SMARTFINANCIAL INC. - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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FORM 10-K

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For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

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For transition period from __________ to __________

Commission File Number: 001-37661

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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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(865) 437-5700

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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

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

Common Stock, $1.00 Par Value

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the of the Securities Act.

Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check whether the Registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files).

Yes ☒ No ☐

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

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

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If emerging growth company, indicate by check market if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C.7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes ☐ No ☒

As of June 30, 2020, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $224.1 million. As of March 8, 2021, there were 15,113,045 shares outstanding of the registrant’s common stock, $1.00 par value.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 27, 2021, are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

SmartFinancial, Inc. (“SmartFinancial” or the “Company”) may, from time to time, make written or oral statements, including statements contained in this report and information incorporated by reference herein (including, without limitation, certain statements in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7), that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These statements, including statements regarding the effects of COVID-19, are based on assumptions and estimates and are not guarantees of future performance. Any statements that do not relate to historical or current facts or matters are forward-looking statements. You can identify some of the forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking words (and their derivatives), such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “project,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “continue,” “potential,” “plan,” “forecast,” and the like, the negatives of such expressions, or the use of the future tense. Statements concerning current conditions may also be forward-looking if they imply a continuation of a current condition. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, financial condition, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to:

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For a more detailed discussion of some of the risk factors, see the section entitled “Risk Factors” below. We do not intend to update any factors, except as required by SEC rules, or to publicly announce revisions to any of our forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date that such statement was made. You should consider any forward looking statements in light of this explanation, and we caution you about relying on forward-looking statements.

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PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

OVERVIEW

SmartFinancial, Inc. (“SmartFinancial” or the “Company”) was incorporated on September 19, 1983, under the laws of the State of Tennessee. SmartFinancial is a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended.

The primary activity of SmartFinancial is the ownership and operation of SmartBank (the “Bank”). As a bank holding company, SmartFinancial intends to facilitate SmartBank’s ability to serve its customers’ requirements for financial services. The holding company structure also provides flexibility for expansion through the possible acquisition of other financial institutions and the provision of additional banking-related services, as well as certain non-banking services, which a traditional commercial bank may not provide under present laws.

SmartBank

SmartBank is a Tennessee-chartered commercial bank established in 2007 with its principal office in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The principal business of the Bank consists of attracting deposits from the general public and investing those funds, together with funds generated from operations and from principal and interest payments on loans, primarily in commercial loans, commercial and residential real estate loans, consumer loans and residential and commercial construction loans. Funds not invested in the loan portfolio are invested by the Bank primarily in obligations of the U.S. Government, U.S. Government agencies, and various states and their political subdivisions. In addition to deposits, sources of funds for the Bank’s loans and other investments include amortization and prepayment of loans, sales of loans or participations in loans, sales of its investment securities and borrowings from other financial institutions. The principal sources of income for the Bank are interest and fees collected on loans, fees collected on deposit accounts and interest and dividends collected on other investments. The principal expenses of the Bank are interest paid on deposits, employee compensation and benefits, office expenses and other overhead expenses. As of March 1, 2021, SmartBank has 35 full-service branches located in East and Middle Tennessee, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle, one loan production office, and one service center.

Progressive Merger

On October 29, 2019, the Company along with the Bank entered into an agreement and plan of merger with Progressive Financial Group, Inc. ("PFG"), a Tennessee corporation. The merger was consummated on March 1, 2020, with PFG stockholders receiving stock of the Company. After the merger, original stockholders of SmartFinancial owned approximately 92% of the outstanding common stock of the combined entity on a fully diluted basis while the previous PFG stockholders owned approximately 8%.  The assets and liabilities of PFG, as of the effective date of the merger, were recorded at their respective estimated fair values and combined with those of the Company. The excess of the purchase price over the net estimated fair values of the acquired assets and liabilities was allocated to identifiable intangible assets with the remaining excess allocated to goodwill, which was approximately $8.3 million. As a result of the merger the Company assets increased approximately $301 million and liabilities increased approximately $272 million.

Human Capital Resources

The Bank is committed to building a culture where associates thrive and are empowered to be leaders.  Being trustworthy, loyal, and innovative are some of the characteristics exemplified by our associates.  Our culture is defined by our core values of Act with Integrity, Be Enthusiastic, Create Positivity, Demonstrate Accountability and Embrace Change.  We foster a work environment that respects individual needs, establishes high expectations, and recognizes achievement.  Associates are inspired to be involved in their communities and show great care for clients.  We refer to that as creating “WOW” experiences.  Our leadership team empowers associates to make decisions and find opportunities to add value.  We invest in a healthy work-life balance, competitive compensation and benefit packages and a vibrant, team-oriented environment centered on professional service and open communication among associates. We hold ourselves

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accountable to that by participating in an annual engagement survey to solicit feedback from our associates.  The results of the survey mold our initiatives so that we can focus on being a great place to work.  In 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 we were nominated as a Top Workplace based on the feedback from our associates.

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As of December 31, 2020, we employed 464 full-time and 11 part-time associates across our three-state footprint of Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida. None of these associates are represented by a collective bargaining agreement. During the year 2020 we successfully onboarded 101 new associates. Over 68% of the Company’s associates are women and 6% are minorities. Among the Company’s 227-person banking officers, women make up approximately 51% of these associates, while minorities account for 4% of the banking officer members. Beginning in 2021, a senior leadership team made up of a subset of these Leadership Team members was formed. Presently, the senior leadership team consists of seven associates, two of whom are women.

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We provide a competitive compensation and benefits program to help meet the needs of our associates. In addition to salaries, these programs include annual bonuses, stock awards, a 401(k) Plan with an employer matching contribution, healthcare and insurance benefits, health savings, flexible spending accounts, generous paid time off including unlimited paid time off options, tuition reimbursement, financial planning, company paid life insurance, company paid dental insurance, company paid vision insurance, family leave, and an associate assistance program.

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We invest in the growth and development of our associates by providing a multi-dimensional approach to learning that empowers, intellectually grows, and professionally develops our colleagues. Our associates receive continuing education courses that are relevant to the banking industry and their job function within the Company. In addition, we have created learning paths for specific positions that are designed to encourage an associate’s advancement and growth within our organization. We also offer a peer mentoring program, SmartLeadership and client service training. These resources provide associates with the skills they need to achieve their career goals and become leaders within our Company.

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We recognize the social and environmental responsibility that arises from the impact of our activities on peoples’ lives and society. To assist with this responsibility, we have adopted a Corporate Ethics policy to address any concerns into our daily business activities and our approach to stakeholder relationships. Through this policy, we strive to carry out our banking activities in a responsible manner, placing the financial needs of our clients and economic health of our communities at the core of our focus.

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Throughout the pandemic, the health and safety of our associates, clients, and the communities we serve has been our top priority.  We continue to monitor both the local, national, and global impact and update guidelines and practices in accordance with recommendations by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, local, state, and federal agencies. In response to the pandemic, we quickly implemented extensive safety measures to protect our associates, including heightened sanitary precautions, protective supplies, suspended non-essential business travel, directed associates to work remotely when possible and limited in-person meetings.  We also implemented flexible scheduling and additional emergency paid leave options to support associates if they were impacted by the pandemic and unable to work.

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Merger and Acquisition Strategy

Our strategic plan involves growing a high performing community bank through organic loan and deposit growth as well as disciplined merger and acquisition activity. We are continually evaluating business combination opportunities and may conduct due diligence activities in connection with these opportunities. As a result, business combination discussions and, in some cases, negotiations, may take place, and transactions involving cash, debt or equity securities could be expected. Any future business combinations or series of business combinations that we might undertake may be material in terms of assets acquired, liabilities assumed, or equity issued.

Competition

We compete in a highly competitive banking and financial services industry. Our profitability depends principally on our ability to effectively compete in the markets in which we conduct business. We expect competition in the industry to continue to increase mainly as a result of the improvement in financial technology used by both existing and new banking

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and financial services firms. Competition may further intensify as additional companies enter the markets where we conduct business and we enter mature markets in accordance with our expansion strategy.

We experience strong competition from both bank and non-bank competitors. Broadly speaking, we compete with national banks, super-regional banks, smaller community banks and non-traditional internet-based banks. In addition, we compete with other financial intermediaries and investment alternatives such as mortgage companies, credit card issuers, leasing companies, finance companies, money market mutual funds, brokerage firms, governmental and corporation bond issuers, and other securities firms. Many of these non-bank competitors are not subject to the same regulatory oversight, affording them a competitive advantage in some instances. In many cases, our competitors have substantially greater resources and offer certain services that we are unable to provide to our customers.

We encounter strong pricing competition in providing our services. Additionally, other banks offer different products or services from those that we provide. The larger national and super-regional banks may have significantly greater lending limits and may offer additional products than we are capable of providing. We attempt to compete successfully with our competitors, regardless of their size, through the selection of banking products and services offered, the level of service provided, the convenience and ability of services, and the degree of expertise and the personal manner in which services are offered.

We attempt to compete successfully with our competitors, regardless of their size, by emphasizing customer service while continuing to provide a wide variety of services.

Supervision and Regulation

We are extensively regulated under federal and state law. The following is a brief summary that does not purport to be a complete description of all regulations that affect us or all aspects of those regulations. This discussion is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statutory and regulatory provisions described below and is not intended to be an exhaustive description of the statutes or regulations applicable to the Company’s and SmartBank’s business. In addition, proposals to change the laws and regulations governing the banking industry are frequently raised at both the state and federal levels. The likelihood and timing of any changes in these laws and regulations, and the impact such changes may have on us and SmartBank, are difficult to predict. In addition, bank regulatory agencies may issue enforcement actions, policy statements, interpretive letters and similar written guidance applicable to us or to SmartBank. Changes in applicable laws, regulations or regulatory guidance, or their interpretation by regulatory agencies or courts may have a material adverse effect on our and SmartBank’s business, operations, and earnings.

We, SmartBank, and our nonbank affiliates must undergo regular on-site examinations by the appropriate regulatory agency, which will examine for adherence to a range of legal and regulatory compliance responsibilities. A bank regulator conducting an examination has complete access to the books and records of the examined institution. The results of the examination are confidential. Supervision and regulation of banks, their holding companies and affiliates is intended primarily for the protection of depositors and customers, the DIF of the FDIC, and the U.S. banking and financial system rather than holders of our capital stock.

Regulation of the Company

We are registered as a bank holding company with the Federal Reserve under the Bank Holding Company Act, as amended (“BHC Act”). As such, we are subject to comprehensive supervision, and regulation by the Federal Reserve and are subject to its regulatory reporting requirements. Federal law subjects bank holding companies, such as the Company, to particular restrictions on the types of activities in which they may engage, and to a range of supervisory requirements and activities, including regulatory enforcement actions for violations of laws and regulations.

Violations of laws and regulations, or other unsafe and unsound practices, may result in regulatory agencies imposing fines or penalties, cease and desist orders, or taking other enforcement actions. Under certain circumstances, these agencies may enforce these remedies directly against officers, directors, employees and other parties participating in the affairs of a bank or bank holding company. Like all bank holding companies, we are regulated extensively under federal and state law. Under federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to the safety and soundness of insured depository institutions, state

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banking regulators, the Federal Reserve, and separately the FDIC as the insurer of bank deposits, have the authority to compel or restrict certain actions on our part if they determine that we have insufficient capital or other resources, or are otherwise operating in a manner that may be deemed to be inconsistent with safe and sound banking practices. Under this authority, our bank regulators can require us or our subsidiaries to enter into informal or formal supervisory agreements, including board resolutions, memoranda of understanding, written agreements and consent or cease and desist orders, pursuant to which we would be required to take identified corrective actions to address cited concerns and to refrain from taking certain actions.

If we become subject to and are unable to comply with the terms of any future regulatory actions or directives, supervisory agreements, or orders, then we could become subject to additional, heightened supervisory actions and orders, possibly including consent orders, prompt corrective action restrictions and/or other regulatory actions, including prohibitions on the payment of dividends on our common stock and preferred stock. If our regulators were to take such additional supervisory actions, then we could, among other things, become subject to significant restrictions on our ability to develop any new business, as well as restrictions on our existing business, and we could be required to raise additional capital, dispose of certain assets and liabilities within a prescribed period of time, or both. The terms of any such supervisory action could have a material negative effect on our business, reputation, operating flexibility, financial condition, and the value of our common stock and preferred stock.

Activity Limitations

The BHC Act was substantially amended through the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, commonly referred to as the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act, or the GLBA. The GLBA eliminated long-standing barriers to affiliations among banks, securities firms, insurance companies, and other financial services providers. A bank holding company whose subsidiary deposit institutions are “well capitalized” and “well managed” may elect to become a “financial holding company” and thereby engage without prior Federal Reserve approval in certain banking and non-banking activities that are deemed to be financial in nature or incidental to financial activity. These “financial in nature” activities include securities underwriting, dealing, and market making; organizing, sponsoring, and managing mutual funds; insurance underwriting and agency; merchant banking activities; and other activities that the Federal Reserve has determined to be closely related to banking. Generally, no regulatory approval is required for a financial holding company to acquire a company, other than a bank or savings association, engaged in activities that are financial in nature or incidental to activities that are financial in nature, as determined by the Federal Reserve. SmartFinancial has not elected to become a financial holding company.

Source of Strength Obligations

A bank holding company is required to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to its subsidiary bank. The term “source of financial strength” means the ability of a company, such as us, that directly or indirectly owns or controls an insured depository institution, such as SmartBank, to provide financial assistance to such insured depository institution in the event of financial distress. The appropriate federal banking agency for the depository institution (in the case of SmartBank, this agency is the Federal Reserve) may require reports from us to assess our ability to serve as a source of strength and to enforce compliance with the source of strength requirements by requiring us to provide financial assistance to SmartBank in the event of financial distress. If we were to enter bankruptcy or become subject to the orderly liquidation process established by the Dodd-Frank Act, any commitment by us to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of SmartBank would be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee or the FDIC, as appropriate, and entitled to a priority of payment. In addition, the FDIC provides that any insured depository institution generally will be liable for any loss

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incurred by the FDIC in connection with the default of, or any assistance provided by the FDIC to, a commonly controlled insured depository institution. SmartBank is an FDIC-insured depository institution and thus subject to these requirements.

Acquisitions

The BHC Act permits acquisitions of banks by bank holding companies, such that we and any other bank holding company, whether located in Tennessee or elsewhere, may acquire a bank located in any other state, subject to certain deposit-percentage, age of bank charter requirements, and other restrictions. The BHC Act requires that a bank holding company obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve before (i) acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any additional bank or bank holding company, (ii) taking any action that causes an additional bank or bank holding company to become a subsidiary of the bank holding company, or (iii) merging or consolidating with any other bank holding company. The Federal Reserve may not approve any such transaction that would result in a monopoly or would be in furtherance of any combination or conspiracy to monopolize or attempt to monopolize the business of banking in any section of the United States, or the effect of which may be substantially to lessen competition or to tend to create a monopoly in any section of the country, or that in any other manner would be in restraint of trade, unless the anticompetitive effects of the proposed transaction are clearly outweighed by the public interest in meeting the convenience and needs of the community to be served. The Federal Reserve is also required to consider: (1) the financial and managerial resources of the companies involved, including pro forma capital ratios; (2) the risk to the stability of the United States banking or financial system; (3) the convenience and needs of the communities to be served, including performance under the CRA; and (4) the effectiveness of the companies in combatting money laundering.

Change in Control

Federal law restricts the amount of voting stock of a bank holding company or a bank that a person may acquire without the prior approval of banking regulators. Under the federal Change in Bank Control Act and the regulations thereunder, a person or group must give advance notice to the Federal Reserve before acquiring control of any bank holding company, such as the Company, or before acquiring control of any state member bank, such as SmartBank. Upon receipt of such notice, the Federal Reserve may approve or disapprove the acquisition. The Change in Bank Control Act creates a rebuttable presumption of control if a member or group acquires a certain percentage or more of a bank holding company’s or bank’s voting stock. As a result, a person or entity generally must provide prior notice to the Federal Reserve before acquiring the power to vote 10% or more of our outstanding common stock. The overall effect of such laws is to make it more difficult to acquire a bank holding company and a bank by tender offer or similar means than it might be to acquire control of another type of corporation. Consequently, shareholders of the Company may be less likely to benefit from the rapid increases in stock prices that may result from tender offers or similar efforts to acquire control of other companies. Investors should be aware of these requirements when acquiring shares of our stock.

Governance and Financial Reporting Obligations

We are required to comply with various corporate governance and financial reporting requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rules and regulations adopted by the SEC, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and NASDAQ. In particular, we are required to include management and independent registered public accounting firm reports on internal controls as part of our Annual Report on Form 10-K in order to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We have evaluated our controls, including compliance with the SEC rules on internal controls, and have and expect to continue to spend significant amounts of time and money on compliance with these rules. Our failure to comply with these internal control rules may materially adversely affect our reputation, ability to obtain the necessary certifications to financial statements, and the values of our securities.

Corporate Governance

The Dodd-Frank Act addresses many investor protections, corporate governance, and executive compensation matters that will affect most U.S. publicly traded companies. The Dodd-Frank Act (1) grants shareholders of U.S. publicly traded companies an advisory vote on executive compensation; (2) enhances independence requirements for Compensation Committee members; and (3) requires companies listed on national securities exchanges to adopt incentive-based compensation claw-back policies for executive officers.

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Incentive Compensation

The Dodd-Frank Act required the banking agencies and the SEC to establish joint rules or guidelines for financial institutions with more than $1 billion in assets, such as us and SmartBank, which prohibit incentive compensation arrangements that the agencies determine to encourage inappropriate risks by the institution. The banking agencies issued proposed rules in 2011 and previously issued guidance on sound incentive compensation policies. In 2016, the banking agencies also proposed rules that would, depending upon the assets of the institution, directly regulate incentive compensation arrangements and would require enhanced oversight and recordkeeping. As of December 31, 2020, these rules have not been implemented by the banking agencies. We have undertaken efforts to ensure that our incentive compensation plans do not encourage inappropriate risks, consistent with three key principles-that incentive compensation arrangements should appropriately balance risk and financial rewards, be compatible with effective controls and risk management, and be supported by strong corporate governance.

Shareholder Say-On-Pay Votes

The Dodd-Frank Act requires public companies to take shareholders’ votes on proposals addressing compensation (known as say-on-pay), the frequency of a say-on-pay vote, and the golden parachutes available to executives in connection with change-in-control transactions. Public companies must give shareholders the opportunity to vote on the compensation at least every three years and the opportunity to vote on frequency at least every six years, indicating whether the say-on-pay vote should be held annually, biennially, or triennially. The say-on-pay, the say-on-parachute and the say-on-frequency votes are explicitly nonbinding and cannot override a decision of our Board of Directors.

Other Regulatory Matters

We are subject to oversight by the SEC, the PCAOB, NASDAQ and various state securities and insurance regulators. We and our subsidiaries have from time to time received requests for information from regulatory authorities in various states, including state attorneys general, securities regulators and other regulatory authorities, concerning our business practices. Such requests are considered incidental to the normal conduct of business.

Capital Requirements

SmartBank is required under federal law to maintain certain minimum capital levels based on ratios of capital to total assets and capital to risk-weighted assets. The required capital ratios are minimums, and the Federal Reserve may determine that a banking organization, based on its size, complexity or risk profile, must maintain a higher level of capital in order to operate in a safe and sound manner. Risks such as concentration of credit risks and the risk arising from non-traditional activities, as well as the institution’s exposure to a decline in the economic value of its capital due to changes in interest rates, and an institution’s ability to manage those risks, are important factors that are to be taken into account by the federal banking agencies in assessing an institution’s overall capital adequacy.

The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (the “Economic Growth Act”) signed into law in May 2018 scaled back certain requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act and provided other regulatory relief. Among the provisions of the Economic Growth Act was a requirement that the Federal Reserve raise the asset threshold for those bank holding companies subject to the Federal Reserve’s Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement (“Policy Statement”) to $3 billion. As a result, as of the effective date of that change in 2018, the Company was no longer required to comply with the risk-based capital rules applicable to the Bank as described above. The Federal Reserve may however, require smaller bank holding companies subject to the Policy Statement to maintain certain minimum capital levels, depending upon general economic conditions and a bank holding company’s particular condition, risk profile and growth plans.

The following is a brief description of the relevant provisions of these capital rules and their potential impact on SmartBank’s capital levels.

SmartBank is subject to the following risk-based capital ratios: a CET1 risk-based capital ratio, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio, which includes CET1 and additional Tier 1 capital and a total capital ratio, which includes Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital. CET1 is primarily comprised of the sum of common stock instruments and related surplus net of treasury stock and retained

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earnings less certain adjustments and deductions, including with respect to goodwill, intangible assets, mortgage servicing assets and deferred tax assets subject to temporary timing differences. Additional Tier 1 capital is primarily comprised of noncumulative perpetual preferred stock. Tier 2 capital consists of instruments disqualified from Tier 1 capital, including qualifying subordinated debt and a limited amount of loan loss reserves up to a maximum of 1.25% of risk-weighted assets, subject to certain eligibility criteria. The capital rules also define the risk-weights assigned to assets and off-balance sheet items to determine the risk-weighted asset components of the risk-based capital rules, including, for example, certain “high volatility” commercial real estate, past due assets, structured securities and equity holdings.

The leverage capital ratio, which serves as a minimum capital standard, is the ratio of Tier 1 capital to quarterly average assets net of goodwill, certain other intangible assets, and certain required deduction items. The required minimum leverage ratio for all banks and bank holding companies (unless exempt) is 4%.

In addition, effective January 1, 2019, the capital rules required a capital conservation buffer of CET1 of 2.5% above each of the minimum capital ratio requirements (CET1, Tier 1, and total risk-based capital), which is designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress. These buffer requirements must be met for a bank or bank holding company to be able to pay dividends, engage in share buybacks or make discretionary bonus payments to executive management without restriction.

Failure to be well-capitalized or to meet minimum capital requirements could result in certain mandatory and possible additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have an adverse material effect on our operations or financial condition. Failure to be well-capitalized or to meet minimum capital requirements could also result in restrictions on the Company’s or SmartBank’s ability to pay dividends or otherwise distribute capital or to receive regulatory approval of applications or other restrictions on its growth.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (“FDICIA”), among other things, requires the federal bank regulatory agencies to take “prompt corrective action” regarding depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. FDICIA establishes five regulatory capital tiers: “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized,” and “critically undercapitalized.” A depository institution’s capital tier will depend upon how its capital levels compare to various relevant capital measures and certain other factors, as established by regulation. FDICIA generally prohibits a depository institution from making any capital distribution (including payment of a dividend) or paying any management fee to its holding company if the depository institution would thereafter be undercapitalized. The FDICIA imposes progressively more restrictive restraints on operations, management and capital distributions, depending on the category in which an institution is classified. Undercapitalized depository institutions are subject to restrictions on borrowing from the Federal Reserve System. In addition, undercapitalized depository institutions may not accept brokered deposits absent a waiver from the FDIC, are subject to growth limitations and are required to submit capital restoration plans for regulatory approval. A depository institution’s holding company must guarantee any required capital restoration plan, up to an amount equal to the lesser of 5% of the depository institution’s assets at the time it becomes undercapitalized or the amount of the capital deficiency when the institution fails to comply with the plan. Federal banking agencies may not accept a capital plan without determining, among other things, that the plan is based on realistic assumptions and is likely to succeed in restoring the depository institution’s capital. If a depository institution fails to submit an acceptable plan, it is treated as if it is significantly undercapitalized. All of the federal bank regulatory agencies have adopted regulations establishing relevant capital measures and relevant capital levels for federally insured depository institutions.

To be well-capitalized, SmartBank must maintain at least the following capital ratios:

The Federal Reserve has not yet revised the well-capitalized standard for bank holding companies to reflect the higher capital requirements imposed under the current capital rules applicable to banks. For purposes of the Federal Reserve’s Regulation Y, bank holding companies, such as the Company, must maintain a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.0% or

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greater and a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0% or greater to be well-capitalized. If the Federal Reserve were to apply the same or a very similar well-capitalized standard to bank holding companies as that applicable to SmartBank, the Company’s capital ratios as of December 31, 2020 would exceed such revised well-capitalized standard. Also, the Federal Reserve may require bank holding companies, including the Company, to maintain capital ratios substantially in excess of mandated minimum levels, depending upon general economic conditions and a bank holding company’s particular condition, risk profile and growth plans.

On October 29, 2019, the federal banking agencies issued a final rule to simplify the regulatory capital requirements for eligible banks and holding companies with less than $10 billion in consolidated assets that opt into the Community Bank Leverage Ratio (“CBLR”) framework, as required by Section 201 of the Economic Growth, Relief and Consumer Protection Act (the “Regulatory Relief Act”). A qualifying community banking organization that exceeds the CBLR threshold would be exempt from the agencies’ current capital framework, including the risk-based capital requirements and capital conservation buffer described above, and would be deemed well-capitalized under the agencies’ prompt corrective action regulations. The Regulatory Relief Act defines a “qualifying community banking organization” as a depository institution or depository institution holding company with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion. Under the final rule, if a qualifying community banking organization elects to use the CBLR framework, it will be considered “well-capitalized” so long as its CBLR is greater than 9%. The CBLR framework will first be available for banking organizations, such as the Bank, to use in its March 31, 2020 regulatory reports. The Bank has chosen not to opt into the CBLR at this time.  

In 2020, SmartBank’s regulatory capital ratios were above the applicable well-capitalized standards and met the then-applicable capital conservation buffer.  Based on current estimates, we believe that SmartBank will continue to exceed all applicable well-capitalized regulatory capital requirements and the capital conservation buffer in 2021. For more information regarding our capital, leverage and total capital ratios, see “Part I - Item 1. Consolidated Financial Statements - Note 15 - Regulatory Matters.”

On December 21, 2018, federal banking agencies issued a joint final rule to revise their regulatory capital rules to (i) address the upcoming implementation of the CECL accounting standard under GAAP; (ii) provide an optional three-year phase-in period for the day-one adverse regulatory capital effects that banking organizations are expected to experience upon adopting CECL; and (iii) require the use of CECL in stress tests beginning with the 2020 capital planning and stress testing cycle for certain banking organizations. In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, which introduced CECL as the methodology to replace the current “incurred loss” methodology for financial assets measured at amortized cost, and changed the approaches for recognizing and recording credit losses on available-for-sale debt securities and purchased credit impaired financial assets. Under the incurred loss methodology, credit losses are recognized only when the losses are probable or have been incurred; under CECL, companies are required to recognize the full amount of expected credit losses for the lifetime of the financial assets, based on historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. This change will result in earlier recognition of credit losses that the Company deems expected but not yet probable.  In October 2019, the Financial Accounting Standards Board approved a delay for the implementation of ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326). The Board decided that CECL will be effective for larger Public Business Entities ("PBEs") that are SEC filers, excluding Smaller Reporting Companies ("SRCs") as currently defined by the SEC, for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. For calendar-year-end companies, this will be January 1, 2020. The determination of whether an entity is an SRC will be based on an entity’s most recent assessment in accordance with SEC regulations and the Company meets the regulations as an SRC. For all other entities, the Board decided that CECL will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. For all entities, early adoption will continue to be permitted; that is, early adoption is allowed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years (that is, effective January 1, 2019, for calendar-year-end companies). The Company does not plan to adopt this standard early and being that the Company is an SRC, adoption is required for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022.  For additional information relating to CECL, Note 1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our audited consolidated financial statements.

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Payment of Dividends

We are a legal entity separate and distinct from SmartBank and our other subsidiaries. The primary sources of funds for our payment of dividends to our shareholders are cash on hand and dividends from SmartBank. Various federal and state statutory provisions and regulations limit the amount of dividends that SmartBank may pay.

Pursuant to Tennessee banking law, the Bank may not, without the prior consent of the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (the “TDFI”), pay any dividends to the Company in a calendar year in excess of the total of the Bank’s retained net income for that year plus the retained net income for the preceding two years.  Because this test involves a measure of net income, any charge on the Bank’s income statement, such as an impairment of goodwill, could impair the Bank’s ability to pay dividends to the Company. Under Tennessee corporate law, the Company is not permitted to pay dividends if, after giving effect to such payment, it would not be able to pay its debts as they become due in the usual course of business or its total assets would be less than the sum of its total liabilities plus any amounts needed to satisfy any preferential rights if it were dissolving. In addition, in deciding whether or not to declare a dividend of any particular size, the Company’s board of directors must consider its and the Bank’s current and prospective capital, liquidity, and other needs. In addition to state law limitations on the Company’s ability to pay dividends, the Federal Reserve imposes limitations on the Company’s ability to pay dividends. Federal Reserve regulations limit dividends, stock repurchases and discretionary bonuses to executive officers if the Company’s regulatory capital is below the level of regulatory minimums plus the applicable capital conservation buffer.

In addition, we and SmartBank are subject to various general regulatory policies and requirements relating to the payment of dividends, including requirements to maintain adequate capital above regulatory minimums. The appropriate federal bank regulatory authority may prohibit the payment of dividends where it has determined that the payment of dividends would be an unsafe or unsound practice. The Federal Reserve has indicated that paying dividends that deplete a bank’s capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsound and unsafe banking practice. The Federal Reserve has indicated that depository institutions and their holding companies should generally pay dividends only out of current operating earnings.

Under a Federal Reserve policy adopted in 2009, the board of directors of a bank holding company must consider different factors to ensure that its dividend level is prudent relative to maintaining a strong financial position, and is not based on overly optimistic earnings scenarios, such as potential events that could affect its ability to pay, while still maintaining a strong financial position. As a general matter, the Federal Reserve has indicated that the board of directors of a bank holding company should consult with the Federal Reserve and eliminate, defer or significantly reduce the bank holding company’s dividends if:

Regulation of the Bank

SmartBank, which is a member of the Federal Reserve System, is subject to comprehensive supervision and regulation by the Federal Reserve, and is subject to its regulatory reporting requirements, as well as supervision and regulation by the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions (“TDFI”). As a member bank of the Federal Reserve System, SmartBank is required to hold stock in its district Federal Reserve Bank in an amount equal to 6% of its capital stock and surplus (half paid to acquire stock with the remainder held as a cash reserve). Member banks do not have any control over the Federal Reserve System as a result of owning the stock and the stock cannot be sold or traded.

The deposits of SmartBank are insured by the FDIC up to applicable limits, and, accordingly, SmartBank is also subject to certain FDIC regulations and the FDIC has backup examination authority and some enforcement powers over SmartBank.

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Tennessee law contains limitations on the interest rates that may be charged on various types of loans and restrictions on the nature and amount of loans that may be granted and on the type of investments which may be made by Tennessee-chartered banks. Tennessee-chartered banks are also subject to regulation by the TDFI with regard to capital requirements and the payment of dividends.

In addition, as discussed in more detail below, SmartBank and any other of our subsidiaries that offer consumer financial products and services are subject to regulation and potential supervision by the CFPB. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act permits states to adopt consumer protection laws and regulations that are stricter than those regulations promulgated by the CFPB, and state attorneys general are permitted to enforce certain federal consumer financial protection law.

Broadly, regulations applicable to SmartBank include limitations on loans to a single borrower and to its directors, officers and employees; restrictions on the opening and closing of branch offices; the maintenance of required capital ratios; the granting of credit under equal and fair conditions; the disclosure of the costs and terms of such credit; requirements to maintain reserves against deposits and loans; limitations on the types of investment that may be made by SmartBank; requirements governing risk management practices; restrictions on the ability of institutions to guarantee its debt; and certain specific accounting requirements on SmartFinancial that may be more restrictive and may result in greater or earlier charges to earnings or reductions in its capital than generally accepted accounting principles.

Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders

SmartBank is subject to restrictions on extensions of credit and certain other transactions between SmartBank and the Company or any nonbank affiliate. Generally, these covered transactions with either the Company or any affiliate are limited to 10% of SmartBank’s capital and surplus, and all such transactions between SmartBank and the Company and all of its nonbank affiliates combined are limited to 20% of SmartBank’s capital and surplus. Loans and other extensions of credit from SmartBank to the Company or any affiliate generally are required to be secured by eligible collateral in specified amounts. In addition, any transaction between SmartBank and the Company or any affiliate are required to be on an arm’s length basis.

Federal banking laws also place similar restrictions on certain extensions of credit by insured banks, such as SmartBank, to their directors, executive officers and principal shareholders. Tennessee has adopted the provisions of the Federal Reserve’s Regulation O with respect to restrictions on loans and other extensions of credit to bank “insiders.” Further, under Tennessee law, state banks are prohibited from lending to any one person, firm, or corporation amounts more than 15% of the bank’s equity capital accounts, except, (i) in the case of certain loans secured by negotiable title documents covering readily marketable nonperishable staples or (ii) with the prior approval of the bank’s board of directors or finance committee (however titled), the bank may make a loan to any person, firm, or corporation of up to 25% of its equity capital accounts.

Reserves

Federal Reserve rules require depository institutions, such as SmartBank, to maintain reserves against their transaction accounts, primarily NOW and regular checking accounts.  Effective March 26, 2020, the Federal Reserve eliminated reserve requirements for all depository institutions. These reserve requirements are subject to annual adjustment by the Federal Reserve.

FDIC Insurance Assessments and Depositor Preference

SmartBank’s deposits are insured by the FDIC’s DIF up to the limits under applicable law, which currently are set at $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category. SmartBank is subject to FDIC assessments for its deposit insurance. The FDIC calculates quarterly deposit insurance assessments based on an institution’s average total consolidated assets less its average tangible equity, and applies one of four risk categories determined by reference to its capital levels, supervisory ratings, and certain other factors. The assessment rate schedule can change from time to time, at the discretion of the FDIC, subject to certain limits.

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Insurance of deposits may be terminated by the FDIC upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by a bank’s federal regulatory agency. In addition, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act provides that, in the event of the liquidation or other resolution of an insured depository institution, the claims of depositors of the institution, including the claims of the FDIC as subrogee of insured depositors, and certain claims for administrative expenses of the FDIC as a receiver, will have priority over other general unsecured claims against the institution, including those of the parent bank holding company.

Standards for Safety and Soundness

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act requires the federal bank regulatory agencies to prescribe, by regulation or guideline, operational and managerial standards for all insured depository institutions relating to: (1) internal controls; (2) information systems and audit systems; (3) loan documentation; (4) credit underwriting; (5) interest rate risk exposure; and (6) asset quality. The federal banking agencies have adopted regulations and Interagency Guidelines Establishing Standards for Safety and Soundness to implement these required standards. These guidelines set forth the safety and soundness standards used to identify and address problems at insured depository institutions before capital becomes impaired. Under the regulations, if a regulator determines that a bank fails to meet any standards prescribed by the guidelines, the regulator may require the bank to submit an acceptable plan to achieve compliance, consistent with deadlines for the submission and review of such safety and soundness compliance plans.

Anti-Money Laundering

Under the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (“USA PATRIOT”) Act of 2001, financial institutions are subject to prohibitions against specified financial transactions and account relationships as well as enhanced due diligence and “know your customer” standards in their dealings with foreign financial institutions and foreign customers. The USA PATRIOT Act, and its implementing regulations adopted by the FinCEN, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, requires financial institutions to establish anti-money laundering programs with minimum standards that include:

Banking regulators will consider compliance with the Act’s money laundering provisions in acting upon acquisition and merger proposals. Bank regulators routinely examine institutions for compliance with these obligations and have been active in imposing cease and desist and other regulatory orders and money penalty sanctions against institutions found to be violating these obligations. Sanctions for violations of the Act can be imposed in an amount equal to twice the sum involved in the violating transaction, up to $1 million.

Economic Sanctions

The OFAC is responsible for helping to ensure that U.S. entities do not engage in transactions with certain prohibited parties, as defined by various Executive Orders and acts of Congress. OFAC publishes, and routinely updates, lists of names of persons and organizations suspected of aiding, harboring or engaging in terrorist acts, including the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. If we find a name on any transaction, account or wire transfer that is on an OFAC list, we must undertake certain specified activities, which could include blocking or freezing the account or transaction requested, and we must notify the appropriate authorities.

Concentrations in Lending

During 2006, the federal bank regulatory agencies released guidance on “Concentrations in Commercial Real Estate Lending” (the “Guidance”) and advised financial institutions of the risks posed by CRE lending concentrations. The

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Guidance requires that appropriate processes be in place to identify, monitor and control risks associated with real estate lending concentrations. Higher allowances for loan losses and capital levels may also be required. The Guidance is triggered when CRE loan concentrations exceed either:

The Guidance also applies when a bank has a sharp increase in CRE loans or has significant concentrations of CRE secured by a particular property type. We have always had exposures to loans secured by CRE due to the nature of our markets and the loan needs of both retail and commercial customers. We believe our long term experience in CRE lending, underwriting policies, internal controls, and other policies currently in place, as well as our loan and credit monitoring and administration procedures, are generally appropriate to managing our concentrations as required under the Guidance

Community Reinvestment Act

SmartBank is subject to the provisions of the CRA, which imposes a continuing and affirmative obligation, consistent with their safe and sound operation, to help meet the credit needs of entire communities where the bank accepts deposits, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The Federal Reserve’s assessment of SmartBank’s CRA record is made available to the public. Further, a less than satisfactory CRA rating will slow, if not preclude, expansion of banking activities and prevent a company from becoming or remaining a financial holding company. Following the enactment of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLB”), CRA agreements with private parties must be disclosed and annual CRA reports must be made to a bank’s primary federal regulator. A bank holding company will not be permitted to become or remain a financial holding company and no new activities authorized under GLB may be commenced by a holding company or by a bank financial subsidiary if any of its bank subsidiaries received less than a “satisfactory” CRA rating in its latest CRA examination. Federal CRA regulations require, among other things, that evidence of discrimination against applicants on a prohibited basis, and illegal or abusive lending practices be considered in the CRA evaluation. SmartBank has a rating of “Satisfactory” in its most recent CRA evaluation.

Privacy, Credit Reporting, and Data Security

The GLB generally prohibits disclosure of consumer information to non-affiliated third parties unless the consumer has been given the opportunity to object and has not objected to such disclosure. Financial institutions are further required to disclose their privacy policies to customers annually. Financial institutions, however, will be required to comply with state law if it is more protective of consumer privacy than the GLB. The GLB also directed federal regulators to prescribe standards for the security of consumer information. SmartBank is subject to such standards, as well as standards for notifying customers in the event of a security breach. SmartBank utilizes credit bureau data in underwriting activities. Use of such data is regulated under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Regulation V on a uniform, nationwide basis, including credit reporting, prescreening, and sharing of information between affiliates and the use of credit data. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, which amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act, permits states to enact identity theft laws that are not inconsistent with the conduct required by the provisions of that Act. We are also required to have an information security program to safeguard the confidentiality and security of customer information and to ensure proper disposal. Customers must be notified when unauthorized disclosure involves sensitive customer information that may be misused.

Anti-Tying Restrictions

In general, a bank may not extend credit, lease, sell property, or furnish any services or fix or vary the consideration for them on the condition that (1) the customer obtain or provide some additional credit, property, or services from or to the bank or bank holding company or their subsidiaries or (2) the customer not obtain some other credit, property, or services from a competitor, except to the extent reasonable conditions are imposed to assure the soundness of the credit extended. A bank may, however, offer combined-balance products and may otherwise offer more favorable terms if a customer obtains two or more traditional bank products. The law also expressly permits banks to engage in other forms of tying and

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authorizes the Federal Reserve to grant additional exceptions by regulation or order. Also, certain foreign transactions are exempt from the general rule.

Consumer Regulation

Activities of SmartBank are subject to a variety of statutes and regulations designed to protect consumers. These laws and regulations include, among numerous other things, provisions that:

Mortgage Regulation

The CFPB adopted a rule that implements the ability-to-repay and qualified mortgage provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, (the“ATR/QM rule”), which requires lenders to consider, among other things, income, employment status, assets, payment amounts, and credit history before approving a mortgage, and provides a compliance “safe harbor” for lenders that issue certain “qualified mortgages.” The ATR/QM rule defines a “qualified mortgage” to have certain specified characteristics, and generally prohibit loans with negative amortization, interest-only payments, balloon payments, or terms exceeding 30 years from being qualified mortgages. The rule also establishes general underwriting criteria for qualified mortgages, including that monthly payments be calculated based on the highest payment that will apply in the first five years of the loan and that the borrower have a total debt-to-income ratio that is less than or equal to 43%. While “qualified mortgages” will generally be afforded safe harbor status, a rebuttable presumption of compliance with the ability-to-repay requirements will attach to “qualified mortgages” that are “higher priced mortgages” (which are generally subprime loans). In addition, the securitizer of asset-backed securities must retain not less than 5% of the credit risk of the assets collateralizing the asset-backed securities, unless subject to an exemption for asset-backed securities that are collateralized exclusively by residential mortgages that qualify as “qualified residential mortgages.”

The CFPB has also issued rules to implement requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act pertaining to mortgage loan origination (including with respect to loan originator compensation and loan originator qualifications) as well as integrated mortgage disclosure rules. In addition, the CFPB has issued rules that require servicers to comply with certain standards and practices with regard to: error correction; information disclosure; force-placement of insurance; information management policies and procedures; requiring information about mortgage loss mitigation options be provided to delinquent borrowers; providing delinquent borrowers access to servicer personnel with continuity of contact about the borrower’s mortgage loan account; and evaluating borrowers’ applications for available loss mitigation options. These rules also address initial rate adjustment notices for adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs), periodic statements for residential mortgage loans, and prompt crediting of mortgage payments and response to requests for payoff amounts.

Non-Discrimination Policies

SmartBank is also subject to, among other things, the provisions of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (the “ECOA”) and the Fair Housing Act (the “FHA”), both of which prohibit discrimination based on race or color, religion, national origin, sex, and familial status in any aspect of a consumer or commercial credit or residential real estate transaction. The Department of Justice (the “DOJ”), and the federal bank regulatory agencies have issued an Interagency Policy Statement on Discrimination in Lending that provides guidance to financial institutions in determining whether discrimination exists, how the agencies will respond to lending discrimination, and what steps lenders might take to prevent discriminatory lending practices. The DOJ has increased its efforts to prosecute what it regards as violations of the ECOA and FHA.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves various risks which are particular to SmartFinancial, its industry, and its market area. Several risk factors regarding investing in our securities are discussed below. This listing should not be considered as all-inclusive. If any of the following risks were to occur, we may not be able to conduct our business as currently planned and our financial condition or operating results could be negatively impacted. These matters could cause the trading price of our securities to decline in future periods.

Risks Related to Our Industry

Our net interest income could be negatively affected by interest rate adjustments by the Federal Reserve Board.

As a financial institution, our earnings are dependent upon our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income that we earn on interest-earning assets, such as investment securities and loans, and the interest expense that we pay on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. Therefore, any change in general market interest rates, including changes resulting from changes in the Federal Reserve Board’s policies, affects us more than non-financial institutions and can have a significant effect on our net interest income and total income. Our assets and liabilities may react differently to changes in overall market rates or conditions because there may be mismatches between the repricing or maturity characteristics of our assets and liabilities. As a result, an increase or decrease in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our net interest margin and results of operations. Actions by monetary and fiscal authorities, including the Federal Reserve Board, could have an adverse effect on our deposit levels, loan demand, business and results of operations.

Changes in the level of interest rates also may negatively affect our ability to originate loans, the value of our assets, and our ability to realize gains from the sale of our assets, all of which ultimately affect our earnings. A decline in the market value of our assets may limit our ability to borrow additional funds. As a result, we could be required to sell some of our loans and investments under adverse market conditions, upon terms that are not favorable to us, in order to maintain our liquidity. If those sales are made at prices lower than the amortized costs of the investments, we will incur losses.

Interest rate increases often result in larger payment requirements for our borrowers, which increases the potential for default. At the same time, the marketability of any underlying property that serves as collateral for such loans may be adversely affected by any reduced demand resulting from higher interest rates. In addition, an increase in interest rates that adversely affects the ability of borrowers to pay the principal or interest on loans may lead to an increase in nonperforming assets and a reduction of income recognized, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. Further, when we place a loan on nonaccrual status, we reverse any accrued but unpaid interest receivable, which decreases interest income. Subsequently, we continue to have a cost to fund the loan, which is reflected as interest expense, without any interest income to offset the associated funding expense. Thus, an increase in the amount of nonperforming assets would have an adverse impact on net interest income. If interest rates were to decrease, our yield on our variable rate loans and on our new loans would decrease, reducing our net interest income. In addition, lower interest rates may reduce our realized yields on investment securities which would reduce our net interest income and cause downward pressure on net interest margin in future periods. A significant reduction in our net interest income could have a material adverse impact on our capital, financial condition and results of operations.

The primary tool that management uses to measure short-term interest rate risk is a net interest income simulation model prepared by an independent third party provider. As of December 31, 2020, SmartFinancial is considered to be in an asset-sensitive position, meaning income is generally expected to increase with an increase in short-term interest rates and, conversely, to decrease with a decrease in short-term interest rates. Based on the results of this simulation model, which assumed a static environment with no contemplated asset growth or changes in our balance sheet management strategies, if short-term interest rates immediately increased by 200 basis points, we could expect net interest income to increase by approximately $11.9 million over a 12-month period. If short-term interest rates immediately decreased by 200 basis points, we could expect net interest income to decrease by approximately $2.4 million over the next 12-month period.

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We are dependent on our information technology and telecommunications systems and third-party servicers, and systems failures, interruptions or breaches of security could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our operations rely on the secure processing, storage and transmission of confidential and other information in our computer systems and networks. Although we take protective measures and endeavor to modify these systems as circumstances warrant, the security of our computer systems, software and networks may be vulnerable to breaches, unauthorized access, misuse, computer viruses or other malicious code and other events that could have a security impact. We outsource many of our major systems, such as data processing, loan servicing and deposit processing systems. The failure of these systems, or the termination of a third-party software license or service agreement on which any of these systems is based, could interrupt our operations. Because our information technology and telecommunications systems interface with and depend on third-party systems, we could experience service denials if demand for such services exceeds capacity or such third-party systems fail or experience interruptions. If sustained or repeated, a system failure or service denial could result in a deterioration of our ability to process new and renewal loans, gather deposits and provide customer service, compromise our ability to operate effectively, damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business and/or subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Several U.S. financial institutions have recently experienced significant distributed denial-of-service attacks, some of which involved sophisticated and targeted attacks intended to disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems. Other attacks have attempted to obtain unauthorized access to confidential information or destroy data, often through the introduction of computer viruses or malware, cyber-attacks and other means. To date, none of these types of attacks have had a material effect on our business or operations. However, no assurances can be provided that we may not suffer from such an attack in the future that may cause us material harm. Such security attacks can originate from a wide variety of sources, including persons who are involved with organized crime or who may be linked to terrorist organizations or hostile foreign governments. Those same parties may also attempt to fraudulently induce employees, customers or other users of our systems to disclose sensitive information in order to gain access to our data or that of our customers or clients. We are also subject to the risk that our employees may intercept and transmit unauthorized confidential or proprietary information. An interception, misuse or mishandling of personal, confidential or proprietary information being sent to or received from a customer or third party could result in legal liability, remediation costs, regulatory action and reputational harm to us.

In addition, we provide our customers the ability to bank remotely, including over the Internet or through their mobile device. The secure transmission of confidential information is a critical element of remote and mobile banking. Although we regularly add additional security measures to our computer systems and network infrastructure to mitigate the possibility of cyber security breaches, including firewalls and penetration testing, it is difficult or impossible to defend against every risk being posed by changing technologies as well as criminal intent on committing cyber-crime. Our network could be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses, phishing schemes, spam attacks, human error, natural disasters, power loss and other security breaches. We may be required to spend significant capital and other resources to protect against the threat of security breaches and computer viruses, or to alleviate problems caused by security breaches or viruses. To the extent that our activities or the activities of our customers involve the storage and transmission of confidential information, security breaches (including breaches of security of customer systems and networks) and viruses could expose us to claims, litigation and other possible liabilities. Any inability to prevent security breaches or computer viruses could also cause existing customers to lose confidence in our systems and could adversely affect our reputation, results of operations and ability to attract and maintain customers and businesses. In addition, a security breach could also subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny, expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability and cause reputational damage.

We maintain a system of internal controls and insurance coverage to mitigate against operational risks, including data processing system failures and errors and customer or employee fraud. If our internal controls fail to prevent or detect an occurrence, or if any resulting loss is not insured or exceeds applicable insurance limits, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We are subject to extensive government regulation that could limit or restrict our activities, which in turn may adversely impact our ability to increase our assets and earnings.

We operate in a highly regulated environment and are subject to supervision and regulation by a number of governmental regulatory agencies, including the Federal Reserve, the TDFI and to a lesser extent, the FDIC and the CFPB. Regulations adopted by these agencies, which are generally intended to provide protection for depositors and customers rather than for the benefit of shareholders, govern a comprehensive range of matters relating to ownership and control of our shares, our acquisition of other companies and businesses, permissible activities for us to engage in, maintenance of adequate capital levels, and other aspects of our operations. These bank regulators possess broad authority to prevent or remedy unsafe or unsound practices or violations of law. The laws and regulations applicable to the banking industry could change at any time and we cannot predict the effects of these changes on our business, profitability or growth strategy. Increased regulation could increase our cost of compliance and adversely affect profitability. Moreover, certain of these regulations contain significant punitive sanctions for violations, including monetary penalties and limitations on a bank’s ability to implement components of its business plan, such as expansion through mergers and acquisitions or the opening of new branch offices. In addition, changes in regulatory requirements may add costs associated with compliance efforts. Furthermore, government policy and regulation, particularly as implemented through the Federal Reserve System, significantly affect credit conditions. Negative developments in the financial industry and the impact of new legislation and regulation in response to those developments could negatively impact our business operations and adversely impact our financial performance.

The Federal Reserve may require us to commit capital resources to support the Bank.

The Federal Reserve requires a bank holding company to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to a subsidiary bank and to commit resources to support such subsidiary bank. Under the “source of strength” doctrine, the Federal Reserve may require a bank holding company to make capital injections into a troubled subsidiary bank and may charge the bank holding company with engaging in unsafe and unsound practices for failure to commit resources to a subsidiary bank. A capital injection may be required at times when the bank holding company may not have the resources to provide it and therefore may be required to borrow the funds or raise capital. As a result, we may not be able to serve existing indebtedness, and such default may require us to declare bankruptcy. Any capital contributions by a bank holding company to its subsidiary banks are subordinate in right of payment to deposits and to other indebtedness of such subsidiary bank. In the event of a bank holding company’s bankruptcy, the bankruptcy trustee will assume any commitment by the bank holding company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a subsidiary bank. Moreover, bankruptcy law provides that claims based on any such commitment will be entitled to a priority of payment over the claims of the institution’s general unsecured creditors, including the holders of its note obligations. Thus, any borrowing that must be incurred by us to make a required capital injection to the Bank becomes more difficult and expensive and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Federal and state regulators periodically examine our business, and we may be required to remediate adverse examination findings.

The Federal Reserve and the TDFI periodically examine our business, including our compliance with laws and regulations. If, as a result of an examination, a banking agency were to determine that our financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, earnings prospects, management, liquidity, interest rate sensitivity or other aspects of any of our operations had become unsatisfactory, or that we were in violation of any law or regulation, they may take a number of different remedial actions as they deem appropriate. These actions include the power to enjoin “unsafe or unsound” practices, to require affirmative action to correct any conditions resulting from any violation or practice, to issue an administrative order that can be judicially enforced, to direct an increase in our capital, to restrict our growth, to assess civil money penalties, to fine or remove officers and directors and, if it is concluded that such conditions cannot be corrected or there is an imminent risk of loss to depositors, to terminate our deposit insurance and place us into receivership or conservatorship. Any regulatory action against us could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Risks Related to Our Company

The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and our liquidity in the short term and for the foreseeable future.

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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures implemented to prevent its spread could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and such effects will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and are difficult to predict.

Global health concerns relating to the COVID-19 outbreak and related government actions taken to reduce the spread of the virus have been weighing on the macroeconomic environment, and the outbreak has significantly increased economic uncertainty and reduced economic activity. The outbreak has resulted in authorities implementing numerous measures to try to contain the virus, such as travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter in place or total lock-down orders and business limitations and shutdowns. Such measures have significantly contributed to rising unemployment and negatively impacted consumer and business spending. The United States government has taken steps to attempt to mitigate some of the more severe anticipated economic effects of the virus, including the passage of the CARES Act, but there can be no assurance that such steps will be effective or achieve their desired results in a timely fashion.

The outbreak has adversely impacted and is likely to further adversely impact our workforce and operations and the operations of our borrowers, customers and business partners. In particular, we may experience financial losses due to a number of operational factors impacting us or our borrowers, customers or business partners, including but not limited to:

These factors may remain prevalent for a significant period of time and may continue to adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition even after the COVID-19 outbreak has subsided.

The spread of COVID-19 has caused us to modify our business practices (including restricting employee travel, and developing work from home and social distancing plans for our employees), and we may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or as we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers and business partners. There is no certainty that such measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks posed by the virus or will otherwise be satisfactory to government authorities.

The extent to which the coronavirus outbreak impacts our business, results of operations and financial condition will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and are difficult to predict, including, but not limited to, the duration and spread of the outbreak, its severity, the actions to contain the virus or treat its impact, and how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume. Even after the COVID-19 outbreak has subsided, we may continue to experience materially adverse impacts to our business as a result of the virus’s global economic impact, including the availability of credit, adverse impacts on our liquidity and any recession that has occurred or may occur in the future.

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There are no comparable recent events that provide guidance as to the effect the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic may have, and, as a result, the ultimate impact of the outbreak is highly uncertain and subject to change. We do not yet know the full extent of the impacts on our business, our operations or the global economy as a whole. However, the effects could have a material impact on our results of operations.

If our allowance for loan losses and fair value adjustments with respect to acquired loans is not sufficient to cover actual loan losses, our earnings will be adversely affected.

Our success depends significantly on the quality of our assets, particularly loans. Like other financial institutions, we are exposed to the risk that our borrowers may not repay their loans according to their terms, and the collateral securing the payment of these loans may be insufficient to fully compensate us for the outstanding balance of the loan plus the costs to dispose of the collateral. As a result, we may experience significant loan losses that may have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

We maintain an allowance for loan losses with respect to our loan portfolio, in an attempt to cover loan losses inherent in our loan portfolio. In determining the size of the allowance, we rely on an analysis of our loan portfolio, our experience and our evaluation of general economic conditions. We also make various assumptions and judgments about the collectability of our loan portfolio, including the diversification in our loan portfolio, the effect of changes in the economy on real estate and other collateral values, the results of recent regulatory examinations, the effects on the loan portfolio of current economic conditions and their probable impact on borrowers, the amount of charge-offs for the period and the amount of nonperforming loans and related collateral security.

The application of the acquisition method of accounting in our acquisitions has impacted our allowance for loan losses. Under the acquisition method of accounting, all acquired loans were recorded in our consolidated financial statements at their fair values at the time of acquisition and the related allowance for loan losses was eliminated because credit quality, among other factors, was considered in the determination of fair value. To the extent that our estimates of fair values are too high, we will incur losses associated with the acquired loans. The allowance, if any, associated with our purchased credit impaired loans reflects deterioration in cash flows since acquisition resulting from our quarterly re-estimation of cash flows which involves complex cash flow projections and significant judgment on timing of loan resolution.

If our analysis or assumptions prove to be incorrect, our current allowance may not be sufficient, and adjustments may be necessary to allow for different economic conditions or adverse developments in our loan portfolio. Material additions to the allowance for loan losses would materially decrease our net income and adversely affect our general financial condition.

As of December 31, 2020, our allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total loans was 0.77% and as a percentage of total nonperforming loans was 315.16%. Although management believes that the allowance for loan losses is adequate to absorb losses on any existing loans that may become uncollectible, we may be required to take additional provisions for loan losses in the future to further supplement the allowance for loan losses, either due to management’s decision to do so or because our banking regulators require us to do so. Federal and state regulators periodically review our allowance for loan losses and may require us to increase our allowance for loan losses or recognize further loan charge-offs, based on judgments different than those of our management. Any increase in our allowance for loan losses or loan charge-offs required by these regulatory agencies could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

Our success depends significantly on economic conditions in our market areas.

Unlike larger organizations that are more geographically diversified, our branches are currently concentrated in East and Middle Tennessee, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. As a result of this geographic concentration, our financial results will depend largely upon economic conditions in these market areas. If the communities in which we operate do not grow or if prevailing economic conditions, locally or nationally, deteriorate, this may have a significant impact on the amount of loans that we originate, the ability of our borrowers to repay these loans and the value of the collateral securing these loans. A return to economic downturn conditions caused by inflation, recession, unemployment, government action, health emergencies, disease pandemics, natural disasters or other factors beyond our control would likely contribute to the deterioration of the quality of our loan portfolio and reduce our level of deposits, which in turn would have an adverse

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effect on our business. In addition, some portions of our target market are in areas which a substantial portion of the economy is dependent upon tourism. The tourism industry tends to be more sensitive than the economy as a whole to changes in unemployment, inflation, wage growth, and other factors which affect consumer’s financial condition and sentiment.

Competition from financial institutions and other financial service providers may adversely affect our profitability.

We experience competition in our market from many other financial institutions. We compete with commercial banks, credit unions, savings and loan associations, mortgage banking firms, internet banks, consumer finance companies, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, money market funds, and other mutual funds, as well as other community banks and super-regional and national financial institutions that operate offices in our service area. These competitors often have far greater resources than we do and are able to conduct more extensive and broader marketing efforts to reach both commercial and individual clients. Our competitors may be able to offer more attractive interest rates and other financial terms than we offer or have the ability to offer. Some of our non-bank competitors are not subject to the same extensive regulations we are and, therefore, may have greater flexibility in competing for business. We compete with these other financial institutions both in attracting deposits and in making loans. In addition, we must attract our client base from other existing financial institutions and from new residents. We expect competition to increase in the future as a result of legislative, regulatory and technological changes and the continuing trend of consolidation in the financial services industry. Our profitability depends upon our continued ability to successfully compete with an array of financial institutions in our service area. Our ability to compete successfully will depend on a number of factors, including, among other things, our ability to recruit and retain experienced and talented bankers at competitive compensation levels, build and maintain long-term client relationships while ensuring high ethical standards and safe and sound banking practices, compete with the scope, relevance and pricing of the products and services we provide, maintain a competitive level of client satisfaction with our products and services, keep pace with technological advances and invest in new technology, and depend on general economic trend and trends within our industry.

Increased competition could require us to increase the rates that we pay on deposits or lower the rates that we offer on loans, which could reduce our profitability. Our failure to compete effectively in our market could restrain our growth or cause us to lose market share, which could have a material adverse effect on our assets, business, cash flow, condition (financial or otherwise), liquidity, prospects and results of operations.

Our organic loan growth may be limited by regulatory constraints.

During 2019 many of the regulatory agencies, including ours, increased their focus on the application of an interagency guidance issued in 2006, titled “Concentrations in Commercial Real Estate Lending, Sound Risk Management Practices.”  The 2006 interagency guidance focuses on the risks of high levels of concentration in CRE lending at banking institutions, and specifically addresses two supervisory criteria:

The guidance states that banking institutions exceeding the concentration levels mentioned in the two supervisory criteria should have in place enhanced credit risk controls, including stress testing of CRE portfolios. At the end of 2020 our loan portfolio was below both the 100 and 300 ratios as laid out in the guidance, but given the guidance our ability to grow those loan types could be constrained by the amount we are also able to grow capital.

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Changes in accounting standards, including the implementation of Current Expected Credit Loss methodology, could materially affect how we report our financial results.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board adopted a new accounting standard for determining the amount of our allowance for credit losses (ASU 2016-13 Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326)) that will be effective for us January 1, 2023. We believe that adoption of ASU 2016-13 will result in an increase to our allowance for loan and lease losses, referred to as Current Expected Credit Loss (“CECL”). Implementation of CECL will require that we determine periodic estimates of lifetime expected future credit losses on loans in the allowance for loan and lease losses in the period when the loans are booked. The ongoing impact of CECL will be significantly influenced by the composition, characteristics and quality of our loan portfolio, as well as the prevailing economic conditions and forecasts utilized. Should these factors materially change, we may be required to increase or decrease our allowance for loan and lease losses, decreasing or increasing our net income, and introducing additional volatility into our net income.

To the extent that we are unable to identify and consummate attractive acquisitions, or increase loans through organic loan growth, we may be unable to successfully implement our growth strategy, which could materially and adversely affect us.

A substantial part of our historical growth has been a result of acquisitions and we intend to continue to grow our business through strategic acquisitions of banking franchises coupled with organic loan growth. Previous availability of attractive acquisition targets may not be indicative of future acquisition opportunities, and we may be unable to identify any acquisition targets that meet our investment objectives. To the extent that we are unable to find suitable acquisition candidates, an important component of our strategy may be lost. We also face significant competition from numerous other financial services institutions, many of which will have greater financial resources than we do, when considering acquisition opportunities. Accordingly, attractive acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. There can be no assurance that we will be successful in identifying or completing any future acquisitions. If we are able to identify attractive acquisition opportunities, we must generally satisfy a number of conditions prior to completing any such transaction, including certain bank regulatory approvals, which have become substantially more difficult, time-consuming and unpredictable as a result of the recent financial crisis. Additionally, any future acquisitions may not produce the revenue, earnings or synergies that we anticipated. As our purchased credit impaired loan portfolio, which produces substantially higher yields than our organic and purchased non-credit impaired loan portfolios, is paid down, we expect downward pressure on our income. If we are unable to replace our purchased credit impaired loans and the related accretion with a significantly higher level of new performing loans and other earning assets due to our inability to identify attractive acquisition opportunities, a decline in loan demand, competition from other financial institutions in our markets, stagnation or continued deterioration of economic conditions, or other conditions, our financial condition and earnings may be adversely affected.

Our recent acquisition and future expansion may result in additional risks.

We expect to continue to expand in our current markets and in other select markets through additional branches or through acquisitions of all or part of other financial institutions. These types of expansions involve various risks, including the risks detailed below.

The merger with PFG was completed on March 1, 2020, and while this integration effort is substantially complete, we continue to manage the acquired business through the transition. The success of this transition will depend on, among other things, our ability to realize anticipated costs savings and to manage the acquired assets and operations in a manner that permits growth opportunities and does not materially disrupt our existing customer relationships or result in decreased revenues resulting from any loss of customers. We may encounter a number of difficulties, including, among others:

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Failure to achieve these anticipated benefits on the anticipated timeframe, or at all, could result in a reduction in the price of our shares as well as in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management’s time and energy and could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, will make fair value estimates of certain assets and liabilities in recording our acquisition of PFG. Actual values of these assets and liabilities could differ from our estimates, which could result in our not achieving the anticipated benefits of the acquisition. Finally, any cost savings that are realized may be offset by losses in revenues or other charges to earnings.

Further, we acquire banks with the expectation that these mergers will result in various benefits including, among other things, benefits relating to enhanced revenues, a strengthened market position for the combined company, cross selling opportunities, technology, cost savings and operating efficiencies. Achieving the anticipated benefits of these mergers is subject to a number of uncertainties, including whether we integrate these institutions in an efficient and effective manner, and general competitive factors in the marketplace. Failure to achieve these anticipated benefits could result in a reduction in the price of our shares as well as in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management's time and energy and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

We may face risks with respect to future acquisitions.

When we attempt to expand our business through mergers and acquisitions, we seek targets that are culturally similar to us, have experienced management and possess either market presence or have potential for improved profitability through economies of scale or expanded services. In addition to the general risks associated with our growth plans which are highlighted above, in general, acquiring other banks, businesses or branches, particularly those in markets with which we are less familiar, involves various risks commonly associated with acquisitions.

We expect to continue to evaluate merger and acquisition opportunities that are presented to us in our current markets, as well as other markets, throughout the region and conduct due diligence activities related to possible transactions with other financial institutions. As a result, merger or acquisition discussions and, in some cases, negotiations may take place and future mergers or acquisitions involving cash or equity securities and related capital raising transactions may occur at any time. Generally, acquisitions of financial institutions involve the payment of a premium over book and market values, and, therefore, some dilution of our book value and fully diluted earnings per share may occur in connection with any future transaction. Failure to realize the expected revenue increases, cost savings, increases in product presence and/or other projected benefits from an acquisition could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our concentration in loans secured by real estate, particularly commercial real estate and construction and development, is subject to risks that could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We offer a variety of secured loans, including commercial lines of credit, commercial term loans, real estate, construction, home equity, consumer and other loans. Many of our loans are secured by real estate (both residential and commercial) in our market areas. Consequently, declines in economic conditions in these market areas may have a greater effect on our earnings and capital than on the earnings and capital of larger financial institutions whose real estate loan portfolios are more geographically diverse.

At December 31, 2020, approximately 73% of our loans had real estate as a primary or secondary component of collateral, which includes 12% of our loans secured by construction and development collateral. The real estate collateral in each case provides an alternate source of repayment in the event of default by the borrower and may deteriorate in value during the time the credit is extended. If we are required to liquidate the collateral securing a loan to satisfy the debt during a period of reduced real estate values, our earnings and capital could be adversely affected. Real estate values declined significantly during the recent economic crisis and may decline similarly in future periods. Although real estate prices in

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most of our markets have stabilized or are improving, a renewed decline in real estate values would expose us to further deterioration in the value of the collateral for all loans secured by real estate and may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Commercial real estate loans are generally viewed as having more risk of default than residential real estate loans, particularly when there is a downturn in the business cycle. 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 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, each of which could increase the likelihood of default on the loan. Because our 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 nonperforming loans. An increase in nonperforming 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 our results of operations and financial condition, which could negatively affect our stock price.

If a commercial real estate loan did default there would be legal expenses associated with obtaining the real estate which is typically collateral for the loan. In the last several years the amount of these legal expenses has been low, compared to periods when the defaults of commercial real estate loans have been higher. Once we obtain the collateral for the commercial real estate loan it is put into other real estate owned. Other real estate owned assets generally do not produce income but do have the costs associated with the ownership of real estate, principally real estate taxes and maintenance costs. Since these assets have a cost to maintain our goal is to keep costs at a minimum by liquidating the assets as soon as possible. Among other reasons the rate of loan defaults increase as the economy worsens and declining economic environment and political turmoil generally results in downward pressure on foreclosed asset values and increased marketing periods.

Our largest loan relationships currently make up a significant percentage of our total loan portfolio.

As of December 31, 2020, our 10 largest borrowing relationships totaled approximately $192 million in outstanding balances, or approximately 8% of our total loan portfolio. The concentration risk associated with having a small number of relatively large loan relationships is that, if one or more of these relationships were to become delinquent or suffer default, we could be at risk of material losses. The allowance for loan losses may not be adequate to cover losses associated with any of these relationships, and any loss or increase in the allowance could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

Declines in the businesses or industries of our customers could cause increased credit losses and decreased loan balances, which could adversely affect our financial results.

The small to medium-sized businesses that we lend to may have fewer resources to weather adverse business developments, which may impair a borrower’s ability to repay a loan, and such impairment could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. A substantial focus of our marketing and business strategy is to serve small to medium-sized businesses in our market areas. As a result, a relatively high percentage of our loan portfolio consists of commercial loans to such businesses. We further anticipate an increase in the amount of loans to small to medium-sized businesses during 2021.

Small to medium-sized businesses frequently have smaller market shares than their competition, may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, often need substantial additional capital to expand or compete and may experience substantial volatility in operating results, any of which may impair a borrower’s ability to repay a loan. In addition, the success of a small and medium-sized business often depends on the management skills, talents and efforts of one or two people or a small group of people, and the death, disability or resignation of one or more of these people could have an adverse impact on the business and its ability to repay its loan. If general economic conditions negatively impact the markets in which we operate and small to medium-sized businesses are adversely affected or our borrowers are otherwise harmed by adverse business developments, this, in turn, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Real estate market volatility and future changes in our disposition strategies could result in net proceeds that differ significantly from our other real estate owned fair value appraisals.

As of December 31, 2020, we held an other real estate owned balance of $4.6 million. Our other real estate owned portfolio historically has been insignificant, and generally consisted of properties that we obtained through foreclosure or through a deed in lieu of foreclosure. Properties in our other real estate owned portfolio are recorded at the lower of the recorded investment in the loans for which the properties previously served as collateral or the “fair value,” which represents the estimated sales price of the properties on the date acquired less estimated selling costs. Generally, in determining “fair value,” an orderly disposition of the property is assumed, except when a different disposition strategy is expected. Judgment is required in estimating the fair value of other real estate owned, and the period of time within which such estimates can be considered current is shortened during periods of market volatility. As a result of the significant judgments required in estimating fair value and the variables involved in different methods of disposition, the net proceeds realized from such sales transactions could differ significantly from appraisals, comparable sales and other estimates used to determine the fair value of our other real estate owned properties.

Our use of appraisals in deciding whether to make a loan secured by real property does not ensure the value of the real property collateral.

In considering whether to make a loan secured by real property we generally require an appraisal of the property. However, an appraisal is only an estimate of the value of the property at the time the appraisal is conducted, and an error in fact or judgment could adversely affect the reliability of an appraisal. In addition, events occurring after the initial appraisal may cause the value of the real estate to decrease. As a result of any of these factors the value of collateral securing a loan may be less than estimated, and if a default occurs we may not recover the outstanding balance of the loan.

Interest rates on our outstanding financial instruments might be subject to change based on regulatory developments, which could adversely affect our revenue, expenses, and the value of those financial instruments.

LIBOR and certain other “benchmarks” are the subject of recent national, international, and other regulatory guidance and proposals for reform. These reforms may cause such benchmarks to perform differently than in the past or have other consequences which cannot be predicted. On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, publicly announced that it intends to stop persuading or compelling banks to submit LIBOR rates after 2021. It is unclear whether, at that time, LIBOR will cease to exist or if new methods of calculating LIBOR will be established. If LIBOR ceases to exist or if the methods of calculating LIBOR change from current methods for any reason, interest rates on our floating rate obligations, loans, deposits, derivatives, and other financial instruments tied to LIBOR rates, as well as the revenue and expenses associated with those financial instruments, may be adversely affected. Any uncertainty regarding the continued use and reliability of LIBOR as a benchmark interest rate could adversely affect the value of our floating rate obligations, loans, deposits, derivatives, and other financial instruments tied to LIBOR rates.

Our adjustable-rate commercial real estate loans are generally based on the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate (WSJPR) or London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). However, we may not be able to successfully eliminate all loans tied to LIBOR prior to 2022. Even with “fallback” provisions contained within remaining LIBOR tied loans, changes to or the discontinuance of LIBOR could result in customer uncertainty and disputes around how variable rates should be calculated. All of this could result in damage to our reputation, loss of customers and additional costs to us, all of which could be material.

Liquidity risk could impair our ability to fund our operations and jeopardize our financial condition.

Liquidity represents an institution’s ability to provide funds to satisfy demands from depositors, borrowers and other creditors by either converting assets into cash or accessing new or existing sources of incremental funds. Liquidity risk arises from the possibility that we may be unable to satisfy current or future funding requirements and needs.

The objective of managing liquidity risk is to ensure that our cash flow requirements resulting from depositor, borrower and other creditor demands as well as our operating cash needs, are met, and that our cost of funding such requirements and needs is reasonable. We maintain an asset/liability and interest rate risk policy and a liquidity and funds management

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policy, including a contingency funding plan that, among other things, include procedures for managing and monitoring liquidity risk. Generally we rely on deposits, repayments of loans and cash flows from our investment securities as our primary sources of funds. Our principal deposit sources include consumer, commercial and public funds customers in our markets. We have used these funds, together with wholesale deposit sources such as brokered deposits, along with Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati (“FHLB Cincinnati”) advances, federal funds purchased and other sources of short-term and long-term borrowings, to make loans, acquire investment securities and other assets and to fund continuing operations.

An inability to maintain or raise funds in amounts necessary to meet our liquidity needs could have a substantial negative effect, individually or collectively, on SmartFinancial and SmartBank’s liquidity. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities, or on terms attractive to us, could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically or the financial services industry in general. For example, factors that could detrimentally impact our access to liquidity sources include a decrease in the level of our business activity due to a market downturn or adverse regulatory action against us, a reduction in our credit rating, any damage to our reputation or any other decrease in depositor or investor confidence in our creditworthiness and business. Our access to liquidity could also be impaired by factors that are not specific to us, such as severe volatility or disruption of the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry as a whole. Any such event or failure to manage our liquidity effectively could affect our competitive position, increase our borrowing costs and the interest rates we pay on deposits, limit our access to the capital markets, cause our regulators to criticize our operations and have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Deposit levels may be affected by a number of factors, including demands by customers, rates paid by competitors, general interest rate levels, returns available to customers on alternative investments, general economic and market conditions and other factors. Loan repayments are a relatively stable source of funds but are subject to the borrowers’ ability to repay loans, which can be adversely affected by a number of factors including changes in general economic conditions, adverse trends or events affecting business industry groups or specific businesses, declines in real estate values or markets, business closings or lay-offs, inclement weather, natural disasters, prolonged government shutdowns and other factors. Furthermore, loans generally are not readily convertible to cash. Accordingly, we may be required from time to time to rely on secondary sources of liquidity to meet growth in loans, deposit withdrawal demands or otherwise fund operations. Such secondary sources include FHLB Cincinnati advances, brokered deposits, secured and unsecured federal funds lines of credit from correspondent banks, Federal Reserve borrowings and/or accessing the equity or debt capital markets.

We anticipate we will continue to rely primarily on deposits, loan repayments, and cash flows from our investment securities to provide liquidity. Additionally, where necessary, the secondary sources of borrowed funds described above will be used to augment our primary funding sources. If we are unable to access any of these secondary funding sources when needed, we might be unable to meet our customers’ or creditors’ needs, which would adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, and liquidity.

We could recognize losses on securities held in our securities portfolio, particularly if interest rates increase or economic and market conditions deteriorate.

Factors beyond our control can significantly influence the fair value of securities in our portfolio and can cause potential adverse changes to the fair value of these securities. For example, fixed-rate securities acquired by us are generally subject to decreases in market value when interest rates rise. Additional factors include, but are not limited to, rating agency downgrades of the securities or our own analysis of the value of the security, defaults by the issuer or individual mortgagors with respect to the underlying securities, or instability in the credit markets. Any of the foregoing factors could cause other-than-temporary impairment in future periods and result in realized losses. The process for determining whether impairment is other-than-temporary usually requires difficult, subjective judgments about the future financial performance of the issuer and any collateral underlying the security in order to assess the probability of receiving all contractual principal and interest payments on the security. Because of changing economic and market conditions  affecting interest rates, the financial condition  of issuers of the securities and the performance of the underlying collateral, we may recognize realized and/or unrealized losses in future periods, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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We face additional risks due to our increase in mortgage banking activities that have and could negatively impact our net income and profitability.

We have established mortgage banking operations which expose us to risks that are different from our retail and commercial banking operations. During higher and rising interest rate environments, the demand for mortgage loans and the level of refinancing activity tends to decline, which can lead to reduced volumes of business and lower revenues, which could negatively impact our earnings. While we have been experiencing historically low interest rates, the low interest rate environment likely will not continue indefinitely. Because we sell a portion of the mortgage loans we originate, the profitability of our mortgage banking operations also depends in large part on our ability to aggregate a high volume of loans and sell them in the secondary market at a gain. Thus, in addition to our dependence on the interest rate environment, we are dependent upon (a) the existence of an active secondary market and (b) our ability to profitably sell loans into that market. Profitability of our mortgage operations will depend upon our ability to increase production and thus income while holding or reducing costs. In addition, mortgages sold to third-party investors are typically subject to certain repurchase provisions related to borrower refinancing, defaults, fraud or other reasons stipulated in the applicable third-party investor agreements. If the fair value of a loan when repurchased is less than the fair value when sold, we may be required to charge such shortfall to earnings.

Any expansion into new lines of business might not be successful.

As part of our ongoing strategic plan, we will continue to consider expansion into new lines of business through the acquisition of third parties, or through organic growth and development. There are substantial risks associated with such efforts, including risks that (a) revenues from such activities might not be sufficient to offset the development, compliance, and other implementation costs, (b) competing products and services and shifting market preferences might affect the profitability of such activities, (c) regulatory compliance obligations prevent the success of a new line of business, and (d) our internal controls might be inadequate to manage the risks associated with new activities. Furthermore, it is possible that our unfamiliarity with new lines of business might adversely affect the success of such actions. If any such expansions into new product markets are not successful, there could be an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Any deficiencies in our financial reporting or internal controls could materially and adversely affect us, including resulting in material misstatements in our financial statements, and could materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

If we fail to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, our operating results could be harmed and it could result in a material misstatement in our financial statements in the future. Inferior controls and procedures or the identification of accounting errors could cause our investors to lose confidence in our internal controls and question our reported financial information, which, among other things, could have a negative impact on the trading price of our common stock. Additionally, we could become subject to increased regulatory scrutiny and a higher risk of shareholder litigation, which could result in significant additional expenses and require additional financial and management resources.

Inability to retain senior management and key employees or to attract new experienced financial services professionals could impair our relationship with our customers, reduce growth and adversely affect our business.

We have assembled a senior management team which has substantial background and experience in banking and financial services. Moreover, much of historical loan growth was the result of our ability to attract experienced financial services professionals who have been able to attract customers from other financial institutions. Leadership changes will occur from time to time, and we cannot predict whether significant resignations will occur or whether we will be able to recruit additional qualified personnel. Competition for senior executives and skilled personnel in the financial services and banking industry is intense, which means the cost of hiring, incentivizing and retaining skilled personnel may continue to increase. We need to continue to attract and retain key personnel and to recruit qualified individuals to succeed existing key personnel to ensure the continued growth and successful operation of our business. Our ability to effectively compete for senior executives and other qualified personnel by offering competitive compensation and benefit arrangements may be restricted by applicable banking laws and regulations as discussed in “Part 1 – Item 1. Business – Supervision and Regulation – Regulation of the Company – Incentive Compensation.” Inability to retain these key personnel or to continue

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to attract experienced lenders with established books of business could negatively impact our growth because of the loss of these individuals’ skills and customer relationships and/or the potential difficulty of promptly replacing them. In addition, to attract and retain personnel with appropriate skills and knowledge to support our business, we may offer a variety of benefits, which could reduce our earnings.

Employee misconduct could expose us to significant legal liability and reputational harm.

We are vulnerable to reputational harm because we operate in an industry in which integrity and the confidence of our customers are of critical importance. Our employees could engage in fraudulent, illegal, wrongful or suspicious activities, and/or activities resulting in consumer harm that adversely affects our customers and/or our business. The precautions we take to detect and prevent such misconduct may not always be effective and regulatory sanctions and/or penalties, serious harm to our reputation, financial condition, customer relationships and ability to attract new customers. In addition, improper use or disclosure of confidential information by our employees, even if inadvertent, could result in serious harm to our reputation, financial condition and current and future business relationships. The precautions we take to detect and prevent such misconduct may not always be effective.

We may be adversely affected by the soundness of other financial institutions.

Our ability to engage in routine funding transactions could be adversely affected by the actions and commercial soundness of other financial institutions. Financial services companies are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty, and other relationships. We have exposure to different industries and counterparties, and through transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including brokers and dealers, commercial banks, investment banks, and other institutional clients. As a result, defaults by, or even rumors or questions about, one or more financial services companies, or the financial services industry generally, have led to market-wide liquidity problems and could lead to losses or defaults by us or by other institutions. These losses or defaults could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Additionally, if our competitors were extending credit on terms we found to pose excessive risks, or at interest rates which we believed did not warrant the credit exposure, we may not be able to maintain our business volume and could experience deteriorating financial performance.

Risks Related to Our Stock

Our ability to declare and pay dividends is limited.

There can be no assurance of whether or when we may pay dividends on our common stock in the future. Future dividends, if any, will be declared and paid at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on a number of factors. Our principal source of funds used to pay cash dividends on our common stock will be dividends that we receive from SmartBank. Although the Bank’s asset quality, earnings performance, liquidity and capital requirements will be taken into account before we declare or pay any future dividends on our common stock, our board of directors will also consider our liquidity and capital requirements and our board of directors could determine to declare and pay dividends without relying on dividend payments from the Bank.

Federal and state banking laws and regulations and state corporate laws restrict the amount of dividends we may declare and pay. For example, the Federal Reserve could decide at any time that paying any dividends on our common stock could be an unsafe or unsound banking practice. For a discussion of current regulatory limits on our ability to pay dividends, see “Part I –  Item 1. Business – Supervision and Regulation – Regulation of the Company – Payment of Dividends” in this Report for further information.

Even though our common stock is currently traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market, it has less liquidity than many other stocks quoted on a national securities exchange.

The trading volume in our 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. Although we have experienced increased liquidity in our stock, we cannot say with any certainty that a more active and liquid trading market for our common stock will continue to develop.  A public trading market having the desired characteristics of depth, liquidity and orderliness

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depends on the presence in the marketplace of willing buyers and sellers of our common stock at any given time. This presence depends on the individual decisions of investors and general economic and market conditions over which we have no control. Given the continued development of the trading volume of our common stock, significant sales of our common stock, or the expectation of these sales, could cause our stock price to fall.

We may issue additional shares of stock or equity derivative securities, including awards to current and future executive officers, directors and employees, which could result in the dilution of shareholders’ investment.

Our authorized capital includes 40,000,000 shares of common stock and 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock. As of December 31, 2020, we had 15,107,214 shares of common stock and no shares of preferred stock outstanding, and had reserved or otherwise set aside for issuance 99,617 shares underlying outstanding options and 1,876,894 shares that are available for future grants of stock options, restricted stock or other equity-based awards pursuant to our equity incentive plans. Subject to NASDAQ rules, our board of directors generally has the authority to issue all or part of any authorized but unissued shares of common stock or preferred stock for any corporate purpose. We anticipate that we will issue additional equity in connection with the acquisition of other strategic partners and that in the future we likely will seek additional equity capital as we develop our business and expand our operations, depending on the timing and magnitude of any particular future acquisition. These issuances would dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders and may dilute the per share book value of the common stock. New investors also may have rights, preferences and privileges that are senior to, and that adversely affect, our then existing shareholders.

In addition, the issuance of shares under our equity compensation plans will result in dilution of our shareholders’ ownership of our Common Stock. The exercise price of stock options could also adversely affect the terms on which we can obtain additional capital. Option holders are most likely to exercise their options when the exercise price is less than the market price for our Common Stock. They may profit from any increase in the stock price without assuming the risks of ownership of the underlying shares of Common Stock by exercising their options and selling the stock immediately.

The market price of our common stock may be subject to substantial fluctuations, which may make it difficult for you to sell your shares at the volume, prices and time desired.

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations in price in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors include, among other things:

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In addition, if the market for stocks in our industry, or the stock market in general, experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition or results of operations. If any of the foregoing occurs, it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be costly to defend and a distraction to management.

We may issue shares of preferred stock in the future, which could make it difficult for another company to acquire us or could otherwise adversely affect holders of our common stock, which could depress the price of our common stock.

Although there are currently no shares of our preferred stock issued and outstanding, our articles of incorporation authorize us to issue up to 2 million shares of one or more series of preferred stock. Our board of directors also has the power, without shareholder approval (subject to Nasdaq shareholder approval rules), to set the terms of any series of preferred stock that may be issued, including voting rights, dividend rights, preferences over our common stock with respect to dividends or in the event of a dissolution, liquidation or winding up and other terms. In the event that we issue preferred stock in the future that has preference over our common stock with respect to payment of dividends or upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, or if we issue preferred stock with voting rights that dilute the voting power of our common

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stock, the rights of the holders of our common stock or the market price of our common stock could be adversely affected. In addition, the ability of our board of directors to issue shares of preferred stock without any action on the part of our shareholders (subject to Nasdaq shareholder approval rules) may impede a takeover of us and prevent a transaction perceived to be favorable to our shareholders.

Anti-takeover laws and certain agreements and charter provisions may adversely affect the price of our common stock.

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Certain provisions of state and federal law and our articles of incorporation may make it more difficult for someone to acquire control of the Company. Under federal law, subject to certain exemptions, a person, entity, or group must notify the federal banking agencies before acquiring 10% or more of the outstanding voting stock of a bank holding company, including the Company’s shares. Banking agencies review the acquisition to determine if it will result in a change of control. The banking agencies have 60 days to act on the notice, and take into account several factors, including the resources of the acquiror and the antitrust effects of the acquisition. There also are Tennessee statutory provisions and provisions in our charter that may be used to delay or block a takeover attempt. As a result, these statutory provisions and provisions in our articles of incorporation could result in the Company being less attractive to a potential acquiror.

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Secondly, the amount of common stock owned by, and other compensation arrangements with, certain of our officers and directors may make it more difficult to obtain shareholder approval of potential takeovers that they oppose. Agreements with our senior management also provide for significant payments under certain circumstances following a change in control. These compensation arrangements, together with the common stock and option ownership of our board of directors and management, could make it difficult or expensive to obtain majority support for shareholder proposals or potential acquisition proposals that the board of directors and officers oppose.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

The headquarters of SmartFinancial is located at 5401 Kingston Pike, #600, Knoxville, Tennessee 37919. This property is owned by SmartBank and also serves as a branch location for the Bank’s customers. As of March 1, 2021, the Bank has 35 full service branches, one loan production office and one operation center for a total of 37 locations, of which 27 are owned and 10 that are leased. Although the properties owned and leased are generally considered adequate, we have a continuing program of modernization, expansion, and when necessary, occasional replacement of facilities. For additional information relating to the Company’s premises, equipment and lease commitments, see Note 6—Premises and Equipment to our audited consolidated financial statements.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

As of the end of 2020, neither SmartFinancial nor SmartBank was involved in any material litigation. SmartBank is periodically involved as a plaintiff or defendant in various legal actions in the ordinary course of its business. Management believes that any claims pending against SmartFinancial or its subsidiary are without merit or that the ultimate liability, if any, resulting from them will not materially affect SmartBank’s financial condition or SmartFinancial’s consolidated financial position.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

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

Market Information

SmartFinancial’s common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “SMBK”.

As of March 08, 2021, there were approximately 3,242 holders of record of SmartFinancial’s common stock and 15,113,045 shares outstanding.

Dividends from SmartBank are the Company’s primary source of funds to pay dividends on its common stock. Additional information regarding restrictions on the ability of SmartBank to pay dividends to the Company and for the Company to pay dividends to its shareholders is contained in “Part I – Item 1. Business – Supervision and Regulation – Payment of Dividends”.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

For information relating to compensation plans under which our equity securities are authorized for issuance, see Part III Items 11 and 12.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

On November 20, 2018, the Company announced that its board of directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan pursuant to which the Company may purchase up to $10.0 million in shares of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Stock repurchases under the plan will be made from time to time in the open market, at the discretion of the management of the Company, and in accordance with applicable legal requirements. The stock repurchase plan does not obligate the Company to repurchase any dollar amount or number of shares, and the program may be extended, modified, amended, suspended, or discontinued at any time. As of December 31, 2020, we have purchased $4.3 million of the authorized $10.0 million and may purchase up to an additional $5.7 million in the Company’s outstanding common stock.

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The following table summarizes the Company’s repurchase activity during the quarter ended December 31, 2020.

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ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

This item is not applicable to smaller reporting companies.

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following is a discussion of our financial condition and results of our operations for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 and our results of operations for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2020. The purpose of this discussion is to focus on information about our financial condition and results of operations which is not otherwise apparent from our consolidated financial statements. The following discussion and analysis should be read along with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and are based on certain assumptions that we believe are reasonable but may prove to be inaccurate. Certain risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those set forth in the “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” sections of this Annual Report, may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected results discussed in the forward-looking statements appearing in this discussion and analysis. We assume no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.

Business Overview

We are a bank holding company that was incorporated on September 19, 1983 under the laws of the State of Tennessee, and operate primarily through our wholly-owned bank subsidiary, SmartBank. SmartBank provides a comprehensive suite of commercial and consumer banking services to clients through 35 full-service bank branches and one loan production office in select markets in East and Middle Tennessee, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

While we offer a wide range of commercial banking services, we focus on making loans secured primarily by commercial real estate and other types of secured and unsecured commercial loans to small and medium-sized businesses in a number of industries, as well as loans to individuals for a variety of purposes. Our principal sources of funds for loans and investing in securities are deposits and, to a lesser extent, borrowings. We offer a broad range of deposit products, including checking (“NOW”), savings, money market accounts and certificates of deposit. We actively pursue business relationships by utilizing the business contacts of our senior management, other bank officers and our directors, thereby capitalizing on our knowledge of our local market areas.

Executive Summary

The following is a summary of the Company’s financial highlights and significant events during 2020:

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Analysis of Results of Operations

2020 compared to 2019

Net income was $24.3 million, or $1.62 per diluted common share in 2020, compared to $26.5 million, or $1.89 per diluted common share in 2019.  The tax equivalent net interest margin for 2020 was 3.61% compared to 3.95% for 2019. Noninterest income to average assets was 0.50% for 2020, decreasing from 0.65% for 2019. Noninterest expense to average assets decreased to 2.50% in 2020, from 2.70% in 2019. The results above include operating effects of the PFG acquisition, which was completed on March 1, 2020.  Income tax expense was $6.6 million in 2020 with an effective tax rate of 21.2%, compared to $6.9 million in 2019 with an effective tax rate of 20.6%.

2019 compared to 2018

Net income was $26.5 million in 2019, compared to $18.1 million in 2018. Net income available to common shareholders was $26.5 million, or $1.89 per diluted common share, in 2019, compared to $18.1 million, or $1.45 per diluted common share, in 2018. The net interest margin, taxable equivalent, for 2019 was 3.95% compared to 4.43% for 2018. Noninterest income to average assets increased from 0.34% in 2018, to 0.65% in 2019, primarily due to the $6.4 million termination

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fee from the termination of the Entegra merger. Noninterest expense to average assets decreased from 3.00% in 2018 to 2.70% in 2019 as the Company continued to capture economies of scale following the mergers with Foothills Bancorp, Inc. (“Foothills”) and Tennessee Bancshares, Inc. (“Tennessee Bancshares”). Income tax expense was $6.9 million in 2019 with an effective tax rate of 20.6%, compared to $3.2 million in 2018 with an effective tax rate of 15.2%.

Net Interest Income and Yield Analysis

The management of interest income and expense is fundamental to our financial performance. Net interest income, the difference between interest income and interest expense, is the largest component of the Company’s total revenue. Management closely monitors both total net interest income and the net interest margin (net interest income divided by average earning assets). We seek to maximize net interest income without exposing the Company to an excessive level of interest rate risk through our asset and liability policies. Interest rate risk is managed by monitoring the pricing, maturity and repricing options of all classes of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. Our net interest margin is also adversely impacted by the reversal of interest on nonaccrual loans and the reinvestment of loan payoffs into lower yielding investment securities and other short-term investments.

2020 compared to 2019

Net interest income, taxable equivalent, increased to $101.4 million in 2020 from $84.3 million in 2019.  Net interest income was positively impacted, compared to the prior year, primarily due to increases in loan balances and a reduction in interest expense on deposits.  Average earning assets increased from $2.1 billion in 2019 to $2.8 billion in 2020, primarily as a result of the acquisition of PFG completed March 1, 2020, organic loan growth and the Company’s participation in the PPP.  Over this period, average loan balances increased by $452.6 million, average interest-bearing deposits increased by $290.3 million, average noninterest-bearing deposits increased $227.7 million and average borrowings increased $155.7 million. The tax equivalent net interest margin decreased to 3.61% for 2020, compared to 3.95% for 2019. The yield on earning assets decreased from 5.10% for 2019, to 4.20% for 2020, primarily due to rate cuts by the Federal Reserve over the past year and, to a lesser extent loan yields declining from market competition. The cost of average interest-bearing deposits decreased from 1.35% for 2019, to 0.71% for 2020, primarily due to a lower interest rate environment during the period.

2019 compared to 2018

Net interest income, taxable equivalent, increased to $84.3 million in 2019 from $76.8 million in 2018. The increase in net interest income, taxable equivalent, was the result of a significant increase in earning assets primarily from the mergers with Foothills and Tennessee Bancshares but also from organic growth. Average earning assets increased from $1.7 billion in 2018 to $2.1 billion in 2019. Over this period, average loan balances increased by $327.9 million and average securities balances decreased by $23.1 million. In addition, total average interest-bearing deposits increased by $238.8 million. Net interest margin, taxable equivalent, was 3.95% in 2019, compared to 4.43% in 2018, with the decrease due to lower yields on earning assets from 5.32% in 2018 to 5.10% in 2019 an increase cost of interest bearing liabilities from 1.10% in 2018 to 1.46% in 2019.

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Summary of Average Balances, Interest and Rates

The following table presents, for the periods indicated, information about: (i) weighted average balances, the total dollar amount of interest income from interest-earning assets and the resultant average yields; (ii) average balances, the total dollar amount of interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities and the resultant average rates; (iii) net interest income; (iv) the interest rate spread; and (v) the net interest margin.

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Rate and Volume Analysis

Increases and decreases in interest income and interest expense result from changes in average balances (volume) of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, as well as changes in average interest rates.  Net interest income, taxable equivalent, increased by $17.1 million between the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 and by $7.5 million

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between the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. The following is an analysis of the changes in net interest income comparing the changes attributable to rates and those attributable to volumes (in thousands):

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Changes in net interest income are attributed to either changes in average balances (volume change) or changes in average rates (rate change) for earning assets and sources of funds on which interest is received or paid. Volume change is calculated as change in volume times the previous rate while rate change is change in rate times the previous volume. The change attributed to rates and volumes (change in rate times change in volume) is considered above as a change in volume.

Noninterest Income

Noninterest income is an important component of our total revenues. A significant portion of our noninterest income is associated service charges on deposit accounts and mortgage banking fees.

The following table provides a summary of noninterest income for the periods presented (dollars in thousands):

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2020 compared to 2019

Noninterest income increased $111 thousand to $15.4 million in 2020, compared to $15.3 million in 2019.  The change in noninterest income primarily resulted from the following:

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2019 compared to 2018

Noninterest income increased $8.7 million to $15.3 million in 2019, compared to $6.9 million in 2018.  The change in noninterest income primarily resulted from the following:

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Noninterest Expense

The following table provides a summary of noninterest expense for the periods presented (dollars in thousands):

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2020 compared to 2019

Noninterest expense increased $13.6 million to $76.7 million in 2020, compared to $63.2 million in 2019.  The change in noninterest expense primarily resulted from the following:

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2019 compared to 2018

Noninterest expense increased $4.2 million to $63.2 million in 2019, compared to $59.0 million in 2018.  The change in noninterest expense primarily resulted from the following:

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Income Taxes

2020 compared to 2019

In 2020, income tax expense totaled $6.6 million compared to $6.9 million a year ago. The effective tax rate was approximately 21.2% for 2020 compared to 20.6% a year ago.  

2019 compared to 2018

In 2019, income tax expense totaled $6.9 million compared to $3.2 million in 2018. In 2019 the effective tax rate was 20.6%, which was lower than normal due to a tax benefit of $1.1 million associated with a program the State of Tennessee manages for community investment loans. The Bank strategically originated loans in this program to reduce its 2019 tax liability. In 2018 the effective tax rate was 15.2%, which was also lower than normal due to a tax benefit from options exercised in the prior period.

Loan Portfolio Composition

Our loans represent the largest portion of our earning assets, substantially greater than the securities portfolio or any other asset category, and the quality and diversification of the loan portfolio is an important consideration when reviewing our financial condition. The Company had total net loans outstanding, including organic and purchased loans, of approximately $2.36 billion at December 31, 2020 and $1.89 billion at December 31, 2019. Loans secured by real estate, consisting of commercial or residential property, are the principal component of our loan portfolio.

Organic Loans

Our organic net loans, which excludes loans purchased through acquisitions, increased by $469.8 million, or 31.1%, from December 31, 2019, to $1.98 billion at December 31, 2020.  Included in the growth was $300.8 million of PPP loans that

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were originated and funded during the second and third quarters of 2020.  Total net deferred fees associated with the PPP loans during the year of 2020 was approximately $11.0 million and $5.9 million was accreted into income during the second, third and fourth quarters of 2020.

Purchased Loans

Purchased non-credit impaired loans of $350.7 million at December 31, 2020 increased by $1.7 million from December 31, 2019.  Since December 31, 2019, our net purchased credit impaired (“PCI”) loans increased by $5.2 million to $32.0 million at December 31, 2020. The increase in purchased non-credit impaired loans and PCI loans is related to the acquisition of PFG and offset by maturities, paydowns and payoffs.

The following tables summarize the composition of our loan portfolio for the periods presented (dollars in thousands):

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