Meta Financial Group Inc. announced that the company will pay a cash dividend of $0.13 per share for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2009. This dividend will be payable on or about October 1, 2009 to shareholders of record as of September 14, 2009.

Meta Financial Group Inc. announced consolidated earnings results for the third quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2009. The company reported a loss for the 2009 third quarter of $2.6 million or 99 cents per diluted share compared to a loss of $0.4 million or 16 cents per diluted share for the third quarter of 2008. The quarterly loss was primarily due to additional loan loss provision expense of $6.2 million ($4.0 million after taxes). Net interest income was $6.3 million against $6.0 million for the same period a year ago. Total revenue (interest income plus non-interest income) for the third quarter of fiscal year 2009 reached $25.3 million compared to $17.7 million for the same quarter in fiscal year 2008. The growth for the quarter was driven primarily by increased Meta Payment Systems fee revenue of $8.2 million. Interest income decreased by $0.7 million or 8%. Interest income was $8.5 million, net interest income after provision for loan losses was $0.067 million and loss from continuing operations was $2.6 million against interest income of $9.2 million, net interest income after provision for loan losses was $5.9 million and loss from continuing operations was $0.410 million for the same period a year ago. Year to date, the net loss for the nine months ended June 30, 2009 was $0.7 million or 28 cents per diluted share compared to 2008 earnings of $0.8 million or 31 cents per share for the same period. Net interest income was $20.7 million against $17.5 million for the same period a year ago. Total revenue for the nine months ended June 30, 2009 was $93.7 million compared to $54.9 million in 2008, an increase of $38.8 million or 71% and was driven by MPS fee income. Interest income decreased slightly, $0.2 million or 1% related to the lower interest rate environment 2009. Interest income was $27.7 million, net interest income after provision for loan losses was $2.1 million and loss from continuing operations was $0.734 million against interest income of $28 million, net interest income after provision for loan losses of $17.3 million and income from continuing operations of $0.003 million for the same period a year ago. Negative return on average assets-continuing operations was 0.09% against 0.00% for the same period a year ago. Negative return on average equity-continuing operations was 1.55% against return on average equity-continuing operations of 0.01% for the same period a year ago. Book value per common share was $16.95.

Meta Financial Group Inc. announced that the Audit Committee of its Board of Directors has approved the restatement of its financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, and the fiscal quarters ended December 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009. The restatements, which result in an earnings decrease for fiscal year 2008 and a corresponding change to shareholders' equity at September 30, 2008 and the first and second quarters of fiscal year 2009, are the result of an error in estimating income tax expense associated with the Company's March 28, 2008 sale of its subsidiary, MetaBank West Central. As a result, fiscal year 2008 net income decreased by $1,074,000, or $0.41 per diluted share, from net income of $51,000, or $0.03 per diluted share, to a net loss of $1,023,000, or $0.38 per diluted share. Shareholders' equity at September 30, 2008, December 31, 2008, and March 31, 2009 decreased by the same amount.