| ● | Total assets grew $133.9 million, or 11.9%, to $1.26 billion at September 30, 2021 from $1.13 billion at December 31, 2020. |
| ● | Total deposits were $1.09 billion at September 30, 2021, increasing $158.0 million, or 17.0%, from $929.4 million at December 31, 2020. |
| ● | Capital positions remain strong with a 9.58% Tier 1 Leverage Ratio; a 13.13% Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio; a 13.13% Tier 1 Risk-Based Capital Ratio; and a 14.12% Total Risk-Based Capital Ratio. |
President and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Quinn said, “Rhinebeck Bancorp delivered strong results for the third quarter and year to date periods. Results were positively impacted by the recapture of loan loss provisions and our net interest margin remained strong at 3.44% for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. We expect a slight improvement in loan growth, excluding PPP loans, over the fourth quarter of 2021. We forecast a return to more normalized loan growth throughout 2022, which will be a significant factor in our earnings expectations for the upcoming year.
Income Statement Analysis
Net interest income increased $1.0 million, or 11.4%, to $10.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2021, from $9.0 million for the three months ended September 30, 2020. Year to date net interest income increased $2.6 million, or 10.0%, to $29.0 million when compared to $26.3 million for the prior year nine-month period. The increase was primarily driven by higher interest-earning asset balances and lower costs for deposits and borrowings, which were partially offset by lower yields on interest-earning assets. Our net interest margin increased 2 basis points to 3.42% for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and decreased 3 basis points to 3.44% for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, in each case as compared to the comparable prior year period.
The provision for loan losses decreased by $3.2 million, or 142.4%, from $2.3 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, to a credit of $954,000 for the current quarter. The provision decreased by $7.9 million, or 138.1%, from a provision of $5.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 to a credit of $2.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The provision in 2020 reflected the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic conditions. The credits for both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 were primarily attributable to a decline in loan balances, an improvement in credit quality and an improvement in the general economy as our customers showed signs of recovering from the pandemic.
Net charge-offs for the quarter ended September 30, 2021 totaled $138,000 compared to $259,000 for the respective period in 2020. For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2021, net charge-offs were $429,000, a decrease of $667,000, or 60.9%, when compared to $1.1 million in the comparable 2020 period. The decrease was primarily due to an improvement in the overall economic environment and pricing gains on the sales of repossessed vehicles as used car prices have risen significantly.
Non-interest income totaled $1.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2021; a decrease of $457,000, or 21.8%, from the comparable period in the prior year, due primarily to a decrease in the net gain on sales of mortgage loans on a decline in loan volume. Non-interest income increased $330,000, or 6.1%, to $5.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2021. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, service charges on deposit accounts increased $186,000, or 10.9%, as transaction volume increased, while the cash surrender value of life insurance increased $122,000. A gain related to the collection of life insurance proceeds of $195,000 and an increase in various other non-interest income items of $167,000 also contributed to the increase. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in the gain on sales of mortgage loans of $203,000 and a decrease in investment advisory income of $130,000.
For the third quarter of 2021, non-interest expense totaled $9.1 million, an increase of $1.7 million, or 23.0%, over the comparable 2020 period. The increase was primarily due to an increase in salaries and benefits of $1.0 million, or 24.1%, as the Company hired additional employees for its new branches. For the three months ended