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SouthState

ssb · NASDAQ Financial Services
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Ticker ssb
Exchange NASDAQ
Sector Financial Services
Industry Banks - Regional
Employees 1001-5000
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FY2020 Annual Report · SouthState
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2020 
Letter to 
Shareholders

Dear 
Shareholders,

We are pleased to share SouthState’s results for 2020, 
which was a year of significant accomplishments as well 
as one of great challenge.    

Like most, our business was significantly impacted 
by the health pandemic and related economic 
fallout.  However, the year was also a very successful 
one for our company, and we want to take a minute to 
talk about those successes.   Additionally, because we 
believe the future is more important, we will also share 
our thoughts about the opportunities facing SouthState 
and how we believe we are well-positioned to succeed 
in 2021 and beyond.

As many of you know, we operate our company under 
the guiding principles of soundness, profitability, and 
growth, while expecting our teams to lead with integrity 
and accountability.  

Soundness

In terms of soundness, we continue to report excellent 
credit results, with net charge-offs of only 0.01% 
of average loans for the year.  Problem assets also 
remained low, with non-performing assets of only 0.32% 
at year end.  Our allowance for credit losses ended 
the year at a very strong 2.01% excluding Paycheck 
Protection Program (PPP) loans.  Our capital levels also 
remained strong as we ended the year with a common 
equity tier one ratio of 11.8%, up 0.50% from the year 
ago level, and total risk-based capital ratio of 14.2%, up 
1.4% from year end 2019.  

Profitability 

For profitability1 in 2020, we reported earnings of $120.6 
million, or $2.19 per diluted share.  We earned $281.7 
million, or $5.12 per diluted share excluding merger-
related and other one-time expenses, even after setting 
aside $117 million in reserves for credit losses (excluding 
the $119 million in the initial provision for credit losses 
associated with loans acquired in the CenterState 
merger).  Adjusted return on average tangible equity 
was 14.1% and tangible book value per share grew by 
$2.03 during 2020, ending the year at $41.16.   Because 
merger accounting requires numerous entries that make 
it difficult to analyze underlying performance, we also 
produced results on a Combined Business Basis showing 
results as if the combined company had been merged 
for the entire year.  We believe these results are useful in 
providing comparability between periods.  On this basis, 
SouthState produced record pre-tax pre-provision net 
revenue (“PPNR”) in 2020, led by our noninterest income 
businesses, in spite of an interest rate environment 
that puts pressure on net interest income, our largest 
revenue source.  We also announced plans to expand 
our noninterest income business with the negotiation of 
the acquisition of Duncan Williams, which subsequently 
closed on February 1, 2021.

 1  Adjusted figures above are non-GAAP measures that exclude the impact 
of merger-related expenses, securities gains or losses, swap termination 
expense, FHLB Advances prepayment penalty, initial provision for 
credit losses on non-purchase credit deteriorated loans and unfunded 
commitments assumed from the CenterState merger, and income tax 
benefit related to tax losses carry back under the CARES Act, as applicable; 
The tangible measures are non-GAAP measures and exclude the effect 
of period end or average balance of intangible assets and the after-tax 
amortization of intangibles to GAAP basis net income as applicable.

Banking 
Forward 

Looking ahead, we are very excited about the future 
and our prospects for success.  SouthState enters 2021 
in a position of strength, with high levels of capital and 
reserves, low levels of problem loans, and a very strong 
core funding base.  We have outstanding technology 
solutions, including a world-class treasury management 
platform for our commercial customers.  We made 
enhancements to our technology offerings in 
2020, having rolled out a new website built on a best-
in-class platform and are implementing a new mobile 
platform for our customers.  We have an active, diverse, 
and engaged board, providing the management team 
with advice, counsel, and effective challenge to help 
ensure strong governance over strategy and decision-
making.  We operate in excellent markets that continue 
to have high levels of population in-migration and 
the resultant economic activity such growth brings.  
In fact, according to a recent report by Redfin, we 
operate in five of the top ten cities nationwide ranked 
by population in-migration.  And, most importantly, 
we have a superior management team operating 
within a healthy culture.  The combination of our 
financial strength, our technological offerings, and our 
entrepreneurial culture allows us to recruit and retain 
the best bankers, which bodes well for our future 
success. Our vision for the future is very bright. 

While our industry will continue to face revenue 
challenges in the near term due to the low interest rate 
environment, we believe SouthState is positioned to be 
the premier bank in the Southeast. We thank you for your 
confidence, your trust, and your investment in SouthState.  

Robert R. Hill, Jr. 
Executive Chairman

John C. Corbett 
Chief Executive Officer

Growth 

2020 was a year of significant growth for SouthState, 
with the company more than doubling in size to nearly 
$38 billion in assets, primarily as a result of the merger of 
equals with CenterState.  When we announced the merger 
on January 27, 2020, we had no idea of the changes 
we would be facing in the coming months.  Within a 
few weeks of the announcement, Covid cases began 
to spread, leading to shutdowns in the economy.  Our 
merger integration teams could no longer travel to meet 
in person, forcing us to pivot to video and teleconference 
meetings.  The government injected massive stimulus 
into the economy, driving interest rates down to near 
zero.  Congress initiated the Paycheck Protection Program 
in early April, and our teams combined to produce 
almost 20,000 PPP loans totaling $2.4 billion, all while 
working remotely.  We estimate these efforts have helped 
save approximately 300,000 jobs.  We also proactively 
worked with our customers on loan deferrals to provide 
assistance in recovering from the economic strain of the 
pandemic.  This proactive assistance helped enhance 
goodwill with our customers, and we are pleased that our 
deferrals are now down to approximately 1%.

CenterState and SouthState merged to create a better 
company – not just a bigger company.  This merger has 
positioned us to compete with any bank in our footprint, 
including the largest banks.  SouthState today has the 
leadership team, the balance sheet size and capital 
position, the technological solutions, the capital markets 
tools, and very importantly, the entrepreneurial culture to 
attract and retain the best bankers and the best clients.   

Please read the 
following disclosure 
along with the annual 
shareholder letter.

SouthStateBank.com

Forward  Looking  Statement:  This  Report  contains  certain  forward-looking  statements  as  defined  in  the  Private 
Securities  Litigation  Reform  Act  of  1995.  These  statements  may  address  issues  that  involve  significant  risks  and 
uncertainties.  Although  we  believe  that  the  expectations  reflected  in  this  discussion  are  reasonable,  actual 
results may be materially different. Please refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year-ended 
December 31, 2020 (“Form 10-K”), for a thorough description of the types of risks and uncertainties that may affect 
management’s forward-looking statements.