Eastern Bankshares, Inc. Q2 FY26 Results

Eastern’s second-quarter performance reflects our focus on organically growing both banking and fee-based businesses and consistently returning capital to shareholders. Strong Commercial & Industrial lending results, partially offset by headwinds from Commercial Real Estate payoffs, drove a linked quarter increase in total loans. We continue to benefit from talent added in recent years and our relationship-driven model. Customers remain resilient, as Commercial loan pipelines finished June at a record quarter-end level of nearly $1 billion. Deposit balances grew meaningfully during the quarter with a modest rise in costs. While the deposit environment is highly competitive, we are committed to balancing growth with margin performance. Momentum in our Wealth business continued as assets increased to another record high and fees had strong growth year-over-year. We are encouraged by the strengthening partnership between our Wealth and Banking businesses, which continues to create more new business opportunities. Our comprehensive, solutions-oriented approach to wealth management is resonating with clients, reinforcing our value proposition. Finally, we are grateful for our customers, colleagues, and community partners whose trust and support position us for further growth in the markets we serve.

Operating net income increased 20% linked quarter, generating an operating return on average tangible common equity of 15.3% and annualized growth in tangible book value per share of 7%. We are pleased with our financial performance, which was highlighted by positive operating leverage, driven by growth in both net interest income and fee revenues combined with lower expenses, resulting in an operating efficiency ratio of 49%. Net interest income benefited from 3 basis points of margin expansion as higher asset yields more than offset increased funding costs. Fee revenue growth was strong and diversified, with notable increases in Wealth Management fees and interest rate swap income. Asset quality remains excellent, credit trends are positive, and as expected, non-performing loans declined for the second consecutive quarter following the HarborOne merger. In addition, we continued to return a significant amount of capital to shareholders during the quarter, while the Board’s approval of a new 5% share repurchase program underscores confidence in the Company’s long-term intrinsic value.