Metropolitan National Bank Closes Q4 On A Good Note

Metropolitan National Bank ended its 2012 fourth quarter with a net profit of $761,000, slightly higher than its fourth quarter in 2011 when the Little Rock-based bank finished that quarter $538,000 in the black.

It still wasn’t enough for Metropolitan to finish the full year out of the red, but it brought them closer. The bank ended 2012 with a $1.9 million loss after its three previous quarters all ended in losses. Still, it was a substantial improvement to the $4.8 million it lost in 2011.

“2012 proved to be a positive year for Metropolitan,” said CEO Lunsford Bridges. “We reduced the bank’s losses by more than 50% and decreased total non-performing assets by $81 million, a 44% reduction from the prior year.”

The bank disclosed that its Tier 1 Capital Ratio as of Dec. 31, 2012 was 6.32% and its Risk Based Capital Ratio was 10.54%. A year ago those figures stood at 5.93% and 9.35% respectively.

“The continued recovery of the real estate market in Arkansas, the dedication of bank staff and loyalty of our customers have certainly aided in the significant improvement in the financial position of Metropolitan,” Bridges said.

Metropolitan National Bank is privately held and is not required to disclose as much of its financial information as publicly-traded financial institutions.

The bank has been supervisory authority with federal regulators for nearly 5 years. In April 2012, the bank entered into a new consent order with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) that required the bank to improve its asset quality and raise its capital ratios.