropriation or other violation, employment related claims, and other matters;
• a prolonged downturn and contraction in the economy, as well as an unexpected decline in commercial real estate values collateralizing a significant portion of our loan portfolio;
• higher or lower than expected income tax expense or tax rates, including increases or decreases resulting from changes in uncertain tax position liabilities, tax laws, regulations, and case law;
• the inability to grow customer deposits to keep pace with the level of loan growth;
• a material change in our allowance for credit losses due to forecasted economic conditions and/or unexpected credit deterioration in our loan and investment portfolios;
• the need to supplement debt or equity capital to maintain or exceed internal capital thresholds;
• changes in our business, strategy, market conditions or other factors that may negatively impact the estimated fair value of our goodwill and other intangible assets and result in future impairment charges;
• greater than expected technology-related costs due to, among other factors, prolonged or failed implementations, additional project staffing and obsolescence caused by continuous and rapid market innovations;
• increased competitive challenges, including our ability to stay current with rapid technological changes in the financial services industry;
• cyberattacks, ransomware attacks, computer viruses, malware or other cybersecurity incidents that may breach the security of our websites or other systems or networks to obtain unauthorized access to personal, confidential, proprietary or sensitive information, destroy data, disable or degrade service, or sabotage our systems or networks, and the increasing sophistication of such attacks;
• results of examinations by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Reserve Bank, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other regulatory authorities, including the possibility that any such regulatory authority may, among other things, require us to increase our allowance for credit losses, write-down assets, reimburse customers, change the way we do business, or limit or eliminate certain other banking activities;
• application of the OCC heightened regulatory standards for certain large insured national banks, and the expenses we will incur to develop policies, programs, and systems that comply with the enhanced standards applicable to us;
• our inability or determination not to pay dividends at current levels, or at all, because of inadequate earnings, regulatory restrictions or limitations, changes in our capital requirements, or a decision to increase capital by retaining more earnings;
• unanticipated loan delinquencies, loss of collateral, decreased service revenues, and other potential negative effects on our business caused by severe weather, pandemics or other public health crises, acts of terrorism or other external events;
• our ability to successfully execute our business plan and strategic initiatives; and
• unexpected significant declines in the loan portfolio due to the lack of economic expansion, increased competition, large prepayments, risk mitigation strategies, changes in regulatory lending guidance or other factors.

A detailed discussion of factors that could affect our results is included in our SEC filings, including Item 1A. "Risk Factors" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024.

We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in our expectations, except as required by law. 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.

-Tables to Follow-

NOTES TO SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

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(1) Interest income is presented on a tax equivalent basis using a 21 percent federal tax rate.
(2) Loans are stated net of unearned income and include non-accrual loans.
(3) The yield for securities that are classified as available for sale is based on the average historical amortized cost.
(4) Includes junior subordinated debentures issued to capital trusts which are presented separately on the consolidated statements of financial condition.
(5) Interest rate spread represents the difference between the average yield on interest earning assets and the average cost of interest bearing liabilities and is presented on a fully tax equivalent basis.
(6) Net interest income as a percentage of total average interest earning assets.

SHAREHOLDER RELATIONS
Requests for copies of reports and/or other inquiries should be directed to Tina Zarkadas, Assistant Vice President, Shareholder Relations Specialist, Valley National Bancorp, 70 Speedwell Avenue, Morristown, New Jersey, 07960, by telephone at (973) 305-3380, by fax at (973) 305-1364 or by e-mail at tzarkadas@valley.com.