SB Financial Group, Inc. Announces Second-Quarter and Six-Month 2017 Results

DEFIANCE, Ohio, July 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SB Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBFG) ("SB Financial" or the "Company"), a diversified financial services company providing full-service community banking, mortgage banking, wealth management, item and statement processing services, today reported earnings for the second-quarter and six-months ended June 30, 2017.

Second-quarter 2017 highlights over prior-year second quarter include:

• Net income of $2.3 million, an increase of 2.3 percent, or $0.1 million
• Return on average assets of 1.09 percent
• Diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.37, an increase of 5.7 percent, or $0.02 per share
• Mortgage origination volume of $97.8 million, a decrease of 11.3 percent, or $12.4 million from $110.2 million

Six-months ended June 30, 2017 highlights over prior-year six months include:

• Net income of $4.3 million, an increase of 9.9 percent, or $0.4 million
• Return on average assets of 1.03 percent
• Diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.68, an increase of 11.5 percent, or $0.07 per share

Trailing twelve months (TTM) ended June 30, 2017 results compared to same period prior year:

• Loan growth of $46.8 million, or 7.7 percent vs. $82.4 million or 15.8 percent
• Deposit growth of $59.0 million, or 9.1 percent vs. $85.4 million or 15.2 percent
• Servicing portfolio of $952.4 million, up 14.5 percent, or $120.6 million
• Diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.45, an increase of 16.0 percent, or $0.20 per share

"Lower mortgage originations impacted our quarterly performance, although we were pleased to show positive earnings growth from both the prior-year and linked quarters," said Mark A. Klein, Chairman, President and CEO of SB Financial.  "For the first half of this year; double digit earnings growth, strong loan and deposit volume and improving asset quality are the headlines."

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Consolidated Revenue

Total operating revenue, consisting of net interest income and noninterest income, was up 6.5 percent from the second quarter of 2016, and up 10.8 percent from the linked quarter.

• Net interest income was up 8.4 percent from the year-ago quarter, and up 7.0 percent from the linked quarter.
• Net interest margin (FTE) was down 2 basis points from the year-ago quarter, but up 14 basis points from the linked quarter.
• Noninterest income was up 3.6 percent from the year-ago quarter, and up 17.4 percent from the linked quarter.
• Total revenue for the first six months of 2017 was $21.7 million compared to $20.3 million for the first six months of 2016, which is a 7.2 percent increase.

Mortgage Loan Business

Mortgage loan originations for the second quarter of 2017 were $97.8 million, down $12.4 million, or 11.3 percent, from the year-ago quarter.  Total sales of originated loans were $80.0 million, down $15.1 million, or 15.9 percent from the year-ago quarter.

Net mortgage banking income, consisting of gains on the sale of mortgage loans and net loan servicing fees, was $2.3 million for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $2.0 million for the year-ago quarter, or a 14.6 percent increase.  The mortgage servicing valuation adjustment for the second quarter 2017 was a negative $0.04 million, compared to a negative adjustment of $0.5 million for the second quarter of 2016.  The aggregate servicing valuation impairment ended the quarter at $0.2 million.  The mortgage-servicing portfolio at June 30, 2017, was $952.4 million, up $120.6 million, or 14.5 percent, from $831.8 million at June 30, 2016.

Mr. Klein noted, "Mortgage production improved this quarter, up $41 million from the linked quarter.  We continue to see the shift away from refinance activity as our purchase volume was over 95 percent in the quarter.  Despite an 11 percent decrease in volume from the prior year, our revenue, adjusting for impairment was only down 5.5 percent due to better pricing and operational efficiencies."

Noninterest Income and Noninterest Expense

SB Financial's noninterest income includes revenue from a diverse group of services, such as wealth management, deposit fees and the sale of small business loans (SBA).  SBA activity for the quarter was strong, with total loan volume of $4.2 million and gains of $0.4 million.  Wealth management assets under the Company's care stood at $407.3 million as of June 30, 2017.  Noninterest income as a percentage of total revenue was 39.1 percent. 

For the second quarter of 2017, noninterest expense (NIE) of $7.8 million, was up $0.4 million, or 5.4 percent, compared to the same quarter last year.  The increase was due mainly to staffing growth in the mortgage, wealth management and SBA divisions.  Compared to the linked quarter, NIE was up $0.4 million, or 5.7 percent.

Mr. Klein stated, "SBA volume was above $4 million again this quarter and we are nearing $800 thousand in loan sale gains for the year, with an average sale price of nearly 12 points.  On the expense side, we continue to commit more resources to our sales and operational teams as we take market share, however the key metric of operating leverage has remained positive." 

Balance Sheet

Total assets as of June 30, 2017, were $847.7 million, up $54.5 million, or 6.9 percent, from a year ago.  Total equity as of June 30, 2017, was $89.0 million, up 4.8 percent, from a year ago, and was at 10.5 percent of total assets. 

Total loans held for investment were $651.6 million at June 30, 2017, up $46.8 million, or 7.7 percent, from June 30, 2016.  Commercial real estate loans were up $34.2 million, or 13.1 percent, and accounted for the majority of the total loan growth.  Commercial (C&I) also rose $6.7 million, or 6.6 percent, from the prior period.

The investment portfolio of $107.1 million, including Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank stock, represented 12.6 percent of assets at June 30, 2017, and was up 11.3 percent from the year-ago period.  Deposit balances of $707.3 million at June 30, 2017, increased by $59.0 million, or 9.1 percent, since June 30, 2016.  Growth from the prior year included $11.1 million in checking and $47.9 million in savings and time deposit balances.

"Loan volume returned to a more anticipated level in the quarter at $24.9 million or an annualized growth rate of 16 percent," said Mr. Klein.  The loan pipeline remains strong throughout our regional markets and we continue to fund our growth with retail deposits."

Asset Quality

SB Financial maintained its high-performing peer asset quality level during the quarter, reporting non-performing assets of $3.9 million as of June 30, 2017, down $4.3 million, or 52.5 percent, from the year-ago quarter.  The decrease from the prior year resulted in the full principal payoff of two existing delinquent commercial real estate credits.  SB Financial's nonperforming assets to total assets ratio of 0.46 percent is down from the 1.04 percent at June 30, 2016.  The coverage of problem loans by the loan loss allowance was at 205.1 percent at June 30, 2017, up from the 92.3 percent at June 30, 2016.

Webcast and Conference Call

The Company will hold a related conference call and webcast on July 21, 2017, at 11:00 a.m. EDT.  Interested parties may access the conference call by dialing 1-888-338-9469.  The webcast can be accessed at http://www.yoursbfinancial.com/investorrelations.html.  An audio replay of the call will be available on the SB Financial website.

About SB Financial Group                                                                          

Headquartered in Defiance, Ohio, SB Financial is a diversified financial services holding company with two operating subsidiaries: State Bank and Diverse Computer Marketers (DCM). State Bank provides a full range of financial services for consumers and small businesses, including wealth management, private client services, mortgage banking and commercial and agricultural lending, operating through a total of 19 banking centers; 18 in nine Ohio counties and one center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and 24 full-service ATMs.  The Company has six loan production offices located throughout the Tri-State region of Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.  DCM provides item processing and statement production services to community banks located primarily in the Midwest.  SB Financial's common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "SBFG".  SB Financial's preferred stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol "SBFGP".  

In May 2017, SB Financial was ranked #145 on the American Banker Magazine's list of Top 200 Publicly Traded Community Banks and Thrifts based on three-year average return on equity ("ROE").

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements within this document, which are not statements of historical fact, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties inherent in the national and regional banking industry, changes in economic conditions in the market areas in which SB Financial and its subsidiaries operate, changes in policies by regulatory agencies, changes in accounting standards and policies, changes in tax laws, fluctuations in interest rates, demand for loans in the market areas in SB Financial and its subsidiaries operate, increases in FDIC insurance premiums, changes in the competitive environment, losses of significant customers, geopolitical events, the loss of key personnel and other risks identified in SB Financial's Annual Report on Form 10-K and documents subsequently filed by SB Financial with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and SB Financial undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made, except as required by law. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to SB Financial or any person acting on its behalf are qualified by these cautionary statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to results presented in accordance with GAAP, this release contains certain non-GAAP financial measures. Management believes that including certain non-GAAP financial measures will provide investors with information useful in understanding the Company's financial performance, its performance trends and financial position. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered a substitute for GAAP basis measures and results.