CITIZENS & NORTHERN CORP - Annual Report: 2019 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019

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: 0-16084 

CITIZENS & NORTHERN CORPORATION

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

90-92 MAIN STREET, WELLSBORO, PA 16901

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

570-724-3411

(Registrant's telephone number including area code)

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

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ¨ No x

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

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 x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (Section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes x No ¨

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

Large accelerated filer ¨ Accelerated filer x Non-accelerated filer ¨ Smaller reporting company x Emerging growth company ¨

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 x

The aggregate market value of the registrant's common stock held by non-affiliates at June 30, 2019, the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $348,405,379.

The number of shares of common stock outstanding at February 13, 2020 was 13,762,993.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement for the annual meeting of its shareholders to be held April 16, 2020 are incorporated by reference into Parts III and IV of this report.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Citizens & Northern Corporation (“Corporation”) is a holding company whose principal activity is community banking. The Corporation’s principal office is located in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. The largest subsidiary is Citizens & Northern Bank (“C&N Bank” or the “Bank”). The Corporation’s other wholly-owned subsidiaries are Citizens & Northern Investment Corporation and Bucktail Life Insurance Company (“Bucktail”). Citizens & Northern Investment Corporation was formed in 1999 to engage in investment activities. Bucktail reinsures credit and mortgage life and accident and health insurance on behalf of C&N Bank.

The Corporation’s acquisition of Monument Bancorp, Inc. (“Monument”) was completed April 1, 2019. Monument was the parent company of Monument Bank, a commercial bank which operated two community bank offices and one lending office in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Monument merged with and into the Corporation and Monument Bank merged with and into C&N Bank. Total purchase consideration was $42.7 million, including 1,279,825 shares of the Corporation’s common stock issued with a value of $33.1 million and cash paid totaling $9.6 million. Holders of Monument common stock prior to the consummation of the merger held approximately 9.4% of the Corporation’s common stock outstanding immediately following the merger.

In December 2019, the Corporation announced a plan of merger to acquire Covenant Financial, Inc. (“Covenant”) in a transaction valued on December 18, 2019 at approximately $77 million. Under the terms of the definitive agreement, the Corporation will pay cash for 25% of the Covenant shares and will convert 75% of Covenant shares to the Corporation’s common stock. Covenant is the holding company for Covenant Bank, which operates banking offices in Bucks and Chester Counties of PA. Covenant had total assets of $516 million at December 31, 2019. Pursuant to the plan of merger, Covenant will merge with and into the Corporation and Covenant Bank will merge with and into C&N Bank The merger is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and approval of Covenant’s shareholders. The merger is expected to close in the third quarter 2020.

C&N Bank is a Pennsylvania banking institution that was formed by the consolidation of Northern National Bank of Wellsboro and Citizens National Bank of Towanda on October 1, 1971. Subsequent mergers included: First National Bank of Ralston in May 1972; Sullivan County National Bank in October 1977; Farmers National Bank of Athens in January 1984; and First National Bank of East Smithfield in May 1990. In 2005, the Corporation acquired Canisteo Valley Corporation and its subsidiary, First State Bank, a New York State chartered commercial bank with offices in Canisteo and South Hornell, NY. In 2010, the First State Bank operations were merged into C&N Bank and Canisteo Valley Corporation was merged into the Corporation. On May 1, 2007, the Corporation acquired Citizens Bancorp, Inc. (“Citizens”), with banking offices in Coudersport, Emporium and Port Allegany, Pennsylvania. Citizens Trust Company, the banking subsidiary of Citizens, was merged with and into C&N Bank as part of the transaction. C&N Bank has held its current name since May 6, 1975, at which time C&N Bank changed its charter from a national bank to a Pennsylvania bank.

C&N Bank provides an extensive range of banking services, including deposit and loan products for personal and commercial customers. The Bank also maintains a trust division that provides a wide range of financial services, such as 401(k) plans, retirement planning, estate planning, estate settlements and asset management. In January 2000, C&N Bank formed a subsidiary, C&N Financial Services Corporation (“C&NFSC”). C&NFSC is a licensed insurance agency that provides insurance products to individuals and businesses. In 2001, C&NFSC added a broker-dealer division, which offers mutual funds, annuities, educational savings accounts and other investment products through registered agents. C&NFSC’s operations are not significant in relation to the total operations of the Corporation.

In December 2017, C&N Bank established Northern Tier Holding LLC, to acquire, hold and dispose of real property acquired by the Bank. C&N Bank is the sole member of Northern Tier Holding LLC.

Over the past few years, the Corporation has begun to execute on a growth strategy. Presently, a majority of C&N Bank’s operations are conducted in its legacy markets in the northern tier of Pennsylvania and southern tier of New York. In 2019, with the acquisition of Monument and the opening of a lending office in York, Pennsylvania, the Bank expanded into new markets in Southeastern and southcentral Pennsylvania. Management expects the acquisition of Covenant to be completed in 2020, which will further increase the volume of activity in southeastern Pennsylvania.

All phases of the Bank’s business are competitive. The Bank competes with online financial institutions, local commercial banks headquartered in our market areas and other commercial banks with branches in our market area. Many of the online financial institutions and some of the banks that have branches in our market areas are larger in overall size. With respect to lending activities and attracting deposits, the Bank also competes with savings banks, savings and loan associations, insurance companies, regulated small loan companies and credit unions. Also, the Bank competes with mutual funds for deposits. C&N Bank competes with insurance companies, investment counseling firms, mutual funds and other business firms and individuals for trust, investment management, brokerage and insurance services. The Bank is generally competitive with all financial institutions in our service areas with respect to interest rates paid on time and savings deposits, service charges on deposit accounts and interest rates charged on loans. The Bank serves a diverse customer base and is not economically dependent on any small group of customers or on any individual industry.

At December 31, 2019, C&N Bank had total assets of $1,638,285,000, total deposits of $1,259,440,000, net loans outstanding of $1,172,386,000 and 336 full-time equivalent employees.

Most activities of the Corporation and its subsidiaries are regulated by federal or state agencies. The primary regulatory relationships are described as follows:

A copy of the Corporation’s annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current events reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, will be furnished without charge upon written request to the Corporation’s Treasurer at P.O. Box 58, Wellsboro, PA 16901. Copies of these reports will be furnished as soon as reasonably possible after they are filed electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The information is also available through the Corporation’s web site at www.cnbankpa.com.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

The Corporation is subject to the many risks and uncertainties applicable to all banking companies, as well as risks specific to the Corporation’s geographic locations. Although the Corporation seeks to effectively manage risks, and maintains a level of equity that exceeds the banking regulatory agencies’ thresholds for being considered “well capitalized” (see Note 18 to the consolidated financial statements), management cannot predict the future and cannot eliminate the possibility of credit, operational or other losses. Accordingly, actual results may differ materially from management's expectations. Some of the Corporation’s significant risks and uncertainties are discussed below.

Credit Risk from Lending Activities - A significant source of risk is the possibility that losses will be sustained because borrowers, guarantors and related parties may fail to perform in accordance with the terms of their loan agreements. Most of the Corporation’s loans are secured, but some loans are unsecured. With respect to secured loans, the collateral securing the repayment of these loans may be insufficient to cover the obligations owed under such loans. Collateral values may be adversely affected by changes in economic, environmental and other conditions, including declines in the value of real estate, changes in interest rates, changes in monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government, wide-spread disease, terrorist activity, environmental contamination and other external events. In addition, collateral appraisals that are out of date or that do not meet industry recognized standards may create the impression that a loan is adequately collateralized when it is not. The Corporation has adopted underwriting and credit monitoring procedures and policies, including regular reviews of appraisals and borrower financial statements, that management believes are appropriate to mitigate the risk of loss. Also, as discussed further in the “Provision and Allowance for Loan Losses” section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis, the Corporation attempts to estimate the amount of losses that may be inherent in the portfolio through a quarterly evaluation process that includes several members of management and that addresses specifically identified problem loans, as well as other quantitative data and qualitative factors. Such risk management and accounting policies and procedures, however, may not prevent unexpected losses that could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Interest Rate Risk - Business risk arising from changes in interest rates is an inherent factor in operating a banking organization. The Corporation’s assets are predominantly long-term, fixed-rate loans and debt securities. Funding for these assets comes principally from shorter-term deposits and borrowed funds. Accordingly, there is an inherent risk of lower future earnings or decline in fair value of the Corporation’s financial instruments when interest rates change. Significant fluctuations in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Limited Geographic Diversification - The Corporation grants commercial, residential and personal loans to customers primarily in the Corporation’s legacy markets of the northern tier of Pennsylvania and southern tier of New York and, effective with the acquisition of Monument and opening of the York lending office in 2019, in southeastern and southcentral Pennsylvania. Although the Corporation has a diversified loan portfolio, a significant portion of its debtors’ ability to honor their contracts is dependent on the local economic conditions within these regions. Deterioration in economic conditions could adversely affect the quality of the Corporation's loan portfolio and the demand for its products and services, and accordingly, could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Competition - All phases of the Corporation’s business are competitive. Some competitors are much larger in total assets and capitalization than the Corporation, have greater access to capital markets and can offer a broader array of financial services. There can be no assurance that the Corporation will be able to compete effectively in its markets. Furthermore, developments increasing the nature or level of competition could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Growth Strategy –As described in Item 1, in 2019, the Corporation acquired Monument and opened a lending office in York, Pennsylvania. Also, in December 2019, the Corporation entered into an agreement to acquire Covenant. Further, management intends to continue to pursue additional acquisition opportunities. The Corporation’s future financial performance will depend on its ability to execute its strategic plan and manage its future growth. Failure to execute these plans could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Breach of Information Security and Technology Dependence - The Corporation relies on software, communication, and information exchange on a variety of computing platforms and networks and over the Internet. Despite numerous safeguards, the Corporation cannot be certain that its systems are entirely free from vulnerability to attack or other technological difficulties or failures. The Corporation relies on the services of a variety of vendors to meet its data processing and communication needs. If information security is breached or other technology difficulties or failures occur, information may be lost or misappropriated, services and operations may be interrupted, and the Corporation could be exposed to claims from customers. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Government Regulation and Monetary Policy - The Corporation and the banking industry are subject to extensive regulation and supervision under federal and state laws and regulations. The requirements and limitations imposed by such laws and regulations limit the way the Corporation conducts its business, undertakes new investments and activities and obtains financing. These regulations are designed primarily for the protection of the deposit insurance funds and consumers and not to benefit the Corporation's shareholders. Financial institution regulation has been the subject of significant legislation in recent years and may be the subject of further significant legislation in the future, none of which is in the control of the Corporation. Significant new laws or changes in, or repeals of, existing laws could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Further, federal monetary policy, particularly as implemented through the Federal Reserve System, significantly affects short-term interest rates and credit conditions, and any unfavorable change in these conditions could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Bank Secrecy Act and Related Laws and Regulations - These laws and regulations have significant implications for all financial institutions. In recent years, they have increased due diligence requirements and reporting obligations for financial institutions, created new crimes and penalties, and required the federal banking agencies, in reviewing merger and other acquisition transactions, to consider the effectiveness of the parties to such transactions in combating money laundering activities. Even innocent noncompliance and inconsequential failure to follow the regulations could result in significant fines or other penalties, which could have a material adverse impact on the Corporation's financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh - Through its subsidiary (C&N Bank), the Corporation is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLB-Pittsburgh), which is one of 11 regional Federal Home Loan Banks. The Corporation has a line of credit with the FHLB-Pittsburgh that is secured by a blanket lien on its loan portfolio. Access to this line of credit is critical if a funding need arises. However, there can be no assurance that the FHLB-Pittsburgh will be able to provide funding when needed, nor can there be assurance that the FHLB-Pittsburgh will provide funds specifically to the Corporation should its financial condition deteriorate and/or regulators prevent that access. The inability to access this source of funds could have a materially adverse effect on the Corporation’s financial flexibility if alternate financing is not available at acceptable interest rates. The failure of the FHLB-Pittsburgh or the FHLB system in general, may materially impair the Corporation’s ability to meet short- and long-term liquidity needs or to meet growth plans.

The Corporation owns common stock of the FHLB-Pittsburgh to qualify for membership in the FHLB system and access services from the FHLB-Pittsburgh. The FHLB-Pittsburgh faces a variety of risks in its operations including interest rate risk, counterparty credit risk, and adverse changes in its regulatory framework. In addition, the 11 Federal Home Loan Banks are jointly liable for the consolidated obligations of the FHLB system. To the extent that one FHLB cannot meet its obligations, other FHLBs can be called upon to make required payments. Such risks affecting the FHLB-Pittsburgh could adversely impact the value of the Corporation’s investment in the common stock of the FHLB-Pittsburgh and/or affect its access to credit.

Soundness of Other Financial Institutions - In addition to the FHLB-Pittsburgh, the Corporation maintains other credit facilities that provide it with additional liquidity. These facilities include secured and unsecured borrowings from the Federal Reserve Bank and third-party commercial banks. The Corporation believes that it maintains a strong liquidity position and that it is well positioned to withstand foreseeable market conditions. However, legal agreements with counterparties typically include provisions allowing them to restrict or terminate the Corporation’s access to these credit facilities with or without advance notice and at their sole discretion.

Financial institutions are interconnected because of trading, clearing, counterparty, and other relationships. Financial market conditions have been negatively impacted in the past and such disruptions or adverse changes in the Corporation's results of operations or financial condition could, in the future, have a negative impact on available sources of liquidity. Such a situation may arise due to circumstances that are outside the Corporation’s control, such as general market disruptions or operational problems affecting the Corporation or third parties. The Corporation’s efforts to monitor and manage liquidity risk may not be successful or sufficient to deal with dramatic or unanticipated reductions in available liquidity. In such events, the Corporation’s cost of funds may increase, thereby reducing net interest income, or the Corporation may need to sell a portion of its securities and/or loan portfolio, which, depending upon market conditions, could necessitate realizing a loss.

Securities Markets – The fair value of the Corporation's available-for-sale debt securities, as well as the revenues the Corporation earns from its Trust and Financial Management and brokerage services, are sensitive to price fluctuations and market events.

Declines in the values of the Corporation’s securities holdings, combined with adverse changes in the expected cash flows from these investments, could result in other-than-temporary impairment charges. For additional information regarding debt securities, see the “Securities” section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis and Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements.

The Corporation's Trust and Financial Management revenue is determined, in part, from the value of the underlying investment portfolios. Accordingly, if the values of those investment portfolios decrease, whether due to factors influencing U.S. or international securities markets, in general, or otherwise, the Corporation's revenue could be negatively impacted. In addition, the Corporation's ability to sell its brokerage services is dependent, in part, upon consumers' level of confidence in securities markets.

Mortgage Banking – Since 2009, the Corporation has originated and sold residential mortgage loans to the secondary market through the MPF Xtra program. Since 2014, the Corporation has also originated and sold residential mortgage loans to the secondary market through the MPF Original program. Both of these programs are administered by the Federal Home Loan Banks of Pittsburgh and Chicago. At December 31, 2019, the total outstanding balance of residential mortgages sold and serviced through the two programs amounted to $178,446,000. The Corporation must strictly adhere to the MPF Xtra and MPF Original program guidelines for origination, underwriting and servicing loans, and failure to do so may result in the Corporation being forced to repurchase loans or being dropped from the program. As of December 31, 2019, the total outstanding balance of residential mortgage loans the Corporation has repurchased as a result of identified instances of noncompliance amounted to $1,770,000. If the volume of such forced repurchases of loans were to increase significantly, or if the Corporation were to be dropped from the programs, it could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Except as noted below, the Bank owns its operating properties. All of the properties are in good condition. None of the owned properties are subject to encumbrance.

A listing of properties is as follows:

Main administrative offices:

Branch offices - Citizens & Northern Bank:

Loan production offices of Citizens & Northern Bank:

Facilities management office:

** designates leased facility

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Corporation and the Bank are involved in various legal proceedings incidental to their business. Management believes the aggregate liability, if any, resulting from such pending and threatened legal proceedings will not have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s financial condition or results of operations.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE

Not applicable.

PART II

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

QUARTERLY SHARE DATA

Trades of the Corporation’s stock are executed through various brokers who maintain a market in the Corporation’s stock. The Corporation’s stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market with the trading symbol CZNC. As of December 31, 2019, there were 2,094 shareholders of record of the Corporation’s common stock.

The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices of the common stock and dividends declared per quarter during 2019 and 2018.

Future dividend payments will depend upon maintenance of a strong financial condition, future earnings and capital and regulatory requirements. Also, the Corporation and C&N Bank are subject to restrictions on the amount of dividends that may be paid without approval of banking regulatory authorities. These restrictions are described in Note 18 to the consolidated financial statements.

Effective April 21, 2016, the Corporation’s Board of Directors approved a treasury stock repurchase program. Under this program, the Corporation is authorized to repurchase up to 600,000 shares of the Corporation's common stock or slightly less than 5% of the Corporation's issued and outstanding shares at April 19, 2016. The Board of Directors’ April 21, 2016 authorization provides that: (1) the treasury stock repurchase program shall be effective when publicly announced and shall continue thereafter until suspended or terminated by the Board of Directors, in its sole discretion; and (2) all shares of common stock repurchased pursuant to the new program shall be held as treasury shares and be available for use and reissuance for purposes as and when determined by the Board of Directors including, without limitation, pursuant to the Corporation’s Dividend Reinvestment and Stock Purchase Plan and its equity compensation program. To date, no purchases have been made under this repurchase program.

The following table sets forth a summary of purchases by the Corporation, in the open market, of its equity securities during the fourth quarter 2019:

PERFORMANCE GRAPH

Set forth below is a chart comparing the Corporation’s cumulative return to stockholders against the cumulative return of the Russell 2000 and a Peer Group Index of similar banking organizations selected by the Corporation for the five-year period commencing December 31, 2014 and ended December 31, 2019. The index values are market-weighted dividend-reinvestment numbers, which measure the total return for investing $100.00 five years ago. This meets Securities & Exchange Commission requirements for showing dividend reinvestment share performance over a five-year period and measures the return to an investor for placing $100.00 into a group of bank stocks and reinvesting any and all dividends into the purchase of more of the same stock for which dividends were paid.

Peer Group includes all publicly traded SEC filing Commercial Banks & Thrifts within NJ, NY, OH and PA with assets between $750M and $3.5B as of 9/30/2019

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence

© 2020

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

The following table sets forth information concerning the Stock Incentive Plan and Independent Directors Stock Incentive Plan, both of which have been approved by the Corporation’s shareholders. The figures shown in the table below are as of December 31, 2019.

More details related to the Corporation’s equity compensation plans are provided in Notes 1 and 13 to the consolidated financial statements.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA (Continued)

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

Certain statements in this section and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are forward-looking statements. Citizens & Northern Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, the Corporation) intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements, which are not historical facts, are based on certain assumptions and describe future plans, business objectives and expectations, and are generally identifiable by the use of words such as, "should", “likely”, "expect", “plan”, "anticipate", “target”, “forecast”, and “goal”. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, may be beyond management’s control and could cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors which could have a material, adverse impact on the operations and future prospects of the Corporation include, but are not limited to, the following:

These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements.

COMPLETED AND PENDING ACQUISITIONS

The Corporation’s acquisition of Monument Bancorp, Inc. (“Monument”) was completed April 1, 2019. Monument was the parent company of Monument Bank, a commercial bank which operated two community bank offices and one lending office in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Total purchase consideration was $42.7 million, including 1,279,825 shares of the Corporation’s common stock issued with a value of $33.1 million and cash paid totaling $9.6 million. Holders of Monument common stock prior to the consummation of the merger held approximately 9.4% of the Corporation’s common stock outstanding immediately following the merger.

In connection with the transaction, the Corporation recorded goodwill of $16.4 million and a core deposit intangible asset of $1.5 million. Total loans acquired on April 1, 2019 were valued at $259.3 million, while total deposits assumed were valued at $223.3 million, borrowings were valued at $111.6 million and subordinated debt was valued at $12.4 million. The subordinated debt included an instrument with a fair value of $5.4 million that was redeemed on April 1, 2019 with no realized gain or loss. The Corporation acquired available-for-sale debt securities valued at $94.6 million and sold the securities in early April for approximately no realized gain or loss. The assets purchased and liabilities assumed in the merger were recorded at their estimated fair values at the time of closing and may be adjusted for up to one year subsequent to the acquisition. In the fourth quarter 2019, the Corporation recorded adjustments to various assets acquired and liabilities assumed from the merger, resulting in a net reduction in goodwill of $230,000.

Merger-related expenses associated with the Monument transaction totaled $3.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, including costs associated with termination of data processing contracts, conversion of Monument’s customer accounting data into the Corporation’s core system, severance and similar expenses, legal and other professional fees and various other costs.

In December 2019, the Corporation announced a plan of merger to acquire Covenant Financial, Inc. (“Covenant”) in a transaction valued on December 18, 2019 at approximately $77 million. Under the terms of the definitive agreement, the Corporation will pay cash for 25% of the Covenant shares and will convert 75% of Covenant shares to the Corporation’s common stock. Covenant is the holding company for Covenant Bank, which operates banking offices in Bucks and Chester Counties of PA. Covenant had total assets of $516 million at December 31, 2019. The merger is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and approval of Covenant’s shareholders. The merger is expected to close in the third quarter 2020. In the fourth quarter 2019, the Corporation incurred merger-related expenses totaling $287,000 related to the planned acquisition of Covenant. Management estimates pre-tax merger-related expenses associated with the Covenant acquisition will total approximately $8 million ($6.6 million, net of tax), with most of the expenses expected to be incurred in the third quarter 2020.

EARNINGS OVERVIEW

Net income for the year ended December 31, 2019 was $19,504,000, or $1.46 per diluted share as compared to 2018 net income of $22,013,000 or $1.79 per share. Earnings for the year ended December 31, 2019 were significantly impacted by the Monument acquisition, including the effects of merger-related expenses described earlier. Earnings for the year ended December 31, 2018 included the benefit of a realized gain on a restricted equity security (Visa Inc. Class B stock) partially offset by the impact of a loss on available-for-sale debt securities. In 2018, pre-tax realized gains on Visa Class B stock totaled $2.3 million while pre-tax realized losses on available-for-sale securities totaled $288,000. Excluding the impact of merger-related expenses and net securities gains, adjusted (non-U.S. GAAP) earnings for 2019 would be $22,756,000 or $1.70 per share as compared to similarly adjusted (non-GAAP) earnings of $20,712,000 or $1.68 per share for 2018.

The following table provides a reconciliation of the Corporation’s 2019 earnings results under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) to comparative non-U.S. GAAP results excluding merger-related expenses and realized gains and losses on securities. Management believes disclosure of 2019 and 2018 earnings results, adjusted to exclude the impact of these items, provides useful information to investors for comparative purposes.

RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME AND

DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE TO NON-U.S.

GAAP MEASURE 

In 2019, interest income on loans acquired from Monument, partially offset by interest expense on deposits, borrowings and subordinated debt assumed, contributed to growth in net interest income, while costs associated with the expansion contributed to an increase in noninterest expenses.

Other significant variances were as follows:

More detailed information concerning fluctuations in the Corporation’s earnings results are provided in other sections of Management’s Discussion and Analysis.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The presentation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect many of the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

A material estimate that is particularly susceptible to significant change is the determination of the allowance for loan losses. The Corporation maintains an allowance for loan losses that represents management’s estimate of the losses inherent in the loan portfolio as of the balance sheet date and recorded as a reduction of the investment in loans. Management believes the allowance for loan losses is adequate and reasonable. Notes 1 and 8 to the consolidated financial statements provide an overview of the process management uses for evaluating and determining the allowance for loan losses, and additional discussion of the allowance for loan losses is provided in a separate section later in Management’s Discussion and Analysis. Given the very subjective nature of identifying and valuing loan losses, it is likely that well-informed individuals could make materially different assumptions, and could, therefore calculate a materially different allowance value. While management uses available information to recognize losses on loans, changes in economic conditions may necessitate revisions in future years. In addition, various regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the Corporation’s allowance for loan losses. Such agencies may require the Corporation to recognize adjustments to the allowance based on their judgments of information available to them at the time of their examination.

Another material estimate is the calculation of fair values of the Corporation’s debt securities. For most of the Corporation’s debt securities, the Corporation receives estimated fair values of debt securities from an independent valuation service, or from brokers. In developing fair values, the valuation service and the brokers use estimates of cash flows, based on historical performance of similar instruments in similar interest rate environments. Based on experience, management is aware that estimated fair values of debt securities tend to vary among brokers and other valuation services.

As described in Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements, management evaluates securities for other-than-temporary impairment (“OTTI”). In making that evaluation, consideration is given to (1) the length of time and the extent to which the fair value has been less than cost, (2) the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer, and (3) whether the Corporation intends to sell the security or more likely than not will be required to sell the security before its anticipated recovery. Management’s assessments of the likelihood and potential for recovery in value of securities are subjective and based on sensitive assumptions.

NET INTEREST INCOME

The Corporation’s primary source of operating income is net interest income, which is equal to the difference between the amounts of interest income and interest expense. Tables I, II and III include information regarding the Corporation’s net interest income in 2019 and 2018. In each of these tables, the amounts of interest income earned on tax-exempt securities and loans have been adjusted to a fully taxable-equivalent basis. Accordingly, the net interest income amounts reflected in these tables exceed the amounts presented in the consolidated financial statements. The discussion that follows is based on amounts in the tables.

Fully taxable equivalent net interest income was $55,532,000 in 2019, $8,528,000 (18.1%) higher than in 2018. Interest income was $14,186,000 higher in 2019 as compared to 2018; interest expense was also higher by $5,658,000 in comparing the same periods. As presented in Table II, the Net Interest Margin was 3.86% in 2019 as compared to 3.90% in 2018, and the “Interest Rate Spread” (excess of average rate of return on earning assets over average cost of funds on interest-bearing liabilities) decreased to 3.56% in 2019 from 3.72% in 2018.

Accretion and amortization of purchase accounting-related adjustments had a positive effect on net interest income of $560,000, including an increase in income on loans of $1,100,000 partially offset by increases in interest expense on time deposits of $407,000 and on short-term borrowings of $133,000. The net positive impact to the net interest margin from accretion and amortization of purchase accounting adjustments was 0.04%.

INTEREST INCOME AND EARNING ASSETS

Interest income totaled $65,815,000 in 2019, an increase of 27.5% from 2018. Interest and fees on loans receivable increased $14,234,000, or 34.3%, to $55,725,000 in 2019 from $41,491,000 in 2018. Table III shows the increase in interest on loans includes $12,696,000 attributable to an increase in volume and $1,538,000 related to an increase in average rate. The average balance of loans receivable increased $235,213,000 (28.6%) to $1,057,559,000 in 2019 from $822,346,000 in 2018. The increase in average balance reflects the Corporation’s purchase of Monument on April 1, 2019 as well as significant commercial loan growth throughout 2019. The average yield on loans in 2019 was 5.27% compared to 5.05% in 2018.

Interest income on available-for-sale debt securities totaled $9,531,000 in 2019, a reduction of $156,000 from the total for 2018. As indicated in Table II, average available-for-sale debt securities (at amortized cost) totaled $357,284,000 in 2019, a decrease of $2,839,000 (0.8%) from 2018. The average yield on available-for-sale debt securities decreased to 2.67% in 2019 from 2.69% in 2018.

Interest income from interest-bearing deposits in banks totaled $514,000 in 2019, an increase of $99,000 over the total for 2018. The most significant categories of assets within this category include interest-bearing balances held with the Federal Reserve and investments in certificates of deposit issued by other banks. The increase in interest income from interest-bearing deposits with banks includes the effects of an increase in yield to 2.37% in 2019 from 1.90% in 2018, consistent with market increases in short-term interest rates over the course of 2018 that had a positive impact on short-term asset yields in the earlier months of 2019.

INTEREST EXPENSE AND INTEREST-BEARING LIABILITIES

Interest expense increased $5,658,000, or 122.3%, to $10,283,000 in 2019 from $4,625,000 in 2018. Table II shows that the overall cost of funds on interest-bearing liabilities increased to 1.02% in 2019 from 0.56% in 2018.

Total average deposit balances (interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing) increased 18.1%, to $1,213,687,000 in 2019 from $1,027,831,000 in 2018, mainly as a result of the Monument acquisition.

Interest expense on deposits increased $4,488,000 in 2019 over 2018. The average rate on interest-bearing deposits increased to 0.89% in 2019 from 0.48% in 2018. Interest expense on time deposits increased $3,777,000 in 2019 of which $2,373,000 is from an increase in average rate and $1,404,000 due to an increase in volume. The increase in average rate on deposits reflects comparatively higher rates on deposits assumed from Monument, including significant growth in higher-cost time deposits. Amortization of purchase accounting-related adjustments added 0.05% to the average rate on total interest-bearing deposits.

Interest expense on borrowed funds increased $1,170,000 in 2019 as compared to 2018. Total average borrowed funds increased $32,277,000 to $82,712,000 in 2019 from $50,435,000 in 2018. The average rate on total borrowed funds was 2.53% in 2019 compared to 1.83% in 2018. The increase in the average rate on borrowed funds in 2019 reflects the impact of increases in market rates over the course of 2018 and the first quarter 2019 and the impact of higher-cost subordinated debt assumed from Monument.

TABLE II - ANALYSIS OF AVERAGE DAILY BALANCES AND RATES

using the Corporation’s marginal federal income tax rate of 21%.

TABLE III -  ANALYSIS OF VOLUME AND RATE CHANGES  

NONINTEREST INCOME

The table below presents a comparison of noninterest income, excludes realized gains and losses on securities (which are discussed in the Earnings Overview section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis), and the gain on a restricted equity security (Visa Class B stock) in 2018.

TABLE IV - COMPARISON OF NONINTEREST INCOME

Total noninterest income, excluding realized gains and losses on securities, increased $687,000 (3.7%) in 2019 compared to 2018. Changes of significance are discussed in the narrative that follows.

NONINTEREST EXPENSE 

TABLE V - COMPARISON OF NONINTEREST EXPENSE 

Total noninterest expenses increased $10,051,000 (25.5%) in 2019 as compared to 2018. Total noninterest expenses excluding merger-related expenses increased $6,280,000 (16.0%) in 2019 as compared to 2018. Merger-related expenses are discussed in the Completed and Pending Acquisitions section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis. Other changes of significance are discussed in the narrative that follows.

INCOME TAXES

The effective income tax rate was 16.7% of pre-tax income in 2019, up from 16.2% in 2018.The Corporation’s effective tax rates differed from the statutory rate of 21% mainly because of the effects of tax-exempt interest income. The higher effective income tax rate in 2019 as compared to 2018 reflected the impact of a reduction in tax-exempt interest income, as the Corporation’s average total investment in tax-exempt securities (at amortized cost) and tax-exempt loans was $31.5 million lower in 2019 than in 2018, as proceeds from maturities and calls of tax-exempt assets were reinvested mainly in taxable securities and loans.

The Corporation recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities based on differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities. At December 31, 2019, the net deferred tax asset was $2,618,000, down from the balance at December 31, 2018 of $4,110,000. The most significant change in temporary difference components was a net decrease of $2,079,000 related to unrealized gains or losses on available-for-sale securities. At December 31, 2019, the net deferred tax liability associated with the unrealized gain was $934,000, while at December 31, 2018, the deferred tax asset associated with the unrealized loss was $1,145,000.

The Corporation regularly reviews deferred tax assets for recoverability based on history of earnings, expectations for future earnings and expected timing of reversals of temporary differences. Realization of deferred tax assets ultimately depends on the existence of sufficient taxable income, including taxable income in prior carryback years, as well as future taxable income. Further, the value of the benefit from realization of deferred tax assets would be impacted if income tax rates were changed from currently enacted levels.

Management believes the recorded net deferred tax asset at December 31, 2019 is fully realizable; however, if management determines the Corporation will be unable to realize all or part of the net deferred tax asset, the Corporation would adjust the deferred tax asset, which would negatively impact earnings.

Additional information related to income taxes is presented in Note 14 to the consolidated financial statements.

SECURITIES

The objectives of the Corporation’s available-for-sale debt securities (investment) portfolio are to maintain high credit quality, achieve good portfolio balance, support liquidity needs, maximize return on earning assets within reasonable risk parameters, provide an adequate amount of pledgeable securities, support local communities by purchasing securities they issue for public projects and programs, provide a means to hedge the Corporation’s interest rate risk exposure, and minimize taxes. Management continually evaluates the size and mix of securities held in the available-for-sale debt securities portfolio while considering these objectives.

Table VI shows the composition of the available-for-sale debt securities portfolio at December 31, 2019 and 2018. Comparison of the amortized cost totals of available-for-sale debt securities at each year-end presented reflects a decrease of $26,447,000 to $342,278,000 at December 31, 2019 from $368,725,000 at December 31, 2018. The reduction in securities resulted from opportunities for loan growth, as management identified opportunities to reinvest proceeds from maturities and sales of securities into loans. Within the securities portfolio, mortgage-backed securities issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies or sponsored agencies and tax-exempt obligations of states and political subdivisions (municipal bonds) decreased, while investments in taxable municipal bonds and U.S. Government agency bonds increased. These changes in portfolio mix were based on changes in liquidity and interest rate risk management needs and current market yields for various categories of securities.

As reflected in Table VI, the fair value of available-for-sale securities as of December 31, 2019 was $4,445,000, or 1.3%, greater than the total amortized cost basis. In comparison, the aggregate unrealized loss position at December 31, 2018 was $5,452,000, or 1.5% of the total amortized cost basis. The unrealized appreciation in the portfolio in 2019 resulted mainly from a decrease in interest rates.

Management has reviewed the Corporation’s holdings as of December 31, 2019 and concluded that unrealized losses on all of the securities in an unrealized loss position are considered temporary. Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements provides more detail concerning the Corporation’s processes for evaluating securities for other-than-temporary impairment. Management will continue to closely monitor the status of impaired securities in 2020.

The following table presents the contractual maturities and the weighted-average yields (calculated based on amortized cost) of investment securities as of December 31, 2019. Yields on tax-exempt securities are presented on a fully taxable-equivalent basis. For callable securities, yields on securities purchased at a discount are based on yield-to-maturity, while yields on securities purchased at a premium are based on yield to the first call date. Yields on mortgage-backed securities are estimated and include the effects of prepayment assumptions. Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities because counterparties may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.

The Corporation’s mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations have stated maturities that may differ from actual maturities due to borrowers’ ability to prepay obligations. Cash flows from such investments are dependent upon the performance of the underlying mortgage loans and are generally influenced by the level of interest rates. As rates increase, cash flows generally decrease as prepayments on the underlying mortgage loans decrease. As rates decrease, cash flows generally increase as prepayments increase due to increased refinance activity and other factors. In the table above, the entire balances and weighted-average rates for mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations are shown in one period.

FINANCIAL CONDITION

This section includes information regarding the Corporation’s lending activities or other significant changes or exposures that are not otherwise addressed in Management’s Discussion and Analysis. Significant changes in the average balances of the Corporation’s earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities are described in the Net Interest Income section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis. Other significant balance sheet items, including securities, the allowance for loan losses and stockholders’ equity, are discussed in separate sections of Management’s Discussion and Analysis. There are no significant concerns that have arisen related to the Corporation’s off-balance sheet loan commitments or outstanding letters of credit at December 31, 2019, and management does not expect the amount of purchases of bank premises and equipment or the Covenant acquisition to have a material, detrimental effect on the Corporation’s financial condition in 2020.

Table VII shows the composition of the loan portfolio as of the end of the years 2015 through 2019. From December 31, 2015 through December 31, 2018, total loans outstanding increased $122.7 million (17.4%) and the overall mix by segment remained fairly constant, with residential mortgage loans of approximately 55% to 56% of the portfolio at each year-end, and commercial loans of 43% to 44% of the portfolio. At December 31, 2019, gross loans outstanding totaled $1,182,222,000, an increase of $354.7 million (42.9%) from December 31, 2018. As previously noted, a significant portion of the Corporation’s loan growth in 2019 is attributable to the Monument acquisition and to new loans originated in the southeastern and southcentral Pennsylvania markets. In comparing gross outstanding balances at December 31, 2019 and 2018, total commercial loans increased $225.3 million (63.7%) and total residential mortgage loans increased $129.8 million (28.4%). The overall mix of the loan portfolio at December 31, 2019 was slightly less than 50% residential mortgage and 49% commercial loans.

While the Corporation’s lending activities are primarily concentrated in its market areas, a portion of the Corporation’s commercial loan segment consists of participation loans. Participation loans represent portions of larger commercial transactions for which other institutions are the “lead banks”. Although not the lead bank, the Corporation conducts detailed underwriting and monitoring of participation loan opportunities. Participation loans are included in the “Commercial and industrial,” “Commercial loans secured by real estate”, “Political subdivisions” and “Other commercial” classes in the loan tables presented in this Form 10-K. Total participation loans outstanding amounted to $64,633,000 at December 31, 2019, down from $67,340,000 at December 31, 2018. At December 31, 2019, the balance of participation loans outstanding includes a total of $46,206,000 to businesses located outside of the Corporation’s market areas. Also, included within participation loans are “leveraged loans,” meaning loans to businesses with minimal tangible book equity and for which the extent of collateral available is limited, though typically at the time of origination the businesses have demonstrated strong cash flow performance in their recent histories. Leveraged participation loans totaled $9,947,000 at December 31, 2019 and $13,315,000 at December 31, 2018.

Table VIII presents loan maturity data as of December 31, 2019. The interest rate simulation model used to prepare Table VIII classifies certain loans under different categories from the categories that appear in Table VII. Fixed-rate loans are shown in Table VIII based on their contractually scheduled principal repayments, and variable-rate loans are shown based on the date of the next change in rate. Table VIII shows that fixed-rate loans are approximately 30% of the loan portfolio and approximately 48% of the portfolio are variable-rate loans that re-price after more than one year. Variable-rate loans re-pricing after more than one year include residential and commercial real estate secured loans. The Corporation’s substantial investment in long-term, fixed-rate loans and variable-rate loans with extended periods until re-pricing is one of the concerns management attempts to address through interest rate risk management practices.

Since 2009, the Corporation has originated and sold residential mortgage loans to the secondary market through the MPF Xtra program administered by the Federal Home Loan Banks of Pittsburgh and Chicago. Residential mortgages originated and sold through the MPF Xtra program consist primarily of conforming, prime loans sold to the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), a quasi-government entity. In 2014, the Corporation began to originate and sell residential mortgage loans to the secondary market through the MPF Original program, which is also administered by the Federal Home Loan Banks of Pittsburgh and Chicago. Residential mortgages originated and sold through the MPF Original program consist primarily of conforming, prime loans sold to the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh. In late 2019, the Corporation began to originate and sell larger-balance, nonconforming mortgages under the MPF Direct Program, which is also administered by the Federal Home Loan Banks of Pittsburgh and Chicago. The Corporation will not retain servicing rights for loans sold under the MPF Direct Program. In 2019, the Corporation’s activity under the MPF Direct Program was minimal.

For loan sales originated under the MPF programs, the Corporation provides customary representations and warranties to investors that specify, among other things, that the loans have been underwritten to the standards established by the investor. The Corporation may be required to repurchase a loan and reimburse a portion of fees received or reimburse the investor for a credit loss incurred on a loan, if it is determined that the representations and warranties have not been met. Such repurchases, or reimbursements generally result from an underwriting or documentation deficiency. At December 31, 2019, the total outstanding balance of loans the Corporation has repurchased as a result of identified instances of noncompliance amounted to $1,770,000, and the corresponding total outstanding balance of repurchased loans at December 31, 2018 was $2,146,000.

At December 31, 2019, outstanding balances of loans sold and serviced through the MPF Xtra and Original programs totaled $178,446,000, including loans sold through the MPF Xtra program of $104,707,000 and loans sold through the Original program of $73,739,000. At December 31, 2018, outstanding balances of loans sold and serviced through the two programs totaled $171,742,000, including loans sold through the MPF Xtra program of $96,841,000 and loans sold through the Original Program of $74,901,000. Based on the fairly limited volume of required repurchases to date, no allowance has been established for representation and warranty exposures as of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018.

For loans sold under the Original program, the Corporation provides a credit enhancement whereby the Corporation would assume credit losses in excess of a defined First Loss Account (“FLA”) balance, up to specified amounts. The FLA is funded by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh based on a percentage of the outstanding balance of loans sold. At December 31, 2019, the Corporation’s maximum credit enhancement obligation under the MPF Original Program was $4,618,000, and the Corporation has recorded a related allowance for credit losses in the amount of $333,000 which is included in Accrued interest and other liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. At December 31, 2018, the Corporation’s maximum credit enhancement obligation under the MPF Original Program was $4,157,000, and the related allowance for credit losses was $328,000. The Corporation does not provide a credit enhancement for loans sold through the Xtra program.

TABLE VII - Five-year Summary of Loans by Type