The Company adopted ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (CECL), as of January 1, 2023. The adoption of this accounting standard necessitated that a day one increase of $1.2 million be made to the allowance for credit losses on our loan portfolio. Furthermore, ASU 2016-13 necessitated that the Company establish an allowance for expected credit losses for held to maturity (HTM) debt securities. Based upon the credit quality of the Company’s HTM debt securities portfolio, the day one allowance for credit losses on our HTM securities portfolio totaled $114,000. Both day one adjustments were consistent with the estimates that management disclosed in the Company’s 2022 Form 10-K.
The Company recorded a $43,000 expense for the provision for credit losses in the second quarter of 2023 after recognizing a $325,000 benefit in the second quarter of 2022 resulting in a net unfavorable change of $368,000. For the first six months of 2023, the Company recorded $1.2 million of expense for the provision for credit losses after recognizing a $725,000 benefit in the first six months of 2022 resulting in a net unfavorable change of $1.9 million. Included in the six-month 2023 provision expense was the recognition of a $926,000 loss from a subordinated debt investment with Signature Bank which was closed by banking regulators on March 12, 2023. This was described in the Company’s first quarter 2023 press release. The 2023 provision for credit losses for the loan portfolio in both time periods was necessary due to risk rating and non-accrual activity. Total classified and criticized loan levels exhibited a net increase during the first six months of 2023 due to the downgrade of three commercial real estate loan relationships. Overall non-performing assets remain well controlled, totaling $5.7 million, or 0.57% of total loans, on June 30, 2023. Through six months of 2023, the Company experienced net loan charge-offs of $61,000, or 0.01% of total average loans, which compares favorably to net charge-offs of $105,000, or 0.02% of total average loans, in the first half of 2022. In summary, the allowance for credit losses on the loan portfolio provided 216% coverage of non-performing assets, and 1.24% of total loans, on June 30, 2023, compared to 207% coverage of non-performing assets, and 1.08% of total loans, on December 31, 2022.
Total non-interest income in the second quarter of 2023 decreased by $276,000, or 6.7%, from the prior year's second quarter but improved by $896,000, or 10.6%, in the first half of 2023 when compared to the first half of 2022. Wealth management fees decreased by $187,000, or 6.3%, for the second quarter of 2023 and are $614,000, or 10.0%, lower for the six months compared to 2022. Unfavorable market conditions for both equity securities and bonds have reduced the market value of wealth management assets. Also, new customer business growth has only partially offset the unfavorable impact of market conditions on fee income. The fair market value of wealth management assets declined since December 31, 2021, by $266.1 million, or 9.8%, and totaled $2.4 billion at June 30, 2023. Other income is $122,000, or 20.3%, lower for the second quarter of 2023 and $226,000, or 19.4%, lower for the six months due to the recognition of a credit valuation adjustment to the market value of the interest rate swap contracts that the Company executed to accommodate the needs of certain borrowers while managing our interest rate risk position. The improvement to total non-interest income for the 2023 six-month time period was due to AmeriServ Financial Bank selling all 7,859 shares of the Class B common stock of Visa Inc. that the bank owned for a sale price of $1.7 million. The shares had no carrying value on the bank’s balance sheet since there was no historical cost basis in the shares. Therefore, the entire sale was recognized as a gain. The Company elected to capture this gain in 2023 due to volatility and uncertainty in the financial markets. Finally, net realized gains on loans held for sale decreased by $66,000, or 50.8%, for the first half of 2023, as the limited housing supply along with sharply higher interest rates continues to unfavorably impact residential mortgage loan production.
Total non-interest expense in the second quarter of 2023 increased by $1.1 million, or 8.8%, when compared to the second quarter of 2022 and increased by $1.6 million, or 6.6%, during the first half of 2023 when compared to the first half of 2022. The rise in total non-interest expense for both time periods is primarily due to increased legal and professional fees related to the Company’s recent annual meeting proxy contest and defense against an activist investor. These costs amounted to $1.1 million in the second quarter of 2023 and $1.7 million for the six-month period. Given that the Company’s shareholders voted to elect the Board’s slate of director candidates, the Company expects costs related to the activist issue to decline significantly in the second half of 2023. Salaries & employee benefits increased by $535,000, or 3.7%, in the first half of 2023. The increase is attributed to the annual employee merit increases, a greater level of full-time equivalent employees (FTE) as the Company filled certain open positions that were vacant last year, and the impact that inflationary pressures are having on the cost of new hires. Partially offsetting the higher level of salaries was lower incentive compensation and pension expense as there are fewer employees in the defined benefit pension plan due to numerous retirements over the past few years. Data processing and IT expense increased by $268,000, or 14.2%, in the six months of 2023 due to increased software costs from our core data provider and additional expenses related to monitoring our computing and network environment. These negative items were partially offset by a $1.1 million, or 32.8%, reduction in other expense for the six months of 2023 as the Company did not have to recognize a pension settlement charge in the first half of 2023. Finally, the Company recorded an income tax credit of $61,000, in the second quarter of 2023, which compares to income tax expense of $496,000, or an effective tax rate of 20.0%, for the second quarter of 2022. For the six-month period in 2023, the Company’s effective tax rate of 19.0% is lower than the 20.0% effective tax rate in 2022 due to the reduced level of pre-tax income this year.
The Company had total assets of $1.346 billion, shareholders' equity of $103.6 million, a book value of $6.04 per common share and a tangible book value(1) of $5.24 per common share on June 30, 2023. The decline in the Company’s book value and tangible book value per share at June 30, 2023 compared to December 31, 2022 reflects a decrease in the fair value of the Company’s available for sale investment securities by $2.7 million due to higher interest rates. Note that this caused a greater accumulated