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Community Bankshares Inc. (SC) Announces 2007 Earnings.


First Quarter 2008 Dividend Declared of $0.12 Per Share

ORANGEBURG Orangeburg, city (1990 pop. 13,739), seat of Orangeburg co., central S.C., on the North Fork of the Edisto River; settled 1732, inc. as a city 1883. It is the trade and processing center of a cotton and agricultural area with textile, clothing, and food-distribution , S.C. -- Community Bankshares Inc., (AMEX AMEX

See: American Stock Exchange
:SCB ScB
abbr. Latin
Scientiae Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Science)
), announced consolidated net income of $2,572,000 or $.57 per diluted di·lute  
tr.v. di·lut·ed, di·lut·ing, di·lutes
1. To make thinner or less concentrated by adding a liquid such as water.

2. To lessen the force, strength, purity, or brilliance of, especially by admixture.
 share for the year ended December December: see month.  31, 2007 compared to $5,009,000 or $1.11 per diluted share for the year ended December 31, 2006.

For the three months ended December 31, 2007 the company had a net loss of $775,000 or $0.17 per diluted share compared to net income of $1,234,000 or $0.27 per diluted share for the same period in 2006.

Consolidated assets for Community Bankshares totaled $577.3 million at December 31, 2007 compared to $578.5 million at December 31, 2006 a decrease of $1.2 million or 0.2%. For the same dates, gross loans totaled $464 million compared to $409.7 million, an increase of $54.3 million or 13.3%. Deposits totaled $482.4 million compared to $483.6 million, a decrease of $1.2 million or 0.3%, for the same dates.

Results of Operation

Samuel L. Erwin, Community Bankshares Inc.'s CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. , stated, "When 2007 started we were optimistic op·ti·mist  
n.
1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome.

2. A believer in philosophical optimism.



op
 about the year and our earnings prospects. As economic conditions declined during the year it became apparent that our optimism was premature. Asset quality for our bank had been improving since the middle of 2006, but we needed a healthy economy to continue that improvement. The last six months of 2007 have been extremely challenging, especially on three fronts: continuing asset quality issues, deterioration de·te·ri·o·ra·tion
n.
The process or condition of becoming worse.
 in the real estate markets, and declining interest rate margins. As a result of these factors we reported net income of $2.5 million for the year, down from $5 million the prior year."

During the fourth quarter of 2007 we made a number of key decisions in preparation for 2008, which most observers expect will be a difficult year for our industry. These decisions were focused on reducing risk and improving efficiency. First, we decided to sell some of our problem and potential problem assets. This $4.9 million loan sale resulted in a $1 million charge to earnings and eliminated the need to invest further management attention to the loans and eliminating the need to adjust the loans to market value. Second, we recognized an additional $1.6 million in loan loss provision to address charge-offs in our Florence and Sumter markets. Third, to ensure that asset quality improvement continues we decided to add several positions to our bank's credit department, a Risk Review manager and two underwriters. Their mission will be to oversee an ongoing objective assessment of risks within our loans both before and after they are made.

Finally, we announced recently the restructuring restructuring - The transformation from one representation form to another at the same relative abstraction level, while preserving the subject system's external behaviour (functionality and semantics).  of our mortgage division. The national and regional problems in the real estate market resulted in a decline in our mortgage brokerage income of $1 million in 2007. In addition, we took a one-time charge of $500,000 in the 3rd quarter to account for losses in certain mortgage loans originated and sold through our wholesale department in 2006. After careful review, we decided to exit the wholesale brokerage business. We believe this change will enable us to focus entirely on retail mortgage lending, improve our bank's overall risk profile and reduce noninterest expense in our mortgage division by about $1 million.

On the balance sheet, we were pleased with loan growth of $54 million or 13% in 2007. This growth was due mostly to strong loan growth in our Midlands Region. Orangeburg also recorded very solid growth in 2007. The growth in our loan portfolio was funded with decreases in our investments, because deposits were basically unchanged during the year. With a new branch just opening on Clemson Road in Columbia, and the continued success of our remote deposit capture product, we anticipate better deposit growth in 2008.

Capital and dividends

"In challenging times such as these, it is important our customers, shareholders and communities understand the strength of this company. We are, and will remain, a well-capitalized company.

"Being well capitalized Capitalized

Recorded in asset accounts and then depreciated or amortized, as is appropriate for expenditures for items with useful lives longer than one year.
 is desirable for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it affords the board some flexibility with respect to dividend payments and continuing the purchase of our own stock through our stock repurchase Stock repurchase

A firm's repurchase of outstanding shares of its common stock.
 program. During 2007 we paid our shareholders a quarterly dividend of $0.12 per share or $0.48 for the year, effectively over 80% of our earnings. After reviewing our 2008 capital plan which shows we will remain well-capitalized, and despite the fact that economic conditions and interest rates suggest 2008 may not be much improved over 2007, the board has decided to approve a first quarter 2008 dividend of $0.12 per share. It will be paid on March 31, 2008, to shareholders of record on March 14.

Conclusion

"A little over a year ago we combined four community banks into one financial institution, Community Resource Bank. Over the past two years we have rebuilt our corporate structure and created a community bank for the 21st century. As we review the past year we believe that 2007 has been a year of transition and improvement, albeit neither as much improvement nor as quickly as we would have liked. We believe that our infrastructure, combined with expected improvement in asset quality, will generate success in the future. We also understand that the proof of those assertions will be in the consistent improvement of our operating earnings Operating Earnings

Profits after subtracting expenses such as marketing, cost of goods sold, administration and general operating costs from revenue.

Notes:
Tax and interest expenses are not subtracted - operating earnings are synonymous with EBIT (earnings before
 over time. We realize that we have yet to evidence that improvement. We will do so, and we look forward enthusiastically to the future. We see it as an opportunity to continue to grow a better bank so we can continue to better serve our customers, and, by doing so, better serve our shareholders."

Community Bankshares, Inc.'s common stock is traded on the American Stock Exchange American Stock Exchange (AMEX)

Stock exchange in the U.S. Originally known as “the Curb,” it began as an outdoor marketplace in New York City c. 1850. It moved indoors to its present location in the Wall Street area in 1921.
 under the ticker symbol Ticker Symbol

An arrangement of characters (usually letters) representing a particular security listed on an exchange or otherwise traded publicly. When a company issues securities to the public marketplace, it selects an available ticker symbol for its securities which investors
 SCB. Community Bankshares Inc., based in Orangeburg, South Carolina Orangeburg, also known as "The Garden City," is the largest city and county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 12,765 at the 2000 census. The population has steadily declined since the 1950s. , is the holding company for Community Resource Bank N. A.

This press release contains forward-looking statements forward-looking statement

A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections.
. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and several factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to anticipated revenues, gross margins, earnings and profitability, reductions in noninterest expense, adequacy of the allowance for loan losses, the probability of future large provisions to the allowance for loan losses, success of mortgage services marketing Services marketing is marketing based on relationship and value. It may be used to market a service or a product.

Marketing a service-base business is different from marketing a product-base business.
, improvement of mortgage services efficiency, and growth of deposits and the market for our services and products. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ from those indicated in the forward-looking statements: uncertainties associated with market acceptance of and demand for the company's services and products, impact of competitive products and pricing, dependence on third party suppliers, changes in the economic circumstances CIRCUMSTANCES, evidence. The particulars which accompany a fact.
     2. The facts proved are either possible or impossible, ordinary and probable, or extraordinary and improbable, recent or ancient; they may have happened near us, or afar off; they are public or
 of borrowers, deteriorations of the economies of the markets in which the company's customers are located, and uncertainties associated with the development of technology. Investors are directed to the company's 2006 annual report, which is available from the company without charge or from its website, www.communitybanksharesinc.com, for a more complete description of the company's business.
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Publication:Business Wire
Article Type:Financial report
Date:Jan 29, 2008
Words:1198
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