Village Bank & Trust Financial Corp. - Annual Report: 2018 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018

Commission file number 0-50765

VILLAGE BANK AND TRUST FINANCIAL CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Issuer’s telephone number: 804-897-3900

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

Securities registered under 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 ¨ Noþ

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ Noþ

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act 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. Yesþ  No¨ 

Indicate by check mark 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). Yesþ  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, 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.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark 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 ¨ Noþ

The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the Registrant’s most recent completed second fiscal quarter was approximately $23,193,000.

The number of shares of common stock outstanding as of February 28, 2019 was 1,435,283.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement to be used in conjunction with the 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.

Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp.

Form 10-K

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part I

In addition to historical information, the following report contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp.’s actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s analysis only as of the date of the report. For discussion of factors that may cause our actual future results to differ materially from those anticipated, please see Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” herein.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp. (“Company”) was incorporated in January 2003 and was organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia as a bank holding company. The Company has three active wholly owned subsidiaries: Village Bank (the “Bank”), Southern Community Financial Capital Trust I, and Village Financial Statutory Trust II. The Bank has one active wholly owned subsidiary: Village Bank Mortgage Corporation (the “Mortgage Company”), a full service mortgage banking company. The Company is the holding company of and successor to the Bank. Effective April 30, 2004, the Company acquired all of the outstanding stock of the Bank in a statutory share exchange transaction. Unless the context suggest otherwise, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer collectively to the Company, the Bank, and the Mortgage Company.

The Bank is the primary operating business of the Company. The Bank offers a wide range of banking and related financial services, including checking, savings, certificates of deposit and other depository services, and commercial, real estate and consumer loans, primarily in the Richmond, Virginia and Williamsburg, Virginia metropolitan areas. The Bank was organized in 1999 as a Virginia chartered bank to engage in a general banking business to serve the communities in and around Richmond, Virginia and expanded its services to Williamsburg, Virginia in 2017. Deposits with the Bank are insured to the maximum amount provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). The Bank offers a comprehensive range of financial services and products and specializes in providing customized financial services to small and medium sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The Bank provides its customers with personal customized service utilizing the latest technology and delivery channels.

Bank revenues are derived from interest and fees received in connection with loans, deposits, and mortgage services. Administrative and operating expenses are the major expenses, followed by interest paid on deposits and borrowings. Revenues from the Mortgage Company consist primarily of gains from the sale of loans and loan origination fees and its major expenses consist of personnel, occupancy, data processing, and other operating expenses. In 2018, revenue (after intercompany eliminations) generated by the Bank totaled $22.8 million and the Mortgage Company generated $6.2 million in revenue.

Segment Reporting

The Company has two reportable segments: traditional commercial banking and mortgage banking. For more financial data and other information about each of the Company’s operating segments, refer to Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” sections, “Segment Information – Commercial Banking Segment” and “Segment Information – Mortgage Banking Segment”, and to Note 19 “Segment Reporting” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Business Strategy

We are implementing strategies that we believe will help us achieve our goal of delivering long-term total shareholder returns that rank in the top quartile of a nationwide peer group.  To achieve this goal, we believe that we will need to become a top performer in return on equity, produce sustainable earnings growth, achieve best quartile earnings volatility in our industry and deliver best quartile asset quality in the worst part of the economic cycle.  Our current business strategies include the following:

We strongly believe that there is a continuing need for banks like Village with deep community roots and that a well-run community based bank can generate attractive returns for shareholders over the long term. 

Market Area

The Company, the Bank, and the Mortgage Company are headquartered in Chesterfield County and primarily serve the Central Virginia region and the Richmond and Williamsburg Metropolitan Statistical Areas. We currently conduct business from ten full-service branch banking offices, and a mortgage loan production office in Central Virginia in the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, Powhatan and James City. During the fourth quarter of 2017, we expanded into the Williamsburg, Virginia market through the opening of a new Village Bank branch. At the end of the first quarter of 2017, we closed our Manassas, Virginia mortgage production office after the departure of its long term leader.

Banking Services

Deposit Services. Deposits are a major source of our funding. The Bank offers a full range of deposit services that are typically available in most banks and other financial institutions including checking accounts, savings accounts and other time deposits of various types, ranging from daily money market accounts to longer term certificates of deposit and Individual Retirement Accounts. These deposit accounts are offered at rates competitive with other institutions in our market area. We service our deposit clients in our full-service branches, at drive-up windows, at our ATMs, through our customer care team and through technology such as online banking, mobile banking applications and remote deposit capture for business clients. We have not applied for permission to establish a trust department and offer trust services. The Bank is not a member of the Federal Reserve System. Deposits are insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act of 1950 (the “FDI Act”) to the limits provided thereunder.

Lending Services. We offer a full range of short-to-medium term commercial and personal loans. We also provide a wide range of real estate finance services. Our primary focus is on making loans in the Central Virginia and greater Williamsburg markets where we have branch banking offices. We offer residential construction-to-permanent financing to clients of the Mortgage Company.

We also purchase the guaranteed portion of United State Department of Agriculture Loans (“USDA”) which are guaranteed by the USDA for 100% of the principal and interest. The originating institution holds the unguaranteed portion of the loan and services the loan. These loans are typically purchased at a premium. In the event of a loan default or early prepayment the Bank may need to write off any unamortized premium.

Lending Limit. As of December 31, 2018, our legal lending limit for loans to one borrower was approximately $7,489,000. However, we generally limit credit to any one individual or entity to a maximum of $5,000,000.

Competition

We encounter strong competition from other local commercial banks, credit unions, mortgage banking firms, consumer finance companies, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, money market mutual funds, financial technology companies, and other financial institutions. A number of these competitors are well-established. Competition for loans is keen, and pricing is important. Most of our competitors have substantially greater resources and higher lending limits than ours and offer certain services, such as extensive and established branch networks and trust services, which we do not provide at the present time. Deposit competition also is strong, and we may have to pay higher interest rates to attract deposits. Nationwide banking institutions and their branches have increased competition in our markets, and federal legislation adopted in 1999 allows non-banking companies, such as insurance and investment firms, to establish or acquire banks. We believe that the Company can capitalize on recent merger activity to attract customers from the acquired institutions.

At June 30, 2018, the latest date such information is available from the FDIC, the Bank’s deposit market share in Chesterfield County was 4.75%, 4.15% in Hanover County, 8.89% in Powhatan County, 0.40% in the Richmond metropolitan statistical area and 0.10% in Henrico County and 0.51% in James City County.

Supervision and Regulation

We are subject to extensive regulation by certain federal and state agencies and receive periodic examinations by those regulatory authorities. As a consequence, our business is affected by state and federal legislation and regulations.

The discussion below is only a summary of the principal laws and regulations that comprise the regulatory framework applicable to us. The descriptions of these laws and regulations, as well as descriptions of laws and regulations contained elsewhere herein, do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to applicable laws and regulations.

General. The Company is qualified as a bank holding company within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the "BHC Act"), and is registered as such with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the "Federal Reserve").  As a bank holding company, the Company is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Federal Reserve and is required to file various reports and additional information with the Federal Reserve.  The Company is also registered under the bank holding company laws of Virginia and is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Bureau of Financial Institutions of the Virginia State Corporation Commission (the "BFI"). The Bank is a Virginia chartered bank and is not a member of the Federal Reserve System.  The Bank is subject to regulation, supervision and examination by the FDIC and the BFI.

The Dodd-Frank Act. On July 21, 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) was signed into law. The Dodd-Frank Act represents a significant overhaul of many aspects of the regulation of the financial services industry, although many of its provisions (e.g., the interchange and trust preferred capital limitations) apply to companies that are significantly larger than the Company. The Dodd-Frank Act directs applicable regulatory authorities to promulgate regulations implementing its provisions, and its effect on the Company and on the financial services industry as a whole will be clarified as those regulations are issued. Major elements of the Dodd-Frank Act are described below.

Increased Capital Standards.  The Dodd-Frank Act required the federal banking agencies to establish minimum leverage and risk-based capital requirements for banks and bank holding companies. See “Capital Adequacy” below for a discussion of these requirements.

Deposit Insurance.  The Dodd-Frank Act made permanent the $250,000 deposit insurance limit for insured deposits. Amendments to the FDI Act also revised the assessment base against which an insured depository institution’s deposit insurance premiums paid to the Deposit Insurance Fund (the “DIF”) are calculated. Under the amendments, the assessment base is no longer the institution’s deposit base, but rather its average consolidated total assets less its average tangible equity during the assessment period. Additionally, the Dodd-Frank Act made changes to the minimum designated reserve ratio of the DIF, increasing the minimum from 1.15% to 1.35% of the estimated amount of total insured deposits and eliminating the requirement that the FDIC pay dividends to depository institutions when the reserve ratio exceeds certain thresholds. The Dodd-Frank Act also provides that depository institutions may pay interest on demand deposits.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”).  The Dodd-Frank Act established the CFPB, an independent federal agency with broad rule-making, supervisory, and enforcement powers under various federal consumer financial protection laws. The CFPB has examination and primary enforcement authority with respect to depository institutions with $10 billion or more of assets. Smaller institutions, such as the Company, are subject to rules promulgated by the CFPB but are examined and supervised by federal banking regulators for consumer compliance purposes.

Limits on Interchange Fees. The Dodd-Frank Act amended the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to, among other things, require that debit card interchange fees must be reasonable and proportional to the actual cost incurred by the institution with respect to the transaction. In June 2011, the Federal Reserve adopted regulations applicable to institutions with $10 billion or more of assets that established a maximum permissible interchange fee that an institution may charge. Under the regulations, the maximum permissible interchange fee for such institutions is the sum of 21 cents per transaction and 5 basis points multiplied by the value of the transaction, with an additional adjustment of up to one cent per transaction if the institution implements additional fraud-prevention standards. Although institutions that have assets of less than $10 billion are exempt, these regulations are expected to significantly affect the interchange fees that institutions with less than $10 billion of assets are able to collect.

Recent Amendments to the Dodd-Frank Act. The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act of 2018, which was signed into law on May 24, 2018 (the “EGRRCPA”), amended the Dodd-Frank Act to provide regulatory relief for certain smaller and regional financial institutions. The EGRRCPA, among other things, provides financial institutions with less than $10 billion of assets with relief from certain capital requirements and exempts banks with less than $250 billion of total consolidated assets from the enhanced prudential standards and the company-run and supervisory stress tests required under the Dodd-Frank Act.

The Dodd-Frank Act has had, and may in the future have, a material impact on the Company’s operations, particularly through increased compliance costs resulting from new and possible future consumer and fair lending regulations.

Reporting Obligations Under Securities Laws. The Company is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including the requirement to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) annual, quarterly and other reports on the financial condition and performance of the organization. The Company’s common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market and, as a result, the Company is subject to the rules and listing standards adopted by The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”). The Company is also affected by the corporate responsibility and accounting reform legislation signed into law on July 30, 2002, known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “SOX Act”), and the related rules and regulations. The SOX Act includes provisions that, among other things, require that periodic reports containing financial statements that are filed with the SEC be accompanied by chief executive officer and chief financial officer certifications as to the accuracy and compliance with law, additional disclosure requirements and corporate governance and other related rules. The Company has expended considerable time and money in complying with the rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq, and with the SOX Act, and expects to continue to incur additional expenses in the future.

Bank Holding Company Act. The Federal Reserve has jurisdiction under the BHC Act to approve any bank or non-bank acquisition, merger or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. The BHC Act, and other applicable laws and regulations, generally limit the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity that is so closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto.

In determining whether a particular activity is permissible, the Federal Reserve must consider whether the performance of such an activity reasonably can be expected to produce benefits to the public that outweigh possible adverse effects. Despite prior approval, the Federal Reserve may order a bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve has reasonable cause to believe that a serious risk to the financial safety, soundness or stability of any bank subsidiary of that bank holding company may result from such an activity.

Support of Subsidiary Institutions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, and previously under Federal Reserve policy, the Company is required to act as a source of financial strength for the Bank and to commit resources to support the Bank. This support can be required at times when it would not be in the best interest of the Company’s shareholders or creditors to provide it. In the event of the Company’s bankruptcy, any commitment by us to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of the Bank would be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to a priority of payment. The Company has periodically raised capital and contributed it to the Bank to support the Bank’s operations.

Privacy Legislation. Several laws, including the Right To Financial Privacy Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, provide protections against the transfer and use of customer information by financial institutions. Financial Institutions generally are prohibited from disclosing customer information to non-affiliated third parties, unless the customer has been given the opportunity to object and has not objected to such disclosure. Financial institutions must disclose their specific privacy policies to their customers annually and must conduct an internal risk assessment of their ability to protect customer information.

Mergers and Acquisitions. The Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994, as amended (the "Interstate Banking Act"), generally permits well capitalized and adequately managed bank holding companies to acquire banks in any state, and preempts all state laws restricting the ownership by a bank holding company of banks in more than one state. The Interstate Banking Act also permits a bank to merge with an out-of-state bank and convert any offices into branches of the resulting bank if both states have not opted out of interstate branching; and permits a bank to acquire branches from an out-of-state bank if the law of the state where the branches are located permits the interstate branch acquisition. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, a bank holding company or bank must be well capitalized and well managed to engage in an interstate acquisition. Bank holding companies and banks are required to obtain prior Federal Reserve approval to acquire more than 5% of a class of voting securities, or substantially all of the assets, of a bank holding company, bank or savings association. The Interstate Banking Act and the Dodd-Frank Act permit banks to establish and operate de novo interstate branches to the same extent a bank chartered by the host state may establish branches. Virginia law permits branching across state lines, provided there is reciprocity with the state in which the out-of-state bank is based.

Limits on the Payment of Dividends. The Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank and its other subsidiaries. Virtually all of the Company’s cash revenues will result from dividends paid to it by the Bank, which is subject to laws and regulations that limit the amount of dividends that it can pay. Under Virginia law, a bank may not declare a dividend in excess of its accumulated retained earnings without approval by the BFI. As of December 31, 2018, the Bank did not have any accumulated retained earnings. In addition, the Bank may not declare or pay any dividend if, after making the dividend, the Bank would be "undercapitalized," as defined in FDIC regulations.

The FDIC and the state have the general authority to limit the dividends paid by insured banks if the payment is deemed an unsafe and unsound practice. Both the FDIC and the state have indicated that paying dividends that deplete a bank's capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsound and unsafe banking practice.

In addition, the Company is subject to certain regulatory requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. These regulatory requirements regarding capital affect our dividend policies. Regulators have indicated that holding companies should generally pay dividends only if the organization's net income available to common shareholders over the past year has been sufficient to fully fund the dividends, and the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization's capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, the Federal Reserve has issued guidelines that bank holding companies should inform and consult with the Federal Reserve in advance of declaring or paying a dividend that exceeds earnings for the period (e.g., quarter) for which the dividend is being paid or that could result in a material adverse change to the organization’s capital structure.

Insurance of Accounts, Assessments and Regulation by the FDIC. Our deposits are insured by the FDIC up to the limits set forth under applicable law, currently $250,000. We are subject to the deposit insurance assessments of the DIF. On April 1, 2011, the deposit insurance assessment base changed from total deposits to average total assets minus average tangible equity, pursuant to a rule issued by the FDIC as required by the Dodd-Frank Act. Effective July 1, 2016, the FDIC changed its deposit insurance pricing to a “financial ratios method” based on CAMELS composite ratings to determine assessment rates for small established institutions with less than $10 billion of assets, such as the Bank. The CAMELS rating system is a supervisory rating system designed to take into account and reflect all financial and operational risks that a bank may face, including capital adequacy, asset quality, management capability, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity to market risk (“CAMELS”). CAMELS composite ratings set a maximum assessment for CAMELS 1 and 2 rated banks, and set minimum assessments for lower rated institutions.

The FDIC is authorized to prohibit any DIF-insured institution from engaging in any activity that the FDIC determines by regulation or order to pose a serious threat to the respective insurance fund. Also, the FDIC may initiate enforcement actions against banks, after first giving the institution’s primary regulatory authority an opportunity to take such action. The FDIC may terminate the deposit insurance of any depository institution if it determines, after a hearing, that the institution has engaged or is engaging in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, order or any condition imposed in writing by the FDIC. It also may suspend deposit insurance temporarily during the hearing process for the permanent termination of insurance if the institution has no tangible capital. If deposit insurance is terminated, the deposits at the institution at the time of termination, less subsequent withdrawals, shall continue to be insured for a period from six months to two years, as determined by the FDIC. We are aware of no existing circumstances that could result in termination of our deposit insurance.

Capital Adequacy. Both the Company and the Bank are required to comply with the capital adequacy standards established by the Federal Reserve, in the case of the Company, and the FDIC, in the case of the Bank. The Federal Reserve and the FDIC have adopted rules to implement the Basel III capital framework as outlined by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the “Basel Committee”) and certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act (the “Basel III Capital Rules”).  The Basel III Capital Rules implement minimum capital ratios and establish risk weightings that are applied to many classes of assets held by community banks, including applying higher risk weightings to certain commercial real estate loans.

The Basel III Capital Rules require banks and bank holding companies to comply with the following minimum capital ratios: (1) a ratio of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%, plus a 2.5% “capital conservation buffer” (effectively resulting in a minimum ratio of common equity Tier 1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 7%); (2) a ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6.0%, plus the 2.5% capital conservation buffer (effectively resulting in a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 8.5%); (3) a ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%, plus the 2.5% capital conservation buffer (effectively resulting in a minimum total capital ratio of 10.5%); and (4) a leverage ratio of 4%, calculated as the ratio of Tier 1 capital to balance sheet exposures plus certain off-balance sheet exposures (computed as the average for each quarter of the month-end ratios for the quarter). The phase-in of the capital conservation buffer requirement began on January 1, 2016, at 0.625% of risk-weighted assets, increasing by the same amount each year until it was fully implemented at 2.5% on January 1, 2019. The capital conservation buffer is designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress.  Banking organizations with a ratio of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets above the minimum but below the conservation buffer face constraints on dividends, equity repurchases, and compensation based on the amount of the shortfall.

In December 2017, the Basel Committee published standards that it described as the finalization of the Basel III post-crisis regulatory reforms (the standards are commonly referred to as “Basel IV”). Among other things, these standards revise the standardized approach for credit risk (including by recalibrating risk weights and introducing new capital requirements for certain “unconditionally cancellable commitments,” such as unused credit card lines of credit) and provide a new standardized approach for operational risk capital. Under the proposed framework, these standards will generally be effective on January 1, 2022, with an aggregate output floor phasing-in through January 1, 2027. Under the current capital rules, operational risk capital requirements and a capital floor apply only to advanced approaches institutions, and not to the Company. The impact of Basel IV on the Company and the Bank will depend on the manner in which it is implemented by the federal bank regulatory agencies.

The Company meets the eligibility criteria of a small bank holding company in accordance with the Federal Reserve’s Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement (the “SBHC Policy Statement”). On August 28, 2018, the Federal Reserve issued an interim final rule required by the EGRRCPA that expands the applicability of the SBHC Policy Statement to bank holding companies with total consolidated assets of less than $3 billion (up from the prior $1 billion threshold). Under the SBHC Policy Statement, qualifying bank holding companies, such as the Company, have additional flexibility in the amount of debt they can issue and are also exempt from the Basel III Capital Rules. The SBHC Policy Statement does not apply to the Bank and the Bank must comply with the Basel III Capital Rules. The Bank must also comply with the capital requirements set forth in the “prompt corrective action” regulations pursuant to Section 38 of the FDI Act, as described below.

On November 21, 2018, the federal bank regulators jointly issued a proposed rule required by the EGRRCPA that would permit qualifying banks and bank holding companies that have less than $10 billion of assets, like the Company and the Bank, to elect to be subject to a 9% leverage ratio that would be applied using less complex leverage calculations (commonly referred to as the community bank leverage ratio or “CBLR”). Under the proposed rule, banks and bank holding companies that opt into the CBLR framework and maintain a CBLR of greater than 9% would not be subject to other risk-based and leverage capital requirements under the Basel III Capital Rules and would be deemed to have met the well capitalized ratio requirements under the “prompt corrective action” framework. The rule is in proposed form so the content and scope of the final rule, and its impact on the Company and the Bank (if any), cannot be determined.

Prompt Corrective Action. Federal banking agencies have broad powers to take prompt corrective action to resolve problems of insured depository institutions. The extent of these powers depends upon whether the institution in question is “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized” or “critically undercapitalized.” These terms are defined under uniform regulations issued by each of the federal banking agencies regulating these institutions. An insured depository institution that is less than adequately capitalized must adopt an acceptable capital restoration plan, is subject to increased regulatory oversight and is increasingly restricted in the scope of its permissible activities.

To be well capitalized under these regulations, a bank must have the following minimum capital ratios: (1) a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of at least 6.5%; (2) a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 8.0%; (3) a total risk-based capital ratio of at least 10.0%; and (4) a leverage ratio of at least 5.0%. At December 31, 2018, the Bank’s common equity Tier 1 capital ratio was 11.70%, its Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio was 11.70%, its total risk-based capital ratio was 12.46% and its leverage ratio was 9.15%.  Accordingly, as of December 31, 2018, the Bank met the minimum ratios to be classified as well capitalized.  More information concerning our regulatory ratios at December 31, 2018 is included in Note 13 to the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

As described above, on November 21, 2018, the federal bank regulators jointly issued a proposed rule required by the EGRRCPA that would permit qualifying banks and bank holding companies that have less than $10 billion of consolidated assets to elect to opt into the CBLR framework. Banks opting into the CBLR framework and maintaining a CBLR of greater than 9% would be deemed to have met the well capitalized ratio requirements under the “prompt corrective action” framework. The rule is in proposed form so the content and scope of the final rule, and its impact on the Company and the Bank (if any), cannot be determined.

Restrictions on Transactions with Affiliates. Both the Company and the Bank are subject to the provisions of Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act. Section 23A places limits on the amount of: (1) a bank’s loans or extensions of credit, including purchases of assets subject to an agreement to repurchase, to affiliates; (2) a bank’s investment in affiliates; (3) assets a bank may purchase from affiliates, except for real and personal property exempted by the Federal Reserve; (4) the amount of loans or extensions of credit to third parties collateralized by the securities or debt obligations of affiliates; (5) transactions involving the borrowing or lending of securities and any derivative transaction that results in credit exposure to an affiliate; and (6) a bank’s guarantee, acceptance or letter of credit issued on behalf of an affiliate.

The total amount of the above transactions is limited in amount, as to any one affiliate, to 10% of a bank’s capital and surplus and, as to all affiliates combined, to 20% of a bank’s capital and surplus. In addition to the limitation on the amount of these transactions, each of the above transactions must also meet specified collateral requirements. The Bank must also comply with other provisions designed to avoid acquiring low-quality assets from its affiliates.

The Company and the Bank are also subject to the provisions of Section 23B of the Federal Reserve Act which, among other things, prohibits an institution from engaging in the above transactions with affiliates unless the transactions are on terms substantially the same, or at least as favorable to the institution or its subsidiaries, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with nonaffiliated companies.

The Bank is also subject to restrictions on extensions of credit to its executive officers, directors, principal shareholders and their related interests. These extensions of credit (1) must be made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with third parties, and (2) must not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features.

The Dodd-Frank Act also provides that an insured depository institution may not purchase an asset from, or sell an asset to a bank insider (or their related interests) unless (1) the transaction is conducted on market terms between the parties, and (2) if the proposed transaction represents more than 10% of the capital stock and surplus of the insured institution, it has been approved in advance by a majority of the institution’s non-interested directors.

Incentive Compensation Policies and Restrictions. In July 2010, the federal banking agencies issued guidance that applies to all banking organizations supervised by the agencies (thereby including both the Company and the Bank). Pursuant to the guidance, to be consistent with safety and soundness principles, a banking organization’s incentive compensation arrangements should: (1) provide employees with incentives that appropriately balance risk and reward; (2) be compatible with effective controls and risk management; and (3) be supported by strong corporate governance including active and effective oversight by the banking organization’s board of directors. Monitoring methods and processes used by a banking organization should be commensurate with the size and complexity of the organization and its use of incentive compensation. At December 31, 2018, we had not been made aware of any instances of non-compliance with this guidance. The Dodd-Frank Act requires the appropriate federal regulators to establish standards prohibiting as an unsafe and unsound practice any compensation plan of a bank holding company or bank that provides an insider or other employee with “excessive compensation” or that could lead to a material financial loss to such firm. These standards have not yet been established.

Bank Secrecy Act. The Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”), which is intended to require financial institutions to develop policies, procedures and practices to prevent and deter money laundering, mandates that every bank have a written, board-approved program that is reasonably designed to assure and monitor compliance with the BSA. The program must, at a minimum: (i) provide for a system of internal controls to assure ongoing compliance; (ii) provide for independent testing for compliance; (iii) designate an individual responsible for coordinating and monitoring day-to-day compliance; and (iv) provide training for appropriate personnel. In addition, a bank is required to adopt a customer identification program as part of its BSA compliance program. Financial institutions are generally required to report cash transactions involving more than $10,000 to the U.S. Department of the Treasury.  In addition, financial institutions are required to file suspicious activity reports for transactions that involve more than $5,000 and which the financial institution knows, suspects or has reason to suspect involves illegal funds, is designed to evade the requirements of the BSA or has no lawful purpose.  The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, enacted in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, requires bank regulators to consider a financial institution’s compliance with the BSA when reviewing applications from a financial institution.  In May 2016, the regulations implementing the BSA were amended to explicitly include risk-based procedures for conducting ongoing customer due diligence, to include understanding the nature and purpose of customer relationships for the purpose of developing a customer risk profile. In addition, banks must identify and verify the identity of the beneficial owners of all legal entity customers (other than those that are excluded) at the time a new account is opened (other than accounts that are exempted). These amendments and new requirements became effective for the Bank on May 11, 2018.

Reporting Terrorist Activities. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), which is a division of the Department of the Treasury, is responsible for helping to insure that United States entities do not engage in transactions with “enemies” of the United States, as defined by various Executive Orders and Acts of Congress. OFAC has sent, and will send, our banking regulatory agencies lists of names of persons and organizations suspected of aiding, harboring or engaging in terrorist acts. If the Bank finds a name on any transaction, account or wire transfer that is on an OFAC list, it must freeze such account, file a suspicious activity report and notify the FBI. The Bank has appointed an OFAC compliance officer to oversee the inspection of its accounts and the filing of any notifications. The Bank actively checks high-risk OFAC areas such as new accounts, wire transfers and customer files. The Bank performs these checks utilizing software, which is updated each time a modification is made to the lists provided by OFAC and other agencies of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. The Mortgage Company is subject to the rules and regulations by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Veteran Affairs and state regulatory authorities with respect to originating, processing, servicing and selling mortgage loans. Those rules and regulations, among other things, establish standards for loan origination, prohibit discrimination, provide for inspections and appraisals of property, require credit reports on prospective borrowers and, in some cases, restrict certain loan features, and fix maximum interest rates and fees. In addition to other federal laws, mortgage origination activities are subject to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Truth-in-Lending Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and the Home Ownership Equity Protection Act, and the regulations promulgated thereunder. These laws prohibit discrimination, require the disclosure of certain basic information to mortgagors concerning credit and settlement costs, limit payment for settlement services to the reasonable value of the services rendered and require the maintenance and disclosure of information regarding the disposition of mortgage applications based on race, gender, geographical distribution and income level.

Other Safety and Soundness Regulations. There are a number of obligations and restrictions imposed on depository institutions by federal law and regulatory policy that are designed to reduce potential loss exposure to the depositors of such depository institutions and to the FDIC insurance funds in the event the depository institution becomes in danger of default or is in default. The Federal banking agencies also have broad powers under current Federal law to take prompt corrective action to resolve problems of insured depository institutions. The extent of these powers depends upon whether the institution in question is well-capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized or critically undercapitalized, as defined by the law. Federal regulatory authorities also have broad enforcement powers over us, including the power to impose fines and other civil and criminal penalties, and to appoint a receiver in order to conserve the assets of any such institution for the benefit of depositors and other creditors. At December 31, 2018, the Bank met the ratio requirements to be classified as a well capitalized financial institution.

Loans-to-One Borrower. Under applicable laws and regulations the amount of loans and extensions of credit which may be extended by a bank to any one borrower, including related entities, generally may not exceed 15% of the sum of the capital, surplus, and loan loss reserve of the institution.

Community Reinvestment. The requirements of the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) are applicable to the Company. The CRA imposes on financial institutions an affirmative and ongoing obligation to meet the credit needs of their local communities, including low and moderate income neighborhoods, consistent with the safe and sound operation of those institutions. A financial institution’s efforts in meeting community credit needs currently are evaluated as part of the examination process pursuant to 12 assessment factors. These factors also are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility.

Cybersecurity. In March 2015, federal regulators issued two related statements regarding cybersecurity. One statement indicates that financial institutions should design multiple layers of security controls to establish lines of defense and to ensure that their risk management processes also address the risk posed by compromised customer credentials, including security measures to reliably authenticate customers accessing internet-based services of the financial institution. The other statement indicates that a financial institution’s management is expected to maintain sufficient business continuity planning processes to ensure the rapid recovery, resumption and maintenance of the institution’s operations after a cyber-attack involving destructive malware. A financial institution is also expected to develop appropriate processes to enable recovery of data and business operations and address rebuilding network capabilities and restoring data if the institution or its critical service providers fall victim to this type of cyber-attack. If the Company fails to observe the regulatory guidance, it could be subject to various regulatory sanctions, including financial penalties. To date, we have not experienced a significant compromise, significant data loss or any material financial losses related to cybersecurity attacks, but our systems and those of our customers and third-party service providers are under constant threat and it is possible that we could experience a significant event in the future. Risks and exposures related to cybersecurity attacks are expected to remain high for the foreseeable future due to the rapidly evolving nature and sophistication of these threats, as well as due to the expanding use of Internet banking, mobile banking and other technology-based products and services by us and our customers.

Tax Reform. On December 22, 2017, the President of the United States signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Reform Act”). The legislation made key changes to the U.S. tax law, including the reduction of the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, effective January 1, 2018. As a result of the reduction in the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% under the Tax Reform Act, the Company revalued its deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2017 and recognized $4,181,000 in tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2017. Although the Tax Reform Act had a significant negative impact on the Company’s earnings for 2017 because of the re-valuation of its deferred tax assets and liabilities, the reduction in the corporate tax rate to 21% had a positive benefit to the Company in 2018 and is expected to have a continued positive benefit in future periods.

Future Legislation and Regulation. Congress may enact legislation from time to time that affects the regulation of the financial services industry, and state legislatures may enact legislation from time to time affecting the regulation of financial institutions chartered by or operating in those states. Federal and state regulatory agencies also periodically propose and adopt changes to their regulations or change the manner in which existing regulations are applied. The substance or impact of pending or future legislation or regulation, or the application thereof, cannot be predicted, although enactment of the proposed legislation could impact the regulatory structure under which we operate and may significantly increase costs, impede the efficiency of internal business processes, require an increase in regulatory capital, require modifications to business strategy, and limit the ability to pursue business opportunities in an efficient manner.

Employees

As of December 31, 2018, the Company and its subsidiaries had a total of 142 full-time employees and 8 part-time employees. None of the Company’s employees is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The Company considers its relations with its employees to be good.

The Company has a Code of Ethics for directors, officers and all employees of the Company and its subsidiaries, and a Code of Ethics applicable to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other principal financial officers. The Code addresses such topics as protection and proper use of Company assets, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, accuracy and preservation of records, accounting and financial reporting and conflicts of interest. A copy of the Code will be provided, without charge, to any shareholder upon written request to the Secretary of the Company, whose address is P.O. Box 330, 13319 Midlothian Turnpike, Midlothian, Virginia 23113.

Additional Information

The Company files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Electronic copies of our SEC filings are available on the SEC’s Internet site (http://www.sec.gov).

The Company’s Internet address is http://www.villagebank.com. At that address, we make available, free of charge, the Company’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (see “Investor Relations” section of website), as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

In addition, we will provide, at no cost, paper or electronic copies of our reports and other filings made with the SEC (except for exhibits). Requests should be directed to Donald M. Kaloski, Jr., Chief Financial Officer, Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp., PO Box 330, Midlothian, VA 23113.

The information on the websites listed above is not and should not be considered to be part of this annual report on Form 10-K and is not incorporated by reference in this document.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock is subject to risks inherent to our business. Investors should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information included or incorporated by reference in this report. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties that management is not aware of or focused on, or that management currently deems immaterial, may also impair our business and operations. If any of the following risks adversely affects our business, financial condition or results of operations, the value of our common stock could decline.

Our credit standards and on-going credit assessment processes might not protect us from significant credit losses.

We take credit risk by virtue of making loans and extending loan commitments and letters of credit. We manage credit risk through a program of underwriting standards, the review of certain credit decisions and an ongoing process of assessment of the quality of the credit already extended. In addition, our credit administration function employs risk management techniques intended to promptly identify problem loans. While these procedures are designed to provide us with the information needed to implement policy adjustments where necessary and to take appropriate corrective actions, there can be no assurance that such measures will be effective in avoiding future undue credit risk, and credit losses will occur in the future and they may be significant.

Our allowance for loan losses may be insufficient.

We maintain an allowance for loan losses, which is a reserve established through a provision for loan losses charged to expense, that represents our best estimate of probable losses that have been incurred within the existing portfolio of loans. The allowance, in the judgment of management, is necessary to reserve for estimated loan losses and risks inherent in the loan portfolio.

The level of the allowance reflects management’s evaluation of the level of loans outstanding, the level of nonperforming loans, historical loan loss experience, delinquency trends, underlying collateral values, the amount of actual losses charged to the reserve in a given period and assessment of present and anticipated economic conditions. The determination of the appropriate level of the allowance for loan losses inherently involves a high degree of subjectivity and requires us to make significant estimates of current credit risks and future trends, all of which may undergo material changes. Although we believe the allowance for loan losses is a reasonable estimate of known and inherent losses in the loan portfolio, we cannot precisely predict such losses or be certain that the loan loss allowance will be adequate in the future. Deterioration of economic conditions affecting borrowers, new information regarding existing loans, identification of additional problem loans and other factors, both within and outside our control, may require an increase in the allowance for loan losses. In addition, bank regulatory agencies and our auditors periodically review our allowance for loan losses and may require an increase in the provision for loan losses or the recognition of further loan charge-offs, based on judgments different than those of management. Further, if charge-offs in future periods exceed the allowance for loan losses, we will need additional provisions to increase the allowance for loan losses.

The adoption of ASU 2016-13, effective for the Company on January 1, 2020, could also result in an increase in the allowance for loan losses as a result of changing from an “incurred loss” model, which encompasses allowances for current known and inherent losses within the portfolio, to an “expected loss” model, which encompasses allowances for losses expected to be incurred over the life of the portfolio. Furthermore, ASU 2016-13 will necessitate that we establish an allowance for expected credit losses for certain debt securities and other financial assets. Although we are currently unable to reasonably estimate the impact of adopting ASU 2016-13, we expect that the impact of adoption will be significantly influenced by the composition, characteristics and quality of our loan and securities portfolios as well as the prevailing economic conditions and forecasts as of the adoption date. For information regarding recent accounting pronouncements and their effect on us, see “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Any increases in the allowance for loan losses will result in a decrease in net income and, possibly capital, and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Nonperforming assets take significant time to resolve and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our nonperforming assets adversely affect our net income in various ways. Nonperforming assets, (which include nonaccrual loans and other real estate owned, but exclude loans past due 90 days and still accruing as these loans are rehabilitated student loans which have a 98% guarantee by the DOE of principal and interest), were $2,785,000, or 0.54% of total assets, as of December 31, 2018. When we receive collateral through foreclosures and similar proceedings, we are required to mark the related loan to the then fair market value of the collateral less estimated selling costs, which may result in a loss. An increased level of nonperforming assets also increases our risk profile and may impact the capital levels regulators believe are appropriate in light of such risks. We utilize various techniques such as workouts, restructurings and loan sales to manage problem assets. Increases in or negative changes in the value of these problem assets, the underlying collateral, or in the borrowers’ performance or financial condition, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, the resolution of nonperforming assets requires significant commitments of time from management and staff, which can be detrimental to the performance of their other responsibilities, including generation of new loans. There can be no assurance that we will avoid increases in nonperforming loans in the future.

We have a high concentration of loans secured by real estate, and a downturn in the local real estate market could materially and negatively affect our business.

We offer a variety of secured loans, including commercial lines of credit, commercial term loans, real estate, construction, residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, consumer and other loans. Many of these loans are secured by real estate (both residential and commercial) located principally in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of December 31, 2018, 81% of all loans were secured by mortgages on real property. A major change in the real estate market, such as deterioration in the value of this collateral, or in the local or national economy, could adversely affect our customers’ ability to pay these loans, which in turn could impact us. If there is a decline in real estate values, especially in our market area, the collateral for loans would deteriorate and provide significantly less security. The ability to recover on defaulted loans by selling the real estate collateral could then be diminished and we would be more likely to suffer losses.

A portion of our loan portfolio consists of construction and land development loans, and a decline in real estate values and economic conditions would adversely affect the value of the collateral securing the loans and have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

At December 31, 2018, approximately 10.0% of our loan portfolio, or $41,608,000, consisted of construction and land development loans. Construction financing typically involves a higher degree of credit risk than financing on improved, owner-occupied real estate and improved, income producing real estate. Risk of loss on a construction or land development loan is largely dependent upon the accuracy of the initial estimate of the property’s value at completion of construction or development, the marketability of the property, and the bid price and estimated cost (including interest) of construction or development. If the estimate of construction or development costs proves to be inaccurate, we may be required to advance funds beyond the amount originally committed to permit completion of the project. If the estimate of the value proves to be inaccurate, we may be confronted, at or prior to the maturity of the loan, with a project whose value is insufficient to assure full repayment. When lending to builders and developers, the cost breakdown of construction or development is provided by the builder or developer. Although our underwriting criteria are designed to evaluate and minimize the risks of each construction or land development loan, there can be no guarantee that these practices will have safeguarded against material delinquencies and losses to our operations. In addition, construction and land development loans are dependent on the successful completion of the projects they finance. Loans secured by vacant or unimproved land are generally riskier than loans secured by improved property. These loans are more susceptible to adverse conditions in the real estate market and local economy.

We have a significant concentration of credit exposure in commercial real estate, and loans with this type of collateral are viewed as having more risk of default.

As of December 31, 2018, we had approximately $206,969,000 in loans secured by commercial real estate, representing approximately 49.9% of total loans outstanding at that date. The real estate consists primarily of non-owner-operated properties and other commercial properties. These types of loans are generally viewed as having more risk of default than residential real estate loans. They are also typically larger than residential real estate loans and consumer loans and depend on cash flows from the owner’s business or the property to service the debt. It may be more difficult for commercial real estate borrowers to repay their loans in a timely manner, as commercial real estate borrowers’ abilities to repay their loans frequently depends on the successful rental of their properties. Cash flows may be affected significantly by general economic conditions, and a downturn in the local economy or in occupancy rates in the local economy where the property is located could increase the likelihood of default. Because 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 our percentage of non-performing loans. An increase in non-performing loans could result in a loss of earnings from these loans, an increase in the provision for loan losses and an increase in charge-offs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Our banking regulators generally give commercial real estate lending greater scrutiny, and may require banks with higher levels of commercial real estate loans to implement improved underwriting, internal controls, risk management policies and portfolio stress testing, as well as possibly higher levels of allowances for losses and capital as a result of commercial real estate lending growth and exposures, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our business is subject to interest rate risk, and variations in interest rates may negatively affect financial performance.

Changes in the interest rate environment may reduce our profits. It is expected that we will continue to realize income from the differential or “spread” between the interest earned on loans, securities, and other interest earning assets, and interest paid on deposits, borrowings and other interest bearing liabilities. Net interest spreads are affected by the difference between the maturities and repricing characteristics of interest earning assets and interest bearing liabilities. In addition, loan volume and yields are affected by market interest rates on loans, and rising interest rates generally are associated with a lower volume of loan originations. Management cannot ensure that it can minimize our interest rate risk. While an increase in the general level of interest rates may increase the loan yield and the net interest margin, it may adversely affect the ability of certain borrowers with variable rate loans to pay the interest and principal of their obligations. Also, when the difference between long-term interest rates and short-term interest rates is small or when short-term interest rates exceed long-term interest rates, our margins may decline and our earnings may be adversely affected. Accordingly, changes in levels of market interest rates could materially and adversely affect the net interest spread, asset quality, loan origination volume and our overall profitability.

We face strong and growing competition from financial services companies and other companies that offer banking and other financial services, which could negatively affect our business.

We encounter substantial competition from other financial institutions in our market area and competition is increasing. Ultimately, we may not be able to compete successfully against current and future competitors. Many competitors offer the same banking services that we offer in our service area. These competitors include national, regional and community banks. We also face competition from many other types of financial institutions, including finance companies, mutual and money market fund providers, brokerage firms, insurance companies, credit unions, financial subsidiaries of certain industrial corporations, financial technology companies and mortgage companies. Increased competition may result in reduced business for us.

Additionally, banks and other financial institutions with larger capitalization and financial intermediaries not subject to bank regulatory restrictions have larger lending limits and are thereby able to serve the credit needs of larger customers. Areas of competition include interest rates for loans and deposits, efforts to obtain loans and deposits, and range and quality of products and services provided, including new technology-driven products and services. If we are unable to attract and retain banking customers, we may be unable to continue to grow loan and deposit portfolios and our results of operations and financial condition may otherwise be adversely affected.

Consumers may decide not to use banks to complete their financial transactions.

Technology and other changes are allowing parties to complete financial transactions through alternative methods that historically have involved banks. The activity and prominence of so-called marketplace lenders and other technological financial service companies have grown significantly over recent years and are expected to continue growing. In addition, consumers can now maintain funds that would have historically been held as bank deposits in brokerage accounts, mutual funds, digital wallets or general-purpose reloadable prepaid cards. Consumers can also complete transactions, such as paying bills and/or transferring funds directly without the assistance of banks. The process of eliminating banks as intermediaries, known as “disintermediation,” could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of customer deposits and the related income generated from those deposits. If we are unable to address the competitive pressures that we face, we could lose market share, which could result in reduced net revenue and profitability and lower returns. The loss of these revenue streams and the lower cost of deposits as a source of funds could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to operate profitably may be dependent on our ability to integrate or introduce various technologies into our operations.

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

Changes in economic conditions, especially in the areas in which we conduct operations, could materially and negatively affect our business.

Our business is directly impacted by economic conditions, legislative and regulatory changes, changes in government monetary and fiscal policies, and inflation, all of which are beyond our control. A deterioration in economic conditions, whether caused by global, national or local concerns, especially within our market area, could result in the following potentially material consequences: loan delinquencies increasing; problem assets and foreclosures increasing; demand for products and services decreasing; low cost or non-interest bearing deposits decreasing; and collateral for loans, especially real estate, declining in value, in turn reducing customers’ borrowing power, and reducing the value of assets and collateral associated with existing loans. An economic downturn could result in losses that materially and adversely affect our business.

We may be adversely impacted by changes in market conditions.

We are directly and indirectly affected by changes in market conditions. Market risk generally represents the risk that values of assets and liabilities or revenues will be adversely affected by changes in market conditions. As a financial institution, market risk is inherent in the financial instruments associated with our operations and activities, including loans, deposits, securities, short-term borrowings, long-term debt and trading account assets and liabilities. A few of the market conditions that may shift from time to time, thereby exposing us to market risk, include fluctuations in interest rates, equity and futures prices, and price deterioration or changes in value due to changes in market perception or actual credit quality of issuers. Our investment securities portfolio, in particular, may be impacted by market conditions beyond our control, including rating agency downgrades of the securities, defaults of the issuers of the securities, lack of market pricing of the securities, and inactivity or instability in the credit markets. Any changes in these conditions, in current accounting principles or interpretations of these principles could impact our assessment of fair value and thus the determination of other-than-temporary impairment of the securities in the investment securities portfolio.

Our mortgage banking revenue is cyclical and is sensitive to the level of interest rates, changes in economic conditions, decreased economic activity, and slowdowns in the housing market, any of which could adversely impact our profits.

Mortgage banking income, net of commissions, represented approximately 66% of total noninterest income for the year ended December 31, 2018. The success of our mortgage company is dependent upon our ability to originate loans and sell them to investors at or near current volumes. Loan production levels are sensitive to changes in the level of interest rates and changes in economic conditions. During the recovery from the financial crisis, revenues from mortgage banking increased due to a lowering interest rate environment that resulted in a high volume of mortgage loan refinancing activity. More recently, revenues have been adversely affected by rising interest rates, home affordability and inventory issues, and changing incentives for homeownership under the Tax Reform Act. Loan production levels may also suffer if we experience a slowdown in the local housing market or tightening credit conditions. Any sustained period of decreased activity caused by fewer refinancing transactions, higher interest rates, housing price pressure or loan underwriting restrictions would adversely affect our mortgage originations and, consequently, could significantly reduce our income from mortgage banking activities. As a result, these conditions would also adversely affect our results of operations.

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

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

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

Liquidity is the ability to meet cash flow needs on a timely basis at a reasonable cost. The liquidity of the Company is used to service its debt. The liquidity of the Bank is used to make loans and leases and to repay deposit liabilities as they become due or are demanded by customers. Our overall liquidity position is regularly monitored to ensure that various alternative strategies exist to cover unanticipated events that could affect liquidity. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings and other sources could have a substantial negative effect on our liquidity. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities on terms that are acceptable to us could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically, or the financial services industry or economy in general. Factors that could negatively impact our access to liquidity sources include a decrease in the level of our business activity as a result of an economic downturn in the market area in which our loans are concentrated; adverse regulatory action against us; or our inability to attract and retain deposits.

Our ability to borrow could be impaired by factors that are not specific to us or our region, such as a disruption in the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry.

We are dependent on key personnel and the loss of one or more of those key personnel may materially and adversely affect our operations.

We are a relationship-driven organization, and currently depend heavily on the services of a number of key management and business development personnel. These officers have primary contact with our customers and are extremely important in maintaining personalized relationships with our customer base and producing new business, which is a key aspect of our business strategy and earnings momentum. The unexpected loss of key personnel could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

The success of our strategy depends on our ability to identify and retain individuals with experience and relationships in our markets.

In order to be successful, we must identify and retain experienced key management members and sales staff with local expertise and relationships. Competition for qualified personnel is intense and there is a limited number of qualified persons with knowledge of and experience in the community banking and mortgage industry in our chosen geographic market. Even if we identify individuals that we believe could assist us in building our franchise, we may be unable to recruit these individuals away from their current employers. In addition, the process of identifying and recruiting individuals with the combination of skills and attributes required to carry out our strategy is often lengthy. Our inability to identify, recruit and retain talented personnel could limit our growth and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to successfully implement and manage our growth strategy, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy if we are unable to identify attractive markets, locations or opportunities to expand in the future. In addition, the ability to manage growth successfully depends on whether we can maintain adequate capital levels, cost controls and asset quality, and successfully integrate any acquired branch offices or banks. We cannot assure you that any integration efforts relating to our growth strategy will be successful. In implementing our growth strategy by opening new branches or acquiring branches or banks, we expect to incur increased personnel, occupancy and other operating expenses. In the case of new branches, we must absorb those higher expenses while we begin to generate new deposits; there is also further time lag involved in redeploying new deposits into attractively priced loans and other higher yielding earning assets.

We may consider acquiring other businesses or expanding into new product lines that we believe will help us fulfill our strategic objectives. We expect that other banking and financial companies, some of which have significantly greater resources, will compete with us to acquire financial services businesses. This competition could increase prices for potential acquisitions that we believe are attractive. Acquisitions may also be subject to various regulatory approvals. If we fail to receive the appropriate regulatory approvals, we will not be able to consummate acquisitions that we believe are in our best interests.

When we enter into new markets or new lines of business, our lack of history and familiarity with those markets, clients and lines of business may lead to unexpected challenges or difficulties that inhibit our success. Our plans to expand could depress earnings in the short run, even if we efficiently execute a growth strategy leading to long-term financial benefits.

We rely upon independent appraisals to determine the value of the real estate which secures a significant portion of our loans, and the values indicated by such appraisals may not be realizable if we are forced to foreclose upon such loans.

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

We are exposed to risk of environmental liabilities with respect to properties to which we take title.

In the course of our business we may foreclose and take title to real estate, potentially becoming subject to environmental liabilities associated with the properties. We may be held liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage, personal injury, investigation and clean-up costs or we may be required to investigate or clean up hazardous or toxic substances or chemical releases at a property. Costs associated with investigation or remediation activities can be substantial. If we are the owner or former owner of a contaminated site, we may be subject to common law claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination emanating from the property. These costs and claims could adversely affect our business.

We are subject to a variety of operational risks, including reputational risk, legal and compliance risk, and the risk of fraud or theft by employees or outsiders.

We are exposed to many types of operational risks, including reputational risk, legal and compliance risk, the risk of fraud or theft by employees or outsiders, unauthorized transactions by employees, operational errors, clerical or record-keeping errors, and errors resulting from faulty or disabled computer or communications systems.

Reputational risk, or the risk to our earnings and capital from negative public opinion, could result from our actual or alleged conduct in any number of activities, including lending practices, corporate governance, and from actions taken by government regulators and community organizations in response to those activities. Negative public opinion can adversely affect our ability to attract and keep customers and employees and can expose us to litigation and regulatory action.

Further, if any of our financial, accounting, or other data processing systems fail or have other significant issues, we could be adversely affected. We depend on internal systems and outsourced technology to support these data storage and processing operations. Our inability to use or access these information systems at critical points in time could unfavorably impact the timeliness and efficiency of our business operations. We could be adversely affected if one of our employees causes a significant operational break-down or failure, either as a result of human error or where an individual purposefully sabotages or fraudulently manipulates our operations or systems. We are also at risk of the impact of natural disasters, terrorism and international hostilities on our systems and from the effects of outages or other failures involving power or communications systems operated by others. We may also be subject to disruptions of our operating systems arising from events that are wholly or partially beyond our control (for example, computer viruses or electrical or communications outages), which may give rise to disruption of service to customers and to financial loss or liability. In addition, there have been instances where financial institutions have been victims of fraudulent activity in which criminals pose as customers to initiate wire and automated clearinghouse transactions out of customer accounts. Although we have policies and procedures in place to verify the authenticity of our customers, we cannot guarantee that such policies and procedures will prevent all fraudulent transfers. Such activity can result in financial liability and harm to our reputation.

If any of the foregoing risks materialize, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The soundness of other financial institutions could adversely affect us.

Our ability to engage in routine funding transactions could be adversely affected by the actions and commercial soundness of other financial institutions. Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty or other relationships. We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and we routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial industry. As a result, defaults by, or even rumors or questions about, one or more financial services institutions, 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. Many of these transactions expose us to credit risk in the event of default of our counterparty or client. In addition, our credit risk may be exacerbated when the collateral held by us cannot be realized upon or is liquidated at prices not sufficient to recover the full amount of the financial instrument exposure due us. There is no assurance that any such losses would not materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Failure to maintain effective systems of internal and disclosure control could have a material adverse effect on our results of operation and financial condition.

Effective internal and disclosure controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and effectively prevent fraud and to operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. As part of our ongoing monitoring of internal control, we may discover material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control that require remediation. A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

Our inability to maintain the operating effectiveness of the controls described above could result in a material misstatement to our financial statements or other disclosures, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, any failure to maintain effective controls or to timely effect any necessary improvement of our internal and disclosure controls could, among other things, result in losses from fraud or error, harm our reputation or cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operation and financial condition.

Changes in accounting standards could impact reported earnings.

From time to time there are changes in the financial accounting and reporting standards that govern the preparation of our financial statements. These changes can materially impact how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. In some instances, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in the restatement of prior period financial statements. For information regarding recent accounting pronouncements and their effect on us, see “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

We depend on the accuracy and completeness of information about clients and counterparties and our financial condition could be adversely affected if we rely on misleading information.

In deciding whether to extend credit or to enter into other transactions with clients and counterparties, we may rely on information furnished to us by or on behalf of clients and counterparties, including financial statements and other financial information, which we do not independently verify. We also may rely on representations of clients and counterparties as to the accuracy and completeness of that information and, with respect to financial statements, on reports of independent auditors. For example, in deciding whether to extend credit to clients, we may assume that a client’s audited financial statements conform with GAAP and present fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of that client. Our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted to the extent we rely on financial statements that do not comply with GAAP or are materially misleading.

We rely on other companies to provide key components of our business infrastructure.

Third parties provide key components of our business operations such as data processing, recording and monitoring transactions, online banking interfaces and services, internet connections and network access. While we have selected these third party vendors carefully, we do not control their actions. Any problem caused by these third parties, including poor performance of services, failure to provide services, disruptions in communication services proved by a vendor and failure to handle current or higher volumes, could adversely affect our ability to deliver products and services to our customers and otherwise conduct our business, and may harm our reputation. Financial or operational difficulties of a third party vendor could also hurt our operations if those difficulties interface with the vendor’s ability to serve us. Replacing these third party vendors could also create significant delay and expense. Accordingly, use of such third parties creates an unavoidable inherent risk to our business operations.

Our information systems may experience an interruption or breach in security.

In the ordinary course of business, we collect and store sensitive data, including proprietary business information and personally identifiable information of our customers and employees, in systems and on networks. The secure processing, maintenance and use of this information is critical to operations and our business strategy. While we have policies and procedures designed to protect our networks, computers and data from failure, interruption, damage or unauthorized access, there can be no assurance that a breach will not occur or, if it does, that it will be adequately addressed. The occurrence of any failure, interruption, damage or security breach of our communications and information systems could damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability, any of which could adversely affect our business.

We operate in a highly regulated industry and the laws and regulations that govern our operations, corporate governance, executive compensation and financial accounting, or reporting, including changes in them or our failure to comply with them, may adversely affect us.

We are subject to extensive regulation and supervision that govern almost all aspects of our operations. These laws and regulations, among other matters, prescribe minimum capital requirements, impose limitations on our business activities, limit the dividends or distributions that we can pay, restrict the ability of institutions to guarantee our debt and impose certain specific accounting requirements that may be more restrictive and may result in greater or earlier charges to earnings or reductions in our capital than GAAP. Compliance with laws and regulations can be difficult and costly, and changes to laws and regulations often impose additional compliance costs.

We are currently facing increased regulation and supervision of our industry as a result of the financial crisis in the banking and financial markets. The Dodd-Frank Act, enacted in July 2010, instituted major changes to the banking and financial institutions regulatory regimes. Other changes to statutes, regulations or regulatory policies or supervisory guidance, including changes in interpretation or implementation of statutes, regulations, policies or supervisory guidance, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways. Such additional regulation and supervision has increased, and may continue to increase, our costs and limit our ability to pursue business opportunities. Further, our failure to comply with these laws and regulations, even if the failure was inadvertent or reflects a difference in interpretation, could subject us to restrictions on our business activities, fines and other penalties, any of which could adversely affect our results of operations, capital base and the price of our securities. Further, any new laws, rules and regulations could make compliance more difficult or expensive or otherwise adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Recently enacted capital standards, including the Basel III Capital Rules, may require the Company and the Bank to maintain higher levels of capital and liquid assets, which could adversely affect our profitability and return on equity or require us to raise additional capital and dilute existing shareholders.

We are subject to capital adequacy guidelines and other regulatory requirements specifying minimum amounts and types of capital that the Company and the Bank must maintain. From time to time, regulators implement changes to these regulatory capital adequacy guidelines. If we fail to meet these minimum capital guidelines and/or other regulatory requirements, our financial condition would be materially and adversely affected. The Basel III Capital Rules require bank holding companies and their subsidiaries to maintain significantly more capital as a result of higher required capital levels and more demanding regulatory capital risk weightings and calculations. While the Company is exempt from these capital requirements under the SBHC Policy Statement, the Bank is not exempt and must comply. The Bank must also comply with the capital requirements set forth in the “prompt corrective action” regulations pursuant to Section 38 of the FDI Act. Satisfying capital requirements may require us to limit our banking operations, retain net income or reduce dividends to improve regulatory capital levels, which could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The EGRRCPA, which became effective May 24, 2018, amended the Dodd-Frank Act to, among other things, provide relief from certain of these requirements. Although the EGRRCPA is still being implemented, we do not expect the EGRRCPA and the related rulemakings to materially reduce the impact of capital requirements on our business.

Changes in the federal, state or local tax laws may negatively impact our financial performance.

Changes in tax law could increase our effective tax rates. Such changes may be retroactive to previous periods and as a result could negatively affect our current and future financial performance. The Tax Reform Act has had both positive and negative effects on our financial performance. For example, the new legislation resulted in a reduction in the federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% beginning in 2018, which had a favorable impact on our earnings and capital generation abilities. However, the new legislation also enacted limitations on certain deductions, such as the deduction of FDIC deposit insurance premiums, which partially offset the increase in net earnings from the lower tax rate. In addition, as a result of the lower corporate tax rate, we revalued our ending net deferred tax assets at December 31, 2017 and recognized $4,181,000 in tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2017. Similarly, our customers are likely to experience varying effects from both the individual and business tax provisions of the Tax Reform Act and such effects, whether positive or negative, may have a corresponding impact on our business and the economy as a whole.

Our largest shareholder, Kenneth R. Lehman, has significant influence over our business through his share ownership and his interests may not align with the interests of other holders of our common stock.

According to the Form 4 filed by Mr. Lehman with the SEC on January 15, 2019, Mr. Lehman owns 716,987 shares, or approximately 49.9%, of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Due to this ownership, he is able to influence the outcome of any matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders. In addition, Mr. Lehman previously served on the boards of directors of the Company and the Bank and management regularly seeks guidance and perspective from him given his extensive industry experience. Mr. Lehman owns significant shares of other financial institutions, some of which may compete with us. These affiliations may create conflicts of interest that could incentivize him to take or approve actions with respect to other institutions that may have a negative impact on us (e.g. marketing efforts, product pricing, lending policies, business combination transactions, etc.).  While we believe Mr. Lehman’s significant investment in the Company provides some protection in this regard, Mr. Lehman’s interests may not directly align with the interests of other holders of our common stock.

If Mr. Lehman acquires more than 50% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, it will constitute a “change of control” of the Company pursuant to certain of our employment and benefit agreements, which will cause us to incur additional compensation expenses.

Certain of our employment and benefit agreements include customary provisions that provide for additional or accelerated compensation in the event of a change of control of the Company. The term “change of control” is defined in these agreements to include any transaction in which an individual or entity acquires more than 50% of our outstanding common stock. As described above, Mr. Lehman owned approximately 49.9% of our outstanding common stock as of January 15, 2019.

Our Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan and stock incentive plans provide for “single-trigger” acceleration of change of control benefits, which means certain employees will receive benefits upon a change of control of the Company, regardless of whether the change of control affects their employment with the Company or any successor. These change of control benefits include accelerated vesting of restricted stock awards and retirement benefits. If Mr. Lehman’s ownership of the Company’s common stock had exceeded 50% as of December 31, 2018, we would have recognized approximately $1,185,000 in related compensation expenses in 2018.

Our employment and change of control agreements provide for “double-trigger” acceleration of change of control benefits, which means the change of control benefits are only payable if the employee experiences a qualifying termination of employment in connection with a change of control. Mr. Lehman’s acquisition of more than 50% of the Company’s outstanding common stock would not automatically result in the payment or acceleration of change of control benefits under these agreements. However, under certain circumstances, if the Company were to terminate these employees or the employees were to voluntarily resign following Mr. Lehman’s acquisition of more than 50% of the Company’s outstanding common stock, the Company would incur significant additional expenses.

Our common stock is thinly traded which may limit the ability of shareholders to sell their shares and may increase price volatility.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VBFC.” Our common stock is thinly traded and has substantially less liquidity than the average trading market for many other publicly traded companies. Mr. Lehman’s significant share ownership also limits the number of shares available to other investors and the liquidity of our common stock. We cannot assure you that a more active trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained. The development of a liquid public market depends on the existence of willing buyers and sellers, the presence of which is not within our control. The number of active buyers and sellers of our common stock at any particular time may be limited. Therefore, our shareholders may not be able to sell their shares at the volume, prices, or times that they desire. Shareholders should be financially prepared and able to hold shares for an indefinite period.

In addition, thinly traded stocks can be more volatile than more widely traded stocks. Our stock price has been volatile in the past and several factors could cause the price to fluctuate substantially in the future. These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in analysts’ recommendations or projections, developments related to our business, operations, stock performance of other companies deemed to be peers, news reports of trends, concerns, irrational exuberance on the part of investors, and other issues related to the financial services industry. Our stock price may fluctuate significantly in the future, and these fluctuations may be unrelated to our performance. General market declines or market volatility in the future, especially in the financial institutions sector of the economy, could adversely affect the price of our common stock, and the current market price may not be indicative of future market prices.

Our ability to pay dividends is limited, and we may be unable to pay future dividends.

Our ability to pay dividends is limited by regulatory restrictions and our need to maintain sufficient capital. The ability of the Bank to pay dividends to the Company also will be limited by the Bank’s obligations to maintain sufficient capital, earnings and liquidity and by other general restrictions on its dividends under federal and state bank regulatory requirements. Under Virginia law, a bank may not declare a dividend in excess of its accumulated retained earnings without approval by the BFI. As of December 31, 2018, the Bank did not have any accumulated retained earnings. Any future financing arrangements that we enter into may also limit our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders. If we do not satisfy these regulatory requirements or arrangements, we will be unable to pay dividends on our common stock. Further, even if we have earnings and available cash in an amount sufficient to pay dividends to our shareholders, the board of directors, in its sole discretion, may decide to retain them and therefore not pay dividends in the future.

If we fail to pay interest on or otherwise default on our subordinated notes and subordinated debt securities, we will be prohibited from paying dividends or distributions on our common stock.

As of December 31, 2018, we had $5.7 million of subordinated notes and $8.8 million of subordinated debt securities outstanding. The agreements under which the subordinated notes and subordinated debt securities were issued prohibit us from paying any dividends on our common stock or making any other distributions to our shareholders upon our failure to make any required payment of principal or interest or during the continuance of an event of default under the applicable agreement. Events of default generally consist of, among other things, certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or liquidation relating to us. If we were to fail to make a required payment of principal or interest on our subordinated notes or subordinated debt securities, it could have a material adverse effect on the market value of our common stock.

Our governing documents and Virginia law contain anti-takeover provisions that could negatively impact our shareholders.

Our articles of incorporation and bylaws and the Virginia Stock Corporation Act contain certain provisions designed to enhance the ability of our board of directors to deal with attempts to acquire control of the Company. These provisions, among others, provide that a plan of merger, share exchange, sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or similar transaction must be approved and recommended by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the directors in office or by the affirmative vote of 80% or more of all of the votes entitled to be cast on such transaction by each voting group entitled to vote, and limit the ability of shareholders to call a special meeting. These provisions and the ability to set the voting rights, preferences and other terms of any series of preferred stock that may be issued, may be deemed to have an anti-takeover effect and may discourage takeovers (which certain shareholders may deem to be in their best interest). To the extent that such takeover attempts are discouraged, temporary fluctuations in the market price of our common stock resulting from actual or rumored takeover attempts may be inhibited. These provisions also could discourage or make more difficult a merger, tender offer or proxy contest, even though such transactions may be favorable to the interests of shareholders, and could potentially adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our executive and administrative offices are owned by the Bank and are located at 13319 Midlothian Turnpike, Midlothian, Virginia 23113 in Chesterfield County. The current location also houses the principal office of the Mortgage Company.

In addition to its executive offices, the Bank owns seven full service branch buildings including the land on those buildings and leases an additional four full service branch buildings. Five of our branch offices are located in Chesterfield County, with three branch offices in Hanover County, two in Henrico County, one in Powhatan County and one in James City County.

Our properties are maintained in good operating condition and are suitable and adequate for our operational needs.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

In the course of its operations, the Company may become a party to legal proceedings. There are no material pending legal proceedings to which the Company is a party or of which the property of the Company is subject.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable

Part Ii

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

Market and Dividend Information

Shares of the Company’s common stock trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VBFC”.

The Company has not paid any dividends on its common stock. We intend to retain all of our earnings to finance the Company’s operations and we do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the near term. Any decision made by the board of directors to declare dividends in the future will depend on the Company’s future earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors deemed relevant by the board. Banking regulations limit the amount of cash dividends that may be paid without prior approval of the Bank’s regulatory agencies. Such dividends are limited to the Bank’s accumulated retained earnings. The Federal Reserve has issued guidelines that bank holding companies should inform and consult with the Federal Reserve in advance of declaring or paying a dividend that exceeds earnings for the period (e.g. quarter) for which the dividend is being paid or that could result in a material adverse charge to the organization’s capital structure.

During the first quarter of 2017, the Company received approval from state and federal regulators allowing the Bank to pay a special dividend to the Company for the sole purpose of paying all accrued and unpaid dividends on the Company’s preferred stock through February 15, 2017, as well as to redeem 688 shares of the total 5,715 shares outstanding. The accrued and unpaid dividends paid on February 15, 2017 amounted to $2,911,000. The 688 shares were redeemed on February 24, 2017 at a redemption price of $1,000 per share plus accrued dividends from February 15, 2017 to the redemption date.

During the second quarter of 2017, the Company received approval from the state regulators allowing the Bank to pay a special dividend to the Company for the purpose of paying the preferred stock dividend due on May 15, 2017. No other dividends were paid by the Bank to the Company during 2017.

During the first quarter of 2018, the Company used the proceeds from the subordinated note issuance to redeem the remaining 5,027 shares ($5,027,000 aggregate liquidation value) of preferred stock plus accrued dividends of $56,554.

Holders

At February 28, 2018, there were 1,435,283 shares of common stock outstanding held by approximately 979 active holders, including registered holders and beneficial holders of shares through banks, brokers and other nominees.

For information concerning the Company’s Equity Compensation Plans, see Item 12 – “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters”.

Purchases of Equity Securities

The Company did not repurchase any of its common stock during 2018 or 2017.

ITEM 6. Selected Financial data

Not applicable

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of financial condition and results of operations

The following discussion is intended to assist readers in understanding and evaluating the financial condition, changes in financial condition and the results of operations of the Company, consisting of the parent company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Bank. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and other financial information contained elsewhere in this report.

Caution About Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, this report may contain forward-looking statements. For this purpose, any statement, that is not a statement of historical fact may be deemed to be a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding profitability, liquidity, allowance for loan losses, interest rate sensitivity, market risk, growth strategy and financial and other goals. Forward-looking statements often use words such as “believes,” “expects,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “intends” or other words of similar meaning. You can also identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from historical results or those anticipated by such statements.

There are many factors that could have a material adverse effect on the operations and future prospects of the Company including, but not limited to:

For additional information on factors that could materially influence the forward-looking statements included in this report, see the risk factors in Item 1A – “Risk Factors” in this report. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained herein, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made.  In addition, past results of operations are not necessarily indicative of future results.

General

The Company’s primary source of earnings is net interest income, and its principal market risk exposure is interest rate risk. The Company is not able to predict market interest rate fluctuations and its asset/liability management strategy may not prevent interest rate changes from having a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.

Although we endeavor to minimize the credit risk inherent in the Company’s loan portfolio, we must necessarily make various assumptions and judgments about the collectability of the loan portfolio based on our experience and evaluation of economic conditions. If such assumptions or judgments prove to be incorrect, the current allowance for loan losses may not be sufficient to cover loan losses and additions to the allowance may be necessary, which would have a negative impact on net income.

Results of Operations

The following presents management’s discussion and analysis of the financial condition of the Company at December 31, 2018 and 2017, and results of operations for the Company for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited Financial Statements and the notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Summary

The Company recorded net income of $3,037,000 and net income available to common shareholders, which deducts from net income the dividends on preferred stock, of $2,924,000, or $2.04 per fully diluted share in 2018, compared to a net loss of $3,096,000 and net loss available to common shareholders of $3,594,000, or ($2.55) per fully diluted share in 2017.

The Company’s results for the year ended December 31, 2017 were significantly impacted by a reduction in the corporate tax rate. On December 22, 2017, the President signed into law the Tax Reform Act.  The Tax Reform Act includes a number of changes in existing tax law impacting businesses.  One of the most significant changes is a permanent reduction in the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. The rate reduction took effect on January 1, 2018. Accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) require companies to re-value their deferred tax assets and liabilities as of the date of enactment, with resulting tax effects accounted for in the reporting period of enactment.

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had net deferred tax assets of $11 million. The Company recorded a re-valuation of its deferred tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2017, at the new rate of 21%, based upon balances in existence at date of enactment. As a result, the Company's net deferred tax assets were written down by approximately $4,181,000 in the fourth quarter of 2017 with a corresponding increase in tax expense. This write down decreased earnings per share for the year by $2.96. Although the Tax Reform Act had a significant negative impact on the Company’s earnings for 2017 because of the re-valuation of its deferred tax assets and liabilities, the reduction in the corporate tax rate to 21% had a positive benefit to the Company in 2018 and is expected to have a continued positive benefit in future periods.

Net interest income

Net interest income, which represents the difference between interest earned on interest-earning assets and interest incurred on interest-bearing liabilities, is the Company’s primary source of earnings. Net interest income can be affected by changes in market interest rates as well as the level and composition of assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity. Net interest spread is the difference between the average rate earned on interest-earning assets and the average rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities. The net yield on interest-earning assets (“net interest margin”) is calculated by dividing tax equivalent net interest income by average interest-earning assets. Generally, the net interest margin will exceed the net interest spread because a portion of interest-earning assets are funded by various noninterest-bearing sources, principally noninterest-bearing deposits and shareholders’ equity.

The increase in net interest income of $2,583,000 for the year ended December 31, 2018 was a result of positive movements in interest income. Interest income increased $3,770,000 with interest income on loans held for investment increasing $3,434,000 and interest income on investments increasing by $311,000. The increase in interest income on loans held for investment was attributable to an increase in average loans outstanding of $54,285,000 and an increase in the yield of 22 basis points. The increase in interest income on securities was due to an increase in average investment securities of $1,234,000 and an increase in the yield of 62 basis points. Interest expense increased by $1,187,000 because of an increase in average interest bearing liabilities of $32,225,000 and an increase in the cost of interest bearing liabilities of 26 basis points.

The following table illustrates average balances of total interest-earning assets and total interest-bearing liabilities for the periods indicated, showing the average distribution of assets, liabilities, shareholders' equity and related income, expense and corresponding weighted-average yields and rates (dollars in thousands). The average balances used in these tables and other statistical data were calculated using daily average balances. We have no tax exempt assets for the periods presented.

Average Balance Sheets, Income and Expense, Yields and Rates

Interest income and interest expense are affected by changes in both average interest rates and average volumes of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. The following table analyzes changes in net interest income attributable to changes in the volume of interest-sensitive assets and liabilities compared to changes in interest rates. Nonaccrual loans are included in average loans outstanding. The changes in interest due to both rate and volume have been allocated to changes due to volume and changes due to rate in proportion to the relationship of the absolute dollar amounts of the changes in each (dollars in thousands).

Provision for (recovery of) loan losses

The amount of the loan loss provision (recovery) is determined by an evaluation of the level of loans outstanding, the level of nonperforming loans, historical loan loss experience, delinquency trends, underlying collateral values, the amount of actual losses charged to the reserve in a given period and assessment of present and anticipated economic conditions.

The level of the allowance reflects changes in the size of the portfolio or in any of its components as well as management’s continuing evaluation of industry concentrations, specific credit risks, loan loss experience, current loan portfolio quality, and present economic, political and regulatory conditions. Portions of the allowance may be allocated for specific credits; however, the entire allowance is available for any credit that, in management’s judgment, should be charged off. While management utilizes its best judgment and information available, the ultimate adequacy of the allowance is dependent upon a variety of factors beyond the Company’s control, including the performance of the Company’s loan portfolio, the economy, changes in interest rates and the view of the regulatory authorities toward loan classifications.

The Company did not record a provision for loan losses for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 because of minimal net charge-offs and stable asset quality.

The provision for (recovery of) loan losses by category is presented following (in thousands):

For more financial data and other information about the provision for (recovery of) loan losses refer to section, “Balance Sheet Analysis” under this Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, and Note 4 “Allowance for Loan Losses” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Noninterest income

Noninterest income includes service charges and fees on deposit accounts, fee income related to loan origination, gains and losses on sale of mortgage loans and securities held for sale, and rental income primarily on our previous headquarters building. The most significant noninterest income item has been mortgage banking income, net of commissions, representing 66% for the year ended December 31, 2018 and 67% for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Noninterest expense

Noninterest expense includes all expenses of the Company with the exception of interest expense on deposits and borrowings, provision for loan losses and income taxes. Some of the primary components of noninterest expense are salaries and benefits, occupancy and equipment costs and professional and outside services. Over the last two years, the most significant noninterest expense item has been salaries and benefits, representing 59% and 61% of noninterest expense in 2018 and 2017, respectively.

Income taxes

On December 22, 2017, the President signed into law the Tax Reform Act. The Tax Reform Act includes a number of changes in existing tax law impacting businesses. One of the most significant changes is a permanent reduction in the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. The rate reduction took effect on January 1, 2018. GAAP requires companies to re-value their deferred tax assets and liabilities as of the date of enactment, with resulting tax effects accounted for in the reporting period of enactment. As a result, the Company's net deferred tax assets were written down by approximately $4,181,000 in the fourth quarter of 2017 with a corresponding increase in tax expense.

Income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $693,000 and $4,567,000, respectively, resulting in an effective tax rate of 18.6% and 310.5%, respectively. The lower effective tax rate in 2018 resulted from the reduction in the corporate income tax rate as noted above.

The Company has a net deferred tax asset which is included in other assets on the balance sheet. For more financial data and other information about income taxes refer to Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 9 “Income Taxes” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Balance Sheet Analysis

Investment securities

At December 31, 2018 and 2017, all of our investment securities were classified as available for sale.

For more financial data and other information about investment securities refer to Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 2 “Investment Securities Available for Sale” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Loans

One of management’s objectives is to improve the quality of the loan portfolio. The Company seeks to achieve this objective by maintaining rigorous underwriting standards coupled with regular evaluation of the creditworthiness of and the designation of lending limits for each borrower. The portfolio strategies include seeking industry, loan type and loan size diversification in order to minimize credit concentration risk. Management also focuses on originating loans in markets with which the Company is familiar. Additionally, as a significant amount of the loan losses we have experienced in the past is attributable to construction and land development loans, our strategy has shifted from reducing this type of lending to closely manage the quality and concentration in these loan types.

Approximately 81% of all loans are secured by mortgages on real property located principally in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are less reliant on real estate secured lending than was the case in 2012 when 90% of our loan portfolio consisted of this type of lending. Approximately 9% of the loan portfolio consists of rehabilitated student loans purchased by the Bank in 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 (see discussion following). The Company’s commercial and industrial loan portfolio represents approximately 9% of all loans. Loans in this category are typically made to individuals and small and medium-sized businesses, and range between $250,000 and $2.5 million. Based on underwriting standards, commercial and industrial loans may be secured in whole or in part by collateral such as liquid assets, accounts receivable, equipment, inventory, and real property. The collateral securing any loan may depend on the type of loan and may vary in value based on market conditions. The remainder of our loan portfolio is in consumer loans which represent less than 1% of the total.

The following tables present the composition of our loan portfolio at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands).

For more financial data and other information about loans refer to Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 3 “Loans” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Allowance for loan losses

We monitor and maintain an allowance for loan losses to absorb an estimate of probable losses inherent in the loan portfolio. For more financial data and other information about loans refer to Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and Note 4 “Allowance for Loan Losses” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Asset quality

The following table summarizes asset quality information at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands).

(1) All loans 90 days past due and still accruing are rehabilitated student loans which have a 98% guarantee by the DOE.

(2) Loans are net of unearned income and deferred cost.

The following table presents an analysis of the changes in nonperforming assets for 2018 (in thousands).

Nonperforming restructured loans are included in nonaccrual loans. Until a nonperforming restructured loan has performed in accordance with its restructured terms for a minimum of six months, it will remain on nonaccrual status.

Interest is accrued on outstanding loan principal balances, unless the Company considers collection to be doubtful. Commercial and unsecured consumer loans are designated as nonaccrual when the Company considers collection of expected principal and interest doubtful. Mortgage loans and most other types of consumer loans past due 90 days or more may remain on accrual status if management determines that concern over our ability to collect principal and interest is not significant. When loans are placed in nonaccrual status, previously accrued and unpaid interest is reversed against interest income in the current period and interest is subsequently recognized only to the extent cash is received. Interest accruals are resumed on such loans only when in the judgment of management, the loans are estimated to be fully collectible as to both principal and interest.

Of the total nonaccrual loans of $2,259,000 at December 31, 2018 that were considered impaired, three loans totaling $17,000 had specific allowances for loan losses totaling $17,000. This compares to $2,320,000 in nonaccrual loans at December 31, 2017 of which 13 loans totaling $1,053,000 had specific allowances for loan losses of $454,000.

Cumulative interest income that would have been recorded had nonaccrual loans been performing would have been $240,000 and $159,000, for 2018 and 2017, respectively. Student loans totaling $5,573,000 and $7,229,000 at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively, were past due 90 days or more and interest was still being accrued as principal and interest on such loans have a 98% guarantee by the DOE. The 2% not covered by the DOE guarantee is provided for in the allowance for loan losses.

Deposits

The following table gives the composition of our deposits at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands).

Total deposits increased by $27,423,000, or 6.7%, from $411,624,000 at December 31, 2017 to $439,047,000 at December 31, 2018. Checking and savings accounts increased by $17,423,000, money market accounts increased by $3,772,000 and time deposits increased by $6,228,000 during 2018. The cost of our interest-bearing deposits increased to 0.90% for 2018 compared to 0.80% for 2017.

The variety of deposit accounts that we offer has allowed us to be competitive in obtaining funds and has allowed us to respond with flexibility to, although not to eliminate, the threat of disintermediation (the flow of funds away from depository institutions such as banking institutions into direct investment vehicles such as government and corporate securities). Our ability to attract and retain deposits, and our cost of funds, has been, and is expected to continue to be, significantly affected by money market conditions.

The following table is a schedule of average balances and average rates paid for each deposit category for the periods presented (dollars in thousands).

Borrowings

We utilize borrowings to supplement deposits to address funding or liability duration needs. For more financial data and other information about borrowings refer to Note 8 “Borrowings” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Off-balance sheet arrangements

The Company is a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers and to reduce its own exposure to fluctuations in interest rates. For more financial data and other information about loans refer to Note 12 “Commitments and Contingencies” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Capital resources

Shareholders’ equity at December 31, 2018 was $37,133,000, compared to $39,334,000 at December 31, 2017. The $2,201,000 decrease in shareholders’ equity during 2018 is primarily due to the redemption of the Company’s remaining 5,027 shares ($5,027,000 redemption value) of Fixed Rate Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock, Series A on March 30, 2018 which was offset by net income for the year of $3,037,000.

The $4,280,000 decrease in shareholders’ equity in 2017 was primarily due to the reduction in the corporate tax rate. On December 22, 2017, the President signed into law the Tax Reform Act. The Tax Reform Act includes a number of changes in existing tax law impacting businesses. One of the most significant changes is a permanent reduction in the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. The rate reduction took effect on January 1, 2018. GAAP requires companies to re-value their deferred tax assets and liabilities as of the date of enactment, with resulting tax effects accounted for in the reporting period of enactment.

The following table presents the composition of regulatory capital and the capital ratios for the Bank at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands).

For more financial data and other information about capital resources refer to Note 13 “Shareholders’ Equity and Regulatory Matters” and Note 15 “Trust Preferred Securities” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Liquidity

Liquidity represents the ability of a company to convert assets into cash or cash equivalents without significant loss, and the ability to raise additional funds by increasing liabilities. Liquidity management involves monitoring our sources and uses of funds in order to meet our day-to-day cash flow requirements while maximizing profits. Liquidity management is made more complicated because different balance sheet components are subject to varying degrees of management control. For example, the timing of maturities of our investment portfolio is fairly predictable and subject to a high degree of control at the time investment decisions are made. However, net deposit inflows and outflows are far less predictable and are not subject to the same degree of control.

At December 31, 2018 and 2017, our liquid assets, consisting of cash, cash equivalents and investment securities available for sale, totaled $63,796,000 and $67,521,000, or 12.4% and 14.2% of total assets, respectively. Investment securities traditionally provide a secondary source of liquidity since they can be converted into cash in a timely manner. However, approximately $8,004,000 of these securities are pledged against current and potential fundings.

Our holdings of liquid assets plus the ability to maintain and expand our deposit base and borrowing capabilities serve as our principal sources of liquidity. We plan to meet our future cash needs through the liquidation of temporary investments, the generation of deposits, and from additional borrowings. In addition, we will receive cash upon the maturity and sale of loans and the maturity of investment securities. We maintain two federal funds lines of credit with correspondent banks totaling $15 million for which there were no borrowings against the lines at December 31, 2018 and $1,584,000 at December 31, 2017.

We are also a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (“FHLB”), from which applications for borrowings can be made. The FHLB requires that securities, qualifying mortgage loans, and stock of the FHLB owned by the Bank be pledged to secure any advances from the FHLB. The unused borrowing capacity currently available from the FHLB at December 31, 2018 was $14.5 million, based on the Bank's qualifying collateral available to secure any future borrowings. However, we are able to pledge additional collateral to the FHLB in order to increase our available borrowing capacity up to 25% of assets. Liquidity provides us with the ability to meet normal deposit withdrawals, while also providing for the credit needs of customers. We are committed to maintaining liquidity at a level sufficient to protect depositors, provide for reasonable growth, and fully comply with all regulatory requirements.

At December 31, 2018, we had commitments to originate $82,794,000 of loans. Fixed commitments to incur capital expenditures were approximately $100,000 at December 31, 2018. Certificates of deposit scheduled to mature or reprice in the 12-month period ending December 31, 2019 total $68,072,000. We believe that a significant portion of such deposits will remain with us. We further believe that deposit growth, loan repayments and other sources of funds will be adequate to meet our foreseeable short-term and long-term liquidity needs.

Interest Rate Sensitivity

An important element of asset/liability management is the monitoring of our sensitivity to interest rate movements. In order to measure the effects of interest rates on our net interest income, management takes into consideration the expected cash flows from the securities and loan portfolios and the expected magnitude of the repricing of specific asset and liability categories. We evaluate interest sensitivity risk and then formulate guidelines to manage this risk based on management’s outlook regarding the economy, forecasted interest rate movements and other business factors. Our goal is to maximize and stabilize the net interest margin by limiting exposure to interest rate changes.

Contractual principal repayments of loans do not necessarily reflect the actual term of our loan portfolio. The average lives of mortgage loans are substantially less than their contractual terms because of loan prepayments and because of enforcement of due-on-sale clauses, which gives us the right to declare a loan immediately due and payable in the event, among other things, the borrower sells the real property subject to the mortgage and the loan is not repaid. In addition, certain borrowers increase their equity in the security property by making payments in excess of those required under the terms of the mortgage.

The sale of fixed rate loans is intended to protect us from precipitous changes in the general level of interest rates. The valuation of adjustable rate mortgage loans is not as directly dependent on the level of interest rates as is the value of fixed rate loans. As with other investments, we regularly monitor the appropriateness of the level of adjustable rate mortgage loans in our portfolio and may decide from time to time to sell such loans and reinvest the proceeds in other adjustable rate investments.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

General

The accounting and reporting policies of the Company and the Bank are in accordance with GAAP and conform to general practices within the banking industry. The Company’s financial position and results of operations are affected by management’s application of accounting policies, including estimates, assumptions and judgments made to arrive at the carrying value of assets and liabilities, and amounts reported for revenues, expenses and related disclosures. Different assumptions in the application of these policies could result in material changes in the Company’s consolidated financial position and/or results of operations.

The more critical accounting and reporting policies include the Company’s accounting for the allowance for loan losses, real estate acquired in settlement of loans, and income taxes. The Company’s accounting policies are fundamental to understanding the Company’s consolidated financial position and consolidated results of operations. Accordingly, the Company’s significant accounting policies are discussed in detail in Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

The following is a summary of the Company’s critical accounting policies that are highly dependent on estimates, assumptions, and judgments.

Allowance for loan losses

We monitor and maintain an allowance for loan losses to absorb an estimate of probable losses inherent in the loan portfolio. We maintain policies and procedures that address the systems of controls over the following areas of maintenance of the allowance: the systematic methodology used to determine the appropriate level of the allowance to provide assurance they are maintained in accordance with GAAP; the accounting policies for loan charge-offs and recoveries; the assessment and measurement of impairment in the loan portfolio; and the loan grading system.

The allowance reflects management’s best estimate of probable losses within the existing loan portfolio and of the risk inherent in various components of the loan portfolio, including loans identified as impaired as required by Financial Accounting Standards Board Codification Topic 310: Receivables. Loans evaluated individually for impairment include nonperforming loans, such as loans on nonaccrual, loans past due by 90 days or more, restructured loans and other loans selected by management. The evaluations are based upon discounted expected cash flows or collateral valuations. If the evaluation shows that a loan is individually impaired, then a specific reserve is established for the amount of impairment.

Loans are grouped by similar characteristics, including the type of loan, the assigned loan classification and the general collateral type. A loss rate reflecting the expected loss inherent in a group of loans is derived based upon historical net charge-off rates, the predominant collateral type for the group and the terms of the loan. The resulting estimate of losses for groups of loans is adjusted for relevant environmental factors and other conditions of the portfolio of loans and leases, including: borrower and industry concentrations; levels and trends in delinquencies, charge-offs and recoveries; changes in underwriting standards and risk selection; level of experience, ability and depth of lending management; and national and local economic conditions.

The amounts of estimated impairment for individually evaluated loans and groups of loans are added together for a total estimate of loan losses. This estimate of losses is compared to our allowance for loan losses as of the evaluation date and, if the estimate of losses is greater than the allowance, an additional provision to the allowance would be made. If the estimate of losses is less than the allowance, the degree to which the allowance exceeds the estimate is evaluated to determine whether the allowance falls outside a range of estimates. We recognize the inherent imprecision in estimates of losses due to various uncertainties and variability related to the factors used, and therefore a reasonable range around the estimate of losses is derived and used to ascertain whether the allowance is too high. If different assumptions or conditions were to prevail and it is determined that the allowance is not adequate to absorb the new estimate of probable losses, an additional provision for loan losses would be made, which amount may be material to the financial statements.

Troubled debt restructurings

A loan is accounted for as a troubled debt restructuring if we, for economic or legal reasons, grant a concession to a borrower considered to be experiencing financial difficulties that we would not otherwise consider. A troubled debt restructuring may involve the receipt of assets from the debtor in partial or full satisfaction of the loan, or a modification of terms such as a reduction of the stated interest rate or balance of the loan, a reduction of accrued interest, an extension of the maturity date or renewal of the loan at a stated interest rate lower than the current market rate for a new loan with similar risk, or some combination of these concessions. Troubled debt restructurings can be in either accrual or nonaccrual status. Nonaccrual troubled debt restructurings are included in nonperforming loans. Accruing troubled debt restructurings are generally excluded from nonperforming loans as it is considered probable that all contractual principal and interest due under the restructured terms will be collected. Troubled debt restructurings generally remain categorized as nonperforming loans and leases until a six-month payment history has been maintained.

In accordance with current accounting guidance, loans modified as troubled debt restructurings are, by definition, considered to be impaired loans.  Impairment for these loans is measured on a loan-by-loan basis similar to other impaired loans as described above under Allowance for loan losses.  Certain loans modified as troubled debt restructurings may have been previously measured for impairment under a general allowance methodology (i.e., pooling), thus at the time the loan is modified as a troubled debt restructuring the allowance will be impacted by the difference between the results of these two measurement methodologies.  Loans modified as troubled debt restructurings that subsequently default are factored into the determination of the allowance in the same manner as other defaulted loans.

Other real estate owned

Other real estate owned represents properties acquired through foreclosure or physical possession.  Write-downs to fair value of foreclosed assets less estimate costs to sell at the time of transfer are charged to allowance for loan losses.  Subsequent to foreclosure, the Company periodically evaluates the value of foreclosed assets held for sale and records an impairment charge for any subsequent declines in fair value less selling costs. If fair value declines subsequent to foreclosure a valuation allowance is recorded through expense. Operating costs after acquisition are expensed as incurred. The valuation allowance was $52,000 and $281,000 at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.   Fair value is based on an assessment of information available at the end of a reporting period and depends upon a number of factors, including historical experience, economic conditions, and issues specific to individual properties.  The evaluation of these factors involves subjective estimates and judgments that may change.

Assets held for sale

Assets held for sale at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 included a branch building we previously closed. The Company periodically evaluates the value of assets held for sale and records an impairment charge for any subsequent declines in fair value less selling costs.

Income taxes

The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes.  Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.  If current available information raises doubt as to the realization of the deferred tax assets, a valuation allowance may be established.  Management considers the determination of this valuation allowance to be a critical accounting policy due to the need to exercise significant judgment in evaluating the amount and timing of recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets, including projections of future taxable income.  These judgments and estimates are reviewed on a continual basis as regulatory and business factors change.  A valuation allowance for deferred tax assets may be required if the amounts of taxes recoverable through loss carry backs decline, or if management projects lower levels of future taxable income.

On December 22, 2017, the President signed into law the Tax Reform Act. The Tax Reform Act includes a number of changes in existing tax law impacting businesses. One of the most significant changes is a permanent reduction in the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%. The rate reduction took effect on January 1, 2018. GAAP requires companies to re-value their deferred tax assets and liabilities as of the date of enactment, with resulting tax effects accounted for in the reporting period of enactment.

As of December 31, 2017, the Company had net deferred tax assets of $11 million. The Company recorded a re-valuation of its deferred tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2017, at the new rate of 21%, based upon balances in existence at date of enactment. As a result, the Company's net deferred tax assets were written down by approximately $4,181,000 in the fourth quarter of 2017 with a corresponding increase in tax expense. Although the Tax Reform Act had a significant negative impact on the Company’s earnings for 2017 because of the re-valuation of its deferred tax assets and liabilities, the reduction in the corporate tax rate to 21% had a positive benefit to the Company in 2018 and is expected to have a continued positive benefit in future periods.

New accounting standards

For information regarding recent accounting pronouncements and their effect on us, see “New Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Impact of inflation and changing prices

The Company’s financial statements included herein have been prepared in accordance with GAAP, which require the Company to measure financial position and operating results primarily in terms of historical dollars. Changes in the relative value of money due to inflation or recession are generally not considered. The primary effect of inflation on the operations of the Company is reflected in increased operating costs. In management’s opinion, changes in interest rates affect the financial condition of a financial institution to a far greater degree than changes in the inflation rate. While interest rates are greatly influenced by changes in the inflation rate, they do not necessarily change at the same rate or in the same magnitude as the inflation rate. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond the control of the Company, including changes in the expected rate of inflation, the influence of general and local economic conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government, its agencies and various other governmental regulatory authorities.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not applicable.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

The consolidated financial statements and related footnotes of the Company are presented following.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors

Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp.

Midlothian, Virginia

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp. and its subsidiary (the Company) as of December 31, 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), shareholders' equity and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements (collectively, the financial statements). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. 

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2018.

Richmond, Virginia

March 29, 2019

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Shareholders and Board of Directors

Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp.

Midlothian, Virginia

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheet of Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp. (the “Company”) and Subsidiary as of December 31, 2017, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company and subsidiaries at December 31, 2017, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the year then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

We have served as the Company’s auditors from 1999 to 2018.

/s/ BDO USA, LLP

Richmond, Virginia

March 30, 2018

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.