Arrow Reports Solid First Quarter Operating Results and Strong Asset Quality Ratios

GLENS FALLS, N.Y., April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Arrow Financial Corporation (NasdaqGS® – AROW) announced operating results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2012.  Net income for the first quarter of 2012 was $5.3 million, representing diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.45, essentially unchanged from net income of $5.3 million and diluted EPS of $.45 for the first quarter of 2011.  The cash dividend paid to shareholders in the first quarter of 2012 was $.25 per share, or 3% higher than the cash dividend paid in the first quarter of 2011. All per share amounts have been adjusted to reflect the effect of the 3% stock dividend distributed on September 29, 2011.

Thomas L. Hoy, Chairman, President and CEO stated, "We are pleased to report solid earnings for the first quarter while continuing to maintain both strong asset quality and capital adequacy ratios. Our 2012 earnings results featured an increase in our noninterest income for the first quarter, reflecting primarily growth in insurance commissions and an increase in fee income from fiduciary activities. The Company again experienced modest growth in several key balance sheet categories, resulting in record levels in period-end amounts for both total assets and deposits, as well as assets under trust administration and investment management. Furthermore, our key asset quality measurements continue to be excellent. We are pleased with these results during this extended period of a challenging low interest rate environment."

Insurance commission income rose from $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2011 to nearly $1.9 million in the comparable 2012 quarter, as a result of our acquisitions of two strategically located insurance agencies in 2011.  On February 1, 2011, we acquired Upstate Agency and on August 1, 2011, we acquired the McPhillips Insurance Agencies, all of which were longstanding property and casualty insurance agencies with offices located in our service area.

Assets under trust administration and investment management at March 31, 2012 rose to a record level of  $1.038 billion, an increase of $26.6 million, or 2.63%, from the prior year balance of $1.012 billion.  Over sixty percent of these assets are equity investments and the growth in balances was generally attributable to a recovery within the equity markets during the first quarter of 2012. As a result of the growth in this asset base, income from fiduciary activities rose in the first quarter of 2012 by $76 thousand, or 4.9%, above the income from the 2011 comparable first quarter.

The Company's key profitability ratios continue to be strong. Annualized return on average assets (ROA) for the 2012 first quarter was 1.09%, down slightly from our ROA of 1.11% for the comparable 2011 period.  Annualized return on average equity (ROE) for the 2012 quarter was 12.67%.  Although this was down slightly from a ROE of 13.77% for the comparable 2011 period, the decrease was largely the result of the higher capital ratios maintained during the 2012 three-month period.  

Asset quality remained strong at March 31, 2012 as measured by our low level of nonperforming assets and very low level of charge-offs. Nonperforming assets of $6.7 million represented only 0.33% of period-end assets, far below industry averages although up from our 0.24% of assets ratio as of March 31, 2011. Nonperforming assets included $511 thousand in loans that have been recently restructured and are in compliance with modified terms. Net loan losses for the first quarter of 2012, expressed as an annualized percentage of average loans outstanding, were 0.08%, up slightly from 0.06% of average loans for the 2011 comparable period.  These asset quality ratios continue to significantly outperform recently reported industry averages.

Overall loan delinquency rates remain very low and unlike many of our peers, we have not and do not expect to incur significant losses in our residential real estate portfolio within the near-term, even though some borrowers may be experiencing stress due to the current economic environment. Our allowance for loan losses amounted to $15.1 million at March 31, 2012, which represented 1.32% of loans outstanding, an increase of 2 basis points from our ratio one year earlier.

Total assets at March 31, 2012 reached a record high of $2.020 billion, an increase of $42.0 million, or 2.12%, from the $1.978 billion balance at March 31, 2011. Our loan portfolio was $1.138 billion, up $1.8 million, or 0.2%, from the March 31, 2011 level, and $6.1 million, or 0.5%, above the level at December 31, 2011. During the first quarter of 2012, we originated over $20.1 million of residential real estate loans. However, for interest rate risk management purposes we continued during the quarter to follow the practice we adopted in recent years of selling into the secondary market most of the residential real estate loans we originated, primarily to a government sponsored entity, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation. Therefore, the outstanding balance for our residential real estate loan portfolio at quarter-end 2012 was actually lower than our balance at March 31, 2011.  We continue, however, to retain servicing rights on the mortgages that we sell into the secondary market, generating servicing fee income on these loans.  We experienced an increase in the volume of new automobile loans in the first three months of 2012, reflecting an improvement in region-wide automobile sales.  We also experienced modest growth in our commercial loan portfolio, which, combined with the increase in automobile loans, more than offset the decrease in our residential real estate loan portfolio.

Similar to many institutions within the banking industry, the Company's net interest income and net interest margin declined as a result of operating in this historically low interest rate environment. On a tax-equivalent ("TE") basis, our net interest income in the first quarter of 2012, as compared to the first quarter of 2011, decreased  207 thousand, or 1.3%.  Our TE net interest margin fell from 3.39% in the first quarter of 2011, to 3.33% for the first quarter of 2012, but increased over the fourth quarter level of 3.25%. Both our yield on earning assets and the cost of our interest-bearing liabilities decreased significantly from the first quarter of 2011 to the first quarter of 2012.  Our cost of interest-bearing deposits and other borrowings in the first quarter 2012 fell by 48 basis points, to an average cost of 0.92% compared to 1.40% in the first quarter of 2011, while our yield on earning assets in the first quarter of 2012 decreased by 46 basis points from 4.56% in the first quarter of 2011 to 4.10%.

Total shareholders' equity reached $168.5 million at period-end, an increase of $9.3 million, or 5.8%, above the March 31, 2011 balance. Arrow's capital ratios, which were strong to begin 2011, strengthened further during 2011 and through March 31, 2012.  At quarter-end the Tier 1 leverage ratio at the holding company level was 9.10% and total risk-based capital ratio was 16.10%, up from 8.66% and 15.63% respectively at March 31, 2011. The capital ratios of the Company and it's subsidiary banks continue to significantly exceed the "well capitalized" regulatory standard, which is the highest category.

Many of our key operating ratios have consistently compared very favorably to our peer group, which we define as all U.S. bank holding companies having $1.0 to $3.0 billion in total assets as identified in the Federal Reserve Bank's "Bank Holding Company Performance Report" (FRB Report). The most current peer data available in the FRB Report is for the twelve-month period ended December 31, 2011 in which our return on average equity (ROE) was 13.45%, as compared to 6.16% for our peer group.  Our ratio of loans 90 days past due and accruing plus nonaccrual loans to total loans was 0.55% as of December 31, 2011 compared to 2.94% for our peer group, while our annualized net loan losses of 0.05% for 2011 were well below the peer result of 0.93%.  Our operating results and asset quality ratios have withstood the economic stress of recent years better than most banks in our national peer group.

Mr. Hoy further added, "We continue to believe that our conservative business model which emphasizes a strong capital position, high loan quality, knowledge of our market and responsiveness to our customers has positioned us well for the future. Nonetheless, we, like all banks, face challenges, particularly the threat to earnings posed by the Federal Reserve's determination to maintain interest rates at historically low levels for an extended period of time."

Arrow Financial Corporation is a multi-bank holding company headquartered in Glens Falls, NY serving the financial needs of northeastern New York.  The Company is the parent of Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company. Other subsidiaries include North Country Investment Advisers, Inc., three property and casualty insurance agencies: Loomis & LaPann, Inc., Upstate Agency, LLC, and McPhillips Insurance Agency, a division of Glens Falls National Insurance Agencies, LLC, and Capital Financial Group, Inc., an insurance agency specializing in the sale and servicing of group health plans.

The information contained in this News Release may contain statements that are not historical in nature but rather are based on management's beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections about the future.  These statements may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, involving a degree of uncertainty and attendant risk.  In the case of all forward-looking statements, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what the statements predict or forecast, explicitly or by implication.  The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.  This News Release should be read in conjunction with the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE Arrow Financial Corporation