First Defiance Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: FDEF) recently announced record net income for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 totaled $18.7 million, or $1.81 per diluted common share compared to $15.5 million or $1.42 per diluted common share for the year ended December 31, 2011. For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2012, First Defiance earned $5.2 million or $0.52 per diluted common share compared to $4.1 million or $0.36 per diluted common share for the fourth quarter of 2011.

I am pleased with the record net income in the full year of 2012 and overall performance for the fourth quarter as the country continues to rebound from the economic challenges of the last several years. We are happy with the strong mortgage banking results this quarter and throughout the full year, as well as the steady improvement in credit quality.