Shreveport, La, Jan. 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Home Federal Bancorp, Inc. of Louisiana (the "Company") (Nasdaq: HFBL), the holding company of Home Federal Bank, reported net income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, of $1.02 million compared to net income of $1.00 million reported for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The Company's basic and diluted earnings per share were $0.33 for the three months ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023. The Company reported net income of $2.0 million for the six months ended December 31, 2024, compared to $2.2 million for the six months ended December 31, 2023. The Company's basic and diluted earnings per share were $0.64 for the six months ended December 31, 2024 compared to $0.73 and $0.72, respectively, for the six months ended December 31, 2023.

The Company reported the following highlights during the six months ended December 31, 2024:

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  Nonperforming assets totaled $1.8 million, or 0.30% of total assets at December 31, 2024 compared to $1.9 million, or 0.30% of total assets, at June 30, 2024.
  
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  There were no advances from the FHLB at December 31, 2024 or June 30, 2024.
  
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  Other borrowings totaled $4.0 million at December 31, 2024 compared to $7.0 million at June 30, 2024.
  

The increase in net income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the same period in 2023 resulted primarily from a decrease of $413,000, or 9.7%, in non-interest expense and an increase of $351,000, or 256.2%, in non-interest income, partially offset by an increase of $383,000, or 195.4%, in provision for income taxes, a decrease of $303,000, or 6.2%, in net interest income, and an increase of $61,000, or 381.3%, in the provision for credit losses. The decrease in net interest income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the same period in 2023, was primarily due to a decrease of $422,000, or 5.2%, in total interest income, partially offset by a decrease of $119,000, or 3.7%, in total interest expense. The Company's average interest rate spread was 2.40% for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to 2.45% for the three months ended December 31, 2023. The Company's net interest margin was 3.12% for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to 3.14% for the three months ended December 31, 2023.

The decrease in net income for the six months ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the same period in 2023 resulted primarily from a decrease of $1.2 million, or 11.4%, in net interest income and an increase of $71,000, or 62.3%, in provision for income taxes, partially offset by a decrease of $591,000, or 7.0%, in non-interest expense, an increase of $216,000, or 37.8%, in non-interest income, and an increase of $162,000 in the recovery of credit losses. The decrease in net interest income for the six months ended December 31, 2024, as compared to the same period in 2023, was primarily due to a decrease of $755,000, or 4.7%, in total interest income and an increase of $405,000, or 6.8%, in total interest expense. The Company's average interest rate spread was 2.32% for the six months ended December 31, 2024 compared to 2.60% for the six months ended December 31, 2023. The Company's net interest margin was 3.06% for the six months ended December 31, 2024 compared to 3.26% for the six months ended December 31, 2023.

The following tables set forth the Company's average balances and average yields earned and rates paid on its interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities for the periods indicated.

The $351,000 increase in non-interest income for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to the prior year quarterly period, was primarily due to a decrease of $369,000 in loss on sale of real estate, an increase of $62,000 in other non-interest income, and an increase of $2,000 in income on bank owned life insurance, partially offset by a decrease of $71,000 in gain on sale of loans, an increase of $6,000 in loss on sale of securities, and a decrease of $5,000 in service charges on deposit accounts. The $216,000 increase in non-interest income for the six months ended December 31, 2024 compared to the prior year six-month period was primarily due to a decrease of $149,000 in loss on sale of real estate, an increase of $88,000 in other non-interest income, and an increase of $4,000 in income from bank owned life insurance, partially offset by a decrease of $14,000 in gain on sale of loans, an increase of $6,000 in loss on sale of securities, and a decrease of $5,000 in service charges on deposit accounts.

The $413,000 decrease in non-interest expense for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, is primarily attributable to decreases of $163,000 in franchise and bank shares tax expense, $132,000 in other non-interest expense, $99,000 in compensation and benefits expense, $80,000 in audit and examination fees, $53,000 in professional fees, $38,000 in advertising expense, $33,000 in deposit insurance premium expense, $13,000 in amortization of core deposit intangible expense, $7,000 in occupancy and equipment expense, and $2,000 in loan and collection expense. The decreases were partially offset by an increase of $207,000 in data processing expense. The $591,000 decrease in non-interest expense for the six months ended December 31, 2024, compared to the same six-month period in 2023, is primarily attributable to decreases of $153,000 in compensation and benefits expense, $151,000 in franchise and bank shares tax expense, $124,000 in advertising expense, $105,000 in other non-interest expense, $96,000 in professional fees, $50,000 in audit and examination fees, $34,000 in loan and collection expense, $34,000 in deposit insurance premium expense, and $33,000 in amortization of core deposit intangible expense. The decreases were partially offset by increases of $180,000 in data processing expense and $9,000 in occupancy and equipment expense.

Total assets decreased $29.7 million, or 4.7%, from $637.5 million at June 30, 2024 to $607.8 million at December 31, 2024. The decrease in assets was comprised of decreases in cash and cash equivalents of $15.4 million, or 44.1%, from $34.9 million at June 30, 2024 to $19.5 million at December 31, 2024, net loans receivable of $12.2 million, or 2.6%, from $470.9 million at June 30, 2024 to $458.7 million at December 31, 2024, loans-held-for-sale of $1.5 million, or 87.5%, from $1.7 million at June 30, 2024 to $216,000 at December 31, 2024, premises and equipment of $459,000, or 2.5%, from $18.3 million at June 30, 2024 to $17.8 million at December 31, 2024, real estate owned of $418,000, or 100.0% from $418,000 at June 30, 2024 to none at December 31, 2024, investment securities of $264,000, or 0.3%, from $96.0 million at June 30, 2024 to $95.7 million at December 31, 2024, and core deposit intangible of $146,000, or 12.2%, from $1.2 million at June 30, 2024 to $1.1 million at December 31, 2024, partially offset by increases in deferred tax asset of $357,000, or 30.2%, from $1.2 million at June 30, 2024 to $1.5 million at December 31, 2024, other assets of $195,000, or 14.4%, from $1.3 million at June 30, 2024 to $1.5 million at December 31, 2024, bank owned life insurance of $58,000, or 0.9%, from $6.81 million at June 30, 2024 to $6.87 million at December 31, 2024, and accrued interest receivable of $12,000, or 0.7%, from $1.78 million at June 30, 2024 to $1.79 million at December 31, 2024.

Total liabilities decreased $30.9 million, or 5.3%, from $584.7 million at June 30, 2024 to $553.8 million at December 31, 2024. The decrease in liabilities was comprised of decreases in total deposits of $27.5 million, or 4.8%, from $574.0 million at June 30, 2024 to $546.5 million at December 31, 2024, other borrowings of $3.0 million, or 42.9%, from $7.0 million at June 30, 2024 to $4.0 million at December 31, 2024, advances from borrowers for taxes and insurance of $252,000, or 48.4%, from $521,000 at June 30, 2024 to $269,000 at December 31, 2024, and other accrued expenses and liabilities of $164,000, or 5.2%, from $3.2 million at June 30, 2024 to $3.0 million at December 31, 2024. The decrease in deposits resulted from decreases in certificates of deposit of $30.8 million, or 14.3%, from $214.9 million at June 30, 2024 to $184.1 million at December 31, 2024, money market deposits of $12.2 million, or 14.3%, from $85.5 million at June 30, 2024 to $73.3 million at December 31, 2024, and non-interest deposits of $1.9 million, or 1.5%, from $130.3 million at June 30, 2024 to $128.4 million at December 31, 2024, partially offset by increases in savings deposits of $16.7 million, or 21.7%, from $76.6 million at June 30, 2024 to $93.3 million at December 31, 2024, and NOW accounts of $796,000, or 1.2%, from $66.6 million at June 30, 2024 to $67.4 million at December 31, 2024. The Company had no balances in brokered deposits at December 31, 2024 or June 30, 2024.

At December 31, 2024, the Company had $1.8 million of non-performing assets (defined as non-accruing loans, accruing loans 90 days or more past due, and other real estate owned) compared to $1.9 million on non-performing assets at June 30, 2024, consisting of five one-to-four family residential loans, five home equity loans, two commercial non-real estate loans, and one commercial real-estate loan at December 31, 2024, compared to five one-to-four family residential loans, four home equity loans, three commercial non-real estate loans, and three single-family residences in other real estate owned at June 30, 2024. At December 31, 2024 the Company had eight one-to-four family residential loans, five home equity loans, five commercial non-real-estate loans, two commercial real-estate loans, and one consumer loan classified as substandard, compared to six one-to-four family residential loans, five commercial non-real-estate loans, four home equity loans and one consumer loan classified as substandard at June 30, 2024. There were no loans classified as doubtful at December 31, 2024 or June 30, 2024.

Shareholders' equity increased $1.1 million, or 2.1%, from $52.8 million at June 30, 2024 to $53.9 million at December 31, 2024. The increase in shareholders' equity was comprised of net income for the six-month period of $2.0 million, the vesting of restricted stock awards, stock options, and the release of employee stock ownership plan shares totaling $311,000, and proceeds from the issuance of common stock from the exercise of stock options of $19,000, partially offset by an increase in the Company's accumulated other comprehensive loss of $10,000, dividends paid totaling $816,000, and stock repurchases of $335,000.

Home Federal Bancorp, Inc. of Louisiana is the holding company for Home Federal Bank which conducts business from its ten full-service banking offices and home office in northwest Louisiana.

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

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believe

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, or future or conditional verbs such as

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should

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. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

In addition to factors previously disclosed in the reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission and those identified elsewhere in this press release, the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements or historical performance: the strength of the United States economy in general and the strength of the local economies in which the Company conducts its operations; general economic conditions; legislative and regulatory changes; monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government; changes in tax policies, rates and regulations of federal, state and local tax authorities including the effects of the Tax Reform Act; changes in interest rates, deposit flows, the cost of funds, demand for loan products and the demand for financial services, competition, changes in the quality or composition of the Company

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s loans, investment and mortgage-backed securities portfolios; geographic concentration of the Company

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s business; fluctuations in real estate values; the adequacy of loan loss reserves; the risk that goodwill and intangibles recorded in the Company

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s financial statements will become impaired; changes in accounting principles, policies or guidelines and other economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors affecting the Company

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s operations, markets, products, services and fees.