AMRB American River Bankshares

Item 1. Business.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain matters discussed or incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K including, but not limited to, matters described in “Item 7 - Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements may contain words related to future projections including, but not limited to, words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” and variations of those words and similar words that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from those projected. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the following:

The factors set forth under “Item 1A-Risk Factors” in this report and other cautionary statements and information set forth in this report should be carefully considered and understood as being applicable to all related forward-looking statements contained in this report, when evaluating the business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. By their nature, they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The future results and shareholder values may differ significantly from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to put undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. Any such statement speaks only as of the date of this report, and in the case of any documents that may be incorporated by reference, as of the date of those documents. We do not undertake any obligation to update or release any revisions to any forward-looking statements, to report any new information, future event or other circumstances after the date of this report or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. However, your attention is directed to any further disclosures made on related subjects in our subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K.

Introduction

American River Bankshares (the “Company”) is a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended. The Company was incorporated under the laws of the State of California in 1995. As a bank holding company, the Company is authorized to engage in the activities permitted under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, and regulations thereunder. Its principal office is located at 3100 Zinfandel Drive, Suite 450, Rancho Cordova, California 95670 and its telephone number is (916) 851-0123.

The Company owns 100% of the issued and outstanding common shares of its banking subsidiary, American River Bank, and American River Financial, a California corporation which has been inactive since its incorporation in 2003.

American River Bank was incorporated and commenced business in Fair Oaks, California, in 1983 and thereafter moved its headquarters to Sacramento, California in 1985. American River Bank operates four full service offices in Sacramento County including the main office located at 1545 River Park Drive, Suite 107, Sacramento and branch offices in Sacramento and Gold River; one full service office in Placer County, located in Roseville; two full service offices in Sonoma County in Healdsburg and Santa Rosa; and three full service offices in Amador County in Jackson, Pioneer, and Ione.

American River Bank’s deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to applicable legal limits. On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). The Dodd-Frank Act includes an increase to $250,000 as the maximum FDIC insurance limit per depositor retroactive to January 1, 2008. On November 9, 2010, the FDIC implemented a final rule to permanently increase the maximum insurance limit to $250,000 under the Dodd-Frank Act.

American River Bank does not offer trust services or international banking services and does not plan to do so in the near future. American River Bank’s primary business is serving the commercial banking needs of small to mid-sized businesses within those counties listed above. American River Bank accepts checking and savings deposits, offers money market deposit accounts and certificates of deposit, makes secured and unsecured commercial, secured real estate, and other installment and term loans and offers other customary banking services. American River Bank also conducts lease financing for most types of business equipment, from computer software to heavy earth-moving equipment. American River Bank owns 100% of two inactive companies, ARBCO and American River Mortgage. ARBCO was formed in 1984 to conduct real estate development and has been inactive since 1995. American River Mortgage has been inactive since its formation in 1994.

During 2019, the Company conducted no significant activities other than holding the shares of its subsidiaries. However, it is authorized, with the prior approval of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Board of Governors”), the Company’s principal regulator, to engage in a variety of activities which are deemed closely related to the business of banking.

The common stock of the Company is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is listed and traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “AMRB.”

At December 31, 2019, the Company had consolidated assets of $720 million, net loans of $394 million, deposits of $605 million and shareholders’ equity of $83 million.

General

The Company is a regional bank holding company headquartered in Sacramento County, California. The principal communities served are located in Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado, Sonoma, and Amador counties. The Company generates most of its revenue by providing a wide range of products and services to small and middle-market businesses and individuals. The Company’s principal source of revenue comes from interest income. Interest income is derived from interest and fees on loans and leases, interest on investments (principally government securities), and Federal funds sold (funds loaned on a short-term basis to other banks). For the year ended December 31, 2019, these sources comprised 68.6%, 31.4%, and 0.0%, respectively, of the Company’s interest income.

American River Bank’s deposits are not received from a single depositor or group of affiliated depositors, the loss of any one of which would have a materially adverse effect on the business of the Company. A material portion of American River Bank’s deposits are not concentrated within a single industry or group of related industries.

As of December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, American River Bank held $29,000,000 in certificates of deposit for the State of California. In connection with these deposits, American River Bank is generally required to pledge securities to secure such deposits, except for the first $250,000 insured by the FDIC.

Based on the most recent information made available by the FDIC through June 30, 2019, American River Bank competes with approximately 31 other banking or savings institutions in Sacramento County, 25 in Placer County, 19 in Sonoma County and 6 in Amador County, in which American River Bank’s market share of FDIC insured deposits was approximately 0.94% in the service areas of Sacramento County, 0.41% in Placer County, 0.51% in Sonoma County, and 15.08% in Amador County.

Employees

At December 31, 2019, the Company and its subsidiaries employed 102 persons on a full-time equivalent basis. The Company believes its employee relations are good.

Website Access

The Company maintains a website where certain information about the Company is posted. Through the website, its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments thereto, as well as Section 16 Reports and amendments thereto, are available as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. These reports are free of charge and can be accessed through the address www.americanriverbank.com by accessing the Investor Relations link, then the Company News link, then the SEC Filings link located at that address. Once you have selected the SEC Filings link you will have the option to access the Section 16 Reports or the reports filed on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K by the Company by selecting the appropriate link.

Competition

General Competitive Factors

In order to compete with the major financial institutions in its primary service areas, American River Bank uses to the fullest extent possible the flexibility which is accorded by their community bank status. This includes an emphasis on specialized services, local promotional activity, and personal contacts by their respective officers, directors and employees. American River Bank also seeks to provide special services and programs for individuals in their primary service area who are employed in the agricultural, professional and business fields, such as loans for equipment, furniture, tools of the trade or expansion of practices or businesses. In the event there are customers whose loan demands exceed their respective lending limits, they seek to arrange for such loans on a participation basis with other financial institutions. Furthermore, American River Bank also assists those customers requiring services not offered by either bank to obtain such services from correspondent banks.

Commercial banks compete with savings and loan associations, credit unions, other financial institutions and other entities for funds. For instance, yields on corporate and government debt securities and other commercial paper affect the ability of commercial banks to attract and hold deposits. Commercial banks also compete for loans with savings and loan associations, credit unions, consumer finance companies, mortgage companies and other lending institutions.

Banking is a business that depends on interest rate differentials. In general, the difference between the interest rate paid by a bank to obtain their deposits and other borrowings and the interest rate received by a bank on loans extended to customers and on securities held in a bank’s portfolio comprise the major portion of a bank’s revenues.

The interest rate differentials of a bank, and therefore their revenues, are affected not only by general economic conditions, both domestic and foreign, but also by the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States as set by statutes and as implemented by federal agencies, particularly the Federal Reserve Board. The Federal Reserve Board can and does implement national monetary policy, such as seeking to curb inflation and combat recession, by its open market operations in United States government securities, adjustments in the amount of interest free reserves that banks and other financial institutions are required to maintain, and adjustments to the discount rates applicable to borrowing by banks from the Federal Reserve Board. These activities influence the growth of bank loans, investments and deposits and also affect interest rates charged on loans and paid on deposits. The nature and timing of any future changes in monetary policies and their impact on American River Bank is not predictable.

Competitive Data

At June 30, 2019, based on the most recent “Data Book Summary of Deposits in FDIC Insured Commercial and Savings Banks” report at that date, the competing commercial and savings banks had 168 offices in the cities of Rancho Cordova, Roseville and Sacramento, California, where American River Bank has its five Sacramento area offices, 58 offices in the cities of Healdsburg and Santa Rosa, California, where American River Bank has its two Sonoma County offices, and three offices in the cities of Jackson, Pioneer and Ione, California, where American River Bank has its three Amador County offices. Additionally, American River Bank competes with thrifts and, to a lesser extent, credit unions, finance companies and other financial service providers for deposit and loan customers.

Larger banks may have a competitive advantage because of higher lending limits and major advertising and marketing campaigns. They also perform services, such as trust services, international banking, discount brokerage and insurance services, which American River Bank is neither authorized nor prepared to offer currently. American River Bank has made arrangements with its correspondent banks and with others to provide some of these services for its customers. For borrowers requiring loans in excess of American River Bank’s legal lending limits, American River Bank has offered, and intends to offer in the future, such loans on a participating basis with its correspondent banks and with other community banks, retaining the portion of such loans which is within its lending limits. As of December 31, 2019, American River Bank’s aggregate legal lending limits to a single borrower and such borrower’s related parties were $13,323,000 on an unsecured basis and $22,205,000 on a fully secured basis based on capital and allowable reserves of $88,818,000.

American River Bank’s business is concentrated in its service area, which primarily encompasses Sacramento County, South Western Placer County, Sonoma County, and Amador County. The economy of American River Bank’s service area is dependent upon government, manufacturing, tourism, retail sales, agriculture, population growth and smaller service oriented businesses.

Based upon the most recent “Data Book Summary of Deposits in FDIC Insured Commercial and Savings Banks” report dated June 30, 2019, there were 212 operating commercial and savings bank offices in Sacramento County with total deposits of $37,312,467,000. This was an increase of $2,216,156,000 compared to the June 30, 2018 balances. American River Bank held a total of $348,877,000 in deposits, representing approximately 0.94% of total commercial and savings banks deposits in Sacramento County as of June 30, 2019.

Based upon the most recent “Data Book Summary of Deposits in FDIC Insured Commercial and Savings Banks” report dated June 30, 2019, there were 94 operating commercial and savings bank offices in Placer County with total deposits of $10,956,527,000. This was a decrease of $257,823,000 compared to the June 30, 2018 balances. American River Bank held a total of $44,847,000 in deposits, representing approximately 0.41% of total commercial and savings banks deposits in Placer County as of June 30, 2019.

Based upon the most recent “Data Book Summary of Deposits in FDIC Insured Commercial and Savings Banks” report dated June 30, 2019, there were 119 operating commercial and savings bank offices in Sonoma County with total deposits of $14,562,757,000. This was a decrease of $229,860,000 compared to the June 30, 2018 balances. American River Bank held a total of $73,908,000 in deposits, representing approximately 0.51% of total commercial and savings banks deposits in Sonoma County as of June 30, 2019.

Based upon the most recent “Data Book Summary of Deposits in FDIC Insured Commercial and Savings Banks” report dated June 30, 2019, there were 13 operating commercial and savings bank offices in Amador County with total deposits of $753,635,000. This was a decrease of $20,806,000 compared to the June 30, 2018 balances. American River Bank held a total of $113,624,000 in deposits, representing approximately 15.08% of total commercial and savings bank deposits in Amador County as of June 30, 2019.

Supervision and Regulation

General

American River Bankshares is a bank holding company within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “Bank Holding Company Act”), and is registered as such with, and subject to the supervision of, the Board of Governors. The Company is required to obtain the approval of the Board of Governors before it may acquire all or substantially all of the assets of any bank, or ownership or control of the voting shares of any bank if, after giving effect to such acquisition of shares, the Company would own or control more than 5% of the voting shares of such bank. The Bank Holding Company Act prohibits the Company from acquiring any voting shares of, or interest in, all or substantially all of the assets of, a bank located outside the State of California unless such an acquisition is specifically authorized by the laws of the state in which such bank is located. Any acquisition is also subject to applicable California and other provisions of federal law.

The common stock of the Company is subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the qualification requirements of the California Corporate Securities Law of 1968, as amended. The Company is also subject to the periodic reporting requirements of Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which include, but are not limited to, filing annual, quarterly and other current reports with the SEC.

The Company and any of its subsidiaries are deemed to be “affiliates” within the meaning of that term as defined in the Federal Reserve Act. This means, for example, that there are limitations (a) on loans by American River Bank to affiliates, (b) on investments by American River Bank in affiliates’ stock as collateral for loans to any borrower, and (c) other transactions between any bank subsidiary and the Company. The Company and its subsidiaries are also subject to certain restrictions with respect to engaging in the underwriting, public sale and distribution of securities.

American River Bank is licensed by the California Commissioner (the “Commissioner”) of the Department of Business Oversight (the “DBO”), and its deposits are insured by the FDIC up to the applicable legal limits.  American River Bankshares and American River Bank are required to file reports with the Board of Governors, the Commissioner, and the FDIC and provide any additional information that the Board of Governors, the Commissioner, and the FDIC may require.

Capital Standards

Federal regulations require FDIC insured depository institutions, including state-chartered banks, to meet several minimum capital standards: a common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-based assets ratio, a Tier 1 capital to risk-based assets ratio, a total capital to risk-based assets and a Tier 1 capital to total assets leverage ratio. The existing capital requirements were effective January 1, 2015 and are the result of a final rule implementing regulatory amendments based on recommendations of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and certain requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”).

The capital standards require the maintenance of common equity Tier 1 capital, Tier 1 capital and total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%, 6% and 8%, respectively, and a leverage ratio of at least 4% Tier 1 capital. Common equity Tier 1 capital is generally defined as common stockholders’ equity and retained earnings. Tier 1 capital is generally defined as common equity Tier 1 and Additional Tier 1 capital. Additional Tier 1 capital generally includes certain noncumulative perpetual preferred stock and related surplus and minority interests in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries. Total capital includes Tier 1 capital (common equity Tier 1 capital plus Additional Tier 1 capital) and Tier 2 capital. Tier 2 capital is comprised of capital instruments and related surplus meeting specified requirements, and may include cumulative preferred stock and long-term perpetual preferred stock, mandatory convertible securities, intermediate preferred stock and subordinated debt. Also included in Tier 2 capital is the allowance for loan and lease losses limited to a maximum of 1.25% of risk-weighted assets and, for institutions that have exercised an opt-out election regarding the treatment of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (“AOCI”), up to 45% of net unrealized gains on available-for-sale equity securities with readily determinable fair market values. Institutions that have not exercised the AOCI opt-out have AOCI incorporated into common equity Tier 1 capital (including unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale-securities). We exercised the opt-out election regarding the treatment of AOCI. Calculation of all types of regulatory capital is subject to deductions and adjustments specified in the regulations.

In determining the amount of risk-weighted assets for purposes of calculating risk-based capital ratios, a bank’s assets, including certain off-balance sheet assets (e.g., recourse obligations, direct credit substitutes, residual interests), are multiplied by a risk weight factor assigned by the regulations based on perceived risks inherent in the type of asset. Higher levels of capital are required for asset categories believed to present greater risk. For example, a risk weight of 0% is assigned to cash and U.S. government securities, a risk weight of 50% is generally assigned to prudently underwritten first lien 1 – 4 family residential mortgages, a risk weight of 100% is assigned to commercial and consumer loans, a risk weight of 150% is assigned to certain past due loans and a risk weight of between 0% to 600% is assigned to permissible equity interests, depending on certain specified factors.

In addition to establishing the minimum regulatory capital requirements, the regulations limit capital distributions and certain discretionary bonus payments to management if the institution does not hold a “capital conservation buffer” consisting of 2.5% of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets above the amount necessary to meet its minimum risk-based capital requirements. While the new capital rules set higher regulatory capital standards, bank regulators may also continue their past policies of expecting banks to maintain additional capital beyond the minimum requirements. The implementation of the capital rules or more stringent requirements to maintain higher levels of capital or to maintain higher levels of liquid assets could adversely impact the Company’s net income and return on equity, restrict the ability to pay dividends or executive bonuses and require the raising of additional capital.

Management believes that American River Bank is in compliance with the minimum capital requirements, including the fully phased-in capital conservation buffer requirement, based upon its capital position at December 31, 2019.

In accordance with the Dodd-Frank Act and long-standing Federal Reserve policy, the Company must act as a source of financial and managerial strength to American River Bank. Under this policy, the Company must commit resources to support the Bank, including at times when the Company may not be in a financial position to provide it. The Company could be required to guarantee the capital plan of American River Bank if it becomes undercapitalized for purposes of banking regulations, as described below. Any capital loans by a bank holding company to its subsidiary bank are subordinate in right of payment to deposits and to certain other indebtedness of such subsidiary bank. The Bank Holding Company Act provides that, in the event of a bank holding company’s bankruptcy, any commitment by the bank holding company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of a bank subsidiary will be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to priority of payment.

Safety and Soundness Standards

Each federal banking agency, including the FDIC, has adopted guidelines establishing general standards relating to internal controls, information and internal audit systems, loan documentation, credit underwriting, interest rate exposure, asset growth, asset quality, earnings, compensation, fees and benefits and information security standards. In general, the guidelines require appropriate systems and practices to identify and manage the risks and exposures specified in the guidelines. The guidelines prohibit excessive compensation as an unsafe and unsound practice and describe compensation as excessive when the amounts paid are unreasonable or disproportionate to the services performed by an executive officer, employee, director, or principal stockholder. The FDIC also has issued guidance on risks banks may face from third party relationships (e.g. relationships under which the third party provides services to the bank). The guidance generally requires the bank to perform adequate due diligence on the third party, appropriately document the relationship, and perform adequate oversight and auditing, in order to the limit the risks to the bank.

Prompt Corrective Regulatory Action

Federal law requires that federal bank regulatory authorities take “prompt corrective action” with respect to institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. For these purposes, the statute establishes five capital tiers: well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized and critically undercapitalized.

State banks that have insufficient capital are subject to certain mandatory and discretionary supervisory measures. For example, a bank that is “undercapitalized” (i.e. fails to comply with any regulatory capital requirement) is subject to growth limitations and is required to submit a capital restoration plan; a holding company that controls such a bank is required to guarantee that the bank complies with the restoration plan. A “significantly undercapitalized” bank is subject to additional restrictions. State banks deemed by the FDIC to be “critically undercapitalized” are subject to the appointment of a receiver or conservator.

The final rule that increased regulatory capital standards also adjusted the prompt corrective action tiers as of January 1, 2015 to conform to the new capital standards. The various categories now incorporate the newly adopted common equity Tier 1 capital requirement, an increase in the Tier 1 to risk-based assets requirement and other changes. Under the revised prompt corrective action requirements, insured depository institutions are required to meet the following in order to qualify as “well capitalized:” (1) a common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.5% (new standard); (2) a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8% (increased from 6%); (3) a total risk-based capital ratio of 10% (unchanged) and (4) a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 5% (unchanged). The federal banking agencies also may require banks and bank holding companies subject to enforcement actions to maintain capital ratios in excess of the minimum ratios otherwise required to be deemed well-capitalized, in which case institutions may no longer be deemed to be well-capitalized and may therefore be subject to certain restrictions such as taking brokered deposits or limitations on growth.

Additional Regulations

Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (“FDICIA”), the federal financial institution agencies have adopted regulations which require institutions to establish and maintain comprehensive written real estate policies which address certain lending considerations, including loan-to-value limits, loan administrative policies, portfolio diversification standards, and documentation, approval and reporting requirements. The FDICIA further generally prohibits an insured state bank from engaging as a principal in any activity that is impermissible for a national bank, absent FDIC determination that the activity would not pose a significant risk to the Bank Insurance Fund, and that the bank is, and will continue to be, within applicable capital standards.

The federal financial institution agencies have established bases for analysis and standards for assessing a financial institution’s capital adequacy in conjunction with the risk-based and Basel III capital guidelines including analysis of interest rate risk, concentrations of credit risk, risk posed by non-traditional activities, and factors affecting overall safety and soundness. The safety and soundness standards for insured financial institutions include analysis of (1) internal controls, information systems and internal audit systems; (2) loan documentation; (3) credit underwriting; (4) interest rate exposure; (5) asset growth; (6) compensation, fees and benefits; and (7) excessive compensation for executive officers, directors or principal shareholders which could lead to material financial loss. If an agency determines that an institution fails to meet any standard, the agency may require the financial institution to submit to the agency an acceptable plan to achieve compliance with the standard. If the agency requires submission of a compliance plan and the institution fails to timely submit an acceptable plan or to implement an accepted plan, the agency must require the institution to correct the deficiency. The agencies may elect to initiate enforcement action in certain cases rather than rely on an existing plan particularly where failure to meet one or more of the standards could threaten the safe and sound operation of the institution.

Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) regulations evaluate banks’ lending to low and moderate income individuals and businesses across a four-point scale from “outstanding” to “substantial noncompliance,” and are a factor in regulatory review of applications to merge, establish new branches or form bank holding companies. In addition, any bank rated in “substantial noncompliance” with the CRA regulations may be subject to enforcement proceedings. In its most recent exam for CRA compliance, American River Bank received a “satisfactory” rating.

Limitations on Dividends, Repurchases and Redemptions

The Company’s ability to pay cash dividends is subject to restrictions set forth in the California General Corporation Law. Funds for payment of any cash dividends by the Company would be obtained from its investments as well as dividends and/or management fees from its subsidiaries. The payment of cash dividends and/or management fees by American River Bank is subject to restrictions set forth in the California Financial Code, as well as restrictions established by the FDIC. On January 25, 2017, the Board of Directors resumed the payment of cash dividends. The Company relies on distributions from American River Bank in the form of cash dividends in order to pay cash dividends to our shareholders. See Item 5. “Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities” for more information regarding cash dividends. We cannot provide any assurance that we will be able to pay dividends in the future.

American River Bank is a legal entity that is separate and distinct from its holding company. The Company relies on dividends received from American River Bank for use in the operation of the Company and the ability of the Company to pay dividends to shareholders. Future cash dividends by American River Bank will also depend upon management’s assessment of future capital requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors. Capital rules may restrict dividends by American River Bank if the additional capital conservation buffer is not achieved.

The ability of American River Bank to declare a cash dividend to the Company is subject to California law, which restricts the amount available for cash dividends to the lesser of a bank’s retained earnings or net income for its last three fiscal years (less any distributions to shareholders made during such period). Where the above test is not met, cash dividends may still be paid, with the prior approval of the Commissioner, in an amount not exceeding the greatest of (1) retained earnings of the bank; (2) the net income of the bank for its last fiscal year; or (3) the net income of the bank for its current fiscal year

It is an essential principle of safety and soundness that a banking organization’s redemption and repurchases of regulatory capital instruments, including common stock, from investors be consistent with the organization’s current and prospective capital needs. Consultation with the Federal Reserve before redeeming any equity or other capital instrument included in Tier 1 or Tier 2 capital is generally advisable in all circumstances and is required if such redemption could have a material effect on the level or composition of the organization’s capital base. Bank holding companies that are experiencing financial weaknesses, or that are at significant risk of developing financial weaknesses, must consult with the appropriate Federal Reserve supervisory staff before redeeming or repurchasing common stock or other regulatory capital instruments for cash or other valuable consideration. Similarly, any bank holding company considering expansion, whether through acquisitions or through organic growth and new activities, generally also must consult with the appropriate Federal Reserve supervisory staff before redeeming or repurchasing common stock or other regulatory capital instruments for cash or other valuable consideration. In evaluating the appropriateness of a bank holding company’s proposed redemption or repurchase of capital instruments, the Federal Reserve will consider the potential losses that the holding company may suffer from the prospective need to increase reserves and write down assets from continued asset deterioration and the holding company’s ability to raise additional common stock and other Tier 1 capital to replace capital instruments that are redeemed or repurchased. A bank holding company must inform the Federal Reserve of a redemption or repurchase of common stock or perpetual preferred stock for cash or other value resulting in a net reduction of the bank holding company’s outstanding amount of common stock or perpetual preferred stock below the amount of such capital instrument outstanding at the beginning of the quarter in which the redemption or repurchase occurs. In addition, a bank holding company must advise the Federal Reserve sufficiently in advance of such redemptions and repurchases to provide reasonable opportunity for supervisory review and possible objection should the Federal Reserve determine a transaction raises safety and soundness concerns.

Bank holding company that are not well capitalized or well managed, or that are subject to any unresolved supervisory issues, must provide prior notice to the Federal Reserve for any repurchase or redemption of its equity securities for cash or other value that would reduce by 10% or more the holding company’s consolidated net worth aggregated over the preceding 12-month period.

FDIC Insurance

The FDIC is an independent federal agency that insures deposits, up to prescribed statutory limits, of federally insured banks and savings institutions and safeguards the safety and soundness of the banking and savings industries. The FDIC insures our customer deposits through the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) up to prescribed limits for each depositor. The Dodd-Frank Act revised the FDIC’s DIF management authority by setting requirements for the Designated Reserve Ratio (the DIF balance divided by estimated insured deposits) and redefining the assessment base, which is used to calculate banks’ quarterly assessments. The amount of FDIC assessments paid by each DIF member institution is based on its asset size and relative risk of default as measured by regulatory capital ratios and other supervisory factors. The FDIC may terminate a depository institution’s deposit insurance upon a finding that the institution’s financial condition is unsafe or unsound or that the institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices that pose a risk to the DIF or that may prejudice the interest of the bank’s depositors. The termination of deposit insurance for a bank would also result in the revocation of the bank’s charter by the DBO.

We are generally unable to control the amount of premiums that we are required to pay for FDIC insurance, which can be affected by the cost of bank failures to the FDIC among other factors. The FDIC is an independent federal agency that insures deposits through the DIF up to prescribed statutory limits of federally insured banks and savings institutions and safeguards the safety and soundness of the banking and savings industries. The Dodd-Frank Act revised the FDIC’s DIF management authority by setting requirements for the Designated Reserve Ratio (the “DRR”, calculated as the DIF balance divided by estimated insured deposits) and redefining the assessment base which is used to calculate banks’ quarterly assessments. The amount of FDIC assessments paid by each DIF member institution is based on its asset size and its relative risk of default as measured by regulatory capital ratios and other supervisory factors.

On September 30, 2018, the DRR reached 1.36%. Because the reserve ratio has exceeded 1.35%, two deposit insurance assessment changes occurred under the FDIC regulations: 1) surcharges on large banks (total consolidated assets of $10 billion or more) ended; the last surcharge on large banks was collected on December 28, 2018. and 2) small banks, like American River Bank (total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion) were awarded assessment credits for the portion of their assessments that contributed to the growth in the reserve ratio from 1.15% to 1.35%, to be applied when the reserve ratio is at least 1.38%. As a result of the reserve ratio reaching 1.38%, American River Bank was awarded an assessment of $166,543 of which $95,287 was used in 2019.

The FDIC will, at least semi-annually, update its income and loss projections for the Deposit Insurance Fund and, if necessary, propose rules to further increase assessment rates. Any future increases in FDIC insurance premiums may have a material and adverse effect on our earnings and could have a material adverse effect on the value of, or market for, our common stock.

Impact of Certain Legislation and Regulation

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. In 1999, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the “GLB Act”) was signed into law. The GLB Act eliminated most of the remaining depression-era “firewalls” between banks, securities firms and insurance companies which were established by The Banking Act of 1933, also known as the Glass-Steagall Act (“Glass-Steagall”). Glass-Steagall sought to insulate banks as depository institutions from the perceived risks of securities dealing and underwriting, and related activities. The GLB Act permitted bank holding companies that could qualify as “financial holding companies” to acquire securities firms or create them as subsidiaries, and securities firms could acquire banks or start banking activities through a financial holding company. Prior to the GLB Act, banks were also (with minor exceptions) prohibited from engaging in insurance activities or affiliating with insurers. The GLB Act removed these restrictions and substantially eliminated the prohibitions under the Bank Holding Company Act on affiliations between banks and insurance companies. Consequently, the common ownership of banks, securities firms and insurance firms was possible, in addition to the conduct of commercial banking, merchant banking, investment management, securities underwriting and insurance within a single financial institution using a “financial holding company” structure authorized by the GLB Act.

A bank holding company could qualify as a financial holding company if (i) its banking subsidiaries are “well capitalized” and “well managed” and (ii) it files with the Board of Governors a certification to such effect and a declaration that it elects to become a financial holding company. The Bank Holding Company Act was amended to permit financial holding companies to engage in activities, and acquire companies engaged in activities, that are financial in nature or incidental to such financial activities. Financial holding companies were also permitted to engage in activities that were complementary to financial activities if the Board of Governors determined that the activity did not pose a substantial risk to the safety or soundness of depository institutions or the financial system in general.

These standards expanded upon the list of activities “closely related to banking” which have defined the permissible activities of bank holding companies under the Bank Holding Company Act. Neither the Company nor American River Bank has determined whether or when to seek to acquire and exercise powers or activities under the GLB Act.

Volcker Rule. On December 10, 2013, the federal banking agencies jointly issued a final rule implementing the so-called “Volcker Rule” (set forth in Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act). The Volcker Rule prohibits depository institutions, companies that control such institutions, bank holding companies, and the affiliates and subsidiaries of such banking entities, from engaging as principal for the trading account of the banking entity in any purchase or sale of one or more covered financial instruments (so-called “proprietary trading”) and imposes limitations upon retaining ownership interests in, sponsoring, investing in and transacting with certain investment funds, including hedge funds and private equity funds. Under the Economic Growth, Regulatory Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was signed into law by President Trump in 2018, depository institutions and their holding companies with less than $10 billion in assets are now excluded from the prohibitions of the Volcker Rule. Accordingly, institutions under $10 billion, such as American River Bank may, so long as consistent with general safety and soundness concerns, engage in proprietary trading and in making investments in covered funds so long as it that has (i) $10 billion or less than assets and (ii) trading assets of 5% or less. American River Bank does not currently engage in proprietary trading or have any investments in covered funds.

Change in Bank Control Act. Subject to various exceptions, the Bank Holding Company Act (“BHC Act”) and the Change in Bank Control Act, together with related regulations, require Federal Reserve approval prior to any person’s or company’s acquiring “control” of a bank holding company. Under a rebuttable presumption established by the Federal Reserve pursuant to the Change in Bank Control Act, the acquisition of 10% or more of a class of voting stock of a bank holding company would constitute acquisition of control of the bank holding company if no other person will own, control, or hold the power to vote a greater percentage of that class of voting stock immediately after the transaction or the bank holding company has registered securities under the Exchange Act. In addition, any person or group of persons acting in concert must obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve under the BHC Act before acquiring 25% (5% in the case of an acquirer that is already a bank holding company) or more of the outstanding voting stock of a bank holding company, the right to control in any manner the election of a majority of the company’s directors, or otherwise obtaining control or a “controlling influence” over the bank holding company. The California Financial Code has similar regulations applicable to acquisition of securities of a California-chartered bank holding company and bank, such as the Company and American River Bank.

Patriot Act. On October 26, 2001, President Bush signed the USA Patriot Act (the “Patriot Act”), which includes provisions pertaining to domestic security, surveillance procedures, border protection, and terrorism laws to be administered by the Secretary of the Treasury. Title III of the Patriot Act entitled, “International Money Laundering Abatement and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act of 2001” includes amendments to the Bank Secrecy Act which expand the responsibilities of financial institutions in regard to anti-money laundering activities with particular emphasis upon international money laundering and terrorism financing activities through designated correspondent and private banking accounts.

The Patriot Act contains various provisions that affect the operations of financial institutions by encouraging cooperation among financial institutions, regulatory authorities and law enforcement authorities with respect to individuals, entities and organizations engaged in, or reasonably suspected of engaging in, terrorist acts or money laundering activities. The Company and American River Bank are not currently aware of any account relationships between American River Bank and any foreign bank or other person or entity which would not be in compliance with the Patriot Act.

The effects which the Patriot Act and any amendments to the Patriot Act or additional legislation enacted by Congress may have upon financial institutions is uncertain; however, such legislation could increase compliance costs and thereby potentially may have an adverse effect upon the Company’s results of operations.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act. On July 30, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Act”) which responded to issues in corporate governance and accountability. Among other matters, key provisions of the Act and rules promulgated by the SEC pursuant to the Act include enhancement of financial disclosures and related certification requirements, rules related to audit committees, auditor independence, ethics requirements, securities trading prohibitions, securities reporting requirements, and securities listing requirements.

The Company’s securities are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. Consequently, in addition to the rules promulgated by the SEC pursuant to the Act, the Company must also comply with the listing standards applicable to Nasdaq listed companies. The Nasdaq listing standards applicable to the Company include standards related to (i) director independence, (ii) executive session meetings of the board, (iii) requirements for audit, nominating and compensation committee charters, membership qualifications and procedures, (iv) shareholder approval of equity compensation arrangements, and (v) code of conduct requirements that comply with the code of ethics under the Act.

The Company has incurred and it is anticipated that it will continue to incur increased costs to comply with the Act and the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to the Act by the SEC, Nasdaq and other regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over the Company or the issuance and listing of its securities. The Company does not currently anticipate, however, that compliance with the Act and such rules and regulations will have a material adverse effect upon its financial position or results of its operations or its cash flows.

Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act. Under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act financial institutions and other creditors are required to develop and implement a written identity theft prevention program. The program must include reasonable policies and procedures for detecting, preventing, and mitigating identity theft in connection with certain new and existing covered accounts. Covered accounts are defined as (i) an account primarily for personal, family, or household purposes (i.e., consumer accounts), or (ii) any other account for which there is a reasonably foreseeable risk to customers or the safety and soundness of the financial institution or creditor from identity theft. The program must be appropriate to the size and complexity of the financial institution or creditor and the nature and scope of its activities and should be designed to:

Office of Foreign Assets Control Regulation. The United States has imposed economic sanctions that affect transactions with designated foreign countries, foreign nationals and others. These are typically known as the “OFAC” rules based on their administration by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). The OFAC-administered sanctions targeting countries take many different forms. Generally, however, they contain one or more of the following elements: (i) restrictions on trade with or investment in a sanctioned country, including prohibitions against direct or indirect imports from and exports to a sanctioned country and prohibitions on “U.S. persons” engaging in financial transactions relating to making investments in, or providing investment-related advice or assistance to, a sanctioned country; and (ii) a blocking of assets in which the government or specially designated nationals of the sanctioned country have an interest, by prohibiting transfers of property subject to U.S. jurisdiction (including property in the possession or control of U.S. persons). Blocked assets (e.g., property and bank deposits) cannot be paid out, withdrawn, set off or transferred in any manner without a license from OFAC. American River Bank is responsible for, among other things, blocking accounts of, and transactions with, such targets and countries, prohibiting unlicensed trade and financial transactions with them and reporting blocked transactions after their occurrence. Failure to comply with these sanctions could have serious legal and reputational consequences.

The Dodd-Frank Act. On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Act is intended to restructure the regulation of the financial services sector by, among other things, (i) establishing a framework to identify systemic risks in the financial system implemented by a newly created Financial Stability Oversight Council and other federal banking agencies; (ii) expanding the resolution authority of the federal banking agencies over troubled financial institutions; (iii) authorizing changes to capital and liquidity requirements; (iv) changing deposit insurance assessments; and (v) enhancing regulatory supervision to improve the safety and soundness of the financial services sector. Below is a summary of certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act which, directly or indirectly, may affect us.

Compensation Practices. The Dodd-Frank Act provides that the appropriate federal banking regulators must establish standards prohibiting as an unsafe and unsound practice any compensation plan of a bank holding company or other “covered financial institution” that provides an insider or other employee with “excessive compensation” or could lead to a material financial loss to such firm. In June 2016, several federal financial agencies (including the Federal Reserve and FDIC) re-proposed restrictions on incentive-based compensation pursuant to Section 956 of the Dodd-Frank Act for financial institutions with $1 billion or more in total consolidated assets. For institutions with at least $1 billion but less than $50 billion in total consolidated assets, the proposal would impose principles-based restrictions that are broadly consistent with existing interagency guidance on incentive-based compensation. Such institutions would be prohibited from entering into incentive compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risks by the institution (i) by providing an executive officer, employee, director, principal shareholder or individuals who are “significant risk takers” with excessive compensation, fees or benefits, or (ii) that could lead to material financial loss to the institution. Depending upon the outcome of the rule making process, the application of this rule to us if we were to cross the $1 billion threshold could require us to revise our compensation strategy, increase our administrative costs and adversely affect our ability to recruit and retain qualified associates.

In June 2010, prior to the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act, the federal bank regulatory agencies jointly issued the Interagency Guidance on Sound Incentive Compensation Policies (“Guidance”), which requires that financial institutions establish metrics for measuring the risk to the financial institution of such loss from incentive compensation arrangements and implement policies to prohibit inappropriate risk taking that may lead to material financial loss to the institution. Together, the Dodd-Frank Act and the Guidance may impact our compensation policies and arrangements.

Requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act are anticipated to be implemented over an extended period of time, unless the implementation is changed as the result of additional legislation promulgated by Congress or as a result of actions taken by the administration of President Trump. Therefore, the nature and extent of regulations that will be issued by various regulatory agencies and the impact such regulations will have on the operations of financial institutions such as ours is unclear. Such regulations resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act may impact the profitability of our business activities, require changes to certain of our business practices, impose upon us more stringent capital, liquidity and leverage ratio requirements or otherwise adversely affect our business. These changes may also require us to invest significant management attention and resources to evaluate and make necessary changes in order to comply with new statutory and regulatory requirements.

Cybersecurity and Data Privacy

Federal regulators have issued multiple statements regarding cybersecurity and that financial institutions need to design multiple layers of security controls to establish lines of defense and to ensure that their risk management processes also address the risk posed by compromised customer credentials, including security measures to reliably authenticate customers accessing internet-based services of the financial institution. In addition, a financial institution’s management is expected to maintain sufficient business continuity planning processes to ensure the rapid recovery, resumption and maintenance of the institution’s operations in the event of a cyber-attack. A financial institution is also expected to develop appropriate processes to enable recovery of data and business operations and address rebuilding network capabilities and restoring data if the institution or its critical service providers fall victim to a cyber-attack. If we fail to observe the regulatory guidance, we could be subject to various regulatory sanctions, including financial penalties.

State regulators have also been increasingly active in implementing privacy and cybersecurity standards and regulations. Recently, several states, notably including California where we conduct substantially all our banking business, have adopted laws and/or regulations requiring certain financial institutions to implement cybersecurity programs and providing detailed requirements with respect to these programs, including data encryption requirements. Many such states (including California) have also recently implemented or modified their data breach notification and data privacy requirements, including in California with the adoption of the California Consumer Privacy Act. We expect this trend of state-level activity in those areas to continue, and we continue to monitor relevant legislative and regulatory developments in California where nearly all our customers are located. Failure to comply with the applicable requirements of these laws and failure to protect our customers information could result in enforcement actions and litigation against us, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

In the ordinary course of business, we rely on electronic communications and information systems to conduct our operations and to store sensitive data. We employ a layered, defensive approach that leverages people, processes and technology to manage and maintain cybersecurity controls. We employ a variety of preventative and detective tools to monitor, block, and provide alerts regarding suspicious activity, as well as to report on any suspected advanced persistent threats. Notwithstanding the strength of our defensive measures, the threat from cyber-attacks is severe, attacks are sophisticated and increasing in volume, and attackers respond rapidly to changes in defensive measures. While to date we have not detected a significant compromise, significant data loss or any material financial losses related to cybersecurity attacks, our systems and those of our customers and third-party service providers are under constant threat and it is possible that we could experience a significant event in the future. Risks and exposures related to cybersecurity attacks are expected to remain high for the foreseeable future due to the rapidly evolving nature and sophistication of these threats, as well as due to the expanding use of Internet banking, mobile banking and other technology-based products and services by us and our customers. See Item 1A. Risk Factors for a further discussion of risks related to cybersecurity.

2017 Tax Reform Law

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed into law “H.R.1” commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which among other matters reduced the federal corporate income tax rate to 21%, effective January 1, 2018. The lowering of the tax rate caused banks that carry net deferred tax assets on their balance-sheets (i.e., tax positions carried forward to offset against future taxes) to take charges against the valuation of their net deferred tax assets because the higher the tax rate, the more these net deferred tax assets are worth. Hence, the reduction of the federal corporate-tax rate from the Company’s 2017 rate of 34% to the projected future rate of 21%, reduced the value of these net deferred tax assets. Charges of $1,220,000 against the Company’s net deferred tax assets were recorded as additional income tax expense in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Future Legislation and Regulation

In addition to legislative changes, the various federal and state financial institution regulatory agencies frequently propose rules and regulations to implement and enforce already existing legislation. It cannot be predicted whether or in what form any such rules or regulations will be enacted or the effect that such regulations may have on American River Bankshares or American River Bank. The Company anticipates that additional regulations would likely increase the Company’s expenses, which may adversely impact the Company’s results of operations, financial condition, future prospects, profitability, and stock price.