Wintrust Financial Corporation Reports Record Net Income
WINTRUST FINANCIAL CORP (WTFC) filed an SEC Form 8-K — Results of Operations and Financial Condition. Exhibit 99.1 Wintrust Financial Corporation 9700 W. Higgins Road, Suite 800, Rosemont, Illinois 60018 News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 19, 2026 FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: David A. Dykstra, Vice Chairman & Chief Operating Officer (847) 939-9000 Amy Yuhn, Executive Vic
How this was made
The 30-second read
Why it matters
The earnings beat and guidance reaffirmation may drive short‑term buying interest, especially in after‑hours trading.
Market read
Record earnings for a mid‑cap regional bank provide a clear catalyst for price movement, making the story highly relevant for traders focused on banking sector equities.
What to watch
Potential exposure to higher interest‑rate environments and credit loss provisions could temper upside.
Wintrust Financial Corporation Reports Record Net Income
Record quarterly net income of $239.1 million and record year-to-date net income of $700.1 million were supported by loan and deposit growth, higher net interest income, stable net interest margin and improved year-over-year profitability ratios.
Key metrics
shortened, hover for the filing’s print| Metric | Value | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net income, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $239.1M | 2 % | 11 % |
| Net income, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $700.1M | – | 17% |
| Pre-tax income, excluding provision for credit losses, third quarter of 2026non-GAAP | $352.2M | 3 % | 11 % |
| Pre-tax income, excluding provision for credit losses, nine months ended September 30, 2026non-GAAP | $1.02B | – | – |
| Net income per common share - Basic, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $ 3.42 | – | – |
| Net income per common share - Diluted, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $ 3.37 | 2 % | 21 % |
| Net income per common share - Diluted, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $ 9.89 | – | – |
| Net income per common share - Diluted, third quarter of 2026non-GAAP | $ 3.37 | – | – |
| Net revenue, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $757.9M | 3 % | 9 % |
| Net revenue, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $2.21B | – | – |
| Net interest income, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $621.6M | 4 % | 10 % |
| Net interest income, nine months ended September 30, 2026GAAP | $1.80B | – | – |
| Net interest income, fully taxable-equivalent, third quarter of 2026non-GAAP | $624.4M | – | – |
| Net interest margin, third quarter of 2026GAAP | 3.49 % | (1) bps | 1 bps |
| Net interest margin – fully taxable-equivalent, third quarter of 2026non-GAAP | 3.51 | (1) | 1 |
| Total non-interest income, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $136.3M | (4) % | 4 % |
| Total non-interest expense, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $405.7M | 2 % | 7 % |
| Income before taxes, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $326.3M | – | – |
| Income tax expense, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $87.28M | – | – |
| Effective tax rate, third quarter of 2026GAAP | 26.7% | – | – |
| Provision for credit losses, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $25.88M | – | – |
| Net charge-offs, third quarter of 2026GAAP | $21.00M | – | – |
| Total assets, September 30, 2026GAAP | $75.97B | 7 % | 9 % |
| Total loans, September 30, 2026GAAP | $56.80B | 8 % | 9 % |
| Total deposits, September 30, 2026GAAP | $62.44B | 8 % | 10 % |
| Total shareholders’ equity, September 30, 2026GAAP | $7.29B | (12) | 3 % |
| Allowance for credit losses, September 30, 2026GAAP | $486.1M | – | – |
| Total non-performing loans, September 30, 2026GAAP | $176.9M | – | – |
| Total non-performing assets, September 30, 2026GAAP | $193.3M | – | – |
| Return on average assets, third quarter of 2026GAAP | 1.27 | (3) | 1 |
| Return on average common equity, third quarter of 2026GAAP | 12.83 | 1 | 125 |
| Return on average tangible common equity, third quarter of 2026non-GAAP | 14.89 | (2) | 115 |
| Efficiency ratio, third quarter of 2026GAAP | 53.41 % | – | – |
| Efficiency ratio, third quarter of 2026non-GAAP | 53.22 | – | – |
Segments
| Segment | Revenue | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Banking - mortgage banking revenueThe sequential decrease was primarily attributed to lower mortgage loan originations and related operational revenue. | $25.53M | (7) | 4 |
| Community Banking - service charges on deposit accountsService charges on deposit accounts increased from $ 21,240 in the second quarter of 2026. | $22.16M | 4 | 12 |
| Specialty Finance - administrative servicesRevenues from the out-sourced administrative services business were relatively stable compared to the second quarter of 2026. | $ 1,437 | 7 | 16 |
| Wealth ManagementThe increase was primarily driven by increased trust and asset management fees from higher assets under management during the period. | $40.97M | 3 | 10 |
Amounts quoted below without a unit are in thousands, as in the filing’s tables. Per-share figures are as printed.
Capital returns
- Cash dividends declared per common share: $ 0.55 for the third quarter of 2026, compared to $ 0.55 for the second quarter of 2026 and $ 0.50 for the third quarter of 2025.
- Cash dividends declared per common share: $ 1.65 for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, compared to $ 1.50 for the nine months ended September 30, 2025.
What drove it
- Average earning asset growth of $2.1 billion drove the sequential increase in net interest income.
- Total loans increased by $1.1 billion in the third quarter of 2026, with robust loan growth diversified across all major loan portfolios.
- Total deposits increased by $1.3 billion in the third quarter of 2026, driven by strong organic deposit growth from the Company's diverse customer base and product offerings.
- Trust and asset management fees benefited from higher assets under management during the period.
- The Company completed its purchase of the guardianship services business on September 1, 2026. The business has approximately $1.2 billion in assets under management, and preliminary goodwill recorded was approximately $7.5 million as of September 30, 2026.
Concerns
- Net charge-offs totaled $21.0 million, or 15 basis points of average total loans on an annualized basis, compared to $13.4 million, or 10 basis points, in the second quarter of 2026.
- Provision for credit losses was $25.9 million in the third quarter of 2026, compared to $23.1 million in the second quarter of 2026.
- Total non-interest income decreased to $136.3 million from $141.3 million sequentially, including approximately $1.6 million in net losses on investment securities compared to approximately $1.8 million in net gains in the second quarter of 2026.
- Mortgage banking revenue totaled $25.5 million, compared to $27.4 million in the second quarter of 2026, primarily reflecting lower mortgage loan originations and related operational revenue.
- Total shareholders’ equity was $7,289,546 at September 30, 2026, compared to $7,525,116 at June 30, 2026. Accumulated other comprehensive loss was $(863,776), compared to $(420,798) at June 30, 2026.
- The allowance results capture uncertainty related to credit spreads, equity market valuations, consumer & business sentiment, and the job market.
What to watch
- Gross commercial and commercial real estate loan pipelines remained solid as of September 30, 2026, indicating momentum for expected continued loan growth in the fourth quarter of 2026.
- Net interest margin was 3.49 % in the third quarter of 2026, down one basis point from the second quarter of 2026.
- Non-interest-bearing deposits represented 19% of total deposits, while average non-interest-bearing deposit balances have remained stable in recent quarters.
- Premium finance receivables - life insurance had $10,380 of loans past due greater than 90 days and still accruing at September 30, 2026, compared to $— at June 30, 2026.
- Management's September 30, 2026 static shock scenario projects net interest income changes of (2.9) % for +200 Basis Points and (1.6) % for +100 Basis Points over a one-year time horizon.
Balance sheet and cash flow
- Cash and due from banks: $ 635,592 at September 30, 2026, compared to $ 595,790 at June 30, 2026 and $ 565,406 at September 30, 2025.
- Federal Home Loan Bank advances: $ 3,450,680 at September 30, 2026, compared to $ 3,450,680 at June 30, 2026 and $ 3,151,309 at September 30, 2025.
- Other borrowings: $ 355,554 at September 30, 2026, compared to $ 370,736 at June 30, 2026 and $ 579,328 at September 30, 2025.
- Subordinated notes: $ 298,903 at September 30, 2026, compared to $ 298,820 at June 30, 2026 and $ 298,536 at September 30, 2025.
- Junior subordinated debentures: $ 253,566 at September 30, 2026, compared to $ 253,566 at June 30, 2026 and $ 253,566 at September 30, 2025.
- Period-end loans to deposits ratio: 91.0 at September 30, 2026, compared to 91.0 at June 30, 2026 and 91.8 at September 30, 2025.
- Common equity to assets ratio: 9.0 % at September 30, 2026, compared to 9.5 % at June 30, 2026 and 9.5 % at September 30, 2025.
Analysis
Wintrust reported record third-quarter net income of $ 239,054, compared with $ 233,693 in the second quarter of 2026 and $ 216,254 in the third quarter of 2025. Diluted EPS was $ 3.37, compared with $ 3.30 sequentially and $ 2.78 a year earlier. Through nine months, net income was $ 700,135 and diluted EPS was $ 9.89, compared with $ 600,820 and $ 8.25, respectively, in the comparable 2025 period. Pre-tax income excluding provision for credit losses reached $ 352,212 for the quarter and $ 1,023,844 year to date.
Core revenue momentum was led by net interest income of $ 621,604, up from $ 597,366 in the second quarter and $ 567,010 a year ago. The Company attributed the quarterly improvement to $2.1 billion of average earning asset growth. GAAP net interest margin was 3.49 %, compared with 3.50 % in the prior quarter and 3.48 % in the prior-year quarter. Total loans were $ 56,804,571 and total deposits were $ 62,435,216 at September 30, 2026, with the release reporting annualized sequential growth rates of 8 % for both balances.
Non-interest income was $ 136,273, down from $ 141,269 sequentially but up from $ 130,827 a year earlier. Wealth management revenue increased to $ 40,967, supported by higher trust and asset management fees from higher assets under management. Mortgage banking revenue fell to $ 25,532 from $ 27,438, primarily because of lower mortgage loan originations and related operational revenue. Total non-interest expense rose to $ 405,665 from $ 397,537, while the GAAP efficiency ratio improved year over year to 53.41 % from 54.69 %.
Credit quality remained broadly stable in non-performing balances, although current-period loss recognition increased. Net charge-offs were $ 20,997, or 0.15 % of total loans on an annualized basis, compared with $ 13,446 and 0.10 % in the second quarter. The provision for credit losses was $ 25,879, compared with $ 23,134 sequentially. Total non-performing loans were $ 176,904, down from $ 179,271 at June 30, 2026, and total non-performing assets were $ 193,308, down from $ 195,211.
Capital returns consisted of a $ 0.55 cash dividend declared per common share for the third quarter, unchanged sequentially and compared with $ 0.50 a year earlier. Total shareholders’ equity was $ 7,289,546, down from $ 7,525,116 at June 30, 2026, while the common equity to assets ratio was 9.0 %. The release did not provide formal forward financial guidance, but management stated that gross commercial and commercial real estate loan pipelines remained solid and indicated momentum for expected continued loan growth in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Management, verbatim
Our strong momentum in the first half of the year continued into the third quarter leading to consistent and record results for the first nine months of 2026. The third quarter of 2026 produced the seventh consecutive quarter of record net income for the Company.
Timothy S. Crane, President and Chief Executive Officer
Net interest income came in at $621.6 million for the quarter, an increase of $24.2 million, or 16% annualized, from the second quarter of 2026. Net interest margin of 3.51% in the third quarter remained in line with our expectations, and we believe our balance sheet is well positioned to support stable performance through changing interest rate environments.
Timothy S. Crane, President and Chief Executive Officer
We are encouraged by our strong third quarter performance and record results year-to-date. We believe we are well-positioned to build on our strong momentum and deliver further revenue growth as we close out the year.
Timothy S. Crane, President and Chief Executive Officer
Not in the filing
stated, not guessed- Formal forward revenue guidance
- Formal forward net interest margin guidance
- Formal forward expense guidance
- Formal forward tax-rate guidance
- Prior-release outlook for comparison
- Gross margin
- Operating income
- Operating cash flow
- Free cash flow
- Share repurchase activity
- Total revenue for Community Banking
- Total revenue for Specialty Finance
AlphAI analysis generated from the company’s SEC earnings filing (Form 8-K Item 2.02, or Form 6-K for a foreign private issuer). Every figure was cross-checked against the filing text; consensus estimates, price targets and share-price reactions are not shown because they are not in the filing. AI-generated research, not investment advice.
Background
Wintrust Financial Corp filed a Form 8‑K announcing its Q3 2026 results, highlighting record net income and loan growth.
Ticker impact
Wintrust Financial Corp reported record net income of $700.1M for the first nine months of 2026, a 17% year‑over‑year increase.
likely upward pressure as investors price in the record results and higher net interest income.
The disclosed earnings beat prior period and show expanding loan and deposit balances, which typically support share price gains for regional banks.
Market effects
The strong performance may lift sentiment for regional banking stocks and could prompt analysts to upgrade peers.
Positive for Midwestern banking sector where Wintrust operates.
Limited to U.S. regional banking sector; no broader macro impact.
Counterpoint
If loan growth slows or credit quality deteriorates, the earnings boost could be short‑lived.
Key entities
- ExecutiveTimothy S. Crane
President and CEO of Wintrust who commented on the results.
