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Blackhawk Bancorp Announces 2020 First Quarter Earnings

BELOIT, WI / ACCESSWIRE / April 20, 2020 / Blackhawk Bancorp, Inc. (BHWB) reported net income of $2.07 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020, as compared to $2.35 million for the previous quarter, and $1.08 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2019. Fully diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31, 2020 decreased 11% to $0.63, as compared to $0.71 for the quarter ended December 31, 2019, but increased by $0.30, or 91%, compared to $0.33 for the quarter ended March 31, 2019. The first quarter results produced a Return on Average Equity (ROAE) of 8.31% and a Return on Average Assets (ROAA) of 0.85%.

The decrease in earnings as compared to the most recent quarter was driven by a $673,000 decrease in noninterest income, reflecting decreases of $352,000 in gain on sale of mortgage loans and $359,000 in other income. The decrease in other income was due to non-recurring items in the previous quarter. The reduction in non-interest income was partially offset by a $215,000 decrease in the provision for loan losses.

The increase in net income and earnings per share compared to the first quarter of 2019 was due to the prior year's first quarter results including $1.34 million (after tax) of non-recurring merger and integration related expenses. Excluding the prior year's non-recurring merger and integration expenses, net income for the first quarter of 2020 decreased by $346,000, and diluted earnings per share decreased by $0.10, or 14%, compared to the first quarter of last year. The decrease included a $495,000, or 183% increase in the provision for loan losses.

"The first quarter's results reflect minimal impact related to the COVID-19 global pandemic that has gripped the nation," said Todd James, the Company's Chairman and CEO. "We expect increased loan losses in the quarters ahead, and we're in the process of running credit stress tests and assessing the effectiveness of the government stimulus programs that were enacted to soften the impact of the crisis. Our first priority was and is the safety and well-being of our employees, customers and the communities we serve. We have implemented appropriate social distancing protocols and measures to comply with the "Safer at Home" orders and similar guidance issued by authorities, and have accordingly continued to provide essential services. We have also made helping our customers understand and gain access to the stimulus programs available to them a priority. Our dedicated credit team and business bankers processed over six hundred Payroll Protection Program applications over a two-week period, securing over $70 million under the program, getting funds into the hands of businesses that need it. I could not be more proud of the way our employees have stepped up to the challenges of this crisis, and have continued to provide the products, services, counseling and financial guidance that our customers have come to expect from Blackhawk," added James.