> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bullished.co/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Columbia Banking's New $1.2 Billion Buyback Has No Deadline, And A Stock Slump Could Speed It Up - URL: https://www.bullished.co/columbia-bankings-new-1-2-billion-buyback-has-no-deadline-and-a-stock-slump-could-speed-it-73fe17b1/ - Published: 2026-10-22T22:56:02.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-22T22:56:02.000Z - Description: CEO Clint Stein said the bank sees a steady pace of $150 million to $200 million a quarter, with room to buy more if the shares fall. - Author: Matteo Parrino - Tags: Earnings, COLB, Industry: Financials [Columbia Banking System](https://www.bullished.co/tag/colb/), the parent of Columbia Bank, authorized a new [$1.2 billion share repurchase program](https://seekingalpha.com/news/4656205-columbia-banking-system-non-gaap-eps-of-0%5F82-beats-by-0%5F05-revenue-of-695m-beats-by-7%5F37m?ref=bullished.co) with no expiration date, Chairman, CEO and President Clint Stein said on the bank's third-quarter earnings call on Thursday. The plan it just finished ran on a 12-month clock. ## No 12-month cap this time Asked by a Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst whether the pace could rise, since the bank is "making a ton of money," Stein said he was comfortable with the current $150 million to $200 million per quarter. "We didn't put a 12-month cap on this one," he said. He said the bank intends to fully use the authorization, and the pace should look "pretty consistent" with the past year. The exception would be "some sort of major pullback in the stock," when the bank would "have the flexibility to do a little more." Chief Financial Officer Ivan said repurchases should run $150 million to $200 million in the fourth quarter. In the third quarter, the bank bought 6.5 million shares for about $200 million, finishing the prior plan. Ivan added that the program does not rely on relief from proposed Basel III capital rules, which he said would be additive. The bank's CET1 capital ratio, a core measure of its capital cushion, slipped to 11.5% as dividends and buybacks modestly outpaced capital generation. ## Capital returned and the bank behind it Columbia Banking, a financial holding company that offers commercial, private banking, mortgage and wealth services across the West, returned over $1 billion to shareholders over the past year through dividends and buybacks, Stein said. The completed program cut the common share count 8%. He framed the buyback as one leg of a strategy built on consistent performance, reshaping the balance sheet and returning excess capital. The bank reported earnings per share of 78 cents, or 82 cents on an operating basis. Tangible book value fell to $18.10 in the quarter, which Ivan attributed mainly to a larger other comprehensive loss as interest rates rose. ## Margin guided lower Ivan guided to a fourth-quarter net interest margin of around 4.05%, down from 4.11% in the third quarter. He cited the cost of carrying excess subordinated debt while it redeems about $240 million of older trust-preferred debt, plus seasonal deposit outflows late in the quarter. He said he expects the margin to stay in a low-4% range for the next several quarters. Fourth-quarter expenses, excluding intangible amortization, should run $330 million to $335 million. The next marker is the fourth quarter, when Ivan expects repurchases of $150 million to $200 million. ### Sources - [Columbia Banking System Non-GAAP EPS of $0.82 beats by $0.05, revenue of $695M beats by $7.37M (NASDAQ:COLB) | Seeking Alpha](https://seekingalpha.com/news/4656205-columbia-banking-system-non-gaap-eps-of-0%5F82-beats-by-0%5F05-revenue-of-695m-beats-by-7%5F37m?ref=bullished.co) — seekingalpha.com - [Columbia Banking: Q3 Earnings Snapshot](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/columbia-banking-q3-earnings-snapshot-200819491.html?ref=bullished.co) — Associated Press - [Columbia Banking System Q3 Adj. EPS $0.82 Bea...](https://www.benzinga.com/news/earnings/26/10/62545187/columbia-banking-system-q3-adj-eps-0-82-beats-0-77-estimate-sales-695-000m-beat-687-907m-estimate?ref=bullished.co) — benzinga.com - [Seattle-Area Bank Exec Sells Home Amid Exit to Arizona](https://therealdeal.com/national/seattle/2026/10/22/seattle-area-bank-exec-sells-home-amid-exit-to-arizona/?ref=bullished.co) — therealdeal.com - [Columbia Banking System (COLB) Q3 Earnings Report Preview: What To Look For](https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/columbia-banking-system-colb-q3-081439253.html?ref=bullished.co) — Yahoo Finance ### More on Columbia Banking System - [Columbia Banking Sets $1.2 Billion Buyback After Retiring 23.3 Million Shares Under Last Plan](https://www.bullished.co/columbia-banking-sets-1-2-billion-buyback-after-retiring-23-3-million-shares-under-last-e6afe6e7/) [All Columbia Banking System (COLB) coverage →](https://www.bullished.co/tag/colb/)