Finward Bancorp reports Q4 EPS 49c vs. 35c last year

“The Bank ended the year with continued improvement in its overall positioning and increased momentum for 2025,” said Benjamin Bochnowski, CEO. “We improved regulatory capital throughout the year through balance sheet management and earnings and had the benefit of one-time income including our sale leaseback transaction early in the year and a gain on a long-held tax credit investment this past quarter. Net interest margin improved throughout 2024 as expected, based on our earning asset position and reduced funding costs driven by recent Federal Reserve interest rate policy,” he continued. “The Bank charged off a small number of commercial business loans in the 4th quarter, and management will continue to actively manage credit quality,” he concluded.