SIMSBURY, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SBT Bancorp, Inc., (OTCQX: SBTB), holding company for The Simsbury Bank & Trust Company, Inc., today announced net income of $431 thousand or $0.32 basic and $0.32 diluted earnings per share for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, compared to a net income of $327 thousand or $0.37 basic and $0.37 diluted earnings per share for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

Net interest and dividend income for the third quarter increased $418 thousand or 14.2% as compared to the third quarter of 2015 due to growth in the Bank’s commercial and consumer loan portfolios. Gain on sale of loans increased 43.8% to $607 thousand compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2015. Noninterest income increased $269 thousand compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2015, and noninterest expenses increased $344 thousand as the Bank continues to invest in its three primary business lines of Commercial, Retail and Mortgage Banking.

“We are very pleased to report improved earnings for the third quarter of 2016 resulting from commercial loan growth and growth in mortgage gain on sale fueled by our capital raise last fall,” said Simsbury Bank President & CEO Martin J. Geitz. “Most of our balance sheet growth came from a 42.9% increase in commercial loans since the end of the prior year. Our mortgage business reported solid gain on sale revenue growth of 43.8% when compared to the third quarter of 2015. We also continue to be pleased with the performance of our West Hartford branch since its grand opening in May of this year.”

Key highlights for quarter ended September 30, 2016 compared to quarter ended September 30, 2015 included:

• Net Income increased 22% from the prior year’s third quarter.
• Total revenue, consisting of net interest and dividend income plus noninterest income, increased $687 thousand or 17.7% above the prior year’s third quarter.
• Net interest and dividend income for the quarter increased 14.2% to $3.4 million.
• Provision for loan losses totaled $305 thousand for the quarter due to loan growth, and the allowance for loan losses at September 30, 2016 was 0.92% of total loans.
• Gain on sale of mortgages increased $185 thousand, or 43.8%, for the quarter ended September 30, 2016.
• Net loans grew $88.2 million or 29.0%.
• Commercial loan balances increased $68.9 million or 79.4% compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2015.
• Consumer loans grew $21.4 million driven by the purchase of a $9.5 million portfolio of refinanced student loans in the second quarter of 2016 and the purchase of a $9.3 million portfolio of refinanced student loans in the third quarter of 2016.
• Total deposits increased $57.9 million or 15.4%, driven by increases in Demand Deposits of $12.9 million, Savings and Now deposits of $38.4 million, and Time Deposits of $6.6 million.

On September 30, 2016, gross loans outstanding were $396 million, an increase of $88.9 million, or 29.0% over a year ago. Commercial loans grew by $68.9 million or 79.4% and consumer loans grew by $21.4 million or 127.9%. Residential mortgage loans decreased by $149 thousand or 0.1% as the Company’s focus is to sell qualifying residential loans in the secondary market.

The Company’s allowance for loan losses at September 30, 2016 was 0.92% of total gross loans. The Company had non-accrual loans totaling $3.1 million or 0.77% of total loans on September 30, 2016, compared to non-accrual loans totaling $4.0 million or 1.30% of total loans a year ago. Total non-accrual and delinquent loans on September 30, 2016 was 0.90% of loans outstanding compared to 1.46% on September 30, 2015.

Total deposits on September 30, 2016 were $433 million, an increase of $57.9 million or 15.4% over a year ago primarily due to an increase in savings and NOW deposits of $38.4 million and a $12.9 million increase in demand deposit accounts. At quarter-end, 30% of total deposits were in non-interest bearing demand accounts, 55% were in low-cost savings, money market and NOW accounts and 15% were in time deposits.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2016, total revenues, consisting of net interest and dividend income plus noninterest income, were $4.6 million compared to $3.9 million a year ago, an increase of $687 thousand or 17.7% above the prior year’s third quarter. Net interest and dividend income increased $418 thousand or 14.2% primarily driven by a $685 thousand, or 25%, increase in interest and fees on loans. The increase was partially offset by the interest expense on subordinated debt of $137 thousand. Noninterest income increased by $269 thousand or 29.2%, primarily due to an increase in gain on sale of mortgages of $185 thousand, and an increase in other service charges and fees of $85 thousand. Gain on sale of loans sold in the third quarter was $607 thousand compared to $422 thousand for the third quarter ended September 30, 2015.

For the year-to-date ended September 30, 2016, total revenues, consisting of net interest and dividend income plus noninterest income, were $12.2 million compared to $11.0 million a year ago, an increase of $1.2 million or 11.2% above the year-to-date period ended September 30, 2015. Net interest and dividend income increased $1.2 million or 13.2% primarily driven by a $1.8 million, or 21.8%, increase in interest and fees on loans. The increase was partially offset by the interest expense on subordinated debt of $379 thousand. Noninterest income increased by $76 thousand or 3.3%, primarily due to an increase in gain on sale of mortgage loans of $243 thousand and an increase in other service charges and fees of $172 thousand. These were partially offset by a decrease in net revenue from mortgage loan servicing activities of $308 thousand. Mortgage loan servicing activities decreased $308 thousand due to a non-cash expense related to the decline in the mortgage servicing rights valuation. The decline in valuation is a result of the decline in long-term interest rates and related increase in implied prepayment rates. Gain on sale of loans sold for the year-to-date ended September 30, 2016 was $1.2 million compared to $971 thousand for the year-to-date ended September 30, 2015.

The Company’s quarter-to-date 2016 taxable-equivalent net interest margin (taxable-equivalent net interest and dividend income divided by average earning assets) was 2.90% compared to 2.97% for the comparable 2015 period. The Company’s yield on earning assets increased 11 basis points to 3.27%, while the cost of funds increased 25 basis points to 0.53% for the three months ended September 30, 2016 compared to the same period of 2015. The increase in cost of funds was primarily due to the interest on the subordinated debt issued in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Total noninterest expense for the third quarter 2016 was $3.7 million, an increase of $344 thousand or 10.2% above the third quarter of 2015. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in salary and benefits expense of $170 thousand and advertising and promotion costs of $104 thousand. The increases in these expenses are largely attributed to the new West Hartford branch. These were partially offset by decreases in professional fees of $54 thousand.

Total noninterest expense for the first nine months of 2016 was $10.6 million, an increase of $1.0 million or 10.6% above the comparable year-to-date 2015 period. The increase was primarily driven by increases in salary and benefits expense of $638 thousand, advertising and promotion costs of $143 thousand, occupancy costs of $101 thousand, and data processing fees of $97 thousand. These were partially offset by decreases in professional fees of $103 thousand.