State Bank Financial Corporation today announced unaudited financial results for the full year and fourth quarter ended December 31, 2014. Full year net income for 2014 was $30.9 million, compared to $12.7 million for full year 2013. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $7.6 million, compared to $9.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2013 and $11.5 million for the third quarter of 2014. Fully diluted earnings per share were $.92 for full year 2014 compared to $.38 for full year 2013. Fully diluted earnings per share were $.22 in the fourth quarter of 2014 compared to $.28 in the fourth quarter of 2013 and $.34 in the third quarter of 2014. 

Joe Evans, Chairman and CEO, commented, "The fourth quarter of 2014 was a solid finish to a very successful year marked by strong growth in loans and transaction deposits, excellent credit metrics and the acquisition of two healthy banks. We were also pleased to see the fifth anniversaries of our largest loss share acquisitions pass uneventfully. The momentum and pipelines we have going into 2015 cause me to be very optimistic about what lies ahead."

Operating Highlights

Net interest income was $32.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2014, down from $38.0 million in the third quarter of 2014. A $7.0 million decline in accretion income offset $1.3 million in growth in interest income, resulting in the decline in net interest income. Accretion income on loans was $14.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2014, down from $21.1 million in the third quarter of 2014. The higher accretion income in the previous quarter was due primarily to timing of gains from purchased loan pools closing out in the third quarter of 2014. Interest income on loans, excluding purchased credit impaired ("PCI") loans, for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $17.4 million, up from $16.2 million in the prior quarter. Interest expense of $1.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2014 was essentially flat with the prior quarter and prior year period. Cost of funds for the fourth quarter of 2014 was 33 basis points, down two basis points from the prior quarter and four basis points from the prior year period.

The organic loan portfolio continued to perform well in the fourth quarter of 2014 as past due loans represented 17 basis points of total organic loans. The provision for loan losses was $1.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2014 and was primarily attributable to organic loan growth in the quarter.

Noninterest income, excluding accretion/(amortization) of the FDIC receivable for loss share agreements (which we refer to as the indemnification asset), was $5.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2014, up from $3.6 million in the third quarter of 2014 due primarily to higher prepayment fees on loans, SBA income and payroll fee income.

Total noninterest income for the fourth quarter of 2014, which includes accretion/(amortization) of the indemnification asset, was $6.9 million, compared to $3.4 million in the third quarter of 2014. We recognized accretion of the indemnification asset of $1.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2014, as opposed to amortization of the indemnification asset in prior quarters. Upon expiration of the two commercial loss share agreements in the fourth quarter, it became apparent that our actual collections would exceed our estimated collections, thereby reducing the reserve allocated for disallowed claims resulting in the reversal to accretion from amortization of the indemnification asset.

Total noninterest expense for the fourth quarter of 2014 was $25.8 million, a $3.3 million increase from the third quarter of 2014 due primarily to higher salary and benefit costs. Approximately $1.5 million of the $3.2 million linked-quarter increase in salary and benefit cost was due to severance costs related to executive management realignment and headcount reductions. The staff reductions have been partially offset by additional personnel in mortgage, SBA and payroll growth initiatives. Additionally, $1.1 million of the quarterly increase was related to increased headcount and retention payments from the Bank of Atlanta merger. Personnel cost savings of approximately $315 thousand related to staff reductions following the conversion of Bank of Atlanta will be largely recognized in the first quarter of 2015. Additionally, merger-related expenses for the fourth quarter and full year 2014 totaled $306 thousand and $795 thousand, respectively.

Financial Condition

Total assets at December 31, 2014 were $2.88 billion, up from $2.65 billion at September 30, 2014 and $2.61 billion at December 31, 2013. Total net loans were $1.61 billion at December 31, 2014, up $128.4 million from the third quarter of 2014 primarily due to a $116.0 million increase related to our acquisition of Bank of Atlanta.

Period-end organic loans increased to $1.32 billion at December 31, 2014, a net increase of $28.5 million from the third quarter of 2014 and $196.9 million from year-end 2013. Period-end organic loans comprised 87.4% of total gross loans at December 31, 2014. Purchased non-credit impaired loans from Bank of Atlanta totaled $107.8 million at year-end 2014. Purchased credit impaired loans decreased to $206.3 million and included $8.2 million of PCI loans from our acquisition of Bank of Atlanta.

Total deposits at December 31, 2014 were $2.39 billion, up from $2.16 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2014 and $2.13 billion at the end of the fourth quarter of 2013. Period-end noninterest-bearing demand deposits and interest-bearing transaction accounts, which make up total transaction accounts, increased $171.4 million from the third quarter of 2014, inclusive of $39.4 million of transaction deposits acquired from Bank of Atlanta. Period-end noninterest-bearing demand deposits increased $52.7 million from the third quarter of 2014, inclusive of $32.2 million of noninterest-bearing deposits acquired from Bank of Atlanta. Period-end noninterest-bearing demand deposits represented 24.1% of total deposits as of December 31, 2014. Average noninterest-bearing demand deposits, which increased for the eleventh consecutive quarter, were up $33.6 million from the third quarter of 2014, excluding average noninterest-bearing deposits from Bank of Atlanta. 

Tangible book value per share was $13.97 at the end of the fourth quarter of 2014. State Bank Financial Corporation continues to be well capitalized, ending the quarter with a leverage ratio of 15.90% and a Tier I risk-based capital ratio of 23.12%.

Subsequent Event

On January 1, 2015, State Bank Financial Corporation completed its previously announced merger with Georgia-Carolina Bancshares, Inc., the holding company for First Bank of Georgia. At December 31, 2014, First Bank of Georgia had approximately $517 million of total assets, $334 million of loans, $417 million of deposits and seven banking offices in the Augusta, Georgia market.