Investor Relations

NOVATO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Bank of Marin Bancorp, "Bancorp" (NASDAQ:BMRC), parent company of Bank of Marin "Bank," announced earnings of $5.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to $7.0 million in the third quarter of 2016 and $4.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2015. Diluted earnings per share were $0.93 in the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to $1.14 in the prior quarter and $0.81 in the same quarter a year ago. Annual earnings increased 25.4% to $23.1 million in 2016 from $18.4 million a year ago. Diluted earnings per share were $3.78 for the year ended December 31, 2016, compared to $3.04 per share for the year ended December 31, 2015.

"In 2016, Bank of Marin again demonstrated what disciplined fundamentals and relationship-focused banking can accomplish. We produced record net income, maintained impeccable credit quality, increased both core and total deposits and continued to grow the loan portfolio," said Russell Colombo, President and CEO of Bank of Marin. "Our focus on clients and disciplined banking practices should continue to deliver a superior platform for growth, stability and financial success, whatever market conditions prevail in 2017."

Bancorp also provided the following highlights on its operating and financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2016:

• Gross loans increased by $35.4 million for the year and totaled $1,486.6 million at December 31, 2016, compared to $1,451.2 million at December 31, 2015. New loan volume of approximately $62 million for the fourth quarter was higher than each of the three prior quarters and totaled $192 million for the year. Additionally, we entered 2017 with a strong loan pipeline that reflects the success of our lending team to expand existing markets and build new relationships.
• Total deposits grew $44.5 million, or 2.6%, to $1,772.7 million at December 31, 2016 from $1,728.2 million last year. The Bank added several significant new commercial deposit relationships in 2016 while maintaining its low cost of funding. Non-interest bearing deposits grew by $46.9 million and make up 46% of total deposits.
• Strong credit quality remains the hallmark of the Bank's culture. Non-accrual loans represent 0.01% of the Bank's loan portfolio as of December 31, 2016, down from 0.15% a year ago. The resolution and payoff of several problem loans resulted in a $2.0 million decrease in non-accrual loans from $2.2 million at December 31, 2015 to $145 thousand at December 31, 2016. The improvement in credit quality and a $2.6 million recovery of a commercial real estate credit in the third quarter resulted in a $1.9 million reversal of provision for loan losses in 2016.
• Diligent expense management in 2016 improved the efficiency ratio from 61.5% in 2015 to 57.9% this year. Record earnings resulted in a return on assets ("ROA") of 1.15% for the year ended December 31, 2016, and return on equity ("ROE") of 10.23%.
• All capital ratios are well above regulatory requirements for a well-capitalized institution. The total risk-based capital ratio for Bancorp was 14.3% at December 31, 2016 compared to 13.4% at December 31, 2015. Tangible common equity to tangible assets (refer to footnote 3 on page 5 for definition of this non-GAAP financial measure) increased to 11.0% at December 31, 2016, from 10.1% at December 31, 2015.
• The Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.27 per share on January 20, 2017. This represents the 47^th consecutive quarterly dividend paid by Bank of Marin Bancorp. The cash dividend is payable on February 10, 2017, to shareholders of record at the close of business on February 3, 2017.

Loans and Credit Quality

Loan originations totaled approximately $62 million in the fourth quarter of 2016. The majority of the new loan volume for the quarter was investor commercial real estate, followed by owner-occupied commercial real estate and commercial and industrial. New loan originations in the fourth quarter were offset by payoffs of $42 million, and combined with utilization on lines of credit and amortization on existing loans, resulted in the net increase of $19.0 million. Payoffs in the quarter ended December 31, 2016 were primarily the result of property sales or successful completion of projects and bridge-loan financing.

Year-to-date loan originations of $192 million were spread throughout our markets and compared to $252 million last year, which was an all-time high. During 2016, originations were offset by payoffs of $158 million, down from $169 million experienced in 2015.

Non-accrual loans totaled $145 thousand, or 0.01%, of the Bank's loan portfolio at December 31, 2016, a decrease from $540 thousand, or 0.04%, at September 30, 2016 and $2.2 million, or 0.15%, a year ago. Loans classified substandard totaled $19.6 million at December 31, 2016, compared to $22.6 million at September 30, 2016 and $22.3 million at December 31, 2015. There were no loans classified doubtful at December 31, 2016 or December 31, 2015. Accruing loans past due 30 to 89 days totaled $410 thousand at December 31, 2016, compared to $160 thousand at September 30, 2016 and $2.1 million a year ago.

Credit quality continues to improve, resulting in reversals of the provision for loan losses of $300 thousand and $1.6 million in the fourth and third quarters of 2016, respectively, compared to a $500 thousand provision for loan losses taken in the fourth quarter a year ago. Net recoveries for the fourth quarter totaled $29 thousand compared to $2.2 million in the prior quarter and $42 thousand in the fourth quarter a year ago. Net recoveries totaled $2.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, primarily related to the resolution of a problem commercial real estate credit, compared to net charge-offs of $600 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2015. The ratio of loan loss reserve to loans was 1.04% at December 31, 2016, 1.07% at September 30, 2016 and 1.03% at December 31, 2015.

Investments

The investment portfolio totaled $417.0 million at December 31, 2016, a decline of $8.4 million from September 30, 2016 and $70.4 million from December 31, 2015. In 2016, the Bank sold approximately $70 million of investment securities, $67.0 million of which was used to repay Federal Home Loan Bank ("FHLB") borrowings.

Deposits

Deposits totaled $1,772.7 million at December 31, 2016, compared to $1,801.5 million at September 30, 2016 and $1,728.2 million at December 31, 2015. The decline of $28.8 million in the fourth quarter is due to the normal business activity of the Bank's customers. While day-to-day volatility continues, average deposit balances for the year increased by $104 million when compared to 2015. The average cost of deposits for 2016 dropped one basis point from 2015 to 0.08%.

Earnings

“Our outstanding income performance for the year reflects the discipline and hard work of our loan, credit and deposit teams. Loan originations, recoveries and a low cost of funds are truly the underlying strength of the organization,” said Tani Girton, Chief Financial Officer. “Without these fundamentals, you don’t get the earnings and dividends Bank of Marin has been able to generate consistently through the years.”

Net interest income totaled $18.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to $19.4 million in the prior quarter and $17.2 million in the same quarter a year ago. The decrease from the prior quarter primarily relates to an interest recovery of $1.4 million last quarter. The tax-equivalent net interest margin was 3.78%, 4.05% and 3.70% for those respective periods. The decrease of 27 basis points in the fourth quarter of 2016 compared to the prior quarter is primarily due to the interest recovery in the third quarter mentioned above and a decline in accretion income related to acquired loans purchased at a discount, partially offset by a favorable move from cash to higher yielding investment securities and loans.

Net interest income totaled $73.2 million and $67.2 million in 2016 and 2015, respectively. The increase of $6.0 million in 2016 is primarily due to an increase in earning assets of $120 million, the $1.4 million interest recovery, and greater gains on payoffs and accretion on purchased loans, partially offset by lower average rates on loans and investment securities. The tax-equivalent net interest margin increased to 3.91% in 2016 compared to 3.83% in 2015 for the same reasons.

Loans acquired through the acquisition of other banks are classified as purchased credit impaired ("PCI") or non-PCI loans and are recorded at fair value at acquisition date. For acquired loans not considered credit impaired, the level of accretion varies due to maturities and early payoffs. Accretion on PCI loans fluctuates based on changes in cash flows expected to be collected. Gains on payoffs of PCI loans are recorded as interest income when the payoff amounts exceed the recorded investment. PCI loans totaled $2.9 million at both December 31, 2016 and September 30, 2016, and $3.7 million at December 31, 2015.

Accretion and gains on payoffs of purchased loans recorded to interest income were as follows:

¹ Accretable yield on PCI loans totaled $1.5 million, $1.6 million and $2.6 million at December 31, 2016, September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively.

² Unaccreted purchase discounts on non-PCI loans totaled $1.8 million, $1.9 million and $3.4 million at December 31, 2016, September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively.

Non-interest income in the fourth quarter of 2016 totaled $2.5 million, compared to $2.1 million in both the prior quarter and the same quarter a year ago. The increase compared to the prior quarter and same quarter a year ago primarily relates to a special dividend of $347 thousand from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco in the fourth quarter of 2016. Non-interest income totaled $9.2 million for both 2016 and 2015.

Non-interest expense totaled $11.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, compared to $11.9 million in the prior quarter and $11.1 million in the same quarter a year ago. The decrease in non-interest expense from the prior quarter primarily relates to a decrease in incentive bonus, a new lower Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") assessment rate schedule and a decline in information technology project costs, partially offset by small changes in a number of items. Non-interest expense increased $743 thousand to $47.7 million in 2016 from $46.9 million in 2015, resulting from an increase in salaries and benefits related to annual merit increases, additional full-time equivalent personnel, and higher employee insurance, and an increase in the reserve for losses on off-balance sheet commitments. Increases were partially offset by a decrease in director expense resulting from fewer board members and lower FDIC assessments.

Earnings Call and Webcast Information

Bank of Marin Bancorp will webcast its fourth quarter earnings call on Monday, January 23, 2017 at 8:30 a.m. PT/ 11:30 a.m. ET. Investors will have the opportunity to listen to the conference call online through Bank of Marin’s website at http://www.bankofmarin.com under “Investor Relations.” To listen to the live call, please go to the website at least 15 minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software. For those who cannot listen to the live broadcast, a replay will be available at the same website location shortly after the call.

About Bank of Marin Bancorp

Bank of Marin is a leading business and community bank in the San Francisco Bay Area, with assets of $2.0 billion. Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Novato, Bank of Marin is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank of Marin Bancorp (NASDAQ: BMRC). With 20 retail offices in San Francisco, Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Alameda counties, Bank of Marin provides business and personal banking, commercial lending, and wealth management and trust services. Specializing in providing legendary service to its customers and investing in its local communities, Bank of Marin was named 2016 Community Bank of the Year by Western Independent Bankers and consistently has been ranked one of the “Top Corporate Philanthropists" by the San Francisco Business Times and one of the “Best Places to Work” by the North Bay Business Journal. Bank of Marin Bancorp is included in the Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index and NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index and has been recognized as a Top 200 Community Bank by US Banker Magazine for the past five years. For more information, go to www.bankofmarin.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are based on management's current expectations regarding economic, legislative, and regulatory issues that may impact Bancorp's earnings in future periods. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could” or “may.” Factors that could cause future results to vary materially from current management expectations include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, economic uncertainty in the United States and abroad, changes in interest rates, deposit flows, real estate values, costs or effects of future acquisitions, competition, changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines, legislation or regulation, and other economic, competitive, governmental, regulatory and technological factors (including external fraud and cyber-security threats) affecting Bancorp's operations, pricing, products and services. These and other important factors are detailed in various securities law filings made periodically by Bancorp, copies of which are available from Bancorp without charge. Bancorp undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

¹ Net interest income is annualized by dividing actual number of days in the period times 360 days.
² Excludes accruing troubled-debt restructured loans of $18.1 million, $19.1 million and $19.0 million at December 31, 2016, September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. Excludes purchased credit-impaired (PCI) loans with carrying values of $2.9 million, $2.9 million and $3.7 million that were accreting interest at December 31, 2016, September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. These amounts are excluded as PCI loan accretable yield interest recognition is independent from the underlying contractual loan delinquency status.
³ Tangible common equity to tangible assets is considered to be a meaningful non-GAAP financial measure of capital adequacy and is useful for investors to assess Bancorp's ability to absorb potential losses. Tangible common equity includes common stock, retained earnings and unrealized gain on available for sale securities, net of tax, less goodwill and intangible assets of $9.0 million, $9.1 million and $9.5 million at December 31, 2016, September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. Tangible assets excludes goodwill and intangible assets.

¹ Interest income/expense is divided by actual number of days in the period times 360 days to correspond to stated interest rate terms, where applicable.
² Yields on available-for-sale securities are calculated based on amortized cost balances rather than fair value, as changes in fair value are reflected as a component of stockholders' equity. Investment security interest is earned on 30/360 day basis monthly.
³ Yields and interest income on tax-exempt securities and loans are presented on a taxable-equivalent basis using the Federal statutory rate of 35 percent.
⁴ Average balances on loans outstanding include non-performing loans. The amortized portion of net loan origination fees is included in interest income on loans, representing an adjustment to the yield.

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Bank of Marin Bancorp
Beth Drummey, 415-763-4529
Marketing & Community Relations Manager
bethdrummey@bankofmarin.com

Source: Bank of Marin Bancorp