on deposit accounts, and a modest increase in cash surrender value income from life insurance. These improvements were largely offset by a $0.6 million decrease in other income, mainly due to a decrease in gain on life insurance proceeds.
For the first six months of 2026, noninterest income increased $1.3 million, or 9%, to $16.5 million compared to $15.2 million for the same period in 2025. The increase was driven primarily by a $0.5 million increase in earnings on separate account life insurance, a $0.3 million increase in cash surrender value income from life insurance, a $0.2 million increase in service charges and fees on deposit accounts, and a $0.4 million favorable variance from gains on sales of fixed assets. These favorable changes were partially offset by lower gains on sale of investment securities.
The Company’s non‑qualified deferred compensation plan for officers and directors allows participants to defer a portion of their earnings and select from various hypothetical investment alternatives to determine their individual returns. The Company economically offsets this liability with separate account life insurance policies that are invested in similar underlying fund types within the life insurance policy. Because the deferred compensation liability and the separate account life insurance asset are not contractually linked, differences in balances, fund performance, and insurance costs can result in temporary timing mismatches between changes in separate account life insurance income and the related deferred compensation expense.
Earnings on separate account life insurance were $1.4 million for the second quarter of 2026, compared to a loss of $0.4 million in the linked quarter and earnings of $1.0 million in the second quarter of 2025. For the first six months of 2026, earnings on separate account life insurance totaled $1.0 million, compared to $0.5 million for the same period in 2025. These changes reflect market-driven fluctuations in the value of the underlying investment alternatives and do not represent changes in the operating performance or credit quality of the Company.
The majority of the related deferred compensation expense or benefit is reported within professional services expense under deferred directors' fees, as it primarily relates to directors' deferred compensation elections. Deferred directors' fee expense was $1.0 million during the second quarter of 2026, compared to a benefit of $0.6 million in the linked quarter and expense of $0.9 million in the second quarter of 2025. For the first six months of 2026, deferred directors' fee expense totaled $0.5 million, compared to $0.5 million during the same period in 2025.
Noninterest Expense
Total noninterest expense increased $1.7 million, or 8%, to $23.5 million during the second quarter of 2026 from $21.8 million in the linked first quarter of 2026 primarily due to deferred compensation expense described above.
Compared to the second quarter of 2025, total noninterest expense decreased $0.3 million, or 1%. Salaries and benefits expense remained essentially unchanged from the prior year quarter. Other noninterest expense decreased $0.3 million, primarily due to lower deposit service costs and other operating expenses. These favorable variances were partially offset by higher deferred compensation expense, legal and accounting costs, and directors' fees.
For the first six months of 2026, noninterest expense decreased $0.9 million, or 2%, to $45.3 million from $46.2 million for the same period in 2025. Salaries and benefits decreased $0.3 million, while other noninterest expense declined $0.7 million. The improvement was primarily attributable to lower deposit service costs, lower operating expenses, and reduced sundry and teller expenses, partially offset by higher occupancy costs, legal and accounting expenses, and director-related costs. These results reflect management's continued focus on maintaining a relatively flat expense base while selectively investing in strategic growth initiatives, technology enhancements, regulatory compliance, and customer service capabilities.
Overall full-time equivalent employees were 452 at June 30, 2026, as compared to 465 at December 31, 2025, and 494 at June 30, 2025.
The Company's effective tax rate was 25.3% for the second quarter of 2026, unchanged from the second quarter of 2025 and as compared to 25.2% in the linked first quarter of 2026. For the first six months of 2026, the effective tax rate was