Peoples Bancorp Announces Fourth Quarter and Annual Earnings Results

NEWTON, N.C., Jan. 27, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (Nasdaq:PEBK), the parent company of Peoples Bank, reported fourth quarter and annual earnings results with highlights as follows:

Highlights:

• Net earnings were $1.4 million or $0.25 basic and diluted net earnings per share for the three months ended December 31, 2013, before adjustment for preferred stock dividends and accretion, as compared to $1.2 million or $0.22 basic and diluted net earnings per share, before adjustment for preferred stock dividends and accretion, for the same period one year ago.
• Net earnings available to common shareholders were $1.2 million or $0.21 basic and diluted net earnings per common share for the three months ended December 31, 2013, as compared to $1.1 million or $0.19 basic and diluted net earnings per common share, for the same period one year ago.
• Earnings before securities gains and income taxes were $8.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, compared to $6.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2012.
• Core deposits were $683.9 million, or 85.6% of total deposits at December 31, 2013, compared to $646.4 million, or 82.7% of total deposits at December 31, 2012.
• Non-performing assets declined to $16.4 million or 1.6% of total assets at December 31, 2013, compared to $26.3 million or 2.6% of total assets at December 31, 2012.
• The Company received regulatory approval in December 2013 to repurchase and redeem the remaining 12,524 outstanding shares of its Series A preferred stock. The repurchase and redemption, which was completed January 17, 2014, is reflected on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2013. "Accrued interest payable and other liabilities" at December 31, 2013 includes a $12.6 million payable for the preferred stock principal and accrued dividends paid to preferred shareholders on January 17, 2014.

Lance A. Sellers, President and Chief Executive Officer, attributed the increase in fourth quarter earnings to a decrease in the provision for loan losses, an increase in net interest income and an increase in non-interest income, which were partially offset by an increase in non-interest expense.

Net interest income was $8.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2013, compared to $7.7 million for the same period one year ago. This increase was primarily due to a decrease in interest expense due to a reduction in the cost of funds and a reduction in interest bearing liabilities combined with an increase in interest income due to an increase in the average outstanding balance of investment securities. Net interest income after the provision for loan losses increased to $7.8 million during the fourth quarter of 2013, compared to $7.2 million for the same period one year ago. The provision for loan losses for the three months ended December 31, 2013 was $419,000, as compared to $511,000 for the same period one year ago. The decrease in the provision for loan losses is primarily attributable to a $3.8 million reduction in non-accrual loans from December 31, 2012 to December 31, 2013 and a reduction in net charge-offs of $1.9 million during the three months ended December 31, 2013, as compared to the same period one year ago.

Non-interest income was $2.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2013, compared to $2.7 million for the same period one year ago. This increase is primarily attributable to a $128,000 reduction in losses and write-downs on other real estate owned properties for the three months ended December 31, 2013, as compared to the same period one year ago.

Non-interest expense was $9.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2013, as compared to $8.5 million for the same period one year ago. This increase is primarily attributable to a $746,000 increase in non-interest expenses other than salary, employee benefits and occupancy expenses, which was primarily due to a $530,000 prepayment penalty on a $5 million FHLB borrowing that was repaid in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Year-to-date net earnings as of December 31, 2013 were $6.7 million, or $1.19 basic and diluted net earnings per share, before adjustment for preferred stock dividends and accretion, as compared to $5.8 million, or $1.04 basic and diluted net earnings per share, before adjustment for preferred stock dividends and accretion, for the year ended December 31, 2012. After adjusting for dividends and accretion on preferred stock, net earnings available to common shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2013 were $6.0 million, or $1.08 basic net earnings per common share and $1.07 diluted net earnings per common share, as compared to $4.8 million, or $0.86 basic and diluted net earnings per common share, for the year ended December 31, 2012. The increase in year-to-date earnings is primarily attributable to a decrease in the provision for loan losses and an increase in non-interest income, which were partially offset by a decrease in net interest income and an increase in non-interest expense, as discussed below. 

Year-to-date net interest income as of December 31, 2013 was $31.3 million, compared to $31.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2012.   This decrease is primarily attributable to a decrease in interest income resulting from decreases in the year-to-date average balances outstanding on loans and a decrease in the yield on earning assets, which were partially offset by a decrease in interest expense due to a reduction in the cost of funds and a reduction in interest bearing liabilities. Net interest income after the provision for loan losses increased 8.0% to $28.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, compared to $26.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2012. The provision for loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2013 was $2.6 million, as compared to $4.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2012. The decrease in the provision for loan losses is primarily attributable to a $3.6 million decrease in net charge-offs during the year ended December 31, 2013, compared to the year ended December 31, 2012 and a $3.8 million reduction in non-accrual loans from December 31, 2012 to December 31, 2013.

Non-interest income was $12.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, compared to $12.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2012. This increase is primarily attributable to a $554,000 reduction in losses and write-downs on other real estate owned properties and a $144,000 increase in income from the Bank's subsidiary, Peoples Investment Services, Inc., and was partially offset by a $604,000 decrease in the gain on sale of securities for the year ended December 31, 2013, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2012.

Non-interest expense was $32.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2013, as compared to $31.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2012. This increase is primarily due to the $530,000 FHLB prepayment penalty paid during the fourth quarter of 2013 and a $425,000 increase in salaries and employee benefits expense, which was primarily due to salary increases, an increase in the number of full-time equivalent employees and an increase in sales incentive expense during the year ended December 31, 2013, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2012.

Total assets amounted to $1.0 billion as of December 31, 2013 and 2012. Available for sale securities amounted to $297.9 million as of December 31, 2013, compared to $297.8 million as of December 31, 2012. Total loans amounted to $621.0 million as of December 31, 2013, compared to $620.0 million as of December 31, 2012.

Non-performing assets declined to $16.4 million or 1.6% of total assets at December 31, 2013, compared to $26.3 million or 2.6% of total assets at December 31, 2012, primarily due to a $3.8 million decrease in non-accrual loans and a $4.6 million decrease in other real estate owned. Non-performing loans include $6.5 million in acquisition, development and construction ("AD&C") loans, $7.9 million in commercial and residential mortgage loans and $277,000 in other loans at December 31, 2013, as compared to $9.2 million in AD&C loans, $10.4 million in commercial and residential mortgage loans and $415,000 in other loans at December 31, 2012. The allowance for loan losses at December 31, 2013 was $13.5 million or 2.2% of total loans, compared to $14.4 million or 2.3% of total loans at December 31, 2012. According to Mr. Sellers, management believes the current level of the allowance for loan losses is adequate; however, there is no assurance that additional adjustments to the allowance will not be required because of changes in economic conditions, regulatory requirements or other factors.

Deposits amounted to $799.4 million as of December 31, 2013, compared to $781.5 million at December 31, 2012. Core deposits, which include non-interest bearing demand deposits, NOW, MMDA, savings and non-brokered certificates of deposit of denominations less than $100,000, increased $37.5 million to $683.9 million at December 31, 2013, as compared to $646.4 million at December 31, 2012. Certificates of deposit in amounts of $100,000 or more totaled $115.3 million at December 31, 2013, as compared to $134.7 million at December 31, 2012. This decrease is attributable to a $6.6 million decrease in wholesale certificates of deposit combined with a decrease in retail certificates of deposit as intended as part of the Bank's pricing strategy to allow maturing high cost certificates of deposit to roll-off.

Securities sold under agreements to repurchase were $45.4 million at December 31, 2013, as compared to $34.6 million at December 31, 2012. 

Shareholders' equity was $83.7 million, or 8.1% of total assets, as of December 31, 2013, compared to $97.7 million, or 9.6% of total assets, as of December 31, 2012. This decrease reflects the Company's repurchase and redemption of its Series A preferred stock combined with a reduction in accumulated other comprehensive income resulting from a decrease in the unrealized gain on investment securities. Management expects the repurchase of the Company's preferred stock, which has a liquidation preference of $12,524,000, to be approximately $0.18 accretive to the Company's diluted earnings per common share in 2014 based on current interest rates.

Peoples Bank operates 22 offices entirely in North Carolina, with offices in Catawba, Alexander, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Union, Iredell and Wake Counties. The Company's common stock is publicly traded and is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol "PEBK."

Statements made in this press release, other than those concerning historical information, should be considered forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of management and on the information available to management at the time that this release was prepared. These statements can be identified by the use of words like "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," and "believe," variations of these words and other similar expressions. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, (1) competition in the markets served by Peoples Bank, (2) changes in the interest rate environment, (3) general national, regional or local economic conditions may be less favorable than expected, resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in credit quality and the possible impairment of collectibility of loans, (4) legislative or regulatory changes, including changes in accounting standards, (5) significant changes in the federal and state legal and regulatory environment and tax laws, (6) the impact of changes in monetary and fiscal policies, laws, rules and regulations and (7) other risks and factors identified in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to those described in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

CONTACT: Lance A. Sellers
         President and Chief Executive Officer
         
         A. Joseph Lampron, Jr.
         Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
         
         828-464-5620, Fax 828-465-6780