Summit Financial (SMMF) DEF 14ADefinitive proxy

Enclosed is the 2021 Annual Report, Notice of Annual Meeting, Proxy Statement and Proxy Card. Please review the enclosed material and complete, sign, date and return the enclosed Proxy Card regardless of whether you plan to attend the virtual Annual Meeting. Your vote is important so that matters coming before the meeting can be acted upon. You may also vote your shares electronically using the internet or by telephone. If you have any questions regarding the information in the proxy materials, please do not hesitate to call Teresa Ely, Director of Shareholder Relations, (304) 530-1000.

These proxy materials are delivered in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Directors of Summit Financial Group, Inc. (“Summit,” the “Company,” “we,” or “us”), a West Virginia corporation, of proxies to be voted at our 2022 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and at any adjournment or postponement.

This Proxy Statement, form of proxy and voting instructions are being mailed starting on or about April 11, 2022.

We will pay the expenses of soliciting proxies. Proxies may be solicited on our behalf by Directors, officers or employees in person or by telephone, electronic transmission, or by facsimile transmission. Brokers, fiduciaries, custodians and other nominees have been requested to forward solicitation materials to the beneficial owners of the Company’s common stock. Upon request we will reimburse these entities for their reasonable expenses.

Owners of common stock in street name may receive a notice from their broker or bank stating that only one proxy statement will be delivered to multiple shareholders sharing an address. This practice, known as “householding,” is designed to reduce printing and postage costs. However, if any shareholder residing at such an address wishes to receive a separate proxy statement, he or she may contact Teresa Ely, Director of Shareholder Relations, Summit Financial Group, Inc., P. O. Box 179, Moorefield, West Virginia 26836, or by telephone at (304) 530-1000, or by e-mail at tely@summitfgi.com.

Holders of record of Summit common shares at the close of business on March 30, 2022, are entitled to receive this notice and to vote their shares at the Annual Meeting. As of that date, there were 12,766,063 common shares outstanding. Each common share is entitled to one vote on each matter properly brought before the Annual Meeting.

Your vote is important. Shareholders of record may vote their shares electronically at the Annual Meeting or may vote by proxy, by mail, by telephone or by internet. If you choose to vote by mail, a postage-paid envelope is provided.

Proxies may be revoked at any time before they are exercised by (1) written notice to the Secretary of the Company, (2) timely delivery of a valid, later-dated proxy or (3) voting electronically at the Annual Meeting.

If you choose to vote by mail, simply mark your proxy card, date and sign it, and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided.

All shares that have been properly voted and not revoked will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with your instructions. If you sign your proxy card but do not give voting instructions, the shares represented by that proxy will be voted as recommended by the Board of Directors.

If any other matters are properly presented at the Annual Meeting for consideration, the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy intend to exercise their discretionary authority in accordance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations to vote on those matters for you. As of the date this proxy statement went to press, we did not know of any other matter to be raised at the Annual Meeting.

The presence, online at the Annual Meeting or by proxy, of the holders of a majority of the votes entitled to be cast by the shareholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting is necessary to constitute a quorum. Abstentions and broker “non-votes” are counted as present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining a quorum. A broker “non-vote” occurs when a nominee holding shares for a beneficial owner does not vote on a particular proposal because the nominee does not have discretionary voting power for that particular item and has not received instructions from the beneficial owner.

On the record date, there were 12,766,063 shares of common stock outstanding which are held by approximately 1,110 shareholders of record. A majority of the outstanding shares of Summit Financial Group, Inc. will constitute a quorum at the meeting.

A plurality of the votes cast is required for the election of directors. Abstentions and broker “non-votes” will be disregarded and will have no effect on the outcome of the vote for the election of directors.

In the election of directors, shareholders cast one (1) vote for each nominee for each share held. However, every shareholder has the right of cumulative voting, electronically or by proxy, in the election of directors. Cumulative voting gives each shareholder the right to aggregate all votes which he or she is entitled to cast in the election of directors and to cast all such votes for one candidate or distribute them among as many candidates and in such a manner as the shareholder desires.

At our 2022 Annual Meeting, the total number of directors to be elected is five (5) in the class expiring in 2025. Each shareholder has the right to cast five (5) votes for each share of stock held on the record date.

If you wish to exercise, by proxy, your right to cumulative voting in the election of directors, you must provide a proxy showing how your votes are to be distributed among one or more candidates. Unless contrary instructions are given by a shareholder who signs and returns a proxy, all votes for the election of directors represented by such proxy will be divided equally among the nominees for each class. The vote represented by the proxies delivered pursuant to this solicitation, which do not contain any instructions, may be cumulated at the discretion of the Board of Directors of Summit Financial Group, Inc. in order to elect to the Board of Directors the maximum nominees named in this proxy statement.

For purposes of the ratification of (i) the non-binding resolution to approve compensation of the Company’s named executive officers and (ii) Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2022, an affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on each of the proposals is required. In determining whether the proposals have received the requisite number of affirmative votes, abstentions and broker “non-votes” will be disregarded and will have no effect on the outcome of the vote.

Computershare Shareholder Services is our transfer agent. All communications concerning accounts of shareholders of record, including address changes, name changes, inquiries as to requirements to transfer common shares and similar issues can be handled by contacting:

The following table lists each shareholder of Summit who is the beneficial owner of more than 5% of Summit’s voting securities as of March 30, 2022.

As of March 30, 2022, Directors, nominees and executive officers as a group owned 1,730,045 shares or 13.50% of the Company’s common stock as indicated on the tables below. The number of shares shown as beneficially owned by each Director and executive officer is determined under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities. The information is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purposes.

Unless indicated, to our knowledge, the nominees, other Directors and executive officers named in the tables have sole voting and sole investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned. As a key employee of the Company, H. Charles Maddy, III may be granted stock options, restricted stock and restricted stock units, performance units, stock settled stock appreciation rights (SARs) and other stock-based awards. Any shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of currently exercisable options and SARs issued to Mr. Maddy within 60 days of March 30, 2022 are deemed to be outstanding and to be beneficially owned by Mr. Maddy for the purpose of computing his percentage ownership, but are not treated as outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other nominee or Director.

Under the Company’s bylaws, each Director of the Company is required to own stock in his or her own name with a minimum value of at least $500, which is the requirement imposed by West Virginia law. The Company has also adopted a policy that requires that a director own stock equal to the amount required by West Virginia law to be appointed, and to own at least 2,000 shares of the Company’s common stock within twenty-four months of appointment. Ownership is defined as shares held solely in the Director’s name, shares held through the Company’s employee stock ownership plan, a profit-sharing plan, individual retirement account, retirement plan or similar arrangement, and shares owned by a company where the Director owns a controlling interest. Common shares held jointly by a Director and the Director’s spouse are counted when determining whether a Director owns 2,000 shares of the Company’s stock as long as the Director owns stock in his or her own name in the amount required by West Virginia law. Directors who are also employees of the Company or its subsidiaries are exempt from this requirement.

Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and SEC regulations require the Company’s directors and executive officers and greater than ten percent shareholders to file reports of ownership on Form 3 and changes in ownership on Forms 4 or 5 with the SEC. Based solely on our review of copies of such reports received and/or written representations from such directors and executive officers and ten percent shareholders, the Company believes that all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to its directors, executive officers and ten percent shareholders were complied with during fiscal year 2021 except for Ronald L. Bowling, John B. Gianola, Charles S. Piccirillo, and Ronald Spencer who each had one late filing relating to one transaction and Jill S. Upson who had two late filings relating to two transactions.

The Company is committed to maintaining strong corporate governance and operates within a comprehensive plan of corporate governance for the purpose of defining responsibilities, setting high standards of professional and personal conduct and assuring compliance with such responsibilities and standards. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, among other things, establishes a number of corporate governance standards and disclosure requirements. In addition, the Company is subject to the corporate governance and Marketplace Rules promulgated by NASDAQ. In light of the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the NASDAQ corporate governance and Marketplace Rules, Summit has a Compensation and Nominating Committee and an Audit and Compliance Committee, all of the members of which are independent as defined by the NASDAQ listing standards and the SEC rules. The Compensation and Nominating Committee and the Audit and Compliance Committee have each adopted charters which are reviewed and assessed on an annual basis. The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to all directors, executive officers and employees of Summit Financial Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries. The Code of Ethics also contains supplemental provisions that apply to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, and the Chief Accounting Officer (the “Senior Financial Officers”). In addition, the Code of Ethics contains procedures for reporting violations of the Code of Ethics involving the Company’s financial statements and disclosures, accounting practices, internal control over financial reporting, disclosure controls and auditing matters. A copy of the Code of Ethics is available on the Company’s website at www.summitfgi.com.

The Company provides onboarding for new directors and opportunity for education and training for all board members to foster board effectiveness. In-house educational sessions are provided to all directors annually with subjects covering:

Additional topics may be included as appropriate related to products, services or lines of business that have potential risk to the Company and other topics as identified by the board of directors or management from time-to-time.

Board members are also provided opportunities for external director education covering a range of issues facing the board to assist directors in staying abreast of the latest developments. The external education opportunities are offered at various times of the year by professional organizations.

During 2021, the Board of Directors met eleven (11) times. All of our Directors attended 75% or more of the meetings of the Board and the meetings held by committees of the Board on which the directors served in 2021.

The Company has a standing Executive Committee, Audit and Compliance Committee, Compensation and Nominating Committee, Equity Compensation Committee, Asset/Liability and Funds Management Committee and ESOP/401(K) Committee.

The Board of Directors of the Company is led by a Chairman who is not the Chief Executive Officer. Oscar M. Bean currently serves as the Chairman of the Board and H. Charles Maddy, III is the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. The Board believes that it is important to formally separate the roles of Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer. The separation of these roles results in a more effective monitoring and objective evaluation of the Chief Executive Officer’s performance. The Board also believes that directors will be more likely to challenge the Chief Executive Officer if the Chief Executive Officer is not the Chairman of the Board.

Senior management is responsible for assessing and managing the Company’s various exposures to risk on a day-to-day basis, including the creation of appropriate risk management programs and policies. The Board is responsible for overseeing management in the execution of its responsibilities and for assessing the Company’s approach to risk management. The Board exercises these responsibilities periodically as part of its meetings and also through the Board’s committees, each of which examines various components of risk as part of their responsibilities. The Board’s role in the Company’s risk oversight process includes receiving regular reports from members of senior management and reports from committees of the Board on areas of material risk to the Company, including operational, market, credit, financial, legal and regulatory risks. This enables the Board, senior management, and the committees of the Board to coordinate the risk oversight role, particularly with respect to risk interrelationships. In addition, an overall review of risk is inherent in the Board’s consideration of the Company’s long-term strategies and in the transactions and other matters presented to the Board, including capital expenditures, acquisitions and divestitures, and financial matters.

During 2021, the Board reviewed the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the Company’s employees and clients. Management continued several strategies and initiatives initially implemented in 2020 to mitigate adverse impacts. In order to protect employees and assure workforce continuity, management utilized flex time scheduling, when possible, for essential roles in the operation centers.

All of the Company’s directors, officers and employees are subject to the Summit Financial Group, Inc. Company Stock Transaction Policy. This policy provides that it is improper and inappropriate for any director, officer or other employee of the Company to engage in short-term or speculative transactions in the Company’s securities. Specifically, the policy discourages directors and officers and other employees and prohibits insiders from engaging in short-term trading and short sales of the Company’s securities. The policy also discourages directors, officers and employees from engaging in transactions in the Company’s stock in puts, calls or other derivative securities on an exchange or in any other organized market and from holding the Company’s securities in a margin account. In addition to the above-mentioned transactions, the Company also prohibits directors, officers and employees from engaging in any form of hedging strategy through which such person’s investment position would be improved as a result of a decrease in the value of the Company’s stock.

The Company does not have a policy with regard to directors’ attendance at annual meetings. Eight (8) of fifteen (15) incumbent members of the Board of Directors attended the 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

The Board of Directors of the Company provides a process for shareholders to send communications to the Board of Directors or to any of the individual Directors. Shareholders may send written communications to the Board of Directors or to any of individual Director c/o Corporate Secretary at the following address: Summit Financial Group, Inc., P. O. Box 179, 300 North Main Street, Moorefield, West Virginia 26836. All communications will be compiled by the Corporate Secretary of the Company and submitted to the Board of Directors or to the individual Directors on a periodic basis.

The Company has written policies and procedures for review, approval and monitoring of transactions involving the Company and “related persons” (directors, nominees for director, and executive officers or their immediate families, or shareholders owning five percent or greater of the Company’s outstanding voting stock). The policy covers any related person transaction that meets the minimum threshold for disclosure in the proxy statement under the relevant SEC rules (generally, transactions involving amounts exceeding $120,000 in which a related person has a direct or indirect material interest).

Directors and executive officers of the Company and its subsidiaries, members of their immediate families, and business organizations and individuals associated with them have been customers of, and have had normal banking transactions with Summit Community Bank. All such transactions were made in the ordinary course of business, were made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with persons not related to Summit and did not involve more than the normal risk of collectability or present other unfavorable features. Loans made to directors and executive officers are in compliance with federal banking regulations and are thereby exempt from insider loan prohibitions included in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

The Board of Directors reviewed all transactions with related parties since January 1, 2021, to determine if such transactions were required to be reported in this Proxy Statement. The Company has not entered into any transactions with related persons since January 1, 2021, that met the threshold for disclosure in this Proxy Statement under the relevant SEC rules, nor has the Company entered into a current transaction, in which the amount of the transaction exceeds the threshold for disclosure in this Proxy Statement under relevant SEC rules and in which a related person had or will have a direct or indirect material interest.

The Board of Directors annually reviews the relationships of each of its members with the Company to determine whether each director is independent. This determination is based on both subjective and objective criteria developed by the NASDAQ listing standards and the SEC rules.

The Board of Directors reviewed the directors’ responses to a questionnaire asking about their relationships with the Company (and those of their immediate family members) and other potential conflicts of interest, as well as information provided by management related to transactions, relationships, or arrangements between the Company and the directors or parties related to the directors in order to determine the independence of the current members of the Board of Directors and the nominees for election as a director of the Company.

Based on the subjective and objective criteria developed by the NASDAQ listing standards and the SEC rules, the Board of Directors determined that the following nominees and current members of the Board of Directors are independent: Oscar M. Bean, Dewey F. Bensenhaver, J. Scott Bridgeforth, James M. Cookman, John W. Crites, II, James P. Geary, II, Georgette R. George, John B. Gianola, Gary L. Hinkle, Jason A. Kitzmiller, Charles S. Piccirillo, John H. Shott, Ronald B. Spencer and Jill S. Upson. H. Charles Maddy, III is not independent because he is an executive officer of the Company and Ronald L. Bowling is not independent because he was employed by a subsidiary of the Company during 2019 and received compensation for such services.

The NASDAQ listing standards contain additional requirements for members of the Compensation and Nominating Committee and the Audit and Compliance Committee. All of the directors serving on each of these committees are independent under the additional requirements applicable to such committees.

The Board considered the following relationships in evaluating the independence of the Company’s Directors and determined that none of the relationships constitute a material relationship with the Company and each of the relationships satisfied the standards for independence:

•    Summit Community Bank, Inc., a subsidiary of the Company, provided lending and/or other financial services to each member of the Company’s Board of Directors, their immediate family members, and/or their affiliated organizations during 2021 and 2020 in the ordinary course of business and on substantially the same terms as those available to unrelated parties; and

•    Oscar M. Bean, James P. Geary, II, Charlie S. Piccirillo and Georgette George’s husband are partners of law firms that received payments for legal services provided to the Company or its subsidiaries during 2021 and 2020. The legal fees received were less than 1% of each of the law firms’ and Summit’s revenue in 2021 and 2020. Each law firm received less than $10,000 in legal fees from the Company and its subsidiaries in 2021 and 2020, except for Geary and Geary who received $11,803 in legal fees in 2021.

The Executive Committee, on an as needed basis, approves loans above specified limits and performs such duties and exercises such powers as delegated to it by the Company’s Board of Directors. The current members of the Company’s Executive Committee are Oscar M. Bean, Chairman, John W. Crites, II, James P. Geary, II, Georgette R. George, Gary L. Hinkle, H. Charles Maddy, III and Charles S. Piccirillo. The Executive Committee met two times in 2021.

The Audit and Compliance Committee’s primary function is to assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities to ensure the quality and integrity of Summit’s financial reports. This entails:

•    Serving as an independent and objective party to monitor the Company’s financial reporting process and internal control system.

•    Providing direction to and oversight of the Company’s internal audit function.

•    Reviewing and appraising the efforts of the Company’s independent auditors.

•    Maintaining a free and open means of communication between directors, internal audit staff, independent auditors, and management.

The Audit and Compliance Committee has adopted a written charter, a copy of which is available on the Company’s web site at www.summitfgi.com. The Audit and Compliance Committee charter requires that the committee be comprised of five (5) or more directors. The Audit and Compliance Committee met four times in 2021.

Current members of this committee are John B. Gianola, Chairman, John W. Crites, II, Georgette R. George, Gary L. Hinkle, Jason A. Kitzmiller, Charles S. Piccirillo and Ronald B. Spencer. All members of the Audit and Compliance Committee are independent, as independence is defined under the NASDAQ listing standards.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which was enacted in 2002, the SEC adopted rules requiring companies to disclose whether or not at least one member of the Audit and Compliance Committee is an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in such rules.

Under the SEC rules, an “audit committee financial expert” has the following attributes:

•    An understanding of generally accepted accounting principles and financial statements;

•    An ability to assess the general application of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America in connection with the accounting for estimates, accruals and reserves;

•    Experience preparing, auditing, analyzing, or evaluating financial statements that present a breadth and level of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of issues that can be expected to be raised by the Company’s financial statements, or experience actively supervising one or more persons engaged in such activities;

•    An understanding of internal controls and procedures for financial reporting; and

•    An understanding of audit committee functions.

A person must possess all of the above attributes to qualify as an audit committee financial expert.

Based on Director Questionnaires, the Board of Directors has determined that John W. Crites, II and John B. Gianola of the Audit and Compliance Committee possess all of the above five attributes so as to be deemed “audit committee financial experts” under the SEC rules.

In addition, John W. Crites, II, John B. Gianola and Gary L. Hinkle each qualify as a “financial expert” under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules, which standards are different from the SEC rules. Under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules, a “financial expert” must have past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting or other comparable experience or background which results in the individual’s financial sophistication, including being a chief executive officer, chief financial officer or other senior officer with financial oversight responsibilities. Mr. Crites, Mr. Gianola and Mr. Hinkle have the necessary experience to qualify them as “financial experts” under the NASDAQ Marketplace Rules.

For information concerning the audit fees paid by the Company in 2021 and for information about the Company’s independent auditors generally, see the Audit and Compliance Committee Report on page 59 of these Annual Meeting materials.

The Compensation and Nominating Committee has adopted a written charter, a copy of which is available on the Company’s website at www.summitfgi.com.

The Committee meets at scheduled times during the year as required, generally one to two times. The Committee reports on Committee actions at Board meetings. The Committee has the authority to retain outside counsel and any other advisors as the Company may deem appropriate in its sole discretion. The Compensation and Nominating Committee met two times in 2021.

One purpose of the Compensation and Nominating Committee is to review, approve and report to the Board of Directors the compensation of all executive officers of the Company who are subject to the requirements of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Executive Officers”), including salaries and bonuses, and to approve and report to the Board of Directors all other incentive and equity compensation awards. The Compensation and Nominating Committee also annually reviews the Board Attendance and Compensation Policy which includes the compensation paid to the Board of Directors. The Compensation and Nominating Committee recommends any revisions to the Board Attendance and Compensation Policy to the full Board of Directors for approval. The Committee’s primary processes and procedures for carrying out these purposes include:

The Compensation and Nominating Committee assists the Board in (i) identifying qualified individuals to become board members, (ii) determining the composition of the Board of Directors and its committees, (iii) monitoring a process to assess board effectiveness, and (iv) developing and implementing the Company’s corporate governance guidelines.

In determining nominees for the Board of Directors, the Compensation and Nominating Committee selects individuals who have the highest personal and professional integrity and who have demonstrated exceptional ability and judgment. The Committee also selects individuals who are most effective, in conjunction with the other nominees to the Board, in collectively serving the long-term interests of the shareholders. In identifying first-time nominees for director, or evaluating individuals recommended by shareholders, the Compensation and Nominating Committee determines, in its sole discretion, whether an individual meets the minimum qualifications approved by the Board of Directors and may consider the current composition of the Board of Directors in light of the diverse communities served by the Company and the interplay of the candidate’s experience with the experience of other Board members.

In performing its responsibilities for identifying, recruiting and recommending nominees for director, the Compensation and Nominating Committee will consider all aspects of each candidate’s qualifications and skills in the context of the needs of the Company at that time with a view to creating a Board with a diversity of experience and perspectives, including diversity with respect to race, gender, geography and areas of expertise. In 2021, the Compensation and Nominating Committee committed to increase the diversity of the Board, and amended its charter to expand the definition of diversity of board experience and perspectives to include ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, disabilities and cultural background. Prior to this revision, the definition of diversity of board experience and perspectives only included race, gender, geography and areas of expertise. In addition, the Compensation and Nominating Committee achieved its goal for 2021 of adding a diverse board member during 2021 and having at least one woman and one diverse board candidate for consideration by the shareholders at the 2022 Annual Meeting. The Company has also added a question to its Director and Officer Questionnaire to require directors and officers to self-identify diverse characteristics to allow the Company to assess and track this information. This will allow the Company to monitor its progress in promoting diversity of the Board of Directors as well as diversity of the Company’s management.

The Compensation and Nominating Committee does not have a specific policy with regard to the consideration of persons nominated for Directors by shareholders. The Articles of Incorporation of the Company describe the procedures that a shareholder must follow to nominate persons for election as Directors. For more information regarding these procedures, see Requirements, Including Deadline for Submission of Shareholder Proposals, Nomination of Directors and Other Business of Shareholders on page 60 of these Annual Meeting materials. The Compensation and Nominating Committee will consider nominees for Director recommended by shareholders provided the procedures set forth in the Articles of Incorporation of the Company are followed by shareholders in submitting recommendations.The Committee does not intend to alter the manner in which it evaluates nominees, including the minimum criteria set forth above, based on whether the candidate was recommended by a shareholder or not.

In connection with the Director nominations for the 2022 Annual Meeting, the Compensation and Nominating Committee considered the Nominee’s and the Continuing Directors’ roles in identifying and understanding the Company’s risks and overseeing the Company’s compliance with its risk management program. These considerations were in addition to the qualifications, skills and attributes described above that are considered by the Compensation and Nominating Committee in selecting Nominees for the Board of Directors.

In addition to fulfilling the above criteria, all of the Nominees for election to the class expiring in 2025 are independent under the NASDAQ listing standards and the SEC rules except Ronald L. Bowling. All of the directors whose terms expire in 2023 and 2024 (the “Continuing Directors”) are independent under the NASDAQ listing standards and the SEC rules except H. Charles Maddy, III. Mr. Maddy is not independent as he is an executive officer and employee of the Company. Mr. Bowling is not independent because he was employed by a subsidiary of the Company in 2019 and received compensation for such services.

Each Nominee and Continuing Director brings a strong and unique background and set of skills to the Board providing the Board as a whole competence and experience in a wide variety of areas including banking, accounting, audit and financial reporting, legal, finance, renewable energy, governmental relations, business management, contracting, insurance, timber, transportation, farming, hospitality and retail.

The Board of Directors is divided into three (3) classes. The terms of the Directors in each class expire at successive annual meetings. Five (5) Directors will be elected at our 2022 Annual Meeting to serve a three-year term expiring at our Annual meeting in 2025. If the proposed nominees are elected, the Company will have a Board of Directors consisting of three classes of five (5) directors.

The persons named in the enclosed proxy intend to vote the proxy for the election of each of the five (5) nominees, unless you indicate on the proxy card that your vote should be withheld from any or all of such nominees. Each nominee elected as a Director will continue in office until his or her successor has been elected, or until his or her death, resignation or retirement.

The Board of Directors has proposed the following nominees for election as Directors, with three-year terms expiring at the Annual Meeting in 2025: Oscar M. Bean, John W. Crites, II, James P. Geary, II, Charles S. Piccirillo and Jill S. Upson. All of the nominees were recommended by the Compensation and Nominating Committee and approved by the Board of Directors of the Company. Each of the nominees are Directors standing for re-election.

We expect each nominee for election as a Director to be able to serve if elected. To the extent permitted by applicable law, if any nominee is not able to serve, proxies will be voted in favor of the remainder of those nominated and may be voted for substitute nominees, unless the Board chooses to reduce the number of Directors serving on the Board.

The principal occupation, experience, qualifications, skills, and other attributes considered by the Board in concluding that the nominees and other Directors whose terms of office continue after the Annual Meeting are qualified to serve as Directors of the Company are set forth below on the following pages 20-25.

Dewey F. Bensenhaver is retiring from the Board of Directors. The Company’s retirement policy requires that all Directors retire at the end of the term during which the Director attains the age of 75. Mr. Bensenhaver served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Company since 2000 and served as a member of the Board of Directors of Summit’s banking subsidiary from 1998 to 2008.  Dr. Bensenhaver was reappointed as a member of the Board of Directors of Summit’s banking subsidiary in May 2011. We are grateful to Mr. Bensenhaver for his guidance and dedicated service to the Company and we thank him for his commitment of time and talent.

The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, enacted in July 2010, requires that we provide our shareholders with the opportunity to vote to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this proxy statement in accordance with the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The executive officers named in the summary compensation table set forth in this proxy statement and deemed to be the Company’s “named executive officers” are H. Charles Maddy, III, Robert S. Tissue, Scott C. Jennings, Patrick N. Frye and Bradford E. Ritchie.

Shareholders are urged to read the compensation information on the following pages of this proxy statement which discusses the compensation policies and procedures with respect to the Company’s named executive officers and vote on the following advisory, non-binding resolution:

“RESOLVED, that the shareholders approve, on an advisory basis, the compensation paid to Company’s named executive officers, as disclosed in this proxy statement pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Compensation Discussion and Analysis, the compensation tables and narrative discussion.”

As described in detail under the headings “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” and “Executive Compensation” beginning on page 29, we seek to closely align the interests of our named executive officers with the interests of our shareholders. Our compensation programs are designed to reward our named executive officers for the achievement of the Company’s financial goals, while at the same time avoiding the encouragement of unnecessary or excessive risk taking. In addition, the Company’s Compensation and Nominating Committee (the “Committee”) has reviewed the Company’s compensation policies and believes that the Company’s policies do not promote unnecessary risk-taking nor are they reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company.

This advisory vote, commonly referred to as a “say-on-pay” advisory vote, is non-binding on the Board of Directors. Although non-binding, the Board of Directors and the Committee value constructive dialogue on executive compensation and other important governance topics with shareholders. The Board of Directors and the Committee will review the voting results and take them into consideration when making future decisions regarding the Company’s executive compensation programs.

COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

This section explains Summit’s executive compensation program as it relates to the following named executive officers (defined as the CEO, CFO and the three most highly compensated Executive Officers other than the CEO) as of December 31, 2021:

We have a straightforward compensation program that focuses on a team approach and supports long-term strategies of the Company. Each of our named executive officers must demonstrate exceptional personal performance for a sustained period of time to remain part of our executive team. As a member of that team, each officer must contribute to the overall success of Summit rather than simply attain goals within that officer’s specific area of responsibility.

Our compensation program includes performance metrics that promote disciplined progress towards both short-term and long-term goals and that correlate to the profitability objectives of and appropriate risk to the Company. The combination of performance-based compensation and equity-based awards, which derive their benefit from increases in shareholder value, provides the majority of our executive officers’ total compensation and furthers our core compensation principle of providing pay for both individual and Company-wide performance. The executive compensation program was designed and approved by the Compensation and Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors (the “Committee”) and the Board of Directors of the Company.

Our executive compensation program is designed to:

•    retain executive officers by paying them competitively, motivate them to contribute to the Company’s success, and reward them for their performance;

•    reward executive officers through annual performance-based compensation based on the achievement of specific operating goals that have been determined by the Committee;

•    align the compensation of the executive officers with the interests of our shareholders and motivate the executive officers to achieve the Company’s long-term goals through equity-based compensation;

•    preclude excessive and unnecessary risk-taking by executive officers; and

•    encourage ownership of Company common stock by executive officers.

Our fundamental philosophy is to link closely executive compensation with the achievement of annual financial performance goals. It is the Company’s practice to provide a mix of cash and equity-based compensation that the Company believes balances the best interests of the Company’s executives and the Company’s shareholders. The Company believes compensation should be structured to ensure that a significant portion of the compensation opportunity will be directly related to shareholder value.

As discussed below, the program consists of, and is intended to balance, three elements:

Salaries are based on the Company’s evaluation of individual job performance and an assessment of the salaries and total compensation mix paid by the Company’s Peer Group to executive officers holding equivalent positions. The Company’s Peer Group is a group consisting of all public banks and thrifts in the United States with assets of $1 billion - $5 billion. The Company does not “benchmark” to the Peer Group, but rather uses the Peer Group as a general reference for purposes of comparing our executive officer salaries to other companies in the industry to determine whether the salaries are reasonable and competitive.

Executive Incentive Compensation is based on an evaluation of both individual and Company performance against quantitative measures.

Long-term incentive awards, which consist of stock appreciation rights and restricted stock units issued under the Company’s 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan which was approved by the Company’s shareholders, are designed to ensure that incentive compensation is linked to the long-term performance of the Company and to the returns to its common shareholders.

The Board and the Company have directed a mix of the Company’s executive compensation that provides an opportunity for significant variation in total compensation based on performance with a proportionately lesser emphasis on salaries. This strategy is intended to increase the performance orientation of the Company’s executive compensation.

In setting the base salary for the President and CEO and in reviewing and approving the salaries for the other named executive officers, the Company first reviews the history of the compensation for each individual, including cash and equity-based components. In setting salaries, the Company and the Committee do not use a predetermined formula. Instead, the salaries of the President and CEO and the other executive officers are based on:

We do not have a pre-defined framework that determines which of these factors may be more or less important and the emphasis placed on specific factors may vary among the named executive officers. Ultimately it is the Committee’s judgment of these factors along with the comparative compensation data that form the basis for determining the named executive officers’ compensation. Once the base salary is set, it does not depend on the Company’s performance. In 2021, the Company increased the base salaries of its named executive officers as follows:

On February 11, 2021, the Committee approved terms of the Company’s Executive Officer Management Incentive Plan for 2021. The 2021 Executive Officer Management Incentive Plan provided executive officers of the Company with the opportunity to earn a bonus payment varying between 15 to 30 percent of the executive officer’s base salary as of January 1, 2021 multiplied by a multiplier based on the Company’s annual return on average tangible equity (“ROATE”) for 2021. The targeted range for the Company’s ROATE for 2020 was 12.5 to 13.49 percent. If the Company’s actual ROATE for 2021 would have been within this targeted range, each executive officer would have received an incentive payment between 15 to 30 percent of their respective annual base salary as of January 1, 2021 (the “Targeted Incentive”).

The Company’s actual ROATE for 2021 was 18.71%; accordingly, named executive officers were awarded the following incentive payments: H. Charles Maddy, III - $304,425; Robert S. Tissue - $169,290; Patrick N. Frye $136,620; Scott C. Jennings $169,290; and Bradford E. Ritchie $187,110.

At the time of grant of a stock option, the Committee will determine whether the option will be a non-qualified or an incentive stock option, provided that incentive stock options will only be granted to key employees. The terms of any incentive stock option shall comply in all respects with the provisions of Code Section 422. Each stock option granted under the 2014 LTI Plan will be evidenced by an Option Award Agreement between the Company and the participant and such Option Award Agreement will contain the number of shares and the terms on which the option can be exercised.

The date of grant will not be earlier than the date on which the Committee approves such grant. The exercise price per share shall be determined by the Committee; provided, however, that except in the case of substitute awards, the exercise price will not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date the stock option is granted, and in the case of incentive stock options granted to any participant that owns more than ten percent of the Company, the exercise price will be at least 110% of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant.

In April 2015, February 2017, February 2019 and February 2021, the Board of the Company approved awards of stock-settled stock appreciation rights to named executive officers in accordance with the terms of the 2014 LTI Plan.  All of the stock-settled stock appreciation rights expire ten years from the date of grant. The stock-settled stock appreciation rights granted are time-based, with 20% vesting on each of the first five anniversaries of the grant date. As of March 30, 2022, Named Executive Officers held 140.079.4 vested stock-settled stock appreciation rights. The stock-settled stock appreciation rights will be settled in shares of the Company's common stock.

In the event of a change of control, as defined in the LTI Plan, if the successor or surviving corporation so agrees, some or all of the outstanding stock-settled stock appreciation rights will be assumed or replaced with the same type of award with similar terms or conditions. Any stock-settled stock appreciation rights that are not fully vested at the time a recipient terminates employment due to a change of control will become fully vested upon such termination and remain exercisable, throughout the original term of the award.

If the recipient’s employment with the Company is terminated due to death or disability, then the recipient will vest in the additional percentage of stock-settled stock appreciation rights, if any, that would have vested at the vesting date which falls after the date of death or date of termination of employment of recipient due to disability, but within the calendar year in which the recipient died or terminated employment due to disability, as if, for purposes of vesting percentage only, the recipient had not died or terminated employment due to disability, and had continued employment to such vesting date. All vested stock-settled stock appreciation rights will be exercisable for a period of two years from the date of death or termination of employment due to disability; all vested stock-settled stock appreciation rights not exercised within said two-year period will be forfeited in their entirety.

If the recipient is terminated by the Company for cause, then the stock-settled stock appreciation rights will immediately terminate and no stock-settled stock appreciation rights will be exercisable as of the date of such termination, regardless of whether any stock-settled stock appreciation right was vested and exercisable prior to date of such termination.

Upon termination of the recipient’s employment by the Company or by the recipient other than for death, disability or termination for cause, the stock-settled stock appreciation rights, to the extent vested and exercisable as of the date of such termination, will thereafter be exercisable only for a period of two years (with respect to the 2015 grants) or ninety (90) days (with respect to the 2017, 2019 and 2021 grants) from the date of such termination, and any stock-settled stock appreciation right that was not exercisable as of the date of such termination will be forfeited.

If, at any time within (i) the ten-year term of award agreement; (ii) two years after the termination of employment; or (iii) two years after the recipient exercises any portion of the grant of stock-settled stock appreciation rights, whichever is the latest, the recipient, in the determination of the Committee, engages in any activity in competition with any activity of the Company, or inimical, contrary or harmful to the interests of the Company, including, but not limited to those circumstances set forth in the award agreement, then any award of stock-settled stock appreciation rights held by the recipient will terminate effective as of the date on which the recipient enters into such activity, unless terminated sooner by operation of another term or condition of the award agreement or the Plan, and any gain realized by the recipient from the exercise of all or a portion of any grant of stock appreciation rights will be repaid by the recipient to the Company. Such gain will be calculated based on the spread multiplied by the number of shares subject to the stock-settled stock appreciation rights exercised on such date, plus interest measured from the first date the recipient engaged in any of the prohibited activities set forth above at the highest rate allowable under West Virginia law.

Shares of restricted stock and restricted stock units will be subject to such restrictions as the Committee may impose (including, without limitation, any limitation on the right to vote a share of restricted stock or the right to receive any dividend or other right or property), which restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such time or times, in such installments or otherwise, as the Committee may deem appropriate.

The Committee will determine the manner in which restricted stock will be evidenced, including, without limitation, book-entry registration or issuance of a stock certificate or certificates. In the event any stock certificate is issued in respect of shares of restricted stock, such certificate shall be registered in the name of the participant and shall bear an appropriate legend (as determined by the Committee) referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such restricted stock.

During 2019, 2020 and 2021, the Board of the Company approved awards of an aggregate of 18,150 shares of restricted stock units to key employees. None of the restricted stock units were granted to named executive officers.

With respect to restricted stock and restricted stock units, except as otherwise determined by the Committee, upon termination of employment or cessation of the provision of services (as determined under criteria established by the Committee) for any reason during the applicable restriction period, all shares of restricted stock and all restricted stock units still subject to restriction will be forfeited and reacquired by the Company unless otherwise determined by the Committee that a waiver would be in the best interests of the Company.

The Continuation Agreements were designed to provide an annual defined retirement benefit payable for the life of the executive. These benefits, when added to the retirement benefits that will be provided by the Company’s 401(k) Defined Contribution Plan, Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and social security, will provide each executive with benefit levels comparable to other Company employees when measured as a percentage of salary at the time of retirement. The retirement age for each named executive officer under the Continuation Agreements are as follows: H. Charles Maddy, III and Scott C. Jennings – age 63; and Robert S. Tissue, Patrick N. Frye and Bradford E. Ritchie – age 65.

The Continuation Agreements are designed to be a retention tool, but they do take into account the age of the named executive officers. With respect to the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Maddy, the benefits under his Continuation Agreement vest at a rate of five percent per year in the first ten years, zero percent in year eleven through eighteen, and in year nineteen, the remaining fifty percent vests. With respect to Mr. Frye, Mr. Jennings and Mr. Tissue, the benefits under their Continuation Agreement vest at a rate of five percent per year in the first ten years, zero percent in year eleven through nineteen, and in year twenty, the remaining fifty percent vests. With respect to Mr. Ritchie, the benefits under his Continuation Agreement vest at a rate of zero percent in year one through four, twenty-five percent in year five, five percent per year in years six through ten, zero percent in year eleven through nineteen, and in year twenty, the remaining fifty percent vests. Vesting is measured for each executive from the effective date of the Continuation Agreements, which vary by executive.

The Company’s obligations under the retirement benefit portion of these agreements are unfunded; however, the Company has purchased life insurance policies on each insurable executive that are actuarially designed to offset the annual expenses associated with the agreements and will, given reasonable actuarial assumptions, offset all of the costs of the agreements during the life of the executive and provide a complete recovery of all costs at the executive’s death. The Company is the sole owner of all policies and as Company assets, the policies are subject to claims of the Company’s general creditors.

The life insurance benefit for each insurable officer is being provided by an Endorsement Split Dollar Plan whereby the Company endorses a specified percentage of the net-at-risk life insurance portion of a policy (total death benefit less cash value of policy) on the life of each officer for payment to the designated beneficiary of that officer. The Company owns the policy and its entire surrender value.

For each of the named executive officers, the annual lifetime benefits payable upon retirement at normal retirement age under the Continuation Agreements are as follows: H. Charles Maddy, III - $175,000; Robert S. Tissue - $125,000; Scott C. Jennings - $125,000; Patrick N. Frye - $125,000; and Bradford E. Ritchie - $125,000.

On July 23, 2020, the Board of Directors adopted Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (“Supplemental Plans”) for the benefit of certain key officers of the Company, including the named executive officers. The purpose of the Supplemental Plans is to incent these key officers to remain employed by the Company until their retirement. Under the Supplemental Agreements, the normal retirement age for each named executive officer are as follows: H. Charles Maddy, III and Scott C. Jennings – age 63; and Robert S. Tissue, Patrick N. Frye and Bradford E. Ritchie – age 65. No benefits under the Supplemental Plans vest until the key officers, including the named executive officers, attain their respective retirement age under their plan.

The Supplemental Plans provide the following annual lifetime benefits payable upon retirement at normal retirement age for the named executive officers: H. Charles Maddy, III: $73,000; Robert S. Tissue: $25,000; Patrick N. Frye: $10,000; Scott C. Jennings: $25,000; and Bradford E. Ritchie: $50,000. The Supplemental Plans are in addition to the Continuation Agreements between the Company and the named executive officers.

Generally, the Company provides modest perquisites or personal benefits, and only with respect to benefits or services that are designed to assist a named executive officer in being productive and focused on his or her duties, and which management and the Committee believe are reasonable and consistent with the Company’s overall compensation program. Management and the Committee periodically review the levels of perquisites or personal benefits provided to named executive officers.

The Company has entered into Employment Agreements with the named executive officers in order to ensure continuity of management of the Company and to retain the pool of talent the Company has developed in a competitive marketplace. The Board of Directors determined that such arrangements were appropriate, especially in view of the entry of large regional bank holding companies into West Virginia. The Agreements were not undertaken in the belief that a change of control of the Company was imminent.

Generally, the Company chose particular events for triggering payments based on the standard practice in the industry at the time the particular agreement was negotiated, the overall reasonableness of the expense to the Company associated with a particular triggering event, and whether the specific provision would have a material impact on the marketability of the Company should the Board of Directors believe a sale of the Company were in the best interest of its shareholders. The following summaries set forth potential payments to our named executive officers upon termination of employment or change of control of the Company under their current employment agreements and our other compensation programs.

The Employment Agreement may be terminated based on one of the following:

Under the Employment Agreement, Mr. Maddy is entitled to certain termination payments. If Mr. Maddy is terminated by mutual agreement, then he is entitled to receive a termination payment equal to an amount agreed to by the parties. If Mr. Maddy is terminated for cause based generally on his gross negligence, then Mr. Maddy will not receive a termination payment. In this case, Mr. Maddy is entitled to his Base Salary in effect for the year in which termination occurs, only for such period of his active full-time employment to the date of the termination.

If Mr. Maddy is terminated for cause based on his negligence, malfeasance, or misfeasance, then Mr. Maddy is entitled to receive his Base Salary without offset for compensation already paid prior to the effective date of termination. If Mr. Maddy is terminated for death or disability, Mr. Maddy is entitled to three times his Base Salary and upon termination for death, Mr. Maddy’s family would receive continuation of their health insurance coverage benefits on the same terms as they previously received for one year. If Mr. Maddy terminates his employment based on a material breach by Summit, then Mr. Maddy is entitled to an amount equal to two times his Base Salary in effect for the year in which termination occurs without offset for compensation already paid prior to the effective date of termination. If Mr. Maddy voluntarily terminates, and there is no material breach by Summit, then Mr. Maddy does not receive a termination payment. In this case, Mr. Maddy is entitled to his Base Salary in effect for the year in which termination occurs, only for such period of his active full-time employment to the date of the termination.

If Mr. Maddy terminates his employment after the first six months following the Change of Control, but before completion of the Transition Period (unless such termination is for Good Reason or due to his death or disability), Mr. Maddy is not entitled to a severance payment under the Change in Control Agreement.

If Mr. Maddy terminates for Good Reason (as defined below) or is terminated under circumstances constituting Wrongful Termination (as defined in the Change in Control Agreement) during the Transition Period, then Mr. Maddy would be entitled to a payment equal to three times the greater of (a) his Salary in effect immediately prior to the date of consummation of a Change of Control or (b) his Salary in effect on the date of termination of his Employment Agreement under the Change in Control Agreement. Mr. Maddy is also entitled to receive payment of cash incentive award, if any, under the Company’s Annual Incentive Plan and continuing participation in employee benefit plans and programs such as retirement, disability and medical insurance for the number of months between the date of his termination and the date that is thirty-six (36) months after the date of consummation of the Change of Control.

If Mr. Maddy is terminated as a result of disability or death during the Transition Period, Mr. Maddy would receive a payment equal to three times the greater of (a) his Salary (as defined in the Agreement) in effect immediately prior to the date of consummation of the Change of Control or (b) his Salary in effect on the date of termination of his employment under the Change in Control Agreement.

Under the Change in Control Agreement, Mr. Maddy agrees not to engage, directly or indirectly, in the business of banking in the Restricted Area (as defined in the Change in Control Agreement) for a period of three years after expiration of the Transition Period. If Mr. Maddy’s employment with Summit is terminated for any reason other than Mr. Maddy’s disability, retirement, Good Reason, or termination at Mr. Maddy’s option, Mr. Maddy agrees that for a period of one year, he will not, directly or indirectly, engage in the business of banking in the Restricted Area.

Under the Change in Control Agreement, a “Change of Control” is defined in Internal Revenue Code Section 409A and the regulations issued thereunder and includes:

•    a change in the ownership of a substantial portion of Summit’s assets which is defined to occur on the date that any one person, or more than one person acting as a group acquires (or has acquired during the 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such person or persons) assets from Summit that have a total gross fair market value equal to or more than 40% of the total gross fair market value of all of the assets of Summit immediately before such acquisition or acquisitions. For this purpose, gross fair market value means the value of the assets of Summit, or the value of the assets being disposed of, determined without regard to any liabilities associated with such assets.

Under the Change in Control Agreement, Mr. Maddy may voluntarily terminate his employment for Good Reason which arises if one of the following occurs in combination with a Change of Control:

•    a decrease in the executive’s overall compensation below the level in effect immediately prior to the date of consummation of the change of control, without the executive’s consent;

•    a material reduction in the importance of the executive’s job responsibilities without his consent;

•    geographical relocation of the executive without his consent, which is deemed to mean relocation to an office more than twenty (20) miles from his location at the time of a change of control;

•    failure by the Company to obtain assumption of the Change in Control Agreement by its successor; or

•    any removal of the executive from, or failure to reelect the executive to, any position with the Company or Bank that he held immediately prior to the change of control without his prior written consent (except for good cause, death, disability or retirement).

The Employment Agreement and the Change in Control Agreement provide for an additional gross-up payment by Summit to Mr. Maddy in the event that a payment or distribution pursuant to the Employment Agreement or the Change in Control Agreement would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code. Any calculated gross-up payment amount is equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the excise tax plus one hundred percent (100%) of any federal, state and local income taxes plus the additional excise tax on the gross-up amount.

The Employment Agreements may be terminated based on one of the following:

•    Termination for Good Cause (as defined by the Employment Agreement)

•    Termination Not for Good Cause (as defined by the Employment Agreement)

•    Termination for Good Reason, Wrongful Termination, or at Employee’s Option, upon a Change of Control (as defined by the Employment Agreement).

Messrs. Tissue, Frye, and Jennings are entitled to certain termination payments under the Employment Agreements. If either Mr. Tissue, Mr. Frye or Mr. Jennings is terminated Not for Good Cause (as defined by the Employment Agreement), then he is entitled to a payment from the Company equal to the base salary compensation set forth in the Employment Agreement for the remaining term of the Employment Agreement or severance pay equal to 100% of his then current annual base salary, whichever is greater. The termination payment is paid in a lump sum on the date of termination, subject to a six-month delay if required under Internal Revenue Code Section 409A.

Messrs. Tissue, Frye and Jennings have change of control provisions included in their Employment Agreements. Generally, the Employment Agreements provide severance compensation to Messrs. Tissue, Frye and Jennings if such executive’s employment should end under certain specified conditions after a change of control. Compensation is paid upon an involuntary termination within 24 months following a change of control unless Messrs. Tissue, Frye or Jennings is terminated for Good Cause. In addition, compensation will be paid after a change of control if Messrs. Tissue, Frye or Jennings voluntarily terminates employment within 24 months of a change of control because of:

•    a material decrease in the total amount of the executive’s base salary below the level in effect on the date of consummation of the change of control, without his consent;

•    a material reduction in the executive’s job duties and responsibilities without the executive’s prior consent;

•    a material geographical relocation of the executive without his prior consent, which is deemed to mean relocation to an office more than twenty (20) miles from his location at the time of a change of control;

•    failure by the Company to obtain assumption of the Change in Control Agreement by its successor; or

•    any purported termination of the executive’s employment which is not effected pursuant to a notice of termination as required in the executive’s Employment Agreement.

Under the Employment Agreement, a “Change of Control” is defined in Internal Revenue Code Section 409A and the regulations issued thereunder. This definition is set forth above under the description of Mr. Maddy’s Change in Control Agreement.

Messrs. Tissue’s, Frye’s and Jennings’ severance benefits include:

•    a lump sum cash payment equal to the executive’s monthly salary (calculated based on the average annual base salary and bonuses for the two full year periods immediately preceding the consummation of the Change in Control) multiplied by the number of months between the date of the executive’s termination and the date that is twenty-four (24) months after the date of consummation of the Change of Control; provided that the executive’s lump sum cash payment not be less than 100% of his salary; and

•    payment of cash incentive award, if any, under the Company’s Incentive Plans for the year in which the executive terminates for Good Reason or is involuntarily terminated without Good Cause after a Change in Control; and continuing participation, or if continuing participation is barred, in substantially similar programs, in employee benefit plans and programs such as retirement, disability and medical insurance for the number of months between the date of his termination and the date that is twenty-four (24) months after the date of consummation of the Change of Control, or, if earlier, to the date on which the executive receives comparable benefits from any other source.

Messrs. Tissue, Frye and Jennings also each have the right to terminate employment without reason at his option within six (6) months after a Change of Control, by giving written notice of termination, and severance compensation is then equal to seventy five percent of salary, to be paid in a lump sum on the date of Separation from Service, subject to a six month delay if required under Internal Revenue Code Section 409A. Benefit continuation in the event of termination of employment without reason at the executive’s option within six (6) months after a Change of Control is limited to six months (or, if earlier, to the date on which the executive receives comparable benefits from any other source.)

The change of control provisions in Messrs. Tissue’s, Frye’s and Jennings’ Employment Agreements provide for an additional gross-up payment by the Company to the executive in the event that a distribution pursuant to the change of control provisions in the Employment Agreements would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code. Any calculated gross-up payment amount is equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the excise tax plus one hundred percent (100%) of any federal, state and local income taxes plus the additional excise tax on the gross-up amount.

The change of control provisions of the Employment Agreements do not affect the right of the Company to terminate Messrs. Tissue, Frye or Jennings or change their salary or benefits with or without good cause, prior to any change of control. However, any termination or change which takes place after discussions have commenced which result in a change of control will be presumed to be a wrongful termination and will entitle the executives to the benefits under the Employment Agreements, absent clear and convincing evidence to the contrary.

The Employment Agreement may be terminated based on one of the following:

•    Termination for Other than Good Cause (as defined by the Employment Agreement)

•    Termination for Good Cause (as defined by the Employment Agreement)

•    Termination for Good Reason or Wrongful Termination (as defined by the Employment Agreement).

Mr. Ritchie is entitled to certain termination payments under the Employment Agreement. If Mr. Ritchie is terminated for Other than Good Cause (as defined by the Employment Agreement), then he is entitled to a severance payment in cash from the Company equal to one (1) year of Mr. Ritchie’s Salary payable in a lump sum on the date of termination, subject to a six-month delay if required under Internal Revenue Code Section 409A.

Mr. Ritchie has change of control provisions included in his Employment Agreement. Generally, the Employment Agreement provides that if Mr. Ritchie’s employment should end under certain specified conditions prior to a Change of Control, but after discussions have commenced that result in a change of control, such termination shall be presumed to be a Wrongful Termination (as defined by the Employment Agreement). In addition, compensation will be paid upon a change of control if Mr. Ritchie voluntarily terminates employment (for Good Reason) within 24 months of a change of control because of:

•    a material decrease in the total amount of Mr. Ritchie’s base salary below the level in effect on the date of consummation of the change of control, without his consent;

•    a material reduction in Mr. Ritchie’s job duties and responsibilities without Mr. Ritchie’s prior consent;

•    a material geographical relocation of Mr. Ritchie without his prior consent, which is deemed to mean relocation to an office more than twenty (20) miles from his location at the time of a change of control;

•    failure by the Company to obtain assumption of the Employment Agreement by its successor; or

•    any purported termination of Mr. Ritchie’s employment which is not effected pursuant to a notice of termination as required in Mr. Ritchie’s Employment Agreement.

Under the Employment Agreement, a “Change of Control” is defined in Internal Revenue Code Section 409A and the regulations issued thereunder. This definition is set forth above under the description of Mr. Maddy’s Change in Control Agreement.

Upon a Wrongful Termination or termination for Good Reason, the Company will pay Mr. Ritchie:

•    a lump sum cash payment equal to his monthly salary (calculated based on the average annual base salary for the two full year periods immediately preceding the consummation of the Change in Control) multiplied by the number of months between the date of his termination and the date that is twenty-four (24) months after the earlier of the date of Separation of Service and the date of consummation of the Change of Control; provided that his lump sum cash payment not be less than 100% of his salary;

•    payment of cash incentive awards, if any, under the Company’s Incentive Plans earned by Employee as of the last day of his employment; and

•    continuing participation, or if continuing participation is barred, in substantially similar programs, in employee benefit plans and programs such as retirement, disability and medical insurance for the number of months between the date of his termination and the date that is the shorter of twenty-four (24) months after the date of consummation of the Change of Control, or the period of time, if any, during which Mr. Ritchie would be entitled to continuation coverage under a group health plan.

The change of control provisions of Mr. Ritchie’s Employment Agreement do not affect the right of the Company to terminate Mr. Ritchie or change his salary or benefits with or without good cause, prior to any change of control. However, any termination or change which takes place after discussions have commenced which result in a change of control will be presumed to be a wrongful termination and will entitle Mr. Ritchie to the benefits under the Employment Agreements absent clear and convincing evidence to the contrary.

In applying our compensation principles and philosophy, the Company analyzed the compensation arrangements of its named executives, and believes that the total compensation paid to its executive officers is appropriate and reasonable.

We believe our compensation decisions are in the best interests of our Company and our shareholders for many reasons including:

•    We have a strong management team with a proven record of performance.

•    We have an experienced group of executives who we believe will provide the strong management necessary to maximize shareholder return.

•    We believe that our incentive compensation plans effectively promote the Company’s philosophy of pay for performance.

The table below sets forth the compensation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer and the three most highly compensated executive officers other than the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer who earned $100,000 or more in salary and bonus for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 (the “named executive officers”).

The following table shows outstanding equity awards classified as exercisable and unexercisable held as of December 31, 2021, by the Company’s named executive officers.

(2)    No Stock Appreciation Rights were exercised in 2021.

(3)    Mr. Ritchie’s value was computed as described in note (1) above and was based on the following:

The following table discloses the years of credited service under, the present single-sum value of the accrued benefits for, payments during the last fiscal year to, and the annual benefits payable upon retirement to the named executive officers under the Executive Salary Continuation Agreements (the “Continuation Agreements”) and the Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (“Supplemental Plan”) with the Company’s named executive officers

The Continuation Agreements were supplemented by the Supplemental Plans to incent the executives to work until their retirement age. The Continuation Agreements and the Supplemental Plans are designed to provide an annual defined retirement benefit payable for the life of the executive. These benefits, when added to the retirement benefits that will be provided by the Company’s 401(k) Defined Contribution Plan, Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and social security, will provide each executive with benefit levels comparable to other Company employees when measured as a percentage of salary at the time of retirement.

The following tables summarize potential estimated payments and benefits that would be received by our Named Executive Officers under existing Company contracts, agreements, plans or arrangements for various scenarios involving termination of employment due to: voluntary resignation, termination for good cause, termination without good cause, death, disability, or change of control of the Company. The below information assumes that the termination occurred on December 31, 2021 and does not include any payments or benefits that the Named Executive Officers would already have been entitled to or vested in on such date under any Company contracts, agreements, plans or arrangements, including annual payments under the Executive Salary Continuation Agreements and the Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans as described on page 44 under Pension Benefits. Nor does the below information include benefits other Company employees would typically receive in the event of similar circumstances.

The Compensation and Nominating Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis required by Item 402(b) of Regulation S-K with management, and based on such review and discussions, the Compensation and Nominating Committee recommends to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this Proxy Statement.

The Board of Directors has appointed Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2022 subject to the ratification of our shareholders. For information concerning the audit fees paid by the Company in 2021 and 2020 to Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. and for information about the Company’s auditors generally, see the Audit and Compliance Committee Report on page 58 of this Proxy Statement.

Representatives of Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. will be present at the Annual Meeting to answer questions. They will also have the opportunity to make a statement if they desire to do so.

The affirmative vote of a majority of votes cast on this proposal is required for the ratification of this proposal. In determining whether the proposal has received the requisite number of affirmative votes, abstentions and broker non-votes will be disregarded and will have no effect on the outcome of the vote.

Shareholder ratification of the selection of Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. as our independent registered public accounting firm is not required by our Bylaws or otherwise. However, the Board of Directors is submitting the selection of Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. to the shareholders for ratification as a matter of good corporate practice. If the shareholders fail to ratify the selection, the Audit and Compliance Committee and the Board of Directors will reconsider whether or not to retain that firm. Even if the selection is ratified, the Audit and Compliance Committee and the Board of Directors in their discretion may direct the appointment of different independent auditors at any time during the year if they determine that such a change would be in the best interest of the Company and our shareholders.

The Audit and Compliance Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company is composed of seven (7) independent directors. The members of the Audit and Compliance Committee are Chairman, John B. Gianola, John W. Crites, II, Georgette R. George, Gary L. Hinkle, Jason A. Kitzmiller, Charles S. Piccirillo and Ronald B. Spencer.

The Audit and Compliance Committee operates under a written charter adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors. A copy of the Audit and Compliance Committee Charter is available on the Company’s website at www.summitfgi.com.

On November 14, 2016, the Board of Directors of the Company engaged Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. as its successor independent registered public accounting firm to audit the Company’s financial statements. Since January 1, 2014, the Company has not consulted Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. regarding (i) the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, (ii) the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Company’s financial statements, or (iii) any matter that was the subject of a disagreement or event identified in response to Item 304(a)(1) of Regulation S-K (there being none). At the 2021 Annual Meeting of shareholders, the shareholders of the Company ratified Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ended December 31, 2021.

The Audit and Compliance Committee has reviewed the audited financial statements of the Company for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and discussed them with Management and the Company’s independent auditors, Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. The Audit and Compliance Committee also has discussed with the independent auditors the matters required to be discussed by the applicable requirements of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Audit and Compliance Committee has received from the independent auditors the written disclosures and letter required by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board Ethics and Independence Rule 3526, “Communication with Audit Committee Concerning Independence”, and the Audit and Compliance Committee has discussed with the auditors their independence from the Company and Management.

Based on the review and discussions described above, the Audit and Compliance Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Company’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2021.

The following table presents fees for professional services rendered by Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. to perform an audit of the Company’s annual financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.

All services rendered by Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. are permissible under applicable laws and regulations, and pre-approved by the Audit and Compliance Committee. The Audit and Compliance Committee’s pre-approval policies for audit and non-audit services provided to the Company by Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. are as follows:

The spending level and work content of these services are actively monitored by the Audit and Compliance Committee to maintain the appropriate objectivity and independence in auditor’s core work, which are the audits of the Company’s consolidated financial statements and the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

The Audit and Compliance Committee has considered and determined that the provision of these additional services is compatible with maintaining Yount, Hyde & Barbour, P.C. For more information concerning the Company’s Audit and Compliance Committee, see pages 15-16 of these Annual Meeting materials.

Under our Articles of Incorporation, certain procedures are provided which a shareholder must follow to nominate persons for election as Directors. These procedures provide that nominations for Directors at an annual meeting of shareholders must be submitted in writing to the President of the Company at P. O. Box 179, 300 North Main Street, Moorefield, West Virginia 26836. The nomination must be received no later than:

•    thirty (30) days in advance of an annual meeting if at least thirty (30) days prior notice is provided; or

•    five (5) days following the day on which the notice of meeting is mailed if less than thirty (30) days’ notice is given.

The nomination must contain the following information about the nominee and notifying shareholder:

•    name of the nominee;

•    address of the nominee;

•    principal occupation of the nominee;

•    the number of shares of common stock held by the notifying shareholder; and the name and address of the notifying shareholder.

The chairman of the meeting may refuse to acknowledge the nomination of any person, if not in compliance with the foregoing procedures.

The Board is not aware of any matters that are expected to come before the Annual Meeting other than those referred to in this Proxy Statement. If any other matter should come before the Annual Meeting, the persons named in the accompanying proxy intend to exercise their discretionary authority in accordance with applicable federal and state laws and regulations to vote the proxies in accordance with their best judgment.

Current market quotations for the common stock of Summit Financial Group, Inc. are available on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol “SMMF.”

The annual report of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2021, is being mailed concurrently with this Proxy Statement.

The financial statements and other information to be delivered with this Proxy Statement constitute the annual disclosure statement as required by 12 C.F.R. 18.

Whether or not you plan to attend the Meeting, please mark, sign, date, and promptly return the enclosed proxy in the enclosed envelope. No postage is required for mailing in the United States.