Strong Net Income Growth
Fourth-quarter net income of $15.6M, up 38% year-over-year, driving return on average assets of 0.978% and return on average equity of 9.99%.
Net Interest Income and Margin Expansion
Net interest income of $43.7M, up $4.8M or 12.4% YoY; net interest margin expanded to 2.82%, up 22 basis points YoY. Yield on interest-earning assets increased to 4.24% (up 12 bps) while cost of interest-bearing liabilities decreased to 1.84% (down ~13 bps).
Loan Growth and Portfolio Mix
Average loans grew ~2.5% year-over-year to an all-time high average of ~$5.2B. Home equity lines increased $54.1M (13.5%), residential first mortgages increased $50.6M (1.2%), and commercial loans rose $24.5M (8.6%). Quarter-over-quarter actual loans rose $60.7M with purchase mortgages +$42.4M.
Deposit Growth and Stable Funding
Total deposits ended the quarter at $5.6B, up $166M year-over-year, supporting ongoing loan growth and margin performance.
Shareholder Returns and Capital Actions
Repurchased 1,000,000 shares year-to-date (5.3% of common shares), including 533,000 shares under the program; renewed repurchase program to allow up to 2,000,000 shares (an additional ~11.1%) in 2026. Continued dividend payout policy.
Wealth Management Contribution
Wealth management assets under management of approximately $1.27B as of 12/31/2025. Wealth management and financial services fees represent ~44% of non-interest income, largely recurring.
Expense Control
Total non-interest expense, net of ORE, was $26.5M, down $1.5M YoY. ORE expense net improved to an expense of $161k vs $476k prior year. Management expects to target recurring quarterly non-interest expense near the low end of $27.7–$28.2M guidance for 2026.
Credit Performance — Recoveries and Low Charge-offs
Net recoveries of $14k for the quarter (following prior quarter net recovery of $176k) and net recoveries of $457k over the past year; modest provision for credit losses of $400k for 2025.
Book Value Growth and Relative Shareholder Return
Book value per share $38.08 at 12/31/2025, up 7.1% YoY. Management reported total shareholder value returned three times that of proxy peers year-over-year.