Total assets at December 31, 2024 decreased by $867.3 million, or 5.41%, from total assets of $16.02 billion at December 31, 2023. The decrease in assets included a $499.0 million decrease in investment securities, a $361.8 million decrease in net loans, and a $59.1 million decrease in interest-earning balances due from the Federal Reserve.
Sale-Leaseback Transaction
During the fourth quarter of 2024, the Bank executed sale-leaseback transactions and sold two buildings for an aggregate sale price of $30.1 million. The Bank simultaneously entered into lease agreements with the respective purchasers for initial terms of 15 years. These sale-leaseback transactions resulted in a pre-tax net gain of $16.8 million for the fourth quarter of 2024. The Bank also recorded Right of Use (“ROU”) assets and corresponding operating lease liabilities each totaling $15.6 million.
Total sale-leaseback transactions for full year 2024 entailed the sale of four buildings sold for a cumulative sale price of $47.1 million, resulting in a pre-tax net gain of $25.9 million and cash proceeds of $44.76 million. Total ROU assets and corresponding operating lease liabilities recorded was $26.8 million.
Investment Securities and BOLI
Total investment securities were $4.92 billion at December 31, 2024, an increase of $50.9 million, or 1.05%, from September 30, 2024, and a decrease of $499.0 million, or 9.20%, from $5.42 billion at December 31, 2023.
At December 31, 2024, investment securities available-for-sale (“AFS”) totaled $2.54 billion, inclusive of a pre-tax net unrealized loss of $447.7 million. AFS securities increased by $76.53 million or 3.10% from September 30, 2024 and decreased by $414.0 million, or 14.01%, from $2.96 billion at December 31, 2023. Pre-tax unrealized loss increased by $80.02 million from September 30, 2024 and decreased by $2.04 million from December 31, 2023.
Concurrent with the sale-leaseback transactions during the fourth quarter of 2024, the Bank sold AFS securities with a book value of $154.7 million, resulting in a net pre-tax loss of $16.7 million, which was offset by purchased AFS securities with a book value of $385.0 million. Including the sale of AFS securities during the third quarter of 2024, total book value of AFS securities sold during the second half of 2024 was $467.0 million, resulting in a cumulative net pre-tax loss of $28.3 million.
At December 31, 2024, investment securities held-to-maturity (“HTM”) totaled $2.38 billion, a decrease of $25.6 million, or 1.06%, from September 30, 2024, and a decrease of $84.9 million, or 3.45%, from December 31, 2023.
At December 31, 2024, the Company had $316.2 million of Bank Owned Life insurance (“BOLI”), compared to $316.6 million at September 30, 2024 and $308.7 million at December 31, 2023. The Bank completed a restructuring of the Company’s life insurance policies at the end of 2023, which resulted to $4.5 million write-down in value on surrender policies that was offset by a $10.9 million enhancement to cash surrender values, as well as additional policy purchases totaling $41 million.
Loans
Total loans and leases, at amortized cost, of $8.54 billion at December 31, 2024 decreased by $36.1 million, or 0.42%, from September 30, 2024. The quarter-over quarter decrease in loans is primarily due to decreases of $111.1 million in commercial real estate loans, $11.3 million in Commercial and Industrial loans, and $9.5 million in agribusiness loans, offset by a seasonal increase of $87 million in dairy & livestock loans.
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