The change in the fair value of mortgage servicing rights positively impacted mortgage banking income; resulting in an increase of $5.3 million in the fair value of mortgage servicing rights for the three months ended March 31, 2022; as compared to a decrease of $245,000 in the fair value of mortgage servicing rights for the three months ended December 31, 2021. The 10-year Treasury Constant Maturity rate increased 80 basis points versus the fourth quarter of 2021, and prepayments slowed. The change in the fair value of the mortgage servicing rights is generally consistent with the change in the 10-year Treasury Constant Maturity rate. As interest rates rise and prepayment speeds slow, mortgage servicing rights values tend to increase; conversely, as interest rates fall and prepayment speeds quicken, mortgage servicing rights values tend to decrease.
Deposit account fees decreased $311,000, or 6.5%, to $4.5 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, from $4.8 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021. Other income for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 increased $245,000. The fourth quarter of 2021 included a write-off of $431,000 on a direct interest-rate swap related to a non-accrual loan, and no such write-off was recorded in the first quarter of 2022.
Total noninterest income decreased $18.7 million, or 49.6%, as compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2021, primarily due to a $19.6 million, or 59.8%, decrease in mortgage banking income, driven by the decrease in loan closings and narrowing gain-on-sale margins. The decrease in mortgage banking income was offset by a $620,000 increase in deposit account fees.
Noninterest Expense
Total noninterest expenses were $34.8 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, a decrease of $3.4 million, or 8.8%, from the quarter ended December 31, 2021. The decrease primarily reflects the decrease in compensation and benefits, consistent with the decrease in residential mortgage loan closings at HarborOne Mortgage, LLC (“HarborOne Mortgage”).
Total noninterest expenses decreased $8.0 million, or 18.6%, from the quarter ended March 31, 2021. Compensation and benefits decreased $6.7 million and loan expenses decreased $2.0 million, consistent with the decrease in residential mortgage loan closings.
Income Tax Provision
The effective tax rate was 28.5% for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, compared to 23.2% for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 and 28.1% for the quarter ended March 31, 2021. The effective tax rate for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 was impacted by the recognition of a net tax benefit in the amount of $754,000 for a reserve release upon the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations.
Asset Quality and Allowance for Credit Losses
Effective January 1, 2022, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, commonly referred to as CECL, which requires the measurement of expected lifetime credit losses for financial assets measured at amortized cost, as well as unfunded commitments that are considered off-balance sheet credit exposures. CECL requires that the allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) be calculated based on current expected credit losses over the full remaining expected life of the financial assets and also consider expected future changes in macroeconomic conditions. Upon adoption of CECL on January 1, 2022, the Company’s ACL on loans decreased by $1.3 million, and the ACL on unfunded commitments increased by $3.9 million for a net increase of $2.6 million. The after-tax impact of $1.9 million was recognized as a one-time, cumulative-effect adjustment that decreased retained earnings.
Credit quality performance has remained strong with total nonperforming assets of $26.1 million at March 31, 2022, compared to $36.2 million at December 31, 2021 and $32.9 million at March 31, 2021. Nonperforming assets as a percentage of total assets were 0.57% at March 31, 2022, 0.79% at December 31, 2021, and 0.71% at March 31, 2021. The decrease in nonperforming assets was primarily due to the resolution of one credit in the amount of $8.8 million, previously included in the office at-risk sector, for which the Company also recorded a $2.8 million charge off in the first quarter of 2022.
Net charges-offs totaled $2.7 million, or 0.30% of average loans outstanding on an annualized basis, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022. Net charge-offs totaled $1.2 million, or 0.13% of average loans outstanding on an annualized basis, for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, and net charge-offs totaled $102,000, or 0.01% of average loans outstanding on an annualized basis, for the quarter ended March 31, 2021.
The ACL was $41.8 million, or 1.12% of total loans, at March 31, 2022, compared to $45.4 million, or 1.26% of total loans, at December 31, 2021 and $55.4 million, or 1.60% of total loans, at March 31, 2021. The ACL on unfunded commitments, included in other liabilities on the unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets, amounted to $3.8 million at March 31, 2022, and there was no ACL on unfunded commitments at December 31, 2021.
Although we have not experienced any significant negative trends in the at-risk sectors previously identified, Management continues to monitor commercial loan sectors that may be susceptible to increased credit risk as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic: retail, office space, hotels, restaurants, and recreation. The five commercial sectors identified as at-risk totaled $835.2 million at March 31, 2022, which represents 35.1% of the commercial loan portfolio. The at-risk sectors include $712.7 million in commercial real estate loans, $73.8 million in commercial and industrial loans, and $48.7 million in commercial construction loans. Non-performing loans included in the at-risk sectors amounted to $10.8 million at March 31, 2022, the majority of which was included in the hotels sector.