KEY KeyCorp

CLEVELAND, Jan. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) today announced fourth quarter net income from continuing operations attributable to Key common shareholders of $213 million, or $.20 per common share, compared to $165 million, or $.16 per common share, for the third quarter of 2016, and $224 million, or $.27 per common share, for the fourth quarter of 2015. During the fourth quarter of 2016, Key incurred merger-related charges totaling $198 million, or $.11 per common share, compared to $207 million, or $.14 per common share, in the third quarter of 2016. Excluding merger-related charges, earnings per common share were $.31 for the fourth quarter of 2016 and $.30 for the third quarter of 2016. Merger-related charges were $6 million in the fourth quarter of 2015.

"Key's fourth quarter results reflect continued momentum in our core businesses and the successful integration of the largest acquisition in our company's history," said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Beth Mooney. "Excluding merger-related charges, we generated positive operating leverage for the quarter, our return on tangible common equity was 12.5%, and our cash efficiency ratio declined to 63.3%, reflecting solid performance across Key's businesses and early progress on merger synergies."

"We continued to see positive trends in the Community Bank and Corporate Bank this quarter, with both segments contributing to our overall revenue growth. Noninterest income increased as we continued to do more with our clients and see results from our investments," Mooney continued. "We had our strongest quarter ever in investment banking and debt placement fees, and for the full year generated $482 million in fees, marking another record year, with results up 8% from last year."

"The contribution from our First Niagara acquisition and quality of our new team members continue to exceed our expectations," added Mooney. "As we continue to realize cost savings and begin to see traction on revenue opportunities, we remain confident in reaching our financial targets."

 

 

 

 

Fourth quarter 2016 net interest income included $92 million of purchase accounting accretion related to the acquisition of First Niagara, including $34 million related to refinement of third quarter 2016 purchase accounting estimates.

Taxable-equivalent net interest income was $948 million for the fourth quarter of 2016, and the net interest margin was 3.12%, compared to taxable-equivalent net interest income of $610 million and a net interest margin of 2.87% for the fourth quarter of 2015, reflecting the benefit from the First Niagara acquisition and ongoing business activity.

Compared to the third quarter of 2016, taxable-equivalent net interest income increased by $160 million, and the net interest margin increased by 27 basis points. The increases in both net interest income and the net interest margin reflect the benefit from a full-quarter impact of the First Niagara acquisition and refinement of third quarter 2016 purchase accounting estimates. The net interest margin also benefited from the redeployment of excess liquidity into investment securities.

 

 

Fourth quarter 2016 reported noninterest income includes a benefit of $9 million associated with merger-related charges that includes adjustments to purchase accounting, compared to charges of $12 million in the third quarter of 2016.

Key's noninterest income was $618 million for the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to $485 million for the year-ago quarter. The increase was driven by the acquisition of First Niagara, as well as continued positive momentum in Key's core businesses. Investment banking and debt placement fees, cards and payments income, service charges on deposit accounts, and other income all contributed to the growth.

Compared to the third quarter of 2016, noninterest income increased by $69 million. The increase included a full-quarter impact of the First Niagara acquisition as well as adjustments to purchase accounting that have been recorded as merger-related charges. Operating lease income and other leasing gains increased $15 million, with prior quarter results impacted by lease residual losses. Additionally, corporate-owned life insurance income increased $11 million, reflecting normal seasonality. Other income was impacted by merger-related charges, which contributed $19 million to the linked quarter increase.

 

 

Key's noninterest expense was $1.2 billion for the fourth quarter of 2016, which included $207 million of merger-related charges, as well as a pension settlement charge of $18 million. The merger-related charges were primarily made up of $80 million in personnel expense related to systems conversions, as well as fully-dedicated personnel for merger and integration efforts. The remaining $127 million of merger-related charges were nonpersonnel expense, largely recognized in net occupancy, computer processing, business services and professional fees, and marketing expense. In the third quarter of 2016, noninterest expense included $189 million of merger-related charges, while $6 million of merger-related charges were incurred in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Excluding merger-related charges, noninterest expense was $283 million higher than the fourth quarter of last year. The increase from the prior year, reflected in both personnel and nonpersonnel expense, was largely driven by the acquisition of First Niagara, as well as higher incentive and stock-based compensation. Additionally, Key incurred $14 million in an increased pension settlement charge, and intangible asset amortization increased $18 million.

Compared to the third quarter of 2016, excluding merger-related charges, noninterest expense increased by $120 million. The increase, reflected in both personnel and nonpersonnel expense, was largely driven by an extra month of impact from First Niagara, as well as a pension settlement charge of $18 million during the fourth quarter. Incentive and stock-based compensation also increased, primarily related to stock-based compensation plans, reflecting the impact of Key's higher share price. In the fourth quarter of 2016, intangible asset amortization increased $14 million.

BALANCE SHEET HIGHLIGHTS

In the fourth quarter of 2016, Key had average assets of $136 billion compared to $96.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2015 and $125.1 billion in the third quarter of 2016, primarily reflecting the acquisition of First Niagara.

Average securities available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities totaled $29.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to $19.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2015 and $24.2 billion in the third quarter of 2016.  The increase compared to both the year-ago quarter and prior quarter primarily reflects the impact of the First Niagara acquisition and the redeployment of excess liquidity into the investment portfolio.

 

 

During the fourth quarter, Key adjusted the fair value mark on the First Niagara acquired loan portfolio from $686 million to $548 million.

Average loans were $85.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2016, an increase of $25.8 billion compared to the fourth quarter of 2015, primarily reflecting the impact of the First Niagara acquisition and growth in commercial, financial and agricultural loans.

Compared to the third quarter of 2016, average loans increased by $7.7 billion, with the change reflecting the full-quarter impact of the First Niagara acquisition, September branch divestitures, and the exit of acquired non-relationship commercial loans. On a period-end basis, Key's loan portfolio increased $510 million, driven by growth in commercial, financial and agricultural loans and improvement in the fair value mark on the acquired portfolio.

 

 

Average deposits, excluding deposits in foreign office, totaled $104.7 billion for the fourth quarter of 2016, an increase of $33.2 billion compared to the year-ago quarter, primarily reflecting the acquisition of First Niagara and higher interest-bearing deposits resulting from core deposit growth in Key's retail banking franchise and growth in escrow deposits from the commercial mortgage servicing business. 

Compared to the third quarter of 2016, average deposits increased by $9.8 billion, reflecting the full-quarter impact of the First Niagara acquisition, core deposit growth in Key's retail banking franchise, and deposit inflows from Key's commercial clients.

 

 

Key's provision for credit losses was $66 million for the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to $45 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 and $59 million for the third quarter of 2016.  Key's allowance for loan and lease losses was $858 million, or 1.00% of total period-end loans, at December 31, 2016, compared to 1.33% at December 31, 2015, and 1.01% at September 30, 2016.

Net loan charge-offs for the fourth quarter of 2016 totaled $72 million, or .34% of average total loans, reflecting regulatory guidance on consumer bankruptcies and conforming First Niagara charge-off policies to Key. These results compare to $37 million, or .25%, for the fourth quarter of 2015, and $44 million, or .23%, for the third quarter of 2016.

At December 31, 2016, Key's nonperforming loans totaled $625 million, which represented .73% of period-end portfolio loans. These results compare to .65% at December 31, 2015, and .85% at September 30, 2016. Nonperforming assets at December 31, 2016, totaled $676 million, and represented .79% of period-end portfolio loans and OREO and other nonperforming assets. These results compare to .67% at December 31, 2015, and .89% at September 30, 2016.

CAPITAL

Key's estimated risk-based capital ratios included in the following table continued to exceed all "well-capitalized" regulatory benchmarks at December 31, 2016.

 

 

As shown in the preceding table, at December 31, 2016, Key's estimated Common Equity Tier 1 and Tier 1 risk-based capital ratios stood at 9.59% and 10.95%, respectively.  In addition, the tangible common equity ratio was 8.09% at December 31, 2016.

As a "standardized approach" banking organization, Key's mandatory compliance with the final Basel III capital framework for U.S. banking organizations (the "Regulatory Capital Rules") began on January 1, 2015, subject to transitional provisions extending to January 1, 2019. Key's estimated Common Equity Tier 1 ratio as calculated under the fully phased-in Regulatory Capital Rules was 9.47% at December 31, 2016.  This estimate exceeds the fully phased-in required minimum Common Equity Tier 1 and Capital Conservation Buffer of 7.00%.

 

 

During the fourth quarter of 2016, Key completed $68 million of common share repurchases, including repurchases to offset issuances of common shares under our employee compensation plans, in accordance with Key's 2016 Capital Plan.

LINE OF BUSINESS RESULTS

The following table shows the contribution made by each major business segment to Key's taxable-equivalent revenue from continuing operations and income (loss) from continuing operations attributable to Key for the periods presented.  For more detailed financial information pertaining to each business segment, see the tables at the end of this release.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key Community Bank Summary of Operations (4Q16 vs. 4Q15)

• Positive operating leverage from prior year
• Net income increased $45 million, or 64.3% from prior year
• Average commercial, financial, and agricultural loans increased $4.9 billion, or 38.6% from the prior year
• Average deposits increased $27.1 billion, or 52% from the prior year

Key Community Bank recorded net income attributable to Key of $115 million for the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to $70 million for the year-ago quarter, benefiting from momentum in Key's core businesses, as well as the impact of the First Niagara acquisition.

Taxable-equivalent net interest income increased by $240 million, or 61.9%, from the fourth quarter of 2015. The increase is primarily attributable to the acquisition of First Niagara. Average loans and leases increased $16.1 billion, or 52.1%, largely driven by a $4.9 billion, or 38.6% increase in commercial, financial, and agricultural loans. Additionally, average deposits increased $27.1 billion, or 52% from one year ago.

Noninterest income increased $73 million, or 36.5%, from the year-ago quarter, with positive trends in cards and payments income and service charges on deposit accounts.

The provision for credit losses increased by $24 million, or 120%, from the fourth quarter of 2015,  primarily related to the acquisition of First Niagara, which was partially offset by enhancements to the approach utilized to determine the consumer allowance for loan and lease losses in the fourth quarter of 2016. Net loan charge-offs increased $19 million, primarily related to the acquisition of First Niagara.

Noninterest expense increased by $217 million, or 47.6%, from the year-ago quarter, largely driven by the acquisition of First Niagara, as well as core business activity and investments. Personnel expense increased $73 million while non-personnel expense increased by $144 million, including higher intangible amortization expense and higher FDIC assessment expense.

 

 

 

 

Key Corporate Bank Summary of Operations (4Q16 vs. 4Q15)

• Record quarter and year for investment banking and debt placement fees
• Net income increased $79 million, or 55.6% from the prior year
• Average loans and leases increased $9.8 billion, or 36.3% from the prior year
• Average deposits increased $4.1 billion, or 21.5% from the prior year

Key Corporate Bank recorded net income attributable to Key of $221 million for the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to $142 million for the same period one year ago, reflecting the impact of the First Niagara acquisition as well as positive trends in Key's core businesses.

Taxable-equivalent net interest income increased by $108 million, or 48.2%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2015.  Average loan and lease balances increased $9.8 billion, or 36.3%, from the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by the First Niagara acquisition as well as growth in commercial, financial and agricultural loans. Average deposit balances increased $4.1 billion, or 21.5%, from the year-ago quarter, mostly driven by the First Niagara acquisition, as well as growth in commercial escrow deposits.

Noninterest income increased $43 million, or 16.9%, from the prior year.  This growth was mostly due to investment banking and debt placement fees, which increased $29 million, or 23.2%, cards and payments income which increased $7 million, and operating lease income and other leasing gains which increased $6 million.

The provision for credit losses decreased $5 million, or 19.2%, compared to the fourth quarter of 2015.

Noninterest expense increased by $68 million, or 26.5%, from the fourth quarter of 2015. The increase from the prior year, reflected in both personnel and nonpersonnel expense, was largely driven by the acquisition of First Niagara, higher performance-based compensation and various other items, including operating lease and cards and payments expenses.

Key Corporate Bank also continued to benefit from a higher volume of low income housing and energy tax credits.

Other Segments

Other Segments consist of Corporate Treasury, Key's Principal Investing unit, and various exit portfolios.  Other Segments generated net income attributable to Key of $29 million for the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to $25 million for the same period last year, largely due to higher net gains from principal investing.

*****

KeyCorp's roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $136.5 billion at December 31, 2016.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, insurance, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of more than 1,200 branches and more than 1,500 ATMs.  Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

 

 

Notes to Editors:

A live Internet broadcast of KeyCorp's conference call to discuss quarterly results and currently anticipated earnings trends and to answer analysts' questions can be accessed through the Investor Relations section at https://www.key.com/ir at 9:00 a.m. ET, on Thursday, January 19, 2017.  An audio replay of the call will be available through January 29, 2017.

 

 

          

 

 

 

GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations
(dollars in millions)

The table below presents certain non-GAAP financial measures related to "tangible common equity," "return on average tangible common equity," "Common Equity Tier 1," "pre-provision net revenue," certain financial measures excluding merger-related charges, and "cash efficiency ratio."

The tangible common equity ratio and the return on average tangible common equity ratio have been a focus for some investors, and management believes these ratios may assist investors in analyzing Key's capital position without regard to the effects of intangible assets and preferred stock.  Traditionally, the banking regulators have assessed bank and bank holding company capital adequacy based on both the amount and the composition of capital, the calculation of which is prescribed in federal banking regulations.  In October 2013, the federal banking regulators published the final Basel III capital framework for U.S. banking organizations (the "Regulatory Capital Rules").  The Regulatory Capital Rules require higher and better-quality capital and introduced a new capital measure, "Common Equity Tier 1," a non-GAAP financial measure.  The mandatory compliance date for Key as a "standardized approach" banking organization began on January 1, 2015, subject to transitional provisions extending to January 1, 2019.

Common Equity Tier 1 is not formally defined by GAAP and is considered to be a non-GAAP financial measure.  Since analysts and banking regulators may assess Key's capital adequacy using tangible common equity and Common Equity Tier 1, management believes it is useful to enable investors to assess Key's capital adequacy on these same bases.  The table also reconciles the GAAP performance measures to the corresponding non-GAAP measures.

The table also shows the computation for pre-provision net revenue, which is not formally defined by GAAP.  Management believes that eliminating the effects of the provision for credit losses makes it easier to analyze the results by presenting them on a more comparable basis.

As previously disclosed, Key completed its purchase of First Niagara on August 1, 2016.  The definitive agreement and plan of merger to acquire First Niagara was originally announced on October 30, 2015.  As a result of this transaction, Key has recognized merger-related charges.  The table below shows the computation of merger-related charges, noninterest expense excluding merger-related charges, earnings per common share excluding merger-related charges, return on average tangible common equity excluding merger-related charges, return on average assets from continuing operations excluding merger-related charges, and pre-provision net revenue excluding merger-related charges.  Management believes that eliminating the effects of the merger-related charges makes it easier to analyze the results by presenting them on a more comparable basis.

The cash efficiency ratio is a ratio of two non-GAAP performance measures. As such, there is no directly comparable GAAP performance measure.  The cash efficiency ratio performance measure removes the impact of Key's intangible asset amortization from the calculation.  The table below also shows the computation for the cash efficiency ratio excluding merger-related charges. Management believes these ratios provide greater consistency and comparability between Key's results and those of its peer banks.  Additionally, these ratios are used by analysts and investors as they develop earnings forecasts and peer bank analysis.

Non-GAAP financial measures have inherent limitations, are not required to be uniformly applied, and are not audited.  Although these non-GAAP financial measures are frequently used by investors to evaluate a company, they have limitations as analytical tools, and should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for analyses of results as reported under GAAP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SOURCE KeyCorp