Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. (NYSE:MCB) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

Greg Sigrist: Yes, sure, Chris. I mean, you touched on the professional fees. I really think that we’re going to moderate back to the level we saw late in ’21 through probably the first half of ’22, maybe split the difference between when you take the legal fees out versus where we were then. We’ve worked with a lot of initiatives over the last year, year-and-a-half. So, I do expect that line to kind of moderate a little bit. As you know, we’re still a growth company though. So, comp and benefits, we are — we will still continue to invest in human capital. I think we’ve brought on and onboarded a very substantial team over the last year or two. You’re going to continue to see expansion in that line. We’re going to continue to invest in human capital.

I think it might moderate a little bit from the level you saw in 2022 in terms of growth. I think the other key thing is it’s really just the efficiency ratio, as we always talk about. We are going to be very focused on continuing to work that ratio down from current levels. So, it’s as much about getting the leverage out of what we’re bringing on those investments — on the investments, the return on the investments we’re making and making sure we keep an eye on overall expense growth.

Chris O’Connell: Okay. Got it. All right. And then, as far as what you guys have been — you mentioned a few things on the deposit side some initiatives kind of as you head into the front end of this year. I guess, how are you thinking about deposit growth if you exclude the crypto — the expected crypto runoff for the next quarter or two?

Mark DeFazio: I think, it will be robust. I think if you remove the crypto, we would be very pleased if all crypto ran off in the first quarter, just so we don’t have to talk about it again. And then, obviously, I have to fill that bucket up, if you will. But I’m feeling really comfortable with the initiatives we have. Everybody in the company whose client-facing is working really hard. And as I think we will always be a core-funded institution. We always have been. We will continue to be a core-funded institution. And this is the first time in, I think, 15 or 16 years that we dipped into the Federal Home Loan Bank. So, this is not something that we tend to want to rely on long-term. It’s good bridge funding, but it will not be a core strategy of what’s going forward.

Greg Sigrist: Yes. And just to add to that, Chris, I mean, around year-end, we have a very active successful client base. So, we also saw just some normal flows around year-end. I think the important takeaway is we’ve really hit business as usual in terms of managing a leaner, more efficient balance sheet. We could always bring on more deposits to manage the loan to deposit ratio or other metrics. We’re staying focused on our pricing discipline and our margin management. And we have the options to bring funding on. And we have a lot of strategic initiatives that are above and beyond our existing deposit verticals that are actionable, they’re in the queue, and I think Mark kind of touched on this that we’re going to be executing on over the balance of the year. So, I think we’re all very confident and comfortable with our ability to continue supporting high-quality, prudent loan growth with low quality — or low cost deposits.