Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. Reports 2023 Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year Financial Results

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Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.
Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc.

ARCHBOLD, Ohio, Feb. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Farmers & Merchants Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: FMAO) today reported financial results for the 2023 fourth quarter and twelve months ended December 31, 2023.

2023 Fourth Quarter Financial and Operating Highlights (on a year-over-year basis unless noted):

  • 83 consecutive quarters of profitability

  • Net income was $5.5 million, or $0.41 per basic and diluted share

  • Asset quality remains strong as nonperforming loans were 0.87% of total loans

  • Net charge-offs to average loans were 0.03%

  • Allowance for credit losses was 111.95% of nonperforming loans

  • Tier 1 leverage ratio was 8.20%

  • Opened first bank office in Michigan and new regional headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana

  • Added Ian D. Boyce to the Board of Directors of both the Company and the Bank

  • Realigned organizational structure to support future growth and drive profitability

  • Dividend raised 4.8% year-over-year, representing the 29th consecutive annual increase in the Company’s regular dividend payment since 1994

2023 Full-Year Financial Highlights Include (on a year-over-year basis unless noted):

  • Total loans were a record of $2.58 billion and increased 9.5% from $2.36 billion at December 31, 2022

  • Total assets increased 8.9% to a record $3.28 billion

  • Deposits increased to 5.6% to a record $2.61 billion

  • Stockholders’ equity increased 6.2% to a record $316.5 million

  • Net interest income after provision for credit losses decreased 3.1% to $79.7 million

  • Net income was $22.8 million, or $1.67 per basic and diluted share

  • Return on average tangible equity was 12.17%

  • Opened a total of four new bank offices including new offices in Ohio, Indiana and Michigan

  • Successfully launched new forward-looking logo and brand-name

  • Provided a record $802,000 of charitable donations to support organizations throughout Ohio and Indiana

Lars B. Eller, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “I am extremely proud of how F&M’s team responded to the challenging operating environment in 2023 as unprecedented rate increases caused significant competition for deposits and elevated our costs of funds. While these trends impacted earnings growth in 2023, we ended the year with record total assets, loans, net, and total deposits, as well as stockholders’ equity. Our ability to grow our balance sheet throughout the year is a testament to the value we provide to our Ohio, Indiana and Michigan communities and the successful execution of our growth-oriented strategic plan.”

Mr. Eller continued, “As we successfully navigated the challenging macro-landscape in 2023, we simultaneously invested in our business to make sure we had the right platform in place to support F&M’s current and future needs. As a result, throughout 2023 we made calculated investments to expand our office network, enhance our products, add new IT capabilities, refine our corporate organization, and redesign our brand strategy. Highlights include adding offices in new markets including Oxford, OH and Birmingham MI, as well as expanding our local presence by adding a new office in Fort Wayne and a new regional office in downtown Toledo. In addition, our brand refresh to F&M has helped differentiate the Bank in our non-legacy markets, while doubling down on the strength of the F&M brand in our existing markets. During 2023, we also made several organizational changes to our leadership structure and added new back-office capabilities that we believe can support a bank with $4 billion in assets.”