The Bank of Santa Clarita improved its net earnings in the fourth quarter when compared with the prior year. The bank, however, saw a drop in its earnings for the full fiscal year. For the quarter ending Dec. 31, the bank reported net earnings of $223,000, or $0.10 per diluted share. That is a 114 percent increase from the same period in 2010 when the bank reported net earnings of $104,000, or $0.05 per diluted share. For the fiscal year ending Dec. 31, the bank reported net earnings totaling $381,000, or $0.17 per diluted share. For the 2010 fiscal year the bank reported earnings of $569,000, or $0.26 per diluted share For the full fiscal year 2011, assets for the bank stayed roughly flat at $208,486 when compared with the previous year, when the bank reported assets of $208,973. During the year, the bank terminated a lease on its former headquarters resulting in a $250,000 early termination fee. The move, however, will improve core profitability, bank executives said. “Our facilities-related decisions will have the effects of providing both substantial cost savings over the next three years and also the physical space needed to accommodate our growth for the future,” President and CEO James D. Hicken said in a prepared statement. “We feel the Bank continues to be well positioned for the current environment, and we remain focused on our traditional core values which have guided us well through these challenging times.” Mark R. Madler