Colony Bankcorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBAN) Q3 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

So we haven’t even really scratched the surface of opportunity there. So you’ve got those three lines that are very early on in their ability to produce income and earn at those levels. And then, with SBA or SBSL group and mortgage, those are groups that were producing income above those levels. Obviously, everybody knows about the challenges on the mortgage side that will level out at some point and we will be able to get there. And then on the SBSL, as D mentioned, we did pull back a little bit this quarter in profitability. But a lot of that was related to those charge-offs coming from the SBSL group. And so, that’s a group that should easily be over those levels consistently. So that’s kind of the areas that we’re focused on. And there’s a lot of upside opportunity for those areas, especially, that are dependent on the bank referrals.

And we’re, like I said, just beginning to scratch the surface on the opportunity there.

David Bishop: Got it. That’s great color. And then, Heath, maybe just from a holistic standpoint, you mentioned the – and D mentioned the pullback and lending from a conservatism, just a bad, not credit. I’m just curious, as you look out, do you think this environment is a low-single-digit growth, mid-single-digit growth environment as you sort of put on your forecasting hat?

Heath Fountain: Yeah, I think continuing to see slow down, but growth for the remainder of the year. And, again, obviously, as you’re forecasting I think about a lot of things out of our control with the Fed and the economy, but if kind of things outlook stays similar to now. I could see it being flat or even maybe slightly negative into the first part of next year from a loan perspective. So that’s kind of where we think it’ll go.

David Bishop: Got it. And then just – I know, D, you mentioned a little bit of a delay in terms of a launch of the Alabama LPO. Just curious maybe what’s driving that lag. Just giving that it’s typically thought of as a pretty robust market. Is it just the market to condition interest rates just curious, maybe an update what you’re seeing in terms of loans and deposits in that market?

Dallis Copeland: Yeah, the marketing if you really look at the profitability there is going to be driven through acquisition of deposits and through loan growth [Technical Difficulty] in today’s environment, it’s not market driven. But if the environment [Technical Difficulty] I’d say the team over there has done a good job in bringing on seeing our customers the loan relationships that I would add. [Technical Difficulty]

Heath Fountain: D, you were cutting out a little bit, but I’ll just add to that comment. Dave, I think when we started those initiatives, the expectations were to grow loans faster than we have. I would again repeat what I said earlier. We really haven’t changed our credit metrics, but our desire from a pricing perspective and a willingness to concede on pricing is not there in this environment. And so, it just between that and between the customer side not as much activity. So the real estate side is just pretty much gone, it just takes longer to develop deposit and C&I type relationships. Our team’s really doing a great job over there. And we are very committed and happy about that from a long-term perspective. It’s just the ramp up will take a little longer. And we’ve reduced some on the expense side from that to match the growth expectations as well.