CHICO, Calif. -- (Business Wire)

TriCo Bancshares (NASDAQ: TCBK) (the "Company"), parent company of Tri Counties Bank, today announced earnings of $12,199,000, or $0.53 per diluted share, for the three months ended September 30, 2016. For the three months ended September 30, 2015 the Company reported earnings of $12,694,000, or $0.55 per diluted share. Diluted shares outstanding were 23,098,534 and 23,005,980 for the three months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

The following is a summary of the components of the Company’s consolidated net income, average common shares, and average diluted common shares outstanding for the periods indicated:

The following is a summary of certain of the Company’s consolidated assets and deposits as of the dates indicated:

Included in the period ending balances and quarterly average balances is the addition of a $45 million certificate of deposit from the State of California on September 16, 2015, bringing the total of such certificates of deposit from the State of California to $50 million, and the addition of deposits from the acquisition of three bank branches from Bank of America, that totaled $161 million on the date of acquisition, March 18, 2016. These three acquired branches are located in the cities of Arcata, Eureka, and Fortuna in Humboldt County, California. The Bank paid $3,204,000 for deposit relationships with balances of $161,231,000, loans with balances of $289,000, premises and equipment valued at $1,590,000, other assets valued at $141,000, and recorded a core deposit intangible asset of $2,046,000 and goodwill of $849,000.

Also included in the Company’s results of operations for the three months ended September 30, 2016 is the impact of the sale on August 22, 2016, of two performing loans with recorded book value of $166,000, and 48 nonperforming loans with recorded book value, including pre-sale write downs and purchase discounts, of approximately $2,757,000. The loans sold on August 22, 2016 had contractual amounts outstanding of $6,558,000. Net sale proceeds of $4,980,000 resulted in the recovery of loan balances previously charged off of $1,727,000, additional loan charge offs of $159,000, and interest income of $488,000 from the recovery of interest payments previously applied to principal balances.

Also included in the Company’s results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 is the impact of the purchase, on May 19, 2016 of seven performing multi-family commercial real estate loans valued at $22,503,000, and the sale, on March 31, 2016, of twenty-seven nonperforming loans, nine substandard performing loans, and three purchased credit impaired loans with total recorded book value of approximately $24,810,000.

Loans acquired through purchase, or acquisition of other banks, are classified by the Company as Purchased Not Credit Impaired (PNCI), Purchased Credit Impaired – cash basis (PCI – cash basis), or Purchased Credit Impaired – other (PCI – other). Loans not acquired in an acquisition or otherwise “purchased” are classified as “originated”. Often, such purchased loans are purchased at a discount to face value, and part of this discount is accreted into (added to) interest income over the remaining life of the loan. A loan may also be purchased at a premium to face value, in which case, the premium is amortized into (subtracted from) interest income over the remaining life of the loan. Generally, as time goes on, the effects of loan discount accretion and loan premium amortization decrease as the purchased loans mature or pay off early. Upon the early pay off of a loan, any remaining (unaccreted) discount or (unamortized) premium is immediately taken into interest income; and as loan payoffs may vary significantly from quarter to quarter, so may the impact of discount accretion and premium amortization on interest income. Further details regarding interest income from loans, including fair value discount accretion, may be found under the heading “Supplemental Loan Interest Income Data” in the Consolidated Financial Data table at the end of this press release.

The Company’s primary source of revenue is net interest income, or the difference between interest income on interest-earning assets and interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities. Included in the Company’s net interest income is interest income from municipal bonds that is almost entirely exempt from Federal income tax. These municipal bonds are classified as investments – nontaxable, and the Company may present the interest income from these bonds on a fully tax equivalent (FTE) basis. Following is a summary of the components of net interest income for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands):

Net interest income (FTE) during the three months ended September 30, 2016 increased $2,564,000 (6.4%) from the same period in 2015 to $42,857,000. The increase in net interest income (FTE) was primarily due to a $242,284,000 (10.0%) increase in the average balance of loans to $2,669,954,000, and a $61,996,000 (95.5%) increase in the average balance of investments – nontaxable to $126,910,000 that were partially offset by a 21 basis point decrease in the average yield on loans from 5.57% during the three months ended September 30, 2015 to 5.36% during the three months ended September 30, 2016, and a 20 basis point decrease in the average yield on investments – taxable from 2.69% during the three months ended September 30, 2015 to 2.49% during the three months ended September 30, 2016. The decrease in average loan yields is primarily due to declines in market yields on new and renewed loans compared to yields on repricing, maturing, and paid off loans. The decrease in the average yield of investments - taxable is primarily due to declines in market yields on new investments compared to yields on existing investments, and to recent declines in mortgage rates that lead to an increase in mortgage refinancing activity that in turn lead to faster estimated mortgage prepayment speeds and an accelerated level of interest income-reducing premium amortization on existing mortgage backed investment securities. The increases in average loan and investments - nontaxable balances added $3,374,000 and $761,000, respectively, to net interest income (FTE) while the decreases in average loan and investments- taxable yields reduced net interest income (FTE) by $1,419,000 and $533,000, respectively, when compared to the year-ago quarter. Included in interest income from loans during the three months ended September 30, 2016 was $2,229,000 of discount accretion from purchased loans compared to $3,125,000 of discount accretion from purchased loans during the three months ended September 30, 2015. Included in interest income from loans during the three months ended September 30, 2016 was $488,000 of interest income that was previously applied to the principal balance of loans in nonaccrual status that were sold during the three months ended September 30, 2016. For more information related to loan interest income, including loan purchase discount accretion, see the Supplemental Loan Interest Income Data in the tables at the end of this announcement.

The following table shows the components of net interest income and net interest margin on a fully tax-equivalent (FTE) basis for the periods indicated:

The Company recorded a reversal of provision for loan losses of $3,973,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2016 compared to a reversal of provision for loan losses of $866,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2015. The $3,973,000 reversal of provision for loan losses during the three months ended September 30, 2016 was primarily due to net loan recoveries of $1,568,000 associated with the sale of loans on August 22, 2016, additional net loan recoveries of $380,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2016, net credit quality upgrades of substandard performing loans, and continued low historical loan loss experience, that were partially offset by the effect of a $58,596,000 (2.2%) increase in loan balances during the three months ended September 30, 2016. A $30,465,000 (20.4%) decrease in construction loans outstanding during the three months ended September 30, 2016 also contributed to a decrease in the required allowance for loan losses at September 30, 2016, and the reversal of provision for loan losses during the three months ended September 30, 2016.

During the three months ended September 30, 2016 nonperforming loans increased $975,000 (4.9%) to $20,952,000, and represented a decrease from 1.47% of loans outstanding as of December 31, 2015, and an increase from 0.75% of loans outstanding at June 30, 2016, to 0.77% of loans outstanding as of September 30, 2016. The increase in nonperforming loans during the three months ended September 30, 2016 was due primarily to a $5,200,000 commercial real estate loan being put on nonaccrual status that was partially offset by the sale of $2,757,000 of nonperforming loans on August 22, 2016. The $5,200,000 commercial real estate loan referred to above is located in Central California, and is an owner-occupied SBA 504 loan collateralized by an industrial warehouse building.

The following table presents the key components of noninterest income for the periods indicated:

Noninterest income decreased $576,000 (4.9%) to $11,066,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2016 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2015. The decrease in noninterest income was primarily due to a $738,000 decrease in other noninterest income, a $287,000 decrease in gain on sale of foreclosed assets, and a $214,000 decrease in change in value of mortgage servicing rights, that were partially offset by a $507,000 increase in ATM fees and interchange revenue, and a $231,000 increase in gain on sale of loans. The $738,000 decrease in other noninterest income was primarily due to the recovery, during the three months ended September 30, 2015, of $870,000 of recoveries of loans from acquired institutions that were charged off prior to acquisition of those institutions by the Company. As such, these “pre-acquisition charge offs” were properly not recorded by the Company, and any related recoveries are recorded in other noninterest income by the Company. Such recoveries are unusual, and none occurred during the three months ended September 30, 2016. The $287,000 decrease in gain on sale of foreclosed assets was due to a decrease in the number and balance of foreclosed assets, and the relative valuations of foreclosed assets during the three months ended September 30, 2016 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2015. The $214,000 decrease in change in value of mortgage servicing rights (MSRs) is primarily due to a change in the required rate of return on MSRs by market participants that reduced the value of such MSRs during the three months ended September 30, 2016 compared to a smaller decrease in the value of MSRs during the three months ended September 30, 2015 that was primarily due to a decrease in estimated future MSR cash flows as a result of reduced mortgage rates and higher rates of early mortgage payoffs from mortgage refinancing. The $507,000 increase in ATM fees and interchange revenue was primarily due to the Company’s increased focus in this area, including the introduction of new services in this area during the quarter ended March 31, 2016. The $231,000 increase in gain on sale of loans was due to continued high levels of refinance and home purchase activity, and increased focus in this area by the Company when compared to the year-ago quarter. The changes in noninterest income include the effects from the operation of three branches, including $161,231,000 of deposits, acquired from Bank of America on March 18, 2016.

The following table presents the key components of the Company’s noninterest expense for the periods indicated:

Salary and benefit expenses increased $3,328,000 (19.0%) to $20,861,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2016 compared to $17,533,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2015. Base salaries, overtime and temporary help, net of deferred loan origination costs increased $1,857,000 (16.1%) to $13,419,000. Base salaries, net of deferred loan origination costs increased $1,502,000 (13.4%) to $12,747,000 primarily due to annual merit increases, and an increase in average full-time equivalent employees of 88 (9.4%) to 1,022 for the three months ended September 30, 2016. Overtime expense increased $107,000 to $405,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2016. Temporary help expense increased $248,000 to $267,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2016. During the three months ended September 30, 2016, the Company incurred $109,000 of nonrecurring overtime expense and $179,000 of nonrecurring temporary help expense related to various information and customer service system conversions. These system conversions were initiated during the three months ended September 2016, and were completed on October 24, 2016.

Commissions and incentive compensation increased $1,124,000 (67.1%) to $2,798,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2016. All categories of incentive compensation expense were higher than the year-ago quarter except commission expense related to the sale of nondeposit investment products. The increases in the other categories of incentive compensation, compared to the year-ago quarter, were primarily due to increased loan production and other performance measures to which incentive compensation is tied compared to such measures in the year-ago quarter.

Benefits & other compensation expense increased $347,000 (8.1%) to $4,644,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2016 primarily due to the increases in average full-time equivalent employees and salaries expense, and their effects on group insurance and employer payroll tax expenses.

Other noninterest expense increased $2,649,000 (19.0%) to $16,555,000 during the three months ended September 30, 2016 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2015. The $2,649,000 increase in other noninterest expense was primarily due to a $716,000 expense related to a closed branch building, the value of which was written down to current market value, and subsequently sold during the three months ended September 30, 2016, a $593,000 increase in miscellaneous other expense, a $376,000 increase in ATM network charges, a $296,000 increase in operational losses, a $199,000 increase in data processing and software expense, and a $190,000 increase in Equipment expense.

The $593,000 increase in miscellaneous other noninterest expense included a $126,000 (69.8%) increase in debit card production and transaction processing expense, and a $98,000 (30.4%) increase in business meals and travel expense. Small increases in many other types of miscellaneous other noninterest expense accounted for the rest of the $593,000 increase in miscellaneous other noninterest expense. Included in miscellaneous other noninterest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2016 were $25,000 of nonrecurring training and business travel expenses related to the system conversions noted above. Included in other noninterest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2016 were $36,000 of nonrecurring ATM network charges related to the system conversions noted above.

The $296,000 increase in operational losses was primarily due to an increase in losses from fraudulent ATM and point of sale transactions.

The $199,000 increase in data processing and software expense was primarily due to increased use of outsourced data processing services. The $190,000 increase in equipment expense was primarily due to increased depreciation and rental expense from recently purchased and rented equipment and furniture.

Richard Smith, President and CEO of the Company commented, “We are pleased with the operating results in the quarter. During the third quarter many significant projects were implemented which were necessary to build out our technology infrastructure to facilitate our growth and expansion. We transferred our core system software to an outsourced solution along with our debit and ATM card services, and introduced a new business online and mobile banking solution for our customers. These system changes are major steps in our efforts to provide competitive new solutions and operating efficiencies for our company.”

Smith added, “While technology projects dominated our workload during the quarter, core banking activities remained very active. Loan demand and loan balances continue to increase at a strong annual pace. In addition, our strong deposit market share continues to increase in the majority of the counties we serve in Northern California.”

In addition to the historical information contained herein, this press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various uncertainties and risks that could affect their outcome. The Company’s actual results could differ materially. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, variances in the actual versus projected growth in assets, return on assets, interest rate fluctuations, economic conditions in the Company's primary market area, demand for loans, regulatory and accounting changes, loan losses, expenses, rates charged on loans and earned on securities investments, rates paid on deposits, competitive effects, fee and other noninterest income earned, the outcome of litigation, as well as other factors detailed in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission which are incorporated herein by reference, including the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. These reports and this entire press release should be read to put such forward-looking statements in context and to gain a more complete understanding of the uncertainties and risks involved in the Company's business. The Company does not intend to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

Established in 1975, Tri Counties Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TriCo Bancshares (NASDAQ: TCBK) headquartered in Chico, California, providing a unique brand of customer Service with Solutions available in traditional stand-alone and in-store bank branches in communities throughout Northern and Central California. Tri Counties Bank provides an extensive and competitive breadth of consumer, small business and commercial banking financial services, along with convenient around-the-clock ATM, online and mobile banking access. Brokerage services are provided by the Bank’s investment services through affiliation with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Visit www.TriCountiesBank.com to learn more.

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Contacts:

TriCo Bancshares
Richard P. Smith, 530-898-0300
President & CEO

Source: TriCo Bancshares