Chemung Financial Reports Third Quarter 2015 Net Income of $2.5 Million, or $0.52 Per Share, on Net Interest Income of $12.7 Million

ELMIRA, N.Y., Oct. 29, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chemung Financial Corporation (Nasdaq:CHMG), the parent company of Chemung Canal Trust Company ("the Bank"), today reported net income of $2.5 million, or $0.52 per share, for the third quarter of 2015 compared to a net loss of $0.3 million, or $(0.07) per share, for the third quarter of 2014.

Ronald M. Bentley, Chemung Financial Corporation CEO stated:

"The continued growth in our commercial loan portfolio, along with an increase in investment securities drove a 2.1% increase in net interest income for the third quarter over the same period in the prior year. Increasing net interest income and managing expenses remains a priority for us and we continue to look for opportunities to enhance income and gain efficiencies in our day-to-day operations."

Third Quarter Highlights¹

• Loans, net of deferred fees increased $20.4 million, or 1.8%
• Commercial loans increased $45.5 million, or 7.4%
• Deposits increased $130.4 million, or 10.2%
• Net interest income increased $0.3 million, or 2.1%
• Provision for loan losses decreased $0.3 million, or 47.9%
• Dividends declared during the quarter were $0.26 per share

A more detailed summary of financial performance follows:

¹ Balance sheet comparisons are calculated for September 30, 2015 versus December 31, 2014. Income statement comparisons are calculated for the third quarter of 2015 versus prior-year third quarter.

3rd Quarter vs 2nd Quarter 2015

Net Interest Income:

Net interest income for the third quarter totaled $12.7 million compared with $12.6 million for the preceding quarter, an increase of $0.1 million, or 0.3%. The increase was due primarily to interest income from the commercial loan portfolio and interest and dividends from taxable securities. Fully taxable equivalent net interest margin was 3.45%, compared with 3.50% for the preceding quarter. The decline in net interest margin was a result of the commercial loan portfolio repricing to current market rates. The yield on interest-earning assets decreased by four basis points, while the cost of interest-bearing liabilities increased one basis point. Average interest-earning assets increased $11.3 million compared to the preceding quarter, primarily in investment securities.

Non-Interest Income:

Non-interest income for the third quarter was $4.9 million compared with $5.3 million for the preceding quarter, a decrease of $0.4 million, or 7.8%. The decrease was primarily due to decreases of $0.3 million in net gains on security transactions, $0.1 million in wealth management group fee income, and $0.1 million in other non-interest income. These decreases were offset by a $0.1 million increase in service charges on deposit accounts. The $0.3 million decrease in net gains on security transactions was due to the sale of $48.3 million of U.S. government sponsored agencies and Treasury securities during the preceding quarter, the proceeds of which were reinvested in higher yielding mortgage-backed securities.

Non-Interest Expense:

Non-interest expense for the third quarter was $13.6 million compared with $13.8 million for the preceding quarter, a decrease of $0.2 million, or 1.4%. The decrease was due primarily to decreases of $0.2 million in professional services, $0.1 million in other real estate owned expenses, $0.1 million in salaries and wages and $0.1 million in net occupancy expense. These decreases were offset by increases of $0.2 million in data processing expense and $0.2 million in other non-interest expense.

3rd Quarter 2015 vs 2014

Net Interest Income:

Net interest income for the current quarter totaled $12.7 million compared with $12.4 million for the same period in the prior year, an increase of $0.3 million, or 2.1%. The increase was due primarily to interest income from the commercial loan portfolio and interest and dividends from taxable securities. Average interest-earning assets increased $69.9 million compared to the same period in the prior year. Fully taxable equivalent net interest margin was 3.45%, compared with 3.56% for the same period in the prior year. The yield on interest-earning assets and cost of interest-bearing liabilities decreased twelve and two basis points, respectively.

Non-Interest Income:

Non-interest income for the quarter was $4.9 million compared with $5.0 million for the same period in the prior year, a decrease of $0.1 million, or 1.5%. The decrease was due primarily to decreases of $0.1 million in service charges on deposit accounts and $0.1 million in other non-interest income. These decreases were offset by additional wealth management group fee income of $0.2 million. 

Non-Interest Expense:

Non-interest expense for the quarter was $13.6 million compared with $17.8 million for the same period in the prior year, a decrease of $4.2 million, or 23.2%. The decrease was due primarily to the $4.3 million legal settlement that occurred in 2014, relating to the Bank's Wealth Management Group, and a $0.2 million decline in salaries in wages, due to lower full-time equivalents versus the prior year. These items were offset by increases of $0.3 million in both pension and other employee benefits and data processing expense.

Asset Quality

Non-performing loans totaled $12.4 million, or 1.08% of total loans, at September 30, 2015, compared with $7.8 million, or 0.69% of total loans, at December 31, 2014. The increase in non-performing loans at September 30, 2015 was primarily in the commercial loan segment of the loan portfolio. Non-performing assets, which are comprised of non-performing loans and other real estate owned, were $14.7 million, or 0.90% of total assets, at September 30, 2015, compared with $10.8 million, or 0.71% of total assets, at December 31, 2014.

Management performs an ongoing assessment of the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses based upon a number of factors including an analysis of historical loss factors, collateral evaluations, recent charge-off experience, credit quality of the loan portfolio, current economic conditions and loan growth. Based on this analysis, the provision for loan losses for the third quarter of 2015 and 2014 were $0.3 million and $0.6 million, respectively. Net charge-offs for the quarter were $0.3 million compared with $1.1 million for the same period in the prior year.

At September 30, 2015 the allowance for loan losses was $14.0 million, compared with $13.7 million at December 31, 2014. The allowance for loan losses was 113.4% of non-performing loans at September 30, 2015, compared with 176.0% at December 31, 2014. The ratio of the allowance for loan losses to total loans was 1.23% at September 30, 2015, compared with 1.22% at December 31, 2014.

Balance Sheet Activity

Assets totaled $1.632 billion at September 30, 2015 compared with $1.525 billion at December 31, 2014, an increase of $107.1 million, or 7.0%. The growth was due primarily to increases of $20.4 million, or 1.8%, in the loan portfolio, $52.5 million, or 18.0% in investment securities and $46.1 million in cash and cash equivalents, partially offset by a decrease of $8.1 million, or 23.0% in accrued interest receivable and other assets. The increase in loans can be attributed to increases of $45.5 million in commercial loans and $0.7 million in mortgages, offset by a $25.8 million decrease in consumer loans, attributed mostly to the indirect loan portfolio after ending promotional rates during the last quarter of 2014. The $52.5 million increase in investment securities can be mostly attributed to the investment of excess cash from municipal client deposits into higher yielding mortgage-backed securities during the quarter. The $8.1 million decrease in accrued interest receivable and other assets can be mostly attributed to the receipt of insurance proceeds from the Wealth Management Group legal settlement during the second quarter.

Deposits totaled $1.410 billion at September 30, 2015 compared with $1.280 billion at December 31, 2014, an increase of $130.4 million, or 10.2%. The growth was mostly attributable to increases of $110.5 million in money market accounts, $26.4 million in non-interest-bearing demand deposits, and $33.3 million in interest-bearing demand deposits. Partially offsetting the increases noted above was a $38.6 million decrease in time deposits. The changes in money market accounts and demand deposits can be attributed to the seasonal net inflow of deposits from municipal clients, as well as new municipal client relationships.

Total equity was $138.7 million at September 30, 2015 compared with $133.6 million at December 31, 2014, an increase of $5.1 million, or 3.8%. The increase was primarily due to earnings of $7.3 million and reductions of $0.7 million in treasury stock and $0.5 million in accumulated other comprehensive loss, offset by $3.6 million in dividends declared during the year.

The total equity to total assets ratio was 8.50% at September 30, 2015 compared with 8.77% at December 31, 2014. The tangible equity to tangible assets ratio was 7.02% at September 30, 2015 compared with 7.13% at December 31, 2014. Book value per share increased to $29.36 at September 30, 2015 from $28.44 at December 31, 2014. As of September 30, 2015, the Bank's capital ratios were in excess of those required to be considered well-capitalized under regulatory capital guidelines and the Corporation met capital requirements under regulatory guidelines.

Other Items

The market value of total assets under management or administration in our Wealth Management Group was $1.815 billion at September 30, 2015 compared with $1.956 billion at December 31, 2014, a decrease of $140.5 million, or 7.2%. The decrease in market value can be mostly attributed to the market decline of assets during 2015.

About Chemung Financial Corporation

Chemung Financial Corporation is a $1.6 billion financial services holding company headquartered in Elmira, New York and operates 34 retail offices through its principal subsidiary, Chemung Canal Trust Company, a full-service community bank with trust powers. Established in 1833, Chemung Canal Trust Company is the oldest locally-owned and managed community bank in New York State. Chemung Financial Corporation is also the parent of CFS Group, Inc., a financial services subsidiary offering non-traditional services including mutual funds, annuities, brokerage services, tax preparation services and insurance.

This press release may be found at: www.chemungcanal.com under Investor Relations.

Chemung Financial Corporation

GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations (Unaudited)

The Corporation prepares its Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP; these financial statements appear on pages 5-6. That presentation provides the reader with an understanding of the Corporation's results that can be tracked consistently from period-to-period and enables a comparison of the Corporation's performance with other companies' GAAP financial statements.

In addition to analyzing the Corporation's results on a reported basis, management uses certain non-GAAP financial measures, because it believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide information to investors about the underlying operational performance and trends of the Corporation and, therefore, facilitate a comparison of the Corporation with the performance of its competitors. Non-GAAP financial measures used by the Corporation may not be comparable to similarly named non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies.

The SEC has adopted Regulation G, which applies to all public disclosures, including earnings releases, made by registered companies that contain "non-GAAP financial measures." Under Regulation G, companies making public disclosures containing non-GAAP financial measures must also disclose, along with each non-GAAP financial measure, certain additional information, including a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure to the closest comparable GAAP financial measure and a statement of the Corporation's reasons for utilizing the non-GAAP financial measure as part of its financial disclosures. The SEC has exempted from the definition of "non-GAAP financial measures" certain commonly used financial measures that are not based on GAAP. When these exempted measures are included in public disclosures, supplemental information is not required. The following measures used in this Report, which are commonly utilized by financial institutions, have not been specifically exempted by the SEC and may constitute "non-GAAP financial measures" within the meaning of the SEC's new rules, although we are unable to state with certainty that the SEC would so regard them.

Fully Taxable Equivalent Net Interest Income, Net Interest Margin, and Efficiency Ratio

Net interest income is commonly presented on a tax-equivalent basis. That is, to the extent that some component of the institution's net interest income, which is presented on a before-tax basis, is exempt from taxation (e.g., is received by the institution as a result of its holdings of state or municipal obligations), an amount equal to the tax benefit derived from that component is added to the actual before-tax net interest income total. This adjustment is considered helpful in comparing one financial institution's net interest income to that of other institutions or in analyzing any institution's net interest income trend line over time, to correct any analytical distortion that might otherwise arise from the fact that financial institutions vary widely in the proportions of their portfolios that are invested in tax-exempt securities, and that even a single institution may significantly alter over time the proportion of its own portfolio that is invested in tax-exempt obligations. Moreover, net interest income is itself a component of a second financial measure commonly used by financial institutions, net interest margin, which is the ratio of net interest income to average interest-earning assets. For purposes of this measure as well, fully taxable equivalent net interest income is generally used by financial institutions, as opposed to actual net interest income, again to provide a better basis of comparison from institution to institution and to better demonstrate a single institution's performance over time. The Corporation follows these practices.

The efficiency ratio is a non-GAAP financial measures which represents the Corporation's ability to turn resources into revenue and is calculated as non-interest expense divided by total revenue (fully taxable equivalent net interest income and non-interest income), adjusted for one-time occurrences and amortization. This measure is meaningful to the Corporation, as well as investors and analysts, in assessing the Corporation's productivity measured by the amount of revenue generated for each dollar spent.

Tangible Equity and Tangible Assets (Period-End)

Tangible equity, tangible assets, and tangible book value per share are each non-GAAP financial measures. Tangible equity represents the Corporation's stockholders' equity, less goodwill and intangible assets. Tangible assets represents the Corporation's total assets, less goodwill and other intangible assets. Tangible book value per share represents the Corporation's equity divided by common shares at period-end. These measures are meaningful to the Corporation, as well as investors and analysts, in assessing the Corporation's use of equity.

Tangible Equity (Average)

Average tangible equity and return on average tangible equity are each non-GAAP financial measures. Average tangible equity represents the Corporation's average stockholders' equity, less average goodwill and intangible assets for the period. Return on average tangible equity measures the Corporation's earnings as a percentage of average tangible equity. These measures are meaningful to the Corporation, as well as investors and analysts, in assessing the Corporation's use of equity.

Adjustments for Certain Items of Income or Expense

In addition to disclosures of certain GAAP financial measures, including net income, EPS, ROA, and ROE, we may also provide comparative disclosures that adjust these GAAP financial measures for a particular period by removing from the calculation thereof the impact of certain transactions or other material items of income or expense occurring during the period, including certain nonrecurring items. The Corporation believes that the resulting non-GAAP financial measures may improve an understanding of its results of operations by separating out any such transactions or items that may have had a disproportionate positive or negative impact on the Corporation's financial results during the particular period in question. In the Corporation's presentation of any such non-GAAP (adjusted) financial measures not specifically discussed in the preceding paragraphs, the Corporation supplies the supplemental financial information and explanations required under Regulation G.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act. The Corporation intends its forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements in this press release. All statements regarding the Corporation's expected financial position and operating results, the Corporation's business strategy, the Corporation's financial plans, forecasted demographic and economic trends relating to the Corporation's industry and similar matters are forward-looking statements. These statements can sometimes be identified by the Corporation's use of forward-looking words such as "may," "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," or "intend." The Corporation cannot promise that its expectations in such forward-looking statements will turn out to be correct. The Corporation's actual results could be materially different from expectations because of various factors, including changes in economic conditions or interest rates, credit risk, difficulties in managing the Corporation's growth, competition, changes in law or the regulatory environment, including the Dodd-Frank Act, and changes in general business and economic trends. Information concerning these and other factors can be found in the Corporation's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K. These filings are available publicly on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov, on the Corporation's website at http://www.chemungcanal.com or upon request from the Corporate Secretary at (607) 737-3746. Except as otherwise required by law, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.