LAKELAND BANCORP INC - Annual Report: 2008 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

(MARK ONE)

Commission file number: 33-27312

LAKELAND BANCORP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (973)697-2000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock, no par value

Title of Each Class

Indicate by check mark if the registrant 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 Exchange 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 preceding 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 if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of 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 registrant 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 a check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

As of June 30, 2008, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $247,000,000, based on the closing sale price as reported on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s common stock, as of February 1, 2009, was 23,701,402.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

Lakeland Bancorp, Inc’s. Proxy Statement for its 2009 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (Part III).

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LAKELAND BANCORP, INC.

Form 10-K Index

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PART I

GENERAL

Lakeland Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) is a bank holding company headquartered in Oak Ridge, New Jersey. The Company was organized in March of 1989 and commenced operations on May 19, 1989, upon the consummation of the acquisition of all of the outstanding stock of Lakeland Bank, formerly named Lakeland State Bank (“Lakeland” or the “Bank”). Through Lakeland, the Company operates 49 banking offices, located in Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Warren, Essex and Bergen counties in New Jersey. Lakeland offers a full range of lending services, including commercial loans and leases, real estate and consumer loans to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals and individuals located in its markets.

The Company has grown substantially over the last several years, through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions. Lakeland has opened twelve new branches since January 1, 2001.

The Company also has grown through acquisitions. Since 1998, the Company has acquired four community banks with an aggregate asset total of approximately $780 million. All of the acquired banks have been merged into Lakeland and their holding companies, if applicable, have been merged into the Company. A summary of the Company’s community bank acquisitions is as follows:

The Company has also diversified its business through opportunistic purchases of specialized lending platforms. In 2000, Lakeland acquired NIA National Leasing and opened a leasing division which provides equipment lease financing to small and medium-sized business clients. In 2004, Lakeland acquired $25.0 million of net receivables and opened an asset based lending department which specializes in utilizing particular assets to fund the working capital needs of borrowers.

At December 31, 2008, the Company had total consolidated assets of $2.6 billion, total consolidated deposits of $2.1 billion, total consolidated loans, net of the allowance for loan and lease losses, of $2.0 billion and total consolidated stockholders’ equity of $220.9 million.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“Forward-Looking Statements”). Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in such Forward-Looking Statements. Certain factors which could materially affect such results and the future performance of the Company are described in Item 1A—Risk Factors of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Commercial Bank Services

Through Lakeland, the Company offers a broad range of lending, depository, and related financial services to individuals and small to medium sized businesses located primarily in northern New Jersey. In the lending area, these services include short and medium term loans, lines of credit, letters of credit, inventory and accounts receivable financing, real estate construction loans, mortgage loans and merchant credit card services. The

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Lakeland Bank Equipment Leasing Division provides a solution to small and medium sized companies who prefer to lease equipment over other financial alternatives. Lakeland’s asset-based loan department provides commercial borrowers with another lending alternative. Depository products include demand deposits, as well as savings, money market and time accounts. The Company also offers collection, wire transfer, internet banking and night depository services to the business community. In addition, Lakeland offers cash management services, such as remote capture of deposits and overnight sweep repurchase agreements.

Consumer Banking

Lakeland also offers a broad range of consumer banking services, including checking accounts, savings accounts, NOW accounts, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, internet banking, secured and unsecured loans, consumer installment loans, mortgage loans, and safe deposit services.

Other Services

Investment and advisory services for individuals and businesses are also available.

Competition

Lakeland faces considerable competition in its market areas for deposits and loans from other depository institutions. Many of Lakeland’s depository institution competitors have substantially greater resources, broader geographic markets, and higher lending limits than Lakeland and are also able to provide more services and make greater use of media advertising. In recent years, intense market demands, economic pressures, increased customer awareness of products and services, and the availability of electronic services have forced banking institutions to diversify their services and become more cost-effective.

Lakeland also competes with credit unions, brokerage firms, insurance companies, money market mutual funds, consumer finance companies, mortgage companies and other financial companies, some of which are not subject to the same degree of regulation and restrictions as Lakeland in attracting deposits and making loans. Interest rates on deposit accounts, convenience of facilities, products and services, and marketing are all significant factors in the competition for deposits. Competition for loans comes from other commercial banks (including de novo banks in Lakeland’s market area), savings institutions, insurance companies, consumer finance companies, credit unions, mortgage banking firms and other institutional lenders. Lakeland primarily competes for loan originations through its handling of loans and the overall quality of service. Competition is affected by the availability of lendable funds, general and local economic conditions, interest rates, and other factors that are not readily predictable.

The Company expects that competition will continue in the future.

Concentration

The Company is not dependent for deposits or exposed by loan concentrations to a single customer or a small group of customers the loss of any one or more of which would have a material adverse effect upon the financial condition of the Company.

Employees

At December 31, 2008, the Company had 521 full-time equivalent employees. None of these employees is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The Company considers relations with its employees to be good.

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SUPERVISION AND REGULATION

General

The Company is a registered bank holding company under the federal Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “Holding Company Act”), and is required to file with the Federal Reserve Board an annual report and such additional information as the Federal Reserve Board may require pursuant to the Holding Company Act. The Company is subject to examination by the Federal Reserve Board.

Lakeland is a state chartered banking association subject to supervision and examination by the Department of Banking and Insurance of the State of New Jersey (the “Department”) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”). The regulations of the State of New Jersey and FDIC govern most aspects of Lakeland’s business, including reserves against deposits, loans, investments, mergers and acquisitions, borrowings, dividends, and location of branch offices. Lakeland is subject to certain restrictions imposed by law on, among other things, (i) the maximum amount of obligations of any one person or entity which may be outstanding at any one time, (ii) investments in stock or other securities of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, and (iii) the taking of such stock or securities as collateral for loans to any borrower.

The Holding Company Act

The Holding Company Act limits the activities which may be engaged in by the Company and its subsidiaries to those of banking, the ownership and acquisition of assets and securities of banking organizations, and the management of banking organizations, and to certain non-banking activities which the Federal Reserve Board finds, by order or regulation, to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling a bank as to be a proper incident thereto. The Federal Reserve Board is empowered to differentiate between activities by a bank holding company or a subsidiary thereof and activities commenced by acquisition of a going concern.

With respect to non-banking activities, the Federal Reserve Board has by regulation determined that several non-banking activities are closely related to banking within the meaning of the Holding Company Act and thus may be performed by bank holding companies. Although the Company’s management periodically reviews other avenues of business opportunities that are included in that regulation, the Company has no present plans to engage in any of these activities other than providing investment brokerage services.

With respect to the acquisition of banking organizations, the Company is required to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board before it may, by merger, purchase or otherwise, directly or indirectly acquire all or substantially all of the assets of any bank or bank holding company, if, after such acquisition, it will own or control more than 5% of the voting shares of such bank or bank holding company.

Regulation of Bank Subsidiaries

There are various legal limitations, including Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act, which govern the extent to which a bank subsidiary may finance or otherwise supply funds to its holding company or its holding company’s non-bank subsidiaries. Under federal law, no bank subsidiary may, subject to certain limited exceptions, make loans or extensions of credit to, or investments in the securities of, its parent or the non-bank subsidiaries of its parent (other than direct subsidiaries of such bank which are not financial subsidiaries) or take their securities as collateral for loans to any borrower. Each bank subsidiary is also subject to collateral security requirements for any loans or extensions of credit permitted by such exceptions.

Commitments to Affiliated Institutions

The policy of the Federal Reserve Board provides that a bank holding company is expected to act as a source of financial strength to its subsidiary banks and to commit resources to support such subsidiary banks in circumstances in which it might not do so absent such policy.

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Interstate Banking

The Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994 permits bank holding companies to acquire banks in states other than their home state, regardless of applicable state law. This act also authorizes banks to merge across state lines, thereby creating interstate branches. Under the act, each state had the opportunity either to “opt out” of this provision, thereby prohibiting interstate branching in such state, or to “opt in”. A state may “opt in” with respect to de novo branching, thereby permitting a bank to open new branches in a state in which the bank does not already have a branch. Without de novo branching, an out-of-state bank can enter the state only by acquiring an existing bank. New Jersey enacted legislation to authorize interstate banking and branching and the entry into New Jersey of foreign country banks. New Jersey did not authorize de novo branching into the state. However, under federal law, federal savings banks, which meet certain conditions, may branch de novo into a state, regardless of state law.

Gramm-Leach Bliley Act of 1999

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999 became effective in early 2000. The Modernization Act:

The Modernization Act also modified other financial laws, including laws related to financial privacy and community reinvestment.

The USA PATRIOT Act

In response to the events of September 11, 2001, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the “USA PATRIOT Act”), was signed into law on October 26, 2001. The USA PATRIOT Act gives the federal government new powers to address terrorist threats through enhanced domestic security measures, expanded surveillance powers, increased information sharing, and broadened anti-money laundering requirements. By way of amendments to the Bank Secrecy Act, Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act encourages information sharing among bank regulatory agencies and law enforcement bodies. Further, certain provisions of Title III impose affirmative obligations on a broad range of financial institutions, including banks, thrifts, brokers, dealers, credit unions, money transfer agents and parties registered under the Commodity Exchange Act.

Among other requirements, Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act imposes the following requirements with respect to financial institutions:

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The United States Treasury Department has issued a number of implementing regulations which address various requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act and are applicable to financial institutions such as Lakeland. These regulations impose obligations on financial institutions to maintain appropriate policies, procedures and controls to detect, prevent and report money laundering and terrorist financing and to verify the identity of their customers.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

On July 30, 2002, former President Bush signed into law the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the SOA. The stated goals of the SOA are to increase corporate responsibility, to provide for enhanced penalties for accounting and auditing improprieties at publicly traded companies and to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures pursuant to the securities laws.

The SOA generally applies to all companies, both U.S. and non-U.S., that file or are required to file periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”).

The SOA includes very specific additional disclosure requirements and new corporate governance rules, requires the SEC and securities exchanges to adopt extensive additional disclosure, corporate governance and other related rules and mandates further studies of certain issues by the SEC and the Comptroller General. The SOA represents significant federal involvement in matters traditionally left to state regulatory systems, such as the regulation of the accounting profession, and to state corporate law, such as the relationship between a board of directors and management and between a board of directors and its committees.

The SOA addresses, among other matters:

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The SEC has enacted various rules to implement various provisions of the SOA with respect to, among other matters, disclosure in periodic filings pursuant to the Exchange Act.

Regulation W

Transactions between a bank and its “affiliates” are quantitatively and qualitatively restricted under the Federal Reserve Act. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act applies Sections 23A and 23B to insured nonmember banks in the same manner and to the same extent as if they were members of the Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve Board has also issued Regulation W, which codifies prior regulations under Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act and interpretative guidance with respect to affiliate transactions. Regulation W incorporates the exemption from the affiliate transaction rules but expands the exemption to cover the purchase of any type of loan or extension of credit from an affiliate. Affiliates of a bank include, among other entities, the bank’s holding company and companies that are under common control with the bank. The Company is considered to be an affiliate of Lakeland. In general, subject to certain specified exemptions, a bank or its subsidiaries are limited in their ability to engage in “covered transactions” with affiliates:

In addition, a bank and its subsidiaries may engage in covered transactions and other specified transactions only on terms and under circumstances that are substantially the same, or at least as favorable to the bank or its subsidiary, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with nonaffiliated companies. A “covered transaction” includes:

In addition, under Regulation W:

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Regulation W generally excludes all non-bank and non-savings association subsidiaries of banks from treatment as affiliates, except to the extent that the Federal Reserve Board decides to treat these subsidiaries as affiliates.

Community Reinvestment Act

Under the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”), as implemented by FDIC regulations, a state bank has a continuing and affirmative obligation consistent with its safe and sound operation to help meet the credit needs of its entire community, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions nor does it limit an institution’s discretion to develop the types of products and services that it believes are best suited to its particular community. The CRA requires the FDIC, in connection with its examination of a state non-member bank, to assess the bank’s record of meeting the credit needs of its community and to take that record into account in its evaluation of certain applications by the bank. Under the FDIC’s CRA evaluation system, the FDIC focuses on three tests: (i) a lending test, to evaluate the institution’s record of making loans in its service areas; (ii) an investment test, to evaluate the institution’s record of investing in community development projects, affordable housing and programs benefiting low or moderate income individuals and businesses; and (iii) a service test, to evaluate the institution’s delivery of services through its branches, ATMs and other offices.

Securities and Exchange Commission

The common stock of the Company is registered with the SEC under the Exchange Act. As a result, the Company and its officers, directors, and major stockholders are obligated to file certain reports with the SEC. The Company is subject to proxy and tender offer rules promulgated pursuant to the Exchange Act. You may read and copy any document the Company files with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information about the Public Reference Room. The SEC maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, such as the Company.

The Company maintains a website at http://www.lakelandbank.com. The Company makes available on its website the proxy statements and reports on Forms 8-K, 10-K and 10-Q that it files with the SEC as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. Additionally, the Company has adopted and posted on its website a Code of Ethics that applies to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer. The Company intends to disclose any amendments to or waivers of the Code of Ethics on its website.

Effect of Government Monetary Policies

The earnings of the Company are and will be affected by domestic economic conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government and its agencies. The monetary policies of the Federal Reserve Board have had, and will likely continue to have, an important impact on the operating results of commercial banks through the Board’s power to implement national monetary policy in order to, among other things, curb inflation or combat a recession. The Federal Reserve Board has a major effect upon the levels of bank loans, investments and deposits through its open market operations in United States government securities and through its regulation of, among other things, the discount rate of borrowings of banks and the reserve requirements against bank deposits. It is not possible to predict the nature and impact of future changes in monetary fiscal policies.

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Dividend Restrictions

The Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from Lakeland. Virtually all of the revenue of the Company available for payment of dividends on its capital stock will result from amounts paid to the Company by Lakeland. All such dividends are subject to various limitations imposed by federal and state laws and by regulations and policies adopted by federal and state regulatory agencies. Under state law, a bank may not pay dividends unless, following the dividend payment, the capital stock of the bank would be unimpaired and either (a) the bank will have a surplus of not less than 50% of its capital stock, or, if not, (b) the payment of the dividend will not reduce the surplus of the bank.

On February 6, 2009, as part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s (the “Treasury”) Troubled Asset Relief Program (“TARP”) Capital Purchase Program, the Company entered into a Letter Agreement (the “Letter Agreement”) and a Securities Purchase Agreement—Standard Terms attached thereto (the “Securities Purchase Agreement”) with the Treasury, pursuant to which (i) the Company issued and sold, and the Treasury purchased, 59,000 shares (the “Series A Preferred Shares”) of the Company’s Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A, having a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share for an aggregate purchase price of $59,000,000 in cash, and (ii) the Company issued to the Treasury a ten-year warrant (the “Warrant”) to purchase up to 949,571 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $9.32 per share. The Securities Purchase Agreement contains limitations on the payment of dividends on the common stock. Specifically, the Company is unable to declare dividend payments on the common stock (and certain preferred stock if the Company issues additional series of preferred stock) if the Company is in arrears in the payment of dividends on the Series A Preferred Shares. Further, until the third anniversary of the investment or when all of the Series A Preferred Shares have been redeemed or transferred, the Company is not permitted to increase the amount of the quarterly cash dividend above $0.10 per share, which was the amount of the last regular dividend declared by the Company prior to October 14, 2008.

If, in the opinion of the FDIC, a bank under its jurisdiction is engaged in or is about to engage in an unsafe or unsound practice (which could include the payment of dividends), the FDIC may require, after notice and hearing, that such bank cease and desist from such practice or, as a result of an unrelated practice, require the bank to limit dividends in the future. The Federal Reserve Board has similar authority with respect to bank holding companies. In addition, the Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have issued policy statements which provide that insured banks and bank holding companies should generally only pay dividends out of current operating earnings. Regulatory pressures to reclassify and charge off loans and to establish additional loan loss reserves can have the effect of reducing current operating earnings and thus impacting an institution’s ability to pay dividends. Further, as described herein, the regulatory authorities have established guidelines with respect to the maintenance of appropriate levels of capital by a bank or bank holding company under their jurisdiction. Compliance with the standards set forth in these policy statements and guidelines could limit the amount of dividends which the Company and Lakeland may pay. Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (“FDICIA”), banking institutions which are deemed to be “undercapitalized” will, in most instances, be prohibited from paying dividends. See “FDICIA”.

Capital Adequacy Guidelines

The Federal Reserve Board has adopted Risk-Based Capital Guidelines. These guidelines establish minimum levels of capital and require capital adequacy to be measured in part upon the degree of risk associated with certain assets. Under these guidelines all banks and bank holding companies must have a core or Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of at least 4% and a total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of at least 8%. At December 31, 2008, the Company’s Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio and total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio were 10.24% and 11.52%, respectively.

In addition, the Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have approved leverage ratio guidelines (Tier 1 capital to average quarterly assets, less goodwill) for bank holding companies such as the Company. These guidelines provide for a minimum leverage ratio of 3% for bank holding companies that meet certain specified criteria,

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including that they have the highest regulatory rating. All other holding companies are required to maintain a leverage ratio of 3% plus an additional cushion of at least 100 to 200 basis points. The Company’s leverage ratio was 8.08% at December 31, 2008.

Under FDICIA, federal banking agencies have established certain additional minimum levels of capital which accord with guidelines established under that act. See “FDICIA”.

FDICIA

Enacted in December 1991, FDICIA substantially revised the bank regulatory provisions of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and several other federal banking statutes. Among other things, FDICIA requires federal banking agencies to broaden the scope of regulatory corrective action taken with respect to banks that do not meet minimum capital requirements and to take such actions promptly in order to minimize losses to the FDIC. Under FDICIA, federal banking agencies were required to establish minimum levels of capital (including both a leverage limit and a risk-based capital requirement) and specify for each capital measure the levels at which depository institutions will be considered “well capitalized”, “adequately capitalized”, “undercapitalized”, “significantly undercapitalized” or “critically undercapitalized”.

Under regulations adopted under these provisions, for an institution to be well capitalized it must have a total risk-based capital ratio of at least 10%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 6% and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 5% and not be subject to any specific capital order or directive. For an institution to be adequately capitalized it must have a total risk-based capital ratio of at least 8%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 4% and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 4% (or in some cases 3%). Under the regulations, an institution will be deemed to be undercapitalized if it has a total risk-based capital ratio that is less than 8%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio that is less than 4%, or a Tier 1 leverage ratio of less than 4% (or in some cases 3%). An institution will be deemed to be significantly undercapitalized if it has a total risk-based capital ratio that is less than 6%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio that is less than 3%, or a leverage ratio that is less than 3% and will be deemed to be critically undercapitalized if it has a ratio of tangible equity to total assets that is equal to or less than 2%. An institution may be deemed to be in a capitalization category that is lower than is indicated by its actual capital position if it receives an unsatisfactory examination rating or is deemed to be in an unsafe or unsound condition or to be engaging in unsafe or unsound practices. As of December 31, 2008, the Company and Lakeland met all regulatory requirements for classification as well capitalized under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action.

In addition, FDICIA requires banking regulators to promulgate standards in a number of other important areas to assure bank safety and soundness, including internal controls, information systems and internal audit systems, credit underwriting, asset growth, compensation, loan documentation and interest rate exposure.

Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program

On November 21, 2008, the Board of Directors of the FDIC adopted a final rule relating to the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (the “TLG Program”). The TLG Program was announced by the FDIC on October 14, 2008, to strengthen confidence and encourage liquidity in the banking system. The TLG Program has two components. Under the TLG Program the FDIC will (i) guarantee, through the earlier of maturity or June 30, 2012, certain newly issued senior unsecured debt issued by participating institutions on or after October 14, 2008, and before June 30, 2009 (the “Debt Guarantee Program”) and (ii) provide full FDIC deposit insurance coverage for non-interest bearing transaction deposit accounts, NOW accounts paying less than 0.5% interest per annum and certain types of interest paying attorney trust accounts held at participating FDIC-insured institutions through December 31, 2009 (the “Transaction Account Guarantee Program”). Coverage under the TLG Program was available for the first 30 days without charge. The fee assessment for coverage of senior unsecured debt ranges from 50 basis points to 100 basis points per annum, depending on the initial maturity of the debt. The fee assessment for deposit insurance coverage is 10 basis points per quarter on amounts in covered accounts

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exceeding $250,000. The Company has elected to participate in both the Transaction Account Guarantee Program and the Debt Guarantee Program. As of December 31, 2008, the Company had no senior unsecured debt scheduled to mature on or before June 30, 2009.

Deposit Insurance and Premiums

Substantially all of the deposits of the Bank are insured up to applicable limits by the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) of the FDIC and are subject to deposit insurance assessments to maintain the DIF. The FDIC utilizes a risk-based assessment system that imposes insurance premiums based upon a risk matrix that takes into account a bank’s capital level and supervisory rating, known as a “CAMEL rating”. In 2008, Lakeland paid an assessment of $1.3 million. On December 16, 2008, the FDIC adopted a final rule increasing risk-based assessment rates uniformly by 7 basis points (7 cents for every $100 of deposits), on an annual basis, for the first quarter of 2009. In October 2008, the FDIC had also proposed changes to take effect beginning in the second quarter of 2009 that would make deposit insurance assessments fairer by requiring riskier institutions to pay a larger share.

On February 27, 2009, the Board of Directors of the FDIC adopted an interim rule imposing a 20 basis point emergency special assessment on the entire banking industry on June 30, 2009. The assessment is to be collected on September 30, 2009. The interim rule would also permit the Board to impose an emergency special assessment after June 30, 2009, of up to 10 basis points if necessary to maintain public confidence in federal deposit insurance. Subsequently, on March 5, 2009 the Chairman of the FDIC announced that it may cut the 20 basis point emergency special assessment to 10 basis points if legislation passes to expand the FDIC’s existing line of credit with the U.S. Treasury Department. In addition, the FDIC Board adopted a final rule on February 27, 2009 which sets assessment rates beginning on April 1, 2009 and makes adjustments that improve how the assessment system differentiates for risk.

As the rules governing assessments have been changing and may continue to change in the future, the Company cannot provide assurance as to the amount of the assessment it will pay for 2009. However, based on available information, the Company estimates that it will pay an assessment of approximately $4.0 million, plus the special assessment of approximately an additional $2.0 million to $4.0 million, (depending on whether the emergency special assessment described above is ultimately determined to be 10 basis points or 20 basis points), in 2009.

The enactment of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (“EESA”) temporarily raised the basic limit on federal deposit insurance coverage from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor. The temporary increase in deposit insurance coverage became effective on October 3, 2008. EESA provides that the basic deposit insurance limit will return to $100,000 after December 31, 2009.

In addition to deposit insurance assessments, the FDIC is required to continue to collect from institutions payments for the servicing of obligations of the Financing Corporation (“FICO”) that were issued in connection with the resolution of savings and loan associations, so long as such obligations remain outstanding. Lakeland paid a FICO premium of $220,000 in 2008 and expects to pay a similar premium in 2009.

Legislation Implemented in Response to Recent Periods of Economic Turmoil

In response to recent unprecedented market turmoil, EESA was enacted on October 3, 2008. EESA authorizes the U.S. Treasury Department to provide up to $700 billion in funding for the financial services industry. Pursuant to the EESA, the Treasury was initially authorized to use $350 billion for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Of this amount, the Treasury allocated $250 billion to the TARP Capital Purchase Program. On January 15, 2009, the second $350 billion of TARP monies was released to the Treasury. As described elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the Company has received $59,000,000 under the TARP Capital Purchase Program.

Participants in the TARP Capital Purchase Program were required to accept several compensation-related limitations associated with this Program. In February 2009, five executive officers of the Company (Messrs. Shara, Hurley, Vandenbergh, Buonforte and Luddecke) agreed in writing to accept the compensation standards in existence at that time under the Capital Purchase Program and thereby cap or eliminate some of their contractual or legal rights. The provisions agreed to were as follows:

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During the CPP Covered Period, the Company is not permitted to take federal income tax deductions for compensation paid to the senior executive officers in excess of $500,000 per year, subject to certain exceptions.

On February 17, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (the “Stimulus Bill”) was enacted. The Stimulus Bill contains several provisions designed to establish executive compensation and governance standards for financial institutions (such as the Company) that received or will receive financial assistance under TARP. In certain instances, the Stimulus Bill modified the compensation-related limitations contained in the TARP Capital Purchase Program; in addition, the Stimulus Bill created additional compensation-related limitations and directed the Treasury to establish standards for executive compensation applicable to participants in the TARP. In their February 2009 agreements, the Company’s executives did not waive their rights with respect to the provisions implemented by the Stimulus Bill; other employees now covered by these provisions were not asked and did not agree to waive their rights. The compensation-related limitations applicable to the Company which have been added or modified by the Stimulus Bill are as follows, which provisions are expected to be included in standards established by the Treasury:

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Proposed Legislation

From time to time proposals are made in the United States Congress, the New Jersey Legislature, and before various bank regulatory authorities, which would alter the powers of, and place restrictions on, different types of banking organizations. It is impossible to predict the impact, if any, of potential legislative trends on the business of the Company and its subsidiaries.

In accordance with federal law providing for deregulation of interest on all deposits, banks and thrift organizations are now unrestricted by law or regulation from paying interest at any rate on most time deposits. It is not clear whether deregulation and other pending changes in certain aspects of the banking industry will result in further increases in the cost of funds in relation to prevailing lending rates.

ITEM 1A—Risk Factors.

Our business, financial condition, operating results and cash flows can be affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, those set forth below, any one of which could cause our actual results to vary materially from recent results or from our anticipated future results.

Recent negative developments in the financial services industry and U.S. and global credit markets may adversely impact our operations and results.

Negative developments in the latter half of 2007 and all of 2008 in the capital markets have resulted in uncertainty in the financial markets in general with the expectation of the general economic downturn continuing for

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some or all of 2009. Loan portfolio performances have deteriorated at many institutions resulting from, among other factors, a weak economy and a decline in the value of the collateral supporting their loans. The competition for our deposits has increased significantly due to liquidity concerns at many of these same institutions. Stock prices of bank holding companies, like ours, have been negatively affected by the current condition of the financial markets, as has our ability, if needed, to raise capital or borrow in the debt markets compared to recent years. As a result, there is a potential for new federal or state laws and regulations regarding lending and funding practices and liquidity standards, and financial institution regulatory agencies are expected to be very aggressive in responding to concerns and trends identified in examinations, including the expected issuance of many formal enforcement actions. Negative developments in the financial services industry and the impact of new legislation in response to those developments could negatively impact our operations by restricting our business operations, including our ability to originate or sell loans, and adversely impact our financial performance.

A decrease in our ability to borrow funds could adversely affect our liquidity.

Our ability to obtain funding from the Federal Home Loan Bank or through our overnight federal funds lines with other banks could be negatively affected if we experienced a substantial deterioration in our financial condition or if such funding became restricted due to a further deterioration in the financial markets. While we have a contingency funds management plan to address such a situation if it were to occur (such plan includes deposit promotions, the sale of securities and the curtailment of loan growth, if necessary), a significant decrease in our ability to borrow funds could adversely affect our liquidity.

We are subject to interest rate risk and variations in interest rates may negatively affect our financial performance.

We are unable to predict actual fluctuations of market interest rates. Rate fluctuations are influenced by many factors, including:

Both increases and decreases in the interest rate environment may reduce our profits. We expect that we will continue to realize income from the difference or “spread” between the interest we earn on loans, securities and other interest-earning assets, and the interest we pay on deposits, borrowings and other interest-bearing liabilities. Our net interest spreads are affected by the differences between the maturities and repricing characteristics of our interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. Our interest-earning assets may not reprice as slowly or rapidly as our interest-bearing liabilities. Changes in market interest rates could materially and adversely affect our net interest spread, asset quality, levels of prepayments, cash flows, the market value of our securities portfolio, loan and deposit growth, costs and yields on loans and deposits and our overall profitability.

The Company may incur impairments to goodwill.

We review our goodwill at least annually. Significant negative industry or economic trends, including the lack of recovery in the market place of our common stock price, reduced estimates of future cash flows or disruptions to our businesses, could indicate that goodwill might be impaired. Our valuation methodology for assessing impairment requires management to make judgments and assumptions based on historical experience and to rely on projections of future operating performance. We operate in a competitive environment and projections of future operating results and cash flows may vary significantly from actual results. Additionally, if

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our analysis results in an impairment to our goodwill, we would be required to record a non-cash charge to earnings in our financial statements during the period in which such impairment is determined to exist. Any such charge could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our stock price.

The extensive regulation and supervision to which we are subject impose substantial restrictions on our business.

The Company, the Bank and certain non-bank subsidiaries are subject to extensive regulation and supervision. Banking regulations are primarily intended to protect depositors’ funds, federal deposit insurance funds and the banking system as a whole. Such laws are not designed to protect our shareholders. These regulations affect our lending practices, capital structure, investment practices, dividend policy and growth, among other things. The Bank is also subject to a number of laws which, among other things, govern its lending practices and require the Bank to establish and maintain comprehensive programs relating to anti-money laundering and customer identification. The United States Congress and federal regulatory agencies continually review banking laws, regulations and policies for possible changes, especially for the TARP Capital Purchase Program (in which the Company is a participant). Changes to statutes, regulations or regulatory policies, including changes in interpretation or implementation of statutes, regulations or policies, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways. Such changes could subject us to additional costs, limit the types of financial services and products we may offer and/or increase the ability of non-banks to offer competing financial services and products, among other things. Failure to comply with laws, regulations or policies could result in sanctions by regulatory agencies, civil money penalties and/or reputational damage, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Because of our participation in the Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program, we are subject to several restrictions including restrictions on our ability to declare or pay dividends and repurchase our shares as well as restrictions on our executive compensation.

On February 6, 2009, pursuant to the Letter Agreement and related Securities Purchase Agreement, we issued to the Treasury for an aggregate consideration of $59,000,000 (i) 59,000 Series A Preferred Shares, with a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share, and (ii) a Warrant to purchase 949,571 shares of our common stock. Pursuant to the terms of the Letter Agreement and the related Securities Purchase Agreement, our ability to declare or pay dividends on any of our shares is subject to restrictions. Specifically, we are unable to declare dividend payments on common, junior preferred or pari passu preferred shares if we are in arrears in the payment of dividends on the Series A Preferred Shares. Further, until the third anniversary of the investment or when all of the Series A Preferred Shares have been redeemed or transferred, we are not permitted to increase the cash dividends on our common stock without the Treasury’s approval. Additionally, our ability to repurchase our shares of outstanding common stock is restricted. The Treasury’s consent generally is required for us to make any stock repurchase until the third anniversary of the investment by the Treasury unless all of the Series A Preferred Shares have been redeemed or transferred. Further, common, junior preferred or pari passu preferred shares may not be repurchased if we are in arrears in the payment of dividends on the Series A Preferred Shares.

Pursuant to the terms by which we participated in the Treasury’s Capital Purchase Program and the terms of the Stimulus Bill, we and several of our senior employees are subject to substantial limitations on executive compensation and are subject to new corporate governance standards. Such requirements may adversely affect our ability to attract and retain senior officers and employees who are critical to the operation of our business.

The documents that we executed with the Treasury when the Treasury purchased our Series A Preferred Shares allow the Treasury to unilaterally change the terms of the Series A Preferred Shares or impose additional requirements on the Company if there is a change in law. These changes or additional requirements could restrict our ability to conduct business, could subject us to additional cost and expense or could change the terms of the Series A Preferred Shares to the detriment of our common shareholders. While it may be possible for us to

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redeem the Series A Preferred Shares in the event that the Treasury imposes any changes or additional requirements that we believe are detrimental, there can be no assurances that our federal regulator will approve such redemption or that we will have the ability to implement such redemption.

Our issuance of securities to the Treasury imposes certain restrictions on us that may have a negative impact on the price of our common stock.

In connection with our sale of Series A Preferred Shares to the Treasury, we also issued to the Treasury a Warrant to purchase 949,571 shares of our common stock. The terms of the transaction with the Treasury will result in limitations on our ability to repurchase our shares and to pay dividends, as described above. Until February 6, 2012, or until the Treasury no longer holds any Series A Preferred Shares, we will not be able to increase dividends above current levels nor repurchase any of our shares without the Treasury’s approval, with limited exception, most significantly purchases in connection with benefit plans. In addition, we will not be able to pay any dividends at all on our common stock unless we are current on our dividend payments on the Series A Preferred Shares. These restrictions, as well as the dilutive effect of the Warrant, may have a negative effect on the market price of our common stock.

Current levels of volatility in the capital markets are unprecedented and may adversely impact our operations and results.

The capital markets have been experiencing unprecedented volatility for more than a year. Such negative developments and disruptions have resulted in uncertainty in the financial market in general with the expectation of a continuing general economic downturn throughout 2009. Bank and bank holding company stock prices have been negatively affected, as has the ability of banks and bank holding companies to raise capital or borrow in the debt markets compared to recent years. If current levels of market disruption and volatility continue or worsen, there can be no assurance that we will not experience an adverse effect, which may be material, on our business, financial condition and results of operations or our ability to access capital.

Lakeland’s ability to pay dividends is subject to regulatory limitations which, to the extent that our holding company requires such dividends in the future, may affect our holding company’s ability to pay its obligations and pay dividends to shareholders.

As a bank holding company, the Company is a separate legal entity from Lakeland and its subsidiaries, and we do not have significant operations of our own. We currently depend on Lakeland’s cash and liquidity to pay our operating expenses and dividends to shareholders. The availability of dividends from Lakeland is limited by various statutes and regulations. The inability of the Company to receive dividends from Lakeland could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and prospects and the Company’s ability to pay dividends.

Our allowance for loan and lease losses may not be adequate to cover actual losses.

Like all commercial banks, Lakeland maintains an allowance for loan and lease losses to provide for loan and lease defaults and non-performance. If our allowance for loan and lease losses is not adequate to cover actual loan and lease losses, we may be required to significantly increase future provisions for loan and lease losses, which could materially and adversely affect our operating results. Our allowance for loan and lease losses is determined by analyzing historical loan and lease losses, current trends in delinquencies and charge-offs, plans for problem loan and lease resolution, the opinions of our regulators, changes in the size and composition of the loan and lease portfolio and industry information. We also consider the possible effects of economic events, which are difficult to predict. The amount of future losses is affected by changes in economic, operating and other conditions, including changes in interest rates, many of which are beyond our control. These losses may exceed our current estimates. Federal regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, review our loans and the allowance for loan and lease losses. While we believe that our allowance for loan and lease

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losses in relation to our current loan portfolio is adequate to cover current losses, we cannot assure you that we will not need to increase our allowance for loan and lease losses or that regulators will not require us to increase this allowance. An increase in our allowance for loan and lease losses could materially and adversely affect our earnings and profitability.

We are subject to various lending and other economic risks that could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Economic, political and market conditions, trends in industry and finance, legislative and regulatory changes, changes in governmental monetary and fiscal policies and inflation affect our business. These factors are beyond our control. A further deterioration in economic conditions, particularly in New Jersey, could have the following consequences, any of which could materially adversely affect our business:

Further deterioration in the real estate market, particularly in New Jersey, could hurt our business. As real estate values in New Jersey decline, our ability to recover on defaulted loans by selling the underlying real estate is reduced, which increases the possibility that we may suffer losses on defaulted loans.

We may suffer losses in our loan portfolio despite our underwriting practices.

We seek to mitigate the risks inherent in our loan portfolio by adhering to specific underwriting practices. Although we believe that our underwriting criteria are appropriate for the various kinds of loans that we make, we may incur losses on loans that meet our underwriting criteria, and these losses may exceed the amounts set aside as reserves in our allowance for loan and lease losses.

We face strong competition from other financial institutions, financial service companies and other organizations offering services similar to the services that we provide.

Many competitors offer the types of loans and banking services that we offer. These competitors include other state and national banks, savings associations, regional banks and other community banks. We also face competition from many other types of financial institutions, including finance companies, brokerage firms, insurance companies, credit unions, mortgage banks and other financial intermediaries. Many of our competitors have greater financial resources than we do, which may enable them to offer a broader range of services and products, and to advertise more extensively, than we do. Our inability to compete effectively would adversely affect our business.

Declines in value may adversely impact our investment portfolio.

As of December 31, 2008, we had approximately $282.2 million and $110.1 million in available for sale and held to maturity investment securities, respectively. We may be required to record impairment charges on our investment securities if they suffer a decline in value that is considered other-than-temporary. Numerous factors, including lack of liquidity for sales of certain investment securities, absence of reliable pricing information for investment securities, adverse changes in business climate, adverse actions by regulators, or unanticipated changes in the competitive environment could have a negative effect on our investment portfolio in future periods. If an impairment charge is significant enough it could affect the ability of the Bank to upstream dividends to us, which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and our ability to pay dividends to shareholders and could also negatively impact our regulatory capital ratios.

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Concern of customers over deposit insurance may cause a decrease in deposits.

With recent increased concerns about bank failures, customers increasingly are concerned about the extent to which their deposits are insured by the FDIC. Customers may withdraw deposits in an effort to ensure that the amount they have on deposit with their bank is fully insured. Decreases in deposits may adversely affect our funding costs and net income.

Our deposit insurance premium will be substantially higher in 2009, which could have a material adverse effect on our future earnings.

The FDIC insures deposits at FDIC insured financial institutions, including the Bank. The FDIC charges the insured financial institutions premiums to maintain the Deposit Insurance Fund at a certain level. In light of current economic conditions, the FDIC has increased its assessment rates and recently adopted an interim rule imposing an emergency special assessment on the entire banking industry on June 30, 2009. The FDIC may further increase these rates and impose additional special assessments in the future.

If we do not successfully integrate any banks that we may acquire in the future, the combined company may be adversely affected.

If we make acquisitions in the future, we will need to integrate the acquired entities into our existing business and systems. We may experience difficulties in accomplishing this integration or in effectively managing the combined company after any future acquisition. Any actual cost savings or revenue enhancements that we may anticipate from a future acquisition will depend on future expense levels and operating results, the timing of certain events and general industry, regulatory and business conditions. Many of these events will be beyond our control, and we cannot assure you that if we make any acquisitions in the future, we will be successful in integrating those businesses into our own.

ITEM 1B—Unresolved Staff Comments

Not Applicable.

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ITEM 2—Properties

The Company’s principal office is located at 250 Oak Ridge Road, Oak Ridge, New Jersey 07438. It also maintains an operations center in Branchville, New Jersey.

The Company operates 49 banking locations in Passaic, Morris, Sussex, Bergen, Essex and Warren Counties, New Jersey. The following chart provides information about the Company’s leased banking locations:

In addition, the Company has leased property (under a lease which expires in April 2029) for a location in West Caldwell, which it intends to open as a branch during 2009. For information regarding all of the Company’s rental obligations, see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

All other offices of the Company and Lakeland are owned and are unencumbered.

ITEM 3—Legal Proceedings

From time to time, the Company and its subsidiaries are defendants in legal proceedings relating to their respective businesses. While the ultimate outcome of any pending matter cannot be determined at this time, management does not believe that the outcome of any pending legal proceeding will materially affect the consolidated financial position of the Company, but could possibly be material to the consolidated results of operations of any one period.

ITEM 4—Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

There were no matters submitted to a vote of security holders of the Company during the fourth quarter of 2008.

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ITEM 4A—Executive Officers of the Registrant

The following table sets forth the name and age of each executive officer of the Company. Each officer is appointed by the Company’s Board of Directors. Unless otherwise indicated, the persons named below have held the position indicated for more than the past five years.

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PART II

ITEM 5—MARKET FOR THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Shares of the common stock of Lakeland Bancorp, Inc. have been traded under the symbol “LBAI” on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (or the Nasdaq National Market) since February 22, 2000 and in the over the counter market prior to that date. As of December 31, 2008, there were 3,662 shareholders of record of the common stock. The following table sets forth the range of the high and low daily closing prices of the common stock as provided by Nasdaq and dividends declared for the periods presented. Prices and dividends have been adjusted to reflect the Company’s 5% stock dividend paid on November 16, 2007.

Dividends on the Company’s common stock are within the discretion of the Board of Directors of the Company and are dependent upon various factors, including the future earnings and financial condition of the Company and Lakeland and bank regulatory policies. The Company’s ability to pay cash dividends is also limited as a result of its participation in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s TARP Capital Purchase Program. See “Item 1—Business—Supervision and Regulation—Dividend Restrictions”.

The Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 restricts the amount of dividends the Company can pay. Accordingly, dividends should generally only be paid out of current earnings, as defined.

The New Jersey Banking Act of 1948 restricts the amount of dividends paid on the capital stock of New Jersey chartered banks. Accordingly, no dividends shall be paid by such banks on their capital stock unless, following the payment of such dividends, the capital stock of the bank will be unimpaired and the bank will have a surplus of not less than 50% of its capital stock, or, if not, the payment of such dividend will not reduce the surplus of the bank. Under this limitation, approximately $185.2 million was available for the payment of dividends from Lakeland to the Company as of December 31, 2008.

Capital guidelines and other regulatory requirements may further limit the Company’s and Lakeland’s ability to pay dividends. See “Item 1—Business—Supervision and Regulation—Dividend Restrictions”.

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Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table gives information about the Company’s common stock that may be issued upon the exercise of options under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2000 Equity Compensation Program (the “Stock Option Plan”), as of December 31, 2008. This plan was the Company’s only equity compensation plan in existence as of December 31, 2008. No warrants or rights may be granted, or are outstanding, under the Stock Option Plan.

The number in column (a) includes 113,957 shares subject to restricted stock awards granted under the Company’s Stock Option Plan, including unvested shares. Shares subject to restricted stock awards have been excluded for purposes of calculating the weighted-average exercise price in column (b).

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Performance Graph

The following chart compares the Company’s cumulative total shareholder return (on a dividend reinvested basis) over the past five years with the NASDAQ Market Index and the Peer Group Index. The Peer Group Index is the Hemscott Group Index, which consists of 189 Regional Northeast Banks.

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ITEM 6— Selected Financial Data

SELECTED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL DATA

(Not covered by Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm)

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The following reconciliation table provides a more detailed analysis of this non-GAAP performance measure:

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ITEM 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This section presents a review of Lakeland Bancorp, Inc.’s consolidated results of operations and financial condition. You should read this section in conjunction with the selected consolidated financial data that is presented on the preceding page as well as the accompanying financial statements and notes to financial statements. As used in the following discussion, the term “Company” refers to Lakeland Bancorp, Inc. and “Lakeland” refers to the Company’s wholly owned banking subsidiary—Lakeland Bank. The Newton Trust Company (Newton) was merged into Lakeland on November 4, 2005. Newton Financial Corporation (“NFC”), the parent company of Newton, was merged into the Company on July 1, 2004.

Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information

The information disclosed in this document includes various forward-looking statements that are made in reliance upon the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to credit quality (including delinquency trends and the allowance for loan and lease losses), corporate objectives, and other financial and business matters. The words “anticipates,” “projects,” “intends,” “estimates,” “expects,” “believes,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” and other similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The Company cautions that these forward-looking statements are necessarily speculative and speak only as of the date made, and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, all of which may change over time. Actual results could differ materially from such forward-looking statements.

In addition to the risk factors disclosed elsewhere in this document, the following factors, among others, could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially and adversely from such forward-looking statements: changes in the financial services industry and the U.S. and global capital markets, changes in economic conditions nationally, regionally and in the Company’s markets, the nature and timing of actions of the Federal Reserve Board and other regulators, the nature and timing of legislation affecting the financial services industry, government intervention in the U.S. financial system, passage by the U.S. Congress of legislation which unilaterally amends the terms of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s preferred stock investment in the Company, changes in levels of market interest rates, pricing pressures on loan and deposit products, credit risks of the Company’s lending and leasing activities, customers’ acceptance of the Company’s products and services and competition.

The above-listed risk factors are not necessarily exhaustive, particularly as to possible future events, and new risk factors may emerge from time to time. Certain events may occur that could cause the Company’s actual results to be materially different than those described in the Company’s periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any statements made by the Company that are not historical facts should be considered to be forward-looking statements. The Company is not obligated to update and does not undertake to update any of its forward-looking statements made herein.

Significant Accounting Policies, Judgments and Estimates

The accounting and reporting policies of the Company and Lakeland conform with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and predominant practices within the banking industry. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, Lakeland, Lakeland Investment Corp., and Lakeland NJ Investment Corp. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated.

The preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. These estimates and assumptions also affect reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Significant estimates implicit in these financial statements are as follows.

The principal estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change in the near term relate to the allowance for loan and lease losses, the valuation of the Company’s security portfolio, the Company’s deferred

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tax asset and the analysis of goodwill impairment. The evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance for loan and lease losses includes, among other factors, an analysis of historical loss rates, by category, applied to current loan and lease totals. However, actual losses may be higher or lower than historical trends, which vary. Actual losses on specified problem loans and leases, which also are provided for in the evaluation, may vary from estimated loss percentages, which are established based upon a limited number of potential loss classifications.

The allowance for loan and lease losses is established through a provision for loan and lease losses charged to expense. Loan principal considered to be uncollectible by management is charged against the allowance for loan and lease losses. The allowance is an amount that management believes will be adequate to absorb losses on existing loans and leases that may become uncollectible based upon an evaluation of known and inherent risks in the loan and lease portfolio. The evaluation takes into consideration such factors as changes in the nature and size of the loan and lease portfolio, overall portfolio quality, specific problem loans and leases, and current economic conditions which may affect the borrowers’ ability to pay. The evaluation also details historical losses by loan and lease category, the resulting loss rates for which are projected at current loan and lease total amounts. Loss estimates for specified problem loans and leases are also detailed. All of the factors considered in the analysis of the adequacy of the allowance for loan and lease losses may be subject to change. To the extent actual outcomes differ from management estimates, additional provisions for loan and lease losses may be required that would adversely impact earnings in future periods.

The Company accounts for impaired loans and leases in accordance with SFAS No. 114, “Accounting by Creditors for Impairment of a Loan,” as amended by SFAS No. 118, “Accounting by Creditors for Impairment of a Loan—Income Recognition and Disclosures.” Impairment is measured based on the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate, except that as a practical expedient, a creditor may measure impairment based on a loan’s observable market price, or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral-dependent. Regardless of the measurement method, a creditor must measure impairment based on the fair value of the collateral when the creditor determines that foreclosure is probable.

The Company’s available-for-sale securities portfolio is recorded at fair value. Effective January 1, 2008, we adopted the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements”. We also adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Staff Position (FSP) No. FAS 157-3 which provided additional guidance on valuation and disclosures. Fair values are volatile and may be influenced by a number of factors, including market interest rates, prepayment speeds, discount rates, credit ratings and yield curves. Fair values for investment securities are based on quoted market prices, where available. If quoted market prices are not available, fair values are based on the quoted prices of similar instruments or an estimate of fair value by using a range of fair value estimates in the market place as a result of the illiquid market specific to the type of security.

When the fair value of a security is below its amortized cost, and depending on the length of time the condition exists and the extent the fair value is below amortized cost, additional analysis is performed to determine whether an other-than-temporary impairment condition exists. Available-for-sale and held-to-maturity securities are analyzed quarterly for possible other-than-temporary impairment. The analysis considers (i) the length of time and the extent to which the fair value has been less than cost, (ii) the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer, and (iii) the intent and ability of the Company to retain its investment in the issuer for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value. Often, the information available to conduct these assessments is limited and rapidly changing, making estimates of fair value subject to judgment. If actual information or conditions are different than estimated, the extent of the impairment of the security may be different than previously estimated, which could have a material effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.

The Company accounts for income taxes under the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities as measured by the enacted tax rates that will be in effect when these differences reverse.

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Deferred tax expense is the result of changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities. The principal types of differences between assets and liabilities for financial statement and tax return purposes are the allowance for loan and lease losses, core deposit intangible, deferred loan fees, deferred compensation and securities available for sale.

On January 1, 2007, the Company adopted FASB Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (FIN 48),” to account for any tax positions that may be uncertain. FIN 48 prescribes a recognition threshold of more-likely-than-not, and a measurement attribute for all tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return, in order for those tax positions to be recognized in the financial statements. Additional information regarding the Company’s uncertain tax positions is set forth in Note 9 to the Notes to the audited Consolidated Financial Statements contained herein.

The Company accounts for goodwill and other identifiable intangible assets in accordance with SFAS No. 142, “Goodwill and Intangible Assets.” SFAS No. 142 includes requirements to test goodwill and indefinite lived intangible assets for impairment rather than amortize them. The Company tests goodwill for impairment annually at the reporting unit level. The Company has determined that it has one reporting unit, Community Banking. The Company analyzes goodwill using various market valuation methodologies including an analysis of the Company’s enterprise value and a comparison of pricing multiples in recent acquisitions of similar companies and applying these multiples to the Company. The Company has tested the goodwill as of December 31, 2008 and has determined that it is not impaired.

Financial Overview

The year ended December 31, 2008 represented a year of continued growth for the Company. As discussed in this management’s discussion and analysis:

Net income for 2008 was $15.2 million or $0.64 per diluted share compared to net income of $18.0 million and $0.77 per diluted share in 2007. For 2008, Return on Average Assets was 0.59% and Return on Average Equity was 6.99%. For 2007, Return on Average Assets was 0.76% and Return on Average Equity was 8.81%.

In 2008, the Company recorded a provision for loan and lease losses of $23.7 million compared to $6.0 million in 2007. The higher loan loss provision includes a $17.8 million provision for the leasing division. During 2008, the Company was informed by two leasing originators that they could no longer fulfill all of their obligations under contractual recourse provisions. In 2007, the Company recognized a $1.8 million gain on equity securities in its investment portfolio resulting from the acquisition of a financial institution in which the Company owned stock compared to gains of $53,000 in 2008.

In 2006, net income was $17.0 million and $0.73 per diluted share. Return on Average Assets was 0.76% and Return on Average Equity was 8.85%.

Net interest income

Net interest income is the difference between interest income on earning assets and the cost of funds supporting those assets. The Company’s net interest income is determined by: (i) the volume of interest-earning

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assets that it holds and the yields that it earns on those assets, and (ii) the volume of interest-bearing liabilities that it has assumed and the rates that it pays on those liabilities. Net interest income increases when the Company can use noninterest-bearing deposits to fund or support interest-earning assets.

Net interest income for 2008 on a tax-equivalent basis was $89.9 million, representing an increase of $16.5 million, or 23%, from the $73.4 million earned in 2007. The increase in net interest income primarily resulted from an 80 basis point decrease in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities, a $222.0 million increase in average interest-earning assets and a more favorable mix of earning assets.

Net interest income for 2007 on a tax-equivalent basis was $73.4 million, representing an increase of $4.6 million, or 7%, from the $68.7 million earned in 2006. The increase in net interest income resulted from an increase in earning assets of $122.1 million and a 41 basis point increase in the yield on earning assets partially offset by a 45 basis point increase in the cost of funds and a $108.3 million increase in interest-bearing liabilities. Also contributing to the increase in net interest income was an increase in income earned on free funds (interest-earning assets funded by noninterest bearing liabilities) resulting from the increase in yield on interest-earning assets.

Interest income and expense volume/rate analysis. The following table shows the impact that changes in average balances of the Company’s assets and liabilities and changes in average interest rates have had on the Company’s net interest income over the past three years. This information is presented on a tax equivalent basis assuming a 35% tax rate. If a change in interest income or expense is attributable to a change in volume and a change in rate, the amount of the change is allocated proportionately.

INTEREST INCOME AND EXPENSE VOLUME/RATE ANALYSIS

(tax equivalent basis, in thousands)

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The following table reflects the components of the Company’s net interest income, setting forth for the years presented, (1) average assets, liabilities and stockholders’ equity, (2) interest income earned on interest-earning assets and interest expense paid on interest-bearing liabilities, (3) average yields earned on interest-earning assets and average rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities, (4) the Company’s net interest spread (i.e., the average yield on interest-earning assets less the average cost of interest-bearing liabilities) and (5) the Company’s net interest margin. Rates are computed on a tax equivalent basis assuming a 35% tax rate.

CONSOLIDATED STATISTICS ON A TAX EQUIVALENT BASIS