NYSE:OFG OFG Bancorp Q1 2025 Earnings Report $50.54 -0.66 (-1.28%) Closing price 03:59 PM EasternExtended Trading$50.50 -0.04 (-0.09%) As of 07:30 PM Eastern Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more. ProfileEarnings HistoryForecast OFG Bancorp EPS ResultsActual EPS$1.00Consensus EPS $1.02Beat/MissMissed by -$0.02One Year Ago EPS$1.05OFG Bancorp Revenue ResultsActual Revenue$178.30 millionExpected Revenue$175.35 millionBeat/MissBeat by +$2.95 millionYoY Revenue GrowthN/AOFG Bancorp Announcement DetailsQuarterQ1 2025Date4/23/2025TimeBefore Market OpensConference Call DateWednesday, April 23, 2025Conference Call Time10:00AM ETUpcoming EarningsOFG Bancorp's Q3 2026 earnings is estimated for Wednesday, October 21, 2026, based on past reporting schedules, with a conference call scheduled at 10:00 AM ET. Check back for transcripts, audio, and key financial metrics as they become available.Q3 2026 Earnings ReportConference Call ResourcesConference Call AudioConference Call TranscriptSlide DeckPress Release (8-K)Quarterly Report (10-Q)Earnings HistoryCompany ProfileSlide DeckFull Screen Slide DeckPowered by OFG Bancorp Q1 2025 Earnings Call TranscriptProvided by QuartrApril 23, 2025ShareShareShare This ReportLink copied to clipboard.Key Takeaways OFG reported a first-quarter diluted EPS of $1.00, driven by strong operating execution, loan and deposit growth, and supported by share buybacks and a 20% dividend increase. Adoption of the digital-first strategy surged with 96% of routine retail transactions, 97% of deposit transactions, and 68% of loan payments processed via digital channels, alongside three new digital tools and an Apple Pay launch. Net interest margin held at 5.42% despite two fewer business days, as higher yields on investment securities and lower government deposit costs offset funding pressures, while total assets grew 5% year-over-year. Credit costs ticked up with first-quarter net charge-offs of $20 million (1.05% NCO rate) and a 62-basis-point rise in the consumer net charge-off ratio to 4.34%, prompting a $25.7 million provision for credit losses. AI Generated. May Contain Errors.Conference Call Audio Live Call not available Earnings Conference CallOFG Bancorp Q1 202500:00 / 00:00Speed:1x1.25x1.5x2xTranscript SectionsPresentationParticipantsPresentationSkip to Participants Operator00:00:00Good morning. Thank you for joining OFG Bancorp's conference call. My name is Madison. I will be your operator today. Our speakers are José Rafael Fernández, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors; Maritza Arizmendi, Chief Financial Officer; and César Ortiz, Chief Risk Officer. A presentation accompanies today's remarks. It can be found on the homepage of the OFG website under the First Quarter 2025 section. This call may feature certain forward-looking statements about management's goals, plans, and expectations. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, outlined in the risk factors section of OFG's SEC filings. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. We disclaim any obligation to update information disclosed in this call as a result of developments that occur afterwards. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent background noise. After the speaker's remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session. Operator00:01:00Instructions will be given at that time. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Fernández. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:01:09Good morning, and thank you for joining us. We are pleased to report our first quarter results. As we look at page three of our presentation, it was another strong start to the year with solid overall performance. We had consistent financial results, generating earnings per share diluted of $1. This was driven by excellent operating execution and loan and deposit growth. Consumer credit reflected a higher seasonal customer liquidity in Puerto Rico, and we bought back shares and raised our dividend, supported by our strong capital generation and balance sheet. Please turn to page four. Our strategic investment in technology through our digital-first strategy continues to drive innovation. This is freeing up our people to build stronger customer relationships through our island-wide branch network. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:02:03Looking at the numbers, 96% of all routine retail customer transactions, 97% of retail deposit transactions, and 68% of retail loan payments were made through our digital and self-service channels. This has been driven by year-over-year growth of 12% in digital enrollment, 21% in digital loan payments, 40% in virtual teller utilization, and close to 5% customer growth. During the quarter, we launched three digital tools, all first in Puerto Rico: our omnichannel online mobile app that provides customers with a fast, easy, and seamless banking experience across all digital points; Smart Banking Insights that offer advice to help customers achieve greater financial progress. This reinforces our innovative position in the banking market in Puerto Rico with intelligent and personalized solutions and tools; and Apple Pay for both debit and credit cards. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:03:08This is new in the local banking industry, giving our customers another option for easy and secure in-store, in-app, and online purchases. I'd like to add that our self-service portal, which we launched in 2023, was nominated for a Banking Tech Award for Best Use of Technology in Consumer Banking, which is another first for a Puerto Rican bank. As you can imagine, we're very proud of all these accomplishments. Now, here's Maritza to go over the financials in more detail. I will come back and provide our outlook for Puerto Rico and OFG. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:03:44Thank you, José. Please turn to page five to review our financial highlights. All comparisons are to the fourth quarter, unless otherwise noted. Core revenues total $178 million. Looking at key components, total interest income was $189 million, a decline of $941,000. This mainly reflects two fewer business days, which negatively affected interest income by $3 million. Partially affecting these were higher balances and yields on investment securities and higher loan balances. Total interest expense was $40 million, a decline of $874,000. This mainly reflects the two fewer business days and higher average balances of core deposits at a lower rate, which were partially offset by higher average balances of borrowings and brokered deposits. Total banking and financial service revenues were $29 million, a decrease of $3.6 million. The fourth quarter included $4.8 million combined in annual insurance fees and favorable MSR valuation change. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:05:10Excluding that, total banking and financial service revenues increased for the quarter. Looking at non-interest expense, they totaled $93.5 million, down $6.3 million. First quarter compensation included $1.6 million in increase in seasonal FICA expenses and merit raises. General and administrative expenses included a $3.1 million volume incentive payment from business partners. It also included $1.2 million in higher electronic banking volume and related costs as compared to the last quarter. Note that the fourth quarter included $4.8 million in early retirement, business rightsizing, and annual performance incentives. Taking all these factors into consideration, we were in line with our guidance of $95-$96 million in quarterly non-interest expense in 2025. Income tax expense was $13.9 million. The tax rate was 23.34%. That reflects an anticipated rate of 26.14% for the year and the benefit of $1.7 million in discrete items. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:06:38Tangible book value was $26.66 per share, $0.2666 per share. During the quarter, we bought back $23.4 million of shares and raised our dividend 20%. Looking at our performance metrics, efficiency ratio was 52.42%, return on average assets was 1.56%, and return on tangible common equity was 15.28%. Please turn to page six to review our operational highlights. Total assets were $11.7 billion, up 5% from a year ago and 2% from the fourth quarter. Average loan balances were $7.8 billion, up close to 1%. End-of-period loans held for investment totaled $7.9 billion, up 4.2% from a year ago and up $61 million from the last quarter. The sequential increase mainly reflects growth in auto and consumer loans, U.S. and Puerto Rico commercial loans, and repayments of residential mortgages. Growth of Puerto Rico commercial loans included a higher level of line of credit utilization. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:08:06Loan yield was 7.99%, down two basis points. New loan origination of $559 million was down 9.3% from the fourth quarter, but up 4.2% from a year ago. First quarter originations reflected seasonal declines in Puerto Rico commercial lending, partially offset by an increase in U.S. commercial. We continue to have a strong commercial pipeline at this time. Average core deposits were $9.6 billion, up close to 1%. End-of-period balances of $9.8 billion increased $308 million, or 3.3% quarter over quarter, and $211 million, or 2.2% year over year. The sequential increase reflects growth in retail, commercial, and government deposits. It also reflects growth in savings, time deposits, and demand deposits. Core deposit cost was 1.42%, down four basis points from the fourth quarter. Excluding public funds, cost of deposit was 1% compared to 0.96% last quarter. Average borrowing and brokered deposits were $517 million compared to $426 million. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:09:44The aggregate rate paid was 4.32%, down eight basis points. End-of-period balances were $421 million compared to $557 million. During the first quarter, $145 million in short-term repurchase agreement and Federal Home Loan Bank advances matured. Separately, a two-year $200 million Federal Home Loan Bank advance was renewed at 4.14% compared to previous rate of 4.52%. Cash at $710.6 million was up 20%, and investment totaled $2.8 billion, up 2%. During the first quarter, we acquired $100 million of mortgage-backed securities, yielding 5.40%. Net interest margin was 5.42% compared to 5.40%. First quarter NIM benefited slightly from the investment securities portfolio and lower cost of government deposits. Please turn to page seven to review our credit quality and capital strength. Credit quality continues to be stable. Net charge-off totaled $20 million, up $4.5 million. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:11:10The first quarter included a $2.9 million partial charge-off of a previously reserved commercial loan as compared to the fourth quarter, which included $2.6 million in recoveries from the sale of previously charged off auto and consumer loans. First quarter auto net charge-offs were unchanged, 1.63%. Consumer net charge-off ratio increased 62 basis points to 4.34%, and there were continued recoveries in mortgage and Puerto Rico commercial loans. Total net charge-off rate was 1.05%, up 23 basis points sequentially. Year over year, it was unchanged. Provision for credit losses was $25.7 million, down $4.5 million. The first quarter included $17.4 million for increased volume, $4.8 million for specific reserve for three commercial loans, and $3.5 million to reflect auto current loss given default trends post-pandemic. Looking at other credit metrics, the early and total delinquency rates were 2.19% and 3.49%, respectively, both down from the fourth quarter. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:12:41The non-performing loan rate was 1.11%. Looking at other capital metrics, our CET1 ratio was 14.27%. Stockholders' equity totaled $1.3 billion, up about $41 million, and the tangible common equity ratio increased 11 basis points to 10.30%. To summarize the first quarter, net interest income remained stable as growth in loan balances and a declining deposit cost largely neutralized the impact of two fewer days. Loan growth continued to do well in auto and consumer and U.S. and Puerto Rico commercial. Retail and commercial deposit balances increased as we continued to deepen customer relationships and grow our client base. Net interest margin was slightly higher than expected from higher yielding investment securities and lower cost of government deposits. Credit quality continued to be well managed. The trends are stable, reflecting the solid economic environment in Puerto Rico. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:13:56Non-interest expenses were in line when you removed the effect of the specific items in the fourth and first quarter. Results also benefited from a lower tax rate and share counts. Regarding capital allocation, in addition to buying back shares, the dividend was increased, and our CET1 ratio provides us with a strong foundation during volatile or challenging times. Now, here's José. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:14:29Thank you, Maritza. Please turn to page eight. As you all know, we're navigating an uncertain environment, and this is how we see things today. On the one hand, in Puerto Rico, wages and employment are at historically high levels. The business environment is constructively positive. Investments in public and private projects continue to flow, and the economy continues to grow, albeit at a slower pace. On the other hand, higher levels of volatility due to macroeconomic and geopolitical events, if they continue, they will eventually have an impact, an economic impact. Our team members are in close contact with our customers to make sure we have a good pulse on how they're adapting to the environment and how OFG can better serve them. Turning to OFG, our digital-first strategy is proving to be highly effective. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:15:21We will continue to invest in and deploy new customer innovations to further differentiate our business model, increase efficiencies, and most important, help both our retail and commercial customers. Consumer credit trends are good. Supported by a strong balance sheet and a well-tested leadership team, we continue to methodically execute our business plan and be there for our clients and the communities we serve. As always, our results could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of all our team members. We are extremely thankful to them and excited for what's to come. We hold our annual shareholders' meeting next Wednesday. With this, we conclude our remarks, and we open the call for questions. Operator00:16:08If you have a question at this time, please press star one on your telephone keypad. If you wish to remove yourself from the queue, press star two on your telephone keypad. We will take our first question from Frank Schiraldi with Piper Sandler. Please go ahead. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:16:25Good morning. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:16:27Good morning, Frank. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:16:27José, just in terms of the digital channel, obviously, you cite some pretty impressive numbers in terms of transactional use. Are you able to see deposit account openings through the digital channel? Is that something that's ramping up? Is that something still yet to come? How is that? José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:16:58Actually, Frank. Yes, we do have online digital account opening, and it's through the self-service channel. Yes, we do have that capability. As everything that we've done from the digital-first strategy that we have deployed throughout the years, it requires us to be kind of the educators in the market in terms of how things can move into digital channels and all that. Right now, around 25-26% of our checking accounts and certificates of deposits are opened through the digital channel. The rest are opened at the branches. We have seen increasing trends there also. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:17:48Okay. In terms of the deposit growth from here, any seasonality here in the first quarter? Could you talk about the timing of some assumed, I think you had assumed some public deposit outflow in February, just trying to get thoughts around growth from here? José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:18:10Yep. First quarter is always somewhat seasonal in terms of deposits. We do have the tax refunds. The child tax credit also is part of the equation in the first quarter in terms of deposits. We do acknowledge that the first quarter has some important seasonal components. We are very encouraged with the way our online and branch network are moving along and growing our client base. We do expect to continue to see some deposit growth from here. In terms of your second part of your question, which I forgot, if you can recall. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:18:58Just on the government deposits, I thought there was some. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:19:02Yeah. We have a yes. We have a billion or so government deposit that we expect to be renewed for another several months. That is something that we will update every quarter. It is still there, and we are expecting to renew it in the next couple of weeks. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:19:27Okay. If I could just sneak in one more, just in terms of consumer charge-offs, can you speak to do you expect to continue to see some normalization there? I know you had some commercial as well that I'm sure can be more volatile. On the consumer side, just wondering your thoughts around charge-off levels and if you anticipate continued normalization on that front. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:19:54Yeah. I'll ask César, our Chief Risk Officer, to give you some color on that one. César Ortiz-MarcanoChief Risk Officer at OFG Bancorp00:20:00Consumer, we have two main portfolios. We have the auto portfolio, which is the largest one, and then we have unsecured personal loans. On the auto portfolio, we and both of them, actually, we expected the trend to improve during this quarter because it's a seasonal improvement. The first quarter is always good for all credit statistics, and we experienced that, so that was realized. On the auto portfolio, we are seeing now a stabilization too on the recovery rates from the collaterals. I think that's a positive effect on the issues with the tariffs that the customers are having an increased demand for this used vehicle. That's a positive trend. The third part of the auto is that we're seeing vintages that have better credit underwriting we've called pre-tightening. Back in 2022, we tightened credit underwriting standards. César Ortiz-MarcanoChief Risk Officer at OFG Bancorp00:20:58We are starting to see those better credit underwriting vintages coming into play for the net charge-off. This quarter was a positive quarter because we expected it, but it was actually better than we expected because the quarter behaved very good. Next quarter, we do expect an increase, a slight increase because of the seasonality for the first quarter. Overall, we are going to expect stabilization on both portfolios, on all the credit metrics. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:21:31Okay. Okay. Thank you. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:21:35Yep. Thank you. Thank you for your questions. Operator00:21:39We will take our next question from Timur Braziler with Wells Fargo. Please go ahead. Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:21:46Hi, good morning. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:21:48Good morning. Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:21:49The security yields were up nicely again this quarter. I'm just wondering what's the current duration of the bond book and just some of the highlights on what's coming off, maybe from a cash flowing standpoint in the next couple of quarters and where those reinvestment rates are coming on right now. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:22:13Yeah. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:22:14The duration, we have mostly mortgage-backed security agency paper, and it is around five to six years the duration right now. Repayments are coming around. This quarter was $84 million, and we will keep monitoring the market to see opportunities. Right now, cash is yielding around 4.25%. We will keep looking at the funding side and manage the asset liability as we deem more appropriate. Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:22:49Okay. Maybe more broadly around the margins, certainly held up better than I was expecting. Part of that was the security yields. Loans yields also seem to hold up better. Just where we are today, forget about the impact of additional rate cuts. Is the next move likely some pressure on the margin or maybe some of the bond reinvestments and loan growth could offset that? I guess, what's the trajectory for margin here? Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:23:19Yeah. We shared with you in the last call that we have a range between 5.3%-5.4% margin for the year. That range will move. It depends a lot on the funding side, particularly if the government deposit exits at a certain point because we will need to replace with wholesale funding, which will create a little bit higher funding than this government deposit. As long as it remains in the bank, I will see that range in the upper level. Okay? Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:23:59Okay. Great. Thanks. Just last for me, any additional color for the specific reserve on the commercial loans? Were those mainland or Puerto Rico? I guess, yeah, any similarities across those three? José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:24:12Yeah. These are three loans. One is a Puerto Rico long-standing substandard loan that we placed in non-accrual. The other two loans are U.S. loans. They are totaling both in the aggregate around $10 million. They were placed in substandard, and we took the provision for that. Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:24:34Great. Thank you. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:24:36Yep. Thank you for your questions. Operator00:24:39We will take our next question from Brett Rabatin with Hovde Group. Please go ahead. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:24:46Hey, good morning. Wanted to start, José Rafael, could you give us I haven't seen a lot since the power outage last week. I haven't seen a lot in the press about what's happened with the LUMA contract and anything else going on related to the power grid. It seems like it continues to be an area of opportunity for more sustainable and cheaper power. Just wanted to see if you'd heard anything regarding. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:25:19The only comment I can add here, Brett, is this is going to be a long process. It's going to take at least a decade. We are into a two-year kind of or so privatization program. It's been privatized for two years only or so. It's going to take a long time. We're going to have these events sporadically. Probably in the summer, we'll have some too when the heat comes up and the demand increases because it's a fragile system. That's the reality. The other reality is that we are pretty much ready to cover all these issues because most of the businesses have power generators or solar panels, or they have been able to do what it requires to adapt to these unexpected events. Yes, it does have an impact on the economy. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:26:17It was said that it was $100 and some million dollars, the impact, because it was a total blackout. It is unfortunate, and there is no way to sugarcoat it. The reality is that it is going to take a while to get this fixed from the generation as well as from the transmission and distribution to make it resilient, to make it low cost, to make it diversified. The electric grid in Puerto Rico was destroyed by the hurricanes. It is going to take a while. It requires execution by the private sector, and it requires oversight by the government. Those are areas of opportunity, if I should say, taking a bit of your words. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:27:04Yeah. Yeah. It also seems like some of the opportunity could still be there for onshoring pharmaceuticals and that kind of stuff. I have not seen anything on that really, either other than just talking about potential. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:27:18Correct. I think the tariff environment, though, Brett, does pose a good opportunity for the Puerto Rican government to position itself in a way that can take some share of the onshoring given the current infrastructure in terms of the pharmaceutical and medical devices, the expertise that we have, the educated workforce that we have. All that should be good, positive incentives and motivation for some of the onshoring coming back to Puerto Rico. I agree with you. It's been talk and not necessarily evidence of it has been seen. I'm encouraged, to tell you the truth, because the tariffs is a catalyst for that. Being part of the United States and our history in the manufacturing side, remember, Puerto Rico's economy is 40% manufacturing. It plays very, very well. It will require, again, good systematic execution from the government. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:28:31Okay. That's great color. Maybe more on fee income. Typically, wealth management is a little soft in 1Q and then stronger in 2Q. I want to make sure I understood the outlook for fee income from here. Obviously, mortgage banking is tough to forecast, but would assume that that level also will increase from here. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:29:01Yeah. Okay. This quarter was better than expected in the sense that the banking fees were higher, even though we did have two less days in business activity. This quarter, we were at $29 million. We shared with you last quarter that we are seeing $29-$30 million as the run rate for us in fees for the year. That is how we are seeing the fees at this moment. This quarter, particularly, was really active in the debit card transactionality and the POS. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:29:40Okay. Maybe just. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:29:44If I could add, Brett, if I could add just one thing here that Maritza just pointed out in terms of transactionality, we are seeing a lot more activity from our customers and utilization of our debit cards and our services. That is definitely very encouraging for us because it validates not only our strategy, the digital-first strategy, but it also validates that we are being recognized and our brand is gaining additional traction here in the market. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:30:25Okay. Does Apple Pay rollout, does that mean a lot to you guys transactionally from here, or how do you think about the Apple Pay rollout? José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:30:35It's good to have, to be honest. It's good to have. People in Puerto Rico were not Apple permitted. It was just more of an Apple thing than a Puerto Rico thing. We were together with another institution in Puerto Rico. There were only two institutions that were able to get the Apple Pay available for our customers, and we were one of those. We're proud of that. We're proud of that because we are leaders in innovation and technology, and we continue to prove it by delivering on a timely basis, even to the requirements of Apple, which are somewhat elusive to some others. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:31:18Okay. This last quick one, tax rate from here, any thoughts on full year and then maybe where it trends relative to the past two quarters? Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:31:29Yeah. We're seeing a 26% ATR for the year, for the full year. Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:31:38Okay. Great. Thanks. Appreciate all the color. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:31:42Yeah. Thank you. Have a great day. Operator00:31:48Again, if you would like to ask a question, press star then the number one on your telephone keypad. Your next question comes from Kelly Motta with KBW. Please go ahead. Kelly MottaManaging Director at Keefe Bruyette & Woods00:32:00Hi, good morning. Thanks for the question. Maybe circling back to the margin, Maritza, could you help us out and remind us how much of the asset base is more rate-sensitive and impacted by an immediate reset on Fed funds? How to think through that and how that is in that margin guidance? Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:32:26Yeah. In the asset side, the most elastic asset is the commercial book, which right now 53% is tied to variable rates and the cash. So that's the two assets that are more sensitive to any change in the market. Kelly MottaManaging Director at Keefe Bruyette & Woods00:32:47Okay. That's helpful. It looks like the deposit costs are continuing to perform well. I'm wondering if you could provide an update as to the competitive environment in Puerto Rico. What are you seeing in terms of your competitors? Is it still relatively high competition, or have you seen pressure there back off in the last quarter or two? José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:33:24Look, competitors are competitors, and they are relentless. I hope they say the same of us. It is what it is. Yeah, the market remains the same, Kelly. We're looking out for the best for our customers. On the deposit side, there were some credit unions that were out laggards in terms of rates. That's certainly normalized. We're really happy with our core performance, particularly on the deposit sides. We continue to grow demand and savings and time deposits. That's driven primarily by not only existing customers bringing in deposits and us deepening the relationship, but also new customers. We're seeing a net growth of 5% year over year in net customers, and that is also driving. There's a particular aspect of the deposit growth that is also interesting for us, and that is that we're growing non-interest-bearing deposits too in the quarter. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:34:30Those are good indicators. We'll see how much of it is seasonal, how much of it is part of structural savings and deposits from the economy that we're operating in Puerto Rico, but certainly a pretty solid quarter. Kelly MottaManaging Director at Keefe Bruyette & Woods00:34:48Thanks for that. I also appreciate the commentary about Puerto Rico having a lot of manufacturing in the economy. Wondering if you've seen any movement there. Puerto Rico could theoretically be a beneficiary on a move to greater onshoring to the U.S. I'm wondering if you're seeing any movement there, what the discussion is on the ground, and your thoughts around that, as I know it's a moving target here. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:35:25Yeah. It's too early to tell on any. We haven't seen any movement to speak of, but it's certainly a good opportunity. It's too early to tell, as you can read in the papers and online. The world is trying to figure things out, and we're not an exception. We're also looking at what's going on around the world and seeing all the tariffs and all that. Right now, I believe pharmaceutical products are not being additional tariffs. It's still not yet being added to the list. We'll see. We'll see. We're seeing some good news coming out of the market yesterday and today. We'll see. We have to take a hard look this quarter and see how things evolve. We speak to our customers. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:36:19As I mentioned, we were visiting customers, particularly on the commercial side, asking them how they're adapting, how are they seeing things. It's too early to tell, but they are definitely managing the uncertainties by building up inventories, making a little bit of a pause in some of the projects, but not necessarily putting a full stop. That's the color we get from our customers. We're trying to make sure that we're as close to them as possible because that's what banks are for. Kelly MottaManaging Director at Keefe Bruyette & Woods00:36:49Got it. I really appreciate the color. Most of my questions have been asked and answered. I'll step back. Thank you. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:36:56Thank you. Have a great day. Operator00:37:00Once again, if you would like to ask a question, please press star then the number one on your telephone keypad. We will pause for just a moment to allow any further questions to queue. At this time, there are no further questions. I will now turn the call back over to Mr. Fernández for closing remarks. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:37:24Thank you all for joining us in the call today. We look forward to seeing you in the next quarter. We will have our shareholders meeting next week. Thank you for being with us. Have a great day. Operator00:37:41This does conclude today's presentation. Thank you for your participation. You may disconnect at any time.Read moreParticipantsExecutivesJosé Rafael FernándezCEOMaritza ArizmendiCFOCésar Ortiz-MarcanoChief Risk OfficerAnalystsBrett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde GroupFrank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper SandlerKelly MottaManaging Director at Keefe Bruyette & WoodsTimur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells FargoPowered by Earnings DocumentsSlide DeckPress Release(8-K)Quarterly report(10-Q) OFG Bancorp Earnings HeadlinesIs OFG Bancorp (OFG) Still Below Fair Value After Its Earnings Estimate Upgrade?September 23, 2026 | finance.yahoo.comOFG Bancorp (NYSE:OFG) Receives $55.20 Average Price Target from BrokeragesSeptember 23, 2026 | americanbankingnews.comYour book attachedBill Poulos is giving away his 'Safe Trade Options Formula' book for free - but only for a limited time through a temporary download link. He plans to charge for it soon. Download your copy now and lock it in at no cost, regardless of future pricing.September 29 at 1:00 AM | Profits Run (Ad)OFG Bancorp to Report 3Q26 Results and Hold Call Wednesday, October 21, 2026September 22, 2026 | finance.yahoo.comContrasting ECB Bancorp (NASDAQ:ECBK) & OFG Bancorp (NYSE:OFG)September 22, 2026 | americanbankingnews.comContrasting OFG Bancorp (NYSE:OFG) & Great Southern Bancorp (NASDAQ:GSBC)September 21, 2026 | americanbankingnews.comSee More OFG Bancorp Headlines Get Earnings Announcements in your inboxWant to stay updated on the latest earnings announcements and upcoming reports for companies like OFG Bancorp? Sign up for Earnings360's daily newsletter to receive timely earnings updates on OFG Bancorp and other key companies, straight to your email. Email Address About OFG BancorpOFG Bancorp (NYSE:OFG) is a financial holding company headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Through its principal subsidiary, Oriental Bank, the company provides banking and financial services to individuals, businesses and government entities in Puerto Rico. Oriental Bank offers a range of products and services, including checking and savings accounts, commercial and consumer loans, residential mortgage lending, credit cards, cash management, online and mobile banking, and investment and trust services. The company also provides wealth management, brokerage and insurance-related services through affiliated businesses. OFG Bancorp traces its history to 1964 and has built a regional banking franchise focused primarily on Puerto Rico. José Rafael Fernández serves as the company’s president and chief executive officer, as well as chief executive officer of Oriental Bank.View OFG Bancorp ProfileRead more More Earnings Resources from MarketBeat Earnings Tools Today's Earnings Tomorrow's Earnings Next Week's Earnings Upcoming Earnings Calls Earnings Newsletter Earnings Call Transcripts Earnings Beats & Misses Corporate Guidance Earnings Screener Latest Articles CarMax Just Gave Investors a Better Reason to Believe in the TurnaroundBernstein Downgrades 3 Cybersecurity Stocks: How Concerned Should Investors Be?Brewing Trouble? 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PresentationSkip to Participants Operator00:00:00Good morning. Thank you for joining OFG Bancorp's conference call. My name is Madison. I will be your operator today. Our speakers are José Rafael Fernández, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors; Maritza Arizmendi, Chief Financial Officer; and César Ortiz, Chief Risk Officer. A presentation accompanies today's remarks. It can be found on the homepage of the OFG website under the First Quarter 2025 section. This call may feature certain forward-looking statements about management's goals, plans, and expectations. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, outlined in the risk factors section of OFG's SEC filings. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. We disclaim any obligation to update information disclosed in this call as a result of developments that occur afterwards. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent background noise. After the speaker's remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session. Operator00:01:00Instructions will be given at that time. I would now like to turn the call over to Mr. Fernández. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:01:09Good morning, and thank you for joining us. We are pleased to report our first quarter results. As we look at page three of our presentation, it was another strong start to the year with solid overall performance. We had consistent financial results, generating earnings per share diluted of $1. This was driven by excellent operating execution and loan and deposit growth. Consumer credit reflected a higher seasonal customer liquidity in Puerto Rico, and we bought back shares and raised our dividend, supported by our strong capital generation and balance sheet. Please turn to page four. Our strategic investment in technology through our digital-first strategy continues to drive innovation. This is freeing up our people to build stronger customer relationships through our island-wide branch network. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:02:03Looking at the numbers, 96% of all routine retail customer transactions, 97% of retail deposit transactions, and 68% of retail loan payments were made through our digital and self-service channels. This has been driven by year-over-year growth of 12% in digital enrollment, 21% in digital loan payments, 40% in virtual teller utilization, and close to 5% customer growth. During the quarter, we launched three digital tools, all first in Puerto Rico: our omnichannel online mobile app that provides customers with a fast, easy, and seamless banking experience across all digital points; Smart Banking Insights that offer advice to help customers achieve greater financial progress. This reinforces our innovative position in the banking market in Puerto Rico with intelligent and personalized solutions and tools; and Apple Pay for both debit and credit cards. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:03:08This is new in the local banking industry, giving our customers another option for easy and secure in-store, in-app, and online purchases. I'd like to add that our self-service portal, which we launched in 2023, was nominated for a Banking Tech Award for Best Use of Technology in Consumer Banking, which is another first for a Puerto Rican bank. As you can imagine, we're very proud of all these accomplishments. Now, here's Maritza to go over the financials in more detail. I will come back and provide our outlook for Puerto Rico and OFG. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:03:44Thank you, José. Please turn to page five to review our financial highlights. All comparisons are to the fourth quarter, unless otherwise noted. Core revenues total $178 million. Looking at key components, total interest income was $189 million, a decline of $941,000. This mainly reflects two fewer business days, which negatively affected interest income by $3 million. Partially affecting these were higher balances and yields on investment securities and higher loan balances. Total interest expense was $40 million, a decline of $874,000. This mainly reflects the two fewer business days and higher average balances of core deposits at a lower rate, which were partially offset by higher average balances of borrowings and brokered deposits. Total banking and financial service revenues were $29 million, a decrease of $3.6 million. The fourth quarter included $4.8 million combined in annual insurance fees and favorable MSR valuation change. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:05:10Excluding that, total banking and financial service revenues increased for the quarter. Looking at non-interest expense, they totaled $93.5 million, down $6.3 million. First quarter compensation included $1.6 million in increase in seasonal FICA expenses and merit raises. General and administrative expenses included a $3.1 million volume incentive payment from business partners. It also included $1.2 million in higher electronic banking volume and related costs as compared to the last quarter. Note that the fourth quarter included $4.8 million in early retirement, business rightsizing, and annual performance incentives. Taking all these factors into consideration, we were in line with our guidance of $95-$96 million in quarterly non-interest expense in 2025. Income tax expense was $13.9 million. The tax rate was 23.34%. That reflects an anticipated rate of 26.14% for the year and the benefit of $1.7 million in discrete items. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:06:38Tangible book value was $26.66 per share, $0.2666 per share. During the quarter, we bought back $23.4 million of shares and raised our dividend 20%. Looking at our performance metrics, efficiency ratio was 52.42%, return on average assets was 1.56%, and return on tangible common equity was 15.28%. Please turn to page six to review our operational highlights. Total assets were $11.7 billion, up 5% from a year ago and 2% from the fourth quarter. Average loan balances were $7.8 billion, up close to 1%. End-of-period loans held for investment totaled $7.9 billion, up 4.2% from a year ago and up $61 million from the last quarter. The sequential increase mainly reflects growth in auto and consumer loans, U.S. and Puerto Rico commercial loans, and repayments of residential mortgages. Growth of Puerto Rico commercial loans included a higher level of line of credit utilization. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:08:06Loan yield was 7.99%, down two basis points. New loan origination of $559 million was down 9.3% from the fourth quarter, but up 4.2% from a year ago. First quarter originations reflected seasonal declines in Puerto Rico commercial lending, partially offset by an increase in U.S. commercial. We continue to have a strong commercial pipeline at this time. Average core deposits were $9.6 billion, up close to 1%. End-of-period balances of $9.8 billion increased $308 million, or 3.3% quarter over quarter, and $211 million, or 2.2% year over year. The sequential increase reflects growth in retail, commercial, and government deposits. It also reflects growth in savings, time deposits, and demand deposits. Core deposit cost was 1.42%, down four basis points from the fourth quarter. Excluding public funds, cost of deposit was 1% compared to 0.96% last quarter. Average borrowing and brokered deposits were $517 million compared to $426 million. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:09:44The aggregate rate paid was 4.32%, down eight basis points. End-of-period balances were $421 million compared to $557 million. During the first quarter, $145 million in short-term repurchase agreement and Federal Home Loan Bank advances matured. Separately, a two-year $200 million Federal Home Loan Bank advance was renewed at 4.14% compared to previous rate of 4.52%. Cash at $710.6 million was up 20%, and investment totaled $2.8 billion, up 2%. During the first quarter, we acquired $100 million of mortgage-backed securities, yielding 5.40%. Net interest margin was 5.42% compared to 5.40%. First quarter NIM benefited slightly from the investment securities portfolio and lower cost of government deposits. Please turn to page seven to review our credit quality and capital strength. Credit quality continues to be stable. Net charge-off totaled $20 million, up $4.5 million. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:11:10The first quarter included a $2.9 million partial charge-off of a previously reserved commercial loan as compared to the fourth quarter, which included $2.6 million in recoveries from the sale of previously charged off auto and consumer loans. First quarter auto net charge-offs were unchanged, 1.63%. Consumer net charge-off ratio increased 62 basis points to 4.34%, and there were continued recoveries in mortgage and Puerto Rico commercial loans. Total net charge-off rate was 1.05%, up 23 basis points sequentially. Year over year, it was unchanged. Provision for credit losses was $25.7 million, down $4.5 million. The first quarter included $17.4 million for increased volume, $4.8 million for specific reserve for three commercial loans, and $3.5 million to reflect auto current loss given default trends post-pandemic. Looking at other credit metrics, the early and total delinquency rates were 2.19% and 3.49%, respectively, both down from the fourth quarter. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:12:41The non-performing loan rate was 1.11%. Looking at other capital metrics, our CET1 ratio was 14.27%. Stockholders' equity totaled $1.3 billion, up about $41 million, and the tangible common equity ratio increased 11 basis points to 10.30%. To summarize the first quarter, net interest income remained stable as growth in loan balances and a declining deposit cost largely neutralized the impact of two fewer days. Loan growth continued to do well in auto and consumer and U.S. and Puerto Rico commercial. Retail and commercial deposit balances increased as we continued to deepen customer relationships and grow our client base. Net interest margin was slightly higher than expected from higher yielding investment securities and lower cost of government deposits. Credit quality continued to be well managed. The trends are stable, reflecting the solid economic environment in Puerto Rico. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:13:56Non-interest expenses were in line when you removed the effect of the specific items in the fourth and first quarter. Results also benefited from a lower tax rate and share counts. Regarding capital allocation, in addition to buying back shares, the dividend was increased, and our CET1 ratio provides us with a strong foundation during volatile or challenging times. Now, here's José. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:14:29Thank you, Maritza. Please turn to page eight. As you all know, we're navigating an uncertain environment, and this is how we see things today. On the one hand, in Puerto Rico, wages and employment are at historically high levels. The business environment is constructively positive. Investments in public and private projects continue to flow, and the economy continues to grow, albeit at a slower pace. On the other hand, higher levels of volatility due to macroeconomic and geopolitical events, if they continue, they will eventually have an impact, an economic impact. Our team members are in close contact with our customers to make sure we have a good pulse on how they're adapting to the environment and how OFG can better serve them. Turning to OFG, our digital-first strategy is proving to be highly effective. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:15:21We will continue to invest in and deploy new customer innovations to further differentiate our business model, increase efficiencies, and most important, help both our retail and commercial customers. Consumer credit trends are good. Supported by a strong balance sheet and a well-tested leadership team, we continue to methodically execute our business plan and be there for our clients and the communities we serve. As always, our results could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of all our team members. We are extremely thankful to them and excited for what's to come. We hold our annual shareholders' meeting next Wednesday. With this, we conclude our remarks, and we open the call for questions. Operator00:16:08If you have a question at this time, please press star one on your telephone keypad. If you wish to remove yourself from the queue, press star two on your telephone keypad. We will take our first question from Frank Schiraldi with Piper Sandler. Please go ahead. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:16:25Good morning. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:16:27Good morning, Frank. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:16:27José, just in terms of the digital channel, obviously, you cite some pretty impressive numbers in terms of transactional use. Are you able to see deposit account openings through the digital channel? Is that something that's ramping up? Is that something still yet to come? How is that? José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:16:58Actually, Frank. Yes, we do have online digital account opening, and it's through the self-service channel. Yes, we do have that capability. As everything that we've done from the digital-first strategy that we have deployed throughout the years, it requires us to be kind of the educators in the market in terms of how things can move into digital channels and all that. Right now, around 25-26% of our checking accounts and certificates of deposits are opened through the digital channel. The rest are opened at the branches. We have seen increasing trends there also. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:17:48Okay. In terms of the deposit growth from here, any seasonality here in the first quarter? Could you talk about the timing of some assumed, I think you had assumed some public deposit outflow in February, just trying to get thoughts around growth from here? José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:18:10Yep. First quarter is always somewhat seasonal in terms of deposits. We do have the tax refunds. The child tax credit also is part of the equation in the first quarter in terms of deposits. We do acknowledge that the first quarter has some important seasonal components. We are very encouraged with the way our online and branch network are moving along and growing our client base. We do expect to continue to see some deposit growth from here. In terms of your second part of your question, which I forgot, if you can recall. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:18:58Just on the government deposits, I thought there was some. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:19:02Yeah. We have a yes. We have a billion or so government deposit that we expect to be renewed for another several months. That is something that we will update every quarter. It is still there, and we are expecting to renew it in the next couple of weeks. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:19:27Okay. If I could just sneak in one more, just in terms of consumer charge-offs, can you speak to do you expect to continue to see some normalization there? I know you had some commercial as well that I'm sure can be more volatile. On the consumer side, just wondering your thoughts around charge-off levels and if you anticipate continued normalization on that front. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:19:54Yeah. I'll ask César, our Chief Risk Officer, to give you some color on that one. César Ortiz-MarcanoChief Risk Officer at OFG Bancorp00:20:00Consumer, we have two main portfolios. We have the auto portfolio, which is the largest one, and then we have unsecured personal loans. On the auto portfolio, we and both of them, actually, we expected the trend to improve during this quarter because it's a seasonal improvement. The first quarter is always good for all credit statistics, and we experienced that, so that was realized. On the auto portfolio, we are seeing now a stabilization too on the recovery rates from the collaterals. I think that's a positive effect on the issues with the tariffs that the customers are having an increased demand for this used vehicle. That's a positive trend. The third part of the auto is that we're seeing vintages that have better credit underwriting we've called pre-tightening. Back in 2022, we tightened credit underwriting standards. César Ortiz-MarcanoChief Risk Officer at OFG Bancorp00:20:58We are starting to see those better credit underwriting vintages coming into play for the net charge-off. This quarter was a positive quarter because we expected it, but it was actually better than we expected because the quarter behaved very good. Next quarter, we do expect an increase, a slight increase because of the seasonality for the first quarter. Overall, we are going to expect stabilization on both portfolios, on all the credit metrics. Frank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper Sandler00:21:31Okay. Okay. Thank you. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:21:35Yep. Thank you. Thank you for your questions. Operator00:21:39We will take our next question from Timur Braziler with Wells Fargo. Please go ahead. Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:21:46Hi, good morning. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:21:48Good morning. Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:21:49The security yields were up nicely again this quarter. I'm just wondering what's the current duration of the bond book and just some of the highlights on what's coming off, maybe from a cash flowing standpoint in the next couple of quarters and where those reinvestment rates are coming on right now. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:22:13Yeah. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:22:14The duration, we have mostly mortgage-backed security agency paper, and it is around five to six years the duration right now. Repayments are coming around. This quarter was $84 million, and we will keep monitoring the market to see opportunities. Right now, cash is yielding around 4.25%. We will keep looking at the funding side and manage the asset liability as we deem more appropriate. Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:22:49Okay. Maybe more broadly around the margins, certainly held up better than I was expecting. Part of that was the security yields. Loans yields also seem to hold up better. Just where we are today, forget about the impact of additional rate cuts. Is the next move likely some pressure on the margin or maybe some of the bond reinvestments and loan growth could offset that? I guess, what's the trajectory for margin here? Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:23:19Yeah. We shared with you in the last call that we have a range between 5.3%-5.4% margin for the year. That range will move. It depends a lot on the funding side, particularly if the government deposit exits at a certain point because we will need to replace with wholesale funding, which will create a little bit higher funding than this government deposit. As long as it remains in the bank, I will see that range in the upper level. Okay? Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:23:59Okay. Great. Thanks. Just last for me, any additional color for the specific reserve on the commercial loans? Were those mainland or Puerto Rico? I guess, yeah, any similarities across those three? José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:24:12Yeah. These are three loans. One is a Puerto Rico long-standing substandard loan that we placed in non-accrual. The other two loans are U.S. loans. They are totaling both in the aggregate around $10 million. They were placed in substandard, and we took the provision for that. Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:24:34Great. Thank you. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:24:36Yep. Thank you for your questions. Operator00:24:39We will take our next question from Brett Rabatin with Hovde Group. Please go ahead. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:24:46Hey, good morning. Wanted to start, José Rafael, could you give us I haven't seen a lot since the power outage last week. I haven't seen a lot in the press about what's happened with the LUMA contract and anything else going on related to the power grid. It seems like it continues to be an area of opportunity for more sustainable and cheaper power. Just wanted to see if you'd heard anything regarding. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:25:19The only comment I can add here, Brett, is this is going to be a long process. It's going to take at least a decade. We are into a two-year kind of or so privatization program. It's been privatized for two years only or so. It's going to take a long time. We're going to have these events sporadically. Probably in the summer, we'll have some too when the heat comes up and the demand increases because it's a fragile system. That's the reality. The other reality is that we are pretty much ready to cover all these issues because most of the businesses have power generators or solar panels, or they have been able to do what it requires to adapt to these unexpected events. Yes, it does have an impact on the economy. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:26:17It was said that it was $100 and some million dollars, the impact, because it was a total blackout. It is unfortunate, and there is no way to sugarcoat it. The reality is that it is going to take a while to get this fixed from the generation as well as from the transmission and distribution to make it resilient, to make it low cost, to make it diversified. The electric grid in Puerto Rico was destroyed by the hurricanes. It is going to take a while. It requires execution by the private sector, and it requires oversight by the government. Those are areas of opportunity, if I should say, taking a bit of your words. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:27:04Yeah. Yeah. It also seems like some of the opportunity could still be there for onshoring pharmaceuticals and that kind of stuff. I have not seen anything on that really, either other than just talking about potential. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:27:18Correct. I think the tariff environment, though, Brett, does pose a good opportunity for the Puerto Rican government to position itself in a way that can take some share of the onshoring given the current infrastructure in terms of the pharmaceutical and medical devices, the expertise that we have, the educated workforce that we have. All that should be good, positive incentives and motivation for some of the onshoring coming back to Puerto Rico. I agree with you. It's been talk and not necessarily evidence of it has been seen. I'm encouraged, to tell you the truth, because the tariffs is a catalyst for that. Being part of the United States and our history in the manufacturing side, remember, Puerto Rico's economy is 40% manufacturing. It plays very, very well. It will require, again, good systematic execution from the government. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:28:31Okay. That's great color. Maybe more on fee income. Typically, wealth management is a little soft in 1Q and then stronger in 2Q. I want to make sure I understood the outlook for fee income from here. Obviously, mortgage banking is tough to forecast, but would assume that that level also will increase from here. Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:29:01Yeah. Okay. This quarter was better than expected in the sense that the banking fees were higher, even though we did have two less days in business activity. This quarter, we were at $29 million. We shared with you last quarter that we are seeing $29-$30 million as the run rate for us in fees for the year. That is how we are seeing the fees at this moment. This quarter, particularly, was really active in the debit card transactionality and the POS. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:29:40Okay. Maybe just. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:29:44If I could add, Brett, if I could add just one thing here that Maritza just pointed out in terms of transactionality, we are seeing a lot more activity from our customers and utilization of our debit cards and our services. That is definitely very encouraging for us because it validates not only our strategy, the digital-first strategy, but it also validates that we are being recognized and our brand is gaining additional traction here in the market. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:30:25Okay. Does Apple Pay rollout, does that mean a lot to you guys transactionally from here, or how do you think about the Apple Pay rollout? José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:30:35It's good to have, to be honest. It's good to have. People in Puerto Rico were not Apple permitted. It was just more of an Apple thing than a Puerto Rico thing. We were together with another institution in Puerto Rico. There were only two institutions that were able to get the Apple Pay available for our customers, and we were one of those. We're proud of that. We're proud of that because we are leaders in innovation and technology, and we continue to prove it by delivering on a timely basis, even to the requirements of Apple, which are somewhat elusive to some others. Brett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde Group00:31:18Okay. This last quick one, tax rate from here, any thoughts on full year and then maybe where it trends relative to the past two quarters? Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:31:29Yeah. We're seeing a 26% ATR for the year, for the full year. Timur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells Fargo00:31:38Okay. Great. Thanks. Appreciate all the color. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:31:42Yeah. Thank you. Have a great day. Operator00:31:48Again, if you would like to ask a question, press star then the number one on your telephone keypad. Your next question comes from Kelly Motta with KBW. Please go ahead. Kelly MottaManaging Director at Keefe Bruyette & Woods00:32:00Hi, good morning. Thanks for the question. Maybe circling back to the margin, Maritza, could you help us out and remind us how much of the asset base is more rate-sensitive and impacted by an immediate reset on Fed funds? How to think through that and how that is in that margin guidance? Maritza ArizmendiCFO at OFG Bancorp00:32:26Yeah. In the asset side, the most elastic asset is the commercial book, which right now 53% is tied to variable rates and the cash. So that's the two assets that are more sensitive to any change in the market. Kelly MottaManaging Director at Keefe Bruyette & Woods00:32:47Okay. That's helpful. It looks like the deposit costs are continuing to perform well. I'm wondering if you could provide an update as to the competitive environment in Puerto Rico. What are you seeing in terms of your competitors? Is it still relatively high competition, or have you seen pressure there back off in the last quarter or two? José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:33:24Look, competitors are competitors, and they are relentless. I hope they say the same of us. It is what it is. Yeah, the market remains the same, Kelly. We're looking out for the best for our customers. On the deposit side, there were some credit unions that were out laggards in terms of rates. That's certainly normalized. We're really happy with our core performance, particularly on the deposit sides. We continue to grow demand and savings and time deposits. That's driven primarily by not only existing customers bringing in deposits and us deepening the relationship, but also new customers. We're seeing a net growth of 5% year over year in net customers, and that is also driving. There's a particular aspect of the deposit growth that is also interesting for us, and that is that we're growing non-interest-bearing deposits too in the quarter. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:34:30Those are good indicators. We'll see how much of it is seasonal, how much of it is part of structural savings and deposits from the economy that we're operating in Puerto Rico, but certainly a pretty solid quarter. Kelly MottaManaging Director at Keefe Bruyette & Woods00:34:48Thanks for that. I also appreciate the commentary about Puerto Rico having a lot of manufacturing in the economy. Wondering if you've seen any movement there. Puerto Rico could theoretically be a beneficiary on a move to greater onshoring to the U.S. I'm wondering if you're seeing any movement there, what the discussion is on the ground, and your thoughts around that, as I know it's a moving target here. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:35:25Yeah. It's too early to tell on any. We haven't seen any movement to speak of, but it's certainly a good opportunity. It's too early to tell, as you can read in the papers and online. The world is trying to figure things out, and we're not an exception. We're also looking at what's going on around the world and seeing all the tariffs and all that. Right now, I believe pharmaceutical products are not being additional tariffs. It's still not yet being added to the list. We'll see. We'll see. We're seeing some good news coming out of the market yesterday and today. We'll see. We have to take a hard look this quarter and see how things evolve. We speak to our customers. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:36:19As I mentioned, we were visiting customers, particularly on the commercial side, asking them how they're adapting, how are they seeing things. It's too early to tell, but they are definitely managing the uncertainties by building up inventories, making a little bit of a pause in some of the projects, but not necessarily putting a full stop. That's the color we get from our customers. We're trying to make sure that we're as close to them as possible because that's what banks are for. Kelly MottaManaging Director at Keefe Bruyette & Woods00:36:49Got it. I really appreciate the color. Most of my questions have been asked and answered. I'll step back. Thank you. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:36:56Thank you. Have a great day. Operator00:37:00Once again, if you would like to ask a question, please press star then the number one on your telephone keypad. We will pause for just a moment to allow any further questions to queue. At this time, there are no further questions. I will now turn the call back over to Mr. Fernández for closing remarks. José Rafael FernándezCEO at OFG Bancorp00:37:24Thank you all for joining us in the call today. We look forward to seeing you in the next quarter. We will have our shareholders meeting next week. Thank you for being with us. Have a great day. Operator00:37:41This does conclude today's presentation. Thank you for your participation. You may disconnect at any time.Read moreParticipantsExecutivesJosé Rafael FernándezCEOMaritza ArizmendiCFOCésar Ortiz-MarcanoChief Risk OfficerAnalystsBrett RabatinManaging Director at Hovde GroupFrank SchiraldiManaging Director at Piper SandlerKelly MottaManaging Director at Keefe Bruyette & WoodsTimur BrazilerDirector of Mid-Cap Bank Equity Research at Wells FargoPowered by