Release Details


First Busey Corporation Earnings Release for Quarter Ending September 30, 2005

Oct 18, 2005
    URBANA, Ill., Oct. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

                             FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

The financial results of First Busey Corporation (Nasdaq: BUSE) for the first nine months of 2005 substantiate my continued enthusiasm about the future of your organization, my continuing role as Chief Executive Officer, and the strides we are making towards achieving Vision 2010.

On July 29th, we completed the acquisition of Tarpon Coast Bancorp, and its subsidiary bank, Tarpon Coast National Bank. Tarpon is headquartered in Port Charlotte, Florida, with four branches in Charlotte and Sarasota Counties. Subject to the receipt of regulatory approval, we anticipate merging Busey Bank Florida with Tarpon to form Busey Bank, National Association, a national bank with total assets in excess of $400 million. Our position in the high growth market of Southwest Florida, combined with our strong market presence in Central Illinois, makes for a dynamic time for the Busey Organization. I take a great deal of "PRIDE" in leading the charge!

Net income increased $1,775,000 or 30.7% to $7,559,000 for the quarter ended September 30, 2005, as compared to $5,784,000 for the comparable period in 2004. For the quarter ended September 30, 2005, earnings per share on a fully-diluted basis were $0.36, an increase of $0.08 or 28.6% from $0.28 for the comparable period in 2004. On a year-to-date basis, net income increased $3,686,000 or 22.1% to $20,371,000, as compared to $16,685,000 for the comparable period in 2004. For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2005, earnings per share on a fully-diluted basis were $0.98, an increase of $0.17 or 21.0% from $0.81 for the comparable period in 2004.

Net interest income increased $3,630,000 or 24.5% to $18,474,000 in the third quarter of 2005 compared to $14,844,000 in the comparable quarter in 2004. Interest income increased $7,164,000 during the third quarter of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004 due primarily to loan growth and higher yields on outstanding loans. Interest expense increased $3,534,000 or 41.9% to $11,971,000 during the third quarter of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004 due to growth in deposits and other funding sources combined with higher interest rates on deposits.

Provision for loan losses was $650,000 during the third quarter of 2005 compared to $1,240,000 during the comparable period in 2004 due to lower credit losses. The allowance for loan losses expressed as a percentage of total loans was 1.32% and 1.27% as of September 30, 2005 and 2004, respectively.

Non-interest income was $6,118,000 during the third quarter of 2005, which represents an increase of $97,000 or 1.6% from non-interest income of $6,021,000 during the third quarter of 2004. The Corporation recognized a net loss of $106,000 during the third quarter of 2005 from the sale of investment securities compared to a net gain of $402,000 during the comparable period in 2004. The Corporation recognized the losses in 2005 in an effort to reposition the investment portfolio for better performance under the current interest rate environment and to restructure maturities of certain securities to better meet the liquidity needs of the organization.

Non-interest expense increased $2,013,000 or 18.1% to $13,163,000 during the third quarter of 2005, as compared to $11,150,000 during the comparable prior year period due primarily to increased operating costs associated with the addition of Tarpon Coast National Bank. Data processing expenses were lower during the third quarter of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004 due to efficiencies gained in the May 2005 merger of First Capital Bank into Busey Bank.

                              FINANCIAL SUMMARY

                              Three Months Ended       Nine Months Ended
                                September 30,            September 30
                              2005         2004        2005         2004
                                 (in thousands, except per share data)
    Earnings & Per Share Data
    Net income              $7,559       $5,784      $20,371      $16,685
    Basic earnings per share  0.36         0.28         0.99         0.82
    Fully diluted earnings
     per share                0.36         0.28         0.98         0.81
    Dividends per share       0.14         0.13         0.42         0.38

    Average Balances
    Assets              $2,154,818   $1,913,380   $2,049,798   $1,685,603
    Investment securities  316,687      286,688      318,090      243,273
    Loans                1,663,366    1,473,532    1,567,303    1,322,833
    Earning assets       1,997,671    1,777,575    1,906,871    1,574,597
    Deposits             1,713,591    1,510,088    1,628,218    1,350,327
    Stockholders' equity   153,831      131,085      144,856      128,501

    Performance Ratios
    Return on average
     assets                  1.39%        1.20%        1.33%        1.32%
    Return on average
     equity                 19.50%       17.51%       18.80%       17.36%
    Net interest margin      3.75%        3.39%        3.72%        3.52%
    Efficiency ratio        51.09%       52.61%       50.95%       52.27%

    Loan Performance
    Net credit losses         $357         $850         $570       $1,064
    Accruing loans 90+
     days past due             913        1,215          913        1,215
    Non-accrual loans        1,656          947        1,656          947
    Foreclosed assets          222        4,930          222        4,930



                   CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (unaudited)

                                                          September 30,
                                                       2005           2004
                                          (in thousands except per share data)
    Assets
    Cash and due from banks                          $59,826        $61,917
    Federal funds sold                                56,541         50,650
    Investment securities                            333,444        298,362

    Loans                                          1,709,182      1,468,259
      Less allowance for loan losses                 (22,620)       (18,703)
    Net loans                                      1,686,562      1,449,556

    Premises and equipment, net                       36,994         26,179
    Goodwill and other intangibles                    60,134         35,895
    Other assets                                      44,071         42,939
    Total assets                                  $2,277,572     $1,965,498

    Liabilities & Stockholders' Equity
    Non-interest bearing deposits                   $256,933       $185,723
    Interest-bearing deposits                      1,566,561      1,372,923
    Total deposits                                $1,823,494     $1,558,646


    Federal funds purchased & securities
     sold under agreements to repurchase              43,034         39,025
    Short-term borrowings                              5,991         11,250
    Long-term debt                                   175,501        171,796
    Junior subordinated debt
     owed to unconsolidated trusts                    50,000         40,000
    Other liabilities                                 14,362         10,147
    Total liabilities                             $2,112,382     $1,830,864

    Common stock                                         $22         $6,291
    Common stock to be issued                            495              -
    Surplus                                           44,435         21,447
    Retained earnings                                126,150        111,244
    Other comprehensive income                         7,296          9,056
    Treasury stock                                   (10,745)       (10,529)
    Unearned ESOP shares                              (2,456)        (2,853)
    Deferred compensation for stock grants                (7)           (22)
    Total stockholders' equity                      $165,190       $134,634
    Total liabilities & stockholders' equity      $2,277,572     $1,965,498

    Per Share Data
    Book value per share                               $7.70          $6.54
    Tangible book value per share                      $4.89          $4.80
    Ending number of shares outstanding           21,462,876     20,577,751



                           CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS
                            OF INCOME (unaudited)

                            Three Months Ended         Nine Months Ended
                               September 30,             September 30,
                             2005         2004         2005         2004
                              (in thousands, except common share data)
    Interest and fees
     on loans              $27,670      $21,088      $75,453      $55,804
    Interest on investment
     securities              2,640        2,128        7,682        5,552
    Other interest income      135           65          358           93
    Total interest income  $30,445      $23,281      $83,493      $61,449

    Interest on deposits    $8,929       $5,961      $23,375      $14,858
    Interest on short-term
     borrowings                324          189          905          352
    Interest on long-term
     debt                    1,785        1,572        4,837        3,803
    Junior subordinated debt
     owed to unconsolidated
     trusts                    933          715        2,492        1,936
    Total interest expense $11,971       $8,437      $31,609      $20,949

    Net interest income    $18,474      $14,844      $51,884      $40,500

    Provision for loans
     losses                    650        1,240        2,765        2,320
    Net interest income
     after provision       $17,824      $13,604      $49,119      $38,180

    Trust fees              $1,366       $1,211       $4,277       $4,002
    Commissions and
     brokers' fees             628          578        1,679        1,774
    Fees for customer
     services                2,684        2,632        7,536        7,353
    Gain on sale of loans      920          703        1,932        1,984
    Net security (losses)
     gains                    (106)         402          306        1,090
    Other                      626          495        1,907        1,546
    Total non-interest
     income                 $6,118       $6,021      $17,637      $17,749

    Salaries and wages      $6,062       $5,229      $16,697      $14,353
    Employee benefits        1,332          924        3,711        3,160
    Net occupancy expense    1,255        1,081        3,323        2,898
    Furniture and equipment
     expense                   852          649        2,278        1,772
    Data processing expense    429          529        1,496        1,417
    Amortization expense       334          201          724          435
    Other operating expenses 2,899        2,537        8,335        6,778
    Total non-interest
     expense               $13,163      $11,150      $36,564      $30,813

    Income before
     income taxes          $10,779       $8,475      $30,192      $25,116
    Income taxes             3,220        2,691        9,821        8,431
    Net Income              $7,559       $5,784      $20,371      $16,685

    Common Share Data
    Basic earnings
     per share               $0.36        $0.28        $0.99        $0.82
    Fully-diluted earnings
     per share               $0.36        $0.28        $0.98        $0.81
    Average shares
     outstanding        21,130,157   20,500,424   20,745,085   20,493,753



                              CORPORATE PROFILE

First Busey Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Urbana, Illinois. First Busey Corporation has three wholly-owned banking subsidiaries with locations in three states. Busey Bank is headquartered in Urbana, Illinois, and has twenty-one banking centers serving Champaign, McLean, Ford, Peoria, and Tazewell Counties in Illinois. Busey Bank also has a banking center in Indianapolis, Indiana, and a loan production office in Ft. Myers, Florida. As of September 30, 2005, Busey Bank had total assets of $1.8 million. Busey Bank Florida is a federal thrift headquartered in Ft. Myers, Florida, with two additional banking centers in Cape Coral, Florida. Total assets of Busey Bank Florida were $242 million as of September 30, 2005. On July 29, 2005, First Busey Corporation completed the acquisition of Tarpon Coast Bancorp, Inc. and its primary subsidiary, Tarpon Coast National Bank. Tarpon Coast National Bank has four banking centers located in Charlotte and Sarasota Counties in southwest Florida. Tarpon Coast National Bank had total assets of $177 million as of September 30, 2005. Busey also provides electronic delivery of financial services through Busey e-bank, http://www.busey.com .

Busey Investment Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Busey Corporation and owns three subsidiaries. First Busey Trust & Investment Co. specializes in asset management and trust services. First Busey Securities, Inc. (member NASD/SIPC) is a full-service broker/dealer subsidiary. Busey Insurance Services, Inc. provides personal insurance products and specializes in long-term healthcare insurance. Busey Investment Group has approximately $2.2 billion in assets under care.

First Busey Corporation common stock is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "BUSE." First Busey Corporation has a repurchase program in effect under which it is authorized to purchase up to 750,000 shares of stock.

SOURCE  First Busey Corporation
    -0-                             10/18/2005
    /CONTACT:  Barbara J. Kuhl, President & COO of First Busey Corporation,
+1-217-365-4513/
    /Web site:  http://www.busey.com /
    (BUSE)

CO:  First Busey Corporation
ST:  Illinois
IN:  FIN
SU:  ERN

AM-JK
-- CGTU063 --
6352 10/18/200516:50 EDThttp://www.prnewswire.com