Eagle Bancorp Montana (EBMT) 8-K Results of Operations and Financial Condition

EXHIBIT 99.1

Eagle Bancorp Montana Earns a Record $1.3 Million, or $0.32 Per Diluted Share, in 2Q16; Increases Regular Quarterly Cash Dividend to $0.08 per Share and Announces Stock Repurchase Plan

HELENA, Mont., July 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ:EBMT), (the “Company,” “Eagle”), the holding company of Opportunity Bank of Montana, today reported net income increased 59.6% to $1.3 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2016, compared to $792,000, or $0.21 per diluted share, in the second quarter a year ago.  In the preceding quarter, Eagle earned $647,000, or $0.17 per diluted share. 

In the first six months of 2016, net income increased 62.2% to $1.9 million, or $0.49 per diluted share, compared to $1.2 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, in the first six months of 2015.

“Our second quarter financial results reflect strong loan and deposit growth, robust mortgage production and only moderate increases in operating expenses,” said Peter J. Johnson, President and CEO.  “Our focus on gathering core deposits, growing the loan portfolio and expanding our customer base throughout Montana continues to gain momentum.  As we improve our revenue generation while holding the line on overhead expenses, our operating efficiency is beginning to show reliable improvement.”

Eagle’s board of directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.08 per share.  The dividend will be payable September 2, 2016 to shareholders of record August 12, 2016. The current annualized yield is 2.45% at recent market prices.

Second Quarter 2016 Highlights (at or for the three month period ended June 30, 2016, except where noted)

• Net income grew 59.6% to $1.3 million, or $0.32 per diluted share in the second quarter, compared to $792,000, or $0.21 per diluted share in the second quarter a year ago.
• Revenues (net interest income before the provision for loan losses, plus non-interest income) increased 12.7% to $8.7 million compared to $7.8 million in the same period a year ago. 
• Net interest margin remained healthy at 3.31%.
• Total loans increased 5.0% to $443.9 million at June 30, 2016, compared to $422.9 million three months earlier and increased 23.9% compared to $358.4 million a year earlier. 
• Commercial real estate loans increased 43.7% to $200.8 million at June 30, 2016, compared to $139.8 million a year earlier, and remain well within regulatory concentration limits.
• Total deposits increased 9.3% to $508.9 million at June 30, 2016, from $465.6 million a year earlier.
• Capital ratios remain strong with a tangible shareholders equity ratio of 10.11% at June 30, 2016.
• Increased quarterly cash dividend to $0.08 per share, providing a 2.45% current yield at recent market prices.

Balance Sheet Results

Total assets increased 13.7% to $663.3 million at June 30, 2016, compared to $583.4 million a year earlier, and increased 3.2% compared to $643.0 million three months earlier.  Total loans increased 5.0% to $443.9 million at June 30, 2016, compared to $422.9 million three months earlier and increased 23.9% compared to $358.4 million a year earlier.  “Loan growth picked up again during the quarter, with our loan pipeline showing strong demand for  C&I and commercial real estate loans,” added Johnson.

Eagle originated $80.5 million in new residential mortgages during the quarter, excluding construction loans, and sold $68.7 million in residential mortgages, with an average gross margin on sale of mortgage loans of approximately 3.62%.  This production compares to residential mortgage originations of $55.8 million in the preceding quarter with sales of $52.1 million.

Commercial real estate loans increased 43.7% to $200.8 million at June 30, 2016, compared to $139.8 million a year earlier, while residential mortgage loans increased 8.8% to $116.2 million compared to $106.9 million a year earlier.  Home equity loans increased 16.8% to $47.8 million, commercial loans increased 5.6% to $49.0 million, and construction loans increased 55.8% to $16.4 million, compared to a year ago.  

Eagle’s total deposits increased 9.3% to $508.9 million at June 30, 2016, compared to $465.6 million a year earlier and were up 2.9% compared to $494.4 million at March 31, 2016.  As of June 30, 2016, checking and money market accounts represent 51.9%, savings accounts represent 16.9%, and CDs comprise 31.2% of the total deposit portfolio.  

Shareholders’ equity improved to $59.0 million at June 30, 2016, compared to $56.5 million three months earlier and $53.7 million one year earlier.  Tangible book value improved to $13.63 per share at June 30, 2016, compared to $12.97 per share at March 31, 2016 and $12.05 per share a year earlier. 

Operating Results

“Our second quarter net interest margin contracted compared to the second quarter a year ago due to the additional interest expense from the subordinated debt issuance in the middle of 2015,” Johnson said.  Eagle’s net interest margin was 3.31% in the second quarter compared to 3.35% in the preceding quarter and 3.46% in the second quarter a year ago.  In the first six months of the year, Eagle’s net interest margin was 3.33% compared to 3.41% in the same period one year ago.  Funding costs for the quarter were up 12 basis points while asset yields decreased three basis points compared to a year ago.  The investment securities portfolio decreased to $140.4 million at June 30, 2016, compared to $148.8 million a year ago, which had a slight positive impact on the average yields on earning assets. 

Eagle’s second quarter revenues increased 12.7% to $8.7 million compared to $7.8 million in both the preceding quarter and in the second quarter a year ago.  In the first six months of 2016, revenues increased 11.1% to $16.5 million, compared to $14.9 million in the first six months of 2015.  Net interest income before the provision for loan loss was $4.9 million in the second quarter, which was unchanged compared to the preceding quarter and increased 10.1% compared to $4.5 million in the second quarter a year ago.  In the first six months of the year, net interest income increased 12.6% to $9.8 million, compared to $8.7 million in the first six months of 2015.

Primarily a result of the net gain on sale of loans during the quarter, noninterest income increased 31.4% to $3.8 million in the second quarter, compared to $2.9 million in the preceding quarter, and increased 16.2% compared to $3.3 million in the second  quarter a year ago.  Year-to-date, noninterest income increased 8.9% to $6.7 million compared to $6.2 million in the first six months a year ago.  Second quarter noninterest expenses were $6.7 million, compared to $6.5 million in both the preceding quarter and the year ago quarter.  Year-to-date, noninterest expense was up modestly to $13.2 million compared to $12.8 million in the first six months of 2015.

Credit Quality

Eagle’s second quarter provision for loan losses was $459,000, compared to $450,000 in the preceding quarter and $328,000 in the second quarter a year ago.  As of June 30, 2016, the allowance for loan losses represented 196.0% of nonperforming loans compared to 168.7% three months earlier and 501.7% a year earlier.  At June 30, 2016, nonperforming loans (NPLs) were $2.2 million, which was down slightly compared to $2.3 million three months earlier, and an increase compared to $588,000 a year earlier.   

Second quarter net charge-offs totaled $139,000, compared to $60,000 in the preceding quarter and $3,000 in the second quarter a year ago.  The allowance for loan losses was $4.3 million, or 0.96% of total loans at June 30, 2016, compared to $3.9 million, or 0.93% of total loans at March 31, 2016, and $3.0 million, or 0.82% of total loans a year ago.

OREO and other repossessed assets was $565,000 at June 30, 2016, which was down slightly compared to $606,000 at March 31, 2016.  Nonperforming assets (NPAs), consisting of nonperforming loans, OREO and other repossessed assets, loans delinquent 90 days or more, and restructured loans, were $2.7 million at June 30, 2016, or 0.41% of total assets, compared to $2.9 million, or 0.46% of total assets three months earlier and $1.2 million, or 0.21% of total assets a year earlier. 

Capital Management

Eagle Bancorp Montana continues to be well capitalized with the ratio of shareholders’ equity to tangible asset of 10.11% at June 30, 2016.  (Shareholders’ equity, plus trust preferred securities and subordinated debt, less goodwill and core deposit intangible to tangible assets).

During the second quarter of 2015, Eagle issued $10.0 million in subordinated debt.  The subordinated notes were issued on June 19, 2015, bear a fixed rate of interest of 6.75% per annum, payable quarterly, and mature on June 19, 2025.  The net cash proceeds from the sale of the subordinated notes were $9.9 million, and the subordinated notes qualify as Tier 2 capital for regulatory purposes.  The net proceeds from the offering are being used for general corporate purposes, to support organic growth and fund acquisitions should appropriate opportunities arise.

Stock Repurchase

Eagle announced that its Board of Directors has authorized the repurchase of up to 100,000 shares of its common stock, representing approximately 2.6% of outstanding shares. Under the plan, shares may be purchased by the company on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions. The extent to which the company repurchases its shares and the timing of such repurchase will depend upon market conditions and other corporate considerations.

About the Company

Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. is a bank holding company headquartered in Helena, Montana and is the holding company of Opportunity Bank, a community bank established in 1922 that serves consumers and small businesses in Montana through 13 banking offices. Additional information is available on the bank’s website at www.opportunitybank.com.  The shares of Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. are traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “EBMT.”

Forward Looking Statements

This release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and may be identified by the use of such words as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "should," "planned," "estimated," and "potential." These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to statements of our goals, intentions and expectations; statements regarding our business plans, prospects, growth and operating strategies; statements regarding the asset quality of our loan and investment portfolios; and estimates of our risks and future costs and benefits. These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in laws or government regulations or policies affecting financial institutions, including changes in regulatory fees and capital requirements; general economic conditions, either nationally or in our market areas, that are worse than expected; competition among depository and other financial institutions; loan demand or residential and commercial real estate values in Montana; inflation and changes in the interest rate environment that reduce our margins or reduce the fair value of financial instruments; adverse changes in the securities markets; and other economic, governmental, competitive, regulatory and technological factors that may affect our operations. Because of these and other uncertainties, our actual future results may be materially different from the results indicated by these forward-looking statements. All information set forth in this press release is current as of the date of this release and the company undertakes no duty or obligation to update this information.

Balance Sheet
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)		(Unaudited)
					As Restated
		June 30,			March 31,			June 30,
			2016			2016			2015
Assets:
	Cash and due from banks	$	5,579		$	5,620		$	8,108
	Interest-bearing deposits with banks		844			993			619
	Total cash and cash equivalents		6,423			6,613			8,727
	Securities available-for-sale, at market value		140,449			145,070			148,766
	FHLB stock, at cost		3,735			3,564			2,326
	FRB stock		871			871			642
	Investment in Eagle Bancorp Statutory Trust I		155			155			155
	Loans held-for-sale		21,246			18,284			17,184
	Loans:
	Residential mortgage (1-4 family)		116,207			113,364			106,852
	Commercial loans		48,982			40,614			46,372
	Commercial real estate		200,848			194,479			139,812
	Construction loans		16,382			15,673			10,513
	Consumer loans		14,618			14,229			14,480
	Home equity		47,842			45,404			40,946
	Unearned loan fees		(951	)		(882	)		(605	)
	Total loans		443,928			422,881			358,370
	Allowance for loan losses		(4,260	)		(3,940	)		(2,950	)
	Net loans		439,668			418,941			355,420
	Accrued interest and dividends receivable		2,274			2,213			2,337
	Mortgage servicing rights, net		5,196			4,988			4,517
	Premises and equipment, net		17,965			18,145			18,459
	Cash surrender value of life insurance		14,683			12,598			11,898
	Real estate and other assets acquired in settlement of loans, net		565			606			623
	Goodwill		7,034			7,034			7,034
	Core deposit intangible		449			481			588
	Other assets		2,623			3,441			4,691
	Total assets	$	663,336		$	643,004		$	583,367
Liabilities:
	Deposit accounts:
	Noninterest bearing		88,327			90,517			69,565
	Interest bearing		420,555			403,877			396,016
	Total deposits		508,882			494,394			465,581
	Accrued expense and other liabilities		5,000			5,933			5,463
	FHLB advances and other borrowings		75,491			71,204			43,611
	Subordinated debentures, net		14,959			14,954			15,005
	Total liabilities		604,332			586,485			529,660
Shareholders' Equity:
	Preferred stock (no par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized;
	none issued or outstanding)		-			-			-
	Common stock (par value  $0.01; 8,000,000 shares authorized;
	4,083,127 shares issued; 3,779,464, 3,779,464, and 3,822,981 shares outstanding
	at June 30, 2016, March 31, 2016 and June 30, 2015, respectively)		41			41			41
	Additional paid-in capital		22,168			22,157			22,129
	Unallocated common stock held by employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)		(891	)		(933	)		(1,057	)
	Treasury stock, at cost (303,663, 303,663 and 260,146 shares at
	June 30, 2016, March 31, 2016 and June 30, 2015, respectively)		(3,321	)		(3,321	)		(2,810	)
	Retained earnings		38,626			37,655			36,490
	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		2,381			920			(1,086	)
	Total shareholders' equity		59,004			56,519			53,707
	Total liabilities and shareholders' equity	$	663,336		$	643,004		$	583,367

Income Statement			(Unaudited)							(Unaudited)
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)			Three Months Ended							Six Months Ended
						As Restated
			June 30,			March 31,		June 30,		June 30,
				2016			2016		2015		2016			2015
Interest and dividend Income:
	Interest and fees on loans		$	4,955		$	4,837	$	4,255	$	9,792		$	8,217
	Securities available-for-sale			740			747		737		1,487			1,496
	FRB and FHLB dividends			35			31		20		66			20
	Interest on deposits with banks			1			-		1		1			1
	Other interest income			-			3		2		3			5
		Total interest and dividend income		5,731			5,618		5,015		11,349			9,739
Interest Expense:
	Interest expense on deposits			381			355		356		736			693
	Advances and other borrowings			212			201		128		413			271
	Subordinated debentures			195			194		42		389			63
		Total interest expense		788			750		526		1,538			1,027
Net interest income				4,943			4,868		4,489		9,811			8,712
Loan loss provision				459			450		328		909			650
		Net interest income after loan loss provision		4,484			4,418		4,161		8,902			8,062
Noninterest income:
	Service charges on deposit accounts			211			199		243		410			466
	Net gain on sale of loans			2,438			1,718		1,856		4,156			3,487
	Mortgage loan servicing fees			442			363		422		805			837
	Wealth management income			159			136		111		295			296
	Interchange and ATM fees			223			202		164		425			290
	Appreciation in cash surrender value of life insurance			113			112		105		225			210
	Net gain on sale of available-for-sale securities			84			-		48		84			234
	Net loss on sale of OREO			(12	)		-		-		(12	)		-
	Net loss on fair value hedge			-			-		-		-			(93	)
	Other noninterest income			148			166		326		314			430
		Total noninterest income		3,806			2,896		3,275		6,702			6,157
Noninterest expense:
	Salaries and employee benefits			3,916			3,690		3,639		7,606			7,018
	Occupancy and equipment expense			671			789		733		1,460			1,469
	Data processing			463			548		536		1,011			1,045
	Advertising			150			188		174		338			393
	Amortization of mortgage servicing fees			285			228		205		513			422
	Amortization of core deposit intangible and tax credits			111			112		101		223			201
	Federal insurance premiums			123			83		73		206			168
	Postage			34			54		43		88			89
	Legal, accounting and examination fees			61			98		133		159			289
	Consulting fees			34			83		211		117			451
	Other noninterest expense			838			675		624		1,513			1,288
		Total noninterest expense		6,686			6,548		6,472		13,234			12,833
Income before income taxes				1,604			766		964		2,370			1,386
Income tax provision				340			119		172		459			208
Net income			$	1,264		$	647	$	792	$	1,911		$	1,178
Basic earnings per share			$	0.34		$	0.17	$	0.21	$	0.51		$	0.31
Diluted earnings per share			$	0.32		$	0.17	$	0.21	$	0.49		$	0.30
Weighted average shares
	outstanding (basic EPS)			3,779,464			3,779,464		3,822,981		3,779,464			3,833,739
Weighted average shares
	outstanding (diluted EPS)			3,873,171			3,873,171		3,860,236		3,873,171			3,870,994

Financial Ratios and Other Data
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)		As Restated
		June 30			March 31			June 30
			2016			2016			2015
Asset Quality:
	Nonaccrual loans	$	2,040		$	1,580		$	541
	Loans 90 days past due		89			710			-
	Restructured loans, net		44			45			47
	Total nonperforming loans		2,173			2,335			588
	Other real estate owned and other repossessed assets		565			606			623
	Total nonperforming assets	$	2,738		$	2,941		$	1,211
	Nonperforming loans / portfolio loans		0.49	%		0.55	%		0.16	%
	Nonperforming assets / assets		0.41	%		0.46	%		0.21	%
	Allowance for loan losses / portfolio loans		0.96	%		0.93	%		0.82	%
	Allowance / nonperforming loans		196.04	%		168.74	%		501.70	%
	Gross loan charge-offs for the quarter	$	148		$	63		$	4
	Gross loan recoveries for the quarter	$	9		$	3		$	1
	Net loan charge-offs for the quarter	$	139		$	60		$	3
Capital Data (At quarter end):
	Tangible book value per share	$	13.63		$	12.97		$	12.05
	Shares outstanding		3,779,464			3,779,464			3,822,981
Profitability Ratios (For the quarter):
	Efficiency ratio*		75.15	%		82.90	%		82.06	%
	Return on average assets		0.78	%		0.41	%		0.56	%
	Return on average equity		8.76	%		4.56	%		5.96	%
	Net interest margin		3.31	%		3.35	%		3.46	%
Profitability Ratios (Year-to-date):
	Efficiency ratio *		78.79	%		82.90	%		84.96	%
	Return on average assets		0.60	%		0.41	%		0.42	%
	Return on average equity		6.68	%		4.56	%		4.39	%
	Net interest margin		3.33	%		3.35	%		3.41	%
Other Information
	Average total assets for the quarter	$	649,585		$	631,998		$	567,553
	Average total assets year to date	$	641,188		$	631,998		$	559,524
	Average earning assets for the quarter	$	596,479		$	581,594		$	518,291
	Average earning assets year to date	$	589,432		$	581,594		$	511,356
	Average loans for the quarter **	$	448,158		$	428,408		$	360,782
	Average loans year to date **	$	438,283		$	428,408		$	349,895
	Average equity for the quarter	$	57,746		$	56,767		$	53,193
	Average equity year to date	$	57,257		$	56,767		$	53,642
	Average deposits for the quarter	$	493,879		$	480,255		$	457,743
	Average deposits year to date	$	487,463		$	480,255		$	451,931
* The efficiency ratio is a non-GAAP ratio that is calculated by dividing non-interest expense, exclusive of
intangible asset amortization, by the sum of net interest income and non-interest income.
** includes loans held for sale

Contacts:
Peter J. Johnson, President and CEO
(406) 457-4006
Laura F. Clark, SVP and CFO
(406) 457-4007