Business Breakdowns
Episode 114 First Citizens Bank: The Bank Buyers
Business Breakdowns

Episode 114: First Citizens Bank: The Bank Buyers

Business Breakdowns

Episode 114

First Citizens Bank: The Bank Buyers

Bill Nygren and Alex Fitch are partners at Oakmark Funds. We cover the basics of investing in banks, why First Citizens plays an important role in the banking system despite being relatively unknown, and how it is adapting its acquisition strategy to today's economic environment.

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(00:02:47) - (First question) - A primer on investing in banks

(00:09:27) - The appeal of First Citizens Bank

(00:15:18) - How they leverage acquisitions, including FDIC auctions, for a competitive edge

(00:21:42) - How their risk management and protective measures foster resilience and growth

(00:26:22) - The significant impact of prioritizing relationship-based and specialized lending

(00:28:51) - Why they adjust risk parameters during the integration with other banks

(00:30:38) - How they leverage loyal customers and low costs to achieve strong profitability 

(00:33:21) - Rapid fund movement during the SVB event raises market change concerns

(00:36:58) - Overview of bank investment opportunities

(00:42:48) - The key drivers of their business model

(00:47:43) - Rebuilding relationships with former depositors to retain SVB deposits

(00:51:23) - Their emphasis on relationships and strategic acquisitions

(00:53:30) - How the regulatory framework plays a key role in de-risking the banking system

(00:57:00) - The key risks for First Citizens moving forward
(00:58:39) - Why volatile interest rate changes impacted banks

(01:00:08) - Lessons learned from studying First Citizens

First Citizens Bank: The Bank Buyers

Introduction

Matt
This is Matt Reustle and today, we are breaking down First Citizens Bank. I'm joined by investors with a bit of history investing in banks. It's Bill Nygren and Alex Fitch of Oakmark. And I will admit, I was a bit embarrassed that I didn't know more about First Citizens when they acquired Silicon Valley Bank out of FDIC receivership. But when I brought this up to others, I started to notice that was almost universally the sentiment.

This breakdown will help explain why. First Citizens is a bank with 125-year-plus history. But they don't operate like the bulge bracket Wall Street banks. They don't host quarterly conference calls. They have a playbook, and they execute it. And the SVB transaction fell into that playbook. Bill and Alex offer a really unique macro and micro view on bank investing and what stood out about First Citizens.

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