TORONTO, Feb. 24, 2023 /CNW/ - CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended January 31, 2023.

First quarter highlights

"In the first quarter, we delivered solid financial results as we continued to make steady progress in executing our client-focused strategy," said Victor G. Dodig, CIBC President and Chief Executive Officer. "In an economic environment that remains fluid, our team is focused on living our purpose as we help make our clients' ambitions real. We have clear momentum in attracting and deepening client relationships,  a resilient capital position, strong risk management and credit quality, and we'll draw on these strengths throughout fiscal 2023 to create further value for our stakeholders."

Results for the first quarter of 2023 were affected by the following items of note aggregating to a negative impact of $1.55 per share:

• $1,169 million ($844 million after-tax) increase in legal provisions (Corporate and Other);
• $545 million income tax charge related to the 2022 Canadian Federal budget⁽⁵⁾ (Corporate and Other); and
• $26 million ($20 million after-tax) amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets.

Our CET1 ratio⁽⁴⁾ was 11.6% at January 31, 2023, compared with 11.7% at the end of the prior quarter. CIBC's leverage ratio⁽⁴⁾ and liquidity coverage ratio⁽⁴⁾ at January 31, 2023 were 4.3% and 134%, respectively.

Core business performance

Canadian Personal and Business Banking reported net income of $589 million for the first quarter, down $98 million or 14% from the first quarter a year ago, primarily due to higher non-interest expenses and a higher provision for credit losses, partially offset by higher revenue. Adjusted pre-provision, pre-tax earnings⁽¹⁾ were $977 million, down $67 million from the first quarter a year ago, as higher revenues were more than offset by higher expenses. Higher revenues were driven by volume growth, partially offset by lower fee and commission income, and lower net product spreads. Expenses were higher due to spending on strategic initiatives, including the Canadian Costco credit card portfolio, and employee-related compensation.

Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management reported net income of $469 million for the first quarter, up $7 million or 2% from the first quarter a year ago, primarily due to higher revenue and lower non-interest expenses, partially offset by a higher provision for credit losses in the current quarter. Adjusted pre-provision, pre-tax earnings⁽¹⁾ were $686 million, up $62 million from the first quarter a year ago, primarily due to higher net interest income from higher deposit spreads that benefitted from the impact of higher interest rates, and volume growth in commercial banking. Lower expenses were primarily driven by lower performance-based compensation, partially offset by higher spending on strategic initiatives.

U.S. Commercial Banking and Wealth Management reported net income of $201 million (US$150 million) for the first quarter, down $25 million (down US$28 million) from the first quarter a year ago, primarily due to a higher provision for credit losses and higher non-interest expenses, partially offset by higher revenue and the impact of foreign currency translation. Adjusted pre-provision, pre-tax earnings⁽¹⁾ were $342 million (US$255 million), up $34 million (up US$13 million) from the first quarter a year ago due to higher revenue and the impact of foreign currency translation, primarily driven by volume growth and higher net product spreads, partially offset by higher employee-related compensation and higher spending on strategic initiatives.

Capital Markets reported net income of $612 million for the first quarter, up $69 million or 13% from the first quarter a year ago, primarily due to higher revenue, partially offset by higher non-interest expenses and a lower provision reversal in the current quarter. Adjusted pre-provision, pre-tax earnings⁽¹⁾ were up $123 million or 17% from the first quarter a year ago, as higher revenue from our global markets and direct financial services businesses was partially offset by lower investment banking activity and higher expenses. Expenses were up due to strategic investments and employee-related expenses.

Credit quality

Provision for credit losses was $295 million, up $220 million from the same quarter last year. Provision for credit losses net of reversals on performing loans was up mainly due to unfavourable credit migration and parameter updates. Provision for credit losses on impaired loans was up due to higher net impairments across all strategic business units.

Non-GAAP measures

We use a number of financial measures to assess the performance of our business lines as described below. Some measures are calculated in accordance with GAAP (International Financial Reporting Standards), while other measures do not have a standardized meaning under GAAP, and accordingly, these measures may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. Investors may find these non-GAAP measures, which include non-GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP ratios as defined in National Instrument 52-112 "Non-GAAP and Other Financial Measures Disclosure", useful in understanding how management views underlying business performance.

     Management assesses results on a reported and adjusted basis and considers both as useful measures of performance. Adjusted measures, which include adjusted total revenue, adjusted provision for credit losses, adjusted non-interest expenses, adjusted income before income taxes, adjusted income taxes, adjusted net income and adjusted pre-provision, pre-tax earnings, remove items of note from reported results to calculate our adjusted results. Adjusted measures represent non-GAAP measures. Non-GAAP ratios include an adjusted measure as one or more of their components. Non-GAAP ratios include adjusted diluted EPS, adjusted efficiency ratio, adjusted operating leverage, adjusted dividend payout ratio, adjusted return on common shareholders' equity and adjusted effective tax rate.

     Certain additional disclosures for these specified financial measures have been incorporated by reference and can be found in the "Non-GAAP measures" section of our Report to Shareholders for the first quarter of 2023 available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Making a difference in our communities 

At CIBC, we believe there should be no limits to ambition. We invest our time and resources to remove barriers to ambitions and demonstrate that when we come together, positive change happens that helps our communities thrive. This quarter:

• Team CIBC raised $6 million for children's charities globally from the 38th annual CIBC Miracle Day held on December 7 and other activities during the year. Every year, CIBC Capital Markets traders and CIBC Wood Gundy investment advisors donate a portion of their fees and commissions to help kids access vital support programs and services that help them thrive.
• CIBC and CIBC Foundation announced a donation of $1 million to the Montreal Children's Hospital in support of a groundbreaking advancement in pediatric liquid biopsy research. This new research holds tremendous promise for identifying solid pediatric tumors such as brain cancers, glioma, medulloblastoma, and tumors of the bone which are the most dangerous and deadliest forms of pediatric cancers.
• CIBC has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI) for the 18th consecutive year, demonstrating our continued commitment to enabling a more sustainable and equitable future. The DJSI is a widely recognized industry standard for measuring companies' performance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.
• CIBC Bank USA supported the new construction, rehabilitation and renovation of Roosevelt Square, a large mixed-use development on Chicago's West Side, with a strong focus on affordable housing that aims to improve quality of life, provide jobs, and increase public safety.

The Board of Directors of CIBC reviewed this news release prior to it being issued. CIBC's controls and procedures support the ability of the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of CIBC to certify CIBC's first quarter financial report and controls and procedures. CIBC's CEO and CFO will voluntarily provide to the United States (U.S.) Securities and Exchange Commission a certification relating to CIBC's first quarter financial information, including the unaudited interim consolidated financial statements, and will provide the same certification to the Canadian Securities Administrators.

All amounts are in Canadian dollars and are based on financial statements prepared in compliance with International Accounting Standard 34 Interim Financial Reporting, unless otherwise noted.

A NOTE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

From time to time, we make written or oral forward-looking statements within the meaning of certain securities laws, including in this news release, in other filings with Canadian securities regulators or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in other reports to shareholders, and in other communications. All such statements are made pursuant to the "safe harbour" provisions of, and are intended to be forward-looking statements under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our operations, business lines, financial condition, risk management, priorities, targets and sustainability commitments (including with respect to net-zero emissions and our environmental, social and governance (ESG) related activities), ongoing objectives, strategies, the regulatory environment in which we operate and outlook for calendar year 2023 and subsequent periods. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the words "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "forecast", "target", "predict", "commit", "ambition", "goal", "strive", "project", "objective" and other similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as "will", "may", "should", "would" and "could". By their nature, these statements require us to make assumptions, and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties that may be general or specific. Given the continuing impact of high inflation, rising interest rates, potential recession and the war in Ukraine on the global economy, financial markets, and our business, results of operations, reputation and financial condition, there is inherently more uncertainty associated with our assumptions as compared to prior periods. A variety of factors, many of which are beyond our control, affect our operations, performance and results, and could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in any of our forward-looking statements. These factors include: inflationary pressures; global supply-chain disruptions; geopolitical risk, including from the war in Ukraine, the occurrence, continuance or intensification of public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and any related government policies and actions; credit, market, liquidity, strategic, insurance, operational, reputation, conduct and legal, regulatory and environmental risk; currency value and interest rate fluctuations, including as a result of market and oil price volatility; the effectiveness and adequacy of our risk management and valuation models and processes; legislative or regulatory developments in the jurisdictions where we operate, including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Common Reporting Standard, and regulatory reforms in the United Kingdom and Europe, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision's global standards for capital and liquidity reform, and those relating to bank recapitalization legislation and the payments system in Canada; amendments to, and interpretations of, risk-based capital guidelines and reporting instructions, and interest rate and liquidity regulatory guidance; exposure to, and the resolution of, significant litigation or regulatory matters, our ability to successfully appeal adverse outcomes of such matters and the timing, determination and recovery of amounts related to such matters; the effect of changes to accounting standards, rules and interpretations; changes in our estimates of reserves and allowances; changes in tax laws; changes to our credit ratings; political conditions and developments, including changes relating to economic or trade matters; the possible effect on our business of international conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, and terrorism; natural disasters, disruptions to public infrastructure and other catastrophic events; reliance on third parties to provide components of our business infrastructure; potential disruptions to our information technology systems and services; increasing cyber security risks which may include theft or disclosure of assets, unauthorized access to sensitive information, or operational disruption; social media risk; losses incurred as a result of internal or external fraud; anti-money laundering; the accuracy and completeness of information provided to us concerning clients and counterparties; the failure of third parties to comply with their obligations to us and our affiliates or associates; intensifying competition from established competitors and new entrants in the financial services industry including through internet and mobile banking; technological change; global capital market activity; changes in monetary and economic policy; general business and economic conditions worldwide, as well as in Canada, the U.S. and other countries where we have operations, including increasing Canadian household debt levels and global credit risks; climate change and other ESG related risks; our success in developing and introducing new products and services, expanding existing distribution channels, developing new distribution channels and realizing increased revenue from these channels; changes in client spending and saving habits; our ability to attract and retain key employees and executives; our ability to successfully execute our strategies and complete and integrate acquisitions and joint ventures; the risk that expected benefits of an acquisition, merger or divestiture will not be realized within the expected time frame or at all; and our ability to anticipate and manage the risks associated with these factors. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of our forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Additional information about these factors can be found in the "Management of risk" section of our 2022 Annual Report, as updated by our quarterly reports. Any forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent the views of management only as of the date hereof and are presented for the purpose of assisting our shareholders and financial analysts in understanding our financial position, objectives and priorities and anticipated financial performance as at and for the periods ended on the dates presented, and may not be appropriate for other purposes. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that is contained in this news release or in other communications except as required by law.

Conference Call/Webcast

The conference call will be held at 8:00 a.m. (ET) and is available in English (416-406-0743, or toll-free 1-800-898-3989, passcode 6992806#) and French (514-392-1587, or toll-free 1-877-395-0279, passcode 6514906#). Participants are asked to dial in 10 minutes before the call. Immediately following the formal presentations, CIBC executives will be available to answer questions.

A live audio webcast of the conference call will also be available in English and French at www.cibc.com/ca/investor-relations/quarterly-results.html. 

Details of CIBC's fiscal 2023 first quarter results, as well as a presentation to investors, will be available in English and French at www.cibc.com, Investor Relations section, prior to the conference call/webcast. We are not incorporating information contained on the website in this news release.

A telephone replay will be available in English (905-694-9451 or 1-800-408-3053, passcode 4645396#) and French (514-861-2272 or 1-800-408-3053, passcode 7957917#) until 11:59 p.m. (ET) March 10, 2023. The audio webcast will be archived at www.cibc.com/ca/investor-relations/quarterly-results.html.

About CIBC

CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with 13 million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. Across Personal and Business Banking, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management, and Capital Markets businesses, CIBC offers a full range of advice, solutions and services through its leading digital banking network, and locations across Canada, in the United States and around the world. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at https://www.cibc.com/en/about-cibc/media-centre.html.

SOURCE CIBC