Chemung Financial Corporation Reports Third Quarter 2019 Net Income of $2.0 Million, or $0.40 per Share

ELMIRA, N.Y., Oct. 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chemung Financial Corporation (the "Corporation") CHMG, the parent company of Chemung Canal Trust Company (the "Bank"), today reported net income of $2.0 million, or $0.40 per share, for the third quarter of 2019, compared to $6.9 million, or $1.43 per share, for the third quarter of 2018.  The primary reason for the decrease in net income for the third quarter of 2019 as compared to the same period in the prior year was an increase in the provision for loan losses attributed to a specific impairment of $4.2 million related to the previously disclosed participation interest in a commercial credit.

Anders M. Tomson, Chemung Financial Corporation CEO, stated:

"The results for the 3^rd quarter were materially impacted by the $4.2 million participation loan impairment highlighted in our 8-K dated September 12, 2019.  We continue to work with law enforcement and the lead bank in an attempt to seek recovery from the borrower.  The net results for the quarter overshadow our strong core earnings performance. Net interest income for the third quarter increased from the prior quarter and our interest margin remains strong at 3.63%, reflective of our low 60 basis point cost of interest bearing deposits. Our efficiency ratio improved from the second quarter, as did our  non-interest expense to average assets ratio. While we are all disappointed in our credit events this year, we believe that they are not a reflection of the overall quality of our loan portfolio. We remain laser focused on our longer term tactical and strategic plan and committed to our high touch community banking service model while continuing to grow tangible book value per share and capital."

Third Quarter Highlights¹:

• Total shareholders' equity increased $17.0 million, or 9.9%.
   
• Tangible book value per share increased to $32.69.
   
• Dividends declared during the second quarter remained at $0.26 per share.             

¹ Balance sheet comparisons are calculated for June 30, 2019 versus December 31, 2018. 

3rd Quarter 2019 vs 3rd Quarter 2018

Net Interest Income:

Net interest income increased by less than $0.1 million, or 0.4%, to $15.1 million for the current quarter compared to the same period in the prior year, due primarily to an increase of $0.7 million in interest and dividend income and a decrease of $0.2 million in interest expense on borrowed funds, offset by a $0.6 million increase in total interest expense.  Interest and fees from loans increased $0.1 million, interest from taxable securities increased $0.1 million, and interest from interest-earning deposits increased $0.4 million in the third quarter of 2019 as compared to the same period in the prior year.  Interest expense on deposits increased $0.8 million, while interest expense on borrowed funds decreased $0.2 million in the third quarter of 2019 when compared to the same period in the prior year.  Fully taxable equivalent net interest margin was 3.63% in the third quarter of 2019, compared with 3.71% for the same period in the prior year.  The average yield on interest-earning assets increased 7 basis points, while the average cost of interest-bearing liabilities increased 22 basis points, compared to the same period in the prior year.  Average interest-earning assets increased $40.7 million, compared to the same period in the prior year.  The increase in interest and dividend income for the current quarter can be mostly attributed to average annualized yield increases of 12 basis points on commercial loans, 25 basis points on consumer loans, and 23 basis points on taxable securities, due to rising interest rates, along with a $74.1 million increase in the average balance of interest-earning deposits, compared to the same period in the prior year.  The increase in interest expense for the current quarter can be mostly attributed to an increase in interest rates on average interest-bearing deposits, including promotional rates on time deposits, offset by a $29.1 million decrease in the average balance of FHLB advances, other debt and repurchase agreements.

Non-Interest Income:

Non-interest income for the current quarter was $5.0 million compared with $7.4 million for the same period in the prior year, a decrease of $2.4 million, or 32.9%.  The decrease can be mostly attributed to a decrease of $2.2 million in the change in fair value of equity investments.  The decrease was due primarily to an increase in the fair value of Visa Class B shares in the third quarter of 2018, which were then subsequently sold during the third quarter of 2018.

Non-Interest Expense:

Non-interest expense for the current quarter was $13.5 million compared with $13.4 million for the same period in the prior year, an increase of $0.1 million, or 0.7%.  The increase can be mostly attributed to increases of $0.2 million in salaries and wages, $0.2 million in pension and other employee benefits, $0.1 million in furniture and equipment expenses, and a $0.3 million reduced credit in other components of net periodic pension and post-retirement benefits, offset by decreases of $0.2 million in net occupancy expense, and $0.3 million in FDIC insurance expense.  The increase in salaries and wages can be mostly attributed to annual merit increases. The increase in pension and other employee benefits was due to increased health care costs. The increase in furniture and equipment expenses was due to the timing of various projects. The decrease in net occupancy expense was due primarily to the closure of two branches in 2019.  The decrease in FDIC insurance expense was primarily due to the receipt of a $0.2 million credit related to the Deposit Insurance Fund's (DIF) minimum reserve ratio assessment. 

Income Tax Expense:

Income tax expense for the current quarter was $0.2 million compared with $1.8 million for the same period in the prior year.  The decrease in income tax expense was due primarily to a decrease of $6.6 million in income before income tax expense for the third quarter of 2019 as compared to the same period in the prior year.  The effective income tax rate decreased from 20.6% for the third quarter of 2018 to 8.3% for the third quarter of 2019.

3rd Quarter 2019 vs 2nd Quarter 2019

Net Interest Income:

Net interest income increased by less than $0.1 million, or 0.3%, to $15.1 million compared to the prior quarter.  Interest and fees from loans increased $0.1 million and interest and dividend income from investment securities increased $0.1 million.  Interest expense on deposits increased $0.1 million due primarily to an increase of $14.5 million in the average balance of time deposits, along with a seven basis points increase in the average cost of time deposits due to promotional rates on time deposits.  Fully taxable equivalent net interest margin was 3.63% in the third quarter of 2019, a decrease of six basis points compared with 3.69% for the prior quarter.  Average interest-earning assets increased $11.6 million in the third quarter of 2019, while the average yield on interest-earning assets decreased four basis points compared to the prior quarter.   The average cost of interest-bearing liabilities increased three basis points in the third quarter of 2019, compared to the prior quarter.

Non-Interest Income:

Non-interest income for the current quarter was $5.0 million compared with $5.1 million for the prior quarter, a decrease of $0.1 million, or 2.6%.  The decrease in non-interest income was due primarily to a $0.2 million decrease in WMG fee income.  The decrease in WMG fee income can be mostly attributed to a decrease in fees from terminating trusts and a decrease in tax preparation fees.

Non-Interest Expense:

Non-interest expense for the current quarter was $13.5 million compared with $13.8 million for the prior quarter, a decrease of $0.3 million, or 2.2%.  The decrease can be mostly attributed to decreases of $0.2 million in FDIC insurance expense and $0.2 million in other non-interest expense, offset by an increase of $0.1 million in furniture and equipment expense.  The decrease in FDIC insurance expense was primarily due to the receipt of a $0.2 million credit related to the Deposit Insurance Fund's (DIF) minimum reserve ratio assessment.  The decrease in other non-interest expense can be mostly attributed to a decrease in bank sponsorships of $0.1 million compared to the prior quarter. The increase in furniture and equipment expense was related to the timing of various projects.

Income Tax Expense:

Income tax expense for the current quarter was $0.2 million compared with $1.2 million for the prior quarter, a decrease of $1.1 million, or 85.7%.  The decrease in income tax expense can be attributed to a $4.1 million decrease in income before income tax expense for the third quarter of 2019, when compared to the prior quarter.  The effective income tax rate decreased from 19.8% for the second quarter of 2019 to 8.3% for the third quarter of 2019.

Asset Quality

Non-performing loans totaled $23.5 million at September 30, 2019, or 1.80% of total loans, compared with $12.3 million at December 31, 2018, or 0.93% of total loans.  Non-performing assets, which are comprised of non-performing loans and other real estate owned, were $23.7 million, or 1.32% of total assets, at September 30, 2019, compared with $12.8 million, or 0.73% of total assets, at December 31, 2018. The increase in non-performing loans can be mostly attributed to two commercial mortgage relationships and one participating interest in a commercial credit, offset by decreases in the non-performing residential mortgage and consumer loan portfolios.

Management performs an ongoing assessment of the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses based upon a number of factors including an analysis of historical loss factors, collateral evaluations, recent charge-off experience, credit quality of the loan portfolio, current economic conditions and loan growth.  Based on this analysis, the provision for loan losses for the third quarter of 2019 was $4.4 million, an increase of $4.1 million compared with the same period in the prior year.  The increase in the provision for loan losses can be mostly attributed to a specific impairment of $4.2 million related to the aforementioned participating interest in a commercial credit.  Net charge-offs for the third quarter of 2019 were $0.2 million, compared with $0.3 million for the third quarter of 2018. 

The allowance for loan losses was $23.9 million at September 30, 2019 compared with $18.9 million at December 31, 2018.  The allowance for loan losses was 101.94% of non-performing loans at September 30, 2019 compared with 154.59% at December 31, 2018.  The ratio of the allowance for loan losses to total loans was 1.83% at September 30, 2019 compared with 1.44% at December 31, 2018.

Balance Sheet Activity

Total assets were $1.794 billion at September 30, 2019 compared with $1.755 billion at December 31, 2018, an increase of $38.3 million, or 2.2%.  The increase can be mostly attributed to increases of $16.3 million in cash and cash equivalents, $25.3 million in securities available for sale, and $8.1 million in operating lease right-to-use assets related to the adoption of ASU No. 2016-02 Leases ("Topic 842") as of January 1, 2019, offset by decreases of $10.2 million in total loans, net, and $2.0 million in premises and equipment, net.

The increase in cash and cash equivalents was due to changes in securities, loans, deposits, and borrowings.  The decrease in total loans, net, can be mostly attributed to decreases of $9.9 million in commercial mortgages, $12.9 million in indirect consumer loans, $8.4 million in other consumer loans, and a $5.0 million increase in the allowance for loan losses, offset by increases of $24.6 million in commercial and agriculture loans and $1.3 million in residential mortgages.  The increase in securities available for sale can be mostly attributed to purchases in the amount of $67.6 million, offset by $15.2 million in sales of mortgage-backed and municipal securities, along with maturities and paydowns.

Total liabilities were $1.612 billion at September 30, 2019 compared with $1.590 billion at December 31, 2018, an increase of $21.3 million or 1.3%.  The increase in total liabilities can be mostly attributed to increases of $7.3 million in total deposits, $8.1 million in operating lease liabilities related to the January 1, 2019 adoption of Topic 842, and $6.0 million in accrued interest payable and other liabilities.  The increase in deposits from $1.569 billion at December 31, 2018 to $1.577 billion at September 30, 2019 can be mostly attributed to an increase of $28.6 million in interest-bearing demand deposits and $19.6 million of time deposits, offset by decreases of $27.8 million in money market accounts and $11.8 million in non-interest bearing demand deposits.  The decreases in non-interest-bearing demand deposit and money market accounts can be mostly attributed to an outflow of commercial deposits.

Total shareholders' equity was $182.0 million at September 30, 2019 compared with $165.0 million at December 31, 2018, an increase of $17.0 million, or 9.9%.  The increase in retained earnings of $7.6 million can be mostly attributed to earnings of $11.4 million, offset by $3.8 million in dividends declared.  The decrease in accumulated other comprehensive loss of $8.1 million can be mostly attributed to the increase in the fair market value of the securities portfolio.  Also, treasury stock decreased $0.6 million, due to the issuance of shares to the Corporation's employee benefit stock plans and directors' stock plans.

The total equity to total assets ratio was 10.15% at September 30, 2019 compared with 9.40% at December 31, 2018.  The tangible equity to tangible assets ratio was 9.00% at September 30, 2019 compared with 8.19% at December 31, 2018.  Book value per share increased to $37.35 at September 30, 2019 from $33.99 at December 31, 2018.  As of September 30, 2019, the Bank's capital ratios were in excess of those required to be considered well-capitalized under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action.

Other Items

The market value of total assets under management or administration in our Wealth Management Group was $1.863 billion at September 30, 2019, including $301.3 million of assets under management or administration for the Corporation, compared to $1.768 billion at December 31, 2018, including $283.0 million of assets under management or administration for the Corporation, an increase of $94.4 million, or 5.3%.  The increase in total assets under management or administration can be mostly attributed to increases in the market value of total assets.

About Chemung Financial Corporation

Chemung Financial Corporation is a $1.8 billion financial services holding company headquartered in Elmira, New York and operates 33 retail offices through its principal subsidiary, Chemung Canal Trust Company, a full service community bank with trust powers.  Established in 1833, Chemung Canal Trust Company is the oldest locally-owned and managed community bank in New York State.  Chemung Financial Corporation is also the parent of CFS Group, Inc., a financial services subsidiary offering non-traditional services including mutual funds, annuities, brokerage services, tax preparation services and insurance, and Chemung Risk Management, Inc., a captive insurance company based in the State of Nevada.

This press release may be found at: www.chemungcanal.com under Investor Relations.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  The Corporation intends its forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements in this press release.  All statements regarding the Corporation's expected financial position and operating results, the Corporation's business strategy, the Corporation's financial plans, forecasted demographic and economic trends relating to the Corporation's industry and similar matters are forward-looking statements.  These statements can sometimes be identified by the Corporation's use of forward-looking words such as "may," "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," or "intend."  The Corporation cannot promise that its expectations in such forward-looking statements will turn out to be correct.  The Corporation's actual results could be materially different from expectations because of various factors, including changes in economic conditions or interest rates, credit risk, difficulties in managing the Corporation's growth, competition, changes in law or the regulatory environment, including the Dodd-Frank Act, and changes in general business and economic trends.  Information concerning these and other factors can be found in the Corporation's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K.  These filings are available publicly on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov, on the Corporation's website at http://www.chemungcanal.com or upon request from the Corporate Secretary at (607) 737-3746.  Except as otherwise required by law, the Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

For further information contact:
Karl F. Krebs, EVP and CFO
kkrebs@chemungcanal.com
Phone:  607-737-3714

Chemung Financial Corporation

GAAP to Non-GAAP Reconciliations (Unaudited)

The Corporation prepares its Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP.  See the Corporation's unaudited consolidated balance sheets and statements of income contained within this press release. That presentation provides the reader with an understanding of the Corporation's results that can be tracked consistently from period-to-period and enables a comparison of the Corporation's performance with other companies' GAAP financial statements.

In addition to analyzing the Corporation's results on a reported basis, management uses certain non-GAAP financial measures, because it believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide information to investors about the underlying operational performance and trends of the Corporation and, therefore, facilitate a comparison of the Corporation with the performance of its competitors. Non-GAAP financial measures used by the Corporation may not be comparable to similarly named non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies.

The SEC has adopted Regulation G, which applies to all public disclosures, including earnings releases, made by registered companies that contain "non-GAAP financial measures."  Under Regulation G, companies making public disclosures containing non-GAAP financial measures must also disclose, along with each non-GAAP financial measure, certain additional information, including a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measure to the closest comparable GAAP financial measure and a statement of the Corporation's reasons for utilizing the non-GAAP financial measure as part of its financial disclosures.  The SEC has exempted from the definition of "non-GAAP financial measures" certain commonly used financial measures that are not based on GAAP.  When these exempted measures are included in public disclosures, supplemental information is not required.  The following measures used in this Report, which are commonly utilized by financial institutions, have not been specifically exempted by the SEC and may constitute "non-GAAP financial measures" within the meaning of the SEC's rules, although we are unable to state with certainty that the SEC would so regard them.

Fully Taxable Equivalent Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

Net interest income is commonly presented on a tax-equivalent basis.  That is, to the extent that some component of the institution's net interest income, which is presented on a before-tax basis, is exempt from taxation (e.g., is received by the institution as a result of its holdings of state or municipal obligations), an amount equal to the tax benefit derived from that component is added to the actual before-tax net interest income total.  This adjustment is considered helpful in comparing one financial institution's net interest income to that of other institutions or in analyzing any institution's net interest income trend line over time, to correct any analytical distortion that might otherwise arise from the fact that financial institutions vary widely in the proportions of their portfolios that are invested in tax-exempt securities, and that even a single institution may significantly alter over time the proportion of its own portfolio that is invested in tax-exempt obligations.  Moreover, net interest income is itself a component of a second financial measure commonly used by financial institutions, net interest margin, which is the ratio of net interest income to average interest-earning assets.  For purposes of this measure as well, fully taxable equivalent net interest income is generally used by financial institutions, as opposed to actual net interest income, again to provide a better basis of comparison from institution to institution and to better demonstrate a single institution's performance over time.  The Corporation follows these practices.

Efficiency Ratio

The unadjusted efficiency ratio is calculated as non-interest expense divided by total revenue (net interest income and non-interest income).  The adjusted efficiency ratio is a non-GAAP financial measure which represents the Corporation's ability to turn resources into revenue and is calculated as non-interest expense divided by total revenue (fully taxable equivalent net interest income and non-interest income), adjusted for one-time occurrences and amortization.  This measure is meaningful to the Corporation, as well as investors and analysts, in assessing the Corporation's productivity measured by the amount of revenue generated for each dollar spent.