PORTLAND, Maine, Jan. 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northeast Bank (the “Bank”) (NASDAQ: NBN), a Maine-based full-service bank, today reported net income of $11.4 million, or $1.42 per diluted common share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, compared to net income of $8.2 million, or $0.98 per diluted common share, for the quarter ended December 31, 2020. Net income for the six months ended December 31, 2021 was $21.3 million, or $2.63 per diluted common share, compared to $16.0 million, or $1.92 per diluted common share, for the six months ended December 31, 2020.

The Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.01 per share, payable on February 24, 2022, to shareholders of record as of February 10, 2022.

“We reported strong results and net loan growth in our second fiscal quarter,” said Rick Wayne, Chief Executive Officer. “Our National Lending Division generated a record $260.5 million in originations and purchases for the quarter, growing the National Lending portfolio by $112.6 million, or 11.4%, over September 30, 2021, and $151.1 million, or 15.9%, over June 30, 2021. The originated yield and purchased return for the quarter was 6.5% and 9.0%, respectively. We continued to benefit from our correspondent arrangement with The Loan Source, Inc. and NEWITY (formerly ACAP SME, LLC), generating $6.0 million of correspondent fee income during the quarter. For the quarter, we earned $1.42 per diluted common share, a return on average equity of 18.8%, a return on average assets of 2.9% and repurchased 354 thousand shares at a weighted average price of $33.94.”

As of December 31, 2021, total assets were $1.46 billion, a decrease of $714.4 million, or 32.9%, from total assets of $2.17 billion as of June 30, 2021, primarily due to the $844.3 million, or 83.6%, decrease in cash and short-term investments, as discussed below. The principal components of the changes in the balance sheet follow:

1. Cash and short-term investments decreased by $844.3 million, or 83.6%, from June 30, 2021, primarily due to the timing of a large deposit account related to U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) elevated loan payoff collections at June 30, 2021. Cash and short-term investments may fluctuate significantly while PPP collections, including forgiveness amounts, continue, depending on the timing of receipts and remittances of cash amounts.

2. The following table highlights the changes in the loan portfolio for the three and six months ended December 31, 2021:

Loans generated by the Bank's National Lending Division for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 totaled $260.5 million, which consisted of $92.1 million of purchased loans, at an average price of 98.7% of unpaid principal balance, and $168.4 million of originated loans.

An overview of the Bank’s National Lending portfolio follows:

(1) The total return on purchased loans represents scheduled accretion, accelerated accretion, gains on asset sales, gains on real estate owned and other noninterest income recorded during the period divided by the average invested balance, which includes purchased loans held for sale, on an annualized basis. The total return on purchased loans does not include the effect of purchased loan charge-offs or recoveries during the period. Total return on purchased loans is considered a non-GAAP financial measure. See reconciliation in below table entitled “Total Return on Purchased Loans.”

3. Deposits decreased by $709.2 million, or 38.1%, from June 30, 2021, attributable to decreases in demand deposits of $655.9 million, or 67.5%, time deposits of $101.5 million, or 36.5%, and money market accounts of $29.4 million, or 10.3%, partially offset by an increase in savings and interest-bearing checking accounts of $77.6 million, or 23.9%. The primary reason for the net decrease in deposits was due to timing of the receipt of short-term customer funds related to PPP payoff collections prior to June 30, 2021, which were subsequently used to pay down NEWITY’s PPP Liquidity Facility (“PPPLF”) balance during the six months ended December 31, 2021.

4. Shareholders’ equity increased by $6.8 million, or 3.0%, from June 30, 2021, primarily due to net income of $21.3 million and stock-based compensation of $480 thousand, partially offset by the repurchase of 456 thousand shares of voting common stock at a weighted average price per share of $33.04, which resulted in a $15.1 million decrease in shareholders’ equity.

Net income increased by $3.2 million to $11.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, compared to net income of $8.2 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2020.

1. Net interest and dividend income before provision for loan losses increased by $4.7 million to $20.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, compared to $15.4 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily due to the following:

• An increase in interest income earned on loans of $3.1 million, primarily due to an increase in interest income earned on the National Lending Division’s originated and purchased portfolios, due to higher average balances, partially offset by lower rates earned on both portfolios;

• A decrease in deposit interest expense of $1.3 million, primarily due to lower interest rates and a repositioning of the Bank’s deposit portfolio; and

• A decrease in interest expense on subordinated debt of $282 thousand, as the Bank redeemed its $15.1 million subordinated debt in full at par plus accrued interest on July 1, 2021; partially offset by,

• A decrease of $117 thousand in interest income earned on securities, due to lower rates earned and lower average balances.
  

The following table summarizes interest income and related yields recognized on the loan portfolios:

The components of total income on purchased loans are set forth in the table below entitled “Total Return on Purchased Loans.” When compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2020, regularly scheduled interest and accretion for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 increased by $463 thousand due to the increase in average balances and transactional income increased by $728 thousand. The total return on purchased loans for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 was 9.0%, a decrease from 9.1% for the quarter ended December 31, 2020. The following table details the total return on purchased loans:

(1) The total return on purchased loans represents scheduled accretion, accelerated accretion, gains on asset sales and gains on real estate owned recorded during the period divided by the average invested balance, which includes purchased loans held for sale, on an annualized basis. The total return does not include the effect of purchased loan charge-offs or recoveries in the quarter. Total return is considered a non-GAAP financial measure.

2. Provision (credit) for loan losses decreased by $1.4 million to a credit of $1.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, from a $365 thousand provision in the quarter ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in the provision (credit) for loan losses reflects decreases in certain qualitative factors during the current quarter as a result of continued improvements relative to the COVID-19 pandemic, as compared to increases in certain qualitative factors during the quarter ended December 31, 2020 as a result of impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Noninterest income decreased by $4 thousand for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to the following:

• An increase in gain on real estate owned (“REO”) of $260 thousand, due to the gain on sale of a REO property during the current quarter, as compared to a large write-down on an existing REO property and a net loss on the sale of two REO properties during the quarter ended December 31, 2020; partially offset by,

• A decrease in fees for other customers of $184 thousand, due to lower commercial loan servicing fees due to SBA loan payoffs;

• An increase in unrealized loss on equity securities of $37 thousand; and

• A decrease in correspondent fee income of $41 thousand from the recognition of correspondent fees and net servicing income. Correspondent income for the quarters ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 is comprised of the following components:
  

In addition to the net servicing interest income, a summary of PPP loans purchased by Loan Source and related amounts that the Bank will earn over the expected life of the loans is as follows:

(1) - Northeast Bank's share
(2) - Expected to be recognized into income over life of loans
(3) - Loan Source’s ending PPP loan balance was $4.64 billion as of December 31, 2021

4. Noninterest expense increased by $759 thousand for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2020, primarily due to the following:

• An increase in salaries and employee benefits expense of $1.4 million, primarily due to increases in regular employee compensation, bonus, and stock compensation expense; and

• An increase in other noninterest expense of $42 thousand, primarily due to increases in insurance expense, travel and meals and entertainment expense, and correspondent banking fees during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 compared to December 31, 2020; partially offset by,

• A decrease in loan expense of $613 thousand, due to a decrease in PPP and SBA 7(a) expenses of $424 thousand, and decreases in REO and collection expense due to collection reimbursements during the quarter ended December 31, 2021; and

• A decrease in occupancy and equipment expense of $183 thousand, primarily due to the closure of an office location during the quarter ended December 31, 2020.
  

5. Income tax expense increased by $2.1 million to $5.0 million, or an effective tax rate of 30.6%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2021, compared to $2.9 million, or an effective tax rate of 26.3%, for the quarter ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher pre-tax income, which increased by $5.3 million during the quarter ended December 31, 2021 compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2020. The increase in effective tax rate was primarily due to $472 thousand of tax benefits arising from the exercise of stock options during the quarter ended December 31, 2020, as compared to only $44 thousand of tax benefits in the quarter ended December 31, 2021.

As of December 31, 2021, nonperforming assets totaled $21.3 million, or 1.46% of total assets, as compared to $20.4 million, or 0.94% of total assets, as of June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to five National Lending Division loans totaling $4.3 million that were placed on nonaccrual during the six months ended December 31, 2021, partially offset by the sale of three REO properties totaling $1.8 million, and paydowns of $1.4 million on nonaccrual loans.

As of December 31, 2021, past due loans totaled $14.6 million, or 1.23% of total loans, as compared to past due loans totaling $11.3 million, or 1.08% of total loans as of June 30, 2021. The increase was primarily due to three National Lending Division loans totaling $4.3 million becoming past due during the six months ended December 31, 2021, partially offset by two purchased loans totaling $1.1 million that became current.

As of December 31, 2021, the Bank’s Tier 1 leverage capital ratio was 15.2%, compared to 13.6% at June 30, 2021, and the Total capital ratio was 20.8% at December 31, 2021, compared to 24.3% at June 30, 2021. Capital ratios were primarily affected by increased earnings and decreased assets, while the total capital ratio was negatively impacted by the redemption of the subordinated debt on July 1, 2021.

Investor Call Information
Rick Wayne, Chief Executive Officer, Jean-Pierre Lapointe, Chief Financial Officer, and Pat Dignan, Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer, will host a conference call to discuss second quarter earnings and business outlook at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, January 27^th. Investors can access the call by dialing 800.773.2954 and entering the following passcode: 50273456. The call will be available via live webcast, which can be viewed by accessing the Bank’s website at www.northeastbank.com and clicking on the About Us - Investor Relations section. To listen to the webcast, attendees are encouraged to visit the website at least fifteen minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software. Please note there will also be a slide presentation that will accompany the webcast. For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available online for one year at www.northeastbank.com.

About Northeast Bank
Northeast Bank (NASDAQ: NBN) is a full-service bank headquartered in Portland, Maine. We offer personal and business banking services to the Maine market via eight branches. Our National Lending Division purchases and originates commercial loans on a nationwide basis. ableBanking, a division of Northeast Bank, offers online savings products to consumers nationwide. Information regarding Northeast Bank can be found at www.northeastbank.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to results presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), this press release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures, including tangible common shareholders’ equity, tangible book value per share, total return on purchased loans, efficiency ratio, net interest margin excluding PPP, and net interest margin excluding PPP and collection account. The Bank’s management believes that the supplemental non-GAAP information is utilized by regulators and market analysts to evaluate a company’s financial condition and therefore, such information is useful to investors. These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for financial results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare these financial measures with other companies’ non-GAAP financial measures having the same or similar names.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may also make forward-looking statements in other documents we file with the FDIC, in our annual reports to our shareholders, in press releases and other written materials, and in oral statements made by our officers, directors or employees. You can identify forward-looking statements by the use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “assume,” “outlook,” “will,” “should,” and other expressions that predict or indicate future events and trends and which do not relate to historical matters. Although the Bank believes that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable estimates and assumptions, they are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors. You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. You should exercise caution in interpreting and relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to significant risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Bank’s control. The Bank’s actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of, among other factors, the ongoing disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to contain its spread on our employees, customers, business operations, credit quality, financial position, liquidity and results of operations; changes in employment levels, general business and economic conditions on a national basis and in the local markets in which the Bank operates, including changes which adversely affect borrowers’ ability to service and repay our loans; changes in customer behavior due to political, business and economic conditions or legislative or regulatory initiatives; turbulence in the capital and debt markets; reductions in net interest income resulting from interest rate volatility as well as changes in the balances and mix of loans and deposits; changes in interest rates and real estate values; changes in loan collectability, increases in defaults and charge-off rates; decreases in the value of securities and other assets, adequacy of loan loss reserves, or deposit levels necessitating increased borrowing to fund loans and investments; changing government regulation; competitive pressures from other financial institutions; changes in legislation or regulation and accounting principles, policies and guidelines; operational risks including, but not limited to, cybersecurity incidents, fraud, natural disasters and future pandemics; the risk that the Bank may not be successful in the implementation of its business strategy; the risk that intangibles recorded in the Bank’s financial statements will become impaired; reputational risk relating to its participation in the Paycheck Protection Program and other pandemic-related legislative and regulatory initiatives and programs; changes in assumptions used in making such forward-looking statements; and the other risks and uncertainties detailed in the Bank’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and updated by Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings submitted to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. These statements speak only as of the date of this release and the Bank does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this communication or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

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