CRANBURY, NJ -- (Marketwire) -- 01/29/13 -- 1ST Constitution Bancorp (NASDAQ: FCCY), the holding company for 1ST Constitution Bank, reported net income for the fourth quarter of 2012 of $1.2 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, compared to net income for the fourth quarter of 2011 of $1.1 million, or $0.21 per diluted share. During the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company concluded a rights offering to existing shareholders, which resulted in the issuance of 555,555 new shares of common stock and raised approximately $4.8 million of additional equity capital.

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2012 was $5.1 million, or $0.90 per diluted share, compared to $3.9 million, or $0.74 per diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2011. All per share amounts have been adjusted to give effect to a five percent stock dividend declared December 20, 2012, payable on January 31, 2013, to shareholders of record as of the close of business on January 14, 2013.

Net income, when compared to the same periods in 2011, increased by $142 thousand, or 12.9 percent, for the quarter ended December 31, 2012, and by $1.1 million, or 28.7 percent, for the year ended December 31, 2012. At December 31, 2012, the Company's tangible book value per common share was $10.02.

Robert F. Mangano, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "The increase in net income for the year ended December 31, 2012 was principally the result of an increase in net interest income and non-interest income, partially offset by increased non-interest expense on a comparative basis commensurate with the growth of the Company."

Net interest income was $27.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2012, which was 20.0 percent above the $23.1 million reported for the year ended December 31, 2011. Earnings for the year ended December 31, 2012 were bolstered by the continued generation of non-interest income, which totaled $5.3 million for the year. On a comparative basis, non-interest income for the year ended December 31, 2012 was up by $751 thousand, or 16.6 percent, when compared to results for the 2011 year.

The provision for loan losses for the year ended December 31, 2012 totaled $2.1 million, compared to $2.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. Net charge-offs for the year ended December 31, 2012 were $533 thousand, compared to net charge-offs of $2.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2011.

At December 31, 2012, the allowance for loan losses was $7.2 million, or 1.37 percent of total loans, compared to $5.5 million, or 1.16 percent of total loans at December 31, 2011. Non-performing assets at December 31, 2012 were $14.3 million, compared to non-performing assets of $15.4 million at December 31, 2011. Non-performing assets at December 31, 2012 included non-performing loans of $5.9 million and other real estate owned of $8.3 million; comparable amounts at December 31, 2011 were non-performing loans of $3.0 million and other real estate owned of $12.4 million, respectively.

Regulatory capital ratios continue to reflect a strong capital position. The Company's total risk-based capital, Tier 1 capital, and leverage capital ratios were 12.98 percent, 11.84 percent, and 9.23 percent, respectively at December 31, 2012.

At December 31, 2012, total assets were $841.0 million, an increase of $49.3 million from total assets at December 31, 2011 of $791.7 million. Deposits at December 31, 2012 were $707.7 million, up from $623.9 million in deposits at December 31, 2011.

1ST Constitution Bancorp, through its primary subsidiary, 1ST Constitution Bank, operates fourteen branch banking offices in Cranbury (2), Fort Lee, Hamilton, Hightstown, Hillsborough, Hopewell, Jamesburg, Lawrenceville, Perth Amboy, Plainsboro, Rocky Hill, West Windsor and Princeton, New Jersey.

1ST Constitution Bancorp is traded on the Nasdaq Global Market under the trading symbol "FCCY" and can be accessed through the Internet at www.1STCONSTITUTION.com

The foregoing contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are not historical facts and include expressions about management's confidence and strategies and management's expectations about new and existing programs and products, relationships, opportunities, taxation, technology and market conditions. These statements may be identified by such forward-looking terminology as "expect," "look," "believe," "anticipate," "may," "will," or similar statements or variations of such terms. Actual results may differ materially from such forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in the direction of the economy in New Jersey, the direction of interest rates, effective income tax rates, loan prepayment assumptions, continued levels of loan quality and origination volume, continued relationships with major customers including sources for loans, a higher level of net loan charge-offs and delinquencies than anticipated, bank regulatory rules, regulations or policies that restrict or direct certain actions, the adoption, interpretation and implementation of new or pre-existing accounting pronouncements, a change in legal and regulatory barriers including issues related to compliance with anti-money laundering and bank secrecy act laws, as well as the effects of general economic conditions and legal and regulatory barriers and structure. 1ST Constitution Bancorp assumes no obligation for updating any such forward-looking statements at any time, except as required by law.

                          1st Constitution Bancorp
                    Selected Consolidated Financial Data
                                (Unaudited)

 ($ in thousands except
    per share amounts)     Three Months Ended        Twelve Months Ended
                              December 31,              December 31,
                            2012        2011         2012          2011
                         ----------  ----------  ------------  ------------
Income Statement Data :
  Interest income        $    8,409  $    8,363  $     32,837  $     29,857
  Interest expense            1,226       1,517         5,151         6,787
                         ----------  ----------  ------------  ------------
  Net interest income         7,183       6,846        27,686        23,070
  Provision for loan
   losses                       500       1,275         2,150         2,558
                         ----------  ----------  ------------  ------------
  Net interest income
   after prov.for loan
   losses                     6,683       5,571        25,536        20,512
  Non-interest income         1,598       1,122         5,267         4,516
  Non-interest expenses       6,601       5,230        23,771        19,806
                         ----------  ----------  ------------  ------------
  Income before income
   taxes                      1,680       1,463         7,032         5,222
  Income tax expense            439         364         1,972         1,291
                         ----------  ----------  ------------  ------------
  Net income             $    1,241  $    1,099  $      5,060  $      3,931
                         ==========  ==========  ============  ============

Per Common Share Data
 (a) :
  Earnings per common
   share - Basic         $     0.21  $     0.21  $       0.92  $       0.74
  Earnings per common
   share - Diluted       $     0.20  $     0.21  $       0.90  $       0.74
  Tangible book value
   per common share                              $      10.02  $       9.73
  Average common shares
   outstanding :
    Basic                 5,959,995   5,320,181     5,511,114     5,302,287
    Diluted               6,073,113   5,337,381     5,607,103     5,341,254

  (a) Includes the
   effect of the 5%
   stock dividend
   payable January 31,
   2013

Performance Ratios :
  Return on average
   assets                      0.61%       0.57%         0.65%         0.54%
  Return on average
   equity                      7.70%       8.04%         8.63%         7.60%
  Net interest margin
   (tax-equivalent
   basis)                      3.94%       3.90%         3.98%         3.55%
  Efficiency ratio             75.2%       65.6%         72.1%         71.8%


                                                 December 31,  December 31,
                                                     2012          2011
                                                 ------------  ------------
Balance Sheet Data:
  Total Assets                                   $    840,968  $    791,727
  Investment securities                               225,869       236,158
  Loans                                               521,814       475,432
  Loans held for sale                                  35,960        19,234
  Allowance for loan
   losses                                              (7,151)       (5,534)
  Goodwill and other
   intangible assets                                    5,158         5,426
  Deposits                                            707,689       623,862
  Shareholders' equity                                 65,054        55,000

Asset Quality Data :
    Loans past due over
     90 days and still
     accruing                                    $         85  $          0
    Nonaccrual loans                                    5,879         2,992
    OREO property                                       8,333        12,409
                                                 ------------  ------------
  Total non-performing
   assets                                              14,297        15,401
  Net charge-offs
   (recoveries)                                           533         2,787
  Allowance for loan
   losses to total loans                                 1.37%         1.16%
  Nonperforming loans to
   total loans                                           1.14%         0.63%
  Nonperforming assets
   to total assets                                       1.70%         1.95%

Capital Ratios :
  1st Constitution
   Bancorp
    Tier 1 capital to
     average assets                                      9.23%         8.82%
    Tier 1 capital to
     risk weighted
     assets                                             11.84%        11.27%
    Total capital to
     risk weighted
     assets                                             12.98%        12.22%
  1st Constitution Bank
    Tier 1 capital to
     average assets                                      9.05%         8.49%
    Tier 1 capital to
     risk weighted
     assets                                             11.43%        10.79%
    Total capital to
     risk weighted
     assets                                             12.57%        11.73%