HispanicBusiness

Net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter ended December 31, 2012 were $2.97 million and $0.34, respectively, after adjustments. This compared favorably to net income and diluted earnings per share of $2.53 million and $0.26, respectively, for the quarter ended December 31, 2011.

Net Interest Income and Margin
Net interest income, on a fully tax-equivalent basis, was $12.91 million for the fourth quarter of 2012, up from $12.79 million for the same quarter last year.

On a fully tax-equivalent basis, the net interest margin was 3.42 percent for the December 2012 quarter compared to 3.46 percent for the December 2011 quarter.

Net interest income reflected an increase for the December 2012 quarter when compared to the December 2011 quarter, as the positive effect of increased loans, funded by reduced lower yielding investment securities and increased lower cost core deposits, was partially offset by the effect of lower market yields, which compressed asset yields more than deposit costs.

The net interest margin for the current quarter reflected a decline of four basis points from the same quarter last year, due to the effect of the lower market yields discussed above.

Loans
Average loans totaled $1.13 billion for the fourth quarter of 2012 as compared to $993 million for the same 2011 quarter, which was an increase of $133 million, or just over 13 percent.

The average residential mortgage loan portfolio for the fourth quarter of 2012 increased $51 million, or 11 percent, when compared to the same quarter of 2011. The increase was attributable to originations retained in the portfolio outpacing loan paydowns. During this period of historically low interest rates, refinance activity has generally been robust. All of the shorter-duration loan production and select longer-duration loan production have been retained in portfolio. However, the Company does sell much of its longer-duration, fixed-rate loan production as a source of noninterest income and as part of its interest rate risk management strategy in the current low rate environment.

The average commercial mortgage and commercial loan portfolio for the fourth quarter of 2012 increased $85 million, or in excess of 19 percent, from the fourth quarter of 2011. The increase was attributable to demand from high quality borrowers looking to refinance multifamily and other commercial mortgages held by other institutions.

From December 31, 2011 to December 31, 2012, total loans grew $94 million or nearly 9 percent. Total loan originations were $397 million for 2012, up from $321 million for 2011. Included in the total were commercial mortgage/commercial loan originations of $150 million for 2012, up from $103 million for 2011.

Mr. Kennedy said, "I was pleased with our success in generating solid lending growth this past quarter and year. I look forward to continuing to grow our multi-family and other commercial real estate loan book, as well as introduce a comprehensive Commercial & Industrial (C&I) lending program."

Deposits
Average total deposits (interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing) increased $38 million for the December 2012 quarter when compared to the same quarter last year.

Over that same period, the Company saw growth in average noninterest-bearing checking balances, growth in average interest-bearing checking, and growth in savings. Average money market account balances remained relatively flat.