HOLLAND, Mich., April 20, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Macatawa Bank Corporation (Nasdaq:MCBC) today announced its results for the first quarter of 2009.
Net loss amounted to $4.14 million for the first quarter of 2009 compared to net income of $2.44 million for the first quarter of 2008. Loss per diluted common share was $0.30 for the first quarter of 2009 compared to earnings per diluted common share of $0.14 for the first quarter of 2008. An increase in the provision for loan losses of $7.8 million and additional costs associated with the administration of problem assets were the primary reasons for the decline in earnings performance for the quarter.
The Company remains committed to prompt realization and transparency in recording its credit losses. "We continue to respond appropriately by increasing reserves to offset continuing signs of weakness in our real estate portfolios. We believe this approach is prudent and will allow us to maximize opportunities when our local economy recovers," commented Ron Haan, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Macatawa Bank Corporation. The Company recorded $9.7 million in net charge-offs for the quarter primarily in response to rising non-performing asset levels and continued declines in valuations for real estate secured loans. The loan loss reserve was 2.30% of total loans at March 31, 2009 compared to 2.16% at December 31, 2008 and 1.81% at March 31, 2008.
"The Michigan economy remains in transition. While we continue to see signs of gradual improvement, there are still significant inventories of unsold homes and lots in the market, and it will take time for these inventories to be absorbed. The depth of this economic downturn has clearly been longer than normal," added Haan.
Continuing efforts that began in late 2007 and into 2008, the Company remains focused on diversifying its loan portfolio by de-emphasizing commercial real estate secured loans tied to residential development while expanding other loan types.
Total loans were $1.7 billion at March 31, 2009, down $74 million from December 31, 2008 and down $64 million from March 31, 2008. Commercial loans declined by $47.3 million, representing the majority of the decline. Commercial and industrial loans declined by $36.2 million from both seasonal declines in lines of credit and a general decline in business activity. The commercial real estate portfolio declined by $11.1 million, primarily in loans tied to residential development, from December 31, 2008. The reduction in loans during the quarter was used to build short-term investments, improving the liquidity of the Balance Sheet. Federal funds sold and other short-term investments were $73.3 million at March 31, 2009, up $34.2 million from December 31, 2008 and up $73 million from March 31, 2008.
"While we strive to reduce exposure in certain sectors, we remain active at expanding customer relationships and diversifying revenue streams. We continue to place an enormous effort around building upon our full-service relationship model. We have strengthened our sales teams and have seen momentum in growing relationships with loan, deposit and other financial services," said Phil Koning, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Macatawa Bank Corporation.
First quarter net interest income totaled $12.8 million, a decrease of $1.9 million compared to the first quarter of 2008. The decrease in net interest income was from both a decline in average earning assets and net interest margin. Average earning assets declined by $11.4 million from the first quarter of 2008 to the first quarter of 2009. The net interest margin was 2.66 percent for the quarter, down 8 basis points from 2.74 percent for the fourth quarter of 2008 and 33 basis points from 2.99 percent for the first quarter of 2008. Nearly the entire decline in margin from the fourth quarter and approximately 22 basis points of the decline from the prior year was from higher balances of non-performing assets. The remainder of the decline in margin from the prior year quarter was largely from the Federal funds rate cuts that occurred throughout 2008.
Non-interest income was $5.3 million for the first quarter of 2009, an increase of 6 percent compared to $5.0 million for the first quarter of 2008. Non-interest income for the first quarter of 2008 included $832,000 of gains realized on the termination of outstanding interest rate swaps. An increase in net gains from mortgage lending activities of $1.1 million was the primary reason for the increase in non-interest income for the quarter. "This significant increase driven by our retail mortgage lending program reflects the diversification of our revenue streams and our continued commitment to providing loan opportunities to our communities," commented Haan. An increase in revenue from ATM and debit card processing offset slight declines in revenue from deposit and trust services and are the primary reasons for remaining changes in non-interest income. The lower level of equity market valuations in the first quarter of 2009 versus the first quarter of 2008 was the primary reason for the decrease in trust income.
Non-interest expense was $14.5 million for the quarter compared to $13.6 million for the first quarter of 2008. Costs associated with the administration and disposition of problem loans and non-performing assets amounted to approximately $2.2 million in the current quarter compared to $377,000 in the first quarter of 2008. FDIC insurance assessments amounted to $771,000, an increase of $410,000 when compared to the same quarter in the prior year due to higher assessment rates implemented by the FDIC. When excluding these costs, non-interest expense would have been approximately $11.6 million for the quarter, down 10% from $12.9 million for the first quarter of 2008.
"We continue to experience strong success at managing our controllable costs by executing on expense reduction initiatives that began early in 2008," stated Koning.
Total assets were $2.09 billion at March 31, 2009 a decrease of $57.0 million compared to $2.15 billion at December 31, 2008. Total loans decreased $74.1 million since December 31, 2008 to $1.70 billion at March 31, 2009. Most of the decrease in loans occurred in the commercial loan portfolio.
The composition of the commercial loan portfolio is shown in the table below:
Dollars in 000s March 31, 2009 December 31, 2008
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Construction and development $228,499 $ 237,108
Commercial real estate 688,068 690,525
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Total Commercial Real Estate 916,567 927,633
Commercial and Industrial 415,635 451,826
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Total Commercial Loans $1,332,202 $1,379,459
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Commercial real estate consists primarily of loans to business owners and developers of owner and non-owner occupied properties, secured by single and multi-family residential as well as non-residential real estate. Loans for the development or sale of residential properties were approximately $196.9 million at March 31, 2009 compared to $203.7 million at December 31, 2008. Of the total at March 31, approximately $24.2 million was secured by vacant land, $114.4 million was secured by developed residential land and $58.3 million was secured by properties held for speculative purposes.
The Company's non-performing assets increased $20.6 million to $132.7 million since the prior quarter and represent 6.33 percent of total assets at March 31, 2009.
