Stewardship Financial Corporation Reports Earnings for Third Quarter of 2014

MIDLAND PARK, NJ--(Marketwired - November 06, 2014) - Stewardship Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: SSFN), parent of Atlantic Stewardship Bank, reported net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 of $552,000 and $1,784,000, respectively, compared to net income of $522,000 and $1,805,000 for the equivalent three and nine month periods in 2013. After dividends on preferred stock, net income available to common shareholders for the current three month period was $382,000, or $0.06 per diluted common share, compared to $352,000, or $0.06 per diluted common share, for the three months ended September 30, 2013. For the first nine months of 2014, net income available to common shareholders was $1,272,000, or $0.21 per diluted common share, compared to $1,342,000, or $0.23 per diluted common share, during the same period in 2013.

The Corporation reported net interest income of $5.3 million and $16.0 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, respectively, compared to $5.6 million and $17.1 million for the corresponding prior year periods.

For both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Corporation recorded a $250,000 provision for loan losses. For the prior year three and nine month periods ended, the provision for loan losses totaled $900,000 and $3.4 million, respectively. Paul Van Ostenbridge, Stewardship Financial Corporation's President and Chief Executive Officer stated, "Although no provision for loan losses was required for the first half of 2014 due to improved credit metrics of our portfolio, with growth in the loan portfolio, a current quarter provision for loan losses was appropriate."

The components of noninterest income had a significant impact on the comparison of current year results with the prior year periods. Noninterest income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 was $764,000 and $2.0 million, respectively, compared to $1.0 million and $3.4 million for the same prior year periods. Reduced gains on sales of mortgage loans for both the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014 are reflective of the impact from a reduction in refinance activity. The current nine month period includes a loss of $241,000 from the sale of nonperforming loans. Further affecting comparisons, the nine month period for 2013 included noninterest income of $537,000 as a result of a death benefit insurance payment received.

Noninterest expenses totaled $5.0 million and $15.2 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, relatively consistent with the $4.9 million and $14.9 million incurred for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively.

In total, assets at September 30, 2014 were $672.5 million -- reasonably consistent with total assets of $673.5 million at December 31, 2013. A $9.0 million net increase in gross loans receivable (after normal principal amortization and payoffs) was offset by an $8.4 million decrease in cash and securities. Van Ostenbridge noted, "Our loan growth was funded from cash and securities, reflecting an intentional shift in our assets to higher yielding loans." 

Nonperforming loans, in total, were $4.4 million, or 1.00% of total loans at September 30, 2014, down slightly from $4.9 million at June 30, 2014 and down significantly when compared to $10.2 million, or 2.34%, at December 31, 2013 and $15.3 million, or 3.48%, a year earlier. Total nonperforming assets, which includes other real estate owned, were just 0.97% of total assets at September 30, 2014 compared to 1.58% and 2.28% at December 31, 2013 and September 30, 2013, respectively.

Total deposits were $557.0 million at September 30, 2014, reflecting a $20.6 million decline when compared to deposits of $577.6 million at December 31, 2013. As with the shift in the asset base, the composition of deposits continues to show a shift from interest-bearing to noninterest-bearing deposits. During the first nine months of 2014 the Corporation's noninterest-bearing deposit balances increased $6.8 million and comprised 25.2% of total deposits, up from 23.1% at December 31, 2013.

Other borrowings increased to $46.8 million at September 30, 2014 from $25.0 million at December 31, 2014. The increase in other borrowings is partially the result of the replacement of the maturity of $7.0 million of securities sold under agreements to repurchase. In general, other borrowings enable the Corporation to deal with temporary deposit outflows and can assist in managing against rising interest rates through the extension of liabilities.

Capital levels continue to significantly exceed the regulatory capital requirements for a "well capitalized" institution with a tier 1 leverage ratio of 9.37% (4% requirement) and total risk based capital ratio of 14.69% (8% requirement).

Stewardship stockholders of record as of November 3, 2014 will be paid a cash dividend of $0.02 per share on November 17, 2014. Commenting on the increase in the dividend Van Ostenbridge thanked shareholders, "for their patience while we navigated through a very difficult time for the banking industry." 

Van Ostenbridge concluded, "In order to achieve improved loan growth and increasing revenues, our current focus remains on originating loans with funding of such coming from reductions in cash and securities."

Stewardship Financial Corporation's subsidiary, Atlantic Stewardship Bank, has 12 banking offices in Midland Park, Hawthorne (2), Montville, North Haledon, Pequannock, Ridgewood, Waldwick, Wayne (2), Westwood and Wyckoff, New Jersey. The Bank is known for tithing 10% of its pre-tax profits to Christian and local charities. To date, the Bank's tithe donations total $8.1 million.

We invite you to visit our website at www.asbnow.com for additional information.

The information disclosed in this document contains certain "forward looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and may be identified by the use of such words as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "should," "plan," "estimate," and "potential." Examples of forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, estimates with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Corporation that are subject to various factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from these estimates. These factors include: changes in general, economic and market conditions, legislative and regulatory conditions, or the development of an interest rate environment that adversely affects the Corporation's interest rate spread or other income anticipated from operations and investments.