OREANDA-NEWS. May 18, 2016. Century Next Financial Corporation (OTCQB:CTUY), the holding company of Bank of Ruston with \\$220.6 million in assets, today announced financial results for the 1st quarter ended March 31, 2016.

Financial Performance

For the three months ended March 31, 2016, Century Next Financial Corporation (the “Company”) had net income after tax of \\$454,000 compared to net income of \\$354,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2015, an increase of \\$100,000 or 28.2%. Earnings per share (EPS) for the three months ended were \\$0.44 and \\$0.43 per basic and diluted share, respectively, compared to \\$0.35 per basic and diluted share reported for the three months ended March 31, 2015. 

Balance Sheet

Overall, total assets increased by \\$9.6 million or 4.53% to \\$220.6 million at March 31, 2016 compared to \\$211.0 million at December 31, 2015. 

The largest component of assets, loans, net of deferred fees and costs and the allowance for loan losses, increased \\$12.9 million or 7.45% for the three months ended March 31, 2016 compared to December 31, 2015. Total net loans at March 31, 2016 were \\$185.4 million compared to \\$172.6 million at December 31, 2015. The growth was primarily the result of demand for 1-4 family, land, and residential construction loans.   

Total deposits at March 31, 2016 increased \\$9.7 million or 5.98% to \\$172.5 million compared to \\$162.8 million at December 31, 2015. Time deposits, interest-bearing checking, and savings deposits were the main growth areas contributing to the increase in overall deposits. 

Total short-term borrowings decreased to \\$2.0 million at March 31, 2016 from \\$3.0 million at December 31, 2015, a decrease of \\$1.0 million or 33.3%. This reduction came from funding provided by deposit growth as mentioned above.

Income Statement

Net interest income was \\$2.15 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016 compared to \\$1.76 million for the three months ended March 31, 2015. This was an increase of \\$390,000, or 22.1%. The increase for the quarter was primarily from interest income earned on loans from increased volume. 

The provision for loan losses amounted to \\$105,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2016, compared to \\$72,000 in provision for the three months ended March 31, 2015. The increase in loan loss provision for the quarter as compared to the prior year quarter is not a result of increased loss activity but more appropriately a result of increased risk awareness and identification to strengthen the allowance for loan losses.  

Total non-interest income amounted to \\$201,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2016 compared to \\$200,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2015, an increase of \\$1,000 or 0.5%. The increase was primarily from income generated from service charges on deposits and income the sale of credit life insurance. 

Total non-interest expense increased by \\$184,000 or 13.3% to \\$1.57 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 compared to \\$1.38 million for the quarter ended  March 31, 2015. The majority of the increase was due to increased expenses of salaries and benefits. The Company continues to show improvement in its efficiency ratio, a measure of expense as a percent of total income, to 66.5% for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 compared to 70.4% for the same period in 2015.

Dividend Declaration

The Board of Directors has approved a cash dividend of \\$0.12 per share payable on June 21, 2016 to shareholders of record as of May 31, 2016. 

Additional Information

Century Next Financial Corporation is the holding company for Bank of Ruston (the “Bank”) which conducts business from its main office and full-service branch office, located in Ruston, Louisiana. The Company was formed in 2010 and is subject to the regulatory oversight of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary and is an insured federally-chartered stock savings association subject to the regulatory oversight of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Bank was established in 1905 and is headquartered in Ruston, Louisiana. The Bank is a full-service bank with two banking offices in Ruston. The Bank emphasizes professional and personal banking service directed primarily to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The Bank provides a full range of banking services including its primary business of real estate lending to residential and commercial customers.

Statements contained in this news release which are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. They often include words like “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” and “intend” or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” or “may.” We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Century Next Financial Corporation and Subsidiary
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share data)

  
 March 31, 2016 December 31, 2015
    
ASSETS   
    
Cash and cash equivalents\\$  17,709  \\$  22,029 
Investment securities   6,515     6,546 
Loans, net   185,414     172,553 
Other assets   10,941     9,898 
TOTAL ASSETS\\$  220,579  \\$  211,026 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY   
    
Deposits\\$  172,532  \\$  162,804 
Short-term borrowings (FHLB advances)   2,000     3,000 
Long-term borrowings (FHLB advances)   20,211     20,222 
Other liabilities   1,875     1,566 
Total Liabilities   196,618     187,592 
Stockholders' equity   23,961     23,434 
    
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY\\$  220,579  \\$  211,026 
Book Value per share\\$  21.95  \\$  21.46 
    

Century Next Financial Corporation and Subsidiary
Consolidated Statements of Income (unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share data)

      
  Three Months Ended March 31 
   2016   2015  
      
Interest Income \\$2,381  \\$1,922  
Interest Expense  228   159  
Net Interest Income  2,153   1,763  
Provision for Loan Losses  105   72  
Net interest income after provision for loan losses  2,048   1,691  
Noninterest Income  201   200  
Noninterest Expense  1,566   1,382  
Income Before Taxes  683   509  
Provision For Income Taxes  229   155  
NET INCOME \\$  454  \\$  354  
      
EARNINGS PER SHARE     
Basic \\$  0.44  \\$  0.35  
Diluted \\$  0.43  \\$  0.35