As previously disclosed, in October 2024 Horizon Bancorp, Inc. ("Horizon" or the "Company") signed a non-binding letter of intent to sell its mortgage warehouse business. On November 22, 2024, Horizon and the prospective purchaser terminated the letter of intent. The entry into of the letter of intent was previously disclosed in the Company's press release and investor presentation furnished as exhibits to the Current Report on Form 8-K furnished by the Company to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on October 23, 2024, as well as in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed by the Company with the SEC on November 12, 2024 in Note 15 - Subsequent Events. As set forth in those disclosures, the sale was expected to generate a gain-on-sale, neutral to net income and not expected to have a material impact on deposit balances.
The termination of the letter of intent does not change the Company's previously disclosed guidance for the fourth quarter of 2024. The Company may continue to pursue options for selling its mortgage warehouse business to other potentially interested parties but cannot predict or assure whether any such transaction will occur, or the terms of any such transaction.
Forward Looking Statements
This report may contain forward-looking statements regarding the financial performance, business prospects, growth and operating strategies of Horizon. For these statements, Horizon claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this report should be considered in conjunction with the other information available about Horizon, including the information in the filings we make with the SEC. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance. The forward-looking statements are based on management's expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. We have tried, wherever possible, to identify such statements by using words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "will" and similar expressions in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance.
Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include: current financial conditions within the banking industry; changes in the level and volatility of interest rates, changes in spreads on earning assets and changes in interest bearing liabilities; increased interest rate sensitivity; the aggregate effects of elevated inflation levels in recent years; loss of key Horizon personnel; increases in disintermediation; potential loss of fee income, including interchange fees, as new and emerging alternative payment platforms take a greater market share of the payment systems; estimates of fair value of certain of Horizon's assets and liabilities; changes in prepayment speeds, loan originations, credit losses, market values, collateral securing loans and other assets; changes in sources of liquidity; macroeconomic conditions and their impact on Horizon and its customers; legislative and regulatory actions and reforms; changes in accounting policies or procedures as may be adopted and required by regulatory agencies; litigation, regulatory enforcement, and legal compliance risk and costs; rapid technological developments and changes; cyber terrorism and data security breaches; the rising costs of cybersecurity; the ability of the U.S. federal government to manage federal debt limits; climate change and social justice initiatives; the inability to realize cost savings or revenues or to effectively implement integration plans and other consequences associated with mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; acts of terrorism, war and global conflicts, such as the Russia and Ukraine conflict and the Israel and Hamas conflict; and supply chain disruptions and delays. These and additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements are discussed in Horizon's reports (such as the Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K) filed with the SEC and available at the SEC's website (www.sec.gov). Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Horizon does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the result of any revisions that may be made to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the events or circumstances after the date on which the forward-looking statement is made, or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except to the extent required by law.