CITIZENS FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. REPORTS UNAUDITED FIRST QUARTER 2026 FINANCIAL RESULTS

MANSFIELD, Pa., April 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens Financial Services, Inc (Nasdaq: CZFS), parent company of First Citizens Community Bank (the "Bank"), released today its unaudited consolidated financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2026.

Highlights

• Net income was $10.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026, which is 36.15% more than the net income for 2025's comparable period. The increase was driven by the increase in net interest income before the provision for credit losses of $3.1 million. The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2026 was 18.3% compared to 19.1% in the comparable period in 2025, with the decrease due to increases in nontaxable interest income and earnings on BOLI due to the purchase of additional insurance policies in the first quarter of 2026.

• Net interest income before the provision for credit losses was $26.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026, an increase of $3,111,000, or 13.5%, over the same period a year ago and was primarily due to an increase in loan interest income and a decrease in interest expense on deposits and borrowings.

• Return on average equity for the three months (annualized) ended March 31, 2026 was 12.03% compared to 10.00% for the three months (annualized) ended March 31, 2025.

• Return on average tangible equity for the three months (annualized) ended March 31, 2026 was 16.15% compared to 14.09% for the three months (annualized) ended March 31, 2025 (non-GAAP). (1)

• Return on average assets for the three months (annualized) ended March 31, 2026 was 1.34% compared to 1.00% for the three months (annualized) ended March 31, 2025.

• Non-performing assets increased $10,914,000 since December 31, 2025 and totaled $40,103,000 as of March 31, 2026, which is $12,621,000 higher than the balance as of March 31, 2025. The increase from December 31, 2025 is due to four commercial real estate loan relationships being placed on non-accrual status during the first quarter of 2026 due to becoming more than 90 days past due.  The Bank's continued strategy for certain acquired loans is to either improve the credit metrics of the non-performing loans or sell the underlying collateral or have the customers refinance the loans with another institution. As a percent of loans, non-performing assets totaled 1.74%, 1.24% and 1.19% as of March 31, 2026, December 31, 2025 and March 31, 2025, respectively. While non-performing assets have increased significantly as of March 31, 2026 when compared to December 31, 2025 and March 31, 2025, specific reserves for these assets have remained stable at $1,862,000, $1,912,758 and $1,603,000 at March 31, 2026, December 31, 2025 and March 31, 2025, respectively.

First Quarter of 2026 Compared to the First Quarter of 2025

• For the three months ended March 31, 2026, net income totaled $10,376,000 which compares to net income of $7,621,000 for the comparable period of 2025, an increase of $2,755,000 or 36.2%.  Basic earnings per share of $2.16 for the three months ended March 31, 2026 compares to $1.59 for the 2025 comparable period. Annualized return on equity for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025 was 12.03% and 10.00%, while annualized return on assets was 1.34% and 1.00%, respectively.

• Net interest income before the provision for credit losses for the three months ended March 31, 2026 totaled $26,113,000 compared to $23,002,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, resulting in an increase of $3,111,000, or 13.5%. Average interest earning assets increased $26.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2026 compared to the same period last year, primarily due to organic growth in our commercial and agricultural loan portfolios offset by decreases in consumer loans. During the first quarter of 2026, the Company recovered $683,000 in previously charged-off interest that offset the charged-off interest related to the loans placed on non-accrual status during the first quarter of 2026. The tax effected net interest margin for the three months ended March 31, 2026 was 3.72% compared to 3.30% for the same period last year. The yield on interest earning assets increased 14 basis points to 5.71%, while the cost of interest bearing liabilities decreased 34 basis points to 2.46%.

• The provision for credit losses for the first quarter of 2025 of $500,000 was driven by the annual update of loss drivers, which includes historical loss data, as well as prepayment and curtailment speeds and the potential impact of the Iran war compared to $625,000 for the first quarter of 2025, which was driven by the annual updates for 2025.

• Total non-interest income was $3,690,000 for the three months ended March 31, 2026, $263,000 more than the comparable period last year.  The primary driver of the increase was an increase in earning on bank owned life insurance of $224,000, as the result of purchasing $22,000,000 of additional insurance in the first quarter of 2026.

• Total non-interest expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2026 totaled $16,601,000 compared to $16,378,000 for the same period last year, which is an increase of $223,000, or 1.4%.

• The provision for income taxes increased $521,000 when comparing the three months ended March 31, 2026 to the same period in 2025. This increase was attributable to an increase in income before provision for income taxes of $3,276,000.  The effective tax rate was 18.3% and 19.1% for the three months ended March 31, 2026 and 2025, respectively.

Balance Sheet and Other Information:

• At March 31, 2026, total assets were $3.03 billion compared to $3.06 billion at December 31, 2025 and $3.02 billion at March 31, 2025. The loan to deposit ratio as of March 31, 2026 was 94.14% compared to 98.89% as of December 31, 2025 and 97.92% as of March 31, 2025.

• Available for sale securities of $448.3 million at March 31, 2026 increased $3.5 million from December 31, 2025 and $17.6 million from March 31, 2025. The yield on the investment portfolio increased from 2.85% to 3.35% on a tax equivalent basis due to securities purchased during a higher rate environment and lower yielding securities maturing. Investment activity for 2026 has focused on replacing securities as they mature.  

• Net loans totaled $2.28 billion at March 31, 2026 in comparison to $2.33 billion as of December 31, 2025 and $2.29 billion at March 31, 2025.  The decrease since December 31, 2025 and March 31, 2025 of $68.6 million and $89.7 million, respectively, was due to the seasonal decrease in student loans that typically occurs late in the first quarter or early in the second quarter. A large component of the increase in commercial loans was due to construction loans being transferred via a permanent financing arrangement. In addition, we continue to see strong demand in commercial real estate in our south eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware markets.  

• The allowance for credit losses - loans totaled $22,894,000 at March 31, 2026 which is an  increase of $88,000 from December 31, 2025 due to changes in expected prepayment and curtailment speeds, economic forecasts and the Iran war. The provision for credit losses on loans was $144,000 for the first quarter of 2026. Loan recoveries and charge-offs were $22,000 and $78,000, respectively, for the three months ended March 31, 2026. The allowance as a percent of total loans was 1.00% as of March 31, 2026 and 0.97% as of December 31, 2025.

• Deposits increased $64.2 million from December 31, 2025, to $2.44 billion at March 31, 2026, with the increase driven by an increase in brokered deposits of $52.8 million, which total $112.8 million at March 31, 2026. The increase in brokered deposits was to offset the seasonal decrease in municipal deposits. Competitive pressure for deposits remains high.

• Borrowed funds totaled $198.7 million as of March 31, 2026, a $110.7 million decrease from December 31, 2025 due to the decrease in loans and increase in deposits.  

• Stockholders' equity totaled $343.6 million at March 31, 2026, compared to $338.1 million at December 31, 2025, an increase of $5.5 million. Excluding accumulated other comprehensive loss (AOCL), stockholders' equity increased $7.8 million and totals $358.3 million (non-GAAP). The increase in stockholders' equity, excluding AOCL, was attributable to net income for the three months ended March 31, 2026 totaling $10.4 million, offset by cash dividends for the first quarter totaling $2.4 million. As a result of increases in market interest rates impacting the fair value of investment securities and swaps, AOCL increased $2.3 million from December 31, 2025.

Dividend Declared

On March 2, 2026, the Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.50 per share, which was paid on March 27, 2026 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 13, 2026. This quarterly cash dividend is an increase of 2.0% over the regular cash dividend of $0.49 per share declared one year ago, as adjusted for the 1% stock dividend declared in June 2025.    

Citizens Financial Services, Inc. has nearly 1,790 shareholders, the majority of whom reside in markets where its offices are located.

Note: This press release may contain forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are not historical facts; rather, they are statements based on the Company's current expectations regarding its business strategies and their intended results and its future performance. Forward-looking statements are preceded by terms such as "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "intends" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Numerous risks and uncertainties could cause or contribute to the Company's actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause or contribute to these differences include, without limitation, changes in general economic conditions, including changes in market interest rates and changes in monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government; legislative and regulatory changes; and other factors disclosed periodically in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Because of the risks and uncertainties inherent in forward-looking statements, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them, whether included in this press release or made elsewhere periodically by the Company or on its behalf. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as may be required by applicable law or regulation.

(1)     See reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP measures at the end of the press release.

CITIZENS FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.

CITIZENS FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.

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SOURCE Citizens Financial Services, Inc.