Item 1A. Risk Factors
Item 1A. Risk Factors – “Risks Related to Our Lending- Loans originated under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program subject us to credit, forgiveness and guarantee risk” and Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations – Recent Developments Related to COVID-19."
Commercial business lending typically involves risks that are different from those associated with residential and commercial real estate lending. Although commercial business loans are often collateralized by
equipment, inventory, accounts receivable or other business assets, the liquidation of collateral in the event of default is often an insufficient source of repayment because accounts receivable may be uncollectible and inventories may be obsolete or
of limited use, among other things. Accordingly, the repayment of commercial business loans, other than SBA PPP loans, depends primarily on the cash flow and credit-worthiness of the borrower and secondarily on the underlying collateral provided by
the borrower. Additionally, the borrower’s cash flow may be unpredictable and collateral securing these loans may fluctuate in value.
7
Other Real Estate Mortgage Lending. At March 31, 2021, the other real estate mortgage loan portfolio totaled $602.5 million, or 63.9% of total loans. The Company originates
other real estate mortgage loans secured by office buildings, warehouse/industrial, retail, assisted living facilities and single-purpose facilities (collectively “commercial real estate loans” or “CRE”); as well as land and multi-family loans
primarily located in its market area. At March 31, 2021, owner occupied properties accounted for 29.2% and non-owner occupied properties accounted for 70.8% of the Company’s commercial real estate loan portfolio.
Commercial real estate and multi-family loans typically have higher loan balances, are more difficult to evaluate and monitor, and involve a higher degree of risk than one-to-four family residential loans. As a result,
commercial real estate and multi-family loans are generally priced at a higher rate of interest than residential one-to-four family loans. Often payments on loans secured by commercial properties are dependent on the successful operation and
management of the property securing the loan or business conducted on the property securing the loan; therefore, repayment of these loans may be affected by adverse conditions in the real estate market or the economy. Real estate lending is generally
considered to be collateral based lending with loan amounts based on predetermined loan to collateral values and liquidation of the underlying real estate collateral being viewed as the primary source of repayment in the event of borrower default.
The Company seeks to minimize these risks by generally limiting the maximum loan-to-value ratio to 80% and strictly scrutinizing the financial condition of the borrower, the quality of the collateral and the management of the property securing the
loan. Loans are secured by first mortgages and often require specified debt service coverage (“DSC”) ratios depending on the characteristics of the collateral. The Company generally imposes a minimum DSC ratio of 1.20 for loans secured by income
producing properties. Rates and other terms on such loans generally depend on our assessment of credit risk after considering such factors as the borrower’s financial condition and credit history, loan-to-value ratio, DSC ratio and other factors.
The Company actively pursues commercial real estate loans. Loan demand within the Company’s market area was competitive in fiscal year 2021 as economic conditions and competition for strong credit-worthy borrowers
remained high. At March 31, 2021, the Company had one commercial real estate loan of $144,000 on non-accrual status. At March 31, 2020, the Company had two commercial real estate loans totaling $1.0 million on non-accrual status. For more information
concerning risks related to commercial real estate loans, see Item 1A. “Risk Factors – Risks Related to Our Lending – Our emphasis on commercial real estate lending may expose us to increased lending risks.”
Land acquisition and development loans are included in the other real estate mortgage loan portfolio balance and represent loans made to developers for the purpose of acquiring raw land and/or for the subsequent
development and sale of residential lots. Such loans typically finance land purchases and infrastructure development of properties (e.g. roads, utilities, etc.) with the aim of making improved lots ready for subsequent sales to consumers or builders
for ultimate construction of residential units. The primary source of repayment is generally the cash flow from developer sale of lots or improved parcels of land, secondary sources and personal guarantees, which may provide an additional measure of
security for such loans. At March 31, 2021, land acquisition and development loans totaled $14.0 million, or 1.49% of total loans compared to $14.0 million, or 1.54% of total loans at March 31, 2020. The largest land acquisition and development loan
had an outstanding balance at March 31, 2021 of $2.7 million and was performing according to its original payment terms. At March 31, 2021, all of the land acquisition and development loans were secured by properties located in Washington and Oregon.
At March 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had no land acquisition and development loans on non-accrual status.
Real Estate Construction. The Company originates three types of residential construction loans: (i) speculative construction loans, (ii) custom/presold construction loans and
(iii) construction/permanent loans. The Company also originates construction loans for the development of business properties and multi-family dwellings. All of the Company’s real estate construction loans were made on properties located in
Washington and Oregon.
The composition of the Company’s construction loan portfolio, including undisbursed funds, was as follows at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands):
At March 31,
2021
2020
Amount (1)
Percent
Amount (1)
Percent
Speculative construction
$
3,598
11.76
%
$
5,016
5.65
%
Commercial/multi-family construction
14,597
47.71
62,929
70.85
Custom/presold construction
10,973
35.86
19,117
21.52
Construction/permanent
1,428
4.67
1,759
1.98
Total
$
30,596
100.00
%
$
88,821
100.00
%
(1) Includes undisbursed funds of $ 13.6 million
and $24.0 million at March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
8
At March 31, 2021, the balance of the Company’s construction loan portfolio, including undisbursed funds, was $30.6 million compared to $88.8 million at March 31, 2020. The $58.2 million decrease was primarily due to a
$48.3 million decrease in commercial/multi-family construction loans along with a decrease of $8.1 million in custom and presold construction loans. The Company plans to continue to proactively manage its construction loan portfolio in fiscal year
2022 while continuing to originate new construction loans to selected customers.
Speculative construction loans are made to home builders and are termed “speculative” because the home builder does not have, at the time of loan origination, a signed contract with a home buyer who has a commitment
for permanent financing with either the Company or another lender for the finished home. The home buyer may be identified either during or after the construction period, with the risk that the builder will have to service the speculative construction
loan and finance real estate taxes and other carrying costs of the completed home for a significant period of time after the completion of construction until a home buyer is identified. The largest speculative construction loan at March 31, 2021 was
a loan to finance the construction of a single family home totaling $299,000. This loan is to a single borrower that is secured by a property located in the Company’s market area. The average balance of loans in the speculative construction loan
portfolio at March 31, 2021 was $166,000. At March 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had no speculative construction loans on non-accrual status.
The composition of land acquisition and development and speculative construction loans by geographical area is as follows at the dates indicated (in thousands):
Northwest
Oregon
Other
Southwest
Washington
Total
March 31, 2021
Land acquisition and development
$
2,221
$
1,765
$
10,054
$
14,040
Speculative and presold construction
-
450
5,382
5,832
Total
$
2,221
$
2,215
$
15,436
$
19,872
March 31, 2020
Land acquisition and development
$
2,124
$
1,834
$
10,068
$
14,026
Speculative and presold construction
282
-
11,745
12,027
Total
$
2,406
$
1,834
$
21,813
$
26,053
Unlike speculative construction loans, presold construction loans are made for homes that have buyers. Presold construction loans are made to homebuilders who, at the time of construction, have a signed contract with a
home buyer who has a commitment for permanent financing for the finished home from the Company or another lender. Presold construction loans are generally originated for a term of 12 months. At March 31, 2021 and 2020, presold construction loans
totaled $4.0 million and $8.4 million, respectively.
Unlike speculative and presold construction loans, custom construction loans are made directly to the homeowner. At March 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had no custom construction loans. Construction/permanent loans
are originated to the homeowner rather than the homebuilder along with a commitment by the Company to originate a permanent loan to the homeowner to repay the construction loan at the completion of construction. The construction phase of a
construction/permanent loan generally lasts six to nine months. At the completion of construction, the Company may either originate a fixed-rate mortgage loan or an adjustable rate mortgage (“ARM”) loan or use its mortgage brokerage capabilities to
obtain permanent financing for the customer with another lender. For adjustable rate loans, the interest rates adjust on their first adjustment date. See “Mortgage Brokerage” and “Mortgage Loan Servicing” below for more information. At March 31,
2021, construction/permanent loans totaled $1.3 million, had a total commitment balance of $1.4 million and were performing according to their original repayment terms. The average balance of loans in the construction/permanent loan portfolio
excluding undisbursed funds at March 31, 2021 was $450,000.
The Company provides construction financing for non-residential business properties and multi-family dwellings. At March 31, 2021, commercial construction loans totaled $9.8 million, or 57.7% of total real estate
construction loans and 1.0% of total loans. Borrowers may be the business owner/occupier of the building who intends to operate their business from the property upon construction, or non-owner developers. The expected source of repayment of these
loans is typically the sale or refinancing of the project upon completion of the construction phase. In certain circumstances, the Company may provide or commit to take-out financing upon construction. Take-out financing is subject to the project
meeting specific underwriting guidelines. No assurance can be given that such take-out financing will be available upon project completion. These loans are secured by office buildings, retail rental space, mini storage facilities, assisted living
facilities and multi-family dwellings located in the Company’s market area. At March 31, 2021, the largest commercial construction loan had a balance of $3.7 million and was performing according to its original repayment terms. The average balance of
loans in the commercial construction loan portfolio at March 31, 2021 was $1.6 million. At March 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had no commercial construction loans on non-accrual status.
9
The Company has originated construction and land acquisition and development loans where a component of the cost of the project was the interest required to service the debt during the construction period of the loan,
sometimes known as interest reserves. The Company allows disbursements of this interest component as long as the project is progressing as originally projected and if there has been no deterioration in the financial standing of the borrower or the
underlying project. If the Company makes a determination that there is such deterioration, or if the loan becomes nonperforming, the Company halts any disbursement of those funds identified for use in paying interest. In some cases, additional
interest reserves may be taken by use of deposited funds or through credit lines secured by separate and additional collateral. For additional information concerning the risks related to construction lending, see Item 1A. "Risk Factors – Risks
Related to our Lending Activities –Our real estate construction and land acquisition and development loans expose us to risk."
Consumer Lending. Consumer loans totaled $58.6 million at March 31, 2021 and were comprised of $44.2 million of one-to-four family mortgage loans, $11.1 million of home equity
lines of credit, $1.2 million of land loans to consumers for the future construction of one-to-four family homes and $2.2 million of other secured and unsecured consumer loans, which included $237,000 of purchased automobile loans.
One-to-four family residences located in the Company’s primary market area secure the majority of the residential loans. Underwriting standards require that one-to-four family portfolio loans generally be owner
occupied and that loan amounts not exceed 80% (95% with private mortgage insurance) of the lesser of current appraised value or cost of the underlying collateral. Terms typically range from 15 to 30 years. The Company also offers balloon mortgage
loans with terms of either five or seven years and originates both fixed-rate mortgages and ARMs with repricing based on the one-year constant maturity U.S. Treasury index or other index. At March 31, 2021, the Company had three residential real
estate loans totaling $64,000 on non-accrual status compared to three residential real estate loans totaling $152,000 at March 31, 2020. All of these loans were secured by properties located in Oregon and Washington.
The Company also originates a variety of installment loans, including loans for debt consolidation and other purposes, automobile loans, boat loans and savings account loans. At March 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had
no installment loans on non-accrual status other than purchased automobile loans of $6,000 and $28,000, respectively. The Company did not purchase any automobile loans during
fiscal years 2021 and 2020 and does not have plans to purchase any additional automobile loan pools.
Installment consumer loans generally entail greater risk than do residential mortgage loans, particularly in the case of consumer loans that are unsecured or secured by assets that depreciate rapidly, such as mobile
homes, automobiles, boats and recreational vehicles. In these cases, we face the risk that any collateral for a defaulted loan may not provide an adequate source of repayment of the outstanding loan balance. Thus, the recovery and sale of such
property could be insufficient to compensate us for the principal outstanding on these loans as a result of the greater likelihood of damage, loss or depreciation. The remaining deficiency often does not warrant further collection efforts against the
borrower beyond obtaining a deficiency judgment. In addition, consumer loan collections are dependent on the borrower’s continuing financial stability and are more likely to be adversely affected by job loss, divorce, illness or personal bankruptcy.
Furthermore, the application of various federal and state laws, including bankruptcy and insolvency laws, may limit our ability to recover on such loans.
Loan Maturity. The following table sets forth certain information at March 31, 2021 regarding the dollar amount of loans maturing in the Company’s total loan portfolio based on
their contractual terms to maturity but does not include potential prepayments. Demand loans, loans having no stated schedule of repayments or stated maturity and overdrafts are reported as due in one year or less. Loan balances are reported net of
deferred fees (in thousands):
Within
1 Year
1 – 3 Years
After 3 – 5
Years
After 5 – 10
Years
Beyond 10
Years
Total
Commercial and construction:
Commercial business
$
16,600
$
51,877
$
68,132
$
49,930
$
78,606
$
265,145
Other real estate mortgage
13,840
48,505
75,672
413,701
50,803
602,521
Real estate construction
5,539
292
-
9,810
1,349
16,990
Total commercial and construction
35,979
100,674
143,804
473,441
130,758
884,656
Consumer:
Real estate one-to-four family
35
610
410
3,248
52,102
56,405
Other installment
568
291
931
112
272
2,174
Total consumer
603
901
1,341
3,360
52,374
58,579
Total loans
$
36,582
$
101,575
$
145,145
$
476,801
$
183,132
$
943,235
10
The following table sets forth the dollar amount of loans due after one year from March 31, 2021, which have fixed and adjustable interest rates (in thousands) :
Fixed Rate
Adjustable Rate
Total
Commercial and construction:
Commercial business
$
176,217
$
72,328
$
248,545
Other real estate mortgage
240,716
347,965
588,681
Real estate construction
2,921
8,530
11,451
Total commercial and construction
419,854
428,823
848,677
Consumer:
Real estate one-to-four family
42,775
13,595
56,370
Other installment
1,241
365
1,606
Total consumer
44,016
13,960
57,976
Total loans
$
463,870
$
442,783
$
906,653
Loan Commitments . The Company issues commitments to originate commercial loans, other real estate mortgage loans, construction loans, residential mortgage loans and other
installment loans conditioned upon the occurrence of certain events. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments as it does for on-balance sheet instruments. Commitments to originate loans are conditional and are honored for up to
45 days subject to the Company’s usual terms and conditions. Collateral is not required to support commitments. At March 31, 2021, the Company had outstanding commitments to originate loans of $12.7 million compared to $35.8 million at March 31,
2020.
Mortgage Brokerage. The Company employs commissioned brokers who originate mortgage loans (including construction loans) for various mortgage companies, as well as for the
Company. The loans brokered to mortgage companies are closed in the name of, and funded by, the purchasing mortgage company and are not originated as an asset of the Company. In return, the Company receives a fee ranging from 1.5% to 2.0% of the loan
amount that it shares with the commissioned broker. Loans brokered to the Company are closed on the Company's books and the commissioned broker receives a portion of the origination fee. During the year ended March 31, 2021, brokered loans totaled
$63.0 million (including $5.2 million brokered to the Company) compared to $45.5 million (including $11.1 million brokered to the Company) of brokered loans in fiscal year 2020. Gross fees of $1.1 million and $666,000, which includes brokered loan
fees and fees for loans sold to the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Company (“FHLMC”), were earned for the years ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The interest rate environment has a strong influence on the loan volume and amount of fees
generated from the mortgage broker activity. In general, during periods of rising interest rates, the volume of loans and the amount of loan fees generally decrease as a result of slower mortgage loan demand. Conversely, during periods of falling
interest rates, the volume of loans and the amount of loan fees generally increase as a result of the increased mortgage loan demand. Beginning in fiscal year 2021, the Company transitioned to a model where the
Company is no longer originating and selling mortgages loans to the FHLMC as all mortgage loan originations will instead be brokered to various third-party mortgage companies. The Company will, however, continue to service its existing FHLMC
portfolio.
Mortgage Loan Servicing. The Company is a qualified servicer for the FHLMC. The Company generally sells fixed-rate residential one-to-four family mortgage loans that it
originates with maturities of 15 years or more and balloon mortgages to the FHLMC as part of its asset/liability strategy. Mortgage loans are sold to the FHLMC on a non-recourse basis whereby foreclosure losses are the responsibility of the FHLMC and
not the Company. The Company's general policy is to close its residential loans on FHLMC modified loan documents to facilitate future sales to the FHLMC. Upon sale, the Company continues to collect payments on the loans, supervise foreclosure
proceedings, and otherwise service the loans. At March 31, 2021, total loans serviced for others were $120.9 million, of which $63.3 million were serviced for the FHLMC.
Nonperforming Assets. Nonperforming assets were $571,000 or 0.04% of total assets at March 31, 2021 compared with $1.4 million or 0.12% of total assets at March 31, 2020. The
Company had net recoveries totaling $254,000 during fiscal 2021 compared to net charge-offs of $83,000 during fiscal 2020. Credit quality metrics for nonperforming assets improved in the past fiscal year and the real estate market in our primary
market area has remained strong.
Loans are reviewed regularly and it is the Company’s general policy that when a loan is 90 days delinquent or when collection of principal or interest appears doubtful, it is placed on non-accrual status, at which time
the accrual of interest ceases and a reserve for any unrecoverable accrued interest is established and charged against operations. In general, payments received on non-accrual loans are applied to reduce the outstanding principal balance on a
cash-basis method.
The Company continues to proactively manage its residential construction and land acquisition and development loan portfolios. At March 31, 2021, the Company’s residential construction and land acquisition and
development loan portfolios were $7.2 million and $14.0 million, respectively, as compared to $12.2 million and $14.0 million, respectively, at March 31, 2020. At March 31, 2021 and 2020, there were no nonperforming loans in the residential
construction loan portfolio or the
11
land acquisition and development portfolio. For the years ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, there were no charge-offs or recoveries in the residential construction and land acquisition and development loan portfolios.
The following table sets forth information regarding the Company’s nonperforming loans at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands):
March 31, 2021
March 31, 2020
Number of
Loans
Balance
Number of
Loans
Balance
Commercial business
3
$
357
2
$
201
Commercial real estate
1
144
2
1,014
Consumer
5
70
9
180
Total
9
$
571
13
$
1,395
Nonperforming loans decreased compared to the prior fiscal year as the Company continues its efforts to work out problem loans, seek full repayment or pursue foreclosure proceedings. The decrease in non-performing
loans during fiscal year 2021 is primarily attributed to the payoff of one commercial real estate loan of $851,000. At March 31, 2021, all of these non-performing loans are to borrowers with properties located in Oregon and Washington, with the
exception of two automobile loans totaling $7,000 and one commercial business loan for $175,000. At March 31, 2021, 46.15% of the Company’s nonperforming loans, totaling $263,000, were measured for impairment. These loans have been charged down to
the estimated fair market value of the collateral less selling costs or carry a specific reserve to reduce the net carrying value. There were no reserves associated with these nonperforming loans that were measured for impairment at March 31, 2021.
At March 31, 2021, the largest single nonperforming loan was a commercial business loan for $175,000.
The following table sets forth information regarding the Company’s nonperforming assets at the dates indicated (in thousands):
At March 31,
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Loans accounted for on a non-accrual basis:
Commercial business
$
182
$
201
$
225
$
178
$
294
Other real estate mortgage
144
1,014
1,081
1,963
2,143
Consumer
69
180
210
277
278
Total
395
1,395
1,516
2,418
2,715
Accruing loans which are contractually
past due 90 days or more
176
-
3
-
34
Total nonperforming loans
571
1,395
1,519
2,418
2,749
Real estate owned (“REO”)
-
-
-
298
298
Total nonperforming assets
$
571
$
1,395
$
1,519
$
2,716
$
3,047
Foregone interest on non-accrual loans
$
49
$
75
$
94
$
102
$
81
The following tables set forth information regarding the Company’s nonperforming assets by loan type and geographical area at the dates indicated (in thousands):
Other
Oregon
Southwest
Washington
Other
Total
March 31, 2021
Commercial business
$
-
$
182
$
175
$
357
Commercial real estate
-
144
-
144
Consumer
-
63
7
70
Total nonperforming assets
$
-
$
389
$
182
$
571
March 31, 2020
Commercial business
$
-
$
201
$
-
$
201
Commercial real estate
851
163
-
1,014
Consumer
-
152
28
180
Total nonperforming assets
$
851
$
516
$
28
$
1,395
Other loans of concern, which are classified as substandard loans and are not presently included in the non-accrual category, consist of loans where the borrowers have cash flow problems, or the collateral securing the
respective loans may be inadequate. In either or both of these situations, the borrowers may be unable to comply with the present loan repayment terms, and the loans may subsequently be included in the non-accrual category. Management considers the
allowance for loan losses to be adequate at March 31, 2021, to cover the probable losses inherent in these and other loans.
12
The following table sets forth information regarding the Company’s other loans of concern at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands):
March 31, 2021
March 31, 2020
Number of
Loans
Balance
Number of
Loans
Balance
Commercial business
-
$
-
3
$
147
Commercial real estate
2
7,268
-
-
Multi-family
2
24
3
34
Total
4
$
7,292
6
$
181
At both March 31, 2021 and 2020, loans delinquent 30 – 89 days were 0.03% of total loans. At March 31, 2021, loans 30 – 89 days past due were comprised of commercial business and consumer loans. At March 31, 2020, loans 30 – 89 days past due were
comprised of consumer loans. At March 31, 2020, there were no loans 30 – 89 days past due in our commercial business portfolio. There were no loans 30 – 89 days past due in our commercial real estate (“CRE”) portfolio at March 31, 2021 or March 31,
2020. CRE loans represent the largest portion of our loan portfolio at 57.62% of total loans and commercial business loans represent 28.11% of total loans.
Troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”) are loans for which the Company, for economic or legal reasons related to the borrower's financial condition, has granted a concession to the borrower that it would otherwise not
consider. A TDR typically involves a modification of terms such as a reduction of the stated interest rate or face amount of the loan, a reduction of accrued interest, and/or an extension of the maturity date(s) at a stated interest rate lower than
the current market rate for a new loan with similar risk.
TDRs are considered impaired loans and as such, when a loan is deemed to be impaired, the amount of the impairment is measured using discounted cash flows and the original note rate, except when the loan is collateral
dependent. In these cases, the estimated fair value of the collateral (less any selling costs, if applicable) is used. Impairment is recognized as a specific component within the allowance for loan losses if the estimated value of the impaired loan
is less than the recorded investment in the loan. When the amount of the impairment represents a confirmed loss, it is charged-off against the allowance for loan losses. At March 31, 2021, the Company had TDRs totaling $3.6 million, of which $3.3
million were on accrual status. The $264,000 of TDRs accounted for on a non-accrual basis at March 31, 2021 are included as nonperforming loans in the nonperforming asset table above. All of the Company’s TDRs were paying as agreed at March 31, 2021.
The related amount of interest income recognized on these TDR loans was $207,000 for the year ended March 31, 2021.
The Company has determined that, in certain circumstances, it is appropriate to split a loan into multiple notes. This typically includes a nonperforming charged-off loan that is not supported by the cash flow of the
relationship and a performing loan that is supported by the cash flow. These may also be split into multiple notes to align portions of the loan balance with the various sources of repayment when more than one exists. Generally, the new loans are
restructured based on customary underwriting standards. In situations where they are not, the policy exception qualifies as a concession, and if the borrower is experiencing financial difficulties, the loans are accounted for as TDRs.
The CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, as amended by the CAA 2021, signed into law on December 27, 2020, allows banks to elect to suspend requirements under accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America (“GAAP”) for loan modifications related to the COVID-19 pandemic (for loans that were not more than 30 days past due as of December 31, 2019) that would otherwise be categorized as a TDR for accounting purposes, until the
earlier of 60 days after the termination date of the national emergency or, January 1, 2022. The suspension of GAAP is applicable for the entire term of the modification. The federal banking agencies also issued guidance to encourage banks to make
loan modifications for borrowers affected by COVID-19 by providing that short-term modifications made in response to COVID-19, such as payment deferrals, fee waivers, extensions of repayment terms, or other delays in payment that are insignificant
related to the loans in which the borrower is less than 30 days past due on its contractual payments at the time a modification is implemented is not a TDR. The Company has followed the CARES Act and interagency guidance from the federal banking
agencies when determining if a borrower's modification is subject to TDR classification. As of March 31, 2021, the Company had five loan modifications related to the COVID-19 pandemic totaling $18.1 million. Loan modifications in accordance with the
CARES Act are still subject to an evaluation in regard to determining whether or not a loan is deemed to be impaired. For additional information related to loan modifications as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, see “Item 7. “Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Recent Developments Related to COVID-19.
13
The accrual status of a loan may change after it has been classified as a TDR. The Company’s general policy related to TDRs is to perform a credit evaluation of the borrower’s financial condition and prospects for
repayment under the revised terms. This evaluation includes consideration of the borrower’s sustained historical repayment performance for a reasonable period of time. A sustained period of repayment performance generally would be a minimum of six
months and may include repayments made prior to the restructuring date. If repayment of principal and interest appears doubtful, it is placed on non-accrual status.
In accordance with the Company’s policy guidelines, unsecured loans are generally charged-off when no payments have been received for three consecutive months unless an alternative action plan is in effect. Consumer
installment loans delinquent six months or more that have not received at least 75% of their required monthly payment in the last 90 days are charged-off. In addition, loans discharged in bankruptcy proceedings are charged-off. Loans under bankruptcy
protection with no payments received for four consecutive months are charged-off. The outstanding balance of a secured loan that is in excess of the net realizable value is generally charged-off if no payments are received for four to five
consecutive months. However, charge-offs are postponed if alternative proposals to restructure, obtain additional guarantors, obtain additional assets as collateral or a potential sale of the underlying collateral would result in full repayment of
the outstanding loan balance. Once any other potential sources of repayment are exhausted, the impaired portion of the loan is charged-off. Regardless of whether a loan is unsecured or collateralized, once an amount is determined to be a confirmed
loan loss it is promptly charged-off.
Asset Classification. Federal regulations provide for the classification of lower quality loans and other assets (such as other real estate owned and repossessed property), debt
and equity securities, as substandard, doubtful or loss. An asset is considered substandard if it is inadequately protected by the current net worth and pay capacity of the borrower or of any collateral pledged. Substandard assets have a well-defined
weakness and include those characterized by the distinct possibility that the Company will sustain some loss if the deficiencies are not corrected. Assets classified as doubtful have all the weaknesses inherent in those classified substandard with
the additional characteristic that the weaknesses present make collection or liquidation in full highly questionable and improbable, on the basis of currently existing facts, conditions, and values. Assets classified as loss are those considered
uncollectible and of such little value that their continuance as assets without the establishment of a specific loss reserve is not warranted.
When the Company classifies problem assets as either substandard or doubtful, we may determine that the loan is impaired and establish a specific allowance in an amount we deem prudent to address the risk specifically
or we may allow the loss to be addressed in the general allowance. General allowances represent loss allowances which have been established to recognize the inherent risk associated with lending activities, but which, unlike specific allowances, have
not been specifically allocated to particular problem assets. When a problem asset is classified by us as a loss, we are required to charge off the asset in the period in which it is deemed uncollectible.
The aggregate amount of the Company's classified loans (comprised entirely of substandard loans), general loss allowances, specific loss allowances and net charge-offs (recoveries) were as follows at the dates
indicated (in thousands):
At or For the Year
Ended March 31,
2021
2020
Classified loans
$
7,687
$
1,576
General loss allowances
19,167
12,612
Specific loss allowances
11
12
Net charge-offs (recoveries)
(254
)
83
All of the loans on non-accrual status as of March 31, 2021 were categorized as classified loans. Classified loans at March 31, 2021 were comprised of three commercial business loans totaling $182,000, three commercial
real estate loans totaling $7.4 million (the largest of which was $3.7 million), two multi-family loans totaling $24,000, three one-to-four family real estate loans totaling $64,000 and one purchased automobile loan totaling $6,000. The $6.1 million
increase in classified loans is primarily attributed to COVID-19 related downgrades of two commercial real estate loans totaling $7.3 million and two one-to-four family real estate loans totaling $56,000. These downgrades were offset by the payoffs
of three commercial business loans totaling $146,000, one commercial real estate loan for $851,000, and one one-to-four family real estate loan for $47,000 along with risk rating upgrades totaling $104,000.
14
Allowance for Loan Losses. The Company maintains an allowance for loan losses to provide for probable losses inherent in the loan portfolio consistent with GAAP guidelines. The
adequacy of the allowance is evaluated monthly to maintain the allowance at levels sufficient to provide for inherent losses existing at the balance sheet date. The key components to the evaluation are the Company’s internal loan review function by
its credit administration, which reviews and monitors the risk and quality of the loan portfolio; as well as the Company’s external loan reviews and its loan classification systems. Credit officers are expected to monitor their loan portfolios and
make recommendations to change loan grades whenever changes are warranted. Credit administration approves any changes to loan grades and monitors loan grades. For additional discussion of the Company’s methodology for assessing the appropriate level
of the allowance for loan losses see Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Critical Accounting Policies."
In accordance with GAAP, loans acquired from MBank during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017 were recorded at their estimated fair value, which resulted in a net discount to the loans’ contractual amounts, of which a
portion reflects a discount for possible credit losses. Credit discounts are included in the determination of fair value, and, as a result, no allowance for loan losses is recorded for acquired loans at the acquisition date. The discount recorded on
the acquired loans is not reflected in the allowance for loan losses or related allowance coverage ratios. However, we believe it should be considered when comparing certain financial ratios of the Company calculated in periods after the MBank
transaction, compared to the same financial ratios of the Company in periods prior to the MBank transaction. The net discount on these acquired loans was $722,000 and $1.1 million at March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
The Company recorded a provision for loan losses of $6.3 million and $1.3 million for the years ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in the allowance for loan losses in fiscal year 2021 was
necessary as a result of the evolving uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, and its adverse economic effect on the respective industry exposures within our loan portfolio. Our SBA PPP loans were omitted from the calculation of the required
allowance for loan losses at March 31, 2021 as these loans are fully guaranteed by the SBA and management expects that a majority of SBA PPP borrowers will seek full or partial forgiveness of their loan obligations from the SBA, which in turn, the
SBA will reimburse the Bank for the amount forgiven.
At March 31, 2021, the Company had an allowance for loan losses of $19.2 million, or 2.03% of total loans, compared to $12.6 million, or 1.38% at March 31, 2020. During fiscal year 2021, the Company experienced
improvement in the level of delinquent and nonperforming loans. Net recoveries totaled $254,000 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 compared to net charge-offs of $83,000 in the prior fiscal year. Nonperforming loans decreased $824,000 and 30-89
day delinquent loans decreased $30,000 during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021. Criticized loans increased $41.1 million to $42.5 million at March 31, 2021 from $1.4 million at March 31, 2020. Classified loans increased $6.1 million to $7.7
million at March 31, 2021 compared to $1.6 million at March 31, 2020. The increase in criticized and classified loans reflects risk rating downgrades primarily associated with loans that were granted COVID-19
loan modifications. The coverage ratio of allowance for loan losses to nonperforming loans was 3,358.67% at March 31, 2021 compared to 904.95% at March 31, 2020. The Company’s general valuation allowance to non-impaired loans was 2.04% and 1.39% at
March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Management considers the allowance for loan losses to be adequate at March 31, 2021 to cover probable losses inherent in the loan portfolio based on the assessment of various factors affecting the loan portfolio, and
the Company believes it has established its existing allowance for loan losses in accordance with GAAP. However, a decline in national and local economic conditions (including declines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic), results of examinations by
the Company’s banking regulators, or other factors could result in a material increase in the allowance for loan losses and may adversely affect the Company’s future financial condition and results of operations. In addition, because future events
affecting borrowers and collateral cannot be predicted with certainty, there can be no assurance that the existing allowance for loan losses will be adequate or that substantial increases will not be necessary should the quality of any loans
deteriorate or should collateral values decline as a result of the factors discussed elsewhere in this document.
15
The following table sets forth an analysis of the Company's allowance for loan losses for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended March 31,
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Balance at beginning of year
$
12,624
$
11,457
$
10,766
$
10,528
$
9,885
Provision for loan losses
6,300
1,250
50
-
-
Recoveries:
Commercial and construction
Commercial business
10
-
1
240
492
Other real estate mortgage
332
-
824
347
463
Real estate construction
-
-
-
-
-
Total commercial and construction
342
-
825
587
955
Consumer
Real estate one-to-four family
10
30
80
11
89
Other installment
26
33
27
48
57
Total consumer
36
63
107
59
146
Total recoveries
378
63
932
646
1,101
Charge-offs:
Commercial and construction
Commercial business
-
64
-
-
1
Other real estate mortgage
-
-
-
68
117
Real estate construction
-
-
-
-
-
Total commercial and construction
-
64
-
68
118
Consumer
Real estate one-to-four family
12
-
30
12
-
Other installment
112
82
261
328
340
Total consumer
124
82
291
340
340
Total charge-offs
124
146
291
408
458
Net charge-offs (recoveries)
(254
)
83
(641
)
(238
)
(643
)
Balance at end of year
$
19,178
$
12,624
$
11,457
$
10,766
$
10,528
Ratio of allowance to total loans
outstanding at end of year
2.03
%
1.38
%
1.31
%
1.33
%
1.35
%
Ratio of net (recoveries) charge-offs to average net loans outstanding during year
(0.03
)
0.01
(0.08
)
(0.03
)
(0.10
)
Ratio of allowance to total nonperforming loans
3358.67
904.95
754.25
445.24
382.98
16
The following table sets forth the breakdown of the allowance for loan losses by loan category as of the dates indicated (dollars in thousands):
At March 31,
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
Amount
Loan Category
as a
Percent
of Total Loans
Amount
Loan Category
as a
Percent of Total
Loans
Amount
Loan Category
as a
Percent of Total
Loans
Amount
Loan Category
as a
Percent
of Total
Loans
Amount
Loan
Category
as a
Percent
of Total
Loans
Commercial and construction:
Commercial business
$
2,416
28.11
%
$
2,008
19.64
%
$
1,808
18.58
%
$
1,668
16.97
%
$
1,418
13.78
%
Other real estate mortgage
14,960
63.88
7,505
63.66
6,035
60.50
5,956
65.20
5,609
65.00
Real estate construction
294
1.80
1,149
7.12
1,457
10.37
618
4.88
714
5.92
Consumer:
Real estate one-to-four family
794
5.98
1,237
9.12
1,208
9.60
1,400
11.10
1,525
11.91
Other installment
58
0.23
126
0.46
239
0.95
409
1.85
574
3.39
Unallocated
656
-
599
-
710
-
715
-
688
-
Total allowance for loan losses
$
19,178
100.00
%
$
12,624
100.00
%
$
11,457
100.00
%
$
10,766
100.00
%
$
10,528
100.00
%
17
Investment Activities
The Board sets the investment policy of the Company. The Company's investment objectives are: to provide and maintain liquidity within regulatory guidelines; to maintain a balance of high quality, diversified
investments to minimize risk; to provide collateral for pledging requirements; to serve as a balance to earnings; and to optimize returns. The policy permits investment in various types of liquid assets (generally debt and asset-backed securities)
permissible under applicable regulations, which includes U.S. Treasury obligations, securities of various federal agencies, "bank qualified" municipal bonds, certain certificates of deposit of insured banks, repurchase agreements, federal funds, real
estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICS”) and mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), but does not permit investment in non-investment grade bonds. The policy also dictates the criteria for classifying investment securities into one of three
categories: held to maturity, available for sale or trading. At March 31, 2021, no investment securities were held for trading purposes. At March 31, 2021, the Company’s investment portfolio consists of debt securities and does not include any equity
securities. See Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Critical Accounting Policies."
The Company primarily purchases agency securities with maturities of five years or less and purchases a combination of MBS backed by government agencies (FHLMC, Fannie Mae (“FNMA”), U.S. Small Business Administration
(“SBA”) or Ginnie Mae (“GNMA”)). FHLMC and FNMA securities are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, while SBA and GNMA securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. At March 31, 2021, the
Company owned no privately issued MBS. Our REMICS are MBS issued by FHLMC, FNMA and GNMA and our CRE MBS are issued by FNMA. The Company does not believe that it has any exposure to sub-prime lending in its investment securities portfolio. See Note 3
of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K for additional information.
The following table sets forth the investment securities portfolio and carrying values at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands):
At March 31,
2021
2020
2019
Carrying
Value
Percent of
Portfolio
Carrying
Value
Percent of
Portfolio
Carrying
Value
Percent of
Portfolio
Available for sale (at estimated fair value):
Municipal securities
$
23,566
9.21
%
$
4,877
3.29
%
$
8,881
4.98
%
Agency securities
25,315
9.89
6,016
4.06
12,341
6.92
REMICs
55,815
21.81
43,791
29.52
40,162
22.53
Residential MBS
72,248
28.24
60,085
40.51
75,821
42.54
Other MBS
39,360
15.38
33,522
22.60
41,021
23.01
216,304
84.53
148,291
99.98
178,226
99.98
Held to maturity (at amortized cost):
Municipal securities
10,391
4.06
-
-
-
-
Agency securities
7,688
3.01
-
-
-
-
REMICs
9,207
3.60
-
-
-
-
Residential MBS
6,175
2.41
28
0.02
35
0.02
Other MBS
6,113
2.39
-
-
-
-
39,574
15.47
28
0.02
35
0.02
Total investment securities
$
255,878
100.00
%
$
148,319
100.00
%
$
178,261
100.00
%
The following table sets forth the maturities and weighted average yields in the securities portfolio at March 31, 2021 (dollars in thousands):
Less Than One Year
One to Five Years
More Than Five to
Ten Years
More Than
Ten Years
Amount
Weighted
Average
Yield (1)
Amount
Weighted
Average
Yield (1)
Amount
Weighted
Average
Yield (1)
Amount
Weighted
Average
Yield (1)
Municipal securities
$
-
-
%
$
52
2.66
%
$
4,557
3.45
%
$
29,348
2.09
%
Agency securities
-
-
2,009
0.39
27,806
1.04
3,188
0.80
REMICS
-
-
1,064
1.67
7,653
0.95
56,305
1.55
Residential MBS
-
-
18
2.39
7,243
2.12
71,162
1.75
Other MBS
-
-
2,867
1.98
18,745
1.67
23,861
1.96
Total
$
-
-
%
$
6,010
1.40
%
$
66,004
1.49
%
$
183,864
1.75
%
(1) For available for sale securities carried at estimated fair value, the weighted average yield is computed using amortized cost without a tax equivalent
adjustment for tax-exempt obligations.
18
Management reviews investment securities quarterly for the presence of other than temporary impairment (“OTTI”), taking into consideration current market conditions, the extent and nature of changes in estimated fair
value, issuer rating changes and trends, financial condition of the underlying issuers, current analysts’ evaluations, the Company’s ability and intent to hold investments until a recovery of estimated fair value, which may be maturity, as well as
other factors. There was no OTTI charge for investment securities for the years ended March 31, 2021, 2020 or 2019. However, additional deterioration in market and economic conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic may have an adverse impact on
credit quality in the future and result in OTTI charges.
Deposit Activities and Other Sources of Funds
General. Deposits, loan repayments and loan sales are the major sources of the Company's funds for lending and other investment purposes. Loan repayments are a relatively stable
source of funds, while deposit inflows and outflows and loan prepayments are significantly influenced by general interest rates and money market conditions. Borrowings may be used on a short-term basis to compensate for reductions in the availability
of funds from other sources. They may also be used on a longer-term basis for general business purposes.
Deposit Accounts. The Company attracts deposits from within its primary market area by offering a broad selection of deposit instruments, including demand deposits, negotiable
order of withdrawal ("NOW") accounts, money market accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit and retirement savings plans. The Company has focused on building customer relationship deposits which include both business and consumer
depositors. Deposit account terms vary according to, among other factors, the minimum balance required, the time periods the funds must remain on deposit and the interest rate. In determining the terms of its deposit accounts, the Company considers
the rates offered by its competition, profitability to the Company, matching deposit and loan products and customer preferences and concerns.
The following table sets forth the average balances of deposit accounts held by the Company at the dates indicated (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended March 31,
2021
2020
2019
Average
Balance
Average
Rate
Average
Balance
Average
Rate
Average
Balance
Average
Rate
Non-interest-bearing demand
$
387,579
0.00
%
$
284,748
0.00
%
$
289,707
0.00
%
Interest-bearing checking
225,579
0.04
180,969
0.06
180,256
0.06
Savings accounts
257,285
0.16
189,207
0.56
136,720
0.11
Money market accounts
204,931
0.07
194,061
0.12
252,202
0.12
Certificates of deposit
129,928
1.45
112,282
1.34
105,049
0.43
Total
$
1,205,302
0.21
%
$
961,267
0.30
%
$
963,934
0.10
%
Deposit accounts totaled $1.3 billion at March 31, 2021 compared to $990.4 million at March 31, 2020. The Company did not have any wholesale-brokered deposits at March 31, 2021 and 2020. The Company continues to focus
on core deposits and growth generated by customer relationships as opposed to obtaining deposits through the wholesale markets, although the Company continued to experience competition for customer deposits within its market area during fiscal year
2021. Core branch deposits (comprised of all demand, savings, interest checking accounts and all time deposits excluding wholesale-brokered deposits, trust account deposits, Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (“IOLTA”), public funds, and internet
based deposits) increased $344.7 million since March 31, 2020 reflecting the Company’s commitment to increasing core deposits through organic growth in customer relationships versus relying on wholesale funding as well as deposits generated from SBA
PPP loans, government stimulus checks being deposited directly into customer accounts and reduced withdrawals from deposit accounts due to a change in spending habits as a result of COVID-19. At March 31, 2021, the Company had $37.9 million, or 2.81%
of total deposits, in Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service (“CDARS”) and Insured Cash Sweep (“ICS”) deposits, which were gathered from customers within the Company’s primary market-area. CDARS and ICS deposits allow customers access to
FDIC insurance on deposits exceeding the $250,000 FDIC insurance limit.
At March 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company also had $16.8 million and $12.2 million, respectively, in deposits from public entities located in the States of Washington and Oregon, all of which were fully covered by FDIC
insurance or secured by pledged collateral.
19
The Company is enrolled in an internet deposit listing service. Under this listing service, the Company may post certificates of deposit rates on an internet site where institutional investors have the ability to
deposit funds with the Company. At March 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company did not have any deposits through this listing service as the Company chose not to utilize these internet based deposits. Although the Company did not originate any internet
based deposits during the year ended March 31, 2021, the Company may do so in the future consistent with its asset/liability objectives.
Deposit growth remains a key strategic focus for the Company and our ability to achieve deposit growth, particularly growth in core deposits, is subject to many risk factors including the effects of competitive pricing
pressures, changing customer deposit behavior, and increasing or decreasing interest rate environments. Adverse developments with respect to any of these risk factors could limit the Company’s ability to attract and retain deposits and could have a
material negative impact on the Company’s future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
The following table presents the maturity period, amount and weighted average rate of certificates of deposit equal to or greater than $100,000 at March 31, 2021 (dollars in thousands):
Maturity Period
Amount
Weighted
Average Rate
Three months or less
$
12,727
1.29
%
Over three through six months
18,477
1.48
Over six through 12 months
24,113
1.27
Over 12 months
25,410
1.57
Total
$
80,727
1.42
%
Borrowings. The Company relies upon advances from the FHLB and borrowings from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (“FRB”) to supplement its supply of lendable funds and to
meet deposit withdrawal requirements. Advances from the FHLB and borrowings from the FRB are typically secured by the Bank's commercial business loans, commercial real estate loans and first mortgage residential loans. At March 31, 2021 and 2020, the
Bank did not have any FHLB advances or FRB borrowings.
The FHLB functions as a central reserve bank providing credit for member financial institutions. As a member, the Bank is required to own capital stock in the FHLB and is authorized to apply for advances on the
security of such stock and certain of its mortgage loans and other assets (primarily securities which are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S.) provided certain standards related to credit-worthiness have been met. The FHLB determines specific
lines of credit for each member institution and the Bank has a line of credit with the FHLB equal to 45% of its total assets to the extent the Bank provides qualifying collateral and holds sufficient FHLB stock. At March 31, 2021, the Bank had an
available credit capacity of $645.7 million, subject to sufficient collateral and stock investment.
The Bank also has a borrowing arrangement with the FRB with an available credit facility of $50.8 million, subject to pledged collateral, as of March 31, 2021. The following table sets forth certain information
concerning the Company's borrowings for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended March 31,
2021
2020
2019
Maximum amounts of FHLB advances outstanding at any month end
$
30,000
$
77,241
$
62,638
Average FHLB advances outstanding
15,044
20,532
15,400
Weighted average rate on FHLB advances
0.31
%
2.54
%
2.58
%
Maximum amounts of FRB borrowings outstanding at any month end
$
-
$
-
$
-
Average FRB borrowings outstanding
-
33
3
Weighted average rate on FRB borrowings
0.00
%
1.92
%
3.00
%
Additionally, the Federal Reserve recently established the FRB's Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility (“PPPLF”), pursuant to which the Company may pledge its PPP loans at face value as collateral to obtain
FRB non-recourse borrowings. As of March 31, 2021, the Bank had not sought approval to utilize PPPLF as it held a substantial cash and cash equivalent position as a result of SBA PPP disbursed funds remaining unused in borrower deposit accounts and
due to deposit customers increasing their balances due to COVID-19. For additional information, see “Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Recent Developments Related to COVID-19.”
20
At March 31, 2021, the Company had three wholly-owned subsidiary grantor trusts totaling $26.7 million that were established for the purpose of issuing trust preferred securities and common securities. The trust
preferred securities accrue and pay distributions periodically at specified annual rates as provided in each trust agreement. The trusts used the net proceeds from each of the offerings to purchase a like amount of junior subordinated debentures (the
“Debentures”) of the Company. The Debentures are the sole assets of the trusts. The Company’s obligations under the Debentures and related documents, taken together, constitute a full and unconditional guarantee by the Company of the obligations of
the trusts. The trust preferred securities are mandatorily redeemable upon maturity of the Debentures or upon earlier redemption as provided in the indentures. The Company has the right to redeem the Debentures in whole or in part on or after
specific dates, at a redemption price specified in the indentures governing the Debentures plus any accrued but unpaid interest to the redemption date. The Company also has the right to defer the payment of interest on each of the Debentures for a
period not to exceed 20 consecutive quarters, provided that the deferral period does not extend beyond the stated maturity. During such deferral period, distributions on the corresponding trust preferred securities will also be deferred and the
Company may not pay cash dividends to the holders of shares of the Company’s common stock. The common securities issued by the grantor trusts are held by the Company, and the Company’s investment in the common securities of $836,000 at both March 31,
2021 and 2020 is included in prepaid expenses and other assets in the Consolidated Balance Sheets included in the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K. For more information, see also Note 10 of the Notes to
Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.
Taxation
For details regarding the Company’s taxes, see Note 11 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.
Employees and Human Capital
As of March 31, 2021, the Company had 232 full‑time equivalent employees, none of whom are represented by a collective bargaining unit. The Company believes its relationship with its employees is good.
To facilitate talent attraction and retention, we strive to make the Bank an inclusive, safe and healthy workplace, with opportunities for our employees to grow and develop in their careers, supported by competitive
compensation and benefits programs. At March 31, 2021, approximately 67% of our workforce was female and 33% male, and our average tenure was 8.4 years. Additional programs include quarterly or annual incentive opportunities, a Company sponsored
Employee Stock Ownership Plan ("ESOP"), a Company-matched 401(k) Plan, healthcare and insurance benefits, health savings and flexible spending accounts, paid time off, family leave, and employee assistance programs including educational reimbursement
opportunities.
The success of our business is fundamentally connected to the well-being of our people. Accordingly, we are committed to the health, safety, and wellness of our employees. In support of our commitment, we have onsite
gym facilities at our operations center to promote health and wellness. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented significant operating environment changes that we determined were in the best interest of our employees, as well as the
communities in which we operate, and which comply with government regulations. This includes having the many of our employees work from home, while implementing additional safety measures for employees continuing critical on-site work. Additionally,
the Bank provided up to 80 hours of paid time off in addition to The Family First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) benefit to employees for COVID-19 related absences.
21
Corporate Information
The Company’s principal executive offices are located at 900 Washington Street, Vancouver, Washington 98660. Its telephone number is (360) 693-6650. The Company maintains a website with the address
www.riverviewbank.com. The information contained on the Company’s website is not included as a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Other than an investor’s own internet access charges, the Company makes
available free of charge through its website the Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after it has electronically filed such
material with, or furnished such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Subsidiary Activities
Riverview Bancorp, Inc. has one operating subsidiary, the Bank. The Bank has one wholly-owned subsidiary, Riverview Services, Inc. (“Riverview Services”) and a majority-owned subsidiary, the Trust Company.
Riverview Services acts as a trustee for deeds of trust on mortgage loans granted by the Bank and receives a reconveyance fee for each deed of trust. Riverview Services had net income of $26,000 for the fiscal year
ended March 31, 2021 and total assets of $1.3 million at March 31, 2021. Riverview Services’ operations are included in the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.
The Trust Company is an asset management company providing trust, estate planning and investment management services. The Trust Company had net income of $478,000 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 and total
assets of $7.5 million at that date. The Trust Company earns fees on the management of assets held in fiduciary or agency capacity. At March 31, 2021, total assets under management were $1.3 billion. The Trust Company’s operations are included in the
Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.
22
Information about our Executive Officers . The following table sets forth certain information regarding the executive officers of the Company and its subsidiaries:
Name
Age (1 )
Position
Kevin J. Lycklama
43
President and Chief Executive Officer
David Lam
44
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Daniel D. Cox
43
Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer
Kim J. Capeloto
59
Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer
Steven P. Plambeck
61
Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer
Christopher P. Cline
60
President and Chief Executive Officer of Riverview Trust Company
(1) At March 31, 2021
Kevin J. Lycklama is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, positions he has held since April 2018. Prior to assuming the role of President and Chief Executive
Officer, Mr. Lycklama served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company, positions he had held since July 2017. Prior to July 2017, Mr. Lycklama served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company
since 2008 and Vice President and Controller of the Bank since 2006. Prior to joining Riverview, Mr. Lycklama spent five years with a local public accounting firm advancing to the level of audit manager. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Washington State University, is a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School and is a certified public accountant (CPA). Mr. Lycklama is a member of the Washington State University Vancouver Advisory Council.
David Lam is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, positions he has held since July 2017. Prior to July 2017, Mr. Lam served as Senior Vice
President and Controller of the Bank since 2008. He is responsible for accounting, SEC reporting and treasury functions for the Bank and the Company. Prior to joining Riverview, Mr. Lam spent ten years working in the public accounting sector
advancing to the level of audit manager. Mr. Lam holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting from Oregon State University. Mr. Lam is a CPA, holds a chartered global management accountant designation and
is a member of both the American Institute of CPAs and Oregon Society of CPAs.
Daniel D. Cox is Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer and is responsible for credit administration related to the Bank’s commercial, mortgage and consumer loan
activities. Mr. Cox joined Riverview in August 2002 and spent five years as a commercial lender and progressed through the credit administration function, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Credit Administration. He holds a Bachelor of
Arts degree from Washington State University and was an Honor Roll graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School. Mr. Cox is an active mentor in the local schools and was the Past Treasurer and Endowment Chair for the Washougal Schools Foundation and
Past Board Member of Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce.
Kim J. Capeloto is Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer. Mr. Capeloto has been employed by the Bank since September 2010. Mr. Capeloto has over 30 years of banking
experience serving as regional manager for Union Bank of California and Wells Fargo Bank directing small business and personal banking activities. Prior to joining the Bank, Mr. Capeloto held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of
the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Capeloto is active in numerous professional and civic organizations.
Steven P. Plambeck is Executive Vice President and Chief Lending Officer, a position he has held since March 2018. Mr. Plambeck is
responsible for all loan production including commercial, consumer, mortgage and builder/developer construction loans. Mr. Plambeck joined Riverview in January 2011 as Director of Medical Banking. For the past two years Mr. Plambeck served as Senior
Vice President and Team Leader for the Portland Commercial Team. Mr. Plambeck holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Wyoming and is also a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School. Mr. Plambeck is a board member
for the Providence St. Vincent Council of Trustees, Providence Heart and Vascular Institute and the Providence Brain and Spine Institute. Mr. Plambeck is also a member of the Medical and Dental Advisory Team.
Christopher P. Cline is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Trust Company, a majority-owned subsidiary of the Bank. Mr. Cline joined the Trust Company in 2016, after
having spent eight years managing the trust department of Wells Fargo’s Private Bank in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Prior to that, Mr. Cline was an estate planning attorney for 17 years, most recently as a partner at Holland & Knight. Mr.
Cline manages all aspects of the trust business, is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and is a nationally recognized speaker and author, having written books on estate planning and trust administration. Mr. Cline holds a
Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State University and a Juris Doctor degree from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
23
REGULATION
General.
On April 28, 2021, the Bank converted from a federally chartered savings bank to a Washington state-chartered commercial bank. As a Washington state-chartered commercial bank, the Bank’s regulators are the WDFI and the
FDIC, rather than the OCC. The Company converted from a Savings and Loan Holding Company to a Bank Holding and the Federal Reserve remained its primary federal regulator.
The following is a brief description of certain laws and regulations which are applicable to the Company and the Bank. The description of these laws and regulations, as well as descriptions of laws and regulations
contained elsewhere herein, does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the applicable laws and regulations.
Legislation is introduced from time to time in the United States Congress (“Congress”) or the Washington State Legislature that may affect the Company’s and Bank’s
operations. In addition, the regulations governing the Company and the Bank may be amended from time to time by the WDFI, the FDIC, the Federal Reserve or the SEC, as appropriate. Any such legislation or regulatory changes in the future could have
an adverse effect on our operations and financial condition. We cannot predict whether any such changes may occur.
The WDFI and FDIC have extensive enforcement authority over all Washington state-chartered commercial banks, including the Bank. The Federal Reserve has the same type of authority over Riverview Bancorp, Inc.
Regulation and Supervision of the Bank
General. As a state-chartered commercial bank, the Bank is subject to applicable provisions of Washington state law and regulations of the WDFI in addition to federal law and
regulations of the FDIC applicable to state banks that are not members of the Federal Reserve System. State law and regulations govern the Bank’s ability to take deposits and pay interest, to make loans on or invest in residential and other real
estate, to make consumer loans, to invest in securities, to offer various banking services to its customers and to establish branch offices. Under state law, commercial banks in Washington also generally have all of the powers that national banks
have under federal laws and regulations. The Bank is subject to periodic examination by and reporting requirements of the WDFI and FDIC.
Capital Requirements. Federally insured financial institutions, such as the Bank and their holding companies, are required to maintain a
minimum level of regulatory capital. The Bank is subject to capital regulations adopted by the FDIC, which establish minimum required ratios for a common equity Tier 1 (“CET1”) capital to risk-based assets ratio, a Tier 1 capital to risk-based assets
ratio, a total capital to risk-based assets ratio and a Tier 1 capital to total assets leverage ratio. The capital standards require the maintenance of the following minimum capital ratios: (i) a CET1 capital ratio of 4.5%; (ii) a Tier 1 capital
ratio of 6%; (iii) a total capital ratio of 8%; and (iv) a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4%. Consolidated regulatory capital requirements identical to those applicable to subsidiary banks generally apply to bank holding companies. However, the Federal
Reserve has provided a “Small Bank Holding Company” exception to its consolidated capital requirements, and bank holding companies with less than $3.0 billion of consolidated assets are not subject to the consolidated holding company capital
requirements unless otherwise directed by the Federal Reserve.
The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act (“EGRRCPA”), enacted in May 2018, required the federal banking agencies, including the FDIC, to establish for institutions with assets of less than $10
billion a “community bank leverage ratio” or “CBLR” of between 8 to 10%. Institutions with capital meeting or exceeding the ratio and otherwise complying with the specified requirements (including off-balance sheet exposures of 25% or less of total
assets and trading assets and liabilities of 5% or less of total assets) and electing the alternative framework are considered to comply with the applicable regulatory capital requirements, including the risk-based requirements. The CBLR was
established at 9% Tier 1 capital to total average assets, effective January 1, 2020. A qualifying institution may opt in and out of the community bank leverage ratio framework on its quarterly call report. An institution that temporarily ceases to
meet any qualifying criteria is provided with a two- quarter grace period to again achieve compliance. Failure to meet the qualifying criteria within the grace period or maintain a leverage ratio of 8% or greater requires the institution to comply
with the generally applicable capital requirements. The Bank has not elected to use the CBLR framework as of March 31, 2021.
Certain changes in what constitutes regulatory capital, including the phasing-out of certain instruments as qualifying capital, are subject to transition periods, most of which have expired. The Bank does not have any
such instruments. Because of the Bank’s asset size, the Bank elected to take a one-time option to permanently opt-out of the inclusion of unrealized gains and losses on available for sale debt and equity securities in its capital calculations.
The Bank also must maintain a capital conservation buffer consisting of additional CET1 capital greater than 2.5% of risk-weighted assets above the required minimum risk-based capital levels in order to avoid
limitations on paying dividends, engaging in share repurchases, and paying discretionary bonuses.
24
In order to be considered well-capitalized under the prompt corrective action regulations, the Bank must maintain a CET1 risk-based ratio of 6.5%, a Tier 1 risk-based ratio of 8%, a total risk-based capital ratio of
10% and a leverage ratio of 5%, and the Bank must not be subject to an individualized order, directive or agreement under which its primary federal banking regulator requires it to maintain a specific capital level. As of March 31, 2021, the Bank met
the requirements to be “well capitalized” and met the fully phased-in capital conservation buffer requirement. For a complete description of the Bank’s required and actual capital levels on March 31, 2021, see Note 13 of the Notes to Consolidated
Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) has adopted a new accounting standard for GAAP that will be effective for us for our first fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2022. This standard, referred to as
Current Expected Credit Loss (“CECL”) requires FDIC-insured institutions and their holding companies (banking organizations) to recognize credit losses expected over the life of certain financial assets. CECL covers a broader range of assets than the
current method of recognizing credit losses and generally results in earlier recognition of credit losses. Upon adoption of CECL, a banking organization must record a one-time adjustment to its credit loss allowances as of the beginning of the fiscal
year of adoption equal to the difference, if any, between the amount of credit loss allowances under the current methodology and the amount required under CECL. For a banking organization, implementation of CECL is generally likely to reduce retained
earnings, and to affect other items, in a manner that reduces its regulatory capital.
The federal banking regulators (the Federal Reserve, the OCC and the FDIC) have adopted a rule that gives a banking organization the option to phase in over a three-year period the day-one adverse effects of CECL on
its regulatory capital.
Prompt Corrective Action. Federal statutes establish a supervisory framework for FDIC-insured institutions based on five capital categories: well capitalized, adequately
capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized and critically undercapitalized. An institution’s category generally depends upon where its capital levels are in relation to relevant capital measures, which include risk-based capital
measures, a leverage ratio capital measure, and certain other factors. An institution that is not well capitalized is subject to certain restrictions on brokered deposits, including restrictions on the rates it can offer on its deposits generally.
Any institution which is neither well capitalized nor adequately capitalized is considered under- capitalized. The previously referenced final rule establishing an elective “community bank leverage ratio” regulatory capital framework provides that a
qualifying institution whose capital exceeds the CBLR and opts to use that framework will be considered “well capitalized” for purposes of prompt corrective action.
Undercapitalized institutions are subject to certain prompt corrective action requirements, regulatory controls and restrictions which become more extensive as an institution becomes more severely undercapitalized.
Failure by the Bank to comply with applicable capital requirements would, if unremedied, result in progressively more severe restrictions on its activities and lead to enforcement actions, including, but not limited to, the issuance of a capital
directive to ensure the maintenance of required capital levels and, ultimately, the appointment of the FDIC as receiver or conservator. Banking regulators will take prompt corrective action with respect to depository institutions that do not meet
minimum capital requirements. Additionally, approval of any regulatory application filed for their review may be dependent on compliance with capital requirements.
Federal Home Loan Bank System. The Bank is a member of the FHLB, which is one of 11 regional Federal Home Loan Banks that administer the home financing credit function of savings
institutions, each of which serves as a reserve or central bank for its members within its assigned region. It is funded primarily from proceeds derived from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB System. It makes loans or advances to
members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB, which are subject to the oversight of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. All advances from the FHLB are required to be fully secured by sufficient
collateral as determined by the FHLB. In addition, all long-term advances are required to provide funds for residential home financing. See Business – “Deposit Activities and Other Sources of Funds – Borrowings.” As a member, the Bank is required to
purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB. At March 31, 2021, the Bank held $1.7 million in FHLB stock, which was in compliance with this requirement. During the year ended March 31, 2021, the Bank purchased $302,000 of FHLB membership stock at par and
redeemed $1.2 million of FHLB activity stock at par with the payoff of borrowed funds.
The FHLB continues to contribute to low- and moderately-priced housing programs through direct loans or interest subsidies on advances targeted for community investment and low- and moderate-income housing projects.
These contributions have adversely affected the level of FHLB dividends paid and could continue to do so in the future. These contributions could also have an adverse effect on the value of FHLB stock in the future. A reduction in value of the Bank's
FHLB stock may result in a decrease in net income and possibly capital.
25
Insurance of Accounts and Regulation by the FDIC. The Bank’s deposits are insured up to $250,000 per separately insured deposit ownership right or category by the Deposit
Insurance Fund (“DIF”) of the FDIC. As insurer, the FDIC imposes deposit insurance premiums and is authorized to conduct examinations of, and to require reporting by, FDIC-insured institutions. The FDIC assesses deposit insurance premiums quarterly
on each FDIC-insured institution applied to its deposit base, which is their average consolidated total assets minus its Tier 1 capital. No institution may pay a dividend if it is in default on its federal deposit insurance assessment. Total base
assessment rates currently range from 3 to 30 basis points subject to certain adjustments. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, the Bank paid $319,000 in FDIC premiums. The FDIC has authority to increase insurance assessments, and any
significant increases would have an adverse effect on the operating expenses and results of operations of the Company. Management cannot predict what assessment rates will be in the future. In a banking industry emergency, the FDIC may also impose a
special assessment. As insurer, the FDIC is authorized to conduct examinations of and to require reporting by FDIC-insured institutions.
The FDIC also may prohibit any insured institution from engaging in any activity the FDIC determines by regulation or order to pose a serious risk to the DIF. The FDIC also has the authority to take enforcement actions
against banks and savings associations. Management is not aware of any existing circumstances which would result in termination of the Bank's deposit insurance.
Activities and Investments of Insured State-Chartered Financial Institutions. Federal law generally limits the activities and equity investments of FDIC-insured, state-chartered
banks to those that are permissible for national banks. An insured state bank is not prohibited from, among other things, (1) acquiring or retaining a majority interest in a subsidiary, (2) investing as a limited partner in a partnership the sole
purpose of which is direct or indirect investment in the acquisition, rehabilitation or new construction of a qualified housing project, provided that such limited partnership investments may not exceed 2% of the bank’s total assets, (3) acquiring up
to 10% of the voting stock of a company that solely provides or reinsures directors’, trustees’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage or bankers’ blanket bond group insurance coverage for insured depository institutions and (4) acquiring or
retaining the voting shares of a depository institution owned by another FDIC-insured institution if certain requirements are met.
Washington State has enacted a law regarding financial institution parity. Primarily, the law affords Washington state‑chartered commercial banks the same powers as Washington state-chartered savings banks and provides
that Washington state-chartered commercial banks may exercise any of the powers that the Federal Reserve has determined to be closely related to the business of banking and the powers of national banks, subject to the approval of the Director of the
WDFI in certain situations. Finally, the law provides additional flexibility for Washington state-chartered commercial and savings banks with respect to interest rates on loans and other extensions of credit. Specifically, they may charge the maximum
interest rate allowable for loans and other extensions of credit by federally-chartered financial institutions to Washington residents.
Transactions with Affiliates. Riverview Bancorp, Inc. and the Bank are separate and distinct legal entities. The Bank is an affiliate of Riverview Bancorp, Inc. and any non-bank
subsidiary of Riverview Bancorp, Inc., federal laws strictly limit the ability of banks to engage in certain transactions with their affiliates. Transactions deemed to be a “covered transaction” under Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act between a
bank and an affiliate are limited to 10% of a bank's capital and surplus and, with respect to all affiliates, to an aggregate of 20% of a bank's capital and surplus. Further, covered transactions that are loans and extensions of credit generally are
required to be secured by eligible collateral in specified amounts. Federal law also requires that covered transactions and certain other transactions listed in Section 23B of the Federal Reserve Act between a bank and its affiliates be on terms as
favorable to a bank as transactions with non-affiliates.
Community Reinvestment Act. The Bank is subject to the provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (“CRA”), which require the appropriate federal
bank regulatory agency to assess a bank’s performance under the CRA in meeting the credit needs of the community serviced by the Bank, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. The regulatory agency’s assessment of the Bank’s record is made
available to the public. Further, a bank’s CRA performance must be considered in connection with a bank’s application, to among other things, establish a new branch office that will accept deposits, relocate an existing office or merge or consolidate
with, or acquire the assets or assume the liabilities of, a federally regulated financial institution. An unsatisfactory rating may be the basis for denial of certain applications. The Bank received a “satisfactory” rating during its most recent CRA
examination.
Dividends. The amount of dividends payable by the Bank to Riverview Bancorp, Inc. depends upon the Bank’s earnings and capital position, and is limited by
federal and state laws, regulations and policies. According to Washington law, the Bank may not declare or pay a cash dividend on its capital stock if it would cause its net worth to be reduced below (1) the amount required for liquidation accounts
or (2) the net worth requirements, if any, imposed by the Director of the WDFI. In addition, dividends may not be declared or paid if the Bank is in default in payment of any assessments due to the FDIC. Dividends on the Bank’s capital stock may not
be paid in an aggregate amount greater than the aggregate retained earnings of the Bank, without the approval of the Director of the WDFI.
26
The amount of dividends actually paid during any one period is affected by the Bank’s policy of maintaining a strong capital position. Federal law further restricts dividends payable by an
institution that does not meet the capital conservation buffer requirement and provides that no insured depository institution may pay a cash dividend if it would cause the institution to be “undercapitalized,” as defined in the prompt corrective
action regulations. Moreover, the federal bank regulatory agencies also have the general authority to limit the dividends paid by insured banks if such payments are deemed to constitute an unsafe and unsound practice.
Standards for Safety and Soundness. Each federal banking agency, including the FDIC, has adopted guidelines establishing general standards relating to internal controls,
information and internal audit systems; loan documentation; credit underwriting; interest rate risk exposure; asset growth; asset quality; earnings; and compensation, fees and benefits. In general, the guidelines require, among other things,
appropriate systems and practices to identify and manage the risks and exposures specified in the guidelines. The guidelines prohibit excessive compensation as an unsafe and unsound practice and describe compensation as excessive when the amounts
paid are unreasonable or disproportionate to the services performed by an executive officer, employee, director, or principal shareholder. If the FDIC determines that an institution fails to meet any of these guidelines, it may require an institution
to submit to the FDIC an acceptable plan to achieve compliance.
Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve requires all depository institutions to maintain reserves at specified levels against their transaction accounts, primarily checking
accounts. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve reduced reserve requirement ratios to zero percent effective on March 26, 2020, to support lending to households and businesses. At March 31, 2021, the Bank was in compliance with
the reserve requirements.
The Bank is authorized to borrow from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco's "discount window." An eligible institution need not exhaust other sources of funds before going to the discount window, nor are there
restrictions on the purposes for which the institution can use primary credit. Beginning in 2020 in response to the pandemic, the Federal Reserve instituted the PPPLF. At March 31, 2021, the Bank had no outstanding borrowings under either program
from the Federal Reserve.
Commercial Real Estate Lending Concentrations . The federal banking agencies have issued guidance on sound risk management practices for concentrations in commercial real estate
lending. The particular focus is on exposure to commercial real estate loans that are dependent on the cash flow from the real estate held as collateral and that are likely to be sensitive to conditions in the commercial real estate market (as
opposed to real estate collateral held as a secondary source of repayment or as an abundance of caution). The purpose of the guidance is not to limit a bank’s commercial real estate lending but to guide banks in developing risk management practices
and capital levels commensurate with the level and nature of real estate concentrations. The guidance directs the FDIC and other federal bank regulatory agencies to focus their supervisory resources on institutions that may have significant
commercial real estate loan concentration risk. A bank that has experienced rapid growth in commercial real estate lending, has notable exposure to a specific type of commercial real estate loan, or is approaching or exceeding the following
supervisory criteria may be identified for further supervisory analysis with respect to real estate concentration risk:
•
Total reported loans for construction, land development and other land represent 100% or more of the bank’s capital; or
•
Total commercial real estate loans (as defined in the guidance) represent 300% or more of the bank’s total capital or the outstanding balance of the bank’s commercial real estate loan portfolio has increased
50% or more during the prior 36 months.
The guidance provides that the strength of an institution’s lending and risk management practices with respect to such concentrations will be taken into account in supervisory guidance on evaluation of capital
adequacy.
Environmental Issues Associated with Real Estate Lending. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (“CERCLA”), is a federal statute that generally
imposes strict liability on all prior and present "owners and operators" of sites containing hazardous waste. However, Congress acted to protect secured creditors by providing that the term “owner and operator” excludes a person whose ownership is
limited to protecting its security interest in the site. Since the enactment of the CERCLA, this “secured creditor exemption” has been the subject of judicial interpretations which have left open the possibility that lenders could be liable for
cleanup costs on contaminated property that they hold as collateral for a loan. To the extent that legal uncertainty exists in this area, all creditors, including the Bank, that have made loans secured by properties with potential hazardous waste
contamination (such as petroleum contamination) could be subject to liability for cleanup costs, which could substantially exceed the value of the collateral property.
27
Anti-Money Laundering and Customer Identification. The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001
(“USA PATRIOT Act”) was signed into law on October 26, 2001. The USA PATRIOT Act and the Bank Secrecy Act requires financial institutions to develop programs to prevent financial institutions from being used for money laundering and terrorist
activities. If such activities are detected, financial institutions are obligated to file suspicious activity reports with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. These rules require financial institutions to establish
procedures for identifying and verifying the identity of customers seeking to open new financial accounts, and, effective in 2018, the beneficial owners of accounts. Bank regulators are directed to consider a holding company’s effectiveness in
combating money laundering when ruling on Bank Holding Company Act and Bank Merger Act applications.
Privacy Standards. The Bank is subject to FDIC regulations implementing the privacy protection provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services
Modernization Act of 1999. These regulations require the Bank to disclose its privacy policy, including informing consumers of its information sharing practices and informing consumers of their rights to opt out of certain practices. In addition, Washington and other state cybersecurity and data privacy laws and regulations may expose the Bank to risk and result in certain risk management costs.
Other Consumer Protection Laws and Regulations. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) established the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) and empowered it to exercise broad regulatory, supervisory and enforcement authority with respect to both new and existing consumer financial protection laws. The Bank is subject to consumer protection regulations issued by
the CFPB, but as a financial institution with assets of less than $10 billion, the Bank is generally subject to supervision and enforcement by the FDIC with respect to its compliance with federal consumer financial protection laws and CFPB
regulations.
The Bank is subject to a broad array of federal and state consumer protection laws and regulations that govern almost every aspect of its business relationships with consumers. While not exhaustive, these laws and
regulations include the Truth-in-Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Right to Financial Privacy Act, the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act, the Consumer Leasing Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act, the
Homeowners Protection Act, the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, laws governing flood insurance, laws governing consumer protections in connection with the sale of insurance, federal and state laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive business
practices and various regulations that implement some or all of the foregoing. These laws and regulations mandate certain disclosure requirements and regulate the manner in which financial institutions must deal with customers when taking deposits,
making loans, collecting loans and providing other services. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations can subject the Bank to various penalties, including but not limited to, enforcement actions, injunctions, fines, civil liability, criminal
penalties, punitive damages and the loss of certain contractual rights.
Regulation and Supervision of Riverview Bancorp, Inc.
General. Riverview Bancorp, Inc., as sole shareholder of the Bank, is a bank holding company registered with the Federal Reserve. Bank holding companies are subject to
comprehensive regulation by the Federal Reserve under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (“BHCA”), and the regulations of the FRB. Accordingly, Riverview Bancorp, Inc. is required to file semi-annual reports with the Federal Reserve and
provide additional information as the Federal Reserve may require. The Federal Reserve may examine Riverview Bancorp, Inc., and any of its subsidiaries, and charge Riverview Bancorp, Inc. for the cost of the examination. The Federal Reserve also has
extensive enforcement authority over bank holding companies, including, among other things, the ability to assess civil money penalties, to issue cease and desist or removal orders and to require that a holding company divest subsidiaries (including
its bank subsidiaries). In general, enforcement actions may be initiated for violations of law and regulations and unsafe or unsound practices. Riverview Bancorp, Inc. is also required to file certain reports with, and otherwise comply with the rules
and regulations of the SEC.
The Bank Holding Company Act. Under the BHCA, Riverview Bancorp, Inc. is supervised by the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve has a policy that a bank holding company is
required to serve as a source of financial and managerial strength to its subsidiary bank and may not conduct its operations in an unsafe or unsound manner. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act and earlier Federal Reserve policy provide that a bank
holding company should serve as a source of strength to its subsidiary bank by having the ability to provide financial assistance to its subsidiary bank during periods of financial distress to the bank. A bank holding company’s failure to meet its
obligation to serve as a source of strength to its subsidiary bank will generally be considered by the Federal Reserve to be an unsafe and unsound banking practice or a violation of the Federal Reserve’s regulations or both. No regulations have yet
been proposed by the Federal Reserve to implement the source of strength provisions required by the Dodd-Frank Act. Riverview Bancorp, Inc. and any subsidiaries that it may control are considered “affiliates” within the meaning of the Federal Reserve
Act, and transactions between the Bank and affiliates are subject to numerous restrictions. With some exceptions, Riverview Bancorp, Inc. and its subsidiaries are
28
prohibited from tying the provision of various services, such as extensions of credit, to other services offered by Riverview Bancorp, Inc. or by its affiliates.
Acquisitions. The BHCA prohibits a bank holding company, with certain exceptions, from acquiring ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any company that is
not a bank or bank holding company and from engaging in activities other than those of banking, managing or controlling banks, or providing services for its subsidiaries. Under the BHCA, the Federal Reserve may approve the ownership of shares by a
bank holding company in any company, the activities of which the Federal Reserve has determined to be so closely related to the business of banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto. These activities include:
operating a savings institution, mortgage company, finance company, credit card company or factoring company; performing certain data processing operations; providing certain investment and financial advice; underwriting and acting as an insurance
agent for certain types of credit-related insurance; leasing property on a full-payout, non-operating basis; selling money orders, travelers’ checks and U.S. Savings Bonds; real estate and personal property appraising; providing tax planning and
preparation services; and, subject to certain limitations, providing securities brokerage services for customers. The Federal Reserve must approve the acquisition (or acquisition of control) of a bank or other FDIC-insured depository institution by a
bank holding company, and the appropriate federal banking regulator must approve a bank’s acquisition (or acquisition of control) of another bank or other FDIC-insured institution.
Acquisition of Control of a Bank Holding Company. Under federal law, a notice or application must be submitted to the appropriate federal banking regulator if any person
(including a company), or group acting in concert, seeks to acquire “control” of a bank holding company. An acquisition of control can occur upon the acquisition of 10% or more of the voting stock of a bank holding company or as otherwise defined by
federal regulations. In considering such a notice or application, the Federal Reserve takes into consideration certain factors, including the financial and managerial resources of the acquirer and the anti-trust effects of the acquisition. Any
company that acquires control becomes subject to regulation as a bank holding company. Depending on circumstances, a notice or application may be required to be filed with appropriate state banking regulators and may be subject to their approval or
non-objection.
Regulatory Capital Requirements.
As discussed above, pursuant to the “Small Bank Holding Company” exception, effective August 30, 2018, bank holding companies with less than $3 billion in consolidated assets were generally no longer subject to the
Federal Reserve’s capital regulations, which are generally the same as the capital regulations applicable to the Bank. At the time of this change, Riverview Bancorp, Inc. was considered “well capitalized” as defined for a bank holding company with a
total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0% or more and a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or more, and was not subject to an individualized order, directive or agreement under which the Federal Reserve requires it to maintain a specific capital
level.
Restrictions on Dividends. The Federal Reserve has issued a policy statement on the payment of cash dividends by bank holding companies
which expresses its view that a bank holding company must maintain an adequate capital position and generally should not pay cash dividends unless the company’s net income for the past year is sufficient to fully fund the cash dividends and that the
prospective rate of earnings appears consistent with the company’s capital needs, asset quality, and overall financial condition. The Federal Reserve policy statement also indicates that it would be inappropriate for a company experiencing serious
financial problems to borrow funds to pay dividends. The capital conservation buffer requirement may also limit or preclude dividends payable by the Company. For additional information, see Item 1.A. “Risk
Factors – Risks Related to Regulatory and Compliance Matters – Non-compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act, Bank Secrecy Act, or other laws and regulations could result in fines or sanctions” in this report.
Stock Repurchases. A bank holding company, except for certain “well-capitalized” and highly rated bank holding companies, is required to give the Federal Reserve prior written
notice of any purchase or redemption of its outstanding equity securities if the gross consideration for the purchase or redemption, when combined with the net consideration paid for all such purchases or redemptions during the preceding twelve
months, is equal to 10% or more of its consolidated net worth. The Federal Reserve may disapprove such a purchase or redemption if it determines that the proposal would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice
or would violate any law, regulation, Federal Reserve order or any condition imposed by, or written agreement with, the Federal Reserve.
29
Federal Securities Laws. Riverview Bancorp, Inc.’s common stock is registered with the SEC under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange
Act”). The Company is subject to information, proxy solicitation, insider trading restrictions and other requirements under the Exchange Act. The SEC has adopted regulations and policies under the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that apply to Riverview Bancorp, Inc. as a registered company under the Exchange Act. The stated goals of these requirements are to increase corporate responsibility, provide for enhanced penalties for accounting and
auditing improprieties at publicly traded companies and to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures pursuant to the securities laws. The SEC and Sarbanes-Oxley-related regulations and policies include very
specific additional disclosure requirements and corporate governance rules.
Recent Regulatory Reform
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Congress, through the enactment of the CARES Act, and the federal banking agencies, though rulemaking, interpretive guidance and modifications to agency policies and
procedures, have taken a series of actions to provide national emergency economic relief measures including, among others, the following:
•
The CARES Act, as amended by the CAA 2021, allows banks to elect to suspend requirements under GAAP for loan modifications related to the COVID-19 pandemic (for loans that were not more than 30 days past due
as of December 31, 2019) that would otherwise be categorized as a TDR for accounting purposes, until the earlier of 60 days after the termination date of the national emergency or, January 1, 2022. The suspension of GAAP is applicable for
the entire term of the modification. The federal banking agencies also issued guidance to encourage banks to make loan modifications for borrowers affected by COVID-19 by providing that short-term modifications made in response to COVID-19,
such as payment deferrals, fee waivers, extensions of repayment terms, or other delays in payment that are insignificant related to the loans in which the borrower is less than 30 days past due on its contractual payments at the time a
modification is implemented is not a TDR. The Bank is applying this guidance to qualifying COVID-19 modifications. See Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Recent Developments
Related to COVID-19 Response” for further information about the COVID-19 modifications completed by the Bank.
•
The CARES Act amended the SBA's lending program, the PPP, to fund payroll and operational costs of eligible businesses, organizations and self-employed persons during COVID-19. The loans are provided through
participating financial institutions, such as the Bank, that process loan applications and service the loans and are eligible for SBA repayment and loan forgiveness if the borrower meets the PPP conditions. The application period for an SBA
PPP loan closed on August 8, 2020. The SBA began approving PPP forgiveness applications and remitting forgiveness payments to PPP lenders on October 2, 2020. The CAA 2021 which was signed into law on December 27, 2020, renewed and extended
the PPP until May 31, 2021. As a result, as a participating lender, the Bank began originating PPP loans again in January 2021 and will continue to monitor legislative, regulatory, and supervisory developments related to the PPP.
•
Pursuant to the CARES Act, the federal banking agencies authorities adopted in April 2020 an interim rule, effective until the earlier of the termination of the coronavirus emergency declaration by the
President and December 31, 2020, to (i) reduce the minimum CBLR from 9% to 8% percent and (ii) give community banks two-quarter grace period to satisfy such ratio if such ratio falls out of compliance by no more than 1%. Effective October
1, 2020, the final rule adopted by the federal banking agencies authorities lowers the CBLR as set forth in the interim rule and provides a gradual transition back to the prior level. Under the final rule the CBLR was 8% for 2020, and will
be 8.5% for 2021, and 9% beginning January 1, 2022. The final rule also retains the grace period. A community banking organization that falls below the CBRL will still be deemed to be well capitalized during a two-quarter grace period so
long as the banking organization maintains a CBRL greater than 7.5% during 2021, and greater than 8% thereafter.
As the on-going COVID-19 pandemic evolves, federal regulatory authorities continue to issue additional guidance with respect to the implementation, life cycle, and eligibility requirements for the various CARES Act
programs as well as industry-specific recovery procedures for COVID-19. In addition, it is possible that the U.S. Congress will enact supplementary COVID-19 response legislation. The Company continues to assess the impact of the CARES Act and other
statues, regulations and supervisory guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
30
Item 1A. Risk Factors
An investment in our common stock is subject to risks inherent in our business. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described
below together with all of the other information included in this report. In addition to the risks and uncertainties described below, other risks
and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The value or market
price of our common stock could decline due to any of these identified or other risks, and you could lose all or part of your investment. The risks below also include forward-looking statements. This report is qualified in its entirety by these
risk factors.
Risks Related to Macroeconomic Conditions
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected our ability to conduct business and is expected to adversely impact our future financial results and those of our customers. The ultimate impact will
depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the scope and duration of the pandemic and actions taken by governmental authorities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has caused major economic disruption and volatility in the financial markets both in the United States and globally and has negatively affected our operations and the banking and
financial services we provide, primarily to businesses and individuals in the states of Washington and Oregon where all of our branches are located. In our market areas, stay-at-home orders, social distancing and travel restrictions, and similar
orders imposed across the United States to restrict the spread of COVID-19, resulted in significant business and operational disruptions, including business closures, supply chain disruptions, and significant layoffs and furloughs. While the
stay-at-home orders have terminated or been phased-out along with reopening of businesses in all of the localities in which we operate still apply capacity restrictions and health and safety recommendations that encourage continued social distancing
and working remotely, limiting the ability of businesses to return to pre-pandemic levels of activity.
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in changes to our business operations during the current year and could continue to result in changes to operations in future periods. Currently, some of our employees are working
remotely to enable us to continue to provide banking services to our customers. Heightened cybersecurity, information security and operational risks may result from these work-from-home arrangements. Depending on the severity and length of the
COVID-19 pandemic, which is impossible to predict, we could experience significant disruptions in our business operations if key personnel or a significant number of employees were to become unavailable due to the effects and restrictions resulting
from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as decreased demand for our products and services. Further, we also rely upon our third-party vendors to conduct business and to process, record, and monitor transactions. If
any of these vendors are unable to continue to provide us with these services, it could negatively impact our ability to serve our customers. We have business continuity plans and other safeguards in place, however, there is no assurance that such
plans and safeguards will be effective.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in declines in demand for certain types of loans and has negatively impacted some of our business and consumer borrowers' ability to make their loan payments. Because the length of
the pandemic and the efficacy of the extraordinary measures being put in place to address the economic consequences are unknown, including a continued low targeted federal funds rate, until the pandemic subsides, we expect our net interest income and
net interest margin will continue to be adversely affected in the near term, if not longer.
There is pervasive uncertainty surrounding the future economic conditions that will emerge in the months and years following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, management is confronted with a significant
and unfamiliar degree of uncertainty in estimating the impact of the pandemic on credit quality, revenues and asset values.
Asset quality may deteriorate and our allowance for loan losses may not be sufficient for future loan losses we experience. This could require us to increase our reserves and recognize more expense in the future. The
changes in market rates of interest and the impact that has on our ability to price our products may reduce our net interest income or negatively impact the demand for our products. There is some risk that operational costs could continue to increase
as we maintain existing facilities in accordance with health guidelines, while potentially incurring incremental costs to support staff who continue to work remotely.
The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic impacts our business, results of operations and financial condition, as well as our regulatory capital and liquidity ratios, will depend on future developments, which are
highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including the scope and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and actions taken by governmental authorities and other third parties in response to the pandemic.
31
Our business may be adversely affected by downturns in the national and the regional economies on which we depend.
Substantially all of our loans are to businesses and individuals in the states of Washington and Oregon. A decline in the economies of the seven counties in which we operate, including the Portland, Oregon metropolitan
area, which we consider to be our primary market area, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Weakness in the global economy has adversely affected many businesses operating in
our markets that are dependent upon international trade and it is not known how changes in tariffs being imposed on international trade may also affect these businesses. Changes in agreements or relationships between the U.S. and other countries may
also affect these businesses.
Deterioration in economic conditions in the market areas we serve as a result of COVID-19 or other factors could result in the following consequences, any of which could have a materially adverse
impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations:
•
loan delinquencies, problem assets and foreclosures may increase;
•
we may increase our allowance for loan losses;
•
the slowing of sales of foreclosed assets;
•
demand for our products and services may decline possibly resulting in a decrease in our total loans or assets;
•
collateral for loans made may decline further in value, exposing us to increased risk loans, reducing customers’ borrowing power, and reducing the value of assets and collateral associated
with existing loans;
•
the net worth and liquidity of loan guarantors may decline, impairing their ability to honor commitments to us; and
•
the amount of our low-cost or non-interest bearing deposits may decrease.
A decline in local economic conditions may have a greater effect on our earnings and capital than on the earnings and capital of larger financial institutions whose real estate loan portfolios are
geographically diverse. Many of the loans in our portfolio are secured by real estate. Deterioration in the real estate markets where collateral for a mortgage loan is located could negatively affect the borrower’s ability to repay the loan and the
value of the collateral securing the loan. Real estate values are affected by various other factors, including changes in general or regional economic conditions, governmental rules or policies and natural disasters such as earthquakes and tornadoes.
If we are required to liquidate a significant amount of collateral during a period of reduced real estate values, our financial condition and profitability could be adversely affected.
Adverse changes in the regional and general economy could reduce our growth rate, impair our ability to collect loans and generally have a negative effect on our financial condition and results of
operations.
Risks Related to our Lending Activities
Our real estate construction and land acquisition and development loans expose us to risk.
We make construction and land acquisition and development loans primarily to builders to finance the construction of single and multifamily homes, subdivisions, as well as commercial properties. We originate these
loans whether or not the collateral property underlying the loan is under contract for sale. At March 31, 2021, construction loans totaled $17.0 million, or 1.8% of our total loan portfolio, of which $7.2 million were for residential real estate
projects. Undisbursed funds for construction projects totaled $13.6 million at March 31, 2021. Land acquisition and development loans, which are loans made with land as security, totaled $14.0 million, or 1.5% of our total loan portfolio at March 31,
2021.
In general, construction and land lending involves additional risks because of the inherent difficulty in estimating a property's value both before and at completion of the project, as well as the estimated cost of the
project and the time needed to sell the property at completion. Construction costs may exceed original estimates as a result of increased materials, labor or other costs. Because of the uncertainties inherent in estimating construction costs, as well
as the market value of the completed project and the effects of governmental regulation on real property, it is relatively difficult to evaluate accurately the total funds required to complete a project and the related loan-to-value ratio. Changes in
the demand, such as for new housing and higher than anticipated building costs may cause actual results to vary significantly from those estimated. For these reasons, this type of lending also typically involves higher loan principal amounts and is
often concentrated with a small number of builders. A downturn in housing, or the real estate market, could increase loan delinquencies, defaults and foreclosures, and significantly impair the value of our collateral and our ability to sell the
collateral upon foreclosure. Some of our builders have more than one loan outstanding with us and also have residential mortgage loans for rental properties with us. Consequently, an adverse development with respect to one loan or one credit
relationship can expose us to a significantly greater risk of loss.
32
In addition, during the term of most of our construction loans, no payment from the borrower is required since the accumulated interest is added to the principal of the loan through an interest reserve. As a result,
construction loans often involve the disbursement of substantial funds with repayment dependent on the success of the ultimate project and the ability of the borrower to sell or lease the property or refinance the indebtedness, rather than the
ability of the borrower or guarantor to repay principal and interest. If the appraisal of the value of the completed project proves to be overstated, we may have inadequate security for the repayment of the loan
upon completion of construction of the project and may incur a loss. Because construction loans require active monitoring of the building process, including cost comparisons and on-site inspections, these loans are more difficult and costly to
monitor.
Increases in market rates of interest may have a more pronounced effect on construction loans by rapidly increasing the end-purchasers' borrowing costs, thereby reducing the overall demand for the project. Properties
under construction are often difficult to sell and typically must be completed in order to be successfully sold which also complicates the process of working out problem construction loans. This may require us to advance additional funds and/or
contract with another builder to complete construction. Further, in the case of speculative construction loans, there is the added risk associated with identifying an end-purchaser for the finished project, and thus pose a greater potential risk than
construction loans to individuals on their personal residences. Loans on land under development or raw land held for future construction, including lot loans made to individuals for the future construction of a residence also pose additional risk
because of the lack of income being produced by the property and the potential illiquid nature of the collateral. These risks can also be significantly impacted by supply and demand conditions.
At March 31, 2021, real estate construction and land acquisition and development loans totaled $31.0 million comprised mainly of $5.8 million of speculative and presold construction loans, $14.0 million of land
acquisition and development loans, $9.8 million of commercial/multi-family construction loans and $1.3 million of custom/presold construction loans.
Our emphasis on commercial real estate lending may expose us to increased lending risks.
Our current business strategy is focused on the expansion of commercial real estate lending. This type of lending activity, while potentially more profitable than single-family residential lending, is generally more
sensitive to regional and local economic conditions, making loss levels more difficult to predict. Collateral evaluation and financial statement analysis in these types of loans requires a more detailed analysis at the time of loan underwriting and
on an ongoing basis. Many of our commercial borrowers have more than one loan outstanding with us. Consequently, an adverse development with respect to one loan or one credit relationship can expose us to a significantly greater risk of loss.
At March 31, 2021, we had $588.5 million of commercial and multi-family real estate mortgage loans, representing 62.4% of our total loan portfolio. These loans typically involve higher principal amounts than other
types of loans and some of our commercial borrowers have more than one loan outstanding with us. Consequently, an adverse development with respect to one loan or one credit relationship can expose us to a significantly greater risk of loss compared
to an adverse development with respect to a one-to-four family residential loan. Repayment on these loans is dependent upon income generated, or expected to be generated, by the property securing the loan in amounts sufficient to cover operating
expenses and debt service, which may be adversely affected by changes in the economy or local market conditions. For example, if the cash flow from the borrower’s project is reduced as a result of leases not being obtained or renewed, the borrower’s
ability to repay the loan may be impaired. Commercial and multi-family mortgage loans also expose a lender to greater credit risk than loans secured by one-to-four family residential real estate because the collateral securing these loans typically
cannot be sold as easily as residential real estate. In addition, many of our commercial and multi-family real estate loans are not fully amortizing and contain large balloon payments upon maturity. Such balloon payments may require the borrower to
either sell or refinance the underlying property in order to make the payment, which may increase the risk of default or non-payment.
A secondary market for most types of commercial real estate and multi-family loans is not readily liquid, so we have less opportunity to mitigate credit risk by selling part or all of our interest in these loans. As a
result of these characteristics, if we foreclose on a commercial or multi-family real estate loan, our holding period for the collateral typically is longer than for one-to-four family residential mortgage loans because there are fewer potential
purchasers of the collateral. Accordingly, charge-offs on commercial and multi-family real estate loans may be larger on a per loan basis than those incurred with our residential or consumer loan portfolios.
The level of our commercial real estate loan portfolio may subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny.
The FDIC, the Federal Reserve and the OCC have promulgated joint guidance on sound risk management practices for financial institutions with concentrations in commercial real estate lending. Under
this guidance, a financial institution that, like us, is actively involved in commercial real estate lending should perform a risk assessment to identify concentrations. A financial institution may have a concentration in commercial real estate
lending if, among other factors (i) total reported loans for construction, land development, and other land represent 100% or more of total capital, or (ii) total reported loans
33
secured by multi-family and non-farm residential properties, loans for construction, land development and other land, and loans otherwise sensitive to the general commercial real estate market,
including loans to commercial real estate related entities, represent 300% or more of total capital. Based on these criteria, the Bank has a concentration in commercial real estate lending as total loans for multifamily, non-farm/non-residential,
construction, land development and other land represented 308% of total risk-based capital at March 31, 2021. The particular focus of the guidance is on exposure to commercial real estate loans that are dependent on the cash flow from the real estate
held as collateral and that are likely to be at greater risk to conditions in the commercial real estate market (as opposed to real estate collateral held as a secondary source of repayment or as an abundance of caution). The purpose of the guidance
is to guide banks in developing risk management practices and capital levels commensurate with the level and nature of real estate concentrations. The guidance states that management should employ heightened risk management practices including board
and management oversight and strategic planning, development of underwriting standards, risk assessment and monitoring through market analysis and stress testing.
Our business may be adversely affected by credit risk associated with residential property.
At March 31, 2021, $56.4 million, or 6.0% of our total loan portfolio, was secured by one-to-four family mortgage loans and home equity loans. This type of lending is generally sensitive to regional
and local economic conditions that significantly impact the ability of borrowers to meet their loan payment obligations, making loss levels difficult to predict. A decline in residential real estate values resulting from a downturn in the Washington
and Oregon housing markets in which we operate may reduce the value of the real estate collateral securing these types of loans and increase our risk of loss if borrowers default on their loans. Recessionary conditions or declines in the volume of
real estate sales and/or the sales prices coupled with elevated unemployment rates may result in higher than expected loan delinquencies or problem assets, and a decline in demand for our products and services. These potential negative events may
cause us to incur losses, adversely affect our capital and liquidity and damage our financial condition and business operations.
Many of our one-to-four family loans and home equity lines of credit are secured by liens on mortgage properties. Residential loans with high combined loan-to-value ratios will be more sensitive to
declining property values than those with lower combined loan-to-value ratios and therefore may experience a higher incidence of default and severity of losses. In addition, if the borrowers sell their homes, they may be unable to repay their loans
in full from the sale. Further, the majority of our home equity lines of credit consist of second mortgage loans. For those home equity lines secured by a second mortgage, it is unlikely that we will be successful in recovering all or a portion of
our loan proceeds in the event of default unless we are prepared to repay the first mortgage loan and such repayment and the costs associated with a foreclosure are justified by the value of the property.
Loans originated under the SBA Paycheck Protection Program subject us to credit, forgiveness and guarantee risk.
As of March 31, 2021, we hold and service a portfolio of loans originated under the PPP with a balance of $93.4 million. The PPP loans are subject to the provisions of the CARES Act and CAA 2021 and
to complex and evolving rules and guidance issued by the SBA and other government agencies. We expect that the great majority of our PPP borrowers will seek full or partial forgiveness of their loan obligations. We have credit risk on PPP loans if
the SBA determines that there is a deficiency in the manner in which we originated, funded or serviced loans, including any issue with the eligibility of a borrower to receive a PPP loan. We could face additional risks in our administrative
capabilities to service our PPP loans, and risk with respect to the determination of loan forgiveness, depending on the final procedures for determining loan forgiveness. In the event of a loss resulting from a default on a PPP loan and a
determination by the SBA that there was a deficiency in the manner in which we originated, funded or serviced a PPP loan, the SBA may deny its liability under the guaranty, reduce the amount of the guaranty or, if the SBA has already paid under the
guaranty, seek recovery of any loss related to the deficiency from us.
Repayment of our commercial business loans is often dependent on the cash flows of the borrower, which may be unpredictable, and the collateral securing these loans may fluctuate
in value.
At March 31, 2021, we had $171.7 million, or 18.2% of total loans, in commercial business loans other than SBA PPP loans. Our commercial business loans are primarily made based on the cash flow of
the borrower and secondarily on the underlying collateral provided by the borrower. The borrowers' cash flow may be unpredictable, and collateral securing these loans may fluctuate in value. This collateral may consist of equipment, inventory,
accounts receivable, or other business assets. In the case of loans secured by accounts receivable, the availability of funds for the repayment of these loans may be substantially dependent on the ability of the borrower to collect amounts due from
its customers. Other collateral securing loans may depreciate over time, may be difficult to appraise, may be illiquid and may fluctuate in value based on the specific type of business and equipment. As a result, the availability of funds for the
repayment of commercial business loans may be substantially dependent on the success of the business itself which, in turn, is often dependent in part upon general economic conditions and secondarily on the underlying collateral provided by the
borrower.
34
Our allowance for loan losses may prove to be insufficient to absorb losses in our loan portfolio.
Lending money is a substantial part of our business and each loan carries a certain risk that it will not be repaid in accordance with its terms or that any underlying collateral will not be sufficient to assure
repayment. This risk is affected by, among other things:
•
the cash flow of the borrower and/or the project being financed;
•
in the case of a collateralized loan, the changes and uncertainties as to the future value of the collateral;
•
the duration of the loan;
•
the credit history of a particular borrower; and
•
changes in economic and industry conditions.
We maintain an allowance for loan losses, which is a reserve established through a provision for loan losses charged to expense, which we believe is appropriate to provide for probable losses in our loan portfolio. The
amount of this allowance is determined by management through periodic reviews and consideration of several factors, including, but not limited to:
•
our general reserve, based on our historical default and loss experience and certain macroeconomic factors based on management’s expectations of future events;
•
our specific reserve, based on our evaluation of impaired loans and their underlying collateral or discounted cash flow; and
•
an unallocated reserve to provide for other credit losses inherent in our loan portfolio that may not have been contemplated in the other loss factors.
The determination of the appropriate level of the allowance for loan losses inherently involves a high degree of subjectivity and requires us to make significant estimates of current credit risks and future trends, all
of which may undergo material changes. If our estimates are incorrect, the allowance for loan losses may not be sufficient to cover losses inherent in our loan portfolio, resulting in the need for increases in our allowance for loan losses through
the provision for losses on loans which is charged against income. Deterioration in economic conditions affecting borrowers, new information regarding existing loans, identification of additional problem loans and other factors, both within and
outside of our control, may also require an increase in the allowance for loan losses. Additionally, pursuant to our growth strategy, management recognizes that significant new growth in loan portfolios, new loan products and the refinancing of
existing loans can result in portfolios comprised of unseasoned loans that may not perform in a historical or projected manner and will increase the risk that our allowance may be insufficient to absorb losses without significant additional
provisions. Further, the FASB has adopted a new accounting standard that will be effective for our first fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2022. This standard, referred to as “Current Expected Credit Loss”, or “CECL”, will require financial
institutions to determine periodic estimates of lifetime expected credit losses on loans and recognize the expected credit losses as allowances for credit losses at inception of the loan. This will change the current method of providing allowances
for credit losses that are probable. We anticipate that our allowance for loan losses will increase as a result of the implementation of CECL, however, until our evaluation is complete, the magnitude of the increase will be unknown.
For more information, see Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements - Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements contained in Item 8 of this report. In addition, a further decline in national and local
economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, results of the bank regulatory agencies’ periodic review of our allowance for loan losses or other factors may require an increase in the provision for possible loan losses or the
recognition of further loan charge-offs. If charge-offs in future periods exceed the allowance for loan losses, we may need additional provisions to replenish the allowance for loan losses. Any increases in the allowance for loan losses will result
in a decrease in net income and, most likely, capital, and may have a material negative effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
If our investments in real estate are not properly valued or sufficiently reserved to cover actual losses, or if we are required to increase our valuation reserves, our earnings could be reduced.
We obtain updated valuations in the form of appraisals and broker price opinions when a loan has been foreclosed and the property is taken in as REO and at certain other times during the assets’ holding periods. Our
net book value (“NBV”) in the loan at the time of foreclosure and thereafter is compared to the updated market value of the foreclosed property less estimated selling costs (fair value). A charge-off is recorded for any excess in the asset’s NBV over
its fair value. If our valuation process is incorrect, or if property values decline, the fair value of the investments in real estate may not be sufficient to recover our carrying value in such assets, resulting in the need for additional
write-downs. Significant write-downs to our investments in real estate could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
35
In addition, bank regulators periodically review our REO and may require us to recognize further write-downs. Any increase in our write-downs, as required by the bank regulators, may have a material adverse effect on
our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
Risks Related to Market and Interest Rate Changes
Changes in interest rates may reduce our net interest income and may result in higher defaults in a rising rate environment.
Our earnings and cash flows are largely dependent upon our net interest income, which is the difference, or spread, between the interest earned on loans, securities and other interest-earning assets
and the interest paid on deposits, borrowings, and other interest-bearing liabilities. Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond our control, including domestic and international economic conditions and policies of various
governmental and regulatory agencies and, in particular, the Federal Reserve. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve decreased the target federal funds rate by 150 basis points to a range of 0.00% to 0.25%. The Federal Reserve
could make additional changes in interest rates during 2021 subject to economic conditions. If the Federal Reserve increases the target federal funds rate, overall interest rates will likely rise, which may negatively impact the housing markets and
the U.S. economic recovery. In addition, deflationary pressures, while possibly lowering our operating costs, could have a significant negative effect on our borrowers, especially our business borrowers, and the values of collateral securing loans,
which could negatively affect our financial performance.
We principally manage interest rate risk by managing our volume and mix of our earning assets and funding liabilities. Changes in monetary policy, including changes in interest rates, could
influence not only the interest we receive on loans and investments and the amount of interest we pay on deposits and borrowings, but also can affect: (1) our ability to originate and/or sell loans; (2) the fair value of our financial assets and
liabilities, which could negatively impact shareholders’ equity, and our ability to realize gains from the sale of such assets; (3) our ability to obtain and retain deposits in competition with other available investment alternatives; (4) the ability
of our borrowers to repay adjustable or variable rate loans; and (5) the average duration of our investment securities portfolio and other interest-earning assets.
If the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowings increase at a faster rate than the interest rates received on loans and other investments, our net interest income, and therefore
earnings, could be adversely affected. Earnings could also be adversely affected if the interest rates received on loans and other investments fall more quickly than the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowings. In a changing interest
rate environment, we may not be able to manage this risk effectively. If we are unable to manage interest rate risk effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially affected.
Changes in interest rates could also have a negative impact on our results of operations by reducing the ability of borrowers to repay their current loan obligations or by reducing our margins and
profitability. Our net interest margin is the difference between the yield we earn on our assets and the interest rate we pay for deposits and our other sources of funding. Changes in interest rates—up or down—could adversely affect our net interest
margin and, as a result, our net interest income. Although the yields we earn on our assets and our funding costs tend to move in the same direction in response to changes in interest rates, one can rise or fall faster than the other, causing our net
interest margin to expand or contract. Our liabilities tend to be shorter in duration than our assets, so they may adjust faster in response to changes in interest rates. As a result, when interest rates rise, our funding costs may rise faster than
the yield we earn on our assets, causing our net interest margin to contract until the yield catches up. Changes in the slope of the “yield curve”—or the spread between short-term and long-term interest rates—could also reduce our net interest
margin. Normally, the yield curve is upward sloping, meaning short-term rates are lower than long-term rates. Because our liabilities tend to be shorter in duration than our assets, when the yield curve flattens or even inverts, we could experience
pressure on our net interest margin as our cost of funds increases relative to the yield we can earn on our assets. Also, interest rate decreases can lead to increased prepayments of loans and mortgage-backed securities as borrowers refinance their
loans to reduce borrowing costs. Under these circumstances, we are subject to reinvestment risk as we may have to redeploy such repayment proceeds into lower yielding investments, which would likely hurt our income.
A sustained increase in market interest rates could adversely affect our earnings. A significant portion of our loans have fixed interest rates and longer terms than our deposits and borrowings. As
is the case with many financial institutions, our emphasis on increasing the development of core deposits, those deposits bearing no or a relatively low rate of interest with no stated maturity date, has resulted in our having a significant amount of
these deposits which have a shorter duration than our assets. At March 31, 2021, we had $435.1 million in non-interest bearing demand deposits and $83.9 million in certificates of deposit that mature within one year. We would incur a higher cost of
funds to retain these deposits in a rising interest rate environment. Our net interest income could be adversely affected if the rates we pay on deposits and borrowings
36
increase more rapidly than the rates we earn on loans. In addition, a substantial amount of our home equity lines of credit have adjustable interest rates. As a result, these loans may experience a
higher rate of default in a rising interest rate environment.
Changes in interest rates also affect the value of our interest-earning assets and in particular our securities portfolio. Generally, the fair value of fixed-rate securities fluctuates inversely
with changes in interest rates. Unrealized gains and losses on securities available for sale are reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity, net of tax. Decreases in the fair value of securities available for sale resulting from
increases in interest rates could have an adverse effect on stockholders’ equity.
Although management believes it has implemented effective asset and liability management strategies to reduce the potential effects of changes in interest rates on our results of operations, any
substantial, unexpected or prolonged change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Also, our interest rate risk modeling techniques and assumptions likely may not fully
predict or capture the impact of actual interest rate changes on our consolidated balance sheet or projected operating results. See Item 7A., “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” of this Form 10-K.
Our securities portfolio may be negatively impacted by fluctuations in market value and interest rates.
Our securities portfolio may be impacted by fluctuations in market value, potentially reducing accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and/or earnings. Fluctuations in market value may be caused by changes in
market interest rates, lower market prices for securities and limited investor demand. Our securities portfolio is evaluated for OTTI. If this evaluation shows impairment to the actual or projected cash flows associated with one or more securities, a
potential loss to earnings may occur. Changes in interest rates can also have an adverse effect on our financial condition, as our available for sale securities are reported at their estimated fair value and therefore are impacted by fluctuations in
interest rates. We increase or decrease our shareholders' equity by the amount of change in the estimated fair value of the available for sale securities, net of taxes. There can be no assurance that declines in market value, including as a result of
the COVID-19 pandemic, will not result in OTTI of these assets, which would lead to accounting charges that could have a material adverse effect on our net income and capital levels.
Revenue from mortgage banking operations is sensitive to changes in economic conditions, decreased economic activity, a slowdown in the housing market, higher interest rates or new legislation which
may adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations
Our mortgage banking operations provide a significant portion of our non-interest income. We generate mortgage revenues primarily from gains on the sales of single-family mortgage loans pursuant to programs currently
offered by non-government sponsored entities. These entities account for a substantial portion of the secondary market in residential mortgage loans. Any future changes in these programs, our eligibility to participate in such programs, the criteria
for loans to be accepted or laws that significantly affect the activity of such entities could, in turn, materially adversely affect our results of operations. Mortgage banking is generally considered a volatile source of income because it depends
largely on the level of loan volume which, in turn, depends largely on prevailing market interest rates. In a rising or higher interest rate environment, our originations of mortgage loans may decrease, resulting in fewer loans that are available to
be sold to investors. This would result in a decrease in mortgage banking revenues and a corresponding decrease in non-interest income. In addition, our results of operations are affected by the amount of non-interest expense associated with mortgage
banking activities, such as salaries and employee benefits, occupancy, equipment and data processing expense and other operating costs. During periods of reduced loan demand, our results of operations may be adversely affected to the extent that we
are unable to reduce expenses commensurate with the decline in loan originations. In addition, although we sell loans into the secondary market without recourse, we are required to give customary representations and warranties about the loans to the
buyers. If we breach those representations and warranties, the buyers may require us to repurchase the loans and we may incur a loss on the repurchase.
A general decline in economic conditions may adversely affect the fees generated by our asset management company.
To the extent our asset management clients and their assets become adversely affected by weak economic and stock market conditions, they may choose to withdraw the amount of assets managed by us and the value of their
assets may decline. Our asset management revenues are based on the value of the assets we manage. If our clients withdraw assets or the value of their assets decline, the revenues generated by the Trust Company will be adversely affected.
37
Risks Related to Regulatory, Legal and Compliance Matters
We operate in a highly regulated environment and may be adversely affected by changes in federal and state laws and regulations.
The financial services industry is extensively regulated. Federal and state banking regulations are designed primarily to protect the deposit insurance funds and consumers, not to benefit a
company’s shareholders. These regulations may sometimes impose significant limitations on operations. Regulatory authorities have extensive discretion in connection with their supervisory and enforcement
activities, including the imposition of restrictions on the operation of an institution, the classification of assets by the institution and the adequacy of an institution's allowance for loan losses. These bank regulators also have the ability to
impose conditions in the approval of merger and acquisition transactions. The significant federal and state banking regulations that affect us are described under the heading “Item 1. Business-Regulation” in Item I of this Form 10-K. These
regulations, along with the currently existing tax, accounting, securities, insurance, and monetary laws, regulations, rules, standards, policies, and interpretations control the methods by which financial institutions conduct business, implement
strategic initiatives and tax compliance, and govern financial reporting and disclosures. These laws, regulations, rules, standards, policies, and interpretations are constantly evolving and may change significantly over time. Any new regulations or
legislation, change in existing regulations or oversight, whether a change in regulatory policy or a change in a regulator’s interpretation of a law or regulation, 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. Additionally, actions by regulatory agencies or significant litigation against us may lead to penalties that
materially affect us. Further, changes in accounting standards can be both difficult to predict and involve judgment and discretion in their interpretation by us and our independent registered public accounting firm. These accounting changes could
materially impact, potentially even retroactively, how we report our financial condition and results of our operations as could our interpretation of those changes.
Non-compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act, Bank Secrecy Act, or other laws and regulations could result in fines or sanctions and limit our ability to get regulatory approval of
acquisitions.
The USA PATRIOT Act and Bank Secrecy Acts require financial institutions to develop programs to prevent financial institutions from being used for money laundering and terrorist activities. Failure to comply with these
regulations could result in fines or sanctions and limit our ability to get regulatory approval of acquisitions. Recently, several banking institutions have received large fines for non-compliance with these laws and regulations. While we have
developed policies and procedures designed to assist in compliance with these laws and regulations, no assurance can be given that these policies and procedures will be effective in preventing violations of these laws and regulations. Failure to
maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing could also have serious reputational consequences for us. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition,
results of operations and growth prospects.
If our enterprise risk management framework is not effective at mitigating risk and loss to us, we could suffer unexpected losses and our results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Our enterprise risk management framework seeks to achieve an appropriate balance between risk and return, which is critical to optimizing shareholder value. We have established processes and procedures intended to
identify, measure, monitor, report, analyze and control the types of risk to which we are subject. These risks include, among others, liquidity, credit, market, interest rate, operational, legal and compliance, and reputational risk. Our framework
also includes financial or other modeling methodologies that involve management assumptions and judgment. We also maintain a compliance program to identify, measure, assess, and report on our adherence to applicable laws, policies and procedures.
While we assess and improve these programs on an ongoing basis, there can be no assurance that our risk management or compliance programs, along with other related controls, will effectively mitigate risk under all circumstances, or that it will
adequately mitigate any risk or loss to us. However, as with any risk management framework, there are inherent limitations to our risk management strategies as they may exist, or develop in the future, including risks that we have not appropriately
anticipated or identified. If our risk management framework proves ineffective, we could suffer unexpected losses and our business, financial condition, results of operations or growth prospects could be materially adversely affected. We may also be
subject to potentially adverse regulatory consequences.
38
Risks Related to Cybersecurity, Data and Fraud
We are subject to certain risks in connection with our use of technology.
Our security measures may not be sufficient to mitigate the risk of a cyber-attack . Communications and information systems are essential to the conduct of our business, as we
use such systems to manage our customer relationships, our general ledger and virtually all other aspects of our business. Our operations rely on the secure processing, storage, and transmission of confidential and other information in our computer
systems and networks. Although we take protective measures and endeavor to modify them as circumstances warrant, the security of our computer systems, software, and networks may be vulnerable to breaches, fraudulent or unauthorized access, denial or
degradation of service attacks, misuse, computer viruses, malware or other malicious code and cyber-attacks that could have a security impact. If one or more of these events occur, this could jeopardize our or our customers' confidential and other
information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our computer systems and networks, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations or the operations of our customers or counterparties. We may be required to expend
significant additional resources to modify our protective measures or to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures, and we may be subject to litigation and financial losses that are either not insured against or not fully covered
through any insurance maintained by us. We could also suffer significant reputational damage.
Further, our cardholders use their debit and credit cards to make purchases from third parties or through third-party processing services. As such, we are subject to risk from data breaches of such third-party’s
information systems or their payment processors. Such a data security breach could compromise our account information. The payment methods that we offer also subject us to potential fraud and theft by criminals, who are becoming increasingly more
sophisticated, seeking to obtain unauthorized access to or exploit weaknesses that may exist in the payment systems. If we fail to comply with applicable rules or requirements for the payment methods we accept, or if payment-related data is
compromised due to a breach or misuse of data, we may be liable for losses associated with reimbursing our clients for such fraudulent transactions on clients’ card accounts, as well as costs incurred by payment card issuing banks and other third
parties or may be subject to fines and higher transaction fees, or our ability to accept or facilitate certain types of payments may be impaired. We may also incur other costs related to data security breaches, such as replacing cards associated with
compromised card accounts. In addition, our customers could lose confidence in certain payment types, which may result in a shift to other payment types or potential changes to our payment systems that may result in higher costs.
Breaches of information security also may occur through intentional or unintentional acts by those having access to our systems or our clients’ or counterparties’ confidential information, including employees. The
Company is continuously working to install new and upgrade its existing information technology systems and provide employee awareness training around phishing, malware, and other cyber risks to further protect the Company against cyber risks and
security breaches.
There continues to be a rise in electronic fraudulent activity, security breaches and cyber-attacks within the financial services industry, especially in the commercial banking sector due to cyber criminals targeting
commercial bank accounts. We are regularly the target of attempted cyber and other security threats and must continuously monitor and develop our information technology networks and infrastructure to prevent, detect, address and mitigate the risk of
unauthorized access, misuse, computer viruses and other events that could have a security impact. Insider or employee cyber and security threats are increasingly a concern for companies, including ours. We are not aware that we have experienced any
material misappropriation, loss or other unauthorized disclosure of confidential or personally identifiable information as a result of a cyber-security breach or other act, however, some of our clients may have been affected by third-party breaches,
which could increase their risks of identity theft, credit card fraud and other fraudulent activity that could involve their accounts with us.
Security breaches in our internet banking activities could further expose us to possible liability and damage our reputation . Increases in criminal activity levels and
sophistication, advances in computer capabilities, new discoveries, vulnerabilities in third-party technologies (including browsers and operating systems) or other developments could result in a compromise or breach of the technology, processes and
controls that we use to prevent fraudulent transactions and to protect data about us, our clients and underlying transactions. Any compromise of our security could deter customers from using our internet banking services that involve the transmission
of confidential information. We rely on standard internet security systems to provide the security and authentication necessary to effect secure transmission of data. Although we have developed and continue to invest in systems and processes that are
designed to detect and prevent security breaches and cyber-attacks and periodically test our security, these precautions may not protect our systems from compromises or breaches of our security measures, and could result in losses to us or our
clients, our loss of business and/or clients, damage to our reputation, the incurrence of additional expenses, disruption to our business, our inability to grow our online services or other businesses, additional regulatory scrutiny or penalties, or
our exposure to civil litigation and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
39
Our security measures may not protect us from system failures or interruptions . While we have established policies and procedures to prevent or limit the impact of systems
failures and interruptions, there can be no assurance that such events will not occur or that they will be adequately addressed if they do. In addition, we outsource certain aspects of our data processing and other operational functions to certain
third-party providers. While the Company selects third-party vendors carefully, it does not control their actions. If our third-party providers encounter difficulties, including those resulting from breakdowns or
other disruptions in communication services provided by a vendor, failure of a vendor to handle current or higher transaction volumes, cyber-attacks and security breaches or if we otherwise have difficulty in communicating with them, our ability to
adequately process and account for transactions could be affected, and our ability to deliver products and services to our customers and otherwise conduct our business operations could be adversely impacted. Replacing these third-party vendors could
also entail significant delay and expense. Threats to information security also exist in the processing of customer information through various other vendors and their personnel.
We cannot assure that such breaches, failures or interruptions will not occur or, if they do occur, that they will be adequately addressed by us or the third parties on which we rely. We may not be insured against all
types of losses as a result of third-party failures and insurance coverage may be inadequate to cover all losses resulting from breaches, system failures or other disruptions. If any of our third-party service providers experience financial,
operational or technological difficulties, or if there is any other disruption in our relationships with them, we may be required to identify alternative sources of such services, and we cannot assure that we could negotiate terms that are as
favorable to us, or could obtain services with similar functionality as found in our existing systems without the need to expend substantial resources, if at all. Further, the occurrence of any systems failure or interruption could damage our
reputation and result in a loss of customers and business, could subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny, or could expose us to legal liability. Any of these occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results
of operations.
The board of directors oversees the risk management process, including the risk of cybersecurity, and engages with management on cybersecurity issues.
Our business may be adversely affected by an increasing prevalence of fraud and other financial crimes.
As a bank, we are susceptible to fraudulent activity that may be committed against us or our clients, which may result in financial losses or increased costs to us or our clients, disclosure or misuse of our
information or our client information, misappropriation of assets, privacy breaches against our clients, litigation or damage to our reputation. Such fraudulent activity may take many forms, including check fraud, electronic fraud, wire fraud,
phishing, social engineering and other dishonest acts. Nationally, reported incidents of fraud and other financial crimes have increased. We have also experienced losses due to apparent fraud and other financial crimes. While we have policies and
procedures designed to prevent such losses, there can be no assurance that such losses will not occur.
Risks Related to Accounting Matters
We may experience future goodwill impairment, which could reduce our earnings.
In accordance with GAAP, we record assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination at their fair values with the excess of the purchase consideration over the net assets acquired
resulting in the recognition of goodwill. As a result, business combinations typically result in recording goodwill. We perform a goodwill evaluation at least annually to test for goodwill impairment. We performed our annual goodwill impairment test
as of October 31, 2020, and no impairment was identified. Our assessment of the fair value of goodwill is based on an evaluation of current purchase transactions, discounted cash flows from forecasted earnings, our current market capitalization, and
a valuation of our assets. Our evaluation of the fair value of goodwill involves a substantial amount of judgment. If our judgment was incorrect and an impairment of goodwill was deemed to exist, we would be required to write down our goodwill
resulting in a charge to earnings, which could adversely affect our results of operations, perhaps materially; however, it would have no impact on our liquidity, operations or regulatory capital. As a result of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
and its impacts on the financial markets and economy, the Company completed a qualitative assessment of goodwill as of March 31, 2021 and concluded that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the Bank (the reporting unit), exceeds its
carrying value at March 31, 2021. If adverse economic conditions or the decrease in the Company’s common stock price and market capitalization as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic were sustained in the future rather than temporary, it may
significantly affect the fair value of the reporting unit and may trigger future goodwill impairment charges. Any such impairment charge could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
40
The required accounting treatment of loans we acquire through acquisitions could result in higher net interest margins and interest income in current periods and lower net
interest margins and interest income in future periods.
Under GAAP, we are required to record loans acquired through acquisitions, including purchase credit-impaired loans, at fair value. Estimating the fair value of such loans requires management to make estimates based on
available information and facts and circumstances on the acquisition date. Actual performance could differ from management’s initial estimates. If these loans outperform our original fair value estimates, the difference between our original estimate
and the actual performance of the loan (the “discount”) is accreted into net interest income. Thus, our net interest margins may initially increase due to the discount accretion. We expect the yields on our loans to decline as our acquired loan
portfolio pays down or matures and the discount decreases, and we expect downward pressure on our interest income to the extent that the runoff on our acquired loan portfolio is not replaced with comparable high-yielding loans. This could result in
higher net interest margins and interest income in current periods and lower net interest margins and lower interest income in future periods.
Risks Related to our Business and Industry General
We rely on other companies to provide key components of our business infrastructure.
We rely on numerous external vendors to provide us with products and services necessary to maintain our day-to-day operations. Accordingly, our operations are exposed to risk that these vendors will not perform in
accordance with the contracted arrangements under service level agreements. The failure of an external vendor to perform in accordance with the contracted arrangements under service level agreements because of changes in the vendor’s organizational
structure, financial condition, support for existing products and services or strategic focus or for any other reason, could be disruptive to our operations, which in turn could have a material negative impact on our financial condition and results
of operations. We also could be adversely affected to the extent such an agreement is not renewed by the third-party vendor or is renewed on terms less favorable to us. Additionally, the bank regulatory agencies expect financial institutions to be
responsible for all aspects of our vendors’ performance, including aspects which they delegate to third parties. Disruptions or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support our business and clients, or cyber-attacks or
security breaches of the networks, systems or devices that our clients use to access our products and services could result in client attrition, regulatory fines, penalties or intervention, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation
costs, and/or additional compliance costs, any of which could materially adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.
Uncertainty relating to the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") calculation process and potential phasing out of LIBOR may adversely affect our results of operations.
We have junior subordinated debentures indexed to LIBOR to calculate the interest rate. The continued availability of the LIBOR index is not guaranteed after 2021. We cannot predict whether and to what extent banks
will continue to provide LIBOR submissions to the administrator of LIBOR or whether any additional reforms to LIBOR may be enacted. At this time, no consensus exists as to what rate or rates may become acceptable alternatives to LIBOR (with the
exception of overnight repurchase agreements, which are expected to be based on the Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or SOFR). 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 to a lesser extent securities in our portfolio, and may impact the availability and cost of hedging instruments and borrowings, including the rates we pay on our subordinated
debentures and trust preferred securities. If LIBOR rates are no longer available, and we are required to implement substitute indices for the calculation of interest rates under our loan agreements with our borrowers or our existing borrowings, we
may incur significant expenses in effecting the transition, and may be subject to disputes or litigation with customers and creditors over the appropriateness or comparability to LIBOR of the substitute indices, which could have an adverse effect on
our results of operations.
Ineffective liquidity management could adversely affect our financial results and condition.
Effective liquidity management is essential to our business. We require sufficient liquidity to meet customer loan requests, customer deposit maturities and withdrawals, payments on our debt obligations as they come
due, and other cash commitments under both normal operating conditions and other unpredictable circumstances causing industry or general financial market stress. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings, the sale of loans or
investment securities, or other sources could have a substantial negative effect on our liquidity. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities on terms that are acceptable to us could be impaired by factors that affect
us specifically, or the financial services industry or economy in general. Factors that could detrimentally impact our access to liquidity sources include a decrease in the level of our business activity as a result of a downturn in the Washington or
Oregon markets in which our loans are concentrated, negative operating results, or adverse regulatory action against us. Our ability to borrow could also be impaired by factors that are not specific to us, such as a disruption in the financial
markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry or difficult credit markets. Our access to deposits
41
may also be affected by the liquidity needs of our depositors. In particular, a majority of our liabilities are checking accounts and other liquid deposits, which are payable on demand or upon several days’ notice,
while by comparison, a substantial majority of our assets are loans, which cannot be called or sold in the same time frame. Although we have historically been able to replace maturing deposits and advances as necessary, we might not be able to
replace such funds in the future, especially if a large number of our depositors seek to withdraw their accounts, regardless of the reason. A failure to maintain adequate liquidity could materially and adversely affect our business, results of
operations, or financial condition. See “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity” of this Form 10-K.
Additionally, collateralized public funds are bank deposits of state and local municipalities. These deposits are required to be secured by certain investment grade securities to ensure repayment, which on the one hand
tends to reduce our contingent liquidity risk by making these funds somewhat less credit sensitive, but on the other hand reduces standby liquidity by restricting the potential liquidity of the pledged collateral. Although these funds historically
have been a relatively stable source of funds for us, availability depends on the individual municipality's fiscal policies and cash flow needs.
Our branching strategy may cause our expenses to increase faster than revenues.
The Company previously announced plans for three new branches located in Clark County, Washington, to complement its existing branch network. A new branch in downtown Camas and the Cascade Park neighborhood of
Vancouver opened in fiscal 2021. A construction delay due to COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the opening of the new branch location in Ridgefield to later this fall. The success of our expansion strategy is contingent upon numerous factors, such as our
ability to secure managerial resources, hire and retain qualified personnel and implement effective marketing strategies. The opening of new branches may not increase the volume of our loans and deposits as quickly or to the degree that we hope and
opening new branches will increase our operating expenses. On average, de novo branches do not become profitable until three to four years after opening. Further, the projected timeline and the estimated dollar amounts involved in opening de novo
branches could differ significantly from actual results. We may not successfully manage the costs and implementation risks associated with our branching strategy. Accordingly, any new branch may negatively impact our earnings for some period of time
until the branch reaches certain economies of scale. Finally, there is a risk that our new branches will not be successful even after they have been established.
Our growth or future losses may require us to raise additional capital in the future, but that capital may not be available when it is needed or the cost of that capital may be very high.
We are required by federal regulatory authorities to maintain adequate levels of capital to support our operations. Our ability to raise additional capital, if needed, will depend on conditions in
the capital markets at that time, which are outside our control, and on our financial condition and performance. Accordingly, we cannot make assurances that we will be able to raise additional capital if needed on terms that are acceptable to us, or
at all. If we cannot raise additional capital when needed, our ability to further expand our operations could be materially impaired and our financial condition and liquidity could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, any additional
capital we obtain may result in the dilution of the interests of existing holders of our common stock. Further, if we are unable to raise additional capital when required by our bank regulators, we may be subject to adverse regulatory action.
Competition with other financial institutions could adversely affect our profitability.
Although we consider ourselves competitive in our market areas, we face intense competition in both making loans and attracting deposits. Price competition for loans and deposits might result in our earning less on our
loans and paying more on our deposits, which reduces net interest income. Some of the institutions with which we compete have substantially greater resources than we have and may offer services that we do not provide. We expect competition to
increase in the future as a result of legislative, regulatory and technological changes and the continuing trend of consolidation in the financial services industry. Our profitability will depend upon our continued ability to compete successfully in
our market areas.
42
Our ability to retain and recruit key management personnel and bankers is critical to the success of our business strategy and any failure to do so could impair our customer relationships and
adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Competition for qualified employees and personnel in the banking industry is intense and there are a limited number of qualified persons with knowledge of, and experience in, the community banking industry where the
Bank conducts its business. The process of recruiting personnel with the combination of skills and attributes required to carry out our strategies is often lengthy. Our success depends to a significant degree upon our ability to attract and retain
qualified management, loan origination, finance, administrative, marketing and technical personnel and upon the continued contributions of our management and personnel. In particular, our success has been and continues to be highly dependent upon the
abilities of key executives, including our President and Chief Executive Officer, and certain other employees. Our ability to retain and grow our loans, deposits, and fee income depends upon the business generation capabilities, reputation, and
relationship management skills of our lenders. If we were to lose the services of any of our bankers, including successful bankers employed by banks that we may acquire, to a new or existing competitor, or otherwise, we may not be able to retain
valuable relationships and some of our customers could choose to use the services of a competitor instead of our services. In addition, our success has been and continues to be highly dependent upon the services of our directors, many of whom are at
or nearing retirement age, and we may not be able to identify and attract suitable candidates to replace such directors.
Managing reputational risk is important to attracting and maintaining customers, investors and employees.
Threats to our reputation can come from many sources, including adverse sentiment about financial institutions generally, unethical practices, employee misconduct, failure to deliver minimum standards of service or
quality or operational failures due to integration or conversion challenges as a result of acquisitions we undertake, compliance deficiencies, and questionable or fraudulent activities of our customers. We have policies and procedures in place to
protect our reputation and promote ethical conduct, but these policies and procedures may not be fully effective. Negative publicity regarding our business, employees, or customers, with or without merit, may result in the loss of customers,
investors and employees, costly litigation, a decline in revenues and increased governmental regulation.
We rely on dividends from the Bank for substantially all of our revenue at the holding company level.
We are an entity separate and distinct from our principal subsidiary, the Bank, and derive substantially all of our revenue at the holding company level in the form of dividends from that subsidiary. Accordingly, we
are, and will be, dependent upon dividends from the Bank to pay the principal of and interest on our indebtedness, to satisfy our other cash needs and to pay dividends on our common stock. The Bank's ability to pay dividends is subject to its ability
to earn net income and to meet certain regulatory requirements. In the event the Bank is unable to pay dividends to us, we may not be able to pay dividends on our common stock. Also, our right to participate in a distribution of assets upon a
subsidiary's liquidation or reorganization is subject to the prior claims of the subsidiary's creditors.
43
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.