Bank of the Carolinas Corporation Reports Second Quarter Financial Results

MOCKSVILLE, N.C., July 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bank of the Carolinas Corporation (Nasdaq: BCAR) reported today financial results for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2010.

For the three-month period ended June 30, 2010, the Company reported a net loss of $188,000, as compared to a net loss of $1,479,000 in the second quarter of 2009.  After payment of dividends on preferred stock, the net loss available to common shareholders for the three months ended June 30, 2010 was $415,000, or $0.11 per common share, compared to a net loss of $0.41 per common share for the second quarter of 2009.

For the six-month period ended June 30, 2010, the Company reported a net loss of $423,000, as compared to a net loss of $2,134,000 for the six-month period of 2009.  The net loss available to common shareholders for the six months ended June 30, 2010 was $877,000, or $0.23 per common share, compared to a net loss of $0.57 per common share for the six month period of 2009.

The significant improvement in year-to-date 2010 results versus the previous year was driven by stronger core operating results which helped offset increased provisions for loan losses and continued high credit losses.  For the three- and six-month periods in 2010, net interest income increased 42.7% and 37.4%, respectively, over the comparable periods in 2009.  This increased the Company's year-to-date net interest margin to 3.28% in 2010 as compared to 2.26% in the previous year.

As of June 30, 2010, the Company's nonperforming assets totaled $20.8 million and amounted to 3.86% of total assets, compared to total nonperforming assets of $17.5 million, or 2.86% of total assets, as of December 31, 2009, and $20.0 million, or 3.27% of total assets at June 30, 2009.

The provision for loan losses totaled $1,086,000 for the quarter ended June 30, 2010, an increase of 50.9% from the provision of $720,000 for the second quarter of 2009.  For the six-month period ended June 30, 2010, the loan loss provision totaled $2,002,000, an increase of 41.0% from the $1,420,000 recorded in the same period 2009.  The allowance for loan losses was 1.95% of total loans as of June 30, 2010, and net charge-offs for the six-month period represented an annualized percentage of 1.59% of average loans outstanding.    

Noninterest expenses totaled $4.1 million for the second quarter of 2010, a decrease of 20.1% from the comparable quarter of 2009.  For the six month period ended June 30, 2010, noninterest expenses totaled $8.3 million, a decrease of 7.3% from the comparable period of 2009.  The decrease in noninterest expenses for 2010 was primarily due to reductions in write-downs on carrying values on foreclosed real estate.  Salaries and benefits increased period over period due to the Company bringing in-house the special asset functions that previously were outsourced.  Noninterest income remained relatively flat for the second quarter compared to 2009.  

Total assets at June 30, 2010 amounted to $539.9 million, a decrease of 11.6% when compared to the $610.4 million as of December 31, 2009 and a decrease of 11.7% when compared to $611.1 million as of June 30, 2009.  The decrease in assets was a planned strategy by the Company to improve its net interest margin and capital ratios.  Loans totaled $368.8 million at June 30, 2010, a decline of 9.0% from a year earlier, and deposits fell 14.7% over the prior year to $414.0 million.

The Company continues to be well capitalized with a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 8.31%, a Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of 10.44% and a total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of 12.31% as of June 30, 2010.

Bank of the Carolinas Corporation is the holding company for Bank of the Carolinas, a North Carolina chartered bank headquartered in Mocksville, NC with offices in Advance, Asheboro, Cleveland, Concord, Harrisburg, King, Landis, Lexington and Winston-Salem.  The common stock of the Company is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol "BCAR".

DISCLOSURES ABOUT FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements in this press release relating to plans, strategies, economic performance and trends, projections of results of specific activities or investments, expectations or beliefs about future events or results, and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts, may be forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  Forward-looking information is inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors which include, but are not limited to, factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and in other documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.  Copies of those reports are available directly through the SEC's Internet website at www.sec.gov.  Forward-looking statements may be identified by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "could," "expects," "plans," "intends," "anticipates," "feels," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "forecasts," "potential" or "continue," or similar terms or the negative of these terms, or other statements concerning opinions or judgments of our management about future events.  Factors that could influence the accuracy of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to (a) pressures on our earnings, capital and liquidity resulting from current and future conditions in the credit and capital markets, (b) continued or unexpected increases in nonperforming loans and credit losses in our loan portfolio, (c) continued adverse conditions in the economy and in the real estate market in our banking markets (particularly those conditions that affect our loan portfolio, the abilities of our borrowers to repay their loans, and the values of collateral that secures our loans),(d) the financial success or changing strategies of our customers, (e) actions of government regulators, or change in laws, regulations or accounting standards, that adversely affect our business, (f) changes in the interest rate environment and the level of market interest rates that reduce our net interest margins and/or the values of loans we make and securities we hold, and changes in general economic conditions and real estate values in our banking market (particularly changes that affect our loan portfolio, the abilities of our borrowers to repay their loans, and the values of loan collateral), (g) changes in competitive pressures among depository and other financial institutions or in our ability to compete effectively against other financial institutions in our banking markets, and (h) other developments or changes in our business that we do not expect..  Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements included in this press release are reasonable, they represent our management's judgments only as of the date they are made, and we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.  As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.  All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements in this paragraph.  We have no obligation, and do not intend, to update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Bank of the Carolinas Corporation