Letter from the CEO

Dear Shareholders,

I am pleased to share that 2025 was another outstanding year at Parkside—one marked by continued strong performance in both our Banking and Trust & Family Office divisions, successful leadership transitions in our Chief Financial Officer and St. Louis Market Leader roles, and the launch of several exciting new initiatives. 

2025 marked the first year of our new three-year strategic plan. I am very pleased to report that we are now reaping the rewards of our prior "investment" years, during which we made significant investments in people, infrastructure, and technology. 

Our consolidated net income of $11 million exceeded budget by $1.0 million, or 10%. Our Banking division delivered strong growth, posting record-high loan balances of $847 million at year end, despite elevated loan payoffs and reduced credit line usage throughout the year. Our Trust & Family Office division surpassed $3.5 billion in Assets Under Management, adding $1.0 billion in 2025. 

In December, we offered to purchase up to a maximum of 25,000 shares of Parkside Financial, Inc. common stock at a price of $45.00 per share. This marked the first time shareholders were provided with two opportunities to sell shares within a single calendar year. We added the second offer to purchase as a way to continue improving the liquidity of our shares. Together with our mid-year offer to purchase program—40,000 shares at a price of $43.00 per share—we successfully repurchased 41,795 shares.

We are extremely proud of this year's accomplishments and as we look ahead to an equally exciting 2026, we believe Parkside is well positioned to achieve the earnings targets outlined in the three-year strategic plan introduced at last year's shareholders' meeting. 

We are considering a change to the traditional format of our annual shareholders' meeting. We plan to publish our first Annual Report to Shareholders, which will provide expanded information on our 2025 activities, financial results, and outlook for the future. Since much of the information we typically share at our annual meeting will be included in the Annual Report, we expect to hold a very brief annual meeting on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at our corporate headquarters in Clayton. This meeting will cover just the legal requirements, including the election of directors. A final decision on this change has not been made; additional information will be provided as soon as it becomes available. Please share any feedback you may have regarding this proposed change. 

 

Thank you, as always, for your continued support!

Sincerely,
James C. Wagner
Chief Executive Officer
Parkside Financial Bank & Trust