Results of Operations – Comparison of the nine-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022
General. Net income for the nine-month period ended March 31, 2023, was $23.7 million, a decrease of $10.4 million, or 30.5%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The decrease was attributable to increases in PCL and noninterest expense, partially offset by increases in net interest income and noninterest income, and a decrease in provision for income taxes.
For the nine-month period ended March 31, 2023, basic and fully-diluted net income per share available to common shareholders was $2.42 and 2.41, respectively, as compared to $3.81 and $3.80, respectively for the same period of the prior fiscal year, which represented decreases of $1.39, or 36.6% under both measures. Our annualized return on average assets for the nine-month period ended March 31, 2023, was 0.87%, as compared to 1.58% for the same period of the prior fiscal year. Our return on average common stockholders’ equity for the nine-month period ended March 31, 2023, was 8.9%, as compared to 15.2% in the same period of the prior fiscal year.
Net Interest Income. Net interest income for the nine-month period ended March 31, 2023, was $90.5 million, an increase of $14.7 million, or 19.4%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was attributable to a 43.2% increase in the average balance of interest-earning assets, partially offset by a decrease in the net interest margin to 3.52%, as compared to 3.74% in the same period a year ago. As PPP loan forgiveness declined, the Company’s accretion of interest income from deferred origination fees on these loans was reduced to $44,000 in the nine-month period, which impacted net interest margin by less than one basis point, as compared to $3.2 million in the same period a year ago, which added 16 basis points to the net interest margin in that period. Future accretion of deferred origination fees on PPP loans will be immaterial.
Loan discount accretion and deposit premium amortization related to the Company’s August 2014 acquisition of Peoples Bank of the Ozarks, the June 2017 acquisition of Capaha Bank, the February 2018 acquisition of Southern Missouri Bank of Marshfield, the November 2018 acquisition of First Commercial Bank, the May 2020 acquisition of Central Federal Savings & Loan Association, the February 2022 merger of Fortune, and the January 2023 merger of Citizens with the Company resulted in $2.4 million in net interest income for the nine-month period ended March 31, 2023, as compared to $1.2 million in net interest income for the same period a year ago. Combined, this component of net interest income contributed four basis points to net interest margin in the nine-month period ended March 31, 2023, as compared to a six basis point contribution for the same period of the prior fiscal year.
For the nine-month period ended March 31, 2023 our net interest rate spread was 3.32%, as compared to 3.63% in the year-ago period. The decrease in net interest rate spread, compared to the same period a year ago, resulted from a 94 basis point increase in the average cost of interest-bearing liabilities, partially offset by a 54 basis point increase in the average yield on interest-earning assets.
Interest Income. Total interest income for the nine-month period ended March 31, 2023, was $122.1 million, an increase of $36.8 million, or 43.2%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was attributed to a 26.5% increase in the average balance of assets, combined with an increase of 54 basis points in the average yield earned on interest-earning assets, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. Increased average interest-earning balances were attributable primarily to growth in the loan portfolio, mortgage-backed securities, and other investment securities, partially offset by decreases in other interest-earning assets. The increase in interest-earning asset yield was attributable primarily to increased market interest rates, loans originated or renewed at higher market yields, adjustable-rate loans which re-priced at higher rates, and a shift in the composition of the Company’s other interest-earning asset balances, partially offset by the reduced impact of accretion of deferred origination fees on PPP loans.
Interest Expense. Total interest expense for the nine-month period ended March 31, 2023, was $31.6 million, an increase of $22.1 million, or 233.2%, as compared to the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was attributable to a 94 basis point increase in the average cost of interest-bearing liabilities, combined with a 25.5% increase in the average balance of interest-bearing liabilities. The increase in the average cost of interest-bearing liabilities was attributable primarily to the increased rates paid on certificates of deposit, nonmaturity deposit accounts, and FHLB advances, while the increased average balance was attributable to growth in interest-bearing nonmaturity accounts, certificates of deposit, and FHLB advances.