Total deposits increased to $4.48 billion at March 31, 2025, from $4.27 billion at December 31, 2024. This $214.5 million increase was driven by an increase of $85.0 million in brokered CDs along with an increase in customer deposits of $129.5 million. The majority of the increase in customer deposits was driven by seasonal growth in public funds which totaled $106.3 million for the quarter.

Total stockholders’ equity increased to $429.1 million at March 31, 2025, from $406.0 million at December 31, 2024. The increase was due to a reduction in the unrealized losses on investments securities of $16.0 million along with an increase in retained earnings of $7.2 million due to $13.6 million of net income recognized during the quarter offset by dividends paid on outstanding common shares.

Credit Quality

Non-performing loans declined to $20.7 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $22.8 million at December 31, 2024. The Company continues to actively manage its level of non-performing loans and designated a single non-performing loan relationship totaling $1.8 million to "loans held for sale" during the first quarter of 2025. The Company expects a sale of the relationship to close in the second quarter of 2025. Non-performing loans to total loans were 0.64% at March 31, 2025, compared to 0.70% at December 31, 2024. The Company’s loans which were 30-89 days delinquent were $11.2 million at March 31, 2025, compared to $13.0 million at December 31, 2024, or 0.34% of total loans at March 31, 2025.

The Company’s provision for credit losses and unfunded commitments was a recovery of $204,000 for the first quarter of 2025 compared to a recovery of $449,000 for the first quarter of 2024. The recovery in the first quarter of 2025 was driven primarily by a recovery related to the provision for unfunded commitments. Annualized net charge-offs as a percentage of average loans were 0.04% for the first quarter of 2025, compared to 0.13% for the first quarter of 2024. The allowance for credit losses to total loans was 1.09% at March 31, 2025, compared to 1.10% at December 31, 2024.

Net Interest Income

The Company recorded $34.2 million in net interest income in the first quarter of 2025 compared to $31.7 million in the first quarter of 2024. Average interest earning assets increased to $4.89 billion in the first quarter of 2025 compared to $4.80 billion in the first quarter of 2024. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in average loan balances of $80.6 million. The net interest margin improved to 2.85% in the first quarter of 2025 from 2.70% in the first quarter of 2024. The year-over-year increase in net interest margin was due to higher yields on earning assets and lower funding costs on interest bearing liabilities. The current rate cutting cycle by the Federal Reserve that began in September of 2024 has had a significant impact on funding costs while the lag effects of assets repricing continue to drive earning asset yields higher. The yield on interest earning assets increased from 4.65% in the first quarter of 2024 to 4.74% in the first quarter of 2025 with both loans and securities showing increased yields. Interest bearing liabilities declined from 2.61% in the first quarter of 2024 to 2.52% in the first quarter of 2025. The Company expects its net interest margin will continue to expand in 2025 but the degree of expansion will depend on future Federal Reserve cuts to the fed funds rate. Excluding acquisition marks and PPP interest, non-GAAP, the Company’s net interest margin was 2.67% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to 2.50% in the first quarter of 2024.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income increased from $8.4 million in the first quarter of 2024 to $10.5 million in the first quarter of 2025 due to improved profitability across all fee based lines of business and a lower level of losses on the sale of available for sale securities. Service charge income on deposit accounts increased $175,000 to $1.8 million in the first quarter of 2025 compared to $1.6 million for the first quarter in 2024. The Company undertook a review of all service charges in late 2023 and early 2024 and implemented fee increases across deposit product lines in the second quarter of 2024. Bank owned life insurance income increased $103,000 during the first quarter of 2025 to $810,000 compared to $707,000 in the first quarter of 2024. The Company purchased an additional $15.0 million in policies during the first quarter of 2025 and policy crediting rates have increased over the last twelve months. Trust fees increased to $2.6 million in the first quarter of 2025 compared to $2.5 million in the first quarter of 2024. The increase was due to continued growth in the business unit. Insurance agency commissions increased to $1.7 million in the first quarter of 2025 from $1.5 million in the first quarter of 2024. Annuity sales continue to drive growth. Losses on the sale of available for sale securities declined to $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2025 from a loss of $2.1 million in the first quarter of 2024. The bank restructured $23.8 million at the end of the first quarter of 2025 resulting in the loss realized on the sale. Retirement plan consulting fees increased to $798,000 in the first quarter of 2025 from $617,000 in the first quarter of 2024 primarily due to the acquisition of Crest Retirement Advisors LLC in late December of 2024. Debit card income grew from $1.6 million in the first quarter of 2024 to $1.9 million in the first quarter of 2025 as better volumes were realized in the current period.

Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense increased to $28.5 million in the first quarter of 2025 compared to $27.0 million in the first quarter of 2024. Salaries and employee benefits increased to $16.2 million in the first quarter of 2025, from $15.1 million for the first quarter of 2024. The increase was primarily driven by annual raises, the acquisition of Crest Retirement in the fourth quarter of 2024 and higher commission expense from increased revenue in the fee-based businesses. Occupancy and equipment expense increased to $4.1 million in the first quarter of 2025 from $3.7 million in the first quarter of 2024 due to increased maintenance costs in 2025, the result of more severe winter weather along with timing differences. Core processing expense increased $262,000 from the first quarter of 2024 to $1.4 million in the first quarter of 2025. The increase was due to annual increases and timing differences. Other noninterest expense declined to $3.2 million in the first quarter of 2025 from $3.4 million in the first quarter of 2024. Several categories of expense showed declines as the Company continues to implement various cost saving initiatives.

Liquidity

The Company had access to an additional $749.3 million in FHLB borrowing capacity at March 31, 2025, along with $319.8 million in available for sale securities that are available for pledging. The Company’s loan to deposit ratio was 72.6% at March 31, 2025 while the Company’s average deposit balance per account (excluding collateralized deposits) was $25,741 for the same period.

About Farmers National Banc Corp.

Founded in 1887, Farmers National Banc Corp. is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Canfield, Ohio, with $5.2 billion in banking assets. Farmers National Banc Corp.’s wholly-owned subsidiaries are comprised of The Farmers National Bank of Canfield, a full-service national bank engaged in commercial and retail banking with 62 banking locations in Mahoning, Trumbull, Columbiana, Portage, Stark, Wayne, Medina, Geauga and Cuyahoga Counties in Ohio and Beaver, Butler, Allegheny, Jefferson, Clarion, Venango, Clearfield, Mercer, Elk and Crawford Counties in Pennsylvania, and Farmers Trust Company, which operates trust offices and offers services in the same geographic markets. Total wealth management assets under care at March 31, 2025 are $4.3 billion. Farmers National Insurance, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Farmers National Bank of Canfield, offers a variety of insurance products.

Non-GAAP Disclosure

This press release includes disclosures of Farmers’ tangible common equity ratio, return on average tangible assets, return on average tangible equity, net income excluding costs related to acquisition activities and certain items, return on average assets excluding merger costs and certain items, return on average equity excluding merger costs and certain items, net interest margin excluding acquisition marks and related accretion and PPP interest and fees and efficiency ratio less certain items, which are financial measures not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP). A non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of historical or future financial performance, financial position or cash flows that excludes or includes amounts that are required to be disclosed by GAAP. Farmers believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide both management and investors a more complete understanding of the underlying operational results and trends and Farmers’ marketplace performance. The presentation of this additional information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the numbers prepared in accordance with GAAP. The reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to their GAAP equivalents are included in the tables following Consolidated Financial Highlights below.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

We make statements in this news release and our related investor conference call, and we may from time to time make other statements, that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about Farmers’ financial condition, results of operations, asset quality trends and profitability. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but instead represent only management’s current expectations and forecasts regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Farmers’ control. Forward-looking statements are preceded by terms such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends" and similar expressions, as well as any statements related to future expectations of performance or conditional verbs, such as "will," "would," "should," "could" or "may." Farmers’ actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Farmers’ actual results to differ materially from those described in certain forward-looking statements include significant changes in near-term local, regional, and U.S. economic conditions including those resulting from continued high rates of inflation, tightening monetary policy of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, U.S. and foreign country tariff policies, and possibility of a recession; and the other factors contained in Farmers’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and available on Farmers’ website (www.farmersbankgroup.com) and on the SEC’s website (www.sec.gov). Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and should not be relied upon as representing management’s views as of any subsequent date. Farmers does not undertake any obligation to update the forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that may arise after the date of the forward-looking statements.

 

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Contacts

Kevin J. Helmick, President and CEO
20 South Broad Street, P.O. Box 555
Canfield, OH 44406
330.533.3341
Email: exec@farmersbankgroup.com