Driving this positive momentum was higher loan volume, which contributed to a rise in net interest income (NII)—the crucial difference between interest earned and interest paid. NII increased to $136.0 million from $125.6 million. Furthermore, the net interest margin (NIM), a key indicator of a bank's profitability relative to its earning assets, expanded to 3.85% from 3.79%. The bank also saw an improvement in its credit quality, with the provision for credit losses falling to $3.1 million from $4.4 millio ...