Other expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2023 were $2.7 million compared to $3.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022, a decrease of $751,000, or 21.9%. This decrease was primarily due to lower FDIC deposit insurance premiums and security expense, as well as fair value gains on our equity securities, partially offset by higher other real estate owned expenses. Included in other expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 were directors’ fees of approximately $137,000 and $139,000, respectively.
Income Tax Expense
Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was $5.8 million and $6.6 million, respectively. The Company’s effective tax rates were 27.1% and 25.3% for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IRA”) was signed into law, creating a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax on profits of corporations based on average annual adjusted financial statement income effective for tax years beginning January 1, 2023. We do not anticipate a material impact on our financial position or results of operations from the IRA.
Financial Condition
Total assets decreased $8.2 million, or 0.2%, to $3.42 billion at March 31, 2023 as compared to $3.43 billion at December 31, 2022. The decrease in total assets was primarily attributable to decreases in loans of $43.7 million, federal funds sold of $20.6 million, interest rate derivatives of $4.8 million and foreclosed real estate of $3.6 million, as well as an increase in the allowance for credit losses of $5.1 million, partially offset by increases in cash and due from banks of $65.2 million and other assests of $2.7 million.
Loans
Gross loans decreased $44.0 million, or 1.4%, to $3.02 billion as of March 31, 2023 as compared to $3.07 billion as of December 31, 2022. Our loan decline during the three months ended March 31, 2023 was comprised of an increase of $1.4 million, or 3.0%, in construction and development loans, a decrease of $17.3 million, or 2.6%, in commercial real estate loans, a decrease of $7.0 million, or 13.1%, in commercial and industrial loans, a decrease of $21.0 million, or 0.9%, in residential real estate loans and a decrease of $166,000, or 76.9%, in consumer and other loans. There were no loans classified as held for sale as of March 31, 2023 or December 31, 2022.
The following table presents the ending balance of each major category in our loan portfolio held for investment at the dates indicated.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | March 31, 2023 | | December 31, 2022 | |
(Dollars in thousands) | | Amount | | % of Total | | Amount | | % of Total | |
Construction and development | | $ | 49,209 | | 1.6 | % | $ | 47,779 | | 1.6 | % |
Commercial real estate | | | 639,951 | | 21.2 | % | | 657,246 | | 21.4 | % |
Commercial and industrial | | | 46,208 | | 1.5 | % | | 53,173 | | 1.7 | % |
Residential real estate | | | 2,285,902 | | 75.7 | % | | 2,306,915 | | 75.3 | % |
Consumer and other | | | 50 | | — | % | | 216 | | — | % |
Gross loans | | $ | 3,021,320 | | 100.0 | % | $ | 3,065,329 | | 100.0 | % |
Less unearned income | | | (9,300) | | | | | (9,640) | | | |
Total loans held for investment | | $ | 3,012,020 | | | | $ | 3,055,689 | | | |
SBA Loan Servicing
As of March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, we serviced $485.7 million and $465.1 million, respectively, in SBA loans for others. We carried a servicing asset of $7.8 million and $7.1 million at March 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively. See Note 4 of our consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2023, included elsewhere in this