Quarterly Income Statement Summary:
The Company’s net interest income for the three-month period ended March 31, 2026, was $43.2 million, an increase of $3.7 million, or 9.3%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase, as compared to the same period a year ago, was attributable to an increase of 23 basis points in the net interest margin, from 3.44% to 3.67%, coupled with a 2.5% increase in the average balance of interest-earning assets. The primary driver of the net interest margin expansion, compared to the year ago period, was a decrease in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities of 32 basis points, partially offset by a decrease of six basis points in the yield on interest-earning assets.
Loan discount accretion and liability premium amortization related to the November 2018 acquisition of First Commercial Bank, the May 2020 acquisition of Central Federal Savings & Loan Association, the February 2022 merger of FortuneBank, and the January 2024 acquisition of Citizens Bank & Trust resulted in $352,000 in net interest income for the three-month period ended March 31, 2026, as compared to $1.5 million in net interest income for the same period a year ago. Combined, this component of net interest income contributed three basis points to net interest margin in the three-month period ended March 31, 2026, as compared to a 13-basis point contribution for the same period of the prior fiscal year, and as compared to a five-basis point contribution in the linked quarter, ended December 31, 2025, when net interest margin was 3.57%.
The Company recorded a PCL of $2.1 million in the three-month period ended March 31, 2026, as compared to a PCL of $932,000 in the same period of the prior fiscal year. The current period PCL was the result of a $1.8 million provision attributable to the ACL for loan balances outstanding and a $234,000 provision attributable to the allowance for off-balance sheet credit exposures. The factors considered when estimating a required ACL and PCL for loan balances outstanding is detailed above in the “Balance Sheet Summary”.
The Company’s noninterest income for the three-month period ended March 31, 2026, was $7.1 million, an increase of $424,000, or 6.4%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in other noninterest income, deposit account charges and related fees, bank card interchange income, earnings on bank owned life insurance (BOLI), and net realized gains on sale of loans driven by residential mortgage banking. The increase in other non-interest income was primarily attributable to the gain on sale of membership interest in a tax credit investment. Deposit account charges and related fees benefited from increased frequency of charges for non-sufficient funds and increased wire fee income from an increase of our wire fee rates and elevated wire activity. Bank card interchange income benefited from a previously noted new contract with our card processor. Lastly, the increase in earnings on BOLI was mainly due to a mortality benefit recognized in the third quarter of 2026. These increases were partially offset by the decrease in other loan fees, reflecting a refinement of our fee recognition under ASC 310-20, Receivables – Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs, with a greater portion now recognized in interest income over the life of the loan.
Noninterest expense for the three-month period ended March 31, 2026, was $26.2 million, an increase of $832,000, or 3.3%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase as compared to the year-ago period was primarily attributable to increases in data processing, other noninterest expense, compensation and benefits, and occupancy and equipment expenses. Data processing costs increased due to higher transaction volumes and increased software licensing costs. Other noninterest expense increased largely due to loan product expense associated with expenses for lending activities, loan collection, and management of foreclosed real estate. The increase in compensation and benefits expense was primarily due to annual merit increases, as well as a trend increase in employee headcount. The majority of the merit increases took effect during the current quarter. This was partially offset by a decrease in compensation expense recognized in current periods as a result of our refined accounting for loan origination expenses under ASC 310-20. Occupancy and equipment expense growth was primarily driven by elevated maintenance and repair costs, remodel