Current Report Filing (8-k)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report: October 8, 2021

(Date of earliest event reported)

PEOPLES FINANCIAL SERVICES CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

001-36388

(Commission File Number)

PA	23-2391852
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(IRS Employer of Identification No.)

150 North Washington Avenue, Scranton, Pennsylvania 18503-1848

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(570) 346-7741

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, $2.00 par value	PFIS	The Nasdaq Stock Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Item 8.01

Other Events.

Peoples Financial Services Corp’s banking subsidiary, Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company (the “Bank”), on October 8, 2021, agreed to sell 44,982 shares of the Class B common stock of Visa Inc. for a purchase price of $12.2 million. The shares had no carrying value on the Bank’s balance sheet and, as the Bank had no historical cost basis in the shares, the entire purchase price will be realized as a pretax gain. The transaction will have a positive impact on the Bank’s regulatory capital, which will be used for capital management and to support the Company’s organic growth.

The Bank received 73,333 Class B shares of Visa Inc. as part of its membership interest in March 2008, and 28,351 shares were redeemed in connection with Visa’s initial public offering in 2008. The sale of the remaining 44,982 Class B shares is expected to settle in October, 2021 and be reported in our 2021 fourth-quarter and year-end results as an after-tax gain of $9.6 million. The gain on the sale of the Class B shares is not indicative of the expected results of consolidated operations for those periods.

We make statements in this report regarding our expectations for future financial or operating results that are considered “forward-looking statements” as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of such words as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “planned,” “estimated,” “intend” and “potential.” A number of important factors, including those described in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other reports and documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated in any forward-looking statement.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.