Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc. Reports Fiscal Second Quarter, Six Month 2015 Earnings, Financial Results

EAU CLAIRE, WI--(Marketwired - Apr 24, 2015) - Citizens Community Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: CZWI) (the "Company"), parent company of Citizens Community Federal N.A. (the "Bank"), a national banking association offering full-service retail banking and commercial lending, today announced unaudited financial results for the fiscal second quarter and six months ended March 31, 2015. The Bank's results reflected year-over-year earnings growth, an increase in non-interest income and strong asset quality. For the three months ended March 31, 2015, net income was $596,000, or $0.11 per diluted share, up 85.7% compared with net income of $321,000, or $0.06 per diluted share, for the three months ended March 31, 2014. For the six months ended March 31, 2015, net income was $1.3 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, up 110.1% compared with net income of $624,000, or $0.12 per diluted share, for the six months ended March 31, 2014.

Edward H. Schaefer, President and CEO, stated: "Our results continue to reflect a consistent improvement in earnings. Again like last year, we were able to double the annual cash dividend paid to our shareholders, from $0.04 per share in fiscal 2014 to $0.08 per share in fiscal 2015. Good things are happening at our Company, as shown by our quarterly results, and as we reshape our business model to diversify our balance sheet and sources of income."

Highlights

  • The increase in earnings during the fiscal first half of 2015 over the same period in the prior year, was primarily driven by an increase in non-interest income, a decrease in non-interest expense and a lower provision for loan losses.

  • Net interest income decreased $247,000 or 5.1% for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 compared to the quarter ended, March 31, 2014, primarily due to loan sales of fixed rate longer term consumer real estate loans in the amount of $7.6 million in September 2014 and $8.1 million in October 2014 and the continued pressure on our earning asset yields stemming from the low interest rate environment. "Although we were aware that the loan sales would result in a reduction in loan interest income, the loan sales have contributed to positive trends in reducing our interest rate risk," Schaefer explained.

  • Total non-interest income increased $292,000 or 46.2% in the quarter ended March 31, 2015 compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2014, primarily due to secondary market and commercial loan origination fees.

  • The Company's provision for loan losses was $150,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2015, as compared to $480,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2014. The allowance for loan losses, as a percent of total outstanding loans, increased at March 31, 2015, to 1.44% from 1.38% at September 30, 2014, due to a decrease in outstanding loan balances. The Bank continues to maintain a separate restricted reserve account of $1 million, for the outstanding purchased indirect consumer loan balances in the amount of $36.1 million on our March 31, 2015 balance sheet. The allowance for loan losses, as a percent of total outstanding loans, net of these purchased indirect consumer loans, was 1.57% as of March 31, 2015 and 1.49% as of September 30, 2014, respectively.

  • Total non-interest expense was $4.4 million for the fiscal second quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared with $4.5 million for the fiscal second quarter ended March 31, 2014, primarily reflecting reduced salaries and related benefit costs, as well as reduced office expenses realized from efficiencies attained over recent years through management initiatives, including branch closures, technology improvements and a higher focus on employee education and training.

  • The Bank continues to be well capitalized by accepted regulatory standards. The Bank's tier 1 leverage capital ratio to adjusted total assets ratio was 10.3% at March 31, 2015 and 10.0% at September 30, 2014. The Bank's total capital to risk weighted assets ratio was 16.7% at March 31, 2015, compared with 16.1% at September 30, 2014.

  • Total loans decreased $16.9 million to $453.5 million as of March 31, 2015, from $470.4 million at September 30, 2014, partially offset by an increase in commercial and agricultural loans in the amount of $10.5 million as of March 31, 2015 from their September 30, 2014 balances.

  • Total deposits at March 31, 2015 increased to $455.5 million, compared with $449.8 million at September 30, 2014. Due to the increase in core deposits, we were able to reduce maturing wholesale borrowings by $8 million, or 13.6%, from their balances at September 30, 2014.

  • The Company's book value per share at March 31, 2015 increased to $11.31 compared with $11.09 at September 30, 2014, primarily reflecting the Company's growth and operations improvement between the periods.