Park National Corporation reports increased net income in first quarter 2018 financial results and raises quarterly dividend

NEWARK, Ohio, April 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Park National Corporation (Park) (NYSE American:PRK) today reported financial results for the first quarter of 2018 (three months ended March 31, 2018), including a rise in net income and dividend news.

Park’s board of directors increased the quarterly cash dividend from $0.94 per common share to $0.96 per common share. The board also approved a special one-time cash dividend payment of $0.25 per common share. Both dividends are payable on June 8, 2018 to common shareholders of record as of May 18, 2018. Park last increased its dividend more than ten years ago, and had maintained a consistent dividend throughout the great recession.

“With each decision, we aim to serve the best interests of our clients, associates, shareholders and communities. The results of our local bankers’ consistently excellent work plus developments in our country’s economic environment permitted us to distribute our earnings in a variety of ways,” said Park Chief Executive Officer David L. Trautman. “These dividends thank our shareholders – many of whom are our own associates, retirees and fellow community members. They understand who we are and loyally support our organization year after year.”

In February, Park awarded cash bonuses and pay increases to each non-executive associate throughout the organization (1,593 associates or 84 percent of Park’s staff). Park also raised its matching contribution for associate retirement savings plan contributions to 50 percent (from 25 percent). In 2017, Park added $2.5 million to the Park National Corporation Foundation, which funds the bank’s major charitable contributions and community support projects each year. Park supported 2,257 community organizations across Ohio in 2017 and its charitable donations totaled $2.96 million.

Net Income Results

Park’s net income for the first quarter of 2018 was $31.1 million, a 53.6 percent increase from $20.3 million for the first quarter of 2017. First quarter 2018 net income per diluted common share was $2.02, compared to $1.31 in the first quarter of 2017.

Park's community-banking subsidiary, The Park National Bank, reported net income of $26.7 million for the first quarter of 2018, compared to $21.5 million for the first quarter of 2017. The bank’s total assets were $7.5 billion at both March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017.

According to Park Chief Financial Officer Brady T. Burt, federal tax reform, income related to asset recoveries at its SEPH subsidiary, and bank initiatives related to operating efficiency and balance sheet management all contributed to the rise in net income. “A long-term perspective has always been a part of our steady performance and success. This quarter reflects the results of plans we put into motion over the last few years,” Burt said.

Headquartered in Newark, Ohio, Park National Corporation had $7.5 billion in total assets (as of March 31, 2018). The Park organization principally consists of ten community bank divisions, a non-bank subsidiary and two specialty finance companies. Park's Ohio-based banking operations are conducted through Park subsidiary The Park National Bank and its divisions, which include Fairfield National Bank Division, Richland Bank Division, Century National Bank Division, First-Knox National Bank Division, United Bank, N.A. Division, Second National Bank Division, Security National Bank Division, Unity National Bank Division, and The Park National Bank of Southwest Ohio & Northern Kentucky Division; and Scope Leasing, Inc. (d.b.a. Scope Aircraft Finance). The Park organization also includes Guardian Financial Services Company (d.b.a. Guardian Finance Company) and SE Property Holdings, LLC.

Complete financial tables are listed below…

Media contact: Bethany Lewis, 740.349.0421, blewis@parknationalbank.com
Investor contact: Brady Burt, 740.322.6844, bburt@parknationalbank.com
Park National Corporation, 50 N. Third Street, Newark, Ohio 43055, www.parknationalcorp.com

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995
Park cautions that any forward-looking statements contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K or made by management of Park are provided to assist in the understanding of anticipated future financial performance. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and are not guarantees of future performance.  The forward-looking statements are based on management’s expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.  Although management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements.  Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially include, without limitation: Park's ability to execute our business plan successfully and within the expected timeframe; general economic and financial market conditions, specifically in the real estate markets and the credit markets, either nationally or in the states in which Park and our subsidiaries do business, may experience a slowing or reversal of the recent economic expansion in addition to continuing residual effects of recessionary conditions and an uneven spread of positive impacts of recovery on the economy and our counterparties, resulting in adverse impacts on the demand for loan, deposit and other financial services, delinquencies, defaults and counterparties' ability to meet credit and other obligations; changes in interest rates and prices may adversely impact prepayment penalty income, mortgage banking income, the value of securities, loans, deposits and other financial instruments and the interest rate sensitivity of our consolidated balance sheet as well as reduce interest margins and impact loan demand; changes in consumer spending, borrowing and saving habits, whether due to the newly-enacted tax legislation, changing business and economic conditions, legislative and regulatory initiatives, or other factors; changes in unemployment; changes in customers', suppliers', and other counterparties' performance and creditworthiness; asset/liability repricing risks and liquidity risks; our liquidity requirements could be adversely affected by changes to regulations governing bank and bank holding company capital and liquidity standards as well as by changes in our assets and liabilities; competitive factors among financial services organizations could increase significantly, including product and pricing pressures, changes to third-party relationships and our ability to attract, develop and retain qualified bank professionals; clients could pursue alternatives to bank deposits, causing us to lose a relatively inexpensive source of funding; uncertainty regarding the nature, timing and effect of changes in banking regulations or other regulatory or legislative requirements affecting the respective businesses of Park and our subsidiaries, including major reform of the regulatory oversight structure of the financial services industry and changes in laws and regulations concerning taxes, pensions, bankruptcy, consumer protection, rent regulation and housing, financial accounting and reporting, environmental protection, insurance, bank products and services, bank capital and liquidity standards, fiduciary standards, securities and other aspects of the financial services industry, specifically the reforms provided for in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) and the Basel III regulatory capital reforms, as well as regulations already adopted and which may be adopted in the future by the relevant regulatory agencies, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the OCC, the FDIC, and the Federal Reserve Board, to implement the Dodd-Frank Act's provisions, and the Basel III regulatory capital reforms; the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and other regulatory agencies, and the accuracy of our assumptions and estimates used to prepare our financial statements; changes in law and policy accompanying the current presidential administration, including the recently enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and uncertainty or speculation pending the enactment of such changes; uncertainties in Park's preliminary review of, and additional analysis of, the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; the effect of healthcare laws in the United States and potential changes for such laws which may increase our healthcare and other costs and negatively impact our operations and financial results; significant changes in the tax laws, which may adversely affect the fair values of net deferred tax assets and obligations of state and political subdivisions held in Park's investment securities portfolio; the effect of trade, monetary, fiscal and other governmental policies of the U.S. federal government, including money supply and interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board; disruption in the liquidity and other functioning of U.S. financial markets; the impact on financial markets and the economy of any changes in the credit ratings of the U.S. Treasury obligations and other U.S. government-backed debt, as well as issues surrounding the levels of U.S., European and Asian government debt and concerns regarding the creditworthiness of certain sovereign governments, supranationals and financial institutions in Europe and Asia; the uncertainty surrounding the actions to be taken to implement the referendum by United Kingdom voters to exit the European Union; our litigation and regulatory compliance exposure, including any adverse developments in legal proceedings or other claims and unfavorable resolution of regulatory and other governmental examinations or other inquiries; the adequacy of our risk management program; the impact of our ability to anticipate and respond to technological changes on our ability to respond to customer needs and meet competitive demands; the ability to secure confidential information and deliver products and services through the use of computer systems and telecommunications networks; a failure in or breach of our operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of our third-party vendors and other service providers, resulting in failures or disruptions in customer account management, general ledger, deposit, loan, or other systems, including as a result of cyber attacks; operational issues stemming from and/or capital spending necessitated by, the potential need to adapt to industry changes in information technology systems on which Park and our subsidiaries are highly dependent; fraud, scams and schemes of third parties; the impact of widespread natural and other disasters, pandemics, dislocations, civil unrest, terrorist activities or international hostilities on the economy and financial markets generally or on us or our counterparties specifically; demand for loans in the respective market areas served by Park and our subsidiaries; the ability to obtain required governmental and shareholder approvals with respect to, and the ability to complete, the proposed merger transaction involving Park, PNB and NewDominion Bank (the “NewDominion Transaction”) on the proposed terms within the expected timeframe; the risk that the businesses of PNB and NewDominion Bank will not be integrated successfully or such integration may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected; expected revenue synergies and cost savings from the NewDominion Transaction may not be fully realized within the expected timeframe; revenues following the NewDominion Transaction may be lower than expected; customer and employee relationships and business operations may be disrupted by the NewDominion Transaction; and other risk factors relating to the banking industry as detailed from time to time in Park's reports filed with the SEC including those described in "Item 1A. Risk Factors" of Part I of Park's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. Park does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to publicly release the results of any revisions that may be made to update any forward-looking statement to reflect the events or circumstances after the date on which the forward-looking statement was made, or reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except to the extent required by law.