Item 1A. Risk Factors
ITEM 1A. Risk Factors
Please see “Item 1A. Risk Factors”
of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2024 for information regarding risk factors that could
materially affect the Company’s business, financial condition, or future results of operations. Other than as set forth below,
there have been changes with regard to the risk factors disclosed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of the Company’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2024.
35
Kentucky First Federal
Bancorp
On January 16, 2024, we announced that the
Board had determined to suspend the payment of dividends indefinitely. Our ability to pay future dividends, and the amount that may be
paid, is subject to a number of factors, including our ability to fully and timely address the deficiencies that resulted in the formal
Agreement that First Federal Savings Bank of Kentucky has entered into with the OCC and the satisfaction of individual minimum capital
ratio requirements imposed by the OCC. Our ability to pay future dividends is also subject to the ability of First Federal of Hazard and
First Federal of Kentucky to make capital distributions to Kentucky First Federal, and for First Federal MHC to received regulatory and
member approval of the waiver of the receipt of dividends by First Federal MHC.
On January 16, 2024, the Company announced the
suspension of quarterly dividends indefinitely. Holders of our common stock are only entitled to receive such dividends as our Board of
Directors may declare out of funds available for such payments under applicable law and regulatory guidance. We cannot predict when or
whether the Company will be able to pay future common stock dividends and if so, the amount of any such common stock dividends. Our ability
to pay future dividends and if so at what level will also be dependent on numerous factors, including: our ability to receive any required
regulatory approval or non-objection for the payment of dividends from First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Hazard and First
Federal Savings Bank of Kentucky to the Company or from the Company to shareholders; our ability to fully and timely address the deficiencies
that resulted in the formal Agreement that First Federal Savings Bank of Kentucky has entered into with the OCC; First Federal Savings
Bank of Kentucky’s ability to satisfy the IMCR’s imposed by the OCC; the ability of First Federal MHC to receive approval
of its members to waive the payment of any Company dividends to First Federal MHC; and our ability to successfully execute our strategy
to increase earnings and core deposits, reduce reliance on higher cost funding sources and shift more of our loan portfolio towards higher-earning
loans. For additional information on the formal Agreement that First Federal Savings Bank of Kentucky has entered into with the OCC and
the IMCR’s imposed on First Federal Savings Bank of Kentucky’s by the OCC, please see “Management’s Discussion
and Analysis—Regulatory Developments Regarding First Federal of Kentucky.”
Additionally, to address concerns with respect
to the conflict of interest created by dividend waivers, Regulation MM requires the board of directors of a mutual holding company, such
as First Federal MHC, adopt a resolution that describes the conflict of interest that exists because of a director’s ownership of
stock in the subsidiary declaring the dividends and any actions the mutual holding company board have taken to eliminate the conflict
of interest, such as the directors’ waiving their right to receive dividends. Also, the resolution must contain an affirmation that
a majority of the mutual members eligible to vote have, within the 12 months prior to the declaration date of the dividend, voted to approve
the waiver of dividends.
In previous years, First Federal MHC has received
Federal Reserve Board approval to waive quarterly dividends otherwise payable by the Company totaling $0.40 per share annually beginning
with the dividend paid on September 28, 2012 and continuing through the dividend payable in the third quarter of 2024. However, First
Federal MHC did not seek to obtain regulatory approval to waive dividends for periods after the third quarter of 2024, and the prior Federal
Reserve Boad approval to waive the payment of quarterly dividends that would otherwise be payable to First Federal MHC has expired. To
the extent the Company resumes the payment of dividends in future periods, it is expected that First Federal MHC will again waive future
dividends, except to the extent dividends are needed to fund First Federal MHC’s continuing operations, subject to the ability of
First Federal MHC to obtain regulatory approval of its requests to waive dividends and to its ability to obtain member approval of dividend
waivers. We cannot predict whether members will continue to approve annual dividend waiver requests or whether the Federal Reserve Board
will grant future dividend waiver requests and, if granted, there can be no assurance as to the conditions, if any, the Federal Reserve
Board will place on future dividend waiver requests by grandfathered mutual holding companies such as First Federal MHC. If First Federal
MHC is unable to waive the receipt of dividends, the Company’s ability to pay dividends to our stockholders may be substantially
impaired and the amounts of any such dividends may be significantly reduced.
36
Kentucky First Federal
Bancorp
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