Income Tax Expense
For the quarter ended June 30, 2023, the Company reported income tax expense of $3.4 million for an effective tax rate of 26.0 percent, compared to income tax expense of $3.2 million and an effective tax rate of 25.0 percent for the prior year’s quarter. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company reported income tax expense of $6.9 million for an effective tax rate of 25.7 percent, compared to an income tax expense of $6.0 million and an effective tax rate of 24.3 percent for the six months ended June 30, 2022.
Financial Condition at June 30, 2023
Total assets increased $107.4 million or 4.4 percent, to $2.5 billion at June 30, 2023, when compared to year end 2022. This increase was primarily due to increases of 60.8 million in gross loans, mostly due to commercial and residential mortgage loan growth, and $36.4 million in cash and cash equivalents, partially offset by a decrease of 3.9 million in total securities.
Total deposits increased $62.0 million, due to increases of $138.2 million in time deposits and $24.5 million in interest-bearing demand deposits, partially offset by a decrease of $55.0 million in noninterest-bearing demand deposits and $45.7 million in savings deposits.
Total shareholders’ equity increased $4.9 million over year end 2022, due to earnings, an increase in common stock, partially offset by the repurchase of shares and dividends paid during the six months ended June 30, 2023 and increase in net accumulated other comphrehensive loss.
These fluctuations are discussed in further detail in the paragraphs that follow.
Securities Portfolio
The Company’s securities portfolio consists of AFS debt securities, HTM debt securities and equity investments. Management determines the appropriate security classification of AFS and HTM at the time of purchase. The investment securities portfolio is maintained for asset-liability management purposes, as well as for liquidity and earnings purposes.
AFS debt securities are investments carried at fair value that may be sold in response to changing market and interest rate conditions or for other business purposes. Activity in this portfolio is undertaken primarily to manage liquidity and interest rate risk, to take advantage of market conditions that create economically attractive returns and as an additional source of earnings. AFS debt securities consist primarily of obligations of U.S. Government, state and political subdivisions, mortgage-backed securities, corporate and other securities.
AFS debt securities totaled $93.0 million at June 30, 2023, a decrease of $2.4 million or 2.5 percent, compared to $95.4 million at December 31, 2022. This net decrease was the result of:
| ● | $2.1 million principal payments, maturities and called bonds and, |
| ● | $0.3 million in depreciation in the market value of the portfolio. At June 30, 2023, the portfolio had a net unrealized loss of $6.1 million compared to a net unrealized loss of $5.8 million at December 31, 2022. These net unrealized losses are reflected net of tax in shareholder’s equity as accumulated other comprehensive loss. |
The weighted average life of AFS debt securities, adjusted for prepayments, amounted to 6.3 years and 6.9 years at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. The effective duration of AFS debt securities amounted to 1.9 years and 3.1 at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
HTM debt securities, which are carried at amortized cost, are investments for which there is the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity. The portfolio is primarily comprised of U.S. Government, mortgage-backed securities and obligations of state and political subdivisions.