Item 1. Business
Item 1. Business.
General
German American Bancorp, Inc. is a Nasdaq-traded (symbol: GABC) financial holding company based in Jasper, Indiana. German American, through its banking subsidiary German American Bank, operates 73 banking offices in 20 contiguous southern Indiana counties and eight counties in Kentucky. The Company also owns an investment brokerage subsidiary (German American Investment Services, Inc.) and a full line property and casualty insurance agency (German American Insurance, Inc.).
The Company was formed in 1982 as a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended. Effective September 24, 2019, the Company elected to be a “financial holding company” as permitted under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, as amended. As a financial holding company, the Company is generally permitted to engage in certain otherwise prohibited nonbanking activities and certain other broader securities, insurance, merchant banking and other activities that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “FRB”) has determined to be “financial in nature,” or are incidental or complementary to activities that are financial in nature, without prior approval from the FRB (subject to certain exceptions). Upon becoming a financial holding company, we began operating GABC Risk Management, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, as a pooled captive insurance company subsidiary to provide additional insurance coverage for the Company and its subsidiaries related to the operations of the Company for which insurance may not be economically feasible.
Throughout this Report, when we use the term “Company”, we will usually be referring to the business and affairs (financial and otherwise) of German American Bancorp, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries as a whole. Occasionally, we will refer to the term “parent company” or “holding company” when we mean to refer to only German American Bancorp, Inc. and the term “Bank” when we mean to refer only to the Company’s bank subsidiary.
The Company’s lines of business include retail and commercial banking, comprehensive financial planning, full service brokerage and trust administration, and a full range of personal and corporate insurance products. Financial and other information by segment is included in Note 16 (Segment Information) of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Report and is incorporated into this Item 1 by reference. Substantially all of the Company’s revenues are derived from customers located in, and substantially all of its assets are located in, the United States.
Subsidiaries
The Company’s principal operating subsidiaries are described in the following table:
Name Type of Business Principal Office Location
German American Bank Commercial Bank Jasper, IN
German American Insurance, Inc. Multi-Line Insurance Agency Jasper, IN
German American Investment Services, Inc. Retail Brokerage Jasper, IN
Effective April 1, 2018, the legal name of German American Bank was changed from German American Bancorp to its current name. The new name corresponds with the trade name already being used by the banking subsidiary and promotes further distinction in nomenclature between the banking subsidiary and the bank holding company, German American Bancorp, Inc.
Business Developments
On July 1, 2019, the Company completed the acquisition of Citizens First Corporation (“Citizens First”) through the merger of Citizens First with and into the Company. Immediately following completion of the Citizens First holding company merger, Citizens First's subsidiary bank, Citizen First Bank, Inc., was merged with and into the Company’s subsidiary bank, German American Bank. Citizens First, headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky operated eight retail banking offices through Citizens First Bank, Inc. in Barren, Hart, Simpson and Warren Counties in Kentucky. As of the closing of the transaction, Citizens First had total assets of approximately $456.0 million, total loans of approximately $364.6 million, and total deposits
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of approximately $370.8 million. The Company issued approximately 1.7 million shares of its common stock, and paid approximately $15.5 million in cash, in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Citizens First.
On October 15, 2018, the Company completed the acquisition of First Security, Inc. ("First Security") through the merger of First Security with and into the Company. Immediately following completion of the First Security holding company merger, First Security’s subsidiary bank, First Security Bank, Inc., was merged with and into the Company’s subsidiary bank, German American Bank. First Security, based in Owensboro, Kentucky, operated 11 retail banking offices, through First Security Bank, Inc., in Owensboro, Bowling Green, Franklin and Lexington, Kentucky and in Evansville and Newburgh, Indiana. As of the closing of the transaction, First Security had total assets of approximately $553.2 million, total loans of approximately $390.1 million, and total deposits of approximately $424.4 million. The Company issued approximately 2.0 million shares of its common stock, and paid approximately $31.2 million in cash, in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of First Security and in cancellation of all outstanding options to acquire First Security common stock.
On May 18, 2018, German American Bank completed the acquisition of five branch locations of First Financial Bancorp (formerly branch locations of Mainsource Financial Group, Inc. prior to its merger with First Financial Bancorp on April 1, 2018) and certain related assets, and the assumption by German American Bank of certain related liabilities. Four of the branches are located in Columbus, Indiana, and one in Greensburg, Indiana. German American Bank acquired approximately $175.7 million in deposits and approximately $116.3 million in loans associated with the five bank branches. The premium paid on deposits by German American Bank was approximately $7.4 million. The premium was subject to adjustment to reflect increases or decreases in the deposit balances during the six month period following the closing date. In January 2019, an adjustment of approximately $0.1 million in additional premium was paid by German American Bank as a result of the change in deposits during the six month measurement period. German American Bank also had the ability, under certain circumstances, to put loans back to First Financial Bancorp’s bank subsidiary during such six month period. During the fourth quarter of 2018, approximately $1.3 million of loans were put back by German American Bank.
For further information regarding these merger and acquisition transactions, see Note 18 (Business Combinations) in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Report, which Note 18 is incorporated into this Item 1 by reference.
The Company expects to continue to evaluate opportunities to expand its business through opening of new banking, insurance or trust, brokerage and financial planning offices, and through acquisitions of other banks, bank branches, portfolios of loans or other assets, and other financial-service-related businesses and assets in the future.
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Office Locations
The map below illustrates the locations of the Company’s 74 retail and commercial banking, insurance and investment offices as of February 15, 2021.
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Competition
The industries in which the Company operates are highly competitive. The Bank competes for commercial and retail banking business within its core banking segment not only with financial institutions that have offices in the same counties but also with financial institutions that compete from other locations in Southern Indiana, Kentucky and elsewhere. Further, the Bank competes for loans and deposits not only with commercial banks but also with savings and loan associations, savings banks, credit unions, production credit associations, federal land banks, finance companies, credit card companies, personal loan companies, investment brokerage firms, insurance agencies, insurance companies, lease finance companies, money market funds, mortgage companies, and other non-depository financial intermediaries. There are numerous alternative providers (including national providers that advertise extensively and provide their services via e-mail, direct mail, telephone and the Internet) for the insurance products and services offered by German American Insurance, Inc., trust and financial planning services offered by the Bank and the brokerage products and financial planning services offered by German American Investment Services, Inc. In addition, financial technology, or “FinTech,” companies are emerging in key areas of banking. Many of these competitors have substantially greater resources than the Company.
Human Capital
At February 15, 2021, the Company and its subsidiaries employed approximately 770 full-time equivalent employees. There are no collective bargaining agreements, and we consider employee relations to be good.
People come first at German American. It is through our employees, and their ties to the local community, that we are able to proudly support the communities we serve. We are deeply rooted in these communities. Engrained in our culture is a commitment to give back to the individuals, families, and businesses in our communities. We have a long history of community involvement, from both a contributory standpoint and a dedication to hands-on volunteer efforts.
German American strives to attract, develop, and retain talented individuals in every community we serve. We understand that, in order to deliver the best financial products and services to our clients, we need to invest in our team’s personal and professional success, which includes helping to create a work/life balance and providing further growth opportunities. As a result, our employees have demonstrated a desire and determination to succeed. Our culture encourages them to take initiative, accept challenges, and achieve goals. Their vast knowledge base and expertise enables them to work efficiently while providing customer service excellence to support strong performance. German American’s reputation relies on integrity. Our team trusts each other in words and actions, which enables our customers to trust our brand. We value honesty, open communication, diverse perspectives, and high ethical principles.
We have long been committed to comprehensive and competitive compensation and benefits programs as we recognize that we operate in an intensely competitive environment for employees. Retention of skilled and highly trained employees is critical to our strategy of being a trusted resource to our communities and strengthening relationships with our customers through our employees. Furthering our philosophy to attract and retain talented and motivated employees who will continue to advance our purpose and contribute to our overall success, our compensation and benefits programs include: medical, dental and vision plans; a 401(k) deferred compensation and profit sharing plan, with matching contribution, which covers substantially all employees; flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance and a robust employee assistance program that covers an array of work-life benefits that supports employee well-being. In addition, we offer supplemental benefits such as accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity policies, quarterly performance incentives, discounted bank services and an Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
We also invest in our employees’ future by sponsoring and prioritizing continued education throughout the Company’s employee ranks. Full-time and part-time employees are eligible for tuition reimbursement for work-related courses taken through a community college or university. Employees are also able to participate in on-the-job learning, classroom learning, mentoring and other internal and external career development programs. These programs focus on enhancing current skills as well as developing our next generation of leaders, bankers, commercial lenders and other financial professional roles.
In order to develop a workforce that aligns with our corporate values, we regularly sponsor local community events. We believe that the well-being of our employees and their personal and professional development is furthered by our outreach to the communities we serve. Our employees’ desire for active community involvement enables us to sponsor many local community events and initiatives, including leading financial literacy classes in community schools and volunteering to enhance the arts, education, economic development, and overall community enrichment in our footprint.
The health and well-being of our employees and customers will always be our top priority. This, of course, came to the forefront as COVID-19 began to spread exponentially in early 2020. In response, we took swift steps by implementing a work-from-home policy for over 40% of our employees, prioritizing drive-thru and appointment banking, and educating our customers on a multitude of electronic delivery options, such as mobile banking, online banking, bill pay, and treasury management.
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Regulation and Supervision
Overview
The Company is subject to regulation and supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“FRB”) under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (“BHC Act”), and is required to file with the FRB annual reports and such additional information as the FRB may require. The FRB may also make examinations or inspections of the Company. The Bank is under the supervision of and subject to examination by the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions (“DFI”), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). Regulation and examination by banking regulatory agencies are primarily for the benefit of depositors rather than shareholders.
Under FRB policy and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a complex and wide-ranging statute (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), the Company is required to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to the Bank, and to commit resources to support the Bank, even in circumstances where the Company might not do so absent such a requirement. Under current federal law, the FRB may require a bank holding company to make capital injections into a troubled subsidiary bank. It may charge the bank holding company with engaging in unsafe and unsound practices if the bank holding company fails to commit resources to such a subsidiary bank or if it undertakes actions that the FRB believes might jeopardize the bank holding company’s ability to commit resources to such subsidiary bank.
With certain exceptions, the BHC Act prohibits a bank holding company from engaging in (or acquiring direct or indirect control of more than 5 percent of the voting shares of any company engaged in) nonbanking activities. One of the principal exceptions to this prohibition is for activities deemed by the FRB to be “closely related to banking.” Under current regulations, bank holding companies and their subsidiaries are permitted to engage in such banking-related business ventures as consumer finance; equipment leasing; credit life insurance; computer service bureau and software operations; mortgage banking; and securities brokerage.
In September 2019, we elected to become a “financial holding company.” As a financial holding company, we are permitted to engage in a broader range of activities that are “financial in nature” and in activities that are determined to be incidental or complementary to activities that are financial in nature. These activities include underwriting and dealing in and making a market in securities (subject to certain limits and compliance procedures required by the so-called Volcker Rule provisions added by the Dodd-Frank Act, described below under “Other Aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act”), insurance underwriting, and merchant banking. Banks may also engage through financial subsidiaries in certain of the activities permitted for financial holding companies, subject to certain conditions. Upon becoming a financial holding company, we began operating GABC Risk Management, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary, as a pooled captive insurance company subsidiary to provide additional insurance coverage for the Company and its subsidiaries related to the operations of the Company for which insurance may not be economically feasible. In order to continue as a financial holding company, we must continue to be well-capitalized, well-managed and maintain compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act.
The Bank and the subsidiaries of the Bank may generally engage in activities that are permissible activities for state chartered banks under Indiana banking law, without regard to the limitations that might apply to such activities under the BHC Act if the Company were to engage directly in such activities at the parent company level or through parent company subsidiaries that were not also bank subsidiaries.
Indiana law and the BHC Act restrict certain types of expansion by the Company and its bank subsidiary. The Company and its subsidiaries may be required to apply for prior approval from (or give prior notice and an opportunity for review to) the FRB, the DFI, the FDIC, and/or other bank regulatory or other regulatory agencies, as a condition to the acquisition or establishment of new offices, or the acquisition (by merger or consolidation, purchase or otherwise) of the stock, business or properties of other banks or other companies.
The earnings of commercial banks and their holding companies are affected not only by general economic conditions but also by the policies of various governmental regulatory authorities. In particular, the FRB regulates money and credit conditions and interest rates in order to influence general economic conditions, primarily through open-market operations in U.S. Government securities, varying the discount rate on bank borrowings, and setting reserve requirements against bank deposits. These policies have a significant influence on overall growth and distribution of bank loans, investments and deposits, and affect interest rates charged on loans and earned on investments or paid for time and savings deposits. FRB monetary policies have had a significant effect on the operating results of commercial banks in the past and this is expected to continue in the future. The general effect, if any, of such policies upon the future business and earnings of the Company cannot accurately be predicted.
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Capital Requirements
We are subject to various regulatory capital requirements both at the parent company and at the Bank level administered by the FRB and by the FDIC and DFI, respectively. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements could result in certain mandatory and possible additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have an adverse material effect on our financial statements. Under capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for “Prompt Corrective Action” (described below), we must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of our assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting policies. Our capital amounts and classification are also subject to judgments by the regulators regarding qualitative components, risk weightings, and other factors. We have consistently maintained regulatory capital ratios at or above the well-capitalized standards.
Generally, for purposes of satisfying these capital requirements, we must maintain capital sufficient to meet both risk-based asset ratio tests and a leverage ratio test on a consolidated basis. The risk-based ratios are determined by allocating assets and specified off-balance sheet commitments into various weighted categories, with higher weighting assigned to categories perceived as representing greater risk. A risk-based ratio represents the applicable measure of capital divided by total risk-weighted assets. The leverage ratio is a measure of our core capital divided by our total assets adjusted as specified in the guidelines.
The current risk-based capital rules, as adopted by federal banking regulators, are based upon guidelines developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and reflect various requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act (the “Basel III Rules”). The Basel III Rules require banking organizations to, among other things, maintain:
• a minimum ratio of “Common Equity Tier 1 Capital” to risk-weighted assets of 4.5%, plus a 2.5% “conservation buffer” (bringing the Common Equity Tier 1 Capital to risk-weighted assets ratio to a total of at least 7.0%);
• a minimum ratio of Tier 1 Capital to risk-weighted assets of 6% plus the conservation buffer (which results in a minimum required total Tier 1 Capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of 8.5%);
• a minimum ratio of Total Capital (that is, Tier 1 Capital plus instruments includable in a tier called Tier 2 Capital) to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0% plus the conservation buffer (which results in a minimum Total Capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of 10.5%); and
• a minimum leverage ratio of 4% (calculated as the ratio of Tier 1 Capital to adjusted average consolidated assets).
“Common Equity Tier 1” (“CET1”) Capital consists of common stock instruments that meet the eligibility criteria in the new rules, retained earnings, accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) and common equity Tier 1 minority interest.
Tier 1 Capital under the new rules consists of CET1 (subject to certain adjustments) and “additional Tier 1 capital” instruments meeting specified requirements, plus, in the case of smaller holding companies like ours, trust preferred securities in accordance with prior requirements for their inclusion in Tier I Capital.
Under the Basel III Rules, we and our bank subsidiary elected to opt-out of the requirement to include AOCI in our CET1. As a result, most AOCI items will be treated, for regulatory capital purposes, in the same manner in which they were prior to Basel III.
Although banking institutions with a ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets above the minimum but below the conservation buffer will technically comply with minimum capital requirements under the new rules, such institutions will face limitations on the payment of dividends, common stock repurchases and discretionary cash payments to executive officers based on the amount of the shortfall.
On December 21, 2018, federal banking agencies issued a joint final rule to revise their regulatory capital rules to, among other things: (i) address implementation of the “current expected credit losses” (“CECL”) accounting standard under GAAP; and (ii) provide an optional three-year phase-in period for the day-one adverse regulatory capital effects of adopting CECL. As discussed in Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Report, the FASB issued the CECL accounting standard in 2016 to address concerns relating to the ability to record credit losses that are expected, but do not yet meet the “probable” threshold by replacing the current “incurred loss” model for recognizing credit losses with an “expected life of loan loss” model referred to as the CECL model. The Company adopted the CECL standard on January 1, 2020.
In an action related to the CARES Act (see “- COVID-19, The CARES Act and Related Legislative and Regulatory Actions” below), federal banking regulators issued, on March 27, 2020, an interim final rule that allows banking organizations to mitigate the estimated cumulative regulatory capital effects of CECL for up to two years. This two-year delay is in addition to the three-year phase-in period discussed above. The Company has elected to adopt the option provided by the interim final rule,
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which will largely delay the effects of CECL on its regulatory capital through December 31, 2021. Beginning on January 1, 2022, we will be required to phase in 25% of the previously deferred estimated capital impact of CECL, with an additional 25% to be phased in at the beginning of each subsequent year until fully phased in by January 1, 2025. Under the interim final rule, the amount of adjustments to regulatory capital that can be deferred until the phase-in period includes both the initial impact of our adoption of CECL at January 1, 2020 and 25% of subsequent changes in our allowance for credit losses during each quarter of the two-year period ended December 31, 2021. For information about the one-time cumulative adjustment to our allowance for credit losses and changes in the allowance during 2020, please see Note 1 (Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Report.
On April 9, 2020, federal banking regulators issued an interim final rule to modify the Basel III regulatory capital rules applicable to banking organizations to allow those organizations participating in the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) to neutralize the regulatory capital effects of participating in the program. Specifically, the agencies have clarified that banking organizations, including the Company and the Bank, are permitted to assign a zero percent risk weight to PPP loans for purposes of determining risk-weighted assets and risk-based capital ratios. Additionally, in order to facilitate use of the Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility, which provides Federal Reserve Bank loans to eligible financial institutions such as the Bank to fund PPP loans (the “PPPL Facility”), in order to facilitate use of the PPPL Facility, the agencies further clarified that, for purposes of determining leverage ratios, a banking organization is permitted to exclude from total average assets PPP loans that have been pledged as collateral for a PPPL Facility. See “- COVID-19, The CARES Act and Related Regulatory Actions” below for additional information.
Prompt Corrective Action Classifications
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvements Act (enacted in 1991) (FDICIA) requires federal banking regulatory authorities to take regulatory enforcement actions known as Prompt Corrective Action with respect to depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. For these purposes, FDICIA establishes five capital tiers: well-capitalized, adequately-capitalized, under-capitalized, significantly under-capitalized, and critically under-capitalized.
Under FDICIA, a depository institution that is not well-capitalized is generally prohibited from accepting brokered deposits and offering interest rates on deposits higher than the prevailing rate in its market. Since the Bank was well-capitalized throughout 2020, the FDICIA brokered deposit rule did not adversely affect its ability to accept brokered deposits. The Bank had $1.7 million of such brokered deposits at December 31, 2020. Further, a depository institution or its holding company that is not well-capitalized will generally not be successful in seeking regulatory approvals that may be necessary in connection with any plan or agreement to expand its business, such as through the acquisition (by merger or consolidation, purchase or otherwise) of the stock, business or properties of other banks or other companies.
Under the Prompt Corrective Action regulations, the applicable agency can treat an institution as if it were in the next lower category if the agency determines (after notice and an opportunity for hearing) that the institution is in an unsafe or unsound condition or is engaging in an unsafe or unsound practice. The degree of regulatory scrutiny of a financial institution will increase, and the permissible activities of the institution will decrease, as it moves downward through the capital categories. Institutions that fall into one of the three “undercapitalized” categories (as such term is used in the FDICIA) may be required to (i) submit a capital restoration plan; (ii) raise additional capital; (iii) restrict their growth, deposit interest rates, and other activities; (iv) improve their management; (v) eliminate management fees and dividends; or (vi) divest themselves of all or a part of their operations. Bank holding companies can be called upon to boost the capital of the financial institutions that they control, and to partially guarantee the institutions’ performance under their capital restoration plans. Critically under-capitalized institutions are subject to appointment of a receiver or conservator within 90 days of becoming so classified.
The minimum ratios defined by the Prompt Corrective Action regulations from time to time are merely guidelines and the bank regulators possess the discretionary authority to require higher capital ratios. Further, the risk-based capital standards of the FRB and the FDIC specify that evaluations by the banking agencies of a bank’s capital adequacy will include an assessment of the exposure to declines in the economic value of a bank’s capital due to changes in interest rates. These banking agencies issued a joint policy statement on interest rate risk describing prudent methods for monitoring such risk that rely principally on internal measures of exposure and active oversight of risk management activities by senior management.
To qualify as a “well-capitalized” institution, a depository institution under the Prompt Corrective Action requirements must have a leverage ratio of no less than 5%, a Tier I Capital ratio of no less than 8%, a CET1 ratio of no less than 6.5%, and a total risk-based capital ratio of no less than 10%, and the bank must not have been under any order or directive from the appropriate regulatory agency to meet and maintain a specific capital level. As of December 31, 2020, the Bank exceeded the requirements contained in the applicable regulations, policies and directives pertaining to capital adequacy to be classified as “well-capitalized”, and is unaware of any material violation or alleged violation of these regulations, policies or directives. For a
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tabular presentation of our regulatory capital ratios and those of the Bank as of December 31, 2020, see Note 8 (Shareholders’ Equity) of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Report, which Note 8 is incorporated herein by reference.
On October 29, 2019, the FRB, the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) adopted a final rule to simplify the regulatory capital requirements for eligible community banks and holding companies that opt-in to the community bank leverage ratio framework (“CBLR framework”), as required by Section 201 of the Economic Growth, Relief and Consumer Protection Act of 2018 (the “Economic Growth Act”). Under the final rule, which became effective as of January 1, 2020, community banks and holding companies (which would include the Bank and the Company) that satisfy certain qualifying criteria, including having less than $10 billion in average total consolidated assets and a leverage ratio (referred to as the “community bank leverage ratio”) of greater than 9%, would be eligible to opt-in to the CBLR framework. The community bank leverage ratio is the ratio of a banking organization’s Tier 1 Capital to its average total consolidated assets, both as reported on the banking organization’s applicable regulatory filings. If this election is made, the Company and the Bank would satisfy their regulatory capital standards by calculating and reporting the community bank leverage ratio instead of the risk-weighted capital ratios and minimum leverage ratio currently required and would be deemed “well-capitalized” under the FRB’s and FDIC’s Prompt Corrective Action rules so long as they continue to satisfy the qualifying criteria of the CBLR framework. Pursuant to the CARES Act, federal banking regulators issued interim final rules in April 2020 lowering the community bank leverage ratio threshold to 8% beginning in the second quarter and for the remainder of calendar year 2020, and to 8.5% for calendar year 2021, until it returns to 9% thereafter. The interim final rules, which were adopted as final, without any changes, on October 9, 2020, also established a two-quarter grace period for a qualifying community banking organization whose leverage ratio falls no more than 100 basis points below the applicable community bank leverage ratio. Notwithstanding these changes, the Company intends to continue with the existing layered ratio structure. Under either framework, the Company and the Bank would be considered well-capitalized under the applicable guidelines.
Future rulemaking and regulatory changes on capital requirements may impact the Company as it continues to grow and evaluate potential mergers and acquisitions.
Restrictions on Bank Dividends or Loans to, or other Transactions with, the Parent Company, and on Parent Company Dividends
German American Bancorp, Inc., which is the publicly-held parent of the Bank (German American Bank), is a corporation that is separate and distinct from the Bank and its other subsidiaries. Most of the parent company’s revenues historically have been comprised of dividends, fees, and interest paid to it by the Bank, and this is expected to continue in the future. There are, however, statutory limits under Indiana law on the amount of dividends that the Bank can pay to its parent company without regulatory approval. The Bank may not, without the approval of the DFI, pay a dividend in an amount greater than its undivided profits. In addition, the prior approval of the DFI is required for the payment of a dividend by an Indiana state-chartered bank if the total of all dividends declared in a calendar year would exceed the total of its net income for the year combined with its retained net income for the two preceding years, unless such a payment qualifies under certain exemptive criteria that exempt certain dividend payments by certain qualified banks from the prior approval requirement. At December 31, 2020, the Bank was eligible for payment of dividends under the exemptive criteria established by DFI policy for this purpose, and could have declared and paid to the holding company $99 million of its undivided profits without approval by the DFI in accordance with such criteria. See Note 8 (Shareholders’ Equity) of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Report for further discussion.
Insured depository institutions such as the Bank are also prohibited under the FDICIA from making capital distributions, including the payment of dividends, if, after making such distribution, the institution would become undercapitalized.
In addition, the FRB and other bank regulatory agencies have issued policy statements or advisories that provide that insured banks and bank holding companies should generally only pay dividends out of current operating earnings.
In addition to these statutory restrictions, if, in the opinion of the applicable regulatory authority, a bank under its jurisdiction is engaged in, or is about to engage in, an unsafe or unsound practice, such authority may require, after notice and hearing, that such bank cease and desist from such practice. Accordingly, if the Bank were to experience financial difficulties, it is possible that the applicable regulatory authority could determine that the Bank would be engaged in an unsafe or unsound practice if the Bank were to pay dividends and could prohibit the Bank from doing so, even if availability existed for dividends under the statutory formula.
Further, the Bank is subject to affiliate transaction restrictions under federal laws, which limit certain transactions generally involving the transfer of funds by a subsidiary bank or its subsidiaries to its parent corporation or any nonbank subsidiary of its parent corporation, whether in the form of loans, extensions of credit, investments, or asset purchases, or otherwise undertaking
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certain obligations on behalf of such affiliates. Furthermore, covered transactions that are loans and extensions of credit must be secured within specified amounts. In addition, all covered transactions and other affiliate transactions must be conducted on terms and under circumstances that are substantially the same as such transactions with unaffiliated entities.
Other Aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act
The Dodd-Frank Act (in addition to the regulatory changes discussed elsewhere in this “Regulation and Supervision” discussion and below under “Federal Deposit Insurance Premiums and Assessments”) made a variety of changes that affect the business and affairs of the Company and the Bank in other ways. For instance, the Dodd-Frank Act (or agency regulations adopted and implemented (or to be adopted and implemented) under the Dodd-Frank Act) altered the authority and duties of the federal banking and securities regulatory agencies, implemented certain corporate governance requirements for all public companies including financial institutions with regard to executive compensation, proxy access by shareholders, and certain whistleblower provisions; restricted certain proprietary trading and hedge fund and private equity activities of banks and their affiliates; eliminated the former statutory prohibition against the payment of interest on business checking accounts; limited interchange fees on debit card transactions by certain large processors; and established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”).
The CFPB was granted broad rulemaking, supervisory and enforcement powers under various federal consumer financial protection laws, including the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Act, the Consumer Financial Privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and certain other statutes. The CFPB has examination and primary enforcement authority with respect to depository institutions with $10 billion or more in assets. Smaller institutions are subject to rules promulgated by the CFPB but continue to be examined and supervised by federal banking regulators for consumer compliance purposes.
The CFPB has authority to prevent unfair, deceptive or abusive practices in connection with the offering of consumer financial products. The Dodd-Frank Act authorized the CFPB to establish certain minimum standards for the origination of residential mortgages including a determination of the borrower’s ability to repay. In addition, Dodd-Frank allows borrowers to raise certain defenses to foreclosure if they receive any loan other than a “qualified mortgage” as defined by the CFPB. Under the CFPB’s rule, a “qualified mortgage” loan must not contain certain specified features, and the borrower’s total monthly debt-to-income ratio may not exceed a specified percentage. Lenders must also verify and document the income and financial resources relied upon to qualify the borrower for the loan and underwrite the loan based on a fully amortizing payment schedule and maximum interest rate during the first five years, taking into account all applicable taxes, insurance and assessments.
The Dodd-Frank Act permits states to adopt consumer protection laws and standards that are more stringent than those adopted at the federal level and, in certain circumstances, permits state attorneys general to enforce compliance with both the state and federal laws and regulations.
The so-called Volcker Rule, which was adopted under the Dodd-Frank Act, prohibits banking entities from, among other things, (1) engaging in short-term proprietary trading for their own accounts, and (2) having certain ownership interests in and relationships with hedge funds or private equity funds (“covered funds”). Community banks like the Bank have been afforded some relief under these final rules from onerous compliance obligations created by the rules; if banks are engaged only in exempted proprietary trading, such as trading in U.S. government, agency, state and municipal obligations, they are exempt entirely from compliance program requirements. Moreover, even if a community bank engages in proprietary trading or covered fund activities under the rule, they need only incorporate references to the Volcker Rule into their existing policies and procedures. The Economic Growth Act also served to raise the threshold of banks subject to the Volcker Rule to only those with more than $10 billion in assets. Although we do not yet meet that threshold, even if we were subject to it, we do not expect that the Volcker Rule would have any material financial implications on us or our investments or activities.
Certain Other Laws and Regulations
The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (the “CRA”) requires depository institutions to assist in meeting the credit needs of their market areas consistent with safe and sound banking practice. Under the CRA, each depository institution is required to help meet the credit needs of its market areas by, among other things, providing credit to low- and moderate-income individuals and communities. These factors are also considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. The applicable federal regulators regularly conduct CRA examinations to assess the performance of financial institutions and assign one of four ratings to the institution’s records of meeting the credit needs of its community. During its last examination, a rating of “satisfactory” was received by the Bank.
In accordance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999 (the “GLB Act”), federal banking regulators adopted rules that limit the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose non-public information about consumers
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to nonaffiliated third parties. These limitations require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to a nonaffiliated third party. The privacy provisions of the GLB Act affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial companies and conveyed to outside vendors.
A major focus of governmental policy on financial institutions is combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The Bank Secrecy Act (the “BSA”) requires financial institutions to develop policies, procedures, and practices to prevent and deter money laundering, and mandates that every bank have a written, board-approved program that is reasonably designed to assure and monitor compliance with the BSA. In addition, banks are required to adopt a customer identification program as part of its BSA compliance program, and are required to file Suspicious Activity Reports when they detect certain known or suspected violations of federal law or suspicious transactions related to a money laundering activity or a violation of the BSA. The Bank is also required to (1) identify and verify, subject to certain exceptions, the identity of the beneficial owners of all legal entity customers at the time a new account is opened, and (2) include, in its anti-money laundering program, risk-based procedures for conducting ongoing customer due diligence, which must include procedures that: (a) assist in understanding the nature and purpose of customer relationships for the purpose of developing a customer risk profile, and (b) require ongoing monitoring to identify and report suspicious transactions and, on a risk basis, to maintain and update customer information.
The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, or the USA Patriot Act, substantially broadened the scope of United States anti-money laundering laws and regulations by imposing significant new compliance and due diligence obligations, creating new crimes and penalties and expanding the extra-territorial jurisdiction of the United States. The U.S. Treasury Department has issued a number of regulations that apply various requirements of the USA Patriot Act to financial institutions such as the Bank. These regulations impose obligations on financial institutions to maintain appropriate policies, procedures and controls to detect, prevent and report money laundering and terrorist financing and to verify the identity of their customers. Failure of a financial institution to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, or to comply with all of the relevant laws or regulations, could have serious legal and reputational consequences for the institution.
The United States has imposed economic sanctions that affect transactions with designated foreign countries, nationals and others. These are typically known as the “OFAC” rules based on their administration by the U.S. Treasury Department 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. Failure to comply with these sanctions could have serious legal and reputational consequences.
The Bank is subject to a wide variety of other laws with respect to the operation of its businesses, and regulations adopted under those laws, including but not limited to the Truth in Lending Act, Truth in Savings Act, Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Electronic Funds Transfer Act, Fair Housing Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Expedited Funds Availability (Regulation CC), Reserve Requirements (Regulation D), Insider Transactions (Regulation O), Privacy of Consumer Information (Regulation P), Margin Stock Loans (Regulation U), Right To Financial Privacy Act, Flood Disaster Protection Act, Homeowners Protection Act, Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule, Telephone Consumer Protection Act, CAN-SPAM Act, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 (SAFE Act) and the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act. The laws and regulations to which we are subject are constantly under review by Congress, the federal regulatory agencies, and the state authorities.
Federal Deposit Insurance Premiums and Assessments
The Bank’s deposit accounts are currently insured by the Deposit Insurance Fund (the “DIF”) of the FDIC. The insurance benefit generally covers up to a maximum of $250,000 per separately insured depositor. As an FDIC-insured bank, our bank subsidiary is subject to deposit insurance premiums and assessments to maintain the DIF. The Bank’s deposit insurance premium assessment rate depends on the asset and supervisory categories to which it is assigned. The FDIC has authority to raise or lower assessment rates on insured banks in order to achieve statutorily required reserve ratios in the DIF and to impose special additional assessments.
Under the current system, deposit insurance assessments are based on average total assets minus average tangible equity. The FDIC assigns a banking institution to one of two categories based on asset size. As an institution with under $10 billion in
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assets, the Bank falls into the “Established Small Institution” category. This category has three sub-categories based on supervisory ratings designed to measure risk (the FDIC’s “CAMELS Composite” ratings). The assessment rate, which ranges from 1.5 to 30.0 basis points (such basis points representing a per annum rate) for Established Small Institutions, is determined based upon each applicable institution’s most recent supervisory and capital evaluations.
In addition, each FDIC insured institution has been required to pay to the FDIC an assessment on the institution’s total assets less tangible capital in order to fund interest payments on bonds issued by the Financing Corporation, an agency of the federal government established to recapitalize the predecessor to the Savings Association Insurance Fund. With the Financing Corporation having made its final bond payment in September 2019, the Bank made its last assessment payment, which was equal to a per annum rate of 0.12 basis points, in March 2019.
COVID-19, The CARES Act and Related Legislative and Regulatory Actions
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) announced that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) constituted a public health emergency of international concern. On March 11, 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic and, on March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared the COVID-19 outbreak a national emergency. The health concerns relating to the COVID-19 outbreak and related governmental actions taken to reduce the spread of the virus have significantly impacted the global economy (including the states and local economies in which we operate), disrupted supply chains, lowered equity market valuations, and created significant volatility and disruption in financial markets. The outbreak has resulted in authorities implementing numerous measures to try to contain the virus, such as travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter in place or total lock-down orders and business limitations and shutdowns. Such measures have significantly contributed to rising unemployment and negatively impacted consumer and business spending. While quarantine and lock-down orders have been lifted and vaccination efforts are underway, COVID-19 has not yet been contained and commercial activity has not yet returned to the levels existing prior to the pandemic outbreak. As a result, the demand for the Company’s products and services has been, and will continue to be, significantly impacted.
The CARES Act and the Paycheck Protection Program . On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was signed into law, providing an approximately $2 trillion stimulus package that included direct payments to individual taxpayers, economic stimulus to significantly impacted industry sectors, emergency funding for hospitals and providers, small business loans, increased unemployment benefits, and a variety of tax incentives.
For small businesses, eligible nonprofits and certain others, the CARES Act established a Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), which is administered by the Small Business Administration (“SBA”). On April 24, 2020, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act was enacted. Among other things, this legislation amends the initial CARES Act program by raising the appropriation level for PPP loans from $349 billion to $670 billion. The PPP was further modified on June 5, 2020 with the adoption of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (the “Flexibility Act”), which extended the maturity date for PPP loans from two years to five years for loans disbursed on or after the date of enactment of the Flexibility Act. For PPP loans disbursed prior to such enactment, the Flexibility Act permits the borrower and lender to mutually agree to extend the term of the loan to five years. The vast majority of the Company’s PPP loans have two-year maturities. PPP loans earn interest at a fixed rate of 1% and are fully guaranteed by the U.S. government. The Company anticipates that the majority of the PPP loans will ultimately be forgiven by the SBA in accordance with the terms of the program. As discussed below under “The 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act,” an additional $284 billion in funding has been made available under the PPP, with authority to make loans under the program being extended through March 31, 2021. During 2021, the Bank plans to offer additional PPP loans as authorized under the CAA.
Loan Modifications and Troubled Debt Restructures . On April 7, 2020, the FRB, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC” and, together with the FRB and OCC, the “federal banking regulators”) issued a revised Interagency Statement on Loan Modifications and Reporting for Financial Institutions, which, among other things, encouraged financial institutions to work prudently with borrowers who are or may be unable to meet their contractual payment obligations because of the effects of COVID-19, and stated that institutions generally do not need to categorize COVID-19-related modifications as troubled debt restructurings and that the agencies will not direct supervised institutions to automatically categorize all COVID-19 related loan modifications as troubled debt restructurings. Similarly, under the CARES Act, provisions were included that allow for loan modifications to not be classified as TDRs if certain criteria are met. This TDR exemption, which was set to expire on December 31, 2020, was extended under the CAA to the earlier of (i) 60 days after the national emergency concerning the COVID-19 outbreak terminates, and (ii) January 1, 2022.
Regulatory Capital . The CARES Act, the CAA and certain actions by federal banking regulators have resulted in modifications to, or delays in implementation of, various regulatory capital rules applicable to banking organizations. See “Capital Requirements” above for additional information.
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The 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act . On December 27, 2020, a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package, as passed by the U.S. Congress, was signed into law as part of the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act (“CAA”). In addition to providing direct stimulus payments to certain individuals, an increase in unemployment insurance benefits, an extension of the eviction moratorium, relief to the healthcare industry, and additional aid to various other businesses, the COVID-19-related provisions of the CAA also (i) established an additional $284 billion in funding for the PPP through March 31, 2021, and (ii) further suspended the exception for loan modifications to not be classified as TDRs if certain criteria are met.
Internet Address; Internet Availability of SEC Reports
The Company’s Internet address is www.germanamerican.com.
The Company makes available, free of charge through the Investor Relations - Financial Information section of its Internet website, the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, its current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports are filed with or furnished to the SEC.
Forward-Looking Statements and Associated Risks
The Company from time to time in its oral and written communications makes statements relating to its expectations regarding the future. These types of statements are considered “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements can include statements about the Company’s net interest income or net interest margin; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; adequacy of the Company’s capital under regulatory requirements and of its allowance for loan losses, and the quality of the Company’s loans, investment securities and other assets; simulations of changes in interest rates; litigation results; dividend policy; acquisitions or mergers; estimated cost savings, plans and objectives for future operations; and expectations about the Company’s financial and business performance and other business matters as well as economic and market conditions and trends. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Report, including statements regarding our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of our management for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this Report, words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “plan”, “intend”, “should”, “would”, “could”, “can”, “may”, “will”, “might” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, identify forward-looking statements.
Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of our management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to our management, and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors.
Actual results may differ materially and adversely from the expectations of the Company that are expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. The discussions in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” and in Item 7 of this Form 10-K, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” list some of the factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to vary materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements. Other risks, uncertainties, and factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to vary materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement include but not limited to :
• the impact on our business, operations, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic;
• the unknown future direction of interest rates and the timing and magnitude of any changes in interest rates;
• changes in competitive conditions;
• the introduction, withdrawal, success and timing of asset/liability management strategies or of mergers and acquisitions and other business initiatives and strategies;
• changes in customer borrowing, repayment, investment and deposit practices;
• changes in fiscal, monetary and tax policies;
• changes in financial and capital markets;
• potential deterioration in general economic conditions, either nationally or locally, resulting in, among other things, credit quality deterioration;
• capital management activities, including possible future sales of new securities, or possible repurchases or redemptions by the Company of outstanding debt or equity securities;
• risks of expansion through acquisitions and mergers, such as unexpected credit quality problems of the acquired loans or other assets, unexpected attrition of the customer base or employee base of the acquired institution or branches, and difficulties in integration of the acquired operations;
• factors driving impairment charges on investments;
• the impact, extent and timing of technological changes;
• potential cyber-attacks, information security breaches and other criminal activities;
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• litigation liabilities, including related costs, expenses, settlements and judgments, or the outcome of matters before regulatory agencies, whether pending or commencing in the future;
• actions of the FRB;
• the possible effects of the replacement of the London Interbank Offering Rate (LIBOR);
• the impact of the current expected credit loss (CECL) standard;
• changes in accounting principles and interpretations,
• potential increases of federal deposit insurance premium expense, and possible future special assessments of FDIC premiums, either industry wide or specific to the Company’s banking subsidiary;
• actions of the regulatory authorities under the Dodd-Frank Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and other possible legislative and regulatory actions and reforms;
• impacts resulting from possible amendments or revisions to the Dodd-Frank Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder, or to CFPB rules and regulations; and
• the continued availability of earnings and excess capital sufficient for the lawful and prudent declaration and payment of cash dividends.
Such statements reflect our views with respect to future events and are subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity of the Company. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. It is intended that these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events .