NewtekOne, Inc. Estimates $2.0 Million of Annual Expense Savings

Rhea-AI Summary

NewtekOne Inc (NASDAQ: NEWT) has announced the termination of three office space leases totaling 52,000 square feet, expected to generate annual cost savings of $2.0 million starting Q2 2025. This strategic move aligns with the company's shift to a remote workforce model and technology-enabled platform.

The company's digital transformation has shown significant progress since acquiring Newtek Bank in January 2023. Key achievements include:

• Growing loan portfolio from $167 million to $774 million as of December 31, 2024
• Digitally opening 15,000+ deposit accounts
• Expanding consolidated balance sheet to $2.1 billion by December 31, 2024

The company leverages its technology platform for deposit gathering, loan origination, and business solutions delivery through on-camera staff, eliminating the need for traditional branches and bankers.

Positive

• Annual cost reduction of $2.0 million from lease terminations
• Loan portfolio growth from $167M to $774M
• Digital account openings exceeded 15,000
• Balance sheet expansion to $2.1B
• Operational efficiency improvement through technology adoption

Negative

• None.

Insights

Financial Analyst

NewtekOne's announcement of $2.0 million in annual expense reductions through lease terminations represents a meaningful efficiency initiative for a company with a $264.6 million market cap. This 0.76% market cap equivalent in recurring savings will directly enhance bottom-line performance beginning next quarter, demonstrating management's commitment to operational efficiency while pursuing growth.

The strategic shift to a remote workforce model reflects broader industry trends toward digital-first banking, but NewtekOne appears particularly well-positioned with its technology infrastructure already in place. This move eliminates costly physical infrastructure without sacrificing customer acquisition capabilities, as evidenced by their growth from 1,400 to 15,000+ deposit accounts since acquiring Newtek Bank in 2023.

The timing is strategically sound, as the banking sector faces margin pressures from the current rate environment. By reducing fixed costs while maintaining growth momentum, NewtekOne strengthens its pre-provision net revenue - a crucial metric during economic uncertainty. Their loan portfolio expansion from $167 million to $774 million while simultaneously cutting expenses demonstrates disciplined growth.

For a smaller financial institution with $2.1 billion in total assets, this $2 million expense reduction meaningfully improves their efficiency ratio. This should enhance earnings quality and potentially support dividend sustainability, critical factors for financial holding companies targeting growth in tangible book value per share.

BOCA RATON, Fla., April 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NewtekOne, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: NEWT) announced the termination of three office space leases covering roughly 52,000 square feet, which will reduce the Company’s annual expenses by approximately $2.0 million on a recurring basis beginning in the second quarter of 2025. These lease terminations reflect the Company’s strategic shift to a mostly remote workforce and the Company’s technological capabilities to produce growth without having to use expensive branches, traditional bankers, brokers, or business development officers. The Company’s technology-enabled platform allows customer-facing, on-camera staff to gather deposits, originate loans, and provide vital business and financial solutions to clients.

Barry Sloane, CEO, President and Chairman, said, “Today’s announcement further demonstrates our growth strategy that emphasizes technology to communicate and interact with our independent business owner clients efficiently, effectively, and on demand. We believe this strategy positions the Company to continue to produce above-average profitability and growth in earnings and tangible book value per share for shareholders. Not only do the lease terminations align with our strategy of having staff on camera to service clients, but they also create meaningful cost savings, which should support our already strong profitability profile. Despite the Company’s healthy pace of growth, we are extremely conscious of operating expenses and are constantly looking for ways to become more efficient without sacrificing quality. Our focus on expenses contributes to our attractive level of pre-provision net revenue, which comes in particularly handy in more volatile environments such as what the world is currently experiencing.”

Mr. Sloane continued, “Just over two years ago, in January 2023, we acquired what is now known as Newtek Bank, and we have transformed this single-branch, nationally chartered bank with antiquated manual processes, 1,400 deposit accounts, and roughly $200 million of assets into a technology-enabled bank with a national presence. Our many successes since converting from a business development company to a financial holding company include Newtek Bank digitally opening 15,000+ deposit accounts and growing its loan portfolio from $167 million to $774 million as of December 31, 2024. Moreover, we have increased our consolidated balance sheet to $2.1 billion at December 31, 2024. We believe that NewtekOne is still in the early innings of this iteration of its journey.”

About NewtekOne, Inc.

NewtekOne^®, Your Business Solutions Company^®, is a financial holding company, which along with its bank and non-bank consolidated subsidiaries (collectively, “NewtekOne”), provides a wide range of business and financial solutions under the Newtek^® brand to independent business owners. Since 1999, NewtekOne has provided state-of-the-art, cost-efficient products and services and efficient business strategies to independent business owners across all 50 states to help them grow their sales, control their expenses, and reduce their risk.

NewtekOne’s and its subsidiaries’ business and financial solutions include: banking (Newtek Bank, N.A.), Business Lending, SBA Lending Solutions, Electronic Payment Processing, Accounts Receivable Financing & Inventory Financing, Insurance Solutions and Payroll and Benefits Solutions. In addition, NewtekOne offers its clients the Technology Solutions (Cloud Computing, Data Backup, Storage and Retrieval, IT Consulting and Web Services) provided by Intelligent Protection Management Corp. (IPM.com).

Newtek^®, NewtekOne^®, Newtek Bank^®, National Association, Your Business Solutions Company^®, One Solution for All Your Business Needs^® and Newtek Advantage are registered trademarks of NewtekOne, Inc.

Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the Private Securities Litigation and Reform Act of 1995 are based on the current beliefs and expectations of NewtekOne's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Information regarding loan and deposit metrics consist of preliminary estimates and are subject to change with our filings with regulatory agencies and the filing of the Company's Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2025. See “Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and the sections entitled “Risk Factors” in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission which are available on NewtekOne's website (https://investor.newtekbusinessservices.com/sec-filings) and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (www.sec.gov). Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of NewtekOne speak only as to the date they are made, and NewtekOne does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statements were made.

SOURCE: NewtekOne, Inc.

Investor Relations & Public Relations
Contact: Bryce Rowe
Telephone: (212) 273-8292 / browe@newtekone.com

FAQ

How much will NewtekOne (NEWT) save annually from terminating office leases?

NewtekOne will save approximately $2.0 million annually starting from Q2 2025 through the termination of three office leases covering 52,000 square feet.

What is NewtekOne's (NEWT) loan portfolio size as of December 2024?

NewtekOne's loan portfolio grew to $774 million as of December 31, 2024, up from $167 million.

How many digital deposit accounts has NewtekOne (NEWT) opened since acquiring Newtek Bank?

NewtekOne has digitally opened over 15,000 deposit accounts since acquiring Newtek Bank in January 2023.

What is NewtekOne's (NEWT) consolidated balance sheet size as of December 2024?

NewtekOne's consolidated balance sheet reached $2.1 billion as of December 31, 2024.

How is NewtekOne (NEWT) implementing its digital transformation strategy?

NewtekOne is implementing a technology-enabled platform with remote workforce and on-camera staff for deposits, loans, and business solutions, eliminating traditional branches and bankers.