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United Bankshares, Inc. Announces Earnings for the First Quarter of 2025

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WASHINGTON, D.C. & CHARLESTON, W.Va., April 24, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--United Bankshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBSI) ("United"), today reported earnings for the first quarter of 2025 of $84.3 million, or $0.59 per diluted share. The first quarter of 2025 was highlighted by record net interest income, net interest margin expansion, resumption of share repurchases, and the consummation of the previously announced acquisition of Atlanta-based Piedmont Bancorp, Inc. ("Piedmont") including completion of the systems conversion. As a result of the acquisition, the first quarter of 2025 was impacted by increased levels of average balances, income, and expense, including $30.0 million, or approximately $0.17 per diluted share, in merger-related noninterest expenses and merger-related provision for credit losses. First quarter of 2025 results produced annualized returns on average assets, average equity, and average tangible equity, a non-GAAP measure, of 1.06%, 6.47%, and 10.61%, respectively.

"This quarter we officially welcomed Piedmont to the United family and we are very excited about entering the Atlanta market," stated Richard M. Adams, Jr., United’s Chief Executive Officer. "Closing a deal always brings a lot of noise to the quarter, but that shouldn’t overshadow the excellent results we posted when adjusting for the acquisition. UBSI continues to perform at a high level and have success in these challenging and uncertain times."

Earnings for the fourth quarter of 2024 were $94.4 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, and annualized returns on average assets, average equity, and average tangible equity for the fourth quarter of 2024 were 1.25%, 7.48%, and 12.03%, respectively. Earnings for the first quarter of 2024 were $86.8 million, or $0.64 per diluted share, and annualized returns on average assets, average equity, and average tangible equity were 1.19%, 7.25%, and 11.98%, respectively.

First quarter of 2025 compared to the fourth quarter of 2024

Earnings for the first quarter of 2025 were $84.3 million, or $0.59 per diluted share, as compared to earnings of $94.4 million, or $0.69 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2024.

Net interest income for the first quarter of 2025 was a record $260.1 million, an increase of $27.5 million, or 12%, from the fourth quarter of 2024. Tax-equivalent net interest income, a non-GAAP measure which adjusts for the tax-favored status of income from certain loans and investments, for the first quarter of 2025 increased $27.4 million, or 12%, from the fourth quarter of 2024. The increase in net interest income and tax-equivalent net interest income was primarily due to an increase in average earning assets largely from the Piedmont acquisition and a lower average rate paid on deposits partially offset by an increase in average interest-bearing deposits, also largely from the Piedmont acquisition. Average earning assets increased $1.9 billion, or 7%, from the fourth quarter of 2024 driven by increases in average net loans and loans held for sale of $1.7 billion and average short-term investments of $324.0 million. These increases within average earning assets were partially offset by a decrease in average investment securities of $192.3 million mainly due to sales late in the fourth quarter of 2024. The cost of average interest-bearing deposits decreased 17 basis points from the fourth quarter of 2024 driven by deposit rate repricing. Average interest-bearing deposits increased $1.5 billion, or 8%, from the fourth quarter of 2024. Interest income and tax-equivalent net interest income for the first quarter of 2025 included $6.0 million of acquired loan accretion income as compared to $2.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2024. The net interest margin of 3.69% for the first quarter of 2025 was an increase of 20 basis points from the net interest margin of 3.49% for the fourth quarter of 2024.