OptimumBank Holdings, Inc.: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2022

Forward-Looking Statements

We have made forward-looking statements in this Annual Report about the financial condition, results of operations, and business of our company. These statements are not historical facts and include expressions concerning the future that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, among other things, the following possibilities:

• general economic conditions, either nationally or regionally, that are less favorable than expected resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in credit quality and an increase in credit risk-related losses and expenses;
• changes in the interest rate environment that reduce margins;
• competitive pressure in the banking industry that increases significantly;
• changes that occur in the regulatory environment; and
• changes that occur in business conditions and the rate of inflation.

When used in this Annual Report, the words “believes,” “estimates,” “plans,” “expects,” “should,” “may,” “might,” “outlook,” and “anticipates,” as well as similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

General

OptimumBank Holdings, Inc. is a Florida corporation (the “Company”) formed in 2004 as a bank holding company for OptimumBank (the “Bank”). The Company’s only business is the ownership and operation of the Bank. The Bank is a Florida state-chartered bank established in 2000, with deposits insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). The Bank offers a variety of community banking services to individual and corporate customers through its two banking offices located in Broward County, Florida.

The Company is subject to the supervision and regulation of The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). The Bank is subject to the supervision and regulation of the State of Florida Office of Financial Regulation (“OFR”) and the FDIC. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta.

At December 31, 2022, the Company had total assets of $585 million, net loans of $477 million, total deposits of $508 million and stockholders’ equity of $63 million. During 2022, the Company had a net income of $4 million.

Banking Products

The Bank’s revenues are primarily derived from interest and fees received in connection with, real estate and other loans, interest from securities and short-term investments, and service charges on payment transactions. The principal sources of funds for the Bank’s lending activities are deposits, borrowings, repayment of loans, and the repayment, or maturity of securities. The Bank’s principal expenses are the interest paid on deposits, and operating and general administrative expenses.

As is the case with banking institutions generally, the Bank’s operations are materially and significantly influenced by general economic conditions and by related monetary and fiscal policies of financial institution regulatory agencies, including the Federal Reserve and the FDIC. Deposit flows and costs of funds are influenced by interest rates on competing investments and general market rates of interest. Lending activities are affected by the demand for financing of real estate and other types of loans, which in turn is affected by the interest rates at which such financing may be offered and other factors affecting local demand and availability of funds. The Bank faces strong competition attracting deposits (its primary source of lendable funds) and originating loans.

The Bank provides a range of consumer and commercial banking services to individuals and businesses. The basic services offered include: demand interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing accounts, money market deposit accounts, NOW accounts, time deposits, Visa debit and ATM cards, cash management, direct deposits, notary services, money orders, night depository, cashier’s checks, domestic collections, and banking by mail. The Bank provides ATM cards and Visa debit cards, as a part of the Star, Presto and Cirrus networks, thereby permitting customers to utilize the convenience of ATMs worldwide. On December 2022, the Bank began participating as a member of the IntraFi Network, which is the largest provider of reciprocal deposits. With IntraFi’s reciprocal deposit services, the Bank can offer depositors access to FDIC insurance well beyond the standard maximum of $250,000 for funds placed into demand deposit accounts, money market deposit accounts, or CDs. The Bank does not have trust powers and provides no trust services. The Bank makes multi-family real estate loans, residential real estate loans, commercial real estate loans, land and construction, and consumer loans. The Bank offers business lending lines for working capital needs. Growing businesses can use the loans to expand inventory, take discounts, offset receivables, or establish new structured financing and repayment plans that are consistent with the cash flow of the business. In 2023, the Bank plans to provide small businesses administration government loans to small and middle market businesses.

Operating and Business Strategy

The Company’s continuing goal is for the Bank to become one of the leading community banking organizations in South Florida through steady growth and a prudent operating strategy.

The key elements of the Bank’s operating and business strategies are as follows:

• Emphasizing local management and local decision-making, resulting in rapid, personalized customer service, rapid credit decisions and expedited closings;
• Maintaining a presence in South Florida through an expanding branch network. The Bank has two branch banking offices in Broward County; and has plans to open an additional branch office in Miami-Dade County in the third quarter of 2023.
• Concentrating on real estate, commercial and consumer lending activities by originating fixed and variable rate commercial mortgage loans, commercial loans, and consumer loans for Bank customers; In 2023, the Bank plans to provide small businesses administration government loans to small and middle market businesses.
• Maintaining high credit quality through strict underwriting criteria and the Bank’s knowledge of the real estate values and borrowers in its market area; and
• Personalizing products and service by providing innovative financial products and high service levels in order to maintain strong customer relationships. The Bank seeks customers who prefer to conduct business with a Florida managed institution.

The Bank and its management team are focusing on achieving the following key business objectives:

• Increasing and Diversifying Loan Originations. Management is seeking to increase the Bank’s loan production to add more interest-bearing assets to its asset base. In addition, management is endeavoring to diversify loan originations and the loan portfolio to include more commercial and consumer loans in order to supplement the Bank’s existing portfolio of commercial and residential real estate loans.
• Increasing Capital Ratios. Management is seeking to obtain additional capital to increase the Bank’s capital ratios in order to allow the Bank to grow, implement its business plan and improve profitability.

Lending Activities

The Bank offers real estate, commercial and consumer loans to individuals and small businesses and other organizations that are located in or conduct a substantial portion of their business in its market area. The Bank’s primary market area consists of Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie counties, and secondarily throughout the State of Florida. The Bank’s net loans at December 31, 2022 were $477.2 million, or 82% of total assets. During 2022 net loans increased by $229.3 million due to the success of the Bank is seeking new lending opportunities in South Florida. Loan balances increased by $21.0 million in multi-family real estate loans, $17.8 million in residential real estate loans, $181.2 million in commercial real estate loans $13.5, million in land and construction loans, and $7.5 million in consumer loans. The interest rates charged on loans varied with the degree of risk, maturity, and amount of the loan, and are further subject to competitive pressures, money market rates, availability of funds, and government regulations. The Bank has no loans to non-U.S. borrowers.

The Bank’s loan portfolio is concentrated in three major areas: residential, multi-family real estate, and commercial real estate loans. As of December 31, 2022, 93% of the loan portfolio consisted of loans secured by mortgages on real estate, of which approximately 64% of the total loan portfolio was secured by commercial real estate properties. The real estate loans are located primarily in the counties the Bank serves in the State of Florida.

The Bank’s real estate loans are secured by mortgages and consist primarily of loans to individuals and businesses for the purchase or improvement of, or investment in, real estate. These real estate loans were made at fixed or variable interest rates and are normally variable rate mortgages which adjust annually after the initial three to five-year period of the loan. The Bank’s fixed rate loans generally are for terms of five years or less, and are repayable in monthly instalments based on a maximum 30-year amortization schedule.

Loan originations are derived primarily from director and employee referrals, existing customers, and direct marketing. Certain credit risks are inherent in making loans. These include prepayment risks, risks resulting from uncertainties in the future value of collateral, risks resulting from changes in economic and industry conditions including interest rates, and risks inherent in dealing with individual borrowers. A significant portion of the Bank’s portfolio is collateralized by real estate in South Florida, which is susceptible to local economic downturns. The Bank attempts to minimize credit losses through various means. On most credits, it relies on the cash flow and assets of a debtor as the source of repayment as well as the value of the underlying collateral. The Bank also generally limits its loans to up to 80% of the value of the underlying real estate collateral. The Bank generally charges a prepayment penalty if a loan is repaid within the first two to three years of origination to recover any costs it paid for the origination of the loan.

Deposit Activities

Deposits are the major source of the Bank’s funds for lending and other investment activities. The Bank considers the majority of its regular savings, demand, NOW, money market deposit accounts and certificates of deposit under $250,000 to be core deposits. These accounts comprised approximately 90.7% of the Bank’s total deposits at December 31, 2022. Approximately 47.2% of the deposits at December 31, 2022 were certificates of deposit. Generally, the Bank attempts to maintain the rates paid on its deposits at a competitive level. Time deposits of $250,000 and over made up approximately 9.3% of the Bank’s total deposits at December 31, 2022. During 2022 total deposits increased by $215.4 million. The increase in deposit balances primarily consisted of an increase of $35.1 million in non-interest bearing demand deposits and an increase of $226.7 million in time deposits. These increases were offset by a decrease of $46.4 million in Savings, NOW, and money-market accounts. A large portion of the increase in time deposits consisted of the sale of larger certificates of deposit through online platforms that allow the bank to contact a broader range of depositors.

Investments

The Bank’s investment securities portfolio was approximately $25.6 million and $35.4 million at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, representing 4% and 10% of its total assets. At December 31, 2022, 52% of this portfolio was invested in asset-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities generally have a shorter life than the stated maturity. The Bank’s investments are managed in relation to loan demand and deposit growth, and are generally used to provide for the investment of excess funds at minimal risk levels while providing liquidity to fund increases in loan demand or to offset fluctuations in deposits.

The excess balance account is the excess cash the Bank has available over and above daily cash needs. This money is invested on an overnight basis with the Federal Reserve.

Correspondent Banking

Correspondent banking involves one bank providing services to another bank which cannot provide that service for itself from an economic or practical standpoint. The Bank is required to purchase correspondent services offered by larger banks, including check collections, purchase of federal funds, security safekeeping, investment services, coin and currency supplies.

The Bank has established a correspondent relationship with the Federal Reserve Bank. The Bank pays for such services in cash as opposed to keeping compensating balances. The Bank also sells loan participations to other banks with respect to loans which exceed its lending limit. The Bank may purchase loan participations to supplement loan demand.

Data Processing

The Bank outsources most of its data processing services, including an automated general ledger and deposit accounting; however, it services all its loans in-house.

Internet Banking

The Bank maintains a website at www.optimumbank.com (http://www.optimumbank.com) where retail and business customers can access account balances, view current account activity and previous statements, view images of paid checks, transfer funds between accounts, and pay bills. The Bank offers its customers mobile access to their account information, with the option to setup alerts, and deposit checks across a broad range of phones and mobile devices. The Bank also offers its business customers remote deposit capture and online cash management services that include ACH origination and wire transfers using soft token technology for security.

Competition

The Bank encounters strong competition in making loans and attracting deposits. The deregulation of the banking industry and the widespread enactment of state laws which permit multi-bank holding companies as well as an increasing level of interstate banking have created a highly competitive environment for commercial banking. In one or more aspects of its business, the Bank competes with other commercial banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, finance companies, mutual funds, insurance companies, brokerage and investment banking companies, and other financial intermediaries. Most of these competitors, some of which are affiliated with bank holding companies, have substantially greater resources and lending limits, and may offer certain services that the Bank does not currently provide. In addition, many of its non-bank competitors are not subject to the same extensive federal regulations that govern federally insured banks. Recent federal and state legislation has heightened the competitive environment in which financial institutions must conduct their business, and the potential for competition among financial institutions of all types has increased significantly.

To compete, the Bank relies upon specialized services, responsive handling of customer needs, and personal contacts by its officers, directors and staff. Large multi-branch banking competitors tend to compete primarily by rate and the number and location of branches while smaller, independent financial institutions tend to compete primarily by rate and personal service.

Human Capital

The Bank is committed to establishing personal relationships with its customers and providing personalized banking services that meet their specific needs. The Bank’s employees are critical to achieving this goal. It is therefore crucial that the Bank continues to attract and retain experienced and skilled employees.

As part of these efforts, the Bank seeks to offer competitive compensation and benefits, maintain a community in which all employees are empowered to perform their duties to the best of their abilities, and give employees the opportunity to contribute to the local community.

As of December 31, 2022, the Bank had 48 full-time employees, including executive officers. These employees are not represented by a collective bargaining unit. The Bank considers its relations with its employees to be good.

Compensation and Benefits Program. The Bank’s compensation program is designed to attract and reward talented individuals who possess the skills necessary to support our business objectives, assist in the achievement of our strategic goals and create long-term value for our shareholders. The Bank provides its employees with compensation packages that include base salary and annual incentive bonuses. The Bank believes that its compensation program provides fair and competitive compensation and aligns associate and shareowner interests, including by incentivizing business and individual performance and integrating compensation with our business plans. In addition to cash compensation, the Bank also offers employees benefits such as life and health insurance, paid time off, paid parental leave and a 401(k) plan.

Diversity and Inclusion. The Bank believes that an equitable and inclusive environment produces more creative solutions, results in better services and is crucial to our efforts to attract and retain key talent. The Bank strives to promote inclusion through our corporate values of integrity, advocacy, partnership, relationships, community, and personalized service. The Bank is focused on building an inclusive culture through a variety of diversity and inclusion initiatives, including related to internal promotions and hiring practices.

Community Involvement. The Bank aims to give back to the local community, and believes that this commitment helps in our efforts to attract and retain employees. The Bank encourages its employees to volunteer with local service organizations and philanthropic groups.

Health and Safety. The success of the Bank’s business is fundamentally connected to the well-being of its employees. Accordingly, the Bank is committed to the health, safety and the wellness of its employees. The Bank provides employees and their families with access to a variety of flexible and convenient health and the welfare programs, including benefits that support their physical and mental health by providing tools and resources to help them improve or maintain their health status; and that offer choice where possible so they can customize their benefits to meet their needs and the needs of their families.

Supervision and Regulation

Banks and their holding companies are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. The following is a brief summary of certain statutes, rules, regulations and enforcement actions affecting the Company and the Bank. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statutory and regulatory provisions referred to below and is not intended to be an exhaustive description of the statutes or regulations applicable to the business of the Company or the Bank. Supervision, regulation, and examination of banks by regulatory agencies are intended primarily for the protection of depositors, rather than shareholders.

Regulatory Matters

Banks and bank holding companies are subject to regulatory capital requirements administered by federal banking agencies. Capital adequacy guidelines and, additionally for banks, prompt corrective action regulations, involve quantitative measures of assets, liabilities, and certain off balance sheet items calculated under regulatory accounting practices. Capital amounts and classifications are also subject to qualitative judgments by regulators. Failure to meet capital requirements can initiate regulatory action. The net unrealized gain or loss on available for sale securities is not included in computing regulatory capital. Management believes as of December 31, 2022, the Company and Bank meet all capital adequacy requirements to which they are subject.

In 2019, the federal banking agencies jointly issued a final rule that provides for an optional, simplified measure of capital adequacy, the community bank leverage ratio framework (CBLR framework), for qualifying community banking organizations. The final rule became effective on January 1, 2020 and was elected by the Bank. In April 2020, the federal banking agencies issued an interim final rule that makes temporary changes to the CBLR framework, pursuant to section 4012 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and a second interim final rule that provides a graduated increase in the community bank leverage ratio requirement after the expiration of the temporary changes implemented pursuant to section 4012 of the CARES Act.

The community bank leverage ratio removes the requirement for qualifying banking organizations to calculate and report risk-based capital but rather only requires a Tier 1 to average assets (leverage) ratio. Qualifying community banking organizations that elect to use the community bank leverage ratio framework and that maintain a leverage ratio of greater than required minimums will be considered to have satisfied the generally applicable risk-based and leverage capital requirements in the agencies’ capital rules (generally applicable rule) and, if applicable, will be considered to have met the well capitalized ratio requirements for purposes of section 38 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. The community bank leverage ratio minimum requirement is 9%. Under the final rule, an eligible community banking organization can opt out of the CBLR framework and revert back to the risk-weighting framework without restriction.

Management believes, as of December 31, 2022, that the Bank met all capital adequacy requirements to which it was subject. The Bank’s actual capital amounts and percentages are presented in the table ($’s in thousands):

Dodd-Frank Act

The Company and the Bank are subject to the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or the Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Act has had a broad impact on the financial services industry, including significant regulatory and compliance changes including, among other things, (1) enhanced resolution authority of troubled and failing banks and their holding companies; (2) changes to capital and liquidity requirements; (3) changes to regulatory examination fees; (4) changes to assessments to be paid to the FDIC for federal deposit insurance; and (5) numerous other provisions designed to improve supervision and oversight of, and strengthening safety and soundness for, the financial services sector.

The following items provide a brief description of the impact of the Dodd-Frank Act on the Bank’s operations and activities, both currently and prospectively.

Increased Capital Standards and Enhanced Supervision. The Dodd-Frank Act revised capital rules became effective for community banks with assets less than $10 billion and their holding companies pursuant to the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act and standards adopted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (referred to as “Basel III”). The Dodd-Frank Act also increased regulatory oversight, supervision and examination of banks, bank holding companies and their respective subsidiaries by the appropriate regulatory agency. Compliance with new regulatory requirements and expanded examination processes could increase the Company’s cost of operations.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Dodd-Frank Act created a new, independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or the Bureau, within the Federal Reserve. The Bureau is tasked with establishing and implementing rules and regulations under certain federal consumer protection laws with respect to the conduct of providers of certain consumer financial products and services. The Bureau has rulemaking authority over many of the statutes governing products and services offered to bank consumers. Generally, we will not be directly subject to the rules and regulations of the Bureau. However, the Dodd-Frank Act permits states to adopt consumer protection laws and regulations that are stricter than those regulations promulgated by the Bureau and state attorneys general are permitted to enforce consumer protection rules adopted by the Bureau against certain state-chartered institutions. Any such new regulations could increase the cost of operations and, as a result, could limit the Bank’s ability to expand into these products and services.

Deposit Insurance. The Dodd-Frank Act made permanent the $250,000 deposit insurance limit for insured deposits. Amendments to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act also revised the assessment base against which an insured depository institution’s deposit insurance premium paid to the FDIC’s Deposit Insurance Fund (the “DIF”) is calculated. Under the amendments, the assessment base will be its average consolidated total assets less its average tangible equity. Additionally, the Dodd-Frank Act made changes to the minimum designated reserve ratio of the DIF, increasing the minimum from 1.15 percent to 1.35 percent of the estimated amount of total insured deposits, and eliminated the requirement that the FDIC pay dividends to depository institutions when the reserve ratio exceeds certain thresholds. The Dodd-Frank Act also provides that depository institutions may pay interest on demand deposits, which assists the Bank in obtaining more deposits. In December 2022, the Bank began participating as a member of the IntraFi Network, which is the largest provider of reciprocal deposits. With IntraFi’s reciprocal deposit services, the Bank can offer depositors access to FDIC insurance well beyond the standard maximum of $250,000 for funds placed into demand deposit accounts, money market deposit accounts, or CDs.

Transactions with Affiliates. The Dodd-Frank Act enhanced the requirements for certain transactions with affiliates under Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act, including an expansion of the definition of “covered transactions” and increasing the amount of time for which collateral requirements regarding covered transactions must be maintained.

Transactions with Insiders. Insider transaction limitations were expanded through the strengthening on loan restrictions to insiders and the expansion of the types of transactions subject to the various limits.

Enhanced Lending Limits. The Dodd-Frank Act strengthened the existing limits on a depository institution’s credit exposure to one borrower. The Dodd-Frank Act expanded the scope of these restrictions to include credit exposure arising from derivative transactions, repurchase agreements, and securities lending and borrowing transactions.

Company Regulation

General. As a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the “BHCA”), the Company is subject to the regulation and supervision of, and inspection by, the Federal Reserve Board (“Federal Reserve”). The Company is also required to file with the Federal Reserve annual reports and other information regarding its business operations, and those of its subsidiaries. In the past, the BHCA limited the activities of bank holding companies and their subsidiaries to activities which were limited to banking, managing or controlling banks, furnishing services to or performing services for their subsidiaries or engaging in any other activity which the Federal Reserve determined to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be properly incidental thereto. Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999 which is discussed below, bank holding companies have the opportunity to seek broadened authority, subject to limitations on investment, to engage in activities that are “financial in nature” if all of their subsidiary depository institutions are well capitalized, well managed, and have at least a satisfactory rating under the Community Reinvestment Act, which is also discussed below.

In this regard, the BHCA prohibits a bank holding company, with certain limited exceptions, from (i) acquiring or retaining direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the outstanding voting stock of any company which is not a bank or bank holding company, or (ii) engaging directly or indirectly in activities other than those of banking, managing or controlling banks, or performing services for its subsidiaries, unless such non-banking business is determined by the FRB to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be properly incident thereto. In making such determinations, the FRB is required to weigh the expected benefit to the public, such as greater convenience, increased competition or gains in efficiency, against the possible adverse effects, such as undue concentration of resources, decreased or unfair competition, conflicts of interest, or unsound banking practices. Generally, bank holding companies, such as the Company, are required to obtain prior approval of the Federal Reserve to engage in any new activity not previously approved by the Federal Reserve.

Change of Control. The BHCA also requires that every bank holding company obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve before it may acquire all or substantially all of the assets of any bank, or ownership or control of any voting shares of any bank, if after such acquisition it would own or control, directly or indirectly, more than 5% of the voting shares of such bank. In approving bank acquisitions by bank holding companies, the Federal Reserve is required to consider the financial and managerial resources and future prospects of the bank holding company and the banks concerned, the convenience and needs of the communities to be served, including the parties’ performance under the Community Reinvestment Act (discussed below) and various competitive factors. As described in greater detail below, pursuant to the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branch Efficiency Act of 1994 (the “Interstate Banking and Branching Act”), a bank holding company is permitted to acquire banks in states other than its home state.

The BHCA further prohibits a person or group of persons from acquiring “control” of a bank holding company unless the Federal Reserve Bank has been notified and has not objected to the transaction. Under a rebuttable presumption established by the Federal Reserve, the acquisition of 10% or more of a class of voting stock of a bank holding company with a class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act would, under the circumstances set forth in the presumption, constitute acquisition of control of the bank holding company. In addition, any person or group of persons must obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve under the BHCA before acquiring 25% (5% in the case of an acquirer that is already a bank holding company) or more of the outstanding common stock of a bank holding company, or otherwise obtaining control or a “controlling influence” over the bank holding company.

Interstate Banking and Branching. The Interstate Banking and Branching Act provides for nationwide interstate banking and branching. Under the law, interstate acquisitions of banks or bank holding companies in any state by bank holding companies in any other state are permissible subject to certain limitations. Florida also has a law that allows out-of-state bank holding companies (located in states that allow Florida bank holding companies to acquire banks and bank holding companies in that state) to acquire Florida banks and Florida bank holding companies. The law essentially provides for out-of-state entry by acquisition only (and not by interstate branching) and requires the acquired Florida bank to have been in existence for at least three years. Interstate branching and consolidation of existing bank subsidiaries in different states is permissible. A Florida bank also may establish, maintain, and operate one or more branches in a state other than Florida pursuant to an interstate merger transaction in which the Florida bank is the resulting bank.

Financial Modernization. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999 (the “GLB Act”) sought to achieve significant modernization of the federal bank regulatory framework by allowing the consolidation of banking institutions with other types of financial services firms, subject to various restrictions and requirements. In general, the GLB Act repealed most of the federal statutory barriers which separated commercial banking firms from insurance and securities firms and authorized the consolidation of such firms in a “financial services holding company.” The Bank has no current plans to utilize the structural options created by the GLB Act.

Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance. The Company’s common stock is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and we are subject to restrictions, reporting requirements and review procedures under federal securities laws and regulations. The Company is also subject to the rules and reporting requirements of the NASDAQ Capital Market, on which its common stock is traded. Like other issuers of publicly traded securities, the Company must also comply with the corporate governance reforms enacted under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) and the rules of the SEC and NASDAQ Stock Market adopted pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Among other things, these reforms, effective as of various dates, require certification of consolidated financial statements by the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, prohibit the provision of specified services by independent auditors, require pre-approval of independent auditor services, define director independence and require certain committees, and a majority of a subject company’s board of directors, to consist of independent directors, establish additional disclosure requirements in reports filed with the SEC, require expedited filing of reports, require management evaluation and auditor attestation of internal controls, prohibit loans by the issuer (but not by certain depository institutions) to directors and officers, set record-keeping requirements, mandate complaint procedures for the reporting of accounting and audit concerns by employees, and establish penalties for non-compliance.

Bank Regulation

General. The Bank is chartered under the laws of the State of Florida, and its deposits are insured by the FDIC to the extent provided by law. The Bank is subject to comprehensive regulation, examination and supervision by the FDIC and the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, or the Florida OFR, and to other laws and regulations applicable to banks. Such regulations include limitations on loans to a single borrower and to its directors, officers and employees; limitations on the types of activities a state bank can conduct; restrictions on the opening and closing of branch offices; the maintenance of required capital ratios; the granting of credit under equal and fair conditions; and the disclosure of the costs and terms of such credit. The Bank is examined periodically by the FDIC and the Florida OFR, to whom it submits periodic reports regarding its financial condition and other matters. The FDIC and the Florida OFR have a broad range of powers to enforce regulations under their jurisdiction, and to take discretionary actions determined to be for the protection and safety and soundness of banks, including the institution of cease and desist orders and the removal of directors and officers. The FDIC and the Florida OFR also have the authority to approve or disapprove mergers, consolidations, and similar corporate actions.

Dividends. The Company’s ability to pay dividends is substantially dependent on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends to the Company. As a state-chartered bank, the Bank is subject to dividend restrictions set by Florida law and the FDIC. Except with the prior approval of the Florida OFR, all dividends of any Florida bank must be paid out of retained net profits from the current period and the previous two years, after deducting expenses, including losses and bad debts. Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, an FDIC-insured institution may not pay any dividend if payment would cause it to become undercapitalized or while it is undercapitalized. The FDIC and the Florida OFR also have the general authority to limit the dividend payment by banks if such payment may be deemed to constitute an unsafe and unsound practice.

Loans to One Borrower. Florida law generally allows a state bank such as the Bank to extend credit to any one borrower (and certain related entities of such borrower) in an amount up to 25% of its capital accounts, provided that the unsecured portion may not exceed 15% of the capital accounts of the bank. Based upon the Bank’s capital, the maximum loan the Bank is currently permitted to make to any one borrower (and certain related entities of such borrower) is approximately $16.6 million, provided the unsecured portion does not exceed approximately $9.9 million.

Transactions with Affiliates. Under federal law, federally insured banks are subject, with certain exceptions, to certain restrictions on any extension of credit to their parent holding companies or other affiliates, on investment in the stock or other securities of affiliates, and on the taking of such stock or securities as collateral from any borrower. In addition, banks are prohibited from engaging in certain tie-in arrangements in connection with any extension of credit or the providing of any property or service.

Change of Bank Control. Florida law restricts the amount of voting stock of a bank that a person may acquire without the prior approval of banking regulators. The overall effect of such laws is to make it more difficult to acquire a bank by tender offer or similar means than it might be to acquire control of another type of corporation. Consequently, shareholders of financial institutions are less likely to benefit from the rapid increases in stock prices that often result from tender offers or similar efforts to acquire control of other companies.

Under Florida law, no person or group of persons may, directly or indirectly or acting by or through one or more persons, purchase or acquire a controlling interest in any bank which would result in the change in control of that bank unless the Florida OFR first shall have approved such proposed acquisition. A person or group will be deemed to have acquired “control” of a bank (i) if the person or group, directly or indirectly or acting by or through one, or more other persons, owns, controls, or has power to vote 25% or more of any class of voting securities of the bank, or controls in any manner the election of a majority of the directors of the bank, or (ii) if the Florida OFR determines that such person exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of the bank. In any case where a proposed purchase of voting securities would give rise to a presumption of control, the person or group who proposes to purchase the securities must first file written notice of the proposal to the Florida OFR for its review and approval. Subsections 658.27(2) and 658.28(3), Florida Statutes, refer to a potential change of control of a financial institution at a 10% or more threshold and rebuttable presumption of control. Accordingly, the name of any subscriber acquiring more than 10% of the voting securities of the Bank must be submitted to the Florida OFR for prior approval.

USA Patriot Act. The Bank is subject to the requirements of the USA Patriot Act, which was enacted in 2001 to provide the federal government with powers to prevent, detect, and prosecute terrorism and international money laundering, and has resulted in promulgation of several regulations that have a direct impact on banks. There are a number of programs that financial institutions must have in place such as: (i) Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering programs to manage risk; (ii) Customer Identification Programs to determine the true identity of customers, document and verify the information, and determine whether the customer appears on any federal government list of known or suspected terrorist or terrorist organizations; and (iii) monitoring for the timely detection and reporting of suspicious activity and reportable transactions. The Bank has devoted substantial attention and resources to compliance with these laws.

Other Consumer Laws. Florida usury laws and federal laws concerning interest rates limit the amount of interest and various other charges collected or contracted by a bank. The Bank’s loans are also subject to federal laws applicable to consumer credit transactions, such as the:

• Federal Truth-In-Lending Act governing disclosures of credit terms to consumer borrowers;
• Community Reinvestment Act requiring financial institutions to meet their obligations to provide for the total credit needs of the communities they serve, including investing their assets in loans to low and moderate-income borrowers;
• Home Mortgage Disclosure Act requiring financial institutions to provide information to enable public officials to determine whether a financial institution is fulfilling its obligations to meet the housing needs of the community it serves;
• Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed or other prohibitive factors in extending credit;
• Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act which requires lenders to disclose certain information regarding the nature and cost of real estate settlements, and prohibits certain lending practices, as well as limits escrow account amounts in real estate transactions;
• Fair Debt Collection Act governing the manner in which consumer debts may be collected by collection agencies;
• Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act which establishes additional rights for consumers to obtain and correct credit reports, addresses identity theft, and establishes additional requirements for consumer reporting agencies and financial institutions that provide adverse credit information to a consumer reporting agency; and
• The rules and regulations of various federal agencies charged with the responsibility of implementing such federal laws.

The Bank’s deposit and loan operations are also subject to the following:

• GLB Act privacy provisions, which require the Bank maintain privacy policies intended to safeguard consumer financial information, to disclose these policies to its customers, and allow customers to “opt-out” of having their financial service providers disclose their confidential financial information to non-affiliated third parties, subject to certain exceptions;
• Right to Financial Privacy Act, which imposes a duty to maintain confidentiality of consumer financial records and prescribes procedures for complying with administrative subpoenas of financial records; and
• Electronic Funds Transfer Act and Regulation E, which govern automatic deposits to, and withdrawals from, deposit accounts and customers’ rights and liabilities arising from the use of automated teller machines and other electronic banking services.

Other Regulation

Enforcement Powers. Congress has provided the federal bank regulatory agencies with an array of powers to enforce laws, rules, regulations and orders. Among other things, the agencies may require that institutions cease and desist from certain activities, may preclude persons from participating in the affairs of insured depository institutions, may suspend or remove deposit insurance, and may impose civil money penalties against institution-affiliated parties for certain violations.

Community Reinvestment Act. Bank holding companies and their subsidiary banks are subject to the provisions of the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (the “CRA”) and the regulations promulgated thereunder by the appropriate bank regulatory agency. Under the terms of the CRA, the appropriate federal bank regulatory agency is required, in connection with its examination of a bank, to assess such bank’s record in meeting the credit needs of the community served by that bank, including low-and moderate-income neighborhoods. The regulatory agency’s assessment of the Bank’s record is made available to the public. Further, such assessment is required of any bank which has applied to charter a bank, obtain deposit insurance coverage for a newly chartered institution, establish a new branch office that will accept deposits, relocate an office, or merge or consolidate with, or acquire the assets or assume the liabilities of, a federally regulated financial institution. In the case of a bank holding company applying for approval to acquire a bank or other bank holding company, the Federal Reserve will assess the record of each subsidiary bank of the applicant bank holding company, and such records may be the basis for denying the application.

Effect of Governmental Monetary Policies

The Company’s earnings are affected by domestic economic conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government and its agencies. The Federal Reserve monetary policies have had, and will likely continue to have, an important impact on the operating results of financial institutions through its power to implement national monetary policy in order, among other things, to curb inflation or combat a recession. The monetary policies of the Federal Reserve have major effects upon the levels of loans, investments and deposits through its open market operations in United States Government securities and through its regulation of the discount rate on borrowings of member banks. It is not possible to predict the nature or impact of future changes in monetary and fiscal policies.

Statistical Profile and Other Financial Data

Reference is hereby made to the statistical and financial data contained in the sections captioned “Selected Financial Data” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” for statistical and financial data providing a review of the Bank’s business activities.

The Bank operates a main office and one branch office in Broward County, Florida, and currently plans to open an additional branch office in Miami-Dade County in the third quarter of 2023. The following table sets forth information with respect to the Bank’s offices as of December 31, 2022.

From time-to-time, the Bank is involved in litigation arising in the ordinary course of its business. As of the date of the filing of this Form 10-K, management is of the opinion that the ultimate aggregate liability in connection with any pending litigation will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

General

Critical Accounting Policies

The Company’s financial condition and results of operations are sensitive to accounting measurements and estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. When applying accounting policies in areas that are subjective in nature, the Company must use its best judgment to arrive at the carrying value of certain assets. One of the most critical accounting policies applied by the Company is related to the valuation of its loan portfolio and deferred income to valuation allowance.

A variety of estimates impact the carrying value of the Company’s loan portfolio including the calculation of the allowance for loan losses, valuation of underlying collateral, the timing of loan charge-offs and the amount and amortization of loan fees and deferred origination costs.

The calculation of the allowance for loan losses is a complex process containing estimates which are inherently subjective and susceptible to significant revision as current information becomes available. The allowance is established and maintained at a level management believes is adequate to cover losses resulting from the inability of borrowers to make required payments on loans. Estimates for loan losses are determined by analyzing risks associated with specific loans and the loan portfolio, current trends in delinquencies and charge-offs, the views of the Company’s regulators, changes in the size and composition of the loan portfolio and peer comparisons. The analysis also requires consideration of the economic climate and direction, changes in the economic and interest rate environment which may impact a borrower’s ability to pay, legislation impacting the banking industry and economic conditions specific to the counties the Bank serves in the State of Florida. Because the calculation of the allowance for loan losses relies on the Company’s estimates and judgments relating to inherently uncertain events, results may differ from management’s estimates.

The allowance for loan losses is also discussed as part of “Loan Portfolio, Asset Quality and Allowance for Loan Losses” and in Note 3 of Notes to the consolidated financial statements. The Company’s significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 1 of Notes to the consolidated financial statements.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company assessed its earnings history and trend over the past year and its estimate of future earnings. In 2021, the Company determined that it was more likely than not that the deferred tax assets would be realized in the near term. Accordingly, in 2021, the valuation allowance in the amount of $4 million that has been previously recorded against the net deferred tax asset for the amount not expected to be realized in the future was fully reversed.

Regulation and Legislation

As a state-chartered commercial bank, the Bank is subject to extensive regulation by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, or Florida OFR, and the FDIC. The Bank files reports with the Florida OFR and the FDIC concerning its activities and financial condition, in addition to obtaining regulatory approvals prior to entering into certain transactions such as mergers with or acquisitions of other financial institutions. Periodic examinations are performed by the Florida OFR and the FDIC to monitor the Bank’s compliance with the various regulatory requirements. The Company is also subject to regulation and examination by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

Loan Portfolio, Asset Quality and Allowance for Loan Losses

The Bank’s primary business is making business loans. This activity may subject the Bank to potential loan losses, the magnitude of which depends on a variety of economic factors affecting borrowers which are beyond its control. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021 the Bank did not have any impaired loans.

The following table sets forth the composition of the Bank’s loan portfolio (dollars in thousands):

The following table sets forth the activity in the allowance for loan losses (in thousands):

The allowance for loan losses represents management’s estimate of probable incurred losses inherent in the existing loan portfolio. The allowance for loan losses is increased by the provision for loan losses charged to earnings and reduced by loans charged off, net of recoveries. The allowance for loan losses represented 1.20% and 1.22% of the total loans outstanding at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Bank evaluates the allowance for loan losses on a regular basis. The allowance for loan losses is determined based on a periodic review of several factors: reviews and evaluation of individual loans, historical loan loss experiences, the nature and volume of the loan portfolio, adverse situations that may affect the borrower’s ability to repay, estimated value of any underlying collateral and current economic conditions. This evaluation is inherently subjective as it requires estimates that are susceptible to significant revision as more information becomes available.

The allowance consists of two components. The first component consists of amounts specifically reserved (“specific allowance”) for specific loans identified as impaired, as defined by FASB Accounting Standards Codification No. 310 (“ASC 310”). Impaired loans are those loans that management has estimated will not be repaid as agreed upon. The Bank measures impairment on a loan by loan basis for all of its loans by either the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate, the loan’s obtainable market price, or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral-dependent. A loan may be impaired (i.e. not expected to be repaid as agreed), but may be sufficiently collateralized such that the Bank expects to recover all principal and interest eventually, and therefore no specific reserve is warranted.

The second component is a general reserve (“general allowance”) on all of the Bank’s loans, other than those identified as impaired. The Bank groups these loans into categories with similar characteristics and then applies a loss factor to each group which is derived from the Bank’s historical loss experience for that category adjusted for qualitative factors such as economic conditions and other trends or uncertainties that could affect management’s estimate of probable loss. The aggregate of these two components results in the Bank’s total allowance for loan losses.

The following table sets forth the Bank’s allowance for loan losses by loan type (dollars in thousands):

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The following summarizes the amount of impaired loans (in thousands):

During 2022, 2021, and 2020, the average recorded investment in impaired loans and interest income recognized and received on impaired loans were as follows (in thousands):

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity represents an institution’s ability to meet current and future obligations through liquidation or maturity of existing assets or the acquisition of additional liabilities. The Bank’s ability to respond to the needs of depositors and borrowers and to benefit from investment opportunities is facilitated through liquidity management.

The Bank’s primary sources of cash during the year ended December 31, 2022, were payments of principal and interest on loans made by the Bank to third parties, payments of principal and interest on debt securities held by the Bank and deposits made by third parties at the Bank. Cash was used primarily to fund loans and repay Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (“FHLB”) advances. The Bank adjusts rates on its deposits to attract or retain deposits as needed. The Bank primarily obtains deposits from its market area.

The Bank may borrow funds from other financial institutions. The Bank is a member of the FHLB, which allows it to borrow funds under a pre-arranged line of credit. As of December 31, 2022, the Bank had $10 million in borrowings outstanding from the FHLB of Atlanta to facilitate lending and manage its asset and liability structure, and remaining credit availability with the FHLB of $125.7 million. At December 31, 2022, the Bank also had lines of credit amounting to $19.5 million with five correspondent banks to purchase federal funds.

Debt Securities

The Bank’s securities portfolio is comprised of SBA pool securities, mortgage-backed securities, taxable municipal securities and collateralized mortgage obligations. The securities portfolio is categorized as either “held-to-maturity” or “available for sale.” Debt securities held-to-maturity represent those securities which the Bank has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity. These debt securities are carried at amortized cost. Debt securities available for sale represent those investments which may be sold for various reasons including changes in interest rates and liquidity considerations. These debt securities are reported at fair market value and unrealized gains and losses are excluded from earnings and reported in other comprehensive loss.

The following table sets forth the amortized cost and fair value of the Bank’s debt securities portfolio (in thousands):

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The following table sets forth, by maturity distribution, certain information pertaining to the debt securities portfolio at amortized cost (dollars in thousands):

Expected maturities of these debt securities will differ from contractual maturities because borrowers have the right to call or repay obligations with or without call or prepayment penalties.

Market Risk

Market risk is the risk of loss from adverse changes in market prices and rates. The Bank’s market risk arises primarily from interest-rate risk inherent in its lending and deposit-taking activities. The Bank does not engage in securities trading or hedging activities and does not invest in interest-rate derivatives or enter into interest rate swaps.

The Bank may utilize financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. The measurement of market risk associated with financial instruments is meaningful only when all related and offsetting on- and off-balance-sheet transactions are aggregated, and the resulting net positions are identified. Disclosures about the fair value of financial instruments, which reflect changes in market prices and rates, can be found in Note 8 of notes to consolidated financial statements.

The Bank’s primary objective in managing interest-rate risk is to minimize the potential adverse impact of changes in interest rates on its net interest income and capital, while adjusting its asset-liability structure to obtain the maximum yield-cost spread on that structure. The Bank actively monitors and manages its interest-rate risk exposure by managing its asset and liability structure. However, a sudden and substantial increase in interest rates may adversely impact its earnings, to the extent that the interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities do not change or reprice at the same speed, to the same extent, or on the same basis.

The Bank uses modeling techniques to simulate changes in net interest income under various rate scenarios. Important elements of these techniques include the mix of floating versus fixed-rate assets and liabilities, and the scheduled, as well as expected, repricing and maturing volumes and rates of the existing balance sheet.

Asset Liability Management

As part of its asset and liability management, the Bank has emphasized establishing and implementing internal asset-liability decision processes, as well as control procedures to aid in managing its earnings. Management believes that these processes and procedures provide us with better capital planning, asset mix and volume controls, loan-pricing guidelines, and deposit interest-rate guidelines, which should result in tighter controls and less exposure to interest-rate risk.

The matching of assets and liabilities may be analyzed by examining the extent to which such assets and liabilities are “interest rate sensitive” and by monitoring an institution’s interest rate sensitivity “gap.” An asset or liability is said to be interest rate sensitive within a specific time period if it will mature or reprice within that time period. The interest-rate sensitivity gap is defined as the difference between interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities maturing or repricing within a given time period. The gap ratio is computed as the amount of rate sensitive assets less the amount of rate sensitive liabilities divided by total assets. A gap is considered positive when the amount of interest-rate sensitive assets exceeds interest-rate sensitive liabilities. A gap is considered negative when the amount of interest-rate sensitive liabilities exceeds interest-rate sensitive assets. During a period of rising interest rates, a negative gap would adversely affect net interest income, while a positive gap would result in an increase in net interest income. During a period of falling interest rates, a negative gap would result in an increase in net interest income, while a positive gap would adversely affect net interest income.

In order to minimize the potential for adverse effects of material and prolonged increases in interest rates on the results of operations, the Bank’s management continues to monitor its assets and liabilities to better match the maturities and repricing terms of its interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. The Bank’s policies emphasize the origination of adjustable-rate loans, building a stable core deposit base and, to the extent possible, matching deposit maturities with loan repricing timeframes or maturities.

The following table sets forth certain information related to the Bank’s interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities at December 31, 2022, that are estimated to mature or are scheduled to reprice within the period shown (dollars in thousands):

Gap Maturity / Repricing Schedule

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The following table sets forth loan maturities by type of loan at December 31, 2022 (in thousands):

The following table sets forth the maturity or repricing of loans by interest type at December 31, 2022 (in thousands):

Scheduled contractual principal repayments of loans do not reflect the actual life of such assets. The average life of loans is substantially less than their average contractual terms due to prepayments. In addition, due-on-sale clauses on loans generally give us the right to declare a conventional loan immediately due and payable in the event, among other things, that the borrower sells real property subject to a mortgage and the loan is not repaid. The average life of mortgage loans tends to increase, however, when current mortgage loan rates are substantially higher than rates on existing mortgage loans and, conversely, decrease when rates on existing mortgages are substantially higher than current mortgage rates.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Aggregate Contractual Obligations

The Company is party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit, unused lines of credit, and standby letters of credit. These instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit and interest-rate risk in excess of the amounts recognized in the consolidated balance sheet. The contractual amounts of those instruments reflect the extent of the Company’s involvement in particular classes of financial instruments.

The Company’s exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instrument for commitments to extend credit is represented by the contractual amount of those instruments. The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments as it does for on-balance-sheet instruments.

Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as there is no violation of any condition established in the contract. Commitments generally have fixed-expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Since certain commitments expire without being drawn upon, the total committed amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Company evaluates each customer’s credit worthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary in order to extend credit, is based on management’s credit evaluation of the counterparty.

A summary of the contractual amounts of the Company’s financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk at December 31, 2022 follows (in thousands):

The following is a summary of the Company’s on-balance sheet contractual obligations at December 31, 2022 (in thousands):

Deposits

Deposits traditionally are the primary source of funds for the Company’s use in lending, making investments and meeting liquidity demands. The Company has focused on raising time deposits primarily within its market area, which is the area of Broward, Miami-Dade, Palm Beach, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. However, the Company offers a variety of deposit products, which are promoted within its market area. Deposits increased $215.4 million in 2022. The increase in deposit balances primarily consisted of an increase of $35.1 million in noninterest-bearing commercial demand deposits and an increase of $226.7 million in time deposits. These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $46.4 million in Savings, NOW and money-market deposits. The increase in time deposits consisted of $165 million in deposits sourced through an online listing service and $61.7 million in deposits from competitive offerings at our branch offices.

The following table displays the distribution of the Company’s deposits at December 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

(1) Includes Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA’s) totaling $1,537,000 and $1,207,000 at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, all of which are in the form of time deposits.

Time Deposits of $250,000 or more, or Jumbo Time Deposits, are generally considered a more unpredictable source of funds. The following table sets forth the Company’s maturity distribution of time deposits of $250,000 or more at December 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

Analysis of Results of Operations

The Company’s profitability depends to a large extent on net interest income, which is the difference between the interest received on earning assets, such as loans and securities, and the interest paid on interest-bearing liabilities, principally deposits and borrowings. Net interest income is determined by the difference between yields earned on interest-earning assets and rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities (“interest-rate spread”) and the relative amounts of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. The Company’s interest-rate spread is affected by regulatory, economic, and competitive factors that influence interest rates, loan demand, and deposit flows. The Company’s results of operations are also affected by the provision for loan losses, operating expenses such as salaries and employee benefits, occupancy and other operating expenses including income taxes, and noninterest income such as loan prepayment fees.

The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, information regarding (i) the total dollar amount of interest income from interest-earning assets and the resultant average yield; (ii) the total dollar amount of interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities and the resultant average cost; (iii) net interest income; (iv) interest rate spread; and (v) net interest margin. Average balances are based on average daily balances (dollars in thousands):

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Rate/Volume Analysis

The following tables set forth certain information regarding changes in interest income and interest expense for the periods indicated. For each category of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, information is provided on changes attributable to (1) changes in rate (change in rate multiplied by prior volume), (2) changes in volume (change in volume multiplied by prior rate) and (3) changes in rate-volume (change in rate multiplied by change in volume) (in thousands):

Financial Condition as of December 31, 2022 Compared to December 31, 2021

The Company’s total assets at December 31, 2022, were $585.2 million, an increase of $233.3 million from December 31, 2021. The increase of $233.3 million in total assets primarily consisted of increases of $12.9 million in cash and cash equivalents, and $229.3 million in net loans offset by a $9.2 million reduction in debt securities available for sale due to principal paydowns and unrealized losses during the year. The Company experienced growth across the various loan types due to new organic originations. The net increase in loans resulted from $21.0 million in multi-family real estate loans, $181.2 million in commercial real estate loans and $17.8 million in residential real estate loans. The growth experienced in the loan portfolio is due to the implementation of our relationship based banking model and the success of our lenders in competing for new business in a highly competitive South Florida area.

The Company’s total liabilities at December 31, 2022, were $522.6 million, an increase of $209.3 million from December 31, 2021. The increase of $209.3 million in total liabilities was mainly due to an increase of $215.4 million in total deposits and a decrease of $8.0 million in Federal Home Loan Bank advances.

The Company’s total stockholders’ equity at December 31, 2022, was $62.6 million, an increase of $24.1 million. The increase of $24.1 was principally due to the Company’s issuance of shares of Series B Participating Preferred Stock for an aggregate amount of $15.0 million, issuance of common stock for an aggregate amount of $9.9 million and net income of $4.0 million, offset by an increase in unrealized loss on debt securities of $5.2 million.

At December 31, 2022, the Bank had a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 11.29%.

Results of Operations for Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021

(dollars in thousands)

Net earnings. The Company had net earnings of $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to a net earnings of $6.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The Company recorded a provision for loan losses amounting to $3,446,000 during year ended December 31, 2022, which was largely due to the growth in the loan portfolio of $229.3 million. The Company recorded a provision for loan losses amounting to $1,173,000 during the year ended December 31, 2021.

Interest Income. Interest income increased by $9.5 million to $19.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 from $10.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily due to an increase in loan volume.

Interest Expense. Interest expense on deposits and borrowings increased by $3.1 million to $4 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the prior year. The increase in interest expense was caused by increased in interest rates paid on deposits and borrowings offset by volume increases in deposits and borrowings.

Provision for Loan Losses. The provision for losses during the year ended December 31, 2022 amounted to $3,446,000. The provision for loan losses is charged to earnings in order to bring the total allowance for loan losses to a level deemed appropriate by management to absorb losses inherent in the portfolio. Management’s periodic evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance is based upon historical experience, the volume and type of lending conducted by us, adverse situations that may affect the borrower’s ability to repay, estimated value of the underlying collateral, loans identified as impaired, general economic conditions, particularly as they relate to our market areas, and other factors related to the estimated collectability of our loan portfolio. The allowance for loan losses totaled $5.8 million or 1.20% of loans outstanding at December 31, 2022, compared to $3.1 million or 1.22% of loans outstanding at December 31, 2021.

Noninterest Income. Total noninterest income increased by $1,186,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $1,774,000 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase is primarily related to service charges on deposit payment transactions.

Noninterest Expenses. Total noninterest expenses increased by $3,002,000 to $9.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $6.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase is primarily due to an increase of $1.8 million in salaries and employee benefits during the year ended December 31, 2022. The headcount of full-time equivalent employees increased from 38 to 48. Further, data processing and regulatory assessments and related costs increased $0.5 million and $0.7 million, respectively, during the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase in noninterest expenses is directly attributable to the growth of the Bank.

Income taxes (benefit). The Company recorded income tax expense of $1,369,000 for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to an income tax benefit of $3,227,000 for the year ended December 31, 2021. The income tax benefit was the result of the reversal of a valuation allowance that had previously been recognized.

Impact of Inflation and Changing Prices

The consolidated financial statements and related data presented herein have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, which requires the measurement of financial position and operating results in terms of historical dollars, without considering changes in the relative purchasing power of money over time due to inflation. Unlike most industrial companies, substantially all of the Bank’s assets and liabilities are monetary in nature. As a result, interest rates have a more significant impact on its performance than the effects of general levels of inflation. However, inflation affects financial institutions by increasing their cost of goods and services purchased, as well as the cost of salaries and benefits, occupancy expense, and similar items. Inflation and related increases in interest rates generally decrease the market value of investments and loans held and may adversely affect liquidity, earnings, and stockholders’ equity. Loan originations and re-financings tend to slow as interest rates increase. As a general principle, higher, interest rates are likely to reduce the Company’s earnings.

(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company maintains controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that the Company files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Based upon management’s evaluation of those controls and procedures performed within the 90 days preceding the filing of this Report, its Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that, subject to the limitations noted below, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) are effective to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms.

(b) Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Such internal controls over financial reporting were designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of consolidated financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

The Company’s management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. In making this assessment, the Company used the criteria set forth in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Based upon its evaluation under the framework in Internal Control-Integrated Framework, the Company’s management concluded that its internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2022.

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 Securities and Exchange Commission that permit the Company to provide only management’s report in this annual report.

(c) Changes in Internal Controls

The Company has made no significant changes in its internal controls over financial reporting during the year ended December 31, 2022 that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect its internal control over financial reporting.

(d) Limitations on the Effectiveness of Controls

The Company’s management, including its Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, does not expect that its disclosure controls and internal controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control.

The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.