First Internet Bancorp builds war chest for growth
The bank said it plans to use the $23 million it raised to fund organic growth, possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes.
The bank said it plans to use the $23 million it raised to fund organic growth, possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes.
The Fishers-based parent of First Internet Bank said it earned $2.4 million in the first quarter and increased its loan portfolio beyond $1 billion.
Fishers-based First Internet Bancorp operates as the bank holding company for First Internet Bank of Indiana. The company provides online commercial and retail banking products and services through its website, firstib.com.
First Internet Bancorp, the parent of First Internet Bank, has seen its stock rise 91 percent since the beginning of the year.
People who know David Becker say he has long been a visionary. Still, they were a bit surprised when he launched First Internet. Now, it’s one of the area’s fastest growing banks.
It was the fourth straight quarter of earnings growth for First Internet, which passed the $1 billion mark in assets during the quarter.
First Internet Bank of Indiana, which was founded in 1999 as one of the nation’s first online-only banks, has exceeded $1 billion in assets, it announced Friday.
A slide in mortgage-banking income hurt earnings, but net-interest income, commercial loans, deposits and assets were all on the rise.
A big decline in income from mortgage banking, linked to the national slowdown in home refinancing, carved a chunk from earnings.
First Internet Bank raised eyebrows this month when it filed a $25 million secondary stock offering said to be for organic growth and “other general corporate purposes.”
Shares of the Indianapolis-based bank took a nosedive during trading Friday morning after it reported its third-quarter earnings.
Shares of First Internet Bancorp have more than doubled since December, when founder and CEO David Becker boosted the visibility of the stock by announcing it was shifting from the over-the-counter market to NASDAQ.
First Internet Bancorp shares are up 105 percent for the year. Founder David Becker said the Indianapolis-based bank has been careful to be geographically diversified in its real estate holdings.
Economic development leaders in Fishers are asking the Town Council to OK a six-year property tax abatement to help First Internet Bancorp construct as many as two office buildings.
Commercial real estate lending for First Internet jumped 64 percent, to $112.7 million, in the second quarter. And commercial and industrial lending nearly doubled, to $15.3 million.
The Indianapolis-based bank’s commercial loan portfolio grew to $109.1 million, a rise of 62 percent compared with the first quarter of 2012. Commercial real estate loans rose 46 percent.
The Indianapolis-based bank, launched just 14 years ago, is reaching all-time highs in assets and profitability and plans to become a $1 billion institution by 2015.
Shares of the Indianapolis-based bank finished their first day on the NASDAQ exchange at $28.50, a 75-cent drop from their opening price. The stock had been listed on the thinly traded over-the-counter market.
The $4.3 million expansion will go toward purchasing and refurbishing a building near Interstate 69 and 116th Street that formerly housed the St. Vincent Health medical center.