Quarterly Income Statement Summary:
The Company’s net interest income for the three-month period ended September 30, 2024, was $36.7 million, an increase of $1.3 million, or 3.6%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was attributable to a 5.9% increase in the average balance of interest-earning assets in the current three-month period, as compared to the same period a year ago, partially offset by a seven-basis point decrease in net interest margin, from 3.44% to 3.37%, as the cost of interest-bearing liabilities increased by 70 basis points, outpacing the 54-basis point increase in the yield earned on interest earning assets. Net interest income for the three-month period ended September 30, 2024, grew $1.6 million, or 4.5%, as compared to the June 30, 2024, linked quarter, attributable to a 12-basis point increase in the net interest margin and a 0.7% increase in the average balance of interest-earning assets. The primary driver of the net interest margin expansion, compared to the linked quarter, was the 21-basis point increase in the yield on interest-earning assets, partially offset by the 11-basis point increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities. Contributing to the margin increase, the average loan to deposit ratio increased by 2.4 percentage points in the current period, as compared to the linked quarter, as the balance sheet composition shifted toward higher yielding assets.
Loan discount accretion and deposit premium amortization related to the November 2018 acquisition of First Commercial Bank, the May 2020 acquisition of Central Federal Savings & Loan Association, the February 2022 merger of FortuneBank, and the January 2023 acquisition of Citizens Bank & Trust resulted in $975,000 in net interest income for the three-month period ended September 30, 2024, as compared to $1.7 million in net interest income for the same period a year ago. Combined, this component of net interest income contributed nine basis points to net interest margin in the three-month period ended September 30, 2024, as compared to a 16-basis point contribution for the same period of the prior fiscal year, and as compared to a ten-basis point contribution in the linked quarter ended June 30, 2024, when net interest margin was 3.25%.
The Company recorded a PCL of $2.2 million in the three-month period ended September 30, 2024, as compared to a PCL of $900,000 in the same period of the prior fiscal year. The current period PCL was the result of a $2.0 million provision attributable to the ACL for loan balances outstanding and a $138,000 provision attributable to the allowance for off-balance sheet credit exposures.
The Company’s noninterest income for the three-month period ended September 30, 2024, was $7.2 million, an increase of $1.3 million, or 22.6%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was primarily attributable to other loan fees, deposit account charges and related fees, bank card interchange income, and net realized gains on sale of loans. Net realized gains on sale of loans increased due to sales of Small Business Administration loans. These increases were partially offset by lower loan late charges, wealth management fees, and other non-interest income. Other non-interest income decreased primarily due to modest losses on the disposal of fixed assets, which were comprised of various equipment.
Noninterest expense for the three-month period ended September 30, 2024, was $25.8 million, an increase of $2.1 million, or 9.0%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. In the current quarter, this increase in noninterest expense was attributable primarily to increases in compensation and benefits, legal and professional fees, occupancy and equipment, and advertising expenses. The increase in compensation and benefits expense was primarily due to a trend increase in employee headcount, as well as annual merit increases. Legal and professional expenses increased primarily due to a one-time expense associated with a performance improvement project that started during the first fiscal quarter of 2025, as discussed above. This expense was fully realized in the September quarter, with only modest reimbursables remaining to be recognized in later quarters. Occupancy and equipment expenses increased primarily due to depreciation on recent capitalized expenditures, including buildings, equipment, and signage. Advertising activity in the current quarter increased marketing expenses compared to the same quarter of the prior fiscal year.