WAUWATOSA, WI – 7/21/2022 – Waterstone Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: WSBF), holding company for WaterStone Bank, reported net income of $8.0 million, or $0.36 per diluted share for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 compared to $17.9 million, or $0.74 per diluted share for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Net income per diluted share was $0.58 for the six months ended June 30, 2022 compared to net income per diluted share of $1.64 for the six months ended June 30, 2021.

“The community banking segment achieved strong loan growth, specifically in the commercial real estate market” said Douglas Gordon, Chief Executive Officer of Waterstone Financial, Inc. “We were able to reduce our borrowings and fund our loan growth through the deposits that we have raised over the past few years. The mortgage banking segment continues to focus on efficiencies to remain profitable, as origination volumes decreased in response to higher interest rates. Additionally, we were able to continue returning strong shareholder value through our largest quarterly stock buyback since 2015.”

Highlights of the Quarter Ended June 30, 2022

Waterstone Financial, Inc. (Consolidated)

• Consolidated net income of Waterstone Financial, Inc. totaled $8.0 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to $17.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Consolidated return on average assets was 1.61% for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 compared to 3.25% for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Consolidated return on average equity was 7.93% for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 and 16.49% for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Dividends declared during the quarter ended June 30, 2022 totaled $0.20 per common share.
• We repurchased approximately 1.4 million shares at a cost of $24.2 million, or $17.07 per share, during the quarter ended June 30, 2022.
• Nonperforming assets as percentage of total assets was 0.39% at June 30, 2022, 0.34% at March 31, 2022, and 0.20% at June 30, 2021.
• Past due loans as percentage of total loans was 0.60% at June 30, 2022, 0.53% at March 31, 2022, and 0.53% at June 30, 2021.

Community Banking Segment

• Pre-tax income totaled $8.0 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, which represents a $1.7 million, or 17.7%, decrease compared to $9.7 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Net interest income totaled $13.7 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, which represents an $807,000, or 5.6%, decrease compared to $14.5 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Average loans held for investment totaled $1.25 billion during the quarter ended June 30, 2022, which represents a decrease of $72.1 million, or 5.5%, compared to $1.32 billion for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Average loans held for investment increased $42.5 million compared to $1.20 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.
• Net interest margin increased 24 basis points to 3.02% for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 compared to 2.78% for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, which was a result of a decrease in the average balance of cash, as funds were utilized to purchase investment securities and pay down borrowings. In addition, yields increased on loans receivable, loans held for sale, mortgage related securities, debt securities, federal funds sold and short term investments category. Net interest margin increased 64 basis points compared to 2.38% for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, driven by an increase in average loan balance, weighted average yield on loans, and weighted average yield on average debt securities, federal funds sold and short term investments. In addition, excess cash was utilized to pay down borrowings.
• The segment had a negative provision for credit losses of $41,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 compared to a negative provision for loan losses of $750,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Net recoveries totaled $107,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, as one significant loan recovery payment was received during the quarter, compared to net recoveries of $378,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. With the adoption of CECL, estimated recoveries may be accounted for within the calculation and do not impact the provision for credit losses line item when cash is received.
• The efficiency ratio was 48.43% for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to 44.79% for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Average deposits (excluding escrow accounts) totaled $1.21 billion during the quarter ended June 30, 2022, an increase of $1.2 million, or 0.1%, compared to $1.21 billion during the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Average deposits decreased $22.9 million, or 7.5% annualized compared to the $1.23 billion for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.

Mortgage Banking Segment

• Pre-tax income totaled $2.3 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to $14.2 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Loan originations decreased $286.4 million, or 26.9%, to $778.8 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to $1.07 billion during the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Origination volume relative to purchase activity accounted for 90.4% of originations for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 compared to 75.4% of total originations for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Mortgage banking non-interest income decreased $20.4 million, or 40.4%, to $30.1 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to $50.6 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Gross margin on loans sold decreased to 3.76% for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to 4.81% for the quarter ended June 30, 2021.
• Total compensation, payroll taxes and other employee benefits decreased $7.9 million, or 26.9%, to $21.3 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2022 compared to $29.2 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2021. The decrease primarily related to decreased commission expense and branch manager compensation driven by decreased loan origination volume and branch profitability as gross margins decreased.
• Other noninterest expense increased $55,000 to $2.7 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2022 compared to $2.7 million during the quarter ended June 30, 2021. The increase related to an increase in provision of loan sale losses offset by a decrease in mortgage servicing rights amortization expense.
• During the quarter ended June 30, 2022, the segment opened five new branches. Direct start up expenses related to these branches totaled approximately $510,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2022.

About Waterstone Financial, Inc.

Waterstone Financial, Inc. is the savings and loan holding company for WaterStone Bank. WaterStone Bank was established in 1921 and offers a full suite of personal and business banking products. The Bank has branches in Wauwatosa/State St, Brookfield, Fox Point/North Shore, Franklin/Hales Corners, Germantown/Menomonee Falls, Greenfield/Loomis Rd, Milwaukee/Oklahoma Ave, Oak Creek/27th St, Oak Creek/Howell Ave, Oconomowoc/Lake Country, Pewaukee, Waukesha, West Allis/Greenfield Ave, and West Allis/National Ave, Wisconsin. WaterStone Bank is the parent company to Waterstone Mortgage, which has the ability to lend in 48 states. For more information about WaterStone Bank, go to http://www.wsbonline.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements or information that may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding expected financial and operating activities and results that are preceded by, followed by, or that include words such as “may,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates” or “believes.” Any such statements are based upon current expectations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are subject to important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include changes in interest rates; demand for products and services; the degree of competition by traditional and nontraditional competitors; changes in banking regulation or actions by bank regulators; changes in tax laws; the impact of technological advances; governmental and regulatory policy changes; the outcomes of contingencies; trends in customer behavior as well as their ability to repay loans; changes in local real estate values; changes in the national and local economies, including significant disruption to financial market and other economic activity caused by the outbreak of COVID-19; and other factors, including risk factors referenced in Item 1A. Risk Factors in Waterstone’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and as may be described from time to time in Waterstone’s subsequent SEC filings, which factors are incorporated herein by reference. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect only Waterstone’s belief as of the date of this press release.

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