COMMUNITY BANCORP /VT - Quarter Report: 2020 March (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
DC 20549
FORM
10-Q
[ x ] QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the
Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2020
OR
[ ] TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the
transition period from to
Commission
File Number 000-16435
Community
Bancorp.
(Exact
name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
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
|
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: NONE
Title
of Each Class
|
Trading
Symbol(s)
|
Name of
each exchange on which registered
|
|
(Not
Applicable)
|
|
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 has submitted electronically
every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to
Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during
the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to submit and post such files). YES
( X ) NO ( )
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer,
an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting
company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of
“large accelerated filer”, “accelerated
filer”, “smaller reporting company” and
“emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act.
Large
accelerated filer ( )
|
Accelerated
filer (X)
|
Non-accelerated
filer ( )
|
Smaller
reporting company ( X )
|
|
Emerging
growth company ( )
|
If an
emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant
has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided
pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
( )
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined
in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
YES
( ) NO(X)
At May
05, 2020, there were 5,257,359 shares outstanding of the
Corporation's common stock.
1
FORM
10-Q
|
||
Index
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|
|
|
|
Page
|
PART
I
|
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
|
|
|
|
|
Item
1
|
3
|
|
Item
2
|
27
|
|
Item
3
|
47
|
|
Item
4
|
48
|
|
|
|
|
PART
II
|
OTHER
INFORMATION
|
|
|
|
|
Item
1
|
48
|
|
Item
1A
|
48
|
|
Item
2
|
50
|
|
Item
6
|
50
|
|
|
51
|
|
|
52
|
PART I.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
ITEM 1. Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
The
following are the unaudited consolidated financial statements for
the Company.
2
Community
Bancorp. and Subsidiary
|
March 31,
|
December 31,
|
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
|
2020
|
2019
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
Cash
and due from banks
|
$8,957,754
|
$10,263,535
|
Federal
funds sold and overnight deposits
|
29,672,723
|
38,298,677
|
Total
cash and cash equivalents
|
38,630,477
|
48,562,212
|
Securities
available-for-sale
|
41,870,209
|
45,966,750
|
Restricted
equity securities, at cost
|
1,414,950
|
1,431,850
|
Loans
held-for-sale
|
667,000
|
0
|
Loans
|
634,414,690
|
606,988,937
|
Allowance
for loan losses
|
(6,186,764)
|
(5,926,491)
|
Deferred
net loan costs
|
355,638
|
362,415
|
Net
loans
|
628,583,564
|
601,424,861
|
Bank
premises and equipment, net
|
10,789,719
|
10,959,403
|
Accrued
interest receivable
|
2,890,552
|
2,336,553
|
Bank
owned life insurance
|
4,924,090
|
4,903,012
|
Goodwill
|
11,574,269
|
11,574,269
|
Other
real estate owned
|
781,238
|
966,738
|
Other
assets
|
9,566,186
|
9,829,671
|
Total
assets
|
$751,692,254
|
$737,955,319
|
|
|
|
Liabilities
and Shareholders' Equity
|
|
|
Liabilities
|
|
|
Deposits:
|
|
|
Demand,
non-interest bearing
|
$124,080,117
|
$125,089,403
|
Interest-bearing
transaction accounts
|
184,978,145
|
185,102,333
|
Money
market funds
|
96,907,876
|
91,463,661
|
Savings
|
101,646,285
|
97,167,652
|
Time
deposits, $250,000 and over
|
17,007,994
|
14,565,559
|
Other
time deposits
|
93,524,279
|
101,632,760
|
Total
deposits
|
618,144,696
|
615,021,368
|
Borrowed
funds
|
22,650,000
|
2,650,000
|
Repurchase
agreements
|
22,910,735
|
33,189,848
|
Junior
subordinated debentures
|
12,887,000
|
12,887,000
|
Accrued
interest and other liabilities
|
4,516,331
|
5,312,424
|
Total
liabilities
|
681,108,762
|
669,060,640
|
|
|
|
Shareholders'
Equity
|
|
|
Preferred
stock, 1,000,000 shares authorized, 15 shares issued and
outstanding
|
|
|
At
03/31/20 and 12/31/19 ($100,000 liquidation value, per
share)
|
1,500,000
|
1,500,000
|
Common
stock - $2.50 par value; 15,000,000 shares authorized,
5,466,043
|
|
|
shares
issued at 03/31/20 and 5,449,857 shares issued at
12/31/19
|
13,665,108
|
13,624,643
|
Additional
paid-in capital
|
33,678,193
|
33,464,381
|
Retained
earnings
|
23,515,839
|
22,667,949
|
Accumulated
other comprehensive income
|
847,129
|
260,483
|
Less:
treasury stock, at cost; 210,101 shares at 03/31/20 and
12/31/19
|
(2,622,777)
|
(2,622,777)
|
Total
shareholders' equity
|
70,583,492
|
68,894,679
|
Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity
|
$751,692,254
|
$737,955,319
|
|
|
|
Book value per
common share outstanding
|
$13.14
|
$12.86
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated
financial statements.
3
Community
Bancorp. and Subsidiary
|
Three Months Ended March
31,
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Income
|
2020
|
2019
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
income
|
|
|
Interest
and fees on loans
|
$7,365,961
|
$7,210,810
|
Interest
on taxable debt securities
|
284,756
|
248,108
|
Dividends
|
24,425
|
25,959
|
Interest
on federal funds sold and overnight deposits
|
97,010
|
213,491
|
Total
interest income
|
7,772,152
|
7,698,368
|
|
|
|
Interest
expense
|
|
|
Interest
on deposits
|
1,249,537
|
1,282,960
|
Interest
on borrowed funds
|
12,795
|
5,137
|
Interest
on repurchase agreements
|
59,535
|
72,831
|
Interest
on junior subordinated debentures
|
154,526
|
177,612
|
Total
interest expense
|
1,476,393
|
1,538,540
|
|
|
|
Net
interest income
|
6,295,759
|
6,159,828
|
Provision for
loan losses
|
376,503
|
212,503
|
Net
interest income after provision for loan losses
|
5,919,256
|
5,947,325
|
|
|
|
Non-interest
income
|
|
|
Service
fees
|
806,211
|
790,366
|
Income
from sold loans
|
140,463
|
103,087
|
Other
income from loans
|
220,467
|
138,744
|
Other
income
|
186,566
|
286,503
|
Total
non-interest income
|
1,353,707
|
1,318,700
|
|
|
|
Non-interest
expense
|
|
|
Salaries
and wages
|
1,886,316
|
1,842,930
|
Employee
benefits
|
798,441
|
776,340
|
Occupancy
expenses, net
|
683,235
|
690,829
|
Other
expenses
|
1,725,227
|
1,845,825
|
Total
non-interest expense
|
5,093,219
|
5,155,924
|
|
|
|
Income
before income taxes
|
2,179,744
|
2,110,101
|
Income tax
expense
|
318,505
|
338,196
|
Net
income
|
$1,861,239
|
$1,771,905
|
|
|
|
Earnings per
common share
|
$0.35
|
$0.34
|
Weighted
average number of common shares
|
|
|
used in
computing earnings per share
|
5,245,216
|
5,180,334
|
Dividends
declared per common share
|
$0.19
|
$0.19
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated
financial statements.
4
Community
Bancorp. and Subsidiary
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Comprehensive Income
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
Three Months Ended March
31,
|
|
|
2020
|
2019
|
|
|
|
Net
income
|
$1,861,239
|
$1,771,905
|
|
|
|
Other comprehensive
income, net of tax:
|
|
|
Unrealized
holding gain on securities AFS arising during the
period
|
742,589
|
571,759
|
Tax
effect
|
(155,943)
|
(120,069)
|
Other
comprehensive income, net of tax
|
586,646
|
451,690
|
Total
comprehensive income
|
$2,447,885
|
$2,223,595
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated
financial statements.
5
Community Bancorp. and
Subsidiary
|
|||||||
Consolidated Statements of Changes in
Shareholders' Equity
|
|||||||
(Unaudited)
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
2020
|
||||||
|
|
|
Additional
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Common
|
Preferred
|
paid-in
|
Retained
|
|
Treasury
|
shareholders'
|
|
Stock
|
Stock
|
capital
|
earnings
|
AOCI*
|
stock
|
equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
January 1,
2020
|
$13,624,643
|
$1,500,000
|
$33,464,381
|
$22,667,949
|
$260,483
|
$(2,622,777)
|
$68,894,679
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance of common
stock
|
40,465
|
|
213,812
|
|
|
|
254,277
|
Cash dividends
declared
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common
stock
|
|
|
|
(995,536)
|
|
|
(995,536)
|
Preferred
stock
|
|
|
|
(17,813)
|
|
|
(17,813)
|
Comprehensive
income
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income
|
|
|
|
1,861,239
|
|
|
1,861,239
|
Other
comprehensive income
|
|
|
|
|
586,646
|
|
586,646
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
2020
|
$13,665,108
|
$1,500,000
|
$33,678,193
|
$23,515,839
|
$847,129
|
$(2,622,777)
|
$70,583,492
|
Community Bancorp. and
Subsidiary
|
|||||||
Consolidated Statements of Changes in
Shareholders' Equity
|
|||||||
(Unaudited)
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
Three Months Ended March 31,
2019
|
||||||
|
|
|
Additional
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
Common
|
Preferred
|
paid-in
|
Retained
|
|
Treasury
|
shareholders'
|
|
Stock
|
Stock
|
capital
|
earnings
|
AOCI*
|
stock
|
equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
January 1,
2019
|
$13,455,258
|
$2,000,000
|
$32,536,532
|
$17,882,282
|
$(647,584)
|
$(2,622,777)
|
$62,603,711
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance of common
stock
|
49,415
|
|
263,611
|
|
|
|
313,026
|
Cash dividends
declared
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common
stock
|
|
|
|
(983,122)
|
|
|
(983,122)
|
Preferred
stock
|
|
|
|
(27,500)
|
|
|
(27,500)
|
Redemption of
preferred stock
|
|
(500,000)
|
|
|
|
|
(500,000)
|
Comprehensive
income
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
income
|
|
|
|
1,771,905
|
|
|
1,771,905
|
Other
comprehensive income
|
|
|
|
|
451,690
|
|
451,690
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
2019
|
$13,504,673
|
$1,500,000
|
$32,800,143
|
$18,643,565
|
$(195,894)
|
$(2,622,777)
|
$63,629,710
|
*Accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss)
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated
financial statements.
6
Community
Bancorp. and Subsidiary
|
|
|
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
|
|
|
(Unaudited)
|
Three Months Ended March
31,
|
|
|
2020
|
2019
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|
|
Net
income
|
$1,861,239
|
$1,771,905
|
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by
|
|
|
operating
activities:
|
|
|
Depreciation
and amortization, bank premises and equipment
|
232,759
|
236,438
|
Provision
for loan losses
|
376,503
|
212,503
|
Deferred
income tax
|
(61,497)
|
(3,995)
|
Gain
on sale of loans
|
(51,183)
|
(22,602)
|
Gain
on sale of OREO
|
(7,799)
|
0
|
Income
from CFS Partners
|
(91,909)
|
(177,420)
|
Amortization
of bond premium, net
|
13,315
|
31,611
|
Proceeds
from sales of loans held for sale
|
3,736,533
|
769,622
|
Originations
of loans held for sale
|
(4,352,350)
|
(747,020)
|
Increase
in taxes payable
|
295,831
|
264,164
|
Increase
in interest receivable
|
(553,999)
|
(257,600)
|
Decrease
in mortgage servicing rights
|
24,285
|
38,554
|
Decrease
in right-of-use assets
|
60,825
|
57,216
|
Decrease
in operating lease liabilities
|
(60,219)
|
(55,014)
|
(Increase)
decrease in other assets
|
(143,340)
|
282,292
|
Increase
in cash surrender value of BOLI
|
(21,078)
|
(21,635)
|
Amortization
of limited partnerships
|
84,171
|
78,027
|
Decrease
(increase) in unamortized loan costs
|
6,777
|
(1,537)
|
(Decrease)
increase in interest payable
|
(6,398)
|
35,102
|
Decrease
in accrued expenses
|
(411,204)
|
(444,039)
|
Decrease
in other liabilities
|
(23,573)
|
(8,027)
|
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
907,689
|
2,038,545
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Investing Activities:
|
|
|
Investments
- AFS
|
|
|
Maturities,
calls, pay downs and sales
|
5,817,816
|
701,657
|
Purchases
|
(992,000)
|
(1,498,000)
|
Proceeds
from redemption of restricted equity securities
|
361,600
|
383,500
|
Purchases
of restricted equity securities
|
(344,700)
|
0
|
Decrease
in limited partnership contributions payable
|
(288,000)
|
0
|
Increase
in loans, net
|
(27,559,512)
|
(564,060)
|
Capital
expenditures net of proceeds from sales of bank
|
|
|
premises
and equipment
|
(123,901)
|
(272,864)
|
Proceeds
from sales of OREO
|
193,299
|
0
|
Recoveries
of loans charged off
|
17,531
|
20,320
|
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(22,917,867)
|
(1,229,447)
|
7
|
2020
|
2019
|
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|
|
Net
decrease in demand and interest-bearing transaction
accounts
|
(1,133,474)
|
(26,180,086)
|
Net
increase in money market and savings accounts
|
9,922,848
|
13,450,476
|
Net
decrease in time deposits
|
(5,666,046)
|
(5,159,073)
|
Net
(decrease) increase in repurchase agreements
|
(10,279,113)
|
2,313,304
|
Net
increase in short-term borrowings
|
20,000,000
|
0
|
Decrease
in finance lease obligations
|
(14,987)
|
(30,251)
|
Redemption
of preferred stock
|
0
|
(500,000)
|
Dividends
paid on preferred stock
|
(17,813)
|
(27,500)
|
Dividends
paid on common stock
|
(732,972)
|
(688,701)
|
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
12,078,443
|
(16,821,831)
|
|
|
|
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
(9,931,735)
|
(16,012,733)
|
Cash
and cash equivalents:
|
|
|
Beginning
|
48,562,212
|
67,934,815
|
Ending
|
$38,630,477
|
$51,922,082
|
|
|
|
Supplemental
Schedule of Cash Paid During the Period:
|
|
|
Interest
|
$1,482,791
|
$1,503,438
|
|
|
|
Supplemental
Schedule of Noncash Investing and Financing
Activities:
|
|
|
Change
in unrealized gain on securities AFS
|
$742,589
|
$571,759
|
|
|
|
Common
Shares Dividends Paid:
|
|
|
Dividends
declared
|
$995,536
|
$983,122
|
(Increase)
decrease in dividends payable attributable to dividends
declared
|
(8,287)
|
18,605
|
Dividends
reinvested
|
(254,277)
|
(313,026)
|
|
$732,972
|
$688,701
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated
financial statements.
8
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Note 1. Basis of Presentation and Consolidation and Certain
Definitions
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 the fair presentation
of the consolidated financial condition and results of operations
of the Company and its subsidiary, Community National Bank (the
Bank), contained herein have been made. The unaudited interim
consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction
with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes
thereto for the year ended December 31, 2019 contained in the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K. 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, 2020, or for any other interim period.
Certain
amounts in the 2019 consolidated financial statements have been
reclassified to conform to the 2020 presentation. Reclassifications
had no effect on prior period net income or shareholders’
equity.
The
Company is considered a “smaller reporting company”
under the disclosure rules of the SEC, as amended in 2018.
Accordingly, the Company has elected to provide its audited
consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, cash flows
and changes in shareholders’ equity for a two year, rather
than a three year, period, and provides smaller reporting company
scaled disclosures where management deems it
appropriate.
9
In
addition to the definitions provided elsewhere in this quarterly
report, the definitions, acronyms and abbreviations identified
below are used throughout this report, including in Part I.
“Financial Information” and Part II. “Other
Information”, and are intended to aid the reader and provide
a reference page when reviewing this report.
ABS:
|
Asset backed security
|
FHLBB:
|
Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston
|
ACBB:
|
Atlantic Community Bankers Bank
|
FHLMC:
|
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation
|
AFS:
|
Available-for-sale
|
FOMC:
|
Federal Open Market Committee
|
Agency MBS:
|
MBS issued by a US government agency
|
FRB:
|
Federal Reserve Board
|
|
or GSE
|
FRBB:
|
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
|
ALCO:
|
Asset Liability Committee
|
GAAP:
|
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
|
ALL:
|
Allowance for loan losses
|
|
in the United States
|
AOCI:
|
Accumulated other comprehensive income
|
GSE:
|
Government sponsored enterprise
|
ASC:
|
Accounting Standards Codification
|
HTM:
|
Held-to-maturity
|
ASU:
|
Accounting Standards Update
|
ICS:
|
Insured Cash Sweeps of the Promontory
|
Bancorp:
|
Community Bancorp.
|
|
Interfinancial Network
|
Bank:
|
Community National Bank
|
IRS:
|
Internal Revenue Service
|
BHG:
|
Bankers Healthcare Group
|
JNE:
|
Jobs for New England
|
BIC:
|
Borrower-in-Custody
|
Jr:
|
Junior
|
Board:
|
Board of Directors
|
MBS:
|
Mortgage-backed security
|
BOLI:
|
Bank owned life insurance
|
MPF:
|
Mortgage Partnership Finance
|
bp or bps:
|
Basis point(s)
|
MSRs:
|
Mortgage servicing rights
|
CARES ACT:
|
Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic
|
NII:
|
Net interest income
|
|
Security Act
|
NMTC:
|
New Market Tax Credits
|
CBLR:
|
Community Bank Leverage Ratio
|
OAS:
|
Other amortizing security
|
CDARS:
|
Certificate of Deposit Accounts Registry
|
OCI:
|
Other comprehensive income (loss)
|
|
Service of the Promontory Interfinancial
|
OREO:
|
Other real estate owned
|
|
Network
|
OTTI:
|
Other-than-temporary impairment
|
CDs:
|
Certificates of deposit
|
PMI:
|
Private mortgage insurance
|
CDI:
|
Core deposit intangible
|
PPP:
|
Paycheck Protection Program
|
CECL:
|
Current Expected Credit Loss
|
PPPLF:
|
PPP Liquidity Facility of the FRB
|
CFSG:
|
Community Financial Services Group, LLC
|
RD:
|
USDA Rural Development
|
CFS Partners:
|
Community Financial Services Partners,
|
SBA:
|
U.S. Small Business Administration
|
|
LLC
|
SEC:
|
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
|
Company:
|
Community Bancorp. and Subsidiary
|
SERP:
|
Supplemental Employee Retirement Plan
|
COVID-19:
|
Coronavirus Disease 2019
|
TDR:
|
Troubled-debt restructuring
|
CRE:
|
Commercial Real Estate
|
USDA:
|
U.S. Department of Agriculture
|
DDA or DDAs:
|
Demand Deposit Account(s)
|
VA:
|
U.S. Veterans Administration
|
DTC:
|
Depository Trust Company
|
2017 Tax Act:
|
Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017
|
DRIP:
|
Dividend Reinvestment Plan
|
2018
|
Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and
|
Exchange Act:
|
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
|
Regulatory
|
Consumer Protection Act of 2018
|
FASB:
|
Financial Accounting Standards Board
|
Relief Act:
|
|
FDIC:
|
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
|
|
|
10
Note 2. Risks and Uncertainties
On
March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak
of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, and on March 13, 2020 President
Trump declared the pandemic to be a national emergency. The
COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and may continue to
adversely affect, economic activity globally, nationally and
locally. Government actions taken to help mitigate the spread of
COVID-19 include restrictions on travel, quarantines in certain
areas, and forced closures for certain types of public places and
businesses. COVID-19 and actions taken to mitigate the spread of it
have had and are expected to continue to have an adverse impact on
financial markets and the economy, including the local economy in
the Company’s Vermont markets, with adverse effects on
business and consumer confidence generally, and on the
Company’s customers, and their employees, suppliers, vendors
and processors. Forced closures of businesses have resulted in
sharp increases in unemployment.
In
addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, market interest rates have
declined significantly, with the 10-year Treasury bond falling
below 1.00 percent on March 3, 2020 for the first time. On March 3,
2020, the FOMC reduced the targeted federal funds interest rate
range by 50 bps to 1.00% to 1.25%. This range was further reduced
to 0 percent to 0.25% on March 16, 2020. On April 29, 2020, the
FOMC indicated that the federal funds target rate range will remain
unchanged until it is confident that the economy has weathered
recent events and is on track to achieve its maximum employment and
price stability goals.
On
March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was enacted to provide emergency
assistance for individuals, families and businesses affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic. These reductions in interest rates and other
effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will adversely affect the
Company's business, financial condition and results of operations
in future periods. It is unknown how long the adverse economic
conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic will last and what
the complete financial effect will be to the Company. Due to
the inherent economic and other uncertainties related to the
COVID-19 pandemic, it is reasonably possible that estimates made in
the Company’s consolidated financial statements could be
materially and adversely impacted in the near term as a result of
the pandemic, including expected credit losses on loan
receivables.
Note 3. Recent Accounting Developments
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial
Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit
Losses on Financial Instruments. Under the new guidance, which will replace the
existing incurred loss model for recognizing credit losses, banks
and other lending institutions will be required to recognize the
full amount of expected credit losses. The new guidance, which is referred
to as the current expected credit loss, or CECL model, requires
that expected credit losses for financial assets held at the
reporting date that are accounted for at amortized cost be measured
and recognized based on historical experience and current and
reasonably supportable forecasted conditions to reflect the full
amount of expected credit losses. A modified version of these requirements also
applies to debt securities classified as available for sale, which
will require that credit losses on those securities be recorded
through an allowance for credit losses rather than a
write-down. The ASU may have a material impact on the
Company's consolidated financial statements upon adoption as it
will require a change in the Company's methodology for calculating
its ALL and allowance on unused commitments. The Company will
transition from an incurred loss model to an expected loss model,
which will likely result in an increase in the ALL upon adoption
and may negatively impact the Company’s and the Bank's
regulatory capital ratios. The Company has formed a committee to
assess the implications of this new pronouncement and transitioned
to a software solution for preparing the ALL calculation and
related reports that management believes provides the Company with
stronger data integrity, ease and efficiency in ALL preparation.
The new software solution also provides numerous training
opportunities for the appropriate personnel within the Company. The
Company has gathered and is continuing to analyze the historical
data to serve as a basis for estimating the ALL under CECL and
continues to evaluate the
impact of the adoption of the ASU on its consolidated
financial statements. As initially proposed, the ASU
was to be effective
for fiscal years
beginning
after December 15,
2019, including
interim periods
within
those
fiscal years, with early adoption permitted for fiscal years
beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within
such years. However, on October 16, 2019, the FASB approved an
extended effective date for compliance with the ASU by smaller
reporting companies, which are now required to comply with the ASU
for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, with early
adoption permitted. The Company qualifies for this extension and
does not intend to early adopt the ASU at this time. Management
will continue to evaluate the Company’s CECL compliance and
implementation timetable in light of the
extension.
In
January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying
the Test for Goodwill Impairment. The ASU was issued to
reduce the cost and complexity of the goodwill impairment test. To
simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill, step two of the
goodwill impairment test was eliminated. Instead, a company will
recognize an impairment of goodwill should the carrying value of a
reporting unit exceed its fair value (i.e., step one). As initially
proposed, the ASU was to be effective for the Company on January 1,
2020, however similar to ASU No. 2016-13, the effective date for
this ASU was also extended with a revised effective date of January
1, 2023. The Company early adopted this ASU on January 1, 2020, and
prospectively the Company will no longer give considerations to
“Step 2” when performing its annual goodwill impairment
test.
The
Company has goodwill from its acquisition of LyndonBank in 2007 and
performs an impairment test annually or more frequently if
circumstances warrant (see Note 7).
11
In
August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure
Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair
Value Measurement. This ASU eliminates, adds and modifies
certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements as part
of its disclosure framework project. The standard is effective for
all entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019,
and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is
permitted. The ASU became effective for the Company on January 1,
2020. The impact of adopting this ASU was not material to the
Company’s consolidated financial statements.
On
March 22, 2020, federal banking regulators issued an interagency
statement providing guidance on accounting for loan modifications
in light of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The
guidance interprets current accounting standards and indicates that
a lender can conclude that a borrower is not experiencing financial
difficulty if short-term (that is, six months or less)
modifications are made in response to COVID-19, such as payment
deferrals, fee waivers, extensions of repayment terms, or other
delays in payment that are insignificant, provided that the loan is
less than 30 days past due at the time a modification program is
implemented. The banking agencies confirmed with the staff of the
FASB that short-term modifications made on a good faith basis in
response to COVID-19 to borrowers who were current prior to any
relief are not TDRs under ASC No. 310-40, Receivables – Troubled Debt
Restructurings by Creditors.
Note 4. 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, if
any), including Dividend Reinvestment Plan shares issuable upon
reinvestment of dividends declared, and reduced for shares held in
treasury.
The
following tables illustrate the calculation of earnings per common
share for the periods presented, as adjusted for the cash dividends
declared on the preferred stock:
Three
Months Ended March 31,
|
2020
|
2019
|
|
|
|
Net income, as
reported
|
$1,861,239
|
$1,771,905
|
Less: dividends to
preferred shareholders
|
17,813
|
27,500
|
Net income
available to common shareholders
|
$1,843,426
|
$1,744,405
|
Weighted average
number of common shares
|
|
|
used
in calculating earnings per share
|
5,245,216
|
5,180,334
|
Earnings per common
share
|
$0.35
|
$0.34
|
Note 5. Investment Securities
Debt
securities as of the balance sheet dates consisted of the
following:
|
|
Gross
|
Gross
|
|
|
Amortized
|
Unrealized
|
Unrealized
|
Fair
|
|
Cost
|
Gains
|
Losses
|
Value
|
|
|
|
|
|
March
31, 2020
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. GSE debt
securities
|
$13,629,991
|
$243,435
|
$98
|
$13,873,328
|
Agency
MBS
|
15,156,225
|
506,237
|
50,361
|
15,612,101
|
ABS and
OAS
|
2,602,677
|
128,155
|
0
|
2,730,832
|
Other
investments
|
9,409,000
|
244,948
|
0
|
9,653,948
|
Total
|
$40,797,893
|
$1,122,775
|
$50,459
|
$41,870,209
|
|
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2019
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. GSE debt
securities
|
$18,002,549
|
$99,743
|
$40,672
|
$18,061,620
|
Agency
MBS
|
16,169,819
|
86,874
|
51,318
|
16,205,375
|
ABS and
OAS
|
2,799,657
|
55,418
|
2,166
|
2,852,909
|
Other
investments
|
8,665,000
|
181,846
|
0
|
8,846,846
|
Total
|
$45,637,025
|
$423,881
|
$94,156
|
$45,966,750
|
12
Investments
pledged as collateral for repurchase agreements consisted of U.S.
GSE debt securities, Agency MBS, ABS and OAS, and CDs. These
repurchase agreements mature daily. These investments as of the
balance sheet dates were as follows:
|
Amortized
|
Fair
|
|
Cost
|
Value
|
|
|
|
March 31,
2020
|
$40,797,893
|
$41,870,209
|
December 31,
2019
|
45,637,025
|
45,966,750
|
The
scheduled maturities of debt securities as of the balance sheet
dates were as follows:
|
Amortized
|
Fair
|
|
Cost
|
Value
|
March
31, 2020
|
|
|
Due in one year or
less
|
$3,747,350
|
$3,770,276
|
Due from one to
five years
|
8,427,000
|
8,673,422
|
Due from five to
ten years
|
12,460,639
|
12,783,926
|
Due after ten
years
|
1,006,679
|
1,030,484
|
Agency
MBS
|
15,156,225
|
15,612,101
|
Total
|
$40,797,893
|
$41,870,209
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2019
|
|
|
Due in one year or
less
|
$2,760,515
|
$2,766,254
|
Due from one to
five years
|
9,674,948
|
9,862,450
|
Due from five to
ten years
|
15,042,170
|
15,147,201
|
Due after ten
years
|
1,989,573
|
1,985,470
|
Agency
MBS
|
16,169,819
|
16,205,375
|
Total
|
$45,637,025
|
$45,966,750
|
Agency
MBS are not due at a single maturity date and have not been
allocated to maturity groupings for purposes of the maturity
table.
Debt
securities with unrealized losses as of the balance sheet dates are
presented in the table below.
|
Less than 12
months
|
12 months or
more
|
Total
|
||||
|
Fair
|
Unrealized
|
Fair
|
Unrealized
|
Number of
|
Fair
|
Unrealized
|
|
Value
|
Loss
|
Value
|
Loss
|
Securities
|
Value
|
Loss
|
March
31, 2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. GSE debt
securities
|
$615,286
|
$98
|
$0
|
$0
|
1
|
$615,286
|
$98
|
Agency
MBS
|
970,720
|
19,703
|
894,000
|
30,658
|
6
|
1,864,720
|
50,361
|
Total
|
$1,586,006
|
$19,801
|
$894,000
|
$30,658
|
7
|
$2,480,006
|
$50,459
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2019
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
U.S. GSE debt
securities
|
$7,964,192
|
$40,672
|
$0
|
$0
|
7
|
$7,964,192
|
$40,672
|
Agency
MBS
|
5,273,683
|
24,648
|
2,920,091
|
26,670
|
13
|
8,193,774
|
51,318
|
ABS and
OAS
|
1,000,490
|
2,166
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1,000,490
|
2,166
|
Total
|
$14,238,365
|
$67,486
|
$2,920,091
|
$26,670
|
21
|
$17,158,456
|
$94,156
|
The
unrealized losses for all periods presented were principally
attributable to changes in prevailing interest rates for similar
types of securities and not deterioration in the creditworthiness
of the issuer.
Management
evaluates its debt securities for OTTI at least on a quarterly
basis, and more frequently when economic or market conditions, 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 the carrying
value, (2) the financial condition and near-term prospects of the
issuer, and (3) the intent and ability of the Company to retain its
investment 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 or other adverse developments in
the status of the securities have occurred, and the results of
reviews of the issuer's financial condition. As of March 31, 2020
and December 31, 2019, there were no declines in the fair value of
any of the securities reflected in the table above that were deemed
by management to be OTTI.
13
Note 6. Loans, Allowance for Loan Losses and Credit
Quality
The
composition of net loans as of the balance sheet dates was as
follows:
|
March 31,
|
December 31,
|
|
2020
|
2019
|
|
|
|
Commercial &
industrial
|
$108,458,404
|
$98,930,831
|
Commercial real
estate
|
256,814,702
|
246,282,726
|
Municipal
|
59,649,823
|
55,817,206
|
Residential real
estate - 1st lien
|
163,328,266
|
158,337,296
|
Residential real
estate - Jr lien
|
42,030,798
|
43,230,873
|
Consumer
|
4,132,697
|
4,390,005
|
Total
loans
|
634,414,690
|
606,988,937
|
Deduct
(add):
|
|
|
ALL
|
6,186,764
|
5,926,491
|
Deferred net loan
costs
|
(355,638)
|
(362,415)
|
Net
loans
|
$628,583,564
|
$601,424,861
|
The
following is an age analysis of past due loans (including
non-accrual) as of the balance sheet dates, by portfolio
segment:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
90 Days or
|
|
|
90 Days
|
Total
|
|
|
Non-Accrual
|
More and
|
March
31, 2020
|
30-89 Days
|
or More
|
Past Due
|
Current
|
Total Loans
|
Loans
|
Accruing
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial &
industrial
|
$3,131,271
|
$62,743
|
$3,194,014
|
$105,264,390
|
$108,458,404
|
$445,392
|
$9,537
|
Commercial real
estate
|
1,142,631
|
373,818
|
1,516,449
|
255,298,253
|
256,814,702
|
1,556,536
|
0
|
Municipal
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
59,649,823
|
59,649,823
|
0
|
0
|
Residential real
estate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 1st
lien
|
3,000,591
|
1,466,837
|
4,467,428
|
158,860,838
|
163,328,266
|
2,305,917
|
872,541
|
- Jr
lien
|
363,312
|
206,656
|
569,968
|
41,460,830
|
42,030,798
|
398,376
|
0
|
Consumer
|
29,376
|
0
|
29,376
|
4,103,321
|
4,132,697
|
0
|
0
|
Totals
|
$7,667,181
|
$2,110,054
|
$9,777,235
|
$624,637,455
|
$634,414,690
|
$4,706,221
|
$882,078
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
90 Days or
|
|
|
90 Days
|
Total
|
|
|
Non-Accrual
|
More and
|
December
31, 2019
|
30-89 Days
|
or More
|
Past Due
|
Current
|
Total Loans
|
Loans
|
Accruing
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial &
industrial
|
$68,532
|
$44,503
|
$113,035
|
$98,817,796
|
$98,930,831
|
$480,083
|
$0
|
Commercial real
estate
|
1,690,307
|
151,723
|
1,842,030
|
244,440,696
|
246,282,726
|
1,600,827
|
0
|
Municipal
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
55,817,206
|
55,817,206
|
0
|
0
|
Residential real
estate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 1st
lien
|
3,871,045
|
1,217,098
|
5,088,143
|
153,249,153
|
158,337,296
|
2,112,267
|
530,046
|
- Jr
lien
|
331,416
|
147,976
|
479,392
|
42,751,481
|
43,230,873
|
240,753
|
112,386
|
Consumer
|
49,607
|
0
|
49,607
|
4,340,398
|
4,390,005
|
0
|
0
|
Totals
|
$6,010,907
|
$1,561,300
|
$7,572,207
|
$599,416,730
|
$606,988,937
|
$4,433,930
|
$642,432
|
For all
loan segments, loans over 30 days past due are considered
delinquent.
14
As of
the balance sheet dates presented, residential mortgage loans in
process of foreclosure consisted of the following:
|
Number of loans
|
Balance
|
|
|
|
March 31,
2020
|
8
|
$394,086
|
December 31,
2019
|
9
|
495,943
|
Allowance for loan losses
The ALL
is established through a provision for loan losses charged to
earnings. Loan losses are charged against the allowance when
management believes that future payments of a loan balance are
unlikely. Subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the
allowance.
Unsecured
loans, primarily consumer loans, are charged off when they become
uncollectible and no later than 120 days past due. Unsecured loans
to customers who subsequently file bankruptcy are charged off
within 30 days of receipt of the notification of filing or by the
end of the month in which the loans become 120 days past due,
whichever occurs first. For secured loans, both residential and
commercial, the potential loss on impaired loans is carried as a
loan loss reserve specific allocation; the loss portion is charged
off when collection of the full loan appears unlikely. The
unsecured portion of a real estate loan is that portion of the loan
exceeding the "fair value" of the collateral less the estimated
cost to sell. Value of the collateral is determined in accordance
with the Company’s appraisal policy. The unsecured portion of
an impaired real estate secured loan is charged off by the end of
the month in which the loan becomes 180 days past due.
As
described below, the allowance consists of general, specific and
unallocated components. However, the entire allowance is available
to absorb losses in the loan portfolio, regardless of specific,
general and unallocated components considered in determining the
amount of the allowance.
General component
The
general component of the ALL is based on historical loss experience
and various qualitative factors and is stratified by the following
loan segments: commercial and industrial, CRE, municipal,
residential real estate 1st lien, residential real estate Jr lien
and consumer loans. The Company does not disaggregate its portfolio
segments further into classes.
Loss
ratios are calculated by loan segment for one year, two year, three
year, four year and five year look back periods. Management uses an
average of historical losses based on a time frame appropriate to
capture relevant loss data for each loan segment in the current
economic climate. During periods of economic stability, a
relatively longer period (e.g., five years) may be appropriate.
During periods of significant expansion or contraction, the Company
may appropriately shorten the historical time period. The Company
is currently using an extended look back period of five
years.
Qualitative
factors include the levels of and trends in delinquencies and
non-performing loans, levels of and trends in loan risk groups,
trends in volumes and terms of loans, effects of any changes in
loan related policies, experience, ability and the depth of
management, documentation and credit data exception levels,
national and local economic trends, external factors such as
competition and regulation and lastly, concentrations of credit
risk in a variety of areas, including portfolio product mix, the
level of loans to individual borrowers and their related interests,
loans to industry segments, and the geographic distribution of CRE
loans. This evaluation is inherently subjective as it requires
estimates that are susceptible to revision as more information
becomes available.
The
qualitative factors are determined based on the various risk
characteristics of each loan segment. The Company has policies,
procedures and internal controls that management believes are
commensurate with the risk profile of each of these segments. Major
risk characteristics relevant to each portfolio segment are as
follows:
Commercial & Industrial – Loans in this segment
include commercial and industrial loans and to a lesser extent
loans to finance agricultural production. Commercial loans are made
to businesses and are generally secured by assets of the business,
including trade assets and equipment. While not the primary
collateral, in many cases these loans may also be secured by the
real estate of the business. Repayment is expected from the cash
flows of the business. A weakened economy, soft consumer spending,
unfavorable foreign trade conditions and the rising cost of labor
or raw materials are examples of issues that can impact the credit
quality in this segment.
15
Commercial Real Estate – Loans in this segment are
principally made to businesses and are generally secured by either
owner-occupied, or non-owner occupied CRE. A relatively small
portion of this segment includes farm loans secured by farm land
and buildings. As with commercial and industrial loans, repayment
of owner-occupied CRE loans is expected from the cash flows of the
business and the segment would be impacted by the same risk factors
as commercial and industrial loans. The non-owner occupied CRE
portion includes both residential and commercial construction
loans, vacant land and real estate development loans, multi-family
dwelling loans and commercial rental property loans. Repayment of
construction loans is expected from permanent financing takeout;
the Company generally requires a commitment or eligibility for the
take-out financing prior to construction loan origination. Real
estate development loans are generally repaid from the sale of the
subject real property as the project progresses. Construction and
development lending entail additional risks, including the project
exceeding budget, not being constructed according to plans, not
receiving permits, or the pre-leasing or occupancy rate not meeting
expectations. Repayment of multi-family loans and commercial rental
property loans is expected from the cash flow generated by rental
payments received from the individuals or businesses occupying the
real estate. CRE loans are impacted by factors such as competitive
market forces, vacancy rates, cap rates, net operating incomes,
lease renewals and overall economic demand. In addition, loans in
the recreational and tourism sector can be affected by weather
conditions, such as unseasonably low winter snowfalls. CRE lending
also carries a higher degree of environmental risk than other real
estate lending.
Municipal – Loans in this segment are made to local
municipalities, attributable to municipal financing transactions
and backed by the full faith and credit of town governments or
dedicated governmental revenue sources, with no historical losses
recognized by the Company.
Residential Real Estate - 1st
Lien – Loans in this
segment are collateralized by first mortgages on 1 – 4 family
owner-occupied residential real estate and repayment is dependent
on the credit quality of the individual borrower. The overall
health of the economy, including unemployment rates and housing
prices, has an impact on the credit quality of this
segment.
Residential Real Estate – Jr Lien – Loans in
this segment are collateralized by junior lien mortgages on 1
– 4 family residential real estate and repayment is primarily
dependent on the credit quality of the individual borrower. The
overall health of the economy, including unemployment rates and
housing prices, has an impact on the credit quality of this
segment.
Consumer – Loans in this segment are made to
individuals for consumer and household purposes. This segment
includes both loans secured by automobiles and other consumer
goods, as well as loans that are unsecured. This segment also
includes overdrafts, which are extensions of credit made to both
individuals and businesses to cover temporary shortages in their
deposit accounts and are generally unsecured. The Company maintains
policies restricting the size and term of these extensions of
credit. The overall health of the economy, including unemployment
rates, has an impact on the credit quality of this
segment.
Specific component
The
specific component of the ALL relates to loans that are impaired.
Impaired loans are loan(s) to a borrower that in the aggregate are
greater than $100,000 and that are in non-accrual status or are
TDRs regardless of amount. A specific allowance is established for
an impaired loan when its estimated fair value or net present value
of future cash flows is less than the carrying value of the loan.
For all loan segments, except consumer loans, a loan is considered
impaired when, based on current information and events, in
management’s estimation it is probable that the Company will
be unable to collect the scheduled payments of principal or
interest when due according to the contractual terms of the loan
agreement. Factors considered by management in determining
impairment include payment status, collateral value and probability
of collecting scheduled principal and interest payments when due.
Loans that experience insignificant or temporary payment delays and
payment shortfalls generally are not classified as impaired.
Management evaluates the significance of payment delays and payment
shortfalls on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration all
of the circumstances surrounding the loan and the borrower,
including the length and frequency of the delay, the reasons for
the delay, the borrower’s prior payment record and the amount
of the shortfall in relation to the principal and interest owed.
Impairment is measured on a loan by loan basis, by either the
present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the
loan’s effective interest rate, the loan’s obtainable
market price, or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is
collateral dependent.
Impaired
loans also include troubled loans that are restructured. A TDR
occurs when the Company, for economic or legal reasons related to
the borrower’s financial difficulties, grants a concession to
the borrower that would otherwise not be granted. TDRs may include
the transfer of assets to the Company in partial satisfaction of a
troubled loan, a modification of a loan’s terms, or a
combination of the two. As described above in Note 3, under March
2020 guidance from the federal banking agencies and concurrence by
the FASB, certain short-term loan accommodations made in good faith
for borrowers experiencing financial difficulties due to the
COVID-19 health emergency will not be considered TDRs.
Large
groups of smaller balance homogeneous loans are collectively
evaluated for impairment. Accordingly, the Company does not
separately identify individual consumer loans for impairment
evaluation, unless such loans are subject to a restructuring
agreement.
16
Unallocated component
An
unallocated component of the ALL is maintained to cover
uncertainties that could affect management’s estimate of
probable losses. The unallocated component reflects
management’s estimate of the margin of imprecision inherent
in the underlying assumptions used in the methodologies for
estimating specific and general losses in the
portfolio.
The
tables below summarize changes in the ALL and select loan
information, by portfolio segment, for the periods
indicated.
As of or for the three months ended March 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
Residential
|
Residential
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
|
Commercial
|
|
Real Estate
|
Real Estate
|
|
|
|
|
& Industrial
|
Real Estate
|
Municipal
|
1st Lien
|
Jr Lien
|
Consumer
|
Unallocated
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALL beginning
balance
|
$836,766
|
$3,181,646
|
$0
|
$1,388,564
|
$289,684
|
$51,793
|
$178,038
|
$5,926,491
|
Charge-offs
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
(77,696)
|
(28,673)
|
(27,391)
|
0
|
(133,760)
|
Recoveries
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3,334
|
3,367
|
10,829
|
0
|
17,530
|
Provision
(credit)
|
30,901
|
141,408
|
0
|
163,074
|
21,403
|
18,486
|
1,231
|
376,503
|
ALL ending
balance
|
$867,667
|
$3,323,054
|
$0
|
$1,477,276
|
$285,781
|
$53,717
|
$179,269
|
$6,186,764
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALL evaluated for
impairment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Individually
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
$119,355
|
$477
|
$0
|
$0
|
$119,832
|
Collectively
|
867,667
|
3,323,054
|
0
|
1,357,921
|
285,304
|
53,717
|
179,269
|
6,066,932
|
Total
|
$867,667
|
$3,323,054
|
$0
|
$1,477,276
|
$285,781
|
$53,717
|
$179,269
|
$6,186,764
|
|
||||||||
Loans evaluated for
impairment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Individually
|
$392,187
|
$1,650,748
|
$0
|
$4,781,243
|
$314,521
|
$0
|
|
$7,138,699
|
Collectively
|
108,066,217
|
255,163,954
|
59,649,823
|
158,547,023
|
41,716,277
|
4,132,697
|
|
627,275,991
|
Total
|
$108,458,404
|
$256,814,702
|
$59,649,823
|
$163,328,266
|
$42,030,798
|
$4,132,697
|
|
$634,414,690
|
As of or for the year ended December 31, 2019
|
|
|
|
Residential
|
Residential
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
|
Commercial
|
|
Real Estate
|
Real Estate
|
|
|
|
|
& Industrial
|
Real Estate
|
Municipal
|
1st Lien
|
Jr Lien
|
Consumer
|
Unallocated
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALL beginning
balance
|
$697,469
|
$3,019,868
|
$0
|
$1,421,494
|
$273,445
|
$56,787
|
$133,478
|
$5,602,541
|
Charge-offs
|
(175,815)
|
(116,186)
|
0
|
(242,244)
|
(222,999)
|
(102,815)
|
0
|
(860,059)
|
Recoveries
|
10,768
|
50,388
|
0
|
15,776
|
2,200
|
38,710
|
0
|
117,842
|
Provision
|
304,344
|
227,576
|
0
|
193,538
|
237,038
|
59,111
|
44,560
|
1,066,167
|
ALL ending
balance
|
$836,766
|
$3,181,646
|
$0
|
$1,388,564
|
$289,684
|
$51,793
|
$178,038
|
$5,926,491
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALL evaluated for
impairment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Individually
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
$103,836
|
$712
|
$0
|
$0
|
$104,548
|
Collectively
|
836,766
|
3,181,646
|
0
|
1,284,728
|
288,972
|
51,793
|
178,038
|
5,821,943
|
Total
|
$836,766
|
$3,181,646
|
$0
|
$1,388,564
|
$289,684
|
$51,793
|
$178,038
|
$5,926,491
|
|
||||||||
Loans evaluated for
impairment
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Individually
|
$420,933
|
$1,699,238
|
$0
|
$4,471,902
|
$156,073
|
$0
|
|
$6,748,146
|
Collectively
|
98,509,898
|
244,583,488
|
55,817,206
|
153,865,394
|
43,074,800
|
4,390,005
|
|
600,240,791
|
Total
|
$98,930,831
|
$246,282,726
|
$55,817,206
|
$158,337,296
|
$43,230,873
|
$4,390,005
|
|
$606,988,937
|
17
As of or for the three months ended March 31, 2019
|
|
|
|
Residential
|
Residential
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
|
Commercial
|
|
Real Estate
|
Real Estate
|
|
|
|
|
& Industrial
|
Real Estate
|
Municipal
|
1st Lien
|
Jr Lien
|
Consumer
|
Unallocated
|
Total
|
ALL beginning
balance
|
$697,469
|
$3,019,868
|
$0
|
$1,421,494
|
$273,445
|
$56,787
|
$133,478
|
$5,602,541
|
Charge-offs
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
(74,731)
|
0
|
(32,791)
|
0
|
(107,522)
|
Recoveries
|
9,077
|
0
|
0
|
2,497
|
485
|
8,261
|
0
|
20,320
|
Provision
(credit)
|
(29,782)
|
133,288
|
0
|
57,872
|
(8,927)
|
17,458
|
42,594
|
212,503
|
ALL ending
balance
|
$676,764
|
$3,153,156
|
$0
|
$1,407,132
|
$265,003
|
$49,715
|
$176,072
|
$5,727,842
|
Impaired
loans, by portfolio segment, were as follows:
|
As of March 31,
2020
|
|
|
||
|
|
Unpaid
|
|
Average
|
Interest
|
|
Recorded
|
Principal
|
Related
|
Recorded
|
Income
|
|
Investment(1)
|
Balance
|
Allowance
|
Investment
(1)(2)
|
Recognized(2)
|
Related allowance
recorded
|
|
|
|
|
|
Residential
real estate
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
1st lien
|
$968,459
|
$991,113
|
$119,355
|
$923,449
|
$20,431
|
-
Jr lien
|
5,686
|
5,683
|
477
|
5,904
|
144
|
Total
with related allowance
|
974,145
|
996,796
|
119,832
|
929,353
|
20,575
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No related
allowance recorded
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
& industrial
|
392,187
|
424,442
|
|
406,560
|
0
|
Commercial
real estate
|
1,651,247
|
2,004,694
|
|
1,675,509
|
3,542
|
Residential
real estate
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
1st lien
|
3,834,253
|
4,609,223
|
|
3,724,607
|
51,612
|
-
Jr lien
|
308,838
|
350,313
|
|
229,405
|
0
|
Total
with no related allowance
|
6,186,525
|
7,388,672
|
|
6,036,081
|
55,154
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
impaired loans
|
$7,160,670
|
$8,385,468
|
$119,832
|
$6,965,434
|
$75,729
|
(1)
Recorded investment in impaired loans as of March 31, 2020 includes
accrued interest receivable and deferred net loan costs of
$21,971.
(2) For
the three months ended March 31, 2020
18
|
As of December 31,
2019
|
2019
|
|||
|
|
Unpaid
|
|
Average
|
Interest
|
|
Recorded
|
Principal
|
Related
|
Recorded
|
Income
|
|
Investment(1)
|
Balance
|
Allowance
|
Investment(1)(2)
|
Recognized(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related allowance
recorded
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
& industrial
|
$0
|
$0
|
$0
|
$32,466
|
$0
|
Commercial
real estate
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
97,720
|
0
|
Residential
real estate
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
1st lien
|
878,439
|
902,000
|
103,836
|
982,158
|
86,039
|
-
Jr lien
|
6,121
|
6,101
|
712
|
6,869
|
648
|
Total
with related allowance
|
884,560
|
908,101
|
104,548
|
1,119,213
|
86,687
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No related
allowance recorded
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
& industrial
|
420,933
|
445,509
|
|
307,208
|
6,396
|
Commercial
real estate
|
1,699,772
|
2,031,764
|
|
1,812,836
|
21,591
|
Residential
real estate
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
1st lien
|
3,614,960
|
4,273,884
|
|
3,778,822
|
212,883
|
-
Jr lien
|
149,972
|
157,754
|
|
224,938
|
4,524
|
Total
with no related allowance
|
5,885,637
|
6,908,911
|
|
6,123,804
|
245,394
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
impaired loans
|
$6,770,197
|
$7,817,012
|
$104,548
|
$7,243,017
|
$332,081
|
(1)
Recorded investment in impaired loans as of December 31, 2019
includes accrued interest receivable and deferred net loan costs of
$22,051.
(2) For
the year ended December 31, 2019
|
As of March 31,
2019
|
|
|
||
|
|
Unpaid
|
|
Average
|
Interest
|
|
Recorded
|
Principal
|
Related
|
Recorded
|
Income
|
|
Investment(1)
|
Balance
|
Allowance
|
Investment(1)(2)
|
Recognized(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related allowance
recorded
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
real estate
|
$488,601
|
$499,540
|
$7,375
|
$244,300
|
$0
|
Residential
real estate
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
1st lien
|
911,245
|
929,119
|
115,494
|
926,805
|
17,944
|
-
Jr lien
|
6,932
|
6,923
|
815
|
7,101
|
171
|
Total
with related allowance
|
1,406,778
|
1,435,582
|
123,684
|
1,178,206
|
18,115
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No related
allowance recorded
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
& industrial
|
39,587
|
63,477
|
|
50,216
|
0
|
Commercial
real estate
|
1,713,077
|
1,971,060
|
|
1,730,700
|
5,067
|
Residential
real estate
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
1st lien
|
3,596,317
|
4,315,339
|
|
3,530,717
|
56,132
|
-
Jr lien
|
296,080
|
338,447
|
|
304,076
|
0
|
Total
with no related allowance
|
5,645,061
|
6,688,323
|
|
5,615,709
|
61,199
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$7,051,839
|
$8,123,905
|
$123,684
|
$6,793,915
|
$79,314
|
(1)
Recorded investment in impaired loans as of March 31, 2020 includes
accrued interest receivable and deferred net loan costs of
$16,325.
(2) For
the three months ended March 31, 2019
19
For all
loan segments, the accrual of interest is discontinued when a loan
is specifically determined to be impaired or when the loan is
delinquent 90 days and management believes, after considering
collection efforts and other factors, that the borrower's financial
condition is such that collection of interest is considered by
management to be doubtful. Any unpaid interest previously accrued
on those loans is reversed from income. Interest income is
generally not recognized on specific impaired loans unless the
likelihood of further loss is considered by management to be
remote. Interest payments received on impaired loans are generally
applied as a reduction of the loan principal balance. Loans are
returned to accrual status when all the principal and interest
amounts contractually due are brought current and future payments
are considered by management to be reasonably assured.
Credit Quality Grouping
In
developing the ALL, management uses credit quality groupings to
help evaluate trends in credit quality. The Company groups credit
risk into Groups A, B and C. The manner the Company utilizes to
assign risk grouping is driven by loan purpose. Commercial purpose
loans are individually risk graded while the retail portion of the
portfolio is generally grouped by delinquency pool.
Group A loans - Acceptable Risk – are loans that are
expected to perform as agreed under their respective terms. Such
loans carry a normal level of risk that does not require management
attention beyond that warranted by the loan or loan relationship
characteristics, such as loan size or relationship size. Group A
loans include commercial purpose loans that are individually risk
rated and retail loans that are rated by pool. Group A retail loans
include performing consumer and residential real estate loans.
Residential real estate loans are loans to individuals secured by
1-4 family homes, including first mortgages, home equity and home
improvement loans. Loan balances fully secured by deposit accounts
or that are fully guaranteed by the federal government are
considered acceptable risk.
Group B loans – Management Involved - are loans that
require greater attention than the acceptable risk loans in Group
A. Characteristics of such loans may include, but are not limited
to, borrowers that are experiencing negative operating trends such
as reduced sales or margins, borrowers that have exposure to
adverse market conditions such as increased competition or
regulatory burden, or borrowers that have had unexpected or adverse
changes in management. These loans have a greater likelihood of
migrating to an unacceptable risk level if these characteristics
are left unchecked. Group B is limited to commercial purpose loans
that are individually risk rated.
Group C loans – Unacceptable Risk – are loans
that have distinct shortcomings that require a greater degree of
management attention. Examples of these shortcomings include a
borrower's inadequate capacity to service debt, poor operating
performance, or insolvency. These loans are more likely to result
in repayment through collateral liquidation. Group C loans range
from those that are likely to sustain some loss if the shortcomings
are not corrected, to those for which loss is imminent and
non-accrual treatment is warranted. Group C loans include
individually rated commercial purpose loans and retail loans
adversely rated in accordance with the Federal Financial
Institutions Examination Council’s Uniform Retail Credit
Classification Policy. Group C retail loans include 1-4 family
residential real estate loans and home equity loans past due 90
days or more with loan-to-value ratios greater than 60%, home
equity loans 90 days or more past due where the Bank does not hold
first mortgage, irrespective of loan-to-value, loans in bankruptcy
where repayment is likely but not yet established, and lastly
consumer loans that are 90 days or more past due.
Commercial
purpose loan ratings are assigned by the commercial account
officer; for larger and more complex commercial loans, the credit
rating is a collaborative assignment by the lender and the credit
analyst. The credit risk rating is based on the borrower's expected
performance, i.e., the likelihood that the borrower will be able to
service its obligations in accordance with the loan terms. Credit
risk ratings are meant to measure risk versus simply record
history. Assessment of expected future payment performance requires
consideration of numerous factors. While past performance is part
of the overall evaluation, expected performance is based on an
analysis of the borrower's financial strength, and historical and
projected factors such as size and financing alternatives, capacity
and cash flow, balance sheet and income statement trends, the
quality and timeliness of financial reporting, and the quality of
the borrower’s management. Other factors influencing the
credit risk rating to a lesser degree include collateral coverage
and control, guarantor strength and commitment, documentation,
structure and covenants and industry conditions. There are
uncertainties inherent in this process.
Credit
risk ratings are dynamic and require updating whenever relevant
information is received. Risk ratings are assessed on an ongoing
basis and at various points, including at delinquency or at the
time of other adverse events. For larger, more complex or adversely
rated loans, risk ratings are also assessed at the time of annual
or periodic review. Lenders are required to make immediate
disclosure to the Chief Credit Officer of any known increase in
loan risk, even if considered temporary in nature.
20
The
risk ratings within the loan portfolio, by segment, as of the
balance sheet dates were as follows:
As of March 31, 2020
|
|
|
|
Residential
|
Residential
|
|
|
|
Commercial
|
Commercial
|
|
Real Estate
|
Real Estate
|
|
|
|
& Industrial
|
Real Estate
|
Municipal
|
1st Lien
|
Jr Lien
|
Consumer
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Group
A
|
$103,861,820
|
$245,271,475
|
$59,649,823
|
$159,824,138
|
$41,594,537
|
$4,132,697
|
$614,334,490
|
Group
B
|
2,980,190
|
5,753,517
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
8,733,707
|
Group
C
|
1,616,394
|
5,789,710
|
0
|
3,504,128
|
436,261
|
0
|
11,346,493
|
Total
|
$108,458,404
|
$256,814,702
|
$59,649,823
|
$163,328,266
|
$42,030,798
|
$4,132,697
|
$634,414,690
|
As of December 31, 2019
|
|
|
|
Residential
|
Residential
|
|
|
|
Commercial
|
Commercial
|
|
Real Estate
|
Real Estate
|
|
|
|
& Industrial
|
Real Estate
|
Municipal
|
1st Lien
|
Jr Lien
|
Consumer
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Group
A
|
$93,774,871
|
$233,702,063
|
$55,817,206
|
$154,770,678
|
$42,725,543
|
$4,390,005
|
$585,180,366
|
Group
B
|
3,295,223
|
4,517,811
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
7,813,034
|
Group
C
|
1,860,737
|
8,062,852
|
0
|
3,566,618
|
505,330
|
0
|
13,995,537
|
Total
|
$98,930,831
|
$246,282,726
|
$55,817,206
|
$158,337,296
|
$43,230,873
|
$4,390,005
|
$606,988,937
|
Modifications of Loans and TDRs
A loan is classified as a TDR if, for economic or legal reasons
related to a borrower’s financial difficulties, the Company
grants a concession to the borrower that it would not otherwise
consider.
The Company is deemed to have granted such a concession if it has
modified a troubled loan in any of the following ways:
●
Reduced
accrued interest;
●
Reduced
the original contractual interest rate to a rate that is below the
current market rate for the borrower;
●
Converted
a variable-rate loan to a fixed-rate loan;
●
Extended
the term of the loan beyond an insignificant delay;
●
Deferred
or forgiven principal in an amount greater than three months of
payments; or
●
Performed
a refinancing and deferred or forgiven principal on the original
loan.
An insignificant delay or insignificant shortfall in the amount of
payments typically would not require the loan to be accounted for
as a TDR. However, pursuant to regulatory guidance, any payment
delay longer than three months is generally not considered
insignificant. Management’s assessment of whether a
concession has been granted also takes into account payments
expected to be received from third parties, including third-party
guarantors, provided that the third party has the ability to
perform on the guarantee.
The Company’s TDRs are principally a result of extending loan
repayment terms to relieve cash flow difficulties. The Company has
only, on a limited basis, reduced interest rates for borrowers
below the current market rate for the borrower. The Company has not
forgiven principal or reduced accrued interest within the terms of
original restructurings, nor has it converted variable rate terms
to fixed rate terms. However, the Company evaluates each TDR
situation on its own merits and does not foreclose the granting of
any particular type of concession.
The
Company has adopted the TDR guidance issued by the federal banking
agencies in March 2020 regarding the treatment of certain
short-term loan modifications relating to the COVID-19 pandemic
(See Note 3). Under this guidance, qualifying concessions and
modifications are not considered TDRs. As of March 31, 2020, the
Company had granted short term loan concessions and/or
modifications within the terms of this guidance as to 380
borrowers, with respect to loans having an aggregate principal
amount of $86.6 million. These loans may bear a higher risk of
default in future periods.
21
New
TDRs, by portfolio segment, during the periods presented were as
follows:
|
Three months ended March 31, 2020
|
||
|
|
Pre-
|
Post-
|
|
|
Modification
|
Modification
|
|
|
Outstanding
|
Outstanding
|
|
Number of
|
Recorded
|
Recorded
|
|
Contracts
|
Investment
|
Investment
|
|
|
|
|
Residential real
estate
|
|
|
|
- 1st
lien
|
3
|
$168,109
|
$196,478
|
|
Year ended December 31,
2019
|
||
|
|
Pre-
|
Post-
|
|
|
Modification
|
Modification
|
|
|
Outstanding
|
Outstanding
|
|
Number of
|
Recorded
|
Recorded
|
|
Contracts
|
Investment
|
Investment
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial &
industrial
|
6
|
$371,358
|
$372,259
|
Commercial real
estate
|
1
|
19,266
|
21,628
|
Residential real
estate
|
|
|
|
- 1st
lien
|
6
|
755,476
|
798,800
|
- Jr
lien
|
1
|
55,557
|
57,415
|
|
14
|
$1,201,657
|
$1,250,102
|
|
Three months ended March 31,
2019
|
||
|
|
Pre-
|
Post-
|
|
|
Modification
|
Modification
|
|
|
Outstanding
|
Outstanding
|
|
Number of
|
Recorded
|
Recorded
|
|
Contracts
|
Investment
|
Investment
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial real
estate
|
1
|
$19,265
|
$21,628
|
Residential real
estate
|
|
|
|
- 1st
lien
|
1
|
95,899
|
96,369
|
|
2
|
$115,164
|
$117,997
|
The
TDRs for which there was a payment default during the twelve month
periods presented were as follows:
For the twelve months ended March 31, 2020
|
Number of
|
Recorded
|
|
Contracts
|
Investment
|
|
|
|
Commercial real
estate
|
1
|
$376,864
|
For the twelve months ended December 31, 2019
|
Number of
|
Recorded
|
|
Contracts
|
Investment
|
|
|
|
Commercial &
industrial
|
2
|
$27,818
|
Residential real
estate
|
|
|
- 1st
lien
|
1
|
227,907
|
- Jr
lien
|
1
|
55,010
|
|
4
|
$310,735
|
22
For
the twelve months ended March 31, 2019
|
Number of
|
Recorded
|
|
Contracts
|
Investment
|
|
|
|
Commercial real
estate
|
1
|
$392,719
|
TDRs
are treated as other impaired loans and carry individual specific
reserves with respect to the calculation of the ALL. These loans
are categorized as non-performing, may be past due, and are
generally adversely risk rated. The TDRs that have defaulted under
their restructured terms are generally in collection status and
their reserve is typically calculated using the fair value of
collateral method.
The
specific allowances within the ALL related to TDRs as of the
balance sheet dates are presented in the table below.
|
March 31,
|
December 31,
|
|
2020
|
2019
|
|
|
|
Specific
Allocation
|
$119,832
|
$104,548
|
As of
the balance sheet dates, the Company evaluates whether it is
contractually committed to lend additional funds to debtors with
impaired, non-accrual or modified loans. The Company is
contractually committed to lend on one SBA guaranteed line of
credit to a borrower whose lending relationship was previously
restructured.
Note 7. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
As a
result of a merger with LyndonBank on December 31, 2007, the
Company recorded goodwill amounting to $11,574,269. The goodwill is
not amortizable and is not deductible for tax
purposes.
As of
December 31, 2019, the most recent evaluation, management concluded
that no impairment existed. Management evaluates its goodwill
intangible for impairment at least annually, or more frequently as
circumstances warrant, including, as applicable, circumstances
arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the disruptions to
the economy and increased volatility in the financial markets and
related impacts on the Company's business.
Note 8. Fair Value
Certain
assets and liabilities are recorded at fair value to provide
additional insight into the Company’s quality of earnings and
comprehensive income. The fair values of some of these assets and
liabilities are measured on a recurring basis while others are
measured on a non-recurring basis, with the determination based
upon applicable existing accounting pronouncements. For example,
securities available-for-sale are recorded at fair value on a
recurring basis. Other assets, such as MSRs, loans held-for-sale,
impaired loans, and OREO are recorded at fair value on a
non-recurring basis using the lower of cost or market methodology
to determine impairment of individual assets. The Company groups
assets and liabilities which are recorded at fair value in three
levels, based on the markets in which the assets and liabilities
are traded and the reliability of the assumptions used to determine
fair value. The level within the fair value hierarchy is based on
the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value
measurement (with Level 1 considered highest and Level 3 considered
lowest). A brief description of each level follows.
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 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 MSRs,
impaired loans and OREO.
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.
23
The
following methods and assumptions were used by the Company in
estimating its fair value measurements:
Debt Securities AFS: Fair
value measurement is based upon quoted prices for similar assets,
if available. If quoted prices are not available, fair values are
measured using matrix pricing models, or other model-based
valuation techniques requiring observable inputs other than quoted
prices such as yield curves, prepayment speeds and default rates.
Level 1 securities would include U.S. Treasury securities that are
traded by dealers or brokers in active over-the-counter markets.
Level 2 securities include federal agency securities.
Impaired loans: Impaired loans are
reported based on one of three measures: the present value of
expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective
interest rate; the loan’s observable market price; or the
fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent.
If the fair value is less than an impaired loan’s recorded
investment, an impairment loss is recognized as part of the ALL.
Accordingly, certain impaired loans may be subject to measurement
at fair value on a non-recurring basis. Management has estimated
the fair values of collateral-dependent loans using Level 2 inputs,
such as the fair value of collateral based on independent
third-party appraisals.
Loans held-for-sale: 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.
MSRs: MSRs represent the
value associated with servicing residential mortgage loans.
Servicing assets and servicing liabilities are reported using the
amortization method and compared to fair value for impairment. In
evaluating the carrying values of MSRs, the Company obtains third
party valuations based on loan level data including note rate, and
the type and term of the underlying loans. The Company classifies
MSRs as non-recurring Level 2.
OREO: Real estate acquired
through or in lieu of foreclosure and bank properties no longer
used as bank premises are initially recorded at fair value. The
fair value of OREO is based on property appraisals and an analysis
of similar properties currently available. The Company records OREO
as non-recurring Level 2.
Assets and Liabilities Recorded at Fair Value on a Recurring
Basis
Assets
measured at fair value on a recurring basis and reflected in the
consolidated balance sheets at the dates presented, segregated by
fair value hierarchy, are summarized below. There were no Level 1
or Level 3 assets or liabilities measured on a recurring basis as
of the balance sheet dates presented, nor were there any transfers
of assets between Levels during 2020 or 2019.
Level
2
|
March 31, 2020
|
December 31,
2019
|
Assets: (market
approach)
|
|
|
U.S. GSE debt
securities
|
$13,873,328
|
$18,061,620
|
Agency
MBS
|
15,612,101
|
16,205,375
|
ABS and
OAS
|
2,730,832
|
2,852,909
|
Other
investments
|
9,653,948
|
8,846,846
|
Total
|
$41,870,209
|
$45,966,750
|
Assets and Liabilities Recorded at Fair Value on a Non-Recurring
Basis
The
following table includes assets measured at fair value on a
non-recurring basis that have had a fair value adjustment since
their initial recognition. Impaired loans measured at fair value
only include collateral-dependent impaired loans with a related
specific allocation with the ALL and are presented net of specific
allowances as disclosed in Note 6. There were no fair value
adjustments to such impaired loans for the periods presented in the
table below.
24
Assets
measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis and reflected in
the consolidated balance sheets at the dates presented, segregated
by fair value hierarchy level, are summarized below. There were no
Level 1 or Level 3 assets or liabilities measured on a
non-recurring basis as of the balance sheet dates presented, nor
were there any transfers of assets between levels during 2020 or
2019.
Level
2
|
March 31, 2020
|
December 31,
2019
|
Assets: (market
approach)
|
|
|
Loans
held-for-sale
|
$667,000
|
$0
|
MSRs
(1)
|
915,292
|
939,577
|
OREO
|
781,238
|
966,738
|
(1)
Represents MSRs at lower of cost or fair value.
FASB
ASC Topic 825, “Financial Instruments”, requires
disclosures of fair value information about financial instruments,
whether or not recognized in the balance sheet, if the fair values
can be reasonably determined. Fair value is best determined based
upon quoted market prices. However, in many instances, there are no
quoted market prices for the Company’s various financial
instruments. In cases where quoted market prices are not available,
fair values are based on estimates using present value or other
valuation techniques using observable inputs when available. Those
techniques are significantly affected by the assumptions used,
including the discount rate and estimates of future cash flows.
Accordingly, the fair value estimates may not be realized in an
immediate settlement of the instrument. Topic 825 excludes certain
financial instruments and all nonfinancial instruments from its
disclosure requirements. Accordingly, the aggregate fair value
amounts presented may not necessarily represent the underlying fair
value of the Company.
The
estimated fair values of commitments to extend credit and letters
of credit were immaterial as of the dates presented in the tables
below. The estimated fair values of the Company's financial
instruments were as follows:
March
31, 2020
|
|
Fair
|
Fair
|
Fair
|
Fair
|
|
Carrying
|
Value
|
Value
|
Value
|
Value
|
|
Amount
|
Level 1
|
Level 2
|
Level 3
|
Total
|
|
(Dollars in
Thousands)
|
||||
Financial
assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash
equivalents
|
$38,630
|
$38,630
|
$0
|
$0
|
$38,630
|
Debt securities
AFS
|
41,870
|
0
|
41,870
|
0
|
41,870
|
Restricted equity
securities
|
1,415
|
0
|
1,415
|
0
|
1,415
|
Loans and loans
held-for-sale, net of ALL
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
& industrial
|
107,556
|
0
|
0
|
107,359
|
107,359
|
Commercial
real estate
|
253,412
|
0
|
0
|
252,713
|
252,713
|
Municipal
|
59,650
|
0
|
0
|
60,089
|
60,089
|
Residential
real estate - 1st lien
|
162,467
|
0
|
0
|
163,812
|
163,812
|
Residential
real estate - Jr lien
|
41,732
|
0
|
0
|
41,762
|
41,762
|
Consumer
|
4,078
|
0
|
0
|
4,091
|
4,091
|
MSRs
(1)
|
915
|
0
|
1,148
|
0
|
1,148
|
Accrued interest
receivable
|
2,891
|
0
|
2,891
|
0
|
2,891
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financial
liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deposits
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
deposits
|
616,447
|
0
|
618,480
|
0
|
618,480
|
Brokered
deposits
|
1,698
|
0
|
1,709
|
0
|
1,709
|
Short-term
borrowings
|
20,000
|
0
|
20,000
|
0
|
20,000
|
Long-term
borrowings
|
2,650
|
0
|
2,512
|
0
|
2,512
|
Repurchase
agreements
|
22,911
|
0
|
22,911
|
0
|
22,911
|
Operating lease
obligations
|
1,203
|
0
|
1,203
|
0
|
1,203
|
Finance lease
obligations
|
85
|
0
|
85
|
0
|
85
|
Subordinated
debentures
|
12,887
|
0
|
11,717
|
0
|
11,717
|
Accrued interest
payable
|
133
|
0
|
133
|
0
|
133
|
(1)
Reported fair value
represents all MSRs for loans serviced by the Company at March 31,
2020, regardless of carrying amount.
25
December
31, 2019
|
|
Fair
|
Fair
|
Fair
|
Fair
|
|
Carrying
|
Value
|
Value
|
Value
|
Value
|
|
Amount
|
Level 1
|
Level 2
|
Level 3
|
Total
|
|
(Dollars in
Thousands)
|
||||
Financial
assets:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash
equivalents
|
$48,562
|
$48,562
|
$0
|
$0
|
$48,562
|
Debt securities
AFS
|
45,967
|
0
|
45,967
|
0
|
45,967
|
Restricted equity
securities
|
1,432
|
0
|
1,432
|
0
|
1,432
|
Loans and loans
held-for-sale, net of ALL
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
& industrial
|
98,062
|
0
|
0
|
97,356
|
97,356
|
Commercial
real estate
|
243,022
|
0
|
0
|
242,735
|
242,735
|
Municipal
|
55,817
|
0
|
0
|
55,867
|
55,867
|
Residential
real estate - 1st lien
|
156,897
|
0
|
0
|
156,520
|
156,520
|
Residential
real estate - Jr lien
|
42,927
|
0
|
0
|
42,950
|
42,950
|
Consumer
|
4,337
|
0
|
0
|
4,306
|
4,306
|
MSRs
(1)
|
940
|
0
|
1,250
|
0
|
1,250
|
Accrued interest
receivable
|
2,337
|
0
|
2,337
|
0
|
2,337
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Financial
liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deposits
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other
deposits
|
603,872
|
0
|
604,267
|
0
|
604,267
|
Brokered
deposits
|
11,149
|
0
|
11,153
|
0
|
11,153
|
Long-term
borrowings
|
2,650
|
0
|
2,427
|
0
|
2,427
|
Repurchase
agreements
|
33,190
|
0
|
33,190
|
0
|
33,190
|
Operating lease
obligations
|
1,263
|
0
|
1,263
|
0
|
1,263
|
Finance lease
obligations
|
100
|
0
|
100
|
0
|
100
|
Subordinated
debentures
|
12,887
|
0
|
12,831
|
0
|
12,831
|
Accrued interest
payable
|
139
|
0
|
139
|
0
|
139
|
(1)
Reported fair value
represents all MSRs for loans serviced by the Company at December
31, 2018, regardless of carrying amount.
Note 9. Loan Servicing
The
following table shows the changes in the carrying amount of the
MSRs, included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets,
for the periods indicated:
|
Three Months
Ended
|
Year Ended
|
|
March 31, 2020
|
December 31,
2019
|
|
|
|
Balance at
beginning of year
|
$939,577
|
$1,004,948
|
MSRs
capitalized
|
30,653
|
114,580
|
MSRs
amortized
|
(54,938)
|
(179,951)
|
Balance at end of
period
|
$915,292
|
$939,577
|
There
was no valuation allowance recorded for MSRs for the periods
presented.
Note 10. Legal Proceedings
In the
normal course of business, the Company is involved in litigation
that is considered incidental to its 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
The
Company has evaluated events and transactions through the date that
the financial statements were issued for potential recognition or
disclosure in these financial statements, as required by GAAP. On
March 12, 2020, the Company’s Board declared a cash dividend
of $0.19 per common share, payable May 1, 2020 to shareholders of
record as of April 15, 2020. This dividend has been recorded in the
Company’s consolidated financial statements as of the
declaration date, including shares issuable under the
DRIP.
As of
May 5, 2020, the Company had received approval from the SBA for
approximately 700 applications for PPP loans under the CARES Act
with respect to approximately $95 million in loans. In addition, in
April, 2020, the Company qualified to obtain loan advances through
the FRB’s PPPLF to fund its PPP lending activities, but had
no outstanding balance under that facility as of May 5,
2020.
26
ITEM 2. Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Period Ended March 31, 2020
The
following discussion analyzes the consolidated financial condition
of Community Bancorp. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Community
National Bank, as of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, and its
consolidated results of operations for the three-month interim
period presented.
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the
Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and
related notes contained in its 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K
filed with the SEC.
Capitalized
terms, abbreviations and acronyms used throughout the following
discussion are defined in Note 1 to the Company’s unaudited
consolidated financial statements contained in Part I, Item 1 of
this report.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations (MD&A) contains certain forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995, regarding the results of operations, financial
condition and business of the Company and its subsidiary. Words
used in the discussion below such as "believes," "expects,"
"anticipates," "intends," "estimates," “projects”,
"plans," “assumes”, "predicts," “may”,
“might”, “will”, “could”,
“should” and 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. Examples
of forward looking statements included in this discussion include,
but are not limited to, statements regarding the potential effects
of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial condition,
results of operations and prospects; the estimated contingent
liability related to assumptions made within the asset/liability
management process; management's expectations as to the future
interest rate environment and the Company's related liquidity
level; credit risk expectations relating to the Company's loan
portfolio and its participation in the FHLBB MPF program; and
management's general outlook for the future performance of the
Company or the local or national economy. Although forward-looking
statements are based on management's expectations and estimates as
of the date they are made, many of the factors that could influence
or determine actual results are unpredictable and not within the
Company's control.
Factors
that may cause actual results to differ materially from those
contemplated by these forward-looking statements include, among
others, the following possibilities:
●
general economic or
business conditions, either nationally, regionally or locally,
deteriorate, resulting in a decline in credit quality or a
diminished demand for the Company's products and
services;
●
competitive
pressures increase among financial service providers in the
Company's northern New England market area or in the financial
services 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;
●
interest rates
change in such a way as to negatively affect the Company's net
income, asset valuations or margins;
●
changes in laws or
government rules, including the rules of the federal Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau, or the way in which courts or
government agencies interpret or implement those laws or rules,
increase our costs of doing business, causing us to limit or change
our product offerings or pricing, or otherwise adversely affect the
Company's business;
●
changes in federal
or state tax laws or policy;
●
changes in the
level of nonperforming assets and charge-offs;
●
changes in
applicable accounting policies, practices and standards, including,
without limitation, implementation of pending changes to the
measurement of credit losses in financial statements under US GAAP
pursuant to the CECL model;
●
changes in consumer
and business spending, borrowing and savings habits;
●
reductions in
deposit levels, which necessitate increased borrowings to fund
loans and investments;
●
the geographic
concentration of the Company’s loan portfolio and deposit
base;
●
losses due to the
fraudulent or negligent conduct of third parties, including the
Company’s service providers, customers and
employees;
●
cybersecurity risks
could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial
performance or reputation and could result in financial liability
for losses incurred by customers or others due to data breaches or
other compromise of the Company’s information security
systems;
27
●
higher-than-expected
costs are incurred relating to information technology or
difficulties arise in implementing technological
enhancements;
●
management’s
risk management measures may not be completely
effective;
●
changes in the
United States monetary and fiscal policies, including the interest
rate policies of the FRB and its regulation of the money
supply;
●
adverse changes in
the credit rating of U.S. government debt;
●
the planned phase
out the LIBOR by the end of 2021, which could adversely affect the
Company’s interest costs in future periods on its $12,887,000
in principal amount of Junior Subordinated Debentures due December
12, 2037, which currently bear interest at a variable rate,
adjusted quarterly, equal to 3-month LIBOR, plus
2.85%;
●
the effect of
COVID-19 on our Company, the communities where we have branches,
the State of Vermont and the national and global economies and
overall stability of the financial markets;
●
government and
regulatory responses to the COVID-19 pandemic;
●
operational and
internal system failures due to changes in normal business
practices, including remote working for Company staff;
●
increased
cybercrime and payment system risk due to increase usage by
customers of online and other remote banking channels;
●
rising unemployment
rates in our markets due to the COVID-19 related business shutdowns
and other economic disruptions, which reduces our borrowers'
ability to repay their loans and reduces customer demand for our
products and services; and
●
government
intervention in the U.S. financial system, including the effects of
recent legislative, tax, accounting and regulatory actions and
reforms, such as passage of the CARES Act, the actions of the
Federal Reserve affecting monetary policy, and the moratorium on
foreclosures imposed by the State of Vermont.
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.
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
Under
SEC Regulation G, public companies making disclosures containing
financial measures that are not in accordance with GAAP must also
disclose, along with each non-GAAP financial measure, certain
additional information, including a reconciliation of the non-GAAP
financial measure to the closest comparable GAAP financial measure,
as well as a statement of the company’s reasons for utilizing
the non-GAAP financial measure. The SEC has exempted from the
definition of non-GAAP financial measures certain commonly used
financial measures that are not based on GAAP. However, three
non-GAAP financial measures commonly used by financial
institutions, namely tax-equivalent net interest income and
tax-equivalent net interest margin (as presented in the tables in
the section labeled Interest Income Versus Interest Expense (NII))
and core earnings (as defined and discussed in the Results of
Operations section), have not been specifically exempted by the
SEC, and may therefore constitute non-GAAP financial measures under
Regulation G. We are unable to state with certainty whether the SEC
would regard those measures as subject to Regulation
G.
Management
believes that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful in
evaluating the Company’s financial performance and facilitate
comparisons with the performance of other financial institutions.
However, that information should be considered supplemental in
nature and not as a substitute for related financial information
prepared in accordance with GAAP.
OVERVIEW
The
Company’s consolidated assets on March 31, 2020 were
$751,692,254, an increase of $13,736,935, or 1.9%, from December
31, 2019. Net loans increased $27,158,703, or 4.5%, since December
31, 2019. This year-to-date growth is attributable to an increase
of $9.5 million in commercial loans, $3.8 million in municipal
loans, $10.5 million in commercial real estate loans, and $3.8
million in 1-4 family residential loans. Growth in the commercial
loan portfolio was enhanced with $2.4 million in purchased loans
from BHG. The
securities AFS portfolio decreased $4,096,541, or 8.9%, from
December 31, 2019 due to several calls exercised during the first
three months of 2020.
Total
deposits increased $3,123,328 or 0.5%, since December 31, 2019,
reflecting the combined effect of an increase in money market and
savings accounts totaling $9.9 million, or 5.3%, a decrease in core
deposits, demand, non-interest bearing demand and interest-bearing
transaction accounts, totaling $1.1 million, or 0.4%, and a
decrease in time deposits of $5.7 million, or 4.9%. Increases in
money market and savings accounts was driven in part by an increase
in municipal deposits as well as consumer savings accounts, while
the decrease in time deposits was predominantly due to the maturity
of brokered deposits that were not replaced.
28
On
March 16, 2020 the federal bank regulatory agencies released a
statement encouraging banks to use the Federal Reserve’s
discount window in an effort to support the liquidity and stability
of the banking system amid the economic disruption related to the
COVID-19 health emergency. The Company’s liquidity position
was enhanced at quarter end with a $20.0 million advance from the
FRB’s discount window under a BIC agreement with the FRBB.
This action was taken to strengthen the Company’s liquidity
position and ensure the ability to manage through any unforeseen
disruptions or potential gridlock in the system due to challenges
from the COVID-19 outbreak. The advance was paid off in April once
the Governor of Vermont recognized banks as essential businesses
and a sense of stability returned to the banking
system.
Interest
income increased $73,784, or 1.0%, for the first quarter of 2020
compared to the same quarter in 2019, while interest expense
decreased $62,147 or 4.0%, for the same comparison period. The
opportunity for an increase in interest income from the loan growth
was offset by the impact the decrease in the prime rate had on
adjustable rate loans. The decrease in interest expense is due to a
reduction of rates paid on interest-bearing transaction accounts,
money market accounts and time deposits, following the 150 basis
point decrease in short-term rates in March in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Please refer to the interest rate sensitivity
discussion in the Interest Rate Risk and Asset and Liability
Management section for more information on the impact that FRB
action and changes in the yield curve could have on net interest
income. Growth of the loan portfolio was the major driver to the
increase in the provision for loan losses of $376,503 for the first
quarter of 2020 compared to $212,503 for the same period in 2019,
an increase of 77.2%. Please refer to the ALL and provisions
discussion in the Credit Risk section for more information on these
increases.
Net
income for the first quarter of 2020 was $1,861,239, an increase of
$89,334, or 5.0%, from net income of $1,771,905 for the same
quarter of 2019. Non-interest income increased $35,007, or 2.7%,
and non-interest expense decreased $62,705, or 1.2%, accounting for
the increase in 2020 net income versus 2019. Income from sold loans
increased $37,376, or 36.3%, and other income from loans increased
$81,723, or 58.9% for the first quarter of 2020 compared to the
first quarter of 2019. Loan originations that were subsequently
sold in the secondary market were $3,685,350 for the first three
months of 2020 compared to $747,020 for the same period in 2019
resulting in a gain on sale of loans of $51,183 and 22,602,
respectively. Commercial and residential loan documentation fees
make up the biggest portion of other income from loans, with
increases of $51,783 and $26,640, respectively, noted for the first
three months of 2020 versus 2019. The decrease in non-interest
expense is made up of many components, with audit fees accounting
for $44,620 and collection and non-accruing loan expenses
accounting for $33,359. Please refer to the Non-interest Income and
Non-interest Expense sections for more information on these and
other changes.
Equity
capital grew to $70.5 million, with a book value per share of
$13.14 as of March 31, 2020, compared to equity capital of $63.6
million and a book value of $11.97 as of March 31, 2019. On March
13, 2020, the Company's Board of Directors declared a quarterly
cash dividend of $0.19 per common share, payable on May 1, 2020 to
shareholders of record on April 15, 2020.
The
financial statements and capital sections of this report reflect a
partial redemption in 2019 of the Company’s outstanding
Series A non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock. On March 31,
2019, the Company completed a second partial redemption of its
preferred stock. Five shares were redeemed at par, at an aggregate
redemption price of $500,000, plus accrued dividends. These
redemptions began in 2018, and are at the discretion of management
and voted on by the Board. The Company opted to not redeem any
additional preferred shares during the first quarter of 2020, but
may consider further redemptions later this year.
RECENT EVENTS – COVID-19 PANDEMIC
In
December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) was
reported to have surfaced in China, and has since spread to a
number of other countries, including the United States. In March
2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global
pandemic and the United States declared a National Public Health
Emergency. The COVID-19 pandemic has severely restricted the level
of economic activity in Vermont and nationwide. In response
to the COVID-19 pandemic, many states and local governments have
taken preventative or protective actions, such as imposing
restrictions on travel and business operations, advising or
requiring individuals to limit or forego their time outside of
their homes, and ordering temporary closures of businesses that
have been deemed to be non-essential.
In
Vermont, on March 24, 2020 the Governor issued a “Stay Home,
Stay Safe” order and directed the closure of in-person
operations for all non-essential businesses. As an essential
business, the Company remained open but put in place a number of
mitigation strategies in order to reduce close contact among
employees and customers, including:
●
branch lobbies were
closed to in-person transactions, transacting business through
drive-up windows;
●
customers were
encouraged to use ATM and electronic banking as options to avoid
close contact with others;
●
work-from-home
protocol was employed for employees, where
appropriate;
●
14 retail staff
were placed on furlough;
●
employees were
instructed to practice social distancing when working in areas
requiring multiple workers;
●
in-person meetings
were replaced with use of video conferencing and conference calls;
and
●
the Company’s
annual meeting scheduled for May 12, 2020 was postponed until a
later date.
29
As a
guide, management followed protocols from the Company’s
Pandemic and Business Continuity Plan and guidance from State and
Federal governments to ensure continued safe access to banking
services while focusing on the health and safety of our employees
and customers. Members of the Company’s Pandemic Team meet
weekly to address COVID-19 issues and developments. Management is
conducting a risk situation analysis in each business unit and
stress testing areas most vulnerable to be impacted such as
liquidity and asset quality.
Although
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s results
for the first three months ended March 31, 2020 was minimal, the
extent to which the pandemic impacts our business, operations and
financial results in the future will depend on numerous factors
that we may not be able to accurately predict, although adverse
impacts are likely.
The
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is fluid and continues to evolve,
adversely affecting many of the Company’s customers. The
COVID-19 pandemic and its associated impacts on trade (including
supply chains and export levels), travel, employee productivity,
unemployment, consumer spending, and other economic activities has
resulted in less economic activity, lower equity market valuations
and significant volatility and disruption in financial markets, and
has had an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
results of operations. The ultimate extent of the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial condition and results
of operations is currently uncertain and will depend on various
developments and other factors, including, among others, the
duration and scope of the pandemic, as well as governmental,
regulatory and private sector responses to the pandemic, and the
associated impacts on the economy, financial markets and our
customers, employees and vendors.
Our
business, financial condition and results of operations generally
rely upon the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans, the
value of collateral underlying our secured loans, and the demand
for loans and other products and services we offer, which are
highly dependent on the business environment in our local banking
markets and in the country as a whole. Following the close of the
first quarter of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has begun to have a
significant impact on our business and operations. In addition to
the temporary measures we have taken to modify our business
operations and methods for delivering our products and services, we
are focused on servicing the financial needs of our commercial and
consumer clients with flexible loan payment arrangements,
including, where appropriate, short-term loan modifications or
other concessions and reducing or waiving certain fees on deposit
accounts. Future governmental actions may require continuation of
these and other types of customer accommodations.
The
CARES Act included an allocation of $349 billion for loans to be
issued by financial institutions through the SBA, under the
Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). Additional PPP
funding of $321 million was subsequently approved. These loans will be forgiven to the extent that
the funds are used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent,
or utilities as long as at least 75% of the forgiven amount was
used for payroll. Additionally, loan payments will be deferred for
six months and no collateral or personal guarantees are required.
Neither the government nor lenders are permitted to charge the
recipients any fees. PPP loans carry a fixed rate of 1.00%
and a term of two years, if not forgiven, in whole or in part.
Payments are deferred for the first six months of the loan and the
loans are 100% guaranteed by the SBA. The SBA pays the originating
bank a processing fee ranging from 1% to 5%, based on the size of
the loan. The SBA began accepting submissions for these PPP loans
on Friday, April 3, 2020. As of May 5, 2020, the Company had
processed over 700 PPP loan applications with respect to loans
totaling over $ 95 million, and expects to earn approximately $ 3.5
million in related fees. Participation in the PPP will likely have
a significant impact on our asset mix and net interest margin for
the remainder of 2020.
We
maintain access to multiple sources of liquidity, including access
to the newly-created Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility
(PPPLF) of the FRB, which was established by the FRB to facilitate
funding of PPP lending activity by banks and other eligible
lenders. Under the PPPLF lenders may pledge pools of PPP loans
having the same maturity date, with the maturity date of the
lender’s advance matching the maturity date of the pool.
There are no fees for PPPLF advances, which bear an annual rate of
35 bps. As of April 30, 2020, the Company had no PPPLF
advances.
As of
March 31, 2020, all of the Company’s capital ratios, and
those of our subsidiary Bank, were in excess of all regulatory
requirements. While we believe that we have sufficient capital to
withstand an extended economic recession brought about by the
COVID-19 pandemic, our reported and regulatory capital ratios could
be adversely impacted by further credit losses.
On
April 17, Vermont Governor Phil Scott outlined an approach for the
phased restart of Vermont’s economy, emphasizing the
state’s modeling of COVID 19 cases indicated initial steps
could be taken while the “stay home, stay safe” order
remains in effect. On April 24, with modeling continuing to
indicate a significant slowing of the spread of the virus, the
Governor’s administration outlined some additional openings
as an effort to put Vermonters back to work. These phased steps to
reopen the economy come with a full list of work-place health and
safety requirements for all business and specifications for each
newly opened operation. As of Monday, April 27, 2020, Vermont
reported 855 confirmed cases, 47 cases resulting in deaths and a
reduction in active cases.
As
Vermont statistics are trending below the initial best-case
forecast and COVID-19 cases have plateaued in the state, the
Company’s Pandemic Team is working on a plan for reopening in
order to be well prepared for when the Governor’s
administration phased approach to opening the economy lifts
restrictions and allows the opening of bank lobbies.
30
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The
Company’s significant accounting policies are fundamental to
understanding the Company’s results of operations and
financial condition because they require management to use
estimates and assumptions that may affect the value of the
Company’s assets or liabilities and financial results,
sometimes in material respects. These policies are considered by
management to be critical because they require subjective and
complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain and
because it is likely that materially different amounts would be
reported under different conditions or using different assumptions.
These policies, and others deemed less critical, are described in
the Company’s Accounting Policy, which is updated yearly for
review and approval by the Company’s Audit Committee, and
then presented to the Company’s Board for final review and
approval.
The
Company’s critical accounting policies govern:
● the
ALL;
● OREO;
● OTTI of debt
securities;
● valuation of
residential MSRs; and
● the carrying value
of goodwill.
These
policies are described in the Company’s 2019 Annual Report on
Form 10-K in the section titled “Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations – Critical Accounting Policies” and in Note
1 (Significant Accounting Policies) to the audited consolidated
financial statements. There were no material changes during the
first three months of 2020 in the Company’s critical
accounting policies.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Net
income for the first quarter of 2020 was $1,861,239, or $0.35 per
common share, compared to $1,771,905, or $0.34 per common share,
for the same quarter of 2019. Core earnings (NII) for the first
quarter of 2020 increased $135,931, or 2.2%, compared to the same
quarter in 2019. The loan mix continued to shift in favor of higher
yielding commercial loans, while the deposit mix experienced an
increase in non-maturity deposits, both of which have benefited the
Company’s net interest income. Interest paid on deposits,
which is the major component of total interest expense, decreased
$33,423, or 2.6%, for the first quarter of 2020 compared to the
same quarter of 2019, reflecting the decreases in short-term
rates.
The
following tables summarize certain balance sheet data and the
earnings performance of the Company for the periods
presented.
|
March 31,
|
December 31,
|
|
2020
|
2019
|
Balance
Sheet Data
|
|
|
Net
loans
|
$628,583,564
|
$601,424,861
|
Total
assets
|
751,692,254
|
737,955,319
|
Total
deposits
|
618,144,696
|
615,021,368
|
Borrowed
funds
|
22,650,000
|
2,650,000
|
Junior subordinated
debentures
|
12,887,000
|
12,887,000
|
Total
liabilities
|
681,108,762
|
669,060,640
|
Total shareholders'
equity
|
70,583,492
|
68,894,679
|
|
|
|
Book value per
common share outstanding
|
$13.14
|
$12.86
|
|
|
|
|
Three Months Ended March
31,
|
|
|
2020
|
2019
|
Operating
Data
|
|
|
Total interest
income
|
$7,772,152
|
$7,698,368
|
Total interest
expense
|
1,476,393
|
1,538,540
|
Net
interest income
|
6,295,759
|
6,159,828
|
|
|
|
Provision for loan
losses
|
376,503
|
212,503
|
Net
interest income after provision for loan losses
|
5,919,256
|
5,947,325
|
|
|
|
Non-interest
income
|
1,353,707
|
1,318,700
|
Non-interest
expense
|
5,093,219
|
5,155,924
|
Income
before income taxes
|
2,179,744
|
2,110,101
|
Applicable income
tax expense(1)
|
318,505
|
338,196
|
|
|
|
Net
Income
|
$1,861,239
|
$1,771,905
|
|
|
|
Per
Common Share Data
|
|
|
Earnings per common
share (2)
|
$0.35
|
$0.34
|
Dividends declared
per common share
|
$0.19
|
$0.19
|
Weighted average
number of common shares outstanding
|
5,245,216
|
5,180,334
|
Number of common
shares outstanding, period end
|
5,255,942
|
5,191,768
|
(1)
Applicable income tax expense assumes a 21% tax rate for both
periods.
|
(2)
Computed based on the weighted average number of common shares
outstanding during the periods presented.
|
31
Return
on average assets, which is net income divided by average total
assets, measures how effectively a corporation uses its assets to
produce earnings. Return on average equity, which is net income
divided by average shareholders' equity, measures how effectively a
corporation uses its equity capital to produce
earnings.
The
following table shows these ratios annualized for the comparison
periods presented.
|
Three Months Ended March
31,
|
|
|
2020
|
2019
|
Return on average
assets
|
1.02%
|
1.02%
|
Return on average
equity
|
10.77%
|
11.38%
|
INTEREST INCOME VERSUS INTEREST EXPENSE (NET INTEREST
INCOME)
The
largest component of the Company’s operating income is NII,
which is the difference between interest earned on loans and
investments and the interest paid on deposits and other sources of
funds (i.e., borrowings). The Company’s level of net interest
income can fluctuate over time due to changes in the level and mix
of earning assets and sources of funds (volume), and changes in the
yield earned and costs of funds (rate). A portion of the
Company’s income from loans to local municipalities is not
subject to income taxes. Because the proportion of tax-exempt items
in the Company's balance sheet varies from year-to-year, to improve
comparability of information, the non-taxable income shown in the
tables below has been converted to a tax equivalent basis. The
Company’s corporate tax rate is 21%; therefore, to equalize
tax-free and taxable income in the comparison, we divide the
tax-free income by 79%, with the result that every tax-free dollar
is equivalent to $1.27 in taxable income for the periods
presented.
The
Company’s tax-exempt interest income of $395,488 and $311,632
for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively,
was derived from loans to local municipalities of $59.6 million and
$46.3 million at March 31, 2020 and 2019,
respectively.
The
following table shows the reconciliation between reported NII and
tax equivalent NII for the comparison periods
presented.
|
Three Months Ended March
31,
|
|
|
2020
|
2019
|
|
|
|
Net interest income
as presented
|
$6,295,759
|
$6,159,828
|
Effect of
tax-exempt income
|
105,130
|
82,839
|
Net
interest income, tax equivalent
|
$6,400,889
|
$6,242,667
|
As a
result of the COVID-19 pandemic, FRB monetary policies and economic
uncertainties have arisen that are likely to adversely affect the
Company’s NII in future periods, although the extent of such
impacts cannot predicted at this time.
32
The
following table presents average interest-earning assets and
average interest-bearing liabilities supporting earning assets.
Interest income (excluding interest on non-accrual loans) is
expressed on a tax equivalent basis, both in dollars and as a
rate/yield for the comparison periods presented.
|
Three Months Ended March
31,
|
|||||
|
|
2020
|
|
|
2019
|
|
|
|
|
Average
|
|
|
Average
|
|
Average
|
Income/
|
Rate/
|
Average
|
Income/
|
Rate/
|
|
Balance
|
Expense
|
Yield
|
Balance
|
Expense
|
Yield
|
Interest-Earning
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loans
(1)
|
$614,741,699
|
$7,471,091
|
4.89%
|
$579,445,366
|
$7,293,649
|
5.10%
|
Taxable
investment securities
|
43,343,211
|
284,756
|
2.64%
|
39,483,343
|
248,108
|
2.55%
|
Sweep and
interest-earning accounts
|
19,838,634
|
97,010
|
1.97%
|
36,294,255
|
213,491
|
2.39%
|
Other
investments (2)
|
1,891,518
|
24,425
|
5.19%
|
1,821,128
|
25,959
|
5.78%
|
Total
|
$679,815,062
|
$7,877,282
|
4.66%
|
$657,044,092
|
$7,781,207
|
4.80%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest-Bearing
Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest-bearing
transaction accounts
|
$180,072,075
|
$386,232
|
0.86%
|
$158,509,721
|
$403,539
|
1.03%
|
Money market
accounts
|
98,155,689
|
361,283
|
1.48%
|
94,236,356
|
356,658
|
1.53%
|
Savings
deposits
|
98,797,285
|
39,271
|
0.16%
|
94,344,953
|
40,110
|
0.17%
|
Time
deposits
|
111,380,830
|
462,751
|
1.67%
|
126,596,917
|
482,653
|
1.55%
|
Borrowed
funds
|
7,818,352
|
11,017
|
0.57%
|
1,551,344
|
22
|
0.01%
|
Repurchase
agreements
|
26,199,028
|
59,535
|
0.91%
|
32,940,885
|
72,831
|
0.90%
|
Finance lease
obligations
|
90,072
|
1,778
|
7.90%
|
246,736
|
5,115
|
8.29%
|
Junior
subordinated debentures
|
12,887,000
|
154,526
|
4.82%
|
12,887,000
|
177,612
|
5.59%
|
Total
|
$535,400,331
|
$1,476,393
|
1.11%
|
$521,313,912
|
$1,538,540
|
1.20%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net interest
income
|
|
$6,400,889
|
|
|
$6,242,667
|
|
Net interest spread
(3)
|
|
|
3.55%
|
|
|
3.60%
|
Net interest margin
(4)
|
|
|
3.79%
|
|
|
3.85%
|
1)
Included in gross
loans are non-accrual loans with an average balance of $4,734,924
and $4,600,114 for the first three months ended March 31, 2020 and
2019, respectively. Loans are stated before deduction of unearned
discount and ALL, less loans held-for-sale and includes tax-exempt
loans to local municipalities with average balances of $58,579,914
and $40,700,683 for the first three months ended March 31, 2020 and
2019, respectively.
2)
Included in other
investments is the Company’s FHLBB Stock with average
balances of $826,368 and $755,978, respectively, and a dividend
rate of approximately 5.24% and 5.77%, respectively, for the first
three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019,
respectively.
3)
Net interest spread
is the difference between the average yield on average
interest-earning assets and the average rate paid on average
interest-bearing liabilities.
4)
Net interest margin
is net interest income divided by average earning
assets.
33
The
average volume of interest-earning assets for the three-month ended
March 31, 2020 increased 3.5%, compared to the same period last
year while the average yield on interest-earning assets decreased
14 bps. The decrease in the average yield in most categories
reflects the decrease in the federal funds rate during the first
quarter of 2020.
The
average volume of loans increased over the three-month comparison
periods of 2020 versus 2019 by 6.1%, while the average yield on
loans decreased 21 bps. Loans account for 90.4% of the
interest-earning asset portfolio as of March 31, 2020 compared to
88.2% for the same period last year. Interest earned on the loan
portfolio as a percentage of total interest income increased to
94.8% during the first three months of 2020 compared to 93.7% for
the same period in 2019.
The
average volume of the taxable investment portfolio (classified as
AFS) increased 9.8% during the first three months of 2020, compared
to the same period last year, and the average yield increased nine
bps. While the average volume of the investment portfolio has grown
over the last two years, $4.4 million in exercised calls during the
first three months of 2020 have caused the period end balance to
decrease from $46.0 million at December 31, 2019 to $41.9 million
at March 31, 2020, with proceeds used to fund loan
growth.
The
average volume of sweep and interest-earning accounts, which
consists primarily of interest-bearing accounts at the FRBB and two
correspondent banks, decreased 45.3% during the first three months
of 2020, compared to the same period last year, and the average
yield on these funds decreased 42 bps. This decrease in average
volume is attributable to the need to fund loan growth during the
first three months of 2020.
The
average volume of interest-bearing liabilities for the three-month
period ended March 31, 2020 increased 2.7% compared to the same
period last year and the average rate paid on interest-bearing
liabilities decreased nine bps, reflecting the decrease in the
federal funds rate in March of 2020.
The
average volume of interest-bearing transaction accounts increased
13.6% during the first three months of 2020 compared to the same
period last year, while the average rate paid on these accounts
decreased 17 bps. Contributing factors to the increase in average
volume were increases of $10.0 million, or 33.0% in ICS DDAs, $4.4
million, or 6.9%, in other interest-bearing DDAs, as well as a
higher deposit balance of the Company’s affiliate, CFSG.
Interest-bearing transaction accounts comprise 33.6% of the
interest-bearing liabilities as of March 31, 2020 compared to 30.4%
for the same period last year. Interest paid on these accounts as a
percentage of total interest expense was approximately 26.0% for
the first three months of 2020 and 2019.
The
average volume of money market accounts increased 4.2% during the
first three months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019,
while the average rate paid decreased five bps.
The
average volume of savings accounts increased 4.7% for the
three-month period ended March 31, 2020 versus the same period in
2019, while the average rate paid decreased one bp.
The
average volume of time deposits decreased 12.0% during the
three-month period ended March 31, 2020, compared to the same
period last year, while the average rate paid on these accounts
increased 12 bps between periods. The decrease in the average
volume of time deposits between periods reflects the maturity of
brokered deposits during the first quarter of 2020 that were not
replaced. Time deposits represented 20.8% of interest-bearing
liabilities as of March 31, 2020, compared to 24.3% for the same
period last year, and interest paid on time deposits represented
31.3% and 31.4%, respectively of total interest expense. The
average volume of retail time deposits increased 5.6% from $95.3
million at March 31, 2019 to $100.6 million at March 31, 2020,
while average wholesale time deposits decreased 70.0% from an
average volume of $35.5 million to $10.8 million, respectively.
Refer to the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section
for more discussion on these changes.
The
average volume of borrowed funds increased 404.0% from an average
volume of $1.6 million to $7.8 million during the three-month
period ended March 31, 2020, compared to the same period in 2019,
and the average rate paid on these borrowings increased 56 bps
between periods. This increase was attributable to the need to fund
increased loan demand, which outpaced deposit growth.
The
average volume of repurchase agreements decreased 20.5%, for the
first three months of 2020 versus 2019, while the average rate paid
increased slightly, by one bp.
In
summary, between the three-month periods ended March 31, 2020 and
2019, the average yield on interest-earning assets decreased 14
bps, and the average rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities
decreased nine bps. Net interest spread for the first quarter of
2020 was 3.55%, a decrease of five bps from 3.60% for the same
period in 2019. Net interest margin decreased six bps during the
first quarter of 2020 versus 2019, to 3.79% from 3.85%,
respectively.
As a
result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the reductions in the
target federal funds rate, the Company’s net interest margin
and net interest spread may be adversely affected in future
periods, although the extent of such impacts cannot be predicted at
this time.
34
The
following table summarizes the variances in interest income and
interest expense on a fully tax-equivalent basis for the periods
presented for 2020 and 2019 resulting from volume changes in
average assets and average liabilities and fluctuations in average
rates earned and paid.
|
Three Months Ended March
31,
|
||
|
Variance
|
Variance
|
|
|
Due to
|
Due to
|
Total
|
|
Rate (1)
|
Volume (1)
|
Variance
|
Average
Interest-Earning Assets
|
|
|
|
Loans
|
$(266,421)
|
$443,863
|
$177,442
|
Taxable
investment securities
|
12,378
|
24,270
|
36,648
|
Sweep and
interest-earning accounts
|
(35,880)
|
(80,601)
|
(116,481)
|
Other
investments
|
(2,537)
|
1,003
|
(1,534)
|
Total
|
$(292,460)
|
$388,535
|
$96,075
|
|
|
|
|
Average
Interest-Bearing Liabilities
|
|
|
|
Interest-bearing
transaction accounts
|
$(72,069)
|
$54,762
|
$(17,307)
|
Money market
accounts
|
(10,161)
|
14,786
|
4,625
|
Savings
deposits
|
(2,705)
|
1,866
|
(839)
|
Time
deposits
|
43,278
|
(63,180)
|
(19,902)
|
Borrowed
funds
|
10,840
|
155
|
10,995
|
Repurchase
agreements
|
1,958
|
(15,254)
|
(13,296)
|
Finance lease
obligations
|
(260)
|
(3,077)
|
(3,337)
|
Junior
subordinated debentures
|
(23,086)
|
0
|
(23,086)
|
Total
|
$(52,205)
|
$(9,942)
|
$(62,147)
|
|
|
|
|
Changes
in net interest income
|
$(240,255)
|
$398,477
|
$158,222
|
(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
|
35
NON-INTEREST INCOME AND NON-INTEREST EXPENSE
Non-interest Income
The
components of non-interest income for the periods presented were as
follows:
|
Three Months
Ended
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
|
Change
|
||
|
2020
|
2019
|
Income
|
Percent
|
|
|
|
|
|
Service
fees
|
$806,211
|
$790,366
|
$15,845
|
2.00%
|
Income from sold
loans
|
140,463
|
103,087
|
37,376
|
36.26%
|
Other income from
loans
|
220,467
|
138,744
|
81,723
|
58.90%
|
Other
income
|
|
|
|
|
Income
from CFS Partners
|
91,908
|
177,419
|
(85,511)
|
-48.20%
|
Rental
income
|
2,464
|
2,428
|
36
|
1.48%
|
VISA
card commission
|
18,662
|
23,099
|
(4,437)
|
-19.21%
|
Other
miscellaneous income
|
73,532
|
83,557
|
(10,025)
|
-12.00%
|
Total
non-interest income
|
$1,353,707
|
$1,318,700
|
$35,007
|
2.65%
|
Total
non-interest income increased $35,007, or 2.7%, for the first three
months of 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, with
significant changes noted in the following:
●
The increase in
income from sold loans for the first three months of 2020 is due to
an increase in residential mortgage lending activity, resulting in
a higher volume of loans being sold into the secondary
market.
●
An uptick of
commercial and residential loan volume, resulted in an increase in
documentation fees collected at origination accounting for the
increase in other income from loans for the first three months of
2020.
●
Due to the
unprecedented and very sharp decline in the stock market in March
2020 related to the COVID-19 outbreak, income from CFS Partners
decreased 48.2% for the first three months of 2020. This resulted
in a decrease in the value of CFSG’s assets under management,
upon which its fee income is generally based. Also, because CFS
Partners has a small portion of its capital equity invested in the
stock market, it was necessary to mark-to-the-market the portfolio
decline, resulting in a $106,000 downward adjustment.
●
The Company entered
into a VISA principal vendor agreement during 2019, resulting in
higher first-year incentive payments for 2019, accounting for the
decrease in VISA card commission income for the first three months
of 2020.
36
Non-interest Expense
The
components of non-interest expense for the periods presented were
as follows:
|
Three Months
Ended
|
|
|
|
|
March 31,
|
Change
|
||
|
2020
|
2019
|
Expense
|
Percent
|
|
|
|
|
|
Salaries and
wages
|
$1,886,316
|
$1,842,930
|
$43,386
|
2.35%
|
Employee
benefits
|
798,441
|
776,340
|
22,101
|
2.85%
|
Occupancy expenses,
net
|
683,235
|
690,829
|
(7,594)
|
-1.10%
|
Other
expenses
|
|
|
|
|
Service
contracts - administrative
|
131,897
|
148,192
|
(16,295)
|
-11.00%
|
Marketing
expense
|
112,500
|
138,501
|
(26,001)
|
-18.77%
|
Audit
fees
|
100,038
|
144,658
|
(44,620)
|
-30.85%
|
Consultant
services
|
56,979
|
76,535
|
(19,556)
|
-25.55%
|
Collection
& non-accruing loan expense
|
28,824
|
62,183
|
(33,359)
|
-53.65%
|
Expense
on OREO
|
4,501
|
6,000
|
(1,499)
|
-24.98%
|
ATM
Fees
|
115,763
|
100,250
|
15,513
|
15.47%
|
Other
miscellaneous expenses
|
1,174,725
|
1,169,506
|
5,219
|
0.45%
|
Total
non-interest expense
|
$5,093,219
|
$5,155,924
|
$(62,705)
|
-1.22%
|
Total
non-interest expense decreased $62,705, or 1.2%, for the first
three months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019 with
significant changes noted in the following:
●
Increased costs in
2019 to support information technology and branch infrastructure
accounts for the decrease in service contracts –
administrative for the first three months of 2020. More projects
are scheduled for 2020, but have not been finalized.
●
Marketing expense
decreased for the first three months of 2020 due to a decrease in
marketing activity.
●
A timing difference
in the payment of audit fees in 2019 accounts for the decrease for
the first three months of 2020.
●
Fewer projects are
in place at this time in 2020 compared to 2019 resulting in a
decrease in consultant services.
●
Collection &
non-accruing loan expense decreased for the first three months of
2020, due in part to the recovery of collection fees from the
resolution of secondary market foreclosures.
APPLICABLE INCOME TAXES
The
provision for income taxes decreased by $19,691, or 5.8%, to
$318,505 for the first quarter of 2020 compared to $338,196 for the
same period in 2019, due in part to an increase in tax credits for
2020 and an increase in deferred tax items. Tax credits related to
limited partnership investments amounted to $108,492 and $103,776,
respectively, for the first quarter of 2020 and 2019.
Amortization
expense related to limited partnership investments is included as a
component of income tax expense and amounted to $84,171 and
$78,027, respectively, for the first quarters of 2020 and 2019.
These investments provide tax benefits, including tax credits, and
are designed to provide a targeted effective annual yield between
7% and 10%.
37
CHANGES IN FINANCIAL CONDITION
The
following table reflects the composition of the Company's major
categories of assets and liabilities as a percentage of total
assets or liabilities and shareholders’ equity, as the case
may be, as of the balance sheet dates:
|
March 31, 2020
|
December 31,
2019
|
||
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
Loans
|
$634,414,690
|
84.40%
|
$606,988,937
|
82.25%
|
AFS
Securities
|
41,870,209
|
5.57%
|
45,966,750
|
6.23%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
Demand
deposits
|
124,080,117
|
16.51%
|
125,089,403
|
16.95%
|
Interest-bearing
transaction accounts
|
184,978,145
|
24.61%
|
185,102,333
|
25.08%
|
Money
market accounts
|
96,907,876
|
12.89%
|
91,463,661
|
12.39%
|
Savings
deposits
|
101,646,285
|
13.52%
|
97,167,652
|
13.17%
|
Time
deposits
|
110,532,273
|
14.70%
|
116,198,319
|
15.75%
|
Short-term
advances
|
20,000,000
|
2.66%
|
0
|
0.00%
|
Long-term
advances
|
2,650,000
|
0.35%
|
2,650,000
|
0.36%
|
The
following table reflects the changes in the composition of the
Company's major categories of assets and liabilities disclosed in
the table above:
|
Change in Volume
|
Percentage
Change
|
Assets
|
|
|
Loans
|
$27,425,753
|
4.52%
|
AFS
Securities
|
(4,096,541)
|
-8.91%
|
|
|
|
Liabilities
|
|
|
Demand
deposits
|
(1,009,286)
|
-0.81%
|
Interest-bearing
transaction accounts
|
(124,188)
|
-0.07%
|
Money
market accounts
|
5,444,215
|
5.95%
|
Savings
deposits
|
4,478,633
|
4.61%
|
Time
deposits
|
(5,666,046)
|
-4.88%
|
Short-term
advances
|
20,000,000
|
100.00%
|
Contributing
to loan growth during the first quarter of 2020 was an increase in
commercial loans of 9.6%, CRE loans of 4.3%, municipal loans of
6.9%, and residential loans 1st liens of 3.2%.
Included in the commercial loan growth were originations of $2.2
million in loans purchased through BHG. The Company began
purchasing loans through this program during the third quarter of
2019. This portfolio will serve to support asset growth and provide
geographic diversification, and with average duration expected to
be slightly longer than the Company’s loan portfolio average,
it is expected to reduce exposure to falling rates in the near
term. The Company has established conservative credit parameters
and expects a low risk of default in this portfolio. As assets have
grown, management has sought to increase the securities AFS
portfolio in order to maintain its size proportional to the overall
asset base, as this portfolio serves an important role in the
Company’s liquidity position. As mentioned earlier in this
discussion, calls exercised within the AFS portfolio during the
first quarter of 2020 account for most of the decrease between
periods noted above.
Most of
the fluctuation in demand deposits is due to a decrease in business
checking accounts of $1.8 million, or 2.0%. The overall decrease in
interest-bearing transactions accounts is due to decreases of $11.3
million, or 30.8%, in the Government Agency deposit accounts and
$2.5 million, or 6.4%, in ICS deposit accounts. These decreases
were partially offset by increases in other consumer
interest-bearing transaction accounts. The increase in money market
accounts is attributable, in part, to a seasonal increase in
municipal deposits of $2.2 million, or 11.4%. The decrease in time
deposits was primarily driven by a decrease in wholesale time
deposits of $9.4 million, or 52.6%. There were no overnight federal
funds purchases as of the balance sheet dates, but there were
outstanding long-term advances from the FHLBB of $2.7 million and a
short-term advance of $20.0 million from the FRB discount window.
See “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section for
additional information on these advances.
Interest Rate Risk and Asset and Liability Management -
Management actively monitors and manages the Company’s
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 ALCO is made up of
the Executive Officers and certain Vice Presidents of the Bank
representing major business lines. 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 at least quarterly 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 and
periodically reviewed 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. The ALCO
Policy also includes a contingency funding plan to help management
prepare for unforeseen liquidity restrictions, including
hypothetical severe liquidity crises.
38
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 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. Assumptions used in prior
period simulation models are regularly tested by comparing
projected NII with actual NII. The ALCO utilizes the results of the
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. The model also simulates the balance
sheet’s sensitivity to a prolonged flat rate environment. All
rate scenarios are simulated assuming a parallel shift of the yield
curve; however further simulations are performed utilizing
non-parallel changes in the yield curve. The results of this
sensitivity analysis are compared to the ALCO policy limits which
specify a maximum tolerance level for NII exposure over a 1-year
horizon, assuming no balance sheet growth, given a 200 bps shift
upward and a 100 bps shift downward in interest rates.
Under
the Company’s interest rate sensitivity modeling, with the
continued asset sensitive balance sheet, in a rising rate
environment, interest income is expected to trend upward as the
short-term asset base (cash and adjustable rate loans) quickly
cycle upward. However, as rates continue to rise, the cost of
wholesale funds increases and pressure to increase rates paid on
the retail funding base is increasing, putting pressure on NII and
reducing the benefit to rising rates. In a falling rate
environment, NII is expected to trend slightly downward compared
with the current rate environment scenario for the first year of
the simulation as asset yield erosion is not fully offset by
decreasing funding costs. Thereafter, net interest income is
projected to experience sustained downward pressure as funding
costs reach their assumed floors and asset yields continue to
reprice into the lower rate environment. The slope of the yield
curve will be very important to the Company’s margins going
forward.
The
following table summarizes the estimated impact on the Company's
NII over a twelve month period, assuming a gradual parallel shift
of the yield curve beginning March 31, 2020:
Rate
Change
|
Percent Change in
NII
|
|
|
Down 100
bps
|
0.8%
|
Up 200
bps
|
0.7%
|
The
amounts shown in the table are well within the ALCO Policy limits.
However, those amounts do not represent a forecast and should not
be relied upon as indicative of future results. While assumptions
used in the ALCO process, including the interest rate simulation
analyses, are developed based upon current economic and local
market conditions, and expected future conditions, the Company
cannot provide any assurances as to the predictive nature of these
assumptions, including how customer preferences or competitor
influences might change, or the measures that the FRB may take in
managing monetary policy in response to external events such as the
COVID-19 pandemic..
As of
March 31, 2020, the Company had outstanding $12,887,000 in
principal amount of Junior Subordinated Debentures due December 15,
2037, which bear a quarterly floating rate of interest equal to the
3-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), plus 2.85%. During
2017, the financial authorities in the United Kingdom that
administer LIBOR announced that LIBOR will be phased out by the end
of 2021. In May 2020, they announced that certain interim measures
related to the LIBOR phase out may be delayed due to the COVID-19
pandemic, but that the ultimate goal of LIBOR phase out by the end
of 2021 remains unchanged. The Company has reviewed the pertinent
language in the Indenture governing the Debentures and believes
that the Debenture Trustee has sufficient authority under the
Indenture to establish a substitute interest rate benchmark without
the need to amend the Indenture. However, the Debenture Trustee has
not yet informed the Company as to how it intends to proceed. Aside
from the Debentures, the Company does not have any other exposures
to the phase out of LIBOR. The Company has not generally utilized
LIBOR as an interest rate benchmark for its variable rate
commercial, residential or other loans and does not utilize
derivatives or other financial instruments tied to LIBOR for
hedging or investment purposes. Accordingly, management expects
that the Company’s exposure to the phase out of LIBOR will be
limited to the effect on the interest rate paid on its
Debentures.
39
Credit Risk - As a financial institution, one of the primary
risks the Company manages is credit risk, the risk of loss stemming
from borrowers’ failure to repay loans or inability to meet
other contractual obligations. The Company’s Board of
Directors prescribes policies for managing credit risk, including
Loan, Appraisal and Environmental policies. These policies are
supplemented by comprehensive underwriting standards and
procedures. The Company maintains a Credit Administration
department whose function includes credit analysis and monitoring
of and reporting on the status of the loan portfolio, including
delinquent and non-performing loan trends. The Company also
monitors concentration of credit risk in a variety of areas,
including portfolio mix, the level of loans to individual borrowers
and their related interest, loans to industry segments, and the
geographic distribution of commercial real estate loans. Loans are
reviewed periodically by an independent loan review firm to help
ensure accuracy of the Company's internal risk ratings and
compliance with various internal policies, procedures and
regulatory guidance.
Residential
mortgages represented 32.4% of the Company’s loan balances as
of March 31, 2020, a level that has been on a gradual decline in
recent years, consistent with the Company’s strategic shift
to commercial lending. The Company maintains a mortgage loan
portfolio of traditional mortgage products and does not engage in
higher risk loans such as option adjustable rate mortgage 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 PMI. A 90% loan-to-value residential mortgage product without
PMI 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 20.5% of the residential mortgage
portfolio with maximum loan-to-value ratios (including prior liens)
of 80%. The Company also originates some home equity loans greater
than 80% under an insured loan program with stringent underwriting
criteria.
Consistent
with the strategic focus on commercial lending, the commercial
& industrial and CRE loan portfolios have seen solid growth
over recent years. Commercial & industrial and CRE loans
together comprised 67.0% of the Company’s loan portfolio at
March 31, 2020, compared to 66.1% at December 31,
2019.
Growth
in the CRE portfolio in recent years has enhanced the geographic
diversification of the loan portfolio as it has been principally
driven by new loan volume in Chittenden County and northern Windsor
County around the White River Junction, Vermont I91-I93 interchange
area. Credits in the
Chittenden County market are being managed by two commercial
lenders out of the Company’s Burlington loan production
office who know the area well, while Windsor
County is being served by a commercial lender from the St.
Johnsbury office with previous lending experience serving the
greater White River Junction area. On May 1, 2019, the Company
opened a loan production office in Lebanon, New Hampshire to
provide a presence in the greater White River Junction area
including Grafton County, New Hampshire. Larger transactions
continue to be centrally underwritten and monitored through the
Company’s commercial credit department. The types of CRE
transactions driving the growth have been a mix of construction,
land and development, multifamily, and other non-owner occupied CRE
properties including hotels, retail, office, and industrial
properties. The largest components of the $256.8 million CRE portfolio at March 31,
2020 were approximately $97.7 million in owner-occupied CRE and
$85.7 million in non-owner occupied CRE.
The
following table reflects the composition of the Company's loan
portfolio, by portfolio segment, as a percentage of total loans as
of the dates indicated:
|
March 31, 2020
|
December 31,
2019
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial &
industrial
|
$108,458,404
|
17.10%
|
$98,930,831
|
16.30%
|
Commercial real
estate
|
256,814,702
|
40.48%
|
246,282,726
|
40.57%
|
Municipal
|
59,649,823
|
9.40%
|
55,817,206
|
9.20%
|
Residential real
estate - 1st lien
|
163,328,266
|
25.74%
|
158,337,296
|
26.09%
|
Residential real
estate - Jr lien
|
42,030,798
|
6.63%
|
43,230,873
|
7.12%
|
Consumer
|
4,132,697
|
0.65%
|
4,390,005
|
0.72%
|
Total
loans
|
634,414,690
|
100.00%
|
606,988,937
|
100.00%
|
Deduct
(add):
|
|
|
|
|
ALL
|
6,186,764
|
|
5,926,491
|
|
Deferred net loan
costs
|
(355,638)
|
|
(362,415)
|
|
Net
loans
|
$628,583,564
|
|
$601,424,861
|
|
40
Risk in
the Company’s commercial & industrial and CRE loan
portfolios is mitigated in part by government guarantees issued by
federal agencies such as the SBA and RD. At March 31, 2020, the
Company had $28.3 million in guaranteed loans with guaranteed
balances of $20.9 million, compared to $28.4 million in guaranteed
loans with guaranteed balances of $21.1 million at December 31,
2019.
At
March 31, 2020, loan balances in the retail, restaurant and bars,
hotels and lodging, and breweries totaled $29.5 million, $5.2
million, $33.6 million, and $16.8 million, respectively. These
segments of the economy have been particularly impacted by the
COVID-19 business shutdowns, and accordingly the credit quality of
these loan portfolios may deteriorate in future
periods.
The
Company works actively with customers early in the delinquency
process to help them to avoid default and foreclosure. Commercial
& industrial and CRE loans are generally placed on 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. However, such a loan need not be placed on
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. The Company obtains current
property appraisals or market value analyses and considers the cost
to carry and sell collateral in order to assess the level of
specific allocations required. Consumer loans are generally not
placed in non-accrual but are charged off by the time they reach
120 days past due. When a loan is placed in non-accrual status, the
Company reverses the accrued interest against current period income
and discontinues the accrual of interest until the borrower clearly
demonstrates the ability and intention to resume normal payments,
typically demonstrated by regular timely payments for a period of
not less than six months. Interest payments received on non-accrual
or impaired loans are generally applied as a reduction of the loan
book balance.
The
Company’s non-performing assets increased $326,437, or 5.4%,
during the first three months of 2020. The increase is due
primarily to an increase in residential loans 90 days or more past
due. There were no claims receivable on related government
guarantee loans at March 31, 2020 compared to $38,377 at December
31, 2019. Non-performing loans as of March 31, 2020 carried RD and
SBA guarantees totaling $340,471, compared to $359,654 at December
31, 2019.
As of
March 31, 2020, the Emergency “Stay Home/Stay Safe”
Order issued by the Vermont Governor had been in effect for less
than one week. Accordingly, the Company experienced minimal impact
from the COVID-19 pandemic during the first quarter. However, we
expect that in future periods, unless the economic strain from the
COVID-19 shutdown is alleviated quickly, our loan asset quality may
be affected, including possible increases in past due loans and
other nonperforming assets and reversal of interest accrual on past
due loans that move to nonaccrual status, with a resulting charge
to earnings.
The
following table reflects the composition of the Company's
non-performing assets, by portfolio segment, as a percentage of
total non-performing assets as of the dates indicated:
|
March 31, 2020
|
December 31,
2019
|
||
Loans
past due 90 days or more
|
|
|
|
|
and
still accruing (1)
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
& industrial
|
$9,537
|
0.15%
|
$0
|
0.00%
|
Residential
real estate - 1st lien
|
872,541
|
13.70%
|
530,046
|
8.77%
|
Residential
real estate - Jr lien
|
0
|
0.00%
|
112,386
|
1.86%
|
Total
|
882,078
|
13.85%
|
642,432
|
10.63%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Non-accrual
loans (1)
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial
& industrial
|
445,392
|
6.99%
|
480,083
|
7.95%
|
Commercial
real estate
|
1,556,536
|
24.44%
|
1,600,827
|
26.49%
|
Residential
real estate - 1st lien
|
2,305,917
|
36.20%
|
2,112,267
|
34.95%
|
Residential
real estate - Jr lien
|
398,376
|
6.25%
|
240,753
|
3.98%
|
Total
|
4,706,221
|
73.88%
|
4,433,930
|
73.37%
|
|
|
|
|
|
OREO
|
781,238
|
12.27%
|
966,738
|
16.00%
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
Non-Performing Assets
|
$6,369,537
|
100.00%
|
$6,043,100
|
100.00%
|
(1) No
CRE loans, municipal loans or consumer loans were past due 90 days
or more and accruing and no municipal loans or consumer loans were
in non-accrual status as of the consolidated balance sheet dates
presented. In accordance with Company policy, delinquent consumer
loans are charged off at 120 days past due.
41
The
Company’s OREO portfolio consisted of two commercial
properties at March 31, 2020 and three commercial properties and
one residential property at December 31, 2019. The Company took
control of the commercial properties held at December 31, 2019,
rather than obtaining them through the normal foreclosure process.
One of those properties and the residential property were sold
during the first three months of 2020. The Company has a purchase
and sale on one of the two remaining properties, with the other
property listed for sale.
The
Company’s TDRs are principally a result of extending loan
repayment terms to relieve cash flow difficulties. The Company has
only infrequently reduced interest rates below the current market
rate. The Company has not forgiven principal or reduced accrued
interest within the terms of original restructurings. Management
evaluates each TDR situation on its own merits and does not
foreclose the granting of any particular type of
concession.
The
non-performing assets in the table above include the following TDRs
that were past due 90 days or more or in non-accrual status as of
the dates presented:
|
March 31, 2020
|
December 31,
2019
|
||
|
Number of
|
Principal
|
Number of
|
Principal
|
|
Loans
|
Balance
|
Loans
|
Balance
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial &
industrial
|
6
|
$310,226
|
6
|
$331,767
|
Commercial real
estate
|
4
|
755,014
|
4
|
772,894
|
Residential real
estate - 1st lien
|
17
|
1,681,615
|
14
|
1,468,415
|
Residential real
estate - Jr lien
|
1
|
53,372
|
1
|
55,011
|
Total
|
28
|
$2,800,228
|
25
|
$2,628,085
|
The
remaining TDRs were performing in accordance with their modified
terms as of the dates presented and consisted of the
following:
|
March 31, 2020
|
December 31,
2019
|
||
|
Number of
|
Principal
|
Number of
|
Principal
|
|
Loans
|
Balance
|
Loans
|
Balance
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commercial real
estate
|
2
|
$102,428
|
2
|
$106,913
|
Residential real
estate - 1st lien
|
30
|
2,361,600
|
30
|
2,459,649
|
Residential real
estate - Jr lien
|
1
|
5,683
|
1
|
6,101
|
Total
|
33
|
$2,469,710
|
33
|
$2,572,663
|
As of
the balance sheet dates, the Company evaluates whether it is
contractually committed to lend additional funds to debtors with
impaired, non-accrual or modified loans. The Company is
contractually committed to lend on one SBA guaranteed line of
credit to a borrower whose lending relationship was previously
restructured.
On March 22, 2020, the federal banking agencies issued an
“Interagency
Statement on Loan Modifications and Reporting for Financial
Institutions Working with Customers Affected by the
Coronavirus”. This
guidance encourages financial institutions to work prudently with
borrowers that may be unable to meet their contractual obligations
because of the effects of COVID-19. The guidance explains that in
consultation with the FASB staff the federal banking agencies have
concluded that short-term modifications (e.g. six months or less)
made on a good faith basis to borrowers who were current as of the
implementation date of a relief program are not TDRs. Section 4013
of the CARES Act also addressed COVID-19 related modifications and
provides that COVID-19 related modifications on loans that were
current as of December 31, 2019 are not TDRs from the period
beginning on March 1, 2020 until the earlier of December 31, 2020
or 60 days after the President declares an end to the COVID-19
national emergency. Through March 31, 2020, the Company had applied
this guidance and modified 380 individual loans with aggregate
principal balances totaling $86.6 million. More of these types of
modifications are likely to be executed in the second quarter of
2020. The majority of these modifications involved three-month
extensions of interest-only periods. The Company intends to
continue to work with its borrowers impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic and to provide short-term debt relief where prudent and
appropriate.
ALL and provisions - The Company maintains an ALL at a level
that management believes is appropriate to absorb losses inherent
in the loan portfolio as of the measurement date (See Note 6 to the
accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements).
Although the Company, in establishing the ALL, considers the
inherent losses in individual loans and pools of loans, the ALL is
a general reserve available to absorb all credit losses in the loan
portfolio. No part of the ALL is segregated to absorb losses from
any particular loan or segment of loans.
42
When
establishing the ALL each quarter, the Company applies a
combination of historical loss factors and qualitative factors to
loan segments, including residential first and junior lien
mortgages, commercial real estate, commercial & industrial, and
consumer loan portfolios, other than the municipal loans as there
has never been a loss recorded in that loan segment. The Company
applies numerous qualitative factors to each segment 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 lending personnel,
levels of policy and documentation exceptions, national and local
economic trends, the competitive environment, and concentrations of
credit are also factors considered.
Specific
allocations to the ALL are made for certain impaired loans.
Impaired loans include all troubled debt restructurings regardless
of amount, and all loans to a borrower that in aggregate are
greater than $100,000 and that are in non-accrual status. A loan is
considered impaired when it is probable that the Company will be
unable to collect all amounts due, including interest and
principal, according to the contractual terms of the loan
agreement. The Company reviews all the facts and circumstances
surrounding non-accrual loans and on a case-by-case basis may
consider loans below the threshold as impaired when such treatment
is material to the financial statements. See Note 6 to the
accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements
for information on the recorded investment in impaired loans and
their related allocations.
The
following table summarizes the Company's loan loss experience for
the periods presented:
|
As of or Three Months Ended March
31,
|
|
|
2020
|
2019
|
|
|
|
Loans outstanding,
end of period
|
$634,414,690
|
$578,907,055
|
Average loans
outstanding during period
|
$614,741,699
|
$579,445,366
|
Non-accruing loans,
end of period
|
$4,706,221
|
$4,263,286
|
Non-accruing loans,
net of government guarantees
|
$4,365,750
|
$3,886,997
|
|
|
|
ALL, beginning of
period
|
$5,926,491
|
$5,602,541
|
Loans charged
off:
|
|
|
Commercial
& industrial
|
0
|
0
|
Commercial
real estate
|
0
|
0
|
Municipal
|
0
|
0
|
Residential
real estate - 1st lien
|
(77,696)
|
(74,731)
|
Residential
real estate - Jr lien
|
(28,673)
|
0
|
Consumer
|
(27,391)
|
(32,791)
|
Total
loans charged off
|
(133,760)
|
(107,522)
|
Recoveries:
|
|
|
Commercial
& industrial
|
0
|
9,077
|
Commercial
real estate
|
0
|
0
|
Municipal
|
0
|
0
|
Residential
real estate - 1st lien
|
3,334
|
2,497
|
Residential
real estate - Jr lien
|
3,367
|
485
|
Consumer
|
10,829
|
8,261
|
Total
recoveries
|
17,530
|
20,320
|
Net loans charged
off
|
(116,230)
|
(87,202)
|
Provision charged
to income
|
376,503
|
212,503
|
ALL, end of
period
|
$6,186,764
|
$5,727,842
|
|
|
|
Net charge offs to
average loans outstanding
|
0.019%
|
0.015%
|
Provision charged
to income as a percent of average loans
|
0.061%
|
0.037%
|
ALL to average
loans outstanding
|
1.006%
|
0.989%
|
ALL to non-accruing
loans
|
131.459%
|
134.353%
|
ALL to non-accruing
loans net of government guarantees
|
141.711%
|
147.359%
|
43
The
provision for loan losses increased $164,000, or 77.2%, for the
first three months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The
increased 2020 provision level is due primarily to the year to date
increase in the loan portfolio combined with higher than
anticipated loan charge off activity during the first quarter of
2020, rather than to COVID-19 related factors. However, increases
in the provision in future periods will be necessary if economic
conditions and credit quality continue to deteriorate due to the
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The
Company has an experienced collections department that continues to
work actively with borrowers to resolve problem loans and manage
the OREO portfolio, and management continues to monitor the loan
portfolio closely.
The
first quarter ALL analysis shows the reserve balance of $6.2
million at March 31, 2020 which is appropriate in
management’s view to cover losses that are probable and
estimable as of the measurement date, with an unallocated reserve
of $179,270 compared to $178,038 at December 31, 2019. The reserve
balance and unallocated amount continue to be directionally
consistent with the overall risk profile of the Company’s
loan portfolio and credit risk appetite. The portion of the ALL
termed "unallocated" is established to absorb inherent losses that
exist as of the measurement date although not specifically
identified through management's process for estimating credit
losses. While the ALL is described as consisting of separate
allocated portions, the entire ALL is available to support loan
losses, regardless of category. Unallocated reserves are considered
by management to be appropriate in light of the Company’s
continued growth strategy and shift in the portfolio from
residential loans to commercial and industrial and CRE loans and
the risk associated with the relatively new, unseasoned loans in
those portfolios. The adequacy of the ALL is reviewed quarterly by
the risk management committee of the Board and then presented to
the full Board for approval.
In
addition to credit risk in the Company’s loan portfolio and
liquidity risk in its loan and deposit-taking operations, 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. Declining
capital markets can result in fair value adjustments necessary to
record decreases in the value of the investment portfolio for
other-than-temporary-impairment. The Company does not have any
market risk sensitive instruments acquired for trading purposes.
The Company’s market risk arises primarily from interest rate
risk inherent in its lending and deposit taking activities. During
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. As discussed above under "Interest Rate Risk and
Asset and Liability Management", the Company actively monitors and
manages its interest rate risk through the ALCO process. However,
sudden and dramatic changes in prevailing interest rates, such as
those adopted by the FRB in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,
create challenges for interest rate risk management.
COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES AND OFF-BALANCE-SHEET
ARRANGEMENTS
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. These financial instruments include commitments
to extend credit, standby letters of credit and risk-sharing
commitments on certain sold loans. Such instruments involve, to
varying degrees, elements of credit and interest rate risk in
excess of the amount recognized in the balance sheet. The contract
or notional amounts of those instruments reflect the extent of
involvement the Company has in particular classes of financial
instruments. During the first three months of 2020, the Company did
not engage in any activity that created any additional types of
off-balance sheet risk.
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 rollover 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 from funding
requirements for 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.
The
Company recognizes that, at times, when loan demand exceeds deposit
growth or the Company has other liquidity demands, it may be
desirable to utilize alternative sources of deposit funding to
augment retail deposits and borrowings. One-way deposits acquired
through the CDARS program provide an alternative funding source
when needed. At March 31, 2020, the Company had one-way CDARS
outstanding totaling $1.0 million, compared to $4.0 million at
December 31, 2019. In addition, two-way (that is, reciprocal) CDARS
deposits, as well as reciprocal ICS money market and demand
deposits, allow the Company to provide FDIC deposit insurance to
its customers in excess of account coverage limits by exchanging
deposits with other participating FDIC-insured financial
institutions. At March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company
reported approximately $6.8 million in reciprocal CDARS deposits.
The balance in ICS reciprocal money market deposits was $21.6
million at March 31, 2020, compared to $22.6 million at December
31, 2019, and the balance in ICS reciprocal demand deposits as of
those dates was $37.2 million and $39.7 million,
respectively.
44
In
January, 2019, the Company partially replaced a matured $20.0
million block of DTC Brokered CDs issued during 2018 with purchases
of two blocks of DTC Brokered CDs totaling $15.0 million and having
maturities in July and August, 2019 and January, 2020. The Company
did not replace the blocks that matured in July and August, 2019,
leaving a $6.2 million block maturing in January 2020, outstanding
as of December 31, 2019. Upon maturity, this block was not
replaced, bringing the balance of DTC Brokered CDs to $0 at March
31, 2020. Wholesale deposit funding through DTC is an important
supplemental source of liquidity that has proven efficient,
flexible and cost-effective when compared with other borrowing
methods.
At
March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, borrowing capacity of $95.0
million and $97.4 million, respectively, was available through the
FHLBB, secured by the Company's qualifying loan portfolio
(generally, residential mortgage and commercial loans), reduced by
outstanding advances and by collateral pledges securing FHLBB
letters of credit collateralizing public unit deposits. The Company
also has an unsecured Federal Funds credit line with the FHLBB with
an available balance of $500,000 and no outstanding advances during
any of the respective comparison periods. Interest is chargeable at
a rate determined daily, approximately 25 bps higher than the rate
paid on federal funds sold.
The
Company has a BIC arrangement with the FRBB secured by eligible
commercial & industrial loans, CRE loans and home equity loans,
resulting in an available credit line of $47.6 million and $56.9
million, respectively, at March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019.
Credit advances under this FRBB lending program are overnight
advances with interest chargeable at the primary credit rate
(generally referred to as the discount rate), currently 25 bps. As
disclosed in the table below, the Company had an outstanding
advance against this credit line at March 31, 2020, with no
outstanding advance at December 31, 2019.
On
April 20, 2020 the Company became eligible to borrow through the
FRB’s PPPLF under a lending arrangement with the FRBB to
support its PPP lending activities. Under the PPPLF, advances from
the FRBB carry a fixed interest rate of 35 bps and must be secured
by pledges of loans to small businesses guaranteed by the SBA. As
of April 30, 2020, the Company had no PPPLF advances.
The
following table reflects the Company’s outstanding FHLBB and
FRBB advances against the respective lines as of the dates
indicated:
|
March 31,
|
December 31,
|
|
2020
|
2019
|
Long-Term
Advances(1)
|
|
|
FHLBB term advance,
0.00%, due February 26, 2021
|
$350,000
|
$350,000
|
FHLBB term advance,
0.00%, due November 22, 2021
|
1,000,000
|
1,000,000
|
FHLBB term advance,
0.00%, due September 22, 2023
|
200,000
|
200,000
|
FHLBB term advance,
0.00%, due November 12, 2025
|
300,000
|
300,000
|
FHLBB term advance,
0.00%, due November 13, 2028
|
800,000
|
800,000
|
|
$2,650,000
|
$2,650,000
|
|
|
|
Short-Term
Advances
|
|
|
|
|
|
FRBB short-term
advance 0.25% fixed rate, due June 18, 2020(2)
|
20,000,000
|
0
|
|
20,000,000
|
0
|
|
|
|
Total
Advances
|
$22,650,000
|
$2,650,000
|
(1)
The FHLBB provides
a subsidy, funded by the FHLBB’s earnings, to write down
interest rates to zero percent on advances that finance qualifying
loans to small businesses. JNE advances must support small business
in New England that create and/or retain jobs, or otherwise
contribute to overall economic development activities.
(2)
FRB discount window
advance repaid in April 2020.
The
Company has unsecured lines of credit with three correspondent
banks with aggregate available borrowing capacity totaling $21.5
million as of the balance sheet dates presented in this quarterly
report. The Company had no outstanding advances against any of
these credit lines during either of the periods
presented.
45
Securities
sold under agreements to repurchase provide another funding source
for the Company. At March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the
Company had outstanding repurchase agreement balances of $22.9
million and $33.2 million, respectively. These repurchase
agreements mature and are repriced daily.
The
following table illustrates the changes in shareholders' equity
from December 31, 2019 to March 31, 2020:
Balance at December
31, 2019 (book value $12.86 per common share)
|
$68,894,679
|
Net
income
|
1,861,239
|
Issuance
of stock through the DRIP
|
254,277
|
Dividends
declared on common stock
|
(995,536)
|
Dividends
declared on preferred stock
|
(17,813)
|
Change
in AOCI on AFS securities, net of tax
|
586,646
|
Balance at March
31, 2020 (book value $13.14 per common share)
|
$70,583,492
|
The
primary objective of the Company’s capital planning process
is to balance appropriately the retention of capital to support
operations and future growth, with the goal of providing
shareholders an attractive return on their investment. To that end,
management monitors capital retention and dividend policies on an
ongoing basis.
As
described in more detail in Note 21 to the audited consolidated
financial statements contained in the Company’s 2019 Annual
Report on Form 10-K and under the caption “LIQUIDITY AND
CAPITAL RESOURCES” in the MD&A section of that report,
the Company (on a consolidated basis) and the Bank are subject to
various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal
banking agencies pursuant to which they must meet specific capital
guidelines that involve quantitative measures of their assets,
liabilities and certain off-balance-sheet items. Capital amounts
and classifications are also subject to qualitative judgments by
the regulators about components, risk weightings and other
factors.
Under
the 2018 Regulatory Relief Act, these capital requirements have
been simplified for qualifying community banks and bank holding
companies. In September 2019, the OCC and the other federal bank
regulators approved a final joint rule that permits a qualifying
community banking organization to opt in to a simplified regulatory
capital framework. A qualifying institution that elects to utilize
the simplified framework must maintain a community bank leverage
ratio (CBLR) in excess of 9%, and will thereby be deemed to have
satisfied the generally applicable risk-based and other leverage
capital requirements and (if applicable) the FDIC’s prompt
corrective action framework. In order to utilize the CBLR
framework, in addition to maintaining a CBLR of over 9%, a
community banking organization must have less than $10 billion in
total consolidated assets and must meet certain other criteria such
as limitations on the amount of off-balance sheet exposures and on
trading assets and liabilities. The CBLR will be calculated by
dividing tangible equity capital by average total consolidated
assets. The final rule became effective on January 1, 2020. The
Company and Bank qualify to utilize the CBLR framework as of March
31, 2020.
As of
March 31, 2020, the Bank was considered well capitalized under the
regulatory capital framework for Prompt Corrective Action and the
Company exceeded currently applicable consolidated regulatory
guidelines for capital adequacy. While we believe that the Company
has sufficient capital to withstand an extended economic downturn
in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, our regulatory capital ratios
could be adversely impacted by future credit losses and other
operational impacts related to COVID-19.
46
The
following table shows the Company’s actual capital ratios and
those of its subsidiary, as well as currently applicable regulatory
capital requirements, as of the dates indicated.
|
|
|
|
|
Minimum
|
Minimum
|
||
|
|
|
Minimum
|
For Capital
|
To Be Well
|
|||
|
|
|
For Capital
|
Adequacy
Purposes
|
Capitalized
Under
|
|||
|
|
|
Adequacy
|
with
Conservation
|
Prompt
Corrective
|
|||
|
Actual
|
Purposes:
|
Buffer(1):
|
Action
Provisions(2):
|
||||
|
Amount
|
Ratio
|
Amount
|
Ratio
|
Amount
|
Ratio
|
Amount
|
Ratio
|
|
(Dollars in
Thousands)
|
|||||||
March
31, 2020
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common equity tier
1 capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(to
risk-weighted assets)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company
|
$71,049
|
13.27%
|
$24,092
|
4.50%
|
$37,477
|
7.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$70,015
|
13.09%
|
$24,073
|
4.50%
|
$37,446
|
7.00%
|
$34,772
|
6.50%
|
Tier 1 capital (to
risk-weighted assets)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company
|
$71,049
|
13.27%
|
$32,123
|
6.00%
|
$45,508
|
8.50%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$70,015
|
13.09%
|
$32,097
|
6.00%
|
$45,470
|
8.50%
|
$42,796
|
8.00%
|
Total capital (to
risk-weighted assets)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company
|
$77,306
|
14.44%
|
$42,831
|
8.00%
|
$56,215
|
10.50%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$76,272
|
14.26%
|
$42,796
|
8.00%
|
$56,169
|
10.50%
|
$53,495
|
10.00%
|
Tier 1 capital (to
average assets)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company
|
$71,049
|
9.89%
|
$28,736
|
4.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$70,015
|
9.75%
|
$28,719
|
4.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
$35,899
|
5.00%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
December
31, 2019:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Common equity tier
1 capital
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(to
risk-weighted assets)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company
|
$69,947
|
13.48%
|
$23,352
|
4.50%
|
$36,325
|
7.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$69,330
|
13.38%
|
$23,325
|
4.50%
|
$36,283
|
7.00%
|
$33,691
|
6.50%
|
Tier 1 capital (to
risk-weighted assets)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company
|
$69,947
|
13.48%
|
$31,135
|
6.00%
|
$44,108
|
8.50%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$69,330
|
13.38%
|
$31,099
|
6.00%
|
$44,057
|
8.50%
|
$41,466
|
8.00%
|
Total capital (to
risk-weighted assets)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company
|
$75,943
|
14.63%
|
$41,514
|
8.00%
|
$54,487
|
10.50%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$75,326
|
14.53%
|
$41,466
|
8.00%
|
$54,424
|
10.50%
|
$51,832
|
10.00%
|
Tier 1 capital (to
average assets)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Company
|
$69,947
|
9.57%
|
$29,223
|
4.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
Bank
|
$69,330
|
9.50%
|
$29,201
|
4.00%
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
$36,501
|
5.00%
|
(1)
|
Conservation
Buffer is calculated based on risk-weighted assets and does not
apply to calculations of average assets.
|
(2)
|
Applicable
to banks, but not bank holding companies.
|
The
Company's ability to pay dividends to its shareholders is largely
dependent on the Bank's ability to pay dividends to the Company. In
general, a national bank may not pay dividends that exceed net
income for the current and preceding two years regardless of
statutory restrictions, as a matter of regulatory policy, banks and
bank holding companies should pay dividends only out of current
earnings and only if, after paying such dividends, they remain
adequately capitalized.
ITEM 3. Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Omitted,
in accordance with the regulatory relief available to smaller
reporting companies in SEC Release Nos. 33-10513 and
34-83550.
47
ITEM 4. 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 Exchange Act. As of March 31, 2020, an evaluation was
performed under the supervision and with the participation of
management, including the principal executive officer and principal
financial officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation
of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures. Based on
that evaluation, management concluded that its disclosure controls
and procedures as of March 31, 2020 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 March
31, 2020 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to
materially affect, the Company’s internal control over
financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
ITEM 1. Legal
Proceedings
In the
normal course of business, the Company is involved in litigation
that is considered incidental to their business. Management does
not expect that any such litigation will be material to the
Company's consolidated financial condition or results of
operations.
ITEM 1A. Risk
Factors
Except
for the additional risks discussed below related to the COVID-19
pandemic, in management’s view there are no new risk factors
relating to the Company in addition to the risk factors identified
in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2019, although the severity of those risk factors may be heightened
as a result of COVID-19 related risks.
The COVID-19 pandemic is adversely
affecting us and our customers, employees and third-party service
providers, and the adverse impacts on our business, financial
condition, results of operations and prospects could be
significant. Moreover, the ultimate impacts of the pandemic
on our business, financial condition, results of operations and
prospects will depend on future developments and other factors that
are highly uncertain and will be affected by the scope and duration
of the pandemic and actions taken by governmental authorities in
response to the pandemic.
The
ongoing COVID-19 global and national health emergency has caused
significant disruption in the national and global economies and
financial markets and is adversely affecting our business,
financial condition, results of operations and prospects. The
spread of COVID-19 has caused illness, quarantines, cancellation of
business and social events and travel, business and school
shutdowns, reduction in business activity and financial
transactions, supply chain interruptions and overall economic and
financial market instability throughout our Vermont markets and
nationwide. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of
Vermont, as well as the governments in most other states, have
taken preventative or protective actions, such as imposing
restrictions on travel and in-person business operations, advising
or requiring individuals to limit or forego their time outside of
their homes, and ordering temporary closures of businesses that
have been deemed to be non-essential. These restrictions and other
consequences of the pandemic have resulted in significant adverse
effects for many different types of businesses, including, among
others, those in the travel, hospitality and food and beverage
industries, real estate and the health care industry, and have
resulted in a significant number of layoffs and furloughs of
employees in Vermont and nationwide.
48
The
ultimate effects of COVID-19 on the broader economy and our markets
are not known, nor is the ultimate duration or impacts of the
economic and social restrictions described above. Moreover, the
responsive actions taken by the FRB to lower the Federal Funds rate
may negatively affect our interest income and, therefore, earnings,
financial condition, results of operation and prospects in future
periods. Additional impacts of COVID-19 on our business could
be widespread and material, and may include, or exacerbate, among
other consequences, the following:
●
|
decline
in the credit quality of our loan portfolio, owing to the effects
of COVID-19 in the markets we serve, leading to a need to increase
our allowance for loan losses;
|
●
|
declines
in value of collateral for loans, including real estate
collateral;
|
●
|
declines
in the net worth and liquidity of borrowers and loan guarantors,
impairing their ability to honor commitments to us;
|
●
|
declines
in demand resulting from businesses being deemed to be
“non-essential” by governments in the markets we serve,
and from “non-essential” and “essential”
businesses suffering adverse effects from reduced levels of
economic activity in our markets.
|
●
|
our
employees contracting COVID-19;
|
●
|
reductions
in our operating effectiveness as our employees work from
home;
|
●
|
a work
stoppage, forced quarantine, or other interruption of our
business;
|
●
|
unavailability
of key personnel necessary to conduct our business
activities;
|
●
|
effects
on key employees, including operational management personnel and
those charged with preparing, monitoring and evaluating our
financial reporting and internal controls;
|
●
|
sustained
closures of our branch lobbies or the offices of our
customers;
|
●
|
declines
in demand for loans and other banking services and
products;
|
●
|
substantial
increases in unemployment in our markets;
|
●
|
reduced
consumer spending due to job losses and other effects attributable
to COVID-19;
|
●
|
unprecedented
volatility in U.S. financial markets ;and
|
●
|
volatile
performance of our investment securities portfolio.
|
These
factors, together or in combination with other factors, events or
occurrences that may not yet be known or anticipated, may
materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition,
results of operations and prospects, in both the short-term and the
long-term. The further spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as
ongoing or new governmental, regulatory and private sector
responses to the pandemic, may continue to materially disrupt
banking and other economic activity generally and in the areas in
which we operate. This could result in further decline in demand
for our banking products and services, and could negatively impact,
among other things, our asset quality, liquidity, regulatory
capital, net income and growth prospects.
We are
taking precautions to protect the safety and well-being of our
employees and customers. However, no assurance can be given that
the steps being taken will be adequate or deemed to be appropriate,
nor can we predict the level of disruption which will occur to our
employees’ ability to provide customer support and service.
If we are unable to recover from a business disruption on a timely
basis, our business, financial condition and results of operations
could be materially and adversely affected. We may also incur
additional costs to remedy damages caused by such disruptions,
which could further adversely affect our business, financial
condition, results of operations and prospects.
As a participating lender in the SBA’s Paycheck Protection
Program (“PPP”), the Company is subject to additional
risks that the SBA may not fund some or all PPP loan guaranties and
risks of litigation from our customers or other parties regarding
the processing of PPP loans.
On
March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the CARES Act, which
included a $349 billion loan program administered through the SBA
referred to as the PPP. Congress subsequently approved $321 billion
in additional funding for the PPP, including $60 billion earmarked
for community banks and other small lenders. Under the PPP, small
businesses and other entities and individuals can apply for loans
from existing SBA lenders and other approved regulated lenders that
enroll in the program, subject to numerous limitations and
eligibility criteria. The Company’s subsidiary Bank is
participating as a lender in the PPP. The PPP opened on April 3,
2020; however, because of the short timeframe between passage of
the CARES Act and the opening of the PPP, there is some ambiguity
in the laws, rules and guidance regarding the operation of the PPP
and documentation of PPP loans, which could expose the Company to
risks relating to noncompliance with the PPP. For example, as a PPP
lender, the Company has credit risk on PPP loans if a determination
is made by the SBA that there was a deficiency in the manner in
which the loan was originated, funded, or serviced by the Bank,
such as an issue with the eligibility of a borrower to receive a
PPP loan, which may or may not be related to the ambiguity in the
laws, rules and guidance regarding the operation of the PPP. In the
event of a loss resulting from a default on a PPP loan and a
determination by the SBA that there was a deficiency in the manner
in which the PPP loan was originated, funded, or serviced by the
Company, the SBA may deny its liability under the loan guaranty,
reduce the amount of the guaranty, or, if it has already paid under
the guaranty, seek recovery of any loss related to the deficiency
from the Company. If any such deficiency or noncompliance
with PPP requirements is systemic to all or a substantial portion
of the Company’s PPP loan portfolio, the Company’s
credit risk exposure could be severe.
49
In
addition, since inception of the PPP, several large banks have been
subject to litigation regarding their processes and procedures used
in processing PPP loan applications. The Company could be exposed
to similar risk of litigation, from both customers and
non-customers who sought PPP loans from us, regarding our processes
and procedures for processing PPP loan applications. If such
litigation were to occur and not be resolved in a manner favorable
to the Company, it could result in significant financial liability
or adversely affect the Company’s reputation.
ITEM 2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds
The
following table provides information as to the purchases of the
Company’s common stock during the three months ended March
31, 2020, by the Company or by any affiliated purchaser (as defined
in SEC Rule 10b-18). During the monthly periods presented, the
Company did not have any publicly announced repurchase plans or
programs.
|
Total Number
|
Average
|
|
of Shares
|
Price Paid
|
For the
period:
|
Purchased(1)
|
Per Share
|
|
|
|
January 1 - January
31
|
0
|
$0.00
|
February 1 -
February 29
|
2,160
|
16.15
|
March 1 -March
31
|
6,190
|
16.15
|
Total
|
8,350
|
$16.15
|
(1) All
8,350 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 the Bank. Such share purchases were
facilitated through 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.
ITEM 6.
Exhibits
The
following exhibits are filed with this report:
Exhibit 31.1 - Certification from the Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer) of the Company pursuant to section
302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Exhibit 31.2 - Certification from the Treasurer (Principal
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
(Principal 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 Treasurer (Principal
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*
Exhibit
101--The following materials from the Company’s Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 formatted
in eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL): (i) the unaudited
consolidated balance sheets, (ii) the unaudited consolidated
statements of income for the three-month interim periods ended
March 31, 2020 and 2019, (iii) the unaudited consolidated
statements of comprehensive income, (iv) the unaudited consolidated
statements of cash flows and (v) related notes.
* This
exhibit shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of
Section 18 of the Exchange Act, 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 Exchange Act.
50
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Exchange Act, the Registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned
thereunto duly authorized.
COMMUNITY
BANCORP.
DATED:
May 11, 2020
|
/s/Kathryn
M. Austin
|
|
|
Kathryn
M. Austin, President
|
|
|
&
Chief Executive Officer
|
|
|
(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DATED:
May 11, 2020
|
/s/Louise
M. Bonvechio
|
|
|
Louise
M. Bonvechio, Corporate
|
|
|
Secretary
& Treasurer
|
|
|
(Principal
Financial Officer)
|
|
51
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
DC 20549
FORM 10-Q
[ x ] QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the
Quarterly Period Ended March 31, 2020
COMMUNITY BANCORP.
EXHIBITS
EXHIBIT INDEX
Certification
from the Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) of
the Company pursuant to section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
|
|
|
Certification
from the Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer) of the Company
pursuant to section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002
|
|
|
|
Certification
from the Chief Executive Officer (Principal 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*
|
|
|
|
Certification
from the Treasurer (Principal 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*
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exhibit
101
|
The
following materials from the Company’s Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2020 formatted in
eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL): (i) the unaudited
consolidated balance sheets, (ii) the unaudited consolidated
statements of income for the three-month interim periods ended
March 31, 2020 and 2019, (iii) the unaudited consolidated
statements of comprehensive income, (iv) the unaudited consolidated
statements of cash flows and (v) related notes.
|
* This
exhibit shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of
Section 18 of the Exchange Act, 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 Exchange Act.
52