Rurban Financial Corp. Reports 2012 Third Quarter Results

DEFIANCE, Ohio, Oct. 23, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rurban Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:RBNF) ("Rurban" or "the Company"), a diversified financial services company providing full-service community banking, mortgage banking, wealth management and item processing services, today reported earnings for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2012.

Consolidated earnings for Rurban Financial Corp. include the results of Rurban's Banking Group, consisting primarily of The State Bank and Trust Company ("State Bank" or "the Bank"), and Rurban's data services subsidiary, Rurbanc Data Services, Inc. (dba "RDSI Banking Systems" or "RDSI"). For the quarter ended September 30, 2012, Rurban reported net income of $1.3 million, or $0.27 per diluted share, compared to net income of $0.60 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2011, and net income of $1.0 million, or $0.21 per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, 2012.

For the first nine months of 2012, net income was $3.3 million, or $0.68 per common share, compared to $1.4 million, or $0.29 per common share, for the prior-year nine month period. Excluding non-recurring items totaling $0.86 million after tax ($1.3 million pretax) from the first nine months of 2011, mainly from a balance sheet restructuring and a contract buyout penalty paid to RDSI, core earnings for the first nine months of 2011 were $0.53 million, or $0.11 per share.

Key items for the 2012 third quarter include:

• Profitability improvement continues. The return on average assets rose to 82 bps this quarter, raising the YTD return to 69 bps.
• Mortgage originations and gains on sale both reached a record level this past quarter.
• Quarterly noninterest expense continues to trend downward albeit at a modest pace. Profitability improvement in 2012 has been derived primarily from fee income.
• Portfolio loans increased by $16 million over the past twelve months, up 3.7 percent, led by commercial real estate. Recent growth consisted primarily of HELOCs and agricultural loans.
• Nonperforming assets declined by $1.2 million, or 11 percent compared to September 30, 2011; they now stand at $9.4 million, or 1.49 percent of total assets. Reserve coverage of nonperforming loans at quarter-end was 96 percent.
• Tangible leverage improved by 32 basis points from the prior quarter, to 5.53 percent; all bank regulatory ratios are in excess of "well-capitalized" levels.

"Our increasingly strong performance reflects the growing synergies within our organization," stated Mark Klein, president and chief executive officer of Rurban Financial Corp. "Our strategy to build revenue is based on harnessing the energy and expertise of our bankers to build exceptional client relationships. State Bank is unique for a bank its size, with high level regional decision-makers located in the field alongside their bankers whom they quarterback on a day-to-day basis. Proximity to both clients and staff ensures that all aspects of the relationship are addressed and working smoothly. This includes impeccable service as well as the identification and fulfillment of client product needs.