| | as of December 31, 2023 to $17.28 as of December 31, 2024. When factoring in the $0.25 cash dividend per share paid in July 2024, the book value per share return was 7.9%. |
Chris Bergstrom, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “In the fourth quarter, we continued to make excellent progress, increasing our net interest margin by 22 basis points. We increased loan balances $29.6 million in the fourth quarter. Our unfunded loan commitments continued to grow during the fourth quarter, and we expect these will be a significant component of our 2025 growth as the loans fund. Our capital levels are strong and well in excess of regulatory requirements for well-capitalized banks. Our balance sheet and the Company are well-positioned to pursue growth in 2025. As always, I want to thank our hardworking associates for their inspired efforts in advancing the interests of our customers and the Company.”
Balance Sheet, Liquidity and Credit Quality
Total assets were $2.23 billion at December 31, 2024, $2.27 billion at September 30, 2024, and $2.24 billion at December 31, 2023. Total assets have decreased $39.4 million or 1.7% since September 30, 2024 and decreased $7.6 million or 0.3% since December 31, 2023.
Total loans, net of unearned income, increased $12.2 million or 0.7% to $1.87 billion at December 31, 2024, compared to $1.86 billion at December 31, 2023 and increased $29.6 million during the quarter ended December 31, 2024 or 6.4% annualized from $1.84 billion at September 30, 2024. The increase in loans was primarily attributable to growth in the investor real estate loan portfolio, partially offset by a decrease in the commercial owner-occupied real estate and construction & development loan portfolios. Refer to the Loan, Deposit and Borrowing table for further information.
The carrying value of the Company’s fixed income securities portfolio was $222.3 million at December 31, 2024, $237.5 million at September 30, 2024 and $265.5 million at December 31, 2023. The decrease in carrying value of the Company’s fixed income securities portfolio since December 31, 2023 was attributable to amortization of the portfolio. As of December 31, 2024, 95.5% of our bond portfolio carried the implied guarantee of the United States government or one of its agencies. At December 31, 2024, 62% of the fixed income portfolio was invested in amortizing bonds, which provides the Company with a source of steady cash flow. At December 31, 2024, the fixed income portfolio had an estimated weighted average life of 4.2 years. The available-for-sale portfolio comprised approximately 61% of the fixed income securities portfolio and had a weighted average life of 3.1 years at December 31, 2024. The held-to-maturity portfolio comprised approximately 39% of the fixed income securities portfolio and had a weighted average life of 6.0 years at December 31, 2024. The Company did not purchase or sell any fixed income securities during the three and twelve month periods ended December 31, 2024.
The Company’s balance sheet remains highly liquid. The Company’s liquidity position, defined as the sum of cash, unencumbered securities and available secured borrowing capacity, totaled $727.3 million as of December 31, 2024 compared to $639.0 million as of December 31, 2023 and represented 37.5% and 28.5% of total assets, respectively. In addition to available secured borrowing capacity, the Bank had available federal funds lines of $110.0 million at December 31, 2024.
Total deposits were $1.89 billion at December 31, 2024, $1.94 billion at September 30, 2024 and $1.91 billion at December 31, 2023. During the quarter, total deposits decreased $43.7 million or 2.3% when compared to September 30, 2024. Deposits decreased $14.2 million or 0.7% when compared to December 31, 2023. The Bank reduced costlier deposits (certificates of deposit, Qwickrate CDs, IntraFi CDs, and brokered CDs) by $125.5 million since December 31, 2023. As further detailed in the tables included in this release, core funding sources have increased $39.2 million and wholesale funding sources have decreased $61.3 million since December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had $659.2 million of deposits that were not insured or not collateralized compared to $634.1 million at December 31, 2023.
On September 3, 2024, the Company paid off its $77.0 million Bank Term Funding Program (“BTFP”) advance and concurrently secured three Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) advances totaling $56.0 million. The FHLB advances have a weighted average fixed interest rate of 4.01% compared to 4.76% for the retired BTFP advance. Total borrowings as of December 31, 2024 consisted of subordinated debt totaling $24.8 million and the FHLB advances.
Shareholders’ equity increased $16.7 million or 7.3% to $246.6 million at December 31, 2024 compared to $229.9 million at December 31, 2023. Book value per share was $17.28 as of December 31, 2024 compared to $16.25 as of December 31, 2023, an increase of 6.3%. The year-over-year change in book value per share was primarily due to the