Amerant Bancorp disclosed in its January 22, 2026 Form 8-K that it had materially increased loans designated as “held for sale” by year-end 2025, signaling an active repositioning of real-estate credit exposure.

As of December 31, 2025, the bank reported $83.8 million of loans classified as held for sale. The majority of that balance consisted of non-owner-occupied commercial real estate loans and land development and construction credits—segments that have faced tighter underwriting and heightened scrutiny across regional banks.

The move was short-lived. In January 2026, Amerant sold four loans totaling $65.7 million, effectively clearing most of the held-for-sale balance immediately after quarter-end. This contrasts sharply with the bank’s position at September 30, 2025, when loans held for sale were essentially immaterial.

The sequence suggests a deliberate strategy: carve out specific CRE and construction exposures from the held-for-investment portfolio and place them into the secondary market as whole-loan sales. While Amerant did not characterize the action as a balance-sheet de-risking initiative, the timing and asset mix indicate a preference for liquidity and risk transfer over long-term retention in these property types.

➤ TAKEAWAY

Beyond headline earnings, First Commonwealth’s results point to a bank actively managing commercial credit risk—using loan sales and tighter internal classifications to shape its balance sheet—while maintaining profitability and controlled growth.