Provision for Credit Losses on Loans. The Company recognized releases of credit losses on loans in the amount of $42,000 and $100,000 for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in the allowance for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, compared to the three-month period ended March 31,2022, resulted primarily from a $20.0 million decrease in the reservable balance of the loan portfolio.
Noninterest Income. Noninterest income decreased to $245,000 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, from $254,000 for the corresponding period in 2022, a decrease of $9,000, or 3.54%. The decrease was primarily due to decreases in other fees and commissions.
Noninterest Expenses. Noninterest expenses for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 were $2.9 million and $2.8 million, respectively, an increase of $160,000 or 5.73%. The increase was driven by increases in salary and employee benefits, data processing and item processing expenses, FDIC insurance costs, loan collection costs and other expenses, offset by decreases in legal, accounting and other professional services.
Income Taxes. During the three-month period ended March 31, 2023, the Company recorded income tax expense of $86,000 compared to $21,000 for the same period in 2022, a $66,000, or 314.29%, increase. The Company’s annualized effective tax rate at March 31, 2023 was 16.38% compared to 9.76% for the prior year. The increase in income tax expense was due to higher income before taxes at March 31, 2023, compared to March 31, 2022.
Comprehensive Income (Loss). In accordance with regulatory requirements, the Company reports comprehensive income (loss) in its financial statements. Comprehensive income (loss) consists of the Company’s net income, adjusted for unrealized gains and losses on the Bank’s portfolio of investment securities and interest rate swap contracts. For the first quarter of 2023, comprehensive income, net of tax, totaled $2.4 million compared to a loss in the amount of $8.2 million for the same period in 2022. The increase was due to lower unrealized losses on available for sale securities, offset by no net unrealized gains on interest rate swaps.
FINANCIAL CONDITION
General. The Company’s assets decreased to $363.4 million at March 31, 2023 from $381.4 million at December 31, 2022, a decrease of $18.0 million or 4.73%, primarily due to a $15.5 million decrease in cash and cash equivalents, a $0.6 million decrease in investment securities available for sale, and a $2.3 million decrease in loans, net. Loans totaled $182.0 million at March 31, 2023, a decrease of $2.3 million or 1.25%, from $184.3 million at December 31, 2022. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decrease in consumer and automobile loans, offset by increases in loans secured by real estate, and commercial and industrial loans. Investment securities available for sale as of March 31, 2023, totaled $144.7 million, an increase of $0.6 million, or 0.41% from $144.1 million on December 31, 2022. Cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2023, totaled $14.6 million, a decrease of $15.5 million, or 51.51% from $30.1 million on December 31, 2022.
Loans are placed on nonaccrual status when they are past due 90 days as to either principal or interest or when, in the opinion of management, the collection of all interest and/or principal is in doubt. Placing a loan on nonaccrual status means that we no longer accrue interest or amortize deferred fees or costs on such loans and reverse any interest previously accrued but not collected. Management may grant a waiver from nonaccrual status for a 90 day past due loan that is both well secured and in the process of collection. A loan remains on nonaccrual status until the loan is current as to payment of both principal and interest and the borrower has demonstrated the ability to make payments in accordance with the terms of the loan and remain current.
A loan is considered to be impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that we will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Impaired loans are measured based on the fair value of the collateral for collateral dependent loans and at the present value of expected future cash flows using the loans’ effective interest rates for loans that are not collateral dependent.
At March 31, 2023, impaired loans totaled $0.6 million. Included in the impaired loans total were $0.4 million in loans classified as nonaccrual loans. At March 31, 2023, troubled debt restructurings included in impaired loans