Pathward Financial, Inc. Announces Results for 2026 Fiscal First Quarter

CEO Brett Pharr said, "We started the fiscal year in a position of strength. Overall, we are pleased with the financial results achieved in the quarter, which were marked by solid growth in our core business including growing interest income in commercial finance with a lower provision, increasing core card and deposit fee income, and flat expenses. Our strategy continues to drive strong results, and we are seeing positive outcomes driven by what we accomplished in fiscal 2025. We look forward to delivering on our fiscal 2026 goals which we believe will set us up for sustainable growth in the future."

Financial Highlights for the 2026 Fiscal First Quarter

All highlights are compared to the same fiscal quarter in the prior year period.

• Total revenue for the first quarter was $173.1 million. Interest income on commercial finance loans increased $9.2 million reflecting the ongoing balance sheet optimization strategy.
• New loan originations during the quarter increased from $1.38 billion to $1.89 billion, driven by increases in consumer and commercial finance. The increase in consumer loan originations was primarily due to the new contract announced during fiscal 2025 and growth with current partners.
• Annualized return on average assets was 1.87% and return on average tangible equity was 26.72%, both improvements over the prior year period.
• The Company repurchased 651,804 shares of common stock at an average share price of $72.07. As of December 31, 2025, there were 4,286,012 shares available for repurchase under the current common stock share repurchase program.

Net Interest Income

Net interest income for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 was $119.3 million, which was a decrease of 5% compared to the same quarter in fiscal 2025.

The Company’s average interest-earning assets for the first quarter of fiscal 2026 increased by $75.8 million to $6.81 billion compared to the same quarter in fiscal 2025, primarily due to increases in average outstanding balances in total loan and lease balances partially offset by decreases in securities investment balances. The first quarter average outstanding balance of loans and leases increased $353.7 million compared to the same quarter of the prior fiscal year, due to increases in the commercial finance, warehouse finance, and tax services portfolios, partially offset by a decrease in the consumer finance portfolio.

Fiscal 2026 first quarter NIM decreased to 6.95% from 7.38% in the first fiscal quarter of 2025. When including contractual, rate-related processing expense associated with deposits on the Company's balance sheet, NIM would have been 5.61% in the fiscal 2026 first quarter compared to 5.95% during the fiscal 2025 first quarter. See non-GAAP reconciliation table at the end of the press release. The overall reported tax-equivalent yield (“TEY”) on average interest-earning assets decreased 50 basis point to 7.07% compared to the prior year quarter. The yield on the loan and lease portfolio was 8.56% compared to 9.55% for the comparable period last year and the TEY on the securities portfolio was 3.05% compared to 3.10% over that same period. The decreases in NIM, the TEY on average interest-earning assets, and the yield on the loan and lease portfolio was primarily driven by the sale of more than half of the held for sale consumer finance portfolio in October 2025 that was accounted for using a gross accounting methodology, and therefore, recorded at higher yields with offsetting entries not included in net interest income.

The Company's cost of funds for all deposits and borrowings averaged 0.12% during the fiscal 2026 first quarter, as compared to 0.20% during the prior year quarter. The Company's overall cost of deposits was 0.01% in the fiscal first quarter of 2026, as compared to 0.05% during the prior year quarter. When including contractual, rate-related processing expense associated with deposits on the Company's balance sheet, the Company's overall cost of deposits was 1.49% in the fiscal 2026 first quarter, as compared to 1.63% during the prior year quarter. See non-GAAP reconciliation table at the end of the press release.

Noninterest Income

Fiscal 2026 first quarter noninterest income decreased 6% to $53.8 million, compared to $57.4 million for the same period of the prior year. The decrease in noninterest income when comparing the current period to the same period of the prior year was primarily driven by decreases in rental income, other income, and gain on sale of other, partially offset by an increase in card and deposit fee income. Additionally, during the prior year period, the Company recognized a $16.4 million gain on divestiture which was almost completely offset by a loss on sale of securities of $15.7 million.

Servicing fee income on custodial deposits totaled $3.4 million during the 2026 fiscal first quarter, compared to $4.5 million for the same period of the prior year. For the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2025, servicing fee income on custodial deposits totaled $2.6 million. The year-over-year decrease in servicing fee income on custodial deposit balances held at partner banks was due to a reduction in rates following reductions in the Effective Federal Funds Rate ("EFFR"). The sequential increase in servicing fee income on custodial deposit balances held at partner banks was due to higher quarterly average deposits balances held at partner banks.

Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense was $127.2 million for the fiscal 2026 first quarter, as compared to $127.8 million for the same quarter last year. The marginal decrease was primarily attributable to reductions in card processing expense, other expense, and operating and lease equipment depreciation, partially offset by increases in compensation and benefits, building and software, and legal and consulting expense.

Card processing expense is primarily driven by rate-related agreements with Partner Solutions relationships. The amount of expense paid under those agreements is based on an agreed upon rate index that varies depending on the deposit levels, floor rates, market conditions, and other performance conditions. Generally, this rate index is based on a percentage of the EFFR and reprices immediately upon a change in the EFFR. Approximately 66% of the deposit portfolio was subject to these rate-related processing expenses during the fiscal 2026 first quarter. For the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2025, contractual, rate-related processing expense was $23.8 million, as compared to $24.9 million for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2025, and $25.6 million for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2024.

Income Tax Expense

The Company recorded an income tax expense of $7.2 million, representing an effective tax rate of 16.9%, for the fiscal 2026 first quarter, compared to an income tax expense of $6.0 million, representing an effective tax rate of 16.6%, for the first quarter last fiscal year. The current quarter increase in income tax expense compared to the prior year quarter was primarily due to the increase in income.

The Company originated $19.7 million in renewable energy leases during the fiscal 2026 first quarter, resulting in $5.2 million in total net investment tax credits. During the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Company originated $9.3 million in renewable energy leases resulting in $3.2 million in total net investment tax credits. Investment tax credits related to renewable energy leases are recognized ratably based on income throughout each fiscal year.

Investments, Loans and Leases

The Company's investment security balances at December 31, 2025 totaled $1.34 billion, as compared to $1.36 billion at September 30, 2025 and $1.51 billion at December 31, 2024. The year-over-year decrease was primarily related to the sale of investment securities AFS during the second and fourth quarters of fiscal 2025 and normal paydown activity of investment security balances during the fiscal year.

Total gross loans and leases totaled $4.98 billion at December 31, 2025, as compared to $4.66 billion at September 30, 2025 and $4.56 billion at December 31, 2024. The drivers for the sequential increase were increases in the commercial finance, seasonal tax services, and seasonal consumer finance portfolios, partially offset by a slight decrease in the warehouse finance portfolio. The year-over-year increase was due to increases in the commercial finance, warehouse finance, and seasonal tax services portfolios, partially offset by a decrease in the consumer finance portfolio. The year-over-year decrease in consumer finance was due to the aforementioned loan sale within the consumer finance portfolio that occurred in October 2025.

Commercial finance loans, which comprised 83% of the Company's loan and lease portfolio, totaled $4.15 billion at December 31, 2025, reflecting an increase of $223.2 million, or 6%, from September 30, 2025 and an increase of $530.5 million, or 15%, from December 31, 2024. The sequential increase was primarily driven by increases of $204.2 million in term lending and $36.1 million in asset-based lending, partially offset by decreases in lease financing, other commercial finance, and factoring. The year-over-year increase was primarily driven by increases of $771.2 million in term lending and $21.1 million in asset-based lending, partially offset by decreases of $150.6 million in factoring, $75.5 million in SBA/USDA, and $33.9 million in other commercial finance.

Asset Quality

The Company’s allowance for credit losses ("ACL") totaled $58.8 million at December 31, 2025, an increase compared to $53.3 million at September 30, 2025 and a decrease compared to $74.3 million at December 31, 2024. The increase in the ACL at December 31, 2025, when compared to September 30, 2025, was primarily due to a $2.6 million increase in the allowance related to the consumer finance portfolio, a $1.9 million increase in the allowance related to the commercial finance portfolio, and a $1.1 million increase in the allowance related to the tax services portfolio.

The $15.5 million year-over-year decrease in the ACL was primarily driven by the decrease in the allowance related to the consumer finance portfolio of $21.3 million, partially offset by a $5.5 million increase in the allowance related to the commercial finance portfolio.

The following table presents the Company's ACL as a percentage of its total loans and leases.

The Company's ACL as a percentage of total loans and leases increased to 1.18% at December 31, 2025 from 1.14% at September 30, 2025 and decreased from 1.63% at December 31, 2024. The year-over-year decrease in the total loans and leases coverage ratio was primarily driven by the decrease in the ACL related to the decrease in the consumer finance portfolio due to the aforementioned loan sale within the consumer finance portfolio that occurred in October 2025.

Activity in the ACL for the periods presented was as follows.

The Company recognized a provision for credit losses of $3.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, compared to provision for credit losses of $18.7 million for the comparable period in the prior fiscal year. The period-over-period decrease in provision for credit losses was primarily due to decreases in provision for credit losses in the commercial finance portfolio of $7.4 million, consumer finance portfolio of $5.3 million, and the tax services portfolio of $2.7 million. The Company recognized net recoveries of $2.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, compared to net charge-offs of $16.3 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024. Net recoveries attributable to the seasonal tax services and commercial finance portfolios for the quarter ended December 31, 2025 were $2.5 million and $1.3 million respectively, while net charge-offs of $1.5 million were recognized in the consumer finance portfolio. Net charge-offs attributable to the commercial finance, consumer finance, and tax services portfolios for the same quarter of the prior year were $8.1 million, $7.7 million, and $0.5 million, respectively.

The Company's past due loans and leases were as follows for the periods presented.