Citizens Community in Wisconsin Released from Reg Order

A unit of Citizens Community Bancorp (CZWI) in Eau Claire, Wis., has shed its enforcement order with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The company announced Friday that regulators have terminated a 2009 memorandum of understanding requiring its Citizens Community Federal Bank unit to improve its risk-management and lending practices and maintain Tier 1 capital of 8% and risk-based capital of 10%. At the end of 2012, the bank held Tier 1 capital of 9.95% and risk-based capital of 15.64%, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

The order was terminated on Jan. 28.

"Our financial performance has improved, and our levels of nonperforming assets and delinquencies have been reduced dramatically," Citizens Community's chief financial officer, Mark Oldenberg, told American Banker. "This termination will allow us to pursue normal business activities, and we're excited about our opportunities going forward."

The parent company reported earnings of $260,000 in the quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with a loss of $414,000 in the same period in 2011. At yearend nonperforming assets totaled $6.2 million, or 1.2% of the bank's $535 million of assets.

Its bank unit has 25 branches in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota.