MURRAY, Utah, July 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FinWise Bancorp (NASDAQ: FINW) (“FinWise” or the “Company”), parent company of FinWise Bank (the “Bank”), today announced that it has entered into a membership interest purchase agreement with Business Funding Group, LLC (“BFG”) and four members of BFG (“Sellers”), in which FinWise will acquire an additional 10% ownership and voting interest in BFG, bringing the total ownership to 20% upon closing. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.
“We are excited to have executed on one of our long-term initiatives to increase our ownership of Business Funding Group and to have done so at favorable terms by issuing FinWise stock to the BFG Sellers at a premium to its current valuation,” stated Kent Landvatter, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of FinWise. “BFG has been a primary source of SBA 7(a) loans since 2014 and our relationship has been mutually beneficial for nearly a decade.”
Mr. Landvatter continued, “We believe the use of our shares at a premium valuation demonstrates the strength of our business and a signal of confidence by one of our key strategic partners. As we move ahead, we will remain disciplined with our capital in order to be prepared and secure additional long-term value creation for our shareholders.”
Jarret Prussin, CEO of Business Funding Group stated, “I am very pleased with the opportunity to deepen our relationship with FinWise through this transaction. Our partnership has already created significant value for both of our organizations, and I believe that the expanded relationship and continued collaboration will drive further growth. Our willingness to transact at a premium valuation for FinWise shares in this transaction demonstrates our commitment to our relationship and the long-term value we see in FinWise.”
About FinWise Bancorp
FinWise Bancorp is a Utah bank holding company headquartered in Murray, Utah. FinWise’s wholly-owned subsidiary, FinWise Bank, is a Utah state-chartered FDIC-insured bank. FinWise currently operates one full-service banking location in Sandy, Utah. FinWise is a nationwide lender to and takes deposits from consumers and small businesses. Learn more at www.finwisebancorp.com.
About Business Funding Group
Business Funding Group, headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, was founded in 2011 and focuses on providing a wide range of creative financing solutions to businesses in all stages of their growth.
Contacts
investors@finwisebank.com
media@finwisebank.com
"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company’s current views with respect to, among other things, future events and its financial performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “will likely result,” “expect,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “projection,” “forecast,” “budget,” “goal,” “target,” “would,” “aim” and “outlook,” or the negative version of those words or other comparable words or phrases of a future or forward-looking nature. These forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company’s industry and management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by management, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and beyond the Company’s control. The inclusion of these forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by the Company or any other person that such expectations, estimates and projections will be achieved. Accordingly, the Company cautions you that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, actual results may prove to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
There are or will be important factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated in these forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: (a) the success of the financial technology industry, the development and acceptance of which is subject to a high degree of uncertainty, as well as the continued evolution of the regulation of this industry; (b) the ability of the Company’s Strategic Program service providers to comply with regulatory regimes, including laws and regulations applicable to consumer credit transactions, and the Company’s ability to adequately oversee and monitor its Strategic Program service providers; (c) the Company’s ability to maintain and grow its relationships with its Strategic Program service providers; (d) changes in the laws, rules, regulations, interpretations or policies relating to financial institutions, accounting, tax, trade, monetary and fiscal matters, including the application of interest rate caps or maximums; (e) the Company’s ability to keep pace with rapid technological changes in the industry or implement new technology effectively; (f) conditions relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, including the severity and duration of the associated economic slowdown either nationally or in the Company’s market areas, and the response of governmental authorities to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Company’s participation in Covid-19-related government programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program; (g) system failure or cybersecurity breaches of the Company’s network security; (h) the Company’s reliance on third-party service providers for core systems support, informational website hosting, internet services, online account opening and other processing services; (i) general economic conditions, either nationally or in the Company’s market areas (including interest rate environment, government economic and monetary policies, the strength of global financial markets and inflation and deflation), that impact the financial services industry and/or the Company’s business; (j) increased competition in the financial services industry, particularly from regional and national institutions and other companies that offer banking services; (k) the Company’s ability to measure and manage its credit risk effectively and the potential deterioration of the business and economic conditions in the Company’s primary market areas; (l) the adequacy of the Company’s risk management framework; (m) the adequacy of the Company’s allowance for loan losses (“ALL”); (n) the financial soundness of other financial institutions; (o) new lines of business or new products and services; (p) changes in Small Business Administration (“SBA”) rules, regulations and loan products, including specifically the Section 7(a) program, changes in SBA standard operating procedures or changes to the status of the Bank as an SBA Preferred Lender; (q) changes in the value of collateral securing the Company’s loans; (r) possible increases in the Company’s levels of nonperforming assets; (s) potential losses from loan defaults and nonperformance on loans; (t) the Company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and the risks it faces with respect to claims and litigation initiated against the Company; (u) the inability of small- and medium-sized businesses to whom the Company lends to weather adverse business conditions and repay loans; (v) the Company’s ability to implement aspects of its growth strategy and to sustain its historic rate of growth; (w) the Company’s ability to continue to originate, sell and retain loans, including through its Strategic Programs; (x) the concentration of the Company’s lending and depositor relationships through Strategic Programs in the financial technology industry generally; (y) the Company’s ability to attract additional merchants and retain and grow its existing merchant relationships; (z) interest rate risk associated with the Company’s business, including sensitivity of its interest earning assets and interest bearing liabilities to interest rates, and the impact to its earnings from changes in interest rates; (aa) the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and its ability to remediate any future material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting; (bb) potential exposure to fraud, negligence, computer theft and cyber-crime and other disruptions in the Company’s computer systems relating to its development and use of new technology platforms; (cc) the Company’s dependence on its management team and changes in management composition; (dd) the sufficiency of the Company’s capital, including sources of capital and the extent to which it may be required to raise additional capital to meet its goals; (ee) compliance with laws and regulations, supervisory actions, the Dodd-Frank Act, capital requirements, the Bank Secrecy Act, anti-money laundering laws, predatory lending laws, and other statutes and regulations; (ff) the Company’s ability to maintain a strong core deposit base or other low-cost funding sources; (gg) results of examinations of the Company by its regulators, including the possibility that its regulators may, among other things, require the Company to increase its ALL or to write-down assets; (hh) the Company’s involvement from time to time in legal proceedings, examinations and remedial actions by regulators; (ii) further government intervention in the U.S. financial system; (jj) natural disasters and adverse weather, acts of terrorism, pandemics, an outbreak of hostilities or other international or domestic calamities, and other matters beyond the Company’s control; (kk) future equity and debt issuances; and (ll) other factors listed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K.
The timing and amount of purchases under the Company’s share repurchase program will be determined by management based upon market conditions and other factors. Purchases may be made pursuant to a program adopted under Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The program does not require the Company to purchase any specific number or amount of shares and may be suspended or reinstated at any time in the Company’s discretion and without notice.
Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether because of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law. New risks and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict their occurrence. In addition, the Company cannot assess the impact of each risk and uncertainty on its business or the extent to which any risk or uncertainty, or combination of risks and uncertainties, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
