Account Access
April 23, 2015
Munster, Indiana - NorthWest Indiana Bancorp (the “Bancorp”), the holding company for Peoples Bank (the “Bank”), reported a first quarter 2015 earnings increase of 6.8% compared to the first quarter of 2014. Net income totaled $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015, compared to $1.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014.
The earnings of $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015, represent $0.68 earnings per basic and diluted share. For the first three
months of 2015, the return on average assets (ROA) was 0.99% and the return on average equity (ROE) was 9.88%. At March 31, 2015, the Bancorp’s assets totaled $793.9 million.
“Peoples Bank reported strong first quarter operating results with net income up 6.8% over the prior year, supported by asset growth of $18.8 million with our total balance sheet now standing at $793.9 million. During the quarter, the Bank also announced the signing of a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Liberty Savings Bank as we aim to join forces to extend the Peoples brand into Whiting and Winfield, which are two strong markets in our community,” said David Bochnowski, chairman and chief executive officer.
Bochnowski attributed the Bank’s performance to a core earnings increase of 8.6%, a 27.7% increase in income from banking operations led by a 406.7% increase in mortgage loan sales, loan originations totaling $63.7 million, representing an increase of 18.9% over the first quarter of the prior year, and continuing improvement in asset quality as the ratio of non-performing loans to total loans decreased to .85%.
“Peoples Bank is dedicated to remaining independent so that we can continue to serve Northwest Indiana. We’re off to a good start this year, continuing to build on last year’s successes,” said Benjamin Bochnowski, president and chief operating officer. “The Peoples Team is committed to our customers and communities, and partnering with First Federal and Liberty, upon the closing of the acquisition, helps to better create value for all of our stakeholders.”
Net Interest Income
Net interest income, the difference between interest income from loans and investments and interest expense paid to funds providers, totaled $6.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015, compared to $5.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014, an increase of $525 thousand or 8.9%. The Bancorp’s net interest margin on a tax adjusted basis was 3.75% for the three months ended March 31, 2015, compared to 3.79% for the three months ended March 31, 2014. During 2015, the Bancorp’s net interest income was positively impacted by strong balance sheet growth, as interest earning assets increased by $62.0 million or 9.1% since March 31, 2014.
Noninterest Income
Noninterest income from banking activities totaled $2.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015, compared to $1.5 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014, an increase of $423 thousand or 27.7%. The noninterest income increase for 2015 is primarily a result of higher income related to gains from loan sales related to increased origination volume, income from wealth management operations, gain from security sales, and income from banking services.
Noninterest Expense
Noninterest expense related to operating activities totaled $5.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015, compared to $4.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014, an increase of $803 thousand or 16.6%. The increase in noninterest expense for 2015 is related to operating costs for the Bancorp’s acquisition of First Federal of Hammond during the second quarter 2014 and costs incurred to grow the Bancorp’s lending team.
Funding
At March 31, 2015, core deposits totaled $465.4 million, an increase of $15.9 million or 3.5%, compared to December 31, 2014. Core deposits include checking, savings, and money market accounts and represented 71.7% of the Bancorp’s total deposits at March 31, 2015. The increase
in core deposits is a result of management’s sales efforts along with customer preferences for short-term liquid investments in the current low interest rate environment. The Bancorp has experienced strong growth in consumer and business core accounts. During the first three months of 2015, certificate of deposit balances decreased by $436 thousand, compared to December 31, 2014. In addition, at March 31, 2015, borrowings and repurchase agreements totaled $49.1 million, a decrease of $4.8 million or 8.8%, compared to December 31, 2014. Strong core deposit growth allowed management to repay maturing FHLB advances.
Lending
The Bancorp’s loan portfolio totaled $490.5 million at March 31, 2015, an increase of $2.4 million or 0.5%, compared to December 31, 2014. During the first three months of 2015, the Bancorp originated $63.7 million in new loans, an increase of $10.1 million or 18.9%, compared to the first three months of 2014. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, commercial, construction and government related loans increased by $6.6 million in the aggregate. During the three months ended March 31, 2015, $15.5 million of newly originated fixed rate mortgage loans were sold into the secondary market resulting in gains of $380 thousand.
Investing
The Bancorp’s securities portfolio totaled $230.8 million at March 31, 2015, compared to $220.1 million at December 31, 2014, an increase of $10.8 million or 4.9%. The securities portfolio represents 31.2% of earning assets and provides a consistent source of earnings to the Bancorp. Cash & cash equivalents totaled $26.4 million at March 31, 2015, compared to $22.0 million at December 31, 2014, an increase of $4.5 million or 20.3%.
Asset Quality
At March 31, 2015, non-performing loans totaled $4.1 million, compared to $5.5 million at December 31, 2014, a decrease of $1.4 million or 25.5%. The Bancorp’s ratio of non-performing loans to total loans was 0.85% at March 31, 2015, compared to 1.10% at December 31, 2014. In addition, the Bancorp’s ratio of non-performing assets to total assets was 0.97% at March 31, 2015, compared to 1.15% at December 31, 2014. The decrease in non-performing loans for 2015 is primarily the result of the sale of one commercial real estate loan.
For the three months ended March 31, 2015, loan loss provisions totaled $287 thousand, while $245 thousand in provisions were recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2014. The 2015 loan loss provisions were primarily related to increased loan originations and overall loan portfolio growth. Loan charge-offs, net of recoveries, totaled $62 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2015, compared to recoveries, net of charge-offs of $9 thousand for the three months ended March 31, 2014. At March 31, 2015, the allowance for loan losses totaled $6.6 million and is considered adequate by management. The allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total loans was 1.34% at March 31, 2015, compared to 1.30% at December 31, 2014. The allowance for loan losses as a
percentage of non-performing loans, or coverage ratio, was 158.87% at March 31,2015, compared to 114.83% at December 31, 2014.
Capital Adequacy
At March 31, 2015, shareholders’ equity stood at $77.9 million or 9.8% of total assets. The Bancorp’s regulatory capital ratios at March 31, 2015 were 14.9% for total capital to risk-weighted assets, 13.6% for both common equity tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets and tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets, and 9.4% for tier 1 leverage capital to adjusted average assets. Under all regulatory capital requirements, the Bancorp is considered well capitalized. The book value of the Bancorp’s stock stood at $27.32 per share at March 31, 2015.
About NorthWest Indiana Bancorp
NorthWest Indiana Bancorp is a locally owned and independent bank holding company headquartered in Munster, Indiana, whose activities are primarily limited to holding the stock of Peoples Bank. Peoples Bank provides a wide range of personal, business and wealth management financial services from its 14 locations in Lake and Porter Counties in Northwest Indiana. NorthWest Indiana Bancorp’s common stock is
traded on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol NWIN. The website ibankpeoples.com provides information on Peoples Bank’s products and services, and NorthWest Indiana Bancorp’s investor relations.
Forward Looking Statements
“Forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 may be included in this release. A variety of
factors could cause the Bancorp’s actual results to differ from those expected at the time of this release. These include, but are not limited to, changes in economic conditions in the Bancorp’s market area, changes in policies by regulatory agencies, fluctuation in interest rates, demand for loans in the Bancorp’s market area, economic conditions in the financial services industry, the Bancorp’s ability to successfully integrate the operations of recently acquired institutions, competition and other risks set forth in the Bancorp’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by the Bancorp in its periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Bancorp undertakes
no obligation to update them in light of new information or future events.
For Further Information
Contact Ben Bochnowski at 219-853-7575
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