For the 2023 full year, the Company declared cash dividends of $0.85 per share, a 4.9% increase from $0.81 per share for the same period last year. In the 2023 fourth quarter, the Company declared a $0.05 special cash dividend in addition to its regular cash dividend payment of $0.20. The Company declared a $0.10 special cash dividend in the 2022 fourth quarter.
At December 31, 2023, the Company had an equity-to-assets ratio of 11.28%, compared to 11.71% at December 31, 2022.
Asset Quality
For the 2023 twelve-month period and fourth quarter, the Company recorded provisions for credit losses of $3.0 million and $0.6 million, respectively, versus no provisions for credit losses for the same periods last year. The increase is due to the January 1, 2023 adoption of ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses – Topic (326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. Upon adoption, the reserve for credit losses increased by $5.4 million.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company had net recoveries of $31,000, or 0.00% of average loans, annualized, compared to net recoveries of $96,000, or 0.01% of average loans, annualized, for the year ended December 31, 2022. Net recoveries were $117,000 or 0.03% of average loans, annualized, during the 2023 fourth quarter, compared to net charge-offs of $94,000, or 0.03% of average loans, annualized, at December 31, 2022.
Nonperforming loans at December 31, 2023, were $10.9 million, compared to $2.1 million at December 31, 2022. Nonperforming assets at December 31, 2023, were $10.9 million, compared to $7.9 million at December 31, 2022. The allowance for credit losses at December 31, 2023, stood at $21.7 million, or 1.47% of total loans, compared to $14.4 million, or 1.07% of total loans at December 31, 2022.
About Middlefield Banc Corp.
Middlefield Banc Corp., headquartered in Middlefield, Ohio, is the Bank holding Company of The Middlefield Banking Company, with total assets of $1.82 billion at December 31, 2023. The Bank operates 21 full-service banking centers and an LPL Financial® brokerage office serving Ada, Beachwood, Bellefontaine, Chardon, Cortland, Dublin, Garrettsville, Kenton, Mantua, Marysville, Middlefield, Newbury, Orwell, Plain City, Powell, Solon, Sunbury, Twinsburg, and Westerville. The Bank also operates a Loan Production Office in Mentor, Ohio.
Additional information is available at www.middlefieldbank.bank