• | Professional fees increased $79,000, or 46.7%, driven by increased legal and accounting expenses and loan appraisal fees during the third quarter of 2012. Of the $248,000 in professional fees during the 2012 period, approximately $37,000 is related to expenses associated with the sale of our Series T Preferred Stock by the Treasury in the TARP auction and repurchase of the CPP Warrant. |
Noninterest expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 increased 5.7%, or $785,000, as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2011. The increase relates primarily to the $693,000 increase in compensation and benefits expense, $148,000 in occupancy expense, $158,000 in data processing and related costs, and $203,000 in professional fees,
$130,000 of which is related to expenses associated with the sale of our Series T Preferred Stock by the Treasury in the TARP auction and repurchase of the Warrant. Partially offsetting the increases in noninterest expense were decreases of $337,000 in real estate owned activity and $68,000 in insurance expenses.
We incurred income tax expense of $618,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2012 as compared to $192,000 during the same period in 2011. Income tax expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 was $1.3 million as compared to $706,000 for the same period of 2011. The increase in income tax expense during the 2012 periods is primarily a result of the increase in our net income during the respective periods.
Balance Sheet Review
At September 30, 2012, we had total assets of $780.4 million, consisting principally of $628.4 million in net loans, $71.9 million in investment securities, $35.9 million in cash and cash equivalents, and $18.6 million in bank owned life insurance. Our liabilities at September 30, 2012 totaled $717.1 million, which consisted principally of $574.4 million in deposits, $124.1 million in FHLB advances and other borrowings, and $13.4 million in junior subordinated debentures. At September 30, 2012, our shareholders' equity was $63.3 million.
At December 31, 2011, we had total assets of $767.8 million, consisting principally of $589.7 million in net loans, $108.6 million in investment securities, $23.0 million in cash and cash equivalents, and $18.1 million in bank owned life insurance. Our liabilities at December 31, 2011 totaled $705.2 million, consisting principally of $562.9 million in deposits, $122.7 million in FHLB advances and repurchase agreements, and $13.4 million in junior subordinated debentures. At December 31, 2011, our shareholders' equity was $62.5 million.
Federal Funds Sold
At September 30, 2012, our federal funds sold were $11.1 million, or 1.4% of total assets. At December 31, 2011, we had no short-term investments in federal funds sold on an overnight basis.
Investment Securities
At September 30, 2012, the $71.9 million in our investment securities portfolio represented approximately 9.2% of our total assets. We held government agencies, municipal securities, and mortgage-backed securities with a fair value of $64.1 million and an amortized cost of $62.0 million resulting in an unrealized gain of $2.1 million. During the first nine months of 2012, we developed a need for additional liquidity as we experienced increased loan demand and, as a result, sold $45.1 million of our mortgage-backed securities and state and municipal obligations, reinvested $18.1 million of the securities in similar investments at current rates, and recorded a net gain on sale of investment securities of $363,000.
At December 31, 2011, the $108.6 million in our investment securities portfolio represented approximately 14.1% of our total assets. We held municipal securities, and mortgage-backed securities with a fair value of $100.7 million and an amortized cost of $99.1 million for an unrealized gain of $1.6 million.
Loans
Since loans typically provide higher interest yields than other types of interest earning assets, a substantial percentage of our earning assets are invested in our loan portfolio. Average loans for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 and 2011 were $614.6 million and $580.0 million, respectively. Before the allowance for loan losses, total loans outstanding at September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 were $637.7 and $598.6 million, respectively.
The principal component of our loan portfolio is loans secured by real estate mortgages. As of September 30, 2012, our loan portfolio included $519.3 million, or 81.4%, of real estate loans. As of December 31, 2011, real estate loans made up 79.8% of our loan portfolio and totaled $477.7 million. Most of our real estate loans are secured by residential or commercial property. We obtain a security interest in real estate, in addition to any other available collateral. This collateral is taken to increase the