Colony Bankcorp Reports Second Quarter 2020 Results

Company Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend of $0.10 Per Share

FITZGERALD, Ga.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Colony Bankcorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBAN) (“Colony” or the “Company”) today reported net income of $2.2 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2020, compared to $2.1 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, for the same period in 2019. Excluding payroll protection program and acquisition-related expenses, Colony reported operating net income of $2.4 million, or $0.25 adjusted earnings per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2020, compared to $3.6 million, or $0.40 adjusted earnings per diluted share, for the same period in 2019.

For the six months ended June 30, 2020, the Company reported net income of $3.8 million, or $0.40 per diluted share, compared to $4.9 million, or $0.56 per diluted share, for the same period in 2019. The Company reported operating net income of $4.9 million, or $0.52 adjusted earnings per diluted share, for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $6.6 million, or $0.78 adjusted earnings per diluted share, for the same period in 2019.

The Company separately announced that on July 16, 2020, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share, to be paid on its common stock on August 21, 2020, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on August 7, 2020.

Commenting on the announcement, Heath Fountain, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Despite operating in one of the most severe economic disruptions in our time, I am pleased to report that our diluted earnings per share increased 35% over the sequential quarter, and we were able to achieve similar earnings compared with the same period last year. The strong fundamentals underlying our business, diversification of revenue streams as seen by strong growth in mortgage banking income, and revenue contribution from our Small Business Specialty Lending Division give me confidence in our future.

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have severe economic disruptions across our operating markets. In these troubling times, we have continued to assist the liquidity needs of our customers, ensure the health and well-being of our employees and support the communities in which we operate. Under the Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) enacted as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, the Company originated approximately $137.8 million in gross PPP loans. Colony Bank brought on new customers under the program who did not previously have a relationship with us. Moreover, these customers executed new non-PPP loans, increased our deposits and will generate additional fee income. These types of multiple cross-selling opportunities of our diverse product offerings will allow us a unique opportunity to capture long-term customers.

“Our loan deferral balances related to the pandemic also decreased 38% from $182.0 million in the first quarter 2020 to $113.2 million at the end of this second quarter. The difference in the preceding amounts are now back to current principal and interest payments.

“Growth in net interest income of 15% year over year was partially offset by acquisition-related expenses associated with our purchases of LBC Bancshares, Inc. and PFB Mortgage. Despite the growth in our interest earnings assets, our net interest margin decreased 16 basis points to 3.41% compared with the year-earlier period due to the addition of lower yielding PPP loans offset by lowering our borrowing costs during the quarter as well as lower interest on the level of deposits on our balance sheets.

“Noninterest income saw strong growth, increasing 21% in the second quarter 2020 over the same period last year as a result of our strategic efforts to diversify our revenue streams with mortgage fee income increasing to $1.3 million in the current quarter compared to $544,000 in the second quarter of 2019 due to the acquisition of PFB Mortgage, as well as customers refinancing due to the lower rate environment. This increase in noninterest income was partially offset by increases in noninterest expense, such as increases in salaries and employee benefits due to the additional headcount, as well as increases in occupancy and equipment.

“Despite our strong asset quality, we recorded a higher provision for loan and lease losses in the second quarter of 2020 of $2.2 million, a substantial increase from $179,000 in the second quarter of 2019 and up from $2.0 million in the sequential period, due to increases in our loan portfolio and the current impaired economic operating environment. Our allowance for loan and lease losses now represents 0.92% of total loans outstanding, an increase from 0.73% in the year-earlier quarter and 0.85% on a sequential-quarter basis. Total nonperforming assets in the second quarter of 2020 is 0.75% of total assets, compared to 0.76% in the year-earlier quarter and 0.91% on a sequential-quarter basis.

“As a final thought, against the backdrop of the pandemic and the ensuing disruptions, our team is focused on controlling what we can in order to protect our business. Our investments in strategic acquisitions to diversify our business model, our expenditures in technological enhancements to stay connected to our customers, and our efforts to aggressively protect our capital position and credit metrics allow us to continue to drive our business forward. We also continue to monitor all state and local news to protect our employees and customers. Based on our diversified loan portfolio, capitalization, conservative loan underwriting philosophy and continued growth in several revenue streams, I am confident that we will come out of the current crises stronger,” concluded Fountain.

Balance Sheet

Total assets were $1.78 billion at June 30, 2020, an increase of $262.3 million, or 17.31%, from $1.51 billion at December 31, 2019. The increase in total assets was a result of increased loan production associated with the funding of approximately 1,700 PPP loans which also generated much higher balances in our interest-bearing deposits with other banks as of June 30, 2020.

Total loans, including loans held for sale, were $1.13 billion at June 30, 2020, an increase of $151.6 million, or 15.49%, from $978.9 million at December 31, 2019. The growth in loans was primarily a result of PPP loan production during the second quarter 2020, which totaled $137.8 million in gross PPP loans at June 30, 2020.

Total deposits at June 30, 2020 were $1.42 billion, an increase of $128.0 million, or 9.90%, compared to total deposits of $1.29 billion at December 31, 2019. Noninterest-bearing deposits accounted for the majority of the increase in total deposits, with an increase of $96.2 million, or 41.36%, compared to December 31, 2019. The growth in noninterest-bearing deposits was attributable to PPP-related deposits. In addition, our participation in the PPP loan program resulted in an increase in borrowings, specifically through the Payroll Protection Program Liquidity Facility (“PPPLF”) which totaled $134.5 million at June 30, 2020.

Capital

Colony continues to maintain a strong capital position, with ratios that exceed regulatory minimums required to be classified as “well-capitalized.” At June 30, 2020, the Company’s preliminary tier one leverage ratio, tier one capital ratio, total risk-based capital ratio and common equity tier one capital ratio were 7.77%, 12.39%, 13.32% and 10.26%, respectively. In comparison, at December 31, 2019, the Company reported tier one leverage ratio, tier one capital ratio, total risk-based capital ratio and common equity tier one capital ratio of 8.92%, 12.52%, 13.17% and 10.33%, respectively.

Net Interest Margin

Net interest income was $13.5 million for the second quarter of 2020, compared with $11.8 million for the same quarter in 2019. Net interest margin for the second quarter of 2020 was 3.41%, down twenty-two basis points on a sequential-quarter basis and twenty basis points compared with the year-earlier quarter. The decrease in net interest margin in the second quarter 2020, was primarily due to lower yielding PPP loans combined with an increase in lower yielding, highly liquid assets.

Asset Quality

Nonperforming assets totaled $13.2 million and $11.6 million at June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. OREO and repossessed assets totaled $1.8 million at June 30, 2020, an increase of $741,000 or 70.91%, compared to the same quarter in 2019. While nonperforming assets have increased year-over-year, primarily as a result of increased traditional loan production, asset quality remains strong with overall improvement as of the second quarter of 2020 compared to previous quarter and year-over-year comparisons.

In the second quarter of 2020, net loan charge-offs were $295,000 or 0.12% of average loans compared with net recovery of $21,000 in the second quarter of 2019. The loan loss reserve was $10.3 million or 0.92% of total loans on June 30, 2020, compared with $6.8 million or 0.73% of total loans at June 30, 2019. The loan and lease losses reserve methodology resulted in a $2.2 million provision for loan loss and lease loss expense for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, compared with $179,000 for the comparable 2019 period. The increase in the provision for loan and lease loss expense was directly impacted by the current economic disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income totaled $4.8 million for the second quarter of 2020, an increase of $409,000 or 9.2%, on a sequential-quarter comparison. The increase during the second quarter 2020 is primarily a result of significant increases in mortgage loan production because of consumers continuing to refinance due to the lower rate environment.

Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense totaled $13.4 million for the second quarter of 2020, an increase of $837,000 or 6.59%, on a sequential-quarter comparison. The increase in noninterest expense compared to the previous quarter primarily resulted from increases in salaries and employee benefits and other noninterest expenses. Other noninterest expense, which encompasses several categories of activity, increased primarily due to increases in regulatory assessments and software expenses.

About Colony Bankcorp

Colony Bankcorp, Inc. is the bank holding company for Colony Bank. Founded in 1975 and headquartered in Fitzgerald, Georgia, Colony operates 33 locations throughout Georgia. The Homebuilder Finance Division helps the local construction industry with building and construction loans, and the Small Business Specialty Lending Division assists small businesses with government guaranteed loans. The Bank also helps its customers achieve their goal of home ownership through Colony Bank Mortgage. Colony’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “CBAN.” For more information, please visit www.colony.bank. You can also follow the Company on Facebook or on Twitter @colony_bank.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and subject to the protections of, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition, certain statements may be contained in the Company’s future filings with the SEC, in press releases, and in oral and written statements made by or with the approval of the Company that are not statements of historical fact and constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and subject to the protections of, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: (i) projections and/or expectations of revenues, income or loss, earnings or loss per share, the payment or nonpayment of dividends, capital structure and other financial items; (ii) statement of plans and objectives of Colony Bankcorp, Inc. or its management or Board of Directors, including those relating to products or services; (iii) statements of future economic performance; (iv) statements regarding growth strategy, capital management, liquidity and funding, and future profitability; (v) statements regarding the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business and financial results and conditions; and (vi) statements of assumptions underlying such statements. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “targeted” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.

Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s assets, business, cash flows, financial condition, liquidity, prospects and results of operations; potential increases in the provision for loan losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; the Company’s ability to implement its various strategic and growth initiatives; competitive pressures among financial institutions increasing significantly; economic conditions, either nationally or locally, in areas in which the Company conducts operations being less favorable than expected; interest rate risk; legislation or regulatory changes which adversely affect the ability of the consolidated Company to conduct business combinations or new operations, including changes to statutes, regulations or regulatory policies or practices as a result of, or in response to COVID-19; adverse results from current or future litigation, regulatory examinations or other legal and/or regulatory actions, including as a result of the Company’s participation in and execution of government programs related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and risks that the anticipated benefits from the transactions with LBC Bancshares, Inc. and PFB Mortgage are not realized in the time frame anticipated or at all as a result of changes in general economic and market conditions or other unexpected factors or events. These and other factors, risks and uncertainties could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from the future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are beyond the Company’s ability to control or predict.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements are made. These forward-looking statements are based upon information presently known to the Company’s management and are inherently subjective, uncertain and subject to change due to any number of risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the risks and other factors set forth in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, under the captions “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors,” and in the Company’s quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Explanation of Certain Unaudited Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The measures entitled operating noninterest expense; operating net income; adjusted earnings per diluted share; tangible book value per common share and operating efficiency ratio are not measures recognized under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and therefore are considered non-GAAP financial measures. The most comparable GAAP measures are noninterest expense, net income, diluted earnings per share, book value per common share and efficiency ratio, respectively.

Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures in its analysis of the Company’s performance and believes these presentations provide useful supplemental information, and a clearer understanding of the Company’s performance, and if not provided would be requested by the investor community. The Company believes the non-GAAP measures enhance investors’ understanding of the Company’s business and performance. These measures are also useful in understanding performance trends and facilitate comparisons with the performance of other financial institutions. The limitations associated with operating measures are the risk that persons might disagree as to the appropriateness of items comprising these measures and that different companies might calculate these measures differently.

These disclosures should not be considered an alternative to GAAP. The computations of operating noninterest expense; operating net income; adjusted earnings per diluted share; tangible book value per common share and operating efficiency ratio and the reconciliation of these measures to noninterest expense, net income, diluted earning per share, book value per common share and efficiency ratio are set forth in the table below.

Contacts

Tracie Youngblood

EVP & Chief Financial Officer

(229) 426-6000 (Ext 6003)

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