SACRAMENTO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 25, 2024 / River City Bank (the Bank) reported net income of $18.7 million, or $12.63 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2024, which compares to $12.9 million, or $8.64 per diluted share, for the same period in 2023. The Bank's earnings for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 represented a healthy 17.5% return on equity capital and 1.47% return on assets. Significant items impacting quarterly net income for March 31, 2024 and 2023 include the following:
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- Higher loan balances - Average loan outstandings for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 were $494 million higher than the same period prior year, thereby increasing net interest income despite higher cost of funds.
- Increased cash and investment balances - Average cash balances grew by $533 million and average investments balances grew by $61 million, when compared to the same period in 2023. The increased balances, at higher yields, provided an $11.9 million increase in income from cash and investments versus the prior year quarter.
- Deposit growth - Average deposits grew by $1.05 billion compared to the same period a year earlier, supporting the Bank's loan growth while reducing higher cost borrowings and increasing liquid assets.
- The Bank recognized $4.3 million in mark-to-market gains on undesignated interest rate swaps for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 that benefitted from rising interest rates during the quarter. These swaps were entered into for the purpose of hedging the medium-term fixed rate loans in the Bank's loan portfolio, as part of the Bank's standard interest rate risk management program. Until these interest rate swaps are designated as a hedge to specific assets or liabilities, the mark-to-market fluctuations (positive and negative) will flow through the income statement.
- The provision for credit losses for loans in for the quarter ended March 31, 2024 was $4.0 million, which was $2.5 million greater than the $1.5 million in the same period in 2023. The increased provision for credit losses for loans reflects the growth in the Bank's loans as well as concern for continued deterioration in the office segment of the Bank's commercial real estate portfolio. During the quarter ended March 31, 2024, the Bank did not experience any actual credit losses and the Bank's Allowance for Credit Losses for Loans was a robust 2.67% as of March 31, 2024.
"Our customers continue to appreciate the value the Bank provides with over 50 years of consistently exceptional service as evidenced by our significant growth in total deposits from $3.4 billion at March 31, 2023 to over $4.3 billion as of March 31, 2024," said Steve Fleming, president and chief executive officer. "The Bank's balance sheet remains highly liquid with $503 million in cash and $699 million in high quality short duration investments (investment portfolio effective duration of only 1.1 years). At the same time, our loan quality remains pristine with virtually no delinquencies or non-performing loans. We believe we can continue to grow our commercial real estate loan portfolio as we focus on loans secured by multi-family, retail, and industrial properties, as well as expanding our geographic footprint to other western states outside of California. We will remain diligent with our monitoring of potential impacts to the office segment of our commercial real estate loan portfolio from the reduction in demand as employers continue to provide work from home opportunities for their employees."
"The Bank's high quality investment securities portfolio continues to perform well with relatively small unrealized losses of 1.7 percent and there are no investment securities categorized as held-to-maturity," said Brian Killeen, chief financial officer of River City Bank. "Operational efficiency remains a core competency for the Bank, as evidenced by our 24.4 percent efficiency ratio for the quarter ended March 31, 2024."
Shareholders' equity for River City Bank on March 31, 2024 increased $17.3 million to $435 million when compared to the $418 million as of December 31, 2023. The increase was driven by current year retained earnings. The Bank's capital ratios remain healthy and well above the regulatory definition for being Well Capitalized with a Tier 1 Leverage Ratio of 8.5% as of March 31, 2024. Additionally, Mr. Fleming announced that the Bank's board of directors has approved a cash dividend of $0.37 per common share to shareholders of record as of May 7, 2024, and payable on May 21, 2024.
ABOUT RIVER CITY BANK:
Named one of Sacramento Business Journal's "50 Fastest Growing Companies" for each of the past six years, River City Bank is a leading boutique commercial bank throughout California with assets of almost $5 billion. River City Bank offers a comprehensive suite of banking services, including loans, deposits and cash management tools to the business, consumer, and commercial real estate sectors. With tailored, concierge-like level of service, River City Bank redefines the banking experience and every touch point that surrounds it. River City Bank is the largest, independent, locally owned and managed bank in the Sacramento region with an office in the San Francisco Bay Area and a presence in Southern California. For additional information, please visit www.rivercitybank.com or call (916) 567-2600. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.
Contact Information
Pamela Hansen
VP/Director of Marketing and Events
pamela.hansen@rivercitybank.com
7075484292
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SOURCE: River City Bank
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