Washington Federal Inc. reported unaudited consolidated earnings results for the first quarter ended December 31, 2016. For the quarter, the company announced earnings of $41,246,000 or $0.46 per basic and diluted share, compared to $35,098,000 or $0.38 per basic and diluted share for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, an $0.08 or 21% increase. Return on equity was 8.31% compared to 7.14% for the quarter ended December 31, 2015. Return on assets was 1.11% compared to 0.96% for the same quarter in the prior year. Net interest income was $103 million for the quarter, a decrease of $3.7 million or 3.5% from the same quarter in the prior year. The decrease in net interest income was primarily due to the decrease in yield on earning assets, which declined from 3.99% to 3.85%. The decrease in net interest income and net interest margin is primarily due to a decline in yield on earning assets as the low rate environment has led to new loan originations having lower yields than the loans that repaid.