Cathay General Bancorp (Nasdaq: CATY), a bank holding company that operates through its principal subsidiary, Cathay Bank, providing a wide range of financial services primarily to the Chinese-American and Asian-American markets, announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2025, highlighting significant year-over-year growth in net income and a strengthened net interest margin.
For the full year ended December 31, 2025, the company reported net income of $315.1 million or $4.54 per diluted share, representing a 10.2% increase from the $286.0 million reported in 2024. Fourth-quarter performance was also robust, with net income reaching $90.5 million, a 16.5% increase compared to the third quarter of 2025.
Profitability and Efficiency Trends
The company’s profitability metrics showed consistent improvement throughout the year. Return on average assets (ROA) for 2025 was 1.33%, up from 1.22% in 2024, while the return on average stockholders’ equity (ROE) climbed to 10.87% from 10.18% in the prior year.
A key driver of these results was a significant improvement in the efficiency ratio, which fell to 43.41% for the full year 2025, compared to 51.35% in 2024. This improvement indicates that the Company is becoming more efficient at managing its overhead relative to its revenue.
Net Interest Margin and Yield Analysis
The company experienced a positive trend in its net interest margin (NIM), which rose to 3.30% for the full year 2025, compared to 3.04% in 2024. In the fourth quarter specifically, the NIM reached 3.36%, supported by a decrease in interest expense on deposits.
Management noted that the cost of funds on average interest-bearing liabilities dropped to 3.14% in the fourth quarter from 3.32% in the third quarter, primarily due to the lower repricing of maturing time deposits. However, this was partially offset by a decrease in the yield on average interest-earning assets to 5.74% in the fourth quarter, driven by a decreasing rate environment affecting loan yields.
Balance Sheet and Asset Quality
Cathay General Bancorp saw steady growth in its core banking activities:
- Total Loans: Excluding loans held for sale, gross loans increased by 4.0% year-over-year to $20.15 billion. Growth was primarily fueled by a $530.9 million increase in commercial real estate loans.
- Total Deposits: Deposits grew by 6.1% to $20.89 billion at year-end.
- Asset Quality: Asset quality improved significantly, with total non-accrual loans decreasing by 33.6% to $112.4 million compared to the end of 2024. The provision for credit losses for the fourth quarter was $17.2 million, a decrease from the $28.7 million recorded in the third quarter.
Capital Management and Updates
The company remains “well capitalized” under regulatory standards, ending the year with a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 13.27% and a total risk-based capital ratio of 14.93%. During the fourth quarter of 2025, Cathay General Bancorp focused on returning value to shareholders by repurchasing approximately 1.1 million shares at an average cost of $47.15 per share, totaling 51.9million.
Outlook & Risks
While the sources do not provide specific numerical guidance for 2026, the company’s forward-looking statements acknowledge various external risks, including fluctuations in interest rates, potential deterioration in credit quality, and general economic conditions in both the United States and Asia where the bank maintains operations. Management remains focused on navigating the decreasing rate environment and its impact on interest-earning assets.
