The Company’s income tax expense increased $1.9 million and $440,000, respectively, in the nine-month and three-month periods ended September 30, 2019, compared to the same periods in 2018. The effective tax rate was 18.7% and 19.3%, respectively, in the nine-month and three-month periods ended September 30, 2019, compared to 18.1% and 18.5% for the comparable periods of 2018. The year to date effective tax rate for 2019 increased as compared to the prior year period primarily due to a reduced benefit related to employee long-term incentive stock awards.
FINANCIAL CONDITION
Overview
Total assets of the Company were $4.948 billion as of September 30, 2019, an increase of $72.9 million, or 1.5%, when compared to $4.875 billion as of December 31, 2018. Overall asset growth was primarily driven by a $106.3 million, or 2.8%, increase in net loans to $3.973 billion at September 30, 2019 from $3.866 billion December 31, 2018 and an increase of $27.7 million or 4.7% in securities available for sale to $613.2 million at September 30, 2019 from $585.5 billion at December 31, 2018. Offsetting these increases was a $80.3 million, or 37.0%, decrease in cash and cash equivalents. Total deposits increased $239.3 million while total borrowings decreased by $245.6 million. The increase is deposits was primarily driven by growth in core deposits of $287.5 million offset by a decrease in wholesale funding of $48.2 million. Core deposits were $4.167 billion as of September 30, 2019, an increase of $287.5 million, or 7.4%, when compared to $3.879 billion as of December 31, 2018. Additionally, commercial deposits increased by $231.9 million, or 21.6%, to $1.307 billion at September 30, 2019 compared to $1.075 billion at December 31, 2018.
Uses of Funds
Total Cash and Cash Equivalents
Total cash and cash equivalents decreased by $80.3 million, or 37% to $136.6 million at September 30, 2019, from $216.9 million at December 31, 2018. Cash and cash equivalents at December 31, 2018 reflect larger items in the process of clearing such as public funds checks outstanding for matured certificates of deposit which were distributed in the form of checks. Short-term investments include cash on deposit that earn interest such as excess liquidity maintained at the Federal Reserve Bank. Cash and cash equivalents balances will vary depending on the cyclical nature of the bank’s liquidity position.
Investment Portfolio
The amortized cost and the fair value of securities as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 were as follows:
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | September 30, 2019 | | December 31, 2018 |
| | Amortized | | Fair | | Amortized | | Fair |
(dollars in thousands) | | Cost | | Value | | Cost | | Value |
U.S. Treasury securities | | $ | 995 | | $ | 1,007 | | $ | 994 | | $ | 987 |
U.S. government sponsored agencies | | | 2,303 | | | 2,308 | | | 4,435 | | | 4,350 |
Mortgage-backed securities: residential | | | 291,427 | | | 296,232 | | | 329,516 | | | 325,412 |
Mortgage-backed securities: commercial | | | 37,335 | | | 37,669 | | | 38,712 | | | 38,141 |
State and municipal securities | | | 262,504 | | | 276,014 | | | 217,964 | | | 216,659 |
Total | | $ | 594,564 | | $ | 613,230 | | $ | 591,621 | | $ | 585,549 |
At September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, there were no holdings of securities of any one issuer, other than the U.S. government, government agencies and government sponsored entities, in an amount greater than 10% of stockholders’ equity. Management is aware that, as interest rates rise, any unrealized loss in the investment portfolio will increase, and as interest rates fall the unrealized gain in the investment portfolio will rise. Since the majority of the bonds in the investment portfolio are fixed-rate, with only a few adjustable-rate bonds, we would expect our investment portfolio to follow this market value pattern. This is taken into consideration when evaluating the gain or loss of investment securities in the portfolio and the potential for other-than-temporary impairment.
Purchases of securities available for sale totaled $91.7 million in the first nine months of 2019. The purchases consisted primarily of state and municipal securities and purchases of mortgage-backed securities issued by government sponsored entities. Paydowns from prepayments and scheduled payments of $37.0 million were received in the first nine months of 2019, and the