BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. ("ServisFirst") (NASDAQ: SFBS), the holding company for ServisFirst Bank, today announced earnings and operating results for the quarter ended March 31, 2015.

FIRST QUARTER 2015 HIGHLIGHTS:

• Core net income of $14.8 million, a 21% increase year over year
• Core EPS of $0.56 for the first quarter, excluding merger-related charges, a 6% increase year over year
• Loans and deposits increased 23% and 20%, respectively, year over year, led by organic growth
• Closed the acquisition of Metro Bancshares, Inc. in Atlanta on January 31, 2015
• Production team (excluding mortgage origination) increased from 91 to 110 in the first quarter, with eight added through the Metro Bank acquisition

Tom Broughton, President and CEO, said, "We are pleased to welcome our new bankers, as we had the largest increase in our production team during a period in our ten year history.  We continue to believe that ServisFirst Bank is the best place for commercial and private bankers to provide service to their clients."  Bud Foshee, CFO, stated, "Our focus for 2015 will be on improved net interest margins and continued quality customer service."

DETAILED FINANCIALS

ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. reported net income of $13.1 million and net income available to common stockholders of $13.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, compared to net income of $11.8 million and net income available to common stockholders of $11.7 million for the same quarter in 2014.  Net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2015 was impacted by $2.1 million in merger expenses related to the acquisition of Metro Bancshares, Inc. ("Metro").  Basic and diluted earnings per common share were $0.51 and $0.49, respectively, for the first quarter of 2015, compared to $0.53 and $0.51, respectively, for the first quarter of 2014.  Excluding merger expenses and the initial funding of reserves for unfunded loan commitments, net of tax, basic and diluted earnings per common share were $0.58 and $0.56, respectively.

Return on average assets was 1.26% and return on average common stockholders' equity was 13.55% for the first quarter of 2015, compared to 1.35% and 17.83%, respectively, for the first quarter of 2014.

Net interest income was $37.0 million for the first quarter of 2015, compared to $34.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2014 and $30.8 million for the first quarter of 2014.  The net interest margin in the first quarter of 2015 was 3.80%, a 24 basis point increase from the fourth quarter of 2014 and the same as the first quarter of 2014.  Net accretion resulting from the fair value adjustments on acquired assets and assumed liabilities contributed 4 basis points to the net interest margin in the first quarter of 2015.  The increase in net interest income on a linked quarter basis is attributable to a $276.8 million increase in average loans outstanding and a $26.8 million increase in average stockholders' equity, all resulting in a positive mix change in our balance sheet.  The increase in net interest margin is the result of improved loan yields and lower average balances in federal funds at other banks and at the Federal Reserve, which earn a nominal interest rate. 

Average loans for the first quarter of 2015 were $3.50 billion, an increase of $276.8 million, or 9%, over average loans of $3.23 billion for the fourth quarter of 2014, and an increase of $595.6 million, or 20%, over average loans of $2.91 billion for the first quarter of 2014.  The increase in loans included approximately $152.9 million of loans acquired in the Metro acquisition.

Average total deposits for the first quarter of 2015 were $3.47 billion, an increase of $63.0 million, or 1.9%, over average total deposits of $3.41 billion for the fourth quarter of 2014, and an increase of $493.7 million, or 17%, over average total deposits of $2.97 billion for the first quarter of 2014.  The increase in total average deposits included approximately $178.3 million of deposits acquired in the Metro acquisition as of February 1, 2015.

At March 31, 2015, non-performing assets to total assets were 0.40%, a decrease of one basis point compared to 0.41% for the fourth quarter of 2014 and a decrease of thirteen basis points compared to 0.53% for the first quarter of 2014.  The amount of non-performing assets to total assets attributable to the acquisition of Metro was 0.08% for the first quarter of 2015.  Net credit charge-offs to average loans were 0.08%, an eleven basis point decrease compared to 0.19% for the fourth quarter of 2014 and a nine basis point decrease compared to 0.17% for the first quarter of 2014.  We recorded a $2.4 million provision for loan losses in the first quarter of 2015, a decrease of $0.4 million compared to $2.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2014 and an increase of $0.1 million compared to $2.3 million in the first quarter of 2014.  The loan loss reserve as a percentage of total loans decreased two basis points to 1.04% at March 31, 2015, compared to 1.06% at December 31, 2014 and a decrease of four basis points compared to 1.08% at March 31, 2014.  The decrease in loan loss reserve as a percentage of loans related to the acquisition of Metro was 0.03% for the first quarter of 2015.  In management's opinion, the reserve is adequate and was determined by consistent application of ServisFirst Bank's methodology for calculating its reserve for loan losses.

Non-interest income increased $902,000 in the first quarter of 2015, or 41%, compared to the first quarter of 2014.  Deposit service charges increased by $339,000, or 39%.  Approximately 1,900 checking accounts were acquired in the Metro acquisition.  Mortgage banking income increased $170,000, or 60%, as a result of increases in refinancing activity.  Increases in the cash surrender value of our life insurance contracts resulted from added investments in contracts during the third quarter of 2014 and the addition of $2.7 million in contracts as a result of the Metro acquisition.

Non-interest expense for the first quarter of 2015 increased $5.1 million, or 37%, to $18.8 million from $13.7 million in the first quarter of 2014.  Salary and benefit expense for the first quarter of 2015 increased $1.3 million, or 17%, to $9.0 million from $7.7 million in the first quarter of 2014, and increased $2.7 million, or 43%, on a linked quarter basis.  Thirty-eight Metro employees came over as part of the acquisition on February 1, 2015 and 32 remain employed by the Company as of March 31, 2015.  Eleven new sales officers, in addition to those from Metro, were added during the first quarter of 2015.  Salary and benefit expense for the first quarter of 2014 includes a non-routine expense of $703,000 resulting from a correction of our accounting for vested stock options previously granted to members of our advisory boards in our Dothan, Huntsville and Montgomery, Alabama markets.  Merger expenses related to the acquisition of Metro were $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2015.  Other operating expense for the first quarter of 2015 increased $1.4 million, or 45%, to $4.6 million from $3.1 million in the first quarter of 2014.  This increase was primarily attributable to $500,000 in expense for the initial funding of reserves for unfunded loan commitments as of March 31, 2015, consistent with guidance provided in the Federal Reserve Bank's Inter-agency Policy Statement SR 06-17, $140,000 of increased charges from the Federal Reserve Bank as part of our increased clearing services for correspondent bank clients, and $121,000 of other operating expenses in our Atlanta region.

GAAP Reconciliation and Management Explanation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

As discussed in more detail in the section titled "Detailed Financials," we recorded expenses of $2.1 million for the first quarter of 2015 related to the acquisition of Metro Bancshares, Inc. and the merger of Metro Bank with and into the Bank, and recorded an expense of $500,000 resulting from the initial funding of reserves for unfunded loan commitments as of March 31, 2015, consistent with guidance provided in the Federal Reserve Bank's Inter-agency Policy Statement SR 06-17.  We recorded a non-routine expense of $703,000 for the first quarter of 2014 resulting from the correction of our accounting for vested stock options previously granted to members of our advisory boards in our Dothan, Huntsville and Montgomery, Alabama markets.  This change in accounting treatment is a non-cash item and does not impact our operating activities or cash from operations.  The non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release of our results for the first quarter of 2015 are "core net income," "core net income available to common stockholders," "core diluted earnings per share," "core return on average assets" and "core return on average common stockholders' equity."  Each of these five core financial measures excludes the impact of the merger expenses, the initial funding of a reserve for unfunded loan commitments, and the non-routine expense attributable to the correction of our accounting for vested stock options.  None of the other periods included in this press release are affected by such non-routine expenses.

"Core net income" is defined as net income, adjusted by the net effect of the non-routine expense.

"Core net income available to common stockholders" is defined as net income available to common stockholders, adjusted by the net effect of the non-routine expense.

"Core diluted earnings per share" is defined as net income available to common stockholders, adjusted by the net effect of the non-routine expense, divided by weighted average diluted shares outstanding.

"Core return on average assets" is defined as net income, adjusted by the net effect of the non-routine expense, divided by average total assets.

"Core return on average common stockholders' equity" is defined as net income, adjusted by the net effect of the non-routine expense, divided by average common stockholders' equity.

We present tangible book value per share and the ratio of tangible common equity to total tangible assets in our Selected Financial Highlights table.  Our acquisition of Metro resulted in goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets, which are subtracted from equity and assets in the computation of tangible book value per share and tangible common equity to total tangible assets.

We believe these non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to management and investors that is supplementary to our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows computed in accordance with GAAP; however, we acknowledge that these non-GAAP financial measures have a number of limitations.  As such, you should not view these disclosures as a substitute for results determined in accordance with GAAP, and they are not necessarily comparable to non-GAAP financial measures that other companies, including those in our industry, use.  The following reconciliation table provides a more detailed analysis of the non-GAAP financial measures for the first quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2014.  Dollars are in thousands, except share and per share data.

About ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc.

ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company based in Birmingham, Alabama. Through its subsidiary ServisFirst Bank, ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. provides business and personal financial services from locations in Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile and Dothan, Alabama, Pensacola, Florida, Nashville, Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.

ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. files periodic reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).  Copies of its filings may be obtained through the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or at www.servisfirstbank.com.

Webcast

As previously announced, ServisFirst will host a live audio webcast to discuss first quarter earnings and results beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET on April 21, 2015. The webcast can be accessed at www.servisfirstbank.com on the "Investor Relations" page in the "Events and Webcasts" section. A replay of the call will be available until April 30, 2015.

Additional Information

This release contains, and the remarks by ServisFirst's management on the live audio webcast may contain, forward-looking statements within the meaning of the securities laws giving ServisFirst's expectations or predictions of future financial or business performance or conditions. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "target," "estimate," "continue," "positions," "prospects" or "potential," by future conditional verbs such as "will," "would," "should," "could" or "may", or by variations of such words or by similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of ServisFirst's control and which may change over time and cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For discussion of these and other risks that may cause actual results to differ from expectations, please refer to "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements" and "Risk Factors" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and to our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and ServisFirst assumes no duty to update forward-looking statements. 

CONTACT: ServisFirst Bank
Davis Mange (205) 949-3420
dmange@servisfirstbank.com