EX-99.1 2 ex99-1.htm EXHIBIT 99.1 ex99-1.htm

 
For Immediate Release
 
Date:
May 1, 2008
     
     
 
Contact:
Mary Beth Steiginga
   
630 Godwin Avenue
   
Midland Park, NJ 07432
   
201-444-7100


PRESS RELEASE

Stewardship Financial Corporation Announces
Quarterly Earnings for the First Quarter 2008

Midland Park,  NJ – May 1, 2008 – Stewardship Financial Corporation (NASDAQ:SSFN), parent of Atlantic Stewardship Bank, announced today net income for the three (3) months ended March 31, 2008, of $1.06 million, or $0.20 basic net income per share, as compared to net income of $1.09 million, or $0.21 basic net income per share for the same three (3) month period in 2007.
 
Diluted net income per share was $0.20 for the quarter ended March 31, 2008 and March 31, 2007.  Per share data has been restated to include the effect of a 5% stock dividend paid in November 2007.

Stewardship Financial Corporation’s total assets reached $590.2 million at March 31, 2008, compared to $520.5 million at March 31, 2007, resulting in growth of 13.4%.  Total gross loans increased 14.8% to $425.4 million at March 31, 2008, compared to $370.6 million a year ago.  Total deposits were $476.6 million at March 31, 2008, compared to $439.7 million a year ago, resulting in growth of 8.4%.  Total stockholders’ equity increased 10.6% to $42.1 million at March 31, 2008, compared to $38.1 million a year ago.

 
 

 

Stewardship Financial Corporation’s President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Van Ostenbridge stated, “We continue to operate in an extremely challenging economic and interest rate environment.  We are pleased to report that we have not been directly involved in any of the subprime lending markets and our credit quality continues to be strong.  Although our three new branches opened in 2007 are still in their infancy and have yet to generate income to the bottom line, we are encouraged by the core deposit growth being achieved and are excited to be reaching new deposit and loan customers.  We continue to see strong growth in our commercial and commercial real estate lending portfolio.”

Stewardship Financial Corporation’s subsidiary, the Atlantic Stewardship Bank, has banking offices in Midland Park, Hawthorne (2), Montville, North Haledon, Pequannock, Ridgewood, Waldwick, Wayne (3), Westwood and Wyckoff, New Jersey.  The bank is known for tithing 10% of its pre-tax profits to Christian and local charities, and serves both individuals and businesses.  Visit our website at www.asbnow.com for additional information regarding our products and services.
The information disclosed in this document contains certain “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and may be identified by the use of such words as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “plan,” “estimate,” and “potential.”  Examples of forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, estimates with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of the Corporation that are subject to various factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from these estimates.  These factors include: changes in general, economic and market conditions, legislative and regulatory conditions, or the development of an interest rate environment that adversely affects the Corporation’s interest rate spread or other income anticipated from operations and investments.

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Stewardship Financial Corporation
 
Financial Highlights
 
(unaudited)
 
(In thousands, except per share data)
 
             
             
   
Three Months Ended
 
   
March 31,
 
             
   
2008
   
2007
 
Selected Operating Data:
           
Total interest income
  $ 8,657     $ 7,932  
Total interest expense
    3,495       3,259  
Net interest income before provision
               
     for loan loss
    5,162       4,673  
Provision for loan loss
    100       10  
Net interest income after provision
               
     for loan loss
    5,062       4,663  
                 
Gains on sales of mortgage loans
    55       89  
Other noninterest income
    921       907  
Total other income
    976       996  
                 
Noninterest expense
    4,479       3,995  
Income before income tax expense
    1,559       1,664  
Income tax expense
    499       578  
Net income
  $ 1,060     $ 1,086  
                 
Basic earnings per share
  $ 0.20     $ 0.21  
Diluted earnings per share
  $ 0.20     $ 0.20  
     
      At March 31,  
   
2008
   
2007
 
Selected Financial Data:
           
Total assets
  $ 590,233     $ 520,489  
Total loans, net of deferred loan fees
    425,357       370,554  
Allowance for loan losses
    4,571       4,093  
Total deposits
    476,567       439,682  
Stockholders' equity
    42,138       38,108  
                 
                 
   
At or for the
 
      three month period ended  
   
March 31,
 
   
2008
   
2007
 
Selected Financial Ratios:
               
Annualized return on average assets (ROA)
    0.74 %     0.85 %
Annualized return on average equity (ROE)
    10.29 %     11.62 %
Tier 1 equity to total assets
    8.33 %     8.67 %
Book value per share
  $ 7.93     $ 7.23  
 
All share data has been restated to include the effects of a 5% stock dividend paid in November 2007.
 
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