UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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Item 2.02Results of Operations and Financial Condition
On January 20, 2023, Metropolitan Bank Holding Corp. (the “Company”), the holding company for Metropolitan Commercial Bank (the “Bank”), issued a press release announcing its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending 2022. The press release containing the financial results is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and shall not be deemed “filed” for any purpose, nor shall the information or Exhibit 99.1 be deemed incorporated by reference in any filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Item 7.01Regulation FD Disclosure
The Company has also made available on its website presentation materials containing additional information about the Company’s financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending 2022 (the “Presentation Materials”). The Presentation Materials are furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.2 and is incorporated by reference in this Item 7.01.
The information provided in Item 7.01 of this report, including Exhibit 99.2, shall not be deemed “filed” for any purpose, nor shall the information or Exhibit 99.2 be deemed incorporated by reference in any filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Item 8.01Other Events
Regulatory Matters
There are ongoing investigations by federal and state governmental entities concerning a prepaid debit card product program that was offered by the Company through an independent program manager. These include investigations as to which the Company is a subject by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”) and certain state authorities, including the New York State Department of Financial Services (the “NYSDFS”). During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, third parties used this prepaid debit card product to establish unauthorized accounts and to receive unauthorized government benefits payments, including unemployment insurance benefits payments made pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act from many states. The Company ceased accepting new accounts from this program manager in July of 2020 and has exited its relationship with this program manager. The Company is cooperating in these investigations and continues to review this matter. As the Company has previously disclosed, the foregoing could result in enforcement or other actions against the Company and the Bank including civil money penalties and remedial measures.
The Bank is in discussions with the Federal Reserve and the NYSDFS with respect to consensual resolutions of their investigations. Although the Company is unable at this time to determine the final terms on which the Federal Reserve and NYSDFS investigations will be resolved or the timing of such resolutions, the Company accrued a pre-tax charge of $35 million during the fourth quarter of 2022 to establish a reserve for what the Company believes is a reasonable estimate of the probable loss associated with the Federal Reserve and NYSDFS settlements. If final settlements with the Federal Reserve and the NYSDFS are not reached and the Federal Reserve and the NYSDFS do bring public enforcement actions, such actions and their resolution could have a materially adverse effect on the Company and the Bank’s assets, business, cash flows, financial condition, liquidity, prospects and/or results of operations.
Forward Looking Statement Disclaimer
This report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Examples of forward-looking statements include but are not limited to the Company’s future financial condition and capital ratios, results of operations and the Company’s outlook and business. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts. Such statements may be identified by the use of such words as “may,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “continue” or similar terminology. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Factors which may cause our forward-looking statements to be materially inaccurate include, but are not limited to the continuing impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on our business and results of operation, an unexpected deterioration in our loan or securities portfolios, unexpected increases in our expenses, different than anticipated growth and our ability to manage our growth, unanticipated regulatory action or changes in regulations, unexpected changes in interest rates, inflation, potential recessionary conditions, an unanticipated decrease in deposits, an unanticipated loss of key personnel or existing customers, competition from other institutions resulting in unanticipated changes in our loan or deposit rates, an unexpected adverse financial, regulatory or bankruptcy event experienced by our fintech partners, unanticipated increases in FDIC costs, changes in regulations, legislation or tax or accounting rules, monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. Government including policies of the U.S. Treasury and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the current or anticipated impact of military conflict, terrorism or other geopolitical events, the costs, including possibly incurring fines, penalties or other negative effects (including reputational harm), of any adverse judicial, administrative, or arbitral rulings or proceedings, regulatory enforcement actions, or other legal actions, a failure in or breach of the Company’s operational or security systems or infrastructure, including cyberattacks, the failure to maintain current technologies, failure to retain or attract employees and unanticipated adverse changes in our customers’ economic conditions or general economic conditions, as well as those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report. We do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement.
Item 9.01.Financial Statements and Exhibits
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit No. |
| Description |
99.1 |
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99.2 |
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104 |
| Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101) |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.
| METROPOLITAN BANK HOLDING CORP. | ||
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Dated: January 20, 2023 | By: | /s/ Gregory A. Sigrist |
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| Gregory A. Sigrist |
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| Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
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