For the first quarter ended March 31, 2019, the Company reported total revenue of $81.7 million, a 12.6% increase from $72.6 million in the prior-year period. Interest and fee income for the first quarter of 2019 was $74.3 million, a 12.4% increase from $66.2 million in the prior-year period, related to consistent gains in the small and large loan portfolios.
The provision for credit losses in the first quarter of 2019 was $23.3 million, a $3.8 million, or 19.6%, increase compared to $19.5 million in the prior-year period, primarily due to portfolio growth. $1.1 million of the increase primarily related to the change in business practice to lower utilization of non-file insurance.
Net credit losses were $25.2 million in the first quarter of 2019, an increase of $4.6 million over the prior-year period. Net credit losses included $0.9 million and $0.7 million of hurricane-related losses in the first quarter of 2019 and 2018, respectively. Annualized net credit losses as a percentage of average finance receivables in the first quarter of 2019 were 10.9%, a 70 basis point increase from 10.2% in the prior-year period, primarily due to 40 basis points of additional non-file claims shifting to credit losses compared to the prior-year period. In addition, both the first quarter of 2019 and 2018 included 40 basis points of hurricane-related credit losses.
General and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2019 were $38.2 million, an increase of $3.6 million, or 10.4%, from the prior-year period. Annualized general and administrative expenses as a percentage of average finance receivables improved 50 basis points, from 17.0% in the prior-year period to 16.5% for the first quarter of 2019. General and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2019 included higher personnel costs related to staffing increases in information technology, centralized collections, de novo branch openings, and existing branches to support ongoing loan portfolio growth, as well as additional other expenses.
Interest expense was $9.7 million in the first quarter of 2019, compared to $7.2 million in the prior-year period. The increase in interest expense was due to higher cost of funding and larger long-term debt amounts outstanding from growth in finance receivables. Cost of funding has increased due to federal funds rate increases, larger unused lines of credit, and incremental debt issuance costs associated with upsizing the senior revolving credit facility, entering into the warehouse credit facility, and the Company’s completion of its second asset-backed securitization. Diversified sources of funding continue to position the Company for long-term growth.
Net income for the first quarter of 2019 was $8.1 million, a decrease from $8.6 million in the prior-year period. Diluted earnings per share for the first quarter of 2019 was $0.67, a decrease from $0.72 in the prior-year period.
2019 De Novo Outlook
As of March 31, 2019, the Company’s branch network consisted of 360 locations, including 1 net branch opened during the first quarter of 2019. For the full year 2019, the Company expects to open approximately 15 de novo branches.
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