Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. Q1 2025 Results

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Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc.
Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc.

SEATTLE, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sound Financial Bancorp, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq: SFBC), the holding company for Sound Community Bank (the "Bank"), today reported net income of $1.2 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2025, or $0.45 diluted earnings per share, as compared to net income of $1.9 million, or $0.74 diluted earnings per share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2024, and $770 thousand, or $0.30 diluted earnings per share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. The Company also announced today that its Board of Directors declared a cash dividend on the Company's common stock of $0.19 per share, payable on May 23, 2025 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 9, 2025.

Comments from the President / Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer

“Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, we remained focused on lowering our cost of deposits and originating new loans at higher rates, which contributed to a 12-basis point improvement in our net interest margin compared to the prior quarter. This reflects the team's strong efforts to build full banking relationships by addressing both the lending and deposit needs of our consumer and business clients,” remarked Laurie Stewart, President and Chief Executive Officer.

"We continue to prioritize expense management, even though expenses increased compared to the previous quarter. The quarter-over-quarter increase was largely due to typical year-end accrual adjustments and annual expenses that are recognized in the first quarter. However, when compared to the first quarter of 2024, we have seen reductions in combined salaries and benefits, and operational expenses, thanks to our investments in technology. We also expect the year-over-year growth in data processing costs to moderate as the year progresses," explained Wes Ochs, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Ochs continued, "While we did see an increase in nonperforming loans this quarter mainly due to two specific credits, one of which has since been repaid, we have not observed broader signs of stress in the loan portfolio. Importantly, we also successfully exited a $17 million loan that had been rated as special mention, which contributed to the decline in overall loan balances. Notably, 83% of our nonperforming loans are tied to just four loans, each with its own unique circumstances. These loans are well-secured, and we are actively working toward resolutions in the near-term."