branches were combined into a new location in Burlington. On December 15, 2017, the Company acquired Premara Financial, Inc. and its banking subsidiary Carolina Premier Bank (“Carolina Premier”) headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the time of the acquisition, Carolina Premier had approximately $279 million in assets and four full-service offices, including a presence in upstate South Carolina. The Bank acquired three branches located in the cities of Sylva, Franklin and Highlands, North Carolina on April 17, 2020. The acquisition of these branches, which were acquired from First-Citizens Bank & Trust Company, Raleigh, North Carolina, added approximately $103 million in loans and $185 million in deposits as of the acquisition date.
On June 1, 2021, the Company entered into the Merger Agreement with First Bancorp, the holding company for First Bank, Southern Pines, North Carolina, pursuant to which the Company will merge with and into First Bancorp, and the Bank will merge with and into First Bank. The parties anticipate closing the Merger during the fourth quarter of 2021.
Comparison of Financial Condition at
June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020
During the first six months of 2021, total assets increased by $144.8 million to $1.9 billion as of June 30, 2021. The increase in assets was due primarily to loan growth and the increase in cash on hand and investments. Earning assets at June 30, 2021 totaled $1.7 billion and consisted of $1.3 billion in net loans, $217.6 million in investment securities, $205.2 million in cash, overnight investments and interest-bearing deposits in other banks, $2.7 million in federal funds sold and $1.5 million in non-marketable equity securities. Total deposits and shareholders’ equity at the end of the second quarter of 2021 were $1.6 billion and $221.5 million, respectively.
Since the end of 2020, gross loans have increased by $28.0 million to $1.3 billion as of June 30, 2021. The increase in gross loans was due primarily to normal customer demand and the PPP loan program. At June 30, 2021, gross loans consisted of $97.6 million in commercial and industrial loans (which includes 605 PPP loans in the amount of $41.5 million), $695.4 million in commercial real estate loans, $79.1 million in multi-family residential loans, $14.5 million in consumer loans, $178.1 million in residential real estate loans, $56.3 million in HELOCs, and $216.6 million in construction loans. Deferred loan fees, net of costs, on these loans were $5.2 million (which includes $2.1 million in net fees related to PPP loans) at June 30, 2021.
At June 30, 2021 the Company held $2.7 million in federal funds sold compared to $5.4 million in federal funds sold at December 31, 2020. Interest-earning deposits in other banks were $179.8 million at June 30, 2021, a $92.4 million increase from December 31, 2020. The Company’s investment securities at June 30, 2021 were $217.6 million, an increase of $23.1 million from December 31, 2020. The investment portfolio as of June 30, 2021 consisted of $52.0 million in government agency debt securities, $71.9 million in mortgage-backed securities, $2.3 million in corporate bonds and $91.4 million in municipal securities. The net unrealized loss on these securities was $1.3 million as of June 30, 2021.
At June 30, 2021, the Company had an investment of $862,000 in Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) stock, which decreased by $285,000 from December 31, 2020. Also, the Company had $655,000 in other non-marketable securities at June 30, 2021 compared to $709,000 at December 31, 2020.
At June 30, 2021, non-earning assets were $119.3 million, an increase of $1.1 milllion from $118.2 million as of December 31, 2020. Non-earning assets included $25.1 million in cash and due from banks, bank premises and equipment of $19.9 million, goodwill of $42.9 million, core deposit intangible of $1.2 million, accrued interest receivable of $4.8 million, right of use lease asset of $8.2 million, foreclosed real estate of $1.7 million,