Loan Portfolio
Total loans outstanding, before allowance for loan losses, were $2.25 billion at December 31, 2020, compared with $2.28 billion at September 30, 2020 and $2.16 billion at December 31, 2019. The $32.6 million decrease in loans from September 30, 2020 includes a $16.2 million decrease in PPP loans. The remaining decrease was not attributable to any specific factor. The $80.3 million decrease in total loans outstanding, net of PPP loans from December 31, 2019 was primarily due to a $43.2 million reduction in balances on existing lines of credit and a $19.0 million decrease in balances of participation loans purchased.
Deposits
Total deposits were $3.13 billion at December 31, 2020, compared with $3.02 billion at September 30, 2020 and $2.78 billion at December 31, 2019. Relative to the previous quarter, increases in interest-bearing demand, noninterest-bearing and savings balances were partially offset by declines in money market and time deposit balances in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Asset Quality
Nonperforming loans totaled $10.0 million, or 0.44% of total loans, at December 31, 2020, compared with $15.2 million, or 0.67% of total loans, at September 30, 2020, and $19.0 million, or 0.88% of total loans, at December 31, 2019. The decrease in nonperforming loans from September 30, 2020 was primarily attributable to the pay down and subsequent return to accrual status of one agriculture credit that totaled $4.2 million at September 30, 2020 and $3.8 million at December 31, 2020. The $9.0 million reduction in nonperforming loans from December 31, 2019 was primarily due to the referenced agriculture credit that totaled $5.0 million at December 31, 2019, as well as the payoff/pay down of 5 loan relationships that totaled approximately $4.2 million since December 31, 2019.
The Company recorded a provision for loan losses of $0.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2020, which was primarily due to a $3.2 million increase in specific reserves on loans individually evaluated for impairment, significantly offset by adjustments to qualitative factors to reflect changes in the economic environment and improved asset quality metrics.
Net charge-offs for the fourth quarter of 2020 were $0.2 million, or 0.04% of average loans on an annualized basis, compared to net charge-offs of $0.2 million, or 0.04% of average loans on an annualized basis, for the third quarter of 2020, and net charge-offs of $0.6 million, or 0.11% of average loans on an annualized basis, for the fourth quarter of 2019.
The Company’s allowance for loan losses was 1.42% of total loans and 319.66% of nonperforming loans at December 31, 2020, compared with 1.39% of total loans and 208.14% of nonperforming loans at September 30, 2020.