STOCK TITAN

Esquire Financial Q3 earnings rise; EPS falls to $1.57

The Signature merger accounted for $1.90 billion of the year-over-year increase in assets, which reached $4.81 billion at September 30, 2026.

(High)

Sentiment and the balance of points

Rhea-AI Sentiment reads the wording of the document, how positive or negative its language is on a 1 to 5 scale. The balance of points shown with the takes weighs what the document actually discloses, so the two can disagree, for example when a trial that missed its main goal is described in upbeat language.

Form Type
8-K

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. reported third-quarter 2026 net income of $17.5 million, compared with $14.1 million a year earlier; diluted earnings per share were $1.57 versus $1.62. Net interest income increased 70.6% to $53.5 million, while net interest margin was 5.74%, down 30 basis points year over year. Adjusted net income, a non-GAAP measure, was $23.6 million.

For the first nine months, net income was $42.7 million versus $37.4 million, and diluted earnings per share were $4.48 versus $4.32. The company completed its acquisition of Signature Bancorporation on August 1, 2026. Total assets reached $4.81 billion at September 30, with $1.90 billion of the year-over-year increase attributed to the merger. Third-quarter noninterest expense increased 95.9% to $36.0 million, including $8.9 million in merger expenses and $1.8 million of core deposit intangible amortization. Nonperforming loans totaled $8.6 million; the allowance for credit losses was $44.7 million, or 1.30% of total loans.

2 points · 0 major

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It reads the document as published, with the same rules for every company, and it does not look at what the market expected or at how the stock traded, so a point can be objectively good on a day the stock falls.

Rhea-AI Sentiment measures something else, the tone of the wording.

0 major · 0 points

How the balance works

Positive

  • Moderate pointThird-quarter net income was $17.5 million, compared with $14.1 million in 2025.
  • Moderate pointNet interest income increased 70.6% to $53.5 million in the third quarter.

Negative

  • None.

Filing Explained

At September 30, $255.4 million of $775.5 million in off-balance-sheet sweep funds was available to be swept onto the balance sheet.

The Signature acquisition closed on August 1, 2026; the company reports $466.1 million in merger equity consideration and 12,159,646 common shares outstanding at September 30, 2026, versus 8,565,491 a year earlier, meaning existing holders’ ownership is spread across a larger share count.

At September 30, 2026, deposits were $3.98 billion, including $1.67 billion, or 42.1%, in uninsured deposits; separate off-balance-sheet sweep funds totaled $775.5 million, with $255.4 million available to be swept onto the balance sheet.

Item 2.02 Results of Operations and Financial Condition Financial
Disclosure of earnings results, typically an earnings press release or preliminary financials.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure Disclosure
Material non-public information disclosed under Regulation Fair Disclosure, often investor presentations or guidance.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits Exhibits
Financial statements, pro forma financial information, or exhibit attachments filed with this report.
Net income $17.5 million Third quarter 2026; compared with $14.1 million in third quarter 2025
Diluted earnings per share $1.57 per diluted share Third quarter 2026; compared with $1.62 in third quarter 2025
Net interest income $53.5 million Third quarter 2026; increased 70.6% year over year
Net interest margin 5.74% Third quarter 2026; decreased 30 basis points year over year
Total assets $4.81 billion As of September 30, 2026
Nonperforming loans $8.6 million As of September 30, 2026
Allowance for credit losses $44.7 million As of September 30, 2026; 1.30% of total loans
net interest margin financial
"net interest margin was 5.74%"
Net interest margin measures how much a bank earns from lending and investing compared with what it pays for funding, expressed as a percentage of its interest-earning assets. Think of it like a grocery store’s markup: it shows the gap between buying cost and selling price per dollar of goods — here, the cost is interest paid and the sale is interest received. Investors watch it because a higher margin usually means a bank is more profitable and better at managing interest rate and credit conditions.
adjusted net income financial
"Adjusted net income, a non-GAAP measure, was $23.6 million"
Adjusted net income is a company's reported profit after removing unusual, one-time, or non-operational items so the number reflects the business’s regular earning power. Investors use it like a cleaned-up scorecard — similar to judging a player’s season performance without a few fluke games — to compare companies or assess trends without being misled by rare gains or losses that won’t affect future cash flow.
core deposit intangible financial
"$1.8 million of core deposit intangible amortization"
Core deposit intangible is an accounting asset that represents the value of customer deposits a bank gains, usually through an acquisition, because those deposits provide a stable, low-cost source of funding. Think of it like paying for a loyal customer list that will save the bank money over time; it is written down over several years and affects reported earnings and the apparent cost of acquiring new funds, so investors watch it to understand future profitability and capital impact.
nonperforming loans financial
"Nonperforming loans totaled $8.6 million"
Nonperforming loans are loans on which borrowers have stopped making the scheduled interest or principal payments for an extended period (commonly 90 days or more) or are otherwise in serious danger of default. Think of them as IOUs that aren’t being repaid: they tie up a lender’s money, reduce future interest income, and force the lender to hold extra reserves or take losses. For investors, a rising share of nonperforming loans signals weakening credit quality, higher potential losses, and greater risk to a bank’s profitability and capital.
allowance for credit losses financial
"the allowance for credit losses was $44.7 million"
Allowance for credit losses is a reserve set aside by a financial institution to cover potential losses from borrowers who may not repay their loans. It acts like a safety net, helping the institution prepare for loans that might turn sour. For investors, it signals how cautious the institution is about the quality of its loans and potential risks to its financial health.
Net income $17.5 million Compared with $14.1 million in third quarter 2025
Diluted earnings per share $1.57 per diluted share Compared with $1.62 in third quarter 2025
Net interest income $53.5 million Increased 70.6% year over year
Net interest margin 5.74% Decreased 30 basis points year over year

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

How much net income did ESQ report in Q3 2026?

Esquire Financial Holdings reported $17.5 million in third-quarter 2026 net income, compared with $14.1 million in the year-earlier quarter. Diluted earnings per share were $1.57, versus $1.62, while net interest income increased 70.6% to $53.5 million.

How much were ESQ deposits at September 30, 2026?

Total deposits were $3.98 billion at September 30, 2026, an increase of $2.10 billion, or 111.7%, from September 30, 2025. The company attributed $1.65 billion of the increase to the Signature merger.

What did ESQ report about nonperforming loans and its credit allowance?

At September 30, 2026, Esquire Financial Holdings reported five nonperforming loans totaling $8.6 million and one property acquired in the Signature merger in other real estate owned totaling $1.0 million. The allowance for credit losses was $44.7 million, or 1.30% of total loans.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Available on EDGAR Accepted by SEC EDGAR Learn about SEC filing dates
0001531031false00015310312026-10-272026-10-27

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 8-K

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CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): October 27, 2026

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Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc.

(Exact name of the registrant as specified in its charter)

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Maryland

001-38131

27-5107901

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

(Commission File Number)

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

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100 Jericho Quadrangle, Suite 100

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Jericho, New York

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11753

(Address of principal executive offices)

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(Zip Code)

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(516) 535-2002

(Registrant’s telephone number)

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N/A

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

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Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (See General Instruction A.2. below):

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☐

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4c)

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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Title of each class

 

Trading

Symbol(s)

 

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.01 par value

 

ESQ

 

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).

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Emerging growth company ☐

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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

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Item 2.02Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

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On October 27, 2026, Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”), the holding company for Esquire Bank, National Association (“Esquire Bank”), issued a press release announcing its earnings for the quarter and year-to-date ended September 30, 2026. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 hereto and incorporated herein by reference.

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The information contained in this Item 2.02 and Exhibit 99.1 shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any filings made by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

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Item 7.01Regulation FD Disclosure.

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Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) intends to distribute and make available to investors, and to post on its website, the written presentation attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2. The presentation is furnished in this Current Report on Form 8-K, pursuant to this Item 7.01, as Exhibit 99.2, and is incorporated herein by reference.

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The information contained in this Item 7.01 and Exhibit 99.2 shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any filings made by the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

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Item 9.01Financial Statements and Exhibits.

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(d) Exhibits.

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Exhibit No.

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Description

99.1

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Press Release dated October 27, 2026.

99.2

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Written presentation to be distributed and made available to investors and posted

on the Company’s website.

104

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Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101).

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SIGNATURES

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Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

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ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC.

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Dated:  October 27, 2026

By:/s/ Andrew C. Sagliocca

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Andrew C. Sagliocca

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Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President

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Exhibit 99.1

Graphic

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc.

Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results

Successful Signature Closing Coupled with Combined Industry Leading Growth and Performance Metrics

Jericho, NY – October 27, 2026 – Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: ESQ) (the “Company”), the financial holding company for Esquire Bank, National Association (“Esquire Bank” or the “Bank”), (collectively “Esquire”) today announced its operating results for the third quarter and year-to-date of 2026.

Effective August 1, 2026, Esquire completed its previously announced acquisition of Signature Bancorporation, Inc., the parent company of Signature Bank of Chicago (collectively “Signature”).  The following summarizes key highlights on August 1, 2026, as well as other merger related items:

●Signature’s closing balance sheet – The fair values of the acquired assets, loans, and deposits were $1.90 billion, $1.36 billion, and $1.65 billion, respectively, giving rise to $246.9 million in goodwill and a $49.3 million core deposit intangible. The combined results for the third quarter of 2026 include two months of activity for Signature.

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●Combined closing balance sheet – The combined assets, loans, deposits, equity, goodwill and core deposit intangible were approximately $4.75 billion, $3.31 billion, $3.92 billion, $778.7 million, and $296.2 million, respectively, on a purchase price of $466.1 million. The combination was approximately 10% accretive to tangible book value. Prior period information presented reflects Esquire’s pre-merger financial information.

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●Core systems conversions are in progress and targeted for April 2027. There has been no material client attrition to date and the combined company’s financial information and performance metrics remain materially unchanged with certain performance metrics improving from announcement date as noted below.

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“This transformational merger enhances our operating profile, expands our resources, and diversifies our balance sheet, bringing together two institutions with highly complementary commercial banking operations and capabilities for continued expansion nationally,” stated Andrew C. Sagliocca, Vice Chairman, CEO & President.  “Most importantly, the merger unites two highly talented management teams with strong client relationships and market expertise, positioning the combined company for continued industry-leading growth, performance metrics and enhanced success.”

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Significant achievements and key performance metrics during the current quarter and year-to-date of 2026 include:

●Net income increased $4.5 million, or 34.7%, to $17.5 million for the third quarter of 2026, compared to $13.0 million in the second quarter of 2026. Diluted earnings per share were $1.57, compared to $1.49 in the prior linked quarter. Excluding $8.9 million of pretax merger expenses ($7.1 million, net of tax) and $938 thousand of discrete tax benefits related to share-based compensation, adjusted(1) net income and diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2026 were $23.6 million and $2.12, respectively.  For the second quarter of 2026, adjusted(1) net income and diluted earnings per share were $14.0 million and $1.60, respectively, excluding pretax merger expenses of $1.1 million ($970 thousand, net of tax).

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●Returns on average assets and equity were 1.73% and 11.11%, respectively, for the third quarter of 2026, compared to 2.09% and 17.06% in the prior linked quarter. Excluding the previously noted after-tax merger expenses and discrete tax benefit item, adjusted(1) returns on average assets and tangible equity(1) were an industry leading 2.34% and 23.10%, respectively, as compared to 2.25% and 18.33%, respectively, for the linked quarter.

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●Strong net interest margin of 5.74%, compared to 5.96% in the prior linked quarter, considering the impact of the Signature merger. The current quarter’s net interest margin was positively impacted by approximately 6 basis points as the acquired interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities of Signature, at fair value, impacted the combined net interest margin for two out of the three months in the current quarter.

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(1)See non-GAAP reconciliation provided at the end of this news release.

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●Loans increased $1.52 billion ($1.38 billion from the Signature merger), or 80.1%, to $3.43 billion from June 30, 2026.   The remaining increase was primarily driven by organic litigation-related loan growth of $159.6 million, or 48.9% annualized, to $1.46 billion and represented 42.5% of total loans, compared to 68.1% in the prior linked quarter. Since the acquisition date of Signature on August 1, 2026, loans increased $111.4 million, or 20.1% annualized, to $3.43 billion in the current quarter, primarily driven by litigation-related loan growth.

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●Deposits increased $1.80 billion ($1.65 billion from the Signature merger), or 82.5%, to $3.98 billion from June 30, 2026.  The remaining increase was primarily driven by litigation-related deposit growth. Noninterest bearing demand deposits totaled $1.11 billion, or 27.9% of total deposits, and the cost of funds for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, including demand deposits, was 1.13%. Since the acquisition date of Signature on August 1, 2026, total deposits increased $55.0 million, or 8.4% annualized, to $3.98 billion in the current quarter.    

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●Off-balance sheet (“OBS”) sweep funds totaled $775.5 million, with approximately 32.9% available for additional on-balance sheet liquidity, while the associated administrative service payments (“ASP”) fee income totaled $1.1 million for the current quarter. Additional available liquidity totaled approximately $865.2 million, excluding cash, OBS sweep funds, and unsecured borrowing capacity.

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●Solid credit metrics, asset quality, and reserve coverage ratios with the allowance for credit losses totaling $44.7 million, or 1.30% of loans, and nonperforming loans and nonperforming assets totaling $8.6 million and $9.6 million, respectively, representing 0.25% of total loans and 0.20% of total assets, respectively.

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●Noninterest income increased $1.5 million, or 23.5%, to $7.9 million, representing 12.8% of total revenue, led by our payment processing platform with 94,000 small business clients nationally. Our tech-enabled payments platform allowed us to perform commercial treasury clearing services for $10.5 billion in credit and debit card payment volume across 152.2 million transactions in all 50 states. Other noninterest income included ASP fee income and other client related services charges totaling $1.1 million and $1.4 million, respectively.

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●Efficiency ratio(1) was 58.6% for the current quarter (including $8.9 million of merger expenses and $1.8 million of core deposit intangible (“CDI”) amortization) compared to 50.1% in the prior linked quarter (including $1.1 million of merger expenses). The adjusted efficiency ratios(1) were 41.1% in the current quarter compared to 47.6% in the prior linked quarter, excluding the previously mentioned merger charges and CDI amortization.

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●Key recognitions during the current quarter include: (1) ranked #3 among the top-performing publicly traded U.S. banks in Bank Director’s 2026 RankingBanking; and (2) named a top deposit franchise by S&P Global Market Intelligence for the third consecutive year.

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●Strong capital foundation with common equity tier 1 (“CET1”) and tangible common equity to tangible assets(1) (“TCE/TA”) ratios of 12.95% and 10.91%, respectively. The Bank remains well above the bank regulatory “Well Capitalized” standards.

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“The Signature merger extends our client-centric approaches to a larger, more diversified client base, building long-term relationships that allow our clients to grow, while concurrently generating strong organic growth for our combined company,” stated Tony Coelho, Chairman of the Board. “With a broader client base, a more diversified loan and deposit foundation, and more resources to allow greater scale, we are positioned to pursue long-term growth while preserving access to key decision-makers to ensure continuity of services that our clients value and have come to expect.”

“The success of the current quarter’s growth, performance metrics, and merger closing is a credit to our caring and diligent management teams and valued employees in New York and Chicago as well as our BDOs across the country,” stated Andrew C. Sagliocca, Vice Chairman, CEO & President. “The Signature merger coupled with our combined asset size, enhanced resources, and diversified loan and deposit platforms positions Esquire for continued industry leading growth and performance, exceeding our initial earnings expectations when we announced the merger on March 12, 2026.”

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(1)See non-GAAP reconciliation provided at the end of this news release.

2


Third Quarter 2026 vs. 2025

Net income for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 was $17.5 million, or $1.57 per diluted share, compared to $14.1 million, or $1.62 per diluted share for the same period in 2025. Returns on average assets and equity for the current quarter were 1.73% and 11.11%, respectively, compared to 2.61% and 20.83% for the same period of 2025. Adjusted(1) net income, diluted earnings per share, return on average assets, and return on average tangible common equity were $23.6 million, $2.12, 2.34% and 23.10%, respectively.

Net interest income increased $22.2 million, or 70.6%, to $53.5 million, due to growth in average interest earning assets totaling $1.64 billion (approximately $1.19 billion related to the Signature merger), or 79.7%, to $3.70 billion. We continue to generate strong organic growth in the quarter funded with low-cost core deposits from our combined regional business development teams and existing relationship banking efforts. Our net interest margin decreased 30 basis points to 5.74%, primarily due to the impact of the Signature merger. The resilience of our combined net interest margin reflects the strength of both the legacy Esquire franchise and the Signature acquired net interest earning assets at fair value, driving industry leading returns. Our net interest margin was positively impacted by approximately 6 basis points in the current quarter as the acquired interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities of Signature, at fair value, impacted the combined net interest margin for two out of the three months in the current quarter. Average loan yields decreased 41 basis points to 7.57%, primarily due to the composition of the acquired loans in the merger. Average loans increased $1.36 billion (approximately $903.9 million related to the Signature merger), or 88.7%, to $2.89 billion, with the remaining organic growth led by our litigation-related loans totaling $420.0 million, or 44.2%, to $1.37 billion in the current quarter. Loan interest income increased $24.4 million, or 79.0%, to $55.2 million with $26.0 million related to growth in average loan volumes (primarily driven by the merger and litigation-related commercial loan growth), offset by $1.7 million from decreases in average loan rates, primarily a result of the acquired Signature loan portfolio. Average securities increased $142.1 million, or 42.1%, to $479.8 million with yields increasing 23 basis points to 4.04% with both increases driven by the Signature merger. Average deposits increased $1.49 billion ($1.08 billion related to the Signature merger), or 80.6%, to $3.34 billion. We continue to generate core organic deposit growth led by our litigation-related (both IOLTA/NOW and money market) growth totaling $398.5 million, or 31.8%. Our cost of deposits, including noninterest bearing demand deposits, increased 10 basis points to 1.13%, primarily due to the Signature merger. Our loan-to-deposit ratio was 86% at September 30, 2026.

The provision for credit losses was $1.8 million for the third quarter of 2026, a $50 thousand increase from the third quarter of 2025. As of September 30, 2026, our allowance to loans ratio was 1.30%, as compared to 1.37% in the prior year quarter. Based on management’s evaluation of current credit risk in our loan portfolio, including the acquired loans from the Signature merger, management believes the allowance for credit losses is adequate at September 30, 2026.

Noninterest income totaled $7.9 million in the current quarter, an increase of $1.7 million ($1.5 million related to fee income generated by Signature’s existing banking platform and related commercial client base) from the third quarter of 2025. Payment processing income was $5.4 million for the third quarter of 2026, an increase of $375 thousand compared to the prior year quarter, as fee income growth has been muted in the legacy Esquire payment processing platform, primarily due to changes in our overall merchant risk profile and merchant composition. Payment processing volumes for the legacy Esquire credit and debit card processing platform increased $416.0 million, or 4.1%, to $10.5 billion while transaction volume totaled 152.2 million for the current quarter. We continue to focus on the expansion of merchant sales channels through our current and future ISOs, new merchant originations, active management of our merchant risk profiles, potential commercial clients in the Chicago and Midwest markets from our Signature merger, and by expanding our technology and other resources in the payment vertical. The Company utilizes proprietary and industry leading/customized technology to ensure card brand and regulatory compliance, to support multiple processing platforms, to manage daily risk across 94,000 small business merchants in all 50 states, and to perform commercial treasury clearing services for $10.5 billion in volume across 152.2 million transactions in the current quarter. ASP fees totaled $1.1 million, an increase of $321 thousand from the prior year quarter, and are directly impacted by the average balance of OBS sweep funds as well as current short-term market interest rates. Other customer related fees and services charges totaling $1.4 million are primarily related to fee income generated by Signature’s existing banking platform and related commercial client base.

Noninterest expense increased $17.6 million, or 95.9%, to $36.0 million for the third quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. The increase primarily reflects the acquisition of Signature, including two months of its operating expenses totaling $5.1 million following the August 1, 2026 closing, $8.9 million of merger expenses, and $1.8 million of core deposit intangible amortization, together with continued investment in personnel and technology to support organic growth. Employee compensation and benefits costs increased $5.1 million ($3.4 million related to the Signature merger), or 47.1%, to $16.0 million, reflecting the addition of Signature’s personnel and continued investment in our employees across all departments as well as technology to primarily support our national litigation franchise.

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(1)See non-GAAP reconciliation provided at the end of this news release.

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3


Other noninterest expenses increased $2.0 million ($1.7 million related to the Signature merger) to $9.3 million, reflecting the expanded operating footprint and infrastructure of the combined company, together with ongoing investment in business development, client service and risk management.

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The Company’s efficiency ratio was 58.6% for the three months ended September 30, 2026, as compared to 48.9% in 2025. The adjusted(1) efficiency ratio was 41.1%, excluding merger related expenses of $8.9 million and amortization of core deposit intangible of $1.8 million. Signature’s complementary limited-branch commercial banking model and technology-enabled operations provide additional scale to support continued growth while maintaining investment in experienced bankers, client service and risk management.

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The effective tax rate was 26.0% for the third quarter of 2026, as compared to 19.5% in the prior year quarter. The increase was primarily due to certain incremental discrete tax benefits related to share-based compensation in the prior year quarter. Excluding the merger related charges (and related tax effect) as well as certain discrete tax benefits related to share-based compensation, our adjusted(1) effective tax rate was approximately 27.4% in the current quarter.

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Year-to-Date 2026 vs. 2025

Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2026 was $42.7 million, or $4.48 per diluted share, compared to $37.4 million, or $4.32 per diluted share for the same period in 2025. Returns on average assets and equity were 1.93% and 13.94%, respectively, compared to 2.46% and 19.60% for the same period of 2025. Adjusted(1) net income, diluted earnings per share, return on average assets, and return on average tangible common equity were $51.3 million, $5.38, 2.32% and 20.52%, respectively.

Net interest income increased $35.1 million, or 39.7%, to $123.3 million, due to growth in average interest earning assets totaling $838.6 million (approximately $402.7 million related to the Signature merger), or 42.7%, to $2.80 billion. We continued to generate strong organic growth for the year, funded with low-cost core deposits from our regional business development teams and existing relationship banking efforts. Our net interest margin decreased 13 basis points to 5.88%, primarily from the impact of the Signature merger. Average loan yields decreased 18 basis points to 7.71%, primarily due to the composition of the acquired loans in the merger, while average loans increased $720.5 million ($304.6 million related to the Signature merger), or 49.2%, to $2.18 billion, with average legacy litigation-related loan growth totaling $393.7 million, or 44.4%. Loan interest income increased $39.5 million, or 45.7%, to $125.9 million with $41.6 million related to growth in average loan volumes, driven primarily by the merger and litigation related commercial growth, offset by $2.1 million in decreases from average loan rates, primarily as a result of acquired loans and, to a lesser extent, decreases in short-term market interest rates. Average securities increased $46.7 million to $379.6 million with yields increasing 13 basis points to 3.91%, with both increases primarily driven by the Signature merger. Average deposits increased $759.6 million ($363.0 million related to the Signature merger), or 43.2%, to $2.52 billion. We continue to generate core organic deposit growth, led by our litigation-related (both IOLTA/NOW and money market) growth totaling $368.4 million, or 31.3%. Our cost of deposits, including noninterest bearing demand deposits, increased 8 basis points to 1.07% primarily due to the Signature merger.

The provision for credit losses was $7.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, a $625 thousand increase from the comparable period in 2025.  As of September 30, 2026, our allowance to loans ratio was 1.30%. Based on management’s evaluation of current credit risk in our loan portfolio, management believes the allowance for credit losses is adequate at September 30, 2026.

Noninterest income totaled $20.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, an increase of $1.8 million ($1.5 million related to fee income generated by Signature’s existing banking platform and related commercial client base) from the same period in 2025. Payment processing income was $15.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, an increase of $625 thousand compared to 2025, as growth in the legacy Esquire payment processing income has been muted, primarily due to changes in our overall merchant risk profile and merchant composition. Payment processing volumes for the legacy Esquire credit and debit card processing platform increased $1.3 billion, or 4.3%, to $30.8 billion while transaction volume totaled 442.1 million for the current nine months. ASP fees totaled $3.3 million, an increase of $1.0 million from the same period in 2025, a direct result of the average balance of OBS sweep funds. In 2025, we recognized a $432 thousand gain on the sale of a fintech investment.

Noninterest expense increased $25.6 million, or 49.0%, to $77.7 million for 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. The increase primarily reflects $11.2 million in merger expenses, approximately $5.1 million in Signature’s operating expenses for the two months following the August 1, 2026 merger closing, and $1.8 million of core deposit intangible amortization, together with continued investment in the Company’s personnel, technology and business development capabilities. Employee compensation and benefits costs increased $9.7 million ($3.4 million related to the Signature merger), or 31.0%, to $40.8 million, reflecting the addition of Signature’s personnel and continued investment in employees across all departments as well as technology to primarily support our national litigation franchise. Other noninterest expenses increased $3.1 million to $23.9 million ($1.7 million related to the Signature merger), reflecting the expanded operations of the combined company and continued investment to support organic growth.

​

(1)See non-GAAP reconciliation provided at the end of this news release.

4


The Company’s efficiency ratio was 54.0% for 2026, as compared to 48.7% in 2025. The adjusted(1) efficiency ratio was 44.6%, excluding the merger expenses of $11.2 million, amortization of core deposit intangible of $1.8 million, and accelerated stock compensation of $398 thousand.

​

The effective tax rate was 27.5% for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, as compared to 22.5% in the prior year period. The increase was primarily due to certain incremental discrete tax benefits related to share-based compensation in the prior year period.

​

Asset Quality

At September 30, 2026, we had five nonperforming loans totaling $8.6 million and one property acquired in the Signature merger in other real estate owned (“OREO”) totaling $1.0 million. Nonperforming loans included two legacy Esquire loans totaling $5.1 million, and three acquired Signature nonperforming loans totaling $3.5 million. These loans were individually evaluated based on borrower-specific credit information and expected recoveries and their carrying amount is deemed collectible. The allowance for credit losses was $44.7 million, or 1.30% of total loans, as compared to $21.1 million, or 1.37% of total loans at September 30, 2025. The increase in the allowance for credit losses primarily related to the merger with Signature. The ratio of nonperforming loans to total loans and nonperforming assets to total assets were 0.25% and 0.20%, respectively, at September 30, 2026. Based on management’s evaluation of current credit risk in our loan portfolio, the Signature merger, increases in the general reserves considering loan growth, loan composition, and the current uncertain economic and short-term interest rate environment, management believes the allowance for credit losses is adequate at September 30, 2026.

The following table provides information regarding asset quality for the periods presented:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

September 30, 

​

December 31,

​

September 30, 

​

​

2026

​

2025

​

2025

​

​

(in thousands)

​

Nonperforming loans held for investment

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Multifamily

$

4,400

​

$

7,836

​

$

7,910

​

Commercial real estate

​

2,108

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

Construction

​

396

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

Commercial

​

1,690

​

​

736

​

​

736

​

Total nonperforming loans held for investment

$

8,594

​

$

8,572

​

$

8,646

​

OREO

​

1,000

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

Nonperforming assets

$

9,594

​

$

8,572

​

$

8,646

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Nonperforming loans to total loans

​

0.25

%

​

0.49

%

​

0.56

%

Nonperforming loans to total assets

​

0.18

​

​

0.36

​

​

0.40

​

Nonperforming assets to total assets

​

0.20

​

​

0.36

​

​

0.40

​

​

Balance Sheet – September 30, 2026 vs. 2025

At September 30, 2026, total assets increased $2.62 billion ($1.90 billion related to the Signature merger), or 120.0%, to $4.81 billion. This increase was primarily attributable to the merger with Signature as well as organic loan growth totaling $497.3 million, or 32.1%. Our higher yielding commercial loans increased $1.09 billion ($667.6 million related to the Signature merger), or 103.6%, to $2.13 billion with commercial litigation-related loans increasing $461.4 million, or 46.5%, to $1.45 billion. Our commercial relationship banking sales pipeline remained robust, anchored by our regional senior BDOs (supported by commercial lending, risk, and operations) located in key markets throughout the U.S., including the Signature team with a focus on the Chicago and Midwest markets. The regional BDOs focused on our litigation vertical are supported by our best-in-class technology stack including, but not limited to; our proprietary CRM system, digital marketing cloud and lending based technology built on Salesforce supporting client relationships and lead acquisition initiatives; account-based digital marketing (or “ABM”) with significant thought leadership content; and artificial intelligence (or “AI”) for advanced data analytics across our platform powering personalized and real-time ABM content to both current clients and prospective clients. These BDOs have also significantly expanded our participation in local, state, and national trial associations across the country. The merger with Signature strengthens this growth potential in the Chicago and Midwest markets by adding an established Chicago commercial banking franchise and experienced bankers/BDOs with deep client relationships in the nation’s fourth largest legal markets for contingent fee plaintiff law firms, with Los Angeles, CA and New York City, NY rounding out the top two metro markets.

(1)See non-GAAP reconciliation provided at the end of this news release.

5


The merger also broadened our commercial lending and core deposit base, diversified our loan and funding mix, and provided additional scale and resources to support continued growth nationally. Our available-for-sale securities portfolio increased $193.5 million to $458.7 million due primarily to the acquisition of Signature. Our held-to-maturity securities portfolio totaled $54.0 million, a decrease of $8.3 million, due to portfolio amortization.

The following table provides information regarding the composition of our loan portfolio for the periods presented:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

September 30, 

​

​

December 31,

​

​

September 30, 

 

​

​

2026

​

​

2025

​

​

2025

 

​

​

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Real estate:

 

​

  ​

 

  ​

 

​

​

  ​

 

  ​

 

​

​

  ​

 

  ​

​

Multifamily

​

$

455,550

 

13.3

%

​

$

372,800

 

21.2

%

​

$

365,309

 

23.6

%

Commercial real estate

​

 

534,084

 

15.6

​

​

 

107,293

 

6.1

​

​

 

105,634

 

6.8

​

1 – 4 family

​

​

42,101

 

1.2

​

​

​

9,835

 

0.6

​

​

​

10,013

 

0.7

​

Construction

​

 

99,286

 

2.9

​

​

 

—

 

—

​

​

 

—

 

—

​

Total real estate

​

 

1,131,021

 

33.0

​

​

 

489,928

 

27.9

​

​

 

480,956

 

31.1

​

Commercial:

​

 

​

 

​

​

​

 

​

 

​

​

​

 

​

 

​

​

Litigation related

​

​

1,454,450

​

42.5

​

​

​

1,178,325

​

67.0

​

​

​

993,072

​

64.2

​

Other

​

​

680,034

​

19.9

​

​

​

67,230

​

3.8

​

​

​

55,517

​

3.6

​

Total commercial

​

 

2,134,484

 

62.4

​

​

 

1,245,555

 

70.8

​

​

 

1,048,589

 

67.8

​

Consumer

​

 

159,698

 

4.6

​

​

 

22,762

 

1.3

​

​

 

17,181

 

1.1

​

Total loans held for investment

​

$

3,425,203

 

100.0

%  

​

$

1,758,245

 

100.0

%  

​

$

1,546,726

 

100.0

%

Deferred loan fees and unearned premiums, net

​

 

334

 

  ​

​

​

 

182

 

  ​

​

​

 

254

 

  ​

​

Loans, held for investment

​

$

3,425,537

 

  ​

​

​

$

1,758,427

 

  ​

​

​

$

1,546,980

 

  ​

​

​

​

The following table provides information regarding the composition of our deposits for the periods presented:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

September 30, 

​

​

December 31,

​

​

September 30, 

 

​

​

2026

​

​

2025

​

​

2025

 

​

​

(Dollars in thousands)

 

Deposits:

 

​

  ​

 

  ​

 

​

​

  ​

 

  ​

 

​

​

  ​

 

  ​

​

DDA

​

$

1,110,420

 

27.9

%

​

$

576,455

 

27.9

%

​

$

605,533

 

32.2

%

Savings

​

 

150,555

 

3.8

​

​

 

37,458

 

1.8

​

​

 

22,172

 

1.2

​

NOW

​

​

1,625,985

 

40.9

​

​

​

1,230,885

 

59.7

​

​

​

1,022,482

 

54.4

​

Money Market

​

 

1,027,732

 

25.8

​

​

 

212,037

 

10.3

​

​

 

223,196

 

11.9

​

Time

​

 

63,198

 

1.6

​

​

 

6,172

 

0.3

​

​

 

6,057

 

0.3

​

Total Deposits

​

$

3,977,890

 

100.0

%

​

$

2,063,007

 

100.0

%

​

$

1,879,440

 

100.0

%

​

​

Total deposits were $3.98 billion as of September 30, 2026, a $2.10 billion ($1.65 billion related to the Signature merger), or 111.7%, increase from September 30, 2025. This increase was primarily attributable to the merger with Signature as well as organic deposit growth totaling $447.4 million, or 23.8%, with the NOW/IOLTA and money market categories totaling $362.6 million and $211.6 million, respectively, offset by noninterest bearing demand decreasing $123.0 million. Our deposit strategy focuses on building full-service commercial banking relationships through lending, payment processing and tailored treasury management solutions, with deposit growth driven primarily by our client relationships rather than rate competition. The merger with Signature strengthens this strategy by adding an established, relationship-focused commercial banking franchise with a diversified, low-cost core deposit base in the Chicago and Midwest markets. The merger broadened our funding sources, reduced our reliance on litigation-related deposits and enhanced our capacity to support continued growth across our national platforms. Our longer duration IOLTA, escrow and settlement deposits represent $1.56 billion, or 39.3%, of total deposits. As of September 30, 2026, uninsured deposits were $1.67 billion, or 42.1%, of our total deposits, excluding $24.1 million of the Company’s deposits held at the Bank. Approximately 50% of our uninsured deposits represent clients with full commercial relationship banking with us including, but not limited to, commercial loans, payment processing, and various commercial service-oriented relationships including law firm operating accounts, law firm IOLTA/escrow accounts, merchant reserves, ISO reserves, ACH processing, and custodial accounts.

​

Due to the nature of our larger mass tort and class action settlements related to the litigation vertical, we participate in FDIC insured sweep programs as well as treasury secured money market funds. As of September 30, 2026, OBS sweep funds totaled approximately $775.5 million, with approximately $255.4 million, or 32.9%, available to be swept on balance sheet as reciprocal client relationship deposits. Our core low-cost deposit growth and off-balance sheet client funds continue to clearly demonstrate our highly efficient, full service commercial relationships and tech-enabled cash management platform on a national basis.

6


At September 30, 2026, we had the ability to borrow, on a secured basis, up to $823.2 million from the FHLB of New York and $42.0 million from the FRB of New York discount window. The increase in our borrowing capacity was due to the Signature merger. At September 30, 2026 we had a $2.2 million outstanding borrowing with the FHLB of Chicago as a result of the merger. Historically, we have not leveraged our balance sheet to generate earnings and have always utilized core client deposits to fund our asset growth and related earnings.

Stockholders’ equity increased $507.4 million to $786.6 million as of September 30, 2026, primarily attributable to equity consideration of $466.1 million as a result of the merger with Signature as well as increases in retained earnings (net income less dividends paid to stockholders), and to a lesser extent, additional paid-in-capital from share-based compensation, offset by increases in other comprehensive losses related to our available-for-sale securities portfolio and treasury stock.

The Bank remains well above bank regulatory “Well Capitalized” standards.

​

7


Earnings Call Information

The Company will conduct a conference call on Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. (ET), during which Andrew C. Sagliocca, Vice Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, and Michael Lacapria, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will discuss Esquire’s third quarter financial performance, followed by a question-and-answer period.

The live audio webcast can be accessed via the following link: https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/886920992

Corresponding presentation slides and a replay of the conference call will be available on Esquire’s Investor Relations web page at investorrelations.esquirebank.com. The conference call may also be accessed by telephone using the dial-in information below:

Conference Call Details

North America - (833) 461-5787

Meeting ID: 886 920 992

​

About Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc.

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in Jericho, New York. Its wholly owned subsidiary, Esquire Bank, is a full-service commercial bank, with five branch offices in Jericho, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Chicago, IL, as well as an administrative office in Boca Raton, Florida. The Bank is dedicated to serving the financial needs of the litigation industry and small businesses nationally, as well as commercial and retail customers in the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles metropolitan areas. The Bank offers tailored financial and payment processing solutions to the litigation community and their clients as well as dynamic and flexible payment processing solutions to small business owners. For more information, visit www.esquirebank.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to future results of the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: changes in business plans as circumstances warrant; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; the ability to complete; any failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the Signature transaction when expected or at all; risks relating to the integration of the Company and Signature; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the completion of the merger and integration of the companies and other risks detailed in the “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Risk Factors” and other sections of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “expect,” “attribute,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “projection,” “goal,” “target,” “aim,” “would,” “annualized” and “outlook,” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements presented herein are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Contact Information:

Eric S. Bader

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc.

(516) 535-2002

eric.bader@esqbank.com

​

8


ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC.

Consolidated Statement of Condition (unaudited)

(dollars in thousands except per share data)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

September 30, 

​

December 31,

​

September 30, 

​

​

  ​ ​ ​

2026

  ​ ​ ​

2025

  ​ ​ ​

2025

  ​ ​ ​

ASSETS

 

​

  ​

 

​

  ​

 

​

  ​

 

Cash and cash equivalents

​

$

471,501

​

$

235,887

​

$

240,759

​

Securities available-for-sale, at fair value

​

 

458,672

​

 

246,505

​

 

265,132

​

Securities held-to-maturity, at cost

​

 

53,997

​

 

60,193

​

 

62,288

​

Securities, restricted at cost

​

 

9,506

​

 

3,173

​

 

3,173

​

Loans, held for investment

​

 

3,425,537

​

 

1,758,427

​

 

1,546,980

​

Less: allowance for credit losses

​

 

(44,677)

​

 

(24,022)

​

 

(21,119)

​

Loans, net of allowance

​

 

3,380,860

​

 

1,734,405

​

 

1,525,861

​

Premises and equipment, net

​

 

3,769

​

 

4,379

​

 

4,408

​

Goodwill

​

​

246,883

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

Core deposit intangible

​

​

47,499

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

Other assets

​

 

132,718

​

 

81,119

​

 

82,690

​

Total Assets

​

$

4,805,405

​

$

2,365,661

​

$

2,184,311

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

Demand deposits

​

$

1,110,420

​

$

576,455

​

$

605,533

​

Savings, NOW and money market deposits

​

 

2,804,272

​

 

1,480,380

​

 

1,267,850

​

Certificates of deposit

​

 

63,198

​

 

6,172

​

 

6,057

​

Total deposits

​

 

3,977,890

​

 

2,063,007

​

 

1,879,440

​

Other liabilities

​

 

40,900

​

 

13,056

​

 

25,644

​

Total liabilities

​

 

4,018,790

​

 

2,076,063

​

 

1,905,084

​

Total stockholders' equity

​

 

786,615

​

 

289,598

​

 

279,227

​

Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

​

$

4,805,405

​

$

2,365,661

​

$

2,184,311

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Selected Financial Data

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

Common shares outstanding

​

 

12,159,646

​

 

8,552,405

​

 

8,565,491

​

Book value per share

​

$

64.69

​

$

33.86

​

$

32.60

​

Tangible book value per share (1)

​

​

40.48

​

​

33.86

​

​

32.60

​

Tangible equity to tangible assets (1)

​

​

10.91

​

​

12.24

​

​

12.78

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Capital Ratios

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

Consolidated Company

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Tier 1 leverage ratio

​

 

11.76

%  

 

13.25

%  

 

13.59

%  

Common equity tier 1 capital ratio

​

 

13.45

​

 

15.37

​

 

16.75

​

Tier 1 capital ratio

​

 

13.45

​

 

15.37

​

 

16.75

​

Total capital ratio

​

 

14.14

​

 

16.62

​

 

18.00

​

Bank

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Tier 1 leverage ratio

​

 

11.20

%  

 

11.87

%  

 

12.00

%  

Common equity tier 1 capital ratio

​

 

12.95

​

 

14.18

​

 

15.27

​

Tier 1 capital ratio

​

 

12.95

​

 

14.18

​

 

15.27

​

Total capital ratio

​

 

13.65

​

 

15.43

​

 

16.52

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Asset Quality

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

Nonperforming loans

​

$

8,594

​

$

8,572

​

$

8,646

​

Nonperforming assets

​

​

9,594

​

​

8,572

​

​

8,646

​

Allowance for credit losses to total loans

​

 

1.30

%  

 

1.37

%  

 

1.37

%  

Nonperforming loans to total loans

​

 

0.25

​

 

0.49

​

 

0.56

​

Nonperforming loans to total assets

​

 

0.18

​

 

0.36

​

 

0.40

​

Nonperforming assets to total assets

​

 

0.20

​

 

0.36

​

 

0.40

​

Allowance to nonperforming loans

​

​

520

​

​

280

​

 

244

​


(1)See non-GAAP reconciliation provided at the end of this news release.

9


ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC.

Consolidated Income Statement (unaudited)

(dollars in thousands except per share data)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Three Months Ended

​

Nine Months Ended

 

​

​

September 30, 

​

June 30, 

​

September 30, 

​

September 30, 

 

​

  ​ ​ ​

2026

  ​ ​ ​

2026

  ​ ​ ​

2025

  ​ ​ ​

2026

  ​ ​ ​

2025

 

Interest income

​

$

63,138

​

$

41,301

​

$

36,131

​

$

143,472

​

$

101,180

​

Interest expense

​

 

9,632

​

 

5,553

​

 

4,792

​

 

20,214

​

 

12,978

​

Net interest income

​

 

53,506

​

 

35,748

​

 

31,339

​

 

123,258

​

 

88,202

​

Provision for credit losses

​

 

1,800

​

 

2,900

​

 

1,750

​

 

7,400

​

 

6,775

​

Net interest income after provision for credit losses

​

 

51,706

​

 

32,848

​

 

29,589

​

 

115,858

​

 

81,427

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Noninterest income:

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

Payment processing fees

​

 

5,444

​

 

5,126

​

 

5,069

​

 

15,713

​

 

15,088

​

Administrative service income

​

​

1,052

​

​

1,092

​

​

731

​

​

3,281

​

​

2,254

​

Other noninterest income

​

 

1,389

​

 

165

​

 

433

​

 

1,729

​

 

1,619

​

Total noninterest income

​

 

7,885

​

 

6,383

​

 

6,233

​

 

20,723

​

 

18,961

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Noninterest expense:

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

Employee compensation and benefits

​

 

15,958

​

 

12,605

​

 

10,852

​

 

40,784

​

 

31,133

​

Merger expenses

​

 

8,887

​

 

1,070

​

 

210

​

 

11,229

​

 

210

​

Amortization of core deposit intangible

​

 

1,827

​

 

—

​

 

—

​

 

1,827

​

 

—

​

Other expenses

​

 

9,295

​

 

7,430

​

 

7,298

​

 

23,889

​

 

20,827

​

Total noninterest expense

​

 

35,967

​

 

21,105

​

 

18,360

​

 

77,729

​

 

52,170

​

Income before income taxes

​

 

23,624

​

 

18,126

​

 

17,462

​

 

58,852

​

 

48,218

​

Income taxes

​

 

6,142

​

 

5,148

​

 

3,405

​

 

16,181

​

 

10,864

​

Net income

​

$

17,482

​

$

12,978

​

$

14,057

​

$

42,671

​

$

37,354

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Earnings Per Share

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

Basic

​

$

1.65

​

$

1.57

​

$

1.74

​

$

4.71

​

$

4.65

​

Diluted

​

​

1.57

​

​

1.49

​

​

1.62

​

​

4.48

​

​

4.32

​

Basic - adjusted (1)

​

​

2.23

​

​

1.69

​

​

1.60

​

​

5.67

​

​

4.51

​

Diluted - adjusted (1)

​

​

2.12

​

​

1.60

​

​

1.49

​

​

5.38

​

​

4.19

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Weighted average basic shares

​

​

10,598,905

​

​

8,274,280

​

​

8,094,441

​

​

9,050,562

​

​

8,038,047

​

Weighted average diluted shares

​

​

11,143,493

​

​

8,726,355

​

​

8,690,130

​

​

9,532,466

​

​

8,646,398

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Selected Financial Data

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

Return on average assets

​

 

1.73

%  

 

2.09

%  

 

2.61

%  

 

1.93

%  

 

2.46

%

Return on average equity

​

 

11.11

​

 

17.06

​

 

20.83

​

 

13.94

​

 

19.60

​

Net interest margin

​

 

5.74

​

 

5.96

​

 

6.04

​

 

5.88

​

 

6.01

​

Efficiency ratio

​

 

58.6

​

 

50.1

​

 

48.9

​

 

54.0

​

 

48.7

​

Adjusted return on average assets (1)

​

​

2.34

​

​

2.25

​

​

2.41

​

​

2.32

​

​

2.39

​

Adjusted return on average tangible equity (1)

​

​

23.10

​

​

18.33

​

​

19.20

​

​

20.52

​

​

19.03

​

Adjusted efficiency ratio (1)

​

 

41.1

​

 

47.6

​

 

48.3

​

 

44.6

​

 

48.5

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Cash dividends paid per common share

​

$

0.200

​

$

0.200

​

$

0.175

​

$

0.600

​

$

0.525

​


(1)See non-GAAP reconciliation provided at the end of this news release.

​

​

​

10


ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC.

Consolidated Average Balance Sheets and Average Yield/Cost (unaudited)

(dollars in thousands)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Three Months Ended

​

​

​

September 30, 

​

June 30, 

​

September 30, 

​

​

​

2026

​

2026

 

2025

 

​

​

Average

​

  ​ ​ ​

​

​

Average

​

Average

​

  ​ ​ ​

​

​

Average

 

Average

​

  ​ ​ ​

​

​

Average

 

​

  ​ ​ ​

Balance

  ​ ​ ​

Interest

  ​ ​ ​

Yield/Cost

  ​ ​ ​

Balance

  ​ ​ ​

Interest

  ​ ​ ​

Yield/Cost

 

Balance

  ​ ​ ​

Interest

  ​ ​ ​

Yield/Cost

 

INTEREST EARNING ASSETS

 

​

  ​

 

​

  ​

 

  ​

 

​

  ​

 

​

  ​

 

  ​

​

​

  ​

 

​

  ​

 

  ​

​

Loans, held for investment

​

$

2,892,413

​

$

55,207

 

7.57

%  

$

1,876,857

​

$

36,417

 

7.78

%

$

1,532,484

​

$

30,839

 

7.98

%

Securities, includes restricted stock

​

 

479,845

​

 

4,884

 

4.04

%  

 

322,761

​

 

3,046

 

3.79

%

 

337,705

​

 

3,244

 

3.81

%

Interest earning cash and other

​

 

328,772

​

 

3,047

 

3.68

%  

 

205,031

​

 

1,838

 

3.60

%

 

189,418

​

 

2,048

 

4.29

%

Total interest earning assets

​

 

3,701,030

​

 

63,138

 

6.77

%  

 

2,404,649

​

 

41,301

 

6.89

%

 

2,059,607

​

 

36,131

 

6.96

%

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

NONINTEREST EARNING ASSETS

​

 

299,758

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

80,188

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

74,791

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

TOTAL AVERAGE ASSETS

​

$

4,000,788

​

 

​

​

​

​

$

2,484,837

​

 

​

​

​

​

$

2,134,398

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

INTEREST BEARING LIABILITIES

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Savings, NOW, Money Market deposits

​

$

2,327,225

​

$

9,132

 

1.56

%  

$

1,571,288

​

$

5,502

 

1.40

%

$

1,275,061

​

$

4,739

 

1.47

%

Time deposits

​

 

45,239

​

 

417

 

3.66

%  

 

6,415

​

 

50

 

3.13

%

 

6,092

​

 

52

 

3.39

%

Total interest bearing deposits

​

 

2,372,464

​

 

9,549

 

1.60

%  

 

1,577,703

​

 

5,552

 

1.41

%

 

1,281,153

​

 

4,791

 

1.48

%

Borrowings

​

 

6,134

​

 

83

 

5.37

%  

 

42

​

 

1

 

9.55

%

 

42

​

 

1

 

9.45

%

Total interest bearing liabilities

​

 

2,378,598

​

 

9,632

 

1.61

%  

​

1,577,745

​

 

5,553

 

1.41

%

​

1,281,195

​

 

4,792

 

1.48

%

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

NONINTEREST BEARING LIABILITIES

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

Demand deposits

​

 

966,305

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

581,150

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

568,107

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

Other liabilities

​

 

31,474

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

20,752

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

17,341

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

Total noninterest bearing liabilities

​

 

997,779

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

601,902

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

585,448

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

Stockholders' equity

​

 

624,411

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

305,190

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

267,755

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

TOTAL AVG. LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

​

$

4,000,788

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

$

2,484,837

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

$

2,134,398

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

Net interest income

​

 

  ​

​

$

53,506

 

​

​

 

  ​

​

$

35,748

 

​

​

 

  ​

​

$

31,339

 

​

​

Net interest spread

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

5.16

%  

​

​

​

​

​

​

5.48

%

​

​

​

​

​

​

5.48

%

Net interest margin

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

5.74

%  

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

5.96

%

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

6.04

%

Deposits (including nonint. demand deposits)

​

$

3,338,769

​

$

9,549

 

1.13

%  

$

2,158,853

​

$

5,552

 

1.03

%

$

1,849,260

​

$

4,791

 

1.03

%

​

​

​

​

11


ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC.

Consolidated Average Balance Sheets and Average Yield/Cost (unaudited)

(dollars in thousands)

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Nine Months Ended September 30, 

​

​

​

2026

​

2025

 

​

​

Average

​

  ​ ​ ​

​

​

Average

​

Average

​

  ​ ​ ​

​

​

Average

 

​

  ​ ​ ​

Balance

  ​ ​ ​

Interest

  ​ ​ ​

Yield/Cost

  ​ ​ ​

Balance

  ​ ​ ​

Interest

  ​ ​ ​

Yield/Cost

 

INTEREST EARNING ASSETS

 

​

  ​

 

​

  ​

 

  ​

 

​

  ​

 

​

  ​

 

  ​

​

Loans, held for investment

​

$

2,184,198

​

$

125,922

 

7.71

%  

$

1,463,667

​

$

86,411

 

7.89

%

Securities, includes restricted stock

​

 

379,554

​

 

11,108

 

3.91

%  

 

332,872

​

 

9,413

 

3.78

%

Interest earning cash and other

​

 

237,249

​

 

6,442

 

3.63

%  

 

165,824

​

 

5,356

 

4.32

%

Total interest earning assets

​

 

2,801,001

​

 

143,472

 

6.85

%  

 

1,962,363

​

 

101,180

 

6.89

%

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

NONINTEREST EARNING ASSETS

​

 

152,358

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

68,370

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

TOTAL AVERAGE ASSETS

​

$

2,953,359

​

 

​

​

​

​

$

2,030,733

​

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

INTEREST BEARING LIABILITIES

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Savings, NOW, Money Market deposits

​

$

1,789,012

​

$

19,591

 

1.46

%  

$

1,196,256

​

$

12,748

 

1.42

%

Time deposits

​

 

20,070

​

 

534

 

3.56

%  

 

7,628

​

 

227

 

3.98

%

Total interest bearing deposits

​

 

1,809,082

​

 

20,125

 

1.49

%  

 

1,203,884

​

 

12,975

 

1.44

%

Borrowings

​

 

2,204

​

 

89

 

5.40

%  

 

42

​

 

3

 

9.55

%

Total interest bearing liabilities

​

 

1,811,286

​

 

20,214

 

1.49

%  

​

1,203,926

​

 

12,978

 

1.44

%

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

NONINTEREST BEARING LIABILITIES

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

Demand deposits

​

 

709,641

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

555,235

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

Other liabilities

​

 

23,229

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

16,796

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

Total noninterest bearing liabilities

​

 

732,870

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

572,031

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

Stockholders' equity

​

 

409,203

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

 

254,776

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

TOTAL AVG. LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

​

$

2,953,359

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

$

2,030,733

​

 

  ​

 

  ​

​

Net interest income

​

 

  ​

​

$

123,258

 

​

​

 

  ​

​

$

88,202

 

​

​

Net interest spread

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

5.36

%  

​

​

​

​

​

​

5.45

%

Net interest margin

​

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

5.88

%  

 

  ​

​

 

  ​

 

6.01

%

Deposits (including nonint. demand deposits)

​

$

2,518,723

​

$

20,125

 

1.07

%  

$

1,759,119

​

$

12,975

 

0.99

%  

​

​

​

12


ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC.

Consolidated Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliation (unaudited)

(dollars in thousands except per share data)

We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide information that is important to investors and that is useful in understanding our financial position, results and ratios. However, these non-GAAP financial measures are supplemental and are not a substitute for an analysis based on GAAP measures. As other companies may use different calculations for this measure, this presentation may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures by other companies.

​

Adjusted net income, which is used to compute adjusted earnings per share and adjusted return on average assets, excludes the impact of merger expenses, accelerated stock compensation, net of tax, and tax benefits related to exercise of expiring stock options that lowered our effective tax rate to 26.0% and 19.5% in the third quarter of 2026 and 2025, respectively.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Three Months Ended

​

Nine Months Ended

​

​

September 30, 

​

June 30, 

​

September 30, 

​

September 30, 

​

​

2026

​

2026

​

2025

​

2026

​

2025

​

Net income – GAAP

$

17,482

​

$

12,978

​

$

14,057

​

$

42,671

​

$

37,354

​

Adjustments to net income:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Merger expenses

​

8,887

​

​

1,070

​

​

210

​

​

11,229

​

​

210

​

Accelerated stock compensation

​

—

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

​

398

​

​

—

​

Tax benefits related to exercise of expiring stock options

​

(938)

​

​

—

​

​

(1,310)

​

​

(938)

​

​

(1,310)

​

Income tax effect of adjustments

​

(1,812)

​

​

(100)

​

​

—

​

​

(2,032)

​

​

—

​

Adjusted net income

$

23,619

​

$

13,948

​

$

12,957

​

$

51,328

​

$

36,254

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Diluted earnings per share – GAAP

$

1.57

​

$

1.49

​

$

1.62

​

$

4.48

​

$

4.32

​

Adjusted diluted earnings per share – non-GAAP

​

2.12

​

​

1.60

​

​

1.49

​

​

5.38

​

​

4.19

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Average assets

$

4,000,788

​

$

2,484,837

​

$

2,134,398

​

$

2,953,359

​

$

2,030,733

​

Return on average assets – GAAP

​

1.73

%

​

2.09

%

​

2.61

%

​

1.93

%

​

2.46

%

Adjusted return on average assets – non-GAAP

​

2.34

​

​

2.25

​

​

2.41

​

​

2.32

​

​

2.39

​

​

Adjusted return on average tangible equity excludes the impact of merger expenses, accelerated stock compensation, amortization of core deposit intangible (“CDI”), net of tax, and tax benefits related to exercise of expiring stock options.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Three Months Ended

​

Nine Months Ended

​

​

September 30, 

​

June 30, 

​

September 30, 

​

September 30, 

​

​

2026

​

2026

​

2025

​

2026

​

2025

​

Net income – GAAP

$

17,482

​

$

12,978

​

$

14,057

​

$

42,671

​

$

37,354

​

Adjustments to net income:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Merger expenses

​

8,887

​

​

1,070

​

​

210

​

​

11,229

​

​

210

​

Amortization of CDI, net of tax

​

1,334

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

​

1,334

​

​

—

​

Accelerated stock compensation

​

—

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

​

398

​

​

—

​

Tax benefits related to exercise of expiring stock options

​

(938)

​

​

—

​

​

(1,310)

​

​

(938)

​

​

(1,310)

​

Income tax effect of adjustments

​

(1,812)

​

​

(100)

​

​

—

​

​

(2,032)

​

​

—

​

Adjusted net income

$

24,953

​

$

13,948

​

$

12,957

​

$

52,662

​

$

36,254

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Average equity

$

624,411

​

$

305,190

​

$

267,755

​

$

409,203

​

$

254,776

​

Less average:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Goodwill

​

163,461

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

​

55,086

​

​

—

​

CDI

​

32,388

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

​

10,914

​

​

—

​

Average tangible equity

$

428,562

​

$

305,190

​

$

267,755

​

$

343,203

​

$

254,776

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Return on average equity – GAAP

​

11.11

%

​

17.06

%

​

20.83

%

​

13.94

%

​

19.60

%

Adjusted return on average tangible equity – non-GAAP

​

23.10

​

​

18.33

​

​

19.20

​

​

20.52

​

​

19.03

​

​

​

13


ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, INC.

Consolidated Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliation (unaudited)

(dollars in thousands except per share data)

The following table presents a reconciliation of efficiency ratio (non-GAAP) and adjusted efficiency ratio (non-GAAP).

​

Adjusted noninterest expense, which is used to compute the adjusted efficiency ratio, excludes the impact of merger expenses, amortization of CDI, and accelerated stock compensation.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Three Months Ended

​

Nine Months Ended

​

​

September 30, 

​

June 30, 

​

September 30, 

​

September 30, 

​

​

2026

​

2026

​

2025

​

2026

​

2025

​

Efficiency ratio – non-GAAP(1)

​

58.6

%

​

50.1

%

​

48.9

%

​

54.0

%

​

48.7

%

Noninterest expense – GAAP

$

35,967

​

$

21,105

​

$

18,360

​

$

77,729

​

$

52,170

​

Less: merger expenses

​

8,887

​

​

1,070

​

​

210

​

​

11,229

​

​

210

​

Less: amortization of CDI

​

1,827

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

​

1,827

​

​

—

​

Less: accelerated stock compensation

​

—

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

​

398

​

​

—

​

Adjusted noninterest expense – non-GAAP

$

25,253

​

$

20,035

​

$

18,150

​

$

64,275

​

$

51,960

​

Net interest income – GAAP

​

53,506

​

​

35,748

​

​

31,339

​

​

123,258

​

​

88,202

​

Noninterest income – GAAP

​

7,885

​

​

6,383

​

​

6,233

​

​

20,723

​

​

18,961

​

Total revenue – GAAP

$

61,391

​

$

42,131

​

$

37,572

​

$

143,981

​

$

107,163

​

Adjusted efficiency ratio – non-GAAP(2)

​

41.1

%

​

47.6

%

​

48.3

%

​

44.6

%

​

48.5

%

​

(1)The reported efficiency ratio is a non-GAAP measure calculated by dividing GAAP noninterest expense by the sum of GAAP net interest income and GAAP noninterest income.
(2)The adjusted efficiency ratio is a non-GAAP measure calculated by dividing adjusted noninterest expense by the sum of GAAP net interest income and GAAP noninterest income.

​

The following reconciles book value per common share and equity to assets (GAAP) to tangible book value per common share and tangible equity to tangible assets (non-GAAP).

Management believes that reporting the non-GAAP measures of tangible common equity and tangible assets more closely approximates the adequacy of capital for regulatory purposes.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

September 30, 

​

December 31,

​

September 30, 

​

​

2026

​

2025

​

2025

​

Tangible Equity

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Total stockholders' equity

$

786,615

​

$

289,598

​

$

279,227

​

Less:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Goodwill

​

246,883

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

CDI

​

47,499

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

Tangible equity

$

492,233

​

$

289,598

​

$

279,227

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Tangible Assets

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Total assets

$

4,805,405

​

$

2,365,661

​

$

2,184,311

​

Less:

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Goodwill

​

246,883

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

CDI

​

47,499

​

​

—

​

​

—

​

Tangible assets

$

4,511,023

​

$

2,365,661

​

$

2,184,311

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Shares outstanding

​

12,159,646

​

​

8,552,405

​

​

8,565,491

​

Book value per common share - GAAP

$

64.69

​

$

33.86

​

$

32.60

​

Tangible book value per common share - non-GAAP

$

40.48

​

$

33.86

​

$

32.60

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Equity to assets - GAAP

​

16.37

%

​

12.24

%

​

12.78

%

Tangible equity to tangible assets - non-GAAP

​

10.91

%

​

12.24

%

​

12.78

%

​

14


GRAPHIC

Ensuring our Clients and Our Institution Succeed Boldly Listed as ESQ Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. (Financial Holding Company for Esquire Bank, N.A.) 3Q 2026 Investor Presentation Exhibit 99.2

GRAPHIC

Forward Looking Disclosure This presentation includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 relating to future results of the Company. Forward-looking statements are subject to many risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to: changes in business plans as circumstances warrant; changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; the ability to complete; any failure to realize the anticipated benefits of the Signature transaction when expected or at all; risks relating to the integration of the Company and Signature; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships, including those resulting from the completion of the merger and integration of the companies and other risks detailed in the “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” “Risk Factors” and other sections of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are not a guarantee of future events, and that actual events may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “might,” “should,” “could,” “predict,” “potential,” “believe,” “expect,” “attribute,” “continue,” “will,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “projection,” “goal,” “target,” “aim,” “would,” “annualized” and “outlook,” or similar terminology. Any forward-looking statements presented herein are made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise, except as may be required by law. The forward-looking statements speak as of the date of this presentation. The delivery of this presentation shall not, under any circumstances, create any implication there has been no change in the affairs of the Company after the date hereof. This presentation includes industry and market data that we obtained from periodic industry publications, third-party studies and surveys. Industry publications and surveys generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Although we believe the industry and market data to be reliable as of the date of this presentation, this information could prove to be inaccurate. Industry and market data could be wrong because of the method by which sources obtained their data and because information cannot always be verified with complete certainty due to the limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations and uncertainties. In addition, we do not know all of the assumptions regarding general economic conditions or growth that were used in preparing the forecasts from the sources relied upon or cited herein. This presentation contains financial information determined by methods other than in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide information that is important to investors and that is useful in understanding our financial position, results and ratios. However, these non-GAAP financial measures are supplemental and are not a substitute for an analysis based on GAAP measures. As other companies may use different calculations for this measure, this presentation may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures by other companies. These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for operating results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures used in this presentation to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is provided in the Appendix to this presentation. 2

GRAPHIC

Signature Merger Highlights – Closed August 1, 2026 How Our Clients Succeed Boldly Strategically Compelling Corporate Fit  A premier Chicago commercial banking franchise to leverage and enhance our combined industry leading growth and performance metrics  Enhanced scale, resources and balance sheet diversification allows for continued and accelerated commercial growth nationally  Diversified Esquire’s pre-merger litigation vertical for loans and deposits from ~ 70% and 80% in the 2nd quarter 2026 to 42% and 54% in the 3rd quarter 2026, respectively  Shared relationship-based operating philosophies, supported by cultures with compatible core values  Signature’s three executives entered into employment agreements with Esquire and will oversee commercial business development and operations in the Chicago and Midwest markets  Esquire and Signature both have strong commercial relationship banking models with low-cost core commercial deposit franchises  Market expansion in the 3rd largest metro market with minimal disruption to depositors, borrowers, relationship managers, and employees in Chicago  Combined industry leading performance is not dependent on cost savings  Combines two experienced, focused, and dedicated management teams and valued employees with no loss of Signature’s institutional and market area knowledge  Effectively doubles the combined assets, loans, and deposits to $4.8 billion, $3.4 billion and $4.0 billion, respectively  Enviable net interest margin, fee income/revenue, and adjusted(1) efficiency ratio of 5.74%, 13%, and 41%, respectively  Industry leading adjusted(1) diluted EPS, ROAA and ROATE of $2.12, 2.34%, and 23.1%, respectively  Deployed excess capital with mid to high-teen IRR and TBV accretion of ~ 10% at closing while maintaining a strong capital foundation Lower-Risk Merger Financially Attractive

GRAPHIC

Key Diversification for the Lending Portfolio How Esquire Succeeds Boldly * Loan portfolio yield of 7.78% for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 * Loan portfolio yield of 7.57% for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 4

GRAPHIC

Key Funding (Low-Cost Core Deposit) Diversification How Esquire Succeeds Boldly 5 • Litigation related deposits represent 79% of total deposits • Total cost of funds, including noninterest bearing demand, of 1.03% • Litigation related deposits represent 54% of total deposits • Total cost of funds, including noninterest bearing demand, of 1.13%

GRAPHIC

Strong Growth Driven by Unique National Verticals How Esquire Succeeds Boldly Key Highlights  Strong organic growth in higher yielding variable rate commercial loans nationally complimented by Signature merger  Stable low-cost “branch-lite” and tech enabled national deposit model  Tangible Equity to Tangible Assets of 10.91%  Common Equity Tier 1 of 12.95% (Bank Level)  Tangible Book Value per share of $40.48 6 at September 30, 2026 (1) Represents the acquired balance from the Signature merger closed on August 1, 2026 (2) CAGR based on organic growth which excludes acquired balances (3) CAGR based on tangible equity

GRAPHIC

 Stable low-cost “branch-lite” funding model with a strong commercial deposit franchise nationally  DDA and escrow-based IOLTA accounts represent 28% and 39% of total deposits at September 30, 2026, respectively  Higher yielding variable rate commercial loans (including Signature’s commercial portfolio) anchored by our national litigation portfolio  Asset sensitive balance sheet with approximately 75% of our variable rate commercial loans having one-year interest rate floors at their origination or renewal dates How Esquire Succeeds Boldly 7 Resilient Industry Leading Net Interest Margin

GRAPHIC

Strong Revenue Growth ($ in thousands) at September 30, 2026 How Esquire Succeeds Boldly 8 Key Highlights  Industry leading growth coupled with resilient net interest margin  Stable payment processing fee income  Growing ASP fee income derived from off-balance sheet funds coupled with Signature’s customer services fees in 3rd quarter 2026

GRAPHIC

Consistent Industry Leading Performance & Growth How Esquire Succeeds Boldly Industry Recognition & Awards  #1 Best Law Firm Funding Provider in The Recorder’s 2026 “Best Of” survey  #3 Top-performing Publicly Traded U.S. Bank in Bank Director’s 2026 RankingBanking  KBW 2026 Bank Honor Roll for the third consecutive year  Named a Top Deposit Franchise by S&P Global for the third consecutive year  2025 Raymond James Community Bankers Cup for the eighth consecutive year  Piper Sandler 2025 Bank & Thrift Sm-All Stars for the third time in several years  Best-Performing Community Bank List of 2024 & 2025 by S&P Global  Top 10 merchant acquiring bank by the Nilson Report 9 at September 30, 2026 (1) See non-GAAP reconciliation provided at the end of this presentation (2) Adjusted return on tangible stockholders equity. See non-GAAP reconciliation provided at the end of this presentation

GRAPHIC

Loan Portfolio Diversification with Focused Growth  Strong growth in higher yielding variable rate commercial loans (focused in the litigation vertical) with strong credit metrics on a national basis  Selective commercial real estate loan growth with strong historical performance, DSCRs, and LTVs primarily in the NY and Chicago metro markets How Esquire Succeeds Boldly 10 at September 30, 2026

GRAPHIC

 Majority of our $2.13 billion in commercial loans are variable rate and tied to prime comprising 62% of our loan portfolio  Approximately 75% of our variable rate commercial loan portfolio was originated (or renewed annually) with interest rate floors in place  Asset sensitive – estimated sensitivity of projected annualized net interest income (“NII”) up 100 basis point rate scenarios increases projected NII by 6.7% at September 30, 2026  Litigation -related loans decreased to 42% of total loans as of September 30, 2026, compared to 68% as of June 30, 2026  Solid loan portfolio diversification from the Signature merger while maintaining strong loan yields of 7.57% Loan Portfolio Diversification with Focused Growth How Esquire Succeeds Boldly 11

GRAPHIC

Commercial Litigation (Law Firm) Loans  Full annual underwriting including, but not limited to:  3 years financials and tax returns (business and personal)  Full contingent case inventory valuation process & collateral assignment or UCC-1  Personal guarantees for the majority of loans, including personal background checks  Diversity across law firm geography, inventories and collateral  Average loan-to-collateral fee value or LTV of less than 15%  Strong average DSCR (on average > 4.0x)  Average draws against committed and uncommitted line-of-credit (“LOC”) and case disbursement LOCs of approximately 50%  Weighted average interest rate of approximately 8.81%  Funded with low-cost/core relationship based commercial litigation related deposits (DDA, Escrow or NOW, & MMIA)  Litigation deposits to litigation loan facilities drawn is approximately 158% How Esquire Succeeds Boldly 12

GRAPHIC

Commercial Litigation Vertical: Proven Model, Significant Runway How Esquire Succeeds Boldly 13 Sustained Platform Growth… ...Through Exceptional Client Relationships  Litigation customers that have banked with Esquire for four years have a CAGR, since inception of their banking relationship, on their loan and deposit balances of 15% and 30%+, respectively  Full law firm banking relationships quickly grow as customers benefit from Esquire’s extensive experience, suite of resources, and deployment of credit facilities, allowing the law firms to invest in & grow their business  National market expansion introduces a new cohort of prospective clients into this proven relationship-growth engine  Significant growth opportunities including, but not limited to, the top three largest metro markets – New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago

GRAPHIC

Esquire’s Bold Opportunities Real Estate Lending A Reliable Asset Class & Source of Liquidity  In NY, rent regulated, free market, and mixed (both rent regulated and free market) represent approximately one-third each of the $456 million multifamily loan portfolio • Rent regulated and mixed multifamily loans provide unique opportunities for regulatory CRA credit • No rent regulated exposure in Chicago  CRE exposure is 208% of Bank level regulatory Tier 1 capital plus the allowance for credit losses (“ACL”). CRE exposure is 198% of consolidated level regulatory Tier 1 capital plus the ACL  Pledged Multifamily and Residential loan portfolio provides liquidity totaling $398.1 million through the Federal Home Loan Bank of NY (“FHLB”) program as of September 30, 2026 14

GRAPHIC

Solid Credit Metrics, Asset Quality and ACL Coverage How Esquire Succeeds Boldly at September 30, 2026 Note – All asset quality metrics are based on our loans held for investment portfolio (1) NFL consumer loan portfolio - $9.0 million charge-off. 15

GRAPHIC

Funding Diversification with Strong Growth  Our tech enabled deposit platform utilizes our commercial cash management suite of services, creating a highly efficient “branch-lite” platform nationally  Our overall liquidity position (cash, borrowing capacity, and available reciprocal client sweep balances) totaled $1.62 billion, or 40% of total deposits, creating a highly liquid and unlevered balance sheet How Esquire Succeeds Boldly 16 ($ in millions) at September 30, 2026

GRAPHIC

*Note: Excludes sweeps totaling $776 million Deposit Composition Details  DDA and NOW (escrow or IOLTA funds) deposits total 68% of total deposits, representing a stable low-cost core funding source in various interest rate scenarios  Litigation-related deposits decreased to 54% of total deposits as of September 30, 2026, compared to 79% as of June 30, 2026 due to the Signature merger  Uninsured deposits (excluding $24.1 million of the Company’s deposits) totaled $1.67 billion, or 42%, of total deposits with approximately 50% representing clients with full commercial relationship banking including, but not limited to, commercial loans, payment processing, and various commercial service-oriented relationships including law firm operating accounts, law firm IOLTA/escrow accounts, merchant reserves, ISO reserves, ACH processing, and custodial accounts How Esquire Succeeds Boldly 17

GRAPHIC

 Currently servicing 94,000 merchants across 50 states in our payment processing (merchant acquiring) vertical  Fee income, primarily payment processing fees, represents 13% of total revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 How Esquire Succeeds Boldly Stable & Consistent Noninterest Income at September 30, 2026 18

GRAPHIC

How Esquire Succeeds Boldly Key Highlights  Strong and stable DDA reserves and residuals  Protecting capital from merchant chargebacks and returns 19 Protecting Our Company with Strong Payment Processing Reserves at September 30, 2026

GRAPHIC

Succeeding Boldly Listed as ESQ Contact Information: Eric S. Bader Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer 516-535-2002 eric.bader@esqbank.com

GRAPHIC

Appendix & Supplemental Disclosure Non-GAAP Reconciliation

GRAPHIC

Appendix Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliation 22 (all dollars in thousands except per share data) We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures provide information that is important to investors and that is useful in understanding our financial position, results and ratios. However, these non-GAAP financial measures are supplemental and are not a substitute for an analysis based on GAAP measures. As other companies may use different calculations for this measure, this presentation may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures by other companies. Adjusted net income, which is used to compute adjusted earnings per share and adjusted return on average assets, excludes the impact of merger expenses, accelerated stock compensation, net of tax, and tax benefits related to exercise of expiring stock options that lowered our effective tax rate to 26.0% and 19.5% in the third quarter of 2026 and 2025, respectively. Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, June 30, September 30, September 30, 2026 2026 2025 2026 2025 Net income – GAAP $ 17,482 $ 12,978 $ 14,057 $ 42,671 $ 37,354 Adjustments to net income: Merger expenses 8,887 1,070 210 11,229 210 Accelerated stock compensation — — — 398 — Tax benefits related to exercise of expiring stock options (938) — (1,310) (938) (1,310) Income tax effect of adjustments (1,812) (100) — (2,032) — Adjusted net income $ 23,619 $ 13,948 $ 12,957 $ 51,328 $ 36,254 Diluted earnings per share – GAAP $ 1.57 $ 1.49 $ 1.62 $ 4.48 $ 4.32 Adjusted diluted earnings per share – non-GAAP 2.12 1.60 1.49 5.38 4.19 Average assets $ 4,000,788 $ 2,484,837 $ 2,134,398 $ 2,953,359 $ 2,030,733 Return on average assets – GAAP 1.73 % 2.09 % 2.61 % 1.93 % 2.46 % Adjusted return on average assets – non-GAAP 2.34 2.25 2.41 2.32 2.39

GRAPHIC

Appendix Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliation 23 (all dollars in thousands except per share data) The following table presents a reconciliation of efficiency ratio (non-GAAP) and adjusted efficiency ratio (non-GAAP). Adjusted return on average tangible equity excludes the impact of merger expenses, accelerated stock compensation, amortization of core deposit intangible asset, net of tax, and tax benefits related to exercise of expiring stock options. Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, June 30, September 30, September 30, 2026 2026 2025 2026 2025 Net income – GAAP $ 17,482 $ 12,978 $ 14,057 $ 42,671 $ 37,354 Adjustments to net income: Merger expenses 8,887 1,070 210 11,229 210 Amortization of CDI, net of tax 1,334 — — 1,334 — Accelerated stock compensation — — — 398 — Tax benefits related to exercise of expiring stock options (938) — (1,310) (938) (1,310) Income tax effect of adjustments (1,812) (100) — (2,032) — Adjusted net income $ 24,953 $ 13,948 $ 12,957 $ 52,662 $ 36,254 Average equity $ 624,411 $ 305,190 $ 267,755 $ 409,203 $ 254,776 Less average: Goodwill 163,461 — — 55,086 — CDI 32,388 — — 10,914 — Average tangible equity $ 428,562 $ 305,190 $ 267,755 $ 343,203 $ 254,776 Return on average equity – GAAP 11.11 % 17.06 % 20.83 % 13.94 % 19.60 % Adjusted return on average tangible equity – non-GAAP 23.10 18.33 19.20 20.52 19.03

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Appendix Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliation 24 (all dollars in thousands except per share data) The following table presents a reconciliation of efficiency ratio (non-GAAP) and adjusted efficiency ratio (non-GAAP). Adjusted noninterest expense, which is used to compute the adjusted efficiency ratio, excludes the impact of merger expenses, amortization of core deposit intangibles, and accelerated stock compensation. (1) The reported efficiency ratio is a non-GAAP measure calculated by dividing GAAP noninterest expense by the sum of GAAP net interest income and GAAP noninterest income. (2) The adjusted efficiency ratio is a non-GAAP measure calculated by dividing adjusted noninterest expense by the sum of GAAP net interest income and GAAP noninterest income. Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended September 30, June 30, September 30, September 30, 2026 2026 2025 2026 2025 Efficiency ratio – non-GAAP(1) 58.6 % 50.1 % 48.9 % 54.0 % 48.7 % Noninterest expense – GAAP $ 35,967 $ 21,105 $ 18,360 $ 77,729 $ 52,170 Less: merger expenses 8,887 1,070 210 11,229 210 Less: amortization of CDI 1,827 — — 1,827 — Less: accelerated stock compensation — — — 398 — Adjusted noninterest expense – non-GAAP $ 25,253 $ 20,035 $ 18,150 $ 64,275 $ 51,960 Net interest income – GAAP 53,506 35,748 31,339 123,258 88,202 Noninterest income – GAAP 7,885 6,383 6,233 20,723 18,961 Total revenue – GAAP $ 61,391 $ 42,131 $ 37,572 $ 143,981 $ 107,163 Adjusted efficiency ratio – non-GAAP(2) 41.1 % 47.6 % 48.3 % 44.6 % 48.5 %

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Appendix Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliation 25 (all dollars in thousands except per share data) The following reconciles book value per common share and tangible book value per common share. Management believes that reporting the non-GAAP measures of tangible common equity and tangible assets more closely approximates the adequacy of capital for regulatory purposes. September 30, December 31, September 30, 2026 2025 2025 Tangible Equity Total stockholders' equity $ 786,615 $ 289,598 $ 279,227 Less: Goodwill 246,883 — — CDI 47,499 — — Tangible equity $ 492,233 $ 289,598 $ 279,227 Tangible Assets Total assets $ 4,805,405 $ 2,365,661 $ 2,184,311 Less: Goodwill 246,883 — — CDI 47,499 — — Tangible assets $ 4,511,023 $ 2,365,661 $ 2,184,311 Shares outstanding 12,159,646 8,552,405 8,565,491 Book value per common share - GAAP $ 64.69 $ 33.86 $ 32.60 Tangible book value per common share - non-GAAP $ 40.48 $ 33.86 $ 32.60 Equity to assets - GAAP 16.37 % 12.24 % 12.78 % Tangible equity to tangible assets - non-GAAP 10.91 % 12.24 % 12.78 %

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