Review of Financial Position:
Total assets decreased $27,844 to $1,109,759 at September 30, 2019, from $1,137,603 at December 31, 2018. Loans, net, decreased to $883,506 at September 30, 2019, compared to $893,184 at December 31, 2018, a decrease of $9,678. Business lending, including commercial and commercial real estate loans, decreased $11,999, retail lending, including residential mortgages and consumer loans, decreased $16,681, while construction lending increased $19,002 during the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Investment securities increased $1,960, or 1.9%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Noninterest-bearing deposits decreased $1,363, while interest-bearing deposits decreased $33,647 during the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Total stockholders’ equity increased $3,345, or 2.9%, to $117,255 at September 30, 2019 from $113,910 atyear-end 2018. For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, total assets averaged $1,122,510, a decrease of $33,240 from $1,155,750 for the same period in 2018.
Investment Portfolio:
The Company’s entire investment portfolio is held asavailable-for-sale, which allows for greater flexibility in using the investment portfolio for liquidity purposes by allowing securities to be sold when favorable market opportunities exist. Investment securitiesavailable-for-sale totaled $106,637 at September 30, 2019, an increase of $1,960, or 1.9%, from $104,677 at December 31, 2018. The increase was a result of $32,058 in securities purchased partially offset by payments, prepayments, and sales of investments, during the nine months ended September 30, 2019.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, the investment portfolio averaged $101,078, an increase of $8,916, compared to $92,162 for the same period last year. Thetax-equivalent yield on the investment portfolio increased to 3.06% for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, from 2.79% for the comparable period of 2018. Thetax-equivalent yield on the investment portfolio for the third quarter of 2019 increased 14 basis point to 2.96% from 2.82% for the third quarter of 2018.
Securitiesavailable-for-sale are carried at fair value, with unrealized gains or losses net of deferred income taxes reported in the accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) component of stockholders’ equity. We reported a net unrealized holding gain, included as a separate component of stockholders’ equity of $485, net of deferred income taxes of $130 at September 30, 2019. This compares with a net unrealized holding loss of $1,725, net of deferred income taxes of $458, at December 31, 2018. The change from an unrealized holding loss to an unrealized holding gain was a result of reductions in general market rates.
Loan Portfolio:
Loans, net, decreased to $883,506 at September 30, 2019 from $893,184 at December 31, 2018, a decrease of $9,678, or 1.1%. Business loans, including commercial and commercial real estate loans, decreased $11,999, or 1.9%, to $608,517 at September 30, 2019 from $620,516 at December 31, 2018. Retail loans, including residential real estate and consumer loans, decreased $16,681, or 7.2%, to $216,431 at September 30, 2019 from $233,112 at December 31, 2018. Construction lending increased $19,002, or 48.04%, to $58,558 at September 30, 2019 from $39,556 at December 31, 2018. Net loan repayments in the first nine months of 2019 represented a more moderate pace as compared to the same period of 2018. The reduction in loan growth was a result of management’s decision to focus on improving margins on loan originations through employing prudent pricing practices and maintaining strong underwriting standards.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2019, loans, net averaged $885,812, a decrease of $49,492 compared to $935,304 for the same period in 2018. Thetax-equivalent yield on the loan portfolio was 5.37% for the nine months ended September 30, 2019, an 18 basis point increase from the comparable period last year. Loan accretion included in loan interest income in the first nine months of 2019 related to acquired loans was $2,868 compared to $3,754 for the same period in 2018. Thetax-equivalent yield on the loan portfolio increased 43 basis points during the third quarter of 2019 to 5.67% from 5.24% in the third quarter of 2018. Thetax-equivalent yield included accretion on purchase loans of $1,373 realized in the third quarter of 2019 versus $1,141 in the third quarter of 2018.
In addition to the risks inherent in our loan portfolio in the normal course of business, we are also a party to financial instruments withoff-balance sheet risk to meet the financing needs of our customers. These instruments include legally binding commitments to extend credit, unused portions of lines of credit and commercial letters of credit made under the same underwriting standards ason-balance sheet instruments, and may involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk and interest rate risk (“IRR”) in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated financial statements.
Off-balance sheet commitments at September 30, 2019, totaled $167,736, consisting of $96,519 in commitments to extend credit, $65,893 in unused portions of lines of credit and $5,324 in standby letters of credit. Due to fixed maturity dates, specified conditions within these instruments, and the ultimate needs of our customers, many will expire without being drawn upon. We believe that amounts actually drawn upon can be funded in the normal course of operations and therefore, do not represent a significant liquidity risk to us. In comparison,off-balance sheet commitments, at December 31, 2018, totaled $161,732, consisting of $96,431 in commitments to extend credit, $59,512 in unused portions of lines of credit and $5,789 in standby letters of credit.
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