This Management's Discussion and Analysis should be read in conjunction with the
accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes included elsewhere in
this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Forward-looking statements in this Management's
Discussion and Analysis are not guarantees of future performance and may involve
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those projected. See "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements"
above and "Item 1A. Risk Factors" for discussions of these risks and
uncertainties. A comparative discussion of results of operations for the year
ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 is provided in "Item 7. Management's Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and is
incorporated by reference herein.
Company Overview
Sterling Bancorp, a unitary thrift holding company headquartered in Southfield,
Michigan, owns 100% of the outstanding common stock of Sterling Bank and Trust,
F.S.B. The Company's business is conducted through the Bank, which was formed in
1984. The Bank operates through a network of 28 branches of which 26 branches
are located in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California with the remaining
branches located in New York, New York and Southfield, Michigan.
We originate commercial real estate loans, commercial lines of credit and other
consumer loans and provide deposit products, consisting primarily of checking,
savings and term certificate accounts. Our residential lending program has
recently been suspended since our third-party residential lending service
provider to whom we outsourced this function announced its intention to cease
conducting business in November 2022, and we are currently evaluating
alternative service providers. Until such time as we enter into an agreement
with a replacement provider, we have suspended the origination of residential
loans, and pending further evaluation of our alternatives, we may discontinue
the origination of residential loans. We also engage in mortgage banking
activities which includes acquiring, selling and servicing residential mortgage
loans. At December 31, 2022, we had total assets of $2.4 billion, $1.7 billion
of gross loans and $2.0 billion of deposits. We had a net loss of $(14.2)
million or diluted loss per share of $(0.28) for the year ended December 31,
2022.
Executive Summary
During 2022, we made significant strides towards resolving the governmental
investigations into our former Advantage Loan Program, settled the shareholder
derivative action, and resolved the OCC Agreement which was entered into in
2019, completing all material remediation efforts along the way. We also
continued to right-size our balance sheet and improve our credit quality
metrics.
Resolution of Government Investigations and Litigation
In the third quarter of 2022, we entered into a Consent Order with the OCC,
resolving the OCC Investigation, which had been ongoing for almost three years.
The Consent Order represents a full and final settlement of the OCC
Investigation with respect to the Bank. Pursuant to that Consent Order, the Bank
paid a civil money penalty of $6.0 million. The OCC also notified the Bank that
the OCC Agreement was terminated, marking the completion of certain remediation
requirements related to the Bank's BSA/AML compliance program and credit
administration. The Bank continues to respond to information requests from the
OCC related to its investigation of certain individuals in connection with the
Advantage Loan Program.
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On March 15, 2023, the Company, entered into the Plea Agreement with the DOJ,
resolving the DOJ's investigation. Under the Plea Agreement, the Company has
agreed to plead guilty to one count of securities fraud primarily relating to
disclosures with respect to the Advantage Loan Program contained in the
Company's 2017 IPO Registration Statement and its immediately following Annual
Reports on Form 10-K filed in March 2018 and March 2019; pay $27.2 million in
restitution for the benefit of non-insider victim shareholders; further enhance
its compliance program and internal controls with respect to securities law
compliance; and provide periodic reports to the DOJ with respect to compliance
matters. No criminal fine was imposed. The Company's obligations under the Plea
Agreement are generally effective for three years. This resolution releases the
Company, as well as the Bank, from further prosecution for securities fraud and
underlying mortgage fraud in the Advantage Loan Program. The Plea Agreement
remains subject to final court approval. The Company's liability for contingent
losses was increased from $15.0 million at December 31, 2021 to $27.2 million at
December 31, 2022 to reflect the accrual needed for the estimated financial
impact of the DOJ resolution and an offset for the payment of the $6 million
civil money penalty pursuant to the Consent Order with the OCC. In addition,
although the Company and the Bank continue to remain under investigation by the
SEC, the Company currently believes that the SEC investigation will not result
in an enforcement action against the Company. See "Item 3 - Legal Proceedings."
In the first quarter of 2022, we entered into an agreement in the form of a
definitive stipulation of settlement (the "Settlement"), which received final
court approval in the third quarter of 2022, with a purported shareholder who
brought a derivative action against us. As part of that Settlement, we agreed to
adopt and implement substantial corporate governance reforms, many of which were
already under way, and pay attorneys' fees and expenses in exchange for the
release of all defendants from all alleged claims therein.
In addition, in the fourth quarter of 2022, we commenced an action against Scott
J. Seligman, the Bank's founder and controlling shareholder, and other nominal
defendants, seeking compensatory and other damages, disgorgement of certain
monies and injunctive relief.
The Company incurred significant legal, consulting and other third-party
expenses during 2022, as it has over the prior two years, in connection with the
government investigations, compliance with the OCC Agreement, defending
litigation related to the Advantage Loan Program and reimbursing current and
former officers and directors for their out-of-pocket legal costs in connection
with the government investigations. However, our remediation efforts, the
conclusion of several legal matters during 2022 and the resolution of the DOJ
investigation should allow us to devote less attention to our prior compliance
and litigation issues and more attention to strategic issues going forward,
though our flexibility remains constrained because of the remaining governmental
investigations.
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