Total criticized and classified loans were $44 million at March 31, 2015 versus $40 million at December 31, 2014 and March 31, 2014. Criticized loans are those loans that are not classified but require some degree of heightened monitoring. Classified loans were $25 million at March 31, 2015 as compared to $30 million at December 31, 2014 and $33 million at March 31, 2014. The allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total classified loans was 77%, 64% and 53%, respectively, at the same dates.
At March 31, 2015, the Company had $19 million in troubled debt restructurings ("TDRs"), primarily consisting of commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans and residential mortgages totaling $3 million, $10 million and $4 million, respectively. The Company had TDRs amounting to $20 million at December 31, 2014 and $16 million at March 31, 2014.
At March 31, 2015, the Company's allowance for loan losses amounted to $19.3 million or 1.40% of period-end loans outstanding. The allowance as a percentage of loans outstanding was 1.42% and 1.57% at December 31, 2014 and March 31, 2014, respectively. The Company recorded net loan charge-offs of $125 thousand in the first quarter of 2015 versus net loan recoveries of $150 thousand in the fourth quarter of 2014 and net loan recoveries of $224 thousand in the first quarter of 2014. As a percentage of average total loans outstanding, these net amounts represented, on an annualized basis, 0.04% for the first quarter of 2015, (0.05%) for the fourth quarter of 2014 and (0.08%) for the first quarter of 2014.
The Company held no OREO during any of the reported periods.
Capital
Total stockholders' equity was $188 million at March 31, 2015 compared to $183 million at December 31, 2014 and $174 million at March 31, 2014. The increase in stockholders' equity versus March 31, 2014 was due to net income, net of dividends paid, recorded during the past twelve months. The Company's return on average common stockholders' equity was 8.79% for the three months ended March 31, 2015 versus 8.81% for the comparable 2014 period.
The Bank's tier 1 leverage, common equity tier 1 risk-based, tier 1 risk-based and total risk-based capital ratios were 10.02%, 12.38%, 12.38% and 13.63%, respectively, at March 31, 2015. Each of these ratios exceeds the regulatory guidelines for a "well capitalized" institution, the highest regulatory capital category.
The Company's capital ratios also exceeded all regulatory requirements at March 31, 2015. The Company's TCE ratio (non-GAAP financial measure) was 9.77% at March 31, 2015 versus 9.50% at December 31, 2014 and 9.99% at March 31, 2014.
Corporate Information
Suffolk Bancorp is a one-bank holding company engaged in the commercial banking business through Suffolk County National Bank, a full service commercial bank headquartered in Riverhead, New York and Suffolk Bancorp's wholly owned subsidiary. Organized in 1890, the Bank has 26 branch offices in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, New York. For more information about the Bank and its products and services, please visit www.scnb.com.
Non-GAAP Disclosure
This discussion includes non-GAAP financial measures of the Company's TCE ratio, tangible common equity, tangible assets, core net income, core FTE net interest income, core FTE net interest margin, core operating expenses, core non-interest income, core FTE non-interest income and core operating efficiency ratio. A non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of historical or future financial performance, financial position or cash flows that excludes or includes amounts that are required to be disclosed in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("U.S. GAAP"). The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide both management and investors a more complete understanding of the underlying operational results and trends and the Company's marketplace performance. The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the numbers prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other financial institutions.