WARSAW, N.Y., April 25, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Financial Institutions, Inc. (Nasdaq:FISI), today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017.  Financial Institutions, Inc. (the “Company”) is the parent company of Five Star Bank (the “Bank”), Scott Danahy Naylon Insurance, LLC (“Scott Danahy Naylon” or “SDN”) and Courier Capital, LLC (“Courier Capital”).

Net income for the quarter was $7.9 million compared to $8.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2016 and $7.6 million for the first quarter of 2016. After preferred dividends, net income available to common shareholders was $7.6 million, or $0.52 per diluted share, compared to $8.3 million, or $0.57 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2016 and $7.3 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2016.

President and Chief Executive Officer Martin K. Birmingham stated, “We are off to a very good start in 2017 with first quarter earnings in-line with our expectations and ongoing execution of our strategic plan.

“In mid-February, we furthered our expansion in Buffalo with the opening of a new financial solution center in a prime downtown location. We look forward to serving the needs of downtown residents, businesses and workers, and we believe this branch opening will serve as an excellent foundation for continued growth in Buffalo and all of Western New York. 

“We continued to invest in talent during the quarter with the addition of two Community Development Officers, one based in Buffalo and the other in Rochester. These new Five Star Bank associates are playing critical roles in the execution of our Community Reinvestment Act program to increase access to affordable loan and deposit services for low and moderate income customers. This is just one of our many efforts to support our communities, enhancing the quality of life and future outlook for those in need.”

First Quarter 2017 Highlights:

  • Diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) of $0.52 was $0.02 higher than the first quarter of 2016  
  • Net interest income of $27.0 million increased $2.3 million, or 9.2%, as compared to the first quarter of 2016
  • Noninterest income of $7.8 million was $1.4 million, or 15.0%, lower than the first quarter of 2016
    • Excluding the net gain on investment securities from both periods and $911 thousand of death benefit proceeds from company owned life insurance in the first quarter of 2016, noninterest income was $7.6 million in the quarter as compared to $7.7 million in the first quarter of 2016
  •  Return on average common equity was 10.02%
    • Return on average tangible common equity was 13.30% (computation of this non-GAAP measure provided in Appendix A)
  • Total assets, interest-earning assets, loans and deposits all reached record-high levels at quarter-end:
    • Total assets increased $149.5 million during the quarter, to $3.86 billion
    • Total interest-earning assets increased $95.1 million during the quarter, to $3.52 billion
    • Total loans increased $62.5 million during the quarter, to $2.40 billion
    • Total deposits increased $174.4 million during the quarter, to $3.17 billion
  • The quarterly cash dividend of $0.21 per common share represented a 2.58% dividend yield as of March 31, 2017, and a return of 40% of first quarter net income to common shareholders
  • Total risk-based capital was 12.75% at quarter-end, representing a strong capital position to support future growth
  • Credit quality remains strong with total non-performing loans to total loans of 0.33% at quarter-end

Chief Financial Officer Kevin B. Klotzbach added, “We generated solid loan and deposit growth, controlled expenses and maintained a stable net interest margin in the quarter. Our total loan portfolio increased 2.7% from year-end and 13.6% from March 31, 2016. This growth was funded primarily by deposits. Noninterest expense was up 1.1% from the fourth quarter of 2016, primarily due to higher occupancy and equipment expenses related to branch openings, and was down 1.3% from the year earlier period. The net interest margin was 3.23% for the quarter, up one basis point from the previous quarter.

“It is also important to note that results include a lower level of nonrecurring items, reflecting the higher overall quality of first quarter earnings.”

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

  • Net interest income was $27.0 million for the first quarter of 2017, $273 thousand higher than the fourth quarter of 2016 and $2.3 million higher than the first quarter of 2016.
  • Average interest-earning assets for the quarter were $3.48 billion, $70.7 million higher than the fourth quarter of 2016 and $346.9 million higher than the first quarter of 2016. The primary driver of the increase was loans, which in turn were funded by increased deposits.
  • First quarter 2017 net interest margin was 3.23%, one basis point higher than the fourth quarter of 2016 and four basis points lower than the first quarter of 2016.  First quarter 2017 net interest margin benefitted from approximately $100 thousand of mortgage-backed security pre-payment fees.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income was $7.8 million for the first quarter of 2017 as compared to $9.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 and $9.2 million in the first quarter of 2016. 

  • Excluding the net gain on investment securities from all periods, noninterest income was $7.6 million in the first quarter of 2017, $1.2 million lower than $8.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2016, and $1.0 million lower than $8.6 million in the first quarter of 2016. 
  • The decrease from the fourth quarter of 2016 was primarily the result of a $1.2 million non-cash fair value adjustment of the contingent consideration liability related to the SDN acquisition recognized in the fourth quarter of 2016.
  • The decrease from the first quarter of 2016 was primarily the result of $911 thousand of death benefit proceeds from company owned life insurance, a nonrecurring event, received in the first quarter of 2016 and lower insurance income in the first quarter of 2017 due to the loss of legacy SDN accounts, partially offset by higher investment advisory income in the first quarter of 2017 associated with favorable market conditions and successful business development efforts.

Noninterest Expense

Noninterest expense was $20.9 million for the first quarter of 2017 as compared to $20.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 and $21.2 million in the first quarter of 2016.

  • The increase in noninterest expense as compared to the fourth quarter of 2016 was primarily the result of higher occupancy and equipment expenses from our organic growth initiatives.
  • The decrease in noninterest expense as compared to the first quarter of 2016 was primarily the result of lower professional services.  Professional services in the first quarter of 2016 included approximately $360 thousand of expense associated with responding to the demands of an activist shareholder.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense was $3.2 million for the first quarter of 2017 as compared to $3.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2016 and $2.7 million in the first quarter of 2016. The effective tax rate was 28.5% for the first quarter of 2017, 25.9% in the fourth quarter of 2016, and 26.4% in the first quarter of 2016. The lower effective tax rate in the fourth quarter of 2016 was a result of the $1.2 million non-cash fair value adjustment of the contingent consideration liability related to the SDN acquisition, a non-taxable item. The lower effective tax rate in the first quarter of 2016 was the result of the $911 thousand of death benefit proceeds from company owned life insurance, also a non-taxable item.

Balance Sheet and Capital Management

Total assets were $3.86 billion at March 31, 2017, up $149.5 million from $3.71 billion at December 31, 2016, and up $343.3 million from $3.52 billion at March 31, 2016. The increases were largely the result of loan growth funded by deposit growth.

Total loans were $2.40 billion at March 31, 2017, up $62.5 million, or 2.7%, from December 31, 2016, and up $287.6 million, or 13.6%, from March 31, 2016.

  • Commercial business loans totaled $375.5 million, up $26.0 million, or 7.4%, from December 31, 2016, and up $57.7 million, or 18.2%, from March 31, 2016.
  • Commercial mortgage loans totaled $675.0 million, up $4.9 million, or 0.7%, from December 31, 2016, and up $84.7 million, or 14.3%, from March 31, 2016.
  • Residential real estate loans totaled $428.2 million, up $234 thousand, or 0.1%, from December 31, 2016, and up $45.7 million, or 11.9%, from March 31, 2016.
  • Consumer indirect loans totaled $786.1 million, up $33.7 million, or 4.5%, from December 31, 2016, and up $106.3 million, or 15.6%, from March 31, 2016.

Total deposits were $3.17 billion at March 31, 2017, an increase of $174.4 million from December 31, 2016, and an increase of $209.5 million from March 31, 2016. The increase from December 31, 2016, was primarily due to public deposit seasonality. The increase from March 31, 2016, was primarily the result of successful business development efforts in both municipal and retail banking. Public deposit balances represented 31% of total deposits at March 31, 2017, compared to 27% at December 31, 2016 and 30% at March 31, 2016.

Short-term borrowings were $303.3 million at March 31, 2017, down $28.2 million from December 31, 2016, and up $124.1 million from March 31, 2016. Short-term borrowings are typically utilized to manage the seasonality of public deposits.

Shareholders’ equity was $325.7 million at March 31, 2017, compared to $320.1 million at December 30, 2016, and $314.0 million at March 31, 2016. Common book value per share was $21.21 at March 31, 2017, an increase of $0.39 or 1.9% from $20.82 at December 31, 2016, and an increase of $0.75 or 3.7% from $20.46 at March 31, 2016. The increases in shareholders’ equity and common book value per share are attributable to net income, less dividends paid, with a partial offset from net unrealized losses on securities available for sale, which is a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss.

During the first quarter 2017, the Company declared a common stock dividend of $0.21 per common share. The first quarter 2017 dividend returned 40% of first quarter net income to common shareholders. 

Regulatory capital ratios at March 31, 2017, remained steady with slight downward pressure in comparison to the prior year as a result of strong loan growth and higher asset levels:

  • Leverage Ratio was 7.30%, compared to 7.36% and 7.46% at December 31, 2016, and March 31, 2016, respectively.
  • Common Equity Tier 1 Ratio was 9.46%, compared to 9.59% and 9.83% at December 31, 2016, and March 31, 2016, respectively.
  • Tier 1 Risk-Based Capital was 10.11%, compared to 10.26% and 10.56% at December 31, 2016, and March 31, 2016, respectively.
  • Total Risk-Based Capital was 12.75%, compared to 12.97% and 13.39% at December 31, 2016, and March 31, 2016, respectively.

Credit Quality

Non-performing loans were $8.0 million at March 31, 2017, compared to $6.3 million at December 31, 2016, and $8.6 million at March 31, 2016. The $1.7 million increase from December 31, 2016, was primarily due to higher commercial and residential real estate non-performing loans, partially offset by improvements in the consumer indirect loan portfolio.

  • The ratio of non-performing loans to total loans was 0.33% at March 31, 2017, compared to 0.27% at December 31, 2016, and 0.41% at March 31, 2016.

The provision for loan losses for the first quarter of 2017 was $2.8 million, a decrease of $576 thousand from the fourth quarter of 2016 and an increase of $413 thousand from the first quarter of 2016. During the fourth quarter 2016, the Company internally downgraded to substandard status one commercial business credit relationship with unpaid principal balances totaling $3.5 million. The downgrade necessitated a provision and increase in our allowance for losses of approximately $1.1 million. These loans were current with respect to principal and interest payments as of March 31, 2017; however, we continue to monitor this relationship closely.

  • Net charge-offs were $2.6 million during the first quarter of 2017, an $861 thousand increase compared to the prior quarter and a $749 thousand increase from the first quarter of 2016. 
  • The ratio of annualized net charge-offs to total average loans was 0.45% in the current quarter, compared to 0.30% in the prior quarter and 0.36% in the first quarter of 2016.
  • The ratio of allowance for loan losses to total loans was 1.29% at March 31, 2017, 1.32% at December 31, 2016, and 1.30% at March 31, 2016. 
  • The ratio of allowance for loan losses to non-performing loans was 388% at March 31, 2017, 489% at December 31, 2016, and 322% at March 31, 2016.

About Financial Institutions, Inc.

Financial Institutions, Inc. provides diversified financial services through its subsidiaries Five Star Bank, Scott Danahy Naylon and Courier Capital. Five Star Bank provides a wide range of consumer and commercial banking and lending services to individuals, municipalities and businesses through a network of more than 50 offices and 60 ATMs throughout Western and Central New York State. Scott Danahy Naylon provides a broad range of insurance services to personal and business clients across 45 states. Courier Capital provides customized investment management, investment consulting and retirement plan services to individuals, businesses, institutions, foundations and retirement plans. Financial Institutions, Inc. and its subsidiaries employ approximately 650 individuals. The Company’s stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol FISI. Additional information is available at www.fiiwarsaw.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

This news release contains disclosure regarding tangible common equity, tangible common equity to tangible assets, tangible common book value per share, average tangible common equity and return on average tangible common equity, which are determined by methods other than in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The Company believes that these non-GAAP measures are useful to our investors as measures of the strength of the Company’s capital and ability to generate earnings on tangible common equity invested by our shareholders. These non-GAAP measures provide supplemental information that may help investors to analyze our capital position without regard to the effects of intangible assets. Non-GAAP financial measures have inherent limitations and are not uniformly applied by issuers. Therefore, these non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for comparable measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. The comparable GAAP financial measures and reconciliation to the comparable GAAP financial measures can be found in Appendix A to this document.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements as defined by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve significant risks and uncertainties. Statements herein are based on certain assumptions and analyses by the Company and are factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in or implied by such statements for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to:  the Company’s ability to implement its strategic plan, the Company’s ability to redeploy investment assets into loan assets, whether the Company experiences greater credit losses than expected, whether the Company experiences breaches of its, or third party, information systems, the attitudes and preferences of the Company’s customers, the Company’s ability to successfully integrate and profitably operate Scott Danahy Naylon and Courier Capital, the competitive environment, fluctuations in the fair value of securities in its investment portfolio, changes in the regulatory environment and the Company’s compliance with regulatory requirements, changes in interest rates, general economic and credit market conditions nationally and regionally.  Consequently, all forward-looking statements made herein are qualified by these cautionary statements and the cautionary language in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed with the SEC.  Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise these statements following the date of this press release.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, INC. 
Selected Financial Information (Unaudited) 
(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

    2017       2016  
  March 31,   December 31,   September 30,   June 30,   March 31,
SELECTED BALANCE SHEET DATA:                  
Cash and cash equivalents $149,699     $71,277     $110,721     $67,624     $110,944  
Investment securities:                  
Available for sale   540,406       539,926       559,495       619,719       610,013  
Held-to-maturity   545,381       543,338       528,708       478,549       476,283  
Total investment securities   1,085,787       1,083,264       1,088,203       1,098,268       1,086,296  
Loans held for sale   2,097       1,050       844       209       609  
Loans:                  
Commercial business   375,518       349,547       350,588       349,432       317,776  
Commercial mortgage   675,007       670,058       636,338       614,141       590,316  
Residential real estate loans   428,171       427,937       425,882       408,367       382,504  
Residential real estate lines   120,874       122,555       123,663       125,054       126,526  
Consumer indirect   786,120       752,421       729,644       696,908       679,846  
Other consumer   16,937       17,643       17,879       17,929       18,066  
Total loans   2,402,627       2,340,161       2,283,994       2,211,831       2,115,034  
Allowance for loan losses   31,081       30,934       29,350       28,525       27,568  
Total loans, net   2,371,546       2,309,227       2,254,644       2,183,306       2,087,466  
Total interest-earning assets   3,523,613       3,428,541       3,357,609       3,292,528       3,189,582  
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net   75,343       75,640       75,943       76,252       76,567  
Total assets   3,859,865       3,710,340       3,687,365       3,585,589       3,516,572  
Deposits:                  
Noninterest-bearing demand   666,332       677,076       657,624       626,240       617,394  
Interest-bearing demand   698,962       581,436       629,413       560,284       622,443  
Savings and money market   1,069,901       1,034,194       1,052,224       960,325       1,042,910  
Time deposits   734,464       702,516       724,096       711,156       677,430  
Total deposits   3,169,659       2,995,222       3,063,357       2,858,005       2,960,177  
Short-term borrowings   303,300       331,500       230,200       338,300       179,200  
Long-term borrowings, net   39,078       39,061       39,043       39,025       39,008  
Total interest-bearing liabilities   2,845,705       2,688,707       2,674,976       2,609,090       2,560,991  
Shareholders’ equity   325,688       320,054       326,271       322,176       313,953  
Common shareholders’ equity   308,348       302,714       308,931       304,836       296,613  
Tangible common equity (1)   233,005       227,074       232,988       228,584       220,046  
Unrealized gain (loss) on investment securities, net of tax $(1,938)     $(2,530)     $9,444     $10,886     $7,555  
                   
Common shares outstanding   14,536       14,538       14,528       14,528       14,495  
Treasury shares   156       154       164       164       197  
CAPITAL RATIOS AND PER SHARE DATA:                  
Leverage ratio   7.30%       7.36%       7.39%       7.39%       7.46%  
Common equity Tier 1 ratio   9.46%       9.59%       9.58%       9.63%       9.83%  
Tier 1 risk-based capital   10.11%       10.26%       10.27%       10.33%       10.56%  
Total risk-based capital   12.75%       12.97%       12.98%       13.08%       13.39%  
Common equity to assets   7.99%       8.16%       8.38%       8.50%       8.43%  
Tangible common equity to tangible assets (1)   6.16%       6.25%       6.45%       6.51%       6.40%  
                   
Common book value per share $21.21     $20.82     $21.26     $20.98     $20.46  
Tangible common book value per share (1) $16.03     $15.62     $16.04     $15.73     $15.18  
Stock price (Nasdaq: FISI):                  
High $35.40     $34.55     $27.63     $29.49     $29.53  
Low $30.50     $25.98     $25.16     $24.56     $25.38  
Close $32.95     $34.20     $27.11     $26.07     $29.07  

________
(1) See Appendix A – Reconciliation to Non-GAAP Financial Measures for the computation of this Non-GAAP measure.


FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, INC.
Selected Financial Information (Unaudited)
(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)

        2017       2016  
      First   Year ended   Fourth   Third   Second   First
      Quarter   December 31,   Quarter   Quarter   Quarter   Quarter
SELECTED INCOME STATEMENT DATA:                          
Interest income     $30,538     $115,231     $29,990     $29,360     $28,246     $27,635  
Interest expense       3,543       12,541       3,268       3,310       3,047       2,916  
Net interest income       26,995       102,690       26,722       26,050       25,199       24,719  
Provision for loan losses       2,781       9,638       3,357       1,961       1,952       2,368  
Net interest income after provision                          
for loan losses       24,214       93,052       23,365       24,089       23,247       22,351  
Noninterest income:                          
Service charges on deposits       1,745       7,280       1,888       1,913       1,755       1,724  
Insurance income       1,431       5,396       1,134       1,407       1,183       1,672  
ATM and debit card       1,329       5,687       1,500       1,441       1,421       1,325  
Investment advisory       1,431       5,208       1,274       1,326       1,365       1,243  
Company owned life insurance       445       2,808       468       486       486       1,368  
Investments in limited partnerships       (30)       300       47       161       36       56  
Loan servicing       120       436       104       104       112       116  
Net gain on sale of loans held for sale       48       240       38       46       78       78  
Net gain on investment securities       206       2,695       269       426       1,387       613  
Net (loss) gain on other assets       (2)       313       28       199       82       4  
Contingent consideration liability adjustment             1,170       1,170                    
Other       1,113       4,227       1,168       1,030       1,011       1,018  
Total noninterest income       7,836       35,760       9,088       8,539       8,916       9,217  
Noninterest expense:                          
Salaries and employee benefits       11,369       45,215       11,458       11,325       10,818       11,614  
Occupancy and equipment       3,964       14,529       3,623       3,617       3,664       3,625  
Professional services       1,199       6,184       948       956       2,833       1,447  
Computer and data processing       1,171       4,451       1,116       1,089       1,159       1,087  
Supplies and postage       537       2,047       499       490       464       594  
FDIC assessments       457       1,735       452       406       441       436  
Advertising and promotions       278       1,695       436       302       530       427  
Amortization of intangibles       297       1,249       303       309       315       322  
Other       1,670       7,566       1,880       2,124       1,896       1,666  
Total noninterest expense       20,942       84,671       20,715       20,618       22,120       21,218  
Income before income taxes       11,108       44,141       11,738       12,010       10,043       10,350  
Income tax expense       3,165       12,210       3,045       3,541       2,892       2,732  
Net income       7,943       31,931       8,693       8,469       7,151       7,618  
Preferred stock dividends       365       1,462       365       366       366       365  
Net income available to common shareholders     $7,578     $30,469     $8,328     $8,103     $6,785     $7,253  
FINANCIAL RATIOS:                          
Earnings per share – basic     $0.52     $2.11     $0.58     $0.56     $0.47     $0.50  
Earnings per share – diluted     $0.52     $2.10     $0.57     $0.56     $0.47     $0.50  
Cash dividends declared on common stock     $0.21     $0.81     $0.21     $0.20     $0.20     $0.20  
Common dividend payout ratio       40.38%       38.39%       36.21%       35.71%       42.55%       40.00%  
Dividend yield (annualized)       2.58%       2.37%       2.44%       2.93%       3.09%       2.77%  
Return on average assets       0.86%       0.90%       0.94%       0.94%       0.82%       0.90%  
Return on average equity       9.94%       10.01%       10.68%       10.34%       9.07%       9.91%  
Return on average common equity       10.02%       10.10%       10.81%       10.45%       9.10%       10.00%  
Return on average tangible common equity (1)       13.30%       13.51%       14.37%       13.87%       12.22%       13.54%  
Efficiency ratio (2)       59.09%       60.95%       56.99%       58.99%       66.00%       62.19%  
Effective tax rate       28.5%       27.7%       25.9%       29.5%       28.8%       26.4%  

________
(1) See Appendix A – Reconciliation to Non-GAAP Financial Measures for the computation of this Non-GAAP measure.
(2) Efficiency ratio equals noninterest expense as a percentage of net revenue, defined as the sum of tax-equivalent net interest income and noninterest income before net gains on investment securities.


FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, INC.
Selected Financial Information (Unaudited)
 (Amounts in thousands)

        2017       2016  
      First   Year ended   Fourth   Third   Second   First
      Quarter   December 31,   Quarter   Quarter   Quarter   Quarter
SELECTED AVERAGE BALANCES:                          
Federal funds sold and interest-earning deposits     $10,078     $3,116     $12,011     $1     $316   $70  
Investment securities (1)       1,090,063       1,063,221       1,080,941       1,068,866       1,075,220     1,027,602  
Loans:                          
Commercial business       363,367       336,633       347,496       352,696       329,901     316,143  
Commercial mortgage       678,613       618,436       659,713       625,003       606,360     582,142  
Residential real estate loans       429,746       404,456       425,687       417,854       391,826     382,077  
Residential real estate lines       121,594       124,635       122,734       123,312       125,212     127,317  
Consumer indirect       767,887       703,975       741,598       711,948       683,722     678,133  
Other consumer       16,956       17,620       17,448       17,548       17,562     17,926  
Total loans       2,378,163       2,205,755       2,314,676       2,248,361       2,154,583     2,103,738  
Total interest-earning assets       3,478,304       3,272,092       3,407,628       3,317,228       3,230,119     3,131,410  
Goodwill and other intangible assets, net       75,508       76,170       75,807       76,116       76,437     76,324  
Total assets       3,754,470       3,547,105       3,679,569       3,593,672       3,507,760     3,405,451  
Interest-bearing liabilities:                          
Interest-bearing demand       634,141       576,046       604,717       547,545       579,497     572,424  
Savings and money market       1,030,363       1,010,510       1,076,884       981,207       1,017,911     965,629  
Time deposits       721,404       697,654       711,061       722,098       698,505     658,537  
Short-term borrowings       327,195       248,938       244,796       315,122       213,826     221,326  
Long-term borrowings, net       39,067       39,023       39,050       39,032       39,015     38,997  
Total interest-bearing liabilities       2,752,170       2,572,171       2,676,508       2,605,004       2,548,754     2,456,913  
Noninterest-bearing demand deposits       657,190       633,416       655,445       638,417       621,912     617,590  
Total deposits       3,043,098       2,917,626       3,048,107       2,889,267       2,917,825     2,814,180  
Total liabilities       3,430,504       3,228,099       3,355,894       3,267,808       3,190,589     3,096,263  
Shareholders’ equity       323,966       319,006       323,675       325,864       317,171     309,188  
Common equity       306,626       301,666       306,335       308,524       299,831     291,848  
Tangible common equity (2)     $231,118     $225,496     $230,528     $232,408     $223,394   $215,524  
Common shares outstanding:                          
Basic       14,479       14,436       14,459       14,456       14,434     14,395  
Diluted       14,528       14,491       14,511       14,500       14,489     14,465  
SELECTED AVERAGE YIELDS:                                
(Tax equivalent basis)                                
Investment securities       2.46%       2.45%     2.41%     2.44%         2.48%     2.48%  
Loans       4.19%       4.18%     4.17%     4.18%         4.17%     4.21%  
Total interest-earning assets       3.64%       3.62%     3.60%     3.62%         3.61%     3.64%  
Interest-bearing demand       0.14%       0.14%     0.14%     0.15%         0.14%     0.14%  
Savings and money market       0.13%       0.13%     0.13%     0.14%         0.13%     0.13%  
Time deposits       0.95%       0.90%     0.93%     0.91%         0.89%     0.88%  
Short-term borrowings       0.86%       0.65%     0.70%     0.63%         0.65%     0.62%  
Long-term borrowings, net       6.32%       6.33%     6.33%     6.33%         6.33%     6.34%  
Total interest-bearing liabilities       0.52%       0.49%     0.49%     0.51%         0.48%     0.48%  
Net interest rate spread       3.12%       3.13%     3.11%     3.11%         3.13%     3.16%  
Net interest rate margin       3.23%       3.24%     3.22%     3.23%         3.23%     3.27%  

________
(1) Includes investment securities at adjusted amortized cost.
(2) See Appendix A – Reconciliation to Non-GAAP Financial Measures for the computation of this Non-GAAP measure.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, INC.
Selected Financial Information (Unaudited)
(Amounts in thousands)

    2017      2016
 
  First   Year ended   Fourth   Third   Second   First
  Quarter   December 31,   Quarter   Quarter   Quarter   Quarter
ASSET QUALITY DATA:                      
Allowance for Loan Losses                      
Beginning balance $30,934     $27,085     $29,350     $28,525     $27,568     $27,085  
Net loan charge-offs (recoveries):                      
Commercial business   964       496       52       (31)       (27)       502  
Commercial mortgage   (204)       340       212       127       2       (1)  
Residential real estate loans   (26)       115       (1)       61       34       21  
Residential real estate lines   33       89       41       4       44        
Consumer indirect   1,758       4,489       1,361       896       904       1,328  
Other consumer   109       260       108       79       38       35  
Total net charge-offs   2,634       5,789       1,773       1,136       995       1,885  
Provision for loan losses   2,781       9,638       3,357       1,961       1,952       2,368  
Ending balance $31,081     $30,934     $30,934     $29,350     $28,525     $27,568  
                       
Net charge-offs (recoveries)                      
to average loans (annualized):                      
Commercial business   1.08%       0.15%       0.06%       -0.03%       -0.03%       0.64%  
Commercial mortgage   -0.12%       0.05%       0.13%       0.08%       0.00%       -0.00%  
Residential real estate loans   -0.02%       0.03%       -0.00%       0.06%       0.03%       0.02%  
Residential real estate lines   0.11%       0.07%       0.13%       0.01%       0.14%       0.00%  
Consumer indirect   0.93%       0.64%       0.73%       0.50%       0.53%       0.79%  
Other consumer   2.61%       1.48%       2.46%       1.79%       0.87%       0.79%  
Total loans   0.45%       0.26%       0.30%       0.20%       0.19%       0.36%  
                       
Supplemental information (1)                      
Non-performing loans:                      
Commercial business $3,753     $2,151     $2,151     $2,157     $2,312     $4,056  
Commercial mortgage   1,267       1,025       1,025       1,345       1,547       1,781  
Residential real estate loans   1,601       1,236       1,236       1,239       1,485       1,601  
Residential real estate lines   336       372       372       274       182       165  
Consumer indirect   1,040       1,526       1,526       1,077       1,015       943  
Other consumer   23       16       16       9       15       21  
Total non-performing loans   8,020       6,326       6,326       6,101       6,556       8,567  
Foreclosed assets   58       107       107       294       281       187  
Total non-performing assets $8,078     $6,433     $6,433     $6,395     $6,837     $8,754  
                       
Total non-performing loans to total loans   0.33%       0.27%       0.27%       0.27%       0.30%       0.41%  
Total non-performing assets to total assets   0.21%       0.17%       0.17%       0.17%       0.19%       0.25%  
Allowance for loan losses to total loans   1.29%       1.32%       1.32%       1.29%       1.29%       1.30%  
Allowance for loan losses to non-performing loans   388%       489%       489%       481%       435%       322%  

________
(1) At period end.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, INC.
Appendix A – Reconciliation to Non-GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited)
(In thousands, except per share amounts)

      2017       2016  
    First   Year ended   Fourth   Third   Second   First
    Quarter   December 31,   Quarter   Quarter   Quarter   Quarter
Ending tangible assets:                        
Total assets   $3,859,865         $3,710,340     $3,687,365     $3,585,589     $3,516,572  
Less: Goodwill and other intangible assets, net     75,343           75,640       75,943       76,252       76,567  
Tangible assets   $3,784,522         $3,634,700     $3,611,422     $3,509,337     $3,440,005  
                         
Ending tangible common equity:                        
Common shareholders’ equity   $308,348         $302,714     $308,931     $304,836     $296,613  
Less: Goodwill and other intangible assets, net     75,343           75,640       75,943       76,252       76,567  
Tangible common equity   $233,005         $227,074     $232,988     $228,584     $220,046  
                         
Tangible common equity to tangible assets (1)     6.16%           6.25%       6.45%       6.51%       6.40%  
                         
Common shares outstanding     14,536           14,538       14,528       14,528       14,495  
Tangible common book value per share (2)   $16.03         $15.62     $16.04     $15.73     $15.18  
                         
Average tangible assets:                        
Average assets   $3,754,470     $3,547,105     $3,679,569     $3,593,672     $3,507,760     $3,405,451  
Less: Average goodwill and other intangible                        
assets, net     75,508       76,170       75,807       76,116       76,437       76,324  
Average tangible assets   $3,678,962     $3,470,935     $3,603,762     $3,517,556     $3,431,323     $3,329,127  
                         
Average tangible common equity:                        
Average common equity   $306,626     $301,666     $306,335     $308,524     $299,831     $291,848  
Less: Average goodwill and other intangible                        
assets, net     75,508       76,170       75,807       76,116       76,437       76,324  
Average tangible common equity   $231,118     $225,496     $230,528     $232,408     $223,394     $215,524  
                         
Net income available to common shareholders   $7,578     $30,469     $8,328     $8,103     $6,785     $7,253  
Return on average tangible common equity (3)     13.30%       13.51%       14.37%       13.87%       12.22%       13.54%  

________
(1) Tangible common equity divided by tangible assets.
(2) Tangible common equity divided by common shares outstanding.
(3) Net income available to common shareholders (annualized) divided by average tangible common equity.

CONTACT: For additional information contact:
Kevin B. Klotzbach
Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
Phone:  585.786.1130
Email:  [email protected] 

Shelly J. Doran
Director − Investor & External Relations 
Phone: 585.627.1362
Email:  [email protected]