ASRV AmeriServ Financial Inc

JOHNSTOWN, Pa., April 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AmeriServ Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASRV) reported first quarter 2019 net income of $1,878,000, or $0.11 per diluted common share.  This represented a $0.01, or 10.0%, increase in earnings per share from the first quarter of 2018 where net income totaled $1,767,000, or $0.10 per diluted common share.  The following table highlights the Company's financial performance for the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and 2018: 

COMMON STOCK REPURCHASE PROGRAM

The Company's Board of Directors approved a new common stock repurchase program which calls for AmeriServ Financial Inc. to buy back up to 3%, or approximately 526,000 shares, of its outstanding common stock during the next 12 months.  The authorized repurchases will be made from time to time in either the open market or through privately negotiated transactions.  The timing, volume and nature of share repurchases will be at the sole discretion of management, dependent on market conditions, applicable securities laws, and other factors, and may be suspended or discontinued at any time.  No assurance can be given that any particular amount of common stock will be repurchased.  This buyback program may be modified, extended or terminated by the Board of Directors at any time.  At March 31, 2019, the Company had approximately 17.5 million common shares outstanding.  In the first quarter of 2019, the Company completed a common stock repurchase program where it bought back 540,000 shares, or 3% of its common stock, over a 9-month period at a total cost of $2.38 million.

Jeffrey A. Stopko, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented on the 2019 first quarter financial results: "I was pleased with the growth in earnings per share (EPS) that our Company achieved in the first quarter of 2019. This EPS growth resulted from a combination of strong asset quality, good expense control and effective capital management.  As a result of the confidence that our Board of Directors has in AmeriServ Financial Inc.'s earnings power, we believe that the continued return of capital to our shareholders through a new common stock buyback program is an appropriate capital management strategy." 

The Company's net interest income in the first quarter of 2019 decreased by $91,000, or 1.0%, from the prior year's first quarter.  The Company's net interest margin of 3.24% for the first quarter of 2019 was five basis points lower than the net interest margin of 3.29% for the first quarter 2018 but two basis points better than the more recent fourth quarter 2018 performance.  The 2019 decrease in net interest income and the reduced net interest margin performance are the result of a lower level of total loans between years.  The decrease in the balance of total loans was offset by growth in total investment securities resulting in total average interest earning assets remaining relatively stable between years, increasing modestly by $550,000, or 0.1%.  Also contributing to net interest income decreasing was the upward repricing of interest bearing liabilities combined with a higher balance of average interest bearing liabilities. 

Total investment securities averaged $198 million in the first quarter of 2019 which is $21.2 million, or 12.0%, higher than the $177 million average for the first quarter of 2018.  In addition to the lower level of total loans, the growth in the investment securities portfolio is the result of the rising interest rate environment experienced during 2018 which provided an attractive market for additional security purchases.  Purchases primarily focused on federal agency mortgage backed securities due to the ongoing cash flow that these securities provide.  Also, management continued its portfolio diversification strategy through purchases of high quality corporate and taxable municipal securities. Investment security purchases continued during the first quarter of 2019, but were more selective as the market was less favorable as the yield curve flattened and at times became inverted in the short to mid-term portion of the curve.  Overall, interest income on investments increased between the first quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2018 by $347,000, or 24.8%. 

Total loans averaged $860 million in the first quarter of 2019 which is $21.3 million, or 2.4%, lower than the $881 million average for the first quarter of 2018.  The impact from total loan payoffs exceeding loan originations that was experienced during most of 2018 was still evident in the total loan portfolio average balance during the first quarter of 2019.  Loan payoffs slowed during the first quarter of this year and were matched by loan originations resulting in the total loan portfolio remaining relatively consistent with the year end 2018 level.  Even though total average loans decreased since last year, loan interest income increased by $600,000, or 6.1%, between the first quarter of 2019 and last year's first quarter.  The higher loan interest income reflects new loans originating at higher yields as well as the upward repricing of certain loans tied to LIBOR or the prime rate as both of these indices have moved up with the Federal Reserve's decision to increase the target federal funds interest rate in 2018.  Overall, total interest income increased by $947,000, or 8.4%, between years.

Total interest expense for the first quarter of 2019 increased by $1.0 million, or 42.0%, when compared to 2018, due to higher levels of both deposit and borrowing interest expense.  Deposit interest expense in 2019 was higher by $949,000, or 53.3%, for the first quarter which reflects certain indexed money market accounts repricing upward due to the impact of the Federal Reserve increasing interest rates during 2018.  The Company also has experienced increasing market competitive pressure to retain existing deposit customers and attract new customer deposits.  Customer product preference changed as well since last year as movement of funds occurred from lower yielding money market accounts into higher yielding certificates of deposits.  Overall, total deposits continued to grow for a third consecutive quarter and averaged $969 million in the first quarter of 2019 which was $8.7 million, or 0.9%, higher than the 2018 first quarter average.  The Company's loan to deposit ratio averaged 88.8% in the first quarter of 2019 which we believe indicates that the Company has ample capacity to grow its loan portfolio.  The Company experienced an $89,000, or 12.9%, increase in the interest cost for borrowings in the first quarter of 2019 due to the impact that the 2018 increases in the federal funds rate had on the cost of overnight borrowed funds and the replacement of matured FHLB term advances.  Also, due to a new accounting pronouncement that became effective January 1, 2019, the Company recognized additional interest expense on its financing property leases.  The 2019 first quarter average of FHLB borrowed funds was $62.4 million, which represented a decrease of $5.7 million, or 8.4%, due to the increase in total average deposits.

The Company recorded a $400,000 negative provision for loan losses in the first quarter of 2019 as compared to a $50,000 provision recorded in the first quarter of 2018.  The negative 2019 provision reflects our overall excellent asset quality, reduced criticized loans and lower total loans outstanding in the first quarter of 2019.  The Company experienced net loan charge-offs of $164,000, or 0.08% of total loans, in the 2019 first quarter compared to net loan charge-offs of $333,000, or 0.15% of total loans, in the first quarter of 2018.  Overall, the Company continued to maintain outstanding asset quality as its nonperforming assets totaled $1.2 million, or only 0.14% of total loans, at March 31, 2019.  In summary, the allowance for loan losses provided 694% coverage of non-performing assets, and 0.94% of total loans, at March 31, 2019, compared to 629% coverage of non-performing assets, and 1.00% of total loans, at December 31, 2018.

Total non-interest income in the first quarter of 2019 decreased by $30,000, or 0.8%, from the prior year's first quarter.  There was no investment security sale activity during the first quarter of 2019 after the Company recognized a $148,000 loss in the corresponding quarter of 2018 on the sale of several low balance, low yielding securities.  Revenue from service charges on deposits decreased by $73,000, or 19.1%, due to the lower overdraft fees as the bank is no longer charging a fee on overdrafts that result from signature based point of sale debit card transactions.  Income from residential mortgage loan sales into the secondary market decreased by $36,000, or 36.7%, due to lower residential mortgage loan production in the first quarter of 2019.  Finally, wealth management fees decreased by $30,000, or 1.2%, after the equity market declined late in 2018 and negatively impacted market values for assets under management in the first quarter of 2019. 

The Company's total non-interest expense in the first quarter of 2019 increased by $173,000, or only 1.7%, when compared to the first quarter of 2018.  The increase was due to a higher level of salaries & benefits expense by $208,000, or 3.4%, and a greater level of other expense by $153,000, or 9.4%.  These increases more than offset reductions to FDIC deposit insurance expense of $82,000, professional fees of $64,000, or 5.4%, and occupancy & equipment costs of $42,000, or 4.0%.  Within salaries & benefits, higher salaries expense was due to annual merit increases, four additional employees at our new financial banking center in Hagerstown, Maryland and higher health care costs which more than offset reduced levels of pension expense and incentive compensation.  The increase to other expense is due to higher website costs and an increase to the unfunded commitment reserve.  Professional fees declined in the first quarter of 2019 due to reduced costs from other professional services and lower legal fees.  Also, the lower level of occupancy & equipment expenses since last year resulted from the Company's ongoing focus to reduce and control expenses.  Finally, the Company recorded an income tax expense of $491,000, or an effective tax rate of 20.7%, in the first quarter of 2019.  This compares to an income tax expense of $446,000, or an effective tax rate of 20.1%, for the first quarter of 2018. 

The Company had total assets of $1.17 billion, shareholders' equity of $99.1 million, a book value of $5.65 per common share and a tangible book value of $4.97 per common share at March 31, 2019.  In accordance with the common stock buyback program announced on July 17, 2018, the Company returned an additional $476,000 of capital to its shareholders through the repurchase of 112,311 shares of its common stock in the first quarter of 2019 to complete this program.  The Company continued to maintain strong capital ratios that exceed the regulatory defined well capitalized status.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the risks detailed in the Company's Annual Report and Form 10-K to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ameriserv-financial-reports-increased-2019-first-quarter-earnings-and-announces-a-new-common-stock-repurchase-program-300832345.html

SOURCE AmeriServ Financial, Inc.