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First Bank Reports First Quarter 2016 Earnings of $1.4 Million; Total Assets Reach $917 Million


/EINPresswire.com/ -- HAMILTON, NJ--(Marketwired - April 25, 2016) - First Bank (NASDAQ: FRBA) today announced first quarter 2016 results. Net income for the quarter was $1.4 million or $0.14 per diluted share, compared to $686 thousand or $0.07 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2015 and $1.7 million or $0.18 per diluted share for the first quarter of 2015. 

The increase in first quarter net income compared to the fourth quarter of 2015 was driven by higher net interest income from strong loan growth and lower non-interest expenses. Fourth quarter 2015 results included $350 thousand in one-time severance and branch closing costs. 

Book value per share was $7.42 at the end of the first quarter of 2016, an increase of 5.0% compared to book value of $7.07 at the end of the first quarter of 2015. Nonperforming assets as a percentage of total assets equaled 0.63% at the end of the first quarter of 2016 compared to 1.03% at the end of the first quarter of 2015.

President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Ryan commenting on the results said: "The first quarter of 2016 was a good, clean quarter. We had very little in the way of unusual or non-recurring income or expense. I believe it provides a good perspective on the improved earnings potential of the franchise based on our larger balance sheet and more streamlined cost structure. We hope that a strong first quarter puts us on the path for an excellent 2016. 

"Importantly, we had another very good quarter of loan growth, with an increase of $68 million in the quarter. It was nice to see continued, strong growth, especially on the heels of $81 million in loan growth in the fourth quarter of last year. Often a strong growth quarter can be followed by a slow down as we work to rebuild our pipeline and that did not happen in the first quarter. We do expect loan growth will slow from its current pace as we move through the remainder of 2016, but we are certainly enjoying our current momentum. We believe having lending teams in three different markets is helping to smooth out some of the peaks and troughs that are typical in the community bank lending business. In a manner fairly consistent with prior quarters and our stated goals, a little over half of the loan growth came from our central NJ region, a little over 25% came from the PA region, and about 20% came from the northern NJ region.

"We were pleased to see good deposit growth in the quarter, with net increases coming from nine of the ten branches in our network. Our newest location in Flemington is off to a great start. We are still looking to drive stronger growth in our non-interest bearing product categories and we have implemented some new initiatives which we hope will help drive stronger results in that area. We are also working on new product designs and features that should help drive continued adoption of our mobile and e-banking services. Over 20% of our online banking customers use mobile banking today, but we know the mobile penetration rate can and should move higher.

"Asset quality metrics remained strong. Nonperforming assets/total assets ticked down slightly and remained at very healthy levels. Delinquency rates also improved during the quarter. Thankfully, our markets (and our bank) do not have much in the way of energy exposure. Due to the cyclical nature of credit, we do not take our current environment for granted. We're watching key trends and metrics closely. Thankfully, the current signals indicate that borrowers remain in a healthy position.

"First quarter results showed that our expense control measures are working. Non-interest expenses were down not only compared to the fourth quarter of 2015, but also compared to the first quarter of 2015. I expect expenses will start to rise again as we continue to grow, but we will continue our efforts to operate in a prudent, but lean fashion."

Ryan concluded, "After two consecutive quarters of very strong growth, capital planning moves to the front of the agenda. The market opportunity in front of us is substantial, especially given our larger geographic reach, our larger legal lending limit, and the continued consolidation in the industry."

First Quarter 2016 Highlights

  • Balance Sheet
    • Total assets at March 31, 2016 were $917.4 million, an increase of $61.9 million or 7.2% compared to December 31, 2015, and an increase of $186.5 million or 25.5% compared to March 31, 2015. 
    • Total loans reached $758.1 million at March 31, 2016, an increase of $68.2 million or 9.9% compared to December 31, 2015 and an increase of $213.1 million or 39.1% compared to March 31, 2015. 
    • Loan portfolio composition at March 31, 2016:
      • Acquisition, Construction and Development (ACD) loans equaled 7.5% of total loans;
      • Commercial Real Estate, Investor (CREI; including multi-family) loans equaled 45.6% of total loans;
      • Commercial Real Estate, Owner-Occupied (CREO) loans equaled 22.4% of total loans;
      • Commercial and Industrial (C&I) loans equaled 14.9% of total loans;
      • Residential Real Estate and Consumer and Other loans equaled 9.6% of total loans.
    • Total deposits reached $799.0 million at March 31, 2016, an increase of $60.0 million or 8.1% compared to December 31, 2015 and an increase of $150.7 million or 23.2% compared to March 31 2015. Non-interest bearing deposits totaled $101.6 million at March 31, 2016, or 12.7% of total deposits.
    • Stockholders' equity increased to $70.5 million at March 31, 2016.
    • Book value per share was $7.42 at March 31, 2016 compared to $7.26 per share at December 31, 2015 and $7.07 per share at March 31, 2015. Tangible book value per share was $7.39 at March 31, 2016, compared to $7.23 per share at December 31, 2015 and $7.03 per share at March 31, 2015. 
  • Quarterly and Year to Date Income Statement
    • Net interest income for the first quarter of 2016 totaled $6.8 million, an increase of $673 thousand, or 11.0%, compared to $6.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2015 and an increase of $637 thousand, or 10.4%, compared to the first quarter of 2015. Net interest income in the first quarter of 2015 did not include any interest expense on subordinated debt.
    • The provision for loan losses in the first quarter of 2016 totaled $813 thousand, a decrease of $137 thousand, or 14.4%, compared to $950 thousand for the fourth quarter of 2015 and an increase of $757 thousand compared to the first quarter of 2015.
    • Non-interest income for the first quarter of 2016 totaled $360 thousand compared to $282 thousand for the fourth quarter of 2015. Gains on recovery of acquired loans totaled $111 thousand in the first quarter of 2016 compared to $56 thousand in the fourth quarter of 2015. When compared to the first quarter of 2015 non-interest income decreased $472 thousand. Non-interest income of $832 thousand for the first quarter of 2015 included gains on recovery of acquired loans of $624 thousand.
    • Non-interest expense for the first quarter of 2016 totaled $4.4 million, a decrease of $296 thousand, or 6.3%, compared to $4.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2015. Current period non-interest expense was flat at $4.4 million compared to the first quarter of 2015.
    • Pre-tax income for the first quarter of 2016 totaled $1.9 million, an increase of $1.2 million, or 155.2%, compared to $763 thousand for the fourth quarter of 2015 and a decrease of $527 thousand or 21.3% compared to the first quarter of 2015.
    • Income tax expense for the first quarter of 2016 totaled $591 thousand, an increase of $514 thousand compared to $77 thousand for the fourth quarter of 2015 and a decrease of $154 thousand, or 20.7%, compared to the first quarter of 2015. 
    • Net income for the first quarter of 2016 totaled $1.4 million, an increase of $670 thousand, or 97.7%, compared to $686 thousand in the fourth quarter of 2015, and a decrease of $373 thousand, or 21.6%, compared to the first quarter of 2015.
    • Diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2016 totaled $0.14 an increase of $0.07 per diluted share compared to $0.07 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2015. Diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2015 totaled $0.18.
    • Pre-provision net revenue1 for the first quarter of 2016 was $2.6 million, an increase of $618 thousand, or 30.8%, compared to $2.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2015, and an increase of $568 thousand, or 27.6%, compared to the first quarter of 2015.
  • Other items
    • The tax equivalent net interest margin for the first quarter of 2016 was 3.14% compared to 3.05% for the fourth quarter of 2015 and 3.74% for the first quarter of 2015. 
    • Nonperforming assets were $5.8 million or 0.63% of total assets at March 31, 2016 compared to $5.5 million or 0.64% of total assets at December 31, 2015. 
      • Nonaccrual loans totaled $3.9 million or 0.52% of total loans at March 31, 2016 compared to nonaccrual loans of $3.8 million or 0.55% of total loans at December 31, 2015.
      • Loans 30-89 days past due totaled $4.2 million at March 31, 2016 compared to $11.3 million at December 31, 2015. Loans over 90 days past due or more and still accruing at March 31, 2016 totaled $155 thousand compared to $108 thousand in loans over 90 days past due or more and still accruing at December 31, 2015.
      • Other real estate owned and other repossessed assets totaled $1.7 million at March 31, 2016 and $1.6 million at December 31, 2015.
    • Regulatory capital ratios at March 31, 2016:
      • Tier 1 Leverage ratio of 7.73%
      • Tier 1 Risk-Based capital ratio of 8.17%
      • Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 8.17%
      • Total Risk-Based capital ratio of 11.69%
    • The ratio of the allowance for loan losses to total loans at March 31, 2016 was 1.12% compared to 1.15% at December 31, 2015.
    • 102 full-time equivalent employees at March 31, 2016 compared to 99 full-time equivalent employees at December 31, 2015.

1 A non-U.S. GAAP metric defined by SNL Financial as net interest income before provision for loan losses plus non-interest income excluding non-ordinary items (e.g. gains on sale of investment securities, gains on recovery of acquired loans, and bargain purchase gains) minus non-interest expense excluding non-ordinary items (e.g. merger related expenses and other one-time, non-ordinary costs).

Conference Call

First Bank will host an earnings call on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. The direct dial toll free number for the call is 1-888-317-6016. For those unable to participate in the call, a replay will be available by dialing 1-877-344-7529 from one hour after the end of the conference call until May 3, 2016. The replay will also be available on our website at www.firstbanknj.com under the "About Us" tab. Click on "Investor Relations" to access the replay of the conference call.

About First Bank

First Bank (www.firstbanknj.com) is a New Jersey state-chartered bank with ten full-service branches in Cranbury, Denville, Ewing, Flemington, Hamilton, Lawrence, Randolph, Somerset and Williamstown, New Jersey, and Trevose, Pennsylvania. With $917 million in assets as of March 31 2016, First Bank offers a traditional range of deposit and loan products to individuals and businesses throughout the New York City to Philadelphia corridor. First Bank's common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "FRBA". 

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, either expressed or implied, which are provided to assist the reader in understanding anticipated future financial performance. These statements involve certain risks, uncertainties, estimates and assumptions made by management, which are subject to factors beyond First Bank's control and could impede its ability to achieve these goals. These factors include those listed in our Annual Report on Form 10K under the caption "Item 1A-Risk Factors", and general economic conditions, trends in interest rates, the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans, and results of regulatory exams, among other factors.

                                                                            
                        FIRST BANK AND SUBSIDIARIES                         
              CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION                
               (in thousands, except share data, unaudited)                 
                                                                            
                                                  March 31,    December 31, 
                                                     2016          2015     
                                                 ------------- -------------
Assets                                                                      
Cash and due from banks                          $      5,312  $     10,032 
Interest bearing deposits in other banks               38,323        23,299 
                                                 ------------- -------------
    Cash and cash equivalents                          43,635        33,331 
                                                 ------------- -------------
Interest bearing time deposits in other banks           3,382         4,125 
Investment securities available for sale               31,146        45,341 
Investment securities held to maturity (fair                                
 value of $53,011 at March 31, 2016 and $53,793                             
 at December 31, 2015)                                 51,845        53,262 
Restricted investment in bank stocks                    1,862         1,862 
Other investments                                       5,000         5,000 
Loans, net of deferred fees and costs                 758,131       689,887 
  Less: Allowance for loan losses                       8,459         7,940 
                                                 ------------- -------------
    Net loans                                         749,672       681,947 
Premises and equipment, net                             3,434         3,449 
Other real estate owned, net                            1,670         1,557 
Accrued interest receivable                             2,103         2,056 
Bank-owned life insurance                              14,675        14,572 
Intangible assets, net                                    269           286 
Deferred income taxes                                   7,790         7,935 
Other assets                                              958           778 
                                                 ------------- -------------
    Total assets                                 $    917,441  $    855,501 
                                                 ============= =============
                                                                            
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity                                        
Deposits:                                                                   
  Non-interest bearing                           $    101,551  $     99,966 
  Interest bearing                                    697,434       639,055 
                                                 ------------- -------------
    Total deposits                                    798,985       739,021 
Borrowings                                             24,000        24,000 
Subordinated debentures                                21,560        21,533 
Accrued interest payable                                1,042           612 
Other liabilities                                       1,380         1,572 
                                                 ------------- -------------
    Total liabilities                                 846,967       786,738 
                                                 ------------- -------------
Stockholders' Equity:                                                       
Preferred stock, par value $2 per share;                                    
 5,000,000 shares authorized; no shares                                     
 outstanding                                                -             - 
Common stock, par value $5 per share; 20,000,000                            
 shares authorized; issued and outstanding                                  
 9,497,776 shares at March 31, 2016 and                                     
 9,470,157 shares at December 31, 2015                 47,321        47,218 
Additional paid-in capital                             14,542        14,510 
Retained earnings                                       8,790         7,433 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss                     (179)         (398)
                                                 ------------- -------------
    Total stockholders' equity                         70,474        68,763 
                                                 ------------- -------------
    Total liabilities and stockholders' equity   $    917,441  $    855,501 
                                                 ============= =============
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                        FIRST BANK AND SUBSIDIARIES                         
                     CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME                      
                (in thousands, except share data, unaudited)                
                                                                            
                                                      Three Months Ended    
                                                           March 31,        
                                                   -------------------------
                                                       2016         2015    
                                                   ------------ ------------
Interest and Dividend Income                                                
Investment securities-taxable                      $        356 $        295
Investment securities-tax-exempt                            126           92
Interest bearing deposits in other banks and other           82           61
Loans, including fees                                     8,472        6,996
                                                   ------------ ------------
  Total interest and dividend income                      9,036        7,444
                                                   ------------ ------------
                                                                            
Interest Expense                                                            
Deposits                                                  1,788        1,258
Borrowings                                                   81           54
Subordinated debentures                                     398            -
                                                   ------------ ------------
  Total interest expense                                  2,267        1,312
                                                   ------------ ------------
Net interest income                                       6,769        6,132
Provision for loan losses                                   813           56
                                                   ------------ ------------
Net interest income after provision for loan                                
 losses                                                   5,956        6,076
                                                   ------------ ------------
                                                                            
Non-Interest Income                                                         
Service fees on deposit accounts                             35           28
Loan fees                                                    15           10
Income from bank-owned life insurance                       103          105
Gains on sale of investment securities                       25            -
Gains on recovery of acquired loans                         111          624
Other non-interest income                                    71           65
                                                   ------------ ------------
  Total non-interest income                                 360          832
                                                   ------------ ------------
                                                                            
Non-Interest Expense                                                        
Salaries and employee benefits                            2,214        2,231
Occupancy and equipment                                     687          546
Legal fees                                                   74           92
Other professional fees                                     274          417
Regulatory fees                                             172          147
Directors' fees                                             113          110
Data processing                                             227          189
Marketing and advertising                                   125          118
Travel and entertainment                                     48           56
Insurance                                                    57           54
Other real estate owned expense, net                        119          234
Other expense                                               259          240
                                                   ------------ ------------
  Total non-interest expense                              4,369        4,434
                                                   ------------ ------------
Income Before Income Taxes                                1,947        2,474
Income tax expense                                          591          745
                                                   ------------ ------------
Net Income                                         $      1,356 $      1,729
                                                   ============ ============
                                                                            
Basic earnings per share                           $       0.14 $       0.18
Diluted earnings per share                         $       0.14 $       0.18
                                                                            
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding      9,448,426    9,408,491
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding    9,540,773    9,467,977
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                        FIRST BANK AND SUBSIDIARIES                         
           AVERAGE BALANCE SHEETS WITH INTEREST AND AVERAGE RATES           
                                (unaudited)                                 
                                                                            
                                   Three Months Ended March 31,             
                       -----------------------------------------------------
                                  2016                       2015           
                       -------------------------- --------------------------
                                          Average                    Average
                        Average             Rate   Average             Rate 
                        Balance  Interest   (5)    Balance  Interest   (5)  
                       --------- -------- ------- --------- -------- -------
                                      (dollars in thousands)                
Interest earning                                                            
 assets                                                                     
Investment securities                                                       
 (1) (2)               $ 94,294  $   525    2.24% $ 74,361  $   438    2.39%
Loans (3)               732,347    8,472    4.65%  548,014    6,996    5.18%
Interest bearing                                                            
 deposits in other                                                          
 banks                   38,682       50    0.52%   41,806       30    0.29%
Restricted investment                                                       
 in bank stocks           2,158       16    2.98%    1,305       15    4.66%
Other investments         5,000       16    1.29%    5,000       16    1.30%
                       --------- --------         --------- --------        
  Total interest                                                            
   earning assets (2)   872,481    9,079    4.19%  670,486    7,495    4.53%
Allowance for loan                                                          
 losses                  (8,154)                    (6,289)                 
Non-interest earning                                                        
 assets                  37,717                     36,071                  
                       ---------                  ---------                 
  Total assets         $902,044                   $700,268                  
                       =========                  =========                 
                                                                            
Interest bearing                                                            
 liabilities                                                                
Interest bearing                                                            
 demand deposits       $ 77,156  $   135    0.70% $ 34,588  $    61    0.72%
Money market deposits   124,773      229    0.74%  103,979      165    0.64%
Savings deposits         77,721       96    0.50%   99,691      146    0.59%
Time deposits           394,223    1,328    1.35%  293,414      886    1.22%
                       --------- --------         --------- --------        
  Total interest                                                            
   bearing deposits     673,873    1,788    1.07%  531,672    1,258    0.96%
Borrowings               30,593       81    1.06%   14,046       54    1.56%
Subordinated                                                                
 debentures              21,544      398    7.39%        -        -       - 
                       --------- --------         --------- --------        
  Total interest                                                            
   bearing liabilities  726,010    2,267    1.26%  545,718    1,312    0.98%
Non-interest bearing                                                        
 deposits               104,018                     86,666                  
Other liabilities         2,324                      1,905                  
Stockholders' equity     69,692                     65,979                  
                       ---------                  ---------                 
  Total liabilities                                                         
   and stockholders'                                                        
   equity              $902,044                   $700,268                  
                       =========                  =========                 
Net interest                                                                
 income/interest rate                                                       
 spread (2)                        6,812    2.93%             6,183    3.55%
Net interest margin                                                         
 (2) (4)                                    3.14%                      3.74%
Tax-equivalent                                                              
 adjustment (2)                      (43)                       (51)        
                                 --------                   --------        
Net interest income              $ 6,769                    $ 6,132         
                                 ========                   ========        
                                                                            
----------------------                                                      
                                                                            
(1) Average balances of investment securities available for sale are based  
 on amortized cost.                                                         
(2) Interest and average rates are tax equivalent using a federal income tax
 rate of 34 percent.                                                        
(3) Average balances of loans include loans on nonaccrual status.           
(4) Net interest income divided by average total interest earning assets.   
(5) Average rates are annualized.                                           
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                        FIRST BANK AND SUBSIDIARIES                         
                       QUARTERLY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS                       
                (in thousands, except share data, unaudited)                
                                                                            
                           1Q2016    4Q2015    3Q2015    2Q2015     1Q2015  
                          --------- --------- --------- --------- ----------
EARNINGS                                                                    
  Net interest income     $  6,769  $  6,096  $  5,839  $  5,756  $  6,132  
  Provision for loan                                                        
   losses                      813       950     1,031       632        56  
  Non-interest income          360       282       264       265       832  
  Non-interest expense       4,369     4,665     4,331     4,295     4,434  
  Income tax expense           591        77        17       346       745  
  Net income                 1,356       686       724       748     1,729  
                                                                            
PER SHARE DATA                                                              
  Basic earnings per                                                        
   share                  $   0.14  $   0.07  $   0.08  $   0.08  $   0.18  
  Diluted earnings per                                                      
   share                      0.14      0.07      0.08      0.08      0.18  
  Tangible book value (1)     7.39      7.23      7.18      7.09      7.03  
  Book value                  7.42      7.26      7.21      7.12      7.07  
                                                                            
PERFORMANCE RATIOS                                                          
  Return on average                                                         
   assets (2)                 0.60%     0.33%     0.37%     0.40%     1.00% 
  Return on average                                                         
   equity (2)                 7.83%     3.97%     4.21%     4.44%    10.63% 
  Net interest margin,                                                      
   tax equivalent basis                                                     
   (2)                        3.14%     3.05%     3.14%     3.24%     3.74% 
  Efficiency ratio (1)       62.48%    73.79%    71.49%    71.69%    69.94% 
  Pre-provision net                                                         
   revenue (1)            $  2,624  $  2,006  $  1,727  $  1,696  $  2,056  
                                                                            
MARKET DATA (period-end)                                                    
  Market value per share  $   6.94  $   6.61  $   6.21  $   6.00  $   6.03  
  Market value / book                                                       
   value                     93.37%    91.03%    86.07%    84.24%    85.34% 
  Common shares                                                             
   outstanding               9,498     9,470     9,470     9,435     9,437  
  Market capitalization   $ 65,805  $ 62,597  $ 58,809  $ 56,610  $ 56,905  
                                                                            
CAPITAL & LIQUIDITY                                                         
  Tangible equity /                                                         
   assets (1)                 7.65%     8.00%     8.42%     8.83%     9.08% 
  Equity / assets             7.68%     8.04%     8.46%     8.88%     9.12% 
  Loans / deposits           94.89%    93.35%    86.68%    88.98%    84.08% 
                                                                            
ASSET QUALITY                                                               
  Net charge offs                                                           
   (recoveries)           $    294  $    170  $    626  $     58  $    (21) 
  Nonperforming loans        4,094     3,903     4,729     4,887     5,414  
  Nonperforming assets       5,793     5,489     6,567     6,949     7,521  
  Net charge offs                                                           
   (recoveries) / average                                                   
   loans (2)                  0.16%     0.11%     0.42%     0.04%    (0.02%)
  Nonperforming loans /                                                     
   total loans                0.54%     0.57%     0.78%     0.84%     0.99% 
  Nonperforming assets /                                                    
   total assets               0.63%     0.64%     0.81%     0.92%     1.03% 
  Allowance for loan                                                        
   losses / total loans       1.12%     1.15%     1.18%     1.16%     1.13% 
  Allowance for loan                                                        
   losses / nonperforming                                                   
   loans                    206.62%   203.43%   151.41%   138.22%   114.17% 
                                                                            
PERIOD-END DATA                                                             
  Total assets            $917,441  $855,501  $808,031  $757,039  $730,935  
  Total loans              758,131   689,887   608,794   580,760   545,074  
  Total deposits           798,985   739,021   702,325   652,665   648,316  
  Total stockholders'                                                       
   equity                   70,474    68,763    68,323    67,198    66,684  
  Full-time equivalent                                                      
   employees                   102        99       103       105        94  
                                                                            
-------------------------                                                   
                                                                            
(1) Non-U.S. GAAP financial measure that we believe provides management and 
 investors with information that is useful in understanding our financial   
 performance and condition.                                                 
(2) Annualized.                                                             
                                                                            
                                                                            

CONTACT:
Patrick L. Ryan
President and CEO
(609) 643-0168
patrick.ryan@firstbanknj.com