United Community Banks, Inc. Reports Second Quarter Results

EPS of $0.55 and ROA of 1.40%; Operating ROA reaches 1.50%


GREENVILLE, S.C., July 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ: UCBI) (“United”) today announced its second quarter financial results, including solid year-over-year loan and deposit growth, improved operating efficiency and strong asset quality. Diluted earnings per share were $0.55, an increase of $0.06 or 12% from a year ago. Excluding merger-related and other charges, diluted operating earnings per share were $0.59, up 11% over last year. United’s return on assets (“ROA”) was 1.40% and its return on common equity was 11.5% for the quarter. On an operating basis, United’s ROA was 1.50% and its return on tangible common equity was 15.9%.

In the second quarter, loans grew at a 7% annualized rate, or at 9% annualized excluding the planned runoff of the discontinued indirect auto portfolio. With this loan growth and continued balance sheet remixing opportunities, United also benefitted from net interest margin expansion during the quarter. Core transaction deposits grew by $167 million, or 9% annualized, and total customer deposits increased by $129 million during the quarter.  All loan and deposit growth results noted above exclude the acquisition of First Madison Bank & Trust, which closed on May 1. Finally, United’s combination of revenue growth and expense management resulted in a 57.28% efficiency ratio, or 54.42% on an operating basis, which represented a new Company best.

“Our United bankers continue to execute on our plans and deliver outstanding results,” said Lynn Harton, Chairman and CEO of United. “I couldn’t be more proud of what they are doing to deliver both world class customer service and top quartile financial performance. I am also pleased that First Madison Bank & Trust in Athens, Georgia is now officially part of the United team. We look forward to growing our business together in the attractive Athens, Georgia market.”

Second Quarter 2019 Financial Highlights:

  • EPS growth of 12% versus last year, or 11% on an operating basis
  • Return on assets of 1.40%, or 1.50%, excluding merger-related and other charges
  • Return on common equity of 11.5%
  • Return on tangible common equity of 15.9%, excluding merger-related and other charges
  • Loan growth, excluding planned runoff of the indirect portfolio and the acquisition of First Madison Bank & Trust, of 9% on an annualized basis
  • Loan growth of $153 million which was more than funded by core transaction deposit growth of $167 million
  • Expansion of the net interest margin to 4.12%, up 2 basis points from the first quarter of 2019 and up 22 basis points from a year ago
  • Efficiency ratio of 57.3%, or 54.4%, excluding merger-related and other charges
  • Net charge-offs of 11 basis points, improved four basis points from last quarter and at historically low levels.
  • Nonperforming assets of 0.21% of total assets, compared with 0.20% at March 31, 2019 and 0.20% at June 30, 2018

Conference Call
United will hold a conference call, Wednesday, July 24, 2019, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss the contents of this press release and to share business highlights for the quarter. To access the call, dial (877) 380-5665 and use the conference number 8388603. The conference call also will be webcast and available for replay for 30 days by selecting “Events & Presentations” within the Investor Relations section of United’s website at www.ucbi.com.

UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.                           
Financial Highlights                           
Selected Financial Information                           
                            
                 Second For the Six   
  2019   2018
  Quarter Months Ended YTD 
   Second    First    Fourth    Third    Second   2019-2018 June 30, 2019-2018 
(in thousands, except per share data) Quarter  Quarter  Quarter  Quarter  Quarter   Change 2019   2018   Change 
INCOME SUMMARY                           
Interest revenue$139,156  $136,516  $133,854  $128,721  $122,215     $275,672  $237,505     
Interest expense 21,372   20,882   18,975   16,611   13,739      42,254   25,744     
Net interest revenue 117,784   115,634   114,879   112,110   108,476   9 % 233,418   211,761  10 % 
Provision for credit losses 3,250   3,300   2,100   1,800   1,800   81   6,550   5,600  17   
Noninterest income 24,531   20,968   23,045   24,180   23,340   5   45,499   45,736  (1)  
Total revenue 139,065   133,302   135,824   134,490   130,016   7   272,367   251,897  8   
Expenses 81,813   76,084   78,242   77,718   76,850   6   157,897   150,325  5   
Income before income tax expense 57,252   57,218   57,582   56,772   53,166   8   114,470   101,572  13   
Income tax expense 13,167   12,956   12,445   13,090   13,532   (3)  26,123   24,280  8   
Net income 44,085   44,262   45,137   43,682   39,634   11   88,347   77,292  14   
Merger-related and other charges 4,087   739   1,234   592   2,873      4,826   5,519     
Income tax benefit of merger-related and other charges (940)  (172)  (604)  (141)  (121)     (1,112)  (749)    
Net income - operating (1)$  47,232   $  44,829   $  45,767   $  44,133   $  42,386    11  $  92,061   $  82,062     12    
                            
PERFORMANCE MEASURES                           
Per common share:                           
Diluted net income - GAAP$0.55  $0.55  $0.56  $0.54  $0.49   12  $1.10  $0.97  13   
Diluted net income - operating  (1) 0.59   0.56   0.57   0.55   0.53   11   1.15   1.03  12   
Cash dividends declared 0.17   0.16   0.16   0.15   0.15   13   0.33   0.27  22   
Book value 19.65   18.93   18.24   17.56   17.29   14   19.65   17.29  14   
Tangible book value (3) 15.38   14.93   14.24   13.54   13.25   16   15.38   13.25  16   
                            
Key performance ratios:                           
Return on common equity - GAAP (2)(4) 11.45 % 11.85 % 12.08 %11.96 % 11.20 %    11.65 % 11.15 %    
Return on common equity - operating (1)(2)(4) 12.27   12.00   12.25   12.09   11.97      12.14   11.84     
Return on tangible common equity - operating (1)(2)(3)(4) 15.88   15.46   15.88   15.81   15.79      15.67   15.53     
Return on assets - GAAP (4) 1.40   1.44   1.43   1.41   1.30      1.42   1.28     
Return on assets - operating (1)(4) 1.50   1.45   1.45   1.42   1.39      1.48   1.36     
Dividend payout ratio - GAAP 30.91   29.09   28.57   27.78   30.61      30.00   27.84     
Dividend payout ratio - operating (1) 28.81   28.57   28.07   27.27   28.30      28.70   26.21     
Net interest margin (fully taxable equivalent) (4) 4.12   4.10   3.97   3.95   3.90      4.11   3.85     
Efficiency ratio - GAAP 57.28   55.32   56.73   56.82   57.94      56.32   57.89     
Efficiency ratio - operating  (1) 54.42   54.78   55.83   56.39   55.77      54.60   55.76     
Average equity to average assets 12.14   11.82   11.35   11.33   11.21      11.98   11.13     
Average tangible common equity to average assets (3) 9.79   9.53   9.04   8.97   8.83      9.66   8.82     
Tangible common equity to risk-weighted assets (3)(5) 12.36   12.48   12.00   11.61   11.36      12.36   11.36     
                    -        
ASSET QUALITY                           
Nonperforming loans$26,597  $23,624  $23,778  $22,530  $21,817   22  $26,597  $21,817  22   
Foreclosed properties 75   1,127   1,305   1,336   2,597   (97)  75   2,597  (97)  
Total nonperforming assets (NPAs) 26,672   24,751   25,083   23,866   24,414   9   26,672   24,414  9   
Allowance for loan losses 62,204   61,642   61,203   60,940   61,071   2   62,204   61,071  2   
Net charge-offs 2,438   3,130   1,787   1,466   1,359   79   5,568   2,860  95   
Allowance for loan losses to loans 0.70 % 0.73 % 0.73 % 0.74 % 0.74 %    0.70 % 0.74 %    
Net charge-offs to average loans (4) 0.11   0.15   0.09   0.07   0.07      0.13   0.07     
NPAs to loans and foreclosed properties 0.30   0.29   0.30   0.29   0.30      0.30   0.30     
NPAs to total assets 0.21   0.20   0.20   0.19   0.20      0.21   0.20     
                            
AVERAGE BALANCES ($ in millions)                           
Loans$8,670  $8,430  $8,306  $8,200  $8,177   6  $8,551  $8,086  6   
Investment securities 2,674   2,883   3,004   2,916   2,802   (5)  2,778   2,836  (2)  
Earning assets 11,534   11,498   11,534   11,320   11,193   3   11,516   11,135  3   
Total assets 12,608   12,509   12,505   12,302   12,213   3   12,559   12,163  3   
Deposits 10,493   10,361   10,306   9,950   9,978   5   10,427   9,869  6   
Shareholders’ equity 1,531   1,478   1,420   1,394   1,370   12   1,505   1,353  11   
Common shares - basic (thousands) 79,673   79,807   79,884   79,806   79,753   -   79,739   79,477  -   
Common shares - diluted (thousands) 79,678   79,813   79,890   79,818   79,755   -   79,745   79,487  -   
                            
AT PERIOD END ($ in millions)                           
Loans$8,838  $8,493  $8,383  $8,226  $8,220   8  $8,838  $8,220  8   
Investment securities 2,620   2,720   2,903   2,873   2,834   (8)  2,620   2,834  (8)  
Total assets 12,779   12,506   12,573   12,405   12,386   3   12,779   12,386  3   
Deposits 10,591   10,534   10,535   10,229   9,966   6   10,591   9,966  6   
Shareholders’ equity 1,566   1,508   1,458   1,402   1,379   14   1,566   1,379  14   
Common shares outstanding (thousands) 79,075   79,035   79,234   79,202   79,138   -   79,075   79,138  -   
                            
(1)  Excludes merger-related and other charges which includes amortization of certain executive change of control benefits. (2)  Net income less preferred stock dividends, divided by average realized common equity, which excludes accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).  (3)  Excludes effect of acquisition related intangibles and associated amortization.  (4)  Annualized.  (5)  Second quarter 2019 ratio is preliminary. 
                            


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.             
Non-GAAP Performance Measures Reconciliation           
Selected Financial Information              
               
               
  2019   2018  For the Six Months Ended 
  Second   First   Fourth   Third   Second   June 30,  
(in thousands, except per share data)Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter  2019   2018  
               
Expense reconciliation              
Expenses (GAAP)$81,813  $76,084  $78,242  $77,718  $76,850  $157,897  $150,325  
Merger-related and other charges (4,087)  (739)  (1,234)  (592)  (2,873)  (4,826)  (5,519) 
Expenses - operating$77,726  $75,345  $77,008  $77,126  $73,977  $153,071  $144,806  
               
Net income reconciliation              
Net income (GAAP)$44,085  $44,262  $45,137  $43,682  $39,634  $88,347  $77,292  
Merger-related and other charges 4,087   739   1,234   592   2,873   4,826   5,519  
Income tax benefit of merger-related and other charges (940)  (172)  (604)  (141)  (121)  (1,112)  (749) 
Net income - operating$47,232  $44,829  $45,767  $44,133  $42,386  $92,061  $82,062  
                 
Diluted income per common share reconciliation                
Diluted income per common share (GAAP)$0.55  $0.55  $0.56  $0.54  $0.49  $1.10  $0.97  
Merger-related and other charges 0.04   0.01   0.01   0.01   0.04   0.05   0.06  
Diluted income per common share - operating$0.59  $0.56  $0.57  $0.55  $0.53  $1.15  $1.03  
               
Book value per common share reconciliation              
Book value per common share (GAAP)$19.65  $18.93  $18.24  $17.56  $17.29  $19.65  $17.29  
Effect of goodwill and other intangibles (4.27)  (4.00)  (4.00)  (4.02)  (4.04)  (4.27)  (4.04) 
Tangible book value per common share$15.38  $14.93  $14.24  $13.54  $13.25  $15.38  $13.25  
               
Return on tangible common equity reconciliation             
Return on common equity (GAAP) 11.45 % 11.85 % 12.08 % 11.96 % 11.20 % 11.65 % 11.15 %
Merger-related and other charges 0.82   0.15   0.17   0.13   0.77   0.49   0.69  
Return on common equity - operating 12.27   12.00   12.25   12.09   11.97   12.14   11.84  
Effect of goodwill and other intangibles 3.61   3.46   3.63   3.72   3.82   3.53   3.69  
Return on tangible common equity - operating 15.88 % 15.46 % 15.88 % 15.81 % 15.79 % 15.67 % 15.53 %
               
Return on assets reconciliation              
Return on assets (GAAP) 1.40 % 1.44 % 1.43 % 1.41 % 1.30 % 1.42 % 1.28 %
Merger-related and other charges 0.10   0.01   0.02   0.01   0.09   0.06   0.08  
Return on assets - operating 1.50 % 1.45 % 1.45 % 1.42 % 1.39 % 1.48 % 1.36 %
               
Dividend payout ratio reconciliation              
Dividend payout ratio (GAAP) 30.91 % 29.09 % 28.57 % 27.78 % 30.61 % 30.00 % 27.84 %
Merger-related and other charges (2.10)  (0.52)  (0.50)  (0.51)  (2.31)  (1.30)  (1.63) 
Dividend payout ratio - operating 28.81 % 28.57 % 28.07 % 27.27 % 28.30 % 28.70 % 26.21 %
               
Efficiency ratio reconciliation              
Efficiency ratio (GAAP) 57.28 % 55.32 % 56.73 % 56.82 % 57.94 % 56.32 % 57.89 %
Merger-related and other charges (2.86)  (0.54)  (0.90)  (0.43)  (2.17)  (1.72)  (2.13) 
Efficiency ratio - operating 54.42 % 54.78 % 55.83 % 56.39 % 55.77 % 54.60 % 55.76 %
               
Average equity to average assets reconciliation              
Average equity to assets (GAAP) 12.14 % 11.82 % 11.35 % 11.33 % 11.21 % 11.98 % 11.13 %
Effect of goodwill and other intangibles (2.35)  (2.29)  (2.31)  (2.36)  (2.38)  (2.32)  (2.31) 
Average tangible common equity to average assets 9.79 % 9.53 % 9.04 % 8.97 % 8.83 % 9.66 % 8.82 %
               
Tangible common equity to risk-weighted assets reconciliation (1)           
Tier 1 capital ratio (Regulatory) 12.36 % 12.69 % 12.42 % 12.25 % 11.94 % 12.36 % 11.94 %
Effect of other comprehensive income 0.07   (0.17)  (0.44)  (0.68)  (0.57)  0.07   (0.57) 
Effect of deferred tax limitation 0.18   0.22   0.28   0.30   0.33   0.18   0.33  
Effect of trust preferred (0.25)  (0.26)  (0.26)  (0.26)  (0.34)  (0.25)  (0.34) 
Tangible common equity to risk-weighted assets 12.36 % 12.48 % 12.00 % 11.61 % 11.36 % 12.36 % 11.36 %
               
(1)  Second quarter 2019 ratios are preliminary.
 


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.          
Financial Highlights             
Loan Portfolio Composition at Period-End          
              
             Year 
  2019  2018Linked 
 over 
  Second   First   Fourth   Third   Second  Quarter  Year 
(in millions)Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Quarter Change Change
LOANS BY CATEGORY             
Owner occupied commercial RE$1,658 $1,620 $1,648 $1,673 $1,682 $38  $(24)
Income producing commercial RE 1,939  1,867  1,812  1,788  1,821  72   118 
Commercial & industrial 1,299  1,284  1,278  1,194  1,193  15   106 
Commercial construction 983  866  796  761  735  117   248 
Equipment financing 674  606  565  509  465  68   209 
Total commercial 6,553  6,243  6,099  5,925  5,896  310   657 
Residential mortgage 1,108  1,064  1,049  1,035  1,021  44   87 
Home equity lines of credit 675  684  694  702  708  (9)  (33)
Residential construction 219  200  211  198  195  19   24 
Consumer 283  302  330  366  400  (19)  (117)
Total loans$8,838 $8,493 $8,383 $8,226 $8,220  345   618 
              


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.          
Financial Highlights             
Credit Quality             
              
              
(in thousands) Second Quarter
2019
 First Quarter
2019
 Fourth Quarter
2018
       
            
NONACCRUAL LOANS BY CATEGORY           
Owner occupied CRE $8,177  $7,030  $6,421        
Income producing CRE  1,331   1,276   1,160        
Commercial & industrial  2,366   1,666   1,417        
Commercial construction  1,650   473   605        
Equipment financing  2,047   1,813   2,677        
Total commercial  15,571   12,258   12,280        
Residential mortgage  8,012   8,281   8,035        
Home equity lines of credit  1,978   2,233   2,360        
Residential construction  494   347   288        
Consumer  542   505   815        
Total NPAs $26,597  $23,624  $23,778        
              
NONACCRUAL LOANS ACTIVITY           
Beginning Balance $23,624  $23,778  $22,530        
Loans placed on non-accrual  8,316   6,759   5,829        
Payments received  (3,212)  (3,520)  (2,780)       
Loan charge-offs  (2,131)  (2,714)  (933)       
Foreclosures  -   (679)  (868)       
Ending Balance $26,597  $23,624  $23,778        
              
  Second Quarter 2019 First Quarter 2019 Fourth Quarter 2018 
(in thousands) Net
Charge-Offs
 Net Charge-
Offs to Average
Loans
(1)
 Net
Charge-Offs
 Net Charge-
Offs to Average
Loans
(1)
 Net
Charge-Offs
 Net Charge-
Offs to Average
Loans
(1)
 
            
NET CHARGE-OFFS BY CATEGORY           
Owner occupied CRE $(58)  (0.01)%$(64) (0.02)%$(52) (0.01)%
Income producing CRE  241   0.05   177  0.04   399  0.09  
Commercial & industrial  1,141   0.35   1,356  0.43   (149) (0.05) 
Commercial construction  (162)  (0.07)  (325) (0.16)  (230) (0.12) 
Equipment financing  890   0.56   1,281  0.89   599  0.44  
Total commercial  2,052   0.13   2,425  0.16   567  0.04  
Residential mortgage  (125)  (0.05)  13  -   290  0.11  
Home equity lines of credit  (111)  (0.07)  215  0.13   382  0.22  
Residential construction  199   0.38   (22) (0.04)  (36) (0.07) 
Consumer  423   0.58   499  0.64   584  0.67  
Total $2,438   0.11  $3,130  0.15  $1,787  0.09  
              
(1)  Annualized.
 


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.        
Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)        
         
  Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
  June 30, June 30,
(in thousands, except per share data)  2019  2018   2019   2018 
         
Interest revenue:        
Loans, including fees $119,671 $103,492  $234,930  $199,961 
Investment securities, including tax exempt of $1,122, $1,025, $2,291 and $1,997  19,076  18,254   39,894   36,549 
Deposits in banks and short-term investments  409  469   848   995 
Total interest revenue  139,156  122,215   275,672   237,505 
         
Interest expense:        
Deposits:        
NOW and interest-bearing demand  3,377  1,303   6,913   2,416 
Money market  4,925  2,583   9,130   4,758 
Savings  42  35   74   84 
Time  8,771  4,198   16,955   7,154 
Total deposit interest expense  17,115  8,119   33,072   14,412 
Short-term borrowings  248  198   409   498 
Federal Home Loan Bank advances  752  1,636   2,174   3,760 
Long-term debt  3,257  3,786   6,599   7,074 
Total interest expense  21,372  13,739   42,254   25,744 
Net interest revenue  117,784  108,476   233,418   211,761 
Provision for credit losses  3,250  1,800   6,550   5,600 
Net interest revenue after provision for credit losses  114,534  106,676   226,868   206,161 
         
Noninterest income:        
Service charges and fees  9,060  8,794   17,513   17,719 
Mortgage loan and other related fees  5,344  5,307   9,092   10,666 
Brokerage fees  1,588  1,201   2,925   2,073 
Gains from sales of SBA/USDA loans  1,470  2,401   2,773   4,179 
Securities gains (losses), net  149  (364)  (118)  (1,304)
Other  6,920  6,001   13,314   12,403 
Total noninterest income  24,531  23,340   45,499   45,736 
Total revenue  139,065  130,016   272,367   251,897 
         
Noninterest expenses:        
Salaries and employee benefits  48,157  45,363   95,660   88,238 
Communications and equipment  6,222  4,849   12,010   9,481 
Occupancy  5,919  5,547   11,503   11,160 
Advertising and public relations  1,596  1,384   2,882   2,899 
Postage, printing and supplies  1,529  1,685   3,115   3,322 
Professional fees  4,054  3,464   7,215   7,508 
FDIC assessments and other regulatory charges  1,547  1,973   3,257   4,449 
Amortization of intangibles  1,342  1,847   2,635   3,745 
Merger-related and other charges  3,894  2,280   4,440   4,334 
Other  7,553  8,458   15,180   15,189 
Total noninterest expenses  81,813  76,850   157,897   150,325 
Net income before income taxes  57,252  53,166   114,470   101,572 
Income tax expense  13,167  13,532   26,123   24,280 
Net income $44,085 $39,634  $88,347  $77,292 
         
Net income available to common shareholders $43,769 $39,359  $87,716  $76,740 
         
Earnings per common share:        
Basic $0.55 $0.49   1.10  $0.97 
Diluted  0.55  0.49   1.10   0.97 
Weighted average common shares outstanding:        
Basic  79,673  79,745   79,739   79,477 
Diluted  79,678  79,755   79,745   79,487 
         


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.    
Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited)    
     
  June 30, December 31,
(in thousands, except share and per share data)  2019   2018 
     
ASSETS    
Cash and due from banks $118,361  $126,083 
Interest-bearing deposits in banks  157,418   201,182 
Cash and cash equivalents  275,779   327,265 
Debt securities available for sale  2,366,502   2,628,467 
Debt securities held to maturity (fair value $256,975 and $268,803)  253,398   274,407 
Loans held for sale at fair value  46,285   18,935 
Loans and leases, net of unearned income  8,838,218   8,383,401 
Less allowance for loan and lease losses  (62,204)  (61,203)
Loans, net  8,776,014   8,322,198 
Premises and equipment, net  217,086   206,140 
Bank owned life insurance  200,993   192,616 
Accrued interest receivable  35,439   35,413 
Net deferred tax asset  40,870   64,224 
Derivative financial instruments  35,209   24,705 
Goodwill and other intangible assets  344,550   324,072 
Other assets  187,313   154,750 
Total assets $12,779,438  $12,573,192 
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY    
Liabilities:    
Deposits:    
Noninterest-bearing demand $3,461,584  $3,210,220 
NOW and interest-bearing demand  2,059,694   2,274,775 
Money market  2,281,818   2,097,526 
Savings  693,961   669,886 
Time  1,840,271   1,598,391 
Brokered  253,942   683,715 
Total deposits  10,591,270   10,534,513 
Short-term borrowings  40,000   - 
Federal Home Loan Bank advances  160,000   160,000 
Long-term debt  247,952   267,189 
Derivative financial instruments  16,769   26,433 
Accrued expenses and other liabilities  157,113   127,503 
Total liabilities  11,213,104   11,115,638 
Shareholders' equity:    
Common stock, $1 par value; 150,000,000 shares authorized;    
79,075,219 and 79,234,077 shares issued and outstanding  79,075   79,234 
Common stock issuable; 641,725 and 674,499 shares  10,858   10,744 
Capital surplus  1,498,740   1,499,584 
Accumulated deficit  (29,116)  (90,419)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)  6,777   (41,589)
Total shareholders' equity  1,566,334   1,457,554 
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $12,779,438  $12,573,192 
     


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.           
Average Consolidated Balance Sheets and Net Interest Analysis        
For the Three Months Ended June 30,           
            
 2019   2018  
   Average    Avg.    Average    Avg. 
(dollars in thousands, fully taxable equivalent (FTE))  Balance     Interest  Rate    Balance     Interest  Rate 
Assets:           
Interest-earning assets:           
Loans, net of unearned income (FTE) (1)(2)$8,669,847  $119,6685.54% $8,177,343  $103,3955.07%
Taxable securities (3) 2,506,942   17,9542.86   2,651,816   17,2292.60 
Tax-exempt securities (FTE) (1)(3) 166,628   1,5073.62   150,503   1,3803.67 
Federal funds sold and other interest-earning assets 190,678   6791.42   212,849   6741.27 
            
Total interest-earning assets (FTE) 11,534,095   139,8084.86   11,192,511   122,6784.39 
Noninterest-earning assets:           
Allowance for loan losses (62,716)      (62,275)    
Cash and due from banks 125,021       133,060     
Premises and equipment 224,018       218,517     
Other assets (3) 787,859       731,514     
Total assets$12,608,277      $12,213,327     
            
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity:           
Interest-bearing liabilities:           
Interest-bearing deposits:           
NOW and interest-bearing demand$2,107,041   3,3770.64  $2,071,289   1,3030.25 
Money market 2,269,321   4,9250.87   2,214,077   2,5830.47 
Savings 687,753   420.02   678,988   350.02 
Time 1,773,968   6,9491.57   1,524,124   2,6960.71 
Brokered time deposits 298,553   1,8222.45   300,389   1,5022.01 
Total interest-bearing deposits 7,136,636 - 17,1150.96   6,788,867 - 8,1190.48 
            
Federal funds purchased and other borrowings 38,838   2482.56   45,241   1981.76 
Federal Home Loan Bank advances 117,912   7522.56   335,521   1,6361.96 
Long-term debt 252,351   3,2575.18   316,812   3,7864.79 
Total borrowed funds 409,101   4,2574.17   697,574   5,6203.23 
            
Total interest-bearing liabilities 7,545,737   21,3721.14   7,486,441   13,7390.74 
Noninterest-bearing liabilities:           
Noninterest-bearing deposits 3,355,930       3,188,847     
Other liabilities 175,806       168,417     
Total liabilities 11,077,473       10,843,705     
Shareholders' equity 1,530,804       1,369,622     
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity$12,608,277      $12,213,327     
            
Net interest revenue (FTE)  $118,436     $108,939  
Net interest-rate spread (FTE)   3.72%    3.65%
            
Net interest margin (FTE) (4)   4.12%    3.90%
            
(1)  Interest revenue on tax-exempt securities and loans has been increased to reflect comparable interest on taxable securities and loans. The rate used was 26%,
reflecting the statutory federal income tax rate and the federal tax adjusted state income tax rate.
 
(2)  Included in the average balance of loans outstanding are loans where the accrual of interest has been discontinued and loans that are held for sale.
 
(3)  Securities available for sale are shown at amortized cost.  Pretax unrealized gains of $5.00 million in 2019 and pretax unrealized losses of $42.9 million in 
2018 are included in other assets for purposes of this presentation.
 
(4)  Net interest margin is taxable equivalent net-interest revenue divided by average interest-earning assets.
 


UNITED COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.           
Average Consolidated Balance Sheets and Net Interest Analysis        
For the Six Months Ended June 30,           
            
    2019      2018  
  Average   Avg.   Average   Avg. 
(dollars in thousands, fully taxable equivalent (FTE)) Balance   Interest Rate   Balance   Interest Rate 
Assets:           
Interest-earning assets:           
Loans, net of unearned income (FTE) (1)(2)$8,550,574  $235,0155.54% $8,085,849  $199,7844.98%
Taxable securities (3) 2,609,400   37,6032.88   2,687,200   34,5522.57 
Tax-exempt securities (FTE) (1)(3) 168,156   3,0773.66   148,528   2,6893.62 
Federal funds sold and other interest-earning assets 188,165   1,2971.38   212,951   1,3721.29 
            
Total interest-earning assets (FTE) 11,516,295   276,9924.84   11,134,528   238,3974.31 
Noninterest-earning assets:           
Allowance for loan losses (62,253)      (60,718)    
Cash and due from banks 124,414       146,697     
Premises and equipment 220,335       217,625     
Other assets (3) 759,899       724,488     
Total assets$12,558,690      $12,162,620     
            
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity:           
Interest-bearing liabilities:           
Interest-bearing deposits:           
NOW and interest-bearing demand$2,157,648   6,9130.65  $2,077,461   2,4160.23 
Money market 2,222,846   9,1300.83   2,222,304   4,7580.43 
Savings 680,018   740.02   667,431   840.03 
Time 1,701,181   12,2851.46   1,529,639   4,9370.65 
Brokered time deposits 389,794   4,6702.42   229,766   2,2171.95 
Total interest-bearing deposits 7,151,487   33,0720.93   6,726,601   14,4120.43 
            
Federal funds purchased and other borrowings 30,241   4092.73   61,894   4981.62 
Federal Home Loan Bank advances 170,636   2,1742.57   423,137   3,7601.79 
Long-term debt 257,134   6,5995.18   295,763   7,0744.82 
Total borrowed funds 458,011   9,1824.04   780,794   11,3322.93 
            
Total interest-bearing liabilities 7,609,498   42,2541.12   7,507,395   25,7440.69 
Noninterest-bearing liabilities:           
Noninterest-bearing deposits 3,275,612       3,142,384     
Other liabilities 169,048       159,734     
Total liabilities 11,054,158       10,809,513     
Shareholders' equity 1,504,532       1,353,107     
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity$12,558,690      $12,162,620     
            
Net interest revenue (FTE)  $234,738     $212,653  
Net interest-rate spread (FTE)   3.72%    3.62%
            
Net interest margin (FTE) (4)   4.11%    3.85%
            
(1)  Interest revenue on tax-exempt securities and loans has been increased to reflect comparable interest on taxable securities and loans. The rate used was 26%,
reflecting the statutory federal income tax rate and the federal tax adjusted state income tax rate. 
(2)  Included in the average balance of loans outstanding are loans where the accrual of interest has been discontinued and loans that are held for sale. 
(3)  Securities available for sale are shown at amortized cost.  Pretax unrealized losses of $10.4 million in 2019 and pretax unrealized losses of $35.6 million in 
2018 are included in other assets for purposes of this presentation. 
(4)  Net interest margin is taxable equivalent net-interest revenue divided by average interest-earning assets. 
        

About United Community Banks, Inc.
United Community Banks, Inc. (NASDAQ: UCBI) is a bank holding company headquartered in Blairsville, Georgia, with executive offices in Greenville, South Carolina. United is one of the southeast region’s largest full-service financial institutions with $12.8 billion in assets, and 147 offices in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. It operates principally through United Community Bank, its bank subsidiary, which specializes in personalized community banking services for individuals, small businesses and companies. Services include a full range of consumer and commercial banking products, including mortgage, advisory, and treasury management. Respected national research firms consistently recognize United Community Bank for outstanding customer service. For five of the past six years, J.D. Power has ranked United Community Bank first in customer satisfaction in the Southeast. In 2019, for the sixth consecutive year, Forbes magazine included United on its list of the 100 Best Banks in America, and for the first time included United on its list of The World’s Best Banks. Additional information about UCBI and the Bank can be found at www.ucbi.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
This press release, including the accompanying financial statement tables, contains financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. This financial information includes certain operating performance measures, which exclude merger-related and other charges that are not considered part of recurring operations, such as “operating net income,” “operating net income per diluted common share,” “operating earnings per share,” “tangible book value per common share,” “operating return on common equity,” “operating return on tangible common equity,” “operating return on assets,” “operating dividend payout ratio,” “operating efficiency ratio,” “average tangible equity to average assets,” “average tangible common equity to average assets” and “tangible common equity to risk-weighted assets.” These non-GAAP measures are included because United believes they may provide useful supplemental information for evaluating United’s underlying performance trends. These measures should be viewed in addition to, and not as an alternative to or substitute for, measures determined in accordance with GAAP, and are not necessarily comparable to non-GAAP measures that may be presented by other companies. To the extent applicable, reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable measures as reported in accordance with GAAP are included with the accompanying financial statement tables.

For more information:
Jefferson Harralson
Chief Financial Officer
(864) 240-6208
Jefferson_Harralson@ucbi.com