EX-99.1 2 dex991.htm PRESS RELEASE Press Release

Exhibit 99.1

Company:

Michael J. Fitzpatrick

Chief Financial Officer

OceanFirst Financial Corp.

Tel: (732)240-4500, ext. 7506

Fax: (732)349-5070

email:Mfitzpatrick@oceanfirst.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OceanFirst Financial Corp.

ANNOUNCES REVISED FOURTH QUARTER

AND 2006 EARNINGS

TOMS RIVER, NEW JERSEY, March 23, 2007…OceanFirst Financial Corp. (NASDAQ:OCFC), the holding company for OceanFirst Bank, today announced that diluted earnings per share for the quarter ended December 31, 2006 amounted to a loss of $.13. For the year ended December 31, 2006 diluted earnings per share was $1.07. These results have been revised from the earnings results the Company reported in its January 18, 2007 press release in which the Company reported diluted earnings per share for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2006 of $.40 and $1.59.

The Company recently received information regarding the exposure of Columbia Home Loans, LLC, (“Columbia”), the Company’s mortgage banking subsidiary, to repurchase subprime loans originated and sold by Columbia. For the year ended December 31, 2006, Columbia originated $728.3 million of loans, which represented 62.9% of total Company-wide loan originations. Of this amount, $299.8 million or 41.2% of the total originated, are considered


subprime mortgage loans which are made to individuals whose borrowing needs are generally not fulfilled by traditional loan products because they do not satisfy the credit documentation or other underwriting standards prescribed by conventional mortgage lenders and loan buyers. In April 2006, Columbia began to offer a subprime loan product that provided the borrower with 100% financing relative to the value of the underlying property. Columbia originated $148.2 million of these loans in 2006. These mortgage loans are generally underwritten to investor specifications, subjected to investor due diligence and subsequently sold to investors. The loan sale agreements typically require Columbia to repurchase the loan in the event of an “early payment default”, defined as the failure by the borrower to make a payment within a designated period early in the loan term. In July 2006, Columbia renegotiated and tightened investor loan sale agreements to generally define early payment default as the failure of the borrower to make the first payment following sale of the loan. In addition to early payment defaults, Columbia must also repurchase a loan in the event of a breach of a representation or warranty or a misrepresentation during the loan origination process.

Recently, senior executives of the Company learned of the higher than expected incidence of demands for repurchase due to early payment defaults. Upon further investigation, the Company learned that Columbia officers failed to report to Company management, the demands for repurchase due to early payment default in accordance with the Company’s established procedures. In addition, certain loan sale agreements were renegotiated to expand the default period with investors or early payment default demands were accepted without the requisite delegated authority. Since the discovery of this information, the Company has discontinued the origination of subprime loans.


Based on the information currently available to the Company, a reserve for repurchased loans has been established for $9.6 million which is included in other liabilities in the Company’s consolidated statement of financial condition with a corresponding provision which reduced the net (loss) gain on sale of loans to a loss of $7.1 million and a gain of $1.4 million for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2006, respectively. In addition, the Company did not meet financial targets required for certain executive officers to be paid a bonus under the Company’s incentive compensation program. Accordingly, no bonuses were paid to the named executive officers of the Company, which has been reflected in this revision. The previously issued earnings release included bonuses in the amount of $275,000 to the named executive officers.

Management is required to assess the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2006. Based on this assessment, management will disclose in Form 10-K that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2006 due to the existence of the following material weakness identified by management: The Company’s policies and procedures were not effective to provide for the proper evaluation and assessment of the adequacy of the reserve for repurchased loans at its mortgage banking subsidiary. Specifically, the Company lacked an effective process to ensure that the exercise of loan repurchase requests by purchasers of its loans were timely identified and incorporated properly in the analysis of its reserve for repurchased loans. To address the material weakness, in the first quarter of 2007 the Company enhanced its policies and procedures related to the quarterly evaluation of the adequacy of the reserve for repurchased loans, modified its mortgage loan product menu to eliminate the origination of subprime loans and has taken disciplinary action against certain officers of Columbia responsible for not following established policies and procedures. The Company continues to investigate this matter to determine further actions, if any, that may be required.


Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call on Monday, March 26, 2007 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time. The direct dial number for the call is (877) 407-8035. For those unable to participate in the conference call, a replay will be available. To access the replay, dial (877) 660-6853, Account #286, Conference ID #236182, from one hour after the end of the call until midnight on Monday, April 2, 2007.

OceanFirst Financial Corp.’s subsidiary, OceanFirst Bank, founded in 1902, is a federally-chartered stock savings bank with $2.1 billion in assets and twenty branches located in Ocean, Monmouth and Middlesex counties, New Jersey. The Bank is the largest and oldest community-based financial institution headquartered in Ocean County, New Jersey.

OceanFirst Financial Corp.’s press releases are available at no charge by visiting us on the worldwide web at http://www.oceanfirst.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements which are based on certain assumptions and describe future plans, strategies and expectations of the Company. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” or similar expressions. The Company’s ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Factors which could have a material adverse effect on the operations of the Company and the subsidiaries include, but are not limited to, changes in interest rates, general economic conditions, legislative/regulatory changes, monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government, including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the quality or composition of the loan or investment portfolios, demand for loan products, deposit flows, competition, demand for financial services in the Company’s market area and accounting principles and guidelines. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. The Company does not undertake – and specifically disclaims any obligation – to publicly release the result of any revisions which may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.


OceanFirst Financial Corp.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

     December 31,
2006
    December 31,
2005
 
ASSETS     

Cash and due from banks

   $ 32,204     $ 31,108  

Investment securities available for sale

     82,384       83,861  

Federal Home Loan Bank of New York stock, at cost

     25,346       21,792  

Mortgage-backed securities available for sale

     68,369       85,025  

Loans receivable, net

     1,701,425       1,654,544  

Mortgage loans held for sale

     82,943       32,044  

Interest and dividends receivable

     8,083       7,089  

Real estate owned, net

     288       278  

Premises and equipment, net

     18,196       16,118  

Servicing asset

     9,787       9,730  

Bank Owned Life Insurance

     37,145       36,002  

Intangible Assets

     1,114       1,272  

Other assets

     9,718       6,494  
                

Total assets

   $ 2,077,002     $ 1,985,357  
                
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY     

Deposits

   $ 1,372,328     $ 1,356,568  

Securities sold under agreements to repurchase with retail customers

     50,982       54,289  

Securities sold under agreements to repurchase with the Federal Home Loan Bank

     34,000       59,000  

Federal Home Loan Bank advances

     430,500       354,900  

Other borrowings

     17,500       5,000  

Advances by borrowers for taxes and insurance

     7,743       7,699  

Other liabilities

     31,629       9,117  
                

Total liabilities

     1,944,682       1,846,573  
                

Stockholders’ equity:

    

Preferred stock, $.01 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued

     —         —    

Common stock, $.01 par value, 55,000,000 shares authorized, 27,177,372 shares issued and 12,262,307 and 12,698,505, shares outstanding at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively

     272       272  

Additional paid-in capital

     201,936       197,621  

Retained earnings

     164,121       164,613  

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

     (470 )     (1,223 )

Less: Unallocated common stock held by Employee Stock Ownership Plan

     (6,369 )     (7,472 )

Treasury stock, 14,915,065 and 14,478,867, shares at December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively

     (227,170 )     (215,027 )

Common stock acquired by Deferred Compensation Plan

     1,457       1,383  

Deferred Compensation Plan Liability

     (1,457 )     (1,383 )
                

Total stockholders’ equity

     132,320       138,784  
                

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 2,077,002     $ 1,985,357  
                

 


OceanFirst Financial Corp.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

     For the three months
ended December 31,
  

For the years

ended December 31,

     2006     2005    2006     2005
     (Unaudited)           

Interest income:

         

Loans

   $ 27,334     $ 25,112    $ 106,384     $ 93,864

Mortgage-backed securities

     786       854      3,304       3,813

Investment securities and other

     1,772       1,323      6,874       5,122
                             

Total interest income

     29,892       27,289      116,562       102,799
                             

Interest expense:

         

Deposits

     9,362       6,733      33,401       22,807

Borrowed funds

     6,698       5,146      25,042       19,066
                             

Total interest expense

     16,060       11,879      58,443       41,873
                             

Net interest income

     13,832       15,410      58,119       60,926

Provision for loan losses

     50       —        150       350
                             

Net interest income after provision for loan losses

     13,782       15,410      57,969       60,576
                             

Other (loss) income:

         

Loan servicing income

     106       131      515       280

Fees and service charges

     2,633       2,459      10,488       9,434

Net (loss) gain on sales of loans and securities available for sale

     (7,115 )     3,104      1,358       13,183

Net loss from other real estate operations

     (1 )     —        (61 )     —  

Income from Bank Owned Life Insurance

     303       267      1,143       1,122

Other

     111       23      165       71
                             

Total other (loss) income

     (3,963 )     5,984      13,608       24,090
                             

Operating expenses:

         

Compensation and employee benefits

     6,564       7,965      29,317       31,184

Occupancy

     1,287       1,254      4,850       4,539

Equipment

     558       597      2,533       2,531

Marketing

     287       702      1,517       2,914

Federal deposit insurance

     133       128      533       507

Data processing

     847       830      3,416       3,243

General and administrative

     2,480       2,640      10,215       9,916
                             

Total operating expenses

     12,156       14,116      52,381       54,834
                             

(Loss)income before provision for income taxes

     (2,337 )     7,278      19,196       29,832

(Benefit) provision for income taxes

     (898 )     2,432      6,563       10,335
                             

Net (loss) income

   $ (1,439 )   $ 4,846    $ 12,633     $ 19,497
                             

Basic (loss) earnings per share

   $ (0.13 )   $ 0.41    $ 1.09     $ 1.65
                             

Diluted (loss) earnings per share

   $ (0.13 )   $ 0.40    $ 1.07     $ 1.60
                             

Average basic shares outstanding

     11,488       11,737      11,547       11,786
                             

Average diluted shares outstanding

     11,685       12,148      11,765       12,219
                             

Cash (loss) earnings (1)

   $ (705 )   $ 5,598    $ 15,521     $ 22,479
                             

Diluted cash (loss) earnings per share

   $ (0.06 )   $ 0.46    $ 1.32     $ 1.84
                             

(1) Cash earnings are determined by adding (net of taxes) to reported earnings the non-cash expenses stemming from the amortization and appreciation of allocated shares in the company’s stock-related benefit plans and the amortization of intangible assets.


OceanFirst Financial Corp.

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

(in thousands, except per share amounts)

 

     At December 31, 2006     At December 31, 2005              
STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY         

Stockholders’ equity to total assets

     6.37 %     6.99 %    

Common shares outstanding (in thousands)

     12,262       12,699      

Stockholders’ equity per common share

   $ 10.79     $ 10.93      

Tangible stockholders’ equity per common share

     10.70       10.83      
ASSET QUALITY         

Allowance for loan losses

   $ 10,238     $ 10,460      

Nonperforming loans

     4,525       1,595      

Nonperforming assets

     4,813       1,873      

Allowance for loan losses as a percent of total loans receivable

     0.57 %     0.62 %    

Allowance for loan losses as a percent of nonperforming loans

     226.25       655.80      

Nonperforming loans as a percent of total loans receivable

     0.25       0.09      

Nonperforming assets as a percent of total assets

     0.23       0.09      
    

For the three months ended

December 31,

    For the years ended
December 31,
 
     2006     2005     2006     2005  
PERFORMANCE RATIOS (ANNUALIZED)         

Return on average assets

     (0.28 )%     0.97 %     0.62 %     1.00 %

Return on average stockholders’ equity

     (4.25 )     14.30       9.40       14.43  

Interest rate spread

     2.51       3.00       2.69       3.07  

Interest rate margin

     2.81       3.24       2.98       3.30  

Operating expenses to average assets

     2.36       2.82       2.56       2.81  

Efficiency ratio

     123.17       65.98       73.03       64.50  

 

CASH EARNINGS

        
Although reported earnings and return on stockholders’ equity are traditional measures of performance, the Company believes that the change in stockholders’ equity or “cash earnings,” and related return measures are also a significant measure of a company’s performance. Cash earnings exclude the effects of various non-cash expenses, such as the employee stock plans amortization expense and related tax benefit, as well as the amortization of intangible assets. The following table reconciles the Company’s net income with cash earnings. The table is a pro forma calculation which is not in accordance with GAAP.      
    

For the three months ended

December 31,

    For the years ended
December 31,
 
     2006     2005     2006     2005  

Net (loss) income

   $ (1,439 )   $ 4,846     $ 12,633     $ 19,497  

Add: Employee stock plans amortization Expense

     799       847       3,290       3,374  

Amortization of intangible assets

     81       26       158       103  

Less: Tax benefit (1)

     (146 )     (121 )     (560 )     (495 )
                                

Cash (loss) earnings

   $ (705 )   $ 5,598     $ 15,521     $ 22,479  
                                

Basic cash (loss) earnings per share

   $ (0.06 )   $ 0.48     $ 1.34     $ 1.91  
                                

Diluted cash (loss) earnings per share

   $ (0.06 )   $ 0.46     $ 1.32     $ 1.84  
                                

(1)

The Company does not receive any tax benefit for that portion of employee stock plan amortization expense relating to the ESOP fair market value adjustment.


OceanFirst Financial Corp.

SELECTED LOAN AND DEPOSIT DATA

(in thousands)

 

LOANS RECEIVABLE     
     At December 31, 2006     At December 31, 2005  

Real estate:

    

One- to-four family

   $ 1,231,716     $ 1,187,226  

Commercial real estate, multi-family and land

     306,288       281,585  

Construction

     13,475       22,739  

Consumer

     190,029       146,911  

Commercial

     49,693       61,637  
                

Total loans

     1,791,201       1,700,098  

Loans in process

     (2,318 )     (7,646 )

Deferred origination costs, net

     5,723       4,596  

Allowance for loan losses

     (10,238 )     (10,460 )
                

Total loans, net

     1,784,368       1,686,588  

Less: mortgage loans held for sale

     82,943       32,044  
                

Loans receivable, net

   $ 1,701,425     $ 1,654,544  
                

Mortgage loans serviced for others

   $ 992,658     $ 910,272  

Loan pipeline

     294,646       293,934  

 

     For the three months ended
December 31,
   

For the years ended

December 31,

     2006      2005       2006      2005
                            

Loan originations

   $ 295,714    $ 288,148     $ 1,221,819    $ 1,303,754

Loans sold

     184,104      173,251       689,561      711,952

Net charge-offs (recovery)

     222      (50 )     372      578

 

DEPOSITS      
     At December 31, 2006    At December 31, 2005

Type of Account

     

Non-interest bearing

   $ 114,950    $ 120,188

Interest-bearing checking

     408,666      381,787

Money market deposit

     105,571      125,169

Savings

     200,544      242,689

Time deposits

     542,597      486,735
             
   $ 1,372,328    $ 1,356,568
             


OceanFirst Financial Corp.

ANALYSIS OF NET INTEREST INCOME

 

     FOR THE QUARTER ENDED DECEMBER 31,  
     2006     2005  
    

AVERAGE

BALANCE

   INTEREST    AVERAGE
YIELD/
COST
   

AVERAGE

BALANCE

   INTEREST   

AVERAGE
YIELD/

COST

 
     (Dollars in thousands)  

Assets

                

Interest-earnings assets:

                

Interest-earning deposits and short-term investments

   $ 9,388    $ 122    5.20 %   $ 8,122    $ 80    3.94 %

Investment securities (1)

     82,572      1,241    6.01       84,962      984    4.63  

FHLB stock

     25,424      409    6.43       20,650      259    5.02  

Mortgage-backed securities (1)

     71,213      786    4.41       90,896      854    3.76  

Loans receivable, net (2)

     1,777,775      27,334    6.15       1,696,560      25,112    5.92  
                                        

Total interest-earning assets

     1,966,372      29,892    6.08       1,901,190      27,289    5.74  
                                

Non-interest-earning assets

     97,480           100,693      
                        

Total assets

   $ 2,063,852         $ 2,001,883      
                        

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

                

Interest-bearing liabilities:

                

Transaction deposits

   $ 712,966      3,396    1.91     $ 774,248      2,610    1.35  

Time deposits

     541,486      5,966    4.41       487,421      4,123    3.38  
                                        

Total

     1,254,452      9,362    2.99       1,261,669      6,733    2.13  

Borrowed funds

     546,100      6,698    4.91       472,667      5,146    4.35  
                                        

Total interest-bearing liabilities

     1,800,552      16,060    3.57       1,734,336      11,879    2.74  
                                

Non-interest-bearing deposits

     115,199           119,374      

Non-interest-bearing liabilities

     12,798           12,661      
                        

Total liabilities

     1,928,549           1,866,371      

Stockholders’ equity

     135,303           135,512      
                        

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 2,063,852         $ 2,001,883      
                        

Net interest income

      $ 13,832         $ 15,410   
                        

Net interest rate spread (3)

         2.51 %         3.00 %
                        

Net interest margin (4)

         2.81 %         3.24 %
                        
     FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31,  
     2006     2005  
    

AVERAGE

BALANCE

   INTEREST   

AVERAGE
YIELD/

COST

    AVERAGE
BALANCE
   INTEREST   

AVERAGE
YIELD/

COST

 
     (Dollars in thousands)  

Assets

                

Interest-earnings assets:

                

Interest-earning deposits and short-term investments

   $ 8,885    $ 437    4.92 %   $ 10,796    $ 344    3.19 %

Investment securities (1)

     83,999      5,122    6.10       85,942      3,871    4.50  

FHLB stock

     24,575      1,315    5.35       20,105      907    4.51  

Mortgage-backed securities (1)

     77,416      3,304    4.27       106,148      3,813    3.59  

Loans receivable, net (2)

     1,758,230      106,384    6.05       1,624,761      93,864    5.78  
                                        

Total interest-earning assets

     1,953,105      116,562    5.97       1,847,752      102,799    5.56  
                                

Non-interest-earning assets

     96,752           101,357      
                        

Total assets

   $ 2,049,857         $ 1,949,109      
                        

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

                

Interest-bearing liabilities:

                

Transaction deposits

   $ 717,811      11,940    1.66     $ 747,401      8,136    1.09  

Time deposits

     534,056      21,461    4.02       481,585      14,671    3.05  
                                        

Total

     1,251,867      33,401    2.67       1,228,986      22,807    1.86  

Borrowed funds

     531,265      25,042    4.71       454,806      19,066    4.19  
                                        

Total interest-bearing liabilities

     1,783,132      58,443    3.28       1,683,792      41,873    2.49  
                                

Non-interest-bearing deposits

     120,482           115,681      

Non-interest-bearing liabilities

     11,875           14,499      
                        

Total liabilities

     1,915,489           1,813,972      

Stockholders’ equity

     134,368           135,137      
                        

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 2,049,857         $ 1,949,109      
                        

Net interest income

      $ 58,119         $ 60,926   
                        

Net interest rate spread (3)

         2.69 %         3.07 %
                        

Net interest margin (4)

         2.98 %         3.30 %
                        

(1) Amounts are recorded at average amortized cost.
(2) Amount is net of deferred loan fees, undisbursed loan funds, discounts and premiums and estimated loss allowances and includes loans held for sale and non-performing loans.
(3) Net interest rate spread represents the difference between the yield on interest -earning assets and the cost of interest-bearing liabilities.
(4) Net interest margin represents net interest income divided by average interest -earning assets.