First Capital (FCAP) 10-K2023 FY Annual report

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders

are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K.

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. First Capital, Inc. also may make forward-looking statements in its other documents filed or furnished with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In addition, First Capital, Inc.’s senior management may make forward-looking statements orally to investors and others. These statements are not historical facts, rather statements based on First Capital, Inc.’s current expectations regarding its business strategies, intended results and future performance. Forward-looking statements are preceded by terms such as “could,” “should,” “will,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “intends” and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Management’s ability to predict results or the effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Numerous risks and uncertainties could cause or contribute to First Capital, Inc.’s actual results, performance and achievements being materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause or contribute to these differences include, without limitation, the ability of First Capital, Inc. to execute its business plan; First Capital, Inc.’s ability to control costs and expenses; competitive products and pricing; deposit flows; loan delinquency rates; changes in federal and state legislation and regulation; and other factors disclosed periodically in First Capital, Inc.’s filings with the SEC. Additional factors that may affect our results are discussed in Item 1A to this Annual Report on Form 10-K titled “Risk Factors” below. These factors should be considered in evaluating the forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements, whether included in this report or made elsewhere from time to time by First Capital, Inc. or on its behalf. Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of First Capital, Inc. speak only as of the date they are made, and except to the extent required by applicable law First Capital, Inc. does not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect the impact of circumstances or events that arise after the date the forward-looking statements were made. The reader should, however, consult any further disclosures of a forward-looking nature First Capital, Inc. may make in any subsequent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, or Current Reports on Form 8-K.

PART I

ITEM 1.         BUSINESS

General

First Capital, Inc. (the “Company” or “First Capital”) was incorporated under Indiana law on September 11, 1998. On December 31, 1998, the Company became the holding company for First Federal Bank, A Federal Savings Bank (the “Bank”) upon the Bank’s reorganization as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company resulting from the conversion of First Capital, Inc., M.H.C. (the “MHC”), from a federal mutual holding company to a stock holding company. On January 12, 2000, the Company completed a merger of equals with HCB Bancorp, the former holding company for Harrison County Bank, and the Bank changed its name to First Harrison Bank. On March 20, 2003, the Company acquired Hometown Bancshares, Inc. (“Hometown”), a bank holding company located in New Albany, Indiana. On December 4, 2015, the Company acquired Peoples Bancorp, Inc. of Bullitt County and its wholly-owned bank subsidiary, Peoples Bank of Bullitt County (“Peoples”), headquartered in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.

On September 20, 2017, the Bank filed applications with the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions (“IDFI”) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) to convert from a federal savings association into an Indiana chartered commercial bank (the “Conversion”), and since June 30, 2018, the IDFI is the Bank’s primary regulator and the FDIC is the Bank’s primary federal regulator. The Conversion did not affect the Bank’s clients in any way and did not affect FDIC deposit insurance on eligible accounts as the Bank’s deposits are federally insured by the FDIC under the Deposit Insurance Fund. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) System.

Additionally, in connection with the Conversion, the Company filed an application with the Federal Reserve Bank (“FRB”) of St. Louis to change from a savings and loan holding company to a financial holding company. This change occurred simultaneously with the Conversion discussed above.

The Company’s primary business activity is the ownership of the outstanding common stock of the Bank. Management of the Company and the Bank are substantially similar and the Company neither owns nor leases any property, but instead uses the premises, equipment and furniture of the Bank in accordance with applicable regulations.

Availability of Information

The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to such reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are made available free of charge on the Company’s Internet website, www.firstharrison.com, as soon as practicable after the Company electronically files such material with, or furnishes it to, the SEC. The contents of the Company’s website shall not be incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K or into any reports the Company files with or furnishes to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Market Area and Competition

The Bank considers Harrison, Floyd, Clark and Washington counties in Indiana and Bullitt County in Kentucky its primary market area. All of its offices are located in these five counties, which results in most of the Bank’s loans being made in these five counties. The main office of the Bank is located in Corydon, Indiana, 35 miles west of Louisville, Kentucky. The Bank aggressively competes for business with local banks, as well as large regional banks. Its most direct competition for deposit and loan business comes from the commercial banks operating in these five counties. Based on data published by the FDIC, the Bank is the leader in FDIC-insured institutions in deposit market share in Harrison County, Indiana, which includes the Bank’s main office, and in Bullitt County, Kentucky, where Peoples was headquartered.

Lending Activities

General. The Bank has transformed the composition of its balance sheet from that of a traditional thrift institution to that of a commercial bank. On the asset side, this was accomplished in part by selling in the secondary market the newly-originated qualified fixed-rate residential mortgage loans while retaining variable rate residential mortgage loans in the portfolio. This transformation was also enhanced by expanding commercial lending staff dedicated to growing commercial real estate and commercial business loans. The Bank also originates consumer loans and residential construction loans for the loan portfolio. The Bank does not offer, and has not offered, Alt-A, sub-prime or no-document mortgage loans.

Loan Portfolio Analysis. The following table presents the composition of the Bank’s loan portfolio by type of loan at the dates indicated.

Residential Loans. The Bank’s lending activities have concentrated on the origination of residential mortgages, including those secured by 1-4 family residential and multifamily properties, both for sale in the secondary market and for retention in the Bank’s loan portfolio. Substantially all residential mortgages are collateralized by properties within the Bank’s market area.

The Bank offers both fixed-rate mortgage loans and adjustable rate mortgage (“ARM”) loans typically with terms of 15 to 30 years. The Bank uses loan documents approved by the Federal National Mortgage Corporation (“Fannie Mae”) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”) whether the loan is originated for investment or sale in the secondary market.

Retaining fixed-rate loans in its portfolio subjects the Bank to a higher degree of interest rate risk. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors–Above Average Interest Rate Risk Associated with Fixed-Rate Loans” for a further discussion of certain risks of rising interest rates. A strategic goal of the Bank is to expand its mortgage business by originating mortgage loans for sale, while offering a full line of mortgage products to current and prospective customers. This practice increases the Bank’s lending capacity and allows the Bank to more effectively manage its profitability since it is not required to predict the prepayment, credit or interest rate risks associated with retaining either the loan or the servicing asset. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Bank originated and funded $31.6 million of residential mortgage loans for sale in the secondary market. For a further discussion of the Bank’s mortgage banking operations, see “Item 1. Business–Mortgage Banking Activities.”

ARM loans originated generally have interest rates that adjust at regular intervals of one to five years based upon changes in the prevailing interest rates on United States Treasury Bills. The Bank also originates “hybrid” ARM loans, which are fixed for an initial period of three or five years and adjust annually thereafter. The Bank may occasionally use below market interest rates and other marketing inducements to attract ARM loan borrowers. The majority of ARM loans provide that the amount of any increase or decrease in the interest rate is limited to 2.0% (upward or downward) per adjustment period and 6.0% over its lifetime and generally contains minimum and maximum interest rates. Borrower demand for ARM loans versus fixed-rate mortgage loans is largely a function of the level of interest rates, the expectations of changes in the level of interest rates and the difference between the interest rates and loan fees offered for fixed-rate mortgage loans and interest rates and loan fees for ARM loans. The relative amount of fixed-rate and ARM loans that can be originated at any time is largely determined by the demand for each in a competitive environment.

The Bank’s lending policies generally limit the maximum loan-to-value ratio on fixed-rate and ARM loans to 80% of the lesser of the appraised value or purchase price of the underlying residential property unless private mortgage insurance to cover the excess over 80% is obtained, in which case the mortgage is limited to 95% (or 97% under a Freddie Mac program) of the lesser of appraised value or purchase price. The loan-to-value ratio, maturity and other provisions of the loans made by the Bank are generally reflected in the policy of making less than the maximum loan permissible under federal regulations, in accordance with established lending practices, market conditions and underwriting standards maintained by the Bank. The Bank requires title, fire and extended insurance coverage on all mortgage loans originated. All of the Bank’s real estate loans contain due on sale clauses. The Bank generally obtains appraisals on all its real estate loans from outside appraisers.

Construction Loans. The Bank originates construction loans for residential properties and, to a lesser extent, commercial properties. Although the Bank originates construction loans that are repaid with the proceeds of a limited number of mortgage loans obtained by the borrower from another lender, the majority of the construction loans that the Bank originates are permanently financed in the secondary market by the Bank. Construction loans originated without a commitment by the Bank to provide permanent financing are generally originated for a term of six to 12 months and at a fixed interest rate based on the prime rate.

The Bank originates speculative construction loans to a limited number of builders operating and based in the Bank’s primary market area and with whom the Bank has well-established business relationships. At December 31, 2023, the Bank had approved speculative construction loans, a construction loan for which there is not a commitment for permanent financing in place at the time the construction loan was originated, with total commitments of $8.6 million and outstanding balances of $5.6 million. The Bank limits the number of speculative construction loans outstanding to any one builder based on the Bank’s assessment of the builder’s capacity to service the debt.

Most construction loans are originated with a loan-to-value ratio not to exceed 80% of the appraised estimated value of the completed property. The construction loan documents require the disbursement of the loan proceeds in increments as construction progresses. Disbursements are based on periodic on-site inspections by an independent appraiser.

Construction lending is inherently riskier than residential mortgage lending. Construction loans, on average, generally have higher loan balances than residential mortgage loans. In addition, the potential for cost overruns because of the inherent difficulties in estimating construction costs and, therefore, collateral values and the difficulties and costs associated with monitoring construction progress, among other things, are major contributing factors to this greater credit risk. Speculative construction loans have the added risk that there is not an identified buyer for the completed home when the loan is originated, with the risk that the builder will have to service the construction loan debt and finance the other carrying costs of the completed home for an extended time period until a buyer is identified. Furthermore, the demand for construction loans and the ability of construction loan borrowers to service their debt depends highly on the state of the general economy, including market interest rate levels and the state of the economy of the Bank’s primary market area. A material downturn in economic conditions would be expected to have a material adverse effect on the credit quality of the construction loan portfolio.

Commercial Real Estate Loans. Commercial real estate loans are generally secured by small retail stores, professional office space and, in certain instances, farm properties. Commercial real estate loans are generally originated with a loan-to-value ratio not to exceed 75% of the appraised value of the property. Property appraisals are performed by independent appraisers approved by the Bank’s board of directors. The Bank seeks to originate commercial real estate loans at variable interest rates based on the prime lending rate or the United States Treasury Bill rate for terms ranging from ten to 20 years and with interest rate adjustment intervals of one to five years. The Bank also originates fixed-rate balloon loans with a short maturity, but a longer amortization schedule.

Commercial real estate lending affords the Bank an opportunity to receive interest at rates higher than those generally available from residential mortgage lending. However, loans secured by such properties usually are greater in amount, more difficult to evaluate and monitor and, therefore, involve a greater degree of risk than residential mortgage loans. Because payments on loans secured by multi-family and commercial properties are often dependent on the successful operation and management of the properties, repayment of such loans may be affected by adverse conditions in the real estate market or the economy. The Bank seeks to minimize these risks by limiting the maximum loan-to-value ratio to 75% and strictly scrutinizing the financial condition of the borrower, the quality of the collateral and the management of the property securing the loan. The Bank also obtains loan guarantees from financially capable parties based on a review of personal financial statements.

Commercial Business Loans. Commercial business loans are generally secured by inventory, accounts receivable, and business equipment such as trucks and tractors. Many commercial business loans also have real estate as collateral. The Bank generally requires a personal guaranty of payment by the principals of a corporate borrower, and reviews the personal financial statements and income tax returns of the guarantors. Commercial business loans are generally originated with loan-to-value ratios not exceeding 75%.

Aside from lines of credit, commercial business loans are generally originated for terms not to exceed seven years with variable interest rates based on the prime lending rate. Approved credit lines totaled $43.1 million at December 31, 2023, of which $12.7 million was outstanding. Lines of credit are originated at fixed and variable interest rates for one-year renewable terms.

Consumer and Other Loans. The Bank offers a variety of secured or guaranteed consumer loans, including automobile and truck loans, home equity loans, home improvement loans, boat loans, mobile home loans and loans secured by savings deposits. In addition, the Bank offers unsecured consumer loans. Consumer loans are generally originated at fixed interest rates and for terms not to exceed seven years. The largest portion of the Bank’s consumer loan portfolio consists of home equity and second mortgage loans followed by automobile and truck loans. Automobile and truck loans are originated on both new and used vehicles. Such loans are generally originated at fixed interest rates for terms up to five years and at loan-to-value ratios up to 90% of the blue book value in the case of used vehicles and 90% of the purchase price in the case of new vehicles.

The Bank originates variable-rate home equity and fixed-rate second mortgage loans generally for terms not to exceed ten years. The loan-to-value ratio on such loans is limited to 80%, taking into account the outstanding balance on the first mortgage loan.

The Bank’s underwriting procedures for consumer loans includes an assessment of the applicant’s payment history on other debts and ability to meet existing obligations and payments on the proposed loans. Although the applicant’s creditworthiness is a primary consideration, the underwriting process also includes a comparison of the value of the security, if any, to the proposed loan amount. The Bank underwrites and originates the majority of its consumer loans internally, which management believes limits exposure to credit risks relating to loans underwritten or purchased from brokers or other outside sources.

Consumer loans generally entail greater risk than do residential mortgage loans, particularly in the case of consumer loans which are unsecured or secured by assets that depreciate rapidly, such as automobiles. In the latter case, repossessed collateral for a defaulted consumer loan may not provide an adequate source of repayment for the outstanding loan and the remaining deficiency often does not warrant further substantial collection efforts against the borrower. In addition, consumer loan collections depend on the borrower’s continuing financial stability, and, therefore, are more likely to be adversely affected by job loss, divorce, illness or personal bankruptcy. Furthermore, the application of various federal and state laws, including federal and state bankruptcy and insolvency laws, may limit the amount which can be recovered on such loans. Such loans may also give rise to claims and defenses by the borrower against the Bank as the holder of the loan, and a borrower may be able to assert claims and defenses that it has against the seller of the underlying collateral.

Loan Maturity and Repricing

The following table sets forth certain information at December 31, 2023 regarding the dollar amount of loans maturing in the Bank’s portfolio based on their contractual terms to maturity, but does not include potential prepayments. Demand loans, which are loans having neither a stated schedule of repayments nor a stated maturity, and overdrafts are reported as due in one year or less. Loan balances do not include undisbursed loan proceeds, unearned income and allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) on loans.

The following table sets forth the dollar amount of all loans due after December 31, 2024, which have fixed interest rates and have floating or adjustable interest rates.

Loan Solicitation and Processing. A majority of the Bank’s loan originations are made to existing customers. Walk-ins and customer referrals are also a source of loan originations. Upon receipt of a loan application, a credit report is ordered to verify specific information relating to the loan applicant’s employment, income and credit standing. A loan applicant’s income is verified through the applicant’s employer or from the applicant’s tax returns. In the case of a real estate loan, an appraisal of the real estate intended to secure the proposed loan is undertaken, generally by an independent appraiser approved by the Bank. The mortgage loan documents used by the Bank conform to secondary market standards.

The Bank requires that borrowers obtain certain types of insurance to protect its interest in the collateral securing the loan. The Bank requires either a title insurance policy insuring that the Bank has a valid first lien on the mortgaged real estate or an opinion by an attorney regarding the validity of title. Fire and casualty insurance is also required on collateral for loans.

Loan Commitments and Letters of Credit. The Bank issues commitments to originate fixed- and adjustable-rate single-family residential mortgage loans and commercial loans conditioned upon the occurrence of certain events. Such commitments are made in writing on specified terms and conditions and are honored for up to 60 days from the date of application, depending on the type of transaction. The Bank had outstanding loan commitments of approximately $21.4 million at December 31, 2023.

As an accommodation to its commercial business loan borrowers, the Bank issues standby letters of credit or performance bonds usually in favor of municipalities for whom its borrowers are performing services. At December 31, 2023, the Bank had outstanding letters of credit of $1.9 million.

Loan Origination and Other Fees. Loan fees and points are a percentage of the principal amount of the mortgage loan that is charged to the borrower for funding the loan. The Bank usually charges a fixed origination fee on residential real estate loans and long-term commercial real estate loans. Current accounting standards require loan origination fees and certain direct costs of underwriting and closing loans to be deferred and amortized into interest income over the contractual life of the loan. Deferred fees and costs associated with loans that are sold are recognized as income at the time of sale. The Bank had $1.2 million of net deferred loan costs at December 31, 2023.

Mortgage Banking Activities. Mortgage loans originated and funded by the Bank and intended for sale in the secondary market are carried at the lower of aggregate cost or market value. Aggregate market value is determined based on the quoted prices under a “best efforts” sales agreement with a third party. Net unrealized losses are recognized through a valuation allowance by charges to income. Realized gains on sales of mortgage loans are included in noninterest income.

Commitments to originate and fund mortgage loans for sale in the secondary market are considered derivative financial instruments to be accounted for at fair value. The Bank’s mortgage loan commitments subject to derivative accounting are fixed rate mortgage commitments at market rates when initiated. At December 31, 2023, the Bank had commitments to originate $535,000 in fixed-rate mortgage loans intended for sale in the secondary market after the loans are closed. However, at December 31, 2023, the Bank had no commitments required to be accounted for at fair value, as all mortgage loan commitments were best efforts commitments where specific loans were committed to be delivered if and when the loans were sold. Fair value is estimated based on fees that would be charged on commitments with similar terms.

Delinquencies. The Bank’s collection procedures provide for a series of contacts with delinquent borrowers. A late charge is assessed and a late charge notice is sent to the borrower after the 15th day of delinquency. After 20 days, the collector places a phone call to the borrower. When a payment becomes 60 days past due, the collector issues a default letter. If a loan continues in a delinquent status for 90 days or more, the Bank generally initiates foreclosure or other litigation proceedings. See Note 4 in the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding delinquent loans.

Nonperforming Assets. Loans are reviewed regularly and when loans become 90 days delinquent, the loan is placed on nonaccrual status and the previously accrued interest income is reversed unless, in the opinion of management, the outstanding interest remains collectible. Typically, payments received on a nonaccrual loan are applied to the outstanding principal and interest as determined at the time of collection of the loan when the likelihood of further loss on the loan is remote. Otherwise, the Bank applies the cost recovery method and applies all payments as a reduction of the unpaid principal balance.

The Bank accrues interest on loans over 90 days past due when, in the opinion of management, the estimated value of collateral and collection efforts are deemed sufficient to ensure full recovery. The Bank did not recognize any interest income on nonaccrual loans for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. The Bank would have recorded interest income of $112,000 for the year ended December 31, 2023 had nonaccrual loans been current in accordance with their original terms.

At December 31, 2023, nonperforming loans totaled $1.8 million, consisting entirely of nonaccrual loans. See Note 4 in the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding nonperforming loans.

Classified Assets. The IDFI and FDIC have adopted various regulations regarding problem assets of financial institutions. The regulations require that each insured institution review and classify its assets on a regular basis. In addition, in connection with examinations of insured institutions, regulatory examiners have the authority to identify additional problem assets and, if appropriate, require them to be classified. There are three classifications for problem assets: substandard, doubtful and loss. “Substandard” assets have one or more defined weaknesses and are characterized by the distinct possibility that the insured institution will sustain some loss if the deficiencies are not corrected. “Doubtful” assets have the weaknesses of substandard assets with the additional characteristic that the weaknesses make collection or liquidation in full on the basis of currently existing facts, conditions and values questionable, and there is a high possibility of loss. An asset classified as “loss” is considered uncollectible and of such little value that continuance as an asset of the institution is not warranted. If an asset or portion thereof is classified as loss, the insured institution charges off an amount equal to 100% of the portion of the asset classified as loss. The regulations also provide for a “special mention” category, described as assets which do not currently expose the institution to sufficient risk to warrant adverse classification, but have potential weaknesses that deserve management’s close attention.

At December 31, 2023, the Bank had $1.8 million in doubtful/nonaccrual loans and $1.8 million in substandard loans. In addition, the Bank identified $7.1 million in loans as special mention loans at December 31, 2023. See Note 4 in the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding classified loans.

Values for collateral dependent loans are generally based on appraisals obtained from independent licensed real estate appraisers, with adjustments applied for estimated costs to sell the property, costs to complete unfinished or repair damaged property and other factors. New appraisals are generally obtained for all significant properties when a loan is individually evaluated for credit losses, and a property is considered significant if the value of the property is estimated to exceed $200,000. Subsequent appraisals are obtained as needed or if management believes there has been a significant change in the market value of the property. In instances where it is not deemed necessary to obtain a new appraisal, management bases its evaluation and ACL on loans analysis on the original appraisal with adjustments for current conditions based on management’s assessment of market factors and management’s inspection of the property. At December 31, 2023, discounts from appraised values used in management’s analysis for estimates of changes in market conditions and the condition of the collateral ranged from 23% to 30%, with a weighted average discount of 27%.

An insured institution is required to establish and maintain an ACL on loans at a level that is adequate to absorb estimated credit losses associated with the loan portfolio, including binding commitments to lend. When an insured institution classifies problem assets as “loss,” it is required either to establish an ACL equal to 100% of the amount of the assets, or charge off the classified asset. The amount of its valuation allowance is subject to review by the banking regulators, which can order the establishment of additional loss allowances. The Bank regularly reviews the loan portfolio to determine whether any loans require classification in accordance with applicable regulations.

Foreclosed Real Estate. Foreclosed real estate held for sale is carried at fair value minus estimated costs to sell. Costs of holding foreclosed real estate are charged to expense in the current period, except for significant property improvements, which are capitalized. Valuations are periodically performed by management and an allowance is established by a charge to non-interest expense if the carrying value exceeds the fair value minus estimated costs to sell. The net income or loss from operations of foreclosed real estate held for sale is reported in noninterest expense. At December 31, 2023, the Bank had no foreclosed real estate. See Note 6 in the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding foreclosed real estate.

ACL on Loans. Effective January 1, 2023, the Company adopted FASB ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326), as amended, under the modified retrospective method. The adoption replaced the allowance for loan losses with the ACL on loans on the consolidated balance sheets and replaced the related provision for loan losses with the provision for credit losses on loans on the consolidated statements of income. Upon adoption, the Company recorded an increase in the beginning ACL on loans of $561,000. In addition, the Company established an ACL related to unfunded loan commitments of $131,000 upon adoption of ASU 2016-13. The use of the modified retrospective method of adoption resulted in the Company recording a $529,000 reduction (net of tax) in retained earnings as of January 1, 2023. Results for reporting periods after January 1, 2023 are presented under Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 326 while prior period amounts continue to be reported in accordance with previously applicable GAAP. The Company expanded the loan portfolio segments used to determine the ACL on loans into eight loan segments as opposed to seven loan segments under the incurred loss methodology. Prior year activity in the ACL on loans within this annual report reflect the reclassification of the ACL on loans to account for the expanded portfolio segments. See Note 1 in the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the adoption of ASC 326.

The Company maintains the ACL on loans to cover management's estimate of all expected credit losses over the expected contractual life of the loan portfolio. The Company estimates the ACL on loans using relevant available information from internal and external sources relating to past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Historical loss experience provides the basis for the estimation of expected credit losses. Qualitative adjustments to historical loss information are made for losses reflected by peers, changes in underwriting standards, changes in economic conditions, changes in delinquency levels, collateral values and other factors. Losses are charged against the allowance when management believes the uncollectibility of a loan balance is confirmed. In addition, the IDFI and FDIC, as an integral part of the examination process, periodically review the Bank’s ACL on loans and may require the Bank to make additional provisions for estimated losses based on its judgments about information available to it at the time of its examination.

The methodology used in determining the ACL on loans includes segmenting the loan portfolio by identifying risk characteristics common to pools of loans, determining and measuring impairment of individual loans based on the present value of expected future cash flows or the fair value of collateral, and determining and measuring impairment for pools of loans with similar characteristics by applying loss factors that consider the qualitative factors which may affect the loss rates.

Loans that do not share risk characteristics are evaluated on an individual basis. Loans evaluated individually are also not included in the collective evaluation. When the borrower is experiencing financial difficulty at the reporting date and repayment is expected to be provided substantially through the operation or sale of the collateral, expected credit losses are based on the fair value of the collateral at the reporting date adjusted for selling costs. Specific allocations of the ACL on loans related to individually evaluated loans are established where the present value of the loan’s discounted cash flows, observable market price or collateral value (for collateral dependent loans) is lower than the carrying value of the loan. The identification of these loans results from the loan review process that identifies and monitors credits with weaknesses or conditions which call into question the full collection of the contractual payments due under the terms of the loan agreement. Factors considered by management include, among others, payment status, collateral value, and the probability of collecting scheduled principal and interest payments when due. At December 31, 2023, the Company’s specific allocation of the ACL for loans totaled $69,000.

At December 31, 2023, the Company's ACL on loans totaled $8.0 million, of which $6.1 million related to qualitative factor adjustments. At December 31, 2022, the Company's allowance for loan losses totaled $6.8 million, of which $6.2 million related to qualitative factor adjustments.

See Notes 1 and 4 in the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding management’s methodology for estimating the ACL on loans.

The following table sets forth an analysis of the Bank’s ACL on loans for the periods indicated. As previously described, activity for the years ending December 31, 2022 and 2021 have been reclassified to reflect the adoption of ASU 2016-13.

ACL on Loans Analysis. The following table sets forth the breakdown of the ACL on loans by loan category at the dates indicated.

Investment Activities

As an Indiana chartered commercial bank, the Bank has the authority to invest in various types of liquid assets, including United States Treasury obligations, securities of various federal agencies and of state and municipal governments, deposits at the applicable FHLB, certificates of deposit of federally insured institutions, certain bankers’ acceptances and federal funds. Subject to various restrictions, the Bank may also invest a portion of its assets in commercial paper, corporate debt securities and mutual funds, the assets of which conform to the investments that federally chartered savings institutions are otherwise authorized to make directly. The Bank is also required to maintain minimum levels of liquid assets that vary from time to time. The Bank may decide to increase its liquidity above the required levels depending upon the availability of funds and comparative yields on investments in relation to return on loans.

The Bank is required under federal regulations to maintain a minimum amount of liquid assets and is also permitted to make certain other securities investments. The balance of the Bank’s investments in short-term securities in excess of regulatory requirements reflects management’s response to the significantly increasing percentage of deposits with short maturities. Management intends to hold securities with short maturities in the Bank’s investment portfolio in order to enable the Bank to match more closely the interest-rate sensitivities of its assets and liabilities.

The Bank periodically invests in mortgage-backed securities, including mortgage-backed securities guaranteed or insured by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Mortgage-backed securities generally increase the quality of the Bank’s assets by virtue of the guarantees that back them, are more liquid than individual mortgage loans and may be used to collateralize borrowings or other obligations of the Bank. As of December 31, 2023, all of the Bank’s mortgage-backed securities had fixed rates.

The Bank also invests in collateralized mortgage obligations (“CMOs”) issued by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as private issuers. CMOs are complex mortgage-backed securities that restructure the cash flows and risks of the underlying mortgage collateral.

The following table sets forth the securities portfolio at the dates indicated.

ACL on Available for Sale Debt Securities

For available for sale (“AFS”) debt securities in an unrealized loss position, the Company first assesses whether it intends to sell, or it is more likely than not that it will be required to sell, the security before recovery of its amortized cost basis. If either of the criteria regarding intent or requirement to sell is met, the security's amortized cost basis is written down to fair value through income. For AFS debt securities that do not meet the aforementioned criteria, the Company evaluates whether the decline in fair value has resulted from credit losses or other factors. In making this assessment, management considers the extent to which fair value is less than amortized cost, any changes to the rating of the security by a rating agency, and adverse conditions specifically related to the security, among other factors. If this assessment indicates that a credit loss exists, the present value of cash flows expected to be collected from the security are compared to the amortized cost basis of the security. If the present value of cash flows expected to be collected is less than the amortized cost basis, a credit loss exists and an ACL is recorded for the credit loss, limited to the amount that the fair value is less than the amortized cost basis. Any decline in fair value that has not been recorded through an ACL is recognized in other comprehensive income, net of applicable taxes.

Changes in the ACL are recorded as a provision for (or recovery of) credit loss expense. Losses are charged against the ACL when management believes that uncollectibility of an AFS debt security is confirmed or when either of the criteria regarding intent or requirement to sell is met.

ACL on Held to Maturity Debt Securities

Management measures expected credit losses on held to maturity debt securities on a collective basis by major security type. The held to maturity securities portfolio includes subordinated debt obligations issued by other bank holding companies.

The estimate of expected credit losses considers historical credit loss information that is adjusted for current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts. At December 31, 2023, the estimated reserve was immaterial.

Deposit Activities and Other Sources of Funds

General. Deposits and loan repayments are the major source of the Bank’s funds for lending and investment activities and for its general business purposes. Loan repayments are a relatively stable source of funds, while deposit inflows and outflows and loan prepayments are significantly influenced by general interest rates and money market conditions. Borrowing may be used on a short-term basis to compensate for reductions in the availability of funds from other sources or may also be used on a longer-term basis for interest rate risk management.

Deposit Accounts. Deposits are attracted from within the Bank’s primary market area through the offering of a broad selection of deposit instruments, including non-interest bearing checking accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal (“NOW”) accounts, money market accounts, regular savings accounts, certificates of deposit and retirement savings plans. Deposit account terms vary, according to the minimum balance required, the time periods the funds must remain on deposit and the interest rate, among other factors. In determining the terms of its deposit accounts, the Bank considers the rates offered by its competition, profitability to the Bank, matching deposit and loan products and its customer preferences and concerns. The Bank generally reviews its deposit mix and pricing weekly.

The following table presents the maturity distribution of time deposits that are in excess of the FDIC insurance limit (currently $250,000) as of December 31, 2023.

Uninsured deposits, which are the portion of deposit accounts that exceed the FDIC insurance limit (currently $250,000), were approximately $319.5 million and $393.7 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These amounts were estimated based on the same methodologies and assumptions used for regulatory reporting purposes.

The following table sets forth the balances of deposits in the various types of accounts offered by the Bank at the dates indicated.

Borrowings. The Bank relies upon advances from the FHLB and other sources to supplement its supply of lendable funds and to meet deposit withdrawal requirements. Advances from the FHLB are secured by certain investment securities and first mortgage loans. The Bank also uses retail repurchase agreements as a source of borrowings.

The FHLB functions as a central reserve bank providing credit for member financial institutions. As a member, the Bank is required to own capital stock in the FHLB and is authorized to apply for advances on the security of such stock and certain of its mortgage loans provided certain standards related to creditworthiness have been met. Advances are made pursuant to several different programs. Each credit program has its own interest rate and range of maturities. Depending on the program, limitations on the amount of advances are based either on a fixed percentage of an institution’s net worth or on the FHLB’s assessment of the institution’s creditworthiness. Under its current credit policies, the FHLB generally limits advances to 20% of a member’s assets, and short-term borrowing of less than one year may not exceed 10% of the institution’s assets. The FHLB determines specific lines of credit for each member institution.

On March 12, 2023, the FRB created the Bank Term Funding Program (“BTFP”) to make additional funding available to eligible depository institutions. The BTFP offers loans of up to one year in length to banks, savings associations, credit unions and other depository institutions which pledge collateral, such as U.S. Treasuries, U.S. agency notes and bonds and U.S. agency mortgage-backed securities. The collateral is valued at par, and advances under this program do not include any fees or prepayment penalties.

The Bank utilized both advances from the FHLB and borrowings under the BTFP throughout the year ended December 31, 2023. The Bank had $21.5 million in borrowings outstanding under the BTFP at an interest rate of 4.89% with a remaining term less than 12 months at December 31, 2023. The Bank had no outstanding advances from the FHLB at December 31, 2023. The Bank had no borrowed funds as of or at the year ended December 31, 2022. See Note 10 in the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding the Bank’s utilization of borrowed funds during the year ended December 31, 2023.

The Bank also has an unsecured federal funds purchased line of credit through Independent Correspondent Bankers’ Bank with a maximum borrowing amount of $5.0 million and a $2.0 million revolving line of credit with Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company. At December 31, 2023, the Bank had no outstanding federal funds purchased under the lines of credit and the Bank had no borrowings under the lines of credit during 2023.

Subsidiary Activities

The Bank is a subsidiary and is wholly-owned by the Company. First Harrison Investments, Inc. and First Harrison Holdings, Inc. are wholly-owned Nevada corporate subsidiaries of the Bank that jointly own First Harrison, LLC, a Nevada limited liability corporation that holds and manages an investment securities portfolio. First Harrison REIT, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Harrison Holdings, Inc., incorporated to hold a portion of the Bank's real estate mortgage loan portfolio. Heritage Hill, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank acquired in connection with the acquisition of Peoples that is currently inactive. FHB Risk Mitigation Services, Inc. (“Captive”) is a wholly-owned insurance subsidiary of the Company that provides property and casualty insurance coverage to the Company, the Bank and the Bank’s subsidiaries, and reinsurance to nine other third party insurance captives, for which insurance may not be currently available or economically feasible in the insurance marketplace. On April 10, 2023, the IRS issued IR-2023-74 and proposed regulations that may result in the Captive being considered a listed transaction. The proposed regulations include the possibility of material tax expense to the consolidated group if finalized in their current form. The Captive was formally dissolved with all remaining assets transferred to the Company in December 31, 2023.

Human Capital

As of December 31, 2023, the Bank had 177 full-time employees and 35 part-time employees. A collective bargaining unit does not represent the employees and the Bank considers its relationship with its employees to be good.

We regularly solicit feedback from our employees to gain a better understanding of why they may enjoy working at the Bank and what areas of improvement there may be. Feedback from such surveys is reviewed by senior management, including our Chief Executive Officer and the leader of each of our business units, and is generally used to develop ways in which our employees’ experiences can be improved and/or work can become more efficient. We believe that our relations with employees are positive. We feel that way, in part, because of the benefits we offer. For example, we make a contribution equal to 3% of an employee’s eligible compensation under our 401(k) plan each pay period regardless of whether such employee also contributed. Our contribution is in the form of cash and is invested according to the employee’s current investment allocation. We also offer a variety of other benefits such as a tuition reimbursement plan, Health Savings Accounts contributions and generous paid time off policies.

Additionally, the health and safety of our employees is always the highest priority, we continuously evaluate our efforts and we make changes or accommodations to help ensure employees remain healthy, safe, and productive.

REGULATION AND SUPERVISION

General

As a financial holding company, the Company is required by federal law to report to, and otherwise comply with the rules and regulations of, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve Board (the “Federal Reserve Board”). The Bank, an insured Indiana chartered commercial bank, is subject to extensive regulation, examination and supervision by the IDFI as its primary regulator and the FDIC, as its primary federal regulator and as the deposit insurer.

The Bank is a member of the FHLB System and, with respect to deposit insurance, of the Deposit Insurance Fund managed by the FDIC. The Bank must file reports with its regulatory agencies concerning its activities and financial condition and obtain regulatory approvals before entering into certain transactions such as mergers with, or acquisitions of, other financial institutions. The IDFI and FDIC conduct periodic examinations to test the Bank’s safety and soundness and compliance with various regulatory requirements. This regulation and supervision establishes a comprehensive framework of activities in which an institution can engage and is intended primarily for the protection of the insurance fund and depositors. The regulatory structure also gives the regulatory authorities extensive discretion in connection with their supervisory and enforcement activities and examination policies, including policies with respect to the classification of assets and the establishment of adequate loan loss reserves for regulatory purposes. Any change in such regulatory requirements and policies, whether by the IDFI, FDIC, Federal Reserve Board or Congress, could have a material adverse impact on the Company, the Bank and their operations.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) made extensive changes to the regulation of the Bank. The IDFI and FDIC are the agencies that are primarily responsible for the regulation and supervision of Indiana chartered commercial banks, such as the Bank however, the Dodd-Frank Act created a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as an independent bureau of the Federal Reserve Board. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau assumed responsibility for the implementation of the federal financial consumer protection and fair lending laws and regulations and has authority to impose new requirements. However, institutions of less than $10 billion in assets, such as the Bank, will continue to be examined for compliance with consumer protection and fair lending laws and regulations by, and be subject to the enforcement authority of, their prudential regulators.

Certain regulatory requirements applicable to the Bank and to the Company are referred to below or elsewhere herein. The summary of statutory provisions and regulations applicable to banks and their holding companies set forth below and elsewhere in this document does not purport to be a complete description of such statutes and regulations and their effects on the Bank and the Company and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the actual laws and regulations.

Basel III Capital Rules

In July 2013, the federal banking agencies published the Basel III Capital Rules establishing a new comprehensive capital framework for U.S. banking organizations. The rules implement the Basel Committee’s December 2010 framework known as “Basel III” for strengthening international capital standards as well as certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. The Basel III Capital Rules substantially revise the risk-based capital requirements applicable to financial holding companies and depository institutions, including the Company and the Bank, compared to the former U.S. risk-based capital rules. The Basel III Capital Rules define the components of capital and address other issues affecting the numerator in banking institutions’ regulatory capital ratios. The Basel III Capital Rules also address risk weights and other issues affecting the denominator in banking institutions’ regulatory capital ratios. The Basel III Capital Rules also implement the requirements of Section 939A of the Dodd-Frank Act to remove references to credit ratings from the federal banking agencies’ rules. The Basel III Capital Rules became effective on January 1, 2015 (subject to a phase-in period).

The Basel III Capital Rules, among other things:

The Basel III Capital Rules require the Company and the Bank to maintain:

The aforementioned capital conservation buffer is designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress. Banking institutions with a ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets above the minimum but below the conservation buffer (or below the combined capital conservation buffer and countercyclical capital buffer, when the latter is applied) will face constraints on dividends, equity repurchases and compensation based on the amount of the shortfall.

The Basel III Capital Rules provide for a number of deductions from and adjustments to CET1. These include, for example, the requirement that mortgage servicing rights, deferred tax assets arising from temporary differences that could not be realized through net operating loss carrybacks and significant investments in non-consolidated financial entities be deducted from CET1 to the extent that any one such category exceeds 10% of CET1 or all such categories in the aggregate exceed 15% of CET1. Under the former capital standards, the effects of accumulated other comprehensive income items included in capital were excluded for the purposes of determining regulatory capital ratios. Under the Basel III Capital Rules, the effects of certain accumulated other comprehensive items are not excluded; however, non-advanced approaches banking organizations, including the Company, may make a one-time permanent election to continue to exclude these items. The Company and the Bank made this election in order to avoid significant variations in the level of capital depending upon the impact of interest rate fluctuations on the fair value of the Company’s available-for-sale securities portfolio. The Basel III Capital Rules also preclude certain hybrid securities, such as trust preferred securities, as Tier 1 capital of bank holding companies, subject to phase-out. The Company has no trust preferred securities.

The Basel III Capital Rules prescribe a standardized approach for risk weightings that expand the risk-weighting categories from the current four Basel I-derived categories (0%, 20%, 50% and 100%) to a much larger and more risk-sensitive number of categories, depending on the nature of the assets, generally ranging from 0% for U.S. government and agency securities, to 600% for certain equity exposures, and resulting in higher risk weights for a variety of asset categories. Specific changes from the former capital rules impacting the Company’s determination of risk-weighted assets include, among other things:

Holding Company Regulation

General. The Company is a financial holding company within the meaning of federal law. As such, the Company is registered with the Federal Reserve Board and subject to Federal Reserve Board regulations, examination, supervision and reporting requirements. The supervision, regulation and examination of the Company and the Bank by the bank regulatory agencies are intended primarily for the protection of depositors rather than for the benefit of the Company’s shareholders. Significant elements of the laws and regulations applicable to the Company and its subsidiaries are described below. The descriptions are not intended to be complete and are qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the statutes, regulations and policies that are described.

The Dodd-Frank Act.  On July 21, 2010, the Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law.  The Dodd-Frank Act significantly restructured the financial regulatory environment in the United States. The Dodd-Frank Act contains numerous provisions that affect all bank holding companies and banks, some of which are described in more detail below.  The scope and impact of many of the Dodd-Frank Act provisions were determined and issued over time. Because full implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act will occur over several years and there have been related acts that have lessened its impact, as explained below, it is difficult to anticipate the overall financial impact on the Company, its customers or the financial industry generally.

The Volcker Rule.  The Dodd-Frank Act requires the federal financial regulatory agencies to adopt rules that prohibit banks and their affiliates from engaging in proprietary trading and investing in and sponsoring certain unregistered investment companies (defined as hedge funds and private equity funds). The statutory provision is commonly called the “Volcker Rule”. Although the Company is continuing to evaluate the impact of the Volcker Rule and the final rules adopted thereunder, the Company does not currently anticipate that the Volcker Rule will have a material effect on the operations of the Bank, as the Company does not engage in the businesses prohibited by the Volcker Rule. The Company may incur costs to adopt additional policies and systems to ensure compliance with the Volcker Rule, but any such costs are not expected to be material.

Regulatory Relief Act. In May 2018, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (the “Regulatory Relief Act”) was enacted, which modified and removed certain financial reform rules and regulations, including some implemented under the Dodd-Frank Act. Of particular significance for financial institutions and their holding companies with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion, the Regulatory Relief Act directs the federal banking regulators to establish a single “Community Bank Leverage Ratio” of between 8% to 10% to replace the leverage and risk-based regulatory capital ratios. The Dodd-Frank Act originally mandated certain enhanced prudential standards for bank holding companies with greater than $50 billion in total consolidated assets as well as company-run stress tests for firms with greater than $10 billion in assets. The Regulatory Relief Act exempted bank holding companies under $100 billion in assets from these requirements immediately upon enactment. The Regulatory Relief Act also exempted bank holding companies under $100 billion in total assets from the Dodd-Frank Act requirements for supervisory stress tests and company-run stress-tests. The Company will continue to evaluate the potential impacts of the Dodd-Frank Act and the Regulatory Relief Act.

Activities Restrictions. The Company is registered as a bank holding company and has elected to be a financial holding company. It is subject to the supervision and regulation of the Federal Reserve Board under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHC Act”). The BHC Act generally limits the business in which a bank holding company and its subsidiaries may engage to banking or managing or controlling banks and those activities that the Federal Reserve Board has determined to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident thereto. In addition, bank holding companies that qualify and elect to be financial holding companies may engage in any activity, or acquire and retain the shares of a company engaged in any activity, that is either (i) financial in nature or incidental to such financial activity (as determined by the Federal Reserve Board ) or (ii) complementary to a financial activity and does not pose a substantial risk to the safety and soundness of depository institutions or the financial system generally (as determined by the Federal Reserve Board ), without prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company is a financial holding company within the meaning of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999 (“GLB Act”). As a qualified financial holding company, the Company is eligible to engage in, or acquire companies engaged in, the broader range of activities that are permitted by the GLB Act.

To commence any new activity permitted by the BHC Act or to acquire a company engaged in any new activity permitted by the BHC Act, each insured depository institution subsidiary of the financial holding company must have received a rating of at least “satisfactory” in its most recent examination under the Community Reinvestment Act. The Federal Reserve Board has the power to order any bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate its ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve Board has reasonable grounds to believe that continuation of such activity or such ownership or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness, safety or stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

With some limited exceptions, the BHC Act requires the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board to acquire more than a 5% voting interest of any bank or bank holding company.

Source of Strength. The Federal Reserve Board has issued regulations requiring a bank holding company to serve as a source of strength to their subsidiary depository institutions by providing capital, liquidity and other support to their subsidiary depository institutions in times of financial stress.

Dividends. The Federal Reserve Board’s policy is that a bank holding company experiencing earnings weakness should not pay cash dividends exceeding its net income or which could only be funded in ways that weaken the bank holding company's financial health, such as by borrowing. Additionally, the Federal Reserve Board possesses enforcement powers over bank holding companies and their non-bank subsidiaries to prevent or remedy actions that represent unsafe or unsound practices or violations of applicable statutes and regulations. Among these powers is the ability to proscribe the payment of dividends by banks and their holding companies. Depository institutions that seek the freedom to pay dividends will have to maintain 2.5% in Common Equity Tier 1 Capital attributable to the capital conservation buffer. As a general matter, the Federal Reserve Board has indicated that the board of directors of a bank holding company should eliminate, defer or significantly reduce dividends to shareholders if: (i) the company's net income available to shareholders for the past four quarters, net of dividends previously paid during that period, is not sufficient to fully fund the dividends; (ii) the prospective rate of earnings retention is inconsistent with the company's capital needs and overall current and prospective financial condition; or (iii) the company will not meet, or is in danger of not meeting, its minimum regulatory capital adequacy ratios. Indiana law prohibits the Bank from paying dividends in an amount greater than its undivided profits. The Bank is required to obtain the approval of the DFI for the payment of any dividend if the total of all dividends declared by the Bank during the calendar year, including the proposed dividend, would exceed the sum of the Bank's net income for the year-to-date combined with its retained net income for the previous two years. Indiana law defines "retained net income" to mean the net income of a specified period, calculated under the consolidated report of income instructions, less the total amount of all dividends declared for the specified period. Notwithstanding the availability of funds for dividends, however, a banking regulator may prohibit the payment of dividends by the Bank if it determines such payment would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice.

Repurchase or Redemption of Shares. A bank holding company is generally required to give the Federal Reserve Board prior written notice of any purchase or redemption of its own then outstanding equity securities if the gross consideration for the purchase or redemption, when combined with the net consideration paid for all such purchases or redemptions during the preceding 12 months, is equal to 10% or more of the company's consolidated net worth. The Federal Reserve Board may disapprove such a purchase or redemption if it determines that the proposal would constitute an unsafe and unsound practice, or would violate any law, regulation, Federal Reserve Board order or directive, or any condition imposed by, or written agreement with, the Federal Reserve Board . The Federal Reserve Board has adopted an exception to this approval requirement for well-capitalized bank holding companies that meet certain conditions.

Acquisition of the Company. The BHC Act, the Bank Merger Act (which is the popular name for Section 18(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act) and other federal and state statutes regulate acquisitions of banks and bank holding companies. The BHC Act requires the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board before a bank holding company may acquire more than a 5% voting interest or substantially all the assets of any bank or bank holding company. Banks must also seek prior approval from their primary state and federal regulators for any such acquisitions. In reviewing applications seeking approval for mergers and other acquisition transactions, the bank regulatory authorities will consider, among other things, the competitive effect and public benefits of the transactions, the capital position of the combined organization, the risks to the stability of the U.S. banking or financial system, the applicant’s performance record under the Community Reinvestment Act and the effectiveness of the subject organizations in combating money laundering activities.

Federal Banking Regulation

Business Activities. The Bank, as an Indiana-chartered bank, is subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the IDFI as its primary state regulator. Also, as to certain matters, the Bank is under the supervision of, and subject to examination by, the FDIC because the FDIC provides deposit insurance to the Bank and is the Bank’s primary regulator. Those regulators delineate the nature and extent of the business activities in which Indiana-state chartered banks may engage.

Bank Secrecy Act and USA Patriot Act. The Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”), enacted as the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act, requires financial institutions, including the Bank, to maintain records of certain customers and currency transactions and to report certain domestic and foreign currency transactions, which may have a high degree of usefulness in criminal, tax, or regulatory investigations or proceedings. This law requires financial institutions to develop a BSA compliance program.

The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (“Patriot Act”), is comprehensive anti‑terrorism legislation. Title III of the Patriot Act requires financial institutions, including the Bank, to help prevent and detect international money laundering and the financing of terrorism and prosecute those involved in such activities. The United States Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”) has adopted additional requirements to further implement Title III.

These regulations have established a mechanism for law enforcement officials to communicate names of suspected terrorists and money launderers to financial institutions, enabling financial institutions to promptly locate accounts and transactions involving those suspects. Financial institutions receiving names of suspects must search their account and transaction records for potential matches and report positive results to the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”). Each financial institution must designate a point of contact to receive information requests. These regulations outline how financial institutions can share information concerning suspected terrorist and money laundering activity with other financial institutions under the protection of a statutory safe harbor if each financial institution notifies FinCEN of its intent to share information. The Treasury has also adopted regulations to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing through correspondent accounts that U.S. financial institutions maintain on behalf of foreign banks. These regulations also require financial institutions to take reasonable steps to ensure that they are not providing banking services directly or indirectly to foreign shell banks. In addition, banks must have procedures to verify the identity of their customers.

The Bank has established an anti‑money laundering program pursuant to the BSA and a customer identification program pursuant to the Patriot Act. The Bank also maintains records of cash purchases of negotiable instruments, files reports of certain cash transactions exceeding $10,000 (daily aggregate amount), and reports suspicious activity that might signify money laundering, tax evasion, or other criminal activities pursuant to the BSA. The Bank otherwise has implemented policies and procedures to comply with the foregoing requirements.

Capital Requirements. The federal bank regulatory authorities have adopted risk-based capital guidelines for banks and bank holding companies that are designed to make regulatory capital requirements more sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banks and bank holding companies and account for off-balance sheet items. Generally, to satisfy the capital requirements, the Company must maintain capital sufficient to meet both risk-based asset ratio tests and a leverage ratio test on a consolidated basis. Risk-based capital ratios are determined by allocating assets and specified off-balance sheet commitments into various risk-weighted categories, with higher weighting assigned to categories perceived as representing greater risk. A risk-based ratio represents the applicable measure of capital divided by total risk-weighted assets. The leverage ratio is a measure of the Company’s core capital divided by total assets adjusted as specified in the guidelines.

The capital guidelines divide a bank holding company’s or bank’s capital into two tiers. The first tier (“Tier I”) includes common equity, certain non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock and minority interests in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, less goodwill and certain other intangible assets (except mortgage servicing rights and purchased credit card relationships, subject to certain limitations). Supplementary capital (“Tier II”) includes, among other items, cumulative perpetual and long-term limited-life preferred stock, mandatory convertible securities, certain hybrid capital instruments, term subordinated debt and the ACL on loans, subject to certain limitations, less required deductions. The regulations also require the maintenance of a leverage ratio designed to supplement the risk-based capital guidelines.

Effective January 1, 2015 (subject to certain phase-in provisions through January 1, 2019), the Company became subject to new federal banking rules implementing changes arising from Dodd-Frank and the U.S. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, providing a capital framework for all U.S. banks and bank holding companies (“Basel III”). Basel III increased the minimum requirements for both the quantity and quality of capital held by the Company and the Bank. The rules include a new common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 4.5%, a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 6.0% (increased from 4.0%), a total capital ratio of 8.0% (unchanged from prior rules) and a minimum leverage ratio of 4.0%. The final rules also require a common equity Tier 1 capital conservation buffer of 2.5% of risk-weighted assets, which is in addition to the other minimum risk-based capital standards in the rule. Institutions that do not maintain the required capital conservation buffer will become subject to progressively more stringent limitations on the percentage of earnings that can be paid out in dividends or used for stock repurchases and on the payment of certain bonuses to senior executive management.

Basel III also introduced other changes, including an increase in the capital required for certain categories of assets, including higher-risk construction real estate loans and certain exposures related to securitizations. Banking organizations with less than $15 billion in assets as of December 31, 2010 are permitted to retain non-qualifying Tier 1 capital trust preferred securities issued prior to May 19, 2010, subject generally to a limit of 25% of Tier 1 capital. The Dodd-Frank Act also requires the Federal Reserve Board to set minimum capital levels for bank holding companies that are as stringent as those required for insured depository subsidiaries, except that bank holding companies with less than $1 billion in assets are exempt from these capital requirements.

Prompt Corrective Regulatory Action. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act, as amended (“FDIA”), requires among other things, the federal banking agencies to take “prompt corrective action” in respect of depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. The FDIA includes the following five capital tiers: “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized” and “critically undercapitalized.” A depository institution’s capital tier will depend upon how its capital levels compare with various relevant capital measures and certain other factors, as established by regulation. The relevant capital measures are the total risk-based capital ratio, the Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio, the common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio, and the leverage ratio.

A bank will be (i) “well capitalized” if the institution has a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or greater, a common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.5% or greater and a leverage ratio of 5.0% or greater, and is not subject to any order or written directive by any such regulatory authority to meet and maintain a specific capital level for any capital measure; (ii) “adequately capitalized” if the institution has a total risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.0% or greater, a common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 4.5% or greater and a leverage ratio of 4.0% or greater and is not “well capitalized”; (iii) “undercapitalized” if the institution has a total risk-based capital ratio that is less than 8.0%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 6.0%, a common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 4.5%, or a leverage ratio of less than 4.0%; (iv) “significantly undercapitalized” if the institution has a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 6.0%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 4.0%, a common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 3.0%, or a leverage ratio of less than 3.0%; and (v) “critically undercapitalized” if the institution’s tangible equity is equal to or less than 2.0% of average quarterly tangible assets. An institution may be downgraded to, or deemed to be in, a capital category that is lower than indicated by its capital ratios if it is determined to be in an unsafe or unsound condition or if it receives an unsatisfactory examination rating with respect to certain matters. A bank’s capital category is determined solely for the purpose of applying prompt corrective action regulations, and the capital category may not constitute an accurate representation of the bank’s overall financial condition or prospects for other purposes.

The FDIA generally prohibits a depository institution from making any capital distributions (including payment of a dividend) or paying any management fee to its parent holding company if the depository institution would thereafter be “undercapitalized.” “Undercapitalized” institutions are subject to growth limitations and are required to submit a capital restoration plan. The agencies may not accept such a plan without determining, among other things, that the plan is based on realistic assumptions and is likely to succeed in restoring the depository institution’s capital. In addition, for a capital restoration plan to be acceptable, the depository institution’s parent holding company must guarantee that the institution will comply with such capital restoration plan. The bank holding company must also provide appropriate assurances of performance. The aggregate liability of the parent holding company is limited to the lesser of (i) an amount equal to 5.0% of the depository institution’s total assets at the time it became undercapitalized and (ii) the amount which is necessary (or would have been necessary) to bring the institution into compliance with all capital standards applicable with respect to such institution as of the time it fails to comply with the plan. If a depository institution fails to submit an acceptable plan, it is treated as if it is “significantly undercapitalized.”

“Significantly undercapitalized” depository institutions may be subject to a number of requirements and restrictions, including orders to sell sufficient voting stock to become “adequately capitalized,” requirements to reduce total assets, and cessation of receipt of deposits from correspondent banks. “Critically undercapitalized” institutions are subject to the appointment of a receiver or conservator.

The appropriate federal banking agency may, under certain circumstances, reclassify a well-capitalized insured depository institution as adequately capitalized. The FDIA provides that an institution may be reclassified if the appropriate federal banking agency determines (after notice and opportunity for hearing) that the institution is in an unsafe or unsound condition or deems the institution to be engaging in an unsafe or unsound practice.

The appropriate agency is also permitted to require an adequately capitalized or undercapitalized institution to comply with the supervisory provisions as if the institution were in the next lower category (but not treat a significantly undercapitalized institution as critically undercapitalized) based on supervisory information other than the capital levels of the institution.

Beginning in 2020, qualifying community banks with assets of less than $10 billion are eligible to opt in to the Community Bank Leverage Ratio (“CBLR”) framework. The CBLR is the ratio of a bank’s tangible equity capital to average total consolidated assets. A qualifying community bank that exceeds this ratio will be deemed to be in compliance with all other capital and leverage requirements, including the capital requirements to be considered “well capitalized” under prompt corrective action statutes. The federal banking agencies may consider a financial institution’s risk profile when evaluating whether it qualifies as a community bank for purposes of the capital ratio requirement. The federal banking agencies must set the minimum capital for the new CBLR at not less than 8% and not more than 10%, and had originally set the minimum ratio at 9%. However, pursuant to the CARES Act and related interim final rules, the minimum CBLR was 8% for calendar year 2020, 8.5% for calendar year 2021, and 9% thereafter. A financial institution that falls below the minimum CBLR generally has a two quarter grace period to get back into compliance as long as it maintains a minimum CBLR of 7% for 2020, 7.5% for 2021 and 8% for 2022 and thereafter. A financial institution can elect to be subject to or opt out of the CBLR framework at any time. As a qualified community bank, the Bank has opted into the CBLR framework as of December 31, 2023 and, as of that date, its CBLR was 9.92%, meeting all capital adequacy requirements in effect at that date.

Insurance of Deposit Accounts. The Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the Deposit Insurance Fund of the FDIC. Deposit insurance is currently $250,000 per depositor, per FDIC-insured institution, per ownership category. Under the FDIC’s risk-based assessment system, insured institutions are assigned a risk category based on supervisory evaluations, regulatory capital levels and certain other factors. An institution’s assessment rate depends upon the category to which it is assigned, and certain adjustments specified by FDIC regulations. Institutions deemed less risky pay lower assessments. The FDIC may adjust the scale uniformly, except that no adjustment can deviate more than two basis points from the base scale without notice and comment. No institution may pay a dividend if in default of the federal deposit insurance assessment.

The Dodd-Frank Act required the FDIC to revise its procedures to base its assessments upon each insured institution’s total assets less tangible equity instead of deposits. The FDIC finalized a rule, effective April 1, 2011, that set the assessment range at 2.5 to 45 basis points of total assets less tangible equity.

The FDIC has authority to increase insurance assessments. A significant increase in insurance premiums would likely have an adverse effect on the operating expenses and results of operations of the Bank. Management cannot predict what insurance assessment rates will be in the future.

Insurance of deposits may be terminated by the FDIC upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or regulatory condition imposed in writing by the FDIC or the OCC. The management of the Bank does not know of any practice, condition or violation that might lead to termination of deposit insurance.

Loans to One Borrower. Generally, subject to certain exceptions, the Bank may not make a loan or extend credit to a single or related group of borrowers in excess of 15% of its unimpaired capital and surplus. An additional amount may be lent, equal to 10% of unimpaired capital and surplus, if secured by specified readily-marketable collateral.

Standards for Safety and Soundness. The federal banking agencies have adopted Interagency Guidelines prescribing Standards for Safety and Soundness in various areas such as internal controls and information systems, internal audit, loan documentation and credit underwriting, interest rate exposure, asset growth and quality, earnings and compensation, fees and benefits. The guidelines set forth the safety and soundness standards that the federal banking agencies use to identify and address problems at insured depository institutions before capital becomes impaired. If the federal banking agency determines that a financial institution fails to meet any standard prescribed by the guidelines, the federal banking agency may require the financial institution to submit an acceptable plan to achieve compliance with the standard.

Community Reinvestment Act. The Bank has a responsibility under the Community Reinvestment Act and related regulations to help meet the credit needs of their communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. An institution’s failure to satisfactorily comply with the provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act could result in denials of regulatory applications. Responsibility for administering the Community Reinvestment Act, unlike other fair lending laws, has not been transferred to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Bank received a “satisfactory” Community Reinvestment Act rating in its most recently completed examination.

Transactions with Related Parties. The Bank’s authority to engage in transactions with “affiliates” (e.g., any entity that controls, is under common control with, or, to a certain extent, controlled by the Bank, including the Company and its other subsidiaries) is limited by federal law. “Covered transactions” include a loan or extension of credit, as well as a purchase of securities issued by an affiliate, a purchase of assets (unless otherwise exempted by the Federal Reserve Board) from the affiliate, certain derivative transactions that create a credit exposure to an affiliate, the acceptance of securities issued by the affiliate as collateral for a loan, and the issuance of a guarantee, acceptance or letter of credit on behalf of an affiliate. In general, these regulations require that any such transaction by the Bank (or its subsidiaries) with an affiliate must be secured by designated amounts of specified collateral and must be limited to certain thresholds on an individual and aggregate basis.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 generally prohibits loans by the Company to its executive officers and directors. However, the law contains a specific exception for loans by a depository institution to its executive officers and directors in compliance with federal banking laws. Under such laws, the Bank’s authority to extend credit to executive officers, directors and 10% shareholders (“insiders”), as well as entities such persons control, is limited. The laws limit both the individual and aggregate amount of loans that the Bank may make to insiders based, in part, on the Bank’s capital level and requires that certain board approval procedures be followed. Such loans are required to be made on terms substantially the same as those offered to unaffiliated individuals and not involve more than the normal risk of repayment. There is an exception for loans made pursuant to a benefit or compensation program that is widely available to all employees of the institution and does not give preference to insiders over other employees. Loans to executive officers are subject to additional limitations based on the type of loan involved.

Enforcement. The Federal Reserve Board has primary enforcement responsibility over the Company and has authority to bring actions against the institution and all institution-affiliated parties, including stockholders, and any attorneys, appraisers and accountants who knowingly or recklessly participate in wrongful action likely to have an adverse effect on an insured institution. Generally, the Federal Reserve Board takes formal enforcement actions against the above entities and individuals for violations of laws, rules, or regulations, unsafe or unsound practices, breaches of fiduciary duty, and violations of final orders. Formal enforcement actions include cease and desist orders, written agreements, prompt corrective action directives, removal and prohibition orders, and orders assessing civil money penalties. Civil penalties cover a wide range of violations and can amount to $2 million in especially egregious cases. State nonmember banks are regulated by the FDIC and state regulators.

Federal Home Loan Bank System

The Bank is a member of the FHLB System, which consists of 11 regional FHLBs and the Office of Finance. The FHLB provides a central credit facility primarily for member institutions. The Bank, as a member of the FHLB, is required to acquire and hold shares of capital stock in its regional FHLB, which for the Bank is the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis. The Bank was in compliance with this requirement with an investment in FHLB stock at December 31, 2023 of $1.7 million.

The FHLBs were previously required to provide funds for the resolution of insolvent thrifts in the late 1980s and contribute funds for affordable housing programs. These and similar requirements, or general economic conditions, could reduce the amount of dividends that the FHLBs pay to their members and result in the FHLBs imposing a higher rate of interest on advances to their members. If dividends were reduced, or interest on future FHLB advances increased, the Bank’s net interest income would likely also be reduced.

Federal Reserve System

Previously, the Federal Reserve Board regulations required banks to maintain non-interest earning reserves against their transaction accounts (primarily NOW and regular checking accounts). However, effective March 26, 2020, the Federal Reserve Board set reserve requirement ratios to 0.0%, and the requirement remained at 0.0% at December 31, 2023. In October 2008, the Federal Reserve Board began paying interest on certain reserve balances.

On March 12, 2020, the SEC finalized amendments to the definitions of “accelerated” and “large accelerated filer” definitions. The amendments increase the threshold criteria for meeting these categories and were effective on April 27, 2020. Prior to these changes, the Company was designated as an “accelerated” filer as it had more than $75 million in public float but less than $700 million at the end of the Company’s most recent second quarter. The rule change expands the definition of “smaller reporting companies” to include entities with public float of less than $700 million and less than $100 million in annual revenues in its most recent fiscal year. The Company met this expanded category of smaller reporting company based on the 2019 fiscal year and is no longer considered an accelerated filer. If the Company’s annual revenues exceed $100 million in a given fiscal year, its category will change back to “accelerated filer.” The categorization of “accelerated” or “large accelerated filer” drives the requirement for a public company to obtain an auditor attestation of its internal control over financial reporting. Smaller reporting companies also have additional time to file quarterly and annual financial statements. All public companies are required to obtain and file annual financial statement audits, as well as provide management’s assertion on effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, but the external auditor attestation of internal control over financial reporting is not required for SEC reporting purposes if a company is not an accelerated or large accelerated filer. Therefore, the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm was not required for SEC reporting purposes to attest on internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023.

Federal Securities Laws

The Company’s common stock is registered with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company is subject to the information, proxy solicitation, insider trading restrictions and other requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Other Regulations

The Bank’s operations are also subject to federal laws applicable to credit transactions, including the:

The operations of the Bank also are subject to laws such as the:

Future Legislation

In addition to the specific legislation described above, the current administration has signed a number of executive orders and memoranda that could directly impact the regulation of the banking industry. Congress is also considering legislation. The orders and legislation may change banking statutes and our operating environment in substantial and unpredictable ways by increasing or decreasing the cost of doing business, limiting or expanding permissible activities, or affecting the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions.

FEDERAL AND STATE TAXATION

Federal Taxation

General. The Company and its subsidiaries report their income on a calendar year basis using the accrual method of accounting and are subject to federal income taxation in the same manner as other corporations with some exceptions, including particularly the Bank’s reserve for bad debts, as discussed below. The following discussion of tax matters is intended only as a summary and does not purport to be a comprehensive description of the tax rules applicable to the Bank or the Company. The Company and the Bank have not been audited by the Internal Revenue Service in the past five years.

The Company and the Bank have entered into a tax allocation agreement. Because the Company owns 100% of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Bank, the Company and the Bank are members of an affiliated group within the meaning of Section 1504(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, of which group the Company is the common parent corporation. As a result of this affiliation, the Bank may be included in the filing of a consolidated federal income tax return with the Company and, if a decision to file a consolidated tax return is made, the parties agree to compensate each other for their individual share of the consolidated tax liability and/or any tax benefits provided by them in the filing of the consolidated federal tax return.

Bad Debt Reserve. For taxable years beginning after December 31, 1995, the Bank was entitled to take a bad debt deduction for federal income tax purposes which was based on its current or historic net charge-offs by applying the experience reserve method for banks, as long as the Bank did not meet the definition of a “large bank.” Under the Internal Revenue Code, if a bank’s average adjusted assets exceeds $500 million for any tax year it is considered a “large bank” and must utilize the specific charge-off method to compute bad debt deductions. The Bank met the definition of a “large bank” for the tax year ended December 31, 2016 as a result of the acquisition of Peoples. As such, the Bank was required to use the specific charge-off method to compute bad debt deductions beginning in 2016 and its bad debt reserves calculated using the experience reserve method were recaptured in taxable income over the four-year period ending December 31, 2019.       

Potential Recapture of Base Year Bad Debt Reserve. The Bank’s bad debt reserve as of the base year (which is the Bank’s last taxable year beginning before January 1, 1988) is not subject to automatic recapture as long as the Bank continues to carry on the business of banking and does not make “non-dividend distributions” as discussed below. If the Bank no longer qualifies as a bank, the balance of the pre-1988 reserves (the base year reserves) are restored to income over a six-year period beginning in the tax year the Bank no longer qualifies as a bank. Such base year bad debt reserve is also subject to recapture to the extent that the Bank makes “non-dividend distributions” that are considered as made from the base year bad debt reserve. To the extent that such reserves exceed the amount that would have been allowed under the experience method (“Excess Distributions”), then an amount based on the amount distributed will be included in the Bank’s taxable income. Non-dividend distributions include distributions in excess of the Bank’s current and accumulated earnings and profits, distributions in redemption of stock, and distributions in partial or complete liquidation. However, dividends paid out of the Bank’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, as calculated for federal income tax purposes, will not be considered to result in a distribution from the Bank’s bad debt reserve. Thus, any dividends to the Company that would reduce amounts appropriated to the Bank’s bad debt reserve and deducted for federal income tax purposes would create a tax liability for the Bank. The amount of additional taxable income created from an Excess Distribution is an amount that, when reduced by the tax attributable to the income, is equal to the amount of the distribution. If the Bank makes a “non-dividend distribution,” then approximately one and one-third times the amount so used would be includable in gross income for federal income tax purposes, assuming a 21% corporate income tax rate (exclusive of state and local taxes). The Bank does not intend to pay dividends that would result in a recapture of any portion of its bad debt reserve.

State Taxation

Indiana. Effective July 1, 2013, Indiana amended its tax code to provide for reductions in the franchise tax rate. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023, Indiana imposed a franchise tax based on a financial institution’s adjusted gross income as defined by statute at rates of 5.50%, 5.00% and 4.90%, respectively. The Indiana franchise tax rate will remain at 4.90% in future years. In computing Indiana taxable income, deductions for municipal interest, state and local income taxes and certain accelerated depreciation permitted for federal tax purposes are disallowed. The Company’s Indiana tax returns for 2018, 2019 and 2020 were audited by the Indiana Department of Revenue during 2022.

Kentucky. For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023, the Company was subject to Kentucky Corporate income taxes at a rate of 5.00%. The Company’s Kentucky tax returns have not been audited in the past five years.

ITEM 1A.         RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock is subject to risks inherent to our business. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully read and consider the following risks and uncertainties. We may encounter risks in addition to those described below, including risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or those we currently deem to be immaterial. The risks described below, as well as such additional risks and uncertainties, may impair or materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition. The risks are organized in the following categories:

Credit Risk

We may not be able to measure and limit our credit risk adequately, which could adversely affect our profitability.

Our business depends on our ability to successfully measure and manage credit risk. As a lender, we are exposed to the risk that the principal of, or interest on, a loan will not be paid timely or at all or that the value of any collateral supporting a loan will be insufficient to cover our outstanding exposure. In addition, we are exposed to risks with respect to the period of time over which the loan may be repaid, risks relating to proper loan underwriting, risks resulting from changes in economic and industry conditions, and risks inherent in dealing with individual loans and borrowers. The creditworthiness of a borrower is affected by many factors, including local market conditions and general economic conditions. Many of our loans are made to small to medium-sized businesses that are less able to withstand competitive, economic and financial pressures than larger borrowers. If the overall economic climate in the United States, generally, or in our market specifically, experiences material disruption, our borrowers may experience difficulties in repaying their loans, the collateral we hold may decrease in value or become illiquid, and the level of nonperforming loans, charge-offs and delinquencies could rise and require significant additional provisions for credit losses. Additional factors related to the credit quality of multifamily residential, real estate construction and other commercial real estate loans include the quality of management of the business and tenant vacancy rates.

Our risk management practices, such as monitoring the concentration of our loans within specific markets and our credit approval, review and administrative practices, may not adequately reduce credit risk, and our credit administration personnel, policies and procedures may not adequately adapt to changes in economic or any other conditions affecting customers and the quality of the loan portfolio. A failure to effectively measure and limit the credit risk associated with our loan portfolio may result in loan defaults, foreclosures and additional charge-offs, and may necessitate that we significantly increase our ACL on loans, each of which could adversely affect our net income. As a result, our inability to successfully manage credit risk could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Higher loan losses could require the Company to increase its ACL on loans and unfunded commitments through a charge to earnings.

When we loan, or commit to loan, money we incur the risk that our borrowers do not repay their loans. We reserve for credit losses by establishing an allowance through a charge to earnings. The amount of this allowance is based on our assessment of credit losses inherent in our loan portfolio. The process for determining the amount of the allowance is critical to our financial results and condition. It requires subjective and complex judgments about the future, including forecasts of economic or market conditions that might impair the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans. We might underestimate the credit losses inherent in our loan portfolio and have credit losses exceeding the amount reserved. We might increase the allowance because of changing economic conditions. For example, in a rising interest rate environment, borrowers with adjustable-rate loans could see their payments increase. There may be a significant increase in the number of borrowers who are unable or unwilling to repay their loans, resulting in our charging off more loans and increasing our allowance. In addition, when real estate values decline, the potential severity of loss on a real estate-secured loan can increase significantly, especially in the case of loans with high combined loan-to-value ratios. Our ACL on loans and unfunded commitments at any particular date may not be sufficient to cover future loan losses. We may be required to increase our ACL on loans and unfunded commitments, thus reducing earnings.

Commercial business lending may expose the Company to increased lending risks.

At December 31, 2023, the Bank’s commercial business loan portfolio amounted to $68.2 million, or 11.0% of total loans. Subject to market conditions and other factors, the Bank intends to expand its commercial business lending activities within its primary market area. Commercial business lending is inherently riskier than residential mortgage lending. Although commercial business loans are often collateralized by equipment, inventory, accounts receivable or other business assets, the liquidation value of these assets in the event of a borrower default is often an insufficient source of repayment because accounts receivable may be uncollectible and inventories and equipment may be obsolete or of limited use, among other things. See “Item 1. Business–Lending Activities–Commercial Business Loans.”

Commercial real estate lending may expose the Company to increased lending risks.

At December 31, 2023, the Bank’s commercial real estate loan portfolio amounted to $168.8 million, or 27.2% of total loans. Commercial real estate lending is inherently riskier than residential mortgage lending. Because payments on loans secured by commercial properties often depend upon the successful operation and management of the properties, repayment of such loans may be affected by adverse conditions in the real estate market or the economy, among other things. See “Item 1. Business–Lending Activities–Commercial Real Estate Loans.”

Non-performing assets take significant time to resolve, adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition, and could result in losses.

At December 31, 2023, our non-performing assets, consisting entirely of non-performing loans, totaled $1.8 million, or 0.28% of our gross loans and 0.15% of our total assets. Our non-performing loans adversely affect our net income in various ways. We do not record interest income on non-accrual loans, thereby adversely affecting our net income and returns on assets and equity, increasing our loan administration costs, and adversely affecting our efficiency ratio. When we take collateral in repossession and similar proceedings, we are required to mark the collateral to its then net realizable value, less estimated selling costs, which may result in a loss. These non-performing loans and repossessed assets also increase our risk profile and the capital our regulators believe is appropriate in light of such risks. The resolution of non-performing assets requires significant time commitments from management and can be detrimental to the performance of their other responsibilities. If we experience increases in non-performing loans and non-performing assets, our net interest income may be negatively impacted and our loan administration costs could increase, each of which may adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Liquidity and Interest Rate Risk

Above average interest rate risk associated with fixed-rate loans may have an adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.         

The Bank’s loan portfolio includes a significant amount of loans with fixed rates of interest. At December 31, 2023, $302.0 million, or 48.6% of the Bank’s total loans receivable, had fixed interest rates all of which were held for investment. The Bank offers ARM loans and fixed-rate loans. Unlike ARM loans, fixed-rate loans carry the risk that, because they do not reprice to market interest rates, their yield may be insufficient to offset increases in the Bank’s cost of funds during a rising interest rate environment. Accordingly, a material and prolonged increase in market interest rates could be expected to have a greater adverse effect on the Bank’s net interest income compared to other institutions that hold a materially larger portion of their assets in ARM loans or fixed-rate loans that are originated for committed sale in the secondary market. For a discussion of the Bank’s loan portfolio, see “Item 1. Business– Lending Activities.”

Liquidity risks could affect operations and jeopardize our business, financial condition, and results of operations.         

Our ability to implement our business strategy will depend on our liquidity and ability to obtain funding for loan originations, working capital, and other general purposes. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings, the sale of loans, and other sources could have a substantial negative effect on our liquidity. Our preferred source of funds consists of consumer and commercial deposits, which we supplement with other sources, such as wholesale deposits made up of brokered deposits. Such account and deposit balances can decrease when customers perceive alternative investments as providing a better risk/return profile. If clients move money out of bank deposits and into other investments, we may increase our utilization of wholesale deposits, FHLB advances, FRB borrowing facilities and other wholesale funding sources necessary to fund desired growth levels. Because these funds generally are more sensitive to interest rate changes than our targeted in-market deposits, they are more likely to move to the highest rate available. In addition, the use of brokered deposits without regulatory approval is limited to banks that are “well capitalized” according to regulation. If the Bank is unable to maintain its capital levels at “well capitalized” minimums, we could lose a significant source of funding, which would force us to utilize different wholesale funding or potentially sell assets at a time when pricing may be unfavorable, increasing our funding costs and reducing our net interest income and net income.

Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize our activities or on terms that are acceptable to us could be impaired by factors that affect us directly or the financial services industry or economy in general, such as disruptions in the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry. Community banks generally have less access to the capital markets than do national, regional, and super-regional banks because of their smaller size and limited analyst coverage. During periods of economic turmoil or decline, the financial services industry and the credit markets generally may be materially and adversely affected by declines in asset values and by diminished liquidity. Under such circumstances, the liquidity issues are often particularly acute for community banks, as larger financial institutions may curtail their lending to regional and community banks to reduce their exposure to the risks of other banks. Correspondent lenders may also reduce or even eliminate federal funds lines for their correspondent clients in difficult economic times.

As a result, we rely on our ability to generate deposits and effectively manage the repayment and maturity schedules of our loans and investment securities to ensure that we have adequate liquidity to fund our operations. Any decline in available funding could adversely impact our ability to originate loans, invest in securities, meet our expenses, pay dividends to our shareholders, or fulfill obligations such as repaying our borrowings or meeting deposit withdrawal demands, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

The Company is a bank holding company and its sources of funds necessary to meet its obligations are limited.

The Company is a bank holding company and its operations are primarily conducted by the Bank, which is subject to significant federal and state regulation. Cash available to pay dividends to our shareholders, pay our obligations, and meet our debt service requirements is derived primarily from dividends received from the Bank. Future dividend payments by the Bank to us will require the generation of future earnings by the Bank and are subject to certain regulatory guidelines. If the Bank is unable to pay dividends to us, we may not have the resources or cash flow to pay or meet all of our obligations.

Operational Risk

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

The Bank relies heavily on internal and outsourced digital technologies, communications, and information systems to conduct its business. As our reliance on technology systems increases, the potential risks of technology-related operation interruptions in our customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan, or other systems or the occurrence of cyber incidents also increases. Cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events including (i) gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruptions; (ii) causing denial-of-service attacks on websites; or (iii) intelligence gathering and social engineering aimed at obtaining information. The occurrence of operational interruption, cyber incident, or a deficiency in the cyber security of our technology systems (internal or outsourced) could negatively impact our financial condition or results of operations.

Information security risks have generally increased in recent years because of the proliferation of new technologies, the use of the Internet and telecommunications technologies to conduct financial and other transactions and the increased sophistication and activities of perpetrators of cyber-attacks and mobile phishing directed at our customers and our personnel. Mobile phishing, a means for identity thieves to obtain sensitive personal information through fraudulent e-mail, text or voice mail, is an emerging threat targeting the customers of financial entities. A failure in or breach of our operational or information security systems, or those of our third-party service providers, as a result of cyber-attacks or information security breaches or due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions could adversely affect our business, result in the disclosure or misuse of confidential or proprietary information, damage our reputation, increase our costs and/or cause losses.

We have policies and procedures expressly designed to prevent or limit the effect of a failure, interruption, or security breach of our systems and maintain cyber security insurance. However, such policies, procedures, or insurance may prove insufficient to prevent, repel, or mitigate a cyber incident. Significant interruptions to our business from technology issues could result in expensive remediation efforts and distraction of management. Although we have not experienced any material losses related to a technology-related operational interruption or cyber-attack, there can be no assurance that such failures, interruptions, or security breaches will not occur in the future or, if they do occur, that the impact will not be substantial.

The occurrence of any failures, interruptions, or security breaches of our technology systems could damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business, result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss, or destruction of proprietary information, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny, or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or stock price. As cyber threats continue to evolve, we may also be required to spend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities.

We are subject to certain operational risks, including, but not limited to, customer or employee fraud and data processing system failures and errors.

Employee errors and employee and/or customer misconduct could subject us to financial losses or regulatory sanctions and seriously harm our reputation or financial performance. Misconduct by our employees could include, but is not limited to, hiding unauthorized activities from us, improper or unauthorized activities on behalf of our customers or improper use of confidential information. It is not always possible to prevent employee errors and misconduct, and the precautions we take to prevent and detect this activity may not be effective in all cases. Employee errors could also subject us to financial claims for negligence.

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

We depend on outside third parties for processing and handling of our records and data.

The Bank relies on software developed by third party vendors to process various transactions. In some cases, we have contracted with third parties to run their proprietary software on our behalf. These systems include, but are not limited to, general ledger, payroll, employee benefits, and loan and deposit processing, and securities portfolio management. While we perform a review of controls instituted by the vendors over these programs in accordance with industry standards and perform our own testing of user controls, we must rely on the continued maintenance of these controls by the outside party, including safeguards over the security of customer data. In addition, we maintain backups of key processing output daily in the event of a failure on the part of any of these systems. Nonetheless, we may incur a temporary disruption in our ability to conduct our business or process our transactions or incur damage to our reputation if the third party vendor fails to adequately maintain internal controls or institute necessary changes to systems. Such disruption or breach of security may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our framework for managing risks may not be effective in mitigating risk and loss to us.

Our risk management framework seeks to mitigate risk and loss to us. We have established processes and procedures intended to identify, measure, monitor, control, and analyze the types of risk to which we are subject, including liquidity risk, credit risk, market risk, interest rate risk, operational risk, information and cyber security risk, compensation risk, legal and compliance risk, and reputational risk, among others. However, as with any risk management framework, there are inherent limitations to our risk management strategies as there may exist, or develop in the future, risks that we have not appropriately anticipated or identified. Our ability to successfully identify and manage risks facing us is an important factor that can significantly impact our results. If our risk management framework proves ineffective, we could suffer unexpected losses which could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

We are subject to changes in accounting principles, policies, or guidelines.

Our financial performance is impacted by accounting principles, policies, and guidelines. Some of these policies require the use of estimates and assumptions that may affect the value of our assets or liabilities and financial results. Some of our accounting policies are critical because they require management to make difficult, subjective, and complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain and because it is likely that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions. If such estimates or assumptions underlying our financial statements are incorrect, we may experience material losses.

From time to time, the FASB and SEC change the financial accounting and reporting standards or the interpretation of those standards that govern the preparation of our financial statements. These changes are beyond our control, can be difficult to predict, and could materially impact how we report our financial condition and results of operations. Changes in these standards are continuously occurring and more drastic changes may occur in the future. The implementation of such changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Strategic and External Risk

Our business may be adversely affected by conditions in the financial markets and economic conditions generally.

Our financial performance depends to a large extent on the business environment in our geographically concentrated five-county market area, the nearby suburban metropolitan Louisville market, the states of Indiana and Kentucky, and the U.S. as a whole. In particular, the local economic environment impacts the ability of borrowers to pay interest on and repay principal of outstanding loans as well as the value of collateral securing those loans. A favorable business environment is generally characterized by economic growth, low unemployment, efficient capital markets, low inflation, high business and investor confidence, strong business earnings, and other factors. Unfavorable or uncertain economic and market conditions can be caused by declines in economic growth, business activity, or investor or business confidence; limitations on the availability or increases in the cost of credit and capital; increases in inflation or interest rates; high unemployment; natural disasters; or a combination of these or other factors.

Our financial results may also be negatively impacted by periods of increased inflation. Increased inflation can lead to decreases in the value of assets or reduced income from investments in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. Recently, there have been market indicators of a pronounced rise in inflation and the FRB has raised certain benchmark interest rates in an effort to combat inflation. As inflation increases and market interest rates rise, the value of our investment securities, particularly those with longer maturities, would decrease, although this effect can be less pronounced for floating rate instruments. In addition, inflation generally increases the cost of goods and services we use in our business operations, such as electricity and other utilities, which increases our noninterest expenses. Furthermore, our customers are also affected by inflation and the rising costs of goods and services used in their households and businesses, which could have a negative impact on their ability to repay their loans with us.

Future economic conditions in our market will depend on factors outside of our control such as political and market conditions, broad trends in industry and finance, legislative and regulatory changes, changes in government, military and fiscal policies.

Acquisitions and the addition of branch facilities may not produce revenue enhancements or cost savings at levels or within timeframes originally anticipated and may result in unforeseen integration difficulties and dilution to existing shareholder value.

We regularly explore opportunities to establish branch facilities and acquire other banks or financial institutions. New or acquired branch facilities and other facilities may not be profitable. We may not be able to correctly identify profitable locations for new branches. The costs to start up new branch facilities or to acquire existing branches, and the additional costs to operate these facilities, may increase our noninterest expense and decrease earnings in the short term. It may be difficult to adequately and profitably manage growth through the establishment of these branches. In addition, we can provide no assurance that these branch sites will successfully attract enough deposits to offset the expenses of operating these branch sites. Any new or acquired branches will be subject to regulatory approval, and there can be no assurance that we will succeed in securing such approvals.

Turmoil in the financial markets could result in lower fair values for our investment securities.

Major disruptions in the capital markets and significant increases in market interest rates experienced in recent years have adversely affected investor demand for all classes of securities, excluding U.S. Treasury securities, and resulted in volatility in the fair values of our investment securities. Significant prolonged reduced investor demand could manifest itself in lower fair values for these securities and may result in recognition of a credit loss through a valuation allowance, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Municipal securities can also be impacted by the business environment of their geographic location. Although this type of security historically experienced extremely low default rates, municipal securities are subject to systemic risk since cash flows generally depend on (i) the ability of the issuing authority to levy and collect taxes or (ii) the ability of the issuer to charge for and collect payment for essential services rendered. If the issuer defaults on its payments, it may result in the recognition of a partial credit loss through a valuation allowance or total loss, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Strong competition within the Bank’s market area could hurt the Company’s profitability and growth.

The Bank faces intense competition both in making loans and attracting deposits. This competition has made it more difficult for the Bank to make new loans and at times has forced the Bank to offer higher deposit rates. Price competition for loans and deposits might result in the Bank earning less on loans and paying more on deposits, which would reduce net interest income. Competition also makes it more difficult to grow loans and deposits. Some of the institutions with which the Bank competes have substantially greater resources and lending limits than the Bank has and they may operate in a wider geographic area than the Bank does. The Bank’s competition may also offer services that the Bank does not provide. Future competition will likely increase because of legislative, regulatory and technological changes and the continuing trend of consolidation in the financial services industry. The Company’s profitability depends upon the Bank’s continued ability to compete successfully in its market area.

We also compete with non-bank providers of financial services, such as brokerage firms, consumer finance companies, insurance companies and governmental organizations, which may offer more favorable terms. Some of our non-bank competitors are not subject to the same extensive regulations that govern our operations. As a result, such non-bank competitors may have advantages over us in providing certain products and services. This competition may reduce or limit our margins on banking services, reduce our market share and adversely affect our earnings and financial condition.

We continually encounter technological change.

The banking and financial services industry continually undergoes technological changes, with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. In addition to better meeting customer needs, the effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial institutions to reduce costs. Our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services that enhance customer convenience and that create additional efficiencies in our operations. Many of our competitors have greater resources to invest in technological improvements, and we may not effectively implement new technology-driven products and services or do so as quickly as our competitors, which could reduce our ability to effectively compete. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the financial services industry could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Regulatory, Compliance, Legal, and Reputational Risk

We are subject to federal regulations that seek to protect the Deposit Insurance Fund and the depositors and borrowers of the Bank, and our federal regulators may impose restrictions on our operations that are detrimental to holders of the Company’s common stock.

We are subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the Federal Reserve Board, IDFI and FDIC, our primary regulators. Such regulation and supervision govern the activities in which an institution and its holding company may engage, and are intended primarily for the protection of the insurance fund and the depositors and borrowers of the Bank rather than for holders of the Company’s common stock. Our regulators may subject us to supervisory and enforcement actions, such as the imposition of certain restrictions on our operations, requirements that we take remedial action, the classification of our assets and the determination of the level of our ACL on loans, that are aimed at protecting the insurance fund and the depositors and borrowers of the Bank but that are detrimental to holders of the Company’s common stock. Any change in our regulation or oversight, whether in the form of regulatory policy, regulations, legislation or supervisory action, may have a material impact on our operations.

The Bank’s operations are also subject to extensive regulation by other federal, state and local governmental authorities, and are subject to various laws and judicial and administrative decisions that impose requirements and restrictions on operations. These laws, rules and regulations are frequently changed by legislative and regulatory authorities. There can be no assurance that changes to existing laws, rules and regulations, or any other new laws, rules or regulations, will not be adopted in the future, which could make compliance more difficult or expensive or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or prospects.

Financial regulatory reform may have a material impact on the Company’s operations.

The Dodd-Frank Act contains various provisions designed to enhance the regulation of depository institutions and prevent the recurrence of a financial crisis such as occurred in 2008 and 2009. These include provisions strengthening holding company capital requirements, requiring retention of a portion of the risk of securitized loans and regulating debit card interchange fees. The Dodd-Frank Act also created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to administer consumer protection and fair lending laws, a function that was formerly performed by the depository institution regulators. The full impact of the Dodd-Frank Act on our business and operations will not be known for years until regulations implementing the statute are written and adopted. However, it is likely that the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act will have an adverse impact on our operations, particularly through increased regulatory burden and compliance costs.

We face a risk of noncompliance and enforcement action with the BSA and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations.

The BSA, the USA PATRIOT Act, and other laws and regulations require financial institutions, among other duties, to institute and maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and to file reports such as suspicious activity reports and currency transaction reports. We are required to comply with these and other anti-money laundering requirements. Our federal and state banking regulators, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and other government agencies are authorized to impose significant civil money penalties for violations of anti-money laundering requirements. We are also subject to increased scrutiny of compliance with the regulations issued and enforced by OFAC, which is responsible for helping to ensure that U.S. entities do not engage in transactions with certain prohibited parties, as defined by various Executive Orders and Acts of Congress. If our program is deemed deficient, we could be subject to liability, including fines, civil money penalties and other regulatory actions, which may include restrictions on our business operations and our ability to pay dividends, restrictions on mergers and acquisitions activity, restrictions on expansion, and restrictions on entering new business lines. Failure to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing could also have significant reputational consequences for us. Any of these circumstances could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are periodically subject to examination and scrutiny by a number of banking agencies and, depending upon the findings and determinations of these agencies, we may be required to make adjustments to our business that could adversely affect us.

Federal and state banking agencies periodically conduct examinations of our business, including compliance with applicable laws and regulations. If, as a result of an examination, a federal banking agency was to determine that the financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, asset concentration, earnings prospects, management, liquidity, sensitivity to market risk, or other aspects of any of our operations has become unsatisfactory, or that we or our management is in violation of any law or regulation, it could take a number of different remedial actions as it deems appropriate. These actions include the power to enjoin “unsafe or unsound” practices, to require affirmative actions to correct any conditions resulting from any violation or practice, to issue an administrative order that can be judicially enforced, to direct an increase in our capital, to restrict our growth, to change the asset composition of our portfolio or balance sheet, to assess civil monetary penalties against our officers or directors, to remove officers and directors and, if it is concluded that such conditions cannot be corrected or there is an imminent risk of loss to depositors, to terminate our deposit insurance. If we become subject to such regulatory actions, our business, results of operations, and financial condition may be adversely affected.

Risks Related to the Company’s Stock

An investment in the Company’s Common Stock is not an insured deposit.

The Company’s common stock is not a bank deposit and, therefore, is not insured against loss by the FDIC, any other deposit insurance fund, or by any other public or private entity. Investment in the Company’s common stock is inherently risky for the reasons described in this “Risk Factors” section and elsewhere in this report and is subject to the same market forces that affect the price of common stock in any public company. As a result, if you acquire the Company’s common stock, you could lose some or all of your investment.

The price of the Company’s common stock may be volatile, which may result in losses for investors.

General market price declines or market volatility in the future could adversely affect the price of the Company’s common stock. In addition, the following factors may cause the market price for shares of the Company’s common stock to fluctuate:

The trading volume in the Company’s common stock is less than that of other larger financial services institutions.

Although the Company’s common stock is listed for trading on The NASDAQ Capital Market, the trading volume in its common stock may be less than that of other, larger financial services companies. A public trading market having the desired characteristics of depth, liquidity, and orderliness depends on the presence in the marketplace of willing buyers and sellers of the Company’s common stock at any given time. This presence depends on the individual decisions of investors and general economic and market conditions over which the Company has no control. During any period of lower trading volume of the Company’s common stock, significant sales of shares of the Company’s common stock, or the expectation of these sales could cause the Company’s common stock price to fall.

The Company’s Articles of Incorporation, Indiana law, and certain banking laws may have an anti-takeover effect.

Provisions of the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, the Indiana Business Corporation Law and federal banking laws, including regulatory approval requirements, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire the Company, even if doing so would be perceived to be beneficial by the Company’s shareholders. The combination of these provisions could have the effect of inhibiting a non-negotiated merger or other business combination, which, in turn, could adversely affect the market price of the Company’s common stock.

The Company may issue additional securities, which could dilute the ownership percentage of holders of the Company’s common stock.

The Company may issue additional securities to, among other reasons, raise additional capital or finance acquisitions, and, if it does, the ownership percentage of holders of the Company’s common stock could be diluted potentially materially.

We may not be able to pay dividends in the future in accordance with past practice.

The Company has traditionally paid a quarterly dividend to common shareholders. We have no obligations to continue paying dividends. The payment of dividends is subject to legal and regulatory restrictions. Any payment of dividends in the future will depend, in large part, on our earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors considered relevant by the Company’s Board of Directors. The Board may, at its discretion, further reduce or eliminate dividends or change its dividend policy in the future.

General Risk Factors

We may not be able to attract and retain skilled people.

The Bank’s success depends on its ability to attract and retain skilled people. Competition for the best people in most activities in which we engage can be intense, and we may not be able to hire people or retain them. Factors that affect our ability to attract and retain talented and diverse employees include compensation and benefits programs, profitability, opportunities for advancement, flexible working conditions, availability of qualified persons and our reputation. The unexpected loss of services of certain of our skilled personnel could have a material adverse impact on our business because of their skills, knowledge of our market, years of industry experience, customer relationships, and the difficulty of promptly finding qualified replacement personnel.

Loss of key employees may disrupt relationships with certain customers.

Our customer relationships are critical to the success of our business, and loss of key employees with significant customer relationships may lead to the loss of business if the customers were to follow that employee to a competitor. While we believe our relationships with key personnel are strong, we cannot guarantee that all of our key personnel will remain with the organization, which could result in the loss of some of our customers and could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We rely heavily on our executive management team and other key personnel for our successful operation, and we could be adversely affected by the unexpected loss of their services.

Our success depends in large part on the performance of our key personnel at the Bank that have substantial experience and tenure with the Bank and in the markets that we serve. Our continued success and growth depend in large part on the efforts of these key personnel, the support of the Company’s Board of Directors, and ability to attract, motivate and retain highly qualified senior and middle management and other skilled employees to complement and succeed to our core senior management team.

Our internal controls may be ineffective.

Management regularly reviews and updates its internal controls, disclosure controls and procedures, and corporate governance policies and procedures. Any system of controls, however well designed and operated, is based in part on certain assumptions and can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurances that the objectives of the controls are met. Any failure or circumvention of our controls and procedures or failure to comply with regulations related to controls and procedures could cause us to report a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting and conclude that our controls and procedures are not effective, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

ITEM 1B.         UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 1C.         CYBERSECURITY

The Company’s cybersecurity risk management program is integrated into our enterprise risk management program and is designed to expeditiously identify, analyze and protect against security threats to its computer systems, software, networks, storage devices and other technology assets. Our management team, with input from our Board of Directors, proactively manages the Company’s cybersecurity risks to avoid or minimize the impacts of attacks by unauthorized parties attempting to obtain access to confidential information, destroy data, disrupt service, sabotage systems or cause other damage. Specifically, the Company has appointed a Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) to maintain a comprehensive information security program. Our strategy includes a continuous improvement mindset along with a defense in depth approach to cybersecurity. Our layered security architecture consists of innovative technology to detect, prevent, and mitigate cybersecurity threats. Ongoing proactive analysis of cyber threat intelligence ensures that we are taking the appropriate counter measures to defend against the latest threats. We use monitoring and preventive controls to detect and respond swiftly to data breaches and cyber threats involving our systems. We regularly evaluate our systems and controls and implement upgrades as necessary. This includes regular consultation with external cybersecurity experts. In addition, we participate in external tabletop exercises on a regular basis in addition to conducting our own internal tests of our systems. We also attempt to reduce our exposure to our vendors' data privacy and cyber incidents by performing initial vendor due diligence that is updated periodically for critical vendors, negotiating service level standards with vendors, negotiating for indemnification from vendors for confidentiality and data breaches, and limiting third-party access to the least privileged level necessary to perform outsourced functions. The additional cost to us of data and cybersecurity monitoring and protection systems and controls includes the cost of hardware and software, third-party technology providers, consulting and testing firms, insurance premium costs, legal fees and the cost of personnel who focus a substantial portion of their responsibilities on data security and cybersecurity.

The Company uses an Agility Preparedness Plan (“Agility Plan”), along with incident response policies, to enable management to respond timely to cybersecurity incidents, coordinate such responses within the Company and with our Board of Directors, notify law enforcement, regulatory bodies, and other government agencies, and notify customers and employees. The Agility Plan provides a documented framework for identifying and responding to actual or potential cybersecurity incidents, including timely notification of and escalation to the Crisis Management Team (“CMT”). The CMT facilitates coordination across key stakeholders of the Company. The Company’s CIO and key members of management are members of the CMT. The Company provides the CIO and the information security team the latest tools and techniques to protect the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the Company’s data for the benefit of our customers, employees and shareholders. We regularly engage third-party consultants to assess the effectiveness of our strategy, tools and techniques, and overall information security program. Independent oversight and assurance activities specifically include internal audits, vulnerability assessments and penetration testing. The Company’s cybersecurity professionals are well-trained on how to protect customer and employee information through ongoing education and awareness initiatives. The CIO and other members of the information technology team receive ongoing training related to developing threats, proactive solutions and industry best practices in order to effectively protect the Company and its stakeholders.

The Company maintains a third-party risk management program designed to identify, analyze and monitor risks, including cybersecurity risks, associated with vendors and outside service providers. Our vendor risk management team collaborates closely with the information security team to ensure third parties meet certain information security control requirements. Our information security team proactively monitors our internal systems and email gateways for phishing email attacks. Remote connections are also assessed and monitored given a portion of our workforce works remotely. Personnel serve as members of both teams helping to effectively identify and communicate issues as they develop.

Our Board of Directors provides direction and oversight over the Company’s enterprise-wide risk management program, including risks related to cybersecurity. The entire Board of Directors is provided regular updates regarding the Company’s information technology policies, procedures, risks and operating status. These updates include updates on the Company’s cyber risks and threats, the status of projects to strengthen our information security systems, assessments of the information security program, and the emerging threat landscape.

Cybersecurity incidents are managed through the Agility Plan, and other appropriate response policies, which provide direction to management allowing for the timely transfer of information throughout the organization. Our policy requires material incidents to be reported within 36 hours after an incident is determined to be material with the materiality determination to be completed without unreasonable delay. The CMT has developed a plan to facilitate making timely determinations as to whether and when incidents should be disclosed. If a material incident occurs, the Company will describe in detail the material aspects and nature, scope and timing of the incident, along with the impact to its financial condition and results of operations via the timely filing of Form 8-K.

To our knowledge, previous cybersecurity incidents have not materially affected the Company, its business strategy, financial condition or results of operation. With regard to the possible impact of future cybersecurity threats or incidents, see "Item 1A. Risk Factors."

ITEM 2.         PROPERTIES

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Bank’s offices as of December 31, 2023.

ITEM 3.         LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

At December 31, 2023, neither the Company nor the Bank was involved in any pending legal proceedings believed by management to be material to the Company’s financial condition or results of operations. From time to time, the Bank is involved in legal proceedings occurring in the ordinary course of business. Such routine legal proceedings, in the aggregate, are believed by management to be immaterial to the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

ITEM 4.         MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

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

The common shares of the Company are traded on The NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “FCAP.” As of December 31, 2023, the Company had 892 stockholders of record and 3,350,660 common shares outstanding. This does not reflect the number of persons whose shares are in nominee or "street" name accounts through brokers. See Note 17 in the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding dividend restrictions applicable to the Company.

The following table lists quarterly market price and dividend information per common share for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 as reported by NASDAQ.

Dividend Policy

It has been our policy to pay quarterly dividends to holders of our common stock, and we intend to continue paying dividends. Our dividend policy and practice may change in the future, however, and our Board of Directors may change or eliminate the payment of future dividends at its discretion, without notice to our shareholders. Any future determination to pay dividends to holders of our common stock will depend on our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements, banking regulations, contractual restrictions and any other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.

Unregistered Sales and Repurchases of Equity Securities

On August 19, 2008, the board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to 240,467 shares of the Company’s outstanding common stock. The stock repurchase program will expire upon the purchase of the maximum number of shares authorized under the program, unless the board of directors terminates the program earlier. There were no shares purchased under the stock repurchase program during the quarter ended December 31, 2023. The maximum number of shares that may yet be purchased under the plan is 115,828.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

See Item 12 of this report for disclosure regarding securities authorized for issuance and equity compensation plans required by Item 201(d) of Regulation S-K.

ITEM 6.         [RESERVED]

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

General

As the holding company for the Bank, the Company conducts its business primarily through the Bank. The Bank’s results of operations depend primarily on net interest income, which is the difference between the income earned on its interest-earning assets, such as loans and investments, and the cost of its interest-bearing liabilities, consisting primarily of deposits and borrowings from the FHLB and BTFP. The Bank’s net income is also affected by, among other things, fee income, provisions for credit losses, operating expenses and income tax provisions. The Bank’s results of operations are also significantly affected by general economic and competitive conditions, particularly changes in market interest rates, government legislation and policies concerning monetary and fiscal affairs, housing and financial institutions and the intended actions of the regulatory authorities.

Management uses various indicators to evaluate the Company’s financial condition and results of operations. Indicators include the following:

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is intended to assist in understanding the financial condition and results of operations of the Company and the Bank. The information contained in this section should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report.

Operating Strategy

The Company is the parent company of an independent community-oriented financial institution that delivers quality customer service and offers a wide range of deposit, loan and investment products to its customers. The commitment to customer needs, the focus on providing consistent customer service, and community service and support are the keys to the Bank’s past and future success. The Company has no other material income other than that generated by the Bank and its subsidiaries.

The Bank’s primary business strategy is attracting deposits from the general public and using those funds to originate residential mortgage loans, multi-family residential loans, commercial real estate and business loans and consumer loans. The Bank invests excess liquidity primarily in interest-bearing deposits with the FHLB and other financial institutions, federal funds sold, U.S. government and agency securities, local municipal obligations and mortgage-backed securities.

In recent years, the Company’s operating strategy has also included strategies designed to enhance profitability by increasing sources of noninterest income and improving operating efficiency while managing its capital and limiting its credit risk and interest rate risk exposures. To accomplish these objectives, the Company has focused on the following:

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The accounting and reporting policies of the Company comply with U.S. GAAP and conform to general practices within the banking industry. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions. The financial position and results of operations can be affected by these estimates and assumptions, which are integral to understanding reported results. Critical accounting policies are those policies that require management to make assumptions about matters that are highly uncertain at the time an accounting estimate is made; and different estimates that the Company reasonably could have used in the current period, or changes in the accounting estimate that are reasonably likely to occur from period to period, would have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition or results of operations. Most accounting policies are not considered by management to be critical accounting policies. Several factors are considered in determining whether or not a policy is critical in the preparation of financial statements. These factors include, among other things, whether the estimates are significant to the financial statements, the nature of the estimates, the ability to readily validate the estimates with other information including third parties or available prices, and sensitivity of the estimates to changes in economic conditions and whether alternative accounting methods may be utilized under U.S. GAAP.

Significant accounting policies, including the impact of recent accounting pronouncements, are discussed in Note 1 of the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Those policies considered to be critical accounting policies are described below.

ACL on Loans. The ACL is a valuation account that is deducted from an asset’s amortized cost basis to present the net amount expected to be collected on the asset. Loans are charged off against the ACL when management believes the uncollectibility of a loan balance is confirmed. Expected recoveries do not exceed the aggregate of amounts previously charged off and expected to be charged-off.

The Company utilizes a combination of methods in determining expected future credit losses, including the Open Pool/Snapshot method, which starts with a loan portfolio’s composition at a point in time and tracks that portfolio’s performance in subsequent periods until final disposition, and the Weighted Average Remaining Maturity method, which uses average annual charge-off rates and the remaining life of the loan to estimate the ACL. For the Company’s loan portfolios, the remaining contractual life for each loan is adjusted by the expected scheduled payments and estimated prepayments. The average annual charge-off rate is applied to the amortization adjusted remaining life of the loan to determine the unadjusted lifetime historical charge-off rate. The Company’s expected loss estimate is anchored in historical credit loss experience, with an emphasis on all available portfolio data.

The Company estimates the ACL on loans using relevant available information from internal and external sources relating to past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Historical loss experience provides the basis for the estimation of expected credit losses. Qualitative adjustments to historical loss information are made for losses reflected by peers, changes in underwriting standards, changes in economic conditions, changes in delinquency levels, collateral values and other factors.

Qualitative adjustments reflect management’s overall estimate of the extent to which current expected credit losses on collectively evaluated loans will differ from historical loss experience. The analysis takes into consideration industry and collateral concentrations, acquired loan portfolio characteristics and other credit-related analytics as deemed appropriate.

Management exercises significant judgment in evaluating the relevant historical loss experience and the qualitative factors. Management also monitors the differences between estimated and actual incurred loan losses in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the estimation process and make any changes in the methodology as necessary.

The ACL is measured on a collective (pooled) basis when similar risk characteristics exist. When a loan no longer exhibits risk characteristics similar to those of the loan portfolio, management individually evaluates that loan for a specific allocation of the ACL. Specific reserves on individually analyzed loans are determined by comparing the loan balance to the present value of expected cash flows or expected collateral proceeds.

Management reviews the level of the ACL on loans at least quarterly. Although we believe that we use the best information available to establish the ACL on loans, future adjustments to the allowance may be necessary if economic or other conditions differ substantially from the assumptions used in making the evaluation. In addition, the IDFI and FDIC, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review our ACL on loans and may require us to recognize adjustments to the allowance based on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their examination. A large loss could deplete the allowance and require increased provisions to replenish the allowance, which would adversely affect earnings. Note 1 and Note 4 of the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements describe the methodology used to determine the ACL on loans.         

Valuation Methodologies. In the ordinary course of business, management applies various valuation methodologies to assets and liabilities that often involve a significant degree of judgment, particularly when active markets do not exist for the items being valued. Generally, in evaluating various assets for potential impairment, management compares the fair value to the carrying value. Quoted market prices are referred to when estimating fair values for certain assets, such as certain investment securities. For investment securities for which quoted market prices are not available, the Company obtains fair value measurements from an independent pricing service. However, for those items for which market-based prices do not exist and an independent pricing service is not readily available, management utilizes significant estimates and assumptions to value such items. Examples of these items include goodwill and other intangible assets, acquired loans and deposits, foreclosed and other repossessed assets, collateral dependent loans, stock-based compensation and certain other financial investments. The use of different assumptions could produce significantly different results, which could have material positive or negative effects on the Company’s results of operations. Note 19 of the accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements describes the methodologies used to determine the fair value of investment securities, collateral dependent loans, loans held for sale and foreclosed real estate. There were no changes in the valuation techniques and related inputs used during the year ended December 31, 2023.

Selected Financial Data.

The consolidated financial data presented below is qualified in its entirety by the more detailed financial data appearing elsewhere in this report, including the Company's audited consolidated financial statements.