Item 1. Business
History and Business
Highlands Bankshares, Inc. (the “Company”) is a one-bank holding company organized under the laws of Virginia in 1995 and registered under the Federal Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (“BHCA”). The Company conducts the majority of its business operations through its wholly-owned bank subsidiary, Highlands Union Bank (the “Bank”). The Company has two direct subsidiaries as of December 31, 2013: the Bank, which was formed in 1985, and Highlands Capital Trust I (“HCTI”), a statutory business trust (the “Trust”) which was formed in 1998.
As discussed in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the Company has a Term Loan with Community Bankers Bank, which is secured by the stock of the Bank. The Term Loan matures on April 21, 2014, the Company does not currently have the resources available to repay the $3.45 million balance, and the parties have not agreed to the terms of renewal or extension. See “Item. 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources.”
Highlands Union Bank
The Bank is a Virginia state chartered bank that was incorporated in 1985. The Bank operates a commercial banking business from its headquarters in Abingdon, Virginia, and its thirteen area full service branch offices. The Bank offers general retail and commercial banking services to individuals, businesses and local government unit customers. These products and services include accepting deposits in the form of checking accounts, money market deposit accounts, interest-bearing demand deposit accounts, savings accounts and time deposits; making residential 1-4 family loans, owner occupied and non owner occupied commercial real estate loans, second mortgages and equity lines, consumer, commercial and industrial, credit card and agricultural loans; offering letters of credit; providing other consumer financial services, such as automatic funds transfer, collections, night depository, safe deposit, travelers checks and savings bond sales; and providing other miscellaneous services normally offered by commercial banks.
Highlands Union Insurance Services, Inc.
Highlands Union Insurance Services, Inc., (“HUIS”) a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bank, was formed in 1999. The Bank, through HUIS, joined a consortium of approximately forty-seven other financial institutions to form Bankers’ Insurance, LLC. Bankers’ Insurance, LLC, as of December 31, 2013, had purchased twelve full service insurance agencies across the state of Virginia. HUIS sells insurance products and services through Bankers’ Insurance, LLC. The number of owner banks involved with Bankers’ Insurance, LLC was twenty-nine as of December 31, 2013.
Highlands Union Financial Services, Inc.
Highlands Union Financial Services, Inc., (“HUFS”) a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank, was created to offer third party mutual funds and other financial services to its customers in all market areas served by the Bank. The only activity in Highlands Union Financial Services Inc. now relates to commissions from the sale of life insurance.
In February 2005, the Bank became an equity owner in Bankers’ Investments, LLC, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. Bankers’ Investments, LLC was formed for the purpose of providing owner banks the ability to offer a full line of financial services to their customers. During 2007, Bankers Investments was acquired by Infinex, LLC, a full service provider of a wide array of investment services. Infinex, LLC is owned by member banks and banking associations.
Lending Activities
The Bank has written policies and procedures to help manage credit risk. The Bank’s policy provides for three levels of lending authority. The first level of authority is granted to individual loan officers who have various levels of approval based upon their position and experience. The second level is the Senior Officers Loan Committee, which is comprised of senior officers of the Bank from all market areas. The Senior Officers Loan Committee considers loans that exceed the individual loan officers’ lending authority and reviews loans to be presented to the Directors Loan Committee. The Directors Loan Committee is comprised of five Directors, four of which are independent Directors. The Directors Loan Committee approves new, modified and renewed credits that exceed the Senior Officer Loan Committee authorities. The Chairman of the Directors Loan Committee is the Chairman of the Company. A quorum is reached when four committee members are present, of which at least three must be independent Directors. An application requires four votes to receive approval by the Committee. In addition, monthly, the Directors Loan Committee reports all new loans reviewed and approved to the Bank’s Board of Directors. Monthly reports shared by the Directors Loan Committee include names and amounts of all new credits extended; a watch list including names, amounts, risk rating; non- accrual loans and recommended loans to be charged off and a list of overdrafts. The Directors Loan Committee also reviews changes to lending policies as proposed by management prior to submission to the Board of Directors for approval.
The Bank has an internal Credit Review Department that reviews the Bank’s loan portfolio to identify loss exposure and to monitor compliance with the Bank’s loan policy. An analysis of loss exposure and reports on policy compliance are presented to the Directors Loan Committee of the Board for approval on a quarterly basis.
One-to-Four-Family Residential Real Estate Lending
Residential loan opportunities may be generated by the Bank’s loan officers, referrals by real estate professionals, and by existing or new bank clients. Loan applications are taken by a Bank loan officer. As part of the application process, information is gathered concerning income, employment and credit history of the applicant and originations are underwritten using policy including a loan to value (“LTV”) of 80% of appraised value. Security for the majority of one to four family residential loans is owner occupied single family dwellings. Values of residential real estate collateral are provided by independent appraisers who have been approved by the Bank’s Board of Directors.
Second mortgages and Home Equity Lines of Credit are generated, underwritten and secured like single family residential real estate loans discussed above. However, both second mortgages and Home Equity Lines of Credit are made at higher interest rates than residential mortgages. In the event that LTV is greater than 80%, the loan request is reviewed by the Senior Officers’ Loan Committee and the Board of Directors, depending on the amount of the loan. Second mortgages are typically made for no more than fifteen years and equity lines mature in 10 years.
The Bank also originates adjustable rate products (“ARM”) secured by one to four family residential properties with a term of one, three, or five years. These products provide another outlet instead of secondary market loans and are generated, underwritten and secured the same as single family residential real estate loans discussed above. The Bank retains
these loans in its loan portfolio. Senior Management adjusts the ARM rates based on competitive rates within the Bank’s market area. The ARM products contain interest rate caps at adjustment periods and rate
ceilings based on a cap over and above the original interest rate. Adjustable rate mortgages are underwritten based on payment amounts at the interest rate reaching the lifetime cap.
At December 31, 2013, $192 million, or 47%, of the Bank’s loan portfolio consisted of one-to four-family residential real estate loans, second mortgages, and home equity lines. Of the $192 million, $114 million were fixed rate mortgages while the remaining $78 million were adjustable rate mortgages. The fixed rate loans are typically 3, 5, and 7 year balloon loans amortized over a 30 year period. In connection with residential real estate loans, Highlands Union Bank requires title insurance, hazard insurance and if required, flood insurance.
Multifamily Residential Estate Lending
Loan applications for loans to be secured by multi-family residential properties are taken by a loan officer. As part of the application process, information is gathered concerning income, employment and credit history of the applicant, as well as rent rolls, operating costs and occupancy rates of the property to be financed. Loan originations are underwritten using the Bank’s underwriting guidelines of a LTV of 80% and a cash flow coverage ratio of 1.10 or better. The valuation of multifamily residential collateral is provided by independent fee appraisers who have been approved by the Bank’s Board of Directors.
The Bank originates fixed rate and adjustable rate loans secured by multi-family properties, which are retained in the Bank’s portfolio. Adjustable rate mortgages are underwritten based on payment amounts at the interest rate reaching the lifetime cap.
Commercial, Construction, Farmland, Other Land Loans and Land Development Lending
The Bank makes commercial, construction, farmland and land acquisition and development loans. These loans generally have a higher degree of risk than residential mortgage loans, but also have higher yields. To minimize these risks, the Bank normally obtains appropriate collateral and requires the personal guarantees from the borrower’s principal owners and monitors the financial condition of its business borrowers. Commercial business loans typically are made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from cash flow from its business. As a result, the availability of funds for the repayment of commercial business loans is substantially dependent on the success of the business itself. Furthermore, the collateral for commercial business loans may depreciate over time and generally cannot be appraised with as much precision as historically been the case with residential real estate.
At December 31, 2013, commercial real estate loans aggregated $109 million, or 27%, of Highlands Union Bank’s total loans. In its underwriting of commercial real estate, the Bank may lend, under its policy, up to 75% of the secured property’s appraised value. The Bank’s commercial real estate loan underwriting criteria require an examination of debt service coverage ratios and the borrower’s creditworthiness, prior credit history and reputation. The Bank also evaluates the location of the secured property, and as noted above, typically requires personal guarantees or endorsements of the borrowing entity’s principal owners.
Construction and Land Development loans, including acquisition and development loans, are primarily those secured by residential houses and commercial structures under construction and the underlying land for which the loan was obtained. Over the past two years the Bank has significantly reduced the number of originations of construction and land development loans in all of its market areas in an effort to reduce portfolio risk.
At December 31, 2013, construction, farmland, and other land loans outstanding were $28 million, or 7%, of total loans. Construction lending entails significant additional risks and often involves larger loan balances concentrated with single borrowers or groups of related borrowers. Another risk involved in construction lending is attributable to the fact that loan funds are advanced to fund construction, the value of which is estimated prior to the completion of construction on “as built” basis. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately estimate the total loan funds required to complete the project and the completed loan-to-value ratios. To mitigate the risks associated with construction lending, the Bank generally limits loan amounts to 75% of as built appraised value, in addition to analyzing the creditworthiness of its borrowers. The Bank obtains a first lien on the property as security for construction loans, monitors the construction and advance process and, if a business entity, typically requires personal guarantees from the borrowing entity’s principal owners.
Commercial and Agricultural Lending-- Non-Real Estate Secured and Unsecured
The Bank makes local commercial and agricultural unsecured and non-real estate secured loans. These loans generally have a higher degree of risk than other loans and to manage these risks, the Bank generally obtains collateral, such as inventories, accounts receivable, equipment and personal guarantees from the borrowing entity’s principal owners. In its underwriting of commercial and agricultural non-real estate secured loans, the Bank may lend, under internal policy, up to 80% of the secured collateral appraised value. The Bank’s commercial and agricultural non-real estate secured underwriting criteria require adequate debt service coverage ratios and the borrower’s creditworthiness, prior credit history and reputation. As commercial business and agricultural non-real estate secured loans typically are made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from cash flow, the availability of funds for the repayment is substantially dependent on the success of the business itself.
At December 31, 2013, commercial and agricultural non-real estate secured loans including unsecured loans aggregated $35 million, or 9%, of the Bank’s total loans.
Consumer Lending-Non Real Estate Secured and Unsecured
The Bank offers various secured and unsecured consumer loans, including unsecured personal loans and lines of credit, automobile loans, deposit account loans made on both an installment and demand basis. At December 31, 2013, the Bank had consumer loans of $20 million or 5% of gross loans. Such loans are generally made to customers with whom the Bank has a pre-existing relationship, often deposit and residential mortgage relationships. The Bank only originates its consumer loans in its geographic market area. The underwriting standards employed by the Bank for consumer loans include a determination of the applicant’s payment history on other debts and an assessment of the ability to meet existing obligations and payments on the proposed loan. The stability of the applicant’s monthly income may be determined by the verification of gross monthly income from primary employment and additionally from any verifiable secondary source. The applicant’s FICO scores are also analyzed with the credit report analysis. Although creditworthiness of the applicant is of primary consideration, the underwriting process also includes an analysis of the value of the available collateral, if applicable.
Consumer loans may entail significant risk, particularly if unsecured, such as lines of credit, or secured by rapidly depreciable assets such as automobiles. In such cases, any repossessed collateral for a defaulted consumer loan may not provide an adequate source of repayment of the outstanding loan balance. The remaining deficiency often does not warrant further substantial collection efforts against the borrower. In addition, consumer loan collections are dependent on the borrower’s continuing financial stability, and thus 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 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 a consumer borrower against an assignee of collateral securing the loan such as the Bank and a borrower may raise claims which it has against the seller of the underlying collateral to prevent collection.
Participation Loans
The Bank will occasionally buy or sell all or a portion of a loan. The Bank will consider selling a loan or a participation in a loan, if: (i) the full amount of the loan to a single borrower will exceed the Bank's legal lending limit,
which is 15 percent of the unimpaired capital and unimpaired surplus of the Bank; (ii) the full amount of the loan, when combined with a borrower's previously outstanding loans, will exceed the Bank's legal lending limit to a single borrower; (iii) the Board of Directors or the Senior Officer Loan Committee believes that a particular borrower has a sufficient level of debt with the Bank; (iv) the borrower requests the sale; (v) the loan to deposit ratio is at or above the optimal level as determined by Bank management; and/or (vi) the loan may create too great a concentration of loans in one particular location, one industry or in one particular type of loan. The Bank will consider purchasing a participation in a loan from another financial institution if the loan meets all applicable credit quality standards and (i) the Bank's loan to deposit ratio is at a level where additional loans would be desirable; and/or (ii) a common customer requests the purchase.
The following table sets forth, for the two fiscal years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, the percentage of total operating revenue contributed by each class of similar services which contributed 15% or more of total operating revenues of the Company during such periods.
Period
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Class of Service
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Percentage of Total Revenues
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December 31, 2013
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Interest and Fees on Loans
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79.16
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%
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December 31, 2012
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Interest and Fees on Loans
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76.84
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%
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Market Area
Highlands Union Bank Market Area
The Bank’s primary market area consists of:
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all of Washington County, Virginia
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portions of Smyth County, Virginia
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the City of Bristol, Virginia
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the City of Bristol, Tennessee and adjacent portions of Sullivan County, Tennessee
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the Town of Rogersville, Tennessee and adjacent portions of Hawkins County, Tennessee
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the City of Sevierville, Tennessee and adjacent portions of Sevier County, Tennessee,
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the City of Knoxville, Tennessee and adjacent portions of Knox County, Tennessee
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the Town of Banner Elk and adjacent portions of Avery County, North Carolina
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the Town of Boone and adjacent portions of Watauga County, North Carolina
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The independent city of Bristol, Virginia is located in far southwestern Virginia and lies directly on the Virginia-Tennessee state line. Washington County surrounds Bristol to the west, north and east. In the Bristol/Washington County community, manufacturing, sales, and professional services sectors are the largest industries, in terms of total number of jobs in 2013. These sectors contribute in total 60.3% of the total employment. The latest unemployment figures as of December 2013 reflect an unemployment rate of 10.5% Bristol/Washington County, Virginia area.
The Bank has a branch office located in Marion which is the county seat of Smyth County, Virginia. Marion is approximately 30 miles northeast of Abingdon, Virginia. The latest unemployment figures reflect an unemployment rate of 8.2% reported as of December 2013. In Smyth County, manufacturing, sales, and professional services sectors are the largest industries, in terms of total number of jobs in 2013. These sectors contribute in total 61.8% of the total employment.
Bristol, Tennessee is located in Sullivan County, Tennessee and is Bristol, Virginia’s twin city. Bristol, Tennessee’s three largest employment sectors are services, sales and manufacturing. The latest unemployment figures reflect an unemployment rate of 7.6% as of December 2013. The sales, professional services, and manufacturing sectors make up 59.0% of all jobs throughout the County.
Rogersville, Tennessee is located in Hawkins County approximately 45 miles southwest of Bristol, Tennessee. Rogersville is the county seat for Hawkins County. Rogersville’s and Hawkins County’s largest employment sectors are professional services and manufacturing. These sectors combined make up 57.7% of all jobs throughout the County.
The latest unemployment figures reflect an unemployment rate of 5.1% as of 2013.
Sevierville, Tennessee is located in Sevier County, Tennessee. Sevierville, Tennessee is located approximately 20 miles east of Knoxville, Tennessee. Sevierville serves as the county seat and is the largest city located in Sevier County. Major employers for the County include sales, tourism, and service related industries, which make up 65.2% of all jobs throughout the County. There is some industrial base that mitigates some of the seasonal employment fluctuation from the tourism and related businesses. The latest unemployment figures reflect an unemployment rate of 5.5% as of December 2013.
Knoxville, Tennessee is located in Knox County, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tennessee is located approximately 20 miles west of Sevierville, Tennessee. Knoxville serves as the county seat and is the third largest city in the state of Tennessee. Major employers for the County include trade, transportation, utilities, and professional services. These sectors contribute to 60.8% of all jobs in the County. The latest unemployment figures reflect an unemployment rate of 7.1% as of 2013. Knoxville’s central location to two major interstate highways which link the eastern half of the United States continues to provide many opportunities for economic growth in the future.
Banner Elk, North Carolina is located in Avery County in the northwestern mountains of North Carolina. In Banner Elk, sales and professional services are the largest industries or 61.8% of total number of jobs in 2013. The latest unemployment figures reflect an unemployment rate of 5.0% as of December 2013.
Boone, North Carolina is located in Watauga County in the northwestern mountains of North Carolina. Boone’s three largest employment sectors are professional services, professional occupations, and educational services, which make up 78.1% of the total number of jobs in Boone as of 2013. The latest unemployment figures reflect an unemployment rate of 12.0% as of December 2013.
Competition
The banking and financial service business in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee generally, and in the Bank’s market areas specifically, is highly competitive. The increasingly competitive environment is a result of changes in regulation, changes in technology and product delivery systems and new competition from non-traditional financial services. The Bank competes for loans and deposits with other commercial banks, savings and loan associations, securities and brokerage companies, mortgage companies, money market funds, credit unions and other non-bank financial service providers. Many of these competitors are much larger in total assets and capitalization, have greater access to capital markets and offer a broader array of financial services than the Bank. In order to compete, the Bank relies upon service-based business philosophies, personal relationships with customers, specialized services tailored to meet customers' needs and the convenience of office locations and extended hours of operation. In addition, the Bank is generally competitive with other financial institutions in its market areas with respect to interest rates paid on deposit accounts, interest rates charged on loans and other service charges on loans and deposit accounts. Deposit market share for each of the Bank’s market areas can be found on the FDIC’s website at
www.fdic.gov
under the Industry Analysis/Summary of Deposits section.
Certain Regulatory Considerations
The Company and the Bank are subject to various state and federal banking laws and regulations which impose specific requirements or restrictions on and provide for general regulatory oversight with respect to virtually all aspects of operations. As a result of the substantial regulatory burdens on banking, financial institutions, including the Company and the Bank, are disadvantaged relative to other competitors who are not as highly regulated, and our costs of doing business are much higher.
The following is a summary of the material provisions of certain statutes, rules and regulations which affect the Company and the Bank. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statutory and regulatory provisions referred to below, and is not intended to be an exhaustive description of the statutes or regulations which are applicable to the business of the Company and the Bank. Any change in applicable laws or regulations may have a material adverse effect on the business and prospects of the Company and the Bank.
Highlands Bankshares, Inc.
The Company is a bank holding company within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and a financial institution holding company within the meaning of Chapter 7 of the Virginia Banking Act, as amended (the Virginia Banking Act). The activities of the Company also are governed by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999.
The Bank Holding Company Act
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The BHCA is administered by the Federal Reserve Board, and the Company is required to file with the Federal Reserve Board an annual report and any additional information the Federal Reserve Board may require under the BHCA. The Federal Reserve Board also is authorized to examine the Company and its subsidiaries. The BHCA requires every bank holding company to obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve Board before (i) it or any of its subsidiaries (other than a bank) acquires substantially all the assets of any bank; (ii) it acquires ownership or control of any voting shares of any bank if after the acquisition it would own or control, directly or indirectly, more than 5% of the voting shares of the bank; or (iii) it merges or consolidates with any other bank holding company.
The BHCA and the Change in Bank Control Act, together with regulations promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board, require that, depending on the particular circumstances, either Federal Reserve Board approval must be obtained or notice must be furnished to the Federal Reserve Board and not disapproved prior to any person or company acquiring "control" of a bank holding company, such as the Company, subject to certain exemptions. Control is conclusively presumed to exist if an individual or company acquires 25% or more of any class of voting securities of the Company. Control is presumed to exist (but rebuttable) if a person acquires 10% or more, but less than 25%, of any class of voting securities of the Company. The regulations provide a procedure for challenging the rebuttable control presumption.
Under the BHCA, a bank holding company is generally prohibited from engaging in, or acquiring direct or indirect control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any company engaged in non-banking activities, unless the Federal Reserve Board, by order or regulation, has found those activities to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be incident to banking. The Federal Reserve Board imposes certain capital requirements on the Company under the BHCA, including a minimum leverage ratio and a minimum ratio of "qualifying" capital to risk-weighted assets. Subject to its capital requirements and certain other restrictions, the Company can borrow money to make a capital contribution to the Bank, and these loans may be repaid from dividends paid from the Bank to the Company (although the ability of the Bank to pay dividends are subject to regulatory restrictions). The Company can raise capital for contribution to the Bank by issuing securities without having to receive regulatory approval, subject to compliance with federal and state securities laws.
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act.
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the GLBA) permits significant combinations among different sectors of the financial services industry; allows for significant expansion of financial service activities by bank holding companies and provides for a regulatory framework by various governmental authorities responsible for different financial activities; and offers certain financial privacy protections to consumers. The GLBA repealed affiliation and management interlock prohibitions of the Depression-era Glass-Steagall Act and, by amending the Bank Holding Company Act, the GLBA added new substantive provisions to the non-banking activities permitted under the BHCA with the creation of the financial holding company. The GLBA preempts most state laws that prohibit financial holding companies from engaging in insurance activities. The GLBA permits affiliations between banks and securities firms within the same holding company structure, and the GLBA permits financial holding companies to directly engage in a broad range of securities and merchant banking activities. The Company has not elected to become a financial holding company. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act has led to important changes in the manner in which financial services are delivered in the United States. Bank holding companies and their subsidiary banks are able to offer a much broader array of financial services; however, there is greater competition in all sectors of the financial services market.
The Virginia Banking Act
. All Virginia bank holding companies must register with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (the “Commission”) under the Virginia Banking Act. A registered bank holding company must provide the Commission with information with respect to the financial condition, operations, management and inter-company relationships of the holding company and its subsidiaries. The Commission also may require such other information as is
necessary to keep informed about whether the provisions of Virginia law and the regulations and orders issued under Virginia law by the Commission have been complied with, and may make examinations of any bank holding company and its subsidiaries. The Virginia Banking Act allows bank holding companies located in any state to acquire a Virginia bank or bank holding company if the Virginia bank or bank holding company could acquire a bank holding company in their state and the Virginia bank or bank holding company to be acquired has been in existence and continuously operated for more than two years. The Virginia Banking Act permits bank holding companies from throughout the United States to enter the Virginia market, subject to federal and state approval.
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “SOX Act”) implemented legislative reforms intended to address corporate and accounting fraud. In addition to the establishment of a new accounting oversight board that enforces auditing, quality control and independence standards and is funded by fees from all publicly traded companies, the law restricts provision of both auditing and consulting services by accounting firms. To ensure auditor independence, any non-audit services being provided to an audit client requires pre-approval by the issuer’s audit committee members and the SOX Act also restricts certain services that the audit firm may perform. In addition, audit partners must be rotated. The SOX Act requires chief executive officers and chief financial officers, or their equivalent, to certify to the accuracy of periodic reports filed with the SEC, subject to civil and criminal penalties if they knowingly or willfully violate this certification requirement. In addition, under the SOX Act, legal counsel is required to report evidence of a material violation of the securities laws or a breach of fiduciary duty by a company to its chief executive officer or its chief financial officer, and, if such officer does not appropriately respond, to report such evidence to the audit committee or other similar committee of the board of directors or the board itself.
Dodd-Frank Act.
On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), which significantly changes the regulation of financial institutions and the financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act included several provisions that will affect how community banks, thrifts, and small bank and thrift holding companies will be regulated in the future. Among other things, these provisions abolished the Office of Thrift Supervision and transferred its functions to the other federal banking agencies, relaxed rules regarding interstate branching, allows financial institutions to pay interest on business checking accounts, changed the scope of federal deposit insurance coverage, and impose new capital requirements on bank and thrift holding companies. The Dodd-Frank Act also established the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection as an independent entity within the Federal Reserve, which is given the authority to promulgate consumer protection regulations applicable to all entities offering consumer financial services or products, including banks. Additionally, the Dodd-Frank Act includes a series of provisions covering mortgage loan origination standards affecting originator compensation, minimum repayment standards, and pre-payments.
Highlands Union Bank.
General.
The Bank, as a state chartered member of the Federal Reserve, is subject to regulation and examination by the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions and the Federal Reserve Bank. In addition, the Bank is subject to the rules and regulations of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Deposits in the Bank are insured by the FDIC up to a maximum amount (generally $250,000 per depositor, subject to aggregation rules). The Federal Reserve Board and the Bureau of Financial Institutions regulate or monitor all areas of the Bank’s operations, including security devices and procedures, adequacy of capitalization and loss reserves, loans, investments, borrowings, deposits, mergers, issuances of securities, payment of dividends, interest rates paid on deposits, interest rates or fees charged on loans, establishment of branches, corporate reorganizations and maintenance of books and records. The Federal Reserve Board requires the Bank to maintain certain capital ratios. The Bank is required by the Federal Reserve Board to prepare quarterly reports on the Bank’s financial condition and to conduct an annual audit of its financial affairs in compliance with minimum standards and procedures prescribed by the Federal Reserve Board. The Bank also is required by the Federal Reserve Board to adopt internal control structures and procedures in order to safeguard assets and monitor and reduce risk exposure. While appropriate for safety and soundness of banks, these requirements impact banking overhead costs.
Under the provisions of federal law, federally insured banks are subject, with certain exceptions, to certain restrictions on extensions of credit to their affiliates, on investments in the stock or other securities of affiliates and on the taking of such stock or securities as collateral from any borrower. In addition, these banks are prohibited from engaging in certain tie-in arrangements in connection with any extension of credit or the providing of any property or service. The Virginia State Corporation Commission and the Federal Reserve Board conduct regular examinations of the Bank reviewing the adequacy of the loan loss reserves, quality of the loans and investments, propriety of management practices, compliance with laws and regulations and other aspects of the bank's operations. In addition to these regular examinations, Virginia chartered banks must furnish to the Federal Reserve Board quarterly reports containing detailed financial statements and schedules.
Community Reinvestment Act.
The Bank is subject to the provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (the “CRA”), which requires the appropriate federal bank regulatory agency, in connection with its regular examination of a bank, to assess the bank's record in meeting the credit needs of the community served by the Bank, including low and moderate-income neighborhoods. The focus of the regulations is on the volume and distribution of a bank's loans, with particular emphasis on lending activity in low and moderate-income areas and to low and moderate-income persons. The regulations place substantial importance on a bank's product delivery system, particularly branch locations. The regulations require banks to comply with significant data collection requirements. The regulatory agency's assessment of the bank's record is made available to the public. Further, this assessment is required for any bank which has applied to, among other things, establish a new branch office that will accept deposits, relocate an existing office, or merge, consolidate with or acquire the assets or assume the liabilities of a federally regulated financial institution. Management expects that the Bank’s compliance with the CRA, as well as other fair lending laws, will face ongoing government scrutiny and that costs associated with compliance will continue to increase. The Bank received a "Satisfactory" CRA rating in the last examination by bank regulators.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991
. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (FDICIA) requires each federal banking regulatory agency to prescribe, by regulation, standards for all insured depository institutions and
depository institution holding companies relating to (i) internal controls, information systems and audit systems; (ii) loan documentation; (iii) credit underwriting; (iv) interest rate exposure; (v) asset growth; (vi) compensation, fees and benefits; and (vii) such other operational and managerial standards as the agency determines to be appropriate. The compensation standards prohibit employment contracts, compensation or benefit arrangements, stock option plans, fee arrangements or other compensatory arrangements that provide excessive compensation, fees or benefits or could lead to material financial loss. In addition, each federal banking regulatory agency must prescribe by regulation standards specifying (i) a maximum ratio of classified assets to capital; (ii) minimum earnings sufficient to absorb losses without impairing capital; (iii) to the extent feasible, a minimum ratio of market value to book value for publicly traded shares of depository institutions and depository institution holding companies; and (iv) such other standards relating to asset quality, earnings and valuation as the agency determines to be appropriate. If an insured institution fails to meet any of the standards promulgated by regulation, then such institution will be required to submit a plan to its federal regulatory agency specifying the steps it will take to correct the deficiency.
Prompt corrective action measures adopted in FDICIA impose significant restrictions and requirements on depository institutions that fail to meet their minimum capital requirements. Under Section 38 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDI Act), the federal banking regulatory agencies have developed a classification system pursuant to which all depository institutions are placed into one of five categories based on their capital levels and other supervisory criteria: well capitalized, adequately capitalized; undercapitalized; significantly undercapitalized; and critically undercapitalized.
The Bank met the requirements at December 31, 2013 to be classified as “well-capitalized.” This classification is determined solely for the purposes of applying the prompt corrective action regulations and may not constitute an accurate representation of the Bank’s overall financial condition.
If its principal federal regulator determines that an adequately capitalized institution is in an unsafe or unsound condition or is engaging in an unsafe or unsound practice, it may require the institution to submit a corrective action plan, restrict its asset growth and prohibit branching, new acquisitions and new lines of business. An institution’s principal federal regulator may deem it to be engaging in unsafe or unsound practices if it receives a less than satisfactory rating for asset quality, management, earnings or liquidity in its most recent examination.
Section 36 of FDICIA requires insured depository institutions with at least $500 million but less than $1 billion in total assets to file annual reports that must include the following:
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Audited comparative annual financial statements.
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The independent public accountant’s report on the audited financial statements.
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A management report that contains a statement of management’s responsibilities for preparing the financial statement, establishing and maintaining an adequate internal control structure over financial reporting and complying with the laws and regulations designed by the FDIC and appropriate banking regulators.
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An assessment by management of the institutions compliance with the designated laws and regulations during the year.
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These amendments do not relieve public companies of their obligations to comply with the SOX Act and the SEC’s rules on internal control reporting and audit committee independence
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The Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994
(the Interstate Act) allows bank holding companies to acquire banks in any state, without regard to state law, except that if the state has a minimum requirement for the amount of time a bank must be in existence, that law must be preserved. Under the Virginia Banking Act, a Virginia bank or all of the subsidiaries of Virginia holding companies sought to be acquired must have been in continuous operation for more than two years before the date of such proposed acquisition. The Interstate Act also permits banks to acquire out-of-state branches through interstate mergers, if the state has not opted out of interstate branching. De novo branching, where an out-of-state bank holding company sets up a new branch in another state, requires a state's specific approval. An acquisition or merger is not permitted under the Interstate Act if the bank, including its insured depository affiliates, will control more than 10% of the total amount of deposits of insured depository institutions in the United States, or will control 30% or more of the total amount of deposits of insured depository institutions in any state.
Virginia has, by statute, elected to opt-in fully to interstate branching under the Interstate Act. Under the Virginia statute, Virginia state banks may, with the approval of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, establish and maintain a de novo branch or acquire one or more branches in a state other than Virginia, either separately or as part of a merger. Procedures also are established to allow out-of-state domiciled banks to establish or acquire branches in Virginia, provided the "home" state of the bank permits Virginia banks to establish or acquire branches within its borders. The activities of these branches are subject to the same laws as Virginia domiciled banks, unless such activities are prohibited by the law of the state where the bank is organized. The Virginia State Corporation Commission has the authority to examine and supervise out-of-state state banks to ensure that the branch is operating in a safe and sound manner and in compliance with the laws of Virginia. The Virginia statute authorizes the Bureau of Financial Institutions to enter into cooperative agreements with other state and federal regulators for the examination and supervision of out-of-state banks with Virginia operations, or Virginia domiciled banks with operations in other states. Likewise, national banks, with the approval of the OCC, may branch into and out of the state of Virginia. Any Virginia branch of an out-of-state state chartered bank is subject to Virginia law (enforced by the Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions) with respect to intrastate branching, consumer protection, fair lending and community reinvestment as if it were a branch of a Virginia bank, unless preempted by federal law.
Deposit Insurance.
The Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) of the FDIC. Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, FDIC insurance coverage limits on deposits were permanently increased to $250,000.
The FDIC has adopted a risk-based assessment system to determine assessment rates to be paid by member institutions, such as the Bank. The amount of the assessment is a function of the institution’s risk category, of which there are four, and its assessment base. Under this system, risk is defined and measured using an institution’s supervisory ratings, combined with certain other risk measures, including certain financial ratios. In February 2011, the FDIC revised the risk-based assessment system to set new assessment rates that were effective on April 1, 2011. The initial base assessment rates range from 5 to 35 basis points, subject to potential adjustments based on the amount of the institution’s long-term unsecured debt and brokered deposits. After the effect of potential base-rate adjustments, the total base assessment rate can range from 2.5 to 45 basis points. As the DIF reserve ratio grows, the rate schedule will be adjusted downward. Also effective April 1, 2011, the assessment base is an institution’s average consolidated total assets less its average tangible equity.
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (the GLBA) allows banks, with primary regulator approval, to acquire financial subsidiaries to engage in any activity that is financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity, as defined in the Bank Holding Act, except (i) insurance underwriting, (ii) merchant or insurance portfolio investments, and (iii) real estate development or investment. Well-capitalized banks are also given the authority to engage in municipal bond underwriting.
To establish or acquire a financial subsidiary, a bank must be well-managed, and the consolidated assets of its financial subsidiary must not exceed the lesser of 45% of the consolidated total assets of the bank or $50 billion. The relationship between a bank and a financial subsidiary are subject to a variety of supervisory enhancements from regulators.
USA Patriot Act
. The USA Patriot Act facilitates the sharing of information among government entities and financial institutions to combat terrorism and money laundering. The USA Patriot Act creates an obligation on banks to report customer activities that may involve terrorist activities or money laundering.
Government Policies
. The operations of the Bank are affected not only by general economic conditions, but also by the policies of various regulatory authorities. In particular, the Federal Reserve Board regulates money and credit and interest rates in order to influence general economic conditions. These policies have a significant influence on overall growth and distribution of loans, investments and deposits and affect interest rates charged on loans or paid for time and savings deposits. Federal Reserve Board monetary policies have had a significant effect on the operating results of commercial banks in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future.
Limits on Dividends and Other Payments
. The Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank, virtually all of the Company’s cash reserves, and its ability to pay dividends to the Company’s shareholders, are dependent on the ability of the Bank to upstream dividends to it. As a state member bank subject to the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board, the Bank must obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve Board for any dividend if the total of all dividends declared in any calendar year would exceed the total of its net profits, as defined by the Federal Reserve Board, for that year, combined with its retained net profits for the preceding two years. In addition, the Federal Reserve Board is authorized to determine, under certain circumstances relating to the financial condition of a state member bank, that the payment of dividends would be an unsafe or unsound practice and to prohibit payment thereof. The payment of dividends that depletes a bank's capital base could be deemed to constitute such an unsafe or unsound practice.
Virginia law also imposes restrictions on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends. A Virginia state bank is permitted to declare a dividend out of its "net undivided profits", after providing for all expenses, losses, interest and taxes accrued or due by the bank. In addition, a deficit in capital originally paid in must be restored to its initial level, and no dividend can be paid which could impair the Bank's paid in capital. The Bureau of Financial Institutions further has authority to limit the payment of dividends by a Virginia bank if it determines the limitation is in the public interest and is necessary to ensure the bank's financial soundness.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (FDICIA) provides that no insured depository institution may make any capital distribution (which would include a cash dividend) if, after making the distribution, the institution would not satisfy one or more of its minimum capital requirements. The Federal Reserve Board has indicated that banking organizations, including bank holding companies, should generally pay dividends only out of current operating earnings. Federal regulators also have indicated that bank holding companies generally should pay dividends only if the organization’s net income available to company shareholders is sufficient to fully fund the dividends as well as maintaining sufficient capital levels.
Capital Requirements
. The Federal Reserve Board has adopted risk-based capital guidelines which are applicable to the Company and the Bank. The Federal Reserve Board guidelines redefine the components of capital, categorize assets into different risk classes and include certain off-balance sheet items in the calculation of risk-weighted assets. The minimum ratio of qualified total capital to risk-weighted assets (including certain off-balance sheet items, such as standby letters of credit) is 8.0%. At least half of the total capital must be comprised of Tier 1 capital for a minimum ratio of Tier 1 Capital to risk-weighted assets of 4.0%. The remainder may consist of a limited amount of subordinated debt, other preferred stock, certain other instruments and a limited amount of loan and lease loss reserves.
In addition, the Federal Reserve Board has established minimum leverage ratio (Tier 1 capital to total average assets less intangibles) guidelines that are applicable to the Company and the Bank. These guidelines provide for a minimum ratio of 4.0% for banks that meet certain specified criteria, including that they have the highest regulatory CAMELS rating and are not anticipating or experiencing significant growth and have well-diversified risk. All other banks will be required to maintain an additional cushion of at least 100 to 200 basis points, based upon their particular circumstances and risk profiles. The guidelines also provide that banks experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions will be expected to maintain strong capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets.
In summary, the capital measures used by the federal banking regulators are:
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the Total Capital ratio, which includes Tier 1 Capital and Tier 2 Capital;
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the Tier 1 Capital ratio; and
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Under these regulations, a bank will be:
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“well capitalized” if it has a Total Capital ratio of 10% or greater, a Tier 1 Capital ratio of 6% or greater, and a leverage ratio of 5% or greater and is not subject to any written agreement, order, capital directive, or prompt corrective action directive by a federal bank regulatory agency to meet and maintain a specific capital level for any capital measure;
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“adequately capitalized” if it has a Total Capital ratio of 8% or greater, a Tier 1 Capital ratio of 4% or greater, and a leverage ratio of 4% or greater – or 3% in certain circumstances – and is not well capitalized;
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“undercapitalized” if it has a Total Capital ratio of less than 8%, a Tier 1 Capital ratio of less than 4% - or 3% in certain circumstances;
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“significantly undercapitalized” if it has a Total Capital ratio of less than 6%, a Tier 1 Capital ratio of less than 3%, or a leverage ratio of less than 3%; or
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“critically undercapitalized” if its tangible equity is equal to or less than 2% of average quarterly tangible assets.
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The risk-based capital standards of the Federal Reserve explicitly identify concentrations of credit risk and the risk arising from non-traditional activities, as well as an institution’s ability to manage these risks, as important factors to be taken into account by the agency in assessing an institution’s overall capital adequacy. The capital guidelines also provide that an institution’s exposure to a decline in the economic value of its capital due to changes in interest rates be considered by the agency as a factor in evaluating a banking organization’s capital adequacy.
The FDIC may take various corrective actions against any undercapitalized bank and any bank that fails to submit an acceptable capital restoration plan or fails to implement a plan accepted by the FDIC. These powers include, but are not limited to, requiring the institution to be recapitalized, prohibiting asset growth, restricting interest rates paid, requiring prior approval of capital distributions by any bank holding company that controls the institution, requiring divestiture by the institution of its subsidiaries or by the holding company of the institution itself, requiring new election of directors, and requiring the dismissal of directors and officers. The Company and the Bank presently maintain sufficient capital to remain in compliance with these capital requirements.
The Dodd-Frank Act contains a number of provisions dealing with capital adequacy of insured depository institutions and their holding companies, which may result in more stringent capital requirements. Under the Collins Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Act, federal regulators have been directed to establish minimum leverage and risk-based capital requirements for, among other entities, banks and bank holding companies on a consolidated basis. The Collins Amendment also excludes trust preferred securities issued after May 19, 2010 from being included in Tier 1 capital unless the issuing company is a bank holding company with less than $500 million in total assets. Trust preferred securities issued prior to that date will continue to count as Tier 1 capital for bank holding companies with less than $15 billion in total assets, and such securities will be phased out of Tier 1 capital treatment for bank holding companies with over $15 billion in total assets over a three-year period beginning in 2013. Accordingly, the Company’s trust preferred securities will continue to qualify as Tier 1 capital.
On July 7, 2013 the Federal Reserve Board approved Basel III Final Rules to begin implementation January 1, 2015. The desired overall objective of Basel III is to improve the banking sector’s ability to absorb shocks arising from financial and economic stress. The Final Rule changes minimum capital ratios and raises the Tier 1 Risk Weighted Assets to 6% from 4%. In addition, the new rules require a bank to maintain a capital conservation buffer of between 2 and 2 ½ % beginning in 2016. The new rules will be phased in beginning in 2015 with complete compliance required by 2019. Generally, the Basel III Final Rule will require banks to maintain higher levels of common equity and regulatory capital.
Other Legislative and Regulatory Concerns
Other legislative and regulatory proposals regarding changes in banking and the regulation of banks, thrifts and other financial institutions are periodically considered by the executive branch of the federal government, Congress and various state governments, including Virginia. New proposals could significantly change the regulation of banks and the financial services industry. It cannot be predicted what might be proposed or adopted or how these proposals would affect the Company.
Formal Written Agreement
On October 13, 2010, the Company and Bank entered into a written agreement (“Written Agreement”) with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (the “Reserve Bank”). Under the terms of the Written Agreement, the Bank has agreed to develop and submit to the Reserve Bank for approval within the time periods specified therein written plans or programs to:
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strengthen board oversight of the management and operations of the Bank;
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strengthen credit risk management and administration;
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provide for the effective grading of the Bank’s loan portfolio;
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summarize the findings of its review of the adequacy of the staffing of its loan review function;
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improve the Bank’s position with respect to loans, relationships, or other assets in excess of $500,000 that currently are or in the future become past due more than 90 days, on the Bank’s problem loan list, or adversely classified in any report of examination of the Bank;
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review and revise the Bank’s methodology for determining the allowance for loan and lease losses (“ALLL”) and maintain an adequate ALLL;
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maintain sufficient capital at the Company and the Bank;
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establish a revised written contingency funding plan;
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establish a revised written strategic and capital plan;
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establish a revised investment policy;
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improve the Bank’s earnings and overall condition;
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revise the Bank’s information technology program;
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establish a disaster recovery and business continuity program; and,
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establish a committee to monitor compliance with all aspects of the written agreement.
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Further, both the Company and the Bank have agreed to refrain from declaring or paying dividends without prior regulatory approval. The Company has agreed that it will not take any other form of payment representing a reduction in Bank’s capital or make any distributions of interest, principal or other sums on subordinated debentures or trust preferred securities without prior regulatory approval. The Company also has agreed not to incur, increase or guarantee any debt or not to purchase or redeem any shares of its stock without prior regulatory approval.
The following summarizes the Company’s progress to comply with the items in the Written Agreement as of December 31, 2013.
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A new board oversight policy has been approved and implemented;
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Completed revising the Bank’s loan grading system and ALLL methodology;
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Implemented Problem Loan Action reports and Problem Asset reports for all assets over $500,000. These are reviewed with the Board and forwarded to the Federal Reserve Bank on a quarterly basis;
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Completed revising the written contingency funding plan;
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Implemented stress testing of the loan portfolio;
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Completed revising the investment policy;
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Completed a three year capital plan targeted to improve the Company’s and Bank’s capital levels to include strategically reducing the risk weighted assets of the Company and improving earnings;
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Completed a Business Continuity Plan and Disaster Recovery Plan; and,
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Formed a Directors’ compliance committee to monitor the progress of each item in the written agreement. The committee meets at least quarterly and files a report with the Federal Reserve Bank.
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Organization and Employment
The Company, the Bank, HCTI, HUFS and HUIS are organized in a holding company/subsidiary structure. As of December 31, 2013, the Company had no employees, except for officers, and it conducted substantially all of its operations through its subsidiaries. All cash compensation paid to the Company’s officers is paid by the subsidiary bank, including fees paid to its directors. At December 31, 2013, the Bank employed 213 full time equivalent employees at its main office, operations center, support centers and branch offices. The Company’s relationship with its employees is considered to be good. Employment has remained very stable over the last several years with very little turnover. There are no employment contracts in existence for any employee or officer.
Company Website
The Bank maintains a website at www.hubank.com. The Company makes available through the Bank’s website its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after the material is electronically filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.