Noninterest Expense. Noninterest expense increased $32.9 million for the nine-month period ended June 30, 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020. The increase was due primarily to increases in compensation and benefits of $25.1 million, other operating expense of $3.0 million, professional fees of $2.3 million and occupancy and equipment of $1.6 million. The increase in compensation and benefits expense is attributable to the addition of new employees primarily to support the growth of the Company’s mortgage banking and SBA lending activities, routine salary and benefits adjustments, and increased incentive compensation primarily as a result of the performance of the Company’s mortgage banking segment. The increases in other operating expense, professional fees and occupancy and equipment were primarily to support the growth of the mortgage banking segment.
Income Tax Expense. The Company recognized income tax expense of $9.0 million for the nine-month period ended June 30, 2021 as compared $5.4 million for the same period in 2020. The increase for 2021 was due primarily to higher pretax income. The effective tax rate for 2021 was 26.5% as compared to 23.0% for 2020.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Liquidity Management. Liquidity is the ability to meet current and future financial obligations of a short-term nature. The Bank’s primary sources of funds are customer deposits, proceeds from loan repayments, maturing securities and FHLB borrowings. While loan repayments and maturities are a predictable source of funds, deposit flows and mortgage prepayments are greatly influenced by market interest rates, general economic conditions and competition. At June 30, 2021, the Bank had cash and cash equivalents of $22.9 million and securities available-for-sale with a fair value of $207.6 million. If the Bank requires funds beyond its ability to generate them internally, it has additional borrowing capacity with the FHLB, borrowing capacity on a federal funds purchased line of credit facility with another financial institution and additional collateral eligible for repurchase agreements.
The Bank’s primary investing activity is the origination of commercial real estate and one-to-four family mortgage loans and, to a lesser extent, consumer, multi-family, commercial business and residential and commercial real estate construction loans. The Bank also invests in U.S. government agency and sponsored enterprises securities, mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations issued by U.S. government agencies and sponsored enterprises, and municipal bonds.
The Bank must maintain an adequate level of liquidity to ensure the availability of sufficient funds to support loan growth and deposit withdrawals, to satisfy financial commitments and to take advantage of investment opportunities. Historically, the Bank has been able to retain a significant amount of its deposits as they mature. If these maturing deposits do not remain with the Bank, we will be required to seek other sources of funds, including other certificates of deposit and borrowings.
The Company is a separate legal entity from the Bank and must provide for its own liquidity to pay its operating expenses and other financial obligations, to pay any dividends and to repurchase any of its outstanding common stock. The Company’s primary source of income is dividends received from the Bank and the Captive. The amount of dividends that the Bank may declare and pay to the Company in any calendar year cannot exceed net income for that year to date plus retained net income (as defined) for the preceding two calendar years. At June 30, 2021, the Company (unconsolidated basis) had liquid assets of $2.8 million.
Capital Management. The Bank is required to maintain specific amounts of capital pursuant to regulatory requirements. As of June 30, 2021, the Bank was in compliance with all regulatory capital requirements that were effective as of such date, with Tier 1 capital (to average total assets), common equity Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets), Tier 1 capital (to risk-weighted assets) and total capital (to risk-weighted assets) ratios of 10.62%, 11.92%, 11.92% and 12.97%, respectively. The regulatory requirements at that date were 5.0%, 6.5%, 8.0% and 10.0%, respectively, in order to be categorized as “well capitalized” under applicable regulatory guidelines. At June 30, 2021, the Bank was considered “well-capitalized” under applicable regulatory guidelines.