NBT Bancorp Inc. Announces Pricing of Subordinated Notes Offering

Rhea-AI Summary

NBT Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: NBTB) announced a public offering of $100 million in 5.000% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030. The notes will accrue interest at 5.000% until July 2025, transitioning to a floating rate thereafter. The offering is expected to close on June 23, 2020. The net proceeds, estimated at $98 million, will support various corporate purposes including working capital and regulatory capital for the bank. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and Piper Sandler are the joint book-running managers for this offering.

Positive

• Public offering of $100 million in subordinated notes enhances capital structure.
• Interest rate of 5.000% is attractive for investors until July 2025.

Negative

• Shift to floating interest rate after July 2025 could increase future borrowing costs.
• Market conditions and regulatory changes could impact the use of proceeds.

NORWICH, N.Y., June 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NBT Bancorp Inc. (“NBT” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: NBTB), the holding company for NBT Bank, N.A. (the “Bank”), today announced the pricing of its public offering of $100 million aggregate principal amount of 5.000% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030 (the “Notes”). The price to the public for the Notes was 100% of the principal amount of the Notes. Interest on the Notes will accrue at a rate equal to (i) 5.000% per annum from the original issue date to, but excluding, July 1, 2025, payable semiannually in arrears, and (ii) a floating rate per annum equal to a benchmark rate, which is expected to be Three-Month Term SOFR (as defined in the Notes), plus a spread of 485 basis points from, and including, July 1, 2025, payable quarterly in arrears. The Notes are intended to qualify as Tier 2 capital for regulatory purposes. This offering is expected to close on June 23, 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, A Stifel Company, and Piper Sandler & Co. are acting as the joint book-running managers for the offering.

The Company estimates that the net proceeds of the offering will be approximately $98 million, after deducting underwriting discounts, and before expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the proceeds for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, repaying indebtedness, providing capital to support the organic growth of the Bank and our other subsidiaries, financing investments and capital expenditures, funding acquisitions and for investments in the Bank and our other subsidiaries as regulatory capital.

This offering is being made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus. The Company has filed a registration statement (File No. 333-224532) and a preliminary prospectus supplement to the prospectus contained in the registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the Notes to which this communication relates and will file a final prospectus supplement relating to the Notes.

Prospective investors should read the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus in the registration statement and other documents the Company has filed or will file with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and the offering.

Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus relating to the Notes offering can be obtained without charge by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or may be obtained by calling Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, A Stifel Company, toll free at 1-800-966-1559 or by e-mail at USCapitalMarkets@kbw.com; or by emailing Piper Sandler & Co. at fsg-dcm@psc.com.

Corporate Overview

NBT Bancorp Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Norwich, NY, with total assets of $9.95 billion at March 31, 2020. The Company primarily operates through NBT Bank, N.A., a full-service community bank, and through two financial services companies. NBT Bank, N.A. has 146 banking locations in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and is currently entering Connecticut. EPIC Retirement Plan Services, based in Rochester, NY, is a full-service 401(k) plan recordkeeping firm. NBT Insurance Agency, LLC, based in Norwich, NY, is a full-service insurance agency.

Disclaimer About This Release

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes, nor shall there be any sale of the Notes in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Any offering of the Notes is being made only by means of a written prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The Notes being offered have not been approved or disapproved by any regulatory authority, nor has any such authority passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of either prospectus supplement or the shelf registration statement or prospectus relating thereto.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of the management of NBT and its subsidiaries and on the information available to management at the time that these statements were made. There are a number of factors, many of which are beyond NBT’s control, which could cause actual conditions, events or results to differ significantly from those described in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, among others, the following possibilities: (1) local, regional, national and international economic conditions and the impact they may have on the Company and its customers and the Company’s assessment of that impact; (2) changes in the level of nonperforming assets and charge-offs; (3) changes in estimates of future reserve requirements based upon the periodic review thereof under relevant regulatory and accounting requirements; (4) the effects of and changes in trade and monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board (“FRB”); (5) inflation, interest rate, securities market and monetary fluctuations; (6) political instability; (7) acts of war or terrorism; (8) the timely development and acceptance of new products and services and perceived overall value of these products and services by users; (9) changes in consumer spending, borrowings and savings habits; (10) changes in the financial performance and/or condition of the Company’s borrowers; (11) technological changes; (12) acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses; (13) the ability to increase market share and control expenses; (14) changes in the competitive environment among financial holding companies; (15) the effect of changes in laws and regulations (including laws and regulations concerning taxes, banking, securities and insurance) with which the Company and its subsidiaries must comply, including those under the Dodd-Frank Act, Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, Consumer Protection Act of 2018, Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”), and regulatory pronouncements around CARES Act; (16) the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the regulatory agencies, as well as the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) and other accounting standard setters; (17) changes in the Company’s organization, compensation and benefit plans; (18) the costs and effects of legal and regulatory developments including the resolution of legal proceedings or regulatory or other governmental inquiries and the results of regulatory examinations or reviews; (19) greater than expected costs or difficulties related to the integration of new products and lines of business; (20) the adverse impact on the U.S. economy, including the markets in which we operate, of the novel coronavirus, which causes the Coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19”), global pandemic; (21) the impact of a slowing U.S. economy and increased unemployment on the performance of our loan portfolio, the market value of our investment securities, the availability of sources of funding and the demand for our products; and (22) the Company’s success at managing the risks involved in the foregoing items.

Currently, one of the most significant factors that could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from the Company’s forward-looking statements is the potential adverse effect of the current COVID-19 pandemic on the financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and performance of the Company, its customers and the global economy and financial markets. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts the Company will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the scope, severity and duration of the pandemic and its impact on the Company’s customers and demand for financial services, the actions governments, businesses and individuals take in response to the pandemic, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and actions taken in response to the pandemic on global and regional economies, national and local economic activity, and the pace of recovery when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, among others. Moreover, investors are cautioned to interpret many of the risks identified under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020, both of which are incorporated herein by reference, as being heightened as a result of the ongoing and numerous adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, and advises readers that various factors including, but not limited to, those described above and other factors discussed in the Company’s annual and quarterly reports previously filed with the SEC, could affect the Company’s financial performance and could cause the Company’s actual results or circumstances for future periods to differ materially from those anticipated or projected.

Unless required by law, we do not undertake, and specifically disclaim any obligations to, publicly release any revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

John H. Watt, Jr., President and CEO
                      John V. Moran, Executive Vice President and CFO
                      NBT Bancorp Inc.
                      52 South Broad Street
                      Norwich, NY 13815
                      607-337-6589

FAQ

What is NBT Bancorp's recent public offering?

NBT Bancorp recently announced a $100 million public offering of 5.000% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2030.

When is the expected closing date for NBT Bancorp's offering?

The expected closing date for NBT Bancorp's offering is June 23, 2020.

What will the proceeds from NBT Bancorp's offering be used for?

The proceeds from the offering are intended for general corporate purposes, including working capital and supporting organic growth.

Who are the managers for NBT Bancorp's subordinated notes offering?

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and Piper Sandler are acting as the joint book-running managers for the offering.

What interest rate will NBT Bancorp's notes have after July 2025?

After July 2025, the interest rate will transition to a floating rate based on a benchmark rate plus a spread.