MONROEVILLE, Pa., Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard Financial Corp. (the "Company") - (OTCQX: STND), the holding company for Standard Bank PaSB, today announced earnings for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 of $895,000 or $0.35 per share compared to $769,000 or $0.28 per share for the quarter ended December 31, 2013. The Company's annualized return on average assets and average equity were 0.80% and 4.86%, respectively, for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 compared to 0.71% and 4.17%, respectively, for the quarter ended December 31, 2013.

The Company's board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $.06 per share of the Company's common stock. The dividend will be payable to stockholders of record as of February 5, 2015 and will be paid on February 19, 2015.

Timothy K. Zimmerman, President & CEO, stated, "I believe our fiscal year is off to a solid start. We have focused on the fundamentals and are seeing good results. Key indicators including asset quality, the interest rate margin, loan growth and noninterest expense ratios are all showing improvement. Interest rates and slow economic growth still pose daily challenges."

Net income for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 increased $126,000 or 16.4% compared to the same quarter in the prior year. The increase was primarily the result of higher net interest income of $210,000 or 7.2% partly offset by higher non-interest expenses of $64,000 or 2.5%.

Net interest income increased to $3.1 million for the three months ended December 31, 2014 from $2.9 million for the three months ended December 31, 2013. The increase in net interest income resulted primarily from a lower cost of funds slightly offset by a lower yield on assets.

No provisions for loan losses were recorded for both quarters ending December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. Non-performing loans at December 31, 2014 were $1.1 million or 0.34% of total loans compared to $1.2 million or 0.37% of total loans at September 30, 2014 and $1.3 million or 0.45% of total loans at December 31, 2013. The allowance for loan losses to non-performing loans was 340.2% at December 31, 2014 compared to 331.0% at September 30, 2014.

Noninterest income totaled $712,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 compared to $695,000 for the quarter ended December 31, 2013. The increase in noninterest income was due mainly to higher annuity and mutual fund fees and dividend income on Federal Home Loan Bank stock.

Noninterest expenses totaled $2.6 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 representing a slight increase of $64,000 or 2.5% compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2013. The increase in noninterest expenses was due mainly to higher salary costs and increased charitable contribution expense in the quarter ending December 31, 2014.

Standard Financial Corp., with total assets of $446.7 million at December 31, 2014, is the parent company of Standard Bank, a Pennsylvania chartered savings bank which operates nine offices serving individuals and small to mid-sized businesses in Allegheny, Westmoreland and Bedford Counties, in Pennsylvania and Allegany County in Maryland. Standard Bank is a member of the FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender.

This news release may contain a number of forward-looking statements, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date on which such statements were made.



                                                                      Standard Financial Corp.

                                                                        Financial Highlights

                                                                       (Dollars in thousands,
                                                                       except per share data)

                                                                            (Unaudited)


    OPERATIONS DATA:                                             Three Months Ended December
                                                                                 31,
    --------------------                                        ----------------------------

                                                                                            2014                     2013
                                                                                            ----                     ----

    Interest and Dividend Income                                                       $3,927                   $3,833

    Interest Expense                                                                       791                      907
                                                                                           ---                      ---

    Net Interest Income                                                                  3,136                    2,926

    Provision for Loan Losses                                                               -                       -
                                                                                          ---                     ---

    Net Interest Income after Provision
     for Loan Losses                                                                    3,136                    2,926

    Noninterest Income                                                                     712                      695

    Noninterest Expenses                                                                 2,620                    2,556
                                                                                         -----                    -----

    Income before Income Tax Expense                                                    1,228                    1,065

    Income Tax Expense                                                                     333                      296
                                                                                           ---                      ---

    Net Income                                                                            $895                     $769
                                                                                          ====                     ====


    Earnings Per Share - Basic                                                          $0.35                    $0.28

    Earnings Per Share - Diluted                                                        $0.34                    $0.28

    Annualized Return on Average Assets                                                 0.80%                   0.71%

    Average Assets                                                                    $448,869                 $435,919

    Annualized Return on Average Equity                                                 4.86%                   4.17%

    Average Equity                                                                     $73,678                  $73,836

    Net Interest Spread                                                                  2.91%                   2.81%

    Net Interest Margin                                                                  3.01%                   2.91%


    FINANCIAL CONDITION DATA:                                            December 31,            September 30,
    -------------------------

                                                                                            2014                     2014
                                                                                            ----                     ----

    Total Assets                                                                      $446,731                 $445,463

    Cash and Cash Equivalents                                                           5,578                    7,812

    Investment Securities                                                               84,226                   91,703

    Loans Receivable, Net                                                              322,624                  312,126

    Deposits                                                                             309,561                  320,478

    Borrowed Funds                                                                      58,436                   49,500

    Total Stockholders' Equity                                                         74,116                   73,059


    Book Value Per Share                                                                $26.20                   $25.81

    Tangible Book Value Per Share                                                      $23.05                   $22.65


    Allowance for Loan Losses                                                          $3,827                   $3,919

    Non-Performing Loans                                                                $1,125                   $1,184

    Allowance for Loan Losses to Total
     Loans                                                                              1.17%                   1.24%

    Allowance for Loan Losses to Non-
     Performing Loans                                                                  340.2%                  331.0%

    Non-Performing Assets to Total Assets                                               0.30%                   0.37%

    Non-Performing Loans to Total Loans                                                 0.34%                   0.37%


    Additional financial information is available at www.standardbankpa.com.

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SOURCE Standard Financial Corp.