First-Quarter Earnings Flat for Monarch Bank

Laguna Niguel-based Monarch Bank announced first-quarter earnings of $155,894, a slight increase over the $155,712 for the same period last year. According to Shele Bannon, the bank’s chief financial officer, Monarch’s assets declined 5% from $96.1 million on March 31, 1984, to $90.8 million on March 31, 1985. During the same period, loans at the 5-year-old bank increased 4% from $61.2 million to $63.7 million and deposits dropped 7% to $84.5 million from $91.3 million. Bannon said the shrinking assets reflected the bank’s efforts to control its growth but added that Monarch intends to start increasing its loan portfolio on a slow and steady basis. Monarch reported a capital-to-assets ratio of 7.1% on March 31.