RALEIGH, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--First Carolina Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE: FCBM) (“First Carolina,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”), today reported net income of $5.1 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2026, compared to $4.6 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2025, an 11.0% increase in net income. All per share data has been adjusted to reflect the two-for-one stock split completed on June 17, 2026.

The quarter marked a transformational milestone for First Carolina. On June 22, 2026, the Company successfully completed its initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 5,500,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $12.50 per share. First Carolina's common stock began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) on June 18, 2026, under the ticker symbol “FCBM.” On June 29, 2026, the underwriters of the IPO exercised their option to purchase additional shares in full, resulting in the sale of an additional 825,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at the public offering price per share. Inclusive of the shares purchased pursuant to the underwriters' option, the Company received net proceeds of approximately $69.3 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and expenses of the offering.

“The first half of 2026 was a landmark period for First Carolina as we successfully completed our initial public offering while continuing to deliver solid financial performance,” said Ron Day, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. “Our results were driven by solid loan production and net loan growth, material deposit optimization activities, expanding year-over-year net interest margin, disciplined expense management, and exceptional execution across the organization. In particular, in our traditional banking business, for the first six months of 2026, brokered deposits declined $211 million and were replaced by $246 million in less expensive, non-brokered deposits.

“What continues to set First Carolina apart is the strength and diversity of our business model. Through our Commercial Banking, Payments, Consumer Banking, and Wealth Management businesses, we are well positioned to serve clients across every stage of their financial journey. Commercial loan production remains robust, with a focus on new variable-rate loan originations to replace maturing lower-yield legacy loans, and this has helped to improve the overall profitability of our balance sheet. At the same time, we are deepening relationships with commercial clients through treasury management solutions that enhance customer engagement and drive valuable operating deposit growth.”

Day added, “With respect to our Payments business, we continue to strengthen our competitive position by expanding our service offerings. For example, we are partnering with U.S. Bank, a leader in prepaid card solutions, to develop a prepaid card option, which we anticipate will allow us to expand the range of disbursement choices made available to our higher-education institution clients and their students. We have successfully integrated the Payments business into First Carolina and are now focused on the broader banking opportunity across higher education as a strategic growth vertical. Demonstrating this shift, as of June 30, 2026, we have successfully placed $37 million in loan facilities and secured over $37 million in deposits from our base of higher-education institution clients, since completing our acquisition of BM Technologies, Inc. in January 2025.

"We believe our diversified model will be a true differentiator, and we see emerging tailwinds that give us great confidence in our team's ability to deliver strong shareholder returns while staying grounded in our core values.”

Second Quarter 2026 Performance Highlights:

• Net income of $5.1 million, an increase of 11.0% from the second quarter of 2025.
• Successfully completed the Company's IPO and NYSE listing, significantly enhancing capital flexibility and growth opportunities.
• Generated $58.1 million of loan growth, representing an annualized growth rate of 8.9%.
• Expanded net interest margin by 18 basis points on a year-over-year comparative-quarter basis to 3.23%.
• Increased second quarter net interest income by 8.8% year over year.
• Maintained exceptional credit quality with zero net loan charge-offs during the quarter.
• Reduced higher-cost certificates of deposit by 24.4% during the quarter and 53.5% over the past year, supporting funding cost improvements.
• Continued strong capital levels with average shareholders' equity representing 10.53% of average assets.
• Improved asset quality, with nonperforming assets declining to 0.65% of total assets compared to 0.89% a year ago.
• Ended the quarter with book value per share of $13.88 and tangible book value per share¹ of $11.66.
• Return on average assets (“ROAA”) of 0.60%.
• Return on average equity (“ROAE”) of 5.71%; Return on average tangible common equity (“ROATCE”)¹ of 7.09%.

Operating Highlights

Net interest income totaled $25.6 million for the second quarter of 2026, an increase of $2.1 million, or 8.8%, over the second quarter of 2025, reflecting continued balance sheet strength and revenue generation. The Company's net interest margin was 3.23% for the second quarter of 2026, representing an 18-basis point improvement over the prior year period, driven primarily by lower interest-bearing deposit costs. Net interest margin declined modestly by two basis points from the first quarter of 2026, largely attributable to the seasonality in deposits generated by the Company’s Payments business. Noninterest-bearing deposits in the Payments business regularly decline in the second quarter of each fiscal year from the preceding first quarter period, primarily due to the educational calendar. More broadly, the Company continues to benefit from ongoing deposit repricing initiatives and a favorable shift in earning asset yields.

The yield on average interest-earning assets was 5.92% for the second quarter of 2026, compared to 6.02% for the second quarter of 2025, a decrease of 10 basis points primarily reflecting lower yield on the securities portfolio and short-term, floating rate investments in a declining rate environment. The yield on average interest-earning assets increased from 5.82% in the first quarter of 2026 to 5.92% for the second quarter of 2026, primarily attributable to an improvement in loan yields, reflecting the strength of the Company's lending franchise and loan portfolio pricing, partially offset by a decline in the yield on securities available for sale. The Company delivered meaningful growth in net interest income and year-over-year expansion in net interest margin.

The Company’s total cost of funds was 2.84% for the second quarter of 2026, a decrease of 30 basis points compared to the second quarter of 2025. Deposit costs were 2.75% for the second quarter of 2026, compared to 3.05% for the second quarter of 2025, a decrease of 30 basis points, and compared to 2.63% for the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 12 basis points. The cost of interest-bearing liabilities was 3.58% for the second quarter of 2026, a decrease of 42 basis points compared to 4.00% for the second quarter of 2025, and a decrease of 1 basis point compared to 3.59% for the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the strategic shift of deposits from time deposits to money market and savings accounts. Management believes the declines in total cost of funds, deposit costs, and cost of interest-bearing liabilities in the second quarter of 2026 versus the second quarter of 2025 are particularly instructive, as it eliminates the impact of the seasonality of the Payments business deposit flows, as compared to the linked-quarter comparisons.

Noninterest income totaled $6.7 million for the second quarter of 2026, a decrease of $6.5 million, or 49.5%, from the second quarter of 2025. The decrease primarily reflects the planned discontinuation in 2025 of a banking-as-a-service partnership inherited through the BM Technologies’ acquisition that was not consistent with the Company's long-term strategic focus. Accordingly, results for the second quarter of 2025 are not directly comparable to those for the second quarter of 2026. Noninterest expense totaled $25.5 million for the second quarter of 2026, a decrease of $5.2 million, or 17.1%, from the second quarter of 2025. The decline was primarily driven by right sizing the BM Technologies’ workforce post acquisition, which resulted in lower salaries and employee benefits expense, as well as by reduced consumer fraud and transaction losses and lower data processing expense, reflecting the Company's continued focus on disciplined expense management and operating efficiency.

The Company's effective tax rate was 21.5% for the second quarter of 2026, compared to 25.4% for the second quarter of 2025 and 19.4% for the first quarter of 2026. The lower effective tax rate compared to the prior-year quarter was primarily attributable to state income tax, non-taxable income resulting from the change in cash surrender value of bank-owned life insurance, a decrease in non-deductible expenses, and a tax credit for research and development.

Balance Sheet Trends

Total assets were $3.41 billion at June 30, 2026, reflecting an increase of $19.4 million, or 0.6%, compared to June 30, 2025. Gross loans were $2.74 billion at June 30, 2026, an increase of $45.7 million, or 1.7%, compared to June 30, 2025, and an increase of $58.1 million, or 2.2% from $2.68 billion at March 31, 2026.

Total deposits were $2.83 billion at June 30, 2026, reflecting a decrease of $107.5 million, or 3.7%, compared to June 30, 2025. The Company continues to shift its deposit mix away from higher-cost certificates of deposit (brokered and non-brokered) and toward lower-cost core deposits. Certificates of deposit were $678.3 million at June 30, 2026, a $780.8 million, or 53.5%, decrease compared to June 30, 2025, and a $219.3 million, or 24.4%, decrease compared to March 31, 2026.

Credit Quality

During the second quarter of 2026, the Company recorded a provision for credit losses of $273 thousand, compared to a recovery for credit losses of $169 thousand in the second quarter of 2025, and a recovery for credit losses of $398 thousand during the first quarter of 2026. The provision recorded during the second quarter of 2026 was primarily due to strong loan growth, offset by positive changes in economic factors and no net loan charge-offs for the period. The Company's annualized net charge-offs to average loans held for investment ratio remained steady at 0.00% across the second quarter of 2026, the preceding quarter, and one year prior.

Nonperforming assets totaled $22.3 million, or 0.65% of total assets, at June 30, 2026, compared to $30 million, or 0.89% of total assets, at June 30, 2025, and $22.3 million, or 0.65% of total assets at March 31, 2026.

About First Carolina Financial Services, Inc.

First Carolina Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE: FCBM) operates as a bank holding company for First Carolina Bank that provides financial services for businesses, higher education institutions, and individuals. First Carolina offers a range of deposit and loan products and trust services. First Carolina is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina with full-service banking offices in Rocky Mount, Raleigh, Wilmington, Cary, and Reidsville, North Carolina; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina; and Atlanta, Georgia. For more information, please visit firstcarolinabank.com. The information contained in, or that can be accessed through, our website is not incorporated by reference in, and is not part of, this press release. The inclusion of our website address in this press release is only as an inactive textual reference.

Company Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains, and future oral and written statements by us and our management may contain, forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include discussion of plans, estimates, objectives, goals, guidelines, expectations, intentions, projections, and statements of the Company’s beliefs concerning future events, business plans, objectives, expected operating results and the assumptions upon which those statements are based. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or achievements, and are typically identified with words such as “see,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “aim,” “intend,” “plan” or words or phases of similar meaning. We caution that the forward-looking statements are based largely on our expectations and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that are subject to change based on factors which are, in many instances, beyond our control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: adverse developments in our borrowers’ industries and, in particular, declines in real estate values; our ability to maintain compliance with federal and state laws that regulate our business and capital levels; our ability to raise capital as needed by our business; our ability to manage growth; the loss of any of our key employees; changes in the interest rates affecting our deposits, loans, and securities portfolio; our ability to maintain adequate liquidity and control our cost of funds; the strength of the economy in our current and future market areas, as well as general economic, market, or business conditions; negative developments in the financial industry and credit markets; an insufficient allowance for credit losses as a result of inaccurate assumptions or otherwise; the ability of our current and any future markets to weather a downturn in the economy; our potential growth, including loans, deposits, and our entrance or expansion into new markets, the opportunities that may be presented to and pursued by us and the need for sufficient capital to support that growth; changes in our competitive position, competitive actions by other financial institutions and the competitive nature of the financial services industry and our ability to compete effectively against other financial institutions in our banking markets; changes in laws, regulations and the policies of federal or state regulators and agencies or interpretations thereof; governmental monetary and fiscal policies, including the policies of the Federal Reserve; our ability to maintain internal control over financial reporting and an effective risk management framework; our effective use of technology or an interruption or breach in security of our information systems; our reliance on secondary sources, such as FHLB advances, sales of securities and loans, federal funds lines of credit from correspondent banks and out-of-market time deposits, to meet our liquidity needs; inaccurate or incomplete information about our clients; our ability to assess and manage our asset quality; natural disasters, pandemics or other public health crises, war, terrorist activities or civil unrest and their effects on the economic and business environments in which we operate; risks associated with unauthorized access, cyber-crime and other threats to data security; and other risks and uncertainties described under “Risk Factors” of our Registration Statement on Form S-1 and subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation and do not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.