Oak Ridge Financial Services, Inc. Announces Third Quarter and First Nine Months 2013 Net Income

OAK RIDGE, N.C., Nov. 14, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oak Ridge Financial Services, Inc. ("Oak Ridge"; the "Company") (OTCQB:BKOR), the parent company of Bank of Oak Ridge (the "Bank"), announced unaudited financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of 2013 today.

The Company's net income for the third quarter of 2013 was $423,000 compared to net income of $59,000 for the third quarter of 2012, an increase of $364,000. Net income available to common shareholders was $245,000 for the third quarter of 2013, an increase of $354,000 compared to a net loss to common shareholders of $109,000 in the third quarter of 2012. Diluted income per common share increased $0.20 to $0.14 for the third quarter of 2013 compared to a diluted loss per common share of $0.06 in the third quarter of 2012.

The Company's net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 was $857,000 compared to a net loss of $608,000 for the same period in 2012, or an increase of $1.5 million. Net income available to common shareholders was $323,000 for the nine months ended September 30, 2013, or an increase of $1.4 million compared to a net loss to common shareholders of $1.1 million for the same period in 2012. Diluted income per common share increased $0.80 to $0.18 for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 compared to diluted loss per common share of $0.62 for the same period in 2012.

Ron Black, President and CEO of the Company and the Bank, commented:

"During the third quarter, the Company continued to focus on its basic core banking business while undertaking a number of initiatives to improve its operating efficiency. From our various initiatives to become more efficient, we reduced our noninterest expense from $3.4 million in the third quarter of 2012 to $3.0 million in the third quarter of 2013, a decrease of $418,000 or 12.2%. On a year-to-date basis, we reduced our noninterest expense from $10.8 million in the first nine months of 2013 to $9.8 million during the same period in 2012, a decrease of $977,000 or 9.1%. I am thankful for the support of our clients, shareholders, employees and Board of Directors while we improve the earnings of the Bank."

Profitability as measured by the Company's annualized return on average assets was 0.33% and 0.49% for the nine and three months ended September 30, 2013, respectively, which is an increase over the loss on average assets of 0.23% and annualized return on average assets of 0.07% generated during the nine and three months ended September 30, 2012, respectively.

The company produced net interest income of $10.0 million during the first nine months of 2013, which was slightly lower than the $10.1 million generated for the same time period of 2012. The decline was primarily caused by lower interest income, which decreased $603,000 or approximately 5.0% to $11.4 million for the first nine months of 2013 as compared to the same time period of the prior year. Correspondingly, interest expense decreased $495,000 or approximately 26.8% to $1.3 million. The decreases in interest income and expense were primarily attributable to lower interest rates on loans and deposits.

The Company's net interest margin increased ten basis points to 4.14% for the first nine months of 2013 compared to 4.04% the first nine months of 2012, primarily as a result of active management of deposit pricing as well as the purchase of higher yielding municipal securities in 2013. The Company's net interest margin increased twenty-three basis points to 4.38% for the three months ended September 30, 2013 compared to 4.15% in the same period in 2012. The expansion of the net interest margin in the three months ended September 30, 2013 to the same period in 2012 was largely the result of the purchase of higher yielding municipal securities in the third quarter of 2013, as well as the receipt of approximately $135,000 in nonaccrual interest during the same period.

Material improvements in asset quality over the last year lowered the Company's provision for loan losses, which was $1.3 million for the first nine months of 2013 as compared to $3.4 million for the first nine months of 2012. This 62.6% decrease has been driven by a substantial decline in net charge-offs, which totaled $1.3 million through September 30, 2013 versus $3.4 million through the same point in time of the prior year.

The allowance for loan losses was $5.5 million as of September 30, 2013, which represented 2.08% of total loans outstanding. The allowance for loan losses was $5.5 million, or 2.12% of total loans outstanding, as of December 31, 2012. The slight decrease in the Company's allowance to total loans ratio is reflective of continued improvement in the Company's asset quality as referenced above. Nonperforming assets (including nonaccrual loans, accruing loans more than 90 days past due and foreclosed assets) declined to $8.1 million, or 2.3% of total assets, as of September 30, 2013, as compared to $13.4 million, or 4.1% of total assets, as of December 31, 2012. The allowance for loan loss was 75.6% of nonperforming loans as of September 30, 2013 versus 48.6% as of the prior year end, which management views as sufficient to offset potential future losses associated with problem loans.

Noninterest income decreased $536,000 or approximately 18.8% to $2.3 million during the first nine months of 2013 as compared to the same time period of 2012. The majority of the net decline was associated with a $478,000 decrease in investment commissions as a result of the disposition of the Bank's former investment services division on July 1, 2012. Net of the decline in investment commissions, noninterest income declined 2.5% in the nine months ended September 30, 2013 compared to the same period in 2012.

Noninterest expense decreased $1.0 million or approximately 9.1% to $9.8 million for the first nine months of 2013 compared to $10.8 million for the same time period of 2012. This decrease is largely due to declines in salaries, employee benefits, occupancy expense, data and items processing, stationary and supplies, net cost of foreclosed assets, and other expense.

Total assets as of September 30, 2013 were $351.0 million, up approximately 2.4% or $8.1 million from $342.9 million as of December 31, 2012. The principal components of the Company's assets as of the end of the time period were $260.3 million in net loans, $18.1 million in cash and cash equivalents and $53.4 in available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities. During the first nine months of 2013, net loans experienced an increase of $5.9 million as compared to $254.3 million as of December 31, 2012. Cash and cash equivalents increased approximately 6.1% or $1.0 million from $17.0 million as of December 31, 2012, and available-for-sale and held-to-maturity investment securities increased approximately 11.5% or $5.5 from $47.9 million.

Total liabilities as of September 30, 2013 were $325.7 million, up approximately 2.8% or $8.8 million from $316.9 million as of December 31, 2012. Higher levels of deposits drove the increase as interest-bearing deposits increased $9.6 million or approximately 3.6% from December 31, 2012 to September 30, 2013.

Total stockholders' equity as of September 30, 2013 was $25.3 million as compared to total stockholders' equity as of December 31, 2012 of $26.0 million. Most of the decrease was a result of a decline in accumulated other comprehensive income from $1.5 million as of December 31, 2012 to $339,000 as of September 30, 2013, driven by a decline in the market value of the Company's available-for-sale investment securities during that period of time. Additionally, the repayment of the warrant in February 2013 contributed to the increase in common stock and decrease in warrant from December 31, 2012 to September 30, 2012. Net income of $857,000 partially offset the declines noted above.

About Oak Ridge Financial Services, Inc.

Oak Ridge Financial Services, Inc. (OTCQB:BKOR) is the holding company for Bank of Oak Ridge. Bank of Oak Ridge (http://www.BankOfOakRidge.com) is a community bank with locations in Greensboro, Summerfield and Oak Ridge, North Carolina. The bank was established in 2000 with the goal of delivering Banking As It Should Be®. With a focus on providing personal attention and convenience for every client, we offer a complete range of banking services for individuals and businesses including Saturday and extended weekday hours at all locations, ATM usage world-wide, remote deposits for businesses, and a full line of checking accounts; savings accounts; mortgage services; insurance services; lending options; and wealth management services. Bank of Oak Ridge is a Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. For more information, call 336-644-9944 or visit the office location closest to you.

Forward-looking Information

This form contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Company. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of management of the Company and on the information available to management at the time that these disclosures were prepared. These statements can be identified by the use of words like "expect," "anticipate," "estimate" and "believe," variations of these words and other similar expressions. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, (1) competition in the Company's markets, (2) changes in the interest rate environment, (3) general national, regional or local economic conditions may be less favorable than expected, resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in credit quality and the possible impairment of collectibility of loans, (4) legislative or regulatory changes, including changes in accounting standards, (5) significant changes in the federal and state legal and regulatory environment and tax laws, (6) the impact of changes in monetary and fiscal policies, laws, rules and regulations and (7) other risks and factors identified in the Company's other filings with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.