STRASBURG, Va., April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First National Corporation (NASDAQ: FXNC) reported un audited consolidated net income of $1.7 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2020, which resulted in a return on average assets of 0.85% and a return on average equity of 8.72%. This was a $556 thousand, or 25%, decrease compared to net income for the first quarter of 2019, which totaled $2.3 million or $0.46 per diluted share, and a return on average assets of 1.21% and a return on average equity of 13.47%.

Highlights for the first quarter of 2020:

• Provision for loan losses totaled $900 thousand, compared to no provision in Q1 2019
• Cash and unencumbered securities totaled $133.4 million, or 16% of assets
• Nonperforming assets decreased to 0.19% of assets
• Loans increased $30.8 million, or 6%
• Deposits increased $36.4 million, or 5%
• Shareholders’ equity increased 13%, or $8.8 million
• Wealth management revenue increased 20%, or $88 thousand
• The Company’s banking subsidiary, First Bank (the “Bank”) exceeded all regulatory well-capitalized metrics

“Over the last month, our team of associates has demonstrated an incredible commitment to their customers, their communities, and one another,” said Scott Harvard, president and chief executive officer of First National. Harvard continued, “As the world was being turned upside down by the health crisis, our teammates overcame their own anxieties to support our neighbors and small businesses across our footprint. It has been so heartening to witness their dedication as financial first responders, working overtime to deliver payroll protection funds to small businesses, providing access to deposit accounts via changing delivery channels and reassuring customers, all while supporting their families and each other. We talk often about First Bank being a people business that depends on each employee’s powerful actions to enhance the customer experience. Those actions are occurring daily at First Bank, making all of us proud of how we serve our customers and communities.

“We were pleased with the financial performance of the Company in the first quarter. Expenses were under control while net interest income and noninterest income both improved over the first quarter of 2019. During this crisis, we have earned additional new business through our actions on behalf of small businesses. Looking forward, our team is focused on efficiently and effectively managing programs designed to relieve financial pressure on customers while mitigating what we expect to be increasing credit risk within the loan portfolio. We expect significant pressure on several sectors, including the hospitality and health care industries, which have been constrained by the Virginia governor’s stay at home order and the public’s adoption of social distancing. We are fortunate the Bank’s deposits are built on relationships, on-balance sheet and off-balance sheet liquidity is substantial, and capital levels exceed all regulatory thresholds to be considered well-capitalized.”

COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE

In March 2020, the Bank activated its Pandemic Plan and began taking actions to protect the health of its employees and customers, while continuing to deliver essential banking services to small businesses and individuals. This has been accomplished by limiting access to banking offices and delivering a majority of its services through branch drive throughs, ATMs and mobile banking platforms. Approximately 40% of our employees have been working remotely, while social-distancing and split-shifts have been created for those employees working in the Bank’s facilities. Virtually all meetings are held using audio and/or video conference capabilities. The Company scheduled its annual meeting of shareholders in a virtual meeting online format.

The Company suspended future stock repurchases under its $5.0 million stock repurchase program due to the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic. The stock repurchase program was previously announced in December 2019. During the first quarter of 2020, the Company repurchased and retired 129,035 shares at an average price paid per share of $16.05, for a total of $2.1 million. The Company will continue to update its enterprise risk assessment and capital plan as the operating environment develops. The Bank was considered well capitalized at March 31, 2020.

In response to the unknown impact of the pandemic on the economy and customers, the Bank implemented a loan payment deferral program for individual and business customers. Customers with favorable risk ratings and payment histories have been given the opportunity to defer monthly payments for 90 days. Approximately 27% of the Bank’s loan balances have participated in the program. There are no program fees and no late payment fees charged during the deferral period for participating loan customers. Interest income continues to accrue to the Bank during the deferral period.

In an effort to support local small businesses and non-profit organizations, the Bank is participating as a lender in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) and began accepting loan applications in April. In the first round of funding, the Bank obtained approval of 91% of the 330 loan applications it received prior to the end of funding on April 16, 2020, which totaled $52.1 million. The Bank continues to accept applications for processing in the second round of funding which was approved and signed into law on April 24, 2020. The Bank did not recognize any revenue related to the program during the first quarter of 2020.

In light of the significant increase in unemployment claims and the stress on businesses from stay at home orders, the Bank has been monitoring liquidity on a daily basis. The Bank believes it has sufficient liquidity to meet demand from its customers with on-balance sheet liquidity with cash and unencumbered securities of $133.4 million, or 16% of assets at March 31, 2020, as well as $176.9 million, or 22% of assets, of off-balance sheet liquidity that was available overnight through secured funding sources. All loans originated by the Bank under the PPP are expected to be pledged to the Federal Reserve’s new Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility (“PPPLF”). The Bank plans to borrow funds from the PPPLF to fund PPP loans as needed at an interest rate of 0.35%.

The Bank anticipates the pandemic will have an unfavorable impact on the financial condition of its customers, and as a result, has begun the process of identifying the related credit risk within its loan portfolio with the goal of mitigating the risk and minimizing potential loan charge-offs. We expect significant pressure on several sectors of the loan portfolio, including hospitality, retail shopping and health care. Those sectors comprise approximately 8%, 5% and 4% of the loan portfolio, respectively. The magnitude of the potential decline in the Bank’s loan quality will likely depend on the length and extent that the Bank’s customers experience business interruptions from the pandemic.

The Bank considered the impact of the pandemic on the loan portfolio while determining an appropriate allowance for loan losses, and as a result, recorded a provision for loan losses of $900 thousand for the first quarter of 2020, compared to no provision for loan losses in the first quarter of the prior year. The higher provision for loan losses was primarily attributable to an increase in the general reserve component of the allowance for loan losses. The general reserve was increased through the adjustment of qualitative factors based on recent unfavorable changes in economic indicators, which contributed to the majority of the increase in the provision for loan losses.

BALANCE SHEET

Total assets of First National increased $41.3 million, or 5%, to $816.4 million at March 31, 2020, compared to $775.1 million at March 31, 2019. Total securities increased $5.2 million, or 4%, and loans, net of the allowance for loan losses, increased $30.8 million, or 6%. The Bank increased its cash balances near the end of the first quarter in anticipation of increased demand for cash from its customers expecting to receive stimulus checks as a result of the CARES Act, which was recently signed into law. As a result, cash and due from banks increased $19.7 million, while interest-bearing deposits in banks decreased $14.3 million.

Total deposits increased $36.4 million, or 5%, to $720.6 million at March 31, 2020, compared to $684.2 million at March 31, 2019. Noninterest-bearing demand deposits increased $8.4 million, or 4%, and savings and interest-bearing demand deposits increased $29.9 million, or 8%, while time deposits decreased $1.9 million, or 2%.

Shareholders’ equity increased $8.8 million, or 13%, to $78.5 million at March 31, 2020, compared to one year ago, primarily from a $7.1 million increase in retained earnings and a $3.4 million increase in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). These increases were partially offset by $1.8 million decrease in common stock and surplus, which resulted from stock repurchases in the first quarter of 2020 under the Company’s stock repurchase plan.

ANALYSIS OF THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD

Net interest income increased $127 thousand, or 2%, to $7.0 million for the first quarter of 2020, compared to the same period of 2019. The increase resulted from a 6% increase in average earning assets, which was partially offset by a 20 basis point decrease in the net interest margin. Growth in average earning assets was led by a $30.2 million increase in average loans, net of the allowance for loan losses, followed by a $16.2 million increase in average interest-bearing deposits in banks. The decrease in the net interest margin resulted from a 23 basis point decrease in the yield on average earning assets, which was partially offset by a 3 basis point decrease in interest expense as a percent of average earning assets.

The lower yield on average earning assets was attributable to a 17 basis point decrease in the yield on loans, a 21 basis point decrease on securities, and an 87 basis point decrease on interest-bearing deposits in banks, which were all impacted by lower market rates. The decrease in interest expense as a percentage of average earning assets was attributable to lower interest rates paid on deposits and junior subordinated debt, which were also impacted by lower market rates. The decrease in cost of interest-bearing checking accounts, money market accounts and junior subordinated debt totaled 26 basis points, 10 basis points and 94 basis points, respectively.

Noninterest income increased $114 thousand, or 6%, to $2.1 million, compared to the same period of 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to an $88 thousand, or 20%, increase in wealth management fees, and a $32 thousand, or 18% increase in fees for other customer services. The increase in wealth management fees resulted primarily from higher balances of assets under management during the first quarter of 2020 compared to the same period one year ago. Assets under management increased as a result of new business relationships and from growth in the market values of existing accounts. Fees for other customer services increased due to revenue earned on letter of credit fees.

Noninterest expense increased $46 thousand, or 1%, to $6.1 million, compared to the same period one year ago. The increase was primarily attributable to a $146 thousand, or 4%, increase in salaries and employee benefits, which was partially offset by a $39 thousand, or 57%, decrease in FDIC assessment, and a $50 thousand, or 8%, decrease in other operating expense. FDIC assessment expense was lower compared to the same period one year ago due to credits that were fully utilized during the first quarter of 2020. Other operating expense decreased from lower education and training costs, debit card losses, and loan servicing fees on purchased loans.

ASSET QUALITY/LOAN LOSS PROVISION

Provision for loan losses totaled $900 thousand for the first quarter of 2020, compared to no provision for loan losses for the same period of 2019. The increase in provision for loan losses was primarily attributable to an increase in the general reserve component of the allowance for loan losses. The general reserve component of the allowance for loan losses was increased through the adjustment of qualitative factors based on recent changes in economic indicators and contributed approximately $700 thousand of the higher provision for loan losses. Net charge offs totaled $250 thousand for the first quarter of 2020, compared to $63 thousand for the first quarter of 2019. Net charge-offs also contributed to the increased provision for loan losses.

Nonperforming assets totaled $1.5 million, or 0.19% of total assets at March 31, 2020, compared to $1.9 million, or 0.25% of total assets, one year ago. The allowance for loan losses totaled $5.6 million, or 0.96% of total loans, and $4.9 million, or 0.90% of total loans, at March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

ABOUT FIRST NATIONAL CORPORATION

First National Corporation (NASDAQ: FXNC) is the parent company and bank holding company of First Bank, a community bank that first opened for business in 1907 in Strasburg, Virginia. The Bank offers loan and deposit products and services through its website, www.fbvirginia.com, its mobile banking platform, a network of ATMs located throughout its market area, one loan production office, a customer service center in a retirement community, and 14 bank branch office locations located throughout the Shenandoah Valley, the central regions of Virginia and in the city of Richmond. In addition to providing traditional banking services, the Bank operates a wealth management division under the name First Bank Wealth Management. First Bank also owns First Bank Financial Services, Inc., which invests in entities that provide investment services and title insurance.