WaFd: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors

WaFd reported 22% full-year earnings per share growth and is reallocating capital from low-yielding residential mortgages to higher-yielding assets. A single $54 million commercial loan impairment temporarily spiked losses, but management views this as an outlier. The pending merger with EverBank in early 2027 is expected to enhance deposit profitability and enable fair valuation of legacy mortgages earning only 4.25%.