Fulton Financial in Lancaster, Pa., is using proceeds from a sale-leaseback transaction to offset the costs of selling underwater securities.
The $27.6 billion-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing that it sold 40 branches in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania to Blue Owl Capital for $55.4 million.
Fulton will record a $20.4 million pretax gain – $15.6 million after-tax – tied to the transaction.
Fulton then signed 15-year leases for the properties, agreeing to pay $4.4 million in rent over the first 12 months. The company said it expects the rental expense for the first year to be “largely offset by a reduction in depreciation expense. The rent will increase by 2.25% annually.
Separately, Fulton said it sold $345 million of investment securities at a pretax loss of $20.4 million. It reinvested the proceeds into higher-yielding securities.
Fulton recently bought the failed Republic First Bank in Philadelphia.