SB Financial Group, Inc.: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2023

Certain statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K which are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. See “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information” under Item 1A. Risk Factors on page 14 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

General

SB Financial Group, Inc., an Ohio corporation (the “SB Financial”), is a financial holding company subject to regulation under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, and to inspection, examination and supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board” or the “FRB”). SB Financial was organized in 1983. The executive offices of the SB Financial are located at 401 Clinton Street, Defiance, Ohio 43512.

Through its direct and indirect subsidiaries, the SB Financial is engaged in a variety of financial activities, including commercial banking, and wealth management services, as explained in more detail below.

As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the “Company” refers to SB Financial and its consolidated subsidiaries collectively, except where the context indicates the reference relates solely to the registrant, SB Financial.

State Bank and Trust Company

The State Bank and Trust Company (“State Bank”) is an Ohio state-chartered bank and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. State Bank offers a full range of commercial banking services, including checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts and time certificates of deposit; automatic teller machines (“ATMs”); commercial, consumer, agricultural and residential mortgage loans; personal and corporate trust services; commercial leasing; bank credit card services; safe deposit box rentals; internet banking; private client group services; and other personalized banking services. The trust and financial services division of State Bank offers various trust and financial services, including asset management services for individuals and corporate employee benefit plans, as well as brokerage services through Cetera Investment Services, an unaffiliated company. State Bank presently operates 22 banking centers, located within the Ohio counties of Allen, Defiance, Franklin, Fulton, Hancock, Lucas, Paulding, Williams and Wood, and one banking center located in Allen County, Indiana. State Bank also presently operates six loan production offices, located in Franklin and Lucas Counties, Ohio, Boone, Hamilton and Steuben Counties, Indiana, and Monroe County, Michigan. At December 31, 2023, State Bank had 243 full-time equivalent employees.

SBFG Title, LLC

SBFG Title, LLC dba Peak Title Agency (“SBFG Title”) was formed as an Ohio limited liability company in January 2019 and purchased all of the assets and real estate of an Ohio-based title agency effective March 15, 2019. SBFG Title is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. SBFG Title provides title insurance and operates three locations located within the Ohio Counties of Franklin and Williams. At December 31, 2023, SBFG Title had 8 full-time equivalent employees.

RFCBC

RFCBC, Inc. (“RFCBC”) is an Ohio corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company that was incorporated in August 2004. RFCBC operates as a loan subsidiary in servicing and working out problem loans and is presently inactive. At December 31, 2023, RFCBC had no employees.

Rurbanc Data Services

Rurbanc Data Services, Inc. dba RDSI Banking Systems (“RDSI”) was formed in 1964 and became an Ohio corporation in June 1976. In September 2006, RDSI acquired Diverse Computer Marketers, Inc. (“DCM”), which was merged into RDSI effective December 31, 2007. Effective January 1, 2018, the Company completed the sale of the customer contracts and certain other assets of RDSI’s remaining check and statement processing business operated through the DCM division. As a result of the sale, RDSI is presently inactive and had no employees at December 31, 2023.

Rurban Mortgage Company

Rurban Mortgage Company (“RMC”) is an Ohio corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of State Bank. RMC is a mortgage company and is presently inactive. At December 31, 2023, RMC had no employees.

SBT Insurance

SBT Insurance, LLC (“SBI”) is an Ohio corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of State Bank. SBI is an insurance company that engages in the sale of insurance products to retail and commercial customers of State Bank. At December 31, 2023, SBI had no employees.

SB Captive

SB Captive, Inc. (“SB Captive”) is a Nevada corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of SB Financial. SB Captive is a self-insurance company that provides coverage to State Bank and SB Financial. The purpose of the SB Captive is to mitigate insurance risk by participating in a pool with other banks. At December 31, 2023, SB Captive had no employees.

Rurban Statutory Trust II

Rurban Statutory Trust II (“RST II”) is a trust that was organized in August 2005. In September 2005, RST II closed a pooled private offering of 10,000 Capital Securities with a liquidation amount of $1,000 per security. The proceeds of the offering were loaned to the Company in exchange for junior subordinated debentures with terms similar to the Capital Securities. The sole assets of RST II are the junior subordinated debentures and the back-up obligations, which in the aggregate, constitute a full and unconditional guarantee by the Company of the obligations of RST II under the Capital Securities.

SBFG Mortgage, LLC

SBFG Mortgage, LLC was formed as an Ohio limited liability company in December 2019. SBFG Mortgage, LLC is a mortgage company and is presently inactive. At December 31, 2023, SBFG Mortgage, LLC had no employees.

Competition

The Company experiences significant competition in attracting depositors and borrowers. Competition in lending activities comes principally from other commercial banks in the lending areas of State Bank, and to a lesser extent, from savings associations, insurance companies, governmental agencies, credit unions, securities brokerage firms, finance companies, financial technology companies (“fintechs”) and pension funds. The primary factors in competing for loans are interest rates and overall banking services.

State Bank’s competition for deposits comes from other commercial banks, savings associations, money market funds and credit unions as well as from insurance companies, securities brokerage firms, and fintechs. The primary factors in competing for deposits are interest rates paid on deposits and convenience of office location. State Bank operates in the highly competitive wealth management services field and its competition consists primarily of other bank wealth management departments.

Supervision and Regulation

The following is a summary discussion of the significant statutes and regulations applicable to the Company and its subsidiaries. This discussion is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the statutes, regulations and policies that are described. Also, such statutes, regulations and policies are continually under review by the U.S. Congress and state legislatures and federal and state regulatory agencies. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Company or its subsidiaries could have a material effect on our business.

Regulation of Bank Holding Companies and Their Subsidiaries in General

SB Financial is a financial holding company and, as such, is subject to regulation under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “Bank Holding Company Act”). SB Financial is subject to the reporting requirements of, and examination and regulation by, the FRB. The FRB has extensive enforcement authority over bank holding companies, including, without limitation, the ability to assess civil money penalties, issue cease and desist or removal orders, and require that a bank holding company divest subsidiaries, including its subsidiary banks. In general, the FRB may initiate enforcement actions for violations of laws and regulations and for unsafe or unsound practices. A bank holding company and its subsidiaries are prohibited from engaging in certain tying arrangements in connection with extensions of credit and/or the provision of other property or services to a customer by the bank holding company or its subsidiaries.

The Bank Holding Company Act requires the prior approval of the FRB before a financial or bank holding company may acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5 percent of the voting shares of any bank (unless the bank is already majority owned by the bank holding company), acquire all or substantially all of the assets of another bank or another financial or bank holding company, or merge or consolidate with any other bank holding company. Subject to certain exceptions, the Bank Holding Company Act also prohibits a financial or bank holding company from acquiring 5 percent or more of the voting shares of any company that is not a bank and from engaging in any business other than banking or managing or controlling banks. The primary exception to this prohibition allows a bank holding company to own shares in any company the activities of which the FRB had determined, as of November 19, 1999, to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident thereto.

In April 2020, the FRB adopted a final rule to revise its regulations related to determinations of whether a company has the ability to exercise a controlling influence over another company for purposes of the Bank Holding Company Act. The final rule expands and codifies the presumptions for use in such determinations. By codifying the presumptions, the final rule provides greater transparency on the types of relationships that the FRB generally views as supporting a facts-and-circumstances determination that one company controls another company. The FRB’s final rule applies to questions of control under the Bank Holding Company Act but does not extend to the Change in Bank Control Act.

As a result of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999, which amended the Bank Holding Company Act, bank holding companies that are financial holding companies may engage in any activity, or acquire and retain the shares of a company engaged in any activity, that is either (1) financial in nature or incidental to such financial activity (as determined by the FRB in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury), or (2) complementary to a financial activity, and that does not pose a substantial risk to the safety and soundness of depository institutions or the financial system generally. Activities that are financial in nature include securities underwriting dealing and market-making, insurance underwriting and agency, and merchant banking activities. On January 2, 2019, SB Financial elected, and received approval from the FRB, to become a financial holding company.

Various requirements and restrictions under the laws of the United States and the State of Ohio affect the operations of State Bank, including requirements to maintain reserves against deposits, restrictions on the nature and amount of loans that may be made and the interest that may be charged thereon, restrictions relating to investments and other activities, limitations on credit exposure to correspondent banks, limitations on activities based on capital and surplus, limitations on payment of dividends, and limitations on branching.

Various consumer laws and regulations also affect the operations of State Bank. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”), which regulates consumer financial products and services and certain financial services providers. The CFPB is authorized to prevent unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices and ensures consistent enforcement of laws so that consumers have access to fair, transparent and competitive markets for consumer financial products and services. Since it was established, the CFPB has exercised extensively its rulemaking and interpretative authority.

The Federal Home Loan Bank (the “FHLB”) provide credit to their members in the form of advances. As a member of the FHLB of Cincinnati, State Bank must maintain certain minimum investments in the capital stock of the FHLB of Cincinnati. State Bank was in compliance with these requirements at December 31, 2023.

Federal Reserve System

The FRB 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 FRB reduced reserve requirement ratios to 0 percent effective on March 26, 2020, to support lending to households and businesses. The reserve requirement ratio remained at 0 percent as of December 31, 2023.

Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act

On May 25, 2018, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act (the “Regulatory Relief Act”) was enacted, which repealed or modified certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and eased restrictions on all but the largest banks (those with consolidated assets in excess of $250 billion). Bank holding companies with consolidated assets of less than $100 billion, including the Company, are no longer subject to enhanced prudential standards. The Regulatory Relief Act also relieves bank holding companies and banks with consolidated assets of less than $100 billion, including the Company, from certain record-keeping, reporting and disclosure requirements. Certain other regulatory requirements applied only to banks with consolidated assets in excess of $50 billion and so did not apply to the Company even before the enactment of the Regulatory Relief Act.

Restrictions on Dividends

There can be no assurance as to the amount of dividends which may be declared in future periods with respect to the common shares of the Company, since such dividends are subject to the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors, cash needs, and general business conditions, dividends from the Company’s subsidiaries and applicable governmental regulations and policies.

The ability of the Company to obtain funds for the payment of dividends and for other cash requirements is largely dependent on the amount of dividends that may be declared by State Bank and the Company’s other subsidiaries. State Bank may not pay dividends to the Company if, after paying such dividends, it would fail to meet the required minimum levels under the risk-based capital guidelines and the minimum leverage ratio requirements. In addition, State Bank must obtain the approval of the FRB and the Ohio Division of Financial Institutions (the “ODFI”) if a dividend in any year would cause the total dividends for that year to exceed the sum of the current year’s net profits and the retained net profits for the preceding two years, less required transfers to surplus. At December 31, 2023, State Bank had $30.3 million of excess earnings over the preceding three years.

Payment of dividends by State Bank may be restricted at any time at the discretion of the regulatory authorities, if they deem such dividends to constitute an unsafe and/or unsound banking practice. Moreover, the FRB expects the Company to serve as a source of strength to its subsidiary banks, which may require it to retain capital for further investment in the subsidiary, rather than for dividends to shareholders of the Company.

The Company’s ability to pay dividends on its shares is also conditioned upon the payment, on a current basis, of quarterly interest payments on the subordinated debentures underlying the Company’s trust preferred securities. In addition, under the terms of the Company’s fixed-to-floating rate subordinated debt, the Company’s ability to pay dividends on its shares is conditioned upon the Company continuing to make required principal and interest payments, and not incurring an event of default, with respect to the subordinated debt.

Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders

The Company and State Bank are separate and distinct legal entities. The FRB’s Regulation W and various other legal limitations restrict State Bank from lending funds to, or engaging in other “covered transactions” with, the Company (or any other affiliate), generally limiting such covered transactions with any one affiliate to 10 percent of State Bank’s capital and surplus and limiting all such covered transactions with all affiliates to 20 percent of State Bank’s capital and surplus. Covered transactions, including extensions of credit, sales of securities or assets and provision of services, also must be on terms and conditions consistent with safe and sound banking practices, including credit standards, that are substantially the same or at least as favorable to State Bank as those prevailing at the time for transactions with unaffiliated companies.

A bank’s authority to extend credit to executive officers, directors and greater than 10 percent shareholders, as well as entities such persons control, is subject to Sections 22(g) and 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act and Regulation O promulgated thereunder by the FRB. Among other things, these loans must be made on terms (including interest rates charged and collateral required) that are substantially the same as those offered to unaffiliated individuals or be made as part of a benefit or compensation program and on terms widely available to employees, and must not involve a greater than normal risk of repayment. In addition, the amount of loans a bank may make to these persons is based, in part, on the bank’s capital position, and certain approval procedures must be followed in making loans which exceed specified amounts.

Federally insured banks are subject, with certain exceptions, to certain additional restrictions (including collateralization) on extensions of credit to their parent holding companies or other affiliates, on investments in the stock or other securities of affiliates and on the taking of such stock or securities as collateral from any borrower. In addition, such banks are prohibited from engaging in certain tying arrangements in connection with any extension of credit or the providing of any property or service.

COVID-19 Legislation and Initiatives

In response to the novel COVID-19 pandemic (“COVID-19”), the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020, as amended (the “CARES Act”), was signed into law on March 27, 2020, to provide national emergency economic relief measures. Many of the CARES Act’s programs were dependent upon the direct involvement of U.S. financial institutions, such as the Company and State Bank, were implemented through rules and guidance adopted by federal departments and agencies, including the U.S. Department of Treasury, the FRB and other federal banking agencies, including those with direct supervisory jurisdiction over the Company and State Bank.

The CARES Act amended the loan program of the Small Business Administration (the “SBA”), in which State Bank participates, to create a guaranteed, unsecured loan program, the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), to fund operational costs of eligible businesses, organizations and self-employed persons during COVID-19. These loans are eligible to be forgiven if certain conditions are satisfied and are fully guaranteed by the SBA. In June 2020, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act was enacted, which, among other things, gave borrowers additional time and flexibility to use PPP loan proceeds. After previously being extended by Congress, the application deadline for PPP loans expired on May 31, 2021. No collateral or personal guarantees were required for PPP loans. In addition, neither the government nor lenders have been permitted to charge the recipients of PPP loans any fees. On December 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the “CAA”), which included the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act (the “HHSB Act”). Among other things, the HHSB Act renewed the PPP, allocating $284.45 billion for both new first-time PPP loans under the existing PPP and the expansion of existing PPP loans for certain qualified, existing PPP borrowers. In addition to extending and amending the PPP, the HHSB Act also created a new grant program for “shuttered venue operators”.

On December 2, 2020, the federal bank regulatory agencies issued an interim final rule that provided temporary relief for specified community banking organizations related to certain regulations and reporting requirements as a result, in large part, of their growth in size from the response to COVID-19. Community banking organizations are subject to different rules and requirements based on their risk profile and asset size. Due to their involvement in federal COVID-19 response programs (such as the PPP) and other lending that supports the U.S. economy, many community banking organizations experienced rapid and unexpected increases in their sizes, which were generally expected to be temporary. The temporary increase in size could have subjected community banking organizations to new regulations or reporting requirements. However, community banking organizations with assets approaching the $10.0 billion asset threshold and that would otherwise have become subject to additional regulatory requirements upon crossing such threshold, including requirements related to capital adequacy standards, debit card interchange fees and routing, and management official interlocks, had until January 1, 2022 to either reduce their size or to prepare for the new regulatory and reporting standards.

Regulatory Capital

The risk-based capital guidelines adopted by the federal banking agencies are based on the “International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standard” (Basel I), published by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the “Basel Committee”). In July 2013, the United States banking regulators issued new capital rules applicable to smaller banking organizations which also implement certain of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act (the “Basel III Capital Rules”). Community banking organizations, including the Company and State Bank, began transitioning to the new rules on January 1, 2015. The new minimum capital requirements became effective on January 1, 2015, whereas a new capital conservation buffer and deductions from common equity capital phased in from January 1, 2016 through January 1, 2019, and most deductions from common equity tier 1 capital phased in from January 1, 2015 through January 1, 2019.

The Basel III Capital Rules include (a) a minimum common equity tier 1 capital ratio of 4.5%, (b) a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 6.0%, (c) a minimum total capital ratio of 8.0%, and (d) a minimum leverage ratio of 4.0%.

Common equity for the common equity tier 1 capital ratio generally includes common stock (plus related surplus), retained earnings, accumulated other comprehensive income (unless an institution elects to exclude such income from regulatory capital), and limited amounts of minority interests in the form of common stock, subject to applicable regulatory adjustments and deductions.

Tier 1 capital generally includes common equity as defined for the common equity tier 1 capital ratio, plus certain non-cumulative preferred stock and related surplus, cumulative preferred stock and related surplus, trust preferred securities that have been grandfathered (but which are not permitted going forward), and limited amounts of minority interests in the form of additional Tier 1 capital instruments, less certain deductions.

Tier 2 capital, which can be included in the total capital ratio, generally consists of other preferred stock and subordinated debt meeting certain conditions plus limited amounts of the allowance for credit losses (“ACL”), subject to specified eligibility criteria, less applicable deductions.

The deductions from common equity tier 1 capital include goodwill and other intangibles, certain deferred tax assets, mortgage-servicing assets above certain levels, gains on sale in connection with a securitization, investments in a banking organization’s own capital instruments and investments in the capital of unconsolidated financial institutions (above certain levels).

Under the guidelines, capital is compared to the relative risk related to the balance sheet. To derive the risk included in the balance sheet, one of several risk weights is applied to different balance sheet and off-balance sheet assets, primarily based on the relative credit risk of the counterparty. The capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors.

The Basel III Capital Rules also place restrictions on the payment of capital distributions, including dividends, and certain discretionary bonus payments to executive officers if the banking organization does not hold a capital conservation buffer of greater than 2.5 percent composed of common equity tier 1 capital above its minimum risk-based capital requirements, or if its eligible retained income is negative in that quarter and its capital conservation buffer ratio was less than 2.5 percent at the beginning of the quarter.

In September 2019, the FRB, along with other federal bank regulatory agencies, issued a final rule, effective January 1, 2020, that gave community banks, including State Bank, the option to calculate a simple leverage ratio to measure capital adequacy if the community banks met certain requirements. Under the rule, a community bank was eligible to elect the Community Bank Leverage Ratio (“CBLR”) framework if it had less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets, limited amounts of certain assets and off-balance sheet exposures, and a leverage ratio greater than 9.0%. Qualifying institutions that elected to use the CBLR framework (each, a “CBLR Bank”) and that maintain a leverage ratio of greater than 9.0% will be considered to have satisfied the risk-based and leverage capital requirements in the regulatory agencies’ generally applicable capital rules and to have met the well-capitalized ratio requirements. No CBLR Bank was required to calculate or report risk-based capital, and each CBLR Bank could opt out of the framework at any time, without restriction, by reverting to the generally applicable risk-based capital rule. Pursuant to the CARES Act, on August 26, 2020, the federal banking agencies adopted a final rule that temporarily lowered the CBLR threshold and provided a gradual transition back to the prior level. Specifically, the CBLR threshold was reduced to 8.0% for the remainder of 2020, increased to 8.5% for 2021, and returned to 9.0% on January 1, 2022. This final rule became effective on October 1, 2020. The Company did not utilize the CBLR in assessing capital adequacy and continued to follow existing capital rules.

In December 2018, the federal banking agencies issued a final rule to address regulatory capital treatment of credit loss allowances under the current expected credit loss (“CECL”) model (accounting standard). The rule revised the federal banking agencies’ regulatory capital rules to identify which credit loss allowances under the CECL model are eligible for inclusion in regulatory capital and to provide banking organizations the option to phase in over three years the day-one adverse effects on regulatory capital that may result from the adoption of the CECL model. Upon the Company’s adoption of CECL effective January 1, 2023, the Company recognized a one-time cumulative effect adjustment (increase) to the ACL of $1.4 million and did not elect to utilize the three-year phase in. The Company’s risk-based capital ratios remained in excess of “well-capitalized” levels after the impact of the one-time cumulative effect adjustment.

At December 31, 2023, State Bank was in compliance with all of the regulatory capital requirements to which it was subject. For State Bank’s capital ratios, see Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 8 of this Report on Form 10-K (the “Consolidated Financial Statements”).

The FRB has adopted regulations governing prompt corrective action to resolve the problems of capital deficient and otherwise troubled state-chartered member banks. At each successively lower defined capital category, a bank is subject to more restrictive and numerous mandatory or discretionary regulatory actions or limits, and the FRB has less flexibility in determining how to resolve the problems of the institution. In addition, the FRB generally can downgrade a bank’s capital category, notwithstanding its capital level, if, after notice and opportunity for hearings, the bank is deemed to be engaged in an unsafe or unsound practice, because it has not corrected deficiencies that resulted in it receiving a less than satisfactory examination rating on matters other than capital or it is deemed to be in an unsafe or unsound condition. State Bank’s capital at December 31, 2023, met the standards for the highest capital category, a “well-capitalized” bank.

In April 2015, the FRB issued a final rule which increased the size limitation for qualifying bank holding companies under the FRB’s Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement from $500 million to $1 billion of total consolidated assets. In August 2018, the FRB issued an interim final rule, as required by the Regulatory Relief Act, to further increase size limitations under the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement to $3 billion of total consolidated assets. The Company continues to qualify under the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement for exemption from the FRB’s consolidated risk-based capital and leverage rules at the holding company level.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”) is an independent federal agency, which insures the deposits of federally insured banks and savings associations up to certain prescribed limits and safeguards the safety and soundness of financial institutions. The general insurance limit is $250,000 per separately insured depositor. This insurance is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.

As insurer, the FDIC is authorized to conduct examinations of and to require reporting by insured institutions, including State Bank, to prohibit any insured institution from engaging in any activity the FDIC determines to pose a threat to the Deposit Insurance Fund (the “DIF”), and to take enforcement actions against insured institutions. The FDIC may terminate insurance of deposits of any institution if the FDIC finds that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC or other regulatory agency.

The FDIC assesses a quarterly deposit insurance premium on each insured institution based on risk characteristics of the insured institution to the DIF, with institutions deemed less risky paying lower rates. Currently, assessments for institutions with less than $10 billion of total assets are based on financial measures and supervisory ratings derived from statistical models that estimate the probability of failure within three years. The FDIC may increase or decrease the range of assessments uniformly, except that no adjustments can deviate more than two basis points from the base assessment without notice and comment rule making. The FDIC may also impose special assessments in emergency situations, which fund the DIF. The FDIC has established 2 percent as the Designated Reserve Ratio (“DRR”), which is the amount in the DIF as a percentage of all DIF insured deposits. In March 2016, the FDIC adopted final rules designed to meet the statutory minimum DRR of 1.35 percent by September 30, 2020, the deadline imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Act required the FDIC to offset the effect on insured institutions with assets of less than $10 billion of the increase in the statutory minimum DRR to 1.35% from the former statutory minimum of 1.15%. Although the FDIC’s rules reduced assessment rates on all banks, they imposed a surcharge on banks with assets of $10 billion or more to be paid until the DRR reached 1.35%. The DRR met the statutory minimum of 1.35% on September 30, 2018. As a result, the previous surcharge imposed on banks with assets of $10 billion or more was lifted. In addition, preliminary assessment credits have been determined by the FDIC for banks with assets of less than $10 billion, which had previously contributed to the increase of the DRR to 1.35%.

On June 30, 2019, the DRR reached 1.40%, and the FDIC applied credits for banks with assets of less than $10 billion (“small bank credits”) beginning September 30, 2019. As of June 30, 2020, the DRR fell below the minimum DRR to 1.30%. As a result, the FDIC adopted a restoration plan requiring the restoration of the DRR to 1.35% within eight years (September 30, 2028). The FDIC rules further changed the method of determining risk-based assessment rates for established banks with less than $10 billion in assets to better ensure that banks taking on greater risks pay more for deposit insurance than banks that take on less risk. As of September 30, 2022, the DRR was 1.26%. Because the DRR remained below the statutory minimum, the FDIC adopted a final rule in October 2022 increasing the assessment rate from three basis points to five basis points beginning with the first quarterly assessment period of 2023. In the FDIC’s most recent semiannual update for the Amended Restoration Plan in November 2023, the FDIC noted that increased loss provisions associated with the failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank in 2023 that reduced the DIF balance, coupled with strong growth in insured deposits, resulted in the reserve ratio declining 15 basis points from 1.25% as of December 2022 to 1.10% as of June 30, 2023. Despite the decline in the reserve ratio, the FDIC staff projected that the reserve ratio remains on track to reach the statutory minimum of 1.35% ahead of the deadline of September 30, 2028. As a result, the FDIC staff recommended no changes to the Amended Restoration Plan and all scheduled assessment rates were maintained.

On November 16, 2023, the FDIC adopted a final rule implementing a special assessment to recover the loss to the DIF arising from the protection of uninsured depositors following the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The assessment base for the special assessment is equal to an insured depository institution’s estimated uninsured deposits reported for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, adjusted to exclude the first $5 billion in estimated uninsured deposits. The FDIC will collect the special assessment at an annual rate of approximately 13.4 basis points, over eight quarterly assessment periods, beginning with the first quarter of 2024. Because State Bank’s uninsured deposits were less than $5 billion for the quarter ended December 31, 2022, State Bank will not be subject to this special assessment.

The FDIC is authorized to prohibit any insured institution from engaging in any activity that poses a serious threat to the insurance fund and may initiate enforcement actions against a bank, after first giving the institution’s primary regulatory authority an opportunity to take such action. The FDIC may also terminate the deposit insurance of any institution that has engaged in or is engaging in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, order or condition imposed by the FDIC.

Community Reinvestment Act

The Community Reinvestment Act (the “CRA”) requires State Bank’s primary federal regulatory agency, the FRB, to assess State Bank’s record in meeting the credit needs of the communities served by State Bank. The FRB assigns one of four ratings: outstanding, satisfactory; needs to improve or substantial noncompliance. The rating assigned to a financial institution is considered in connection with various applications submitted by the financial institution or its holding company to its banking regulators, including applications to acquire another financial institution or to open or close a branch office. In addition, all subsidiary banks of a financial holding company must maintain a satisfactory or outstanding rating in order for the financial holding company to avoid limitations on its activities. State Bank received a satisfactory rating in its most recent CRA examination.

On October 24, 2023, the federal banking agencies, including the FRB, issued a final rule designed to strengthen and modernize the regulations implementing the CRA. The changes are designed to encourage banks to expand access to credit, investment and banking services in low- and moderate-income communities, adapt to changes in the banking industry, including mobile and internet banking, provide greater clarity and consistency in the application of the CRA regulations, and tailor CRA evaluations and data collection to bank size and type. The applicability date for the majority of the changes to the CRA regulations is January 1, 2026, and additional requirements will be applicable on January 1, 2027. The Company cannot predict the impact the changes to the CRA will have on its operations at this time.

SEC and NASDAQ Regulation

The Company is subject to the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and certain state securities authorities relating to the offering and sale of its securities. The Company is subject to the registration, reporting and other regulatory requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules adopted by the SEC under those acts. The Company’s common shares are listed on The NASDAQ Capital Market (“NASDAQ”) under the symbol “SBFG”. As a result, the Company is subject to NASDAQ rules and regulations applicable to listed companies.

The SEC has adopted rules and regulations governing, among other matters, corporate governance, auditing and accounting, executive compensation, and enhanced and timely disclosure of corporate information. The SEC has also approved corporate governance rules promulgated by NASDAQ. The Company has adopted and implemented a Code of Conduct and Ethics and a copy of that policy can be found on the Company’s website at www.YourSBFinancial.com (http://www.YourSBFinancial.com) by first clicking “Corporate Overview” and then “Governance Documents”. The Company has also adopted charters of the Audit and Risk Management Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Governance and Nominating Committee, which charters are available on the Company’s website at www.YourSBFinancial.com (http://www.YourSBFinancial.com) by first clicking “Corporate Overview” and then “Governance Documents”.

USA Patriot Act and Anti-Money Laundering Act

The Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the “Patriot Act”) gives the United States government powers to address terrorist threats through enhanced domestic security measures, expanded surveillance powers, increased information sharing and broadened anti-money laundering requirements. Title III of the Patriot Act encourages information sharing among bank regulatory agencies and law enforcement bodies. Further, certain provisions of Title III impose affirmative obligations on a broad range of financial institutions. Among other requirements, Title III and related regulations require regulated financial institutions to establish a program specifying procedures for obtaining identifying information from customers seeking to open new accounts and establish enhanced due diligence policies, procedures and controls designed to detect and report suspicious activity. State Bank has established policies and procedures that State Bank believes comply with the requirements of the Patriot Act.

The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (the “AMLA”), which amends the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 (the “BSA”), was enacted in January 2021. The AMLA is intended to be a comprehensive reform and modernization to U.S. bank secrecy and anti-money laundering laws. Among other things, it codifies a risk-based approach to anti-money laundering compliance for financial institutions; requires the development of standards for evaluating technology and internal processes for BSA compliance; expands enforcement-related and investigation-related authority, including increasing available sanctions for certain BSA violations and instituting BSA whistleblower initiatives and protections.

Office of Foreign Assets Control Regulation

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions against targeted foreign countries and regimes, under authority of various laws, including designated foreign countries, nationals and others. OFAC publishes lists of specially designated targets and countries. State Bank is responsible for, among other things, blocking accounts of, and transactions with, such targets and countries, prohibiting unlicensed trade and financial transactions with them and reporting blocked transactions after their occurrence. Failure to comply with these sanctions could have serious financial, legal and reputational consequences, including causing applicable bank regulatory authorities not to approve merger or acquisition transactions when regulatory approval is required or to prohibit such transactions even if approval is not required. Regulatory authorities have imposed cease and desist orders and civil money penalties against institutions found to be violating these obligations.

Executive and Incentive Compensation

The Dodd-Frank Act requires that the federal banking agencies, including the FRB and the FDIC, issue a rule related to incentive-based compensation. No final rule implementing this provision of the Dodd-Frank Act has, as of the date of the filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, been adopted, but a proposed rule was published in 2016 that expanded upon a prior proposed rule published in 2011. The proposed rule is intended to: (i) prohibit incentive-based payment arrangements that the banking agencies determine could encourage certain financial institutions to take inappropriate risks by providing excessive compensation or that could lead to material financial loss; (ii) require the board of directors of those financial institutions to take certain oversight actions related to incentive-based compensation; and (iii) require those financial institutions to disclose information concerning incentive-based compensation arrangements to the appropriate federal regulator. Although a final rule has not been issued, the Company has undertaken efforts to ensure that the Company’s incentive compensation plans do not encourage inappropriate risks, consistent with the principles identified above.

In June 2010, the FRB, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) and the FDIC issued comprehensive final guidance on incentive compensation policies intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of such organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The guidance, which covers all employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of an organization, either individually or as part of a group, is based upon the key principles that a banking organization’s incentive compensation arrangements should (i) provide incentives that do not encourage risk-taking beyond the organization’s ability to effectively identify and manage risks, (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management and (iii) be supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the organization’s board of directors. These three principles are incorporated into the proposed joint compensation regulations under the Dodd-Frank Act, described above.

The FRB and the OCC review, as part of their respective regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of banking organizations, such as the Company and State Bank, that are not “large, complex banking organizations.” These reviews are tailored to each organization based on the scope and complexity of the organization’s activities and the prevalence of incentive compensation arrangements. Deficiencies will be incorporated into the organization’s supervisory ratings, which can affect the organization’s ability to make acquisitions and take other actions. Enforcement actions may be taken against a banking organization if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the organization’s safety and soundness and the organization is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies.

Public company compensation committee members must meet heightened independence requirements and consider the independence of compensation consultants, legal counsel and other advisors to the compensation committee. A compensation committee must have the authority to hire advisors and to have the public company fund reasonable compensation of such advisors.

SEC regulations require public companies to provide various disclosures about executive compensation in annual reports and proxy statements and to present to their shareholders a non-binding vote on the approval of executive compensation.

Following the adoption of additional listing requirements in 2023 to comply with the Dodd-Frank Act and rules adopted by the SEC in October 2022, public companies are now required, to adopt and implement “clawback” policies for incentive compensation payments and to disclose the details of the procedures which allow recovery of incentive compensation that was paid on the basis of erroneous financial information necessitating a restatement due to material noncompliance with financial reporting requirements. This clawback policy is intended to apply to compensation paid within the three completed fiscal years immediately preceding the date the issuer is required to prepare a restatement and would cover all executives who received incentive awards. The Company’s clawback policy adopted in accordance with these listing standards is included as Exhibit 97.

Consumer Protection Laws and Regulations

Banks are subject to regular examination to ensure compliance with federal consumer protection statutes and regulations, including, but not limited to, the following:

• The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (prohibiting discrimination in any credit transaction on the basis of any of various criteria);
• The Truth in Lending Act (requiring that credit terms are disclosed in a manner that permits a consumer to understand and compare credit terms more readily and knowledgeably);
• The Fair Housing Act (making it unlawful for a lender to discriminate in housing-related lending activities against any person on the basis of certain criteria);
• The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (requiring financial institutions to collect data that enables regulatory agencies to determine whether financial institutions are serving the housing credit needs of the communities in which they are located);
• The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (requiring that lenders provide borrowers with disclosures regarding the nature and cost of real estate settlements and prohibits abusive practices that increase borrowers’ costs); and
• Privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (requiring financial institutions to establish policies and procedures to restrict the sharing of non-public customer data with non-affiliated parties and to protect customer information from unauthorized access).

The banking regulators also use their authority under the Federal Trade Commission Act to take supervisory or enforcement action with respect to unfair or deceptive acts or practices by banks that may not necessarily fall within the scope of a specific banking or consumer finance law.

Financial Privacy Provisions

Federal and state regulations limit the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose non-public information about consumers to non-affiliated third parties. These limitations require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to a non-affiliated third party. These regulations affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial companies and conveyed to outside vendors.

State Bank is also subject to regulatory guidelines establishing standards for safeguarding customer information. These guidelines describe the federal bank regulatory agencies’ expectations for the creation, implementation and maintenance of an information security program, which would include administrative, technical and physical safeguards appropriate to the size and complexity of the institution and the nature and scope of its activities. The standards set forth in the guidelines are intended to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer records and information, protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such records and protect against unauthorized access to or use of such records or information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any customer.

Cybersecurity

In March 2015, federal regulators issued two related statements regarding cybersecurity. One statement indicates that financial institutions should design multiple layers of security controls to establish several lines of defense and to ensure that their risk management processes also address the risk posed by compromised customer credentials, including security measures to reliably authenticate customers accessing Internet-based services of the financial institution. The other statement indicates that a financial institution’s management is expected to maintain sufficient business continuity planning processes to ensure the rapid recovery, resumption and maintenance of the financial institution’s operations after a cyber-attack involving destructive malware. A financial institution is also expected to develop appropriate processes to enable recovery of data and business operations and address rebuilding network capabilities and restoring data if the financial institution or its critical service providers fall victim to this type of cyber-attack. If State Bank fails to observe the regulatory guidance, it could be subject to various regulatory sanctions, including financial penalties.

In November 2021, the OCC, the FRB and the FDIC issued a final rule, which became effective in May 2022, requiring banking organizations that experience a computer-security incident to notify certain entities. A computer-security incident occurs when actual or potential harm to the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of an information system or the information occurs, or there is a violation or imminent threat of a violation to banking security policies and procedures. The affected bank must notify its respective federal regulator of the computer-security incident as soon as possible and no later than 36 hours after the bank determines a computer-security incident that rises to the level of a notification incident has occurred. These notifications are intended to promote early awareness of threats to banking organizations and will help banks react to those threats before they manifest into larger incidents. This rule also requires bank service providers to notify their bank organization customers of a computer-security incident that has caused, or is reasonably likely to cause, a material service disruption or degradation for four or more hours.

Furthermore, the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act, enacted in March 2022, will require, once administrative rules are adopted, certain covered entities, including those in the financial services industry, to report a covered cyber incident to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (“CISA”) within 72 hours after a covered entity reasonably believes an incident has occurred. Separate reporting to CISA will also be required within 24 hours if a ransom payment is made as a result of a ransomware attack.

State regulators have also been increasingly active in implementing privacy and cybersecurity standards and regulations. Recently, several states have adopted regulations requiring certain financial institutions to implement cybersecurity programs and providing detailed requirements with respect to these programs, including data encryption requirements. Many states have also recently implemented or modified their data breach notification and data privacy requirements. The Company expects this trend of state-level activity in those areas to continue and is continually monitoring developments in the states in which our customers are located.

On July 26, 2023, the SEC adopted final rules that require public companies to promptly disclose material cybersecurity incidents in Current Reports on Form 8-K and detailed information regarding their cybersecurity risk management, strategy, and governance on an annual basis in their Annual Reports on Form 10-K. See ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY. Effective on or after December 18, 2023 (except for smaller reporting companies, such as the Company, which are provided a 180-day deferral), public companies are required to report on Form 8-K any cybersecurity incident they determine to be material within four business days of making that determination. These SEC rules, and any other regulatory guidance, are in addition to notification and disclosure requirements under state and federal banking laws and regulations.

In the ordinary course of business, the Company relies on electronic communications and information systems to conduct its operations and to store sensitive data. The Company employs an in-depth, layered, defensive approach that leverages people, processes and technology to manage and maintain cybersecurity controls. The Company employs a variety of preventative and detective tools to monitor, block, and provide alerts regarding suspicious activity, as well as to report on any suspected advanced persistent threats. The Company also regularly invests in new products and technology to further enhance these tools and mechanisms. Notwithstanding the strength of the Company’s defensive measures, the threat from cyber-attacks is severe, attacks are sophisticated and increasing in volume, and attackers respond rapidly to changes in defensive measures. While to date, the Company has not detected a significant compromise, significant data loss or any material financial losses related to cybersecurity attacks, the Company’s systems and those of its customers and third-party service providers are under constant threat and it is possible that the Company could experience a significant event in the future. Risks and exposures related to cybersecurity attacks are expected to remain high for the foreseeable future due to the rapidly evolving nature and sophistication of these threats, as well as due to the expanding use of Internet banking, mobile banking and other technology-based products and services by us and our customers.

Effect of Environmental Regulation

Compliance with federal, state and local provisions regulating the discharge of materials into the environment, or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment, has not had a material effect upon the capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Company believes that the nature of the operations of its subsidiaries has little, if any, environmental impact. The Company, therefore, anticipates no material capital expenditures for environmental control facilities for its current fiscal year or for the near future. The Company’s subsidiaries may be required to make capital expenditures for environmental control facilities related to properties which they may acquire through foreclosure proceedings in the future; however, the amount of such capital expenditures, if any, is not currently determinable.

Effects of Government Monetary Policy

The earnings of the Company are affected by general and local economic conditions and by the policies of various governmental regulatory authorities. In particular, the FRB regulates money and credit conditions and interest rates to influence general economic conditions, primarily through open market acquisitions or dispositions of United States Government securities, varying the discount rate on member bank borrowings and setting reserve requirements against member and nonmember bank deposits. FRB monetary policies have had a significant effect on the interest income and interest expense of commercial banks, including State Bank, and are expected to continue to do so in the future.

Human Capital Resources

Our employees are vital to our success in the financial services industry. As a human-capital intensive business, the long-term success of our company depends on our people. Our goal is to ensure that we have the right talent, in the right place, at the right time. We do that through our commitment to attracting, developing and retaining our employees.

We strive to attract individuals who are people-focused and share our values. We have a comprehensive program dedicated to selecting new talent and enhancing the skills of our employees. In our recruiting efforts, we strive to have a diverse group of candidates to consider for our roles.

We have designed a compensation structure that we believe is attractive to our current and prospective employees. We also offer our employees the opportunity to participate in a variety of professional and leadership development programs. Our programs include a variety of industry, product, technical, professional, business development, leadership and regulatory topics. These programs are available online and in-person. In addition, we encourage all employees to be involved in the communities we serve through various volunteer activities.

We seek to retain our employees by using their feedback to create and continually enhance programs that support their needs. We use company-wide surveys to solicit feedback from our employees. We have a formal annual goal setting and performance review process for our employees. We promote a values-based culture, an important factor in retaining our employees. Our training, to share and communicate our culture to all employees, plays an important part in this process. We are committed to having a diverse workforce, and an inclusive work environment is a natural extension of our culture. We are committed to ensuring that all our employees feel welcomed, valued, respected and heard so that they can fully contribute their unique talents for the benefit of our customers, their careers, our company and our communities.

We monitor and evaluate various turnover and attrition metrics throughout our organization. Our annualized voluntary turnover is relatively low, as is the case for turnover of our top performers, a record which we attribute to our strong values-based culture, commitment to career development, and attractive compensation and benefit programs.

At December 31, 2023, the Company employed approximately 251 full-time equivalent employees to whom a variety of benefits are provided. Management considers its relationship with its employees to be good.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and in other statements that we make from time to time in filings by the Company with the SEC, in press releases, and in oral and written statements made by or with the approval of the Company which are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, Section 21E of the Exchange Act, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Examples of forward-looking statements include: (a) projections of income or expense, earnings per share, the payment or non-payment of dividends, capital structure and other financial items; (b) statements of plans and objectives of the Company or our Board of Directors or management, including those relating to products and services; (c) statements of future economic performance; (d) statements of future customer attraction or retention; and (e) statements of assumptions underlying these statements. Forward-looking statements reflect our expectations, estimates or projections concerning future results or events. These statements are generally identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “expects”, “intends”, “may”, “plans”, “projects”, “should”, “will allow”, “will continue”, “will likely result”, “will remain”, “would be”, or similar expressions.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements to encourage companies to provide prospective information so long as those statements are identified as forward-looking and are accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. We desire to take advantage of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Act.

Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements because of various factors and possible events, including those factors discussed in the Risk Factors below. There is also the risk that the Company’s management or Board of Directors incorrectly analyzes these risks and forces, or that the strategies the Company develops to address them are unsuccessful.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of that date on which they are made. Except as may be required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or any person acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by the following cautionary statements.

Risk Factors

The following sets forth certain risk factors that we are believe are relevant to the Company and its business. These risk factors are not presented in any particular order and do not constitute all of the risks that may affect our business. Additional risks that are not presently known or that we currently deem to be immaterial could also have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, or results of operations.

Economic, Market and Political Risks:

Changes in economic and political conditions could adversely affect our earnings through declines in deposits, loan demand, the ability of our customers to repay loans and the value of collateral securing our loans.

Our success depends to a large extent upon local and national economic conditions, as well as governmental fiscal and monetary policies. Conditions such as inflation, recession, unemployment, changes in interest rates, fiscal and monetary policy, an increasing federal government budget deficit, the failure of the federal government to raise the federal debt ceiling and/or possible future U.S. government shutdowns over budget disagreements, slowing gross domestic product, tariffs, a U.S. withdrawal from or significant renegotiation of trade agreements, trade wars, and other factors beyond our control may adversely affect our deposit levels and composition, the quality of investment securities available for purchase, demand for loans, the ability of our borrowers to repay their loans, and the value of the collateral securing loans made by us. Disruptions in U.S. and global financial markets, and changes in oil production in the Middle East also affect the economy and stock prices in the U.S., which can affect our earnings capital, as well as the ability of our customers to repay loans. Because we have a significant amount of real estate loans, decreases in real estate values could adversely affect the value of property used as collateral and our ability to sell the collateral upon foreclosure. Adverse changes in the economy may also have a negative effect on the ability of our borrowers to make timely repayments of their loans, which would have an adverse impact on our earnings and cash flows. In addition, our lending and deposit gathering activities are concentrated primarily in Northwest Ohio. As a result, our success depends in large part on the general economic conditions of these areas, particularly given that a significant portion of our lending relates to real estate located in this region. Therefore, adverse changes in the economic conditions in these areas could adversely impact our earnings and cash flows.

Instability in global economic conditions and geopolitical matters, as well as volatility in financial markets, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

The macroeconomic environment in the U.S. is susceptible to global events and volatility in financial markets. In addition, trade negotiations between the U.S. and other nations remain uncertain and could adversely impact economic and market conditions for the Company and our clients and counterparties. Instability in global economic conditions and geopolitical matters, such as military conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as volatility in financial markets, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. For example, on February 24, 2022, Russian military forces invaded Ukraine, and sustained conflict and disruption in the region have occurred and remains likely to continue. In addition, the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in Israel has resulted in prolonged conflict and disruption in the Middle East. Although the length, impact and outcome of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East are highly unpredictable, these conflicts have resulted, and could continue to result, in significant market and other disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices and supply of energy resources, instability in financial markets, supply chain interruptions, political and social instability, changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, as well as increases in cyberattacks and espionage. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions could be significant and could potentially have substantial impact on the global economy and the Company’s business for an unknown period of time. Any of the above-mentioned events or disruptions could affect our business, financial condition and operating results, and may also magnify the impact of other risks described in this Form 10-K.

We may be unable to manage interest rate risks, which could reduce our net interest income.

Our results of operations are affected principally by net interest income, which is the difference between interest earned on loans and investments and interest expense paid on deposits and other borrowings. The spread between the yield on our interest-earning assets and our overall cost of funds may be compressed, and our net interest income may continue to be adversely impacted by changing rates. We cannot predict or control changes in interest rates. National, regional and local economic conditions and the policies of regulatory authorities, including monetary policies of the FRB, affect the movement of interest rates and our interest income and interest expense. If the interest rates paid on deposits and other borrowed funds 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 in a declining rate environment if the interest paid for deposits decrease more slowly than the interest rates received on loans and other investments.

In addition, certain assets and liabilities may react in different degrees to changes in market interest rates. For example, interest rates on some types of assets and liabilities may fluctuate prior to changes in broader market interest rates, while interest rates on other types may lag behind. While the bulk of our variable rate commercial assets have interest rate floors, some of our assets, such as adjustable rate mortgages, have features that restrict changes in their interest rates, including rate caps.

We believe that the impact on our cost of funds will depend on a number of factors, including but not limited to, the competitive environment in the banking sector for deposit pricing, opportunities for clients to invest in other markets such as fixed income and equity markets, and the propensity of customers to invest in their businesses. The effect on our net interest income from a change in interest rates will ultimately depend on the extent to which the aggregate impact of loan re-pricings exceeds the impact of increases in our cost of funds.

Changes in interest rates may affect the level of voluntary prepayments on our loans and may also affect the level of financing or refinancing by customers. Changes in interest rates may also negatively affect the ability of the Company’s borrowers to repay their loans, particularly as interest rates rise and adjustable rate loans become more expensive.

Interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond our control. Some of these factors include: inflation, recession, unemployment, money supply, international disorders, and instability in domestic and foreign financial markets. The Company’s management uses various measures to monitor interest rate risk and believes it has implemented effective asset and liability management strategies to reduce the potential adverse effects of changes in interest rates on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations. Management also periodically adjusts the mix of assets and liabilities to manage interest rate risk. However, any significant, unexpected, prolonged change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Business Operations:

If our actual credit losses exceed our allowance for credit losses, our net income will decrease.

Our loan customers may not repay their loans according to their terms, and the collateral securing the payment of these loans may be insufficient to pay any remaining loan balance. We may experience significant credit losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results. In accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, we maintain an ACL to provide for loan defaults and non-performance, which when combined, we refer to as the ACL. Our ACL may not be adequate to cover actual credit losses, and future provisions for credit losses could have a material adverse effect on our operating results. Our ACL is based on prior experience, as well as an evaluation of the risks in the current portfolio. The amount of future losses is susceptible to changes in economic, operating and other conditions, including changes in interest rates that may be beyond our control, and these losses may exceed current estimates. Federal regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, review our loans and ACL. We cannot guarantee that we will not further increase the ACL or that regulators will not require us to increase this allowance. Either of these occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Moreover, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) has changed its requirements for establishing the ACL. On June 16, 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) 2016-13 “Financial Instruments - Credit Losses”, which replaces the incurred loss model with an expected loss model and is referred to as the CECL model. Under the incurred loss model, loans are recognized as impaired when there is no longer an assumption that future cash flows will be collected in full under the originally contracted terms. Under the CECL model, financial institutions are required to use historical information, current conditions and reasonable forecasts to estimate the expected loss over the life of the loan. The transition to the CECL model requires significantly greater data requirements and changes to methodologies to accurately account for expected losses under the new parameters. If the methodologies and assumptions that we use in the CECL model are proven to be incorrect or inadequate, the ACL may not be sufficient, resulting in the need for additional ACL to be established, which could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

The new CECL accounting guidance is effective for annual reporting periods and interim reporting periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2019. However, the FASB deferred the effective date for this ASU for smaller reporting companies, such as the Company, to annual reporting periods and interim reporting periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2022. The Company recognized a one-time cumulative effect adjustment (increase) to the ACL of $1.4 million upon adoption as of January 1, 2023. In addition, the Company established a related reserve for unfunded commitments of $1.1 million as of January 1, 2023.

If real estate markets or the economy in general deteriorate, State Bank may experience increased delinquencies and credit losses. The ACL may not be sufficient to cover actual loan-related losses. Additionally, banking regulators may require State Bank to increase its ACL in the future, which could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations. Additions to the ACL will result in a decrease in net earnings and capital and could hinder our ability to grow our assets.

Any significant increase in our ACL or loan charge offs, including increases required by applicable regulatory authorities, might have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

Our success depends upon our ability to attract and retain key personnel.

Our success depends upon the continued service of our senior management team and upon our ability to attract and retain qualified financial services personnel. Competition for qualified employees is intense. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to retain our existing key personnel or attract additional qualified personnel. If we lose the services of our key personnel, or are unable to attract additional qualified personnel, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

We depend upon the accuracy and completeness of information about customers.

In deciding whether to extend credit or enter into other transactions with customers, we may rely on information provided to us by customers, including financial statements and other financial information. We may also rely on representations of customers as to the accuracy and completeness of that information and, with respect to financial statements, on reports of independent auditors. For example, in deciding whether to extend credit to a business, we may assume that the customer’s audited financial statements conform to generally accepted accounting principles and present fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the customer, and we may also rely on the audit report covering those financial statements. Our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted to the extent we rely on financial statements that do not comply with generally accepted accounting principles or that are materially misleading.

We may not be able to grow, and if we do, we may have difficulty managing that growth.

Our business strategy is to continue to grow our assets and expand our operations, including through potential strategic acquisitions. Our ability to grow depends, in part, upon our ability to expand our market share, successfully attract core deposits, and to identify loan and investment opportunities as well as opportunities to generate fee-based income. We can provide no assurance that we will be successful in increasing the volume of our loans and deposits at acceptable levels and upon terms acceptable to us. We also can provide no assurance that we will be successful in expanding our operations organically or through strategic acquisitions while managing the costs and implementation risks associated with this growth strategy.

We expect to continue to experience growth in the number of our employees and customers and the scope of our operations, but we may not be able to sustain our historical rate of growth or continue to grow our business at all. Our success will depend upon the ability of our officers and key employees to continue to implement and improve our operational and other systems, to manage multiple, concurrent customer relationships, and to hire, train and manage our employees. In the event that we are unable to perform all these tasks and meet these challenges effectively, including continuing to attract core deposits, our operations, and consequently our earnings, could be adversely impacted.

Future acquisitions or other expansion may adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.

In the future, we may acquire other financial institutions or branches or assets of other financial institutions. We may also open new branches, enter into new lines of business, or offer new products or services. Any such acquisition or expansion of our business will involve a number of expenses and risks, which may include some or all of the following:

• the time and expense associated with identifying and evaluating potential acquisitions or expansions;
• the potential inaccuracy of estimates and judgments used to evaluate credit, operations, management and market risk with respect to target institutions;
• the time and costs of evaluating new markets, hiring local management and opening new offices, and the delay between commencing these activities and the generation of profits from the expansion;
• any financing required in connection with an acquisition or expansion;
• the diversion of management’s attention to the negotiation of a transaction and the integration of the operations and personnel of the combining businesses;
• entry into unfamiliar markets and the introduction of new products and services into our existing business;
• the possible impairment of goodwill associated with an acquisition and possible adverse short-term effects on our results of operations; and
• the risk of loss of key employees and customers.

We may incur substantial costs to expand, and we can give no assurance that such expansion will result in the levels of profits we expect. Neither can we assure that integration efforts for any future acquisitions will be successful. We may issue equity securities in connection with acquisitions, which could dilute the economic and voting interests of our existing shareholders.

We are exposed to a number of operational risks.

We are exposed to many types of operational risk, including reputational risk, legal and compliance risk, cybersecurity risk, the risk of fraud or theft by employees or outsiders, unauthorized transactions by employees or operational errors, including clerical or record-keeping errors or those resulting from faulty or disabled computer or telecommunications systems.

We rely heavily on communications and information systems to conduct our business. Any failure, interruption or breach in security of these systems could result in failures or disruptions in our customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan and other systems.

Given the volume of transactions we process, certain errors may be repeated or compounded before they are discovered and successfully rectified. Our necessary dependence upon automated systems to record and process our transaction volume may further increase the risk that technical system flaws or employee tampering or manipulation of those systems will result in losses that are difficult to detect. We may also be subject to disruptions of our operating systems arising from events that are wholly or partially beyond our control (for example, cyberattacks or electrical or telecommunications outages), which may give rise to disruption of service to customers and to financial loss or liability. We are further exposed to the risk that our external vendors may be unable to fulfill their contractual obligations (or will be subject to the same risk of fraud or operational errors by their respective employees as we are) and to the risk that our (or our vendors’) consumer compliance, business continuity and data security systems prove to be inadequate.

Negative public opinion can result from our actual or alleged conduct in any number of activities, including lending practices, corporate governance, acquisitions, social media and other marketing activities, and the implementation of environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) practices, and from actions taken by governmental regulators and community organizations in response to any of the foregoing activities. Negative public opinion could adversely affect our ability to attract and keep customers, could expose us to potential litigation and regulatory action, and could have a material adverse effect on the price of our common shares or result in heightened volatility of our stock price.

Recent and future bank failures may adversely affect the Company’s business, earnings and financial condition.

The failure of other banks can have significant impacts on the national, regional and local banking industry and the business environment in which the Company operates. The recent bank failures of Silicon Valley Bank in California, Signature Bank in New York, and First Republic Bank in California during the first and second quarters of 2023 have caused a degree of panic and uncertainty in the investor community and among bank customers generally. While the Company does not believe that the circumstances of these three bank failures are indicators of broader issues with the banking system, these and any future bank failures may reduce customer confidence, affect sources of funding and liquidity (for example, by increasing the withdrawal or transfer of deposits by customers), increase regulatory requirements and costs, adversely affect financial markets and/or have a negative reputational ramification for the banking industry as a whole. The Company will continue to monitor the ongoing events concerning these three banks, as well as any future potential bank failures and/or volatility within the banking industry in general, along with any responsive measures taken by the banking regulators to mitigate or manage potential turmoil in the banking industry.

We could experience an unexpected inability to obtain needed liquidity which could adversely affect our business, profitability, and viability a going concern.

Liquidity measures the ability to meet current and future cash flow needs as they become due. The liquidity of a financial institution reflects its ability to meet loan requests, to accommodate possible outflows in deposits, and to take advantage of interest rate market opportunities and is essential to a financial institution’s business. The ability of a financial institution to meet its current financial obligations is a function of its balance sheet structure, its ability to liquidate assets, and its access to alternative sources of funds. The bank failures in 2023 exemplify the potential serious results of the unexpected inability of insured depository institutions to obtain needed liquidity to satisfy deposit withdrawal requests, including how quickly such requests can accelerate once uninsured depositors lose confidence in an institution’s ability to satisfy its obligations to depositors. We seek to ensure our funding needs are met by maintaining a level of liquidity through asset and liability management. If we become unable to obtain funds when needed, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Our information systems may experience an interruption or security breach.

We rely heavily on communications and information systems to conduct our business. Any failure, interruption or breach in security of these systems could result in failures or disruptions in our customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan and other systems. While we have policies and procedures designed to prevent or limit the effect of the possible failure, interruption or security breach of our information systems, there can be no assurance that any such failure, interruption or security breach will not occur or, if they do occur, that they will be adequately addressed. The occurrence of any failure, interruption or security breach of our information systems could damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny, or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability.

Unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential client information, or breaches in security of our systems, could severely harm our business.

We collect, process and store sensitive consumer data by utilizing computer systems and telecommunications networks operated by both third-party service providers and us. State Bank’s necessary dependence upon automated systems to record and process State Bank’s transactions poses the risk that technical system flaws, employee errors, tampering or manipulation of those systems, or attacks by third parties will result in losses and may be difficult to detect. We have security and backup and recovery systems in place, as well as a business continuity plan, to ensure the computer systems will not be inoperable, to the extent possible. We also routinely review documentation of such controls and backups related to third party service providers. Our inability to use or access these information systems at critical points in time could unfavorably impact the timeliness and efficiency of our business operations. In recent years, some banks have experienced cyberattacks with the goal and effect of disrupting the ability of the bank to process transactions. Other businesses have been victims of ransomware attacks in which the business becomes unable to access its own information and is presented with a demand to pay a ransom in order to once again have access to its information.

We could be adversely affected if one of our employees or a third-party service provider causes a significant operational breakdown or failure, either as a result of human error or where an individual purposefully sabotages or fraudulently manipulates our operations or systems. State Bank is further exposed to the risk that the third-party service providers may be unable to fulfill their contractual obligations (or will be subject to the same risks as we are). These disruptions may interfere with service to our customers, cause additional regulatory scrutiny and result in a financial loss or liability. We are also at risk of the impact of natural disasters, terrorism and international hostilities on our systems or for the effects of outages or other failures involving power or communications systems operated by others.

Misconduct by employees could include fraudulent, improper or unauthorized activities on behalf of clients or improper use of confidential information. We may not be able to prevent employee errors or misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect this type of activity might not be effective in all cases. Employee errors or misconduct could subject us to civil claims for negligence or regulatory enforcement actions, including fines and restrictions on our business.

In addition, there have been instances where financial institutions have been victims of fraudulent activity in which criminals pose as customers to initiate wire and automated clearinghouse transactions out of customer accounts. Although we have policies and procedures in place to verify the authenticity of our customers, we cannot assure that such policies and procedures will prevent all fraudulent transfers.

We have implemented security controls to prevent unauthorized access to our computer systems, and we require that our third-party service providers maintain similar controls. However, the Company’s management cannot be certain that these measures will be successful. A security breach of the computer systems and loss of confidential information, such as customer account numbers and related information, could result in a loss of customers’ confidence and, thus, loss of business. We could also lose revenue if competitors gain access to confidential information about our business operations and use it to compete with us. While we maintain specific “cyber” insurance coverage, which would apply in the event of various breach scenarios, the amount of coverage may not be adequate in any particular case. Furthermore, because cyber threat scenarios are inherently difficult to predict and can take many forms, some breaches may not be covered under our cyber insurance coverage.

Further, we may be affected by data breaches at retailers and other third parties who participate in data interchanges with us and our customers that involve the theft of customer credit and debit card data, which may include the theft of our debit card PIN numbers and commercial card information used to make purchases at such retailers and other third parties. Such data breaches could result in us incurring significant expenses to reissue debit cards and cover losses, which could result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

There can be no assurance that we will not suffer such cyber-attacks or other information security breaches (or attempted breaches) or incur resulting losses in the future. Our risk and exposure to these matters remains heightened because of, among other things, the evolving nature of these threats, and our plans to continue to implement internet and mobile banking capabilities to meet customer demand. As cyber and other data security threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify and enhance protective measures or to investigate and remediate any security vulnerabilities.

All of the types of cybersecurity incidents discussed above could result in damage to the Company’s reputation, loss of customer business, litigation, increased regulatory scrutiny and potential enforcement actions, repairs of system damage, increased investments in cybersecurity (such as obtaining additional technology, making organizational changes, deploying additional personnel, training personnel and engaging consultants), increased insurance premiums, and loss of investor confidence and a reduction in the price of our common shares, all of which could result in financial loss and material adverse effects on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.

Our business could be adversely affected through third parties who perform significant operational services on our behalf.

The third parties performing operational services for the Company are subject to risks similar to those faced by the Company relating to cybersecurity, breakdowns or failures of their own systems, or misconduct of their employees. Like many other community banks, State Bank also relies, in significant part, on a single vendor for the systems which allow State Bank to provide banking services to State Bank’s customers.

One or more of the third parties utilized by us may experience a cybersecurity event or operational disruption and, if any such event does occur, it may not be adequately addressed, either operationally or financially, by such third party. Certain of these third parties may have limited indemnification obligations to us in the event of a cybersecurity event or operational disruption or may not have the financial capacity to satisfy their indemnification obligations.

Financial or operational difficulties of a third-party provider could also impair our operations if those difficulties interfere with such third party’s ability to serve the Company. If a critical third-party provider is unable to meet the needs of the Company in a timely manner, or if the services or products provided by such third party are terminated or otherwise delayed and if the Company is not able to develop alternative sources for these services and products quickly and cost-effectively, our business could be materially adversely affected.

Additionally, regulatory guidance adopted by federal banking regulators addressing how banks select, engage and manage their third-party relationships, affects the circumstances and conditions under which we work with third parties and the cost of managing such relationships.

Strong competition within our market area may reduce our ability to attract and retain deposits and originate loans.

We face competition both in originating loans and in attracting deposits within our market area. We compete for clients by offering personal service and competitive rates on our loans and deposit products. The type of institutions we compete with include large regional financial institutions, community banks, thrifts and credit unions operating within our market areas. Nontraditional sources of competition for loan and deposit dollars come from captive auto finance companies, mortgage banking companies, internet banks, brokerage companies, insurance companies, fintechs and direct mutual funds. As a result of their size and ability to achieve economies of scale, certain of our competitors offer a broader range of products and services than we offer. We expect competition to remain intense in the future due to legislative, regulatory and technological changes and the continuing trend of consolidation in the financial services industry. In addition, to stay competitive in our markets we may need to adjust the interest rates on our products to match the rates offered by our competitors, which could adversely affect our net interest margin. As a result, our profitability depends upon our continued ability to successfully compete in our market areas while achieving our investment objectives.

We may be required to repurchase loans we have sold or indemnify loan purchasers under the terms of the sale agreements, which could adversely affect our liquidity, results of operations and financial statements.

When State Bank sells a mortgage loan, it agrees to repurchase or substitute a mortgage loan if it is later found to have breached any representation or warranty State Bank made about the loan or if the borrower is later found to have committed fraud in connection with the origination of the loan. While we have underwriting policies and procedures designed to avoid breaches of representations and warranties as well as borrower fraud, there can be no assurance that no breach or fraud will ever occur. Required repurchases, substitutions or indemnifications could have an adverse impact on our liquidity, results of operations and financial statements.

We are subject to environmental liability risk associated with lending activities.

A significant portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real property. During the ordinary course of business, we foreclose on and take title to properties securing certain loans. In doing so, there is a risk that hazardous or toxic substances could be found on these properties. If hazardous or toxic substances are found, we may be liable for remediation costs, as well as for personal injury and property damage. Environmental laws and evolving regulation may require us to incur substantial expenses and may materially reduce the affected property’s value or limit our ability to use or sell the affected property. In addition, future laws and regulations or more stringent interpretations or enforcement policies with respect to existing laws or regulations may increase our exposure to environmental liability. Environmental reviews of real property before initiating foreclosure actions may not be sufficient to detect all potential environmental hazards. The remediation costs and any other financial liabilities associated with an environmental hazard could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Legislative, Legal and Regulatory Risks:

FDIC insurance premiums may increase materially, which could negatively affect our profitability.

The FDIC insures deposits at FDIC insured financial institutions, including State Bank. The FDIC charges the insured financial institutions premiums to maintain the DIF at a certain level. During 2008 and 2009, there were higher levels of bank failures which dramatically increased resolution costs of the FDIC and depleted the deposit insurance fund. The FDIC collected a special assessment in 2009 to replenish the DIF and also required a prepayment of an estimated amount of future deposit insurance premiums. In October 2022, the FDIC adopted a final rule increasing the assessment rate from three basis points to five basis points beginning with the first quarterly assessment period of 2023. The FDIC recently adopted rules revising the assessments in a manner benefiting banks with assets totaling less than $10 billion. There can be no assurance, however, that assessments will not be changed in the future.

We operate in a highly regulated industry, and the laws and regulations that govern our operations, corporate governance, executive compensation and financial accounting, or reporting, including changes in, or failure to comply with the same, may adversely affect the Company.

The banking industry is highly regulated. We are subject to supervision, regulation and examination by various federal and state regulators, including the FRB, the SEC, the CFPB, the FDIC, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), and various state regulatory agencies. The statutory and regulatory framework that governs the Company is generally designed to protect depositors and customers, the DIF, the U.S. banking and financial system, and financial markets as a whole and not to protect shareholders. These laws and regulations, among other matters, prescribe minimum capital requirements, impose limitations on our business activities (including foreclosure and collection practices), limit the dividends or distributions that we can pay, and impose certain specific accounting requirements that may be more restrictive and may result in greater or earlier charges to earnings or reductions in capital than would otherwise be required under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America. Compliance with laws and regulations can be difficult and costly, and changes to laws and regulations often impose additional compliance costs. Both the scope of the laws and regulations and the intensity of the supervision to which we are subject have increased in recent years in response to the perceived state of the financial services industry, as well as other factors such as technological and market changes. Such regulation and supervision may increase our costs and limit our ability to pursue business opportunities. Further, our failure to comply with these laws and regulations, even if the failure was inadvertent or reflects a difference in interpretation, could subject the Company to restrictions on business activities, fines, and other penalties, any of which could adversely affect results of operations, the capital base, and the price of our common shares. Further, any new laws, rules, or regulations could make compliance more difficult or expensive or otherwise adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Legislative or regulatory changes or actions could adversely impact our business.

The financial services industry is extensively regulated. We are subject to extensive state and federal regulation, supervision and legislation that govern almost all aspects of our operations. Laws and regulations may change from time to time and are primarily intended for the protection of consumers, depositors, borrowers, the DIF and the banking system as a whole, and not to benefit our shareholders.

Regulations affecting banks and financial services businesses are undergoing continuous change, and management cannot predict the effect of these changes. While such changes are generally intended to lessen the regulatory burden on financial institutions, the impact of any changes to laws and regulations or other actions by regulatory agencies may negatively impact us or our ability to increase the value of our business. Regulatory authorities have extensive discretion in connection with their supervisory and enforcement activities, including the imposition of restrictions on the operation of a financial institution, the classification of assets held by a financial institution, the adequacy of a financial institution’s ACL and the ability to complete acquisitions. Additionally, actions by regulatory agencies against us could cause us to devote significant time and resources to defending our business and may lead to penalties that materially affect us and our shareholders. Even the reduction of regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on us and our shareholders if such lessening of restrictions increases competition within our industry or our market area.

Changes in accounting standards could influence our results of operations.

The accounting standard setters, including the FASB, the SEC and other regulatory bodies, periodically change the financial accounting and reporting standards that govern the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. These changes can be difficult to predict and can materially affect how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, which would result in the restatement of our financial statements for prior periods.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make significant estimates that affect the financial statements. Due to the inherent nature of these estimates, actual results may vary materially from management’s estimates.

Noncompliance with the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations could cause a material financial loss.

The BSA and the Patriot Act contain anti-money laundering and financial transparency provisions intended to detect and prevent the use of the U.S. financial system for money laundering and terrorist financing activities. The BSA, as amended by the Patriot Act, requires depository institutions and their holding companies to undertake activities including maintaining an anti-money laundering program, verifying the identity of clients, monitoring for and reporting suspicious transactions, reporting on cash transactions exceeding specified thresholds, and responding to requests for information by regulatory authorities and law enforcement agencies. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), a unit of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that administers the BSA, is authorized to impose significant civil money penalties for violations of those requirements and has recently engaged in coordinated enforcement efforts with the federal bank regulatory agencies, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Internal Revenue Service. The AMLA is intended to be a comprehensive reform and modernization to U.S. bank secrecy and anti-money laundering laws, which includes a codified risk-based approach to anti-money laundering compliance for financial institutions; requires the development of standards for evaluating technology and internal processes for BSA compliance; expands enforcement-related and investigation-related authority, including increasing available sanctions for certain BSA violations and instituting BSA whistleblower incentives and protections.

There is also increased scrutiny of compliance with the rules enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”). If the Company’s policies, procedures, and systems are deemed deficient, or if the policies, procedures, and systems of the financial institutions that the Company has already acquired or may acquire in the future are deficient, the Company may be subject to liability, including fines and regulatory actions such as restrictions on State Bank’s ability to pay dividends and the necessity to obtain regulatory approvals to proceed with certain planned business activities, including acquisition plans, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Failure to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing could also have serious reputational consequences for the Company.

We may be the subject of litigation, which could result in legal liability and damage to our business and reputation.

From time to time, we may be subject to claims or legal action from customers, employees or others. Financial institutions like the Company and State Bank are facing a growing number of significant class actions, including those based on the manner of calculation of interest on loans and the assessment of overdraft fees. Future litigation could include claims for substantial compensatory and/or punitive damages or claims for indeterminate amounts of damages. We are also involved from time to time in other reviews, investigations and proceedings (both formal and informal) by governmental and other agencies regarding our business. These matters also could result in adverse judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, injunctions or other relief. Like other large financial institutions, we are also subject to risk from potential employee misconduct, including non-compliance with policies and improper use or disclosure of confidential information.

Our insurance may not cover all claims that may be asserted against us, and any claims asserted against us, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, may harm our reputation. Should the ultimate judgments or settlements in any litigation exceed our insurance coverage, they could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we may not be able to obtain appropriate types or levels of insurance in the future, nor may we be able to obtain adequate replacement policies with acceptable terms, if at all.

We could face legal and regulatory risk arising out of our residential mortgage business.

Numerous federal and state governmental, legislative and regulatory authorities are investigating practices in the business of mortgage and home equity lending and servicing and in the mortgage-related insurance and reinsurance industries. We could face the risk of class actions, other litigation and claims from: the owners of or purchasers of such loans originated or serviced by us, homeowners involved in foreclosure proceedings or various mortgage-related insurance programs, downstream purchasers of homes sold after foreclosure, title insurers, and other potential claimants. Included among these claims are claims from purchasers of mortgage and home equity loans seeking the repurchase of loans where the loans allegedly breached origination covenants, representations, and warranties made to the purchasers in the purchase and sale agreements. The CFPB has issued new rules for mortgage origination and mortgage servicing. Both the origination and servicing rules create new private rights of action for consumers against lenders and servicers in the event of certain violations.

Risks Related to Our Capital and Common Shares:

Our ability to pay cash dividends is limited, and we may be unable to pay cash dividends in the future even if we elect to do so.

We are dependent primarily upon the earnings of our operating subsidiaries for funds to pay dividends on our common shares. The payment of dividends by us is also subject to regulatory restrictions. As a result, any payment of dividends in the future will be dependent, in large part, on our ability to satisfy these regulatory restrictions and our subsidiaries’ earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors. There can be no assurance as to if or when the Company may pay dividends or as to the amount of any dividends which may be declared and paid to shareholders in future periods. Failure to pay dividends on our shares could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our shares.

A limited trading market exists for our common shares, which could lead to price volatility.

The ability to sell our common shares depends upon the existence of an active trading market for those shares. While our shares are listed for trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market, there is moderate trading volume in these shares. As a result, shareholders may be unable to sell our shares at the volume, price and time desired. The limited trading market for our shares may cause fluctuations in the market value of our shares to be exaggerated, leading to price volatility in excess of that which would occur in a more active trading market. In addition, even if a more active market of our shares should develop, we cannot guarantee that such a market will continue.

The market price of our common shares may be subject to fluctuations and volatility.

The market price of our common shares may fluctuate significantly due to, among other things, changes in market sentiment regarding our operations, financial results or business prospects, the banking industry generally or the macroeconomic outlook. Certain events or changes in the market or banking industry generally are beyond our control. In addition to the other risk factors contained or incorporated by reference herein, factors that could affect our trading price:

• our actual or anticipated operating and financial results, including how those results vary from the expectations of management, securities analysts and investors;
• changes in financial estimates or publications of research reports and recommendations by financial analysts or actions taken by rating agencies with respect to us or other financial institution;
• failure to declare dividends on our common shares from time to time;
• reports in the press or investment community generally or relating to our reputation or the financial services industry;
• developments in our business or operations or in the financial sector generally;
• any future offerings by us of our common shares;
• any future offerings by us of debt or preferred shares, which would be senior to our common shares upon liquidation and for purposes of dividend distributions;
• legislative or regulatory changes affecting our industry generally or our business and operations specifically;
• the operating and share price performance of companies that investors consider to be comparable to us;
• announcements of strategic developments, acquisitions, restructurings, dispositions, financings and other material events by us or our competitors;
• actions by our current shareholders, including future sales of common shares by existing shareholders, including our directors and executive officers;
• proposed or final regulatory changes or developments;
• anticipated or pending regulatory investigations, proceedings, or litigation that may involve or affect us; and
• other changes in U.S. or global financial markets, global economies and general market conditions, such as interest or foreign exchange rates, stock, commodity, credit or asset valuations or volatility.

Equity markets in general and our shares have experienced volatility over the past few years. The market price of our shares may continue to be subject to volatility unrelated to our operating performance or business prospects, which could result in a decline in the market price of our shares.

Investors could become subject to regulatory restrictions upon ownership of our common shares.

Under the Federal Change in Bank Control Act, a person may be required to obtain prior approval from the Federal Reserve Board before acquiring 10 percent or more of our common shares or the power to directly or indirectly control our management, operations, or policies.

We have implemented anti-takeover devices that could make it more difficult for another company to purchase us, even though such a purchase may increase shareholder value.

In many cases, shareholders may receive a premium for their shares if we were purchased by another company. Ohio law and our Amended Articles of Incorporation, as amended (“Articles”), and Amended and Restated Regulations, as amended (“Regulations”), make it difficult for anyone to purchase us without the approval of our Board of Directors. Consequently, a takeover attempt may prove difficult, and shareholders may not realize the highest possible price for their securities.

We may be compelled to seek additional capital in the future, but capital may not be available when needed.

We are required by federal and state regulatory authorities to maintain adequate levels of capital to support our operations. In addition, federal banking agencies have proposed extensive changes to their capital requirements; including raising required amounts and eliminating the inclusion of certain instruments from the calculation of capital. In addition, we may elect to raise additional capital to support our business or to finance acquisitions, if any, or we may otherwise elect to raise additional capital. Our ability to raise additional capital, if needed, will depend on conditions in the capital markets, economic conditions and a number of other factors, many of which are outside our control, and on our financial performance. Accordingly, we cannot be assured of our ability to raise additional capital if needed or on terms acceptable to us. If we cannot raise additional capital when needed, it may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

General Risk Factors:

Our earnings are significantly affected by the fiscal and monetary policies of the federal government and its agencies.

The policies of the FRB impact us significantly. The FRB regulates the supply of money and credit in the United States. Its policies directly and indirectly influence the rate of interest earned on loans and paid on borrowings and interest-bearing deposits and can also affect the value of financial instruments we hold. Those policies determine to a significant extent our cost of funds for lending and investing. Changes in those policies are beyond our control and are difficult to predict. FRB policies can also affect our borrowers, potentially increasing the risk that they may fail to repay their loans. For example, a tightening of the money supply by the FRB could reduce the demand for a borrower’s products and services. This could adversely affect the borrower’s earnings and ability to repay its loan, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in tax laws could adversely affect our performance.

We are subject to extensive federal, state and local taxes, including income, excise, sales/use, payroll, franchise, withholding and ad valorem taxes. Changes to tax laws could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations; fair values of net deferred tax assets and obligations of state and political subdivisions held in our investment securities portfolio. In addition, our customers are subject to a wide variety of federal, state and local taxes. Changes in taxes paid by our customers may adversely affect their ability to purchase homes or consumer products, which could adversely affect their demand for our loans and deposit products. In addition, such negative effects on our customers could result in defaults on the loans we have made.

The preparation of our financial statements requires the use of estimates that may vary from actual results.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. requires management to make significant estimates that affect the financial statements. Two of our most critical estimates are the level of the ACL and the accounting for goodwill and other intangibles. Because of the inherent nature of these estimates, we cannot provide complete assurance that we will not be required to adjust earnings for significant unexpected loan losses, nor that we will not recognize a material provision for impairment of our goodwill. For additional information regarding these critical estimates, see Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations beginning on page 32 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We may experience increasing scrutiny and evolving expectations from customers, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders with respect to the Company’s environmental, social and governance practices.

Financial institutions are facing increasing scrutiny from customers, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders related to their ESG practices and disclosure. Investor advocacy groups, investment funds, and influential investors are also increasingly focused on these practices, especially as they relate to the environment, health and safety, diversity, labor conditions, and human rights. Increased ESG-related compliance costs for the Company as well as among our suppliers, vendors and various other parties within our supply chain could result in increases to our overall operational costs. Failure to adapt to or comply with regulatory requirements or investor or stakeholder expectations and standards could negatively impact our reputation, ability to do business with certain partners, access to capital, and the price of our common shares. New government regulations could also result in new or more stringent forms of ESG oversight and expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence, and disclosure.

We need to constantly update our technology in order to compete and meet customer demands.

The financial services market, including banking services, is undergoing rapid technological changes with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. In addition to better serving customers, the effective use of technology increases efficiency and may enable us to reduce costs. Our future success will depend, in part, on our ability to use technology to provide products and services that provide convenience to customers and to create additional efficiencies in our operations. Some of our competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements. We may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services or be successful in marketing these products and services to our customers. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological changes affecting the financial services industry could negatively affect our growth, revenue and profit.

Climate change, severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism and other external events could significantly impact our business.

Natural disasters, including severe weather events of increasing strength and frequency due to climate change, acts of war or terrorism, and other adverse external events could have a significant impact on our ability to conduct business or upon third parties who perform operational services for us or our customers. Such events could affect the stability of our deposit base, impair the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans, impair the value of collateral securing loans, cause significant property damage, result in lost revenue or cause us to incur additional expenses.

The Company regularly assesses risks from cybersecurity threats, monitors its information systems for potential vulnerabilities, and tests those systems pursuant to the Company’s cybersecurity policies, standards, processes, and practices, which are integrated into the Company’s overall risk management program. We have adopted aspects of the NIST cybersecurity framework, to which risk management in relation to our information systems is aligned. We categorize our information systems as either Tier 1 (critical) or Tier 2 or Tier 3 (essential), depending on business value and/or risk of financial or compliance impact of cybersecurity incidents. Our information security team uses a multifaceted approach to monitor, assess, identify, and manage material risks to the Company from cybersecurity threats, including testing of the effectiveness of our cybersecurity incident prevention and response systems; conducting routine vulnerability scanning of information systems assets; network/endpoint detection and response coupled with advanced identification-enhanced logging capabilities powered by artificial intelligence software; discovery through collaboration with the Company’s internal audit team; monitoring of threat intelligence feeds provided by industry associations/groups, service providers, and federal/state authorities; and professional service engagements, such as retaining the services of an external 24/7 security operations center and partnering with third parties in testing our information systems for vulnerabilities from external, internal, and social engineering perspectives and assessing the effectiveness of our cybersecurity controls.

The Company partners with third-party service providers and employs processes to assess, identify, and manage material risks from cybersecurity threats arising from the use of such third-party service providers. Our latest assessment attempted to identify vulnerabilities in our network and systems from external, internal, and social engineering perspectives. Our cybersecurity practices (including with respect to third-party service providers) have been assessed to represent a level of maturity consistent with industry best practices.

Risks from cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any previous cybersecurity incidents, have not materially affected the Company, including its business strategy, results of operations, and financial condition. For more information about these and other risks, see ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

Our board of directors oversees the Company’s risk management process, including cybersecurity risks, directly and through its committees. The Audit & Risk Management Committee and the Board provides structured oversight of the Company’s risk management program, which focuses on the most significant short, intermediate, and long-term risks the Company faces. The Company has an Information Security Council (the “Council”) that is responsible for overseeing the development and upkeep of written policies and procedures aimed at safeguarding the Company’s information systems and the nonpublic information stored within them. In addition, the Council plays a crucial role in the governance of the cybersecurity risk management process. This involves collaborating with third-party industry experts and the Company’s internal audit team to conduct risk assessments of the Company’s information security program (the “Program”). The assessments encompass an evaluation of the Company’s adherence to the Program, including the elements of the Program that are dictated by relevant laws, regulations, and the Company’s information security policy and procedures. Reports of the Council are shared regularly throughout the year with the board of directors. Furthermore, the Company conducts periodic cybersecurity assessments and preparedness analyses, supervised by our designated Chief Technology & Innovation Officer (“CTIO”).

The Company routinely engages third-party industry experts to perform risk assessments of the Program. At least annually, our internal audit team conducts a formal risk assessment and develops an audit plan that identifies, assesses, and prioritizes risks that include cybersecurity. The results of the risk assessment and the proposed audit plan are communicated to various leaders within the Company as well as the Audit & Risk Management Committee for input. The audit plan is reassessed throughout the year, and the plan is subject to modification by our internal audit team, e.g., based on such considerations as changes to resources, business operations, or internal or external risk factors.

The Company’s principal executive offices are located at 401 Clinton Street, Defiance, Ohio. State Bank owns this facility, with a portion of the facility utilized as a retail banking center. In addition, State Bank owns the land and buildings occupied by 21 of its banking centers and leases two other properties used as banking centers. The Company also occupies office space from various parties for loan production and other business purposes on varying lease terms. There is no outstanding mortgage debt on any of the properties which are owned by State Bank.

Listed below are the banking centers, loan production offices and service facilities of the Company and their addresses, all of which are located in Allen, Defiance, Delaware, Franklin, Fulton, Hancock, Lucas, Paulding, Williams and Wood counties of Ohio; Allen, Boone, Hamilton and Steuben counties of Indiana; and Monroe county of Michigan:

SB Financial Group, Inc. Property List as of December 31, 2023

($ in thousands)

SB Captive operates from office space located at 101 Convention Center Dr., Suite 850, Las Vegas, NV 89109.

The Company’s subsidiaries have several noncancellable leases for business use that expire over the next five years. Aggregate rental expense for these leases was $0.20 million and $0.19 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Future minimum lease payments under operating leases are:

($ in thousands)

In the ordinary course of our business, the Company and its subsidiaries are parties to various legal actions, which we believe are incidental to the operation of our business. Although the ultimate outcome and amount of liability, if any, with respect to these legal actions cannot presently be ascertained with certainty, in the opinion of management, based upon information currently available to us, any resulting liability is not likely to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

SB Financial Group, Inc. (“SB Financial”), is a financial holding company registered with the Federal Reserve Board and subject to regulation under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended. Through its direct and indirect subsidiaries, including The State Bank and Trust Company (“State Bank”), SB Financial is engaged in commercial and retail banking, wealth management and private client financial services.

The following discussion provides a review of the consolidated financial condition and results of operations of SB Financial and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”). This discussion should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes as of and for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Strategic Discussion

The focus and strategic goal of the Company is to grow into and remain a top decile (>90th percentile) independent financial services company. The Company intends to achieve and maintain that goal by executing our five key initiatives.

Increase profitability through ongoing diversification of revenue streams: For the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, the Company generated $17.7 million in noninterest income, or 31.1 percent of total operating revenue, from fee-based products. These revenue sources include fees generated from saleable residential mortgage loans, retail deposit products, wealth management services, saleable business-based loans (small business and farm service) and title agency revenue. For the twelve months ended December 31, 2022, the Company generated $18.2 million in noninterest income, or 31.6 percent of total operating revenue from fee-based products.

Strengthen our penetration in all markets served: Over our 119-year history of continuous operation in Northwest Ohio, we have established a significant presence in our traditional markets in Defiance, Fulton, Paulding and Williams counties in Ohio. In our newer markets of Bowling Green, Columbus, Findlay, Toledo (Ohio) and Ft. Wayne (Indiana), our current market penetration is minimal but we believe our potential for growth is significant. Over the past few years, we have expanded and committed additional resources to our presence in the Findlay and Edgerton markets in particular; however, we continue to seek to expand the presence and penetration in all of our markets.

Expand product utilization by new and existing customers: As of December 31, 2023, we operated in 14 counties in Northwest Ohio, Central Ohio and Northeast Indiana with 23 full service offices, 23 ATM’s and six loan production offices. Combined in the 14 counties of operation, we command 4.4 percent of the deposit market share, which has steadily grown.

Deliver gains in operational excellence: Our management team believes that becoming and remaining a high-performance financial services company will depend upon seamlessly and consistently delivering operational excellence, as demonstrated by the Company’s leadership in the origination and servicing of residential mortgage loans. As of December 31, 2023, the Company serviced 8,549 residential mortgage loans with an aggregate principal balance of $1.37 billion. As of December 31, 2022, the Company serviced 8,514 loans with an aggregate principal balance of $1.35 billion.

Sustain asset quality: As of December 31, 2023, the Company’s asset quality metrics remained strong. Specifically, total nonperforming assets were $3.3 million, or 0.25 percent of total assets. Total delinquent loans at December 31, 2023 were 0.15 percent of total loans. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had total nonperforming assets of $5.1 million, or 0.38 percent of total assets. Total delinquent loans at December 31, 2022 were 0.27 percent of total loans.

The successful execution of these five strategies have enabled the Company to improve financial performance across a broad series of metrics. These metrics over the last five years are outlined in the following table. Specifically, the Company has increased total assets by $303.8 million, or 29.3 percent. The growth has been on both sides of the balance sheet over the five year period, with loans growing $174.7 million or 21.2 percent and deposits growing $230.0 million or 27.4 percent.

During the prior five-year period, the Company has raised capital through the issuance of debt securities to the market, which has improved capital significantly and expanded liquidity for potential strategic expansion. Strategic expansion has also occurred during the period with the acquisition of a small community bank (The Edon State Bank of Edon, Ohio) in 2020, the opening of three branch offices and the acquisition of two full service title agencies.

Financial Highlights

Year Ended December 31,

($ in thousands, except per share data)

1 Cash dividends on common shares divided by net income available to common.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The accounting and reporting policies of the Company are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States and conform to general practices within the banking industry. The Company’s significant accounting policies are described in detail in the Notes to the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions. The Company’s financial position and results of operations can be affected by these estimates and assumptions and are integral to the understanding of reported results. Critical accounting policies are those policies that management believes are the most important to the portrayal of the Company’s financial condition and results, and they require management to make estimates that are difficult, subjective or complex.

Allowance for Credit Losses: The Company believes the determination of the ACL involves a higher degree of judgment and complexity than its other significant accounting policies. The ACL is calculated with the objective of maintaining a reserve level believed by management to be sufficient to absorb estimated credit losses over the life of an asset or an off-balance sheet credit exposure. Management’s determination of the adequacy of the ACL is based on periodic evaluations of past events, including historical credit loss experience on financial assets with similar risk characteristics, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the remaining cash flows over the contractual term of the financial assets. However, this evaluation has subjective components requiring material estimates, including expected default probabilities, the expected loss given default, the amounts and timing of expected future cash flows on individually evaluated loans, and estimated losses based on historical loss experience and forecasted economic conditions. All of these factors may be susceptible to significant change. To the extent that actual results differ from management estimates, additional provisions for credit losses may be required that would adversely impact earnings in future periods.

Goodwill and Other Intangibles: The Company records all assets and liabilities acquired in purchase acquisitions, including goodwill and other intangibles, at fair value as required. Goodwill is subject, at a minimum, to annual tests for impairment. Other intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives using straight-line and accelerated methods, and are subject to impairment if events or circumstances indicate a possible inability to realize the carrying amount. The initial goodwill and other intangibles recorded and subsequent impairment analysis requires management to make subjective judgments concerning estimates of how the acquired asset will perform in the future. Events and factors that may significantly affect the estimates include, among others, customer attrition, changes in revenue growth trends, specific industry conditions and changes in competition.

Income Taxes: Income tax expense is the total of the current year income tax due or refundable and the change in deferred tax assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are the expected future tax amounts for the temporary differences between carrying amounts and tax bases of assets and liabilities, computed using enacted tax rates. A valuation allowance, if needed, reduces deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of a sufficient level of future taxable income and recoverable taxes paid in prior years. Although realization is not assured, management believes it is more likely than not that all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The Company recognizes interest and/or penalties related to income tax matters in income tax expense.

An effective tax rate of 21% is used to determine after-tax components of other comprehensive income (loss) included in the statements of shareholders’ equity.

A tax position is recognized as a benefit only if it is “more likely than not” that the tax position would be sustained in a tax examination, with a tax examination being presumed to occur. The amount recognized is the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized on examination. For tax positions not meeting the “more likely than not” test, no tax benefit is recorded.

Changes in Financial Condition

Total assets at December 31, 2023, were $1.343 billion, compared to $1.335 billion at December 31, 2022. Loans (excluding loans held for sale) were $1.000 billion at December 31, 2023, compared to $962.1 million at December 31, 2022. Total deposits were $1.070 billion at December 31, 2023, compared to $1.087 billion at December 31, 2022. As client balance sheets and liquidity was utilized in the economy, deposit levels moderated and assets were reallocated from cash and securities into loans.

The following are the condensed average balance sheets of the Company for the years ending December 31 and includes the interest earned or paid, and the average interest rate, on each asset and liability:

($ in thousands)

1 Nonaccruing loans and loans held for sale are included in the average balances.

2 Interest on tax exempt securities and loans is computed on a tax equivalent basis using a 21 percent statutory tax rate, and added to the net interest income. The tax equivalent adjustment was $0.14, $0.11 and $0.15 million in 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The following tables set forth the effect of volume and rate changes on interest income and expense for the periods indicated. For purposes of these tables, changes in interest due to volume and rate were determined as follows:

• Volume variance - change in volume multiplied by the previous year’s rate.
• Rate variance - change in rate multiplied by the previous year’s volume.
• Rate/volume variance - change in volume multiplied by the change in rate. This variance allocates the volume variance and rate variance in proportion to the relationship of the absolute dollar amount of the change in each.

($ in thousands)

1 Interest on non-taxable securities and loans has been adjusted to fully tax equivalent

The maturity distribution and weighted-average interest rates of debt securities available-for-sale at December 31, 2023, are set forth in the table below. The weighted-average interest rates are based on coupon rates for securities purchased at par value and on effective interest rates considering amortization or accretion if the securities were purchased at a premium or discount:

($ in thousands)

37

($ in thousands)

Loans held for investment (“HFI”) increased $38.1 million, or 4.0 percent, to $1.0 billion at December 31, 2023, which was due to an increase in residential and commercial real estate lending during 2023. The Company booked a much higher portion of residential real estate production on the balance sheet as increases in rates moved customers to variable rate mortgage products.

Concentrations of Credit Risk: The Company makes commercial, real estate and installment loans to customers located mainly in the Tri-State region of Ohio, Indiana and Michigan. Commercial loans include loans collateralized by commercial real estate, business assets and, in the case of agricultural loans, crops and farm equipment and the loans are expected to be repaid from cash flow from operations of businesses. As of December 31, 2023, commercial business and agricultural loans made up approximately 19.2 percent of the HFI loan portfolio while commercial real estate loans accounted for approximately 42.4 percent of the HFI loan portfolio. As of December 31, 2023, residential first mortgage loans, which are secured by first mortgages on residential real estate, made up approximately 31.8 percent of the HFI portfolio, while consumer loans to individuals, which are primarily secured by consumer assets, made up approximately 6.6 percent of the HFI loan portfolio.

Maturities and Sensitivities of Loans to Changes in Interest Rates: The following table shows the maturity distribution of loans outstanding as of December 31, 2023. The amounts have been categorized between loans with a fixed or floating interest rate (floating rate loans have an adjustable interest rate that changes in accordance to a rate index).

Maturities and Sensitivities of Loans to Changes in Interest Rates

As of December 31, 2023

($ in thousands)

Deposits decreased $16.5 million, or 1.5 percent, to $1.07 billion at December 31, 2023. Increased inflation and interest rates resulted in clients seeking higher returns on their deposit accounts. As a result, during 2023, we experienced a shift in the mix of our deposit balances as more of our clients moved balances to long-term time deposit accounts. Specifically, during 2023, time deposits increased $64.6 million, or 34 percent, while other deposits decreased $81.1 million, or 6 percent.

The average amount of deposits and weighted-average rates paid are summarized as follows for the years ended December 31:

($ in thousands)

39

Time deposits that exceeded the FDIC insurance limit of $250,000 are summarized as follows:

($ in thousands)

Shareholders’ equity at December 31, 2023, was $124.3 million, or 9.3 percent of total assets compared to $118.4 million or 8.9 percent of total assets at December 31, 2022. Retained earnings increased during the year due to earnings of $12.1 million less dividends paid to common shareholders of $3.6 million and repurchases of Company common shares of $3.5 million. The fair market value of the bond portfolio improved slightly during 2023 due to the valuation adjustment on the portfolio, which resulted in accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) falling to $29.8 million from $32.1 million.

The Company continued to repurchase its own common shares during the year under the Company’s repurchase program authorized by the Board of Directors on December 21, 2022. Specifically, the Company repurchased 244,325 shares during 2023 at an average price of $13.98 per share. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had 255,675 shares remaining of the 500,000 shares authorized for repurchase under the Company’s existing share repurchase program, which expires December 31, 2024.

($ in thousands)

Nonperforming assets totaled $3.3 million, or 0.25 percent of total assets at December 31, 2023, a decrease of $1.1 million, or 25.3 percent from 2022. The Company had total net charge-offs on loans of $92,000 in 2023, as compared to net recoveries of $13,000 in 2022. The Company’s ACL at December 31, 2023, now covers nonperforming loans at 560 percent, up from 319 percent at December 31, 2022.

The following schedule presents an analysis of the ACL, average loan data and related ratios at December 31 for the years indicated:

($ in thousands)

The ACL balance and the provision for credit losses are determined by management based upon periodic reviews of the loan portfolio. In addition, management considers the level of charge offs on loans, as well as the fluctuations of charge offs and recoveries on loans, in the factors which caused these changes. Estimating the risk of loss and the amount of loss is necessarily subjective. Accordingly, the allowance is maintained by management at a level considered adequate to cover losses that are currently anticipated based on past loss experience, economic conditions, information about specific borrower situations, including their financial position and collateral values, and other factors and estimates which are subject to change over time.

The Company has substantially increased its reserve level over the last several years. Specifically, the Company’s ACL balance has increased from $8.8 million at December 31, 2019 to $15.8 million at December 31, 2023, which reflects an increase of $7.0 million, or 80 percent. This increase was the result of $6.7 million in provision expense during the period and minimal charge-offs, which were just $0.8 million over the four-year period. The reserve increased during 2023 due to the one-time CECL adjustment of $1.4 million taken in January of 2023 upon the Company’s adoption of the CECL methodology.

The following schedule provides a breakdown of the ACL allocated by type of loan and related ratios at December 31 for the years indicated:

($ in thousands)

As further detailed in ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS, the CARES Act provided for significant consumer and small business relief due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company provided payment relief to a number of consumer and small business customers throughout 2020 and 2021, which we believe was successful and enabled our clients to weather the pandemic effectively. All such COVID-related payment deferrals had expired or been removed by December 31, 2021 and all clients were back to contractual terms at such date.

Regulatory capital reporting is required for State Bank only, as the Company is currently exempt from quarterly regulatory capital level measurement pursuant to the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement. As of December 31, 2023, State Bank met all regulatory capital levels required to be considered well-capitalized (see Note 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).

On May 27, 2021, the Company issued and sold $20.0 million in aggregate principal amount of its 3.65% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due 2031 in a private placement exempt from the registration requirements under the Securities Act. The Subordinated Notes bear interest at a fixed rate of 3.65% through May 31, 2026. From June 1, 2026 to the maturity date or earlier redemption of the Subordinated Notes, the interest rate will reset quarterly to an interest rate per annum, equal to the then-current-three-month Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) provided by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York plus 296 basis points. The Subordinated Notes have a maturity of 10 years.

Earnings Summary – 2023 vs. 2022

Net income for 2023 was $12.1 million, or $1.75 per diluted share, compared with net income of $12.5 million, or $1.77 per diluted share, for 2022. State Bank reported net income for 2023 of $13.3 million, which was down slightly from the $13.4 million of net income in 2022. SBFG Title reported net income for 2023 of $0.24 million, which was down from net income of $0.39 million for 2022.

Positive results for 2023 included loan growth of $38.1 million, while deposits were slightly lower by $16.5 million. The Company completed the final forgiveness in January of 2023 from the nearly 1,200 PPP loans processed during 2020 and 2021. The mortgage banking business line was impacted by the rapidly rising rates, which contributed to the reduction in both balance growth and gains on sale. For the full year of 2023, residential real estate loan production was $215.5 million, with $3.6 million of revenue from gains on sale. The level of mortgage origination was down from the $313.0 million in 2022. The Company’s loans serviced for others ended the year at $1.367 billion, up slightly from $1.352 billion at December 31, 2022.

Operating revenue decreased just slightly by $0.6 million, or 1.1 percent, from $57.6 million in 2022 to $57.0 million in 2023 due to decreased originated mortgage servicing rights (“OMSR”) recapture, significantly lower mortgage gain revenue offset by a $1.4 million gain on the sale of equity securities. SBFG Title revenue decreased by $0.6 million to $1.6 million for 2023.

Operating expense decreased by $0.35 million, or 0.8 percent, from $42.3 million in 2022 to $42.0 million in 2023, due to lower incentive and commission levels, which were partially offset by higher medical costs and increased spending on technology.

Results of Operations

($ in thousands, except per share data)

1 Operating revenue equals net interest income plus noninterest income.

Net interest income was $39.3 million for 2023 and decreased slightly from net income of $39.4 million for 2022. Average earning assets increased slightly to $1.25 billion in 2023, compared to $1.23 billion in 2022, primarily due to the increase in our loan portfolio, partially offset by lower cash and securities. The consolidated 2023 full year net interest margin on an fully-taxable equivalent (“FTE”) basis decreased 6 basis points to 3.16 percent compared to 3.22 percent for the full year of 2022.

Provision for credit losses was taken in 2023 in the amount of $0.32 million compared to zero provision taken during 2022. For 2023, net charge-offs totaled $0.1 million or 0.01 percent of average loans, compared to net recoveries of $0.01 million or (0.00) percent of average loans, for 2022.

($ in thousands)

43

Total noninterest income was $17.7 million for 2023 compared to $18.2 million for 2022, representing a decrease of $0.5 million, or 2.8 percent, year-over-year. Gains on sale of residential mortgage loans was down from 2022 by $0.7 million, or 16.0 percent. The Company sold $161.2 million of originated mortgages into the secondary market in 2023, which due to being slightly more than the amortization on the serviced portfolio, increased the size of our serviced loan portfolio to $1.367 billion at December 31, 2023 from $1.352 billion at December 31, 2022. Sales of non-mortgage loans (small business and farm credits) in 2023 was the same as in 2022 at $4.2 million. The Company saw its wealth management assets under management decline by $5.3 million to $501.8 million at December 31, 2023, with total wealth management fees declining $0.2 million to $3.5 million.

($ in thousands)

Total noninterest expense was $42.0 million for 2023 compared to $42.3 million for 2022, representing a $0.3 million, or 0.8 percent, decrease year-over-year. Total full-time equivalent employees ended 2023 at 251, which was down 17 from year end 2022.

Earnings Summary – 2022 vs. 2021

Net income for 2022 was $12.5 million, or $1.77 per diluted share, compared with net income of $18.3 million, or $2.56 per diluted share, for 2021. State Bank reported net income for 2022 of $13.4 million, which was down from the $18.6 million in net income in 2021. SBFG Title reported net income for 2022 of $0.4 million, which was down from net income of $0.5 million in 2021.

Positive results for 2022 included loan growth of $135.9 million when excluding the impact of the PPP initiative, while total deposits declined in 2022 by $23.5 million. The mortgage banking business line contributed gain on sale revenues of $4.3 million, with residential real estate loan production of $312.6 million and sales of loans of $184.8 million for the year. The level of mortgage origination declined in 2022 to $313.0 million from the $600.0 million in 2021.

Operating revenue decreased by $11.0 million, or 16.0 percent, from $68.6 million in 2021 to $57.6 million in 2022 due to decreased PPP fees, OMSR recapture and lower mortgage gain revenue. SBFG Title increased revenue by $0.2 million to $2.3 million for 2022.

Operating expense decreased by $2.5 million, or 5.6 percent, from $44.8 million in 2021 to $42.3 million in 2022, due to compensation and fringe benefit cost decreases partially offset by higher spend on technology/digital initiatives.

Goodwill, Intangibles and Capital Purchases

The Company completed its most recent annual goodwill impairment review as of December 31, 2023. Due to declines in the Company’s share price, a quantitative evaluation of goodwill was completed as of September 30, 2023, which revealed that impairment was not warranted. No events have occurred since that assessment, which would warrant impairment. At December 31, 2023, the Company concluded that it was more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit exceeded its carrying value, resulting in no impairment. The Company’s goodwill is further discussed in Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Management plans to continue from time to time to purchase additional premises and equipment and improve current facilities to meet the current and future needs of the Company’s customers. These purchases will include buildings, leasehold improvements, furniture and equipment. Management expects that cash on hand and cash generated from current operations will fund these capital expenditures and purchases.

Liquidity

Liquidity relates primarily to the Company’s ability to fund loan demand, meet deposit customers’ withdrawal requirements and provide for operating expenses. Sources used to satisfy these needs consist of cash and due from banks, interest-bearing deposits in other financial institutions, securities available-for-sale, loans held for sale and borrowings from various sources. These assets, excluding the borrowings, are commonly referred to as liquid assets. Liquid assets were $246.7 million at December 31, 2023, which included pledged available-for-sale securities of $102.3 million, compared to liquid assets of $270.8 million at December 31, 2022.

The Company does not have material cash requirements for capital expenditures over the next year. Any cash needs for capital requirements would be funded by cash existing at the Company. It is not anticipated that the Company will be required to initiate external borrowings in order to fund ongoing operations.

The Company’s commercial real estate, first mortgage residential, agricultural and multi-family mortgage portfolio of $807.8 million at December 31, 2023, can and is readily used to collateralize borrowings, which is an additional source of liquidity. Management believes the Company’s current liquidity level, without these borrowings, is sufficient to meet its current and anticipated liquidity needs. At December 31, 2023, all eligible commercial real estate, residential first, multi-family mortgage and agricultural loans were pledged under a FHLB blanket lien.

Significant additional off balance-sheet liquidity is available in the form of FHLB advances, unused federal funds lines from correspondent banks and the national certificate of deposit market. Management expects the risk of changes in off-balance-sheet arrangements to be immaterial to earnings. Based on the current collateralization requirements of the FHLB, approximately $81.9 million of additional borrowing capacity existed at December 31, 2023.

At December 31, 2023 and 2022, the Company had $41.0 million and $56.0 million in federal funds lines available. The Company also had $105.5 million in unpledged securities at December 31, 2023 available for additional borrowings.

The cash flow statements for the periods presented provide an indication of the Company’s sources and uses of cash as well as an indication of the ability of the Company to maintain an adequate level of liquidity. A discussion of the cash flow statements for 2023 and 2022 follows:

The Company experienced positive cash flows from operating activities in 2023 and 2022. Net cash from operating activities was $14.0 million and $25.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Significant operating items for 2023 included gain on sale of loans of $4.0 million and net income of $12.1 million. Cash provided by the sale of loans held for sale were $161.2 million. Cash used in the origination of loans held for sale were $159.3 million.

The Company experienced negative cash flows from investing activities in 2023 and 2022. Net cash used in investing activities was $17.4 million and $165.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. A net increase in loans of $38.7 million was the primary change in 2023. The changes for 2022 include the purchase of available-for-sale securities of $50.6 million and net increase in loans of $139.7 million. The Company had proceeds from repayments, maturities, sales and calls of securities of $22.2 million and $35.9 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The Company experienced negative cash flows from financing activities in 2023 and positive cash flows in 2022. Net cash used in financing activities was $1.5 million and net cash provided by financing activities was $18.4 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Negative cash flows of $16.5 million and $26.4 million are attributable to the change in deposits for 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The Company uses an Economic Value of Equity (“EVE”) analysis to measure risk in the balance sheet incorporating all cash flows over the estimated remaining life of all balance sheet positions. The EVE analysis calculates the net present value of the Company’s assets and liabilities in rate shock environments that range from -400 basis points to +400 basis points. The results of this analysis are reflected in the following table, which reflects the Company’s neutral balance sheet that directionally is trending to a liability sensitive position:

Economic Value of Equity

December 31, 2023

($ in thousands)

Economic Value of Equity

December 31, 2022

($ in thousands)

Asset liability management involves developing, executing and monitoring strategies to maintain appropriate liquidity, maximize net interest income and minimize the impact that significant fluctuations in market interest rates would have on current and future earnings. The business of the Company and the composition of its balance sheet consist of investments in interest-earning assets (primarily loans, mortgage-backed securities, and securities available-for-sale) which are primarily funded by interest-bearing liabilities (deposits and borrowings). With the exception of specific loans which are originated and held for sale, all of the financial instruments of the Company are for other than trading purposes. All of the Company’s transactions are denominated in U.S. dollars with no specific foreign exchange exposure. In addition, the Company has limited exposure to commodity prices related to agricultural loans. The impact of changes in foreign exchange rates and commodity prices on interest rates are assumed to be insignificant. The Company’s financial instruments have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in market interest rates resulting in market risk. Interest rate risk is the Company’s primary market risk exposure; to a lesser extent, liquidity risk also impacts market risk exposure.

Interest rate risk is the exposure of a banking institution’s financial condition and results to adverse movements in interest rates. Accepting this risk can be an important source of profitability and shareholder value; however, excessive levels of interest rate risk could pose a significant threat to the Company’s earnings and capital base. Accordingly, effective risk management that maintains interest rate risks at prudent levels is essential to the Company’s safety and soundness.

Evaluating a financial institution’s exposure to changes in interest rates includes assessing both the adequacy of the management process used to control interest rate risk and the organization’s quantitative level of exposure. When assessing the interest rate risk management process, the Company seeks to ensure that appropriate policies, procedures, management information systems and internal controls are in place to maintain interest rate risks at prudent levels of consistency and continuity. Evaluating the quantitative level of interest rate risk exposure requires the Company to assess the existing and potential future effects of changes in interest rates on its consolidated financial condition, including capital adequacy, earnings, liquidity and asset quality (when appropriate).

The FRB together with the OCC and the FDIC adopted a Joint Agency Policy Statement on interest rate risk effective June 26, 1996. The policy statement provides guidance to examiners and bankers on sound practices for managing interest rate risk, which will form the basis for ongoing evaluation of the adequacy of interest rate risk management at supervised institutions. The policy statement also outlines fundamental elements of sound management that have been identified in prior Federal Reserve guidance and discusses the importance of these elements in the context of managing interest rate risk. Specifically, the guidance emphasizes the need for active board of director and senior management oversight and a comprehensive risk management process that effectively identifies, measures and controls interest rate risk.

Financial institutions derive their income primarily from the excess of interest collected over interest paid. The rates of interest an institution earns on its assets and owes on its liabilities generally are established contractually for a period of time. Since market interest rates change over time, an institution is exposed to lower profit margins (or losses) if it cannot adapt to interest rate changes. For example, assume that an institution’s assets carry intermediate or long-term fixed rates and that those assets are funded with short-term liabilities. If market interest rates rise by the time the short-term liabilities must be refinanced, the increase in the institution’s interest expense on its liabilities may not be sufficiently offset if assets continue to earn at the long-term fixed rates. Accordingly, an institution’s profits could decrease on existing assets because the institution will either have lower net interest income or possibly, net interest expense. Similar risks exist when assets are subject to contractual interest rate ceilings, or rate-sensitive assets are funded by longer-term, fixed-rate liabilities in a declining rate environment.

There are several ways an institution can manage interest rate risk including: 1) matching repricing periods for new assets and liabilities, for example, by shortening or lengthening terms of new loans, investments, or liabilities; 2) selling existing assets or repaying certain liabilities; and 3) hedging existing assets, liabilities, or anticipated transactions. An institution might also invest in more complex financial instruments intended to hedge or otherwise change interest rate risk. Interest rate swaps, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and other such derivative financial instruments can be used for this purpose. Because these instruments are sensitive to interest rate changes, they require management’s expertise to be effective. The Company has not purchased derivative financial instruments in the past, but during 2023 and 2022 the Company entered into interest rate swap agreements as an accommodation to certain loan customers (see Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements). The Company may purchase such instruments in the future if market conditions are favorable.

The Company manages its interest rate risk by the employment of strategies to assure that desired levels of both interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities mature or reprice with similar time frames. Such strategies include: 1) loans receivable which are renewed (and repriced) annually, 2) variable rate loans, 3) certificates of deposit with terms from one month to six years, 4) securities available-for-sale which mature at various times primarily from one through ten years, 5) federal funds borrowings with terms of one day to 90 days, and 6) FHLB borrowings with terms of one day to ten years.

Management believes the most significant impact on financial results is the Company’s ability to react to changes in interest rates. Management seeks to maintain an essentially balanced position between interest sensitive assets and liabilities and actively manages loan, security, and liability maturities in order to protect against the effects of wide interest rate fluctuations on net income and shareholders’ equity.

For additional quantitative and qualitative information regarding the Company’s interest rate risk, refer to the section captioned “Liquidity” under Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in this Form 10-K, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

With the participation of the Chief Executive Officer (the principal executive officer) and the Chief Financial Officer (the principal financial officer) of the Company, the Company’s management has evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Based on that evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and the Company’s Chief Financial Officer have concluded that:

• Information required to be disclosed by the Company in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports which the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act would be accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure;
• Information required to be disclosed by the Company in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports which the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act would be recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms; and
• The Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The Management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

• Pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries;
• Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and
• Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention of timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the assets of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

With the supervision and participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting as of December, 31, 2023, based on the criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on our assessment and those criteria, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective.

This Annual Report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s registered public accounting firm pursuant to rules of the SEC that permit the Company to provide only management’s report in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Changes in Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the Company’s fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2023, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.