My former colleague and banking guru, James Abbott, is living his passion with the launch of Diligence Capital Management (DCM).

DCM runs a concentrated, net-long financials strategy alongside a tighter-net long/short financials portfolio. James and his team bring more than 50 years of combined experience in financial services—and a deep understanding of how banks operate, where they underperform, and what it takes to improve them.

In this episode, James explains why DCM became actively involved with Eagle Bancorp ($EGBN), how he identified an underperforming bank in need of change, and why he believes the market is still underestimating its earnings power.

We also discuss lessons from the 2008 financial crisis and the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, as well as why spending time inside a business can create an investing edge that is difficult to replicate from the outside.

"My goal was to be a portfolio manager just like Peter Lynch."

"The market just doesn't really appreciate what's going on here."

"The deep homework concept... go deeper than anybody else does."

"The company should be earning about $6 a share."

Stocks: $EGBN, $ZION

Not Investment Advice.

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[00:00:00] Introduction to James Abbott and the Eagle Bancorp investment thesis

[00:02:14] How a Peter Lynch article inspired James Abbott’s investing career

[00:03:46] Early career experiences at SNL Financial and FBR

[00:05:44] Reflections on FBR’s research culture and working alongside Dan Ives

[00:07:03] Lessons from generating positive returns during the 2008 financial crisis

[00:08:07] Moving from the sell side to executive leadership at Zions Bancorporation

[00:09:17] Building a significant ownership stake in Zions through personal investment

[00:10:28] Founding Diligence Capital Management and launching the firm

[00:11:46] The impact of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse and banking sector contagion

[00:13:43] How market narratives and deposit flows can pressure banks

[00:15:02] Diligence Capital Management’s portfolio construction and leverage approach

[00:16:22] Activist investing through special purpose vehicles and concentrated opportunities

[00:16:37] Why Eagle Bancorp became a high-conviction investment

[00:17:48] Assessing Eagle Bancorp’s earnings power and excess capital

[00:19:09] Concentration risk and the challenges facing Eagle Bancorp

[00:20:47] Commercial real estate exposure and concerns around stale loan-to-value metrics

[00:22:31] Insights into bank credit quality, appraisals, and regulatory oversight

[00:24:35] Recommendations to strengthen Eagle Bancorp’s board composition

[00:27:32] Office loan concentration and portfolio risk management

[00:29:57] The process of engaging management and advocating for change

[00:31:51] Corporate governance reforms and separating the chairman and CEO roles

[00:34:22] Historical governance challenges at Eagle Bancorp

[00:36:09] Proposed board additions and turnaround expertise

[00:37:14] The push for a three-year performance improvement plan

[00:38:48] Market reaction to credit loss reserves and the stock’s recovery

[00:40:27] Why Diligence Capital believed the market mispriced Eagle Bancorp

[00:41:14] The path to achieving $6 per share in earnings power

[00:42:20] Closing thoughts on activism, value creation, and the future of Eagle

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Pitch The PM Episode Links:

Doug Garber on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-garber-42aa508

📩 Subscribe to our Substack for research updates and new high-conviction episodes from top PMs, and our Job Board: ⁠https://pitchthepm.substack.com/⁠

James Abbott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-r-abbott-investor

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EP.47: Activist Investor Pushing for an Epic Turnaround at Eagle Bancorp ($EGBN)

Pitch The PM

EP.47: Activist Investor Pushing for an Epic Turnaround at Eagle Bancorp ($EGBN)