Interview: Kenneth Mertz of Forward Emerald Banking & Finance Fund

MERTZ: These companies are market-share gainers in their particular regions. They’re taking market share — as measured by loans and deposits — away from their larger competitors. We see this trend continuing for at least five to ten years.

S&P: What’s behind this trend?

MERTZ: We are seeing a great deal of consolidation among the larger banks, leaving opportunities for the smaller banks to deliver more personal service. Small community banks have been able to pick up business as more depositors have been dislocated by the bigger bank mergers.

Small community banks are sometimes themselves attractive takeover candidates by bigger banks, but we don’t necessarily invest in a bank stock for that reason.

S&P: Can you discuss one of your favorite community banks?

MERTZ: Texas Capital Bancshares (TCBI) is a Dallas-based bank, with operations in Houston also. This company is viewed as a “businessmans’ bank,” for which we forecast robust 20% year-over-year loan growth. The growing strength of the energy economy in Texas creates a good backdrop for banks like this to operate in. Texas Capital boasts a very good net interest margin, and we think they can continue to be one of the fastest-growing stocks in our portfolio.

S&P: How will hurricane Katrina impact smaller insurance companies?

MERTZ: The insurance industry as a whole was able to raise their rates after 9/11. With rate premiums going up for the past few years, a great deal of reserves has been created, allowing insurance companies to pay out the claims associated with last year’s hurricanes. I also think they’ll be able to handle the catastrophic claims associated with Katrina. After the losses of Katrina have been assessed, insurance firms, large and small, will likely raise their rates even further. Over the last five to ten years, insurance companies have been able to diversify their risk, even the smaller firms.

S&P: Can you discuss one of your favorite insurance names?

MERTZ: Selective Insurance (SIGI) is a New Jersey-based company that has been negatively perceived by the market because the auto insurance market in that state has performed so poorly due to tough state legislation. Selective has been profitable in a difficult environment, by diversifying their product base. Over the past five years, the company has reduced its exposure to auto insurance — it currently accounts for only 7% of their overall business. The negative perception hurt their stock price, which made them attractive and a great opportunity. We think they have a solid management team and we believe they’ll grow nicely.

S&P: Aside from community banks and insurance firms, what are some other types of stocks in the fund?

MERTZ: We have companies like E Trade Financial (ET) and AmeriTrade Holding (AMTD), which provide brokerage and banking services over the Internet, among other financial services. We also hold ADVANTA Corp. (ADVNB), a credit card service provider. With respect to REITs, we presently own only two names because overall prices in the industry have been bid up on yield basis.

S&P: Why does the fund have such low turnover?

MERTZ: We invest with a long-term investment horizon. We’re patient with our holdings and don’t get worried about short-term problems. We look for companies with solid business models, strong management and consistent execution. However, with banks, we closely monitor their net interest margin spreads and non-performing assets. If a bank is pushing for loan growth, but they’re doing it at the sake of good-quality loans, we’ll unload the stock.

S&P: Would you sell a stock if its market-cap became too big?

MERTZ: Not necessarily. For example, we own Mercantile Bankshares (MRBK) of Baltimore, which currently has a market-cap of $4.4-billion, which puts it squarely in the mid-cap arena. Despite its size, it’s still perceived as a local bank in Baltimore, which is a very parochial community. Mercantile continues to be a nice grower, but at some time, we’ll roll back our exposure.

S&P: How are you responding to the Fed’s commitment to credit tightening?

MERTZ: This is a concern, whether you’re a large bank or a small one. It depends on how good you are at deposit-gathering and how much of your loan portfolio is based on loans that can repriced quickly. Specifically, commercial loan portfolios are adjustable and, as such, their assets (loans) are repriced quicker than your liabilities (deposits).

Contact Bob Keane with questions or comments at: [email protected].