SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10‑K

☒Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 or

☐Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the transition period from    to   

Commission file number:    0‑24047

GLEN BURNIE BANCORP

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statement incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10‑K or any amendment to this Form 10‑K. ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act.

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b‑2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s outstanding common equity held by non-affiliates was $23,553,580, computed by reference to the closing sales price of such equity as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter (June 30, 2017).  For the purposes of this calculation, directors, executive officers, and the controlling investor are considered affiliates.

The number of shares of common stock outstanding as of March 23, 2018 was 2,804,456.

Documents Incorporated By Reference

Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

GLEN BURNIE BANCORP

2017 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10‑K

Table of Contents

 

 

 

PART I

As used in this Annual Report, the term “the Company” refers to Glen Burnie Bancorp and, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the terms “we,” “us,” and “our,” refer to Glen Burnie Bancorp and its consolidated subsidiaries.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

GENERAL

Glen Burnie Bancorp (the “Company”) is a bank holding company organized in 1990 under the laws of the State of Maryland.  The Company owns all the outstanding shares of capital stock of The Bank of Glen Burnie (the “Bank”), a commercial bank organized in 1949 under the laws of the State of Maryland, serving northern Anne Arundel County and surrounding areas from its main office and branch in Glen Burnie, Maryland and branch offices in Odenton, Riviera Beach, Crownsville, Severn (two locations), Linthicum and Severna Park, Maryland.  The Bank also maintains a remote Automated Teller Machine (“ATM”) location in Pasadena, Maryland.  The Bank maintains a website at www.thebankofglenburnie.com.  It is the oldest independent commercial bank in Anne Arundel County.  The Bank is engaged in the commercial and retail banking business as authorized by the banking statutes of the State of Maryland, including the acceptance of demand and time deposits, and the origination of loans to individuals, associations, partnerships and corporations.

The Bank’s real estate financing consists of residential first and second mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit and commercial mortgage loans.  Commercial lending consists of both secured and unsecured loans.  The Bank also originates automobile loans through arrangements with local automobile dealers.  The Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”).  We attract deposit customers from the general public and use such funds, together with other borrowed funds, to make loans.  Our results of operations are primarily determined by the difference between interest incomes earned on our interest-earning assets, primarily interest and fee income on loans, and interest paid on our interest-bearing liabilities, including deposits and borrowings.

The Company’s principal executive office is located at 101 Crain Highway, S.E., Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061.  Its telephone number at such office is (410) 766‑3300.

The Company also owns all outstanding shares of capital stock of GBB Properties, Inc. (“GBB”), another Maryland corporation which was organized in 1994 and which is engaged in the business of acquiring, holding and disposing of real property, typically acquired in connection with foreclosure proceedings (or deeds in lieu of foreclosure) instituted by the Bank or acquired in connection with branch expansions by the Bank.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law major tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("Tax Reform Act").  The Tax Reform Act reduces the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent and makes many other changes to the U.S. tax code.  We were required to revalue our deferred tax assets and liabilities at the new statutory tax rate upon enactment.  As a result of this revaluation, in 2017, we recognized a one-time $0.6 million income tax expense.

AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION

Information on the Company and its subsidiary Bank may be obtained from the Company’s website www.thebankofglenburnie.com. Copies of the Company’s annual report on Form 10‑K, quarterly reports on Form 10‑Q, current reports on Form 8‑K, and all amendments thereto are available free of charge on the website as soon as practicable after they are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) through a link to the SEC’s EDGAR reporting system.  Simply select the “Investor Relations” menu item, then click on the “All SEC Filings” or “Insider Transactions” link.

MARKET AREA

The Bank considers its principal market area for lending and deposit products to consist of Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  Anne Arundel County includes the suburbs of the City of Baltimore and is characterized by an aging population.  Management believes that the majority of the working population in its market area either commutes to Baltimore or is employed at businesses located at or around the nearby Baltimore Washington International Airport.  Lending activities are broader, including the entire State of Maryland, and, to a limited extent, the surrounding states.  All of our revenue is generated within the United States.

COMPETITION

Our principal competitors for deposits are other financial institutions, including other savings institutions, commercial banks, credit unions, and local banks and branches or affiliates of other larger banks located in our primary market area.  Competition among these institutions is based primarily on interest rates and other terms offered, service charges imposed on deposit accounts, the quality of services rendered, and the convenience of banking facilities.  Additional competition for depositors' funds comes from mutual funds, U.S. Government securities, insurance companies and private issuers of debt obligations and suppliers of other investment alternatives for depositors such as securities firms.  Competition from credit unions has intensified in recent years as historical federal limits on membership have been relaxed.  Because federal law subsidizes credit unions by giving them a general exemption from federal income taxes, credit unions have a significant cost advantage over banks and savings associations, which are fully subject to federal income taxes.  Credit unions may use this advantage to offer rates that are highly competitive with those offered by banks and thrifts.

The Bank’s interest rates, loan and deposit terms, and offered products and services are impacted, to a large extent, by competition.  With respect to indirect lending, the Bank faces competition from other banks and the financing arms of automobile manufacturers.  We compete in this area by offering competitive rates and responsive service to dealers.  The Bank attempts to provide superior service within its community and to know, and facilitate services, to, its customers.  It seeks commercial relationships with small to medium size businesses, which the Bank believes would welcome personal service and flexibility.  The Bank believes its greatest competition comes from larger intra- and inter-state financial institutions.

STRATEGY

We operate on the premise that the consolidation activities in the banking industry have created an opportunity for a well-capitalized community bank to satisfy banking needs that are no longer being adequately met in the local market.  Large national and regional banks are catering to larger customers and provide an impersonal experience, and typical community banks, because of their limited capacity, are unable to meet the needs of many small-to-medium-sized businesses.  Specifically, as a result of bank mergers in the 1990s, many banks in the Baltimore metropolitan area became local branches of large regional and national banks.  Although size gave the larger banks some advantages in competing for business from large corporations, including economies of scale and higher lending limits, we believe that these larger, national banks remain focused on a mass market approach which de-emphasizes personal contact and service.  We also believe that the centralization of decision-making power at these large institutions has resulted in a lack of customer service.  At many of these institutions, determinations are made at the out-of-state “home office" by individuals who lack personal contact with customers as well as an understanding of the customers' needs and scope of the relationship with the institution.  We believe that this trend is ongoing, and continues to be particularly frustrating to owners of small and medium-sized businesses, business professionals and individual consumers who traditionally have been accustomed to dealing directly with a bank executive who had an understanding of their banking needs with the ability to deliver a prompt response.

We attempt to differentiate ourselves from the competition through personalized service, flexibility in meeting the needs of customers, prompt decision making and the availability of senior management to meet with customers and prospective customers.

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

General

Our primary market focus is on making loans to and gathering deposits from small and medium-sized businesses and their owners, professionals and executives, real estate investors and individual consumers in our primary market area.  We lend to customers throughout Maryland, with our core market being Northern Anne Arundel County and surrounding areas of Central Maryland.  To a limited extent, we lend to customers in neighboring states.  The Bank offers a full range of consumer and commercial loans.  The Bank’s lending activities include residential and commercial real estate loans, construction loans, land acquisition and development loans, commercial loans and consumer installment lending including indirect automobile lending.  Substantially all of the Bank’s loan customers are residents of Anne Arundel County and surrounding areas of Central Maryland.  The Bank solicits loan applications for commercial loans from small to medium sized businesses located in its market area.  The Company believes that this is a market in which a relatively small community bank, like the Bank, has a competitive advantage in personal service and flexibility.  The Bank’s consumer lending currently consists primarily of indirect automobile loans originated through arrangements with local dealers.

Lending Activities

Credit Policies and Administration

The Bank’s lending activities are conducted pursuant to written policies approved by the Board of Directors (“Board”) intended to ensure proper management of credit risk.  Loans are subject to a well-defined credit process that includes credit evaluation of borrowers, establishment of lending limits and application of lending procedures, including the holding of adequate collateral and the maintenance of compensating balances, as well as procedures for on-going identification and management of credit deterioration.  Regular portfolio reviews are performed by the Bank’s senior credit officer to identify potential underperforming loans and other credit facilities, estimate loss exposure and to ascertain compliance with the Bank’s policies.  For significant problem loans, management review consists of evaluation of the financial strengths of the borrower and any guarantor, the related collateral, and the effects of economic conditions.

The Bank’s loan approval policy provides for various levels of individual lending authority.  The maximum aggregate lending authority granted by the Bank to any one Lending Officer is $750,000.  A combination of approvals from certain officers may be used to lend up to an aggregate of $1,000,000.  We have adopted a comprehensive lending policy, which includes stringent underwriting standards for all types of loans.  Our lending staff follows pricing guidelines established periodically by our management team.  The Bank maintains two committees, separate from the Board of Directors, which have authorization to approve extensions of credit.  The two committees are called the Officer’s Loan Committee (“OLC”) and the Executive Committee (“EC”).  The OLC is authorized to approve extensions of credit where the total aggregate amount of credit to the borrower or guarantor is less than or equal to $1,000,000.  The OLC consists of the President/Chief Executive Officer (“President/CEO”), Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), and Chief Lending Officer (“CLO”) plus two additional loan officers.  The EC approves extensions of credit where the aggregate amount of credit to an existing borrower is less than or equal to $3,000,000.  The EC is comprised of the Chairman of the Board, or the President/CEO plus two (2) outside Directors.  Extensions of credit greater than $3,000,000 must be approved by the Board of Directors.  Under the leadership of our executive management team, we believe that we employ experienced lending officers, secure appropriate collateral and carefully monitor the financial conditions of our borrowers and the concentration of loans in our portfolio.

All loans by the Bank to our directors and executive officers and their affiliates require pre-approval by the Bank’s Board of Directors to ensure, among other things, compliance with Section 23A and Section 23B of the Federal Reserve Act and Regulation O promulgated thereunder.  It is the Bank’s policy that all approved loans must be made on substantially the same terms as loans made to persons who are unrelated to the Bank.

In addition to the normal repayment risks, all loans in the portfolio are subject to the state of the economy and the related effects on the borrower and/or the real estate market.  Generally, longer-term loans have periodic interest rate

adjustments and/or call provisions.  Senior management monitors the loan portfolio closely to ensure that we minimize past due loans and that we swiftly deal with potential problem loans.

The Bank also retains an outside, independent firm to review the loan portfolio.  This firm performs a detailed annual review.  We use the results of the firm’s report primarily to validate the risk ratings applied to loans in the portfolio and identify any systemic weaknesses in underwriting, documentation or management of the portfolio.  Results of the annual review are presented to executive management, the audit committee of the board and the full board of directors and are available to and used by regulatory examiners when they review the Bank’s asset quality.

The Bank maintains the normal checks and balances on the loan portfolio not only through the underwriting process but through the utilization of an internal credit administration group that both assists in the underwriting and serves as an additional reviewer of underwriting.  The separately managed loan administration group also has oversight for documentation, compliance and timeliness of collection activities.  Our internal audit department also reviews documentation, compliance and file management.

Real Estate Lending

The Bank offers long-term mortgage financing for residential and commercial real estate as well as shorter term construction and land development loans.  Residential mortgage and residential construction loans are originated with fixed rates, while commercial mortgages may be originated on either a fixed or variable rate basis.  Commercial construction loans may be originated on either a fixed or a variable rate basis.  Substantially all of the Bank’s real estate loans are secured by properties in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.  Under the Bank’s loan policies, the maximum permissible loan-to-value ratio for owner-occupied residential mortgages is 80% of the lesser of the purchase price or appraised value.  For residential investment properties, the maximum loan-to-value ratio is 80%.  The maximum permissible loan-to-value ratio for residential and residential construction loans is 80%.  The maximum loan-to-value ratio for permanent commercial mortgages is 75%.  The maximum loan-to-value ratio for land development loans is 70% and for unimproved land is 65%.  The Bank also offers home equity loans secured by the borrower’s primary residence, provided that the aggregate indebtedness on the property does not exceed 80% of its value for loan commitments greater than $100,000.  Because mortgage lending decisions are based on conservative lending policies, the Company has no exposure to the credit issues affecting the sub-prime residential mortgage market.

Primary risks associated with residential real estate loans include fluctuating land and property values and rising interest rates with respect to fixed-rate, long-term loans.  Residential construction lending exposes the Company to risks related to builder performance.

Commercial Lending

The Bank’s commercial loan portfolio consists of demand, installment and time loans for commercial purposes.  The Bank’s business demand, installment and time lending includes various working capital loans, equipment, vehicles, lines of credit and letters of credit for commercial customers.  Demand loans require the payment of interest until called, while installment loans require a monthly payment of principal and interest, and time loans require at maturity a single payment of principal and interest due monthly.  Such loans may be made on a secured or an unsecured basis.  All such loans are underwritten on the basis of the borrower’s creditworthiness rather than the value of the collateral.

The primary risks associated with commercial loans, including commercial real estate loans, are the quality of the borrower’s management and a number of economic and other factors which induce business failures and depreciate the value of business assets pledged to secure the loan, including competition, insufficient capital, product obsolescence, changes in the borrowers’ cost, environmental hazards, weather, changes in laws and regulations and general changes in the marketplace.

Installment Lending

The Bank makes consumer and commercial installment loans for the purchase of automobiles, boats, other consumer durable goods, capital goods and equipment.  Such loans provide for repayment in regular installments and

are secured by the goods financed.  Also included in installment loans are other types of credit repayable in installments.  As of December 31, 2017, approximately 43% of the installment loans in the Bank’s portfolio (other than indirect automobile lending) had been originated for commercial purposes and 57% had been originated for consumer purposes.

Indirect Automobile Lending

The Bank commenced its indirect automobile lending program in January 1998.  The Bank finances new and used automobiles for terms of no more than 72 months except for vehicles with original purchase prices greater than $60,000 which may be written for terms up to 75 months if approved by a Senior Loan Officer, CLO, CFO, CEO, or President.  The Bank will lend a maximum of 100% of invoice on new vehicles.  On used vehicles, the Bank will not lend more than 90% of the of the average retail value as defined by a major national publication approved by the Bank.  The Bank requires all borrowers to obtain vendor’s single interest coverage protecting the Bank against loss in the case a borrower’s automobile insurance lapses.  The Bank originates indirect loans through a network of approximately 65 dealers which are primarily new car dealers located in Anne Arundel County and the surrounding counties.  Participating dealers take loan applications from their customers and transmit them to the Bank for approval.

Indirect automobile loans, are affected primarily by domestic economic instability and a variety of factors that may lead to the borrower’s unemployment, including deteriorating economic conditions in one or more segments of a local or broader economy.  Because the Bank deals with borrowers through an intermediary on indirect automobile loans, this form of lending potentially carries greater risks of defects in the application process for which claims may be made against the Bank.  Indirect automobile lending may also involve the Bank in consumer disputes under state “lemon” or other laws.  The Bank seeks to control these risks by following strict underwriting and documentation guidelines.  In addition, dealerships are contractually obligated to indemnify the Bank for such losses for a limited period of time.

Consumer Lending

We offer various types of secured and unsecured consumer loans.  Generally, our consumer loans are made for personal, family or household purposes as a convenience to our customer base.  As a general guideline, a consumer’s total debt service should not exceed 38% of their gross income.  The underwriting standards for consumer loans include a determination of the applicant’s payment history on other debts and an assessment of his or her ability to meet existing obligations and payments on the proposed loan.

Consumer loans may present greater credit risk than residential real estate loans because many consumer loans are unsecured or are secured by rapidly depreciating assets.  Repossessed collateral for a defaulted consumer loan may not provide an adequate source of repayment of the outstanding loan balance because of the greater likelihood of damage, loss or depreciation.  Consumer loan collections also depend on the borrower’s continuing financial stability.  If a borrower suffers personal financial difficulties, the loan may not be repaid.  Also, various federal and state laws, including bankruptcy and insolvency laws, may limit the amount we can recover on such loans.

Personal Unsecured Lines

The Bank offers overdraft protection lines of credit, tied to checking accounts, as a convenience to qualified customers.

Loan Originations, Purchases, Sales, Participations and Servicing

All loans that we originate are underwritten pursuant to our policies and procedures, which incorporate standard underwriting guidelines.  We originate both fixed and variable rate loans.  Our loan origination activity may be adversely affected by a rising interest rate environment that typically results in decreased loan demand.  We occasionally sell participations in commercial loans to correspondent banks if the amount of the loan exceeds our internal limits.  More rarely, we purchase loan participations from correspondent banks in the local market as well.  Those loans are underwritten in-house with the same standards as loans directly originated. 

Loan Approval Procedures and Authority

Our lending activities follow written, non-discriminatory underwriting standards and loan origination procedures established by our board of directors.  The loan approval process is intended to assess the borrower’s ability to repay the loan, the viability of the loan, and the adequacy of the value of the collateral that will secure the loan, if applicable.  To assess a business borrower’s ability to repay, we review and analyze, among other factors:  current income, credit history including the Bank’s prior experience with the borrower, cash flow, any secondary sources of repayment, other debt obligations in regards to the equity/net worth of the borrower and collateral available to the Bank to secure the loan. 

We require appraisals or valuations of all real property securing one-to-four family residential and commercial real estate loans and home equity loans and lines of credit.  All appraisers are state licensed or state certified appraisers, and a list of approved appraisers is maintained and updated on an annual basis.

Deposit Activities

Deposits are the major source of our funding.  We offer a broad array of consumer and business deposit products that include demand, money market, and savings accounts, as well as time deposits.  We offer a competitive array of commercial cash management products, which allow us to attract demand deposits.  We believe that we pay competitive rates on our interest-bearing deposits.  As a relationship-oriented organization, we generally seek to obtain deposit relationships with our loan clients. 

Other Banking Products

We offer our customers treasury services products that include wire transfer and ACH services, checkcards and automated teller machines at most of our full service branch locations, safe deposit boxes at some full service locations and credit cards through a third party processor.  In addition to traditional deposit services, we offer telephone banking services, mobile banking, internet banking services and internet bill paying services to our customers. 

Other Activities

The Company also owns all outstanding shares of capital stock of GBB Properties, Inc. (“GBB”), another Maryland corporation which was organized in 1994 and which is engaged in the business of acquiring, holding and disposing of real property, typically acquired in connection with foreclosure proceedings (or deeds in lieu of foreclosure) instituted by the Bank or acquired in connection with branch expansions by the Bank.

EMPLOYEES

At December 31, 2017, the Bank had 99 full-time equivalent employees.  Neither the Company nor GBB currently has any employees.  None of our employees are represented by a union or covered under a collective bargaining agreement.  Management considers its employee relations to be excellent.

SUPERVISON AND REGULATION

General

The Company and the Bank are extensively regulated under federal and state law.  To the extent that the following information describes statutory or regulatory provisions, it is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statutory and regulatory provisions.  Any change in applicable laws or regulations may have a material effect on our business and our prospective business.  Our operations may be affected by legislative changes and by the policies of various regulatory authorities.  We are unable to predict the nature or the extent of the effects on our business and earnings that fiscal or monetary policies, economic controls, or new federal or state legislation may have in the future.

The Company is a bank holding company within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the “BHCA”).  As such, the Company is registered with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board”) and subject to Federal Reserve Board regulation, examination, supervision and reporting requirements.  As a bank holding company, the Company is required to furnish to the Federal Reserve Board annual and quarterly reports of its operations at the end of each period and to furnish such additional information as the Federal Reserve Board may require pursuant to the BHCA.  The Company is also subject to regular inspection by Federal Reserve Board examiners.  As a publicly traded company whose common stock is registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act, we are under the jurisdiction of the SEC and subject to the disclosure and regulatory requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as administered by the SEC.  We are listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and we are subject to the rules of NASDAQ for listed companies.

As a state-chartered bank with deposits insured by the FDIC but which is not a member of the Federal Reserve System (a “state non-member bank”), the Bank is subject to the supervision of the Maryland Commissioner of Financial Regulation (“Commissioner”) and the FDIC.  This regulation and supervision establishes a comprehensive framework of activities in which an institution may engage and is intended primarily for the protection of the FDIC’s deposit insurance funds and depositors, and not for the protection of stockholders.  The Commissioner and FDIC regularly examine the operations of the Bank, including but not limited to capital adequacy, assets, earnings, liquidity, sensitivity to market interest rates, reserves, loans, investments and management practices.  In addition, the Bank is required to furnish quarterly and annual call reports to the Commissioner and FDIC.  The FDIC’s enforcement authority includes the power to remove officers and directors and the authority to issue cease-and-desist orders to prevent a bank from engaging in unsafe or unsound practices or violating laws or regulations governing its business.

Some of the aspects of the lending and deposit business of the Bank that are subject to regulation by the Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC include reserve requirements and disclosure requirements in connection with personal and mortgage loans and savings deposit accounts.  In addition, the Bank is subject to numerous federal and state laws and regulations which set forth specific restrictions and procedural requirements with respect to the establishment of branches, investments, interest rates on loans, credit practices, the disclosure of customer information, the disclosure of credit terms and discrimination in credit transactions.

Federal Home Loan Bank System

The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”), which is one of 12 regional banks in the Federal Home Loan Bank System.  The FHLB System provides a central credit facility primarily for member institutions as well as other entities involved in home mortgage lending.  The Bank is required to acquire and hold shares of capital stock of the FHLB as a condition of membership.  As of December 31, 2017, the Bank was in compliance with this requirement. 

Consumer Financial Protection Laws

The Bank is subject to a number of federal and state consumer financial protection laws and regulations that extensively govern its transactions with consumers.  These laws include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and the Service Members Civil Relief Act.  The Bank must also comply with applicable state usury laws and other laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive acts and practices.  These laws, among other things, require disclosures of the cost of credit and the terms of deposit accounts, prohibit discrimination in credit transactions, regulate the use of credit report information, restrict the Bank’s ability to raise interest rates and subject the Bank to substantial regulatory oversight.  Violations of these laws may expose us to liability from potential lawsuits brought by affected customers.  Federal bank regulators, state attorneys general and state and local consumer protection agencies may also seek to enforce these consumer financial protection laws, in which case we may be subject to regulatory sanctions, civil money penalties, and customer rescission rights. 

 

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

The Dodd-Frank Act, which was signed into law in 2010, significantly changed the regulation of financial institutions and the financial services industry.  The Dodd-Frank Act includes provisions affecting large and small financial institutions alike, including several provisions that profoundly affected the regulation of community banks, thrifts, and small bank and thrift holding companies.  Among other things, these provisions relaxed rules on interstate branching, allow financial institutions to pay interest on business checking accounts, and impose heightened capital requirements on bank and thrift holding companies.  The Dodd-Frank Act also includes several corporate governance provisions that apply to all public companies, not just financial institutions.  These include provisions mandating certain disclosures regarding executive compensation and provisions addressing proxy access by shareholders.

The Dodd-Frank Act also establishes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) as an independent entity within the Federal Reserve and transferred to the CFPB primary responsibility for administering substantially all of the consumer compliance protection laws formerly administered by other federal agencies.  The Dodd-Frank Act also authorizes the CFPB to promulgate consumer protection regulations that will apply to all entities, including banks that offer consumer financial services or products.  It also includes a series of provisions covering mortgage loan origination standards affecting, among other things, originator compensation, minimum repayment standards, and pre-payment penalties.

The Dodd-Frank Act contains numerous other provisions affecting financial institutions of all types, including some that may affect our business in substantial and unpredictable ways.  We have incurred higher operating costs in complying with the Dodd-Frank Act, and we expect that these higher costs will continue for the foreseeable future.  Our management continues to monitor the ongoing implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act and as new regulations are issued, will assess their effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The Volcker Rule

The Dodd-Frank Act prohibits banks and their affiliates from engaging in proprietary trading and from investing and sponsoring hedge funds and private equity funds.  The provision of the statute imposing these restrictions is commonly called the “Volcker Rule.”  The regulations implementing the Volcker Rule require institutions to conform their activities to the requirements of the Volcker Rule by July 21, 2015, and to conform their investments in certain “legacy covered funds” by July 21, 2017.  These regulations exempt the Bank, as a bank with less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets that does not engage in any covered activities.

Liquidity Requirements

Historically, the regulation and monitoring of bank and bank holding company liquidity has been addressed as a supervisory matter, without required formulaic measures.  The Basel III final framework requires banks and bank holding companies to measure their liquidity against specific liquidity tests that, although similar in some respects to liquidity measures historically applied by banks and regulators for management and supervisory purposes, going forward would be required by regulation.  One test, referred to as the liquidity coverage ratio, or LCR, is designed to ensure that the banking entity maintains an adequate level of unencumbered high-quality liquid assets equal to the entity’s expected net cash outflow for a 30-day time horizon (or, if greater, 25% of its expected total cash outflow) under an acute liquidity stress scenario.  The other test, referred to as the net stable funding ratio, or NSFR, is designed to promote more medium and long-term funding of the assets and activities of banking entities over a one-year time horizon.  These requirements are expected to incentivize banking entities to increase their holdings of U.S. Treasury securities and other sovereign debt as a component of assets and increase the use of long-term debt as a funding source.

In September 2015, the federal bank regulators approved final rules implementing the LCR for advanced approaches banking organizations (i.e., banking organizations with $250 billion or more in total consolidated assets or $10 billion or more in total on-balance sheet foreign exposure) and a modified version of the LCR for bank holding companies with at least $50 billion in total consolidated assets that are not advanced approach banking organizations, neither of which would apply to the Company or the Bank.  The federal bank regulators have not yet proposed rules to implement the NSFR, but the Federal Reserve has stated its intent to adopt a version of this measure as well.

Bank Holding Company Act (BHCA)

Under the BHCA our activities are limited to business closely related to banking, managing, or controlling banks.  We are also subject to capital requirements applied on a consolidated basis in a form substantially similar to those required of the Bank.  The BHCA also requires a bank holding company to obtain approval from the Federal Reserve before (i)  acquiring, or holding more than 5% voting interest in any bank or bank holding company, (ii)  acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of another bank or bank holding company, or (iii)  merging or consolidating with another bank holding company.  The BHCA also restricts non-bank activities to those which, by statute or by Federal Reserve regulation or order, have been identified as activities closely related to the business of banking or of managing or controlling banks.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLBA)

The GLBA removed barriers to affiliations among banks, insurance companies, the securities industry, and other financial service providers, and provides greater flexibility to these organizations in structuring such affiliations.  The GLBA also expanded the types of financial activities a bank may conduct through a financial subsidiary and established a distinct type of bank holding company, known as a financial holding company, which may engage in an expanded list of activities that are “financial in nature.”  These activities include securities and insurance brokerage, securities underwriting, insurance underwriting, and merchant banking.  A bank holding company may become a financial holding company only if all of its subsidiary financial institutions are well-capitalized and well-managed and have at least a satisfactory Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rating.  While we meet these standards, we do not currently intend to file notice with the Federal Reserve to become a financial holding company or to engage in expanded financial activities through a financial subsidiary of the Bank.  The GLBA also includes privacy protections for nonpublic personal information held by financial institutions regarding their customers, and establishes a system of functional regulation that makes the Federal Reserve the “umbrella supervisor” for holding companies, and other federal and state agencies the supervisor of the holding company’s subsidiaries.

Financial Privacy

In accordance with the GLBA, federal banking regulators adopted rules that limit the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose non-public information about customers to nonaffiliated third parties.  These limitations require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to a nonaffiliated third party.  The privacy provisions of the GLBA affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial companies and conveyed to outside vendors.  We are also subject to various state laws that generally require us to notify any customer whose personal financial information may have been released to an unauthorized person as the result of a breach of our data security policies and procedures.

Under Maryland law, a bank holding company is prohibited from acquiring control of any bank if the bank holding company would control more than 30% of the total deposits of all depository institutions in the State of Maryland unless waived by the Commissioner.  The Maryland Financial Institutions Code prohibits a bank holding company from acquiring more than 5% of any class of voting stock of a bank or bank holding company without the approval of the Commissioner except as otherwise expressly permitted by federal law or in certain other limited situations.  The Maryland Financial Institutions Code additionally prohibits any person from acquiring voting stock in a bank or bank holding company without 60 days’ prior notice to the Commissioner if such acquisition will give the person control of 25% or more of the voting stock of the bank or bank holding company or will affect the power to direct or to cause the direction of the policy or management of the bank or bank holding company.  Any doubt whether the stock acquisition will affect the power to direct or cause the direction of policy or management shall be resolved in favor of reporting to the Commissioner.  The Commissioner may deny approval of the acquisition if the Commissioner determines it to be anti-competitive or to threaten the safety or soundness of a banking institution.  Voting stock acquired in violation of this statute may not be voted for five years.

 

Capital Standards

In July 2013, the Federal Reserve and other federal banking agencies approved final rules implementing the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision’s capital guidelines for all U.S. banks and for bank holding companies with greater than $500 million in assets.  The Federal bank regulatory agencies use capital adequacy guidelines in their examination and regulation of bank holding companies and banks.  If capital falls below the minimum levels established by these guidelines, a bank holding company or bank must submit an acceptable plan for achieving compliance with the capital guidelines and, until its capital sufficiently improves, will be subject to denial of applications and appropriate supervisory enforcement actions.  Under these final rules, minimum requirements will increase for both the quantity and quality of capital held by the Company and the Bank.  Federal regulations require federally insured depository institutions to meet several minimum capital standards:  a common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-based assets ratio of 4.5%, a Tier 1 capital to risk-based assets ratio of 6.0%, a total capital to risk-based assets of 8.0%, and a 4.0% Tier 1 capital to total assets leverage ratio.  The final rules also require a common equity Tier 1 capital conservation buffer of 2.5% of risk-weighted assets which is in addition to the other minimum risk-based capital standards in the rule.  Institutions that do not maintain the required capital buffer will become subject to progressively more stringent limitations on the percentage of earnings that can be paid out in dividends or used for stock repurchases and on the payment of discretionary bonuses to senior executive management.  A three-year phase in period for the capital buffer requirement began in 2016.  The capital buffer requirement effectively raises the minimum required common equity Tier 1 capital ratio to 7.0%, the Tier 1 capital ratio to 8.5%, and the total capital ratio to 10.5% on a fully phased-in basis.  These capital requirements were effective January 1, 2015.

In determining the amount of risk-weighted assets for purposes of calculating risk-based capital ratios, all assets, including certain off-balance sheet assets (e.g., recourse obligations) are multiplied by a risk weight factor assigned by the regulations based on the risks believed inherent in the type of asset.  Higher levels of capital are required for asset categories believed to present greater risk.  Common equity Tier 1 capital is generally defined as common stockholders’ equity and retained earnings.  Tier 1 capital is generally defined as common equity Tier 1 and additional Tier 1 capital.  Additional Tier 1 capital includes certain noncumulative perpetual preferred stock and related surplus and minority interests in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries.  Total capital includes Tier 1 capital (common equity Tier 1 capital plus additional Tier 1 capital) and Tier 2 capital.  Tier 2 capital is comprised of capital instruments and related surplus, meeting specified requirements, and may include cumulative preferred stock and long-term perpetual preferred stock, mandatory convertible securities, intermediate preferred stock and subordinated debt.  Also included in Tier 2 capital is the allowance for loan and lease losses limited to a maximum of 1.25% of risk-weighted assets and, for institutions that have exercised an opt-out election regarding the treatment of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, up to 45% of net unrealized gains on available-for-sale equity securities with readily determinable fair market values.  Calculation of all types of regulatory capital is subject to deductions and adjustments specified in the regulations.  In assessing an institution’s capital adequacy, the FDIC takes into consideration, not only these numeric factors, but qualitative factors as well, and has the authority to establish higher capital requirements for individual institutions where deemed necessary.

The final rules also increase the required capital for certain categories of assets, including higher-risk construction real estate loans and certain exposures related to securitizations.  The final rules adopt the risk weights for residential mortgages under the existing general risk-based capital rules, which assign a risk weight of either 50% (for most first-lien exposures) or 100% for other residential mortgage exposures. 

As of December 31, 2017, we were in compliance with all applicable regulatory capital requirements.  Management also believes that, as of that date, we would have met all capital adequacy requirements under the Basel III Capital Rules on a fully phased-in basis had those requirements been currently in effect.

 

 

Loans-to-One Borrower

Under Maryland law, the maximum amount which the Bank is permitted to lend to any one borrower and their related interests may generally not exceed 10% of the Bank’s unimpaired capital and surplus, which is defined to include

the Bank’s capital, surplus, retained earnings and 50% of its allowance for possible loan losses.  By interpretive ruling of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation, Maryland banks have the option of lending up to the amount that would be permissible for a national bank which is generally 15% of unimpaired capital and surplus (defined to include a bank’s total capital for regulatory capital purposes plus any loan loss allowances not included in regulatory capital).  As of December 31, 2017, the Bank was in compliance with the loans-to-one-borrower limitations.

Prompt Corrective Action Regulations

The FDIC’s prompt corrective action regulations establish five capital levels for financial institutions (“well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized,” and “critically undercapitalized”), and impose mandatory regulatory scrutiny and limitations on institutions that are less than adequately capitalized.  At December 31, 2017, the Bank was categorized as “well capitalized,” meaning that our total risk-based capital ratio exceeded 10.00%, our Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio exceeded 8.00%, our common equity Tier-1 risk-based capital ratio exceeded 6.50%, our leverage ratio exceeded 5.00%, and we are not subject to a regulatory order, agreement, or directive to meet and maintain a specific capital level for any capital measure.

Dividends and Distributions

The Federal Reserve Board has the power to prohibit dividends by bank holding companies if their actions constitute unsafe or unsound practices.  The Federal Reserve Board has issued a policy statement on the payment of cash dividends by bank holding companies, which expresses the Federal Reserve Board’s view that a bank holding company should pay cash dividends only to the extent that the company’s net income for the past year is sufficient to cover both the cash dividends and a rate of earning retention that is consistent with the company’s capital needs, asset quality, and overall financial condition.

Bank holding companies are required to give the Federal Reserve Board notice of any purchase or redemption of their outstanding equity securities if the gross consideration for the purchase or redemption, when combined with the net consideration paid for all such purchases or redemptions during the preceding 12 months, is equal to 10% or more of the bank holding company’s consolidated net worth.  The Federal Reserve Board may disapprove such a purchase or redemption if it determines that the proposal would violate any law, regulation, Federal Reserve Board order, directive, or any condition imposed by, or written agreement with, the Federal Reserve Board.  Bank holding companies whose capital ratios exceed the thresholds for “well capitalized” banks on a consolidated basis are exempt from the foregoing requirement if they were rated composite 1 or 2 in their most recent inspection and are not the subject of any unresolved supervisory issues.

USA Patriot Act of 2001

The USA Patriot Act of 2001 (the “Patriot Act”) substantially broadened the scope of anti-money laundering laws and regulations by imposing significant new compliance and due diligence obligations on financial institutions.  The regulations adopted by the Treasury under the Patriot Act require financial institutions to maintain appropriate controls to combat money laundering activities, perform due diligence of private banking and correspondent accounts, establish standards for verifying customer identity, and provide records related to suspected anti-money laundering activities upon request from federal authorities.  A financial institution’s failure to comply with these regulations could result in fines or sanctions, including restrictions on conducting acquisitions or establishing new branches, and could also have other serious legal and reputational consequences for the institution.  We have established policies, procedures and systems designed to comply with these regulations.  However, it is reasonable to anticipate that the United States Congress may enact additional legislation in the future to combat terrorism including modifications to existing laws such as the Patriot Act to expand powers as deemed necessary.  The enactment of the Patriot Act has increased the Bank’s compliance costs, and the impact of any additional legislation enacted by Congress may have upon financial institutions is uncertain.  However, such legislation would likely increase compliance costs and thereby potentially have an adverse effect upon the Company’s results of operations.

Community Reinvestment Act

The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (“CRA”) requires that, in connection with examinations of financial institutions, federal banking regulators must evaluate the record of the financial institution in meeting the credit needs of their local communities, including low and moderate income neighborhoods, consistent with the safe and sound operation of the bank.  Federal banking regulators are required to consider a financial institution’s performance in these areas as they review applications filed by the institution to engage in mergers or acquisitions or to open a branch or facility.  In addition, any bank rated in “substantial noncompliance” with the CRA regulations may be subject to enforcement proceedings.  The Bank has a current rating of “satisfactory” for CRA compliance.

Interstate Branching

The Dodd-Frank Act expanded the authority of a state or national bank to open offices in other states.  A state or national bank may now open a de novo branch in a state where the bank does not already operate a branch if the law of the state where the branch is to be located would permit a state bank chartered by that state to open the branch.  This provision removed restrictions under prior law that restricted a state or national bank from expanding into another state unless the laws of the bank’s home state and the laws of the other state both permitted out-of-state banks to open de novo branches.

Dividend Limitations

The ability of the Bank to pay dividends is limited by state and federal laws and regulations that require the Bank to obtain the prior approval before paying a dividend that, together with other dividends it has paid during a calendar year, would exceed the sum of its net income for the year to date combined with its retained net income for the previous two years.  Pursuant to the Maryland Financial Institutions Code, Maryland banks may only pay dividends from undivided profits or, with the prior approval of the Commissioner, their surplus in excess of 100% of required capital stock.  The Maryland Financial Institutions Code further restricts the payment of dividends by prohibiting a Maryland bank from declaring a dividend on its shares of common stock until its surplus fund equals the amount of required capital stock or, if the surplus fund does not equal the amount of capital stock, in an amount in excess of 90% of net earnings.  In addition, the Bank is prohibited by federal statute from paying dividends or making any other capital distribution that would cause the Bank to fail to meet its regulatory capital requirements.  Further, the FDIC also has authority to prohibit the payment of dividends by a state non-member bank when it determines such payment to be an unsafe and unsound banking practice.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) includes provisions intended to enhance corporate responsibility and protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures pursuant to the securities laws, and which increase penalties for accounting and auditing improprieties at public traded companies.  The SOX generally applies to all companies that file or are required to file periodic reports with the SEC under the Exchange Act.

Among other things, the SOX creates the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) as an independent body subject to SEC supervision with responsibility for setting auditing, quality control, and ethical standards for auditors of public companies.  The SOX also requires public companies to make faster and more-extensive financial disclosures, requires the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer of public companies to provide signed certifications as to the accuracy and completeness of financial information filed with the SEC, and provides enhanced criminal and civil penalties for violations of the federal securities laws.

The SOX also addresses functions and responsibilities of audit committees of public companies. The statute, by mandating certain stock exchange listing rules, makes the audit committee directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the work of the company’s outside auditor, and requires the auditor to report directly to the audit committee.  The SOX authorizes each audit committee to engage independent counsel and other advisors, and requires a public company to provide the appropriate funding, as determined by its audit committee, to pay the company’s auditors and any advisors that its audit committee retains.  The SOX also requires public companies to prepare an internal control report and assessment by management, along with an attestation to this report prepared by the company’s independent registered public accounting firm, in their annual reports to stockholders.

FDIC Deposit Insurance Assessment

The Dodd-Frank Act which was signed into law on July 21, 2010, changed how the FDIC calculates deposit insurance premiums payable by insured depository institutions.  The Dodd-Frank Act directs the FDIC to calculate the deposit insurance assessments payable by each insured depository institution based generally upon the institution’s average total consolidated assets minus its average tangible equity during the assessment period.  Previously, an institution’s assessments were based on the amount of its insured deposits.  The minimum deposit insurance fund rate will increase from 1.15% to 1.35% by September 30, 2020, and the cost of the increase will be borne by depository institutions with assets of $10 billion or more.  The Dodd-Frank Act also provides the FDIC with discretion to determine whether to pay rebates to insured depository institutions when its deposit insurance reserves exceed certain thresholds.

Transactions with Affiliates

A state non-member bank or its subsidiaries may not engage in “covered transactions” with any one affiliate in an amount greater than 10% of such bank’s capital stock and surplus, and for all such transactions with all affiliates a state non-member bank is limited to an amount equal to 20% of capital stock and surplus.  All such transactions must also be on terms substantially the same, or at least as favorable, to the bank or subsidiary as those provided to a non-affiliate.  The term “covered transaction” includes the making of loans, purchase of assets, issuance of a guarantee and similar other types of transactions.  An affiliate of a state non-member bank is any company or entity which controls or is under common control with the state non-member bank and, for purposes of the aggregate limit on transactions with affiliates, any subsidiary that would be deemed a financial subsidiary of a national bank.  In a holding company context, the parent holding company of a state non-member bank (such as the Company) and any companies which are controlled by such parent holding company are affiliates of the state non-member bank.  The BHCA further prohibits a depository institution from extending credit to or offering any other services, or fixing or varying the consideration for such extension of credit or service, on the condition that the customer obtain some additional service from the institution or certain of its affiliates or not obtain services of a competitor of the institution, subject to certain limited exceptions.

Loans to Directors, Executive Officers and Principal Stockholders

Loans to directors, executive officers and principal stockholders of a state non-member bank must be made on substantially the same terms as those prevailing for comparable transactions with persons who are not executive officers, directors, principal stockholders or employees of the Bank unless the loan is made pursuant to a compensation or benefit plan that is widely available to employees and does not favor insiders.  Loans to any executive officer, director and principal stockholder together with all other outstanding loans to such person and affiliated interests generally may not exceed 15% of the bank’s unimpaired capital and surplus and all loans to such persons may not exceed the institution’s unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus.  Loans to directors, executive officers and principal stockholders, and their respective affiliates, in excess of the greater of $100,000 or 5% of capital and surplus (up to $500,000) must be approved in advance by a majority of the Board of Directors of the Bank with any “interested” director not participating in the voting.  State non-member banks are prohibited from paying the overdrafts of any of their executive officers or directors.  In addition, loans to executive officers may not be made on terms more favorable than those afforded other borrowers and are restricted as to type, amount and terms of credit.

 

 

 

 

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the Bank’s offices (dollars in thousands):

 

At December 31, 2017, the Bank owned one foreclosed real estate property.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company and the Bank from time to time are involved in legal proceedings related to collection suits and other actions that arise in the ordinary course of business against their borrowers and are defendants in legal actions arising from normal business activities.  The Company’s management, after consultation with legal counsel, believe there are no pending or threatened legal proceedings that, upon resolution, are expected to have a material adverse effect upon the Company’s or the Bank’s financial condition or results of operations based on all known information at this time.

 

 

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

 

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

Set forth below is information about the Company’s executive officers as of December 31, 2017.

 

JOHN D. LONG was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the Bank effective April 1, 2016.  From February 8, 2016 to that date, Mr. Long was Executive Vice President. 

ANDREW J. HINES was appointed Chief Lending Officer of the Bank effective March 1, 2014.  He was appointed Senior Lending Officer and Senior Vice President effective January 2, 2014.  Effective January 12, 2017, he was appointed Executive Vice President.

JEFFREY D. HARRIS was appointed Senior Vice President, Treasurer of the Company and Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and CRA and Compliance Officer of the Bank effective March 30, 2017.  Prior to that, he was the SVP – Controller at Bay Bank.

MICHELLE STAMBAUGH was appointed Senior Vice President effective February 2, 2011.  Effective November 28, 2016, she assumed the role of Corporate Secretary of the Company and Bank.  Prior to that, she was Vice President and Director of Human Resources for 18 years.

DONNA SMITH was appointed Senior Vice President – Director of Retail Banking / Information/Physical Security Officer on October 26, 2015.  Prior to that, she was the SVP – Enterprise Risk Manager at Bay Bank.

 

 

 

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Our authorized common stock consists of 15,000,000 shares, of which 2,801,149 shares are issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2017.  The Common Stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “GLBZ”.  As of March 12, 2018, there were 364 record holders of the Common Stock.  The closing price for the Common Stock on that date was $12.30.

The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices for the Common Stock for each full quarterly period during 2017 and 2016 as reported by Nasdaq.  The quotations represent prices between dealers and do not reflect the

retailer markups, markdowns or commissions, and may not represent actual transactions.  Also shown are dividends declared per share for these periods.

 

A regular dividend of $0.10 was declared for stockholders of record on February 12, 2018, payable on February 23, 2018.

The payment of dividends by the Company depends upon the ability of the Bank to declare and pay dividends to the Company because the principal source of the Company's revenue will be dividends paid by the Bank.  The Company recognizes the importance of dividends to its shareholders and intends to evaluate a variety of factors, on a quarterly basis, in determining whether dividend payments are prudent as well as the amount of the dividend.  However, dividends remain subject to declaration by the Board of Directors in its sole discretion and there can be no assurance that the Company will be legally or financially able to make such payments.  Payment of dividends may be limited by federal and state regulations which impose general restrictions on a bank’s and bank holding company’s right to pay dividends (or to make loans or advances to affiliates which could be used to pay dividends).  Generally, dividend payments are prohibited unless a bank or bank holding company has sufficient net (or retained) earnings and capital as determined by its regulators.  See “Item 1. Business - Supervision and Regulation - Regulation of the Company - Dividends and Distributions” and “Item 1. Business – Supervision and Regulation - Regulation of the Bank - Dividend Limitations.”  The Company does not believe that those restrictions will materially limit its ability to pay dividends.

 

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Not applicable.

 

 

 

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such statements include projections, predictions, expectations or statements as to beliefs or future events or results, or refer to other matters that are not purely statements of historical facts.  Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements.  The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report are based on various factors and were derived using numerous assumptions.  In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by words like “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “believe”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential”, or “continue” or the negative of those words and other comparable words.  You should be aware that those statements reflect only our predictions.  If known or unknown risks or uncertainties should materialize, or if underlying assumptions should prove inaccurate, actual results could differ materially from past results and those anticipated, estimated or projected.  Further, factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ from our forward-looking statement s may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them.  In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.  Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to:

You should also carefully consider additional factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements and could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition. 

The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and, except to the extent required by federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.  In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

OVERVIEW

This section is intended to help investors understand the financial performance of the Company through a discussion of the factors affecting our financial condition at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016 and our results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.  This section should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto that appear elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  During 2017, net interest income increased to $11.7 million from $11.2 million in 2016, a 4.59% increase.  Total interest income increased from $13.3 million in 2016 to $13.6 million in 2017, a 2.45% increase.  Interest expense for 2017 totaled $1.9 million, an 8.76% decrease from $2.1 million in 2016.  Due to the increase in tax expense resulting from the revaluation of deferred tax assets resulting from the Tax Reform Act, net income decreased by $0.2 million to $0.9 million in 2017 compared to $1.1 million in 2016.

COMPARISON OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017 AND 2016

General.  For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company reported consolidated net income of $0.9 million ($0.33 basic and diluted earnings per share) compared to consolidated net income of $1.1 million ($0.40 basic and diluted earnings per share) for the year ended December 31, 2016.  The decrease in the 2017 consolidated net income was mainly due $0.6 million increase in tax expense due to the effect of the decrease in the federal tax rate on deferred tax assets.  For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company reported a net income before taxes of $1.8 million compared to $1.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2016.  The primary reason for the increase in net income before taxes was an overall increase in interest income due to a larger volume of loans in 2017 compared to 2016, a lower provision for loan losses in 2017 compared to 2016, and a decrease in interest expense resulting from a decrease in the volume of interest earning time deposits in 2017 compared to 2016.  Annualized return on average assets was 0.23% at December 31, 2017 compared to 0.28% at December 31, 2016.  Annualized return on average equity was 2.65% and 3.17% at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.  The dividend payout ratio was 123.0% at December 31, 2017 compared to 101.0% at December 31, 2016.  The equity to asset ratio was 8.74% and 8.71% at December 31, 2017 and 2016, repectively.

Net Interest Income.  The primary component of the Company’s net income is its net interest income, which is the difference between income earned on assets and interest paid on the deposits and borrowings used to fund income producing assets.  Net interest income is determined by the spread between the yields earned on the Company’s interest-earning assets and the rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities as well as the relative amounts of such assets and liabilities. 

The Company’s net interest margin is determined by dividing net interest income by the Company’s average interest-earning assets.

Net interest income is affected by the mix of loans in the Bank’s loan portfolio.  Currently a majority of the Bank’s loans are residential and commercial mortgage loans secured by real estate, and indirect automobile loans secured by automobiles.

Consolidated net interest income for the year ended December 31, 2017 was $11.7 million compared to $11.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2016, a $0.5 million, or a 4.6% increase. Total interest income increased from $13.3 million for 2016 to $13.6 million for 2017, a $0.3 million, or a 2.45% increase, primarily due to an increase in interest and fees on loans.

Total interest expense decreased from $2.1 million in 2016 to $1.9 million in 2017, a $0.2 million or an 8.76% decrease, primarily due to a decrease in average deposits as well as a decrease in our cost of deposits.  Net interest margin for the year ended December 31, 2017 was 3.12% compared to 2.98% for the year ended December 31, 2016.

The following table allocates changes in income and expense attributable to the Company’s interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities for the periods indicated between changes due to changes in rate and changes in volume. Changes due to rate/volume are allocated to changes due to volume.

 

The following table provides information for the designated periods with respect to the average balances, income and expense and annualized yields and costs associated with various categories of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities.

Provision for Credit Losses.  The Company’s loan portfolio is subject to varying degrees of credit risk and an allowance for loan losses is maintained to absorb losses inherent in its loan portfolio.  Credit risk includes, but is not limited to, the potential for borrower default and the failure of collateral to be worth what the Bank determined it was worth at the time of the granting of the loan.  The Bank monitors its loan portfolio loan delinquencies monthly.  All loans that are delinquent and all loans within the various categories of the Bank’s portfolio as a group are evaluated.  The Bank’s management estimates an allowance for loan losses.  Included in determining the calculation are such factors as historical losses for each loan portfolio, current market value of the loan’s underlying collateral, inherent risk contained within the portfolio after considering the state of the general economy, economic trends, consideration of