Colony Bankcorp, Inc. today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2025. Financial highlights are shown below.

Financial Highlights:

• Net income was $6.6 million, or $0.38 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2025, compared to $7.4 million, or $0.42 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2024, and $5.3 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2024.

• Operating net income was $6.6 million, or $0.38 of adjusted earnings per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2025, compared to $7.8 million, or $0.44 of adjusted earnings per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2024, and $5.8 million, or $0.33 of adjusted earnings per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2024. (See Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures).

• Provision for credit losses of $1.5 million was recorded in first quarter of 2025 compared to $650,000 in fourth quarter of 2024, and $1.0 million in first quarter of 2024.

• Total loans, excluding loans held for sale, were $1.92 billion at March 31, 2025, an increase of $78.3 million, or 4.25%, from the prior quarter.

• Total deposits were $2.62 billion and $2.57 billion at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively, an increase of $54.6 million.

• Mortgage production was $72.0 million, and mortgage sales totaled $55.9 million in the first quarter of 2025 compared to $76.9 million and $51.4 million, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2024.

• Small Business Specialty Lending (“SBSL”) closed $15.4 million in Small Business Administration (“SBA”) loans and sold $12.1 million in SBA loans in the first quarter of 2025 compared to $22.2 million and $30.0 million, respectively, for the fourth quarter of 2024.

The Company also announced that on April 23, 2025, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.1150 per share, to be paid on its common stock on May 21, 2025, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on May 7, 2025. The Company had 17,481,709 shares of its common stock outstanding as of April 21, 2025.

“We are pleased to report strong financial results for the first quarter along with continued improvement in our margin and better than expected loan growth. We also had a great quarter for low cost deposit growth which contributed to a lower cost of funds as we continue building customer deposit relationships. We believe our growth in both loans and deposits in the first quarter sets a solid foundation for us to perform well in the future.” said Heath Fountain, Chief Executive Officer.

“Noninterest income came in lighter during the first quarter, which is consistent with the seasonal trends we typically see early in the year. This is a normal pattern for our business, and we remain optimistic in our outlook, expecting revenue to strengthen in the coming quarters as seasonal activity picks up. We are also excited about the acquisition of the Ellerbee Agency, which was announced and closed in April, and look forward to their success as part of Colony Insurance.”

"While recent market volatility has created a more dynamic environment, we remain confident in the strength and resilience of our operations, as well as those of our customers. Our long-term fundamentals are solid, we continue to make progress on strategic initiatives and we are well-positioned to navigate changing market conditions."

Balance Sheet

• Total assets were $3.17 billion at March 31, 2025, an increase of $62.0 million from December 31, 2024.

• Total loans, excluding loans held for sale, were at $1.92 billion at March 31, 2025, an increase of $78.3 million from the quarter ended December 31, 2024.

• Total deposits were $2.62 billion and $2.57 billion at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively, an increase of $54.6 million. Increases were seen in interest bearing demand deposits of $59.4 million, savings and money market deposits of $1.8 million and time deposits of $5.8 million, from December 31, 2024 to March 31, 2025.

• Total borrowings at March 31, 2025 totaled $248.1 million, an increase of $23,000 compared to December 31, 2024, related to a minimal increase in other borrowed money.

Capital

• Colony continues to maintain a strong capital position, with ratios that exceed regulatory minimums required to be considered as “well-capitalized.”

• Under the Company’s approved stock repurchase program, a total of 38,307 shares of Company common stock were repurchased during the first quarter of 2025 at an average price of $16.45 per share and a total value of $629,983.

• Preliminary tier one leverage ratio, tier one capital ratio, total risk-based capital ratio and common equity tier one capital ratio were 9.43%, 13.75%, 16.52%, and 12.62%, respectively, at March 31, 2025.

First Quarter 2025 Results of Operations

• Net interest income, on a tax-equivalent basis, totaled $21.1 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025 compared to $18.8 million for the same period in 2024. Income on interest earning assets increased while expenses on interest bearing liabilities decreased slightly due to the decrease in rates in the latter part of 2024. Income on interest earning assets increased $2.2 million, to $35.7 million for the first quarter of 2025 compared to the respective period in 2024. Expense on interest bearing liabilities decreased $83,143, to $14.6 million for the first quarter of 2025 compared to the respective period in 2024.

• Net interest margin for the first quarter of 2025 was 2.93% compared to 2.69% for the first quarter of 2024. This increase was primarily related to an increase in interest earning assets and period over period, partially offset by the rate decreases in interest bearing liabilities.

• Noninterest income totaled $9.0 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, a decrease of $443,000, or 4.67%, compared to the same period in 2024. This decrease was primarily related to decreases in service charges on deposit accounts, gains on sales of SBA loans and income on merchant and wealth advisory services which is included in other noninterest income, which were partially offset by increases in mortgage fee income and decreases on losses on the sales of investment securities.

• Noninterest expense totaled $20.2 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to $20.4 million for the same period in 2024. This slight decrease was a result of decreases in salaries and employee benefits, professional fees and advertising and public relations expenses partially offset by increases in occupancy and equipment and information technology expenses.

Asset Quality

• Nonperforming assets totaled $13.0 million and $11.3 million at March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively, an increase of $1.7 million.

• Other real estate owned and repossessed assets totaled $528,000 at March 31, 2025 and $530,000 at December 31, 2024.

• Net loans charged-off were $606,000, or 0.13% of average loans for the first quarter of 2025, compared to $1.5 million or 0.33% for the fourth quarter of 2024.

• The credit loss reserve was $20.0 million, or 1.04% of total loans, at March 31, 2025, compared to $19.0 million, or 1.03% of total loans at December 31, 2024.