{"id":953210,"date":"2026-04-21T07:34:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/united-community-banks-inc-reports-first-quarter-earnings-2\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T07:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:34:12","slug":"united-community-banks-inc-reports-first-quarter-earnings-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/united-community-banks-inc-reports-first-quarter-earnings-2\/","title":{"rendered":"United Community Banks, Inc. Reports First Quarter Earnings"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nEarnings and Revenue Growth Year-Over-Year Driven by Profitability Improvement and Solid Loan Growth
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GREENVILLE, S.C., April 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — United Community Banks, Inc. (NYSE: UCB) (United) today announced net income for the first quarter of 2026 of $84.3 million and pre-tax, pre-provision income of $119.2 million. Diluted earnings per share of $0.69 for the quarter represented an increase of $0.11 from the first quarter of 2025 and a decrease of $0.01 from the fourth quarter of 2025.<\/p>\n

On an operating basis, United\u2019s diluted earnings per share of $0.70 increased 19% from the year-ago quarter. Strong revenue growth and positive operating leverage drove the year-over-year results.<\/p>\n

United\u2019s return on assets was 1.22% on both a GAAP and operating basis in the first quarter of 2026, up from 1.02% and 1.04%, GAAP and operating, respectively, for the first quarter of 2025. Return on common equity was 9.4% and return on tangible common equity on an operating basis was 13.1%. On a pre-tax, pre-provision basis, operating return on assets was 1.73% for the quarter. At quarter-end, tangible common equity to tangible assets was 9.9%, equal to the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

Chairman and CEO Lynn Harton stated, \u201cOur first quarter results mark the start of what we expect to be a great year for United. We continue to improve our earning asset mix by growing loans, funded by maturing investment securities and growth in customer deposits. This shift in earning asset composition and our strategic focus on deposit pricing helped to widen our net interest margin by three basis points in the first quarter. In fact, our net interest margin is up 29 basis points when compared to the first quarter of 2025. We entered the year with a small wholesale funding position, but deposit growth allowed that to be completely repaid by the end of the quarter. We took advantage of our strong capital position and repurchased 1.09 million shares of our common stock at an average price of $33.97 per share during the quarter. All our key performance metrics show significant improvement when compared to the first quarter of 2025. With strong capital and liquidity, we notified holders of our remaining $100 million in subordinated debentures of our intent to redeem those securities in the second quarter.<\/p>\n

Harton continued, \u201cI\u2019m very proud of our first quarter financial results and also pleased to report that we were notified in March that United had earned its twelfth JD Power award for outstanding customer satisfaction in the Southeast. That is a tremendous accomplishment by our exceptional team of bankers and a testament to the enduring nature and consistency of our strong corporate culture throughout our organization. Congratulations to our entire team for this great recognition of your focus on customer care.\u201d<\/p>\n

Net charge-offs were $10.4 million or 0.22% annualized of average loans, compared with 0.21% for the first quarter of 2025 and 0.34% for the fourth quarter of 2025. Nonperforming assets were 0.35% of total assets, up slightly from 0.33% for the fourth quarter. Provision for credit losses was $10.9 million for the first quarter, down from $15.4 million a year ago and $13.7 million for the fourth quarter. As of March 31, the allowance for credit losses represents 1.15% of loans, down slightly from 1.16% at December 31, 2025, reflecting more optimism in the economic forecast.<\/p>\n

United also announced today the execution of a definitive merger agreement to acquire Peach State Bancshares, Inc. Details of the transaction are described in a separate presentation, filed with the SEC on April 21 and available within the Investor Relations section of United\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

\n First Quarter 2026 Financial Highlights:<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n