Company Description
FS Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: FSBW) is a Washington corporation that serves as the holding company for 1st Security Bank of Washington. According to the company’s public disclosures, the Bank offers loan and deposit services primarily to small- and middle-market businesses and individuals in Washington and Oregon. FS Bancorp is classified in the finance and insurance sector and operates as a savings institution with a focus on community and regional banking activities.
The Bank operates through 27 bank branches and a headquarters office that provide loan and deposit services. It also maintains loan production offices in various suburban communities in the greater Puget Sound area, the Kennewick-Pasco-Richland metropolitan area of Washington (the Tri-Cities), and in Vancouver, Washington. In addition, 1st Security Bank services home mortgage customers across the Northwest, with a particular focus on markets in Washington State, including Puget Sound, the Tri-Cities, and Vancouver.
Business Model and Operating Segments
FS Bancorp reports that it operates through two reportable segments: Commercial and Consumer Banking and Home Lending.
- Commercial and Consumer Banking segment: This segment provides diversified financial products and services to commercial and consumer customers. As described in the company’s earnings releases, these offerings include deposit products, residential lending, consumer lending, business lending, commercial real estate lending, and cash management services. The segment also manages the Bank’s investment portfolio and other assets.
- Home Lending segment: This segment originates one-to-four-family residential mortgage loans. These loans are originated primarily for sale in the secondary markets, as well as for the Bank’s own investment portfolio. The segment’s activities and results are disclosed in the company’s segment reporting within its quarterly financial updates.
FS Bancorp’s public financial reports describe how net interest income, provisions for credit losses, noninterest income, and noninterest expense are allocated between these two segments, reflecting the company’s focus on both relationship-based community banking and mortgage banking activities.
Lending Focus and Loan Portfolio
Based on the company’s detailed loan portfolio disclosures, FS Bancorp’s lending activities span several categories, including:
- Commercial real estate (CRE) loans, both owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied, with exposure to property types such as office, retail, hospitality/restaurant, self-storage, mixed-use, industrial, senior housing/assisted living, education/worship, land, and other categories.
- Residential real estate loans, including one-to-four-family residential mortgage loans (excluding loans held for sale), home equity loans, and residential custom construction loans.
- Consumer loans, including indirect home improvement loans, marine loans, and other consumer loans. Company disclosures note that a significant portion of consumer loans are home improvement loans, and they provide information on credit quality metrics such as Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO) scores for originations.
- Commercial business loans, including commercial and industrial (C&I) loans and warehouse lending. The company reports these as part of its commercial business loan portfolio and provides breakdowns of balances and percentages of total loans.
The company’s quarterly updates include tables summarizing total loans receivable, the composition of the loan portfolio, and the allowance for credit losses on loans. These disclosures indicate a diversified loan book across commercial real estate, residential real estate, consumer, and commercial business categories.
Deposits, Funding, and Balance Sheet
FS Bancorp’s public filings and earnings releases describe its deposit base and funding mix. The Bank reports total deposits, including noninterest-bearing deposits and brokered certificates of deposit. Management commentary notes that changes in brokered deposits and borrowings can be used to fund loan growth and manage liquidity.
The company’s asset summaries show total assets consisting of cash and cash equivalents, interest-bearing deposits at other financial institutions, securities available-for-sale, securities held-to-maturity, loans held for sale, loans receivable, accrued interest receivable, premises and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets, Federal Home Loan Bank stock, deferred tax assets, bank-owned life insurance, mortgage servicing rights, goodwill, core deposit intangibles, and other assets. These disclosures illustrate FS Bancorp’s balance sheet structure as a regional banking organization.
Capital Management and Shareholder Returns
FS Bancorp’s Board of Directors has authorized multiple share repurchase programs, as disclosed in press releases and related Form 8-K filings. These programs allow the company to repurchase shares of its common stock in open market or private transactions, or pursuant to trading plans adopted in accordance with SEC Rule 10b5-1. The company states that repurchases are subject to factors such as stock availability, general market conditions, trading price, alternative uses of capital, liquidity, and overall financial performance. The programs may be suspended, terminated, or modified at any time and do not obligate the company to repurchase a specific number of shares.
In addition, FS Bancorp regularly discloses quarterly cash dividends on its common stock. The company’s earnings releases and 8-K filings describe the declaration of regular quarterly cash dividends, including record dates and payment dates. Management commentary in these releases emphasizes the company’s practice of paying consecutive quarterly cash dividends over an extended period.
Geographic Focus and Customer Base
According to multiple company press releases, 1st Security Bank offers loan and deposit services primarily to small- and middle-market businesses and individuals in Washington and Oregon. The Bank operates branches across these states and maintains loan production offices in suburban communities in the greater Puget Sound area, the Tri-Cities region, and Vancouver, Washington. The Bank also services home mortgage customers throughout the Northwest, with a focus on markets in Washington State, including Puget Sound, Tri-Cities, and Vancouver.
These disclosures indicate that FS Bancorp’s business model is centered on regional community banking, combining branch-based services with mortgage lending and loan production offices to reach customers across its core markets.
Regulatory Status and Exchange Listing
FS Bancorp, Inc. is identified in SEC filings as a Washington corporation with a Commission File Number of 001-35589 and a federal employer identification number as disclosed in its reports. The company’s common stock trades on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol FSBW. The company files periodic and current reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K, which provide detailed information about its financial condition, results of operations, risk factors, and corporate governance.
Management and Governance Developments
FS Bancorp’s 8-K filings and related press releases describe changes in executive leadership and governance. For example, the company has disclosed a CEO succession plan at the Bank, including the appointment of a new President and Chief Executive Officer of 1st Security Bank and the planned retirement of a long-serving Bank CEO from that role while continuing as CEO of FS Bancorp, Inc. for a defined period. The company has also announced promotions to key roles such as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at the Bank. These disclosures provide insight into the company’s leadership structure and succession planning.
Risk Management and Regulatory Compliance
FS Bancorp’s forward-looking statement disclosures in its press releases outline a range of factors that could affect its results, including economic conditions in its local markets, changes in interest rates, competitive pressures, securities market conditions, liquidity, technological changes, legislative and regulatory developments, cybersecurity risks, and external events such as severe weather, natural disasters, public health crises, or geopolitical tensions. The company also notes the role of its regulatory compliance functions within the Bank, including a Chief Compliance Officer responsible for regulatory compliance systems, security, and internal compliance training.
Use of Secondary Markets and Mortgage Banking
The company’s segment reporting and explanatory notes describe how certain residential mortgage loans are originated for sale and measured at fair value, and in some cases subsequently transferred to loans held for investment. Gains and losses from changes in fair value for these loans are reported as a component of noninterest income. FS Bancorp also discloses the amount of residential mortgage loans recorded at fair value after such transfers, indicating active participation in the secondary mortgage markets as part of its Home Lending segment.
Summary
In summary, FS Bancorp, Inc. is a NASDAQ-listed bank holding company for 1st Security Bank of Washington, operating in the finance and insurance sector as a savings institution. Its business is organized into Commercial and Consumer Banking and Home Lending segments, with activities that include deposit products, a range of lending products across commercial real estate, residential real estate, consumer, and commercial business categories, and mortgage banking with loans originated for sale in the secondary market. The company focuses on serving small- and middle-market businesses and individuals in Washington and Oregon, supported by a network of branches and loan production offices, and it regularly communicates its financial performance, capital management actions, and governance developments through SEC filings and press releases.