NATIONAL BANKSHARES INC - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

Part I

$ in thousands, except per share data.

Item 1. Business

History and Business

National Bankshares, Inc. (the “Company” or “NBI”) is a financial holding company that was organized in 1986 under the laws of Virginia and is registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956. National Bankshares, Inc. common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market and is traded under the symbol “NKSH.” It conducts most of its operations through its wholly-owned community bank subsidiary, the National Bank of Blacksburg (the “Bank” or “NBB”). It also owns National Bankshares Financial Services, Inc. (“NBFS”), which does business as National Bankshares Insurance Services and National Bankshares Investment Services. References in this report to “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to NBI unless the context indicates that the reference is to NBB.

The National Bank of Blacksburg

The National Bank of Blacksburg, which does business as National Bank, was originally chartered in 1891 as the Bank of Blacksburg. Its state charter was converted to a national charter in 1922 and it became the National Bank of Blacksburg. In 2004, NBB purchased Community National Bank of Pulaski, Virginia. In May 2006, Bank of Tazewell County, a Virginia bank which since 1996 was a wholly-owned subsidiary of NBI, was merged with and into NBB.

Headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, NBB is community-oriented and offers a full range of retail and commercial banking services to individuals, businesses, non-profits and local governments. Twenty-five branches are located throughout southwest Virginia, and three loan production offices are located in Roanoke, Charlottesville, and Staunton, Virginia. NBB offers telephone, mobile and internet banking and it operates 22 automated teller machines (“ATMs”) in its service area.

The Bank’s primary source of revenue stems from lending activities. The Bank focuses lending on small and mid-sized businesses and individuals. Loan types include commercial and agricultural, commercial real estate, construction for commercial and residential properties, residential real estate, home equity and various consumer loan products. The Bank believes its prudent lending policies align its underwriting and portfolio management with its risk tolerance and income strategies. Underwriting and documentation requirements are tailored to the unique characteristics and inherent risks of each loan category.

Deposit products offered by the Bank include interest-bearing and non-interest bearing demand deposit accounts, money market deposit accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, health savings accounts and individual retirement accounts. Deposit accounts are offered to both individuals and commercial businesses. Business and consumer debit and credit cards are available. NBB offers other miscellaneous services normally provided by commercial banks, such as letters of credit, night depository, safe deposit boxes, utility payment services and automatic funds transfer. NBB conducts a general trust business that has wealth management, trust and estate services for individual and business customers.

At December 31, 2022, NBB had total assets of $1,674,446 and total deposits of $1,558,106. NBB’s net income for 2022 was $23,435, which produced a return on average assets of 1.38% and a return on average equity of 16.74%. Refer to Note 11 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for NBB’s risk-based capital ratios.

National Bankshares Financial Services, Inc.

In 2001, National Bankshares Financial Services, Inc. was formed in Virginia as a wholly-owned subsidiary of NBI. NBFS offers non-deposit investment products and insurance products for sale to the public. NBFS works cooperatively with Infinex Investments, Inc. to provide investments and with Bankers Insurance, LLC for insurance products. NBFS does not significantly contribute to NBI’s net income.

Operating Revenue

The following table displays components that contributed 15% or more of the Company’s total operating revenue.

Market Area

The Company serves customers through its offices in southwest and central Virginia. Although largely rural, the market area is home to several major state-supported universities, including Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (“Virginia Tech”) and Radford University. Recently opened loan production offices in Charlottesville and Staunton also service areas that contain the University of Virginia, James Madison University, Virginia Military Institute, Washington and Lee University, and Mary Baldwin University.

In addition to education, the market area has a diverse economic base with manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, retail and service industries. Large manufacturing facilities in the region include Celanese Acetate, the largest employer in Giles County, and Volvo Heavy Trucks, the largest company in Pulaski County. Both of these companies have experienced cycles of hiring and layoffs within the past several years. Tazewell County is largely dependent on the coal mining industry and on agriculture for its economic base. Montgomery County, Bluefield in Tazewell County, Abingdon in Washington County and the cities of Roanoke, Charlottesville and Staunton are regional retail centers and have facilities to provide basic health care for the regions.

NBI’s market area offers the advantages of a good quality of life, scenic beauty, moderate climate and historical and cultural attractions. The region has had success attracting retirees, particularly from the Northeast and urban northern Virginia. Because NBI’s market area is economically diverse and includes large public employers, it has historically avoided the most extreme effects of past economic downturns. Future economic challenges may impact unemployment and other economic indicators that could negatively affect the Company’s market.

Competition

The banking and financial services industry is highly competitive. The competitive business environment is a result of changes in regulation, changes in technology and product delivery systems and competition from other financial institutions as well as non-traditional financial services. NBB competes for loans and deposits with other commercial banks, credit unions, securities and brokerage companies, mortgage companies, insurance companies, retailers, automobile companies and other nonbank financial service providers. Many of these competitors are much larger in total assets and capitalization, have greater access to capital markets and offer a broader array of financial services than NBB. In order to compete, NBB relies upon a deep knowledge of its markets, a service-based business philosophy, personal relationships with customers, specialized services tailored to meet customers’ needs and the convenience of office locations and technological access. In addition, the Bank is competitive with other financial institutions in its market area with respect to interest rates paid on deposit accounts, interest rates charged on loans and other service charges on loans and deposit accounts.

Organization and Employment

NBI, NBB and NBFS are organized in a holding company/subsidiary structure. As of December 31, 2022, NBB had 227 full time equivalent employees and NBFS had 4 full time equivalent employees. NBB performs services and charges commensurate fees to NBI and NBFS.

Regulation, Supervision and Government Policy

NBI and NBB are subject to state and federal banking laws and regulations that provide for general regulatory oversight of all aspects of their operations. As a result of substantial regulatory burdens on banking, financial institutions like NBI and NBB are at a disadvantage to other competitors who are not as highly regulated, and NBI and NBB’s costs of doing business are accordingly higher. The following is a brief summary of certain laws, rules and regulations that affect NBI and NBB.

National Bankshares, Inc.

NBI is a bank holding company qualified as a financial holding company under the federal Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (“BHCA”), which is administered by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). As such, NBI is subject to the supervision, examination, and reporting requirements of the BHCA and the regulations of the Federal Reserve. NBI is required to furnish to the Federal Reserve an annual report of its operations at the end of each fiscal year and such additional information as the Federal Reserve may require pursuant to the BHCA. The Federal Reserve is authorized to examine NBI and its subsidiaries. With some limited exceptions, the BHCA requires a bank holding company to obtain prior approval from the Federal Reserve before acquiring or merging with a bank or before acquiring more than 5% of the voting shares of a bank unless it already controls a majority of shares.

The Bank Holding Company Act. Under the BHCA, a bank holding company is generally prohibited from engaging in nonbanking activities unless the Federal Reserve has found those activities to be incidental to banking. Amendments to the BHCA that were included in the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (see below) permitted any bank holding company with bank subsidiaries that are well-capitalized, well-managed and which have a satisfactory or better rating under the Community Reinvestment Act (see below) to file an election with the Federal Reserve to become a financial holding company. A financial holding company may engage in any activity that is (i) financial in nature (ii) incidental to a financial activity or (iii) complementary to a financial activity. Financial activities include insurance underwriting, insurance agency activities, securities dealing and underwriting and providing financial, investment or economic advising services. NBI is a financial holding company that currently engages in insurance agency activities and provides financial, investment or economic advising services.

The Virginia Banking Act. The Virginia Banking Act requires all Virginia bank holding companies to register with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (the “Commission”). NBI is required to report to the Commission with respect to its financial condition, operations and management. The Commission may also make examinations of any bank holding company and its subsidiaries and must approve the acquisition by a Virginia bank holding company of ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any Virginia bank or bank holding company.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”) permits significant combinations among different sectors of the financial services industry, allows for expansion of financial service activities by bank holding companies and offers financial privacy protections to consumers. GLBA preempts most state laws that prohibit financial holding companies from engaging in insurance activities. GLBA permits affiliations between banks and securities firms in the same holding company structure, and it permits financial holding companies to directly engage in a broad range of securities and merchant banking activities.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (“SOX”) protects investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures. It impacts all companies with securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including NBI. SOX creates increased responsibility for chief executive officers and chief financial officers with respect to the content of filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Section 404 of SOX and related Securities and Exchange Commission rules focused increased scrutiny by internal and external auditors on NBI’s systems of internal controls over financial reporting, which is designed to ensure that those internal controls are effective in both design and operation. SOX sets out enhanced requirements for audit committees, including independence and expertise, and it includes stronger requirements for auditor independence and limits the types of non-audit services that auditors can provide. Finally, SOX contains additional and increased civil and criminal penalties for violations of securities laws.

Capital and Related Requirements. In August 2018, the Federal Reserve updated the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement (the “Statement”), in compliance with the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (“EGRRCPA”). The Statement, among other things, exempts qualified bank holding companies that have consolidated total assets of less than $3 billion from reporting consolidated regulatory capital ratios and from minimum regulatory capital requirements. The Company qualifies as a small bank holding company.

The Bank continues to be subject to various capital requirements administered by banking agencies as described below. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements can trigger certain mandatory and discretionary actions by regulators that could have a direct material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law on July 21, 2010. Its wide ranging provisions affect all federal financial regulatory agencies and nearly every aspect of the American financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act created an independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”) which has the ability to write rules for consumer protections governing all financial institutions. All consumer protection responsibility formerly handled by other banking regulators was consolidated in the CFPB. It oversees the enforcement of all federal laws intended to ensure fair access to credit. For smaller financial institutions such as NBI and NBB, the CFPB coordinates its examination activities through their primary regulators.

The Dodd-Frank Act contains provisions designed to reform mortgage lending, which includes the requirement of additional disclosures for consumer mortgages, and the CFPB implemented many mortgage lending regulations to carry out its mandate. Additionally, in response to the Dodd-Frank Act, the Federal Reserve issued rules in 2011 which had the effect of limiting the fees charged to merchants by credit card companies for debit card transactions. The Dodd-Frank Act also contains provisions that affect corporate governance and executive compensation. The Dodd-Frank Act provisions are extensive and have required the Company and the Bank to deploy resources to comply with them.

Source of Strength. Federal Reserve policy has historically required bank holding companies to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to their subsidiary banks. The Dodd-Frank Act codified this policy as a statutory requirement. Under this requirement, the Company is expected to commit resources and capital to support NBB, including at times when the Company may not be in a financial position to provide such resources. Any capital loans by a bank holding company to any of its subsidiary banks are subordinate in right of payment to depositors and to certain other indebtedness of such subsidiary banks. In the event of a bank holding company’s bankruptcy, any commitment by the bank holding company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a subsidiary bank will be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to priority of payment.

The Economic Growth, Regulatory Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2018. In May 2018 the EGRRCPA amended provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and other statutes administered by banking regulators. Among these amendments are provisions to tailor applicability of certain of the enhanced prudential standards for Systemically Important Financial Institutions (“SIFI’s”) and to increase the $50 billion asset threshold in two stages to $250 billion to which these enhanced standards apply. The EGRRCPA exempts insured depository institutions (and their parent companies) with less than $10 billion in consolidated assets and that meet certain tests from the Volker Rule (which prohibits banks from conducting certain investment activities with their own accounts). As discussed below, pursuant to EGRRCPA, regulators finalized an optional, simplified measure of capital adequacy, which is commonly known as the “community bank leverage ratio” (“CBLR”) framework, for qualifying financial institutions with less than $10 billion in consolidated assets. If the financial institution maintains its tangible equity above the CBLR, it will be deemed in compliance with the various regulatory capital requirements currently in effect. The EGRRCPA also increased the asset threshold from $1 billion to $3 billion for financial institutions to qualify for an 18 month on site examination schedule. The EGRRCPA changes numerous other regulatory requirements based on the size and complexity of financial institutions, particularly benefiting smaller institutions like the Company.

The National Bank of Blacksburg

NBB is a national banking association incorporated under the laws of the United States, and the bank is subject to regulation and examination by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”). NBB’s deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”) up to the limits of applicable law. The OCC, as the primary regulator, and the FDIC regulate and monitor all areas of NBB’s operation. These areas include adequacy of capitalization and loss reserves, loans, deposits, business practices related to the charging and payment of interest, investments, borrowings, payment of dividends, security devices and procedures, establishment of branches, corporate reorganizations and maintenance of books and records. NBB is required to maintain certain capital ratios. It must also prepare quarterly reports on its financial condition for the OCC and conduct an annual audit of its financial affairs. The OCC requires NBB to adopt internal control structures and procedures designed to safeguard assets and monitor and reduce risk exposure. While appropriate for the safety and soundness of banks, these requirements add to overhead expense for NBB and other banks.

The Community Reinvestment Act. NBB is subject to the provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”), which imposes an affirmative obligation on financial institutions to meet the credit needs of the communities they serve, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. The OCC monitors NBB’s compliance with the CRA and assigns public ratings based upon the bank’s performance in meeting stated assessment goals. Unsatisfactory CRA ratings can result in restrictions on bank operations or expansion. NBB received a “satisfactory” rating in its last CRA examination by the OCC. 

In May 2022, the federal bank regulatory agencies jointly issued a proposed rule intended to strengthen and modernize the CRA regulatory framework.  If implemented, the rule would, among other things, (i) expand access to credit, investment and basic banking services in low- and moderate-income communities, (ii) adapt to changes in the banking industry, including internet and mobile banking, (iii) provide greater clarity, consistency and transparency in the application of the regulations and (iv) tailor performance standards to account for differences in bank size, business model, and local conditions.

Privacy Legislation. Several recent laws, including the Right to Financial Privacy Act and the GBLA, and related regulations issued by the federal bank regulatory agencies, also provide new protections against the transfer and use of customer information by financial institutions. A financial institution must provide to its customers information regarding its policies and procedures with respect to the handling of customers’ personal information. Each institution must conduct an internal risk assessment of its ability to protect customer information. These privacy provisions generally prohibit a financial institution from providing a customer’s personal financial information to unaffiliated parties without prior notice and approval from the customer.

Consumer Laws and Regulations. There are a number of laws and regulations that regulate banks’ consumer loan and deposit transactions. Among these are the Truth in Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Service Members Civil Relief Act, laws governing flood insurance, federal and state laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive business practices, foreclosure laws and various regulations that implement some or all of the foregoing. NBB is required to comply with these laws and regulations in its dealings with customers. In addition, the CFPB has adopted and may continue to refine rules regulating consumer mortgage lending pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act. There are numerous disclosure and other compliance requirements associated with the consumer laws and regulations. The EGRRCPA modified a number of these requirements, including, for qualifying institutions with less than $10 billion in assets, a safe harbor for compliance with the “ability to pay” requirements for consumer mortgage loans.

Deposit Insurance. NBB has deposits that are insured by the FDIC. The FDIC maintains a Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) that is funded by risk-based insurance premium assessments on insured depository institutions. Assessments are determined based upon several factors, including the level of regulatory capital and the results of regulatory examinations. The FDIC may adjust assessments if the insured institution’s risk profile changes or if the size of the DIF declines in relation to the total amount of insured deposits. An institution’s assessment base is consolidated total assets less its average tangible equity as defined by the FDIC.  In October 2022, the FDIC adopted a final rule to increase the assessment base rate schedules uniformly by two basis points beginning with the first quarterly assessment period of 2023. The FDIC has authority to impose special measures to boost the deposit insurance fund such as prepayments of assessments and additional special assessments.

After giving primary regulators an opportunity to first take action, the FDIC may initiate an enforcement action against any depository institution it determines is engaging in unsafe or unsound actions or which is in an unsound condition, and the FDIC may terminate that institution’s deposit insurance. NBB has no knowledge of any matter that would threaten its FDIC insurance coverage.

Capital Requirements. NBB is subject to the rules implementing the Basel III capital framework and certain related provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act (the “Basel III Capital Rules”) as applied by the OCC. The Basel III Capital Rules require NBB to comply with minimum capital ratios plus a “capital conservation buffer” designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress. The following table presents the required minimum ratios along with the required minimum ratios including the capital conservation buffer:

Risk-weighted assets are assets on the balance sheet as well as certain off-balance sheet items, such as standby letters of credit, to which weights between 0% and 1250% are applied, according to the risk of the asset type. Common Equity Tier 1 Capital (“CET1”) is capital according to the balance sheet, adjusted for goodwill and intangible assets and other prescribed adjustments. At NBB’s election, CET1 is also adjusted to exclude accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income. Tier 1 Capital is CET1 adjusted for additional capital deductions. Total Capital is Tier 1 Capital increased for the allowance for loan losses and adjusted for other items. The Leverage Ratio is the ratio of Tier 1 Capital to total average assets, less goodwill and intangibles and certain deferred tax assets. As of December 31, 2022, NBB’s capital ratios exceeded the above minimum ratios including the capital conservation buffer.

NBB is also subject to the “prompt corrective action” regulations pursuant to Section 38 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended, which incorporates a CET1 ratio and increases certain other capital ratios. To be classified as well capitalized under the regulations, NBB must have the following minimum capital ratios: (i) a CET1 ratio of at least 6.5%; (ii) a Tier 1 Capital to Risk Weighted Assets ratio of at least 8.0%; (iii) a Total Capital to Risk Weighted Assets ratio of at least 10.0%; and (iv) a Leverage Ratio of at least 5.0%. NBB exceeded the thresholds to be considered well capitalized as of December 31, 2022.

Pursuant to the EGRRCPA, regulators have provided for an optional, simplified measure of capital adequacy, the CBLR framework, for qualifying community banking organizations with consolidated assets of less than $10 billion. Banks that qualify, including NBB, may opt in to the CBLR framework. The CBLR framework eliminates the requirement to comply with capital ratios disclosed above and, instead, requires the disclosure of a single leverage ratio, with a minimum requirement of 9%. The Bank has not opted in to the CBLR framework at this time.

In December 2017, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision published standards that it described as the finalization of the Basel III post-crisis regulatory reforms (the standards are commonly referred to as “Basel IV”). Among other things, these standards revise the standardized approach for credit risk (including by recalibrating risk weights and introducing new capital requirements for certain “unconditionally cancellable commitments,” such as unused credit card lines of credit) and provide a new standardized approach for operational risk capital. Under the current capital rules, operational risk capital requirements and a capital floor apply only to “advanced approaches” institutions, and not to the Company or the Bank. The impact of Basel IV on the Company and the Bank will depend on the manner in which it is implemented by the federal bank regulatory agencies.

Limits on Dividend Payments. A significant portion of NBI’s income is derived from dividends paid by NBB. As a national bank, NBB may not pay dividends from its capital, and it may not pay dividends if the bank would become undercapitalized, as defined by regulation, after paying the dividend. Without prior OCC approval, NBB’s dividend payments in any calendar year are restricted to the bank’s retained net income for that year, as that term is defined by the laws and regulations, combined with retained net income from the preceding two years, less any required transfer to surplus.

The OCC and FDIC have authority to limit dividends paid by NBB if the payments are determined to be an unsafe and unsound banking practice. Any payment of dividends that depletes the bank’s capital base could be deemed to be an unsafe and unsound banking practice.

Branching. As a national bank, NBB is required to comply with the state branch banking laws of Virginia, the state in which the main office of the bank is located. NBB must also have the prior approval of the OCC to establish a branch or acquire an existing banking operation. Under Virginia law, NBB may open branch offices or acquire existing banks or bank branches anywhere in the state. Virginia law also permits banks domiciled in the state to establish a branch or to acquire an existing bank or branch in another state. The Dodd-Frank Act permits the OCC to approve applications by national banks like NBB to establish de novo branches in any state in which a bank located in that state is permitted to establish a branch.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. NBB is subject to rules and regulations that, among other things, establish standards for mortgage loan origination, prohibit discrimination, provide for inspections and appraisals of property, require credit reports on prospective borrowers, in some cases restrict certain loan features and fix maximum interest rates and fees, require the disclosure of certain basic information to mortgagors concerning credit and settlement costs, limit payment for settlement services to the reasonable value of the services rendered and require the maintenance and disclosure of information regarding the disposition of mortgage applications based on race, gender, geographical distribution and income level. NBB is also subject to rules and regulations that require the collection and reporting of significant amounts of information with respect to mortgage loans and borrowers. NBB’s mortgage origination activities are subject to the Federal Reserve’s Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act. Certain provisions of Regulation Z require creditors to make a reasonable and good faith determination based on verified and documented information that a consumer applying for a mortgage loan has a reasonable ability to repay the loan according to its terms.

Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Regulations. The Company is subject to several federal laws that are designed to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and transactions with persons, companies or foreign governments designated by U.S. authorities (“AML laws”). This category of laws includes the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020.

The AML laws and their implementing regulations require insured depository institutions, broker-dealers, and certain other financial institutions to have policies, procedures, and controls to detect, prevent, and report money laundering and terrorist financing. The AML laws and their regulations also provide for information sharing, subject to conditions, between federal law enforcement agencies and financial institutions, as well as among financial institutions, for counter-terrorism purposes. Federal banking regulators are required, when reviewing bank holding company acquisition and bank merger applications, to take into account the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering activities of the applicants. To comply with these obligations, the Company has implemented appropriate internal practices, procedures, and controls.

Office of Foreign Assets Control. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) is responsible for administering and enforcing economic and trade sanctions against specified foreign parties, including countries and regimes, foreign individuals and other foreign organizations and entities. OFAC publishes lists of prohibited parties that are regularly consulted by the Company in the conduct of its business in order to assure compliance. The Company is responsible for, among other things, blocking accounts of, and transactions with, prohibited parties identified by OFAC, avoiding unlicensed trade and financial transactions with such parties and reporting blocked transactions after their occurrence. Failure to comply with OFAC requirements could have serious legal, financial and reputational consequences for the Company.

Incentive Compensation. In June 2010, the federal bank regulatory agencies issued comprehensive final guidance on incentive compensation policies intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of financial institutions do not undermine the safety and soundness of such institutions by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The Interagency Guidance on Sound Incentive Compensation Policies, which covers all employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of a financial institutions, either individually or as part of a group, is based upon the key principles that a financial institution’s incentive compensation arrangements should (i) provide incentives that do not encourage risk-taking beyond the institution’s ability to effectively identify and manage risks, (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management, and (iii) be supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the financial institution’s board of directors.

Section 956 of the Dodd-Frank Act requires the federal banking agencies and the Securities and Exchange Commission to establish joint regulations or guidelines prohibiting incentive-based payment arrangements at specified regulated entities that encourage inappropriate risk-taking by providing an executive officer, employee, director or principal shareholder with excessive compensation, fees, or benefits or that could lead to material financial loss to the entity. The federal banking agencies issued such proposed rules in March 2011 and issued a revised proposed rule in June 2016 implementing the requirements and prohibitions set forth in Section 956. The revised proposed rule would apply to all banks, among other institutions, with at least $1 billion in average total consolidated assets for which it would go beyond the existing Interagency Guidance on Sound Incentive Compensation Policies to (i) prohibit certain types and features of incentive-based compensation arrangements for senior executive officers, (ii) require incentive-based compensation arrangements to adhere to certain basic principles to avoid a presumption of encouraging inappropriate risk, (iii) require appropriate board or committee oversight, (iv) establish minimum recordkeeping, and (v) mandate disclosures to the appropriate federal banking agency.

The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of financial institutions, such as the Company, that are not “large, complex banking organizations.” These reviews will be tailored to each financial institution based on the scope and complexity of the institution’s activities and the prevalence of incentive compensation arrangements. The findings of the supervisory initiatives will be included in reports of examination. Deficiencies will be incorporated into the institution’s supervisory ratings, which can affect the institution’s ability to make acquisitions and take other actions. Enforcement actions may be taken against a financial institution if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the institution’s safety and soundness and the financial institution is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had not been made aware of any instances of non-compliance with the final guidance. 

In October 2022, the SEC adopted a final rule directing national securities exchanges and associations, including The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC, the exchange on which our common stock is listed, to implement listing standards that require listed companies to adopt policies mandating the recovery or “clawback” of excess incentive compensation earned by a current or former executive officer during the three fiscal years preceding the date the listed company is required to prepare an accounting restatement, including to correct an error that would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period or left uncorrected in the current period. In February 2023, The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC posted its initial rule filing with the SEC to implement this directive. The final rule will require us to adopt a clawback policy that is compliant with the new listing standard within 60 days after such standard becomes effective.

Cybersecurity. In March 2015, federal regulators issued two related statements regarding cybersecurity. One statement indicates that financial institutions should design multiple layers of security controls to establish lines of defense and to ensure that their risk management processes also address the risk posed by compromised customer credentials, including security measures to reliably authenticate customers accessing internet-based services of the financial institution. The other statement indicates that a financial institution’s management is expected to maintain sufficient business continuity planning processes to ensure the rapid recovery, resumption and maintenance of the institution’s operations after a cyber-attack involving destructive malware. A financial institution is also expected to develop appropriate processes to enable recovery of data and business operations and address rebuilding network capabilities and restoring data if the institution or its critical service providers fall victim to this type of cyber-attack. If the Company fails to observe the regulatory guidance, it could be subject to various regulatory sanctions, including financial penalties.

On November 18, 2021, the federal bank regulatory agencies issued a final rule, effective April 1, 2022, imposing new notification requirements for cybersecurity incidents. The rule requires financial institutions to notify their primary federal regulator as soon as possible and no later than 36 hours after the institution determines that a cybersecurity incident has occurred that has materially disrupted or degraded, or is reasonably likely to materially disrupt or degrade, the institution’s: (i) ability to carry out banking operations, activities, or processes, or deliver banking products and services to a material portion of its customer base, in the ordinary course of business, (ii) business line(s), including associated operations, services, functions, and support, that upon failure would result in a material loss of revenue, profit, or franchise value, or (iii) operations, including associated services, functions and support, as applicable, the failure or discontinuance of which would pose a threat to the financial stability of the United States.

In March 2022, the SEC proposed rules that would require disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents, as well as cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance.

The Company’s systems and those of its customers and third-party service providers are under constant threat. Risks and exposures related to cybersecurity attacks are expected to remain high for the foreseeable future due to the rapidly evolving nature and sophistication of these threats, as well as due to the expanding use of Internet banking, mobile banking and other technology-based products and services by the Company and its customers.

Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and Consolidated Appropriations Act (the “CARES Act”). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARES Act was signed into law on March 27, 2020 and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (“CAA”) was signed into law on December 27, 2020. Among other things, the CARES Act created, and the CAA extended, the Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). Under the PPP, money was authorized for small business loans to pay payroll and group health costs, salaries and commissions, mortgage and rent payments, utilities, and interest on other debt. The loans were provided through participating financial institutions, such as the Bank, that processed loan applications and service the loans.

Monetary Policy

The monetary and interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve, as well as general economic conditions, affect the business and earnings of NBI. NBB and other banks are particularly sensitive to interest rate fluctuations. The spread between the interest paid on deposits and that which is charged on loans is the most important component of the bank’s earnings. In addition, interest earned on investments held by NBI and NBB has a significant effect on earnings. U.S. fiscal policy, including deficits requiring increased governmental borrowing also can affect interest rates. As conditions change in the national and international economy and in the money markets, the Federal Reserve’s actions, particularly with regard to interest rates, and the effects of fiscal policies can impact loan demand, deposit levels and earnings at NBB. It is not possible to accurately predict the effects on NBI of economic and interest rate changes.

Other Legislative and Regulatory Concerns

Federal and state laws and regulations are regularly proposed that could affect the regulation of financial institutions. New, revised or rescinded regulations could add to the regulatory burden on banks and other financial service providers and increase the costs of compliance, or they could change the products that can be offered and the manner in which financial institutions do business. We cannot foresee how regulation of financial institutions may change in the future and how those changes might affect NBI.

Company Website

NBI maintains a website at www.nationalbankshares.com. The Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all amendments to those reports are made available on its website as soon as is practical after the material is electronically filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The Company’s proxy materials for the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders are also posted on a separate website at www.investorvote.com/NKSH. Access through the Company’s websites to the Company’s filings is free of charge. The SEC maintains an internet site (http://www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy, and information statements, and other information the Company files electronically with the SEC.

Executive Officers of the Company

The following is a list of names and ages of all executive officers of the Company; their terms of office as officers; the positions and offices within the Company held by each officer; and each person’s principal occupation or employment during the past five years.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

CREDIT RISK

Focus on lending to small to mid-sized community-based businesses may increase our credit risk.

Most of the Company’s commercial business and commercial real estate loans are made to small business or middle market customers. These businesses generally have fewer financial resources in terms of capital or borrowing capacity than larger entities and have a heightened vulnerability to economic conditions. If general economic conditions in the market areas in which the Company operates negatively impact this important customer sector, the Company’s results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.  Moreover, a portion of these loans have been made by the Company in recent years and the borrowers may not have experienced a complete business or economic cycle since becoming borrowers of the Bank. The deterioration of the borrowers’ businesses may hinder their ability to repay their loans with the Company, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

The allowance for loan losses may not be adequate to cover actual losses.

In accordance with GAAP, an allowance for loan losses is maintained to provide for probable loan losses. The allowance for loan losses may not be adequate to cover actual credit losses, and future provisions for credit losses could materially and adversely affect operating results.  The allowance for loan losses is based on prior experience as well as an evaluation of risks in the current portfolio. The amount of future losses is susceptible to changes in economic, operating, and other outside forces and conditions, including changes in interest rates, all of which are beyond the Company’s control; and these losses may exceed current estimates. Federal regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, review the Company’s loans and allowance for loan losses. The Company also outsources independent loan review. While management believes that the allowance for loan losses is adequate to cover current probable losses, it cannot make assurances that it will not further increase the allowance for loan losses or that regulators will not require it to increase this allowance. Either occurrence could adversely affect earnings.

The allowance for loan losses requires management to make significant estimates that affect the consolidated financial statements. Due to the inherent nature of these estimates, management cannot provide assurance that it will not significantly increase the allowance for loan losses, which could materially and adversely affect earnings.

A decline in the condition of the local real estate market could negatively affect our business.

The Company offers a variety of secured loans, including commercial lines of credit, commercial term loans, real estate, construction, residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, consumer and other loans. Many of these loans are secured by real estate (both residential and commercial). As of December 31, 2022, 83.6% of all loans were secured by mortgages on real property. Substantially all of the Company’s real property collateral is located in its market area. If there is a decline in real estate values, especially in the Company’s market area, the collateral for loans would deteriorate and provide significantly less security to the Company. In the event the Company forecloses on a loan that is collateralized with property having reduced market value, the Company may suffer a recovery loss.

The Bank has a moderate concentration of credit exposure in commercial real estate, and loans with this type of collateral are viewed as having more risk of default.

As of December 31, 2022, the Bank had approximately $437,888 in loans secured by commercial real estate, representing approximately 51.3% of total loans outstanding at that date. The real estate consists primarily of multi-family housing, non-owner-operated properties and other commercial properties. These types of loans are generally viewed as having more risk of default than residential real estate loans. They are also typically larger than residential real estate loans and consumer loans and depend on cash flows from the owner’s business or the rental of the property to service the debt. Cash flows may be affected significantly by general economic conditions, and a downturn in the local economy or in occupancy rates in the local economy where the property is located could increase the likelihood of default. Because the Bank’s loan portfolio contains a number of commercial real estate loans with relatively large balances, the deterioration of one or a few of these loans could cause a significant increase in the percentage of non-performing loans. An increase in non-performing loans could result in a loss of earnings from these loans, an increase in the provision for loan losses and an increase in charge-offs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition.

Nonperforming assets take significant time to resolve and adversely affect the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.

The Company’s nonperforming assets adversely affect its net income in various ways. The Company does not record interest income on nonaccrual loans, which adversely affects its income and increases credit administration costs. When the Company receives collateral through foreclosures and similar proceedings, it is required to mark the related asset to the then fair market value of the collateral less estimated selling costs, which may, and often does, result in a loss. An increase in the level of nonperforming assets also increases the Company’s risk profile and may impact the capital levels regulators believe are appropriate in light of such risks. The Company utilizes various techniques such as workouts and restructurings to manage problem assets. Increases in or negative adjustments in the value of these problem assets, the underlying collateral, or in the borrowers’ performance or financial condition, could adversely affect the Company’s business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, the resolution of nonperforming assets requires significant commitments of time from management and staff, which can be detrimental to the performance of their other responsibilities, including generation of new loans. There can be no assurance that the Company will avoid increases in nonperforming loans in the future.

The Company relies upon independent appraisals to determine the value of the real estate which secures a significant portion of its loans, and the values indicated by such appraisals may not be realizable if the Company is forced to foreclose upon such loans.

A significant portion of the Company’s loan portfolio consists of loans secured by real estate. The Company relies upon independent appraisers to estimate the value of such real estate. Appraisals are only estimates of value and the independent appraisers may make mistakes of fact or judgment which adversely affect the reliability of their appraisals. In addition, events occurring after the initial appraisal may cause the value of the real estate to increase or decrease.  As a result of any of these factors, the real estate securing some of the Company’s loans may be more or less valuable than anticipated at the time the loans were made. If a default occurs on a loan secured by real estate that is less valuable than originally estimated, the Company may not be able to recover the outstanding balance of the loan and will suffer a loss.

MARKET RISK

If competition increases, our business could suffer, which could result in loan losses and adversely affect the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

The financial services industry is highly competitive, with a number of commercial banks, credit unions, insurance companies, stockbrokers, financial technology companies and other nonbank financial service providers seeking to do business with our customers. If there is additional competition from new business or if our existing competitors focus more attention on our market, we could lose customers and our business could suffer.

Consumers may increasingly decide not to use the Bank to process their financial transactions, which would have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition and operations.

Technology and other changes are allowing parties to complete financial transactions through alternative methods that historically have involved banks. For example, consumers can now maintain funds that would have historically been held as bank deposits in brokerage accounts, mutual funds or general-purpose reloadable prepaid cards. Consumers can also complete transactions such as paying bills and/or transferring funds directly without the assistance of banks. The process of eliminating banks as intermediaries could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of customer deposits and the related income generated from those deposits. The loss of these revenue streams and the lower cost of deposits as a source of funds could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

Transition away from the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") to another benchmark rate could adversely affect operations.

The administrator of LIBOR announced that the most commonly used U.S. dollar LIBOR settings would cease to be published or cease to be representative after June 30, 2023. Management cannot predict whether or when LIBOR will actually cease to be available or what impact such a transition may have on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act, enacted in March 2022, provides a statutory framework to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate based on the Secured Overnight Funding Rate (“SOFR”) for contracts governed by U.S. law that have no or ineffective fallbacks. Although governmental authorities have endeavored to facilitate an orderly discontinuation of LIBOR, no assurance can be provided that this aim will be achieved or that the use, level, and volatility of LIBOR or other interest rates, or the value of LIBOR-based securities will not be adversely affected. There continues to be substantial uncertainty as to the ultimate effects of the LIBOR transition, including with respect to the acceptance and use of SOFR and other benchmark rates.

The Company has a small number of loans, purchased through participation with larger banks, with attributes that are either directly or indirectly dependent on LIBOR. Since proposed alternative rates are calculated differently, payments under contracts referencing new rates will differ from those referencing LIBOR. The transition from LIBOR could create additional cost and risk, with potential to adversely impact the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

INTEREST RATE RISK

When market interest rates change, our net interest income can be negatively affected in the short term.

The direction and speed of interest rate changes affect our net interest margin and net interest income. In the short term, rising interest rates may negatively affect our net interest income if our interest-bearing liabilities (generally deposits) reprice sooner than our interest-earning assets (generally loans). Falling interest rates may negatively affect our net interest income if our interest-earning assets reprice sooner than our interest-bearing liabilities.

LIQUIDITY RISK

The Company’s liquidity needs could adversely affect results of operations and financial condition.

The Company’s primary sources of funds are deposits and loan repayments. While scheduled loan repayments are a relatively stable source of funds, they are subject to the ability of borrowers to repay the loans. The ability of borrowers to repay loans can be adversely affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, changes in economic conditions, reductions in real estate values or markets, availability of, and/or access to, sources of refinancing, business closings or lay-offs, and natural disasters. Additionally, deposit levels may be affected by a number of factors, including, but not limited to, rates paid by competitors, general interest rate levels, regulatory capital requirements, returns available to customers on alternative investments and general economic conditions. Accordingly, the Company may be required from time to time to rely on secondary sources of liquidity to meet withdrawal demands or otherwise fund operations. Such sources include Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (“FHLB”) advances, sales of securities and loans, federal funds lines of credit from correspondent banks and borrowings from the Federal Reserve Discount Window, as well as additional out-of-market time deposits and brokered deposits. While the Company believes that these sources are currently adequate, there can be no assurance they will be sufficient to meet future liquidity demands, particularly if the Company continues to grow and experiences increasing loan demand. The Company may be required to slow or discontinue loan growth, capital expenditures or other investments or liquidate assets should such sources not be adequate.

CYBERSECURITY RISK

Our information systems may experience an interruption or security breach.

We rely heavily on communications and information systems to conduct our business. Any failure, interruption or breach in security of these systems could result in failures or disruptions of our internet banking, deposit, loan and other systems. While we have policies and procedures designed to prevent or limit the effect of the possible failure, interruption or security breach of our information systems, there can be no assurance that any such failure, interruption or security breach will not occur or, if it does occur, that it will be adequately addressed.

In the ordinary course of business, the Company collects and stores sensitive data, including proprietary business information and personally identifiable information of its customers and employees, in systems and on networks. The secure processing, maintenance and use of this information is critical to the Company’s operations and business strategy. The Company has invested in industry-accepted technologies, and annually reviews its processes and practices that are designed to protect its networks, computers and data from damage or unauthorized access. Despite these security measures, the Company’s computer systems experienced two cyber-intrusions, one in May 2016 and one in January 2017, in which certain customer information was compromised, but which did not cause interruption to the Company’s normal operations. No losses were incurred by customers. The Company has implemented additional security measures since the breaches.

A breach of any kind could compromise systems and the information stored there could be accessed, damaged or disclosed. The occurrence of any failure, interruption or security breach of our communications and information systems could damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability.

Cybersecurity attacks may disarm and/or bypass system safeguards that are used by us and our vendors and service providers, and allow unauthorized access and misappropriation of financial data and assets.

As a financial institution, we are vulnerable to and are the target of cybersecurity attacks that attempt to access our digital technology systems, disarm and/or bypass system safeguards, access customer data and ultimately increase the risk of economic and reputational loss.

The Company experienced two cyber-intrusions, one in May 2016 and one in January 2017, in which certain customer information was compromised. The Company has strengthened its multi-faceted approach to reduce the exposure of our systems to cyber-intrusions, enhance our defenses against hackers and protect customer accounts and information relevant to customer accounts from unauthorized access. These tools include digital technology safeguards, internal policies and procedures, and employee training.

The Company believes its cybersecurity risk management program reasonably addresses the risk from cybersecurity attacks. However, it is not possible to fully eliminate exposure. We may experience human error or have unknown susceptibilities that allow our systems to become victim to a highly-sophisticated cyber-attack. If hackers gain entry to our systems, they may disable other safeguards that limit loss, including limits on the number, amount and frequency of ATM withdrawals, as well as other loss-prevention or detection measures.

We also face risks related to cybersecurity attacks and security breaches in connection with the use, transmission and storage of sensitive information regarding us and our customers by various vendors and service providers. Some of these vendors and service providers have been the target of cybersecurity attacks or suffered security breaches, and because they use systems that we do not control or secure, future cyber-attacks or security breaches affecting any of these vendors and service providers could impact us through no fault of our own. In some cases, we may have exposure and suffer losses relating to these companies. Although we assess the security of our higher risk vendors and service providers, we cannot be sure that the information security protocols of all companies we do business with are sufficient to withstand cyber-attacks or other security breaches.

Insurance may not cover losses from cybersecurity attacks.

The Company has invested in insurance related to cybersecurity. Insurance policies are necessary to protect the Company from major losses but may be written in such a way as to limit the protection from certain risks, including cyber risks. If the insurance carrier denies coverage of losses, the Company may litigate. Because of policy technicalities, litigation may not result in a favorable outcome for the Company. Litigation will result in additional legal expense.

OPERATIONAL RISK

The Company is dependent on key personnel and the loss of one or more of those key personnel may materially and adversely affect the Company’s operations and prospects.

The Company currently depends on the services of a number of key management personnel. The loss of key personnel could materially and adversely affect the results of operations and financial condition. The Company’s success also depends in part on the ability to attract and retain additional qualified management personnel. Competition for such personnel is strong and the Company may not be successful in attracting or retaining the personnel it requires.

The Company relies on other companies to provide key components of the Company’s business infrastructure.

Third parties provide key components of the Company’s business operations such as data processing, recording and monitoring transactions, online banking interfaces and services, internet connections and network access. While the Company has selected these third party vendors carefully, it does not control their actions. Any problem caused by these third parties, including those resulting from disruptions in communication services provided by a vendor, failure of a vendor to handle current or higher volumes, failures of a vendor to provide services for any reason or poor performance of services, could adversely affect the Company’s ability to deliver products and services to its customers and otherwise conduct its business. Financial or operational difficulties of a third party vendor could also hurt the Company’s operations if those difficulties interface with the vendor’s ability to serve the Company.  Replacing these third party vendors could also create significant delay and expense and damage the Company’s ability to service its customers, resulting in a loss of customer goodwill. Accordingly, use of such third parties creates an unavoidable inherent risk to the Company’s business operations.

The Company’s ability to operate profitably may be dependent on its ability to integrate or introduce various technologies into its operations.

The market for financial services, including banking and consumer finance services, is increasingly affected by advances in technology, including developments in telecommunications, data processing, computers, automation, online banking and tele-banking. The Company’s ability to compete successfully in its market may depend on the extent to which it is able to exploit such technological changes. If the Company is not able to afford such technologies, properly or timely anticipate or implement such technologies, or effectively train its staff to use such technologies, its business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.

COMPLIANCE AND REGULATORY RISK

Additional laws and regulations, or revisions and rescission of existing laws and regulations, could lead to a significant increase in our regulatory burden.

Both federal and state governments could enact new laws and regulations affecting financial institutions that would further increase our regulatory burden and could negatively affect our profits. Likewise, revisions or rescission of existing laws and regulations already implemented may result in additional compliance costs, at least in the short term or, if done imprudently, could ultimately create economic risks negatively affecting our revenues.

Intense oversight by regulators could result in stricter requirements and higher overhead costs.

Regulators for the Company and the Bank are tasked with ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Laws and regulations are subject to a degree of interpretation. If financial industry regulators take more extreme interpretations, the Company’s earnings could be adversely impacted.

Regulatory capital standards may have an adverse effect on the Company’s profitability, lending, and ability to pay dividends.

The Company is subject to capital adequacy guidelines and other regulatory requirements specifying minimum amounts and types of capital that the Company and the Bank must maintain. From time to time, regulators implement changes to these regulatory capital adequacy guidelines. If the Company fails to meet these minimum capital guidelines and/or other regulatory requirements, its financial condition would be materially and adversely affected. The Basel III Capital Rules require bank holding companies and their subsidiaries to maintain significantly more capital as a result of higher required capital levels and more demanding regulatory capital risk weightings and calculations. While the Company is exempt from these capital requirements under the Statement, the Bank is not exempt and must comply. The Bank must also comply with the capital requirements set forth in the “prompt corrective action” regulations pursuant to Section 38 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended. Satisfying capital requirements may require the Company to limit its banking operations, retain net income or reduce dividends to improve regulatory capital levels, which could negatively affect its business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in accounting standards could impact reported earnings. 

The authorities who promulgate accounting standards, including the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), SEC, and other regulatory authorities, periodically change the financial accounting and reporting standards that govern the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements. These changes are difficult to predict and can materially impact how the Company records and reports its financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, the Company could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in the restatement of consolidated financial statements for prior periods. Such changes could also require the Company to incur additional personnel or technology costs. Notably, guidance issued in June 2016 requires a change in the calculation of credit reserves from using an incurred loss model to using the current expected credit losses model (“CECL”), effective January 1, 2023. To implement the standard, the Company incurred costs related to documentation, technology, training and increased audit expenses to validate the model. Adoption increased our credit reserves and reduced capital.  Post adoption, other impacts to profit and loss and various financial metrics will also result.

The Company’s ability to pay dividends depends upon the results of operations of its subsidiaries. 

The Company is a financial holding company and a bank holding company that conducts substantially all of its operations through NBB. As a result, the Company’s ability to make dividend payments on its common stock depends primarily on certain federal regulatory considerations and the receipt of dividends and other distributions from NBB. There are various regulatory restrictions on the ability of NBB to pay dividends or make other payments to the Company. Although the Company has historically paid a cash dividend to the holders of its common stock, holders of the common stock are not entitled to receive dividends, and regulatory or economic factors may cause the Company’s Board of Directors to consider, among other things, the reduction of dividends paid on the Company’s common stock.

Climate change and related legislative and regulatory initiatives may result in operational changes and expenditures that could significantly impact the Company’s business.

The current and anticipated effects of climate change are creating an increasing level of concern for the state of the global environment. As a result, political and social attention to the issue of climate change has increased. Federal and state legislatures and regulatory agencies have continued to propose and advance numerous legislative and regulatory initiatives seeking to mitigate the effects of climate change. The federal banking agencies, including the OCC, have emphasized that climate-related risks are faced by banking organizations of all types and sizes and are in the process of enhancing supervisory expectations regarding banks’ risk management practices. In December 2021, the OCC published proposed principles for climate risk management by banking organizations with more than $100 billion in assets. The OCC also has appointed its first ever Climate Change Risk Officer and established an internal climate risk implementation committee in order to assist with these initiatives and to support the agency’s efforts to enhance its supervision of climate change risk management. Similar and even more expansive initiatives are expected, including potentially increasing supervisory expectations with respect to banks’ risk management practices, accounting for the effects of climate change in stress testing scenarios and systemic risk assessments, revising expectations for credit portfolio concentrations based on climate-related factors and encouraging investment by banks in climate-related initiatives and lending to communities disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change.  To the extent that these initiatives lead to the promulgation of new regulations or supervisory guidance applicable to the Company, the Company would likely experience increased compliance costs and other compliance-related risks.

LEGAL RISK

The Company is subject to claims and litigation pertaining to fiduciary responsibility. 

From time to time, customers make claims and take legal action pertaining to the performance of the Company’s fiduciary responsibilities. Whether customer claims and legal action related to the performance of the Company’s fiduciary responsibilities are founded or unfounded, if such claims and legal actions are not resolved in a manner favorable to the Company, they may result in significant financial liability and/or adversely affect the market perception of the Company and its products and services, as well as impact customer demand for those products and services. Any financial liability or reputation damage could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

GENERAL RISK

We are subject to risks associated with proxy contests and other actions of activist shareholders.

In connection with the Company’s 2023 annual meeting of shareholders, Driver Management Company LLC (“Driver”) has nominated two candidates for election to the Company’s Board of Directors in opposition to two of the four nominees recommended by the Board of Directors. Driver filed preliminary proxy materials in support of its nominees on February 3, 2023. The Company’s aggregate expenses related to this proxy contest in excess of those normally spent for an annual meeting, and excluding salaries and wages of its regular employees and officers that have devoted time working on the proxy contest, are expected to be approximately $560. In addition, Driver has indicated that, if it is successful in its proxy solicitation, Driver intends to seek reimbursement from the Company for the expenses Driver incurs.

The proxy contest, or related activities on the part of Driver or another shareholder, may adversely affect our business for a number of reasons, including, without limitation, the following:

Changes in funding for local universities could materially affect our business.

Two major employers in the Company’s market area are Virginia Tech and Radford University, both state-supported institutions. If federal or state support for public colleges and universities wanes, our business may be adversely affected from declines in university programs, capital projects, employment, enrollment, sporting and cultural events, and other related factors.

If the economy suffers a recession, our credit risk will increase and there could be greater loan losses.

If the economy suffers a recession, it is likely to result in a higher rate of business closures and increased job losses in the region in which we do business. These factors would increase the likelihood that more of our customers would become delinquent or default on their loans. A higher level of loan defaults could result in higher loan losses, which could adversely affect our result of operations and financial condition.

Political, economic and social risks in the U.S. and the rest of the world could negatively affect the financial markets.

Political, economic and social risks in the U.S. and the rest of the world could affect financial markets and affect fiscal policy, which could negatively affect our investment portfolio and earnings.

While the Company’s common stock is currently traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market, it has less liquidity than stocks for larger companies quoted on a national securities exchange. 

The trading volume in the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market has been relatively low when compared with larger companies listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market or other stock exchanges. There is no assurance that a more active and liquid trading market for the common stock will exist in the future. Consequently, stockholders may not be able to sell a substantial number of shares for the same price at which stockholders could sell a smaller number of shares. In addition, the Company cannot predict the effect, if any, that future sales of its common stock in the market, or the availability of shares of common stock for sale in the market, will have on the market price of the common stock. Sales of substantial amounts of common stock in the market, or the potential for large amounts of sales in the market, could cause the price of the Company’s common stock to decline, or reduce the Company’s ability to raise capital through future sales of common stock.

Natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, the impact of public health issues and other adverse external events could detrimentally affect our financial condition and results of operations. 

Natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, the impact of public health issues and other adverse external events could have a significant negative impact on our ability to conduct business or upon third parties who perform operational services for us or our customers.  Such events also could affect the stability of our deposit base, impair the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans, impair the value of collateral securing loans, cause significant property damage, result in lost revenue or cause us to incur additional expenses.

Although the Company has business continuity plans and other safeguards in place, there is no assurance that such plans and safeguards will be effective. In the event of a natural disaster, acts of war or terrorism, public health issues or other adverse external events, our business, services, asset quality, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

The effects of widespread public health emergencies may negatively affect our local economies or disrupt our operations, which would have an adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

Widespread health emergencies, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, can disrupt our operations through their impact on our employees, customers and their businesses, and the communities in which we operate. Disruptions to our customers could result in increased risk of delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures and losses on our loans, negatively impact regional economic conditions, result in a decline in local loan demand, loan originations and deposit availability and negatively impact the implementation of our growth strategy. Any one or more of these developments could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures intended to reduce the spread of the virus could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operations.

Global health and economic concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and government actions taken to reduce the spread of the virus have significantly disrupted the macroeconomic environment in the United States. Although the domestic and global economies have begun to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic as many health and safety restrictions have been lifted and vaccine distribution has increased, certain adverse consequences of the pandemic continue to impact the macroeconomic environment and may persist for some time, including labor shortages and disruptions of global supply chains.  The growth in economic activity and in the demand for goods and services, coupled with labor shortages and supply chain disruptions, has also contributed to rising inflationary pressures and the risk of recession.  Further, the COVID-19 pandemic could have long-lasting impacts on consumer behavior and business practices, including on remote work and business travel.  The COVID-19 pandemic and related adverse economic consequences could cause adverse effects on the Company due to a number of operational factors impacting it or its customers or business partners, including but not limited to:

The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic consequences impact our business, liquidity, financial condition, and operations will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and are difficult to predict, including, but not limited to, if and when the virus can be fully controlled and abated and the extent of its lasting impacts on economic and operating conditions. The impact of the removal of most pandemic related economic stimulus programs is also unknown.  To the extent any of the foregoing risks or other factors that develop as a result of COVID-19 and related economic consequences materialize, it could exacerbate the other risk factors discussed in this section, or otherwise materially and adversely affect our business, liquidity, financial condition, and results of operations.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

There are no unresolved staff comments.

Item 2. Properties

NBB owns and has a branch bank in NBI’s headquarters building located at 101 Hubbard Street, Blacksburg, Virginia. NBB’s main office is at 100 South Main Street, Blacksburg, Virginia. NBB owns an additional eighteen branch offices and a private office location for support functions and it leases four branch locations and three loan production offices. As of December 31, 2022, there were no mortgages or liens against any properties. We believe that existing facilities are adequate for current needs and to meet anticipated growth. A list of all branch and ATM locations is available on our website at www.nbbank.com. Information contained on our website is not part of this report. For additional information, please see Note 6 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

NBI, NBB, and NBFS are not currently involved in any material pending legal proceedings. There are no legal proceedings against the Company related to cybersecurity.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.         

Part II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Common Stock Information and Dividends

NBI’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “NKSH.” As of December 31, 2022, there were 549 record stockholders of NBI common stock.

NBI’s primary source of funds for dividend payments is dividends from its bank subsidiary, NBB. Bank dividend payments are restricted by regulators, as more fully disclosed in “Regulation, Supervision and Government Policy” contained in Part I, Item 1, “Business” and Note 10 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Form 10-K.

In May 2022, NBI’s Board of Directors approved the repurchase of up to 250,000 shares of the Company’s common stock. The authorization extends from June 1, 2022 to May 31, 2023. During 2022, the Company repurchased 174,250 shares, of which 73,793 shares were repurchased under a prior repurchase plan in effect from June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2022 and 100,457 shares were repurchased under the plan that became effective June 1, 2022. The Company may yet repurchase 149,543 shares under the program. The Company’s share repurchase program does not obligate it to acquire any specific number of shares or any shares at all. During 2021, the Company repurchased 368,083 shares under prior repurchase authorizations.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer

Share repurchase activity during the fourth quarter of 2022 was as follows:

Item 6. [Reserved]

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

$ in thousands, except per share data.

The purpose of this discussion and analysis is to provide information about the results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and capital resources of the Company. The discussion should be read in conjunction with the material presented in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Form 10-K.

Subsequent events have been considered through the date of this Form 10-K.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

We make forward-looking statements in this Form 10-K that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.  These forward-looking statements include statements regarding our profitability, liquidity, allowance for loan losses, interest rate sensitivity, market risk, growth strategy, and financial and other goals, and are based upon our management’s views and assumptions as of the date of this report.  The words “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “intends,” or other similar words or terms are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are based upon or are affected by factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from historical results or from any results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, effects of or changes in:

These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this report. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on those statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. This discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the description of our “Risk Factors” in Item 1A. of this Form 10-K.

Cybersecurity

The Company considers cybersecurity risk to be one of the greatest risks to its business. We have deployed a multi-faceted approach to limit the risk and impact of unauthorized access to customer accounts and to information relevant to customer accounts. We use digital technology safeguards, internal policies and procedures, and employee training to reduce the exposure of our systems to cyber-intrusions. The Company also requires assurances from key vendors regarding their cybersecurity.

We control functionalities of online and mobile banking to reduce risk. We do not offer online account openings or loan originations. We do not permit customers to submit address changes through online banking, and we limit the dollar amount of online banking transfers to other banks. We require a special vetting process for commercial customers who wish to originate ACH transfers and for customers who submit wire requests through online banking.          

Further, the Company has a program to identify, mitigate and manage its cybersecurity risks.  The program includes penetration testing and vulnerability assessment, technological defenses such as antivirus software, patch management, firewall management, email and web protections, an intrusion prevention system, a cybersecurity insurance policy which covers some but not all losses arising from cybersecurity breaches, as well as ongoing employee training.  The cost of these measures was $418 for 2022 and $357 for 2021. These costs are included in various categories of noninterest expense.

However, it is not possible to fully eliminate exposure. The potential for financial and reputational losses due to cyber-breaches is increased by the possibility of human error, unknown system susceptibilities, and the rising sophistication of cyber-criminals to attack systems, disable safeguards and gain access to accounts and related information. We maintain insurance for these risks but insurance policies are subject to exceptions, exclusions and terms whose applications have not been widely interpreted in litigation. Accordingly, insurance can provide less than complete protection against the losses that result from cybersecurity breaches and pursuing recovery from insurers can result in significant expense. In addition, some risks such as reputational damage and loss of customer goodwill, which can result from cybersecurity breaches, cannot be insured against.

Critical Accounting Policies

The Company’s consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The financial information contained within our statements is, to a significant extent, based on measures of the financial effects of transactions and events that have already occurred. A variety of factors could affect the ultimate value obtained when earning income, recognizing an expense, recovering an asset or relieving a liability. Although the economics of the Company’s transactions may not change, the timing of events that would impact the transactions could change.

Critical accounting policies are most important to the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition or results of operations and require management’s most difficult, subjective, and complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain.  If conditions occur that differ from our assumptions, depending upon the severity of such differences, the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may be materially impacted.  The Company has designated three policies as critical, including those governing the allowance for loan losses, goodwill and the pension plan. The Company evaluates its critical accounting estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis and updates them as needed. Please refer to Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information on these and other accounting policies.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company prepares financial information in accordance with GAAP, with the exception of certain financial measures which are computed under a basis other than GAAP (“non-GAAP”). These measures include the efficiency ratio, the net interest margin and the noninterest margin. Management believes such financial information is meaningful to the reader in understanding operating performance, but cautions that such information not be viewed as a substitute for GAAP.

Net Interest Margin

The Company uses the net interest margin to measure profit on interest generating activities, as a percentage of total interest-earning assets. The net interest margin is calculated by dividing fully taxable equivalent (“FTE”) net interest income by total average interest-earning assets. FTE net interest income is non-GAAP because it incorporates the tax benefit of interest income on loans and securities that is not subject to federal tax. The tax rate utilized in calculating the tax benefit is 21%. The reconciliation of FTE net interest income, which is not a measurement under GAAP, to net interest income, is reflected in the table below.

Efficiency Ratio

The efficiency ratio is computed by dividing noninterest expense by the sum of FTE net interest income and noninterest income, excluding certain items management deems unusual or non-recurring. This is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Company believes provides investors with important information regarding operational efficiency. The components of the efficiency ratio calculation are summarized in the following table.

Performance Summary

The following table presents summary income and expenses for the years indicated:

Net income in 2022 benefitted from expansion in net interest income and from the sale of a private equity investment, reflected in noninterest income. Key performance ratios provide a summary of the Company’s results and allow comparison with results from prior years. The following table presents NBI’s key performance ratios for the years indicated:

Change in Key Balances

Key balances are shown in the following table:

Loans, net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs and the allowance for loan losses, grew when December 31, 2022 is compared with December 31, 2021 due to customer demand in the Company’s primary markets.  During 2022, the Company expanded its lending footprint, opening two new loan production offices in Charlottesville and Staunton, Virginia.

Securities available for sale are reported at fair value, which moves inversely to interest rate changes.  The Federal Reserve increased interest rates substantially during 2022, causing a decline in securities fair value when December 31, 2022 is compared with December 31, 2021.

Customer deposits increased when December 31, 2022 is compared with December 31, 2021, in all categories except for time deposits.  Time deposit offering rates were set strategically low during 2022. During the fourth quarter of 2022, deposits decreased from the third quarter of 2022 due to competitive pressure.

When December 31, 2022 is compared with December 31, 2021, the decrease in total assets and in stockholders’ equity is primarily due to a decline in the market value of securities.

Asset Quality

Key indicators of NBI’s asset quality are presented in the following table:

The Company monitors asset quality indicators in managing credit risk and in determining the allowance and provision for loan losses. As of December 31, 2022, nonperforming loans, other real estate owned ("OREO"), and loans past due 90 days or more improved when compared with levels as of December 31, 2021. The net charge-off ratio decreased from 2021 to 2022.

The Company believes that sufficient resources have been dedicated to working out problem assets, and exposure to loss is somewhat mitigated because most of the nonperforming loans are collateralized. More information about nonaccrual and past due loans is provided in Note 1 and Note 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The Company continues to carefully monitor risk levels within the loan portfolio.

Income Statement

The following provides information on the results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

Net Interest Income

The Company’s primary source of revenue is net interest income, which is the difference between the interest and fees earned on loans and investments and the interest paid on customer deposits and other interest-bearing liabilities. Net interest income is affected by various factors, including the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy, U.S. fiscal policy, competitive pressure, the level and composition of the interest-earning assets and the composition of interest-bearing liabilities. Changes in the Federal Reserve’s target interest rate immediately affect the yield on the Company’s interest-bearing deposits in correspondent banks and affect other interest-earning assets over time. The primary source of funds used to support the Company’s interest-earning assets is deposits. When the interest rate environment changes, the Company assesses competition for deposits in determining changes to its offering rates.

The net interest margin for the year ended December 31, 2022 improved when compared with the year ended December 31, 2021.  Federal Reserve rate increases during 2022 improved yields on interest-bearing deposits in correspondent banks and on adjustable-rate mortgage backed securities.  The yield on loans decreased during 2022,  due to PPP fees received in 2021, however the yield on loans originated or repriced after March of 2022 benefitted from the Federal Reserve rate increases.  High levels of customer deposits and low competition during 2022 allowed the Company to maintain low interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared with the year ended December 31, 2021.  During the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company experienced higher competition and pricing pressure on deposits, and expects this will continue into 2023.

The frequency and/or magnitude of future changes in market interest rates and legislative changes are difficult to predict and may have a greater short-term impact on net interest income than adjustments by management. Please refer to the section titled “Analysis of Changes In Interest Income and Interest Expense” for further information related to rate and volume changes.

Analysis of Net Interest Earnings

The following table shows the major categories of interest‑earning assets and interest‑bearing liabilities, the interest earned or paid, the average yield or rate on the daily average balance outstanding, net interest income and net yield on average interest‑earning assets for the years indicated.

The following table reconciles net interest income on an FTE basis to net interest income on a GAAP basis for the years indicated.

Analysis of Changes in Interest Income and Interest Expense

The following table sets forth, for the years indicated, a summary of the changes in interest income and interest expense resulting from changes in average asset and liability balances (volume) and changes in average interest rates (rate).

Total interest income increased when the year ended December 31, 2022 is compared with the year ended December 30, 2021, primarily due to volume.  Rate-related income on loans fell when the year ended December 31, 2022 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2021 due to PPP fees that were received during 2021.  However, increased volume offset much of the impact of lower income from rates. 

Federal Reserve interest rate increases in 2022 improved yield on interest-bearing deposits and yield on variable-rate and new taxable securities, when the year ended December 31, 2022 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2021. Higher volume in taxable securities also increased interest income. Income on nontaxable securities decreased when the year ended December 31, 2022 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2021, as higher-yielding nontaxable securities matured and were not replaced. 

Deposit volume increased interest expense that was mitigated by lower deposit offering rates, when the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are compared. 

The following table sets forth a summary of the changes in interest income and interest expense resulting from changes in average asset and liability balances (volume) and changes in average interest rates (rate), when the year ended December 31, 2021 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2020.

(1)   Taxable equivalent basis using a Federal income tax rate of 21%.

(2)   Variances caused by the change in rate multiplied by the change in volume have been allocated to rate and volume changes proportional to the relationship of the absolute dollar amounts of the change in each.

The low interest rate environment reduced interest income when the year ended December 31, 2021 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2020.  However, greater volume more than offset the impact of rates, resulting in a net increase in interest income. 

The Company’s reduced deposit offering rates saved $3,178 in interest expense, slightly offset by increased expense for higher volume when the year ended December 31, 2021 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2020.

Interest Rate Sensitivity

Interest rate risk is the risk to earnings or capital arising from movements in market interest rates. When interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities reprice at different times or in different degrees or when call options are exercised, in response to change in market interest rates, future net interest income is impacted. When interest-earning assets mature or re-price more quickly than interest-bearing liabilities, the balance sheet is considered “asset sensitive”. An asset sensitive position will produce relatively more net interest income when interest rates rise and less net interest income when rates decline. Conversely, when interest-bearing liabilities mature or re-price more quickly than interest-earning assets in a given period, the balance sheet is considered “liability sensitive”. A liability sensitive position will produce relatively more net interest income when interest rates fall and less net interest income when rates increase.

The Company considers interest rate risk to be a significant risk and manages its exposure through policies approved by its Asset Liability Committee ("ALCO") and Board of Directors. ALCO reviews periodic reports of the Company's interest rate risk position, including results of simulation analysis. Simulation analysis applies interest rate shocks, hypothetical immediate shifts in interest rates, to the Company’s financial instruments and determines the impact to projected one-year net interest income and other key measures.

The following table shows the results of rate shocks on net interest income projected for one year from the reporting date. For purposes of this analysis, noninterest income and expenses are assumed to be flat.

Results of the net interest income simulation as of December 31, 2022 indicate that the Company is liability sensitive, a change from the asset sensitive position as of December 31, 2021.  The simulation process requires certain estimates and assumptions including, but not limited to, asset growth, the mix of assets and liabilities, the interest rate environment and local and national economic conditions. Asset growth and the mix of assets can, to a degree, be influenced by management. Other areas, such as the interest rate environment and economic factors, cannot be controlled. In addition, competitive pressures can make it difficult to price deposits and loans in a manner that optimally minimizes interest rate risk. Actual results will differ from simulated results due to the timing, magnitude, and frequency of interest rate changes; changes in market conditions and customer behavior; and changes in management strategies.

While the asset/liability management program is designed to protect the Company over the long term, it does not provide near-term protection from interest rate shocks, as interest rate sensitive assets and liabilities do not by their nature move up or down in tandem in response to changes in the overall rate environment. The Company’s profitability in the near term may be temporarily negatively affected in a period of rapidly rising or rapidly falling rates, because it takes some time for the Company’s portfolio to reflect changes to offering rates in response to a new interest rate environment.

Provision for (Recovery of) Loan Loss

Provision for loan loss for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $706, compared with a recovery of $398 for the year ended December 31, 2021.  The ratio of the allowance for loan loss to total loans was 0.96% as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.  The provision for the year ended December 31, 2022 reflects loan portfolio growth and changes in factors detailed in “Balance Sheet – Loans – Allowance for Loan Losses” below.  The recovery in 2021 reflected improved economic indicators from those in 2020.  More information about the level and calculation methodology of the allowance for loan losses is provided in Notes 1 and 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Noninterest Income

The following table presents the Company’s noninterest income for the years indicated.

Service charges on deposit accounts increased when the year ended December 31, 2022 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to fees generated from increased customer use of the Bank’s overdraft program. Service charges on deposit accounts also include account maintenance fees, ATM fees and wire transfer fees.

Other service charges and fees increased due to higher volume of letters of credit and associated fees, when the year ended December 31, 2022 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2021. Other service charges and fees also include charges for official checks, income from the sale of checks to customers, safe deposit box rent, and income from commissions on the sale of credit life, accident and health insurance.

Increased transaction volume improved credit card fees when the year ended December 31, 2022 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2021. Credit card fees are presented net of certain processing expenses and are dependent on the volume of transactions.

Trust income increased when the year ended December 31, 2022 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2021. Trust fees are generated from a number of different types of accounts, including estates, personal trusts, employee benefit trusts, investment management accounts, attorney-in-fact accounts and guardianships. Trust income varies depending on the number and type of accounts under management and financial market conditions.

The Company purchased an additional $5,000 in bank-owned life insurance (“BOLI”) during 2021, contributing to increased income compared with 2021.

The Federal Reserve’s rate increases in 2022 slowed the level of consumer real estate purchase and refinance activity, decreasing the sale of mortgage loans when compared to 2021.

The Company held an ownership interest in Infinex Investments, Inc. (“Infinex”), through which NBFS provides investment services.  During the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company recognized a gain on the sale of its shares when Infinex was acquired by a larger holding company.  Infinex continues as a division of its new parent company and NBFS continues to work through Infinex to provide investment services .

Other income includes dividends and increases in the Company’s equity-method investments, which decreased when the year ended December 31, 2022 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2021. Other income also includes net gains from the sale of fixed assets and revenue from investment and insurance sales.

Noninterest Expense

The following table presents the Company’s noninterest expense for the years indicated.

Salaries and employee benefits expense, which includes payroll taxes, health insurance, contributions to the employee stock ownership plan and employee 401(k), pension expense, incentives and salary continuation increased when 2022 is compared with 2021, due to normal compensation and staffing decisions.

When the year ended December 31, 2022 is compared with the year ended December 31, 2021, occupancy, furniture and fixtures expense and data processing and ATM expense increased slightly, as did FDIC assessment expense. The FDIC assessment is accrued based on a method provided by the FDIC.

Net costs of OREO include write-downs, maintenance costs, and net gains or losses on the sale of OREO property. This expense category varies with the number of foreclosed properties owned by NBB and with the costs associated with each. During 2022, the Company wrote down a property by $295 to reflect reduction in list price taken as part of a marketing strategy. Other costs for these properties in 2022 were $30. In 2021, the Company recorded a loss on sale of $26 and other expenses of $25. 

Franchise tax expense increased when the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are compared. Franchise taxes are levied by the states in which NBB operates and are based upon NBB’s total equity at the prior year-end, adjusted for real estate taxes and certain other items.

The category of other operating expenses includes noninterest expense items such as professional services, stationery and supplies, telephone costs, non-service pension cost and charitable donations. Other operating expenses decreased when the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are compared, primarily due to a decrease of $597 in non-service pension cost. Non-service pension cost is determined by actuarial assumptions and projections. During 2022 and 2021, the calculations resulted in a credit to expense, due to the expected return on plan assets.  For more information on non-service pension cost, please refer to Note 8 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense for 2022 was $5,831 compared to $4,251 in 2021. The Company’s statutory tax rate was 21% for such years. The Company’s effective tax rates for 2022 and 2021 were 18.36% and 17.26%, respectively. The expected income tax expense based on the Company’s statutory tax rate differs from the actual income tax expense due to tax exempt income on municipal securities and loans. See Note 9 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information relating to income taxes.

Balance Sheet

The following provides information on the Company’s financial position as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

Loans

The Company’s loan categorization reflects its approach to loan portfolio management and includes six groups. Real estate construction loans include construction loans for residential and commercial properties, as well as land. Consumer real estate loans include conventional and junior lien mortgages, equity lines and investor-owned residential real estate. Commercial real estate loans are comprised of owner-occupied and leased nonfarm, nonresidential properties, multi-family residence loans and farmland. Commercial non real estate loans include agricultural loans, operating capital lines and loans secured by capital assets. Public sector and industrial development authority (“IDA”) loans are extended to municipalities. Consumer non-real estate loans include automobile loans, personal loans, credit cards and consumer overdrafts.

The following table presents maturities and interest rate sensitivities for total loans, loans with predetermined interest rates and loans with adjustable interest rates. Predetermined interest rates do not adjust throughout the life of the loan. Loans are presented on a gross basis.

In the ordinary course of business the Company modifies loan terms on a case-by-case basis, including consumer and commercial loans, for a variety of reasons. Modifications may include rate reductions, payment extensions of varying lengths of time, a change in amortization term or method or other arrangements. Payment extensions allow borrowers temporary payment relief and result in extending the original contractual maturity by the number of months for which the extension was granted. The Company may grant payment extensions to borrowers who have demonstrated a willingness and ability to repay their loan but who are experiencing consequences of a specific unforeseen temporary hardship. If the temporary event is not expected to impact a borrower’s ability to repay the debt, and if the Company expects to collect all amounts due including interest accrued at the contractual interest rate for the extension period at contractual maturity, the modification is not designated a TDR.

Modifications to consumer loans generally involve short-term payment extensions to accommodate specific, temporary circumstances. Modifications to commercial loans may include, but are not limited to, changes in interest rate, maturity, amortization and financial covenants. If the modified terms are consistent with competitive market conditions and representative of terms the borrower could otherwise obtain in the open market, the modified loan is not categorized as a TDR. The Company codes modifications to assist in identifying TDRs.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company provided modifications for competitive reasons to 840 loans totaling $120,241. During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company provided modifications for competitive reasons to 875 loans totaling $112,718. The modifications were not TDRs and were not related to COVID-19.

During 2021, the Company provided modifications to borrowers experiencing COVID-19 related hardship. The modification met criteria specified by the CARES Act, the CAA and regulatory guidance and were not designated TDR, including 37 payment extensions to loans totaling $16,426 and 8 amortizing loans granted temporary interest-only periods totaling $22,135. The Company followed its normal risk rating and nonaccrual designation procedures and did not automatically downgrade or designate as nonaccrual if the loan was modified for COVID-19 related difficulty.

Modifications are evaluated to determine whether they meet requirements for designation as TDR. Please refer to Notes 1 and 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information on designation of TDRs during the reporting periods and the effect of default on the allowance for loan losses. The Company’s TDRs, by delinquency status, are presented below:

The following table provides information about the allowance for loan losses, nonperforming assets and accruing loans past due 90 days or more:

 More information about the level and calculation methodology of the allowance for loan losses is provided in the sections “Allowance for Loan Losses” as well as Notes 1 and 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

The following tables show net charge-offs, average loan balance and the percentage of charge-offs to average loan balance for each of the Company’s loan segments at the end of each period. Average loans are presented net of unearned income and net deferred fees.

The Company charges off commercial real estate loans at the time that a loss is confirmed. When delinquency status or other information indicates that the borrower will not repay the loan, the Company considers collateral value based upon a current appraisal or internal evaluation. Any loan amount in excess of collateral value is charged off and the collateral is taken into OREO.

The Company’s risk analysis as of December 31, 2022 determined an allowance for loan losses of $8,225 or 0.96% of loans net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs. The allowance as of December 31, 2021 was $7,674 or 0.96% of loans net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs. To determine the appropriate level of the allowance for loan losses, the Company considers credit risk for certain loans designated as impaired and for non-impaired (“collectively evaluated”) loans.

Individually Evaluated Impaired Loans

Individually evaluated impaired loans decreased from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022, due to the payoff of one relationship. As of December 31, 2022 individually evaluated loans were $3,032 on a gross basis and $3,033 net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs. Individually evaluated impaired loans as of December 31, 2021 were $5,878 gross and $5,880 net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs. Measurement as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 did not result in specific allocations to the allowance for loan losses.

Collectively Evaluated Loans

Collectively evaluated loans totaled $850,161 gross and $849,711 net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs, with an allowance of $8,225 or 0.97% of collectively evaluated loans net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs as of December 31, 2022. As of December 31, 2021, collectively evaluated loans totaled $797,851 gross and $797,368 net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs, with an allowance of $7,674 or 0.96% of collectively evaluated loans net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs.

Collectively evaluated loans are divided into classes based upon risk characteristics. In order to calculate the allowance for collectively evaluated loans, the Company applies to each loan class a historical net charge-off rate for the class, adjusted for qualitative factors that influence credit risk. Qualitative factors evaluated for impact to credit risk include economic measures, asset quality indicators, loan characteristics, and changes to internal Company policies and management.

Net Charge-Offs

Increases in the net charge-off rate require the allowance for collectively evaluated loans to be increased, while decreases in the net charge-off rate require the allowance for collectively evaluated loans to be decreased. On a portfolio level, net charge-offs were $155 for the year ended December 31, 2022, or 0.02% of average loans. For the year ended December 31, 2021, net charge-offs were $409 or 0.05% of average loans. The 8-quarter average historical loss rate was 0.03% for the year ended December 31, 2022 and 0.05% for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Economic Factors

Economic factors influence credit risk and impact the allowance for loan loss. The Company sources economic data pertinent to its market from the most recently available publications, including unemployment, business and personal bankruptcy filings, the residential vacancy rate and the inventory of new and existing homes.

As of December 31, 2022, the unemployment rate for the Company’s market area was measured as of November 2022 and increased from the measurement available as of December 31, 2021, leading management to increase the allocation to the allowance for loan losses.

Business and personal bankruptcy filing data was available as of September 2022. Higher bankruptcy filings indicate heightened credit risk and increase the allowance for loan losses, while lower bankruptcy filings have a beneficial impact on credit risk. Compared with data available as of December 31, 2021, business bankruptcy filings slightly decreased and personal bankruptcy filings slightly increased.

Residential vacancy rates and housing inventory impact the Company’s residential construction customers and the consumer real estate market. Higher levels increase credit risk. The residential vacancy rate as of December 31, 2022 was measured as of the third quarter of 2022 and worsened slightly from the data incorporated into the December 31, 2021 calculation, resulting in a higher allocation. Housing inventory data was available as of December 31, 2022. The level was slightly higher than as of December 31, 2021, resulting in a higher allocation.

Economic factors in 2021 included an allocation for national unemployment filings. This factor was added early in the COVID-19 pandemic to capture risk that may not have been reflected by the Company’s standard economic indicators. By the beginning of 2022, national unemployment filings had returned to pre-pandemic levels for a sustained period and the Company removed the allocation.

Asset Quality Indicators

Asset quality indicators, including past due levels, nonaccrual levels and internal risk ratings, are evaluated at the class level. Loans past due and loans designated nonaccrual indicate heightened credit risk. Increases in past due and nonaccrual loans increase the required level of the allowance for loan losses and decreases in past due and nonaccrual loans reduce the required level of the allowance for loan losses.

Accruing loans past due 30-89 days were 0.16% of total loans net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs as of December 31, 2022, an increase from 0.12% as of December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2022, accruing loans past due 90 days were $8, compared with $90 or 0.01% of total loans, net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs as of December 31, 2021. Nonaccrual loans as a percentage of total loans net of unearned income and deferred fees and costs were 0.33% as of December 31, 2022 and 0.36% as of December 31, 2021.

Loans rated special mention and classified (together, “criticized assets”) indicate heightened credit risk. Higher levels of criticized assets increase the required level of the allowance for collectively evaluated loans, while lower levels of criticized assets reduce the required level of the allowance for collectively evaluated loans. There were no collectively evaluated loans rated special mention as of December 31, 2022, compared with $3,728 as of December 31, 2021, due to improvement in credit quality of a large relationship. Collectively evaluated loans rated classified were $1,393 as of December 31, 2022 and $1,064 as of December 31, 2021.

Other Factors

The Company considers other factors that impact credit risk, including the interest rate environment, the competitive, legal and regulatory environments, changes in lending policies and loan review, changes in management, and high risk loans.

The interest rate environment impacts variable rate loans. When interest rates increase, the payment on variable rate loans increases, which may increase credit risk. The Federal Reserve increased the target Fed Funds rate seven times, totaling 425 basis points during 2022, resulting in an increased allocation for December 31, 2022 compared with the allocation for December 31, 2021.

The competitive, legal and regulatory environments were evaluated for changes that would impact credit risk. Higher competition for loans may increase credit risk, while lower competition may decrease credit risk. Competition remained at a similar level to that as of December 31, 2021. The legal and regulatory environments remain in a similar posture to that as of December 31, 2021.

Lending policies, loan review procedures and management’s experience influence credit risk. During 2022, appraisal requirements on residential real estate changed, resulting in an increased allocation from December 31, 2021. Loan review procedures remained similar to those as of December 31, 2021 and no allocation was taken. The allocation for management experience declined from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022, due to the hiring of a seasoned Chief Credit Officer to replace the former Chief Credit Officer who left at the end of 2021.

Levels of high risk loans are considered in the determination of the level of the allowance for loan loss. A decrease in the level of high risk loans within a class decreases the required allocation for the loan class, and an increase in the level of high risk loans within a class increases the required allocation for the loan class. Total high risk loans decreased 7.67% from the level as of December 31, 2021.

Unallocated Surplus

The unallocated surplus as of December 31, 2022 was $179 or 2.23% in excess of the calculated requirement. The unallocated surplus as of December 31, 2021 was $361 or 4.94% in excess of the calculated requirement. The surplus provides some mitigation of current economic uncertainty that may impact credit risk.

Conclusion

The calculation of the appropriate level for the allowance for loan losses incorporates analysis of multiple factors and requires management’s prudent and informed judgment. The Company augmented the calculated requirement with an unallocated surplus. Based on analysis of historical indicators, asset quality and economic factors, management believes the level of allowance for loan losses is reasonable for the credit risk in the loan portfolio as of December 31, 2022.

Please refer to Note 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on collectively evaluated loans, individually evaluated impaired loans and the unallocated portion of the allowance for loan losses.

The allowance for loan losses has been allocated according to the amount deemed necessary to provide for anticipated losses within the categories of loans as of the dates indicated. Loans are presented net of unearned income and net deferred fees and costs.

An analysis of the allowance for loan losses by impairment basis follows. Loans are presented on a gross basis.

Please refer to the discussion under “Allowance for Loan Losses” for additional information on the determination of the allowance for loan loss.

Securities

The Company's securities are designated as available for sale and as such, are reported at fair value. The following table presents information on securities available for sale as of the dates indicated.

The securities portfolio is subject to the volatility and risk in the financial markets. The risk in financial markets, including interest rate risk and credit risk, affects the Company in the same way that it affects other institutional and individual investors. The fair value of available for sale securities is reflected on the Company's balance sheet. The unrealized loss in the Company’s investment portfolio is due to interest rate risk, the result of increases in the Federal Reserve’s target interest rate during 2022.  The Company’s Asset Liability Management Committee is closely monitoring all of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities in order to manage interest rate risk.

Credit risk in the Company’s investment portfolio is evaluated on an individual security basis.  The Company’s investment portfolio includes corporate bonds. If the corporate issuers were to default, there could be a delay in the payment of interest, or there could be a loss of principal and accrued interest. To date, there have been no defaults in any of the corporate bonds held in the portfolio. The Company’s investment portfolio also contains a large percentage of municipal bonds. If economic forces reduce the ability of states and municipalities to make scheduled principal and interest payments on their outstanding indebtedness, or if their income from taxes and other sources declines significantly, states and municipalities could default on their bond obligations. There have been no defaults among the municipal bonds in the Company’s investment portfolio.  As of December 31, 2022, there are no credit risk concerns with any of the Company’s securities.

The majority of mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations were backed by U.S. government agencies. Certain holdings are required to be periodically subjected to the Federal Financial Institution Examination Council’s (FFIEC) high risk mortgage security test. These tests address possible fluctuations in the average life and variances caused by the change in rate times the change in volume that have been allocated to rate and volume changes proportional to the relationship of the absolute dollar amounts of the change in each.

In making investment decisions, management follows internal policy guidelines that help to limit risk by specifying parameters for both security quality and industry and geographic concentrations. Management regularly monitors the quality of the investment portfolio and tracks changes in financial markets. The value of individual securities will be written down if a decline in fair value is considered to be other than temporary, given the totality of the circumstances.

Additional information about securities available for sale can be found in Note 3 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

Deposits

The following table presents deposits by category:

Deposits, including noninterest-bearing demand deposits, interest-bearing deposits and interest-bearing time deposits are obtained in the Company’s markets through traditional marketing techniques. The Company’s deposits do not include any brokered deposits. Time deposits decreased due to decreased offering rates. All other categories of deposits increased, due in large part to government stimulus funds received by municipal depositors and other depositors.

Average amounts and average rates paid on deposit categories are presented below:

FDIC insurance covers deposits of up to $250 per depositor. As of December 31, 2022, $665,002 of the Bank’s deposits were uninsured. The following table sets forth time deposits that exceed $250.

Derivatives and Market Risk Exposures

The Company engages in derivative financial instruments associated with its secondary market operation. The derivatives are recorded within other assets and other liabilities. Please refer to Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information on derivative valuation. The Company is not a party to derivatives with off-balance sheet risks such as futures, forwards, swaps, and options.

The Company is a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risks such as commitments to extend credit, standby letters of credit, and recourse obligations in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. See Note 13 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information relating to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk. Management does not plan any future involvement in high risk derivative products.

The Company’s investments in mortgage-backed securities are primarily through the Government National Mortgage Association and Federal National Mortgage Association. See Note 3 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information relating to securities.

The Company’s securities and loans are subject to credit and interest rate risk, and its deposits are subject to interest rate risk. Management considers credit risk when a loan is granted and monitors credit risk after the loan is granted. The Company maintains an allowance for loan losses to absorb losses in the collection of its loans. See Note 5 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information relating to the allowance for loan losses. See Note 14 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information relating to concentrations of credit risk.

The effects of changing interest rates are primarily managed through adjustments to the loan portfolio and deposit base, to the extent competitive factors allow. Adjustments for asset and liability management are made when securities are called or mature and funds are subsequently reinvested. Securities may be sold for reasons related to credit quality, to maintain compliance with regulatory limitations or for interest rate risk management. No trading activity is planned in the foreseeable future.

See Interest Rate Sensitivity for further details on asset liability management and Note 15 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information relating to fair value of financial instruments.

Liquidity

Liquidity measures the Company’s ability to meet its financial commitments at a reasonable cost. Demands on the Company’s liquidity include funding additional loan demand and accepting withdrawals of existing deposits. The Company has diverse liquidity sources, including customer and purchased deposits, customer repayments of loan principal and interest, sales, calls and maturities of securities, Federal Reserve discount window borrowing, short-term borrowing, and FHLB advances. As of December 31, 2022, the Bank did not have purchased deposits, discount window borrowings, short-term borrowings, or FHLB advances.  To assure that short-term borrowing is readily available, the Company tests accessibility annually.

The Company considers its security portfolio for typical liquidity needs, within accounting, legal and strategic parameters. Portions of the securities portfolio are pledged to meet state requirements for public funds deposits. Discount window borrowings also require pledged securities. Increased/decreased liquidity from public funds deposits or discount window borrowings results in increased/decreased liquidity from pledging requirements. The Company monitors public funds pledging requirements and unpledged available for sale securities accessible for liquidity needs.

Regulatory capital levels determine the Company’s ability to use purchased deposits and the Federal Reserve discount window. As of December 31, 2022, the Company is considered well capitalized and does not have any restrictions on purchased deposits or borrowing ability at the Federal Reserve discount window.

The Company monitors factors that may increase its liquidity needs. Some of these factors include deposit trends, large depositor activity, maturing deposit promotions, interest rate sensitivity, maturity and repricing timing gaps between assets and liabilities, the level of unfunded loan commitments and loan growth. As of December 31, 2022, the Company’s liquidity is sufficient to meet projected trends.

To monitor and estimate liquidity levels, the Company performs stress testing under varying assumptions on credit sensitive liabilities and the sources and amounts of balance sheet and external liquidity available to replace outflows. The Company’s Contingency Funding Plan sets forth avenues for rectifying liquidity shortfalls. As of December 31, 2022, the analysis indicated adequate liquidity under the tested scenarios.

The Company utilizes several other strategies to maintain sufficient liquidity. Loan and deposit growth are managed to keep the loan to deposit ratio within the Company’s internally-set target range. As of December 31, 2022, the loan to deposit ratio was 55.28%. The investment strategy takes into consideration the term of the investment, and securities in the available for sale portfolio are laddered based upon projected funding needs.

In the normal course of business, we enter into certain contractual obligations, including obligations to make future payments on lease arrangements, contractual commitments with depositors, and service contracts. The table below presents our significant contractual obligations, except for pension and other postretirement benefit plans, which are included in Note 8 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company was not aware of any other known trends, events or uncertainties that have or are reasonably likely to have a material impact on our liquidity. As of December 31, 2022, the Company has no material commitments for long term debt or for capital expenditures.

Capital Resources

Total stockholders’ equity as of December 31, 2022 was $122,687, a decrease of $69,064, or 36.02%, from $191,751 as of December 31, 2021. The decline in stockholders’ equity is due to the change in market value of the securities portfolio, which was in a gain position as of December 31, 2021 and ended December 31, 2022 in a loss position. Unrealized gains and losses in the securities portfolio are reflected in the equity component, accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). The largest component of stockholders’ equity, retained earnings, increased from $188,229 as of December 31, 2021 to $199,091 as of December 31, 2022. The increase stemmed from net income of $25,932, offset by dividends of $8,950 and repurchases of shares of $6,120.

The Company qualifies as a small bank holding company under the Federal Reserve’s Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement, which exempts bank holding companies with less than $3 billion in assets from reporting consolidated regulatory capital ratios and from minimum regulatory capital requirements. NBB is subject to various capital requirements administered by banking agencies, including an additional capital conservation buffer in order to make capital distributions or discretionary bonus payments. Risk-based capital ratios are calculated in compliance with OCC rules based on the Basel III Capital Rules. The Bank’s ratios are well above the required minimums as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021. Risk based capital ratios for NBB are shown in the following tables.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company’s off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2022 are detailed in the table below.