COMMUNITY BANCORP /VT - Quarter Report: 2008 May (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
DC 20549
FORM
10-Q
[ x ] QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the
Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2008
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 000-16435
COMMUNITY
BANCORP.
Vermont
|
03-0284070
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(State
of Incorporation)
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(IRS
Employer Identification Number)
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4811
US Route 5, Derby, Vermont
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05829
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(Address
of Principal Executive Offices)
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(zip
code)
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Registrant's
Telephone Number: (802)
334-7915
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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 for 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 is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting
company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”,
“accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act.
Large
accelerated filer ( )
|
Accelerated
filer ( )
|
Non-accelerated
filer ( ) (Do not check
if a smaller reporting company)
|
Smaller
reporting company ( X )
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
YES
( ) NO(X)
At May
13, 2008, there were 4,416,027 shares outstanding of the Corporation's common
stock.
FORM
10-Q
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Page
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PART
I FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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Item
I Financial
Statements
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4
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12
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25
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Item
4T Controls and
Procedures
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25
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PART
II OTHER INFORMATION
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Item
1 Legal
Proceedings
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26
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26
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Item
6 Exhibits
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27
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28
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PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The
following are the unaudited consolidated financial statements for Community
Bancorp. and Subsidiary, "the Company".
COMMUNITY
BANCORP. AND SUBSIDIARY
|
March
31
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December
31
|
March
31
|
|||||||||
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
|
2008
|
2007
|
2007
|
|||||||||
(Unaudited)
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(Unaudited)
|
|||||||||||
Assets
|
||||||||||||
Cash
and due from banks
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$ | 8,704,470 | $ | 17,486,535 | $ | 8,750,703 | ||||||
Federal
funds sold and overnight deposits
|
1,075,224 | 2,785,988 | 1,242,023 | |||||||||
Total
cash and cash equivalents
|
9,779,694 | 20,272,523 | 9,992,726 | |||||||||
Securities
held-to-maturity (fair value $44,281,000 at 03/31/08,
|
||||||||||||
$34,273,000
at 12/31/07, and $20,911,000 at 03/31/07)
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44,211,914 | 34,310,833 | 20,788,310 | |||||||||
Securities
available-for-sale
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38,366,253 | 46,876,771 | 21,717,027 | |||||||||
Restricted
equity securities, at cost
|
3,456,850 | 3,456,850 | 2,308,950 | |||||||||
Loans
held-for-sale
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1,294,564 | 685,876 | 528,872 | |||||||||
Loans
|
357,467,878 | 355,885,207 | 266,475,860 | |||||||||
Allowance
for loan losses
|
(2,969,847 | ) | (3,026,049 | ) | (2,295,985 | ) | ||||||
Unearned
net loan fees
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(385,293 | ) | (443,372 | ) | (585,079 | ) | ||||||
Net
loans
|
354,112,738 | 352,415,786 | 263,594,796 | |||||||||
Bank
premises and equipment, net
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15,966,624 | 16,361,152 | 12,418,999 | |||||||||
Accrued
interest receivable
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2,619,771 | 2,304,055 | 1,799,659 | |||||||||
Bank
owned life insurance
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3,591,861 | 3,559,376 | 0 | |||||||||
Core
deposit intangible
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3,952,950 | 4,161,000 | 0 | |||||||||
Goodwill
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10,560,339 | 10,347,455 | 0 | |||||||||
Other
assets
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7,175,651 | 7,279,941 | 5,602,488 | |||||||||
Total
assets
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$ | 495,089,209 | $ | 502,031,618 | $ | 338,751,827 | ||||||
Liabilities
and Shareholders' Equity
|
||||||||||||
Liabilities
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||||||||||||
Deposits:
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||||||||||||
Demand,
non-interest bearing
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$ | 48,820,207 | $ | 64,019,707 | $ | 46,801,261 | ||||||
NOW
and money market accounts
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131,991,064 | 120,993,657 | 72,457,733 | |||||||||
Savings
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50,165,818 | 46,069,943 | 40,098,014 | |||||||||
Time
deposits, $100,000 and over
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59,049,571 | 58,860,374 | 33,957,887 | |||||||||
Other
time deposits
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120,502,762 | 126,276,429 | 97,699,320 | |||||||||
Total
deposits
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410,529,422 | 416,220,110 | 291,014,215 | |||||||||
Federal
funds purchased and other borrowed funds
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16,476,000 | 13,760,000 | 40,000 | |||||||||
Repurchase
agreements
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14,820,990 | 17,444,933 | 14,457,778 | |||||||||
Capital
lease obligations
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940,704 | 943,227 | 0 | |||||||||
Junior
subordinated debentures
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12,887,000 | 12,887,000 | 0 | |||||||||
Accrued
interest and other liabilities
|
4,715,341 | 5,855,988 | 2,255,765 | |||||||||
Total
liabilities
|
460,369,457 | 467,111,258 | 307,767,758 | |||||||||
Shareholders'
Equity
|
||||||||||||
Preferred
stock, 1,000,000 shares authorized, 25 shares issued and
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||||||||||||
outstanding
at 03/31/08 and 12/31/07, and no shares issued and
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||||||||||||
outstanding
at 03/31/07
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2,500,000 | 2,500,000 | 0 | |||||||||
Common
stock - $2.50 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized at
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||||||||||||
03/31/08
and 12/31/07, and 6,000,000 shares authorized at 03/31/07;
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||||||||||||
and
4,626,095 shares issued at 03/31/08, 4,609,268 shares
issued
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||||||||||||
at
12/31/07, and 4,354,946 shares issued at 03/31/07
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11,565,237 | 11,523,170 | 10,887,365 | |||||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
25,197,645 | 25,006,439 | 22,175,854 | |||||||||
Retained
earnings (accumulated deficit)
|
(2,128,563 | ) | (1,597,682 | ) | 733,787 | |||||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss)
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208,210 | 111,210 | (198,205 | ) | ||||||||
Less:
treasury stock, at cost; 210,101 shares at 03/31/08 and
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||||||||||||
12/31/07
and 209,510 shares at 03/31/07
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(2,622,777 | ) | (2,622,777 | ) | (2,614,732 | ) | ||||||
Total
shareholders' equity
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34,719,752 | 34,920,360 | 30,984,069 | |||||||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity
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$ | 495,089,209 | $ | 502,031,618 | $ | 338,751,827 |
Consolidated
Statements of Income
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||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
For
The First Quarter Ended March 31,
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2008
|
2007
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||||||
Interest
income
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||||||||
Interest
and fees on loans
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$ | 6,127,296 | $ | 4,763,196 | ||||
Interest
on debt securities
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||||||||
Taxable
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495,453 | 207,770 | ||||||
Tax-exempt
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395,161 | 206,790 | ||||||
Dividends
|
59,660 | 49,957 | ||||||
Interest
on federal funds sold and overnight deposits
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58,518 | 32,245 | ||||||
Total
interest income
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7,136,088 | 5,259,958 | ||||||
Interest
expense
|
||||||||
Interest
on deposits
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2,906,304 | 1,903,355 | ||||||
Interest
on federal funds purchased and other borrowed funds
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144,358 | 7,714 | ||||||
Interest
on repurchase agreements
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77,378 | 82,120 | ||||||
Interest
on junior subordinated debentures
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292,523 | 0 | ||||||
Total
interest expense
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3,420,563 | 1,993,189 | ||||||
Net
interest income
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3,715,525 | 3,266,769 | ||||||
Provision
for loan losses
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62,499 | 37,500 | ||||||
Net
interest income after provision
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3,653,026 | 3,229,269 | ||||||
Non-interest
income
|
||||||||
Service
fees
|
524,152 | 324,023 | ||||||
Income
on bank owned life insurance
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32,485 | 0 | ||||||
Other
income
|
339,137 | 379,323 | ||||||
Total
non-interest income
|
895,774 | 703,346 | ||||||
Non-interest
expense
|
||||||||
Salaries
and wages
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1,648,910 | 1,131,174 | ||||||
Employee
benefits
|
613,047 | 431,599 | ||||||
Occupancy
expenses, net
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859,087 | 606,142 | ||||||
Other
expenses
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1,456,076 | 981,079 | ||||||
Total
non-interest expense
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4,577,120 | 3,149,994 | ||||||
(Loss)
income before income taxes
|
(28,320 | ) | 782,621 | |||||
Income
tax (benefit) expense
|
(245,368 | ) | 107,365 | |||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 217,048 | $ | 675,256 | ||||
Earnings
per common share
|
$ | 0.05 | $ | 0.16 | ||||
Weighted
average number of common shares
|
||||||||
used
in computing earnings per share
|
4,405,237 | 4,342,230 | ||||||
Dividends
declared per common share
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$ | 0.17 | $ | 0.16 | ||||
Book
value per common share on shares outstanding at March 31,
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$ | 7.86 | $ | 7.12 | ||||
All
share and per share data for prior periods restated to reflect a 5% stock
dividend declared in June 2007.
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COMMUNITY
BANCORP. AND SUBSIDIARY
|
||||||||
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
|
||||||||
For
the Three Months Ended March 31,
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Cash
Flow from Operating Activities:
|
||||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 217,048 | $ | 675,256 | ||||
Adjustments
to Reconcile Net Income to Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Operating
Activities:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
277,762 | 231,854 | ||||||
Provision
for loan losses
|
62,499 | 37,500 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
(157,562 | ) | (31,521 | ) | ||||
Net
gain on sale of loans
|
(80,912 | ) | (57,644 | ) | ||||
Gain
on investment in Trust LLC
|
(18,604 | ) | (44,709 | ) | ||||
Amortization
(accretion) of bond premium (discount), net
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(107,614 | ) | 4,966 | |||||
Proceeds
from sales of loans held for sale
|
6,745,555 | 5,759,917 | ||||||
Originations
of loans held for sale
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(7,273,331 | ) | (5,664,845 | ) | ||||
Decrease
in taxes payable
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(231,722 | ) | (211,114 | ) | ||||
Increase
in interest receivable
|
(315,716 | ) | (132,524 | ) | ||||
Decrease
(increase) in mortgage servicing rights
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48,023 | (5,990 | ) | |||||
Increase
in other assets
|
(958,048 | ) | (10,770 | ) | ||||
Increase
in bank owned life insurance
|
(32,485 | ) | 0 | |||||
Amortization
of core deposit intangible
|
208,050 | 0 | ||||||
Amortization
of limited partnerships
|
100,500 | 97,530 | ||||||
Decrease
in unamortized loan fees
|
(58,079 | ) | (47,026 | ) | ||||
Decrease
in interest payable
|
(71,103 | ) | (69,581 | ) | ||||
Increase
(decrease) in accrued expenses
|
623,172 | (212,535 | ) | |||||
(Decrease)
increase in other liabilities
|
(631,880 | ) | 32,019 | |||||
Net
cash (used in) provided by operating activities
|
(1,654,447 | ) | 350,783 | |||||
Cash
Flows from Investing Activities:
|
||||||||
Investments
– held-to-maturity
|
||||||||
Maturities
and paydowns
|
1,358,968 | 2,869,900 | ||||||
Purchases
|
(11,260,049 | ) | (2,588,344 | ) | ||||
Investments
– available-for-sale
|
||||||||
Sales
and maturities
|
9,765,102 | 1,000,000 | ||||||
Purchases
|
(1,000,000 | ) | 0 | |||||
Proceeds
from redemption of restricted equity securities
|
0 | 519,300 | ||||||
Decrease
in limited partnership contributions payable
|
0 | (236,094 | ) | |||||
Investments
in limited partnership
|
0 | (222,000 | ) | |||||
(Increase)
decrease in loans, net
|
(1,726,267 | ) | 2,233,881 | |||||
Capital
expenditures, net of proceeds from sale of bank premises and
equipment
|
119,115 | (316,829 | ) | |||||
Recoveries
of loans charged off
|
24,895 | 10,649 | ||||||
Net
cash (used in) provided by investing activities
|
(2,718,236 | ) | 3,270,463 |
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
||||||||
Net
decrease in demand, NOW, money market and savings accounts
|
(106,218 | ) | (7,919,989 | ) | ||||
Net
decrease in time deposits
|
(5,584,470 | ) | (2,053,990 | ) | ||||
Net
decrease in repurchase agreements
|
(2,623,943 | ) | (2,626,168 | ) | ||||
Net
increase in short-term borrowings
|
10,716,000 | 0 | ||||||
Repayments
on long-term borrowings
|
(8,000,000 | ) | 0 | |||||
Common
share dividends paid
|
(521,515 | ) | (494,983 | ) | ||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
(6,120,146 | ) | (13,095,130 | ) | ||||
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
(10,492,829 | ) | (9,473,884 | ) | ||||
Cash
and cash equivalents:
|
||||||||
Beginning
|
20,272,523 | 19,466,610 | ||||||
Ending
|
$ | 9,779,694 | $ | 9,992,726 | ||||
Supplemental
Schedule of Cash Paid During the Period
|
||||||||
Interest
|
$ | 3,491,666 | $ | 2,062,770 | ||||
Income
taxes
|
$ | 105,000 | $ | 350,000 | ||||
Supplemental
Schedule of Noncash Investing and Financing Activities:
|
||||||||
Change
in unrealized gain on securities available-for-sale
|
$ | 146,970 | $ | 109,786 | ||||
Common
Share Dividends Paid
|
||||||||
Dividends
declared
|
$ | 747,929 | $ | 702,136 | ||||
Decrease
(increase) in dividends payable attributable to dividends
declared
|
6,859 | (2,587 | ) | |||||
Dividends
reinvested
|
(233,273 | ) | (204,566 | ) | ||||
$ | 521,515 | $ | 494,983 |
NOTES TO
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE
1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND CONSOLIDATION
The
interim consolidated financial statements of Community Bancorp. and Subsidiary
are unaudited. All significant intercompany balances and transactions
have been eliminated in consolidation. In the opinion of management,
all adjustments necessary for fair presentation of the financial condition and
results of operations of the Company contained herein have been
made. The unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read
in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes
thereto for the year ended December 31, 2007 contained in the Company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K.
NOTE
2. 5% STOCK DIVIDEND
In
June 2007, the Company declared a 5% stock dividend payable August 15, 2007 to
shareholders of record as of July 15, 2007. As a result of this stock
dividend, all per share data and weighted average number of shares for prior
periods have been restated.
NOTE
3. RECENT ACCOUNTING DEVELOPMENTS
In
September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Statement
of Financial Accounting Standard, (SFAS) No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements”,
which provides enhanced guidance for using fair value to measure assets and
liabilities. This Statement defines fair value, establishes a
framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted accounting principles,
and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This Statement
applies under other accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair value
measurements, the Board having previously concluded in those accounting
pronouncements that fair value is the relevant measurement
attribute. Accordingly, this Statement does not require any new fair
value measurements. SFAS No. 157 is effective for financial
statements issued for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007, and
interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted SFAS
157 effective January 1, 2008. Additional information regarding the
Company’s fair value measurements under SFAS 157 is contained in Note
8. FASB Staff Position No. FAS 157-2 delays the measurement of
goodwill and other intangible assets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring
basis until the first quarter of 2009.
In
February 2007, FASB issued SFAS No. 159, “The Fair Value Option for Financial
Assets and Financial Liabilities”, which gives entities the option to measure
eligible financial assets and financial liabilities at fair value on an
instrument by instrument basis. The election to use the fair value option is
available when an entity first recognizes a financial asset or financial
liability. Subsequent changes in fair value must be recorded in earnings. SFAS
No. 159 contains provisions to apply the fair value option to existing eligible
financial instruments at the date of adoption. This statement is effective as of
the beginning of an entity’s first fiscal year after November 15, 2007, with
provisions for early adoption. To date the Company has not applied
the fair value option to any financial instruments; therefore, SFAS No. 159 has
not had any impact on the Company’s financial statements.
In
November 2007, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff
Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 109, Written Loan Commitments Recorded at
Fair Value Through Earnings, in which the SEC Staff expresses its views
concerning written loan commitments accounted for as derivatives or at fair
value through earnings, as permitted by SFAS No. 159.
It is the Staff's position that expected net future cash flows from servicing a
loan should be included in the fair value measurement of a loan commitment when
it qualifies for derivative accounting under SFAS No.
133 or at fair value through earnings, as permitted by SFAS No. 159.
Implementation of SAB No. 109 did not have a material effect on the financial
condition or results of operations of the Company.
In
December 2007, FASB revised SFAS No. 141, “Business Combinations” (SFAS
No.141R). This statement requires an acquirer to recognize the assets acquired,
the liabilities assumed, and any non-controlling interest in the acquiree at the
acquisition date, measured at their fair values as of that date. SFAS 141R
recognizes and measures the goodwill acquired in the business combination or a
gain from a bargain purchase. Additionally, SFAS 141R defines the
acquirer as the entity that obtains control of one or more businesses in the
business combination, establishes the acquisition date as the date that the
acquiree achieves control and determines what information to disclose to enable
users of the financial statements to evaluate the nature and financial effects
of the business combination. SFAS 141R is effective for fiscal years beginning
after December 15, 2008. Accordingly, SFAS did not apply to the Company’s
acquisition of LyndonBank completed at year-end 2007, but would apply to
business combinations (if any) in 2009 and subsequent years.
In
December 2007, FASB issued SFAS No. 160, “Non controlling Interests in
Consolidated Financial Statements – an amendment of Accounting Research Bulletin
(ARB) No. 51”. This statement applies to all entities that prepare
consolidated financial statements, except not-for-profit organizations, but will
affect only those entities that have an outstanding non controlling interest in
one or more subsidiaries or that deconsolidate a subsidiary. This statement
amends ARB No. 51 to establish accounting and reporting standards for the non
controlling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a
subsidiary. SFAS 160 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15,
2008. The Company currently has one unconsolidated subsidiary, CMTV
Statutory Trust I, which was created in 2007 in connection with the Company’s
$12.5 million trust preferred securities financing. The Company is
currently evaluating the impact of SFAS No. 160 but does not expect it will have
a material effect on its financial condition or results of
operations.
In
March 2008, FASB issued SFAS No. 161, “Disclosures about Derivative Instruments
and Hedging Activities – an amendment of FASB Statement No. 133”. This statement
requires enhanced disclosures about an entity’s derivative and hedging
activities and thereby improves the transparency of financial reporting.
Entities are required to provide enhanced disclosures about (a) how and why an
entity uses derivative instruments, (b) how derivative instruments and related
hedged items are accounted for under SFAS No. 133 and its related
interpretations, and (c) how derivative instruments and related hedged items
affect an entity’s financial position, financial performance, and cash flows.
SFAS No. 161 is effective for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after
November 15, 2008. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of SFAS No.
161 but does not expect it will have a material effect on its financial
condition or results of operations.
NOTE
4. INCOME TAXES
In
July 2006, FASB issued Financial Accounting Standards Interpretation
No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes, an interpretation of
FASB Statement No. 109” (“FIN 48”). FIN 48 clarifies the accounting for
uncertainty in income taxes recognized in a company’s financial statements in
accordance with FASB Statement No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes.” FIN
48 prescribes a recognition threshold of more-likely-than-not, and a measurement
attribute for all tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return,
in order for those tax positions to be recognized in the financial statements.
FIN 48 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and
penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosures and transitions. Effective
January 1, 2007, the Company adopted FIN 48. The implementation of FIN 48 did
not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.
The
Company’s income tax returns for the years ended December 31, 2004, 2005, 2006
and 2007 are open to audit under the statute of limitations by the Internal
Revenue Service. The Company’s policy is to record interest and
penalties related to uncertain tax positions as part of its provision for income
taxes. A late estimated tax payment for the first quarter of 2006
resulted in penalty and interest of $15,208 which is reflected in the provision
for income taxes for 2007.
NOTE
5. EARNINGS PER SHARE
Earnings
per common share amounts are computed based on the weighted average number of
shares of common stock issued during the period (retroactively adjusted for
stock splits and stock dividends) and reduced for shares held in
Treasury.
NOTE
6. COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Accounting
principles generally require recognized revenue, expenses, gains, and losses to
be included in net income. Certain changes in assets and liabilities,
such as the after-tax effect of unrealized gains and losses on
available-for-sale securities, are not reflected in the statement of income, but
the cumulative effect of such items from period-to-period is reflected as a
separate component of the equity section of the balance sheet (accumulated other
comprehensive income or loss). Other comprehensive income or loss,
along with net income, comprises the Company's total comprehensive
income.
The
Company's total comprehensive income for the comparison periods is calculated as
follows:
For
the first quarter ended March 31,
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 217,048 | $ | 675,256 | ||||
Other
comprehensive income, net of tax:
|
||||||||
Unrealized
holding gain on available-for-sale
|
||||||||
securities
arising during the period
|
146,970 | 109,786 | ||||||
Tax
effect
|
(49,970 | ) | (37,327 | ) | ||||
Other
comprehensive income, net of tax
|
97,000 | 72,459 | ||||||
Total
comprehensive income
|
$ | 314,048 | $ | 747,715 |
NOTE
7. MERGER AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS
On
December 31, 2007, the Company completed its acquisition of LyndonBank,
Lyndonville, Vermont, through the merger of LyndonBank with and into Community
National Bank, the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary. The aggregate
purchase price was approximately $26.7 million in cash. To finance a
portion of the acquisition costs, the Company issued $12.5 million of trust
preferred securities and 25 shares of non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock
for gross sale proceeds of $2.5 million.
The
transaction was accounted for as a purchase and, accordingly, the operations of
LyndonBank are included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements from
the date of the acquisition. The purchase price has been allocated to
assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on estimates of fair value at the
date of acquisition. The excess of purchase price over the fair value
of net tangible and intangible assets acquired has been recorded as
goodwill. During the first quarter of 2008, the Company received
valuations on bank premises and equipment to determine fair value and make the
necessary adjustments to bank premises and equipment, goodwill and the related
deferred tax liability. The adjustment to goodwill was an increase of
$212,884.
The
purchase price allocation, including adjustments described above, was as
follows:
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 12,079,764 | ||
Federal
Home Loan Bank stock
|
1,006,700 | |||
Investments
|
23,541,893 | |||
Loans,
net
|
94,898,984 | |||
Bank
premises and equipment
|
3,906,979 | |||
Prepaid
expenses and other assets
|
4,785,076 | |||
Identified
intangible assets
|
4,161,000 | |||
Goodwill
|
10,560,339 | |||
Deposits
|
(110,125,692 | ) | ||
Borrowings
|
(14,269,911 | ) | ||
Long-term
debt
|
(943,227 | ) | ||
Accrued
expenses and other liabilities
|
(2,886,859 | ) | ||
Aggregate
purchase price
|
$ | 26,715,046 |
The
$4.2 million of acquired intangible assets is the core deposit intangible and is
subject to amortization over the weighted-average life of the core deposit base
which was determined to be approximately 10 years.
The
goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes.
NOTE
8. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS
Effective
January 1, 2008, the Company adopted SFAS No. 157, which provides a framework
for measuring and disclosing fair value under generally accepted accounting
principles. SFAS No. 157 requires disclosures about the fair value of
assets and liabilities recognized in the balance sheet in periods subsequent to
initial recognition, whether the measurements are made on a recurring basis (for
example, available-for-sale investment securities) or on a nonrecurring basis
(for example, impaired loans).
SFAS
No. 157 defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an
asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most
advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between
market participants on the measurement date. SFAS No. 157 also
establishes a fair value hierarchy which requires an entity to maximize the use
of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring
fair value. The standard describes three levels of inputs that may be
used to measure fair value:
Level
1
|
Quoted
prices in active markets for identical assets or
liabilities. Level 1 assets and liabilities include debt and
equity securities and derivative contracts that are traded in an active
exchange market, as well as U.S. Treasury, other U.S. Government and
agency mortgage-backed debt securities that are highly liquid and are
actively traded in over-the-counter
markets.
|
Level
2
|
Observable
inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets
and liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other
inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market
data for substantially the full term of the assets or
liabilities. Level 2 assets and liabilities include debt
securities with quoted prices that are traded less frequently than
exchange-traded instruments and derivative contracts whose value is
determined using a pricing model with inputs that are observable in the
market or can be derived principally from or corroborated by observable
market data. This category generally includes certain
derivative contracts, residential mortgage servicing rights, and impaired
loans.
|
Level
3
|
Unobservable
inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are
significant to the fair value of the assets or
liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include financial
instruments whose value is determined using pricing models, discounted
cash flow methodologies, or similar techniques, as well as instruments for
which the determination of fair value requires significant management
judgment or estimation. For example, this category generally
includes certain private equity investments, retained residual interest in
securitizations, and highly-structured or long-term derivative
contracts.
|
A
financial instrument’s categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based
upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value
measurement. Assets measured at fair value on a recurring basis at
March 31, 2008 are summarized below:
Level
1
|
Level
2
|
Level
3
|
Fair
Value
|
|||||||||||||
Assets:
|
||||||||||||||||
Securities
available for sale
|
$ | 4,742,550 | $ | 33,623,703 | $ | 0 | $ | 38,366,253 | ||||||||
Mortgages
held-for-sale
|
0 | 1,294,564 | 0 | 1,294,564 | ||||||||||||
Mortgage
servicing rights
|
0 | 1,207,259 | 0 | 1,207,259 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 4,742,550 | $ | 36,125,526 | $ | 0 | $ | 40,868,076 |
The
fair value of securities available for sale equals quoted market prices, if
available. If quoted market prices are not available, fair value is
determined using quoted market prices for similar securities. Level 1
securities include U.S. Government Bonds and certain preferred
stock. Level 2 securities include asset-backed securities including
obligations of government sponsored entities, mortgage backed securities,
municipal bonds and equity securities.
The
fair value of loans held-for-sale is based upon an actual purchase and sale
agreement between the Company and an independent market
participant. The sale is executed within a reasonable period
following quarter end at the stated fair value.
Mortgage
servicing rights are initially recorded at estimated fair value and are then
periodically measured for impairment by projecting and discounting future cash
flows associated with servicing at market rates. The projection of
cash flows is a Level 2 measurement, incorporating assumptions of changes in
cash flows due to estimated prepayments, estimated costs to service and
estimates of other servicing income. Market assumptions are used and
primarily include discount rates and expected prepayments. As of
March 31, 2008, the Company’s mortgage servicing rights measured at fair value
totaled $1.2 million. During the first quarter of 2008, the Company
recorded $30,037 of non-interest expense related to the impairment of mortgage
servicing rights.
Assets
measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis and reflected in the balance
sheet at March 31, 2008 are summarized below:
Level
1
|
Level
2
|
Level
3
|
Fair
Value
|
|||||||||||||
Impaired
loans
|
$ | 0 | $ | 381,863 | $ | 0 | $ | 381,863 |
Impaired
loans are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis. Loans which
are deemed to be impaired are primarily valued at the fair values of the
underlying real estate collateral. Such fair values are obtained
using independent appraisals, which the Company considers to be level 2
inputs. These adjustments to fair value usually result from
application of lower of cost or fair value accounting or write-downs of
individual assets due to impairment.
NOTE
9. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
The
Company's subsidiary, Community National Bank, as successor by merger to
LyndonBank, is a defendant in an action filed in Quebec, Canada by a Canadian
attorney who previously had been retained by LyndonBank to represent the bank in
connection with a loan collection matter. The plaintiff-attorney
alleges that he is entitled to approximately $30,500 (CAN) (approximately
$30,400 USD at the current exchange rate), which represents legal fees equal to
5% of the assessed value of the real property collateral, plus
expenses. The Bank disputes the amount of his claim as well as the
existence of any percentage fee arrangement. The Bank has retained
new Canadian counsel in connection with this matter which is defending the
action. Pending resolution of the claim, the Bank will be required to
place in escrow approximately $93,400 (CAN) (approximately $93,135 USD),
representing the net proceeds previously received by LyndonBank from the sale of
real property collateral in the collection matter (now
concluded). Although the Company does not believe that an adverse
resolution of this claim would have a material adverse effect on the Company's
consolidated financial condition, such a resolution could have a material
adverse effect on the Company's consolidated results of operations in the annual
or quarterly period in which the adverse resolution occurred.
In
addition to the foregoing matter, in the normal course of business the Company
and its subsidiary are involved in litigation that is considered incidental to
their business. Management does not expect that any such litigation
will be material to the Company's consolidated financial condition or results of
operations.
ITEM 2.
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
MANAGEMENT'S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL
CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
for the
Period Ended March 31, 2008
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
The
Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations may contain certain forward-looking statements about the
Company's operations, financial condition and business. When used therein, the
words "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "plans,"
"predicts," or similar expressions, indicate that management of the Company is
making forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking
statements are not guarantees of future performance. They necessarily
involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Future results of the
Company may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking
statements. Examples of forward looking statements contained in this
discussion include, but are not limited to, management’s expectations as to
future asset growth, income trends, results of operations and other matters
reflected in the Overview section, estimated contingent liability related to the
Company's participation in the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) Mortgage
Partnership Finance (MPF) program, assumptions made within the asset/liability
management process, and management's expectations as to the future interest rate
environment and the Company's related liquidity level. Although these statements
are based on management's current expectations and estimates, many of the
factors that could influence or determine actual results are unpredictable and
not within the Company's control. Readers are cautioned not to place
undue reliance on such statements as they speak only as of the date they are
made. The Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for
forward-looking statements provided in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995.
Factors
that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by
these forward-looking statements include, among others, the following
possibilities: (1) competitive pressures increase among financial services
providers in the Company's northern New England market area or in the financial
services industry generally, including competitive pressures from nonbank
financial service providers, from increasing consolidation and integration of
financial service providers, and from changes in technology and delivery
systems, which erode the competitive advantage of in-market branch facilities;
(2) interest rates change in such a way as to reduce the Company's margins; (3)
general economic or monetary conditions, either nationally or regionally, are
less favorable than expected, resulting in a deterioration in credit quality or
a diminished demand for the Company's products and services; (4) changes in laws
or government rules, or the way in which courts interpret those laws or rules,
adversely affect the Company's business; and (5) unanticipated difficulties,
expenses or delays might arise in the integration of LyndonBank’s operations or
we may not fully realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition or realize
them within expected timeframes.
A NOTE TO
READER.
The
Company’s acquisition of LyndonBank became effective on December 31,
2007. Accordingly, the Company’s first quarter 2008 results discussed
in this report are of the merged institution of Community National Bank and the
former LyndonBank. The comparative period information in this report
as of March 31, 2007 and for the quarter then ended does not include data for
LyndonBank.
OVERVIEW
After
months of extensive planning and testing, the computer systems of Community
National Bank and the former LyndonBank were merged. March 24, 2008,
all 14 Community National Bank branches opened on the same computer
system. The cost associated with the conversion and other merger
related expenses significantly affected first quarter earnings.
Net
income for the first quarter of 2008 was $217,048 or $0.05 per share versus
$675,256 or $0.15 per share for the same period last year. Net
interest income for the first quarter of 2008 was $3.72 million compared to
$3.27 million for the first quarter of 2007. The increase was due to
the growth in the balance sheet from the acquisition of Lyndonbank on December
31, 2007, offset somewhat by the compression of the net interest margin due to
the declining interest rates during the quarter and the amortization of the fair
value adjustments of the loans and deposits. Prolonged low interest rates will
continue to pose challenges to the Company’s ability to increase net interest
income.
Total
assets at March 31, 2008 were $495.1 million compared to $502.0 million at
December 31, 2007 and $338.8 million at March 31, 2007. The increase
in assets when the merger transaction was completed, net of cash paid, was
$128.5 million. The assets acquired at December 31, 2007, net of fair
value adjustments, were net loans of $94.9 million, investments of $24.6
million, fixed assets of $3.9 million and $4.8 million in other
assets. Contributing to the increase in assets year-to-year is an
increase in Community National Bank’s municipal investments of $23.4
million. With out the acquired loans, the loan portfolio would have
decreased by $2.2 million. Loan demand followed the normal cyclical
pattern during the first quarter with lower loan demand at the beginning of the
year and increasing toward the end of the quarter.
Non-interest
income for the first quarter of 2008 was $895,774 compared to $703,346 for the
first quarter of 2007. While the merger resulted in an increase in
service charges on deposit accounts in the first quarter of 2008, 2007 included
fee income from the credit card portfolio that was sold in the third quarter of
2007. Non-interest expenses were $4.8 million for the first quarter
of 2008 compared to $3.2 million for the same period in
2007. Contributing significantly to the increase in non-interest
expenses in 2008 were one-time merger related expenses in the first quarter of
approximately $450,000, including the cost of the computer conversion and
termination of contracts and service agreements of
LyndonBank. The regulatory environment continues to
increase operating costs and place extensive burden on management resources to
comply with rules such as Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the US Patriot Act and the
Bank Secrecy Act to protect the U.S. Financial system and the customer from
fraud, identity theft, anti-money laundering, and terrorism.
The
following pages describe our first quarter financial results in much more
detail. Please take the time to read them to more fully understand the three
months ended March 31, 2008 in relation to the 2007 comparison
periods. The discussion below should be read in conjunction with the
Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company and related notes included in
this report and with the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2007. This report includes forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange
Act").
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING
POLICIES
The
Company’s consolidated financial statements are prepared according to accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The
preparation of such financial statements requires management to make estimates
and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities,
revenues and expenses and related disclosure of contingent assets and
liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and related
notes. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has defined a
company’s critical accounting policies as the ones that are most important to
the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations,
and which require the Company to make its most difficult and subjective
judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates of matters that are
inherently uncertain. Because of the significance of these estimates
and assumptions, there is a high likelihood that materially different amounts
would be reported for the Company under different conditions or using different
assumptions or estimates.
Management
evaluates on an ongoing basis its judgment as to which policies are considered
to be critical. Management believes that the calculation of the allowance for
loan losses (ALL) is a critical accounting policy that requires the most
significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of its consolidated
financial statements. In estimating the ALL, management considers
historical experience as well as other factors including the effect of changes
in the local real estate market on collateral values, current economic
indicators and their probable impact on borrowers and changes in delinquent,
non-performing or impaired loans. Management’s estimates used in
calculating the ALL may increase or decrease based on changes in these factors,
which in turn will affect the amount of the Company’s provision for loan losses
charged against current period income. Actual results could differ
significantly from these estimates under different assumptions, judgments or
conditions.
Occasionally,
the Company acquires property in connection with foreclosures or in satisfaction
of debt previously contracted. To determine the value of property
acquired in foreclosure, management often obtains independent appraisals for
significant properties. Because the extent of any recovery on these
loans depends largely on the amount the Company is able to realize upon
liquidation of the underlying collateral, the recovery of a substantial portion
of the carrying amount of foreclosed real estate is susceptible to changes in
local market conditions. The amount of the change that is reasonably
possible cannot be estimated. In addition, regulatory agencies, as an
integral part of their examination process, periodically review the Company’s
allowance for losses on loans and foreclosed real estate. Such
agencies may require the Company to recognize additions to the allowances based
on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their
examination.
Companies
are required to perform periodic reviews of individual securities in their
investment portfolios to determine whether decline in the value of a security is
other than temporary. A review of other-than-temporary impairment requires
companies to make certain judgments regarding the materiality of the decline,
its effect on the financial statements and the probability, extent and timing of
a valuation recovery and the company’s intent and ability to hold the security.
Pursuant to these requirements, management assesses valuation declines to
determine the extent to which such changes are attributable to fundamental
factors specific to the issuer, such as financial condition, business prospects
or other factors or market-related factors, such as interest rates. Declines in
the fair value of securities below their cost that are deemed to be other than
temporary are recorded in earnings as realized losses.
Under
current accounting rules, mortgage servicing rights associated with loans
originated and sold, where servicing is retained, are capitalized and included
in other assets in the consolidated balance sheet. Mortgage servicing rights are
amortized into non-interest income in proportion to, and over the period of,
estimated future net servicing income of the underlying financial assets.
Mortgage servicing rights are evaluated for impairment based upon the fair value
of the rights as compared to amortized cost. The value of capitalized servicing
rights represents the present value of the future servicing fees arising from
the right to service loans in the portfolio. The carrying value of the mortgage
servicing rights is periodically reviewed for impairment based on a
determination of fair value and impairment, if any, is recognized through a
valuation allowance and is recorded as amortization of other
assets. Critical accounting policies for mortgage servicing rights
relate to the initial valuation and subsequent impairment tests. The methodology
used to determine the valuation of mortgage servicing rights requires the
development and use of a number of estimates, including anticipated principal
amortization and loan prepayments. Events that may significantly affect the
estimates used are changes in interest rates and the payment performance of the
underlying loans. In conjunction with the implementation of SFAS No.
156, “Accounting for Servicing of Financial Assets-an Amendment to FASB
Statement No. 140”, the Company implemented changes to its valuation analysis,
through the guidance of a third party provider.
Accounting
for a business combination requires the application of the purchase method of
accounting. Under the purchase method, the Company is required to
record the net assets and liabilities acquired through the merger at fair market
value, with the excess of the purchase price over the fair market value of the
net assets recorded as goodwill and evaluated annually for
impairment. Management acknowledges the determination of fair value
requires the use of assumptions, including discount rates, changes in which
could significantly affect fair values.
Management
utilizes numerous techniques to estimate the carrying value of various assets
held by the Company, including, but not limited to, bank premises and equipment
and deferred taxes. The assumptions considered in making these estimates are
based on historical experience and on various other factors that are believed by
management to be reasonable under the circumstances. Management
acknowledges that the use of different estimates or assumptions could produce
different estimates of carrying values.
RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
The
first quarter of 2008 was the first quarter of combined operations following the
Company’s acquisition of LyndonBank, which became effective on December 31,
2007. Accordingly, in the discussion that follows prior period income
and expense figures are for the Company, and do not include LyndonBank’s results
of operations.
The
Company’s net income for the first quarter of 2008 was $217,048, representing a
decrease of $458,208, or 67.9% over net income of $675,256 for the first quarter
of 2007. This resulted in earnings per share of $0.05 and $0.15, respectively,
for the first quarters of 2008 and 2007. Core earnings (net interest
income) for the first quarter of 2008 increased $448,756, or 13.7% over the
first quarter of 2007. Interest income on loans, the major component
of interest income, increased $1.4 million or 28.6%, and interest and dividend
income on investments increased $485,757 or 105.0%. Interest expense on
deposits, the major component of interest expense, increased $1.0 million, or
52.7%, between periods and interest on federal funds purchased and other
borrowed funds increased $136,644. All of these increases are the
result of increases in earning assets and interest bearing liabilities through
the Company’s recent merger with LyndonBank. As a result of the
merger, the Company is required to amortize the fair value adjustments of the
loans and deposits against net interest income. The loan fair value
adjustment was a net premium, therefore creating a decrease of $115,724 in
interest income for the first quarter of 2008. The amortization of
the core deposit intangible and the certificate of deposit fair value adjustment
resulted in $273,050 of additional interest expense for the first quarter of
2008. The Company incurred some expenses during the first quarter of
2008 that were a direct result of the merger, including costs to terminate
service contracts held by the former LyndonBank, costs of outside contracts to
complete the computer and network conversions, the cost of a communication
booklet for the customers, and salary and wages for the personnel needed to
complete the merger and the conversion of computer systems.
Return
on average assets (ROA), which is net income divided by average total assets,
measures how effectively a corporation uses its assets to produce
earnings. Return on average equity (ROE), which is net income divided
by average shareholders' equity, measures how effectively a corporation uses its
equity capital to produce earnings. ROA and ROE were significantly
lower in the first quarter of 2008 compared to 2007, reflecting the effect of
merger-related expenses. The following table shows these ratios
annualized for the comparison periods.
For
the first quarter ended March 31,
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Return
on Average Assets
|
0.17 | % | .78 | % | ||||
Return
on Average Equity
|
2.50 | % | 9.21 | % |
INTEREST INCOME LESS
INTEREST EXPENSE (NET INTEREST INCOME)
Net
interest income, the difference between interest income and interest expense,
represents the largest portion of the Company's earnings, and is affected by the
volume, mix, and rate sensitivity of earning assets and interest bearing
liabilities, market interest rates and the amount of non-interest bearing funds
which support earning assets. The three tables below provide a visual
comparison of the consolidated figures, and are stated on a tax equivalent basis
assuming a federal tax rate of 34%. The Company’s corporate tax rate
is 34%, therefore, to equalize tax-free and taxable income in the comparison, we
must divide the tax-free income by 66%, with the result that every tax-free
dollar is equal to $1.52 in taxable income.
Tax-exempt
income is derived from municipal investments, which comprise the entire
held-to-maturity portfolio of $44.2 million, along with a small portfolio within
the available-for-sale portfolio amounting to approximately $1.2
million. The Company also has Agency Stock in its available-for-sale
portfolio amounting to $1.3 million that carries a 70% tax exemption on the
interest income generated. Both of these available-for-sale
portfolios were acquired through the merger with LyndonBank.
The
following table shows the reconciliation between reported net interest income
and tax equivalent, net interest income for the three month comparison periods
of 2008 and 2007:
For
the three months ended March 31,
|
2008
|
2007
|
||||||
Net
interest income as presented
|
$ | 3,715,525 | $ | 3,266,769 | ||||
Effect
of tax-exempt income
|
203,568 | 106,528 | ||||||
Net
interest income, tax equivalent
|
$ | 3,919,093 | $ | 3,373,297 |
AVERAGE
BALANCES AND INTEREST RATES
The
table below presents average earning assets and average interest-bearing
liabilities supporting earning assets. Interest income (excluding
interest on non-accrual loans) and interest expense are both expressed on a tax
equivalent basis, both in dollars and as a rate/yield for the 2008 and 2007
comparison periods. Loans are stated before deduction of non-accrual
loans, unearned discount and allowance for loan losses. Average
earning assets and liabilities for the 2007 comparison period do not include the
earning assets and liabilities of LyndonBank.
For
the Three Months Ended:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Average
|
Income/
|
Rate/
|
Average
|
Income/
|
Rate/
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Balance
|
Expense
|
Yield
|
Balance
|
Expense
|
Yield
|
|||||||||||||||||||
EARNING
ASSETS
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Loans
(gross)
|
$ | 356,296,534 | $ | 6,127,296 | 6.92 | % | $ | 268,765,407 | $ | 4,763,196 | 7.19 | % | ||||||||||||
Taxable
Investment Securities
|
40,640,048 | 495,453 | 4.90 | % | 21,771,660 | 207,770 | 3.87 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Tax
Exempt Investment Securities
|
41,801,655 | 598,729 | 5.76 | % | 20,863,909 | 313,318 | 6.09 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Federal
Funds Sold
|
0 | 0 | 0.00 | % | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Interest
Earning Deposit Accounts
|
3,977,863 | 58,518 | 5.92 | % | 2,606,060 | 32,245 | 5.02 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Other
Investments
|
3,843,850 | 59,660 | 6.24 | % | 2,348,080 | 49,957 | 8.63 | % | ||||||||||||||||
TOTAL
|
$ | 446,559,950 | $ | 7,339,656 | 6.61 | % | $ | 316,355,116 | $ | 5,366,486 | 6.88 | % | ||||||||||||
INTEREST
BEARING LIABILITIES & EQUITY
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
NOW
& Money Market Funds
|
$ | 119,486,783 | $ | 846,944 | 2.87 | % | $ | 75,401,509 | $ | 442,389 | 2.38 | % | ||||||||||||
Savings
Deposits
|
48,737,146 | 111,768 | 0.93 | % | 38,801,457 | 33,342 | 0.35 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Time
Deposits
|
183,071,611 | 1,947,592 | 4.31 | % | 132,171,953 | 1,427,625 | 4.38 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Fed
Funds Purchased and
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other
Borrowed Funds
|
11,100,352 | 125,307 | 4.58 | % | 544,533 | 7,713 | 5.74 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Repurchase
Agreements
|
17,491,623 | 77,378 | 1.79 | % | 14,999,911 | 82,120 | 2.22 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Capital
Lease Obligations
|
939,237 | 19,051 | 8.23 | % | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Junior
Subordinated Debentures
|
12,887,000 | 292,523 | 9.21 | % | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | % | ||||||||||||||||
TOTAL
|
$ | 396,213,752 | $ | 3,420,563 | 3.52 | % | $ | 261,919,363 | $ | 1,993,189 | 3.09 | % | ||||||||||||
Net
Interest Income
|
$ | 3,919,093 | $ | 3,373,297 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net
Interest Spread(1)
|
3.09 | % | 3.79 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||
Interest
Margin(2)
|
3.53 | % | 4.32 | % |
(1) Net
interest spread is the difference between the yield on earning assets and
the rate paid on interest bearing liabilities.
|
(2) Interest
margin is net interest income divided by average earning
assets.
|
The
average volume of earning assets for the first three months of 2008 increased
$130.2 million, or 41.2% compared to the same period of 2007, while average
yield decreased 27 basis points. The average volume of loans
increased $87.5 million or 32.6%, while the average volume of the investment
portfolio increased $39.8 million between periods. These increases
are attributable to the merger with LyndonBank at December 31, 2007, in which
the Company acquired $94.8 million in loans, and $23.5 million in
available-for-sale investments. These figures are actual, compared to
the average volumes discussed above and throughout this
section. Interest earned on the loan portfolio comprised
approximately 83.5% of total interest income for the first three months of 2008
and 88.8% for the 2007 comparison period. Interest earned on tax
exempt investments (which is presented on a tax equivalent basis) comprised 8.2%
for the first three months of 2008 compared to 5.8% for the same period in
2007. As mentioned earlier in this discussion, the Company
acquired $2.5 million in tax exempt investments in the merger with LyndonBank,
contributing to this increase.
In
comparison, the average volume of interest bearing liabilities for the first
three months of 2008 increased approximately $134.3 million, or 51.3% over the
2007 comparison period, and the average rate paid on these accounts increased 43
basis points. The average volume of time deposits increased $50.9
million, or 38.5%, and the interest paid on time deposits, which comprises 56.9%
and 71.6%, respectively, of total interest expense for the 2008 and 2007
comparison periods, increased $519,967, or 36.4%. NOW and money
market funds increased $44.1 million or 58.5%, and the interest paid on these
funds comprises 24.8% and 22.2%, respectively, of the total interest expense for
the three months of 2008 and 2007. The Company acquired actual
balances totaling $29.7 million in NOW and money market funds and $54.1 million
in time deposits at December 31, 2007 through the merger with
LyndonBank. The increase in average rate is attributable, not only to
a capital lease obligation the Company acquired through the merger with an
average rate of 8.23%, but also through the issuance of $12.5 million of trust
preferred securities with an average rate of 7.73%, and the issuance of 25
shares of non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock valued at $2.5 million with
an average rate of 7.6%. These securities helped to finance the
year-end acquisition. The cumulative result of all these changes was
an increase of $545,796 in tax equivalent net interest income, however coupled
with a significant increase in the balance sheet the result was a decrease in
net interest spread of 70 basis points and a decrease of 79 basis points in the
interest margin.
CHANGES
IN INTEREST INCOME AND INTEREST EXPENSE
The
following table summarizes the variances in interest income and interest expense
on a fully tax-equivalent basis for the first three months of 2008 and 2007
resulting from volume changes in average assets and average liabilities and
fluctuations in rates earned and paid.
Variance
|
Variance
|
|||||||||||
RATE
/ VOLUME
|
Due
to
|
Due
to
|
Total
|
|||||||||
Rate(1)
|
Volume(1)
|
Variance
|
||||||||||
INCOME
EARNING ASSETS
|
||||||||||||
Loans
(2)
|
(187,719 | ) | 1,551,819 | 1,364,100 | ||||||||
Taxable
Investment Securities
|
107,632 | 180,051 | 287,683 | |||||||||
Tax
Exempt Investment Securities
|
(28,999 | ) | 314,410 | 285,411 | ||||||||
Federal
Funds Sold
|
0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Sweep
and Other Interest Earning Accounts
|
9,293 | 16,980 | 26,273 | |||||||||
Other
Investments
|
(22,126 | ) | 31,829 | 9,703 | ||||||||
Total
Interest Earnings
|
(121,919 | ) | 2,095,089 | 1,973,170 | ||||||||
INTEREST
BEARING LIABILITIES
|
||||||||||||
NOW
& Money Market Funds
|
145,841 | 258,714 | 404,555 | |||||||||
Savings
Deposits
|
69,851 | 8,575 | 78,426 | |||||||||
Time
Deposits
|
(29,749 | ) | 549,716 | 519,967 | ||||||||
Fed
Funds Purchased and Other Borrowed Funds
|
(31,807 | ) | 149,401 | 117,594 | ||||||||
Repurchase
Agreements
|
(18,382 | ) | 13,640 | (4,742 | ) | |||||||
Capital
Lease Obligations
|
19,051 | 0 | 19,051 | |||||||||
Junior
Subordinated Debentures
|
292,523 | 0 | 292,523 | |||||||||
Total
Interest Expense
|
447,328 | 980,046 | 1,427,374 | |||||||||
Changes
in Net Interest Income
|
(569,247 | ) | 1,115,043 | 545,796 |
(1)
Items which have shown a year-to-year increase in volume have variances
allocated as follows:
|
Variance
due to rate = Change in rate x new volume
|
Variance
due to volume = Change in volume x old rate
|
Items
which have shown a year-to-year decrease in volume have variances
allocated as follows:
|
Variance
due to rate = Change in rate x old volume
|
Variances
due to volume = Change in volume x new rate
|
(2)
Loans are stated before deduction of unearned discount and allowances for
loan losses. The
|
principal
balances of non-accrual loans is included in calculations of the yield on
loans, while
|
the
interest on these non-performing assets is
excluded.
|
NON-INTEREST INCOME AND
NON-INTEREST EXPENSE
Non-interest
income increased $192,428, or 27.4% for the first quarter of 2008 compared to
the first quarter of 2007, from $703,346 to $895 774. An increase in
service fees of $200,129, or 61.8% was not only attributable to the increase in
deposit accounts acquired through the merger with LyndonBank, but also through
an increase in various fees on all deposit accounts. The Company
acquired bank owned life insurance (BOLI) through the merger, and recognized
$32,485 in non-taxable income on this asset during the first quarter of
2008. The decrease in other income is attributable to the sale of the
Company’s credit card portfolio during the second half of
2007. Credit card income of $6,285 was reported for the first three
months of 2008, compared to $32,412 for the first three months of 2007, a
decrease of $26,127 or 80.6%. Credit card fee income is now limited
to commissions earned based on activity of the sold portfolio.
Non-interest
expense increased $1.4 million or 45.3% for the first quarter of 2008 compared
to 2007. Salaries and wages increased $517,736 or 45.8% for the first
quarter of 2008 compared to the same period in 2007, which is not only
attributable to normal increases in these expenses, but also to the increase in
personnel resulting from the LyndonBank merger, as well as a temporary increase
in personnel hours needed before and after the conversion of the computer system
of LyndonBank. In addition to the increase in salaries and wages, the
Company reported approximately $450,000 in merger related expenses, which are a
component of both occupancy and other expenses, during the first quarter of
2008.
Management
monitors all components of other non-interest expenses; however, a quarterly
review is performed to assure that the accruals for these expenses are
accurate. This helps alleviate the need to make significant
adjustments to these accounts that in turn affect the net income of the
Company.
APPLICABLE INCOME
TAXES
Provisions
for income taxes decreased $352,733 for the first quarter of 2008 compared to
the same quarter of 2007 as a direct result of the decrease in income before
taxes of $810,941.
CHANGES IN FINANCIAL
CONDITION
The
merger of the Bank and LyndonBank occurred on December 31, 2007, therefore, the
assets and liabilities presented in the discussion below for that period and
March 31, 2008 include the assets and liabilities of the former
LyndonBank.
The
following table reflects the composition of the Company's major categories of
assets and liabilities as a percent of total assets or liabilities and
shareholders’ equity, as the case may be, as of the dates
indicated:
ASSETS
|
March
31, 2008
|
December
31, 2007
|
March
31, 2007
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Loans
(gross)*
|
$ | 358,762,442 | 72.46 | % | $ | 356,571,083 | 71.03 | % | $ | 267,004,732 | 78.82 | % | ||||||||||||
Available
for Sale Securities
|
38,366,253 | 7.75 | % | 46,876,771 | 9.34 | % | 21,717,027 | 6.41 | % | |||||||||||||||
Held
to Maturity Securities
|
44,211,914 | 8.93 | % | 34,310,833 | 6.83 | % | 20,788,310 | 6.14 | % | |||||||||||||||
*includes
loans held for sale
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
LIABILITIES
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Time
Deposits
|
$ | 179,552,333 | 36.27 | % | $ | 185,136,803 | 36.88 | % | $ | 131,657,207 | 38.87 | % | ||||||||||||
Savings
Deposits
|
50,165,818 | 10.13 | % | 46,069,943 | 9.18 | % | 40,098,014 | 11.84 | % | |||||||||||||||
Demand
Deposits
|
48,820,207 | 9.86 | % | 64,019,707 | 12.75 | % | 46,801,261 | 13.82 | % | |||||||||||||||
NOW
& Money Market Funds
|
131,991,064 | 26.66 | % | 120,993,657 | 24.10 | % | 72,457,733 | 21.39 | % |
The
Company's loan portfolio increased $2.2 million, or 0.6% from December 31, 2007
to March 31, 2008, and $91.8 million, or 34.4%, from March 31, 2007 to March 31,
2008. The Company recorded $94.0 million in loans due to the merger
on December 31, 2007. Therefore, net of the merger, the Company’s
loans would have decreased $2.2 million or .8% from March 31, 2007 to March 31,
2008. Available-for-sale investments decreased $8.5 million or 18.2%
through maturities and calls during the first quarter of 2008. The
increase of $16.6 million year to year is the result of $23.5 million in
available-for-sale securities acquired in the merger less $6.9 million in
maturities and calls. Held-to-maturity securities increased $9.9
million or 28.9% during the first quarter of 2008, and $23.4 million or 112.7%
year to year. All LyndonBank investments were classified as
available-for-sale, therefore, these increases are entirely attributable to
increases in the Company’s own portfolio.
Time
deposits decreased $5.6 million or just over 3.0% for the first quarter of 2008,
while an increase of $47.9 million or 36.4% is noted year to
year. The Company acquired $53.4 million in time deposits, net of
fair value adjustments, without the merger the change would have been a decrease
of $5.5 million or 4.2%. Demand deposits decreased $15.2 million for the first
quarter of 2008, compared to an increase of just over $2.0 million year to
year. Although $18.1 million in demand deposits were acquired in the
merger, approximately $8 million were reclassified to NOW accounts after the
conversion. Savings deposits and NOW and money market funds reported
increases in both comparison periods, with a total increase of $15.1 million for
the first quarter of 2008, and $69.6 million or 61.8% year to
year. Total savings, NOW and money market accounts acquired at
December 31, 2007 were $38.6 million which also contributed to the total
increase of $69.6 million. The Company anticipated a post-merger
runoff of 3% in non maturing deposits during the first quarter; actual run off
of these deposits during the first quarter was closer to 5%.
RISK
MANAGEMENT
Interest Rate
Risk and Asset and Liability Management - Management actively
monitors and manages its interest rate risk exposure and attempts to structure
the balance sheet to maximize net interest income while controlling its exposure
to interest rate risk. The Company's Asset/Liability Management
Committee (ALCO) formulates strategies to manage interest rate risk by
evaluating the impact on earnings and capital of such factors as current
interest rate forecasts and economic indicators, potential changes in such
forecasts and indicators, liquidity, and various business
strategies. The ALCO meets monthly to review financial statements,
liquidity levels, yields and spreads to better understand, measure, monitor and
control the Company’s interest rate risk. In the ALCO process, the
committee members apply policy limits set forth in the Asset Liability,
Liquidity and Investment policies approved by the Company’s Board of
Directors. The ALCO's methods for evaluating interest rate risk
include an analysis of the effects of interest rate changes on net interest
income and an analysis of the Company's interest rate sensitivity "gap", which
provides a static analysis of the maturity and repricing characteristics of the
entire balance sheet.
Interest
rate risk represents the sensitivity of earnings to changes in market interest
rates. As interest rates change, the interest income and expense
streams associated with the Company’s interest sensitive assets and liabilities
also change, thereby impacting net interest income (NII), the primary component
of the Company’s earnings. Fluctuations in interest rates can also
have an impact on liquidity. The ALCO uses an outside consultant to
perform quarterly rate shock simulations to the Company's net interest income,
as well as a variety of other analyses. It is the ALCO’s function to
provide the assumptions used in the modeling process. The ALCO
utilizes the results of this simulation model to quantify the estimated exposure
of NII and liquidity to sustained interest rate changes. The
simulation model captures the impact of changing interest rates on the interest
income received and interest expense paid on all interest-earning assets and
interest-bearing liabilities reflected on the Company’s balance
sheet. Furthermore, the model simulates the balance sheet’s
sensitivity to a prolonged flat rate environment. All rate scenarios are
simulated assuming a parallel shift of the yield curve; however further
simulations are performed utilizing a flattening yield curve as well. This
sensitivity analysis is compared to the ALCO policy limits which specify a
maximum tolerance level for NII exposure over a 1-year horizon, assuming no
balance sheet growth, given a 200 basis point (bp) shift upward and a 100 bp
shift downward in interest rates. The analysis also provides a
summary of the Company's liquidity position. Furthermore, the analysis provides
testing of the assumptions used in previous simulation models by comparing the
projected NII with actual NII. The asset/liability simulation model
provides management with an important tool for making sound economic decisions
regarding the balance sheet.
While
assumptions are developed based upon current economic and local market
conditions, the Company cannot provide any assurances as to the predictive
nature of these assumptions including how or when customer preferences or
competitor influences might change.
Credit
Risk - A primary
concern of management is to reduce the exposure to credit loss within the loan
portfolio. Management follows
established underwriting guidelines, and any exceptions to the policy must be
approved by a loan officer with higher authority than the loan officer
originating the loan. The adequacy of the loan loss coverage is
reviewed quarterly by the risk management committee of the Board of
Directors. This committee meets to discuss, among other matters,
potential exposures, historical loss experience, and overall economic
conditions. Existing or potential problems are noted and addressed by
senior management in order to assess the risk of probable loss or
delinquency. A variety of loans are reviewed periodically by an
independent firm in order to help ensure accuracy of the Company's internal risk
ratings and compliance with various internal policies and procedures, as well as
those set by the regulatory authorities. The Company also employs a
Credit Administration Officer whose duties include monitoring and reporting on
the status of the loan portfolio including delinquent and non-performing
loans. Credit risk may also arise from geographic concentration of
loans. While the Company’s loan portfolio is derived primarily from
its primary market area in northern Vermont, geographic concentration is
partially mitigated by the continued growth of the Company’s loan portfolio in
Washington and Franklin counties, its newest market areas.
The
following table reflects the composition of the Company's loan portfolio as of
the dates indicated:
March
31, 2008
|
December
31, 2007
|
|||||||||||||||
Total
Loans
|
%
of Total
|
Total
Loans
|
%
of Total
|
|||||||||||||
Real
Estate Loans
|
||||||||||||||||
Construction
& Land Development
|
13,803,056 | 3.85 | % | 12,896,803 | 3.62 | % | ||||||||||
Secured
by Farm Land
|
9,207,270 | 2.57 | % | 9,645,648 | 2.70 | % | ||||||||||
1-4
Family Residential
|
200,977,746 | 56.02 | % | 195,844,303 | 54.92 | % | ||||||||||
Commercial
Real Estate
|
84,213,166 | 23.47 | % | 85,576,002 | 24.00 | % | ||||||||||
Loans
to Finance Agricultural Production
|
1,272,094 | 0.35 | % | 2,430,454 | 0.68 | % | ||||||||||
Commercial
& Industrial Loans
|
30,296,125 | 8.44 | % | 31,258,211 | 8.77 | % | ||||||||||
Consumer
Loans
|
17,210,507 | 4.80 | % | 18,461,620 | 5.18 | % | ||||||||||
All
other loans
|
1,782,478 | 0.50 | % | 459,241 | 0.13 | % | ||||||||||
Total
Gross Loans
|
358,762,442 | 100.00 | % | 356,572,281 | 100.00 | % | ||||||||||
Reserve
for loan losses
|
(2,969,847 | ) | -0.83 | % | (3,026,049 | ) | -0.85 | % | ||||||||
Unearned
loan fees
|
(385,293 | ) | -0.11 | % | (443,372 | ) | -0.12 | % | ||||||||
Net
Loans
|
355,407,302 | 99.06 | % | 353,119,281 | 99.03 | % |
Allowance for
loan losses and provisions - The Company maintains an
allowance for loan losses at a level that management believes is appropriate to
absorb losses inherent in the loan portfolio (See “Critical Accounting
Policies”). As of March 31, 2008, the Company maintained a residential loan
portfolio (including home equity lines of credit) of $201.0 million, compared to
$195.8 million at December 31, 2007, accounting for 56.0% and 54.9%,
respectively, of the total loan portfolio. The commercial real estate
portfolio (including construction, land development and farmland loans) totaled
$107.2 million and $108.1 million, respectively, at March 31, 2008 and December
31, 2007, comprising 29.9% and 30.3%, respectively, of the total loan
portfolio. The Company's commercial loan portfolio includes loans
that carry guarantees from government programs, thereby mitigating the Company's
credit risk on such loans. At March 31, 2008, the Company had $18.4
million in loans under various government loan guarantee programs, with the
guaranteed portion totaling $13.9 million, which is comparable to the numbers at
December 31, 2007. The volume of residential and commercial loans
secured by real estate, together with the low historical loan loss experience in
these portfolios, and experienced loan officers and well established loan
underwriting and credit administration staffs, helps to support the Company's
estimate for loan loss coverage.
The
following table summarizes the Company's loan loss experience for the three
months ended March 31,
2008
|
2007
|
|||||||
Loans
Outstanding End of Period
|
$ | 358,762,442 | $ | 267,004,732 | ||||
Average
Loans Outstanding During Period
|
$ | 356,296,534 | $ | 268,765,407 | ||||
Loan
Loss Reserve, Beginning of Period
|
$ | 3,026,049 | $ | 2,267,821 | ||||
Loans
Charged Off:
|
||||||||
Residential
Real Estate
|
0 | 0 | ||||||
Commercial
Real Estate
|
106,383 | 0 | ||||||
Commercial
Loans not Secured by Real Estate
|
7,044 | 0 | ||||||
Consumer
Loans
|
30,169 | 19,985 | ||||||
Total
Loans Charged Off
|
143,596 | 19,985 | ||||||
Recoveries:
|
||||||||
Residential
Real Estate
|
482 | 0 | ||||||
Commercial
Real Estate
|
178 | 0 | ||||||
Commercial
Loans not Secured by Real Estate
|
7,952 | 0 | ||||||
Consumer
Loans
|
16,283 | 10,649 | ||||||
Total
Recoveries
|
24,895 | 10,649 | ||||||
Net
Loans Charged Off
|
118,701 | 9,336 | ||||||
Provision
Charged to Income
|
62,499 | 37,500 | ||||||
Loan
Loss Reserve, End of Period
|
$ | 2,969,847 | $ | 2,295,985 | ||||
Net
Charge Offs to Average Loans Outstanding
|
0.033 | % | .003 | % | ||||
Loan
Loss Reserve to Average Loans Outstanding
|
0.834 | % | 0.854 | % |
Non-performing
assets for the comparison periods were as follows:
March
31, 2008
|
December
31, 2007
|
|||||||||||||||
Percent
|
Percent
|
|||||||||||||||
Balance
|
of
Total
|
Balance
|
of
Total
|
|||||||||||||
Non-Accruing
loans
|
$ | 854,942 | 54.29 | % | $ | 1,337,641 | 90.66 | % | ||||||||
Loans
past due 90 days or more and still accruing
|
719,876 | 45.71 | % | 137,742 | 9.34 | % | ||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 1,574,818 | 100.00 | % | $ | 1,475,383 | 100.00 | % |
Specific
allocations are made in the allowance for loan losses in situations management
believes may represent a greater risk for loss. In addition, a
portion of the allowance (termed "unallocated") is established to absorb
inherent losses that probably exist as of the valuation date although not
identified through management's objective processes for estimated credit
losses. A quarterly review of various qualitative factors, including
levels of, and trends in, delinquencies and non-accruals and national and local
economic trends and conditions, helps to ensure that areas with potential risk
are noted and coverage increased or decreased to reflect the trends in
delinquencies and non-accruals. Due in part to local economic
conditions, the Company increased this section of qualitative factors during the
first quarter of 2007, to allocate portions of the allowance to this
area. Residential mortgage loans make up the largest part of the loan
portfolio and have the lowest historical loss ratio, helping to alleviate the
overall risk. While the allowance is described as consisting of
separate allocated portions, the entire allowance is available to support loan
losses, regardless of category.
The
Company has experienced an increase in collection activity on loans 30 to 60
days past due during the first quarter of 2008. The Company works
actively with customers early in the delinquency process to help them to avoid
default or foreclosure. The Company’s non-accruing loan portfolio
decreased $482,699 or 36.1% due in part to payoffs through foreclosure sales and
partial chargeoffs on two other loans. The increase in the loans 90
days or more past due is attributable to two commercial loans of substantial
size. The Company does not anticipate losses on these two commercial
properties.
Market Risk
- In
addition to credit risk in the Company’s loan portfolio and liquidity risk, the
Company’s business activities also generate market risk. Market risk
is the risk of loss in a financial instrument arising from adverse changes in
market prices and rates, foreign currency exchange rates, commodity prices and
equity prices. The Company does not have any market risk sensitive
instruments acquired for trading purposes. The Company’s market risk
arises primarily from interest rate risk inherent in its lending, investing, and
deposit taking activities. Interest rate risk is directly related to
the different maturities and repricing characteristics of interest-bearing
assets and liabilities, as well as to loan prepayment risks, early withdrawal of
time deposits, and the fact that the speed and magnitude of responses to
interest rate changes vary by product. As discussed above under
"Interest Rate Risk and Asset and Liability Management", the Company actively
monitors and manages its interest rate risk through the ALCO
process.
FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH
OFF-BALANCE-SHEET RISK
The
Company is a party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in the
normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers and to
reduce its own exposure to fluctuations in interest rates. These
financial instruments include commitments to extend credit (including commercial
and construction lines of credit), standby letters of credit and risk-sharing
commitments on certain sold loans. Such instruments involve, to
varying degrees, elements of credit and interest rate risk in excess of the
amount recognized in the balance sheet. The contract or notional
amounts of those instruments reflect the extent of involvement the Company has
in particular classes of financial instruments. During the first
three months of 2008, the Company did not engage in any activity that created
any additional types of off-balance-sheet risk.
The
Company generally requires collateral or other security to support financial
instruments with credit risk. The Company's financial instruments or
commitments whose contract amount represents credit risk as of March 31, 2008
were as follows:
Contract
or
|
||||
Notional
Amount
|
||||
Unused
portions of home equity lines of credit
|
14,399,385 | |||
Other
commitments to extend credit
|
28,994,101 | |||
Residential
and commercial construction lines of credit
|
4,278,119 | |||
Standby
letters of credit and commercial letters of credit
|
215,680 | |||
Recourse
on sale of credit card portfolio
|
1,311,950 | |||
MPF
credit enhancement obligation, net of liability recorded
|
1,325,896 |
Since
some commitments expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts
do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The recourse
provision under the terms of the sale of the Company’s credit card portfolio in
2007 is based on total lines, not balances outstanding. Based on
historical losses, the Company does not expect any significant losses from this
commitment.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL
RESOURCES
Managing
liquidity risk is essential to maintaining both depositor confidence and
stability in earnings. Liquidity management refers to the ability of
the Company to adequately cover fluctuations in assets and
liabilities. Meeting loan demand (assets) and covering the withdrawal
of deposit funds (liabilities) are two key components of the liquidity
management process. The Company’s principal sources of funds are
deposits, amortization and prepayment of loans and securities, maturities of
investment securities, sales of loans available for sale, and earnings and funds
provided from operations. Maintaining a relatively stable funding
base, which is achieved by diversifying funding sources, competitively pricing
deposit products, and extending the contractual maturity of liabilities, reduces
the Company’s exposure to roll over risk on deposits and limits reliance on
volatile short-term borrowed funds. Short-term funding needs arise
from declines in deposits or other funding sources and funding of loan
commitments. The Company’s strategy is to fund assets to the maximum
extent possible with core deposits that provide a sizable source of relatively
stable and low-cost funds. When funding needs, including loan demand,
out pace deposit growth, it is necessary for the Company to use alternative
funding sources, such as investment portfolio maturities and short-term
borrowings, to meet these funding needs.
The
Company has taken the approach of offering deposit specials at competitive
rates, in varying terms that fit within the balance sheet mix. The
strategy of offering specials is meant to provide a means to retain deposits
while not having to reprice the entire deposit portfolio. The Company
recognizes that with increasing competition for deposits, it may at times be
desirable to utilize alternative sources of funding to supplement
deposits. In 2007, the Board of Directors approved an updated Asset
Liability Management Funding Policy that contemplates the expanded use of
brokered deposits. This will allow the Company to augment retail
deposits and borrowings with brokered deposits as needed to help fund
loans.
During
the first three months of 2008, the Company's available-for-sale investment
portfolio decreased $8.5 million through maturities and calls, while the
held-to-maturity investment portfolio increased $9.9 million and the loan
portfolio increased $2.2 million. On the liability side, NOW and
money market accounts increased $11.0 million and savings deposits increased
$4.1 million, while time deposits decreased $5.6 million, and demand deposits
decreased $15.2 million. Approximately $8 million in demand deposits
were reclassified into NOW accounts, accounting for a portion of the change in
these accounts.
As
a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBB), the Company has access
to pre-approved lines of credit. The Company had a $1.0 million
unsecured Federal Funds line with an available balance of the same at March 31,
2008. Interest is chargeable at a rate determined daily,
approximately 25 basis points higher than the rate paid on federal funds
sold. Additional borrowing capacity of approximately $79.3 million,
less outstanding advances, through the FHLBB is secured by the Company's
qualifying loan portfolio.
To
cover seasonal decreases in deposits primarily associated with municipal
accounts, the Company typically borrows short-term advances from the FHLBB and
pays the advances down as the municipal deposits flow back into the bank during
the third and fourth quarter. With the latest decrease in Federal
Funds rate, the Company will consider extending a portion of the overnight
funding need into short-term advances to mature as the seasonal deposits flow
back into the bank. At the end of the first quarter, the Company had
outstanding advances of $16.5 million consisting of the following:
Annual
|
Principal
|
||
Purchase
Date
|
Rate
|
Maturity
Date
|
Balance
|
Long-term
Advance
|
|||
November
16, 1992
|
7.67%
|
November
16, 2012
|
$10,000
|
Short-term
Advances
|
|||
March
28, 2008
|
2.5600%
|
April
28, 2008
|
$8,000,000
|
Overnight
Funds Purchased (FHLBB)
|
2.3125%
|
April
1, 2008
|
$8,466,000
|
Under
a separate agreement with FHLBB, the Company has the authority to collateralize
public unit deposits, up to its FHLBB borrowing capacity ($79.3 million less
outstanding advances noted above) with letters of credit issued by the
FHLBB. At March 31, 2008, approximately $67.5 million was pledged
under this agreement, as collateral for these deposits. A letter of
credit fee is charged to the Company quarterly based on the average daily
balance for the quarter at an annual rate of 20 basis points. The
average daily balance for the first quarter of 2008 was approximately $24.8
million.
During
April, 2008, the Company chose to file a Qualified Collateral Report with FHLBB
for the purpose of increasing its borrowing capacity. This report was
as of March 31, 2008, and included the qualifying loans of LyndonBank. The
report filed for December 31, 2007 did not include these loans, which was the
Company’s option. As a result of the report filed in April with March
31, 2008 balances, the Company’s borrowing capacity increased to $101.7 million,
less outstanding advances and pledges totaling $77.9 million.
Other
alternative sources of funding come from unsecured Federal Funds lines with two
other correspondent banks that total $7.5 million. There were no
balances outstanding on either line at March 31, 2008.
In
the first quarter of 2008, the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.17 per
share, payable in the second quarter of 2008, requiring an accrual of $749,929
at March 31, 2008.
The
following table illustrates the changes in shareholders' equity from December
31, 2007 to March 31, 2008:
Balance
at December 31, 2007 (book value $7.94 per share)
|
$ | 34,920,360 | ||
Net
income
|
217,048 | |||
Issuance
of stock through the Dividend Reinvestment Plan
|
233,273 | |||
Purchase
of treasury stock
|
0 | |||
Total
dividends declared
|
(747,929 | ) | ||
Unrealized
holding gain arising during the period on available-for-sale securities,
net of tax
|
97,000 | |||
Balance
at March 31, 2008 (book value $7.86 per share)
|
$ | 34,719,752 |
At
March 31, 2008, the Company reported that of the 405,000 shares authorized for
the stock buyback plan, 178,890 shares have been purchased, leaving 226,110
shares available for repurchase. The repurchase price paid for these
shares ranged from $9.75 per share in May of 2000 to $16.50 per share paid in
September of 2005. During the first quarter of 2008, the Company did
not repurchase any shares pursuant to the buyback authority. The last
purchase pursuant to such authority was December 23, 2005 in which 4,938 shares
were repurchased at a price of $16.00 per share. For additional information on
stock repurchases by the Company and affiliated purchasers (as defined in SEC
Rule 10b-18) refer to Part II, Item 2 of this Report.
The
primary source of funds for the Company's payment of dividends to its
shareholders is dividends paid to the Company by the Bank. The Bank,
as a national bank, is subject to the dividend restrictions set forth by the
Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC"). Under such restrictions, the
Bank may not, without the prior approval of the OCC, declare dividends in excess
of the sum of the current year's earnings (as defined) plus the retained
earnings (as defined) from the prior two years.
Quantitative
measures established by regulation to ensure capital adequacy require the
Company to maintain minimum amounts and ratios of total and Tier 1 capital (as
defined in the regulations) to risk-weighted assets (as defined), and a
so-called leverage ratio of Tier 1 capital (as defined) to average assets (as
defined). Under current guidelines, banks must maintain a risk-based
capital ratio of 8.0%, of which at least 4.0% must be in the form of core
capital (as defined).
Regulators
have also established minimum capital ratio guidelines for FDIC-insured banks
under the prompt corrective action provisions of the Federal Deposit Insurance
Act, as amended. These minimums are a total risk-based capital ratio
of 10.0%, a Tier I risk-based capital ratio of 6%, and a leverage ratio of
5%. As of March 31, 2008, the Company’s Subsidiary was deemed well
capitalized under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action. There
are no conditions or events since that time that management believes have
changed the Subsidiary's classification.
The risk
based ratios of the Company and its subsidiary as of March 31, 2008 and December
31, 2007 exceeded regulatory guidelines and are presented in the table
below.
Minimum
To Be Well
|
||||||
Minimum
|
Capitalized
Under
|
|||||
For
Capital
|
Prompt
Corrective
|
|||||
Actual
|
Adequacy
Purposes:
|
Action
Provisions:
|
||||
Amount
|
Ratio
|
Amount
|
Ratio
|
Amount
|
Ratio
|
|
(Dollars
in Thousands)
|
||||||
As
of March 31, 2008:
|
||||||
Total
capital (to risk-weighted assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated
|
$34,318
|
10.48%
|
$26,206
|
8.0%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$34,294
|
10.50%
|
$26,117
|
8.0%
|
$32,646
|
10.0%
|
Tier
I capital (to risk-weighted assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated
|
$31,348
|
9.57%
|
$13,103
|
4.0%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$31,324
|
9.60%
|
$13,059
|
4.0%
|
$19,588
|
6.0%
|
Tier
I capital (to average assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated
|
$31,348
|
6.40%
|
$19,578
|
4.0%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$31,324
|
6.41%
|
$19,553
|
4.0%
|
$24,442
|
5.0%
|
As
of December 31, 2007:
|
||||||
Total
capital (to risk-weighted assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated*
|
$36,975
|
15.48%
|
$19,104
|
8.0%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Community
National Bank
|
$48,506
|
20.41%
|
$19,013
|
8.0%
|
$23,766
|
10.0%
|
Former
LyndonBank
|
$13,536
|
12.94%
|
$ 8,365
|
8.0%
|
$10,457
|
10.0%
|
Tier
I capital (to risk-weighted assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated*
|
$34,736
|
14.55%
|
$ 9,552
|
4.0%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Community
National Bank
|
$46,267
|
19.47%
|
$ 9,506
|
4.0%
|
$14,260
|
6.0%
|
Former
LyndonBank
|
$12,749
|
12.19%
|
$ 4,183
|
4.0%
|
$ 6,274
|
6.0%
|
Tier
I capital (to average assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated*
|
$34,736
|
9.40%
|
$14,785
|
4.0%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Community
National Bank
|
$46,267
|
12.54%
|
$14,752
|
4.0%
|
$18,440
|
5.0%
|
Former
LyndonBank
|
$12,749
|
8.26%
|
$ 6,153
|
4.0%
|
$ 7,691
|
5.0%
|
*Consolidated
refers to Community Bancorp. and Community National Bank before consolidation of
the former LyndonBank assets. The Federal Regulators approved the
filing of separate Call Reports for Community National Bank and the former
LyndonBank; therefore, numbers presented in the table above for 2007 are as
filed with the applicable reporting agencies at December 31, 2007.
The
Company intends to maintain a capital resource position in excess of the
minimums shown above. Consistent with that policy, management will
continue to anticipate the Company's future capital needs.
From
time to time the Company may make contributions to the capital of Community
National Bank. At present, regulatory authorities have made no demand
on the Company to make additional capital contributions.
The
Company's management of the credit, liquidity and market risk inherent in its
business operations is discussed in Part 1, Item 2 of this report under the
caption "RISK MANAGEMENT", which is incorporated herein by
reference. Management does not believe that there have been any
material changes in the nature or categories of the Company's risk exposures
from those disclosed in the Company’s 2007 annual report on form
10-K.
ITEM 4T.
Controls and Procedures
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
Management
is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective disclosure controls
and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). As of March 31, 2008, an evaluation was
performed under the supervision and with the participation of management,
including the principal executive officer and principal financial officer, of
the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure
controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation, management
concluded that its disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2008 were
effective in ensuring that material information required to be disclosed in the
reports it files with the Commission under the Exchange Act was recorded,
processed, summarized, and reported on a timely basis.
Management’s
Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management
is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal controls over
financial reporting, as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange
Act. As of December 31, 2007, an evaluation was performed under the
supervision and with the participation of management, including the principal
executive officer and principal financial officer, of the effectiveness of the
design and operation of the Company’s internal controls over financial
reporting. Management assessed the Company’s system of internal
control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2007, in relation to
criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting as described in
“Internal Control – Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment,
management believes that, as of December 31, 2007, its system of internal
control over financial reporting met those criteria and is
effective. As required by Rule 13a-15 under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), the Company has evaluated the
effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls
and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this
report. This evaluation was carried out under the supervision and
with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Company’s
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and its President and Chief Operating
Officer (Chief Financial Officer). Based upon that evaluation, such
officers concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were
effective as of the end of the period covered by this report. For
this purpose, the term “disclosure controls and procedures” means controls and
other procedures of the Company that are designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed by it in the reports that it files or submits under the
Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78a et
seq.) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time
periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls
and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to
ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports
that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated
to the Company’s management, including its principal executive and principal
financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to
allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes
in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There
were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that
occurred during the quarter ended March 31, 2008 that have materially affected,
or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control
over financial reporting.
PART II.
OTHER INFORMATION
The
Company and/or its Subsidiary are subject to various claims and legal actions
that have arisen in the normal course of business. Management does
not expect that the ultimate disposition of these matters, individually or in
the aggregate, will have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial
statements.
The
following table provides information as to purchases of the Company’s common
stock during the first quarter ended March 31, 2008, by the Company and by any
affiliated purchaser (as defined in SEC Rule 10b-18):
Maximum
|
||||||||||||||||
Number
of Shares
|
||||||||||||||||
Total
Number of
|
That
May Yet Be
|
|||||||||||||||
Total
Number
|
Average
|
Shares
Purchased
|
Purchased
Under
|
|||||||||||||
Of
Shares
|
Price
Paid
|
as
Part of Publicly
|
the
Plan at the
|
|||||||||||||
For
the period:
|
Purchased(1)(2)
|
Per
Share
|
Announced
Plan(3)
|
End
of the Period
|
||||||||||||
January
1 – January 31
|
1,000 | $ | 14.00 | 0 | 226,110 | |||||||||||
February
1 – February 29
|
2,136 | $ | 13.75 | 0 | 226,110 | |||||||||||
March
1 - March 31
|
1,000 | $ | 13.75 | 0 | 226,110 | |||||||||||
Total
|
4,136 | $ | 13.81 | 0 | 226,110 |
(1) All
4,136 shares were purchased for the account of participants invested in the
Company Stock Fund under the Company’s Retirement Savings Plan by or on behalf
of the Plan Trustee, the Human Resources Committee of Community National
Bank. Such share purchases were facilitated through Community
Financial Services Group, LLC (“CFSG”), which provides certain investment
advisory services to the Plan. Both the Plan Trustee and CFSG may be
considered affiliates of the Company under Rule 10b-18. All purchases
by the Plan were made in the open market in brokerage transactions and reported
on the OTC Bulletin Board©.
(2) Shares
purchased during the period do not include fractional shares repurchased from
time to time in connection with the participant's election to discontinue
participation in the Company's Dividend Reinvestment Plan.
(3) The
Company’s Board of Directors in April, 2000 initially authorized the repurchase
from time to time of up to 205,000 shares of the Company’s common stock in open
market and privately negotiated transactions, in management’s discretion and as
market conditions may warrant. The Board extended this authorization
on October 15, 2002 to repurchase an additional 200,000 shares, with an
aggregate limit for such repurchases under both authorizations of $3.5
million. The approval did not specify a termination
date.
The
following exhibits are filed with this report:
Exhibit
31.1 - Certification from the Chief Executive Officer of the Company pursuant to
section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Exhibit
31.2 - Certification from the Chief Financial Officer of the Company pursuant to
section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Exhibit
32.1 - Certification from the Chief Executive Officer of the Company pursuant to
18 U.S.C., Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*
Exhibit
32.2 - Certification from the Chief Financial Officer of the Company pursuant to
18 U.S.C., Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*
*This
exhibit shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section, and
shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the
Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Act of 1934.
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
COMMUNITY
BANCORP.
DATED: May
15, 2008
|
/s/ Stephen P.
Marsh
|
|
Stephen
P. Marsh, President &
|
||
Chief
Executive Officer
|
||
DATED: May
15, 2008
|
/s/ Louise M.
Bonvechio
|
|
Louise
M. Bonvechio, Vice President
|
||
&
Chief Financial Officer
|