Salaries and employee benefits increased $415,000, or 8.5%, to $5.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $4.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 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 $297,000, or 12.8%, to $2.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $2.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due mainly to increases of $221,000 in miscellaneous other non-interest expense, $63,000 in service contracts expense, $35,000 in audit and accounting fees, $18,000 in office supplies, $15,000 in directors compensation, $13,000 in directors, officers, and employee expenses, $12,000 in insurance expense, $3,000 in legal fees, and $1,000 in telephone expense. These increases were partially offset by decreases of $62,000 in consulting fees and $23,000 in expenses related to the hiring of personnel.
The increase of $221,000 in miscellaneous other non-interest expense was mainly due to increases of $171,000 in regulatory insurance premiums and assessments due to an increase in our total assets, $27,000 in dues and subscriptions, $26,000 in check and correspondence bank charges, and $19,000 in miscellaneous expenses. These increases were partially offset by decreases of $16,000 in public company expenses, $4,000 in miscellaneous charge-offs, and $1,000 in postage expense.
Service contracts expense increased $63,000, or 17.8%, to $421,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $358,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to the increased cost to support the growth of the Company. Audit and accounting expense increased $35,000, or 33.2%, to $141,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $106,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to the Company’s growth. Office supplies increased $18,000, or 47.0%, to $57,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $39,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to the growth of the Company.
Directors’ compensation increased $15,000, or 6.5%, to $240,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $225,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to an increase in fees and an increase to the amortization of expenses due to the awarding of additional restricted stocks related to the 2022 Equity Incentive Plan. Directors, officers, and employee expenses increased $13,000, or 19.9%, to $81,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $68,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to tuition payments for employees. Insurance expense increased $12,000, or 12.7%, to $110,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $97,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to a general increase in insurance premiums.
Consultant fees decreased $63,000, or 27.1%, to $169,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $232,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to less reliance on consultants in 2024. Recruiting expense decreased $23,000, or 96.9%, to $1,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $24,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to less reliance on traditional recruiting firms in 2024 for personnel hirings.
Occupancy expense increased $69,000, or 11.4%, to $674,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $605,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 primarily as a result of the increased cost of operating office space. Outside data processing expense increased $53,000, or 9.6%, to $607,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $554,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to an increase in transactions and additional data processing services. Real estate owned expense increased $6,000, or 28.6%, to $27,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $21,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to the higher cost to maintain the property.
Advertising expense decreased $144,000, or 60.5%, to $94,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $238,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due mainly to a decrease in promotional products. Equipment expense decreased $79,000, or 26.3%, to $221,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2024 from $300,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 due to a reduced need to purchase additional equipment.
Income Taxes. We recorded income tax expense of $4.9 million and $4.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. For the three months ended June 30, 2024, we had approximately $199,000 in tax exempt income, compared to approximately $587,000 in tax exempt income for the three months ended June 30, 2023. The decrease in tax exempt income was due to two death claims totaling $1.8 million on BOLI policies during the three