FIRST BANCORP /NC/ - Quarter Report: 2015 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2015

Commission File Number 0-15572

                         FIRST BANCORP                         

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding twelve 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. x YES     o NO

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). x YES     o NO

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

o Large Accelerated Filer      x Accelerated Filer      o Non-Accelerated Filer      o Smaller Reporting Company

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

The number of shares of the registrant's Common Stock outstanding on April 30, 2015 was 19,740,183.

INDEX

FIRST BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Part I of this report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are statements that include projections, predictions, expectations or beliefs about future events or results or otherwise are not statements of historical fact. Further, forward-looking statements are intended to speak only as of the date made. Such statements are often characterized by the use of qualifying words (and their derivatives) such as “expect,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” or other statements concerning our opinions or judgment about future events. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements, as they will depend on many factors about which we are unsure, including many factors which are beyond our control. Factors that could influence the accuracy of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the financial success or changing strategies of our customers, our level of success in integrating acquisitions, actions of government regulators, the level of market interest rates, and general economic conditions. For additional information about factors that could affect the matters discussed in this paragraph, see the “Risk Factors” section of our 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Part I. Financial Information

Item 1 - Financial Statements

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Income

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

First Bancorp and Subsidiaries

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 1 - Basis of Presentation

In the opinion of the Company, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments necessary to present fairly the consolidated financial position of the Company as of March 31, 2015 and 2014 and the consolidated results of operations and consolidated cash flows for the periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014. All such adjustments were of a normal, recurring nature. Reference is made to the 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC for a discussion of accounting policies and other relevant information with respect to the financial statements. The results of operations for the periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year. The Company has evaluated all subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued.

Note 2 – Accounting Policies

Note 1 to the 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC contains a description of the accounting policies followed by the Company and discussion of recent accounting pronouncements. The following paragraphs update that information as necessary.

In January 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) amended the Equity Method and Joint Ventures topic of the Accounting Standards Codification. The amendments provide criteria that must be met in order to apply a proportional amortization method to Low-Income Housing Tax Credit investments and provide guidance on the method used to amortize the investment, the impairment approach, and the eligibility criteria for entities that have other arrangements (e.g., loans) with the limited liability entity. The amendments were effective for the Company on January 1, 2015 for new investments in qualified affordable housing projects. These amendments did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

In January 2014, the FASB amended the Receivables topic of the Accounting Standards Codification. The amendments are intended to resolve diversity in practice with respect to when a creditor should reclassify a collateralized consumer mortgage loan to other real estate owned (“OREO”). In addition, the amendments require a creditor to reclassify a collateralized consumer mortgage loan to OREO upon obtaining legal title to the real estate collateral, or the borrower voluntarily conveying all interest in the real estate property to the lender to satisfy the loan through a deed in lieu of foreclosure or similar legal agreement. The amendments were effective for the Company on January 1, 2015. In implementing this guidance, assets that are reclassified from real estate to loans are measured at the carrying value of the real estate at the date of adoption. Assets reclassified from loans to real estate are measured at the lower of the net amount of the loan receivable or the fair value of the real estate less costs to sell at the date of adoption. These amendments did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued guidance to change the recognition of revenue from contracts with customers. The core principle of the new guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to reflect the transfer of goods and services to customers in an amount equal to the consideration the entity receives or expects to receive. The guidance will be effective for the Company for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company can apply the guidance using either a full retrospective approach or a modified retrospective approach. The Company does not expect these amendments to have a material effect on its financial statements.

In June 2014, the FASB issued guidance which makes limited amendments to the guidance on accounting for certain repurchase agreements. The new guidance (1) requires entities to account for repurchase-to-maturity transactions as secured borrowings (rather than as sales with forward repurchase agreements), (2) eliminates accounting guidance on linked repurchase financing transactions, and (3) expands disclosure requirements related to certain transfers of financial assets that are accounted for as sales and certain transfers (specifically, repos, securities lending transactions, and repurchase-to-maturity transactions) accounted for as secured borrowings. The amendments were effective for the Company on January 1, 2015. These amendments did not have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

In June 2014, the FASB issued guidance which clarifies that performance targets associated with stock compensation should be treated as a performance condition and should not be reflected in the grant date fair value of the stock award. The amendments will be effective for the Company for fiscal years that begin after December 15, 2015. The Company will apply the guidance to all stock awards granted or modified after the amendments are effective. The Company does not expect these amendments to have a material effect on its financial statements.

In January 2015, the FASB issued guidance to eliminate from U.S. GAAP the concept of an extraordinary item, which is an event or transaction that is both (1) unusual in nature and (2) infrequently occurring. Under the new guidance, an entity will no longer (1) segregate an extraordinary item from the results of ordinary operations; (2) separately present an extraordinary item on its income statement, net of tax, after income from continuing operations; or (3) disclose income taxes and earnings-per-share data applicable to an extraordinary item. The amendments will be effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted provided that the guidance is applied from the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company will apply the guidance prospectively.

In February 2015, the FASB issued guidance which amends the consolidation requirements and significantly changes the consolidation analysis required under U.S. GAAP. The amendments are expected to result in the deconsolidation of many entities. The amendments will be effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted (including during an interim period), provided that the guidance is applied as of the beginning of the annual period containing the adoption date. The Company does not expect these amendments to have a material effect on its financial statements.

In April 2015, the FASB issued guidance that will require debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability. This update affects disclosures related to debt issuance costs but does not affect existing recognition and measurement guidance for these items. The amendments will be effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect these amendments to have a material effect on its financial statements.

Other accounting standards that have been issued or proposed by the FASB or other standards-setting bodies are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Note 3 – Reclassifications

Certain amounts reported in the period ended March 31, 2014 have been reclassified to conform to the presentation for March 31, 2015. These reclassifications had no effect on net income or shareholders’ equity for the periods presented, nor did they materially impact trends in financial information.

Note 4 – Equity-Based Compensation Plans

At March 31, 2015, the Company had the following equity-based compensation plans: the First Bancorp 2014 Equity Plan, the First Bancorp 2007 Equity Plan, and the First Bancorp 2004 Stock Option Plan. The Company’s shareholders approved all equity-based compensation plans. The First Bancorp 2014 Equity Plan became effective upon the approval of shareholders on May 8, 2014. As of March 31, 2015, the First Bancorp 2014 Equity Plan was the only plan that had shares available for future grants.

The First Bancorp 2014 Equity Plan is intended to serve as a means to attract, retain and motivate key employees and directors and to associate the interests of the plans’ participants with those of the Company and its shareholders. The First Bancorp 2014 Equity Plan allows for both grants of stock options and other types of equity-based compensation, including stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted performance stock, unrestricted stock, and performance units.

Recent equity grants to employees have either had performance vesting conditions, service vesting conditions, or both. Compensation expense for these grants is recorded over the various service periods based on the estimated number of equity grants that are probable to vest. No compensation cost is recognized for grants that do not vest and any previously recognized compensation cost will be reversed. As it relates to director equity grants, the Company grants common shares, valued at approximately $16,000 to each non-employee director (currently 8 in total) in June of each year. Compensation expense associated with these director grants is recognized on the date of grant since there are no vesting conditions.

Pursuant to an employment agreement, the Company granted the chief executive officer 75,000 non-qualified stock options and 40,000 shares of restricted stock during the third quarter of 2012. The option award would have fully vested on December 31, 2014 if the Company achieved a certain earnings target for 2014. The Company did not achieve the applicable target, and therefore, the option award was forfeited as of December 31, 2014. No compensation expense was recognized for the option award. The restricted stock award will vest in full on December 31, 2015, if the Company achieves a certain earnings target in 2015, and will be forfeited if the applicable target is not achieved. Based on current conditions, the Company has concluded that it is not probable that the restricted stock award will vest, and thus no compensation expense has been recorded.

In 2014, the Company’s Compensation Committee determined that seven of the Company’s senior officers would receive 50% of the bonus earned under the Company’s annual incentive plan in shares of restricted stock, instead of being exclusively cash, which had been the Company’s standard practice. This resulted in the Company granting a total of 14,882 shares of restricted common stock to those officers on February 24, 2015. The shares vest annually in one-third increments beginning on December 31, 2015. The total compensation expense associated with this grant was $258,000, which is being recorded over the vesting period. The Company recorded $23,300 in compensation expense during the three months ended March 31, 2015 related to these grants, and expects to record $23,300 in compensation expense during each remaining quarter of 2015.

Also, on February 24, 2015, the Company granted a total of 30,404 shares of restricted common stock to eleven senior officers. The shares vest annually in one-third increments beginning on December 31, 2015. The total compensation expense associated with this grant was $527,000, which is being recorded over the vesting period. The Company recorded $80,500 in compensation expense during the three months ended March 31, 2015 related to these grants, and expects to record $80,500 in compensation expense during each remaining quarter of 2015.

Based on the Company’s performance in 2013, the Company granted long-term restricted shares of common stock to the chief executive officer on February 11, 2014 with a two year minimum vesting period. The total compensation expense associated with this grant was $278,200 and the grant will fully vest on January 1, 2016. One third of this value was expensed during each of 2013 and 2014, with the remaining one third being expensed in 2015. The Company recorded $23,200 in compensation expense during each of the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, and expects to record $23,200 in compensation expense in each remaining quarter of 2015.

Under the terms of the Predecessor Plans and the First Bancorp 2014 Equity Plan, options can have a term of no longer than ten years, and all options granted thus far under these plans have had a term of ten years. The Company’s options provide for immediate vesting under certain conditions if there is a change in control (as defined in the plans).

At March 31, 2015, there were 179,102 options outstanding related to the three First Bancorp plans, with exercise prices ranging from $14.35 to $22.12. At March 31, 2015, there were 959,632 shares remaining available for grant under the First Bancorp 2014 Equity Plan.

The Company issues new shares of common stock when options are exercised.

The Company measures the fair value of each option award on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The Company determines the assumptions used in the Black-Scholes option pricing model as follows: the risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of the grant; the dividend yield is based on the Company’s dividend yield at the time of the grant (subject to adjustment if the dividend yield on the grant date is not expected to approximate the dividend yield over the expected life of the option); the volatility factor is based on the historical volatility of the Company’s stock (subject to adjustment if future volatility is reasonably expected to differ from the past); and the weighted-average expected life is based on the historical behavior of employees related to exercises, forfeitures and cancellations.

The Company recorded total stock-based compensation expense of $127,000 and $23,800 for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, which relates to the employee grants discussed above and is recorded as “salaries expense.” Stock based compensation is reflected as an adjustment to cash flows from operating activities on the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. The Company recognized $49,500 and $9,300 of income tax benefits related to stock based compensation expense in the income statement for the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

As noted above, certain of the Company’s stock option grants contain terms that provide for a graded vesting schedule whereby portions of the award vest in increments over the requisite service period. The Company has elected to recognize compensation expense for awards with graded vesting schedules on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period for the entire award. Compensation expense is based on the estimated number of stock options and awards that will ultimately vest. Over the past five years, there have only been minimal amounts of forfeitures, and therefore the Company assumes that all awards granted without performance conditions will become vested.

The following table presents information regarding the activity for the first three months of 2015 related to the Company’s stock options outstanding:

The Company did not have any stock option exercises during the three months ended March 31, 2015 or 2014. The Company recorded no tax benefits from the exercise of nonqualified stock options during the three months ended March 31, 2015 or 2014.

The following table presents information regarding the activity the first three months of 2015 related to the Company’s outstanding restricted stock:

Note 5 – Earnings Per Common Share

Basic Earnings Per Common Share is calculated by dividing net income available to common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted Earnings Per Common Share is computed by assuming the issuance of common shares for all potentially dilutive common shares outstanding during the reporting period. Currently, the Company’s potentially dilutive common stock issuances relate to stock option grants under the Company’s equity-based compensation plans and the Company’s Series C Preferred Stock, which is convertible into common stock on a one-for-one ratio.

In computing Diluted Earnings Per Common Share, adjustments are made to the computation of Basic Earnings Per Common shares, as follows. As it relates to stock options, it is assumed that all dilutive stock options are exercised during the reporting period at their respective exercise prices, with the proceeds from the exercises used by the Company to buy back stock in the open market at the average market price in effect during the reporting period. The difference between the number of shares assumed to be exercised and the number of shares bought back is included in the calculation of dilutive securities. As it relates to the Series C Preferred Stock, it is assumed that the preferred stock was converted to common stock during the reporting period. Dividends on the preferred stock are added back to net income and the shares assumed to be converted are included in the number of shares outstanding.

If any of the potentially dilutive common stock issuances have an anti-dilutive effect, which is the case when a net loss is reported, the potentially dilutive common stock issuance is disregarded.

The following is a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators used in computing Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Common Share:

For the three months ended March 31, 2015 and 2014, there were 84,000 options and 255,229 options, respectively, that were antidilutive because the exercise price exceeded the average market price for the period, and thus are not included in the calculation to determine the effect of dilutive securities. Also, for the three months ended March 31, 2014, the Company excluded 75,000 options that had an exercise price below the average market price for the period, but had performance vesting requirements that the Company concluded were not probable to vest.

Note 6 – Securities

The book values and approximate fair values of investment securities at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are summarized as follows:

Included in mortgage-backed securities at March 31, 2015 were collateralized mortgage obligations with an amortized cost of $95,000 and a fair value of $97,000. Included in mortgage-backed securities at December 31, 2014 were collateralized mortgage obligations with an amortized cost of $108,000 and a fair value of $111,000. All of the Company’s mortgage-backed securities, including the collateralized mortgage obligations, were issued by government-sponsored corporations.

The Company owned Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) stock with a cost and fair value of $5,871,000 at March 31, 2015 and $6,016,000 at December 31, 2014, which is included in equity securities above and serves as part of the collateral for the Company’s line of credit with the FHLB. The investment in this stock is a requirement for membership in the FHLB system. Periodically the FHLB recalculates the Company’s required level of holdings, and the Company either buys more stock or the FHLB redeems a portion of the stock at cost.

The following table presents information regarding securities with unrealized losses at March 31, 2015:

The following table presents information regarding securities with unrealized losses at December 31, 2014:

In the above tables, all of the non-equity securities that were in an unrealized loss position at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 are bonds that the Company has determined are in a loss position due primarily to interest rate factors and not credit quality concerns. The Company has evaluated the collectability of each of these bonds and has concluded that there is no other-than-temporary impairment. The Company does not intend to sell these securities, and it is more likely than not that the Company will not be required to sell these securities before recovery of the amortized cost. The Company has also concluded that each of the equity securities in an unrealized loss position at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 was in such a position due to temporary fluctuations in the market prices of the securities. The Company’s policy is to record an impairment charge for any of these equity securities that remains in an unrealized loss position for twelve consecutive months unless the amount is insignificant.

The aggregate carrying amount of cost-method investments was $5,871,000 and $6,016,000 at March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively, which was the FHLB stock discussed above. The Company determined this stock was not impaired at either period end.

The book values and approximate fair values of investment securities at March 31, 2015, by contractual maturity, are summarized in the table below. Expected maturities may differ from contractual maturities because issuers may have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.

At March 31, 2015 and December 31, 2014 investment securities with carrying values of $91,904,000 and $100,113,000, respectively, were pledged as collateral for public deposits.

The Company recorded no gains or losses on securities during the three month periods ended March 31, 2015 or 2014.

Note 7 – Loans and Asset Quality Information

The loans and foreclosed real estate that were acquired in FDIC-assisted transactions are covered by loss share agreements between the FDIC and the Company’s banking subsidiary, First Bank, which afford First Bank significant loss protection - see Note 2 to the financial statements included in the Company’s 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K for detailed information regarding these transactions. Because of the loss protection provided by the FDIC, the risk of the loans and foreclosed real estate that are covered by loss share agreements are significantly different from those assets not covered under the loss share agreements. Accordingly, the Company presents separately loans subject to the loss share agreements as “covered loans” in the information below and loans that are not subject to the loss share agreements as “non-covered loans.”

On July 1, 2014, one of the Company’s loss share agreements with the FDIC expired. The agreement that expired related to the non-single family assets of Cooperative Bank, a failed bank acquisition from June 2009. Accordingly, the remaining balances associated with these loans and foreclosed real estate were transferred from the covered portfolio to the non-covered portfolio on July 1, 2014. The Company will bear all future losses on this portfolio of loans and foreclosed real estate. Immediately prior to the transfer to non-covered status, the loans in this portfolio had a carrying value of $39.7 million and the foreclosed real estate in this portfolio had a carrying value of $3.0 million. Of the $39.7 million in loans that lost loss share protection, approximately $9.7 million were on nonaccrual status and $2.1 million were classified as accruing troubled debt restructurings as of July 1, 2014. Additionally, approximately $1.7 million in allowance for loan losses associated with this portfolio of loans was transferred to the allowance for loan losses for non-covered loans on July 1, 2014.

The following is a summary of the major categories of total loans outstanding:

The following is a summary of the major categories of non-covered loans outstanding:

The carrying amount of the covered loans at March 31, 2015 consisted of impaired and nonimpaired purchased loans (as determined on the date of acquisition), as follows:

The carrying amount of the covered loans at December 31, 2014 consisted of impaired and nonimpaired purchased loans (as determined on the date of the acquisition), as follows:

The following table presents information regarding covered purchased nonimpaired loans since December 31, 2013. The amounts include principal only and do not reflect accrued interest as of the date of the acquisition or beyond.

As reflected in the table above, the Company accreted $1,557,000 of the loan discount on purchased nonimpaired loans into interest income during the first quarter of 2015. As of March 31, 2015, there was remaining loan discount of $16,365,000 related to purchased accruing loans. If these loans continue to be repaid by the borrowers, the Company will accrete the remaining loan discount into interest income over the covered lives of the respective loans. In such circumstances, a corresponding entry to reduce the indemnification asset will be recorded amounting to approximately 80% of the loan discount accretion, which reduces noninterest income. At March 31, 2015, the Company also had $2,687,000 of loan discount related to purchased nonaccruing loans. It is not expected that a significant amount of this discount will be accreted, as it represents estimated losses on these loans.

The following table presents information regarding all purchased impaired loans since December 31, 2013, the majority of which are covered loans. The Company has applied the cost recovery method to all purchased impaired loans at their respective acquisition dates due to the uncertainty as to the timing of expected cash flows, as reflected in the following table.

Because of the uncertainty of the expected cash flows, the Company is accounting for each purchased impaired loan under the cost recovery method, in which all cash payments are applied to principal. Thus, there is no accretable yield associated with the above loans. During the first quarter of 2015 and 2014, the Company received $0 and $179,000, respectively, in payments that exceeded the initial carrying amount of the purchased impaired loans, which is included in the loan discount accretion amount discussed previously.

Nonperforming assets are defined as nonaccrual loans, restructured loans, loans past due 90 or more days and still accruing interest, nonperforming loans held for sale, and foreclosed real estate. Nonperforming assets are summarized as follows:

(1) At March 31, 2015, December 31, 2014, and March 31, 2014, the contractual balance of the nonaccrual loans covered by FDIC loss share agreements was $14.1 million, $16.0 million, and $49.3 million, respectively.

The remaining tables in this note present information derived from the Company’s allowance for loan loss model. Relevant accounting guidance requires certain disclosures to be disaggregated based on how the Company develops its allowance for loan losses and manages its credit exposure. This model combines loan types in a different manner than the tables previously presented.

The following table presents the Company’s nonaccrual loans as of March 31, 2015.

The following table presents the Company’s nonaccrual loans as of December 31, 2014.

The following table presents an analysis of the payment status of the Company’s loans as of March 31, 2015.

The Company had no non-covered or covered loans that were past due greater than 90 days and accruing interest at March 31, 2015.

The following table presents an analysis of the payment status of the Company’s loans as of December 31, 2014.