FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS INC - Annual Report: 2012 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012

OR

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission file number 000-26481

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (585) 786-1100

Securities registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

Securities registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act: NONE

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

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§ 229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ¨

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

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

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, held by non-affiliates of the registrant, as computed by reference to the June 30, 2012 closing price reported by NASDAQ, was approximately $216,222,000.

As of March 1, 2013, there were outstanding, exclusive of treasury shares, 13,803,158 shares of the registrant’s common stock.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s proxy statement for the 2013 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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PART I

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K that are based on other than historical data are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations or forecasts of future events and include, among others:

These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, nor should they be relied upon as representing management’s views as of any subsequent date. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties and actual results may differ materially from those presented, either expressed or implied, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including, but not limited to, those presented in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. Factors that might cause such differences include, but are not limited to:

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We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, and advise readers that various factors, including those described above, could affect our financial performance and could cause our actual results or circumstances for future periods to differ materially from those anticipated or projected. See also Item 1A, Risk Factors, in this Form 10-K for further information. Except as required by law, we do not undertake, and specifically disclaim any obligation to publicly release any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements.

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GENERAL

Financial Institutions, Inc. is a financial holding company organized in 1931 under the laws of New York State (“New York” or “NYS”). Through its subsidiaries, including its wholly-owned, New York chartered banking subsidiary, Five Star Bank, Financial Institutions, Inc. provides a broad array of deposit, lending and other financial services to retail, commercial, and municipal customers in Western and Central New York. All references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to the parent are to Financial Institutions, Inc. (“FII”). Unless otherwise indicated, or unless the context requires otherwise, all references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to “the Company,” “we,” “our” or “us” means Financial Institutions, Inc. and its subsidiaries on a consolidated basis. Five Star Bank is referred to as Five Star Bank, “FSB” or “the Bank”. FII is a legal entity separate and distinct from its subsidiaries, assisting those subsidiaries by providing financial resources and oversight. Our executive offices are located at 220 Liberty Street, Warsaw, New York.

We conduct business primarily through our banking subsidiary, Five Star Bank, which adopted its current name in 2005 when we merged three of our bank subsidiaries, Wyoming County Bank, National Bank of Geneva and Bath National Bank into our New York chartered bank subsidiary, First Tier Bank & Trust, which was renamed Five Star Bank. In addition, our business operations include a wholly-owned broker-dealer and investment adviser subsidiary, Five Star Investment Services, Inc. (“FSIS”).

Our Business Strategy

Our business strategy has been to maintain a community bank philosophy, which consists of focusing on and understanding the individualized banking needs of the businesses, professionals and other residents of the local communities surrounding our banking centers. We believe this focus allows us to be more responsive to our customers’ needs and provide a high level of personal service that differentiates us from larger competitors, resulting in long-standing and broad based banking relationships. Our core customers are primarily comprised of small- to medium-sized businesses, individuals and community organizations who prefer to build a banking relationship with a community bank that offers and combines high quality, competitively-priced banking products and services with personalized service. Because of our identity and origin as a locally operated bank, we believe that our level of personal service provides a competitive advantage over larger banks, which tend to consolidate decision-making authority outside local communities.

A key aspect of our current business strategy is to foster a community-oriented culture where our customers and employees establish long-standing and mutually beneficial relationships. We believe that we are well-positioned to be a strong competitor within our market area because of our focus on community banking needs and customer service, our comprehensive suite of deposit and loan products typically found at larger banks, our highly experienced management team and our strategically located banking centers. A central part of our strategy is generating core deposits to support growth of a diversified and high-quality loan portfolio.

MARKET AREAS AND COMPETITION

We provide a wide range of banking and financial services to individuals, municipalities and businesses through a network of over 50 offices and an extensive ATM network in fifteen contiguous counties of Western and Central New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Steuben, Wyoming and Yates counties. Our banking activities, though concentrated in the communities where we maintain branches, also extend into neighboring counties. In addition, we have expanded our consumer indirect lending presence to the Capital District of New York and Northern Pennsylvania.

Our market area is economically diversified in that we serve both rural markets and the larger more affluent markets of suburban Rochester and suburban Buffalo. Rochester and Buffalo are the two largest metropolitan areas in New York outside of New York City, with a combined metropolitan area of over two million people. We anticipate continuing to increase our presence in and around these metropolitan statistical areas in the coming years.

We face significant competition in both making loans and attracting deposits, as both Western and Central New York have a high density of financial institutions. Our competition for loans comes principally from commercial banks, savings banks, savings and loan associations, mortgage banking companies, credit unions, insurance companies and other financial service companies. Our most direct competition for deposits has historically come from commercial banks, savings banks and credit unions. We face additional competition for deposits from non-depository competitors such as the mutual fund industry, securities and brokerage firms and insurance companies. We generally compete with other financial service providers on factors such as: level of customer service, responsiveness to customer needs, availability and pricing of products, and geographic location.

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The following table presents the Bank’s market share percentage for total deposits as of June 30, 2012, in each county where we have operations. The table also indicates the ranking by deposit size in each market. All information in the table was obtained from SNL Financial of Charlottesville, Virginia, which compiles deposit data published by the FDIC as of June 30, 2012 and updates the information for any bank mergers and acquisitions completed subsequent to the reporting date.

INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES

Our investment policy is contained within our overall Asset-Liability Management and Investment Policy. This policy dictates that investment decisions will be made based on the safety of the investment, liquidity requirements, potential returns, cash flow targets, need for collateral and desired risk parameters. In pursuing these objectives, we consider the ability of an investment to provide earnings consistent with factors of quality, maturity, marketability, pledgeable nature and risk diversification. Our Treasurer, guided by our Asset-Liability Committee (“ALCO”), is responsible for investment portfolio decisions within the established policies.

Our investment securities strategy centers on providing liquidity to meet loan demand and redeeming liabilities, meeting pledging requirements, managing credit risks, managing overall interest rate risks and maximizing portfolio yield. Our current policy generally limits security purchases to the following:

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LENDING ACTIVITIES

General

We offer a broad range of loans including commercial business and revolving lines of credit, commercial mortgages, equipment loans, residential mortgage loans and home equity loans and lines of credit, home improvement loans, automobile loans and personal loans. Newly originated and refinanced fixed rate residential mortgage loans are either retained in our portfolio or sold to the secondary market with servicing rights retained.

We continually evaluate and update our lending policy. The key elements of our lending philosophy include the following:

Commercial Business and Commercial Mortgage Lending

We originate commercial business loans in our primary market areas and underwrite them based on the borrower’s ability to service the loan from operating income. We offer a broad range of commercial lending products, including term loans and lines of credit. Short and medium-term commercial loans, primarily collateralized, are made available to businesses for working capital (including inventory and receivables), business expansion (including acquisition of real estate, expansion and improvements) and the purchase of equipment. Commercial business loans are offered to the agricultural industry for short-term crop production, farm equipment and livestock financing. As a general practice, where possible, a collateral lien is placed on any available real estate, equipment or other assets owned by the borrower and a personal guarantee of the owner is obtained. As of December 31, 2012, $84.3 million, or 33%, of our aggregate commercial business loan portfolio were at fixed rates, while $174.4 million, or 67%, were at variable rates.

We also offer commercial mortgage loans to finance the purchase of real property, which generally consists of real estate with completed structures and, to a smaller extent, agricultural real estate financing. Commercial mortgage loans are secured by first liens on the real estate and are typically amortized over a 10 to 20 year period. The underwriting analysis includes credit verification, appraisals and a review of the borrower’s financial condition and repayment capacity. As of December 31, 2012, $142.4 million, or 34%, of our aggregate commercial mortgage portfolio were at fixed rates, while $270.9 million, or 66%, were at variable rates.

We utilize government loan guarantee programs where available and appropriate.

Government Guarantee Programs

We participate in government loan guarantee programs offered by the SBA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Economic and Community Development and Farm Service Agency, among others. As of December 31, 2012, we had loans with an aggregate principal balance of $62.8 million that were covered by guarantees under these programs. The guarantees typically only cover a certain percentage of these loans. By participating in these programs, we are able to broaden our base of borrowers while minimizing credit risk.

Residential Mortgage Lending

We originate fixed and variable rate one-to-four family residential mortgages collateralized by owner-occupied properties located in our market areas. We offer a variety of real estate loan products, which are generally amortized over periods of up to 30 years. Loans collateralized by one-to-four family residential real estate generally have been originated in amounts of no more than 80% of appraised value or have mortgage insurance. Mortgage title insurance and hazard insurance are normally required. We sell certain one-to-four family residential mortgages to the secondary mortgage market and typically retain the right to service the mortgages. To assure maximum salability of the residential loan products for possible resale, we have formally adopted the underwriting, appraisal, and servicing guidelines of the FHLMC as part of our standard loan policy. As of December 31, 2012, our residential mortgage servicing portfolio totaled $273.3 million, the majority of which has been sold to FHLMC. As of December 31, 2012, our residential mortgage loan portfolio totaled $133.5 million, or 8% of our total loan portfolio. We do not engage in sub-prime or other high-risk residential mortgage lending as a line-of-business.

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Consumer Lending

We offer a variety of loan products to our consumer customers, including home equity loans and lines of credit, automobile loans, secured installment loans and various other types of secured and unsecured personal loans. At December 31, 2012, outstanding consumer loan balances were concentrated in indirect automobile loans and home equity products.

We originate indirect consumer loans for a mix of new and used vehicles through franchised new car dealers. The consumer indirect loan portfolio is primarily comprised of loans with terms that typically range from 36 to 84 months. We have expanded our relationships with franchised new car dealers in Western, Central and the Capital District of New York, and Northern Pennsylvania. As of December 31, 2012, our consumer indirect portfolio totaled $586.8 million, or 34% of our total loan portfolio. The consumer indirect loan portfolio is primarily fixed rate loans with relatively short durations.

We also originate, independently of the indirect loans described above, consumer automobile loans, recreational vehicle loans, boat loans, home improvement loans, closed-end home equity loans, home equity lines of credit, personal loans (collateralized and uncollateralized) and deposit account collateralized loans. The terms of these loans typically range from 12 to 180 months and vary based upon the nature of the collateral and the size of loan. The majority of the consumer lending program is underwritten on a secured basis using the customer’s home or the financed automobile, mobile home, boat or recreational vehicle as collateral. As of December 31, 2012, $152.9 million, or 53%, of our home equity portfolio was at fixed rates, while $133.7 million, or 47%, was at variable rates. Approximately 69% of the loans in our home equity portfolio are first lien positions at December 31, 2012. The other consumer portfolio totaled $26.8 million as of December 31, 2012, all but $1.3 million of which were fixed rate loans.

Credit Administration

Our loan policy establishes standardized underwriting guidelines, as well as the loan approval process and the committee structures necessary to facilitate and ensure the highest possible loan quality decision-making in a timely and businesslike manner. The policy establishes requirements for extending credit based on the size, risk rating and type of credit involved. The policy also sets limits on individual loan officer lending authority and various forms of joint lending authority, while designating which loans are required to be approved at the committee level.

Our credit objectives are as follows:

Our policy includes loan reviews, under the supervision of the Audit and Risk Oversight committees of the Board of Directors and directed by our Chief Risk Officer, in order to render an independent and objective evaluation of our asset quality and credit administration process.

Risk ratings are assigned to loans in the commercial business and commercial mortgage portfolios. The risk ratings are specifically used as follows:

Through the loan approval process, loan administration and loan review program, management seeks to continuously monitor our credit risk profile and assesses the overall quality of the loan portfolio and adequacy of the allowance for loan losses.

We have several procedures in place to assist in maintaining the overall quality of our loan portfolio. Delinquent loan reports are monitored by credit administration to identify adverse levels and trends. Loans, including impaired loans, are generally classified as non-accruing if they are past due as to maturity or payment of principal or interest for a period of more than 90 days, unless such loans are well-collateralized and in the process of collection. Loans that are on a current payment status or past due less than 90 days may also be classified as non-accruing if repayment in full of principal and/or interest is uncertain.

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Allowance for Loan Losses

The allowance for loan losses is established through charges to earnings in the form of a provision for loan losses. The allowance reflects management’s estimate of the amount of probable loan losses in the portfolio, based on factors such as:

Our methodology in the estimation of the allowance for loan losses includes the following:

Management presents a quarterly review of the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses to our Board of Directors based on the methodology described above. See also the section titled “Allowance for Loan Losses” in Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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SOURCES OF FUNDS

Our primary sources of funds are deposits, borrowed funds, scheduled amortization and prepayments of principal from loans and mortgage-backed securities, maturities and calls of investment securities and funds provided by operations.

Deposits

We maintain a full range of deposit products and accounts to meet the needs of the residents and businesses in our primary service area. Products include an array of checking and savings account programs for individuals and businesses, including money market accounts, certificates of deposit, sweep investment capabilities as well as Individual Retirement Accounts and other qualified plan accounts. We rely primarily on competitive pricing of our deposit products, customer service and long-standing relationships with customers to attract and retain these deposits and seek to make our services convenient to the community by offering 24-hour ATM access at some of our facilities, access to other ATM networks available at other local financial institutions and retail establishments, and telephone banking services including account inquiry and balance transfers. We also take advantage of the use of technology by allowing our customers banking access via the Internet and various advanced systems for cash management for our business customers.

We had no traditional brokered deposits at December 31, 2012; however, we do participate in the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (“CDARS”) and Insured Cash Sweep (“ICS”) programs, which enable depositors to receive FDIC insurance coverage for deposits otherwise exceeding the maximum insurable amount. Through these programs, deposits in excess of the maximum insurable amount are placed with multiple participating financial institutions. Reciprocal CDARS deposits and ICS deposits totaled $61.0 million and $18.1 million, respectively, at December 31, 2012.

Borrowings

We have access to a variety of borrowing sources and use both short-term and long-term borrowings to support our asset base. Borrowings from time-to-time include federal funds purchased, securities sold under agreements to repurchase and FHLB advances. We also offer customers a deposit account that sweeps balances in excess of an agreed upon target amount into overnight repurchase agreements.

OPERATING SEGMENTS

Our primary operating segment is our subsidiary bank, FSB. Our brokerage subsidiary, FSIS, is also deemed an operating segment; however, it does not meet the applicable thresholds for separate disclosure requirements.

OTHER INFORMATION

All of the reports we file with the SEC, including this Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments thereto may be read at the public reference facility maintained by the SEC at its public reference room at 100 F. Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, DC 20549 and copies of all or any part thereof may be obtained from that office upon payment of the prescribed fees. You may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the public reference room and you can request copies of the documents upon payment of a duplicating fee, by writing to the SEC. In addition, the SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants, including us, that file electronically with the SEC which can be accessed at www.sec.gov.

We also make available, free of charge, through our website, all reports filed with the SEC, including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after those documents are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. These filings may be viewed by accessing the Company Filings subsection of the SEC Filings section under the Investor Relations tab on our website (www.fiiwarsaw.com). Information available on our website is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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SUPERVISION AND REGULATION

The Company and our subsidiaries are subject to an extensive system of laws and regulations that are intended primarily for the protection of customers and depositors and not for the protection of our security holders. These laws and regulations govern such areas as capital, permissible activities, allowance for loan losses, loans and investments, and rates of interest that can be charged on loans. Described below are elements of selected laws and regulations. The descriptions are not intended to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the statutes and regulations described.

Holding Company Regulation. As a bank holding company and financial holding company, we are subject to comprehensive regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, frequently referred to as the Federal Reserve Board (“FRB”), under the Bank Holding Company Act, as amended by, among other laws, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (the “Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act”), and by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), enacted in 2010. We must file reports with the FRB and such additional information as the FRB may require, and our holding company and non-banking affiliates are subject to examination by the FRB. Under FRB policy, a bank holding company must serve as a source of strength for its subsidiary banks. Under this policy, the FRB may require, and has required in the past, a holding company to contribute additional capital to an undercapitalized subsidiary bank. The Bank Holding Company Act provides that a bank holding company must obtain FRB approval before:

The Bank Holding Company Act generally prohibits a bank holding company from acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any company which is not a bank or bank holding company, or from engaging directly or indirectly in activities other than those of banking, managing or controlling banks, or providing services for its subsidiaries. The principal exceptions to these prohibitions involve certain non-bank activities which, by statute or by FRB regulation or order, have been identified as activities closely related to the business of banking or managing or controlling banks. The list of activities permitted by the FRB includes, among other things: lending; operating a savings institution, mortgage company, finance company, credit card company or factoring company; performing certain data processing operations; providing certain investment and financial advice; underwriting and acting as an insurance agent for certain types of credit related insurance; leasing property on a full-payout, non-operating basis; selling money orders, travelers’ checks and United States Savings Bonds; real estate and personal property appraising; providing tax planning and preparation services; and, subject to certain limitations, providing securities brokerage services for customers. These activities may also be affected by federal legislation.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act amended portions of the Bank Holding Company Act to authorize bank holding companies, such as us, directly or through non-bank subsidiaries to engage in securities, insurance and other activities that are financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity. In order to undertake these activities, a bank holding company must become a “financial holding company” by submitting to the appropriate Federal Reserve Bank a declaration that the company elects to be a financial holding company and a certification that all of the depository institutions controlled by the company are well capitalized and well managed.

Broker-Dealer and Related Regulatory Supervision. FSIS is a member of, and is subject to the regulatory supervision of, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Areas subject to this regulatory review include compliance with trading rules, financial reporting, investment suitability for clients, and compliance with stock exchange rules and regulations. FSIS is also subject to the supervision of the Investor Protection Bureau of the New York Attorney General’s Office for its investment advisory business.

Depository Institution Regulation. Our bank subsidiary is subject to regulation by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). This regulatory structure includes:

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The Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Act, enacted in July 2010, significantly changed the bank regulatory structure and affected the lending, investment, trading and operating activities of financial institutions and their holding companies. The Dodd-Frank Act (as amended) implements far-reaching changes across the financial regulatory landscape, including provisions that, among other things, has or will:

Many aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act are subject to rulemaking and will take effect over several years, making it difficult to anticipate the overall financial impact on us and the financial services industry more generally. Provisions in the legislation may require us to maintain higher capital levels and/or increase our cost of operations and limit certain activities or lines of business.

Capital Adequacy Requirements. The FRB and FDIC have issued substantially similar risk-based and leverage capital guidelines applicable to bank holding companies and banks. In addition, these regulatory agencies may from time to time require that a bank holding company or bank maintain capital above the minimum levels, based on its financial condition or actual or anticipated growth.

The FRB’s risk-based guidelines establish a two-tier capital framework. Tier 1 capital generally consists of common shareholders’ equity, retained earnings, a limited amount of qualifying perpetual preferred stock, qualifying trust preferred securities and non-controlling interests in the equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, less goodwill and certain intangibles. Tier 2 capital generally consists of certain hybrid capital instruments and perpetual debt, mandatory convertible debt securities and a limited amount of subordinated debt, qualifying preferred stock, loan loss allowance, and unrealized holding gains on certain equity securities. The sum of Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital represents qualifying total capital, at least 50% of which must consist of Tier 1 capital.

Risk-based capital ratios are calculated by dividing Tier 1 and total capital by risk-weighted assets. Assets and off-balance sheet exposures are assigned to one of four categories of risk-weights, based primarily on relative credit risk. For bank holding companies, generally the minimum Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio is 4% and the minimum total risk-based capital ratio is 8%. Our Tier 1 and total risk-based capital ratios under these guidelines at December 31, 2012 were 10.70% and 11.96%, respectively.

The FRB’s leverage capital guidelines establish a minimum leverage ratio determined by dividing Tier 1 capital by adjusted average total assets. The minimum leverage ratio is 3% for bank holding companies that meet certain specified criteria, including having the highest regulatory rating. All other bank holding companies generally are required to maintain a leverage ratio of at least 4%. At December 31, 2012, we had a leverage ratio of 7.70%. See also the section titled “Capital Resources” in Part II, Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 11, Regulatory Matters, of the notes to consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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In June 2012, the U.S. federal banking agencies issued three notices of proposed rulemaking that would revise and replace the current regulatory capital rules. The proposals were initially intended to be effective on January 1, 2013, but the agencies have deferred implementation due to the volume of comments related to the proposed rules. In the Basel III notice of proposed rulemaking, the agencies proposal included the implementation of a new common equity Tier 1 minimum capital requirement and a higher minimum Tier 1 capital requirement. Common equity is the highest quality equity and most loss absorbing form of capital and establishes the base of Tier 1 common equity as adjusted for minority interests and various deductions. The minimum Tier 1 common equity ratio under Basel III is 4.5%. Depending on the final form of the Basel III capital standards, the outcome will likely result in a higher capital requirement, greater volatility in regulatory capital and the elimination of trust preferred instruments in regulatory capital. It is expected that final rules will be issued in 2013.

Future rulemaking and regulatory changes on capital requirements may impact the Company as it continues to grow and evaluate M&A activity.

Prompt Corrective Action. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991, among other things, identifies five capital categories for insured depository institutions (well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized and critically undercapitalized) and requires the respective federal bank regulatory agencies to implement systems for “prompt corrective action” for insured depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements within these categories. This act imposes progressively more restrictive constraints on operations, management and capital distributions, depending on the category in which an institution is classified. Failure to meet the capital guidelines could also subject a banking institution to capital raising requirements. An “undercapitalized” bank must develop a capital restoration plan and its parent holding company must guarantee that bank’s compliance with the plan. The liability of the parent holding company under any such guarantee is limited to the lesser of five percent of the bank’s assets at the time it became “undercapitalized” or the amount needed to comply with the plan. Furthermore, in the event of the bankruptcy of the parent holding company, such guarantee would take priority over the parent’s general unsecured creditors. In addition, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act requires the various regulatory agencies to prescribe certain non-capital standards for safety and soundness relating generally to operations and management, asset quality and executive compensation and permits regulatory action against a financial institution that does not meet these standards.

The various federal bank regulatory agencies have adopted substantially similar regulations that define the five capital categories identified by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act, using the total risk-based capital, Tier 1 risk-based capital and leverage capital ratios as the relevant capital measures. These regulations establish various degrees of corrective action to be taken when an institution is considered undercapitalized. Under the regulations, a “well capitalized” institution must have a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 6%, a total risk-based capital ratio of at least 10% and a leverage ratio of at least 5% and not be subject to a capital directive or order. An institution is “adequately capitalized” if it has a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 4%, a total risk-based capital ratio of at least 8% and a leverage ratio of at least 4% (3% in certain circumstances). An institution is “undercapitalized” if it has a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 4%, a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 8% or a leverage ratio of less than 4% (3% in certain circumstances). An institution is “significantly undercapitalized” if it has a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 3%, a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 6% or a leverage ratio of less than 3%. An institution is “critically undercapitalized” if its tangible equity is equal to or less than 2% of total assets. Generally, an institution may be reclassified in a lower capitalization category if it is determined that the institution is in an unsafe or unsound condition or engaged in an unsafe or unsound practice.

As of December 31, 2012, our subsidiary bank met the requirements to be classified as “well-capitalized”.

Dividends. The FRB policy is that a bank holding company should pay cash dividends only to the extent that its net income for the past year is sufficient to cover both the cash dividends and a rate of earnings retention that is consistent with the holding company’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition, and that it is inappropriate for a bank holding company experiencing serious financial problems to borrow funds to pay dividends. Furthermore, a bank that is classified under the prompt corrective action regulations as “undercapitalized” will be prohibited from paying any dividends.

Our primary source for cash dividends is the dividends we receive from our subsidiary bank. Our bank is subject to various regulatory policies and requirements relating to the payment of dividends, including requirements to maintain capital above regulatory minimums. Approval of the New York State Department of Financial Services is required prior to paying a dividend if the dividend declared by the Bank exceeds the sum of the Bank’s net profits for that year and its retained net profits for the preceding two calendar years.

Federal Deposit Insurance Assessments. The Bank is a member of the FDIC and pays an insurance premium to the FDIC based upon its assessable deposits on a quarterly basis. Deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the FDIC and such insurance is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.

Under the Dodd-Frank Act, a permanent increase in deposit insurance was authorized to $250,000. The coverage limit is per depositor, per insured depository institution for each account ownership category.

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The Dodd-Frank Act also set a new minimum Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) reserve ratio at 1.35% of estimated insured deposits. The FDIC is required to attain this ratio by September 30, 2020. The Dodd-Frank Act also required the FDIC to define the deposit insurance assessment base for an insured depository institution as an amount equal to the institution’s average consolidated total assets during the assessment period minus average tangible equity. Premiums for the Bank are now calculated based upon the average balance of total assets minus average tangible equity as of the close of business for each day during the calendar quarter.

The FDIC has the flexibility to adopt actual rates that are higher or lower than the total base assessment rates adopted without notice and comment, if certain conditions are met.

DIF-insured institutions pay a Financing Corporation (“FICO”) assessment in order to fund the interest on bonds issued in the 1980s in connection with the failures in the thrift industry. For the fourth quarter of 2012, the FICO assessment was equal to 0.64 basis points computed on assets as required by the Dodd-Frank Act. These assessments will continue until the bonds mature in 2019.

The FDIC is authorized to conduct examinations of and require reporting by FDIC-insured institutions. It is also authorized to terminate a depository bank’s deposit insurance upon a finding by the FDIC that the bank’s financial condition is unsafe or unsound or that the institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices or has violated any applicable rule, regulation, order or condition enacted or imposed by the bank’s regulatory agency. The termination of deposit insurance for the Bank would have a material adverse effect on our earnings, operations and financial condition.

Transactions with Affiliates. FII and FSB are affiliates within the meaning of the Federal Reserve Act. The Federal Reserve Act imposes limitations on a bank with respect to extensions of credit to, investments in, and certain other transactions with, its parent bank holding company and the holding company’s other subsidiaries. Furthermore, bank loans and extensions of credit to affiliates also are subject to various collateral requirements.

Community Reinvestment Act. Under the Community Reinvestment Act, every FDIC-insured institution is obligated, consistent with safe and sound banking practices, to help meet the credit needs of its entire community, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. The Community Reinvestment Act requires the appropriate federal banking regulator, in connection with the examination of an insured institution, to assess the institution’s record of meeting the credit needs of its community and to consider this record in its evaluation of certain applications, such as a merger or the establishment of a branch. An unsatisfactory rating may be used as the basis for the denial of an application and will prevent a bank holding company of the institution from making an election to become a financial holding company.

As of its last Community Reinvestment Act examination, the Bank received a rating of “outstanding.”

Interstate Branching. Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, national and state-chartered banks may open an initial branch in a state other than its home state (e.g., a host state) by establishing a de novo branch at any location in such host state at which a bank chartered in such host state could establish a branch. Applications to establish such branches must still be filed with the appropriate primary federal regulator.

Privacy Rules. Federal banking regulators, as required under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, have adopted rules limiting the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose nonpublic information about consumers to non-affiliated third parties. The rules require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to non-affiliated third parties. The privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial services companies and conveyed to outside vendors.

Anti-Terrorism Legislation. The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (“USA Patriot Act”), enacted in 2001:

The USA Patriot Act also increases governmental powers to investigate terrorism, including expanded government access to account records. The Department of the Treasury is empowered to administer and make rules to implement the Act, which to some degree, affects our record-keeping and reporting expenses. Should the Bank’s AML compliance program be deemed insufficient by federal regulators, we would not be able to grow through acquiring other institutions or opening de novo branches.

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Volcker Rule. The Dodd-Frank Act prohibits insured depository institutions and their holding companies from engaging in proprietary trading except in limited circumstances, and prohibits them from owning equity interests in excess of three percent (3%) of Tier 1 Capital in private equity and hedge funds (known as the “Volcker Rule”). The Federal Reserve released a final rule on February 9, 2011 (effective on April 1, 2011) which requires a “banking entity,” a term that is defined to include bank holding companies like the parent, to bring its proprietary trading activities and investments into compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act restrictions no later than two years after the earlier of: (1) July 21, 2012, or (2) 12 months after the date on which interagency final rules are adopted. Pursuant to the compliance date final rule, banking entities are permitted to request an extension of this timeframe from the Federal Reserve. On October 11, 2011, the federal banking agencies released for comment proposed regulations implementing the Volcker Rule. The public comment period closed on February 13, 2012 and a final rule has not yet been published. The parent will be reviewing the implications of the interagency rules on its investments once those rules are issued and will plan for any adjustments of its activities or its holdings in order to be in compliance by the announced compliance date.

Ability-to-Repay and Qualified Mortgage Rule. Pursuant to the Dodd Frank Act, the CFPB issued a final rule on January 10, 2013 (effective on January 10, 2014), amending Regulation Z as implemented by the Truth in Lending Act, requiring mortgage lenders to make a reasonable and good faith determination based on verified and documented information that a consumer applying for a mortgage loan has a reasonable ability to repay the loan according to its terms. Mortgage lenders are required to determine consumers’ ability to repay in one of two ways. The first alternative requires the mortgage lender to consider the following eight underwriting factors when making the credit decision: (1) current or reasonably expected income or assets; (2) current employment status; (3) the monthly payment on the covered transaction; (4) the monthly payment on any simultaneous loan; (5) the monthly payment for mortgage-related obligations; (6) current debt obligations, alimony, and child support; (7) the monthly debt-to-income ratio or residual income; and (8) credit history. Alternatively, the mortgage lender can originate “qualified mortgages,” which are entitled to a presumption that the creditor making the loan satisfied the ability-to-repay requirements. In general, a “qualified mortgage” is a mortgage loan without negative amortization, interest-only payments, balloon payments, or terms exceeding 30 years. In addition, to be a qualified mortgage the points and fees paid by a consumer cannot exceed 3% of the total loan amount. Qualified mortgages that are “higher-priced” (e.g. subprime loans) garner a rebuttable presumption of compliance with the ability-to-repay rules, while qualified mortgages that are not “higher-priced” (e.g. prime loans) are given a safe harbor of compliance.

Incentive Compensation Policies and Restrictions. In July 2010, the federal banking agencies issued guidance that applies to all banking organizations supervised by the agencies (thereby including both the Parent Company and the Bank). Pursuant to the guidance, to be consistent with safety and soundness principles, a banking organization’s incentive compensation arrangements should: (1) provide employees with incentives that appropriately balance risk and reward; (2) be compatible with effective controls and risk management; and (3) be supported by strong corporate governance including active and effective oversight by the banking organization’s board of directors. Monitoring methods and processes used by a banking organization should be commensurate with the size and complexity of the organization and its use of incentive compensation.

In addition, in March 2011, the federal banking agencies, along with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the SEC, released a proposed rule intended to ensure that regulated financial institutions design their incentive compensation arrangements to account for risk. Specifically, the proposed rule would require compensation practices at the Parent Company and at the Bank to be consistent with the following principles: (1) compensation arrangements appropriately balance risk and financial reward; (2) such arrangements are compatible with effective controls and risk management; and (3) such arrangements are supported by strong corporate governance. In addition, financial institutions with $1 billion or more in assets would be required to have policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the rule and would be required to submit annual reports to their primary federal regulator. The comment period has closed but a final rule has not yet been published.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 implemented a broad range of corporate governance, accounting and reporting measures for companies that have securities registered under the Exchange Act, including publicly-held bank holding companies such as Financial Institutions. Specifically, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the various regulations promulgated thereunder, established, among other things: (i) requirements for audit committees, including independence, expertise, and responsibilities; (ii) responsibilities regarding financial statements for the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the reporting company; (iii) the forfeiture of bonuses or other incentive-based compensation and profits from the sale of the reporting company’s securities by the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer in the twelve-month period following the initial publication of any financial statements that later require restatement; (iv) the creation of an independent accounting oversight board; (v) standards for auditors and regulation of audits, including independence provisions that restrict non-audit services that accountants may provide to their audit clients; (vi) disclosure and reporting obligations for the reporting company and their directors and executive officers, including accelerated reporting of stock transactions and a prohibition on trading during pension blackout periods; (vii) a prohibition on personal loans to directors and officers, except certain loans made by insured financial institutions on non-preferential terms and in compliance with other bank regulatory requirements; and (viii) a range of civil and criminal penalties for fraud and other violations of the securities laws.

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Consumer Laws and Regulations. In addition to the laws and regulations discussed herein, the Bank is also subject to certain consumer laws and regulations that are designed to protect consumers in transactions with banks. While the list set forth herein is not exhaustive, these laws and regulations include, among others, the Truth in Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. These laws and regulations mandate certain disclosure requirements and regulate the manner in which financial institutions must deal with customers when taking deposits or making loans to such customers. The Bank must comply with the applicable provisions of these consumer protection laws and regulations as part of its ongoing customer relations. The Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (the “Check 21 Act”), which became effective on October 28, 2004, creates a new negotiable instrument, called a “substitute check”, which banks are required to accept as the legal equivalent of a paper check if it meets the requirements of the Check 21 Act. The Check 21 Act is designed to facilitate check truncation, to foster innovation in the check payment system, and to improve the payment system by shortening processing times and reducing the volume of paper checks.

Other Future Legislation and Changes in Regulations. In addition to the specific proposals described above, from time to time, various legislative and regulatory initiatives are introduced in Congress and state legislatures, as well as by regulatory agencies. Such initiatives may include proposals to expand or contract the powers of bank holding companies and depository institutions or proposals to substantially change the financial institution regulatory system. Such legislation could change banking statutes our operating environment in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. We cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted, and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on our financial condition or results of operations. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to us or our subsidiaries could have a material effect on our business.

Impact of Inflation and Changing Prices

Our financial statements included herein have been prepared in accordance with GAAP, which requires us to measure financial position and operating results principally using historic dollars. Changes in the relative value of money due to inflation or recession are generally not considered. The primary effect of inflation on our operations is reflected in increased operating costs. In our view, changes in interest rates affect the financial condition of a financial institution to a far greater degree than changes in the inflation rate. While interest rates are generally influenced by changes in the inflation rate, they do not necessarily change at the same rate or in the same magnitude. Interest rates are sensitive to many factors that are beyond our control, including changes in the expected rate of inflation, general and local economic conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government, its agencies and various other governmental regulatory authorities.

Regulatory and Economic Policies

Our business and earnings are affected by general and local economic conditions and by the monetary and fiscal policies of the U.S. government, its agencies and various other governmental regulatory authorities. The FRB regulates the supply of money in order to influence general economic conditions. Among the instruments of monetary policy available to the FRB are (i) conducting open market operations in U.S. government obligations, (ii) changing the discount rate on financial institution borrowings, (iii) imposing or changing reserve requirements against financial institution deposits, and (iv) restricting certain borrowings and imposing or changing reserve requirements against certain borrowings by financial institutions and their affiliates. These methods are used in varying degrees and combinations to directly affect the availability of bank loans and deposits, as well as the interest rates charged on loans and paid on deposits. For that reason, the policies of the FRB could have a material effect on our earnings.

EMPLOYEES

At December 31, 2012, we had 662 employees. None of the employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement and management believes its relations with employees are good.

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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF REGISTRANT

The following table sets forth current information regarding our executive officers and certain other significant employees (ages are as of May 8, 2013, the date of the 2013 Annual Meeting of Shareholders).

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An investment in our common stock is subject to risks inherent to our business. The material risks and uncertainties that management believes affect us are described below. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information included or incorporated by reference herein. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties that management is not aware of or focused on or that management currently deems immaterial may also impair our business operations. This Annual Report on Form 10-K is qualified in its entirety by these risk factors. Further, to the extent that any of the information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K constitutes forward-looking statements, the risk factors set forth below also are cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of us.

If any of the following risks actually occur, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If this were to happen, the value of our common stock could decline significantly, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

CREDIT RISKS

If we experience greater credit losses than anticipated, earnings may be adversely impacted.

As a lender, we are exposed to the risk that customers will be unable to repay their loans according to their terms and that any collateral securing the payment of their loans may not be sufficient to assure repayment. Credit losses are inherent in the business of making loans and could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

We make various assumptions and judgments about the collectability of our loan portfolio, including the creditworthiness of our borrowers and the value of the real estate and other assets serving as collateral, and we provide an allowance for estimated loan losses based on a number of factors. We believe that the allowance for loan losses is adequate. However, if our assumptions or judgments are wrong, the allowance for loan losses may not be sufficient to cover the actual credit losses. We may have to increase the allowance in the future in response to the request of one of our primary banking regulators, to adjust for changing conditions and assumptions, or as a result of any deterioration in the quality of our loan portfolio. The actual amount of future provisions for credit losses may vary from the amount of past provisions.

Geographic concentration may unfavorably impact our operations.

Substantially all of our business and operations are concentrated in the Western and Central New York region. As a result of this geographic concentration, our results depend largely on economic conditions in these and surrounding areas. Deterioration in economic conditions in our market could:

Generally, we make loans to small to mid-sized businesses whose success depends on the regional economy. These businesses generally have fewer financial resources in terms of capital or borrowing capacity than larger entities. Adverse economic and business conditions in our market areas could reduce our growth rate, affect our borrowers’ ability to repay their loans and, consequently, adversely affect our business, financial condition and performance. For example, we place substantial reliance on real estate as collateral for our loan portfolio. A sharp downturn in real estate values in our market area could leave many of these loans inadequately collateralized. If we are required to liquidate the collateral securing a loan to satisfy the debt during a period of reduced real estate values, the impact on our results of operations could be materially adverse.

We depend on the accuracy and completeness of information about or from customers and counterparties.

In deciding whether to extend credit or enter into other transactions, we may rely on information furnished by or on behalf of customers and counterparties, including financial statements, credit reports, and other financial information. We may also rely on representations of those customers, counterparties, or other third parties, such as independent auditors, as to the accuracy and completeness of that information. Reliance on inaccurate or misleading financial statements, credit reports, or other financial information could cause us to enter into unfavorable transactions, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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We are subject to environmental liability risk associated with our lending activities.

A significant portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real property. During the ordinary course of business, we may foreclose on and take title to properties securing certain loans. In doing so, there is a risk that hazardous or toxic substances could be found on these properties. If hazardous or toxic substances are found, we may be liable for remediation costs, as well as for personal injury and property damage regardless of whether we knew, had reason to know of, or caused the release of such substance. Environmental laws may require us to incur substantial expenses and may materially reduce the affected property’s value or limit our ability to use or sell the affected property. In addition, future laws or more stringent interpretations or enforcement policies with respect to existing laws may increase our exposure to environmental liability. Although we have policies and procedures to perform an environmental review before initiating any foreclosure action on real property, these reviews may not be sufficient to detect all potential environmental hazards. The remediation costs and any other financial liabilities associated with an environmental hazard could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our indirect lending involves risk elements in addition to normal credit risk.

A portion of our current lending involves the purchase of consumer automobile installment sales contracts from automobile dealers located in Western, Central and the Capital District of New York, and Northern Pennsylvania. These loans are for the purchase of new or used automobiles. We serve customers that cover a range of creditworthiness, and the required terms and rates are reflective of those risk profiles. While these loans have higher yields than many of our other loans, such loans involve risks elements in addition to normal credit risk. Potential risk elements associated with indirect lending include the limited personal contact with the borrower as a result of indirect lending through dealers, the absence of assured continued employment of the borrower, the varying general creditworthiness of the borrower, changes in the local economy, and difficulty in monitoring collateral. While indirect automobile loans are secured, such loans are secured by depreciating assets and characterized by LTV ratios that could result in us not recovering the full value of an outstanding loan upon default by the borrower. If the economic environment in our primary market area contracts, we may experience higher levels of delinquencies, charge-offs and repossessions.

REGULATORY/LEGAL/COMPLIANCE RISKS

We are highly regulated and may be adversely affected by changes in banking laws, regulations and regulatory practices.

We are subject to extensive supervision, regulation and examination. This regulatory structure gives the regulatory authorities extensive discretion in connection with their supervisory and enforcement activities and examination policies to address not only compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including laws and regulations governing consumer credit, and anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism laws), but also capital adequacy, asset quality and risk, management ability and performance, earnings, liquidity, and various other factors. As part of this regulatory structure, we are subject to policies and other guidance developed by the regulatory agencies with respect to capital levels, the timing and amount of dividend payments, the classification of assets and the establishment of adequate loan loss reserves for regulatory purposes. Under this structure the regulatory agencies have broad discretion to impose restrictions and limitations on our operations if they determine, among other things, that our operations are unsafe or unsound, fail to comply with applicable law or are otherwise inconsistent with laws and regulations or with the supervisory policies of these agencies.

This supervisory framework could materially impact the conduct, growth and profitability of our operations. Any failure on our part to comply with current laws, regulations, other regulatory requirements or safe and sound banking practices or concerns about our financial condition, or any related regulatory sanctions or adverse actions against us, could increase our costs or restrict our ability to expand our business and result in damage to our reputation.

Ongoing financial reform legislation may result in new regulations that could require us to maintain higher capital levels and/or increase our costs of operations or limit certain activities or lines of business.

The Dodd-Frank Act has significantly changed the current bank regulatory structure and affects the lending, deposit, investment, trading and operating activities of financial institutions and their holding companies. The Dodd-Frank Act requires various federal agencies to adopt a broad range of new implementing rules and regulations, and to prepare numerous studies and reports for Congress. The federal agencies are given significant discretion in drafting the implementing rules and regulations, and consequently, many of the details and much of the rulemaking of the Dodd-Frank Act will not be known for many months or years, making it difficult to anticipate the overall financial impact on us. However, compliance with this new law and its implementing regulations are expected to result in additional operating costs that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The federal banking agencies have proposed rules that would substantially amend the regulatory risk-based capital rules. The proposed rules implement the Basel III regulatory capital reforms and changes required by the Dodd-Frank Act. The proposed rules include new minimum risk-based capital and leverage ratios, which would be phased in over the next several years and would refine the definition of what constitutes “capital” for purposes of calculating those ratios. While the proposed Basel III changes and other regulatory capital requirements will likely result in generally higher regulatory capital standards, it is difficult at this time to predict when or how any new standards will ultimately be applied to the Company and the Bank.

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New or changing tax, accounting, and regulatory rules and interpretations could significantly impact our strategic initiatives, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition.

The financial services industry is extensively regulated. Federal and state banking regulations are designed primarily to protect the deposit insurance funds and consumers, not to benefit a company’s stockholders. These regulations may sometimes impose significant limitations on operations. The significant federal and state banking regulations that affect us are described in the section captioned “Supervision and Regulation” included in Part I, Item 1, “Business”. These regulations, along with the currently existing tax, accounting, securities, insurance, and monetary laws, regulations, rules, standards, policies, and interpretations control the methods by which financial institutions conduct business, implement strategic initiatives and tax compliance, and govern financial reporting and disclosures. These laws, regulations, rules, standards, policies, and interpretations are constantly evolving and may change significantly over time.

OPERATIONAL RISKS

If our security systems, or those of merchants, merchant acquirers or other third parties containing information about customers, are compromised, we may be subject to liability and damage to our reputation.

As part of our business, we collect, process and retain sensitive and confidential client and customer information on our behalf and on behalf of other third parties. Customer data also may be stored on systems of third-party service providers and merchants that may have inadequate security systems. Third-party carriers regularly transport customer data, and may lose sensitive customer information. Unauthorized access to our networks or any of our other information systems potentially could jeopardize the security of confidential information stored in our computer systems or transmitted by our customers or others. If our security systems or those of merchants, processors or other third-party service providers are compromised such that this confidential information is disclosed to unauthorized parties, we may be subject to liability. For example, in the event of a security breach, we may incur losses related to fraudulent use of debit cards issued by us as well as the operational costs associated with reissuing cards. Although we take preventive measures to address these factors, such measures are costly and may become more costly in the future. Moreover, these measures may not protect us from liability, which may not be adequately covered by insurance, or from damage to our reputation.

We could be subject to losses if we fail to properly safeguard sensitive and confidential information.

As part of our normal operations, we maintain and transmit confidential information about our clients as well as proprietary information relating to our business operations. We maintain a system of internal controls designed to provide reasonable assurance that fraudulent activity, including misappropriation of assets, fraudulent financial reporting, and unauthorized access to sensitive or confidential data is either prevented or timely detected. Our systems or our third-party service providers’ systems could be victimized by unauthorized users or corrupted by computer viruses or other malicious software code, or authorized persons could inadvertently or intentionally release confidential or proprietary information. Such disclosure could, among other things:

Our information systems may experience an interruption or breach in security.

We rely heavily on communications and information systems to conduct our business. Any failure, interruption or breach in security of these systems could result in failures or disruptions in our customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan and other systems. While we have policies and procedures designed to prevent or limit the effect of the failure, interruption or security breach of our information systems, there can be no assurance that any such failures, interruptions or security breaches will not occur or, if they do occur, that they will be adequately addressed. The occurrence of any failures, interruptions or security breaches of our information systems could damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny, or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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We rely on other companies to provide key components of our business infrastructure.

Third party vendors provide key components of our business infrastructure such as internet connections, network access and core application processing. While we have selected these third party vendors carefully, we do not control their actions. Any problems caused by these third parties, including as a result of their not providing us their services for any reason or their performing their services poorly, could adversely affect our ability to deliver products and services to our customers or otherwise conduct our business efficiently and effectively. Replacing these third party vendors could also entail significant delay and expense.

We may not be able to attract and retain skilled people and our ongoing leadership transition may be unsuccessful.

Our success depends, in large part, on our ability to attract and retain skilled people. Competition for the best people in most activities engaged in by us can be intense, and we may not be able to hire sufficiently skilled people or to retain them. Further, the rural location of our principal executive offices and many of our bank branches make it difficult for us to attract skilled people to such locations. The unexpected loss of services of one or more of our key personnel could have a material adverse impact on our business because of their skills, knowledge of our markets, years of industry experience, and the difficulty of promptly finding qualified replacement personnel.

On January 30, 2012, we eliminated the position of Retail Banking Executive previously held by John J. Witkowski, our former Executive Vice President and on June 30, 2012, George D. Hagi, our Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer retired and was replaced by Kenneth V. Winn. In August 2012, Peter G. Humphrey retired as our President and Chief Executive Officer. Following Mr. Humphrey’s retirement, our Board of Directors appointed John E. Benjamin to serve as Interim Chief Executive Officer in August 2012. At the same time, we also announced the promotion of Richard Harrison as Chief Operating Officer and Martin Birmingham as President and Chief of Community Banking. In March 2013, Mr. Birmingham was appointed to the position of President and Chief Executive Officer. These changes in key management could create uncertainty among our employees, customers, and other third parties with whom we do business and could result in changes to the strategic direction of our business, which could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any failure of our management to work together to effectively manage our operations, our inability to hire other key management, and any failure to effectively integrate new management into our controls, systems and procedures could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The potential for business interruption exists throughout our organization.

Integral to our performance is the continued efficacy of our technical systems, operational infrastructure, relationships with third parties and the vast array of associates and key executives in our day-to-day and ongoing operations. Failure by any or all of these resources subjects us to risks that may vary in size, scale and scope. This includes, but is not limited to, operational or technical failures, ineffectiveness or exposure due to interruption in third party support as expected, as well as the loss of key individuals or failure on the part of key individuals to perform properly. Although management has established policies and procedures, including implementation and testing of a comprehensive contingency plan, to address such failures, the occurrence of any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Acquisitions may disrupt our business and dilute shareholder value.

A key component of our strategy to grow and improve profitability is to expand our branch network into communities within or adjacent to markets where we currently conduct business. We intend to continue to pursue a growth strategy for our business. As a result, negotiations may take place and future mergers or acquisitions involving cash, debt, or equity securities may occur at any time. We seek merger or acquisition partners that are culturally similar, have experienced management, and possess either significant market presence or have potential for improved profitability through financial management, economies of scale, or expanded services.

Acquiring other banks, businesses, or branches involves potential adverse impact to our financial results and various other risks commonly associated with acquisitions, including, among other things:

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EXTERNAL RISKS

We are subject to interest rate risk.

Our earnings and cash flows are largely dependent upon our net interest income. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond our control, including general economic conditions and policies of various governmental and regulatory agencies and, in particular, the Federal Reserve. Changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates, could influence not only the interest we receive on loans and investments and the amount of interest we pay on deposits and borrowings, but such changes could also affect (i) our ability to originate loans and obtain deposits; (ii) the fair value of our financial assets and liabilities; and (iii) the average duration of our mortgage-backed securities portfolio and other interest-earning assets. If the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowings increase at a faster rate than the interest rates received on loans and other investments, our net interest income, and therefore earnings, could be adversely affected. Earnings could also be adversely affected if the interest rates received on loans and other investments fall more quickly than the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowings.

Although management believes it has implemented effective asset and liability management strategies to reduce the potential effects of changes in interest rates on our results of operations, any substantial, unexpected or prolonged change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Also, our interest rate risk modeling techniques and assumptions likely may not fully predict or capture the impact of actual interest rate changes on our balance sheet.

Our business may be adversely affected by conditions in the financial markets and economic conditions generally.

From December 2007 through June 2009, the U.S. economy was in recession. Business activity across a wide range of industries and regions in the U.S. was greatly reduced. Although economic conditions have begun to improve, certain sectors, such as real estate, remain weak and unemployment remains high. Local governments and many businesses are still in serious difficulty due to lower consumer spending and reduced tax collections.

Market conditions also led to the failure or merger of several prominent financial institutions and numerous regional and community-based financial institutions. These failures had a significant negative impact on the capitalization level of the deposit insurance fund of the FDIC, which, in turn, has led to past increases in deposit insurance premiums paid by financial institutions.

Our financial performance generally, and in particular the ability of borrowers to pay interest on and repay principal of outstanding loans and the value of collateral securing those loans, as well as demand for loans and other products and services we offer, is highly dependent on the business environment in the markets where we operate, in the State of New York and in the United States as a whole. A favorable business environment is generally characterized by, among other factors, economic growth, efficient capital markets, low inflation, low unemployment, high business and investor confidence, and strong business earnings. Unfavorable or uncertain economic and market conditions can be caused by declines in economic growth, business activity or investor or business confidence; limitations on the availability or increases in the cost of credit and capital; increases in inflation or interest rates; high unemployment, natural disasters; or a combination of these or other factors.

Our earnings are significantly affected by the fiscal and monetary policies of the federal government and its agencies.

The policies of the Federal Reserve impact us significantly. The Federal Reserve regulates the supply of money and credit in the United States. Its policies directly and indirectly influence the rate of interest earned on loans and paid on borrowings and interest-bearing deposits and can also affect the value of financial instruments we hold. Those policies determine to a significant extent our cost of funds for lending and investing. Changes in those policies are beyond our control and are difficult to predict. Federal Reserve policies can also affect our borrowers, potentially increasing the risk that they may fail to repay their loans. For example, a tightening of the money supply by the Federal Reserve could reduce the demand for a borrower’s products and services. This could adversely affect the borrower’s earnings and ability to repay its loan, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The soundness of other financial institutions could adversely affect us.

Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty, or other relationships. We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and we routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including commercial banks, brokers and dealers, investment banks, and other institutional clients. Many of these transactions expose us to credit risk in the event of a default by our counterparty or client. In addition, our credit risk may be exacerbated when the collateral held by us cannot be realized or is liquidated at prices not sufficient to recover the full amount of the credit or derivative exposure due us. Any such losses could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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We may be required to recognize an impairment of goodwill.

Under current accounting standards, goodwill is not amortized but, instead, is subject to impairment tests on at least an annual basis or more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount. Significant and sustained declines in our stock price and market capitalization, significant declines in our expected future cash flows, significant adverse changes in the business climate or slower growth rates could result in impairment of goodwill. During 2012, the annual impairment test performed as of September 30 indicated that the fair value of our single reporting unit exceeded the fair value of its assets and liabilities. In the event that we conclude that all or a portion of our goodwill may be impaired, a non-cash charge for the amount of such impairment would be recorded to earnings, which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations or financial condition. Such a charge would have no impact on tangible capital. At December 31, 2012, we had goodwill of $49.0 million, representing approximately 19% of shareholders’ equity. For further discussion, see Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, and Note 7, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We operate in a highly competitive industry and market area.

We face substantial competition in all areas of our operations from a variety of different competitors, many of which are larger and may have more financial resources. Such competitors primarily include national, regional and internet banks within the various markets in which we operate. We also face competition from many other types of financial institutions, including, without limitation, savings and loan associations, credit unions, finance companies, brokerage firms, insurance companies and other financial intermediaries. The financial services industry could become even more competitive as a result of legislative, regulatory and technological changes and continued consolidation. Banks, securities firms and insurance companies can merge under the umbrella of a financial holding company, which can offer virtually any type of financial service, including banking, securities underwriting, insurance (both agency and underwriting), and merchant banking. Also, technology has lowered barriers to entry and made it possible for nonbanks to offer products and services traditionally provided by banks, such as automatic transfer and automatic payment systems. Many of our competitors have fewer regulatory constraints and may have lower cost structures. Additionally, due to their size, many competitors may be able to achieve economies of scale and, as a result, may offer a broader range of products and services as well as better pricing for those products and services than we can.

Our ability to compete successfully depends on a number of factors, including, among other things:

Failure to perform in any of these areas could significantly weaken our competitive position, which could adversely affect our growth and profitability, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, and other external events could significantly impact our business.

Severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, and other adverse external events could have a significant impact on our ability to conduct business. Such events could affect the stability of our deposit base, impair the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans, impair the value of collateral securing loans, cause significant property damage, result in loss of revenue, and/or cause us to incur additional expenses. Although management has established disaster recovery policies and procedures, the occurrence of any such event could have a material adverse effect on our business, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

LIQUIDITY RISKS

Liquidity is essential to our businesses.

Our liquidity could be impaired by an inability to access the capital markets or unforeseen outflows of cash. This situation may arise due to circumstances that we may be unable to control, such as a general market disruption or an operational problem that affects third parties or us. Our efforts to monitor and manage liquidity risk may not be successful or sufficient to deal with dramatic or unanticipated reductions in our liquidity. In such events, our cost of funds may increase, thereby reducing our net interest income, or we may need to sell a portion of our investment and/or loan portfolio, which, depending upon market conditions, could result in us realizing a loss.

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We may need to raise additional capital in the future and such capital may not be available on acceptable terms or at all.

We may need to raise additional capital in the future to provide sufficient capital resources and liquidity to meet our commitments and business needs. Our ability to raise additional capital, if needed, will depend on, among other things, conditions in the capital markets at that time, which are outside of our control, and our financial performance.

In addition, we are highly regulated, and our regulators could require us to raise additional common equity in the future. We and our regulators perform a variety of analyses of our assets, including the preparation of stress case scenarios, and as a result of those assessments we could determine, or our regulators could require us, to raise additional capital.

We cannot assure that such capital will be available on acceptable terms or at all. Any occurrence that may limit our access to the capital markets, such as a decline in the confidence of debt purchasers, depositors of the Bank or counterparties participating in the capital markets, or a downgrade of our debt rating, may adversely affect our capital costs and ability to raise capital and, in turn, our liquidity. An inability to raise additional capital on acceptable terms when needed could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

We rely on dividends from our subsidiaries for most of our revenue.

We are a separate and distinct legal entity from our subsidiaries. A substantial portion of our revenue comes from dividends from our Bank subsidiary. These dividends are the principal source of funds we use to pay dividends on our common and preferred stock, and to pay interest and principal on our debt. Various federal and/or state laws and regulations limit the amount of dividends that our Bank subsidiary and nonbank subsidiary may pay to us. Also, our right to participate in a distribution of assets upon a subsidiary’s liquidation or reorganization is subject to the prior claims of the subsidiary’s creditors. In the event our bank subsidiary is unable to pay dividends to us, we may not be able to service debt, pay obligations, or pay dividends on our common and preferred stock. The inability to receive dividends from our bank subsidiary could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

RISKS RELATED TO AN INVESTMENT IN OUR COMMON STOCK

The market price for our common stock varies, and you should purchase common stock for long-term investment only.

Although our common stock is currently traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, we cannot assure you that there will, at any time in the future, be an active trading market for our common stock. Even if there is an active trading market for our common stock, we cannot assure you that you will be able to sell all of your shares of common stock at one time or at a favorable price, if at all. As a result, you should purchase shares of common stock described herein only if you are capable of, and seeking, to make a long-term investment in our common stock.

We may issue debt and equity securities or securities convertible into equity securities, any of which may be senior to our common stock as to distributions and in liquidation, which could negatively affect the value of our common stock.

In the future, we may attempt to increase our capital resources by entering into debt or debt-like financing that is unsecured or secured by all or up to all of our assets, or by issuing additional debt or equity securities, which could include issuances of secured or unsecured commercial paper, medium-term notes, senior notes, subordinated notes, preferred stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for equity securities. In the event of our liquidation, our lenders and holders of our debt and preferred securities would receive a distribution of our available assets before distributions to the holders of our common stock. Because our decision to incur debt and issue securities in our future offerings will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings and debt financings. Further, market conditions could require us to accept less favorable terms for the issuance of our securities in the future.

We may not pay dividends on our common stock.

Holders of our common stock are only entitled to receive such dividends as our Board of Directors may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. Although we have historically declared cash dividends on our common stock, we are not required to do so and may reduce or eliminate our common stock dividend in the future. This could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, and certain banking laws may have an anti-takeover effect.

Provisions of our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, and federal and state banking laws, including regulatory approval requirements, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so would be perceived to be beneficial to our shareholders. The combination of these provisions may discourage others from initiating a potential merger, takeover or other change of control transaction, which, in turn, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

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None.

We own a 27,400 square foot building in Warsaw, New York that serves as our headquarters, and principal executive and administrative offices. Additionally, we are obligated under a lease commitment through 2017 for a 17,750 square foot regional administrative facility in Pittsford, New York.

We are engaged in the banking business through 52 branch offices, of which 36 are owned and 16 are leased, in fifteen contiguous counties of Western and Central New York: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Steuben, Wyoming and Yates Counties. The operating leases for our branch offices expire at various dates through the year 2036 and generally include options to renew.

We believe that our properties have been adequately maintained, are in good operating condition and are suitable for our business as presently conducted, including meeting the prescribed security requirements. For additional information, see Note 6, Premises and Equipment, Net, and Note 10, Commitments and Contingencies, in the accompanying financial statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

From time to time we are a party to or otherwise involved in legal proceedings arising in the normal course of business. Management does not believe that there is any pending or threatened proceeding against us, which, if determined adversely, would have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Not applicable.

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PART II

Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “FISI.” At December 31, 2012, 13,787,709 shares of our common stock were outstanding and held by approximately 1,400 shareholders of record. During 2012, the high sales price of our common stock was $19.52 and the low sales price was $15.22. The closing price per share of common stock on December 31, 2012, the last trading day of our fiscal year, was $18.63. We declared dividends of $0.57 per common share during the year ended December 31, 2012. See additional information regarding the market price and dividends paid in Part II, Item 6, “Selected Financial Data”.

We have paid regular quarterly cash dividends on our common stock and our Board of Directors presently intends to continue this practice, subject to our results of operations and the need for those funds for debt service and other purposes. See the discussions in the section captioned “Supervision and Regulation” included in Part I, Item 1, “Business”, in the section captioned “Liquidity and Capital Resources” included in Part II, Item 7, in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in Note 11, Regulatory Matters, in the accompanying financial statements included in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data”, all of which are included elsewhere in this report and incorporated herein by reference thereto.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table sets forth, as of December 31, 2012, information about our equity compensation plans that have been approved by our shareholders, including the number of shares of our common stock exercisable under all outstanding options, warrants and rights, the weighted average exercise price of all outstanding options, warrants and rights and the number of shares available for future issuance under our equity compensation plans. We have no equity compensation plans that have not been approved by our shareholders.

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Stock Performance Graph

The stock performance graph below compares (a) the cumulative total return on our common stock for the period beginning December 31, 2007 as reported by the NASDAQ Global Select Market, through December 31, 2012, (b) the cumulative total return on stocks included in the NASDAQ Composite Index over the same period, and (c) the cumulative total return, as compiled by SNL Financial L.C., of Major Exchange (NYSE, AMEX and NASDAQ) Banks with $1 billion to $5 billion in assets over the same period. Cumulative return assumes the reinvestment of dividends. The graph was prepared by SNL Financial, LC and is expressed in dollars based on an assumed investment of $100.

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SELECTED QUARTERLY DATA