Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
Ownership of our common stock involves certain risks. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. You should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as all other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially, adversely affected.
Risks Related to Our Business
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures taken to limit its spread could adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted economic and commercial activity and financial markets, both globally and within the United States. Measures to contain the virus, such as stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions, closure of non-essential businesses, occupancy limitations and social distancing requirements, resulted in significant business and operational disruptions, including business closures, and mass layoffs and furloughs. Though most restrictions have generally been lifted or eased and consumer and business spending and unemployment levels have improved significantly, the economic recovery has been uneven, with industries such as travel, entertainment, hospitality and food service lagging, and, as of December 31, 2021, many companies have not returned workers to their offices. Supply chain disruptions precipitated by the abrupt economic slowdown have contributed to increased costs, lost revenue, and inflationary pressures for many segments of the economy. Further, a significant number of workers left their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to wage inflation in many industries as businesses attempt to fill vacant positions.
The United States government has taken significant steps to attempt to mitigate the economic effects of the pandemic. Congress appropriated approximately $4.7 trillion of fiscal stimulus in response to the COVID-19 pandemic pursuant to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the American Rescue Plan Act and other supplemental legislation. In March 2020, the Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve reduced the target range for the federal funds rate to between 0.0% and 0.25%, compared to the previous target of between 1.00% and 1.25%. The Federal Reserve also took several actions to support financial markets, enable banks to continue to lend through the pandemic, and support businesses of all sizes. Whether the economic stimulus will have a lasting positive effect or whether it will contribute to higher inflation or other economic ill effects is unknown.
Several vaccines for COVID-19 have been developed and widely distributed in the United States. However, it is unknown how effective they will be long-term or whether variants of the virus will develop against which the vaccines are less effective.
The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will ultimately affect our business is unknown and will depend, among other things, on the duration of the pandemic, the actions undertaken by national, state and local governments and health officials to contain the virus or mitigate its effects, the safety and effectiveness of the vaccines that have been developed and the extent to which they are accepted by the public, the development of effective therapies, the permanence of operating conditions that developed during the pandemic, and how quickly and to what extent economic conditions improve and normal business and operating conditions resume. The longer the pandemic persists, the more pronounced the ultimate effects are likely to be.
The continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts to contain the virus, including effects of economic stimulus, and the exhaustion or expiration of stimulus benefits, could:
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•reduce the demand for loans and other financial services;
•result in increases in loan delinquencies, problem assets, and foreclosures;
•cause the value of collateral for loans, especially real estate, to decline in value;
•reduce our ability to assess the financial health of our customers’
•reduce the availability and productivity of our employees;
•cause our vendors and counterparties to be unable to meet existing obligations to us;
•negatively impact the business and operations of third-party service providers that perform critical services for our business;
•cause the value of our securities portfolio to decline; and
•cause the net worth and liquidity of loan guarantors to decline, impairing their ability to honor commitments to us.
Any one or a combination of the above events could have a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
As a business operating in the financial services industry, our business and operations may be adversely affected in numerous and complex ways by weak economic conditions.
Our performance could be negatively impacted to the extent there is deterioration in business and economic conditions, including persistent inflation, supply chain issues or labor shortages, which have direct or indirect impacts on us, our customers and/or our counterparties. All of these factors can individually or in the aggregate be detrimental to our business, and the interplay between these factors can be complex and unpredictable. Adverse economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our commercial business and operations are concentrated in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan areas and we are more sensitive than our more geographically diversified competitors to adverse changes in the local economy.
As of December 31, 2021, approximately 91.0% of our loans held for investment (measured by dollar amount) were made to borrowers who live or conduct business in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan areas. Therefore, our success depends upon the general economic conditions in this area, which we cannot predict with certainty. A downturn in the local economy generally could make it more difficult for our borrowers to repay their loans and may lead to loan losses that are not offset by operations in other markets; it may also reduce the ability of our depositors to make or maintain deposits with us. For these reasons, any regional or local economic downturn that affects the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan areas, or existing or prospective borrowers or depositors in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore metropolitan areas could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our customers and businesses in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area may be adversely impacted as a result of changes in government spending.
The Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is characterized by a significant number of businesses that are federal government contractors or subcontractors, or which depend on such businesses for a significant portion of their revenues. The impact of a decline in federal government spending, a
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reallocation of government spending to different industries or different areas of the country or a delay in payments to such contractors could have a ripple effect. Temporary layoffs, staffing freezes, salary reductions or furloughs of government employees or government contractors could have adverse impacts on other businesses in the Company’s market and the general economy of the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, and may indirectly lead to a loss of revenues by the Company’s customers, including vendors and lessors to the federal government and government contractors or to their employees, as well as a wide variety of commercial and retail businesses and the local housing market. Accordingly, such potential federal government activities could lead to increases in past due loans, nonperforming loans, loan loss reserves and charge-offs, and to a corresponding decline in liquidity.
We may not be able to measure and limit our credit risk adequately, which could lead to unexpected losses.
The primary component of our business involves making loans to customers. The business of lending is inherently risky, including risks that the principal of or interest on any loan will not be repaid in a timely manner or at all or that the value of any collateral supporting the loan will be insufficient to cover our outstanding exposure. A failure to measure and limit the credit risk associated with our loan portfolio effectively could lead to unexpected losses and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our allowance for loan losses may prove to be insufficient to absorb potential losses in our loan portfolio.
We maintain an allowance for loan losses that represents management’s judgment of probable losses and risks inherent in our loan portfolio. The level of the allowance reflects management’s continuing evaluation of general economic conditions, diversification and seasoning of the loan portfolio, historic loss experience, identified credit problems, delinquency levels and adequacy of collateral. The determination of the appropriate level of our allowance for loan losses is inherently highly subjective and requires management to make significant estimates of and assumptions regarding current credit risks and future trends, all of which may undergo material changes. If we are required to materially increase our level of allowance for loan losses for any reason, such increase could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The small- to medium-sized businesses that we lend to may have fewer resources to weather adverse business developments, which may impair our borrowers’ ability to repay loans.
Small- to medium-sized businesses frequently have smaller market shares than their competition, may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, often need substantial additional capital to expand or compete and may experience substantial volatility in operating results, any of which may impair a borrower’s ability to repay a loan. If our borrowers are unable to repay their loans, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our commercial real estate and real estate construction loan portfolio exposes us to credit risks that may be greater than the risks related to other types of loans.
These loans typically involve repayment that depends upon income generated, or expected to be generated, by the property securing the loan in amounts sufficient to cover operating expenses and debt service. Unexpected deterioration in the credit quality of our commercial real estate loan portfolio could require us to increase our allowance for loan losses, which would reduce our profitability and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Construction loans also involve risks because loan funds are secured by a project under construction and the project is of uncertain value prior to its completion. It can be difficult to accurately evaluate the total funds required to complete a project, and construction lending often involves the disbursement of
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substantial funds with repayment dependent, in part, on the success of the ultimate project rather than the ability of a borrower or guarantor to repay the loan. If we are forced to foreclose on a project prior to completion, we may be unable to recover the entire unpaid portion of the loan. In addition, we may be required to fund additional amounts to complete a project, incur taxes, maintenance and compliance costs for a foreclosed property and may have to hold the property for an indeterminate period of time, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Because a significant portion of our loan portfolio held for investment is comprised of real estate loans, negative changes in the economy affecting real estate values and liquidity could impair the value of collateral securing our real estate loans and result in loan and other losses.
Adverse developments affecting real estate values and the liquidity of real estate in our primary markets could increase the credit risk associated with our loan portfolio, and could result in losses that adversely affect credit quality, financial condition and results of operations. If real estate values decline, it is more likely that we would be required to increase our allowance for loan losses, which would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
A portion of our loan portfolio is comprised of commercial loans secured by receivables, inventory, equipment or other commercial collateral, the deterioration in value of which could expose us to credit losses.
In general, these loans are collateralized by general business assets, including, among other things, accounts receivable, inventory and equipment, and most are backed by a personal guaranty of the borrower or principal. Significant adverse changes in the economy or local market conditions in which our commercial lending customers operate could cause rapid declines in loan collectability and the values associated with general business assets resulting in inadequate collateral coverage that may expose us to credit losses and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
System failure or cybersecurity breaches of our network security could subject us to increased operating costs as well as litigation and other potential losses.
Our computer systems and network infrastructure could be vulnerable to hardware and cybersecurity issues. Any damage or failure that causes an interruption in our operations could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our operations are also dependent upon our ability to protect our computer systems and network infrastructure, including our digital, mobile and internet banking activities, against damage from physical break-ins, cybersecurity breaches and other disruptive problems. Such computer break-ins and other disruptions would jeopardize the security of information stored in and transmitted through our computer systems and network infrastructure, which may result in significant liability, damage our reputation and inhibit the use of our internet banking services by current and potential customers. A breach of our security that results in unauthorized access to our data could expose us to a disruption or challenges relating to our daily operations, as well as to data loss, litigation, damages, fines and penalties, significant increases in compliance costs and reputational damage, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may need to take our systems off-line if they become infected with malware or a computer virus or as a result of another form of cyber-attack. In the event that backup systems are utilized, they may not process data as quickly as our primary systems and some data might not have been saved to backup systems, potentially resulting in a temporary or permanent loss of such data. In addition, our ability to implement backup systems and other safeguards with respect to third-party systems is more limited than with respect to our own systems. We frequently update our systems to support our operations and growth and to remain compliant with applicable laws, rules, and regulations. This updating entails significant costs and creates risks associated with implementing new systems and integrating them with existing ones, including business
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interruptions. Implementation and testing of controls related to our computer systems, security monitoring, and retaining and training personnel required to operate our systems also entail significant costs.
We face security risks, including denial of service attacks, hacking, malware intrusion and data corruption attempts, and identity theft that could result in the disclosure of confidential information, adversely affect our business or reputation, and create significant legal and financial exposure.
Our business relies on the secure processing, transmission, storage and retrieval of confidential, proprietary, and other information in our computer and data management systems and networks, and in the computer and data management systems and networks of third parties. In addition, to access our network, products, and services, our customers and other third parties may use personal mobile devices or computing devices that are outside of our network environment and are subject to their own cybersecurity risks.
We, our customers, regulators, and other third parties, including other financial services institutions and companies engaged in data processing, have been subject to, and are likely to continue to be the target of, cyber-attacks. These cyber-attacks include computer viruses, malicious or destructive code, phishing attacks, denial of service or information, ransomware, improper access by employees or vendors, attacks on personal email of employees, ransom demands to not exploit security vulnerabilities in our systems or the systems of third parties or other security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss, or destruction of confidential, proprietary, and other information of ours, our employees, our customers, or of third parties, damage our systems or otherwise materially disrupt our or our customers’ or other third parties’ network access or business operations. As cyber-threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities or incidents. Despite efforts to ensure the integrity of our systems and implement controls, processes, policies and other protective measures, we may not be able to anticipate all security breaches, nor may we be able to implement sufficient preventive measures against such security breaches, which may result in material losses or consequences for us.
Cybersecurity risks for banking organizations have significantly increased in recent years in part because of the proliferation of new technologies, and the use of the internet and telecommunications technologies to conduct financial transactions. Even the most advanced internal control environment may be vulnerable to compromise. The techniques used by cyber criminals change frequently, may not be recognized until launched, and may not be recognized until well after a breach has occurred. The speed at which new vulnerabilities are discovered and exploited often before security patches are published continues to rise. The risk of a security breach caused by a cyber-attack on a vendor or by unauthorized vendor access has also increased in recent years.
Cyber-attacks or other security breaches, whether directed at us or third parties, may result in a material loss or have material consequences. Furthermore, the public perception that a cyber-attack on our systems has been successful, whether or not this perception is correct, may damage our reputation with customers and third parties with whom we do business. Hacking of personal information and identity theft risks, in particular, could cause serious reputational harm. A successful penetration or circumvention of system security could cause us serious negative consequences, including our loss of customers and business opportunities, costs associated with maintaining business relationships after an attack or breach; significant business disruption to our operations and business, misappropriation, exposure, or destruction of our confidential information, intellectual property, funds, and/or those of our customers; or damage to our or our customers’ and/or third parties’ computers or systems, and could result in a violation of applicable privacy and other laws, litigation exposure, regulatory fines, penalties or intervention, loss of confidence in our security measures, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensatory costs, additional compliance costs, and could adversely impact our results of operations, liquidity and financial
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condition. In addition, we may not have adequate insurance coverage to compensate for losses from a cybersecurity event.
Appraisals and other valuation techniques we use in evaluating and monitoring loans secured by real property, other real estate owned and repossessed personal property may not accurately describe the net value of the asset.
In considering whether to make a loan secured by real property, we generally require an appraisal of the property. However, an appraisal is only an estimate of the value of the property at the time the appraisal is made and, as real estate values may change significantly in value in relatively short periods of time (especially in periods of heightened economic uncertainty), this estimate may not accurately describe the net value of the real property collateral after the loan is made. As a result, we may not be able to recover the full amount of any remaining indebtedness when we foreclose on and sell the relevant property. In addition, we rely on appraisals and other valuation techniques to establish the value of our other real estate owned, or OREO, and personal property that we acquire through foreclosure proceedings and to determine certain loan impairments. If any of these valuations are inaccurate, our combined and consolidated financial statements may not reflect the correct value of our OREO, and our allowance for loan losses may not reflect accurate loan impairments. This could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We engage in lending secured by real estate and may be forced to foreclose on the collateral and own the underlying real estate, subjecting us to the costs and potential risks associated with the ownership of the real property, or consumer protection initiatives or changes in state or federal law may substantially raise the cost of foreclosure or prevent us from foreclosing at all.
Since we originate loans secured by real estate, we may have to foreclose on the collateral property to protect our investment and may thereafter own and operate such property, in which case we would be exposed to the risks inherent in the ownership of real estate. Our inability to manage the amount of costs or size of the risks associated with the ownership of real estate, or write-downs in the value of OREO, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Additionally, consumer protection initiatives or changes in state or federal law may substantially increase the time and expense associated with the foreclosure process or prevent us from foreclosing at all. If new state or federal laws or regulations are ultimately enacted that significantly raise the cost of foreclosure or raise outright barriers, such could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operation.
A lack of liquidity could impair our ability to fund operations and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Liquidity is essential to our business. We rely on our ability to generate deposits and effectively manage the repayment and maturity schedules of our loans and investment securities, respectively, to ensure that we have adequate liquidity to fund our operations. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings, sales of our investment securities, sales of loans or other sources could adversely impact our ability to originate loans, invest in securities, meet our expenses or fulfill obligations such as repaying our borrowings or meeting deposit withdrawal demands, any of which could, in turn, have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have several large depositor relationships, the loss of which could force us to fund our business through more expensive and less stable sources.
As of December 31, 2021, our 10 largest non-brokered depositors accounted for $362.9 million in deposits, or approximately 20.2% of our total deposits. Withdrawals of deposits by any one of our largest depositors could force us to rely more heavily on borrowings and other sources of funding for our
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business, adversely affecting our net interest margin and results of operations. We may also be forced, as a result of any withdrawal of deposits, to rely more heavily on other, potentially more expensive and less stable funding sources. Consequently, the occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our mortgage banking division may not continue to provide us with significant noninterest income.
The residential mortgage business is highly competitive and highly susceptible to changes in market interest rates, consumer confidence levels, employment statistics, the capacity and willingness of secondary market purchasers to acquire and hold or securitize loans, and other factors beyond our control. Additionally, in many respects, the traditional mortgage origination business is relationship-based, and dependent on the services of individual mortgage loan officers. The loss of services of one or more loan officers could have the effect of reducing the level of our mortgage production, or the rate of growth of production. As a result of these factors, we cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain or increase the volume or percentage of revenue or net income produced by the residential mortgage business.
We earn income by originating residential mortgage loans for resale in the secondary mortgage market, and disruptions in that market could reduce our operating income.
Historically, as part of our focus on loan origination and sales activities, we enter into formal commitments and informal agreements with larger banking companies and mortgage investors earning the Bank income from these sales. Under these arrangements, we originate single-family mortgages that are priced and underwritten to conform to previously agreed criteria before loan funding and are delivered to the investor shortly after funding.
Disruptions in the secondary market may not only affect us but also the ability and desire of mortgage investors and other banks to purchase residential mortgage loans that we originate. As a result, we may not be able to maintain or grow the income we receive from originating and reselling residential mortgage loans. Additionally, we hold certain mortgage loans that we originated for sale, increasing our exposure to interest rate risk and adverse changes in the value of the residential real estate that serves as collateral for the mortgage loan prior to sale.
Our financial condition, earnings and asset quality could be adversely affected if we are required to repurchase loans originated for sale by our mortgage banking division.
The Bank originates residential mortgage loans for sale to secondary market investors, subject to contractually specified and limited recourse provisions. Because the loans are intended to be originated within investor guidelines, using designated automated underwriting and product-specific requirements as part of the loan application, the loans sold have a limited recourse provision. Should such loan repurchases become a material issue, our earnings and asset quality could be adversely impacted, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Delinquencies and credit losses from our OpenSky ® credit card division could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our OpenSky ® division provides secured, partially secured, and unsecured credit cards on a nationwide basis to under-banked populations and those looking to rebuild their credit scores. Although some OpenSky ® credit cards are fully or partially secured, losses may occur primarily as a result of fraud, or when the account exceeds its established limit or if a cardholder ceases to maintain the account in good standing. Fraud, such as identity fraud, payment fraud and funding fraud (where an individual funds a card using information from someone they know well, such as a relative or roommate) can result in substantial losses. In the case of an OpenSky® account that is funded through fraud on the part of an
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applicant, we are required by applicable laws to refund the amount of the original deposit, and we charge off balances which were subsequently charged on the card. Account balances in excess of established credit limits happen as a result of certain VISA membership policies that allow cardholders to incur certain charges even if they exceed their card limits, which include, but are not limited to, rental car charges, gas station charges and hotel deposits. If an OpenSky ® cardholder exceeds his or her credit limit as a result of purchases in one of these categories, we may incur losses for amounts in excess of the collateral deposited if the borrower is unable to repay such excess amounts. Customers can also exceed their credit limit by making intra period payments to replenish their available lines. If the payments are made via the Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) and were fraudulent, we could incur the cost of the payment. Finally, losses to our credit card portfolio may arise if cardholders cease to maintain the account in good standing with timely payments. For example, in the event a card becomes more than 120 days past due, the credit card balance is recovered against any corresponding deposit account and a charge-off is recorded for any related fees, accrued interest or other charges in excess of the deposit account balance. We have invested in technology and systems to prevent and detect fraudulent behavior and mitigate losses but such investments may not be adequate, and our systems may not adequately monitor or mitigate potential losses arising from these risks.
A high credit loss rate (the rate at which we charge off uncollectible loans) on either our secured, partially secured, or unsecured portfolio could adversely impact our overall financial performance. We maintain an allowance for loan losses, which we believe to be adequate to cover credit losses inherent in our OpenSky ® portfolio, but we cannot be certain that the allowance will be sufficient to cover actual credit losses. If credit losses from our OpenSky ® portfolio exceed our allowance for loan losses, our revenues will be reduced by the excess of such credit losses.
The inability of our OpenSky ® credit card division to continue its growth rate could adversely affect our earnings.
Our credit card portfolio has increased and certain corresponding fees have been a significant portion of our income. We do not know if we will be able to retain existing customers or attract new customers, or that we will be able to increase account balances for new or existing customers.
We hope the development and expansion of new credit card products and related cardholder service products will be an important contributor to our growth and earnings in the future; however, if we are unable to implement new cardholder products and features, our ability to grow will be negatively impacted. Declining sales of cardholder service products would likely result in reduced income from fees and interest.
Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by merchants’ increasing focus on the fees charged by credit card networks and by regulation and legislation impacting such fees.
Credit card interchange fees are generally one of the largest components of the costs that merchants pay in connection with the acceptance of credit cards and are a meaningful source of revenue for our OpenSky ® division. Interchange fees are the subject of significant and intense legal, regulatory and legislative focus globally, and the resulting decisions, regulations and legislation may have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The heightened focus by merchants and regulatory and legislative bodies on the fees charged by credit and debit card networks, and the ability of certain merchants to negotiate discounts to interchange fees with MasterCard and Visa successfully or develop alternative payment systems could result in a reduction of interchange fees. Any resulting loss in income to us could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
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By engaging in derivative transactions, we are exposed to additional credit and market risk.
As part of our mortgage banking activities, we enter into interest rate lock agreements with the consumer. These are commitments to originate loans at a specified interest rate and lock expiration which is set prior to closing.
Hedging interest rate risk is a complex process, requiring sophisticated models and routine monitoring. As a result of interest rate fluctuations, hedged assets and liabilities will appreciate or depreciate in market value. The effect of this unrealized appreciation or depreciation in assets (loans) will generally be offset by income or loss in the corresponding MBS derivative instruments that are linked to the hedged assets and liabilities. By engaging in derivative transactions, we are exposed to counterparty credit and market risk. If the counterparty fails to perform, credit risk exists to the extent of the fair value gain in the derivative. Market risk exists to the extent that interest rates change in ways that are significantly different from what was modeled when we entered into the derivative transaction. The existence of credit and market risk associated with our derivative instruments could adversely affect our mortgage banking revenue and, therefore, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are subject to interest rate risk as fluctuations in interest rates may adversely affect our earnings.
The majority of our banking assets and liabilities are monetary in nature and subject to risk from changes in interest rates. Like most financial institutions, our earnings are significantly dependent on our net interest income, the principal component of our earnings, which is the difference between interest earned by us from our interest earning assets, such as loans and investment securities, and interest paid by us on our interest bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. We expect that we will periodically experience “gaps” in the interest rate sensitivities of our assets and liabilities, meaning that either our interest bearing liabilities will be more sensitive to changes in market interest rates than our interest earning assets, or vice versa. In either case, if market interest rates move contrary to our position, this gap will negatively impact our earnings. The impact on earnings is more adverse when the slope of the yield curve flattens; that is, when short-term interest rates increase more than long-term interest rates or when long-term interest rates decrease more than short-term interest rates. Many factors impact interest rates, including governmental monetary policies, inflation, recession, changes in unemployment, the money supply, international economic weakness and disorder and instability in domestic and foreign financial markets.
Interest rate increases often result in larger payment requirements for our borrowers, which increases the potential for default and could result in a decrease in the demand for loans. At the same time, the marketability of the property securing a loan may be adversely affected by any reduced demand resulting from higher interest rates. In a declining interest rate environment, there may be an increase in prepayments on loans as borrowers refinance their loans at lower rates. In addition, in a low interest rate environment, loan customers often pursue long-term fixed rate credits, which could adversely affect our earnings and net interest margin if rates later increase. Changes in interest rates also can affect the value of loans, securities and other assets. An increase in interest rates that adversely affects the ability of borrowers to pay the principal or interest on loans may lead to an increase in nonperforming assets and a reduction of income recognized, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows. Further, when we place a loan on nonaccrual status, we reverse any accrued but unpaid interest receivable, which decreases interest income. At the same time, we continue to incur costs to fund the loan, which is reflected as interest expense, without any interest income to offset the associated funding expense. Thus, an increase in the amount of nonperforming assets would have an adverse impact on net interest income. If short-term interest rates remain at their historically low levels for a prolonged period and assuming longer-term interest rates fall further, we could experience net interest margin compression as our interest earning assets would continue to reprice downward while our interest bearing liability rates could fail to decline in tandem. Such an occurrence would have an adverse effect on
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our net interest income and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Uncertainty about the future of LIBOR may adversely affect our business.
On July 27, 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates the LIBOR, announced that it intends to stop persuading or compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. In November 2020, the Financial Conduct Authority announced that it would continue to publish LIBOR rates through June 30, 2023. It is unclear whether, or in what form, LIBOR will continue to exist after that date. Central banks around the world, including the Federal Reserve, have commissioned committees and working groups of market participants and official sector representatives to replace LIBOR and replace or reform other interest rate benchmarks. U.S. banking agencies have encouraged banks to cease entering into new contracts referencing LIBOR no later than December 31, 2021. A transition away from the widespread use of LIBOR to alternative benchmarks has begun and will continue over the course of the next few years. These reforms may cause such rates to perform differently than in the past or have other consequences that are unforeseen.
While there is no consensus on what rate or rates may become accepted alternatives to LIBOR, a group of market participants convened by the Federal Reserve, the Alternative Reference Rate Committee, has selected SOFR as its recommended alternative to LIBOR. SOFR may fail to gain market acceptance. SOFR was developed for use in certain U.S. dollar derivatives and other financial contracts as an alternative to U.S. dollar LIBOR in part because it is considered to be a good representation of general funding conditions in the overnight U.S. Treasury repo market. However, as a rate based on transactions secured by U.S. Treasury securities, it does not measure bank-specific credit risk and, as a result, is likely to correlate with the unsecured short-term funding costs of banks. This may mean that market participants would not consider SOFR to be a suitable substitute or a successor for all of the purposes for which U.S. dollar LIBOR historically has been used, which may, in turn, lessen its market acceptance.
It is impossible to predict the effect of the adoption of SOFR or any other alternative reference rate on the value of LIBOR-based securities and variable rate loans, subordinated debentures, or other securities or financial arrangements, given LIBOR’s role in determining market interest rates globally. Uncertainty as to the nature of alternative reference rates and as to potential changes or other reforms to LIBOR may adversely affect LIBOR rates and the value of LIBOR-based loans and securities in our portfolio, and may impact the availability and cost of hedging instruments and borrowings. If LIBOR rates are no longer available, and we are required to implement alternative reference rates, such as SOFR, for the calculation of interest rates under our loan agreements with our borrowers, we may incur significant expenses in effecting the transition, and may be subject to disputes or litigation with customers over the appropriateness or comparability of LIBOR to SOFR or another alternative reference rate, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations..
We face strong competition from financial services companies and other companies that offer banking services.
We operate in the highly competitive financial services industry and face significant competition for customers from financial institutions located both within and beyond our principal markets. We compete with commercial banks, savings banks, credit unions, nonbank financial services companies and other financial institutions operating within or near the areas we serve. In addition, many of our non-bank competitors are not subject to the same extensive regulations that govern our activities and may have greater flexibility in competing for business. Our inability to compete successfully in the markets in which we operate could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
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Risks Related to the Regulation of Our Industry
We operate in a highly regulated environment and the laws and regulations that govern our operations, corporate governance, executive compensation and accounting principles, or changes in them, or our failure to comply with them, could adversely affect us.
Banking is highly regulated under federal and state law. As such, we are subject to extensive regulation, supervision and legal requirements that govern almost all aspects of our operations. Compliance with laws and regulations can be difficult and costly, and changes to laws and regulations often impose additional operating costs. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations, even if the failure follows good faith effort or reflects a difference in interpretation, could subject us to restrictions on our business activities, enforcement actions and fines and other penalties, any of which could adversely affect our results of operations, regulatory capital levels and the price of our securities. Further, any new laws, rules and regulations could make compliance more difficult or expensive or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Legislative and regulatory actions taken now or in the future may increase our costs and impact our business, governance structure, financial condition or results of operations.
Economic conditions that contributed to the financial crisis in 2008, particularly in the financial markets, resulted in government regulatory agencies and political bodies placing increased focus and scrutiny on the financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act, which was enacted in 2010 as a response to the financial crisis, significantly changed the regulation of financial institutions and the financial services industry. Compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act and its implementing regulations has and may continue to result in additional operating and compliance costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects.
Federal and state regulatory agencies frequently adopt changes to their regulations or change the manner in which existing regulations are applied. Regulatory or legislative changes to laws applicable to the financial industry, if enacted or adopted, may impact the profitability of our business activities, require more oversight or change certain of our business practices, including the ability to offer new products, obtain financing, attract deposits, make loans and achieve satisfactory interest spreads and could expose us to additional costs, including increased compliance costs. These changes also may require us to invest significant management attention and resources to make any necessary changes to operations to comply and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Federal banking agencies periodically conduct examinations of our business, including compliance with laws and regulations, and our failure to comply with any supervisory actions to which we are or become subject as a result of such examinations could adversely affect us.
As part of the bank regulatory process, the OCC and the Federal Reserve, periodically conduct examinations of our business, including compliance with laws and regulations. If, as a result of an examination, one of these federal banking agencies were to determine that the financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, earnings prospects, management, liquidity, asset sensitivity, risk management or other aspects of any of our operations have become unsatisfactory, or that the Company, the Bank or their respective management were in violation of any law or regulation, it may take a number of different remedial actions as it deems appropriate. These actions include the power to enjoin “unsafe or unsound” practices, to require affirmative actions to correct any conditions resulting from any violation or practice, to issue an administrative order that can be judicially enforced, to direct an increase in our capital levels, to restrict our growth, to assess civil monetary penalties against us, the Bank or their respective officers or directors, to remove officers and directors and, if it is concluded that such conditions cannot be corrected or there is an imminent risk of loss to depositors, to terminate the Bank’s deposit insurance. If we become subject to such regulatory actions, our business, financial condition, results of operations and reputation would be adversely affected.
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Monetary policies and regulations of the Federal Reserve could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition to being affected by general economic conditions, our earnings and growth are affected by the policies of the Federal Reserve. An important function of the Federal Reserve is to regulate the U.S. money supply and credit conditions. The monetary policies and regulations of the Federal Reserve 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. Although we cannot determine the effects of such policies on us at this time, such policies could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Regulatory requirements affecting our loans secured by commercial real estate could limit our ability to leverage our capital and adversely affect our growth and profitability.
The federal bank regulatory agencies have indicated their view that banks with high concentrations of loans secured by commercial real estate are subject to increased risk and should implement robust risk management policies and maintain higher capital than regulatory minimums to maintain an appropriate cushion against loss that is commensurate with the perceived risk. Federal bank regulatory guidelines identify institutions potentially exposed to commercial real estate concentration risk as those that have (i) experienced rapid growth in commercial real estate lending, (ii) notable exposure to a specific type of commercial real estate, (iii) total reported loans for construction, land development and other land loans representing 100% or more of the institution’s capital, or (iv) total non-owner-occupied commercial real estate (including construction) loans representing 300% or more of the institution’s capital if the outstanding balance of the institution’s non-owner-occupied commercial real estate (including construction) loan portfolio has increased 50% or more during the prior 36 months. At December 31, 2021, the Bank’s construction to total capital ratio was 136.9% which exceeded the 100% regulatory guideline threshold set forth in clause (iii) above. As a result, we are deemed to have a concentration in commercial real estate lending under applicable regulatory guidelines. Because a significant portion of our loan portfolio depends on commercial real estate, a change in the regulatory capital requirements applicable to us or a decline in our regulatory capital could limit our ability to leverage our capital as a result of these policies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We cannot guarantee that any risk management practices we implement will be effective to prevent losses relating to our commercial real estate portfolio. Management has implemented controls to monitor our commercial real estate lending concentrations, but we cannot predict the extent to which this guidance will impact our operations or capital requirements.
Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The market price of our common stock may be subject to substantial fluctuations, which may make it difficult for you to sell your shares at the volume, prices and times desired.
The market price of our common stock may be highly volatile, which may make it difficult for you to resell your shares at the volume, prices and times desired. There are many factors that may affect the market price and trading volume of our common stock, most of which are outside of our control.
The stock market and the market for financial institution stocks has experienced substantial fluctuations in recent years, which in many cases have been unrelated to the operating performance and prospects of particular companies. In addition, significant fluctuations in the trading volume in our common stock may cause significant price variations to occur. Increased market volatility may materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock, which could make it difficult to sell your shares at the volume, prices and times desired.
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The market price of our common stock could decline significantly and you may experience future dilution due to actual or anticipated issuances or sales of our common stock in the future.
Our board of directors may determine from time to time that we need to raise additional capital by issuing additional shares of our common stock or other securities. We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of our common stock will have on the market price of our common stock. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, our common stock, you may experience substantial dilution.
Our management and board of directors have significant control over our business.
As of December 31, 2021, our directors, directors of the Bank, our named executive officers and their respective family members and affiliated entities beneficially owned an aggregate of 6,040,548 shares, or approximately 43.3% of our issued and outstanding common stock. Consequently, our management and board of directors may be able to significantly affect the outcome of the election of directors and the potential outcome of other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, such as mergers, the sale of substantially all of our assets and other extraordinary corporate matters. The interests of these insiders could conflict with the interests of our other shareholders.
Our common stock is subordinate to our existing and future indebtedness and preferred stock.
Our common stock ranks junior to all of our existing and future indebtedness and other non-equity claims with respect to assets available to satisfy claims against us, including claims in the event of our liquidation. As of December 31, 2021 we had outstanding approximately $10.0 million in aggregate principal amount of subordinated notes and $2.1 million in aggregate principal amount of junior subordinated debentures. We may incur additional indebtedness in the future to increase our capital resources or if our total capital ratio or the total capital ratio of the Bank falls below the required minimums. Furthermore, our common stock is subordinate to any series of preferred stock we may issue in the future.
Provisions in our governing documents and Maryland law may have an anti-takeover effect, and there are substantial regulatory limitations on changes of control of bank holding companies.
Our corporate organizational documents and provisions of federal and state law to which we are subject contain certain provisions that could have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, make more difficult or prevent an attempted acquisition that you may favor or an attempted replacement of our board of directors or management.
In addition, certain provisions of Maryland law may delay, discourage or prevent an attempted acquisition or change in control. Furthermore, banking laws impose notice, approval, and ongoing regulatory requirements on any shareholder or other party that seeks to acquire direct or indirect “control” of an FDIC-insured depository institution or its holding company. These laws include the BHC Act and the Change in Bank Control Act (“CBCA”). These laws could delay or prevent an acquisition.
Our common stock is not insured by any governmental entity.
Our common stock is not a deposit account or other obligation of any bank and is not insured by the FDIC or any other governmental entity. Investment in our common stock is subject to risk, including possible loss.
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ITEM 1B UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.