may require us to recognize adjustments to the three ACLs based on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their examination.
Non-Interest Income
Non-interest income for the three months ended March 31, 2024 was $554,000 compared to non-interest income of $1.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The decrease of $561,000, or 50.3%, in total non-interest income was primarily due to an increase of $307,000 in unrealized loss on equity securities, a decrease of $145,000 in other loan fees and service charges, and a decrease of $117,000 in investment advisory fees.
The increase in unrealized gain/loss on equity was due to an unrealized loss of $82,000 on equity securities during the three months ended March 31, 2024 compared to an unrealized gain of $225,000 on equity securities during the three months ended March 31, 2023. The unrealized loss of $82,000 on equity securities during the three months ended March 31, 2024 was due to market interest rate volatility during the quarter ended March 31, 2024.
The decrease of $145,000 in other loan fees and service charges was due to a decrease of $138,000 in other loan fees and loan servicing fees and a decrease of $7,000 in ATM/debit card/ACH fees.
The decrease in investment advisory fees was due to the disposition in January 2024 of the Bank’s assets relating to the Harbor West Wealth Management Group. Consequently, the Bank no longer generates investment advisory fees following the completion of the transaction.
Non-Interest Expense
Non-interest expense increased by $1.5 million, or 18.2%, to $9.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 from $8.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. The increase resulted primarily from increases of $809,000 in salaries and employee benefits, $543,000 in other operating expense, $122,000 in outside data processing expense, $39,000 in advertising expense, and $38,000 in occupancy expense, partially offset by decreases of $51,000 in equipment expense and $10,000 in real estate owned expense.
Salaries and employee benefits increased by $809,000, or 17.8%, to $5.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 from $4.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 primarily due to the hiring of additional personnel to support the growth of the Company and a decrease in loan origination expenses related to loan origination fees due to a decrease in loan originations.
Other non-interest expense increased by $543,000, or 26.0%, to $2.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2024 from $2.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023 due mainly to increases of $338,000 in miscellaneous other non-interest expense, $105,000 in service contracts expense, $42,000 in consulting fees, $25,000 in expenses related to the hiring of personnel, $24,000 in audit and accounting fees, $22,000 in directors compensation, $21,000 in directors, officers, and employee expenses, $13,000 in telephone expense, $7,000 in insurance expense, and $1,000 in office supplies. These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $54,000 in legal fees.
The increase of $338,000 in miscellaneous other non-interest expense was mainly due to increases of $339,000 in regulatory insurance premiums and assessments due to an increase in our total assets, $22,000 in dues and subscriptions, and $7,000 in check and correspondence bank charges. These increases were partially offset by decreases of $24,000 in miscellaneous charge-offs, $3,000 in postage expense, and $2,000 in miscellaneous expenses.
Service contracts expense increased by $105,000, or 32.9%, to $424,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2024 from $319,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2023 due to the increased cost to support the growth of the Company. Consultant fees increased by $42,000, or 22.3%, to $231,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2024 from $189,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2023 due to the upgrading of the Company’s telephone system.
Recruiting expense increased by $25,000, or 1,250.0%, to $27,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2024 from $2,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2023 due to the use of a traditional recruiting firm in 2024 compared to less reliance on traditional recruiting firms in 2023 for personnel hirings. Audit and accounting expense increased by