Wayne Savings Bancshares, Inc. Announces Record Earnings for the Quarter and Nine months ended September 30, 2017

WOOSTER, Ohio, Oct. 18, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wayne Savings Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ:WAYN), the holding company parent of Wayne Savings Community Bank, reported net income (unaudited) of $855,000 or $0.31 per common share for the quarter ended September 30, 2017, compared to $550,000 or $0.20 per common share for the quarter ended September 30, 2016. The increase in net income was due to an increase in both net interest income and noninterest income, and a decrease in both the provision for loan losses and noninterest expense, partially offset by an increase in the provision for federal income taxes. The return on average equity and return on average assets for the 2017 quarter were 8.06% and 0.77%, respectively, compared to 5.31% and 0.49%, respectively, for the 2016 quarter.

Net interest income increased $244,000 for the quarter ended September 30, 2017, compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2016. Interest income increased $201,000 during the 2017 quarter primarily due to a change in the composition of the average balance of interest-earning assets, and an increase in rates earned on those assets. The change in the average balance of interest-earning assets included a $22.7 million increase in average balance of higher yielding loans, while the average balance of lower yielding investments and interest-bearing deposits declined by $24.1 million compared to the prior year quarter. The rate earned on these assets increased from 3.73% in the prior year quarter to 3.93% in the current year quarter. Interest expense decreased $43,000 primarily due to a $2.5 million decrease in the average balance of interest-bearing liabilities, and a decrease in the rates paid on those liabilities from 0.53% for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 to 0.49% for the quarter ended September 30, 2017. The net interest rate spread increased from 3.20% for the quarter ended September 30, 2016 to 3.44% for the quarter ended September 30, 2017.

Provision for loan losses was $99,000 in the third quarter of 2017, a decrease of $109,000 from $208,000 during the third quarter of 2016. The change was primarily due to a decrease in net charge-offs from the 2016 quarter of $77,000 compared to $7,000 in the 2017 quarter and reduced specific reserves required from the June 2017 quarter as the Bank received several paydowns.

Noninterest income totaled $554,000 for the three-month period ended September 30, 2017, and increased $31,000, from $523,000 for the same period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to an increase in interchange income compared to the prior year quarter.

Noninterest expense totaled $2.9 million for the three-month period ended September 30, 2017, a decrease of $102,000 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2016. This decrease was primarily due to a decrease in salaries and employee benefits partially offset by an increase in net occupancy and equipment expense and an increase in legal expense compared to the prior year quarter. The decrease in salaries and employee benefits was due to staff reductions and a decline in healthcare costs due to a change in providers.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, net income totaled $2.2 million, or $0.79 per common share, compared to net income of $1.9 million, or $0.70 per diluted share, for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. The increase in net income was primarily due to increases in both net interest income and noninterest income, partially offset by increases in the provision for loan losses, noninterest expense and the provision for federal income taxes. The return on average equity and return on average assets for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 were 6.96% and 0.65%, respectively, compared to 6.29% and 0.58%, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.

Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 was negatively impacted by a proxy contest for the election of directors at the annual shareholders meeting held on May 25, 2017. The proxy contest resulted in increased expenses of $420,000 which are included in both legal and stockholder expense compared to the prior year period. Without these additional proxy contest expenses, return on average equity would have been 7.84% and return on assets would have been 0.74% for the nine months ended September 30, 2017.

Net interest income increased $653,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2016. Interest income increased $606,000 during the 2017 period mainly due to a $4.2 million increase in the average balance of interest-earning assets, and an increase in the rates earned on those assets from 3.70% in the prior year period to 3.86% in the current year period. Interest expense decreased $47,000 primarily due to a decline in the average rate paid, substantially offset by a $3.0 million increase in the average balance of interest-bearing liabilities. The average rate paid declined from 0.52% in the 2016 period to 0.50% in the 2017 period. The decline in rate was primarily due to a change in the average balance of interest-bearing liabilities. The average balance of interest-bearing liabilities increased $3.0 million during the current year period, including a $15.1 million increase in the average balance of lower cost demand deposits and money market and savings accounts, while the average balance of higher cost certificates of deposit declined $11.0 million. The net interest rate spread increased from 3.18% in the prior year period to 3.36% in the current year period, due to interest-earning assets repricing upward, while the cost of interest-bearing deposits declined from the prior year period.

Provision for loan losses increased $57,000 to $209,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to a $152,000 during the nine months ended September 30, 2016. The increase is primarily due to increases in loan balances, and loans requiring additional specific reserves compared to the prior year period.

Noninterest income increased $151,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2016. The increase was primarily due to an increase in gain on sale of residential mortgage loans and an increase in other operating income. The increase in gain on sale of residential mortgage loans was primarily due to an increase in loans sold, from $5.7 million in the 2016 period, to $8.3 million in the 2017 period.

Noninterest expense increased $299,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2017 compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2016. The proxy contest costs, as previously discussed, totaled $420,000 of which $205,000 was legal expense and $215,000 was shareholder stock-related expense. Also included in legal expense was the costs to facilitate the conversion from an Ohio-chartered stock savings and loan association to an Ohio-chartered commercial bank. The other expense increase of $76,000, was mainly due to both increased professional services and increased accounting and auditing partially offset by a $446,000 decrease in salaries and employee benefits. The increase in accounting and auditing fees were related to timing of the expenses and increased internal audit from year to year. The decrease in salaries and employee benefits was due to decreased compensation attributable to staff reductions and a decline in healthcare costs due to a change in the provider.

At September 30, 2017, the Company had total assets of $446.3 million, a decrease of $8.5 million, from total assets at December 31, 2016. The decrease in total assets includes a $9.8 million decrease in cash and cash equivalents, and a $10.0 million decrease in securities balances, partially offset by an $11.6 million increase in net loans compared to December 31, 2016.

Total securities decreased $10.0 million to $70.3 million at September 30, 2017, compared to December 31, 2016. The decrease in securities was primarily due to investing the principal and interest cash flows from securities into higher yielding loans. Net loans totaled $343.9 million at September 30, 2017, an increase of $11.6 million, compared to $332.3 million at December 31, 2016, primarily due to new originations in excess of principal reductions and scheduled maturities.

The allowance for loan losses totaled $3.3 million, or 0.94% of gross loans, at September 30, 2017, compared to $3.0 million, or 0.91% of gross loans, at December 31, 2016. Nonperforming assets, which consist of loans on nonaccrual status and real estate owned, totaled $2.5 million at September 30, 2017, or 0.73% of total loans, an increase of $985,000 from the December 31, 2016 balance of $1.6 million, or 0.46% of total loans. This increase was mainly due to a single commercial credit which is classified as a substandard credit and returned to a non-accrual status during the quarter.

Deposits totaled $370.4 million at September 30, 2017, a decrease of $13.3 million from $383.7 million at December 31, 2016. This decrease includes an $18.2 million decrease for time deposits, partially offset by a $2.0 million increase in demand deposits and a $2.9 million increase in savings and money market balances. The Company continues to monitor deposit activity closely to respond to changes in customer preference for types of deposits and competitive pressure.

Other short-term borrowings, which consist solely of repurchase agreements with commercial customers of the Bank, totaled $7.1 million at September 30, 2017, compared to $7.2 million at December 31, 2016. These repurchase agreements are offered by the Bank in order to retain commercial customer funds and to provide these commercial customers the opportunity to earn a return on a short-term secured transaction.

Advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) totaled $22.3 million at September 30, 2017, an increase of $4.3 million from December 31, 2016. The increase includes $7.3 million in short-term borrowings, partially offset by the scheduled maturity and repayment of a $3.0 million fixed rate advance. The Bank uses FHLB advances to extend the duration of its liabilities to manage the interest rate risk associated with the longer duration of loans at a lower cost than other funding alternatives, particularly retail term deposits.

Stockholders’ equity increased by $1.6 million during the period ended September 30, 2017. This increase was due to net income of $2.2 million, and a $68,000 net increase in unrealized gains on available-for-sale securities, partially offset by $744,000 in shareholder dividends, and a $29,000 increase in the unrecognized loss arising from the cost of post-retirement split dollar life insurance coverage as part of the Company’s bank-owned life insurance plan.

Established in 1899, Wayne Savings Community Bank, the wholly owned subsidiary of Wayne Savings Bancshares, Inc., has eleven full-service banking locations in the communities of Wooster, Ashland, Millersburg, Rittman, Lodi, North Canton, and Creston, Ohio. Additional information about Wayne Savings Community Bank is available at www.waynesavings.com.

Statements contained in this news release which are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors. Factors which could result in material variations include, but are not limited to the possibility that activist stockholders may wage proxy contests or gain representation on the Board of Directors, causing disruption and/or uncertainty to the Company’s business, customer relationships and employee retention, changes in interest rates which could affect net interest margins and net interest income, competitive factors which could affect net interest income and noninterest income, changes in demand for loans, deposits and other financial services in the Company's market area, changes in asset quality, general economic conditions as well as other factors discussed in documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. In evaluating these statements, you should specifically consider various factors described above as well as the risks outlined under “Part I – Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 16, 2017. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date on which such statements were made.

Contact Information:
Myron Swartzentruber
Senior Vice President Chief Financial Officer
(330) 264-5767
 

Source: Wayne Savings Bancshares Inc.