AMTB · Amerant Bancorp Inc.

Amerant Bancorp reported a strong turnaround in Q1 2026, with net income of $17.9 million ($0.44 diluted EPS) compared to $2.7 million ($0.07) in Q4 2025. The improvement was driven by a significant reduction in noninterest expenses, which fell 37.3% to $66.9 million, reflecting cost-saving initiatives including vendor contract renegotiations and lower staff separation costs. Net interest income declined 11.0% to $80.3 million, primarily due to a 23 bps compression in net interest margin to 3.55%, as average loan yields fell to 6.38% from 6.73% while deposit costs remained relatively stable. Noninterest income decreased 21.1% to $17.4 million, partly due to the absence of a prior-quarter gain on sale-leaseback of banking centers. Provision for credit losses increased to $7.8 million from $3.5 million, reflecting proactive credit risk management. Asset quality metrics showed mixed trends: classified loans declined 9.7% to $320.3 million, while non-performing loans rose 2.7% to $176.1 million. The company continued to optimize its loan portfolio by exiting certain large-exposure and criticized loans. Management highlighted improved efficiency and strong growth in lower-cost international deposits. The Board declared a $0.09 per share dividend payable on May 29, 2026. The company also repurchased 859,493 shares at a weighted average price of $21.77 per share during the quarter.