Provision for credit losses.The provision for credit losses was $7.7 million for the three-month period ended September 30, 2019compared to $4.9 million for the three-month period ended September 30, 2018. Equipment Finance portfolio losses tend to follow patterns based on the mix of origination vintages comprising the portfolio. The anticipated credit losses from the inception of a particular Equipment Finance origination vintage tocharge-off generally follow a pattern of lower losses for the first few months, followed by increased losses in subsequent months, then lower losses during the later periods of the lease term. The $2.7 million increase in the provision for credit losses was attributable to an increase in the Equipment Finance portfolio due to increased delinquencies, higher charge-offs and a $0.9 million specific reserve for loans that were individually evaluated for impairment related to fraudulent activities within a specific equipment dealer’s portfolio.
Total portfolio net charge-offs were $5.2 million for the three-month period ended September 30, 2019, compared to $4.5 million for the corresponding period in 2018. The increase incharge-off rate is primarily due to the ongoing seasoning of the Equipment Finance portfolio as reflected in the mix of origination vintages and the mix of credit profiles, as well as the increased portfolio balances. Total portfolio net charge-offs as an annualized percentage of average total finance receivables increased to 1.99% during the three-month period ended September 30, 2019, from 1.90% for the corresponding period in 2018. The allowance for credit losses increased to approximately $19.2 million at September 30, 2019, an increase of $3.1 million from $16.1 million at December 31, 2018.
Additional information regarding asset quality is included herein in the section “Finance Receivables and Asset Quality.”
Provision for income taxes.Income tax expense of $3.3 million and $1.7 million was recorded for the three-month periods endedSeptember 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. Our effective tax rate, which is a combination of federal and state income tax rates, was approximately 30.6% and 22.6% for the three-month periods ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, respectively. The higher effective tax rate for the third quarter of 2019 is associated with changes in state statutory rates and related revaluation of deferred tax as well as the increase of a valuation allowance against certain net operating loss carryforwards that are not expected to be utilized.
Comparison of the Nine-Month Periods Ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018
Net income.Net income of $18.7 million was reported for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019, resulting in diluted EPSof $1.51, compared to net income of $18.6 million and diluted EPS of $1.49 for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018.
Return on average assets was 2.00% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019, compared to a return of 2.27% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018. Return on average equity was 12.38% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019, compared to a return of 13.31% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018.
Overall, our average net investment in total finance receivables for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019 increased 9.7% to $1,026.7 million, compared to $935.9 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018. This change was primarily due to origination volume exceeding lease and loan repayments, sales and charge- offs. Theend-of-period net investment in total finance receivables at September 30, 2019 was $1,034.5 million, an increase of $33.8 million, or 3.4%, from $1,000.7 million at December 31, 2018.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, we generated 21,951 new leases with equipment cost of $506.4 million, compared to 23,605 new leases with equipment cost of $450.5 million generated for the nine months ended September 30, 2018. Approval rates were 55% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019, compared to 56% for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018.
For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019 compared to the nine-month period ended September 30, 2018, net interest and fee income increased $1.4 million, or 1.9%. The provision for credit losses increased $4.0 million, or 29.0%, to $17.8 million for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019 from $13.8 million for the same period in 2018, due to an increase in delinquency and charge-offs which is attributed to a return to a more normal credit environment.
Average balances and net interest margin.The following table summarizes the Company’s average balances, interest income,interest expense and average yields and rates on major categories of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018.
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