UNITY BANCORP INC /NJ/ - Annual Report: 2017 (Form 10-K)

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

FOR ANNUAL AND TRANSITIONAL REPORTS PURSUANT TO

SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

(Mark One)

(X) ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

( ) TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from to ________

Commission file number 1-12431

Unity Bancorp, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)



New Jersey	22-3282551
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

64 Old Highway 22, Clinton, NJ	08809
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)	(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (908) 730-7630

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



Common Stock, no par value		NASDAQ

(Title of Each Class)		(Name of Exchange on Which Registered)

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

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 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 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 mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Yes ☒ No ☐

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or 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.

Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☒

Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐

Emerging Growth Company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by checkmark 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 is a shell company as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act

Yes ☐ No ☒

As of June 30, 2017, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s Common Stock, no par value per share, held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $131,174,960 and 7,626,451 shares of the Common Stock were outstanding to non-affiliates. As of February 23, 2018, 10,677,229 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock were outstanding.

Documents incorporated by reference:


•	Portions of Unity Bancorp’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 are incorporated by reference into Parts I, II and IV of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.


•	Portions of Unity Bancorp’s Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be filed no later than 120 days from December 31, 2017 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Index to Form 10-K



Description of Financial Data		Page
Part I
Item 1.	Business
	a) General	3
	b) Statistical Information	9
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	10
Item 1B.	Unresolved Staff Comments	16
Item 2.	Properties	16
Item 3.	Legal Proceedings	16
Item 4.	Mine Safety Disclosures	16
Item 4A.	Executive Officers of the Registrant	16

Part II
Item 5.	Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities	17
Item 6.	Selected Financial Data	18
Item 7.	Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	19
Item 7A.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	19
Item 8.	Financial Statements and Supplementary Data	19
Item 9.	Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure	19
Item 9A.	Controls and Procedures	19
Item 9B.	Other Information – None	19

Part III
Item 10.	Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance; Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act	20
Item 11.	Executive Compensation	20
Item 12.	Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters	20
Item 13.	Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence	20
Item 14.	Principal Accountant Fees and Services	21

Part IV
Item 15.	Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules	22
Item 16.	Form 10-K Summary	24
	Signatures	25

PART I

Item 1. Business:

a)General

Unity Bancorp, Inc., (the "Company" or "Registrant"), is a bank holding company incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey to serve as a holding company for Unity Bank (the “Bank”). The Company has also elected to become a financial holding company. The Company was organized at the direction of the Board of Directors of the Bank for the purpose of acquiring all of the capital stock of the Bank. Pursuant to the New Jersey Banking Act of 1948 (the "Banking Act"), and pursuant to approval of the shareholders of the Bank, the Company acquired the Bank and became its holding company on December 1, 1994. The primary activity of the Company is ownership and supervision of the Bank. The Company also owns 100% of the common equity of Unity (NJ) Statutory Trust II. The trust has issued $10.3 million of preferred securities to investors. The Company serves as a holding company for its wholly-owned subsidiary, Unity Risk Management, Inc. Unity Risk Management, Inc. is the Bank's captive insurance company that insures risks to the bank not provided by the traditional commercial insurance market.

The Bank received its charter from the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance on September 13, 1991 and opened for business on September 16, 1991. The Bank is a full-service commercial bank, providing a wide range of business and consumer financial services through its main office in Clinton, New Jersey and sixteen additional New Jersey branches located in Edison, Emerson, Flemington, Highland Park, Linden, Middlesex, North Plainfield, Phillipsburg, Scotch Plains, Somerset, Somerville, South Plainfield, Ramsey, Union, Washington and Whitehouse. In addition, the Bank has one Pennsylvania branch located in Forks Township. The Bank also operates a loan production office in Bergen County, New Jersey. The Bank's primary service area encompasses the Route 22/Route 78 corridors between the Forks Township, Pennsylvania office and its Linden, New Jersey branch.

The principal executive offices of the Company are located at 64 Old Highway 22, Clinton, New Jersey 08809, and the telephone number is (800) 618-2265. The Company’s website address is www.unitybank.com.

Business of the Company

The Company's primary business is ownership and supervision of the Bank. The Company, through the Bank, conducts a traditional and community-oriented commercial banking business and offers services, including personal and business checking accounts, time deposits, money market accounts and regular savings accounts. The Company structures its specific services and charges in a manner designed to attract the business of the small and medium sized business and professional community, as well as that of individuals residing, working and shopping in its service area. The Company engages in a wide range of lending activities and offers commercial, Small Business Administration (“SBA”), consumer, mortgage, home equity and personal loans.

Service Areas

The Company's primary service area is defined as the neighborhoods served by the Bank's offices. The Bank's main office, located in Clinton, NJ, in combination with its Flemington and Whitehouse offices, serves the greater area of Hunterdon County. The Bank's North Plainfield, Somerset and Somerville offices serve those communities located in the northern, eastern and central parts of Somerset County and the southernmost communities of Union County. The Bank's Scotch Plains, Linden, and Union offices serve the majority of the communities in Union County and the southwestern communities of Essex County. The offices in Middlesex, South Plainfield, Highland Park, and Edison extend the Company's service area into Middlesex County. The Bank’s Phillipsburg and Washington offices serve Warren County. The Bank's Emerson and Ramsey offices serve Bergen County. The Bank’s Forks Township office serves Northampton County, Pennsylvania.

Competition

The Company is located in an extremely competitive area. The Company's service area is also serviced by national banks, major regional banks, large thrift institutions and a variety of credit unions. In addition, since passage of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999 (the “Modernization Act”), securities firms and insurance companies have been allowed to acquire or form financial institutions, thereby increasing competition in the financial services market. Most of the Company's competitors have substantially more capital, and therefore greater lending limits than the Company. The Company's competitors generally have established positions in the service area and have greater resources than the Company with which to pay for advertising, physical facilities, personnel and interest on deposited funds. The Company relies on the competitive pricing of its loans, deposits and other services, as well as its ability to provide local decision-making and personal service in order to compete with these larger institutions.

Employees

At December 31, 2017, the Company employed 189 full-time and 19 part-time employees. None of the Company's employees are represented by any collective bargaining units. The Company believes that its relations with its employees are good.

SUPERVISION AND REGULATION

General Supervision and Regulation

Bank holding companies and banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law, and these laws are subject to change. As an example, in the summer of 2010, Congress passed, and the President signed, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) (discussed below). These laws and regulations are intended to protect depositors, not stockholders. To the extent that the following information describes statutory and regulatory provisions, it is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statutory and regulatory provisions. Any change in the applicable law or regulation may have a material effect on the business and prospects of the Company and the Bank. Management of the Company is unable to predict, at this time, the impact of future changes to laws and regulations.

General Bank Holding Company Regulation

General: As a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, (the "BHCA"), the Company is subject to the regulation and supervision of the Federal Reserve Board (the “FRB”). The Company is required to file with the FRB annual reports and other information regarding its business operations and those of its subsidiaries. Under the BHCA, the Company's activities and those of its subsidiaries are limited to banking, managing or controlling banks, furnishing services to or performing services for its subsidiaries or engaging in any other activity which the FRB determines to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be properly incident thereto.

The BHCA requires, among other things, the prior approval of the FRB in any case where a bank holding company proposes to; (i) acquire all or substantially all of the assets of any other bank; (ii) acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the outstanding voting stock of any bank (unless it owns a majority of such bank's voting shares); or (iii) merge or consolidate with any other bank holding company. The FRB will not approve any acquisition, merger or consolidation that would have a substantially anti-competitive effect, unless the anti-competitive impact of the proposed transaction is clearly outweighed by a greater public interest in meeting the convenience and needs of the community to be served. The FRB also considers capital adequacy and other financial and managerial resources and future prospects of the companies and the banks concerned, together with the convenience and needs of the community to be served, when reviewing acquisitions or mergers.

The BHCA also generally prohibits a bank holding company, with certain limited exceptions, from; (i) acquiring or retaining direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the outstanding voting stock of any company which is not a bank or bank holding company; or (ii) engaging directly or indirectly in activities other than those of banking, managing or controlling banks, or performing services for its subsidiaries, unless such non-banking business is determined by the FRB to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be properly incident thereto. In making such determinations, the FRB is required to weigh the expected benefits to the public such as greater convenience, increased competition or gains in efficiency, against the possible adverse effects such as undue concentration of resources, decreased or unfair competition, conflicts of interest or unsound banking practices.

The BHCA was substantially amended through the Modernization Act. The Modernization Act permits bank holding companies and banks, which meet certain capital, management and Community Reinvestment Act standards, to engage in a broader range of non-banking activities. In addition, bank holding companies, which elect to become financial holding companies, may engage in certain banking and non-banking activities without prior FRB approval. Finally, the Modernization Act imposes certain privacy requirements on all financial institutions and their treatment of consumer information. The Company has elected to become a financial holding company. See "Financial Holding Company Status" below.

There are a number of obligations and restrictions imposed on bank holding companies and their depository institution subsidiaries by law and regulatory policy that are designed to minimize potential loss to the depositors of such depository institutions and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”) Deposit Insurance Fund in the event the depository institution becomes in danger of default. Under regulations of the FRB, a bank holding company is required to serve as a source of financial strength to its subsidiary depository institutions and to commit resources to support such institutions in circumstances where it might not do so absent such policy. The FRB also has the authority under the BHCA to require a bank holding company to terminate any activity or to relinquish control of a non-bank subsidiary upon the FRB's determination that such activity or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness and stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

Capital Adequacy Guidelines

In December 2010 and January 2011, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the “Basel Committee”) published the final texts of reforms on capital and liquidity generally referred to as “Basel III.” In July 2013, the FRB, the FDIC and the Comptroller of the Currency adopted final rules (the “New Rules”), which implement certain provisions of Basel III and the Dodd-Frank Act. The New Rules replaced the existing general risk-based capital rules of the various banking agencies with a single, integrated regulatory capital framework. The New Rules require higher capital cushions and more stringent criteria for what qualifies as regulatory capital. The New Rules were effective for the Bank and the Company on January 1, 2015.

Under the New Rules, the Company and the Bank are required to maintain the following minimum capital ratios, expressed as a percentage of risk-weighted assets:

•Common Equity Tier 1 Capital Ratio of 4.5% (the “CET1”);

•Tier 1 Capital Ratio (CET1 capital plus “Additional Tier 1 capital”) of 6.0%; and

•Total Capital Ratio (Tier 1 capital plus Tier 2 capital) of 8.0%.

In addition, the Company and the Bank will be subject to a leverage ratio of 4% (calculated as Tier 1 capital to average consolidated assets as reported on the consolidated financial statements).

The New Rules also require a “capital conservation buffer.” When fully phased in on January 1 2019, the Company and the Bank will be required to maintain a 2.5% capital conservation buffer, which is composed entirely of CET1, on top of the minimum risk-weighted asset ratios described above, resulting in the following minimum capital ratios:

•CET1 of 7%;

•Tier 1 Capital Ratio of 8.5%; and

•Total Capital Ratio of 10.5%.

The purpose of the capital conservation buffer is to absorb losses during periods of economic stress. Banking institutions with a CET1, Tier 1 Capital Ratio and Total Capital Ratio above the minimum set forth above but below the capital conservation buffer will face constraints on their ability to pay dividends, repurchase equity and pay discretionary bonuses to executive officers, based on the amount of the shortfall. The implementation of the capital conservation buffer began on January 1, 2016 at the 0.625% level, and it increases by 0.625% on each subsequent January 1 until it reaches 2.5% on January 1, 2019.

The New Rules provide for several deductions from and adjustments to CET1, which are being phased in between January 1, 2015 and January 1, 2018. For example, mortgage servicing rights, deferred tax assets dependent upon future taxable income and significant investments in common equity issued by nonconsolidated financial entities must be deducted from CET1 to the extent that any one of those categories exceeds 10% of CET1 or all such categories in the aggregate exceed 15% of CET1.

Under the New Rules, banking organizations such as the Company and the Bank may make a one-time permanent election regarding the treatment of accumulated other comprehensive income items in determining regulatory capital ratios. Effective as of January 1, 2015, the Company and the Bank elected to exclude accumulated other comprehensive income items for purposes of determining regulatory capital.

While the New Rules generally require the phase-out of non-qualifying capital instruments such as trust preferred securities and cumulative perpetual preferred stock, holding companies with less than $15 billion in total consolidated assets as of December 31, 2009, such as the Company, may permanently include non-qualifying instruments that were issued and included in Tier 1 or Tier 2 capital prior to May 19, 2010 in Additional Tier 1 or Tier 2 capital until they redeem such instruments or until the instruments mature.

The New Rules prescribe a standardized approach for calculating risk-weighted assets. Depending on the nature of the assets, the risk categories generally range from 0% for U.S. Government and agency securities, to 600% for certain equity exposures, and result in higher risk weights for a variety of asset categories. In addition, the New Rules provide more advantageous risk weights for derivatives and repurchase-style transactions cleared through a qualifying central counterparty and increase the scope of eligible guarantors and eligible collateral for purposes of credit risk mitigation.

Consistent with the Dodd-Frank Act, the New Rules adopt alternatives to credit ratings for calculating the risk-weighting for certain assets.

Pursuant to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (“FDICIA”), each federal banking agency has promulgated regulations, specifying the levels at which an insured depository institution such as the Bank would be considered “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized,” or “critically undercapitalized,” and providing for certain mandatory and discretionary supervisory actions based on the capital level of the institution. To qualify to engage in financial activities under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, all depository institutions must be “well capitalized.”

The New Rules also revised the regulations implementing these provisions of FDICIA, to change the capital levels applicable to each designation. Under the New Rules, an institution will be classified as “well capitalized” if it (i) has a total risk-based capital ratio of at least 10.0 percent, (ii) has a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 8.0 percent, (iii) has a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 5.0 percent, (iv) has a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of at least 6.5 percent, and (v) meets certain other requirements. An institution will be classified as “adequately capitalized” if it (i) has a total risk-based capital ratio of at least 8.0 percent, (ii) has a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 6.0 percent, (iii) has a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 4.0 percent, (iv) has a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of at least 4.5 percent, and (v) does not meet the definition of “well capitalized.” An institution will be classified as “undercapitalized” if it (i) has a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 8.0 percent, (ii) has a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 6.0 percent, (iii) has a Tier 1 leverage ratio of less than 4.0 percent, or (iv) has a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of less than 4.5 percent. An institution will be classified as “significantly undercapitalized” if it (i) has a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 6.0 percent, (ii) has a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 4.0 percent, (iii) has a Tier 1 leverage ratio of less than 3.0 percent, or (iv) has a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of less 3.0 percent. An institution will be classified as “critically undercapitalized” if it has a tangible equity to total assets ratio that is equal to or less than 2.0 percent. An insured depository institution may be deemed to be in a lower capitalization category if it receives an unsatisfactory examination rating.

General Bank Regulation

As a New Jersey-chartered commercial bank, the Bank is subject to the regulation, supervision, and control of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance (the “Department”). As an FDIC-insured institution, the Bank is subject to regulation, supervision and control of the FDIC, an agency of the federal government. The regulations of the FDIC and the Department affect virtually all activities of the Bank, including the minimum level of capital that the Bank must maintain, the ability of the Bank to pay dividends, the ability of the Bank to expand through new branches or acquisitions and various other matters.

Insurance of Deposits: The Dodd-Frank Act has caused significant changes in the FDIC’s insurance of deposit accounts. Among other things, the Dodd-Frank Act permanently increased the FDIC deposit insurance limit to $250 thousand per depositor.

On February 7, 2011 the FDIC announced the approval of the assessment system mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act. Dodd-Frank required that the base on which deposit insurance assessments are charged be revised from one based on domestic deposits to one based on assets. The FDIC’s rule to base the assessment on average total consolidated assets minus average tangible equity instead of domestic deposits lowered assessments for many community banks with less than $10 billion in assets and reduced the Company’s costs.

Dividend Rights: Under the Banking Act, a bank may declare and pay dividends only if, after payment of the dividend, the capital stock of the bank will be unimpaired and either the bank will have a surplus of not less than 50% of its capital stock or the payment of the dividend will not reduce the bank's surplus. Unless and until the Company develops other lines of business, payments of dividends from the Bank will remain the Company’s primary source of income and the primary source of funds for dividend payments to the shareholders of the Company.

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), enacted on July 21, 2010, significantly changed the bank regulatory landscape and has impacted and will continue to impact the lending, deposit, investment, trading and operating activities of insured depository institutions and their holding companies. The Dodd-Frank Act requires various federal agencies to adopt a broad range of new rules and regulations. The Dodd-Frank Act, among other things:


•	capped debit card interchange fees for institutions with $10 billion in assets or more at $0.21 plus 5 basis points times the transaction amount, a substantially lower rate than the average rate in effect prior to adoption of the Dodd-Frank Act;


•	provided for an increase in the FDIC assessment for depository institutions with assets of $10 billion or more, increases in the minimum reserve ratio for the Deposit Insurance Fund ("DIF") from 1.15% to 1.35% and changes the basis for determining FDIC premiums from deposits to assets;


•	permanently increased the deposit insurance coverage to $250 thousand and allowed depository institutions to pay interest on checking accounts;


•	created a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) that has rulemaking authority for a wide range of consumer financial protection laws that apply to all banks and has broad authority to enforce these laws;


•	provided for new disclosure and other requirements relating to executive compensation and corporate governance;


•	changed standards for Federal preemption of state laws related to federally-chartered institutions and their subsidiaries;

•

provided mortgage reform provisions regarding a customer’s ability to repay, restricting variable rate lending by requiring the ability to repay to be determined for variable rate loans by using the maximum rate that will apply during the first five years of a variable rate loan term, and making more loans subject to provisions for higher cost loans, new disclosures, and certain other revisions; and


•	created a financial stability oversight council that will recommend to the Federal Reserve increasingly strict rules for capital, leverage, liquidity, risk management and other requirements as companies grow in size and complexity.

The Dodd-Frank Act also imposes new obligations on originators of residential mortgage loans, such as the Bank. Among other things, the Dodd-Frank Act requires originators to make a reasonable and good faith determination based on documented information that a borrower has a reasonable ability to repay a particular mortgage loan over the long term. If the originator cannot meet this standard, the mortgage may be unenforceable. The Dodd-Frank Act contains an exception from this ability-to-repay rule for “Qualified Mortgages”. A rule issued by the CFPB in January 2013, and effective January 10, 2014, sets forth specific underwriting criteria for a loan to qualify as a Qualified Mortgage. The criteria generally exclude loans that (1) are interest-only, (2) have excessive upfront points or fees, or (3) have negative amortization features, balloon payments, or terms in excess of 30 years. The underwriting criteria also impose a maximum debt to income ratio of 43%, based upon documented and verifiable information. If a loan meets these criteria and is not a “higher priced loan” as defined in FRB regulations, the CFPB rule establishes a safe harbor preventing a consumer from asserting the failure of the originator to establish the consumer’s ability to repay. However, a consumer may assert the lender’s failure to comply with the ability-to-repay rule for all residential mortgage loans other than Qualified Mortgages, and may challenge whether a loan in fact qualified as a Qualified Mortgage.

Although the majority of residential mortgages historically originated by the Bank would be considered Qualified Mortgages, the Bank has and may continue to make residential mortgage loans that would not qualify. As a result of such rules, the Bank might experience increased compliance costs, loan losses, litigation related expenses and delays in taking title to real estate collateral, if these loans do not perform and borrowers challenge whether the Bank satisfied the ability-to-repay rule upon originating the loan.

The requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act and other regulatory reforms continue to be implemented. It is difficult to predict at this time what specific impact certain provisions and yet-to-be-finalized rules and regulations will have on us, including any regulations promulgated by the CFPB. Financial reform legislation and rules could have adverse implications on the financial industry, the competitive environment, and our ability to conduct business. Management will have to apply resources to ensure compliance with all applicable provisions of regulatory reforms, including the Dodd-Frank Act and any implementing rules, which may increase our costs of operations and adversely impact our earnings.

Financial Holding Company Status

The Company has elected to become a financial holding company. Financial holding companies may engage in a broader scope of activities than a bank holding company. In addition, financial holding companies may undertake certain activities without prior FRB approval.

A financial holding company may affiliate with securities firms and insurance companies and engage in other activities that are financial in nature or incidental or complementary to activities that are financial in nature. "Financial in nature" activities include:

•securities underwriting, dealing and market making;

•sponsoring, mutual funds and investment companies;

•insurance underwriting and insurance agency activities;

•merchant banking; and


•	activities that the FRB determines to be financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity or which is complementary to a financial activity and does not pose a safety and soundness risk.

A financial holding company that desires to engage in activities that are financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity but not previously authorized by the FRB must obtain approval from the FRB before engaging in such activity. Also, a financial holding company may seek FRB approval to engage in an activity that is complementary to a financial activity, if it shows, among other things, that the activity does not pose a substantial risk to the safety and soundness of its insured depository institutions or the financial system.

A financial holding company generally may acquire a company (other than a bank holding company, bank or savings association) engaged in activities that are financial in nature or incidental to activities that are financial in nature without prior approval from the FRB. Prior FRB approval is required, however, before the financial holding company may acquire control of more than 5% of the voting shares or substantially all of the assets of a bank holding company, bank or savings association. In addition, under the FRB's merchant banking regulations, a financial holding company is authorized to invest in companies that engage in activities that are not financial in nature, as long as the financial holding company makes its investment with the intention of limiting the duration of the investment, does not manage the company on a day-to-day basis, and the company does not cross-market its products or services with any of the financial holding company's controlled depository institutions.

If any subsidiary bank of a financial holding company ceases to be "well-capitalized" or "well-managed" and fails to correct its condition within the time period that the FRB specifies, the FRB has authority to order the financial holding company to divest its subsidiary banks. Alternatively, the financial holding company may elect to limit its activities and the activities of its subsidiaries to those permissible for a bank holding company that is not a financial holding company. If any subsidiary bank of a financial holding company receives a rating under the CRA of less than "satisfactory", then the financial holding company is prohibited from engaging in new activities or acquiring companies other than bank holding companies, banks or savings associations until the rating is raised to "satisfactory" or better.

b)Statistical Information

The table below provides a cross-reference to portions of Unity Bancorp. Inc.’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017 (Exhibit 13 hereto), which, to the extent indicated, is incorporated by reference herein. Information that is not applicable is indicated by (N/A):



Description of Financial Data		Exhibit 13 Pages

I. Distribution of Assets, Liabilities, and Stockholders' Equity; Interest Rates and Interest Differential
A. Analysis of Net Interest Income		26
B. Average Balance Sheets		29
C. Rate/Volume Analysis		31

II. Investment Portfolio
A. Book value of investment securities		67
B. Investment securities by range of maturity with corresponding average yields		67
C. Securities of issuers exceeding ten percent of stockholders' equity		N/A

III. Loan Portfolio
A. Types of loans		34
B. Maturities and sensitivities of loans to changes in interest rates		36
C. Risk elements
1) Nonaccrual, past due and restructured loans		38
2) Potential problem loans		38
3) Foreign outstandings		N/A
4) Loan concentrations		35
D. Other interest-bearing assets		N/A

IV. Summary of Loan Loss Experience
A. Analysis of the allowance for loan losses		39
B. Allocation of the allowance for loan losses		40

V. Deposits
A. Average amount and average rate paid on major categories of deposits		29
B. Other categories of deposits		N/A
C. Deposits by foreign depositors in domestic offices		N/A
D. Time deposits of $100,000 or more by remaining maturity		81
E. Time deposits of $100,000 or more by foreign offices		N/A

VI. Return on Equity and Assets		26

VII. Short-term Borrowings
A. Amounts outstanding		82
B. Maximum amount of borrowings in each category outstanding at any month-end		82
C. Average amount outstanding		82

Item 1A. Risk Factors:

Our business, financial condition, results of operations and the trading price of our securities can be materially and adversely affected by many events and conditions including the following:

We have been and may continue to be adversely affected by national financial markets and economic conditions, as well as local conditions.

Our business and results of operations are affected by the financial markets and general economic conditions in the United States, including factors such as the level and volatility of interest rates, inflation, home prices, unemployment and under-employment levels, bankruptcies, household income, consumer spending, investor confidence and the strength of the U.S. economy. The deterioration of any of these conditions can adversely affect our securities and loan portfolios, our level of charge-offs and provision for credit losses, our capital levels, liquidity and our results of operations.

In addition, we are affected by the economic conditions within our New Jersey and Pennsylvania trade areas. Unlike larger banks that are more geographically diversified, we provide banking and financial services primarily to customers in the seven counties in the New Jersey market and one county in Pennsylvania in which we have branches, so any decline in the economy of New Jersey or eastern Pennsylvania could have an adverse impact on us.

Our loans, the ability of borrowers to repay these loans, and the value of collateral securing these loans are impacted by economic conditions. Our financial results, the credit quality of our existing loan portfolio, and the ability to generate new loans with acceptable yield and credit characteristics may be adversely affected by changes in prevailing economic conditions, including declines in real estate values, changes in interest rates, adverse employment conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government. We cannot assure you that positive trends or developments discussed in this annual report will continue or that negative trends or developments will not have a significant adverse effect on us.

A significant portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real estate, and events that negatively impact the real estate market could hurt our business.

A significant portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real estate. As of December 31, 2017, approximately 96 percent of our loans had real estate as a primary or secondary component of 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. Weakness in the real estate market in our primary market areas could result in an increase in the number of borrowers who default on their loans and a reduction in the value of the collateral securing their loans, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our profitability and asset quality. Any future declines in home prices in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania markets we serve also may result in increases in delinquencies and losses in our loan portfolios. Stress in the real estate market, combined with any weakness in economic conditions and any future elevated unemployment levels could drive losses beyond that which is provided for in our allowance for loan losses. In that event, our earnings could be adversely affected.

Our offering of alternative credit products may expose us to increased lending risks.

The Dodd-Frank Act imposes new obligations on originators of residential mortgage loans. Among other things, the Dodd-Frank Act requires originators to make a reasonable and good faith determination based on documented information that a borrower has a reasonable ability to repay a particular mortgage loan over the long term. If the originator cannot meet this standard, the loan may be unenforceable. The Dodd-Frank Act contains an exception from this ability-to-repay rule for “Qualified Mortgages”. A rule issued by the CFPB in January 2013, and effective January 10, 2014, sets forth specific underwriting criteria for a loan to qualify as a Qualified Mortgage. The criteria generally exclude loans that (1) are interest-only, (2) have excessive upfront points or fees, or (3) have negative amortization features, balloon payments, or terms in excess of 30 years. The underwriting criteria also impose a maximum debt to income ratio of 43%, based upon documented and verifiable information. If a loan meets these criteria and is not a “higher priced loan” as defined in Federal Reserve regulations, the CFPB rule establishes a safe harbor preventing a consumer from asserting the failure of the originator to establish the consumer’s ability to repay. However, a consumer may assert the lender’s failure to comply with the ability-to-repay rule for all residential mortgage loans other than Qualified Mortgages.

Although the majority of residential mortgages historically originated by the Bank would be considered Qualified Mortgages, the Bank has and may continue to make residential mortgage loans that would not qualify. The Bank has evaluated the impact of the Qualified Mortgage definition and related ability-to-repay rules, as well as other rules recently issued by the by the CFPB related to mortgage origination and servicing, and does not believe it will have any long-term impact on its mortgage loan origination and servicing activities. As a result of such rules, the Bank might experience increased compliance costs, loan losses, litigation related expenses and delays in taking title to real estate collateral, if these loans do not perform and borrowers challenge whether the Bank satisfied the ability-to-repay rule upon originating the loan.

There is a risk that the SBA will not honor their guarantee.

The Company has historically been a participant in various SBA lending programs which guarantee up to 90% of the principal on the underlying loan. There is a risk that the SBA will not honor their guarantee if a loan is not underwritten and administered to SBA guidelines. The Company follows the underwriting guidelines of the SBA; however our ability to manage this will depend on our ability to continue to attract, hire and retain skilled employees who have knowledge of the SBA program.

There is a risk that we may not be repaid in a timely manner, or at all, for loans we make.

The risk of nonpayment (or deferred or delayed payment) of loans is inherent in commercial banking. Such nonpayment, or delayed or deferred payment of loans to the Company, if they occur, may have a material adverse effect on our earnings and overall financial condition. Additionally, in compliance with applicable banking laws and regulations, the Company maintains an allowance for loan losses created through charges against earnings. As of December 31, 2017, the Company’s allowance for loan losses was $13.6 million, or 1.16 percent of our total loan portfolio and 452.77 percent of our nonperforming loans. The Company’s marketing focus on small to medium size businesses may result in the assumption by the Company of certain lending risks that are different from or greater than those which would apply to loans made to larger companies. We seek to minimize our credit risk exposure through credit controls, which include evaluation of potential borrowers’ available collateral, liquidity and cash flow. However, there can be no assurance that such procedures will actually reduce loan losses.

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

Like all financial institutions, we maintain an allowance for loan losses to provide for loan defaults and nonperformance. Our allowance for loan losses may not be adequate to cover actual losses, and future provisions for loan losses could materially and adversely affect the results of our operations. Risks within the loan portfolio are analyzed on a continuous basis by management; and, periodically, by an independent loan review function and by the Audit Committee. A risk system, consisting of multiple-grading categories, is utilized as an analytical tool to assess risk and the appropriate level of loss reserves. Along with the risk system, management further evaluates risk characteristics of the loan portfolio under current economic conditions and considers such factors as the financial condition of the borrowers, past and expected loan loss experience and other factors management feels deserve recognition in establishing an adequate reserve. This risk assessment process is performed at least quarterly and, as adjustments become necessary, they are realized in the periods in which they become known. The amount of future losses is susceptible to changes in economic, operating and other conditions, including changes in interest rates that may be beyond our control, and these losses may exceed current estimates. State and federal regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, review our loans and allowance for loan losses and may require an increase in our allowance for loan losses. Although we believe that our allowance for loan losses is adequate to cover probable and reasonably estimated losses, we cannot assure you that we will not further increase the allowance for loan losses or that our regulators will not require us to increase this allowance. Either of these occurrences could adversely affect our earnings.

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

Net interest income, the difference between interest earned on our interest-earning assets and interest paid on interest-bearing liabilities, represents a significant portion of our earnings. Both increases and decreases in the interest rate environment may reduce our profits. Interest rates are subject to factors which are beyond our control, including general economic conditions, competition and policies of various governmental and regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Reserve Board. Changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates, could influence not only the interest Unity receives on loans and investment securities and the amount of interest it pays on deposits and borrowings, but such changes could also affect (i) Unity’s ability to originate loans and obtain deposits, (ii) the fair value of Unity’s financial assets and liabilities, including the held to maturity and available for sale securities portfolios, and (iii) the average duration of Unity’s interest-earning assets. This also includes the risk that interest-earning assets may be more responsive to changes in interest rates than interest-bearing liabilities, or vice versa (repricing risk), the risk that the individual interest rates or rate indexes underlying various interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities may not change in the same degree over a given time period (basis risk), and the risk of changing interest rate relationships across the spectrum of interest-earning asset and interest-bearing liability maturities (yield curve risk).

The banking business is subject to significant government regulations.

We are subject to extensive governmental supervision, regulation and control. These laws and regulations are subject to change, and may require substantial modifications to our operations or may cause us to incur substantial additional compliance costs. These laws and regulations are designed to protect depositors and the public, but not our shareholders. In addition, future legislation and government policy could adversely affect the commercial banking industry and our operations. Such governing laws can be anticipated to continue to be the subject of future modification. Our management cannot predict what effect any such future modifications will have on our operations. In addition, the primary focus of Federal and state banking regulation is the protection of depositors and not the shareholders of the regulated institutions.

For example, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) has resulted in substantial new compliance costs, and may restrict certain sources of revenue. The Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law on July 21, 2011. Generally, the Act is effective the day after it was signed into law, but different effective dates apply to specific sections of the law, many of which will not become effective until various Federal regulatory agencies have promulgated rules implementing the statutory provisions. Uncertainty remains as to the ultimate impact of the Dodd-Frank Act, which could have a material adverse impact either on the financial services industry as a whole, or on our business, results of operations and financial condition. The Dodd-Frank Act, among other things:


•	capped debit card interchange fees for institutions with $10 billion in assets or more at $0.21 plus 5 basis points times the transaction amount, a substantially lower rate than the average rate in effect prior to adoption of the Dodd-Frank Act;


•	provided for an increase in the FDIC assessment for depository institutions with assets of $10 billion or more, increases the minimum reserve ratio for the DIF from 1.15% to 1.35% and changes the basis for determining FDIC premiums from deposits to assets;


•	permanently increased the deposit insurance coverage to $250 thousand and allowed depository institutions to pay interest on checking accounts;


•	created a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) that has rule making authority for a wide range of consumer financial protection laws that apply to all banks and has broad authority to enforce these laws;


•	provided for new disclosure and other requirements relating to executive compensation and corporate governance;


•	changed standards for Federal preemption of state laws related to federally-chartered institutions and their subsidiaries;

•


•	created a financial stability oversight council that will recommend to the Federal Reserve increasingly strict rules for capital, leverage, liquidity, risk management and other requirements as companies grow in size and complexity.

In addition, in order to implement Basel III and certain additional capital changes required by the Dodd-Frank Act, on July 9, 2013, the FRB approved, as an interim final rule, the regulatory capital requirements for U.S. bank holding companies, such as us, substantially similar to final rules issued by the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. These new requirements are likely to increase our capital requirements in future periods. See “Supervisions and Regulation – Capital Adequacy Guidelines.”

These provisions, as well as any other aspects of current or proposed regulatory or legislative changes to laws applicable to the financial industry, may impact the profitability of our business activities and may change certain of our business practices, including the ability to offer new products, obtain financing, attract deposits, make loans, and achieve satisfactory interest spreads, and could expose us to additional costs, including increased compliance costs. These changes also may require us to invest significant management attention and resources to make any necessary changes to operations in order to comply, and could therefore also materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our management is actively reviewing the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and Basel III, many of which are to be phased-in over the next several years, and assessing the probable impact on our operations. However, the ultimate effect of these changes on the financial services industry in general, and us in particular, is uncertain at this time.

We are subject to changes in accounting policies or accounting standards.

Understanding Unity’s accounting policies is fundamental to understanding our financial results. Some of these policies require the use of estimates and assumptions that may affect the value of assets or liabilities and financial results. Unity has identified its accounting policies regarding the allowance for loan losses, security valuations and impairments, goodwill and income taxes to be critical because they require management to make difficult, subjective and complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain. Under each of these policies, it is possible that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions, using different assumptions, or as new information becomes available.

From time to time, the FASB and the SEC change their guidance governing the form and content of Unity’s external financial statements. In addition, accounting standard setters and those who interpret U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), such as the FASB, SEC, banking regulators and Unity’s outside auditors, may change or even reverse their previous interpretations or positions on how these standards should be applied. Such changes are expected to continue. Changes in U.S. GAAP and changes in current interpretations are beyond Unity’s control, can be hard to predict and could materially impact how Unity reports its financial results and condition. In certain cases, Unity could be required to apply a new or revised guidance retroactively or apply existing guidance differently (also retroactively) which may result in Unity restating prior period financial statements for material amounts. Additionally, significant changes to U.S. GAAP may require costly technology changes, additional training and personnel, and other expenses that will negatively impact our results of operations.

Declines in value may adversely impact the investment portfolio.

As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately $53.5 million and $16.3 million in available for sale and held to maturity investment securities, respectively. We may be required to record impairment charges in earnings related to credit losses on our investment securities if they suffer a decline in value that is considered other-than-temporary. Additionally, (a) if we intend to sell a security or (b) it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security prior to recovery of its amortized cost basis, we will be required to recognize an other-than-temporary impairment charge in the statement of income equal to the full amount of the decline in fair value below amortized cost. Factors, including lack of liquidity, absence of reliable pricing information, adverse actions by regulators, or unanticipated changes in the competitive environment could have a negative effect on our investment portfolio and may result in other-than-temporary impairment on our investment securities in future periods.

Liquidity risk.

Liquidity risk is the potential that Unity will be unable to meet its obligations as they come due because of an inability to liquidate assets or obtain adequate funding on a timely basis, at a reasonable cost and within acceptable risk tolerances.

Liquidity is required to fund various obligations, including credit commitments to borrowers, mortgage and other loan originations, withdrawals by depositors, repayment of borrowings, dividends to shareholders, operating expenses and capital expenditures.

Liquidity is derived primarily from retail deposit growth and retention; principal and interest payments on loans; principal and interest payments on investment securities; sale, maturity and prepayment of investment securities; net cash provided from operations and access to other funding sources.

Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically or the financial services industry in general. Factors that could detrimentally impact our access to liquidity sources include a decrease in the level of our business activity due to persistent weakness, or downturn, in the economy or adverse regulatory action against us. Our ability to borrow could also be impaired by factors that are not necessarily specific to us, such as a severe disruption of the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry as a whole.

We are in competition with many other banks, including larger commercial banks which have greater resources than us.

The banking industry within the State of New Jersey is highly competitive. The Company’s principal market area is also served by branch offices of large commercial banks and thrift institutions. In addition, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act permits other financial entities, such as insurance companies and securities firms, to acquire or form financial institutions, thereby further increasing competition. A number of our competitors have substantially greater resources than we do to expend upon advertising and marketing, and their substantially greater capitalization enables them to make much larger loans. Our success depends a great deal upon our judgment that large and mid-size financial institutions do not adequately serve small businesses in our principal market area and upon our ability to compete favorably for such customers. In addition to competition from larger institutions, we also face competition for individuals and small businesses from small community banks seeking to compete as “hometown” institutions. Most of these smaller institutions have focused their marketing efforts on the smaller end of the small business market we serve.

The Company has also been active in competing for New Jersey governmental and municipal deposits. At December 31, 2017, the Company held approximately $99.6 million in governmental and municipal deposits. The newly elected governor of New Jersey has proposed that the state form and own a bank in which governmental and municipal entities would deposit their excess funds, with the state owned bank then financing small businesses and municipal projects in New Jersey. Although this proposal is in the very early stages and no legislation has been introduced in the state legislature, should this proposal be adopted and a state owned bank formed, it could impede the Company’s ability to attract and retain governmental and municipal deposits, thereby impairing the Company’s liquidity.

Future offerings of common stock may adversely affect the market price of our stock.

In the future, if our or the Bank’s capital ratios fall below the prevailing regulatory required minimums, we or the Bank could be forced to raise additional capital by making additional offerings of common stock or preferred stock. Additional equity offerings may dilute the holdings of our existing shareholders or reduce the market price of our common stock, or both.

We cannot predict how changes in technology will impact our business.

The financial services market, including banking services, is increasingly affected by advances in technology, including developments in:

•telecommunications;

•data processing;

•automation;

•Internet-based banking;

•Tele-banking; and

•debit cards/smart cards

Our ability to compete successfully in the future will depend on whether we can anticipate and respond to technological changes. To develop these and other new technologies, we will likely have to make additional capital investments. Although we continually invest in new technology, we cannot assure you that we will have sufficient resources or access to the necessary proprietary technology to remain competitive in the future.

The Company’s information systems may experience an interruption or breach in security.

The Company relies heavily on communications and information systems to conduct its business. Any failure, interruption or breach in security of these systems could result in failures or disruptions in the Company’s customer-relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan and other systems.

We are further exposed to the risk that our external vendors may be unable to fulfill their contractual obligations (or will be subject to the same risk of fraud or operational errors by their respective employees as us) and to the risk that our (or our vendors’) business continuity and data security systems prove to be inadequate. We maintain a system of comprehensive policies and a control framework designed to monitor vendor risks including, among other things, (i) changes in the vendor’s organizational structure or internal controls, (ii) changes in the vendor’s financial condition, (iii) changes in the vendor’s support for existing products and services and (iv) changes in the vendor’s strategic focus. In addition we maintain cyber liability insurance to mitigate against any loss incurred.

While the Company has policies and procedures designed to prevent or limit the effect of the failure, interruption or security breach of its information systems, there can be no assurance that any such failures, interruptions or security breaches will not occur; or, if they do occur, that they will be adequately addressed. The occurrence of any failures, interruptions or security breaches of the Company’s information systems could damage the Company’s reputation, result in a loss of customer business, subject the Company to additional regulatory scrutiny or expose the Company to civil litigation and possible financial liability; any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

Our business strategy could be adversely affected if we are not able to attract and retain skilled employees and manage our expenses.

We expect to continue to experience growth in the scope of our operations and, correspondingly, in the number of our employees and customers. We may not be able to successfully manage our business as a result of the strain on our management and operations that may result from this growth. Our ability to manage this growth will depend upon our ability to continue to attract, hire and retain skilled employees. Our success will also depend on the ability of our officers and key employees to continue to implement and improve our operational and other systems, to manage multiple, concurrent customer relationships and to hire, train and manage our employees.

Hurricanes or other adverse weather events could negatively affect our local economies or disrupt our operations, which would have an adverse effect on our business or results of operations.

Hurricanes and other weather events can disrupt our operations, result in damage to our properties and negatively affect the local economies in which we operate. In addition, these weather events may result in a decline in value or destruction of properties securing our loans and an increase in delinquencies, foreclosures and loan losses.

The Company may be adversely affected by recent changes in U.S. tax laws.

Changes in tax laws contained in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, enacted in December 2017, include a number of provisions that will have an impact on the banking industry, borrowers and the market for single-family residential real estate. Changes include (i) a lower limit on the deductibility of mortgage interest on single-family residential mortgage loans, (ii) the elimination of interest deductions for home equity loans, (iii) a limitation on the deductibility of business interest expense and (iv) a limitation on the deductibility of property taxes and state and local income taxes.

The recent changes in the tax laws may have an adverse effect on the market for, and valuation of, residential properties, and on the demand for such loans in the future, and could make it harder for borrowers to make their loan payments. In addition, these recent changes may also have a disproportionate effect on taxpayers in states with high residential home prices and high state and local taxes, such as New Jersey. If home ownership becomes less attractive, demand for mortgage loans could decrease. The value of the properties securing loans in the loan portfolio may be adversely impacted as a result of the changing economics of home ownership, which could require an increase in the provision for loan losses, which would reduce profitability and could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments: None

Item 2. Properties:

The Company presently conducts its business through its main office located at 64 Old Highway 22, Clinton, New Jersey, and its eighteen branch offices. The Company’s facilities are adequate to meet its needs.

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company’s properties from which it conducts business as of December 31, 2017.



Location	Leased or Owned	Date Leased or Acquired	Lease Expiration	2017 Annual Rental Fee
North Plainfield, NJ	Owned	1991	—	—
Linden, NJ	Owned	1997	—	—
Whitehouse, NJ	Owned	1998	—	—
Union, NJ	Owned	2002	—	—
Scotch Plains, NJ	Owned	2004	—	—
Flemington, NJ	Owned	2005	—	—
Phillipsburg, NJ	Leased	2005	2022	107,004
Forks Township, PA	Leased	2006	2019	58,700
Middlesex, NJ	Owned	2007	—	—
Somerset, NJ	Leased	2012	2022	122,935
Washington, NJ	Owned	2012	—	—
Highland Park, NJ	Owned	2013	—	—
South Plainfield, NJ	Owned	2013	—	—
Edison, NJ	Owned	2013	—	—
Clinton, NJ	Owned	2016	—	—
Somerville, NJ	Owned	2016	—	—
Emerson, NJ	Owned	2016	—	—
Ramsey, NJ (1)	Leased	2017	2021	—

(1) The Company's lease payment obligation starts January 2018.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings:

From time to time, the Company is subject to legal proceedings and claims in the ordinary course of business. The Company currently is not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that it believes will have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition, or operating results of the Company.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures: N/A

Item 4A. Executive Officers of the Registrant:

The following table sets forth certain information as of December 31, 2017, regarding each executive officer of the Company who is not also a director.



Name, Age and Position	Officer Since	Principal Occupation During Past Five Years
John Kauchak, 64, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of the Company and Bank	2002	Previously, Mr. Kauchak was the head of Deposit Operations for Unity Bank from 1996 to 2002.
Alan J. Bedner, 46, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of the Company and Bank	2003	Previously, Mr. Bedner was Controller for Unity Bank from 2001 to 2003.
Janice Bolomey, 49, Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Vice President of the Company and Bank	2013	Previously, Ms. Bolomey was Director of Sales for Unity Bank from 2002 to 2013.

PART II

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

(a)Market Information

The Company’s Common Stock is quoted on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “UNTY.” The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices of the Common Stock as reported on the NASDAQ Global Market for the periods indicated.



For the year ended December 31, 2017	High		Low		Cash Dividend Paid
4th Quarter	$	20.95	$	19.00	$	0.060
3rd Quarter	20.40		16.15		0.060
2nd Quarter	17.25		15.35		0.060
1st Quarter	18.00		15.35		0.050
For the year ended December 31, 2016	High		Low		Cash Dividend Paid
4th Quarter	$	17.10	$	11.85	$	0.050
3rd Quarter	12.18		10.83		0.046
2nd Quarter	12.27		10.20		0.036
1st Quarter	12.36		8.75		0.036

All prior year stock information has been adjusted for the 10% stock dividend paid September 30, 2016.

(b)Holders

As of March 2, 2018, there were approximately 381 shareholders of record of the Company’s Common Stock.

(c)Dividends

See table in Item 5(a) above.

(d)Repurchase Plan

On October 21, 2002, the Company authorized the repurchase of up to 10 percent of its outstanding common stock. The amount and timing of purchases is dependent upon a number of factors, including the price and availability of the Company’s shares, general market conditions and competing alternate uses of funds. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had repurchased a total of 556 thousand shares, of which 131 thousand shares have been retired, leaving 153 thousand shares remaining to be repurchased under the plan. There were no shares repurchased during 2017 or 2016.

Item 6. Selected Financial Data:

The information under the caption, “Selected Consolidated Financial Data,” in the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017, is incorporated by reference herein.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to the results presented in accordance with GAAP, this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain non-GAAP financial measures. The Company believes that providing these non-GAAP financial measures provides investors with information useful in understanding the Company’s financial performance, performance trends, and financial position. While the Company uses these non-GAAP measures in its analysis of the Company’s performance, this information should not be considered an alternative to measurements required by GAAP. The following table provides a reconciliation of certain GAAP financial measures to non-GAAP financial measures.



	For the years ended December 31,
	2017									2016
(In thousands, except percentages)	GAAP			Tax Act Adjustment			Non-GAAP			GAAP			Nonrecurring Gain Adjustment			Non-GAAP
Federal and state income tax expense	$	9,540		$	(1,733	)	$	7,807		$	7,257		$	(781	)	$	6,476
Net income	$	12,893		$	1,733		$	14,626		$	13,209		$	(1,483	)	$	11,726
Basic earnings per share	$	1.22		$	0.16		$	1.38		$	1.40		$	(0.15	)	$	1.25
Diluted earnings per share	$	1.20		$	0.16		$	1.36		$	1.38		$	(0.15	)	$	1.23
Return on average assets	1.02		%	0.13		%	1.15		%	1.17		%	(0.13		)%	1.04		%
Return on average equity	11.47		%	1.55		%	13.02		%	15.37		%	(1.72		)%	13.65		%
Effective tax rate	42.50		%	(7.70		)%	34.80		%	35.50		%	(7.30		)%	28.20		%

The reconciling items between the GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures above include the impact of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act ("TCJA") in 2017 and the gain on subordinated debentures in 2016. During the first quarter of 2016, the Company repurchased $5.2 million of its outstanding subordinated debentures, resulting in a pre-tax gain of $2.3 million on the transaction. This gain is included in noninterest income on the income statement. On December 22, 2017, the TCJA was signed, which lowered the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. This adjustment resulted in a $1.7 million increase in income tax expense and is reflected in our tax provision on the income statement. The Company believes the financial results are more comparable excluding the impact of the revaluation of the net deferred tax asset and the nonrecurring gain on the repurchase of subordinated debentures.

Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing net income by average outstanding shares and diluted earnings per share is calculated by dividing net income by diluted average outstanding shares. The one-time net tax expense of $1.7 million in 2017 and the one-time gain on subordinated debentures of $2.3 million in 2016 were included in determining income for both the GAAP basic earnings per share and the GAAP diluted earnings per share. Conversely, the one-time net tax expense of $1.7 million in 2017 and the one-time gain on subordinated debentures of $2.3 million in 2016 were excluded in determining income for both the non-GAAP basic earnings per share and the non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. Average outstanding shares of 10,558,000 and 9,416,000 were used in the GAAP and non-GAAP basic earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016. Diluted average outstanding shares of 10,749,000 and 9,572,000 were used in the GAAP and non-GAAP diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

The return on average assets ratio is calculated by dividing net income by average assets and the return on average equity ratio is calculated by dividing net income by average equity. The one-time net tax expense of $1.7 million in 2017 and the one-time gain on subordinated debentures of $2.3 million in 2016 were included in determining income for both the GAAP return on average assets and the GAAP return on average equity. Conversely, the one-time net tax expense of $1.7 million and the one-time gain on subordinated debentures of $2.3 million in 2016 were excluded in determining income for both the non-GAAP return on average assets and the non-GAAP return on average equity. Average assets of $1.3 billion and $1.1 billion were used in the GAAP and non-GAAP return on average assets ratios for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016. Average equity of $113.0 million and $85.9 million were used in the GAAP and non-GAAP return on average equity ratios for the years ended December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

The effective tax rate is calculated by dividing federal and state income tax expense by income before income taxes. The non-GAAP effective tax rate uses the non-GAAP federal and state income tax expense of $7.8 million and $6.5 million for 2017 and 2016, respectively, for calculating the rate.

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

The information under the caption, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” in the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017, is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk:

The information under the caption, “Market Risk,” in the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017, is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data:

The Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017, are incorporated by reference herein.

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure:

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures:

(a)Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures:

Based on their evaluation, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-14(c) and 15d-14(c) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”)) are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms.

(b)Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting:

The information under the caption, “Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting,” in the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017, is incorporated by reference herein.

The Company's Independent Registered Accounting Firm, RSM US LLP, has issued an Audit Report on the effectiveness of the Company's Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. The "Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" may be found on page 50 of this report.

(c)Changes in internal controls:

There were not any significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of their evaluation, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.

Item 9B. Other Information:

None

PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance; Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act:

The information concerning the directors and executive officers of the Company under the caption “Election of Directors,” and the information under the captions, “Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,” and, "Governance of the Company," in the Proxy Statement for the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, is incorporated by reference herein. It is expected that such Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than April 30, 2018.

Also, refer to the information under the caption, “Executive Officers of Registrant,” in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a description of the Company’s executive officers, who are not also directors.

Item 11. Executive Compensation:

The information concerning executive compensation under the caption, “Executive Compensation,” in the Proxy Statement for the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, is incorporated by reference herein. It is expected that such Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than April 30, 2018.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters:

The information concerning the security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management under the caption, “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management,” in the Proxy Statement for the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders is incorporated by reference herein. It is expected that such Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than April 30, 2018.

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table provides information with respect to the equity securities that are authorized for issuance under the Company’s equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2017.



Equity Compensation Plan Information
	Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (A)	Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (B)		Number of securities remaining available for issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (A)) (C)
Equity compensation stock option plans approved by security holders	504,573	$	8.31	382,372
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders (Restricted stock plan)	94,003	—		111,404
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders	N/A	N/A		N/A
Total	598,576	$	7.00	493,776

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence:

The information concerning certain relationships and related transactions under the caption, “Interest of Management and Others in Certain Transactions; Review, Approval or Ratification of Transactions with Related Persons,” in the Proxy Statement for the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders is incorporated by reference herein. It is expected that such Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than April 30, 2018.

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services:

The information concerning principal accountant fees and services, as well as related pre-approval policies, under the caption, “Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm,” in the Proxy Statement for the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders is incorporated by reference herein. It is expected that such Proxy Statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than April 30, 2018.

PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules:

a)DOCUMENTS:


1.	The following Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company and subsidiaries included in the Company’s Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 2017, are incorporated by reference in Part II, Item 8.

•Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

•Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2017 and 2016

•Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

•Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

•Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

•Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016

•Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements


2.	All Financial Statement Schedules are omitted as the required information is inapplicable or the information is presented in the consolidated financial statements or related notes.

b)EXHIBITS:



Exhibit Number		Description of Exhibits
3(i)		Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, as amended (1)
3(ii)		Bylaws of the Company (4)
4(i)		Form of Stock Certificate (4)
10(i)		1998 Stock Option Plan (2)
10(ii)		Amended and Restated Employment Agreement dated June 4, 2015 with James A. Hughes (10)
10(iii)		Retention Agreement dated September 18, 2017 with Alan J. Bedner (8)
10(iv)		Retention Agreement dated September 18, 2017 with John Kauchak (8)
10(v)		Retention Agreement dated September 18, 2017 with Janice Bolomey (8)
10(vi)		2002 Stock Option Plan (3)
10(vii)		2006 Stock Option Plan (5)
10(viii)		2011 Stock Option Plan and 2011 Stock Bonus Plan (6)
10(ix)		2013 Stock Bonus Plan (7)
10(x)		2015 Stock Option Plan (9)
10(xi)		Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan dated June 4, 2015 with James A. Hughes (10)
10(xii)		Executive Incentive Retirement Plan dated October 22, 2015 (11)
10(xiii)		2017 Stock Option Plan (12)
13		Portion of Unity Bancorp. Inc. 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders
21		Subsidiaries of the Registrant
23.1		Consent of RSM US LLP
31.1		Certification of President and Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2		Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1		Certification of President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906
101.INS		XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.LAB		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
101.DEF		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definitions Linkbase Document

(1)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on July 22, 2002 and incorporated by reference herein.
(2)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders filed on March 30, 1998.
(3)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders filed on April 10, 2002.
(4)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed February 24, 2017.
(5)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders filed on May 4, 2006.
(6)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to Form S-8 filed on May 26, 2011 and incorporated by reference herein.
(7)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to Form S-8 filed on July 12, 2013 and incorporated by reference herein.
(8)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed October 10, 2017.



(9)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders filed on March 17, 2015.
(10)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to Form S-8 filed on May 22, 2015 and incorporated by reference herein.
(11)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to Form 8-K filed on October 27, 2015 and incorporated by reference herein.
(12)		Previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to Form S-8 filed on May 22, 2017 and incorporated by reference herein.

c)Not applicable

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary:

None.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

UNITY BANCORP, INC.



By:	/s/ Alan J. Bedner , Jr.
	Alan J. Bedner, Jr.
	Executive Vice President
	Chief Financial Officer

Date:	March 2, 2018

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.



Name	Title	Date

/s/ David D. Dallas	Chairman of the Board and Director	March 2, 2018
David D. Dallas

/s/ James A. Hughes	President, Chief Executive Officer and Director	March 2, 2018
James A. Hughes

/s/ Alan J. Bedner, Jr.	Chief Financial Officer	March 2, 2018
Alan J. Bedner, Jr.	(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

/s/ Dr. Mark S. Brody	Director	March 2, 2018
Dr. Mark S. Brody

/s/ Wayne Courtright	Director	March 2, 2018
Wayne Courtright

/s/ Robert H. Dallas, II	Director	March 2, 2018
Robert H. Dallas, II

/s/ Dr. Mary E. Gross	Director	March 2, 2018
Dr. Mary E. Gross

/s/ Peter E. Maricondo	Director	March 2, 2018
Peter E. Maricondo



Signatures (continued)
Name	Title	Date

/s/ Raj Patel	Director	March 2, 2018
Raj Patel

/s/ Donald E. Souders, Jr.	Director	March 2, 2018
Donald E. Souders, Jr.

/s/ Aaron Tucker	Director	March 2, 2018
Aaron Tucker

/s/ Allen Tucker	Director	March 2, 2018
Allen Tucker