4^th vs. 3^rd Quarter 2015 Highlights:

• Earnings of $32.0 million, or $.27 per common share
• Organic loan growth of $102.0 million, or 6.0% annualized, excluding covered loans
• 5.3% decline in operational noninterest expenses¹
• Tangible book value¹ increase of 2.3%

2015 Highlights:

• Earnings of $116.7 million represent a 12.6%  increase over 2014 ($103.7 million)
• Organic loan growth of $324.1 million or 5.1%, excluding covered, acquired & sold loans
• Loan production of $2.8 billion is 39.2% over 2014 production
• Credit quality remains strong
• Transformation strategy reflects successful partnership integrations

¹ Non-GAAP measures – refer to Tables 1 and 9 for Non-GAAP reconciliations

EVANSVILLE, Ind., Feb. 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today Old National Bancorp (the “Company” or “Old National”) (NASDAQ:ONB) reported 4^th quarter 2015 net income of $32.0 million, or $.27 per share. These reported quarterly results compare to net income of $37.7 million in the 3^rd quarter of 2015 and $29.3 million recorded in the 4^th quarter of 2014.

Included in 4^th quarter 2015 results were $11.1 million in pre-tax gains related primarily to the repurchase of 14 banking properties.  Also included in the current quarter were $2.4 million in pre-tax charges related to continued efficiency initiatives as well as a $4.8 million pre-tax charge for a litigation settlement.  Excluding the impact of these items, Old National would have reported net income of $29.4 million, or $.25 per share.  Refer to Table 2 for Non-GAAP reconciliation.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2015, net income was $116.7 million, or $1.00 per share.  This net income represents an increase of 12.6% to full-year 2014 net income of $103.7 million, or $.95 per share.

Old National Bancorp President & CEO Bob Jones stated, “Our strong 4^th quarter performance provides a fitting ending to 2015 – a year focused on execution.  Our continued loan growth, lower expenses and excellent credit quality metrics, combined with our latest partnership and entry into the state of Wisconsin, should position us for continued success in 2016.”

Committed to our Strategic Imperatives and 2015 Initiatives

Old National’s continued steady performance and strong credit and capital positions can be attributed to the Company’s unwavering commitment to the three strategic imperatives that have guided Old National for 10 years: 

     1. Strengthen the risk profile; 2. Enhance management discipline; and 3. Achieve consistent quality earnings.

Guided by these three strategic imperatives, Old National’s primary initiatives for 2015 were: 1. Continue to grow organic revenue; 2. Improve operating leverage; and 3. Prudent use of capital, all while maintaining a strong credit culture.

Grow Organic Revenue

Balance Sheet and Net Interest Margin

Total period-end loans, including loans held for sale, increased $95.5 million to $6.962 billion from $6.867 billion at September 30, 2015.  Excluding the change in covered loans, Old National had organic loan growth of $102.0 million, or 6.0% annualized, in the 4^th quarter.  The Louisville, Kentucky market, including the Company’s new Lexington office, and the Indianapolis and Vincennes, Indiana markets were the best producing regions, increasing $21.1 million, $20.2 million and $14.5 million, respectively, over September 30, 2015, loan balances. 

At December 31, 2015, total core deposits, including demand and interest-bearing deposits, decreased $259.0 million to $8.302 billion, compared to the $8.561 billion at September 30, 2015. 

Net interest income in the 4^th quarter of 2015 totaled $85.9 million compared to $97.1 million in the 3^rd quarter of 2015, and $90.0 million in the 4^th quarter of 2014.  Net interest income on a fully taxable equivalent basis was $91.1 million for the 4^th quarter of 2015 and represented a net interest margin on total average earning assets of 3.50%.  These results compare to net interest income on a fully taxable equivalent basis of $102.1 million and a margin of 3.94% in the 3^rd quarter of 2015.   In the 4^th quarter of 2014, Old National reported net interest income on a fully taxable equivalent basis of $94.4 million and a margin of 3.83%.  Refer to Table 6 for Non-GAAP taxable equivalent reconciliations.

As part of net interest income, Old National recorded $12.3 million, or a 48 basis point contribution to net interest margin, in accretion income in the 4^th quarter of 2015 related to purchase accounting discounts from various acquisitions.  Total accretion income in the 3^rd quarter of 2015 and the 4^th quarter of 2014 reported by Old National was $20.6 million, or an 80 basis point net interest margin contribution, and $16.6 million, or a 68 basis point net interest margin contribution, respectively.  Excluding accretion income, the core net interest margin was 3.02%, 3.14% and 3.15%, for the 4^th quarter of 2015, the 3^rd quarter of 2015 and the 4^th quarter of 2014, respectively.

Fees, Service Charges and Other Revenue

Total fees, service charges and other revenue represent an important component of Old National’s revenue stream and amounted to $58.9 million for the 4^th quarter of 2015.  This compares to $58.8 million in the 3^rd quarter of 2015 and $45.6 million in the 4^th quarter of 2014.  Included in the 4^th quarter of 2015 is a $10.8 million gain relating to the repurchase of 14 banking properties.  Impacting the 3^rd quarter of 2015 was a $15.4 million net gain relating to branch sales as well as a $6.6 million unfavorable change in the indemnification asset relating to the 2011 FDIC-assisted acquisition of Integra Bank.  Impacting year-over-year comparisons is the Durbin Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.  This Amendment became effective for Old National beginning July 1, 2015, resulting in a decline in interchange income of $2.7 million in both the 3^rd and 4^th quarters of 2015 as compared to the 4^th quarter of 2014.     

Improve Operating Leverage

Old National reported total noninterest expenses of $102.5 million in the 4^th quarter of 2015 compared to $102.6 million in the 3^rd quarter of 2015 and $100.1 million recorded in the 4^th quarter of 2014.  Included in the 4^th quarter of 2015 are $2.4 million in pre-tax charges related to various efficiency initiatives (including branch consolidations and divestitures and severance) as well as a $4.8 million pre-tax charge for the estimated full cost of the anticipated settlement of the previously disclosed overdraft class action litigation.  This compares to pre-tax charges of $2.0 million relating to branch sales and consolidations and integration charges in the 3^rd quarter of 2015 and $3.1 million relating to integration activity in the 4^th quarter of 2014.  Also impacting year-over-year comparisons are the operational costs associated with the United Bancorp, Inc., LSB Financial Corp., and Founders Financial Corporation acquisitions, which closed in July and November of 2014, and January of 2015, respectively, adding 27 branches to the Old National franchise.  As of December 31, 2015, Old National has 160 branches throughout its franchise.

Prudent Use of Capital

Old National’s capital position remained well above regulatory guideline minimums at December 31, 2015, with regulatory tier 1 and total risk-based capital ratios of 12.6% and 13.3%, respectively, compared to 12.5% and 13.2% at September 30, 2015, and 12.9% and 13.6% at December 30, 2014.  Old National repurchased 306 thousand shares of stock in the open market during the 4^th quarter of 2015.

The following table presents Old National’s risk-based and leverage ratios compared to industry requirements:

Old National’s ratio of tangible common equity to tangible assets was 7.66% at December 31, 2015, compared to 7.56% at September 30, 2015, and 8.09% at December 31, 2014.  Refer to Table 9 for Non-GAAP reconciliations. 

Maintain a Strong Credit Culture

During the 4^th quarter of 2015, Old National recorded provision expense of $.5 million and had net recoveries of $.5 million.  These results compare to $.2 million in provision expense and net recoveries of $.9 million, and a provision expense of $.9 million and net charge-offs of $1.3 million, in the 3^rd quarter of 2015 and the 4^th quarter of 2014, respectively.  Net recoveries for the 4^th quarter of 2015 were .03% of average total loans on an annualized basis, compared to net recoveries of .05% of average total loans in the 3^rd quarter of 2015 and net charge-offs of .08% of average total loans in the 4^th quarter of 2014. 

Delinquencies remained low as Old National reported 30+ day delinquent loans of .31% in the 4^th quarter compared to .41% in the 3^rd quarter of 2015.  Old National’s 90+ day delinquent loans for the 4^th quarter were .01% compared to .01% in the 3^rd quarter of 2015.

For the full year of 2015, Old National reported net recoveries of $1.5 million, or .02% of average total loans, and recorded provision expense of $2.9 million.  This compares to the full year of 2014 with net charge-offs of $2.4 million, or .04% of average total loans, and provision expense of $3.1 million. 

Old National’s allowance for loan losses at December 31, 2015, was $52.2 million, or .75% of total loans, compared to an allowance of $51.2 million, or .75% of total loans at September 30, 2015, and $47.8 million, or .76% of total loans, at December 31, 2014.  The coverage ratio (allowance to non-performing loans) stood at 36% at December 31, 2015, compared to 33% at September 30, 2015, and 31% at December 31, 2014.  Impacting these ratios are the Company’s recent acquisitions in which the loan portfolios were booked at fair value in accordance with ASC 805.  Therefore, no allowance for loan losses is recorded on the acquisition date. 

The following table presents certain credit quality metrics related to Old National’s loan portfolio:

Anchor Partnership and 2016 Initiatives

“Our initial integration efforts in Wisconsin have reinforced our belief that not only is Old National entering dynamic markets, but we are doing so with a high quality team,” stated CEO Bob Jones.  “This expansion of our footprint will be supported through the continued focus on execution in our current markets, which will continue to be guided by the same strategic initiatives that led to our successful 2015: 1. Continue to grow organic revenue; 2. Improve the operating leverage of the Company; and 3. Prudent use of capital.  We believe the partnerships we have closed to date position the franchise in growth markets where our community bank brand and style bode well for our future performance.”

About Old National

Old National Bancorp (NASDAQ:ONB), the holding company of Old National Bank, is the largest financial services holding company headquartered in Indiana and, with $12.0 billion in assets, ranks among the top 100 banking companies in the U.S. Since its founding in Evansville in 1834, Old National Bank has focused on community banking by building long-term, highly valued partnerships with clients. Today, Old National's footprint includes Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan.  In addition to providing extensive services in retail and commercial banking, wealth management, investments and brokerage, Old National also owns Old National Insurance, one of the 100 largest brokers in the U.S. For more information and financial data, please visit Investor Relations at oldnational.com.

Conference Call

Old National will hold a conference call at 10:00 a.m. Central Time on Monday, February 1, 2016, to discuss 4^th quarter and full-year 2015 financial results, strategic developments, and the Company’s financial outlook.  The live audio web cast of the call, along with the corresponding presentation slides, will be available on the Company’s Investor Relations web page at oldnational.com and will be archived there for 12 months.  A replay of the call will also be available from 7:00 a.m. Central Time on February 2 through February 16.  To access the replay, dial 1-855-859-2056, Conference ID Code 24105575.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This earnings release contains GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP financial measures where management believes it to be helpful in understanding Old National’s results of operations or financial position.  Where non-GAAP financial measures are used, the comparable GAAP financial measure, as well as the reconciliation to the comparable GAAP financial measure, can be found in this release or the Quarterly Financial Trends supplement to this earnings release, which can be found on Investor Relations at oldnational.com.

Table 1:  Non-GAAP Reconciliation-Operational Noninterest Expenses

Table 2:  Non-GAAP Reconciliation-Adjusted Net Income

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the expected timing, completion, financial benefits and other effects of the proposed merger between ONB and Anchor. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “could” and “should,” and other words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements express management’s current expectations or forecasts of future events and, by their nature, are subject to risks and uncertainties and there are a number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to: expected cost savings, synergies and other financial benefits from the proposed merger might not be realized within the expected time frames and costs or difficulties relating to integration matters might be greater than expected; the requisite shareholder and regulatory approvals for the proposed merger might not be obtained; satisfaction of other closing conditions; delay in closing the proposed merger; the reaction to the transaction of the companies’ customers and employees; market, economic, operational, liquidity, credit and interest rate risks associated with ONB’s and Anchor’s businesses; competition; government legislation and policies (including the impact of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and its related regulations); ability of ONB and Anchor to execute their respective business plans (including integrating the ONB and Anchor businesses); changes in the economy which could materially impact credit quality trends and the ability to generate loans and gather deposits; failure or circumvention of our internal controls; failure or disruption of our information systems; significant changes in accounting, tax or regulatory practices or requirements; new legal obligations or liabilities or unfavorable resolutions of litigations; other matters discussed in this press release and other factors identified in ONB’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic filings with the SEC. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release, and neither ONB nor Anchor undertakes an obligation to release revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or conditions after the date of this press release.

Additional Information About the Old National Bancorp/Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin Inc. Transaction

Communications in this press release do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval. In connection with the proposed merger, ONB will file with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 that will include a Proxy Statement of Anchor and a Prospectus of ONB, as well as other relevant documents concerning the proposed transaction. Shareholders are urged to read the Registration Statement and the Proxy Statement/Prospectus regarding the merger when it becomes available and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents, because they will contain important information.  A free copy of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, as well as other filings containing information about ONB and Anchor, may be obtained at the SEC’s Internet site (http://www.sec.gov).  You will also be able to obtain these documents, free of charge, from ONB at www.oldnational.com under the tab “Investor Relations” and then under the heading “Financial Information” or from Anchor by accessing Anchor’s website at www.anchorbank.com under the tab “About Us.”

ONB and Anchor and certain of their directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the shareholders of Anchor in connection with the proposed merger.  Information about the directors and executive officers of ONB is set forth in the proxy statement for ONB’s 2015 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the SEC on a Schedule 14A on March 13, 2015.  Information about the directors and executive officers of Anchor is set forth in the proxy statement for Anchor’s 2015 annual meeting of shareholders, as filed with the SEC on a Schedule 14A on March 27, 2015.  Additional information regarding the interests of those participants and other persons who may be deemed participants in the transaction may be obtained by reading the Proxy Statement/Prospectus regarding the proposed merger when it becomes available.  Free copies of this document may be obtained as described in the preceding paragraph.

Contacts:
Media:
Kathy A. Schoettlin – (812) 465-7269
Executive Vice President – Communications
Financial Community:
Lynell J. Walton – (812) 464-1366
Senior Vice President – Investor Relations