COMMUNITY BANCORP /VT - Quarter Report: 2009 September (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 September 30, 2009
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
Vermont
|
03-0284070
|
(State
of Incorporation)
|
(IRS
Employer Identification Number)
|
4811
US Route 5, Derby, Vermont
|
05829
|
(Address
of Principal Executive Offices)
|
(zip
code)
|
Registrant's
Telephone Number: (802)
334-7915
|
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
November 6, 2009, there were 4,529,110 shares outstanding of the Corporation's
common stock.
FORM
10-Q
|
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Index
|
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Page
|
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PART
I
|
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
|
|
Item
1
|
4
|
|
Item
2
|
18
|
|
Item
3
|
34
|
|
Item
4T
|
34
|
|
PART
II
|
OTHER
INFORMATION
|
|
Item
1
|
35
|
|
Item
2
|
35
|
|
Item
6
|
35
|
|
36
|
PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The
following are the unaudited consolidated financial statements for Community
Bancorp. and Subsidiary, "the Company".
COMMUNITY
BANCORP. AND SUBSIDIARY
|
September
30
|
December
31
|
September
30
|
|||||||||
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
|
2009
|
2008
|
2008
|
|||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
(Unaudited)
|
|||||||||||
Assets
|
||||||||||||
Cash
and due from banks
|
$ | 8,504,893 | $ | 11,236,007 | $ | 9,709,904 | ||||||
Federal
funds sold and overnight deposits
|
7,736 | 33,621 | 32,353 | |||||||||
Total
cash and cash equivalents
|
8,512,629 | 11,269,628 | 9,742,257 | |||||||||
Securities
held-to-maturity (fair value $51,076,000 at 09/30/09,
|
||||||||||||
$38,212,000
at 12/31/08 and $46,600,000 at 09/30/08)
|
49,769,540 | 37,288,357 | 46,368,055 | |||||||||
Securities
available-for-sale
|
23,130,656 | 29,449,424 | 29,638,437 | |||||||||
Restricted
equity securities, at cost
|
3,906,850 | 3,906,850 | 3,906,850 | |||||||||
Loans
held-for-sale
|
254,320 | 1,181,844 | 742,778 | |||||||||
Loans
|
372,288,376 | 364,811,683 | 358,358,089 | |||||||||
Allowance
for loan losses
|
(3,481,663 | ) | (3,232,932 | ) | (3,058,882 | ) | ||||||
Unearned
net loan fees
|
(183,683 | ) | (301,004 | ) | (352,142 | ) | ||||||
Net
loans
|
368,623,030 | 361,277,747 | 354,947,065 | |||||||||
Bank
premises and equipment, net
|
13,815,601 | 14,989,429 | 15,163,398 | |||||||||
Accrued
interest receivable
|
1,876,058 | 2,044,550 | 2,235,882 | |||||||||
Bank
owned life insurance
|
3,782,011 | 3,690,079 | 3,658,911 | |||||||||
Core
deposit intangible
|
2,829,480 | 3,328,800 | 3,536,850 | |||||||||
Goodwill
|
11,574,269 | 11,574,269 | 11,567,032 | |||||||||
Other
real estate owned (OREO)
|
585,000 | 185,000 | 185,000 | |||||||||
Other
assets
|
7,370,455 | 7,613,255 | 7,853,715 | |||||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 496,029,899 | $ | 487,799,232 | $ | 489,546,230 | ||||||
Liabilities
and Shareholders' Equity
|
||||||||||||
Liabilities
|
||||||||||||
Deposits:
|
||||||||||||
Demand,
non-interest bearing
|
$ | 53,332,196 | $ | 50,134,874 | $ | 54,499,372 | ||||||
NOW
and money market accounts
|
124,654,825 | 127,500,699 | 122,491,455 | |||||||||
Savings
|
53,487,971 | 49,266,879 | 50,523,075 | |||||||||
Time
deposits, $100,000 and over
|
58,488,968 | 56,486,310 | 55,806,941 | |||||||||
Other
time deposits
|
112,581,504 | 118,852,018 | 124,551,597 | |||||||||
Total
deposits
|
402,545,464 | 402,240,780 | 407,872,440 | |||||||||
Federal
funds purchased and other borrowed funds
|
23,467,000 | 12,572,000 | 13,616,000 | |||||||||
Repurchase
agreements
|
17,110,010 | 19,086,456 | 14,615,209 | |||||||||
Capital
lease obligations
|
886,454 | 915,052 | 856,376 | |||||||||
Junior
subordinated debentures
|
12,887,000 | 12,887,000 | 12,887,000 | |||||||||
Accrued
interest and other liabilities
|
2,779,934 | 4,825,052 | 4,895,509 | |||||||||
Total
liabilities
|
459,675,862 | 452,526,340 | 454,742,534 | |||||||||
Shareholders'
Equity
|
||||||||||||
Preferred
stock, 1,000,000 shares authorized, 25 shares issued
|
||||||||||||
and
outstanding ($100,000 liquidation value)
|
2,500,000 | 2,500,000 | 2,500,000 | |||||||||
Common
stock - $2.50 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized,
|
||||||||||||
4,737,070
shares issued at 09/30/09, 4,679,206 shares issued
|
||||||||||||
at
12/31/08, and 4,659,603 shares issued at 09/30/08
|
11,842,675 | 11,698,015 | 11,649,007 | |||||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
26,068,637 | 25,757,516 | 25,579,898 | |||||||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(1,645,862 | ) | (2,592,721 | ) | (2,585,311 | ) | ||||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income
|
211,364 | 532,859 | 282,879 | |||||||||
Less:
treasury stock, at cost; 210,101 shares at 09/30/09,
12/31/08,
|
||||||||||||
and
09/30/08
|
(2,622,777 | ) | (2,622,777 | ) | (2,622,777 | ) | ||||||
Total
shareholders' equity
|
36,354,037 | 35,272,892 | 34,803,696 | |||||||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity
|
$ | 496,029,899 | $ | 487,799,232 | $ | 489,546,230 | ||||||
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
|
COMMUNITY
BANCORP. AND SUBSIDIARY
|
||||||||
Consolidated
Statements of Income
|
||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
For
The Third Quarter Ended September 30,
|
2009
|
2008
|
||||||
Interest
income
|
||||||||
Interest
and fees on loans
|
$ | 5,439,689 | $ | 5,912,812 | ||||
Interest
on debt securities
|
||||||||
Taxable
|
155,964 | 331,231 | ||||||
Tax-exempt
|
375,155 | 455,017 | ||||||
Dividends
|
16,138 | 41,240 | ||||||
Interest
on federal funds sold and overnight deposits
|
(653 | ) | 2,077 | |||||
Total
interest income
|
5,986,293 | 6,742,377 | ||||||
Interest
expense
|
||||||||
Interest
on deposits
|
1,498,395 | 1,933,877 | ||||||
Interest
on federal funds purchased and other borrowed funds
|
88,254 | 142,644 | ||||||
Interest
on repurchase agreements
|
57,708 | 60,138 | ||||||
Interest
on junior subordinated debentures
|
243,564 | 243,564 | ||||||
Total
interest expense
|
1,887,921 | 2,380,223 | ||||||
Net
interest income
|
4,098,372 | 4,362,154 | ||||||
Provision
for loan losses
|
175,001 | 112,499 | ||||||
Net
interest income after provision for loan losses
|
3,923,371 | 4,249,655 | ||||||
Non-interest
income
|
||||||||
Service
fees
|
580,293 | 562,319 | ||||||
Income
from sold loans
|
207,953 | 69,457 | ||||||
Income
on bank owned life insurance
|
30,845 | 33,924 | ||||||
Other
income
|
562,666 | 418,274 | ||||||
Total
non-interest income
|
1,381,757 | 1,083,974 | ||||||
Non-interest
expense
|
||||||||
Salaries
and wages
|
1,467,638 | 1,361,196 | ||||||
Employee
benefits
|
500,665 | 522,770 | ||||||
Occupancy
expenses, net
|
715,773 | 759,576 | ||||||
Write
down of Fannie Mae preferred stock
|
0 | 739,332 | ||||||
FDIC
insurance
|
142,855 | 26,526 | ||||||
Amortization
of core deposit intangible
|
166,440 | 208,050 | ||||||
Other
expenses
|
1,364,393 | 1,234,160 | ||||||
Total
non-interest expense
|
4,357,764 | 4,851,610 | ||||||
Income
before income taxes
|
947,364 | 482,019 | ||||||
Income
tax (benefit) expense
|
(65,858 | ) | 167,406 | |||||
Net
income
|
$ | 1,013,222 | $ | 314,613 | ||||
Earnings
per common share
|
$ | 0.21 | $ | 0.06 | ||||
Weighted
average number of common shares
|
||||||||
used
in computing earnings per share
|
4,514,460 | 4,438,225 | ||||||
Dividends
declared per common share
|
$ | 0.12 | $ | 0.17 | ||||
Book
value per share on common shares outstanding at September
30,
|
$ | 7.48 | $ | 7.26 | ||||
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
|
COMMUNITY
BANCORP. AND SUBSIDIARY
|
||||||||
Consolidated
Statements of Income
|
||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
For
the Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
2009
|
2008
|
||||||
Interest
income
|
||||||||
Interest
and fees on loans
|
$ | 16,318,223 | $ | 17,866,539 | ||||
Interest
on debt securities
|
||||||||
Taxable
|
654,064 | 1,142,179 | ||||||
Tax-exempt
|
1,019,059 | 1,358,519 | ||||||
Dividends
|
48,413 | 148,908 | ||||||
Interest
on federal funds sold and overnight deposits
|
404 | 63,044 | ||||||
Total
interest income
|
18,040,163 | 20,579,189 | ||||||
Interest
expense
|
||||||||
Interest
on deposits
|
4,819,285 | 6,874,068 | ||||||
Interest
on federal funds purchased and other borrowed funds
|
227,564 | 397,359 | ||||||
Interest
on repurchase agreements
|
193,052 | 195,746 | ||||||
Interest
on junior subordinated debentures
|
730,693 | 732,776 | ||||||
Total
interest expense
|
5,970,594 | 8,199,949 | ||||||
Net
interest income
|
12,069,569 | 12,379,240 | ||||||
Provision
for loan losses
|
425,003 | 237,497 | ||||||
Net
interest income after provision for loan losses
|
11,644,566 | 12,141,743 | ||||||
Non-interest
income
|
||||||||
Service
fees
|
1,606,971 | 1,641,457 | ||||||
Income
from sold loans
|
901,497 | 250,845 | ||||||
Income
on bank owned life insurance
|
91,932 | 99,535 | ||||||
Net
realized gains on securities
|
471,055 | 0 | ||||||
Other
income
|
1,314,309 | 1,204,916 | ||||||
Total
non-interest income
|
4,385,764 | 3,196,753 | ||||||
Non-interest
expense
|
||||||||
Salaries
and wages
|
4,358,104 | 4,487,017 | ||||||
Employee
benefits
|
1,656,345 | 1,751,617 | ||||||
Occupancy
expenses, net
|
2,280,055 | 2,416,944 | ||||||
Write
down of Fannie Mae preferred stock
|
94,446 | 739,332 | ||||||
FDIC
insurance
|
644,378 | 87,252 | ||||||
Amortization
of core deposit intangible
|
499,320 | 624,150 | ||||||
Other
expenses
|
4,080,338 | 3,832,443 | ||||||
Total
non-interest expense
|
13,612,986 | 13,938,755 | ||||||
Income
before income taxes
|
2,417,344 | 1,399,741 | ||||||
Income
tax benefit
|
(286,696 | ) | (5,481 | ) | ||||
Net
income
|
$ | 2,704,040 | $ | 1,405,222 | ||||
Earnings
per common share
|
$ | 0.57 | $ | 0.29 | ||||
Weighted
average number of common shares
|
||||||||
used
in computing earnings per share
|
4,494,448 | 4,421,759 | ||||||
Dividends
declared per common share
|
$ | 0.36 | $ | 0.51 | ||||
Book
value per share on common shares outstanding at September
30,
|
$ | 7.48 | $ | 7.26 | ||||
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
|
COMMUNITY
BANCORP. AND SUBSIDIARY
|
||||||||
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
|
||||||||
(Unaudited)
|
||||||||
For
the Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
2009
|
2008
|
||||||
Cash
Flow from Operating Activities:
|
||||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 2,704,040 | $ | 1,405,222 | ||||
Adjustments
to Reconcile Net Income to Net Cash Provided by
|
||||||||
Operating
Activities:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
813,643 | 809,686 | ||||||
Provision
for loan losses
|
425,003 | 237,497 | ||||||
Deferred
income tax (benefit) provision
|
(393,950 | ) | 290,296 | |||||
Net
gain on sale of securities
|
(471,055 | ) | 0 | |||||
Net
gain on sale of loans
|
(901,497 | ) | (250,845 | ) | ||||
Loss
on sale or disposal of fixed assets
|
0 | 1,757 | ||||||
Loss
on sale of OREO
|
7,523 | 0 | ||||||
Loss
(gain) on Trust LLC
|
20,511 | (44,604 | ) | |||||
Amortization
(accretion) of bond premium (discount), net
|
152,691 | (47,448 | ) | |||||
Write
down on Fannie Mae preferred stock
|
94,446 | 739,332 | ||||||
Write
down on OREO
|
100,000 | 0 | ||||||
Proceeds
from sales of loans held for sale
|
60,517,629 | 20,470,308 | ||||||
Originations
of loans held for sale
|
(58,688,608 | ) | (20,276,365 | ) | ||||
Increase
(decrease) in taxes payable
|
7,253 | (164,283 | ) | |||||
Decrease
in interest receivable
|
168,492 | 68,173 | ||||||
(Increase)
decrease in mortgage servicing rights
|
(8,754 | ) | 118,688 | |||||
Decrease
in other assets
|
45,431 | 697,228 | ||||||
Increase
in bank owned life insurance
|
(91,932 | ) | (99,535 | ) | ||||
Amortization
of core deposit intangible
|
499,320 | 624,150 | ||||||
Amortization
of limited partnerships
|
737,928 | 278,313 | ||||||
Decrease
in unamortized loan fees
|
(117,321 | ) | (91,230 | ) | ||||
Decrease
in interest payable
|
(36,777 | ) | (109,609 | ) | ||||
Increase
in accrued expenses
|
129,033 | 23,438 | ||||||
Decrease
in other liabilities
|
(692,037 | ) | (3,256,848 | ) | ||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
5,021,012 | 1,423,321 | ||||||
Cash
Flows from Investing Activities:
|
||||||||
Investments
- held-to-maturity
|
||||||||
Maturities
and pay downs
|
32,552,289 | 24,921,147 | ||||||
Purchases
|
(45,033,470 | ) | (36,978,370 | ) | ||||
Investments
- available-for-sale
|
||||||||
Sales
and maturities
|
20,747,245 | 17,229,897 | ||||||
Purchases
|
(14,691,675 | ) | (1,079,688 | ) | ||||
Purchase
of restricted equity securities
|
0 | (450,000 | ) | |||||
Decrease
in limited partnership contributions payable
|
(1,457,000 | ) | 0 | |||||
Investments
in limited partnership
|
0 | (5,000 | ) | |||||
Increase
in loans, net
|
(8,388,675 | ) | (2,940,890 | ) | ||||
Capital
expenditures, net of proceeds from sales of bank
|
||||||||
premises
and equipment
|
360,185 | 386,311 | ||||||
Proceeds
from sales of OREO
|
167,477 | 0 | ||||||
Recoveries
of loans charged off
|
60,710 | 78,344 | ||||||
Net
cash (used in) provided by investing activities
|
(15,682,914 | ) | 1,161,751 |
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
||||||||
Net
increase (decrease) in demand, NOW, money market & savings
accounts
|
4,572,540 | (3,569,405 | ) | |||||
Net
decrease in time deposits
|
(4,267,856 | ) | (4,778,265 | ) | ||||
Net
decrease in repurchase agreements
|
(1,976,446 | ) | (2,829,724 | ) | ||||
Net
increase in short-term borrowings
|
895,000 | 7,856,000 | ||||||
Proceeds
from long-term borrowings
|
10,000,000 | 0 | ||||||
Repayments
on long-term borrowings
|
0 | (8,000,000 | ) | |||||
Decrease
in capital lease obligations
|
(28,598 | ) | (86,851 | ) | ||||
Dividends
paid on preferred stock
|
(140,625 | ) | (140,625 | ) | ||||
Dividends
paid on common stock
|
(1,149,112 | ) | (1,566,468 | ) | ||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
7,904,903 | (13,115,338 | ) | |||||
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
(2,756,999 | ) | (10,530,266 | ) | ||||
Cash
and cash equivalents:
|
||||||||
Beginning
|
11,269,628 | 20,272,523 | ||||||
Ending
|
$ | 8,512,629 | $ | 9,742,257 | ||||
Supplemental
Schedule of Cash Paid During the Period
|
||||||||
Interest
|
$ | 6,007,371 | $ | 8,933,708 | ||||
Income
taxes
|
$ | 100,000 | $ | 405,000 | ||||
Supplemental
Schedule of Noncash Investing and Financing Activities:
|
||||||||
Change
in unrealized gain on securities available-for-sale
|
$ | (487,114 | ) | $ | 260,105 | |||
OREO
acquired in settlement of loans
|
$ | 675,000 | $ | 185,000 | ||||
Fair
value adjustment of Fannie Mae preferred stock
|
$ | 0 | $ | 656,347 | ||||
Investments
in limited partnership
|
||||||||
Increase
in limited partnerships
|
$ | 0 | $ | (1,462,000 | ) | |||
(Decrease)
increase in contributions payable
|
(1,457,000 | ) | 1,457,000 | |||||
$ | (1,457,000 | ) | $ | (5,000 | ) | |||
Common
Shares Dividends Paid
|
||||||||
Dividends
declared
|
$ | 1,616,556 | $ | 2,252,226 | ||||
(Increase)
decrease in dividends payable attributable
|
||||||||
to
dividends declared
|
(11,663 | ) | 13,538 | |||||
Dividends
reinvested
|
(455,781 | ) | (699,296 | ) | ||||
$ | 1,149,112 | $ | 1,566,468 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
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, 2008 contained in the Company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K/A. The results of operations for the interim
period are not necessarily indicative of the results of operations to be
expected for the full annual period ending December 31, 2009, or for any other
interim period.
Certain
amounts in the 2008 financial statements have been reclassified to conform to
the current year presentation.
The
Company has evaluated subsequent events through November 10, 2009, the date of
issuance of the financial statements, and has determined that, except as
otherwise disclosed in Note 11, there were no subsequent events to recognize or
disclose in these financial statements.
NOTE
2. RECENT ACCOUNTING DEVELOPMENTS
In
February 2008, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) delayed the
effective date for providing fair value disclosures for all nonfinancial assets
and nonfinancial liabilities, except those that are recognized or disclosed at
fair value on a recurring basis (at least annually), to fiscal years beginning
after November 15, 2008, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Although
no new fair value measurements are required, fair value disclosures were
expanded.
In
April 2009, the FASB issued additional guidance for estimating fair value, when
the volume and level of activity for the asset or liability have significantly
decreased, and for identifying circumstances that indicate a transaction is not
orderly. The guidance affirms that, even if there has been a
significant decrease in the volume and level of activity for the asset or
liability and regardless of the valuation technique(s) used, the objective of a
fair value measurement remains to determine the price that would be received to
sell the asset in an orderly transaction. This guidance is effective
for interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15,
2009. The Company adopted this guidance as required for the period
ended June 30, 2009 and utilized the guidance in determining to take a further
write down of its investment in two classes of Fannie Mae preferred stock during
the second quarter of 2009, in the amount of $94,446.
In
April 2009, the FASB issued a new accounting pronouncement regarding interim
disclosures about the fair value of financial instruments, which requires
disclosures about the fair value of financial instruments for interim reporting
periods of publicly traded companies as well as in annual financial
statements. This accounting pronouncement also requires those
disclosures in summarized financial information at interim reporting
periods. It is effective for interim reporting periods ending after
June 15, 2009, and does not require disclosures for earlier periods presented
for comparative purposes at initial adoption. In periods after
initial adoption, comparative disclosures are required only for periods ending
after initial adoption. The Company adopted this accounting
pronouncement as required for the interim period ended June 30, 2009 with no
material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In
August 2009, the FASB issued further guidance regarding fair value measurements,
to clarify the fair value measurement of liabilities when a quoted price in an
active market for the identical liability is not available and to identify
certain valuation techniques to use when measuring the fair value of such a
liability. The updated guidance also clarifies that no separate input
is required relating to the existence of a restriction that prevents the
transfer of the liability. This updated guidance will be effective
for the Company beginning October 1, 2009 and for subsequent interim and annual
reporting periods. The Company does not expect that adoption of this
guidance will have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial
statements.
In
April 2009, the FASB issued a new accounting pronouncement regarding the
recognition and presentation of other-than-temporary impairments of debt and
equity securities. The objective of an other-than-temporary
impairment analysis under existing U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
(GAAP) is to determine whether the holder of an investment in a debt or equity
security for which changes in fair value are not regularly recognized in
earnings (such as securities classified as held-to-maturity or
available-for-sale) should recognize a loss in earnings when the investment is
impaired. An investment is impaired if the fair value of the
investment is less than its amortized cost basis. The new accounting
pronouncement amended the other-than-temporary impairment guidance in U.S. GAAP
for debt securities to make the guidance more operational and to improve the
presentation and disclosure of other-than-temporary impairments of debt and
equity securities in the financial statements. Specifically, the new
accounting pronouncement (1) changed prior guidance for determining whether an
impairment to debt securities is other than temporary and (2) replaced the
existing requirement that the entity’s management assert it has both the intent
and ability to hold an impaired security until recovery, with a requirement that
management assert: (a) it does not have the intent to sell the
security; and (b) it is more likely than not it will not have to sell the
security before recovery of its cost basis. Under the new accounting
pronouncement, declines in the fair value of held-to-maturity and
available-for-sale securities below their cost that are deemed to be other than
temporary are reflected in earnings as realized losses to the extent the
impairment is related to credit losses. The amount of the impairment
related to other factors is recognized in other comprehensive
income. Existing recognition and measurement guidance related to
other-than-temporary impairments of equity securities was not
amended. This accounting pronouncement was effective for interim and
annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009. The Company
adopted this accounting pronouncement as required for the interim period ended
June 30, 2009 with no material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial
statements.
In
June 2009, the FASB issued a new accounting pronouncement regarding the
accounting for transfers of financial assets, to improve the reporting for the
transfer of financial assets resulting from (1) practices that have developed
since the issuance of the prior GAAP standard on accounting for transfers and
servicing of financial assets and extinguishments of liabilities, that were not
consistent with the original intent and key requirements of that standard; and
(2) concerns of financial statement users that many financial assets (and
related obligations) that have been derecognized should continue to be reported
in the financial statements of transferors. This new accounting pronouncement
must be applied as of the beginning of each reporting entity’s first annual
reporting period that begins after November 15, 2009, for interim periods within
that first annual reporting period and for interim and annual reporting periods
thereafter. Earlier application is prohibited. The Company will review the
requirements of this new accounting pronouncement and comply with its
requirements beginning January 1, 2010. The Company does not expect that its
adoption will have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial
statements.
In
June 2009, the FASB issued a new accounting pronouncement amending certain
requirements of GAAP regarding consolidation of variable interest entities, in
order to improve financial reporting by enterprises involved with variable
interest entities and to provide more relevant and reliable information to users
of financial statements. The new accounting pronouncement is effective as of the
beginning of each reporting entity’s first annual reporting period that begins
after November 15, 2009, for interim periods within that first annual reporting
period, and for interim and annual reporting periods thereafter. Earlier
application is prohibited. The Company will review the requirements of this new
accounting pronouncement and will adopt it effective January 1, 2010. The
Company does not expect that adoption of the new pronouncement will have a
material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In
June 2009, the FASB issued the FASB Accounting Standards CodificationTM
(Codification) as the source of authoritative U.S. GAAP recognized by the FASB
to be applied by nongovernmental entities. Rules and interpretive releases of
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under authority of federal
securities laws are also sources of authoritative GAAP for SEC registrants. The
Codification supersedes all non-SEC accounting and reporting standards. All
other non-grandfathered non-SEC accounting literature not included in the
Codification is considered non-authoritative. The Codification became effective
for financial statements issued for interim and annual periods ending after
September 15, 2009. In the FASB’s view, the Codification does not change GAAP,
except for certain nonpublic nongovernmental entities. Adoption of the
Codification, effective with the interim period ended September 30, 2009, did
not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial
statements.
NOTE
3. EARNINGS PER COMMON 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), including Dividend Reinvestment Plan shares
issuable upon reinvestment of dividends, and reduced for shares held in
treasury. The following table illustrates the calculation for the
periods ended September 30, as adjusted for the cash dividends declared on the
preferred stock:
For
The Third Quarter Ended September 30,
|
2009
|
2008
|
||||||
Net
income, as reported
|
$ | 1,013,222 | $ | 314,613 | ||||
Less:
dividends to preferred shareholders
|
46,875 | 46,875 | ||||||
Net
income available to common shareholders
|
$ | 966,347 | $ | 267,738 | ||||
Weighted
average number of common shares
|
||||||||
used
in calculating earnings per share
|
4,514,460 | 4,438,225 | ||||||
Earnings
per common share
|
$ | 0.21 | $ | 0.06 |
For
the Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
2009
|
2008
|
||||||
Net
income, as reported
|
$ | 2,704,040 | $ | 1,405,222 | ||||
Less:
dividends to preferred shareholders
|
140,625 | 140,625 | ||||||
Net
income available to common shareholders
|
$ | 2,563,415 | $ | 1,264,597 | ||||
Weighted
average number of common shares
|
||||||||
used
in calculating earnings per share
|
4,494,448 | 4,421,759 | ||||||
Earnings
per common share
|
$ | 0.57 | $ | 0.29 |
NOTE
4. 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 Third Quarter Ended September 30,
|
2009
|
2008
|
||||||
Net
income before realized loss on Fannie Mae preferred stock
|
$ | 1,013,222 | $ | 1,053,945 | ||||
Realized
loss on write down of Fannie Mae preferred stock
|
0 | 739,332 | ||||||
Net
income
|
1,013,222 | 314,613 | ||||||
Other
comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
|
||||||||
Change
in unrealized holding gain on available-for-sale
|
||||||||
securities
arising during the period
|
54,554 | 784,997 | ||||||
Tax
effect
|
(18,548 | ) | (266,899 | ) | ||||
Other
comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
|
36,006 | 518,098 | ||||||
Total
comprehensive income
|
$ | 1,049,228 | $ | 832,711 |
For
the Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
2009
|
2008
|
||||||
Net
income before realized loss on Fannie Mae preferred stock
|
$ | 2,798,486 | $ | 2,144,554 | ||||
Realized
loss on write down of Fannie Mae preferred stock
|
94,446 | 739,332 | ||||||
Net
income
|
2,704,040 | 1,405,222 | ||||||
Other
comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
|
||||||||
Change
in unrealized holding gain on available-for-sale
|
||||||||
securities
arising during the period
|
(487,114 | ) | 260,105 | |||||
Tax
effect
|
165,619 | (88,436 | ) | |||||
Other
comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
|
(321,495 | ) | 171,669 | |||||
Total
comprehensive income
|
$ | 2,382,545 | $ | 1,576,891 |
NOTE
5. INVESTMENT SECURITIES
Securities
available-for-sale (AFS) and held-to-maturity (HTM) consisted of the
following:
Gross
|
Gross
|
|||||||||||||||
Amortized
|
Unrealized
|
Unrealized
|
Fair
|
|||||||||||||
Securities
AFS
|
Cost
|
Gains
|
Losses
|
Value
|
||||||||||||
September
30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||
U.
S. Government sponsored enterprise securities
|
$ | 18,692,738 | $ | 188,891 | $ | 0 | $ | 18,881,629 | ||||||||
U.
S. Government securities
|
4,049,506 | 73,086 | 0 | 4,122,592 | ||||||||||||
Preferred
stock
|
68,164 | 58,271 | 0 | 126,435 | ||||||||||||
$ | 22,810,408 | $ | 320,248 | $ | 0 | $ | 23,130,656 | |||||||||
December
31, 2008
|
||||||||||||||||
U.
S. Government sponsored enterprise securities
|
$ | 8,172,304 | $ | 274,452 | $ | 0 | $ | 8,446,756 | ||||||||
U.
S. Government securities
|
4,047,338 | 152,975 | 0 | 4,200,313 | ||||||||||||
States
and political subdivisions
|
1,142,876 | 20,012 | 0 | 1,162,888 | ||||||||||||
Mortgage-backed
securities
|
15,116,934 | 491,129 | 7,140 | 15,600,923 | ||||||||||||
Preferred
stock
|
162,610 | 0 | 124,066 | 38,544 | ||||||||||||
$ | 28,642,062 | $ | 938,568 | $ | 131,206 | $ | 29,449,424 |
Gross
|
Gross
|
|||||||||||||||
Amortized
|
Unrealized
|
Unrealized
|
Fair
|
|||||||||||||
Securities
HTM
|
Cost
|
Gains
|
Losses
|
Value
|
||||||||||||
September
30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||
States
and political subdivisions
|
$ | 49,769,540 | $ | 1,306,460 $0 | $ | 0 | $ | 51,076,000 | ||||||||
December
31, 2008
|
||||||||||||||||
States
and political subdivisions
|
$ | 37,288,357 | $ | 923,643 | $ | 0 | $ | 38,212,000 |
The
scheduled maturities of debt securities available-for-sale were as
follows:
Amortized
|
Fair
|
|||||||
Cost
|
Value
|
|||||||
September
30, 2009
|
||||||||
Due
in one year or less
|
$ | 7,160,297 | $ | 7,285,570 | ||||
Due
from one to five years
|
15,581,947 | 15,718,651 | ||||||
$ | 22,742,244 | $ | 23,004,221 | |||||
December
31, 2008
|
||||||||
Due
in one year or less
|
$ | 6,000,531 | $ | 6,148,594 | ||||
Due
from one to five years
|
6,219,111 | 6,498,474 | ||||||
Due
after ten years
|
1,142,876 | 1,162,889 | ||||||
Mortgage-backed
securities
|
15,116,934 | 15,600,923 | ||||||
$ | 28,479,452 | $ | 29,410,880 |
The
scheduled maturities of debt securities held-to-maturity were as
follows
Amortized
|
Fair
|
|||||||
Cost
|
Value*
|
|||||||
September
30, 2009
|
||||||||
Due
in one year or less
|
$ | 41,083,534 | $ | 41,084,000 | ||||
Due
from one to five years
|
4,217,762 | 4,544,000 | ||||||
Due
from five to ten years
|
1,306,505 | 1,633,000 | ||||||
Due
after ten years
|
3,161,739 | 3,815,000 | ||||||
$ | 49,769,540 | $ | 51,076,000 | |||||
December
31, 2008
|
||||||||
Due
in one year or less
|
$ | 28,693,461 | $ | 28,694,000 | ||||
Due
from one to five years
|
3,934,674 | 4,165,000 | ||||||
Due
from five to ten years
|
1,414,255 | 1,645,000 | ||||||
Due
after ten years
|
3,245,968 | 3,708,000 | ||||||
$ | 37,288,357 | $ | 38,212,000 |
*Method
used to determine fair value rounds values to nearest thousand.
All
investments with unrealized losses are presented either as those with a
continuous loss position less than 12 months or as those with a continuous loss
position for 12 months or more. The Company had no investments with an
unrealized loss at September 30, 2009. Investments with unrealized
losses at December 31, 2008 were as follows:
December
31, 2008
|
Less
than 12 months
|
12
months or more
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Fair
|
Unrealized
|
Fair
|
Unrealized
|
Fair
|
Unrealized
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Value
|
Loss
|
Value
|
Loss
|
Value
|
Loss
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Mortgage-backed
securities
|
$ | 749,010 | $ | 7,140 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 749,010 | $ | 7,140 | ||||||||||||
Fannie
Mae preferred stock
|
38,544 | 124,066 | 0 | 0 | 38,544 | 124,066 | ||||||||||||||||||
$ | 787,554 | $ | 131,206 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 787,554 | $ | 131,206 |
With
the exception of the Fannie Mae preferred stock, the unrealized losses are a
result of increases in market interest rates and not of deterioration in the
creditworthiness of the issuer. At December 31, 2008 there were six
mortgage-backed securities in the investment portfolio that were in an
unrealized loss position. These unrealized losses were principally attributable
to changes in current interest rates for similar types of
securities.
Management
evaluates securities for other-than-temporary impairment at least on a quarterly
basis, and more frequently when economic or market concerns, or adverse
developments relating to the issuer, warrant such evaluation. Consideration is
given to (1) the length of time and the extent to which the fair value has been
less than cost, (2) the financial condition and near-term prospects of the
issuer, and (3) the intent and ability of the Company to retain its investment
in the issuer for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated
recovery in fair value. In analyzing an issuer's financial condition,
management considers whether the securities are issued by the federal government
or its agencies, whether downgrades by bond rating agencies have occurred, and
the results of reviews of the issuer's financial condition. During
the second quarter of 2009, the Company recorded a non-cash other than temporary
impairment charge to income totaling $94,446 for its investment in two classes
of Fannie Mae preferred stock, reducing the book value to the fair market value
of $68,164 as of June 30, 2009. The tax benefit of the write down
amounted to $32,112, for a net charge to income totaling $62,334. The
Company had previously recorded a non-cash other than temporary impairment
charge on that investment totaling $739,332, with a tax benefit amounting to
$251,373, for a net charge to income totaling $487,959, reducing the book value
to the then current fair market value of $162,610 as of September 30,
2008. The Company continues to monitor the progress of Fannie Mae
under the conservatorship of the U.S. Government and the effect that the
initiatives of the new administration will have on this agency. A
review of recent market activity of the Fannie Mae preferred stock, series H and
F indicates that there continues to be purchase and sale activity in these
securities. The fair market value as of September 30, 2009 was
$126,435, an increase of $58,271 over the June 30, 2009 fair market
value. As management has the ability to hold debt securities until
maturity, or for the foreseeable future if classified as available-for-sale, no
other declines were deemed to be other-than-temporary at December 31,
2008.
NOTE
6. MERGER AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS
The
Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Community National Bank (the Bank), and
LyndonBank entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger on August 1, 2007, and
on December 31, 2007, the all-cash merger was consummated. The
aggregate purchase price, including transaction costs, was approximately $26.7
million in cash for all the shares of LyndonBank cancelled in the
merger. The purchase price was 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 was recorded as goodwill. The
Bank worked with third-party experts on the valuations of certain intangible
assets throughout the year in 2008. 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 net adjustment
to goodwill was an increase of $212,884. During the second quarter of
2008, additional adjustments amounting to a net decrease of $57,536 were made to
goodwill for the settlement of certain LyndonBank liability
accounts. During the third quarter of 2008, adjustments amounting to
a net increase in goodwill were made totaling $1,064,228 for some additional
costs related to the merger, disposal of software used during the first quarter
of 2008 that was no longer needed, and a fair value adjustment totaling $656,347
on two classes of Fannie Mae preferred stock the Company acquired in the
merger. During the fourth quarter of 2008, a final payment of $7,237
was made to a third party consultant related to the valuation of the Fannie Mae
preferred stock, bringing goodwill to the December 31, 2008 total of
approximately $11.6 million. The goodwill is not deductible for tax
purposes.
The
Company also recorded $4.2 million of acquired identified intangible assets
representing the core deposit intangible which is subject to amortization over a
ten year period using a double declining method.
As of
September 30, 2009, the remaining amortization expense related to core deposit
intangible is expected to be as follows:
2009
|
$ | 166,440 | ||
2010
|
532,608 | |||
2011
|
426,086 | |||
2012
|
340,869 | |||
2013
|
272,695 | |||
Thereafter
|
1,090,782 | |||
Total
core deposit intangible expense
|
$ | 2,829,480 |
At
December 31, 2008, management evaluated goodwill and the core deposit intangible
asset for impairment and concluded that no impairment existed.
NOTE
7. INCOME TAXES
The
Company receives tax credits for its investments in various low income housing
partnerships which reduce taxes payable. Periodically, the Company
has the opportunity to participate in a low income housing project that offers
one-time “Historic Tax Credits”. In 2008, the Company was given this
opportunity through a local project, with historic tax credit for 2009 amounting
to $535,000, or $133,750 quarterly. This historic tax credit alone
helps support the variance between the tax benefit for the third quarter of 2009
and the tax expense for the third quarter of 2008, as well as the increase in
the tax benefit for the first nine months of 2009 versus 2008.
NOTE
8. FAIR VALUE
Effective
January 1, 2008, the Company adopted FASB Accounting Standard Codification
(“ASC”) 820-10-20, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures (formerly codified as
FAS No. 157), which provides a framework for measuring and disclosing fair value
under U.S. GAAP. ASC 820-10-20 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).
Fair
value is 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. ASC 820-10-20 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 and
reflected in the balance sheet at the dates presented are summarized
below:
September
30, 2009
|
Level
1
|
Level
2
|
Level
3
|
Total
|
||||||||||||
Assets:
|
||||||||||||||||
Securities
available-for-sale
|
$ | 4,249,027 | $ | 18,881,629 | $ | 0 | $ | 23,130,656 | ||||||||
Restricted
equity securities
|
0 | 3,906,850 | 0 | 3,906,850 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 4,249,027 | $ | 22,788,479 | $ | 0 | $ | 27,037,506 | ||||||||
December
31, 2008
|
||||||||||||||||
Assets:
|
||||||||||||||||
Securities
available-for-sale
|
$ | 4,214,717 | $ | 25,234,707 | $ | 0 | $ | 29,449,424 | ||||||||
Restricted
equity securities
|
0 | 3,906,850 | 0 | 3,906,850 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 4,214,717 | $ | 29,141,557 | $ | 0 | $ | 33,356,274 |
Assets
measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis and reflected in the balance
sheet at the dates presented are summarized below:
September
30, 2009
|
Level
1
|
Level
2
|
Level
3
|
Total
|
||||||||||||
Assets:
|
||||||||||||||||
Loans
held-for-sale
|
$ | 0 | $ | 254,320 | $ | 0 | $ | 254,320 | ||||||||
Residential
mortgage servicing rights
|
0 | 968,864 | 0 | 968,864 | ||||||||||||
Impaired
loans, net of related allowance
|
0 | 4,205,389 | 0 | 4,205,389 | ||||||||||||
Other
real estate owned
|
0 | 585,000 | 0 | 585,000 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 0 | $ | 6,013,573 | $ | 0 | $ | 6,013,573 | ||||||||
December
31, 2008
|
||||||||||||||||
Assets:
|
||||||||||||||||
Loans
held-for-sale
|
$ | 0 | $ | 1,181,844 | $ | 0 | $ | 1,181,844 | ||||||||
Residential
mortgage servicing rights
|
0 | 956,891 | 0 | 956,891 | ||||||||||||
Impaired
loans, net of related allowance
|
0 | 1,748,715 | 0 | 1,748,715 | ||||||||||||
Other
real estate owned
|
0 | 185,000 | 0 | 185,000 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 0 | $ | 4,072,450 | $ | 0 | $ | 4,072,450 |
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.
Fair
values of financial instruments
The
following methods and assumptions were used by the Company in estimating its
fair value disclosures for financial instruments:
Cash and cash
equivalents: The carrying amounts reported in the balance
sheet for cash and cash equivalents approximate their fair values.
Investment
securities: 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 certain equity securities.
Restricted equity
securities: Restricted equity securities comprise Federal
Reserve Bank stock and Federal Home Loan Bank stock. These securities
are carried at cost, which is believed to approximate fair value, and evaluated
for impairment. As a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
(FRB), the Company is required to invest in FRB stock in an amount equal to 3%
of the capital stock and surplus of Community National Bank's, the Company’s
subsidiary.
As a
member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBB), the Company is required
to invest in $100 par value stock of the FHLBB in an amount that approximates 1%
of unpaid principal balances on qualifying loans, as well as an activity based
requirement. The stock is nonmarketable, and redeemable at par
value. Members are subject to capital calls in some circumstances to
ensure compliance with the FHLBB’s capital plan.
Loans and loans
held-for-sale: For variable-rate loans that reprice frequently
and with no significant change in credit risk, fair values are based on carrying
amounts. The fair values for other loans (for example, fixed rate
residential, commercial real estate, and rental property mortgage loans, and
commercial and industrial loans) are estimated using discounted cash flow
analyses, based on interest rates currently being offered for loans with similar
terms to borrowers of similar credit quality. Loan fair value estimates include
judgments regarding future expected loss experience and risk
characteristics. The carrying amounts reported in the balance sheet
for loans that are held-for-sale approximate their fair values. Loans
that are deemed to be impaired are valued at the lower of the loan’s carrying
value or the loan’s impaired basis. The impaired basis is measured
using the impairment method that the Company has applied, be it the present
value of cash flows, the observable market price, or the fair value of
collateral. The Company selects the measurement method on a loan-by-loan basis,
except that when a foreclosure of a collateral dependent loan is probable then
the fair value of collateral method is used. The fair value of real estate
collateral is usually determined using independent appraisals and
evaluations. The Company considers impaired loans to be valued
based on level 2 inputs.
Other real estate
owned: Real estate properties acquired through or in lieu of
loan foreclosure are initially recorded at fair value less estimated selling
cost at the date of foreclosure. Any write-downs based on the asset's
fair value at the date of acquisition are charged to the allowance for loan
losses. After foreclosure, these assets are carried at the lower of
their new cost basis or fair value, less cost to sell. Costs of
significant property improvements are capitalized, whereas costs relating to
holding property are expensed. Appraisals are then done periodically
on properties that management deems significant, or evaluations may be performed
by management on properties in the portfolio that are less vulnerable to market
conditions. Subsequent write-downs are recorded as a charge to
operations, if necessary, to reduce the carrying value of a property to the
lower of its cost or fair value, less cost to sell.
Mortgage servicing
rights: Mortgage servicing rights are evaluated regularly for
impairment based upon the fair value of the servicing rights as compared to
their amortized cost. The fair value of mortgage servicing rights is based on a
valuation model that calculates the present value of estimated net servicing
income. The Company obtains a third party valuation based upon loan level data
including note rate, type and term of the underlying loans. The model utilizes a
variety of observable inputs for its assumptions, the most significant of which
are loan prepayment assumptions and the discount rate used to discount future
cash flows. Mortgage servicing rights are subject to measurement at
fair value on a non-recurring basis and are classified as Level 2
assets.
Deposits and borrowed
funds: The fair values disclosed for demand deposits (for
example, checking and savings accounts) are, by definition, equal to the amount
payable on demand at the reporting date (that is, their carrying amounts). The
fair values for certificates of deposit and debt are estimated using a
discounted cash flow calculation that applies interest rates currently being
offered on certificates and debt to a schedule of aggregated contractual
maturities on such time deposits and debt.
Short-term
borrowings: The fair value is estimated using current interest
rates on borrowings of similar maturity.
Junior subordinated
debentures: Fair value is estimated using current rates for
debentures of similar maturity.
Capital lease
obligations: Fair value is determined using a discounted cash
flow calculation using current rates. Based on current rates,
carrying value approximates fair value.
Accrued
interest: The carrying amounts of accrued interest approximate
their fair values.
Off-balance-sheet credit related
instruments: Commitments to extend credit were evaluated and
fair value was estimated using the fees currently charged to enter into similar
agreements, taking into account the remaining terms of the agreements and the
present credit-worthiness of the counterparties. For fixed-rate loan
commitments, fair value also considers the difference between current levels of
interest rates and the committed rates.
The
estimated fair values of the Company's financial instruments were as
follows:
September
30, 2009
|
December
31, 2008
|
|||||||||||||||
Carrying
|
Fair
|
Carrying
|
Fair
|
|||||||||||||
Amount
|
Value
|
Amount
|
Value
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Financial
assets:
|
||||||||||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 8,513 | $ | 8,513 | $ | 11,270 | $ | 11,270 | ||||||||
Securities
held-to-maturity
|
49,770 | 51,076 | 37,288 | 38,212 | ||||||||||||
Securities
available-for-sale
|
23,131 | 23,131 | 29,449 | 29,449 | ||||||||||||
Restricted
equity securities
|
3,907 | 3,907 | 3,907 | 3,907 | ||||||||||||
Loans
and loans held-for-sale, net
|
368,877 | 380,012 | 362,460 | 368,043 | ||||||||||||
Mortgage
servicing rights
|
969 | 969 | 960 | 957 | ||||||||||||
Accrued
interest receivable
|
1,876 | 1,876 | 2,045 | 2,045 | ||||||||||||
Financial
liabilities:
|
||||||||||||||||
Deposits
|
402,545 | 405,148 | 402,241 | 405,236 | ||||||||||||
Federal
funds purchased and other borrowed funds
|
23,467 | 23,623 | 12,572 | 12,574 | ||||||||||||
Repurchase
agreements
|
17,110 | 17,110 | 19,086 | 19,086 | ||||||||||||
Capital
lease obligations
|
886 | 886 | 915 | 915 | ||||||||||||
Subordinated
debentures
|
12,887 | 10,332 | 12,887 | 12,242 | ||||||||||||
Accrued
interest payable
|
277 | 277 | 313 | 313 |
The
estimated fair values of commitments to extend credit and letters of credit were
immaterial at September 30, 2009 and December 31, 2008.
NOTE
9. MORTGAGE SERVICING RIGHTS
During
the first six months of 2009, the prolonged low interest rate environment
adversely affected the value of the Company’s mortgage servicing rights
portfolio, resulting in a negative valuation adjustment for impairment of the
portfolio in the amount of $272,929 for that period. However, the
strong residential mortgage loan activity during the same period resulted in
significant additions to the loan servicing portfolio. The increase
in rates later in the second quarter has translated to a slight increase in
market prices for mortgage servicing rights during the third quarter, resulting
in a reversal of a portion of the prior impairment amounting to
$25,531. Based on current market prices, the Company believes that
the book value at September 30, 2009 is reflective of the market value as of
such date. At September 30, 2009, the net carrying value of the
Company’s mortgage servicing rights portfolio was $968,864, compared to $960,110
at year end 2008 and $1.1 million at September 30, 2008.
NOTE
10. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
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.
NOTE
11. SUBSEQUENT EVENT
On
September 8, 2009, the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.12 per share
payable November 1, 2009 to shareholders of record as of October 15,
2009. This dividend, amounting to $541,009, was accrued at September
30, 2009.
MANAGEMENT'S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL
CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
for the
Period Ended September 30, 2009
Certain
information in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations and elsewhere in this Report contains financial
information determined by methods other than in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP").
Management uses these “non-GAAP” measures in its analysis of the Company’s
performance and believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide a
greater understanding of ongoing operations and enhance comparability of results
with prior periods as well as demonstrating the effects of significant gains and
charges in the current period. The Company believes that a meaningful analysis
of its financial performance requires an understanding of the factors underlying
that performance. Management believes that investors may use these non-GAAP
financial measures to analyze financial performance without the impact of
unusual items that may obscure trends in the Company’s underlying performance.
These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for operating results
determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to
non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other
companies.
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
The
Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations contains certain forward-looking statements about the
results of operations, financial condition and business of the Company and its
subsidiary. 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 included in this
discussion include, but are not limited to, estimated contingent liability
related to assumptions made within the asset/liability management process,
management's expectations as to the future interest rate environment and
economic outlook, and the Company's related liquidity level, credit risk
expectations relating to the Company's loan portfolio and its participation in
the FHLBB Mortgage Partnership Finance (MPF) program, management’s assessment of
the impact of legal proceedings, and management's general outlook for the future
performance of the Company, summarized below under
"Overview". Although forward-looking 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 does not undertake, and disclaims any obligation,
to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence or
anticipated occurrence of events or circumstances after the date of this Report,
except as required by applicable law. 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) general economic or monetary conditions, either nationally or
regionally, continue to deteriorate, resulting in a decline in credit quality or
a diminished demand for the Company's products and services; (2) competitive
pressures increase among financial service providers in the Company's northern
New England market area or in the financial service industry generally,
including competitive pressures from non-bank financial service providers, from
increasing consolidation and integration of financial service providers, and
from changes in technology and delivery systems; (3) interest rates change in
such a way as to reduce the Company's margins; (4) changes in laws or
government rules, or the way in which courts and government agencies interpret
those laws or rules, adversely affect the Company's business; (5) changes in
federal or state tax policy; and (6) we may not fully realize anticipated
benefits of the acquisition of LyndonBank or realize them within expected
timeframes.
OVERVIEW
Total
assets at September 30, 2009 were $496.03 million compared to $487.80 million at
December 31, 2008 and $489.55 million at September 30, 2008. The
increase is due to moderate growth in loans in both comparison periods and an
increase of $12.5 million in municipal investments from December 31, 2008 to
September 30, 2009. These investments are cyclical in nature,
following the municipal finance cycle, and after a seasonal decline in assets at
the end of the second quarter due to the municipal investments that matured, the
Company recorded $18 million in a combination of renewals and new investments
during the third quarter. Gross loans increased from year-end by $7.5
million while deposits, after a normal cyclical decline during the second
quarter, are slightly above year-end balances. In conjunction with
the municipal finance cycle, it is normal for the Company to see a decrease in
deposits during the second quarter, during which time it relies on borrowed
funds and then pays them off as deposit balances increase throughout the third
quarter. The deposit rebound has been somewhat delayed this year and
the increase in deposit balances is occurring in the fourth quarter of
2009.
Net
income for the third quarter of 2009 was $1.01 million compared to $314,613 for
the same period last year. Earnings for the third quarter of 2009
resulted in earnings per common share of $0.21 compared to earnings per common
share of $.06 for the same period last year. The low level of
earnings in the third quarter of 2008 was due primarily to a write down of the
Company’s Fannie Mae preferred stock. Without the write down, the
Company’s net income would have been at similar levels for both
periods. Net interest income, after the provision for loan losses,
was $3.92 million for the third quarter of 2009, compared to $4.25 million for
the third quarter of 2008, a decrease of $7.7%. The prolonged
low interest rate environment has resulted in a downward trend in asset yields
while decreases in funding costs have been limited. Furthermore, the
Company made an additional $50,000 provision to the reserve for loan losses
during the quarter due to increasing trends in non-performing
loans.
Non-interest
income, which is derived primarily from charges and fees on deposit and loan
products, was $1.38 million for the third quarter of 2009 compared to $1.08
million for the third quarter of 2008, an increase of 27.5%. The
increase in non-interest income continues to be driven by loan volume, due to
the low interest rates which increases loan activity, resulting in points and
premiums earned on sold loans. Although not as strong as in earlier
quarters of this year, loan demand has remained stronger than last year at this
time. Non-interest expense was $4.36 million for the third quarter of
2009, compared to $4.85 million for the third quarter of 2008, a decrease of
10%. The difference between periods was largely due to the recording
of the write down of the Fannie Mae preferred stock in 2008 of
$739,332. Amortization of the intangibles related to the loans and
deposits acquired in the 2007 merger with LyndonBank was also lower during 2009
than in 2008. On the other hand, a significant expense item in 2009
was FDIC insurance premiums of $142,855 for the third quarter compared to
$26,526 for the same period last year.
The
recession continues to have a negative impact on the local economy, which is
reflected in the high unemployment rates. Sectors most affected by
the recession are construction, farming and wood product
manufacturers. Construction activity is slow for commercial and
residential markets, milk prices have dropped sharply and local manufacturers of
wood products have had numerous layoffs or are working reduced
hours. The bright spot in the region has been in
tourism. Although expansion in this sector has slowed, reports of
bookings have been favorable considering the poor economy. The local
real estate market is slow and listing prices have been reduced in an effort to
move homes; however inventory levels remain high. These economic
factors are considered in assessing the level of the Company’s reserve for loan
losses in an effort to adequately reserve for probable losses due to
consequences of the recession. The Company has experienced an
increase in past due loans and criticized assets during this
period. Continued deterioration of the local economy and the
resulting impact on the Company’s loan portfolio could present a challenge to
the Company’s future core earnings.
The
regulatory environment continues to increase operating costs and place extensive
burden on management resources to comply with rules such as the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002, the US Patriot Act and the Bank Secrecy Act, established to protect
the U.S. financial system and the customer from fraud, identity theft,
anti-money laundering, and terrorism. The Company is currently
implementing significant changes to lending procedures brought on by The
Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act that became effective in July 2009, and
HUD’s impending Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act reform. These burdens will
only increase if the regulatory reform proposals currently being considered in
Congress, including the creation of a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency,
are enacted.
The
following pages describe our financial results for the third quarter and nine
months ended September 30, 2009 in much more detail. Please take the time to
read them to more fully understand the results of those periods in relation to
the 2008 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/A for the year ended December 31, 2008.
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 (US
GAAP). 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 those 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 qualitative factors including the effect
of current economic indicators and their probable impact on borrowers and
collateral, trends in delinquent and non-performing loans, trends in criticized
and classified assets, concentrations of credit, levels of exceptions, and the
impact of competition in the market, 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 debts previously contracted. Such properties are carried at fair
value, market value less cost of disposition, i.e. sales commissions and costs
associated with the sale. Market value is defined as the cash price
that might reasonably be anticipated in a current sale that is within 12 months,
under all conditions requisite to a fair sale. A fair sale means that
a buyer and seller are each acting prudently, knowledgeably, and under no
necessity to buy or sell. Market value is determined, as appropriate,
either by obtaining a current appraisal or evaluation prepared by an
independent, qualified appraiser, by obtaining a Broker’s Price Opinion, and
finally, if the Company has limited exposure and limited risk of loss, by the
opinion of management as supported by an inspection of the property and its most
recent tax valuation. If the Company has a valid appraisal or an
appropriate evaluation obtained in connection with the real estate loan, then
management may determine to rely on the earlier valuation rather than obtaining
another appraisal or evaluation when the Company acquires ownership of the
property.
The
amount, if any, by which the recorded amount of the loan exceeds the fair value,
less cost to sell, of the asset is a loss which is charged to the allowance for
loan and lease losses at the time of foreclosure or repossession. The recorded
amount of the loan is the loan balance adjusted for any unamortized premium or
discount and unamortized loan fees or costs, less any amount previously charged
off, plus recorded accrued interest.
If
OREO is sold shortly after it is received in a foreclosure or repossession,
generally 90 days, the Company may substitute the value received in the sale,
net of the cost to sell, for the fair value that had been estimated at the time
of foreclosure or repossession. Any adjustments are then made to the loss
charged against the allowance. If a foreclosed real estate asset is held for
more than a short period of time, any declines in value after foreclosure and
any gain or loss from the sale or disposition of the asset are reported on the
report of income as "other noninterest income" or "other noninterest
expense."
Companies
are required to perform quarterly reviews of individual debt and equity
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 and the probability, extent and timing of a valuation
recovery, the company’s intent to continue to hold the security and the
likelihood that the Company will not have to sell the security before recovery
of its cost basis. 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 and business prospects, or to market-related or other factors, such as
interest rates, and in the case of debt securities, to the extent that the
impairment relates to credit losses of the issuer. Declines in the
fair value of securities below their cost that are deemed in accordance with
GAAP to be other than temporary, and declines in fair value of debt securities
below their cost that are related to credit losses, are recorded in earnings as
realized losses. The non-credit loss portion of an other than
temporary decline in the fair value of debt securities below their cost basis
(generally, the difference between the fair value and the estimated net present
value of the debt security) is recognized in other comprehensive income as an
unrealized loss.
Mortgage
servicing rights associated with loans originated and sold, where servicing is
retained, are required to be initially capitalized at fair value and
subsequently accounted for using the “fair value method” or the “amortization
method”. Capitalized mortgage servicing rights are 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. The value of
capitalized servicing rights represents the estimated 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 compared to amortized cost,
and impairment, if any, is recognized through a valuation allowance and is
recorded as amortization of other assets. Subsequent improvement (if
any) in the estimated fair value of impaired mortgage servicing rights is
reflected in a positive valuation adjustment and is recognized in other income
up to (but not in excess of) the amount of the prior impairment. 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
prepayments of that principal balance. Factors that may significantly affect the
estimates used are changes in interest rates and the payment performance of the
underlying loans. The Company analyzes and accounts for the value of
its servicing rights with the assistance of a third party
consultant.
Accounting
for a business combination such as the Company’s 2007 acquisition of LyndonBank,
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 an acquisition at fair value, with the excess of
the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets recorded as goodwill
and evaluated annually for impairment. The determination of fair
value requires the use of assumptions, including discount rates, changes in
which could significantly affect assigned 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. The use of
different estimates or assumptions could produce different estimates of carrying
values and those differences could be material in some
circumstances.
RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
The
Company’s net income for the third quarter of 2009 was $1.0 million,
representing an increase of $698,609 or 222.1% over net income of $314,613 for
the third quarter of 2008. This resulted in earnings per share of $0.21 and
$0.06, respectively, for the third quarters of 2009 and 2008. A
non-cash write down in the third quarter of 2008 of $739,332 on the Fannie Mae
preferred stock held in the Company’s investment portfolio is a significant
contributing factor to the increase in net income between the 2008 and 2009
comparison periods. Core earnings (net interest income) for the third
quarter of 2009 decreased $263,782 or 6.1% over the third quarter of
2008. Interest income on loans, the major component of interest
income, decreased $473,123 or 8.0%, despite a $13.4 million increase in loans
year over year. Interest and dividend income on investments decreased
$280,231 or 33.9% between periods. Interest expense on deposits, the
major component of interest expense, decreased $435,482 or 22.5%, between
periods and interest on federal funds purchased and other borrowed funds
decreased $54,390 or 38.1%. These decreases are attributable primarily to
continued decreases in interest rates throughout 2009 as well as a decrease in
total deposits year over year of approximately $5.3 million.
The
Company’s net income for the first nine months of 2009 increased $1.3 million or
92.4% to $2.7 million compared to $1.4 million for the first nine months of
2008, with earnings per share of $0.57 and $0.29 for the first nine months of
2009 and 2008, respectively. However, core earnings for the first
nine months of 2009 decreased $309,671 or 2.5% to $12.1 million, reflecting the
low rate environment that has prevailed throughout 2009. All
components of interest income and interest expense decreased for the comparison
periods, with interest income decreasing $2.5 million in total or 12.3% while
interest expense decreased $2.2 million in total or by
27.2%. Interest income on loans, the major component of interest
income, accounts for the biggest decrease in the nine month period ended
September 30, 2009, with interest income of $16.3 million versus $17.9 million
for the 2008 comparison period, or a decrease of 8.7%. Interest and
dividend income on investments decreased $928,070 or 35.0% between
periods. Interest expense on deposits comprises the major component
of interest expense and also accounts for the biggest decrease totaling $2.1
million or 29.9%, with figures for the first nine months of 2009 of $4.8 million
versus $6.9 million for the same period in 2008.
As
a result of the LyndonBank merger, the Company is required to amortize the fair
value adjustments of the loans and time deposits against net interest
income. The loan fair value adjustment was a net premium, creating a
decrease in interest income of $103,422 for the first nine months of 2009
compared to $253,100 for the first nine months of 2008. The
certificate of deposit fair value adjustment resulted in an increase in interest
expense of $195,000 for the first nine months of 2009 and 2008. The
amortization of the core deposit intangible amounted to a non-interest expense
of $499,320 for the first nine months of 2009 compared to $624,150 for the first
nine months of 2008.
As
a result of the low interest rate environment that has prevailed throughout the
year, the Company experienced a heavy volume of secondary market loan activity,
most of which was refinances from within that portfolio. Although
this activity moderated during the third quarter of 2009, the boost to
non-interest income was still significant for the first nine months of 2009,
with income from sold loans totaling $910,251 versus $132,156 for the same
period in 2008. Total non-interest expenses during the first nine
months of 2009 were not as high as 2008. Certain components of
non-interest expense, such as salaries and wages and occupancy expenses were
higher in 2008 as a result of the LyndonBank merger, and the Company incurred
other merger-related expenses in 2008, such as costs to terminate service
contracts held by the former LyndonBank and costs of outside contracts to
complete the computer and network conversions.
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. The Company’s ROA and ROE are
beginning to return to more normal percentages as the year progresses in
2009. The percentage figures for both periods in 2008 reflect not
only the effect of merger-related expenses and a significant increase in assets
and equity resulting from the LyndonBank merger, but also the additional expense
to write down the Fannie Mae preferred stock during the third quarter of
2008. The following table shows these ratios annualized for the
comparison periods.
For
the third quarter ended September 30,
|
2009
|
2008
|
||||||
Return
on Average Assets
|
0.81 | % | .25 | % | ||||
Return
on Average Equity
|
11.07 | % | 3.63 | % | ||||
For
the nine months ended September 30,
|
2009 | 2008 | ||||||
Return
on Average Assets
|
0.74 | % | 0.38 | % | ||||
Return
on Average Equity
|
10.16 | % | 5.41 | % |
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 comprised the entire
held-to-maturity portfolio of $49.8 million at September 30,
2009. The Company acquired municipal investments through the merger
with LyndonBank amounting to approximately $1.1 million, which were sold in
January 2009 for a net loss of $12,122. Also included in the
Company’s available-for-sale portfolio are two classes of Fannie Mae preferred
stock acquired in the merger, which carried a 70% tax exemption on dividends
received. However, dividend payments on the Fannie Mae preferred
stock, which amounted to $68,843 for the first nine months of 2008, ceased the
last quarter of 2008 following the federal government’s action in September,
2008 placing Fannie Mae under conservatorship. Dividend payments on
the Company’s holdings of Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBB) stock, which
amounted to $100,573 for the first nine months of 2008, also ceased during the
last quarter of 2008, as the FHLBB adopted measures to conserve its capital,
including suspension of dividend payments. Payment of dividends on
the Fannie Mae and FHLBB stock is unlikely to resume during 2009.
The
following table shows the reconciliation between reported net interest income
and tax equivalent, net interest income for the nine month comparison periods of
2009 and 2008:
For
the nine months ended September 30,
|
2009
|
2008
|
||||||
Net
interest income as presented
|
$ | 12,069,569 | $ | 12,379,240 | ||||
Effect
of tax-exempt income
|
525,193 | 684,486 | ||||||
Net
interest income, tax equivalent
|
$ | 12,594,762 | $ | 13,063,726 |
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 2009 and 2008
comparison periods. Loans are stated before deduction of non-accrual
loans, unearned discount and allowance for loan losses.
For
the Nine Months Ended:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Average
|
Income/
|
Rate/
|
Average
|
Income/
|
Rate/
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Balance
|
Expense
|
Yield
|
Balance
|
Expense
|
Yield
|
|||||||||||||||||||
EARNING
ASSETS
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Loans
(1)
|
$ | 368,182,304 | $ | 16,318,223 | 5.93 | % | $ | 356,861,435 | $ | 17,866,539 | 6.69 | % | ||||||||||||
Taxable
Investment Securities
|
26,271,374 | 654,064 | 3.33 | % | 33,252,461 | 1,142,179 | 4.59 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Tax
Exempt Investment Securities
|
44,366,863 | 1,544,252 | 4.65 | % | 45,715,510 | 2,043,005 | 5.97 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Federal
Funds Sold and Interest
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Earning
Deposit Accounts
|
185,923 | 404 | 0.29 | % | 1,751,793 | 63,044 | 4.81 | % | ||||||||||||||||
FHLBB
Stock
|
3,318,700 | 0 | 0.00 | % | 3,318,700 | 100,573 | 4.05 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Other
Investments
|
975,150 | 48,413 | 6.64 | % | 799,420 | 48,335 | 8.08 | % | ||||||||||||||||
TOTAL
|
$ | 443,300,314 | $ | 18,565,356 | 5.60 | % | $ | 441,699,319 | $ | 21,263,675 | 6.43 | % | ||||||||||||
INTEREST
BEARING LIABILITIES & EQUITY
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
NOW
& Money Market Funds
|
$ | 121,217,130 | $ | 969,134 | 1.07 | % | $ | 120,495,421 | $ | 1,640,840 | 1.82 | % | ||||||||||||
Savings
Deposits
|
53,348,406 | 121,477 | 0.30 | % | 50,204,538 | 141,789 | 0.38 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Time
Deposits
|
171,444,792 | 3,728,674 | 2.91 | % | 176,392,223 | 5,091,439 | 3.86 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Fed
Funds Purchased and Other Borrowed Funds
|
21,401,855 | 172,925 | 1.08 | % | 16,988,013 | 340,637 | 2.68 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Repurchase
Agreements
|
18,231,292 | 193,052 | 1.42 | % | 16,030,850 | 195,746 | 1.63 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Capital
Lease Obligations
|
899,311 | 54,639 | 8.12 | % | 933,634 | 56,722 | 8.12 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Junior
Subordinated Debentures
|
12,887,000 | 730,693 | 7.58 | % | 12,887,000 | 732,776 | 7.60 | % | ||||||||||||||||
TOTAL
|
$ | 399,429,786 | $ | 5,970,594 | 2.00 | % | $ | 393,931,679 | $ | 8,199,949 | 2.78 | % | ||||||||||||
Net
Interest Income
|
$ | 12,594,762 | $ | 13,063,726 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net
Interest Spread(2)
|
3.60 | % | 3.65 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||
Interest
Margin(3)
|
3.80 | % | 3.95 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||
(1) Included
in gross loans are non-accrual loans with an average balance of $2,884,849
and $967,869 for the nine months ended 2009 and 2008,
respectively.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
(2) Net
interest spread is the difference between the yield on earning assets and
the rate paid on interest bearing liabilities.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
(3) Interest
margin is net interest income divided by average earning
assets.
|
The
average volume of earning assets for the first nine months of 2009 increased
$1.6 million or 0.36% compared to the same period of 2008, while the average
yield decreased 83 basis points. The average volume of loans
increased $11.3 million or 3.2%, while the average yield decreased 76 basis
points. The average volume of the taxable investment portfolio
(classified as available-for-sale), decreased approximately $7.0 million or
21.0% between periods, and the average yield decreased 126 basis
points. The average volume of the tax exempt investment portfolio
(classified as held-to-maturity) decreased $1.3 million or by 3.0% and the
average tax equivalent yield decreased 132 basis points. Loan
activity slowed but still remained positive during the third quarter of 2009
after a very strong first half of the year, contributing to the increase in the
average loan portfolio. The Company sold its entire CMO and MBS
investment portfolios, classified as available-for-sale, for approximately $14.6
million during the first half of 2009, and replaced it with $13 million in U.S.
Government Agencies, accounting for a portion of the decrease in the average
balances of the investment portfolio. Other than the write down of
the Company’s holdings of Fannie Mae preferred stock, the remaining decrease in
average investments is due to maturities within the Company’s available-for-sale
portfolio, which were used to fund loan growth and the decline in
deposits. As mentioned above, the Company acquired two classes of
Fannie Mae preferred stock in the 2007 LyndonBank merger, which is included in
its available-for-sale portfolio. The fair value of these securities
was originally recorded at $1.5 million. During 2008 the Company
obtained a fair value analysis from an independent consultant and made a fair
value adjustment amounting to $656,347. Later in 2008, when Fannie
Mae was placed under conservatorship, the Company determined that the stock was
impaired, resulting in a write down of $739,332 through a non-cash charge to
earnings. During the second quarter of 2009, the Company recorded an
additional write down to the Fannie Mae preferred stock of
$94,446. The $1.3 million decrease in volume in the Company’s
held-to-maturity portfolio was due to cyclical activity with the Company’s
municipal customers. Many municipal investments mature on June 30 and
renew during the first few weeks of July. The Company’s
held-to-maturity portfolio increased, not only through renewals, but new
investments to bring the portfolio to an actual balance as of September 30, 2009
of $49.8 million compared to $46.4 million a year ago, an increase of
7.3%. Interest earned on the loan portfolio comprised 87.9% of total
interest income for the first nine months of 2009 and 84.0% for the 2008
comparison period. Interest earned on tax exempt investments (which
is presented on a tax equivalent basis) comprised 8.3% of total interest income
for the first nine months of 2009 compared to 9.6% for the same period in
2008.
In
comparison, the average volume of interest bearing liabilities for the first
nine months of 2009 increased $5.5 million or 1.4% over the 2008 comparison
period, while the average rate paid on these accounts decreased 78 basis
points. The average volume of time deposits decreased $4.9 million,
or 2.8%, and the average rate paid on time deposits decreased 95 basis
points. Competition for time deposits continued to be aggressive
during the first nine months of 2009, which when coupled with runoff of maturing
LyndonBank time deposits in 2008, accounted for the decrease in these
liabilities. The average volume of savings deposits increased $3.1
million or 6.3%, while the average rate paid on these funds decreased eight
basis points for the first nine months of 2009. The average volume of
borrowed funds increased $4.4 million or approximately 26.0% while the average
rate paid on these funds decreased 160 basis points. Given the
significant decrease in the rate on borrowed funds, particularly in overnight
funds purchased, the Company has chosen to use this source of funding for at
least the immediate future in order to supplement its deposit funding, which has
lagged behind loan growth during the first nine months of 2009.
The
cumulative result of all these changes was a decrease of five basis points in
the net interest spread and a decrease of 15 basis points in the interest
margin. In a falling rate environment, net interest income trends
downward as asset yields are replacing into the lower rate environment at a
faster pace than the rates paid on the interest bearing liabilities, or the
funding costs. If the low rate environment is prolonged, the funding
costs begin to stabilize, while the assets continue to reprice or be replaced
into the lower rate environment, which results in a downward trending net
interest income. However, the decrease and change in the mix of the
balance sheet during the first nine months of 2009 helped to mitigate somewhat
the continued compression of the net interest spread and interest
margin.
The
following table summarizes the variances in interest income and interest expense
on a fully tax-equivalent basis for the first nine months of 2009 and 2008
resulting from volume changes in average assets and average liabilities and
fluctuations in rates earned and paid.
CHANGES
IN INTEREST INCOME AND INTEREST EXPENSE
|
||||||||||||
Variance
|
Variance
|
|||||||||||
RATE
/ VOLUME
|
Due
to
|
Due
to
|
Total
|
|||||||||
Rate(1)
|
Volume(1)
|
Variance
|
||||||||||
INCOME
EARNING ASSETS
|
||||||||||||
Loans
(2)
|
(2,115,306 | ) | 566,990 | (1,548,316 | ) | |||||||
Taxable
Investment Securities
|
(314,240 | ) | (173,875 | ) | (488,115 | ) | ||||||
Tax
Exempt Investment Securities
|
(451,848 | ) | (46,905 | ) | (498,753 | ) | ||||||
Federal
Funds Sold and Interest
|
||||||||||||
Earning
Deposit Accounts
|
(59,244 | ) | (3,396 | ) | (62,640 | ) | ||||||
FHLBB
Stock
|
(100,573 | ) | 0 | (100,573 | ) | |||||||
Other
Investments
|
(10,552 | ) | 10,630 | 78 | ||||||||
Total
Interest Earnings
|
(3,051,763 | ) | 353,444 | (2,698,319 | ) | |||||||
INTEREST
BEARING LIABILITIES
|
||||||||||||
NOW
& Money Market Funds
|
(681,539 | ) | 9,833 | (671,706 | ) | |||||||
Savings
Deposits
|
(29,256 | ) | 8,944 | (20,312 | ) | |||||||
Time
Deposits
|
(1,255,083 | ) | (107,682 | ) | (1,362,765 | ) | ||||||
Fed
Funds Purchased and Other Borrowed Funds
|
(256,269 | ) | 88,557 | (167,712 | ) | |||||||
Repurchase
Agreements
|
(29,545 | ) | 26,851 | (2,694 | ) | |||||||
Capital
Lease Obligations
|
2 | (2,085 | ) | (2,083 | ) | |||||||
Junior
Subordinated Debentures
|
(2,083 | ) | 0 | (2,083 | ) | |||||||
Total
Interest Expense
|
(2,253,773 | ) | 24,418 | (2,229,355 | ) | |||||||
Changes
in Net Interest Income
|
(797,990 | ) | 329,026 | (468,964 | ) |
(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 $297,783 or 27.5% for the third quarter of 2009 compared to the
third quarter of 2008, from $1.1 million to $1.4
million. Non-interest income increased $1.2 million or 37.2% for the
first nine months of 2009 compared to the same period of 2008, from $3.2 million
to $4.4 million. Although loan activity has moderated during the
third quarter, the Company experienced strong loan activity during the first
nine months of 2009, primarily in residential loans sold to the secondary
market. The volume of loans sold during the first nine months of 2009
was $60.5 million and the income generated from the sale of these loans was
$901,497, compared to last year’s nine month totals of $20.5 million in loan
sale volume and $250,845 in loan sale proceeds. The Company’s
residential mortgage loan sales to the secondary market totaled $174.4 million
as of September 30, 2009, compared to $157.1 million a year ago. In
addition, during the second quarter of 2009, the Company sold its entire
portfolio of Mortgage Backed Securities for a net gain of $447,420 accounting
for a significant portion of the increase in non-interest income in the nine
month period in 2009 compared to the same period in 2008.
Non-interest
expense decreased $493,846 or 10.2% to $4.4 million, for the third quarter of
2009 compared to $4.9 million for the 2008 comparison
period. Non-interest expense decreased $325,769 or 2.3% for the first
nine months of 2009 to $13.6 million compared to $13.9 million for the first
nine months of 2008. Higher non-interest expense in 2008 versus 2009
reflected the non-cash write down of $739,332 that the Company booked on its
Fannie Mae preferred stock in the third quarter of 2008 compared to a further
write down of $94,446 in that stock during the second quarter of
2009. Total FDIC insurance expense for the three and nine month
periods ended September 30, 2009 was $142,855 and $644,378, compared to $26,740
and $87,252 for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2008, or an
increase of $116,115 and $557,126, respectively. FDIC insurance
expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 includes the FDIC special
assessment of $233,500. Salaries and wages increased $106,442 or 7.8%
for the third quarter of 2009 compared to the same quarter of 2008, but a
decrease of $128,913 or 2.9% is noted for the first nine months of 2009 compared
to the same period in 2008. During the first half of 2008, additional
personnel hours were needed before and after the post-merger computer systems
conversion, resulting in higher wages and employee benefits for that period,
compared to the first half of 2009. The increase in the third quarter
of 2009 is more in line with projections for that time period. The
amortization of the core deposit intangible decreased $124,830 or 20.0% to
$499,320 for the first nine months of 2009 compared to $624,150 for the first
nine months of 2008.
As
a result of the merger with LyndonBank, the Company acquired a branch office
located in close proximity to the Company’s main office. The Company
was permitted to keep the deposits associated with this office, but undertook to
close the branch following the post-merger data processing conversion of
accounts and service those customers affected by the closure at the nearby main
office in Derby and the Newport office located within a few miles of this branch
office. As a result of the closure of this branch, the Company was
required to transfer the property from premises and equipment to other real
estate owned (OREO). At the time of the merger, the fair market value
of the building was $675,000. During the second quarter of 2009, the
Company consulted a local real estate broker to obtain a fair value on the
building. It was determined that the current fair value had declined
to $585,000, resulting in a $90,000 write down on the property. This
write down is a component of other non-interest expense thereby contributing to
the increase in this expense category for the first nine months of 2009 compared
to 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
The
provision for income taxes decreased $233,264 or 139.3% for the third quarter of
2009 compared to the same quarter of 2008. The Company recorded a tax
benefit for the third quarter of 2009 of $65,858 compared to a tax expense of
$167,406 for the same quarter of 2008. The provision for income taxes
decreased $281,215 for the first nine months of 2009 with a recorded tax benefit
of $286,696 compared to a tax benefit of $5,481 for the first nine months of
2008. The Company receives tax credits for its investments in various
low income housing partnerships which reduce taxes
payable. Periodically, the Company has the opportunity to participate
in a low income housing project that offers one-time “Historic Tax
Credits”. In 2008, the Company was given this opportunity through a
local project, with historic tax credit for 2009 amounting to $535,000, or
$133,750 quarterly. Total tax credits, including the historic tax
credit recorded for the third quarter of 2009 amounted to $263,343, compared to
$100,695 for the third quarter of 2008, and $766,719 and $302,085, respectively,
for the first nine months of 2009 and 2008.
CHANGES IN FINANCIAL
CONDITION
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
|
30-Sep-09
|
31-Dec-08
|
30-Sep-08
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Loans
(gross)*
|
$ | 372,542,696 | 75.10 | % | $ | 365,993,527 | 75.03 | % | $ | 359,100,867 | 73.35 | % | ||||||||||||
Available
for Sale Securities
|
23,130,656 | 4.66 | % | 29,449,424 | 6.04 | % | 29,638,437 | 6.05 | % | |||||||||||||||
Held
to Maturity Securities
|
49,769,540 | 10.03 | % | 37,288,357 | 7.64 | % | 46,368,055 | 9.47 | % | |||||||||||||||
*includes
loans held for sale
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
LIABILITIES
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Time
Deposits
|
$ | 171,070,472 | 34.49 | % | $ | 175,338,328 | 35.94 | % | $ | 180,358,538 | 36.84 | % | ||||||||||||
Savings
Deposits
|
53,487,971 | 10.78 | % | 49,266,879 | 10.10 | % | 50,523,075 | 10.32 | % | |||||||||||||||
Demand
Deposits
|
53,332,196 | 10.75 | % | 50,134,874 | 10.28 | % | 54,499,372 | 11.13 | % | |||||||||||||||
NOW
& Money Market Funds
|
124,654,825 | 25.13 | % | 127,500,699 | 26.14 | % | 122,491,455 | 25.02 | % | |||||||||||||||
Fed
Funds Purchased and Other
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other
Borrowed Funds
|
23,467,000 | 4.73 | % | 12,572,000 | 2.58 | % | 13,616,000 | 2.78 | % |
The
Company's loan portfolio increased $6.5 million, or 1.8% from December 31, 2008
to September 30, 2009, and $13.4 million, or 3.7%, from September 30 2008 to
September 30, 2009, despite a weakening local economy. The decrease
in mortgage interest rates during the last quarter of 2008 triggered an increase
in new loan activity, with an even larger increase in refinancing activity,
especially in the residential loan portfolio. A major portion of
these loans were then sold to the secondary market, with servicing retained and
are therefore not reflected in period-end loans. Available-for-sale
investments decreased $6.3 million or 21.5% through maturities, calls and sales
from December 31, 2008 to September 30, 2009, and $6.5 million or almost 22.0%
year over year. Most of the maturities and calls during 2008 were
used to fund loan growth, while maturities and sales in 2009 were used to fund a
portion of the loan growth and reinvestment in U.S. Government
agencies. Held-to-maturity securities increased $12.5 million or
33.5% during the first nine months of 2009, and $3.4 million or 7.3% year to
year. As noted earlier in this discussion, most of the municipal
investments that matured on June 30 renewed during the first few weeks of July
and we also recorded some new investments during July accounting for the
increase in both periods.
Time
deposits decreased $4.3 million or 2.4% from December 31, 2008 to September 30,
2009 and just under $9.3 million or 5.2% from September 30, 2008 to September
30, 2009. Competitive interest rate programs at other financial
institutions accounted for a portion of the decrease, together with runoff of
LyndonBank accounts from year to year. Savings deposits increased
$4.2 million or 8.6% during the first nine months of 2009 and just under $3.0
million or 5.8% year to year. Demand deposits increased $3.2 million
or 6.4% during the first nine months of 2009, compared to a decrease of $1.2
million or 2.1% year to year. NOW and money market funds reported a
decrease of $2.8 million or 2.2% for the first nine months of 2009, while year
over year an increase of $2.2 million or 1.8% was reported. The
Company anticipated a post-merger runoff of 3% in non maturing
deposits. Actual runoff of these deposits year to year was
approximately 8.5%. The Company’s municipal accounts, which are
primarily a component of NOW and money market funds, increased during the third
quarter of 2009 to levels above the volume a year ago, but not to levels
comparable to year-end 2008, accounting for most of the changes in both
comparison periods.
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) is made up of the Executive Officers and all the Vice
Presidents of the Bank. The 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 financial instruments 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 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. All rate scenarios are
simulated assuming a parallel shift of the yield curve; however further
simulations are performed utilizing a flattening and steepening 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 upward and downward shifts in interest
rates depending on the current rate environment. 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.
The
Company’s Asset/Liability Policy has been enhanced with a contingency funding
plan to help management prepare for unforeseen liquidity restrictions, with
modeling based on hypothetical severe liquidity crisis scenarios.
While
management’s 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 customer preferences or
competitor influences might change. This is especially true in light
of the continued significant market volatility during the last year and the
unprecedented, sustained low interest rate environment.
Credit
Risk - A primary
challenge of management is to reduce the exposure to credit loss within the loan
portfolio. Management follows
established underwriting guidelines, and exceptions to the policy must be
approved in accordance with limits prescribed by the Board of
Directors. The adequacy of the loan loss coverage is reviewed
quarterly by the risk management committee of the Board of Directors and then
presented to the full Board of Directors for approval. 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 assure 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 has a Credit Administration department whose function includes
credit analysis and 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 central Vermont, and through the year-end
2007 LyndonBank acquisition, which increased the level of loans particularly in
Caledonia County, and to a lesser extent in Lamoille and Franklin
Counties. The Company also monitors concentrations of credit to
individual borrowers, to various industries, and to owner and non-owner occupied
commercial real estate.
The
following table reflects the composition of the Company's loan portfolio as of
the dates indicated:
30-Sep-09
|
31-Dec-08
|
|||||||||||||||
Total
Loans
|
%
of Total
|
Total
Loans
|
%
of Total
|
|||||||||||||
Construction
& Land Development
|
16,762,534 | 4.50 | % | 15,203,826 | 4.15 | % | ||||||||||
Secured
by Farm Land
|
9,253,338 | 2.48 | % | 8,533,463 | 2.33 | % | ||||||||||
1-4
Family Residential
|
214,314,500 | 57.54 | % | 213,279,198 | 58.28 | % | ||||||||||
Commercial
Real Estate
|
92,444,842 | 24.81 | % | 88,546,545 | 24.19 | % | ||||||||||
Loans
to Finance Agricultural Production
|
909,801 | 0.24 | % | 884,307 | 0.24 | % | ||||||||||
Commercial
& Industrial Loans
|
24,294,537 | 6.52 | % | 23,306,485 | 6.37 | % | ||||||||||
Consumer
Loans
|
14,328,425 | 3.85 | % | 15,922,237 | 4.35 | % | ||||||||||
All
other loans
|
234,719 | 0.06 | % | 317,466 | 0.09 | % | ||||||||||
Total
Gross Loans
|
372,542,696 | 100.00 | % | 365,993,527 | 100.00 | % | ||||||||||
Reserve
for loan losses
|
(3,481,663 | ) | (3,232,932 | ) | ||||||||||||
Unearned
loan fees
|
(183,683 | ) | (301,004 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net
Loans
|
368,877,350 | 362,459,591 |
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”). Although the Company, in establishing the allowance, considers the
inherent losses in individual loans and pools of loans, the allowance is a
general reserve available to absorb all credit losses in the loan
portfolio. No part of the allowance is segregated for, or allocated
to, any particular loan or pools of loans.
When
establishing the allowance each quarter the Company applies a combination of
historical loss factors and qualitative factors to pools of loans including the
residential mortgage, commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, and
consumer loan and overdraft portfolios. The Company will shorten or
lengthen its look back period for determining average portfolio historical loss
rates as the economy either contracts or expands; during a period of economic
contraction a shortening of the look back period may more conservatively reflect
the current economic climate. In light of the current recession, in
late 2008 the Company modified its allowance methodology by shortening its
historical look back period from five years to one to two years, and by also
comparing loss rates to losses experienced during the last economic downturn.
The highest loss rates experienced for these look back periods are applied to
the various pools in establishing the allowance.
The
Company then applies numerous qualitative factors to each of these segments of
the loan portfolio. Those factors include the levels of and trends in
delinquencies and non-accrual loans, criticized and classified assets, volumes
and terms of loans, and the impact of any loan policy changes. Experience,
ability and depth of management, levels of policy and documentation exceptions,
national and local economic trends, the competitive environment, and
concentrations of credit are also factors considered.
The
Company has experienced an increase in collection activity on loans 30 to 60
days past due during the first nine months of 2009. The Company works actively
with customers early in the delinquency process to help them to avoid default
and foreclosure. The Company’s non-accruing loan portfolio increased
$2.4 million or 114.8% to $4.6 million for the first nine months of
2009. Approximately $4.4 million or 96% of the non-performing loans
are secured by real estate, thereby reducing the exposure to loss. Management
reports increasing trends in the levels of non-performing loans and criticized
and classified assets, which is consistent with the length and depth of the
current economic recession. Accordingly, during 2009 the Company has carried the
maximum qualitative factor adjustment for economic conditions and has increased
the factors for trends in delinquency and non-accrual loans and criticized and
classified assets.
Specific
allocations to the reserve are made for impaired loans. Impaired
loans are those that have been placed in non-accrual status. Commercial and
commercial real estate loans are placed in non-accrual status when there is
deterioration in the financial position of the borrower, payment in full of
principal and interest is not expected, and/or principal or interest has been in
default for 90 days or more. Such a loan need not be placed in non-accrual
status if it is both well secured and in the process of
collection. Residential mortgages and home equity loans are
considered for non-accrual status at 90 days past due and are evaluated on a
case by case basis to assure that the Company’s net income is not materially
overstated. The Company obtains current property appraisals and valuations and
considers the cost to carry and sell collateral in order to assess the level of
specific allocations required. Consumer loans are not placed in non-accrual but
are charged off by the time they reach 120 days past due.
The
Company’s impaired loans increased $1.7 million or 57.2% during the quarter from
$2.9 million at June 30, 2009 to $4.6 million as of September 30, 2009. Specific
allocations to the reserve increased accordingly for the same period, from
$174,100 to $345,100. The majority of the increase was in the
residential mortgage portfolio. The impaired portfolio mix includes 66%
residential real estate, 30% commercial real estate, with the balance in
commercial loans.
The
Company is committed to a conservative lending philosophy and maintains high
credit and underwriting standards. As of September 30, 2009, the Company
maintained a residential loan portfolio of $214.3 million compared to $213.3
million as of December 31, 2008 and a commercial real estate portfolio
(including construction, land development and farm land loans) of $118.5 million
as of September 30, 2009 and $112.3 million as of December 31, 2008, together
accounting for approximately 90% of the total loan portfolio for each
period.
The
residential mortgage portfolio makes up the largest part of the overall loan
portfolio and continues to have the lowest historical loss ratio. The
Company maintains a mortgage loan portfolio of traditional mortgage products and
has not engaged in higher risk loans such as option ARM products, high
loan-to-value products, interest only mortgages, subprime loans and products
with deeply discounted teaser rates. Residential mortgages with loan-to-values
exceeding 80% are generally covered by private mortgage insurance. A
90% loan-to-value residential mortgage product is only available to borrowers
with excellent credit and low debt-to-income ratios and has not been widely
originated. Junior lien home equity products make up 24% of the
residential mortgage portfolio with maximum loan-to-value ratios (including
prior liens) of 80%. The residential mortgage portfolio has performed
well in light of current economic conditions.
Risk
in the Company’s commercial and commercial real estate loan portfolios is
mitigated in part by using government guarantees issued by federal agencies such
as the US Small Business Administration and USDA Rural Development. At September
30, 2009, the Company had $16.6 million in guaranteed loans, compared to $15.9
million at December 31, 2008.
A
portion of the allowance (termed "unallocated") is established to absorb
inherent losses that exist as of the valuation date although not specifically
identified through management's process for estimating credit
losses. While the allowance is described as consisting of separate
allocated portions, the entire allowance is available to support loan losses,
regardless of category.
Given
these trends and the current recession, management increased the provision for
loan losses to $425,003 for the first nine months of 2009, compared to $237,497
for the same period in 2008 and believes this is directionally consistent with
the trends and risk in the loan portfolio and with the increase in the amount of
the portfolio. The Company has an experienced collections department that
continues to actively work with borrowers to resolve problem loans.
The
following table summarizes the Company's loan loss experience for the nine
months ended September 30,
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Loans
Outstanding End of Period
|
$ | 372,542,696 | $ | 359,100,867 | ||||
Average
Loans Outstanding During Period
|
$ | 368,182,304 | $ | 356,861,435 | ||||
Loan
Loss Reserve, Beginning of Period
|
$ | 3,232,932 | $ | 3,026,049 | ||||
Loans
Charged Off:
|
||||||||
Residential
Real Estate
|
57,214 | 56,757 | ||||||
Commercial
Real Estate
|
5,063 | 121,166 | ||||||
Commercial
Loans not Secured by Real Estate
|
59,118 | 9,635 | ||||||
Consumer
Loans
|
115,587 | 95,450 | ||||||
Total
Loans Charged Off
|
236,982 | 283,008 | ||||||
Recoveries:
|
||||||||
Residential
Real Estate
|
1,028 | 6,585 | ||||||
Commercial
Real Estate
|
17,337 | 1,601 | ||||||
Commercial
Loans not Secured by Real Estate
|
9,665 | 12,090 | ||||||
Consumer
Loans
|
32,680 | 58,068 | ||||||
Total
Recoveries
|
60,710 | 78,344 | ||||||
Net
Loans Charged Off
|
176,272 | 204,664 | ||||||
Provision
Charged to Income
|
425,003 | 237,497 | ||||||
Loan
Loss Reserve, End of Period
|
$ | 3,481,663 | $ | 3,058,882 | ||||
Net
Charge Offs to Average Loans Outstanding
|
0.048 | % | 0.057 | % | ||||
Loan
Loss Reserve to Average Loans Outstanding
|
0.946 | % | 0.857 | % |
Non-performing
assets for the comparison periods were as follows:
September
30, 2009
|
December
31, 2008
|
|||||||||||||||
Percent
|
Percent
|
|||||||||||||||
Balance
|
of
Total
|
Balance
|
of
Total
|
|||||||||||||
Non-Accruing
loans
|
$ | 4,550,489 | 86.34 | % | $ | 2,118,597 | 89.56 | % | ||||||||
Loans
past due 90 days or more and still accruing
|
719,705 | 13.66 | % | 246,903 | 10.44 | % | ||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 5,270,194 | 100.00 | % | $ | 2,365,500 | 100.00 | % |
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. Changes in the capital markets result from events and
conditions outside the Company’s control or ability to predict with any
certainty, such as changes in general economic conditions of growth or
recession, inflation, regulatory or other government actions and changes in
interest rates and government monetary policy. Market risk comprises
many individual risks that, when combined, create a macroeconomic
impact.
The
Company’s market risk arises primarily from interest rate risk inherent in its
lending and deposit taking activities. During times of recessionary
periods, a declining housing market can result in an increase in loan loss
reserves or ultimately an increase in foreclosures. 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. The recent deterioration of the economy and disruption in
the financial markets may heighten the Company’s market risk. The
Company actively monitors and manages its interest rate risk through the ALCO
process.
During
the first six months of 2009, the prolonged low interest rate environment
adversely affected the value of the Company’s mortgage servicing rights
portfolio, resulting in a negative valuation adjustment for impairment of the
portfolio in the amount of $272,929 for that period. However, the
strong residential mortgage loan activity during the same period resulted in
significant additions to the loan servicing portfolio. The increase
in rates later in the second quarter has translated to a recent increase in
market prices for mortgage servicing rights during the third quarter, resulting
in a reversal of a portion of the impairment amounting to
$25,531. Based on current market prices, the Company believes that
the book value of its mortgage servicing rights at September 30, 2009 is
reflective of the market value at such date. At September 30, 2009,
the net carrying value of the Company’s mortgage servicing rights portfolio was
$968,864, compared to $960,110 at year end 2008 and $1.1 million at September
30, 2008.
The
Company’s write down of the Fannie Mae preferred stock in the third quarter of
2008 and the subsequent write down in June, 2009 were results of a fair value
adjustment deemed other than temporary due to the deterioration of the issuers
credit-worthiness.
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 nine
months of 2009, 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 September 30,
2009 were as follows:
Contract
or
|
||||
Notional
Amount
|
||||
Unused
portions of home equity lines of credit
|
$ | 16,608,420 | ||
Other
commitments to extend credit
|
27,260,385 | |||
Residential
construction lines of credit
|
3,617,926 | |||
Commercial
real estate and other construction lines of credit
|
11,606,901 | |||
Standby
letters of credit and commercial letters of credit
|
745,820 | |||
Recourse
on sale of credit card portfolio
|
386,980 | |||
MPF
credit enhancement obligation, net of liability recorded
|
$ | 1,463,729 |
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, and adjusting for current economic conditions, 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, FHLBB borrowings and
outside deposit funding such as CDARS deposits (described below), to meet these
funding needs.
In
order to attract deposits, 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 deposit funding to augment retail deposits and
borrowings. As of September 30, 2009, the Company had approximately
$9.4 million in deposits placed in the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry
Service (CDARS) of Promontory Interfinancial Network account, which allows the
Company to provide FDIC deposit insurance in excess of account coverage limits
by exchanging deposits with other CDARS members. The Company may also
purchase deposits from other CDARS members. Such deposits are
generally considered a form of brokered deposits. Of the $9.4 million
in CDARS deposits at September 30, 2009, approximately $4.0 million represented
exchanged deposits with other CDARS participating banks.
During
the first nine months of 2009, the Company's loan portfolio increased $6.5
million or 1.8%. Demand for residential mortgages was heavy, with
total originations of approximately $103.5 million, but more than half of these
loans were sold to the secondary market. The available-for-sale
investment portfolio decreased $6.3 million or 21.5% while the held-to-maturity
investment portfolio increased $12.5 million or 33.5% compared to 2008 year end
levels. Maturities in the available-for-sale portfolio were used in
part to fund loan growth. On the liability side, savings deposits
increased $4.2 million or 8.6%, while NOW and money market accounts decreased
$2.8 million or 2.2% and time deposits decreased $4.3 million or
2.4%. Aggressive pricing from other financial institutions for time
deposits was a factor in the decrease in deposits.
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 $500,000 unsecured
Federal Funds line with an available balance of the same amount at September 30,
2009. 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 $92.3 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
during the first and second quarters and pays the advances down as the municipal
deposits flow back into the Bank during the third and fourth
quarters. Given the Federal Funds rate prevailing in January 2009,
the Company extended a portion of its overnight funding into $10 million in
long-term advances scheduled to mature within two years, with the remainder
falling into overnight funding at this time. At the end of the first
nine months of 2009, the Company had outstanding FHLBB advances of $23.5 million
consisting of the following:
Annual
|
Principal
|
||||||||
Purchase
Date
|
Rate
|
Maturity
Date
|
Balance
|
||||||
Long-term
Advance
|
|||||||||
January
30, 2009
|
2.13 | % |
January
31, 2011
|
$ | 10,000,000 | ||||
November
16, 1992
|
7.67 | % |
November
16, 2012
|
10,000 | |||||
Total
Long-term Advances
|
$ | 10,010,000 | |||||||
Overnight
Funds Purchased (FHLBB)
|
.28 | % |
October
1, 2009
|
$ | 13,457,000 |
Under
a separate agreement with the FHLBB, the Company has the authority to
collateralize public unit deposits, up to its FHLBB borrowing capacity ($92.3
million, less outstanding advances noted above) with letters of credit issued by
the FHLBB. At September 30, 2009 approximately $13.2 million of
eligible collateral was pledged as collateral to the FHLBB to secure the
Company’s obligations relating to these letters of credit.
Other
alternative sources of funding come from unsecured Federal Funds lines with one
unaffiliated correspondent bank in the amount of $3.5 million. There
was no balance outstanding on this line at September 30, 2009.
The
following table illustrates the changes in shareholders' equity from December
31, 2008 to September 30, 2009:
Balance
at December 31, 2008 (book value $7.33 per share)
|
$ | 35,272,892 | ||
Net
income
|
2,704,040 | |||
Issuance
of stock through the Dividend Reinvestment Plan
|
455,781 | |||
Purchase
of treasury stock
|
0 | |||
Dividends
declared on common stock
|
(1,616,556 | ) | ||
Dividends
declared on preferred stock
|
(140,625 | ) | ||
Change
in unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities, net of
tax
|
(321,495 | ) | ||
Balance
at September 30, 2009 (book value $7.48 per share)
|
$ | 36,354,037 |
On
September 8, 2009, the Company declared a cash dividend of $0.12 on common stock
payable on November 1, 2009, to shareholders of record as of October 15, 2009,
which is accrued in the financial statements at September 30, 2009.
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 certain dividend restrictions under the
National Bank Act and regulations of 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. The Company is also subject to regulatory
restrictions applicable to payment of dividends by bank holding companies, some
circumstances, such as where dividends would exceed current period earnings, or
where the bank holding company is in a troubled financial
condition.
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 September 30, 2009, 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 September 30, 2009 and
December 31, 2008 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 September 30, 2009:
|
||||||
Total
capital (to risk-weighted assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated
|
$39,303
|
11.62%
|
$27,051
|
8.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$39,147
|
11.60%
|
$26,992
|
8.00%
|
$33,740
|
10.00%
|
Tier
I capital (to risk-weighted assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated
|
$35,822
|
10.59%
|
$13,525
|
4.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$35,666
|
10.57%
|
$13,496
|
4.00%
|
$20,244
|
6.00%
|
Tier
I capital (to average assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated
|
$35,822
|
7.35%
|
$19,483
|
4.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$35,666
|
7.33%
|
$19,456
|
4.00%
|
$24,320
|
5.00%
|
As
of December 31, 2008:
|
||||||
Total
capital (to risk-weighted assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated
|
$36,765
|
11.04%
|
$26,639
|
8.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Community
National Bank
|
$37,355
|
11.25%
|
$26,571
|
8.00%
|
$33,214
|
10.00%
|
Tier
I capital (to risk-weighted assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated
|
$33,532
|
10.07%
|
$13,319
|
4.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Community
National Bank
|
$34,122
|
10.27%
|
$13,285
|
4.00%
|
$19,928
|
6.00%
|
Tier
I capital (to average assets)
|
||||||
Consolidated
|
$33,532
|
7.08%
|
$18,948
|
4.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Community
National Bank
|
$34,122
|
7.22%
|
$18,917
|
4.00%
|
$23,569
|
5.00%
|
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.
ITEM 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
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
captions "RISK MANAGEMENT" and “FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS WITH OFF BALANCE SHEET
RISK”, which are 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
2008 annual report on form 10-K/A.
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 September 30, 2009, 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 September 30, 2009
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.
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 September 30, 2009 that have materially
affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting.
PART II.
OTHER INFORMATION
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.
The
following table provides information as to purchases of the Company’s common
stock during the third quarter ended September 30, 2009, by the Company and by
any affiliated purchaser (as defined in SEC Rule 10b-18):
Maximum
Number of
|
||||||||||||||||
Total
Number of
|
Shares
That May Yet
|
|||||||||||||||
Total
Number
|
Average
|
Shares
Purchased
|
Be
Purchased Under
|
|||||||||||||
Of
Shares
|
Price
Paid
|
as
Part of Publicly
|
the
Plan at the End
|
|||||||||||||
For
the period:
|
Purchased(1)(2)
|
Per
Share
|
Announced
Plan
|
of
the Period
|
||||||||||||
July
1 – July 30
|
0 | $ | 0.00 | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||
August
1 – August 31
|
1,650 | $ | 8.35 | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||
September
1 – September 30
|
0 | $ | 0.00 | N/A | N/A | |||||||||||
Total
|
1,650 | $ | 8.35 | N/A | N/A |
(1) All
1,650 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.
(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.
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: November
10, 2009
|
/s/ Stephen P.
Marsh
|
Stephen
P. Marsh, President &
|
|
Chief
Executive Officer
|
|
DATED: November
10, 2009
|
/s/ Louise M.
Bonvechio
|
Louise
M. Bonvechio, Vice President
|
|
&
Chief Financial Officer
|