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8-K - FORM 8-K - ECB BANCORP INCd8k.htm

Exhibit 99.1

 

 

 

 

LOGO  PRESS RELEASE

 

 

 

 

May 16, 2011

 

CONTACT:    ECB Bancorp, Inc.
   Thomas M. Crowder, Chief Financial Officer
   (252) 925-5520
   (252) 925-8491 facsimile

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ECB Bancorp, Inc. Reports 2011 First Quarter Results

ENGELHARD, N.C.-ECB Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECBE) (“ECB” or the “Company”) today announced its results for the three months ended March 31, 2011.

2011 First Quarter Financial Highlights

For the three months ended March 31, 2011, net loss totaled $1,084,000 compared to the $487,000 in net income for the three months ended March 31, 2010. After adjusting for $265,000 in TARP preferred stock dividends and the accretion of warrant discount, net loss charged to common shareholders for the three months ended March 31, 2011 were $1,349,000 or $0.47 per diluted share compared to income of $222,000 or $0.08 per diluted share for the three months ended March 31, 2010.

Other Financial Highlights include:

 

   

Consolidated assets increased 2.1% to $916,571,000 at March 31, 2011 from $897,754,000 at March 31, 2010.

 

   

Loans decreased 5.4% to $546,641,000 at March 31, 2011 compared to $577,964,000 at March 31, 2010.

 

   

Deposits increased 1.8% to $786,754,000 at March 31, 2011 from $772,927,000 at March 31, 2010.

 

   

Net interest income decreased 3.2 % to $6,768,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2011 from $6,995,000 for the same three-month period a year ago.

 

   

Provision for loan losses charged to operations for the three months ended March 31, 2011 totaled $3,930,000, a decrease of 9.4% compared to $4,337,000 charged to operations for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2010.

 

   

During the first quarter, the Company declared a common stock dividend of $0.07 per share, or $0.28 per share on an annualized basis, unchanged from the previous quarterly dividend.

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A. Dwight Utz, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated: “We still see some weakness in real estate in several of our markets, and we have continued to set aside higher loan loss reserves to compensate for those continued weaknesses. That said, we are positioned to move forward in 2011 with great expectations for the future. On May 20th we will convert our core processing system, and the positive impact this will have for ECB in the future cannot be overestimated. The technology platform that we will have available upon completion of our conversion will enhance our customer experience and significantly assist our associates with improved customer information and analytical reporting. This new technology will position us to execute our growth strategy moving into 2011 and beyond.”

Thomas M. Crowder, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer stated: “From a financial perspective we have already absorbed some expenses associated with the conversion, particularly in the 4th quarter of 2010. On a go forward basis you will not see significant reductions in our systems related expenses because of the substantial upgrades that this conversion will result in; however, these upgrades are being achieved at little to no increase in our operating cost to the Company over current cost levels.”

Mr. Utz concluded, “The first quarter saw ECB Bancorp continuing to prepare for the future while continuing to deal with a sluggish economic recovery. The initial feedback from many of our customers dependent on the tourist trade is very positive for the summer of 2011, and we hope this might translate into another record year in tourism for our coastal communities. All in all, I am very optimistic for both the future of ECB and the communities we serve.”

About ECB Bancorp, Inc.

ECB Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company, headquartered in Engelhard, North Carolina, whose wholly-owned subsidiary, The East Carolina Bank, is a state-chartered, independent community bank insured by the FDIC. The Bank provides a full range of financial services through its 25 offices covering eastern North Carolina from Currituck to Ocean Isle Beach and Greenville to Hatteras. The Bank also provides mortgages, insurance services through the Bank’s licensed agents, and investment and brokerage services offered through a third-party broker-dealer. The Company’s common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “ECBE”. More information can be obtained by visiting ECB’s web site at www.myecb.com.

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“Safe Harbor Statement” Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

Statements in this Press Release relating to plans, strategies, economic performance and trends, projections of results of specific activities or investments, expectations or beliefs about future events or results, and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking information is inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors, which include, but are not limited to, risk factors discussed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other documents filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Forward-looking statements may be identified by terms such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could”, “expects”, “plans”, “intends”, “anticipates”, “feels”, “believes”, “estimates”, “predicts”, “forecasts”, “potential” or “continue”, or similar terms or the negative of these terms, or other statements concerning opinions or judgments of the Company’s management about future events. Factors that could influence the accuracy of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: pressures on the Company’s earnings, capital and liquidity resulting from current and future conditions in the credit and equity markets; the financial success or changing strategies of the Company’s customers; actions of government regulators or changes in laws, regulations or accounting standards that adversely affect our business; changes in the interest rate environment and the level of market interest rates that reduce our net interest margins and/or the values of loans we make and securities we hold; weather and similar conditions, particularly the effect of hurricanes on the Company’s banking and operations facilities and on the Company’s customers and the communities in which it does business; continued or unexpected increases in credit losses in the Company’s loan portfolio; continued adverse conditions in general economic conditions and real estate values in our banking market (particularly as those conditions affect our loan portfolio, the abilities of our borrowers to repay their loans, and the values of loan collateral); and other developments or changes in our business that we do not expect. Factors that could influence the accuracy of statements in this report regarding completion of the conversion to the new system and benefits that we will gain, including the recoupment of recognized expense, include, but are not limited to, the possibility that we will encounter (a) unexpected delays in, costs associated with, or other problems in the course of, completion of our conversion to the new system, (b) unexpected compatibility issues associated with the new system, or (c) changes in our business or other factors which offset expected costs savings. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements in this paragraph. The Company has no obligation, and does not intend, to update these forward-looking statements.

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See 3 pages of financial information attached


ECB BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

Consolidated Balance Sheets

March 31, 2011, December 31, 2010 and March 31, 2010

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

 

     March 31,
2011
    December 31,
2010
    March 31,
2010
 
     (unaudited)           (unaudited)  

Assets

      

Non-interest bearing deposits and cash

   $ 10,176      $ 11,731      $ 10,133   

Interest bearing deposits

     30        20        877   

Overnight investments

     —          8,415        59,240   
                        

Total cash and cash equivalents

     10,206        20,166        70,250   
                        

Investment securities

      

Available-for-sale, at market value (cost of $307,812, $275,883 and $196,068 at March 31, 2011, December 31, 2010, and March 31, 2010, respectively)

     304,975        273,229        197,520   

Loans held for sale

     623        4,136        627   

Loans

     546,641        567,631        577,964   

Allowance for loan losses

     (15,219     (13,247     (11,329
                        

Loans, net

     531,422        554,384        566,635   
                        

Real estate and repossessions acquired in settlement of loans, net

     7,258        4,536        4,974   

Federal Home Loan Bank common stock, at cost

     4,571        4,571        5,116   

Bank premises and equipment, net

     26,716        26,636        25,114   

Accrued interest receivable

     4,808        5,243        4,706   

Bank owned life insurance

     9,028        8,954        8,731   

Other assets

     16,964        18,014        14,081   
                        

Total

   $ 916,571      $ 919,869      $ 897,754   
                        

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

      

Deposits

      

Demand, noninterest bearing

   $ 106,898      $ 104,932      $ 98,320   

Demand, interest bearing

     251,474        262,977        190,720   

Savings

     36,314        29,938        19,669   

Time

     392,068        388,094        464,218   
                        

Total deposits

     786,754        785,941        772,927   
                        

Accrued interest payable

     639        631        1,042   

Short-term borrowings

     17,421        11,509        20,877   

Long-term obligations

     27,500        34,500        14,500   

Other liabilities

     5,044        6,394        4,116   
                        

Total liabilities

     837,358        838,975        813,462   
                        

Shareholders’ equity

      

Preferred stock, Series A

     17,329        17,288        17,163   

Common stock, par value $3.50 per share

     9,974        9,974        9,974   

Capital surplus

     25,858        25,852        25,827   

Warrants

     878        878        878   

Retained earnings

     27,006        28,554        29,577   

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)

     (1,832     (1,652     873   
                        

Total shareholders’ equity

     79,213        80,894        84,292   
                        

Total

   $ 916,571      $ 919,869      $ 897,754   
                        

Common shares outstanding

     2,849,841        2,849,841        2,849,841   

Common shares authorized

     10,000,000        10,000,000        10,000,000   

Preferred shares outstanding

     17,949        17,949        17,949   

Preferred shares authorized

     2,000,000        2,000,000        2,000,000   

 

* Derived from audited consolidated financial statements.


ECB BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARY

Consolidated Results of Operations

For the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

 

     Three months ended March 31,  
     2011     2010  
     (unaudited)     (unaudited)  

Interest income:

    

Interest and fees on loans

   $ 7,357      $ 7,632   

Interest on investment securities:

    

Interest exempt from federal income taxes

     128        462   

Taxable interest income

     1,937        1,897   

Dividend income

     9        27   

Other interest

     7        2   
                

Total interest income

     9,438        10,020   
                

Interest expense:

    

Deposits:

    

Demand accounts

     557        317   

Savings

     53        12   

Time

     1,811        2,489   

Short-term borrowings

     69        56   

Long-term obligations

     180        151   
                

Total interest expense

     2,670        3,025   
                

Net interest income

     6,768        6,995   

Provision for loan losses

     3,930        3,000   
                

Net interest income after provision for loan losses

     2,838        3,995   
                

Noninterest income:

    

Service charges on deposit accounts

     765        823   

Other service charges and fees

     244        265   

Mortgage origination fees

     326        212   

Net gain on sale of securities

     26        1,289   

Income from bank owned life insurance

     74        74   

Other operating income (expense)

     (4     5   
                

Total noninterest income

     1,431        2,668   
                

Noninterest expenses:

    

Salaries

     2,564        2,319   

Retirement and other employee benefits

     676        730   

Occupancy

     483        457   

Equipment

     559        467   

Professional fees

     271        288   

Supplies

     51        52   

Telephone/data communications

     169        183   

FDIC insurance

     326        333   

Other outside services

     181        118   

Net cost of real estate and repossessions acquired in settlement of loans

     18        334   

Other operating expenses

     946        957   
                

Total noninterest expenses

     6,244        6,238   
                

Income (loss) before income taxes

     (1,975     425   

Income tax benefit

     (891     (62
                

Net income (loss)

     (1,084     487   
                

Preferred stock dividends

     224        224   

Accretion of discount

     41        41   
                

Income (loss) available to common shareholders

   $ (1,349   $ 222   
                

Net income (loss) per share - basic

   ($ 0.47   $ 0.08   
                

Net income (loss) per share - diluted

   ($ 0.47   $ 0.08   
                

Weighted average shares outstanding - basic

     2,849,841        2,848,839   
                

Weighted average shares outstanding - diluted

     2,849,841        2,848,969   
                


ECB Bancorp, Inc.

Supplemental Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

 

     3/31/2011     12/31/2010     9/30/2010     6/30/2010     3/31/2010  

Income Statement Data:

          

Interest income

   $ 9,438      $ 9,840      $ 9,982      $ 9,965      $ 10,020   

Interest expense

     2,670        2,926        3,005        2,932        3,025   
                                        

Net interest income

     6,768        6,914        6,977        7,033        6,995   

Provision for loan losses

     3,930        4,337        3,863        1,780        3,000   

Net after provision expense

     2,838        2,577        3,114        5,253        3,995   

Noninterest income

     1,431        3,661        3,800        1,866        2,668   

Noninterest expense

     6,244        8,307        6,379        5,916        6,238   

Income (loss) before income taxes

     (1,975     (2,069     535        1,203        425   

Income tax expense (benefit)

     (891     (945     (5     246        (62
                                        

Net income (loss)

     (1,084     (1,124     540        957        487   

Preferred stock dividend & accretion of discount

     265        266        267        265        265   
                                        

Net income (loss) available to common shareholders

   $ (1,349   $ (1,390   $ 273      $ 692      $ 222   
                                        

Per Share Data and Shares Outstanding:

          

Net income - basic

   $ (0.47   $ (0.49   $ 0.10      $ 0.24      $ 0.08   

Net income - diluted

     (0.47     (0.49     0.10        0.24        0.08   

Cash dividends

     0.0700        0.0700        0.0700        0.0700        0.0700   

Book value at period end

     21.71        22.32        24.70        24.46        23.56   

Dividend payout ratio

     -14.89     -14.29     70.00     29.17     87.50

Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding:

          

Basic

     2,849,841        2,849,841        2,849,841        2,849,841        2,848,839   

Diluted

     2,849,841        2,849,841        2,849,841        2,849,936        2,848,969   

Shares outstanding at period end

     2,849,841        2,849,841        2,849,841        2,849,841        2,849,841   

Balance Sheet Data:

          

Total assets

   $ 916,571      $ 919,869      $ 932,209      $ 921,840      $ 897,754   

Loans - gross

     546,641        567,631        575,003        570,174        577,964   

Allowance for loan losses

     15,219        13,247        13,187        10,462        11,329   

Investment securities

     304,975        273,229        263,946        268,064        197,520   

Interest earning assets

     856,840        858,002        877,540        862,410        841,344   

Premises and equipment, net

     26,716        26,636        25,897        25,294        25,114   

Total deposits

     786,754        785,941        790,592        792,454        772,927   

Short-term borrowings

     17,421        11,509        13,534        22,408        20,877   

Long-term obligations

     27,500        34,500        34,500        14,500        14,500   

Shareholders’ equity

     79,213        80,894        87,632        86,918        84,292   

Selected Performance Ratios (annualized):

          

Return on average assets

     -0.48     -0.48     0.23     0.43     0.22

Return on average shareholders’ equity

     -5.38     -5.15     2.44     4.48     2.28

Net interest margin

     3.30     3.23     3.31     3.52     3.55

Efficiency ratio

     75.00     77.28     57.83     63.94     62.39

Asset Quality Ratios:

          

Nonperforming loans to period-end loans

     4.04     3.89     3.59     3.37     3.19

Allowance for loan losses to period-end loans

     2.78     2.33     2.29     1.83     1.96

Allowance for loan losses to nonperforming loans

     69     60     64     54     61

Net charge-offs to average loans (annualized)

     1.40     2.99     0.79     1.83     0.97

Capital Ratios:

          

Tangible equity to total assets

     6.75     6.91     7.55     7.56     7.48

Equity-to-assets ratio

     8.64     8.79     9.40     9.43     9.39

Leverage Capital Ratio

     8.42     8.66     8.79     9.26     9.26

Tier 1 Capital Ratio

     11.97     12.08     12.37     12.78     12.69

Total Capital Ratio

     13.24     13.34     13.63     14.03     13.95