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Bank First Corp.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 20 October 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 raised. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net income rose on acquisition scale: Net income was $23.8 million, or $2.15 per share (basic and diluted), against $18.0 million, or $1.83, a year earlier. Adjusted net income was $26.1 million, or $2.35 per share, excluding acquisition expenses and asset-sale gains. Source
  • Net interest income rose on Centre scale: Net interest income was $55.2 million, up $0.2 million from the prior quarter and $17.0 million from a year earlier. Management ties the added operating scale to the Centre acquisition. Source
  • NIM excluding purchase accounting kept rising: Excluding purchase accounting, NIM rose in each quarter of 2026, reaching 3.91% in the third quarter from 3.86% in the second and 3.76% in the first. Source
  • Noninterest expense rose on acquisition costs: Noninterest expense was $34.7 million, against $34.4 million in the prior quarter and $21.1 million a year earlier. Acquisition expenses for Centre and Peoples were $2.7 million, down from $3.3 million. Source
  • Loans grew at 6.6% annualized pace: Total loans were $4.60 billion, up $966.2 million from a year earlier. Loan growth in the quarter ran at a 6.6% annualized pace, after a slight contraction earlier in 2026. Source
  • Nonperforming assets rose to $29.6 million: Nonperforming assets were $29.6 million, up $1.8 million from the prior quarter and $15.8 million from a year earlier. Nonperforming loans were 0.59% of total loans. Source
  • Peoples merger progress reported: Management reported meaningful progress toward the Peoples acquisition. Peoples employees showed enthusiasm at a cultural orientation meeting. Source

“During the most recent quarter, we made meaningful progress toward our planned December 4, 2026 acquisition of Peoples while adding experienced leaders to support our continued organic growth,”

Mike Molepske, Chairman and CEO of Bank First

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Quarterly cash dividend SourceDividend payable January 6, 2027$0.65 per common shareRaised from $0.60

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Hired a new Regional President with Wausau market experience, ahead of the Northcentral Region that Peoples will create. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Net income rose on acquisition scale: Net income was $23.8 million, or $2.15 per share (basic and diluted), against $18.0 million, or $1.83, a year earlier. Adjusted net income was $26.1 million, or $2.35 per share, excluding acquisition expenses and asset-sale gains. Source
  • Net interest income rose on Centre scale: Net interest income was $55.2 million, up $0.2 million from the prior quarter and $17.0 million from a year earlier. Management ties the added operating scale to the Centre acquisition. Source
  • Purchase accounting added to NII: Purchase accounting added $2.2 million, or $0.16 per share after tax, to NII in the quarter, down from $3.6 million, or $0.25 per share, in the prior quarter. Source
  • Noninterest income held near prior quarter: Noninterest income was $10.1 million, against $10.0 million in the prior quarter and $6.0 million a year earlier. Trust and wealth, service charges and mortgage gains are discussed below. Source

Regions, business lines and fees

  • Stateline loan book contracted on exits: The new Stateline region, formerly Centre, saw loan contraction as the bank exited certain acquired loans. Legacy-market loan production partly offset the contraction. Source
  • Trust and wealth added as business line: Trust and Wealth Management, a line added through Centre, produced $1.6 million of noninterest income in each 2026 quarter. Before Centre, wealth income came only through referral agreements. Source
  • Service charges rose on Stateline consumers: Service charge income was $12.9 million year to date, against $6.2 million a year earlier. Management attributes the increase to consumer behavior in the Stateline region. Source
  • Ansay income fell on lower profitability: Income from Ansay & Associates was $0.8 million, against $0.9 million in the prior quarter and $1.3 million a year earlier. Management attributes this to investments in automation and efficiency. Source
  • Mortgage sale gains and servicing valuation rose: Gains on mortgage loan sales were $2.3 million year to date, against $1.2 million. The servicing rights valuation added $1.5 million, against $0.3 million, as rising rates slowed prepayment assumptions. Source

“We believe investing in people is essential to Bank First’s continued success.”

Mike Molepske, Chairman and CEO of Bank First

Margins, costs and pricing

  • NIM excluding purchase accounting kept rising: Excluding purchase accounting, NIM rose in each quarter of 2026, reaching 3.91% in the third quarter from 3.86% in the second and 3.76% in the first. Source
  • Asset yields rose while deposit rates eased: Excluding purchase accounting, yields on interest-earning assets rose to 5.42% in the third quarter. Crediting rates on interest-bearing liabilities fell to 2.26% over the same period. Source
  • Noninterest expense rose on acquisition costs: Noninterest expense was $34.7 million, against $34.4 million in the prior quarter and $21.1 million a year earlier. Acquisition expenses for Centre and Peoples were $2.7 million, down from $3.3 million. Source
  • Personnel cost fell after severance: Personnel expense fell to $15.8 million from $16.8 million. Prior-quarter severance of $1.3 million from the Centre acquisition masked a quarter-over-quarter rise in ongoing personnel costs. Source
  • Intangible amortization elevated year to date: Amortization of intangibles was $2.5 million in the quarter and $7.6 million year to date. The $31.9 million core deposit intangible from Centre is amortized over 10 years. Source

Loans, deposits and funding

  • Loans grew at 6.6% annualized pace: Total loans were $4.60 billion, up $966.2 million from a year earlier. Loan growth in the quarter ran at a 6.6% annualized pace, after a slight contraction earlier in 2026. Source
  • Commercial and industrial loans grew: Commercial and industrial loans reached $871.3 million, up from $848.6 million in the second quarter and $654.5 million a year earlier. Multi-family loans rose to $478.0 million. Source
  • Deposits reached $5.00 billion: Deposits were $5.00 billion, up $1.46 billion from a year earlier. Centre contributed about $1.38 billion of the deposits. Source
  • Noninterest-bearing share rose to 29.7%: Noninterest-bearing demand deposits were 29.7% of total deposits, up from 27.1% at the end of 2025. Source
  • Borrowings cut to $79.8 million: Borrowings fell from $206.9 million at January 1, 2026 to $79.8 million, through maturities not renewed and prepayment of borrowings with negative carrying spreads. Source

Asset quality and provisioning

  • Provision of $0.8 million tied to growth: The provision for credit losses was $0.8 million, against none in the prior quarter. Management ties the provision to loan growth in the quarter; the prior-year third quarter provision was $0.7 million. Source
  • Nonperforming assets rose to $29.6 million: Nonperforming assets were $29.6 million, up $1.8 million from the prior quarter and $15.8 million from a year earlier. Nonperforming loans were 0.59% of total loans. Source
  • Other real estate from Centre properties: Other real estate owned was $2.4 million, all former Centre properties that Bank First will not use. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • Equity rose to $826.4 million: Stockholders’ equity was $826.4 million, up $182.6 million from year-end 2025. The Centre acquisition added $168.5 million to capital, and year-to-date earnings also added to it. Source
  • Book value per share rose to $74.57: Book value per common share was $74.57, against $65.47 at year-end 2025. Tangible book value per common share was $48.83, against $46.01. Source
  • Buybacks slowed sharply in quarter: Share repurchases were 7,847 shares for $1.1 million in the quarter, down from 144,000 shares for $20.4 million in the second quarter. Source
  • Year-to-date dividends and buybacks: Dividends and share repurchases totaled $18.4 million and $23.9 million year to date, offsetting part of the capital added. Source

Peoples integration and people

  • Peoples merger progress reported: Management reported meaningful progress toward the Peoples acquisition. Peoples employees showed enthusiasm at a cultural orientation meeting. Source
  • Merger benefits cited for Peoples customers: Management said Peoples customers and shareholders recognize benefits including expanded retail products, enhanced trust and wealth services, treasury tools and greater lending capacity. Source
  • Northcentral Region to follow Peoples: Peoples will create a Northcentral Region, for which management is preparing ahead of the closing. Source
  • Headcount about 509 full-time equivalent: Bank First employs about 509 full-time equivalent staff, down from 554 in the prior quarter's release. Source
  • Senior hires ahead of growth: Management said several senior individuals were added in preparation for the Peoples acquisition and for future organic and acquisitive growth. Source

Coming up, as management said on 20 October 2026

  • Peoples acquisition closing: Management plans to complete the Peoples acquisition on December 4, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Net interest margin Source4.07%
Net interest income Source$55.2 million
Loans Source$4.60 billion
Loan growth Source6.6% annualized
Deposits Source$5.00 billion
Deposit costs Source2.20%
Provision for credit losses Source$0.8 million
Net charge-offs Source0.02%
Nonperforming assets Source$29.6 million

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Attrition in acquired loan balances has been a headwind to overall loan growth during 2026. Source
  • Financial: Loans on nonaccrual status are concentrated in a few customer relationships, which management describes as unique circumstances. Source
  • Operational: Some operational areas carried redundant personnel, occupancy and data processing costs during the conversion and into the third quarter. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Synergy cost savings began in the third quarter and management expects them to be fully realized in future quarters. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.