U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 10-K

 

 

 

x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from              to             

Commission file number: 000-52453

 

 

PIEDMONT COMMUNITY BANK GROUP, INC.

(Exact name of small business issuer as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Georgia   20-8264706

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

110 Bill Conn Parkway, Gray, Georgia 31032

(Address of principal executive offices)

(478) 986-5900

(Issuer’s telephone number)

 

 

Securities registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act: None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, no par value

 

 

Check whether the issuer is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes   ¨     No   x

Check whether the issuer is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.     Yes   ¨     No   x

Check whether the issuer (1) filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the past 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes   x     No   ¨

Check if there is no disclosure of delinquent filers in response to Item 405 of Regulation S-B contained in this form, and no disclosure will be contained, to the best of the registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.   x

Check whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a nonaccelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definition of accelerated filer and large accelerated filer in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨    Accelerated filer   ¨
Non-accelerated filer   ¨   (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes   ¨     No   x

The issuer’s revenues for its most recent fiscal year were $13,029,667.

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant on June 30, 2008 was $14,268,922. This calculation is based upon an estimate of the fair market value of the common stock by the registrant’s Board of Directors of $8.75 per share on that date. There is not an active trading market for the Common Stock and it is not possible to identify precisely the market value of the common stock.

As of March 27, 2009, there were 1,630,734 shares of the issuer’s common stock outstanding.

 

 

 


DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the information required by Part III of this Annual Report are incorporated by reference from the Registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Annual Report (the “2009 Proxy Statement”).


FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT

This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements discuss future expectations, describe future plans and strategies, contain projections of results of operations or of financial condition or state other forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “anticipate,” “believe,” , “continue,” “could,” “would,” “endeavor,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “objective,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “seek,” “should,” “will” and other similar words and expressions of future intent.

Statements made in the Annual Report, other than those concerning historical information, should be considered forward-looking and subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements are made based upon management’s belief as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management pursuant to “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Our actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including governmental monetary and fiscal policies, deposit levels, loan demand, loan collateral values, securities portfolio values, interest rate risk management, the effects of competition in the banking business from other commercial banks, thrifts, mortgage banking firms, consumer finance companies, credit unions, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, money market funds and other financial institutions operating in our market area and elsewhere, including institutions operating through the Internet, changes in governmental regulation relating to the banking industry, including regulations relating to branching and acquisitions, failure of assumptions underlying the establishment of allowance for loan losses, including the value of collateral underlying delinquent loans and other factors.

The cautionary statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K also identify important factors and possible events that involve risk and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained, whether as a result of differences in actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting such statements.

Readers should carefully review all disclosures we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission ( “SEC” ).


PIEDMONT COMMUNITY BANK GROUP, INC.

2008 Form 10-K Annual Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page

PART I.

  

Item 1.

   Business    5-18

Item 2.

   Property    18-19

Item 3.

   Legal Proceedings    19

Item 4.

   Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders    19

PART II.

  

Item 5.

   Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities    19-20

Item 6.

   Not Required Pursuant to Item 301(c) of Regulation 5-K   

Item 7.

   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation    20-34

Item 7a.

   Not Required Pursuant to Item 305(e) of Regulation 5-K   

Item 8.

   Financial Statements and Supplementary Data    34

Item 9.

   Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure    34

Item 9A.

   Controls and Procedures    35

Item 9B.

   Other Information    35

PART III.

  

Item 10.

   Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance    35

Item 11.

   Executive Compensation    36

Item 12.

   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters    36

Item 13.

   Certain Relationships and Related Transaction, and Director Independence    36

Item 14.

   Principal Accountant Fees and Services    36

PART IV.

  

Item 15.

   Exhibits    36


PIEDMONT COMMUNITY BANK GROUP, INC.

PART I

 

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Piedmont Community Bank Group, Inc.

Piedmont Community Bank Group, Inc. was organized in 2006 as a Georgia corporation for the purpose of acquiring all of the common stock of Piedmont Community Bank, a Georgia bank which opened for business on July 22, 2002. On February 7, 2007 we became the sole shareholder of Piedmont Community Bank by virtue of a merger between Piedmont Community Bank and PCB Interim Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ours that was created to facilitate the reorganization of the bank into a holding company structure. We are a bank holding company within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and the Georgia Bank Holding Company Act.

We were organized to facilitate our ability to serve our customers’ requirements for financial services. The holding company structure provides flexibility for expansion of our banking business through the possible acquisition of other financial institutions and the provision of additional banking-related services which a traditional commercial bank may not provide under present laws. We have no current plans to acquire any operating subsidiaries other than our existing bank. However, we may make acquisitions in the future if such acquisitions are deemed to be in the best interest of our shareholders. Any acquisitions will be subject to certain regulatory approvals and requirements.

Piedmont Community Bank

Piedmont Community Bank is a community-oriented full service commercial bank headquartered at 110 Bill Conn Parkway, Gray, Georgia 31032. We seek to be the premier community bank servicing the greater middle Georgia region. The bank received its Georgia banking charter in 2002 and opened for business on July 22, 2002. It currently has four locations. Its telephone number is (478) 986-5900. In 2006, we opened a full-service branch at 1611 Bass Road, Macon, Georgia 31210. We opened two additional branches during the second quarter of 2007, one located at 4511 Forsyth Road in Macon, Georgia 31210 and one located at 1040 Founder’s Row, Greensboro, GA 30642. On July 1, 2008, we opened a branch located at 76 East Johnston Street in Forsyth, Georgia 31029. As of December 31, 2008, we closed the Greensboro office due to the loss of key personnel.

Our bank is a community oriented, full-service commercial bank that emphasizes its status as a community owned bank with local decision making responsibilities and a high level of personal service. The bank offers checking, money market, savings, individual retirement and time deposit accounts; issues ATM and debit cards, travelers checks and official checks; conducts wire transfer services, internet banking and provides safe deposit and telephone banking services. The bank offers a variety of lending services including commercial, construction, real estate, consumer purpose as well as home equity, overdraft protection and personal lines of credit.

Market Area

Our primary service area consists of various counties generally located in the middle part of Georgia including Baldwin, Bibb, Greene, Houston, Jones, Monroe, and Putnam Counties.

Growth Strategy

It is our vision to be the premier community bank for middle Georgia. Through careful planning and research, we identified growth markets in middle Georgia where we believe that we can introduce our philosophy of excellent customer care and provide a better banking alternative for these markets. In addition to our main office in Gray, we now operate two branch offices in Macon and one in Monroe County.

Management

We have assembled an experienced team of bankers who have all developed their careers in middle Georgia. Our executive management team consists of the following individuals:

 

   

R. Drew Hulsey, our CEO, began his banking career in 1985. His experience includes service in Valdosta, Tifton, Savannah and Macon, Georgia. Before joining the Bank as CEO in 2003, Mr. Hulsey served as Regional Business Banking Manager at BB&T in Macon. He graduated with a BBA in Finance from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. He is also an alumnus of the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.

 

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Mickey Parker, our President, began his banking career in 1973 with Citizens & Southern National Bank in Macon, Georgia. In 1997, Mr. Parker was hired by the Bank of Eastman as City President of their new branch, Magnolia State Bank of Gray, Georgia. Mr. Parker resigned from Magnolia State Bank in 2001 to organize the Bank. He graduated from Mercer University in Macon, Georgia with degrees in Political Science and Business Administration.

 

   

Julie Simmons, our CFO, began her banking career in 1983. She has worked in the banking industry in Milledgeville, Macon, and Dawsonville, Georgia. Prior to joining us in 2001 Ms. Simmons had most recently served as internal audit director for Century South Banks from 1996 to 2001. She graduated from Georgia College in Milledgeville, Georgia, with a BBA degree in Accounting.

Industry and Competition

We encounter vigorous competition from other commercial banks, savings and loan associations and other financial institutions and intermediaries in our service areas. Our bank competes with other banks in its primary service area in obtaining new deposits and accounts, making loans, obtaining branch banking locations and providing other banking services. Our bank also competes with savings and loan associations and credit unions for savings and transaction deposits, time deposits and various types of retail and commercial loans. Based on statistical data published by the FDIC, there were a total of 67 banking offices in the three counties where we currently have branches. According to these same statistics, we held only 0.11% of the total deposits in the State of Georgia as of June 30, 2008.

Our bank must also compete with other financial intermediaries, including mortgage banking firms and real estate investment trusts, small loan and finance companies, insurance companies, leasing companies and certain government agencies. Competition exists for time deposits and, to a more limited extent, demand and transaction deposits offered by a number of other financial intermediaries and investment alternatives, including money market mutual funds, brokerage firms, government and corporate bonds and other securities.

Competition for banking services in the State of Georgia is not limited to institutions headquartered in the State. A number of large interstate banks, bank holding companies and other financial institutions and intermediaries have established loan production offices, small loan companies and other offices and affiliates in the State of Georgia. Many of the interstate financial organizations that compete in the Georgia market engage in regional, national or international operations and have substantially greater financial resources than we do.

Our larger competitors offer various services that we do not provide, including a more extensive and established branch network and trust services. Furthermore, we have a lower legal lending limit than many of our competitors, which precludes us from making large loans. Despite these disadvantages, we believe that we can compete effectively with our larger competitors by offering local access, competitive products and services and more responsive customer service. Our rates on loans and deposits are competitive with other financial institutions in our market. To distinguish ourselves, however, we strive to respond to credit requests more quickly than our competitors based on our personal knowledge of the customer and the collateral. We feel that our larger competitors often lack the consistency of local leadership and decision-making authority necessary to provide efficient service to individuals and small to medium-sized business customers. While our locally-based competitors may also possess some of these qualities, we believe that we can effectively compete with these institutions through our experienced banking staff.

We expect that competition will remain intense in the future due to state and federal laws and regulations, and the entry of additional bank and non-bank competitors in our markets.

Internet Website

We maintain a website at www.piedmontcommunitybank.com . The information contained on that website is not included as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this report.

Types of Loans

Below is a description of the principal categories of loans we make through our banking subsidiary and the relative risks involved with each category.

Commercial Real Estate Loans

We make loans to borrowers secured by commercial real estate located in and around our market area. In underwriting these type loans we consider the historic and projected future cash flows of the real estate. We make an

 

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assessment of the physical condition and general location of the property and the effect these factors will have on its future desirability from a tenant standpoint. We will lend up to a maximum 90% loan to value ratio and require a minimum debt coverage ratio or other compensating factors.

Commercial real estate lending offers some risks not found in traditional residential real estate lending. Repayment is dependent upon successful management and marketing of properties and on the level of expense necessary to maintain the property. Repayment of these loans may be adversely affected by conditions in the real estate market or the general economy. Also, commercial real estate loans typically involve relatively large loan balances to single borrowers. To mitigate these risks, we monitor our loan concentration and loans are audited by a third party auditor. This type loan generally has a shorter maturity than other loan types, which gives us an opportunity to reprice, restructure or decline to renew the credit. As with other loans, all commercial real estate loans are graded depending upon strength of credit and performance. A lower grade will bring increased scrutiny by management and the board of directors.

Commercial real estate loans constituted approximately 62% of our total loan portfolio at December 31, 2008.

Construction and Development Loans

We make construction and development loans to customers in our market area. Loans are granted for both speculative projects and those being built with end buyers and lessees already secured. We will only lend money to finance speculative projects when we are confident, based on all of the particular facts and circumstances, that the borrower will be able to service the loan without relying solely on the real estate collateral.

Construction and development loans are subject primarily to market and general economic risk caused by inventory build-up in periods of economic prosperity. During times of economic stress this type of loan has typically had a greater degree of risk than other loan types. Unlike other types of loans, these loans are also subject to risks related to construction delays that may be caused by weather or other factors. To mitigate that risk, the board of directors and management reviews the entire portfolio on a monthly basis. The percentage of our portfolio being built on a speculative basis is tracked very closely. Loan policy also provides for loan portfolio exposure guidelines on construction, land development and other land loans.

Construction and development loans constituted approximately 18% of our total loan portfolio at December 31, 2008.

Commercial and Industrial Loans

We make loans to small- and medium-sized businesses in our primary trade area for purposes such as new or upgrades to plant and equipment, inventory acquisition and various working capital purposes. Commercial loans are granted to borrowers based on cash flow, ability to repay and degree of management expertise. This type of loan may be subject to many different types of risk, which will differ depending on the particular industry a borrower is engaged in. General risks to an industry, or segment of an industry, are monitored by senior management on an ongoing basis. When warranted, individual borrowers who may be at risk due to an industry condition may be more closely analyzed and reviewed at a loan committee or board of directors level. Commercial and industrial borrowers are required to submit statements of financial condition relative to their business to us for review on a periodic basis. These statements are analyzed for trends and the loan is assigned a credit grade accordingly. Based on this grade, the loan may receive an increased degree of scrutiny by management up to and including additional loss reserves being required.

Commercial and industrial loans will usually be collateralized. Generally, business assets are used and may consist of general intangibles, inventory, equipment or real estate. Collateral is subject to risk relative to conversion to a liquid asset if necessary as well as risks associated with degree of specialization, mobility and general collectability in a default situation. To mitigate this risk, collateral is underwritten to strict standards including valuations and general acceptability based on our ability to monitor its ongoing health and value.

Commercial and industrial loans constituted approximately 9% of our total loan portfolio at December 31, 2008.

Consumer Loans

We offer a variety of loans to retail customers in the communities we serve. Consumer non real estate loans in general carry a moderate degree of risk compared to other loans. They are generally more risky than traditional residential real estate loans but less risky than commercial loans. Risk of default is usually determined by the well being of the national and local economies. During times of economic stress there is usually some level of job loss

 

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both nationally and locally, which directly affects the ability of the consumer to repay debt. Risk on consumer loans is generally managed though policy limitations on debt levels consumer borrowers may carry and limitations on loan terms and amounts depending upon collateral type.

Various types of consumer loans include the following:

 

   

home equity loans – open and closed end;

 

 

 

closed end, non revolving 1-4 family 1 st  & 2 nd lien;

 

   

automobile, RV and boat financing;

 

   

loans secured by deposits;

 

   

overdraft protection lines; and

 

   

secured and unsecured personal loans.

The various types of consumer loans all carry varying degrees of risk. Loans secured by deposits carry little or no risk and in our experience have had a zero default rate. Home equity lines and Closed end 1-4 family loans carry additional risk because of the increased difficulty of converting real estate to cash in the event of a default. However, underwriting policy provides mitigation to this risk in the form of a maximum loan to value ratio of 90% on a collateral type that has historically appreciated in value. We also require the customer to carry adequate insurance coverage to pay all mortgage debt in full if the collateral is destroyed. We also have a tickler system to track for missing or inadequate insurance coverage. In the event the borrower’s insurance isn’t adequate the bank will force place insurance to protect itself. Vehicle financing carries additional risks over loans secured by real estate in that the collateral is declining in value over the life of the loan and is mobile. Risks inherent in vehicle financing are managed by matching the loan term with the age and remaining useful life of the collateral to ensure the customer has an equity position and is not “upside down.” Collateral is protected by requiring the customer to carry insurance showing the bank as loss payee. We also have a blanket policy that covers us in the event of a lapse in the borrower’s coverage and also provides assistance in locating collateral when necessary. Secured personal loans carry additional risks over the previous types in that they are generally smaller and made to borrowers with somewhat limited financial resources and credit histories. These loans are secured by a variety of collateral with varying degrees of marketability in the event of default. Risk on these types of loans is managed primarily at the underwriting level with strict adherence to debt to income ratio limitations and conservative collateral valuations. Overdraft protection lines and other unsecured personal loans carry the greatest degree of risk in the consumer portfolio. Without collateral, we are completely dependent on the commitment of the borrower to repay and the stability of the borrower’s income stream. Again, primary risk management occurs at the underwriting stage with strict adherence to minimum credit scores, debt to income ratios, time in present job and in industry and safety and soundness guidelines relative to loan size as a percentage of net worth and liquid assets.

Consumer loans represent a small portion of our overall loan portfolio. As of December 31, 2008 they constituted 11% of our total loan portfolio.

Unsecured Loans

The vast majority of our loans are secured by assets of the borrower. Occasionally, however, we will make commercial or consumer loans on an unsecured basis. These loans may be made when we believe that the financial strength of the borrower supports repayment without the need to look toward the collateral. As of December 31, 2008, we had approximately $3,800,000 in unsecured loans, which represented approximately 2% of our total loan portfolio.

Loan Participations

We sell loan participations in the ordinary course of business when an originated loan exceeds our legal lending limit as defined by state banking laws. These loan participations are sold to other financial institutions without recourse. As of December 31, 2008 we had sold a total of $17 million in loan participations for an amount that equaled 8.8% of our total loans on that date.

We also purchase loan participations from time to time from other banks in the ordinary course of business, usually without recourse. Purchased loan participations are underwritten in accordance with our loan policy and represent a source of loan growth to us. Although the originating financial institution provides much of the initial underwriting documentation, management is responsible for the appropriate underwriting, approval and the on-going evaluation of the loan. One risk associated with purchasing loan participations is that we often rely on information provided by the selling bank regarding collateral value and the borrower’s capacity to pay. To the extent this information is not

 

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accurate, we may experience a loss on these participations. Otherwise, we believe that the risk related to purchased loan participations is consistent with other similar type loans in the loan portfolio. If a purchased loan participation defaults, we usually have no recourse against the selling bank but will take other commercially reasonable steps to minimize our loss. As of December 31, 2008, we had purchased $15.3 million in loan participations. The total principal amount of these participations comprised 8% of our total loan portfolio on December 31, 2008.

Management’s Policy for Determining the Loan Loss Allowance

The allowance for loan losses represents management’s assessment of the risk associated with extending credit and its evaluation of the quality of the loan portfolio. In calculating the adequacy of the loan loss allowance, management evaluates the following factors:

 

   

the asset quality of individual loans;

 

   

changes in the national and local economy and business conditions/development, including underwriting standards, collections, charge off and recovery practices;

 

   

changes in the nature and volume of the loan portfolio;

 

   

changes in the experience, ability and depth of the lending staff and management;

 

   

changes in the trend of the volume and severity of past dues and classified loans; and trends in the volume of non-accrual loans, troubled debt restructurings and other modifications;

 

   

possible deterioration in collateral segments or other portfolio concentrations;

 

   

historical loss experience used for pools of loans (i.e. collateral types, borrowers, purposes, etc.);

 

   

changes in the quality of our loan review system and the degree of oversight by the bank’s board of directors;

 

   

the effect of external factors such as competition and the legal and regulatory requirement on the level of estimated credit losses in our current loan portfolio; and

 

   

off-balance sheet credit risks.

These factors are evaluated at least quarterly and changes in the asset quality of individual loans are evaluated more frequently and as needed.

After a loan is underwritten and booked, loans are monitored or reviewed by the account officer, management, and external loan review personnel during the life of the loan. Payment performance is monitored monthly for the entire loan portfolio, account officers contact customers during the course of business and may be able to ascertain if weaknesses are developing with the borrower, external loan personnel perform an independent review annually, and federal and state banking regulators perform periodic reviews of the loan portfolio. If weaknesses develop in an individual loan relationship and are detected then the loan is downgraded and higher reserves are assigned based upon management’s assessment of the weaknesses in the loan that may affect full collection of the debt. If a loan does not appear to be fully collectible as to principal and interest then the loan is recorded as a non-accruing loan and further accrual of interest is discontinued while previously accrued but uncollected interest is reversed against income. If a loan will not be collected in full then the allowance for loan losses is increased to reflect management’s estimate of potential exposure of loss.

We had net chargeoffs of approximately $1 million during 2008 as compared to zero in 2007. Management believes that based upon historical performance, known factors, management’s judgment, and regulatory methodologies, that the current methodology used to determine the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses is reasonable.

Our allowance for loan losses is also subject to regulatory examinations and determinations as to adequacy, which may take into account such factors as the methodology used to calculate the allowance for loan losses and the size of the allowance for loan losses in comparison to a group of peer banks identified by the regulators. During their routine examinations of banks regulatory agencies may require a bank to make additional provisions to its allowance for loan losses when, in the opinion of the regulators, credit evaluations and allowance for loan loss methodology differ materially from those of management.

While it is our policy to charge off in the current period loans for which a loss is considered probable, there are additional risks of future losses which cannot be quantified precisely or attributed to particular loans or classes of loans. Because these risks include the state of the economy, management’s judgment as to the adequacy of the allowance is necessarily approximate and imprecise.

 

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Please refer to “Provision for Loan Losses” within Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more detail.

Management’s Policy for Investing in Securities

Funds that are not otherwise needed to meet our loan demand may be invested in accordance with our investment policy. The purpose of the investment policy is to provide a guideline by which these funds can best be invested to earn the maximum return, yet still maintain sufficient liquidity to meet fluctuations in our loan demand and deposit structure. Our investment policy adheres to the following objectives:

 

   

provide an investment medium for funds which are not needed to meet loan demand, or deposit withdrawal;

 

   

optimize income generated from the investment account consistent with the stated objectives for liquidity and quality standards;

 

   

meet regulatory standards;

 

   

provide collateral which the financial institution is required to pledge against public monies;

 

   

provide an investment medium for funds which may be needed for liquidity purposes; and

 

   

provide an investment medium which will balance market and credit risk for other assets and our liability structure.

Our investment securities consist primarily of mortgage-backed obligations issued by the Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) and obligations of the United States or its agencies.

Deposit Services

We seek to establish and maintain solid core deposits, including checking accounts, money market accounts, a variety of certificates of deposit and IRA accounts. To attract deposits, we employ a comprehensive marketing plan for our market, and feature a broad product line and competitive services. The primary sources of our local deposits are residents of, and businesses and their employees located within our market. We obtain these deposits primarily through personal solicitation by our officers and directors, and limited advertisements published in the local media. We generate deposits by offering a broad array of competitively priced deposit services, including demand deposits, regular savings accounts, money market deposits, certificates of deposit, retirement accounts and other legally permitted deposit or funds transfer services that may be offered to remain competitive in the market.

Other Banking Services

We provide traveler’s checks, direct deposit of payroll and social security checks, and automatic transfers for various accounts. We are also associated with a shared network of automated teller machines that our customers are able to use throughout Georgia and other regions. We offer MasterCard ® and VISA ® credit card services through a correspondent bank.

Marketing and Advertising

Our target customers are the residents and the small businesses and their employees located within our market area. We emphasize our local ownership and management in providing banking services to these customers. We use a comprehensive marketing approach including logo, brochures, limited advertising in various media such as newspapers, and a website. Additionally, we sponsor community activities on an active, ongoing basis.

Employees

As of December 31, 2008, we had 41 total employees including 37 full-time equivalent employees. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreement.

Supervision and Regulation

Both Piedmont Community Bank Group, Inc. and Piedmont Community Bank are subject to extensive state and federal banking regulations that impose restrictions on and provide for general regulatory oversight of their operations. These laws generally are intended to protect depositors and not shareholders. The following discussions describes the material elements of the regulatory framework that applies to us.

 

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Piedmont Community Bank Group, Inc.

Since we own all of the capital stock of the Piedmont Community Bank, we are a bank holding company under the federal Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the “BHC Act”). As a result, we are primarily subject to the supervision, examination, and reporting requirements of the BHC Act and the regulations of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). As a bank holding company located in Georgia, the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (the “GDBF”) also regulates and monitors all significant aspects of our operations.

Acquisition of Banks

The BHC Act requires every bank holding company to obtain the Federal Reserve’s prior approval before:

 

   

acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of any voting shares of any bank if, after the acquisition, the bank holding company will directly or indirectly own or control more than 5% of the bank’s voting shares;

 

   

acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of any bank; or

 

   

merging or consolidating with any other bank holding company.

Additionally, the BHC Act provides that the Federal Reserve may not approve any of these transactions if it would result in or tend to create a monopoly or substantially lessen competition or otherwise function as a restraint of trade, unless the anti-competitive effects of the proposed transaction are clearly outweighed by the public interest in meeting the convenience and needs of the community to be served. The Federal Reserve is also required to consider the financial and managerial resources and future prospects of the bank holding companies and banks concerned and the convenience and needs of the community to be served. The Federal Reserve’s consideration of financial resources generally focuses on capital adequacy, which is discussed below.

Under the BHC Act, if adequately capitalized and adequately managed, we or any other bank holding company located in Georgia may purchase a bank located outside of Georgia. Conversely, an adequately capitalized and adequately managed bank holding company located outside of Georgia may purchase a bank located inside Georgia. In each case, however, restrictions may be placed on the acquisition of a bank that has only been in existence for a limited amount of time or will result in specified concentrations of deposits. Currently, Georgia law prohibits acquisitions of banks that have been chartered for less than three years. Because the bank has been chartered for more than three years, this limitation would not limit our ability to sell.

Change in Bank Control

Subject to various exceptions, the BHC Act and the Change in Bank Control Act, together with related regulations, require Federal Reserve approval prior to any person or company acquiring “control” of a bank holding company. Control is presumed to exist if an individual or company acquires 10% or more of any class of voting securities and either:

 

   

the bank holding company has registered securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act; or

 

   

no other person owns a greater percentage of that class of voting securities immediately after the transaction.

Our common stock is registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. The regulations also provide a procedure for challenging the rebuttable presumption of control.

Permitted Activities

A bank holding company is generally permitted under the BHC Act to engage in or acquire direct or indirect control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any company engaged in the following activities:

 

   

banking or managing or controlling banks; and

 

   

any activity that the Federal Reserve determines to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident to the business of banking.

 

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Activities that the Federal Reserve has found to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident to the business of banking includes:

 

   

factoring accounts receivable;

 

   

making, acquiring, brokering or servicing loans and usual related activities;

 

   

leasing personal or real property;

 

   

operating a non-bank depository institution, such as a savings association;

 

   

trust company functions;

 

   

financial and investment advisory activities;

 

   

conducting discount securities brokerage activities;

 

   

underwriting and dealing in government obligations and money market instruments;

 

   

providing specified management consulting and counseling activities;

 

   

performing selected data processing services and support services;

 

   

acting as agent or broker in selling credit life insurance and other types of insurance in connection with credit transactions; and

 

   

performing selected insurance underwriting activities.

Despite prior approval, the Federal Reserve may order a bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any of these activities or to terminate its ownership or control of any subsidiary when it has reasonable cause to believe that the bank holding company’s continued ownership, activity or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial safety, soundness, or stability of it or any of its bank subsidiaries.

In addition to the permissible bank holding company activities listed above, a bank holding company may qualify and elect to become a financial holding company, permitting the bank holding company to engage in activities that are financial in nature or incidental or complementary to financial activity. The BHC Act expressly lists the following activities as financial in nature:

 

   

lending, trust and other banking activities;

 

   

insuring, guaranteeing, or indemnifying against loss or harm, or providing and issuing annuities, and acting as principal, agent, or broker for these purposes, in any state;

 

   

providing financial, investment, or advisory services;

 

   

issuing or selling instruments representing interests in pools of assets permissible for a bank to hold directly;

 

   

underwriting, dealing in or making a market in securities;

 

   

other activities that the Federal Reserve may determine to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident to managing or controlling banks;

 

   

foreign activities permitted outside of the United States if the Federal Reserve has determined them to be usual in connection with banking operations abroad;

 

   

merchant banking through securities or insurance affiliates; and

 

   

insurance company portfolio investments.

 

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To qualify to become a financial holding company, our bank and any other depository institution subsidiary of ours must be well capitalized and well managed and must have a Community Reinvestment Act rating of at least “satisfactory.” Additionally, we must file an election with the Federal Reserve to become a financial holding company and must provide the Federal Reserve within 30 days’ written notice prior to engaging in a permitted financial activity. While we meet the qualification standards applicable to financial holding companies, we have not elected to become a financial holding company at this time, although we may do so in the future.

Support of Subsidiary Institutions

Under Federal Reserve policy, we are expected to act as a source of financial strength for our bank and to commit resources to support the bank. This support may be required at times when, without this Federal Reserve policy, we might not be inclined to provide it. In addition, any capital loans made by us to our bank will be repaid in full. In the unlikely event of our bankruptcy, any commitment by it to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of the bank will be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to a priority of payment.

Piedmont Community Bank

Piedmont Community Bank is subject to extensive state and federal banking regulations that impose restrictions on and provide for general regulatory oversight of our operations. These laws are generally intended to protect depositors and not shareholders. The following discussion describes the material elements of the regulatory framework that applies to us.

Since the bank is a commercial bank chartered under the laws of the State of Georgia, it is primarily subject to the supervision, examination and reporting requirements of the FDIC and the GDBF. The FDIC and the GDBF regularly examine the bank’s operations and have the authority to approve or disapprove mergers, the establishment of branches and similar corporate actions. Both regulatory agencies have the power to prevent the continuance or development of unsafe or unsound banking practices or other violations of law. Additionally, the bank’s deposits are insured by the FDIC to the maximum extent provided by law. The bank is also subject to numerous state and federal statutes and regulations that affect its business, activities and operations.

Branching

Under current Georgia law, the bank may open branch offices throughout Georgia with the prior approval of the GDBF. In addition, with prior regulatory approval, the bank may acquire branches of existing banks located in Georgia. The bank and any other national or state-chartered bank generally may branch across state lines by merging with banks in other states if allowed by the laws of the applicable state (the foreign state). Georgia law, with limited exceptions, currently permits branching across state lines through interstate mergers.

Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, states may “opt-in” and allow out-of-state banks to branch into their state by establishing a new start-up branch in the state. Currently, Georgia has not opted-in to this provision. Therefore, interstate merger is the only method through which a bank located outside of Georgia may branch into Georgia. This provides a limited barrier of entry into the Georgia banking market, which protects us from an important segment of potential competition. However, because Georgia has elected not to opt-in, our ability to establish a new start-up branch in another state may be limited. Many states that have elected to opt-in have done so on a reciprocal basis, meaning that an out-of-state bank may establish a new start-up branch only if their home state has also elected to opt-in. Consequently, unless Georgia changes its election, the only way we will be able to branch into states that have elected to opt-in on a reciprocal basis will be through interstate merger.

Prompt Corrective Action

The FDIC Improvement Act of 1991 establishes a system of prompt corrective action to resolve the problems of undercapitalized financial institutions. Under this system, the federal banking regulators have established five capital categories (well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized and critically undercapitalized) in which all institutions are placed. The federal banking agencies have also specified by regulation the relevant capital levels for each of the other categories. At December 31, 2008, our bank qualified for the well-capitalized category.

Federal banking regulators are required to take various mandatory supervisory actions and are authorized to take other discretionary actions with respect to institutions in the three undercapitalized categories. The severity of the action depends upon the capital category in which the institution is placed. Generally, subject to a narrow exception, the banking regulator must appoint a receiver or conservator for an institution that is critically undercapitalized.

 

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An institution that is categorized as undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized, or critically undercapitalized is required to submit an acceptable capital restoration plan to its appropriate federal banking agency. A bank holding company must guarantee that a subsidiary depository institution meets its capital restoration plan, subject to various limitations. The controlling holding company’s obligation to fund a capital restoration plan is limited to the lesser of 5% of an undercapitalized subsidiary’s assets at the time it became undercapitalized or the amount required to meet regulatory capital requirements. An undercapitalized institution is also generally prohibited from increasing its average total assets, making acquisitions, establishing any branches or engaging in any new line of business, except under an accepted capital restoration plan or with FDIC approval. The regulations also establish procedures for downgrading an institution to a lower capital category based on supervisory factors other than capital.

FDIC Insurance Assessments

The Bank is a member of the Deposit Insurance Fund, which is administered by the FDIC. Deposit accounts at the Bank are insured by the FDIC, generally up to a maximum of $100,000 for each separately insured depositor and up to a maximum of $250,000 for self-directed retirement accounts. However, the FDIC increased the deposit insurance available on all deposit accounts to $250,000, effective until December 31, 2009. In addition, certain noninterest-bearing transaction accounts maintained with financial institutions participating in the FDIC’s Transaction Account Guarantee Program are fully insured regardless of the dollar amount until December 31, 2009. The Bank has opted to participate in the FDIC’s Transaction Account Guarantee Program. See “Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program” below.

The FDIC imposes an assessment against all depository institutions for deposit insurance. This assessment is based on the risk category of the institution and, prior to 2009, ranged from five to 43 basis points of the institution’s deposits. On October 7, 2008, as a result of decreases in the reserve ratio of the DIF, the FDIC issued a proposed rule establishing a Restoration Plan for the DIF. The rulemaking proposed that, effective January 1, 2009, assessment rates would increase uniformly by seven basis points for the first quarter 2009 assessment period. The rulemaking proposed to alter the way in which the FDIC’s risk-based assessment system differentiates for risk and set new deposit insurance assessment rates, effective April 1, 2009. Under the proposed rule, the FDIC would first establish an institution’s initial base assessment rate. This initial base assessment rate would range, depending on the risk category of the institution, from 10 to 45 basis points. The FDIC would then adjust the initial base assessment (higher or lower) to obtain the total base assessment rate. The adjustment to the initial base assessment rate would be based upon an institution’s levels of unsecured debt, secured liabilities, and brokered deposits. The total base assessment rate would range from eight to 77.5 basis points of the institution’s deposits. On December 22, 2008, the FDIC published a final rule raising the current deposit insurance assessment rates uniformly for all institutions by seven basis points (to a range from 12 to 50 basis points) for the first quarter of 2009. However, the FDIC approved an extension of the comment period on the parts of the proposed rulemaking that would become effective on April 1, 2009. The FDIC expects to issue a second final rule early in 2009, to be effective April 1, 2009, to change the way that the FDIC’s assessment system differentiates for risk and to set new assessment rates beginning with the second quarter of 2009.

Insurance of deposits may be terminated by the FDIC upon a finding that an institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC. We do not currently know of any practice, condition or violation that might lead to termination of our deposit insurance.

Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program. On October 14, 2008, the FDIC announced a new program – the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program. This program has two components – The Debt Guarantee Program and the Transaction Account Guarantee Program. The Debt Guarantee Program guarantees newly issued senior unsecured debt of a participating organization, up to certain limits established for each institution, issued between October 14, 2008 and June 30, 2009. The FDIC will pay the unpaid principal and interest on an FDIC-guaranteed debt instrument upon the uncured failure of the participating entity to make a timely payment of principal or interest in accordance with the terms of the instrument. The guarantee will remain in effect until June 30, 2012. In return for the FDIC’s guarantee, participating institutions will pay the FDIC a fee based on the amount and maturity of the debt. The Bank and the Company have opted not to participate in the Debt Guarantee Program.

The Transaction Account Guarantee Program provides full federal deposit insurance coverage for non-interest bearing transaction deposit accounts, regardless of dollar amount, until December 31, 2009. An annualized 10 basis point assessment on balances in noninterest-bearing transaction accounts that exceed the existing deposit insurance limit of $250,000 will be assessed on a quarterly basis to insured depository institutions that have not opted out of this component of the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program. The Bank has opted to participate in the Transaction Account Guarantee Program.

 

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U.S. Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program Capital Purchase Program. On October 3, 2008, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (“EESA”) was enacted that provides the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury with broad authority to implement certain actions to help restore stability and liquidity to U.S. markets. One of the provisions resulting from the legislation is the Troubled Asset Relief Program Capital Purchase Program (“CPP”), which provides direct equity investment in perpetual preferred stock by the U.S. Treasury Department in qualified financial institutions. The program is voluntary and requires an institution to comply with a number of restrictions and provisions, including limits on executive compensation, stock redemptions and declaration of dividends. The CPP provides for a minimum investment of one percent of total risk-weighted assets and a maximum investment equal to the lesser of three percent of total risk-weighted assets or $25 billion. Participation in the program is not automatic and is subject to approval by the U.S. Treasury Department. The Company submitted an application requesting receipt of funds under the CPP but has withdrawn it after being informed that the application would likely be denied.

Community Reinvestment Act

The Community Reinvestment Act requires that, in connection with examinations of financial institutions within their respective jurisdictions, the Federal Reserve or the FDIC will evaluate the record of each financial institution in meeting the credit needs of its local community, including low and moderate-income neighborhoods. These facts are also considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions, and applications to open a branch or facility. Failure to adequately meet these criteria could impose additional requirements and limitations on the bank. Since our aggregate assets are not more than $250 million, under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, we are generally subject to a Community Reinvestment Act examination only once every 60 months if we receive an “outstanding” rating, once every 48 months if we receive a “satisfactory” rating and as needed if our rating is “less than satisfactory”. Additionally, we must publicly disclose the terms of various Community Reinvestment Act-related agreements.

Other Regulations

Interest and other charges collected or contracted for by our bank are subject to state usury laws, and federal laws concerning interest rates. For example, under the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act of 1940, a lender is generally prohibited from charging an annual interest rate in excess of 6% on any obligation for which the borrower is a person on active duty with the United States military.

Our bank’s loan operations are also subject to federal laws applicable to credit transactions, such as the:

 

   

Federal Truth-In-Lending Act, governing disclosures of credit terms to consumer borrowers;

 

   

Home Mortgage Disclosure Act of 1975, requiring financial institutions to provide information to enable the public and public officials to determine whether a financial institution is fulfilling its obligation to help meet the housing needs of the community it serves;

 

   

Equal Credit Opportunity Act, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed or other prohibited factors in extending credit;

 

   

Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1978, governing the use and provisions of information to credit reporting agencies;

 

   

Fair Debt Collection Act, governing the manner in which consumer debts may be collected by collection agencies;

 

   

Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act of 1940, governing the repayment terms of, and property rights underlying, secured obligations of persons in military service; and

 

   

rules and regulations of the various federal agencies charged with the responsibility of implementing these federal laws.

In addition to the federal and state laws noted above, the Georgia Fair Lending Act (“GAFLA”) imposes restrictions and procedural requirements on most mortgage loans made in Georgia, including home equity loans and lines of credit. On August 5, 2003, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) issued a formal opinion stating that the entirety of GAFLA is preempted by federal law for national banks and their operating subsidiaries. GAFLA contains a provision that preempts GAFLA as to state banks in the event that the OCC preempts GAFLA as to national banks. Therefore, the bank is exempt from the requirements of GAFLA.

 

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The deposit operations of our bank are subject to:

 

   

the 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

 

   

the Electronic Funds Transfer Act and Regulation E issued by the Federal Reserve to implement that act, 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.

Capital Adequacy

We and our bank are required to comply with the capital adequacy standards established by the Federal Reserve (in the case of the holding company) and the FDIC (in the case of the bank). The Federal Reserve has established a risk-based and a leverage measure of capital adequacy for bank holding companies. Since our consolidated total assets are less than $500 million, under the Federal Reserve’s capital guidelines, our capital adequacy is measured on a bank-only basis, as opposed to a consolidated basis. Our bank is also subject to risk-based and leverage capital requirements adopted by the FDIC, which are substantially similar to those adopted by the Federal Reserve for bank holding companies.

The risk-based capital standards are designed to make regulatory capital requirements more sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banks and bank holding companies, to account for off-balance-sheet exposure, and to minimize disincentives for holding liquid assets. Assets and off-balance-sheet items, such as letters of credit and unfunded loan commitments, are assigned to broad risk categories, each with appropriate risk weights. The resulting capital ratios represent capital as a percentage of total risk-weighted assets and off-balance-sheet items.

The minimum guideline for the ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets is 8%. Total capital consists of two components, Tier 1 Capital and Tier 2 Capital. Tier 1 Capital generally consists of common stock, minority interests in the equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, noncumulative perpetual preferred stock, and a limited amount of qualifying cumulative perpetual preferred stock, less goodwill and other specified intangible assets. Tier 1 Capital must equal at least 4% of risk-weighted assets. Tier 2 Capital generally consists of subordinated debt, other preferred stock, and a limited amount of loan loss reserves. The total amount of Tier 2 Capital is limited to 100% of Tier 1 Capital. At December 31, 2008 the Bank’s ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets was 10.01% and its ratio of Tier 1 Capital to risk-weighted assets was 8.76%.

In addition, the Federal Reserve has established minimum leverage ratio guidelines for bank holding companies. These guidelines provide for a minimum ratio of Tier 1 Capital to average assets, less goodwill and other specified intangible assets, of 3% for bank holding companies that meet specified criteria, including having the highest regulatory rating and implementing the Federal Reserve’s risk-based capital measure for market risk. All other banking holding companies generally are required to maintain a leverage ratio of at least 4%. At December 31, 2008, the holding company’s leverage ratio was 6.8%. The guidelines also provide that the bank holding companies experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions will be expected to maintain strong capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels without reliance on intangible assets. The Federal Reserve considers the leverage ratio and other indicators of capital strength in evaluating proposals for expansion or new activities.

Failure to meet capital guidelines could subject a bank or bank holding company to a variety of enforcement remedies, including issuance of a capital directive, the termination of deposit insurance by the FDIC, a prohibition on accepting brokered deposits, and certain other restrictions on its business. As described above, significant additional restrictions can be imposed on FDIC-insured depository institutions that fail to meet applicable capital requirements.

Payment of Dividends

We are a legal entity separate and distinct from our bank subsidiary. The principal sources of our cash flow, including cash flow to pay dividends to its shareholders, are dividends that our bank pays to us. Statutory and regulatory limitations apply to our bank’s payment of dividends. If, in the opinion of the federal banking regulator, the bank were engaged in or about to engage in an unsafe or unsound practice, the federal banking regulator could require, after notice and a hearing, that it stop or refrain from engaging in the questioned practice. The federal banking agencies have indicated that paying dividends that deplete a depository institution’s capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsafe and unsound banking practice. Under the FDIC Improvement Act of 1991, a depository institution may not pay any dividends if payment would cause it to become undercapitalized or if it already is undercapitalized. Moreover, the federal agencies have issued policy statements that provide that bank holding companies and insured banks should generally only pay dividends out of current operating earnings.

 

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The GDBF also regulates our bank’s dividend payments and must approve dividend payments that would exceed 50% of our bank’s net income for the prior year. Our payment of dividends may also be affected or limited by other factors, such as the requirement to maintain adequate capital above regulatory guidelines.

Our bank could have paid cash dividends of approximately $346,000 without prior regulatory approval during 2008. The bank actually paid cash dividends of $137,000 to the holding company which was used for operating expenses and debt service. Because or bank incurred a net loss in 2008 it would not currently pay dividends to our holding company without prior regulatory approval.

Restrictions on Transactions with Affiliates

We are subject to the provisions of Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act. Section 23A places limits on the amount of:

 

   

a bank’s loans or extensions of credit to affiliates;

 

   

a bank’s investment in affiliates;

 

   

assets a bank may purchase from affiliates, except for real and personal property exempted by the Federal Reserve;

 

   

loans or extensions of credit made by a bank to third parties collateralized by the securities or obligations of affiliates; and

 

   

a bank’s guarantee, acceptance or letter of credit issued on behalf of an affiliate.

The total amount of the above transactions is limited in amount, as to any one affiliate, to 10% of a bank’s capital and surplus and, as to all affiliates combined, to 20% of a bank’s capital and surplus. In addition to the limitation on the amount of these transactions, each of the above transactions must also meet specified collateral requirements. Our bank must also comply with other provisions designed to avoid the taking of low-quality assets.

We are also subject to the provisions of Section 23B of the Federal Reserve Act which, among other things, prohibit an institution from engaging in the above transactions with affiliates unless the transactions are on terms substantially the same, or at least as favorable to the institution or its subsidiaries, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with nonaffiliated companies.

Our bank is also subject to restrictions on extensions of credit for use by its executive officers, directors, principal shareholders and their related interests. These extensions of credit (1) must be made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with third parties and (2) must not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features.

Privacy

Financial institutions are required to disclose their policies for collecting and protecting confidential information. Customers generally may prevent financial institutions from sharing nonpublic personal financial information with nonaffiliated third parties except under narrow circumstances, such as the processing of transactions requested by the consumer or when the financial institution is jointly sponsoring a product or service with a nonaffiliated third party. Additionally, financial institutions generally may not disclose consumer account numbers to any nonaffiliated third party for use in telemarketing, direct mail marketing or other marketing to consumers.

Consumer Credit Reporting

On December 4, 2003, President Bush signed the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, amending the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. These amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (the “FCRA Amendments”) became effective in 2004.

The FCRA Amendments include, among other things:

 

   

requirements for financial institutions to develop policies and procedures to identify potential identity theft and, upon the request of a consumer, place a fraud alert in the consumer’s credit file stating that the consumer may be the victim of identity theft or other fraud.

 

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for entities that furnish information to consumer reporting agencies (which would include our bank), requirements to implement procedures and policies regarding the accuracy and integrity of the furnished information and regarding the correction of previously furnished information that is later determined to be inaccurate; and

 

   

a requirement for mortgage lenders to disclose credit scores to consumers.

The FCRA Amendments also prohibit a business that receives consumer information from an affiliate from using that information for marketing purposes unless the consumer is first provided a notice and an opportunity to direct the business not to use the information for such marketing purposes (the “opt-out”), subject to certain exceptions. We do not share consumer information among our affiliated companies for marketing purposes, except as allowed under exceptions to the notice and opt-out requirements. Because no affiliate of ours is currently sharing consumer information with any other affiliate for marketing purposes, the limitations on sharing of information for marketing purposes do not have a significant impact on us.

Anti-Terrorism and Money Laundering Legislation

Our bank is subject to the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (the “USA PATRIOT Act”), the Bank Secrecy Act, and rules and regulations of the Office of Foreign Assets Control. These statutes and related rules and regulations impose requirements and limitations on specified financial transactions and account relationships, intended to guard against money laundering and terrorism financing. The bank has established a customer identification program pursuant to Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act and the Bank Secrecy Act, and otherwise has implemented policies and procedures to comply with the foregoing rules.

Proposed Legislation and Regulatory Action

New regulations and statutes are regularly proposed that contain wide-ranging proposals for altering the structures, regulations and competitive relationships of financial institutions operating or doing business in the United States. We cannot predict whether or in what form any proposed regulation or statute will be adopted or the extent to which our business may be affected by any new regulation or statute.

 

ITEM 2. DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY

The table and text below provides certain information about the properties that we own or lease.

 

Property Description

  

Property Location

   Own or Lease    Mortgage or Liens    Date Built
Main Office    110 Bill Conn Parkway Gray, Georgia 31032    Own    None    2003
Branch Office    1611 Bass Road Macon, Georgia 31210    Own    None    2006
Branch Office    4511 Forsyth Road Macon, Georgia 31210    Own    None    2006
Branch Office    76 E. Johnston Street Forsyth, Georgia 31029    Own    None    2008
Land originally purchased for Branch Office (currently beingmarketed to sell)    401 S. Houston Lake Road Warner Robins, Georgia 31088    Own    None    N/A

Our main office, located at 110 Bill Conn Parkway, Gray, Georgia 31032, was built in 2003, has approximately 9,000 square feet of interior space and three drive-thru lanes, and presently houses the administrative functions of both the holding company and our bank subsidiary. We own the furniture, fixtures and equipment located at this location.

Our branch office, located at 1611 Bass Road, Macon, Georgia 31210, was built in 2006, has approximately 3,600 square feet of interior space and three drive-thru lanes. We own the furniture, fixtures and equipment located at this location.

 

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We acquired the building and real estate for a branch office located at 4511 Forsyth Road, Macon, Georgia 31210 in 2006. It has approximately 2,900 square feet of interior space and opened in the second quarter of 2007.

Our branch office, located at 76 E. Johnston Street, Forsyth, Georgia 31029, was built in 2008, has approximately 5,000 square feet of interior space and three drive-thru lanes. We own the furniture, fixtures and equipment located at this location.

Due to the current economic slowdown and changes in the Houston County market conditions, we have decided not to open an office in this market any time in the near future. Therefore, we have listed this property with a local realtor for sale.

 

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are from time to time involved in various legal actions arising from normal business activities. Although we have experienced more elevated legal related costs and expenses associated with revolving troubled loans, we do not believe that the liability, if any arising from such actions will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. As of December 31, 2008, we are not a party to any proceeding to which any director, officer or affiliate of the issuer, any owner of more than five percent (5%) of its voting securities is a party adverse to us.

 

ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of 2008.

PART II

 

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS

Market Information

In March 2006, Samco Capital Markets became the market maker for Piedmont Community Bank listing it on the OTC Bulletin Board under the symbol “PCBN.” On February 7, 2007 Piedmont Community Bank Group, Inc. became the sole shareholder of Piedmont Community Bank by virtue of a merger to facilitate the reorganization of Piedmont Community Bank into a holding company structure. Beginning on February 7, 2007, the market prices disclosed reflect the prices of the common stock of Piedmont Community Bank Group, Inc.

Prior to March 2006 there was no established public trading market for the common stock of Piedmont Community Bank. Therefore, management was furnished with only limited information concerning trades of Piedmont Community Bank’s stock.

The following table sets forth the number of shares traded and the high and low per share sales prices for each quarter during 2008 and 2007, to the extent that this information is known to management. Since quotation on the OTC Bulletin Board in March 2006, the high and low per share sales prices reflect inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down, or commission, and may not represent actual transactions. Because of the thin trading, the following data regarding our common stock is provided for information purposes only and should not be viewed as indicative of the actual or market value of the common stock.

 

     Number of
shares traded
   High Selling
Price
   Low Selling
Price

2008

        

First Quarter

   15,280    $ 10.00    $ 8.50

Second Quarter

   12,318    $ 9.35    $ 7.55

Third Quarter

   12,861    $ 13.25    $ 4.25

Fourth Quarter

   6,015    $ 9.50    $ 4.20

2007

        

First Quarter

   30,126    $ 15.63    $ 15.13

Second Quarter

   22,062    $ 15.50    $ 15.01

Third Quarter

   14,823    $ 15.00    $ 12.00

Fourth Quarter

   81,877    $ 12.15    $ 9.00

At March 27, 2009, we had 1,630,734 shares of common stock outstanding held by approximately 669 shareholders of record (not including the number of persons or entities holding stock in nominee or street name through various brokerage houses). We also had outstanding options to purchase 348,090 shares of common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $11.72.

 

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Dividends

We have never declared or paid cash dividends and cannot assure that we will be able to pay dividends in the foreseeable future. The payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, capital requirements, general business conditions, regulatory restrictions on the payment of dividends and other factors our board of directors deems relevant. As a Georgia state bank, Piedmont Community Bank is subject to Georgia banking laws and regulations that limit or otherwise restrict the ability of the bank to pay cash dividends. For example, the approval of the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance must be obtained before the bank can pay cash dividends out of retained earnings if (i) the total classified assets at the most recent examination of the bank exceeded 80% of the equity capital, (ii) the aggregate amount of dividends declared or anticipated to be declared in the calendar year exceeds 50% of the net profits, after tax but before dividends for the previous calendar year, or (iii) the ratio of equity capital to adjusted assets is less than 6%. In addition, under Federal Reserve policy, we are required to maintain adequate regulatory capital and are expected to act as a source of financial strength to our bank subsidiary and to commit resources to support this subsidiary in circumstances where we might not otherwise do so.

 

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OR PLAN OF OPERATIONS

The following is a discussion of our financial condition at December 31, 2008 and 2007 and the results of operations for the years then ended. The purpose of this discussion is to focus on information about our financial condition and results of operations that is not otherwise apparent from the financial statements.

Like most community banks, we derive most of our income from interest we receive on our loans and investments. Our primary source of funds for making these loans and investments is our deposits, on which we pay interest. Consequently, one of the key measures of our success is our amount of net interest income, or the difference between the income on our interest-earning assets, such as loans and investments, and the expense on our interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. Another key measure is the spread between the yield we earn on these interest-earning assets and the rate we pay on our interest-bearing liabilities.

In the following sections we have included a number of tables to assist in our description of these measures. For example, the “Average Balances” table shows the average balances during 2008 and 2007 of each category of our assets and liabilities, as well as the yield we earned or the rate we paid with respect to each category. A review of this table shows that our loans typically provide higher interest yields than do other types of interest earning assets, which is why we intend to channel a substantial percentage of our earning assets into our loan portfolio. Similarly, the “Rate/Volume Analysis” table helps demonstrate the impact of changing interest rates and changing volume of assets and liabilities during the years shown. We also track the sensitivity of our various categories of assets and liabilities to changes in interest rates, and we have included a tabular illustration of our asset/liability management to help explain this. Finally, we have included a number of tables that provide detail about our investment securities, our loans, and our deposits.

Of course, there are risks inherent in all loans, so we maintain an allowance for loan losses to absorb probable losses on existing loans that may become uncollectible. We establish and maintain this allowance by charging a provision for loan losses against our operating earnings. In the following section we have included a detailed discussion of this process, as well as several tables describing our allowance for loan losses and the allocation of this allowance among our various categories of loans.

In addition to earning interest on our loans and investments, we earn income through fees and other expenses we charge to our customers. We describe the various components of this noninterest income, as well as our noninterest expense, in the following discussion.

The following discussion and analysis also identifies significant factors that have affected our financial position and operating results during the periods included in the accompanying financial statements. We encourage you to read this discussion and analysis in conjunction with the financial statements and the related notes and the other statistical information also included in this report.

Critical Accounting Policies

We have adopted various accounting policies which govern the application of accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America in the preparation of our financial statements. Our significant accounting policies are described in Note 1 of the December 31, 2008 consolidated financial statements.

Certain accounting policies involve significant judgments and assumptions by us which have a material impact on the carrying value of certain assets and liabilities. We consider these accounting policies to be critical accounting policies. The judgments

 

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and assumptions we use are based on historical experience and other factors, which we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Because of the nature of the judgments and assumptions we make, actual results could differ from these judgments and estimates, which could have a material impact on our carrying values of assets and liabilities and our results of operations.

We believe the allowance for loan losses is a critical accounting policy that requires the most significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements. Refer to the portion of this discussion that addresses our allowance for loan losses for a description of our processes and methodology for determining our allowance for loan losses.

Overview

General

Our 2008 results were marked by flattening loan growth, increased deterioration in our loan portfolio, and increased pressure on our net interest margin. The following is a summary of our 2008 financial performance:

 

   

Total loans, net of unearned income, increased to approximately $193 million, up from approximately $178 million at December 31, 2007. This represents a 8.4% increase for the year. However, all of this growth was attributable to the first half of 2008. In fact, loans declined marginally from June 30, 2008 to December 31, 2008 due to foreclosures and a general slowdown in our loan origination activities in light of the weakening real estate market and overall economy.

 

   

Total deposits were approximately $221 million at December 31, 2008, an increase of approximately 22.5% from $180 million at December 31, 2007. Approximately 98% of our deposits were interest bearing at December 31, 2008.

 

   

Our provision for loan losses increased substantially to $2.9 million in 2008 from $1.8 in 2007. This increase was primarily the result of the weakening real estate market, especially as it relates to the acquisition, development and construction of residential real estate, where we have a concentration. Net charge offs totaled $1 million during 2008. By contrast, we had no net charge offs in 2007. Our allowance for loan losses as a percentage of total loans stood at 1.53% as of December 31, 2008, up from 1.04% at December 31, 2007.

 

   

Nonaccrual loans increased substantially to $8.4 million at December 31, 2008 from only $128,000 at December 31, 2007. Nearly 7% of our real estate development loans portfolio was on nonaccrual status at December 31, 2008.

 

   

Other real estate increased to $8.8 million at December 31, 2008 from $242,000 at December 31, 2007 as we foreclosed on properties that served as collateral for delinquent loans.

 

   

Despite the increase in loans, net interest income before the provision for loan losses decreased to $4.1 million for 2008 compared to $5.6 million for 2007. Our net interest margin declined 145 basis points to 1.93%, reflecting lost interest income from nonaccrual loans and compression attributable to the declining rate environment throughout 2008.

 

   

Noninterest income was $636,000, an increase from $330,000 in 2007.

 

   

Noninterest expense increased to $5.2 million in 2008 compared to $4.2 million in 2007, which represents a 23.7% increase. Salary and employee benefits expenses increased by approximately 8.8%, occupancy and equipment expenses increased by approximately 26.6%, and other operating expenses increased by approximately 45.4%.

 

   

Our net loss was $1.5 million for 2008, which compares to net income of $669,000 in 2007. The decline in our net interest income and increase in other operating expenses contributed to our loss. However, the primary cause of our loss was the significant increase in our provision for loan losses that was necessary in light of the deteriorating real estate markets and overall economy.

 

   

Shareholders’ equity decreased to approximately $16.0 million at December 31, 2008 from approximately $17.2 million at December 31, 2007. The decrease was directly attributable to our net loss. Our book value per common share at December 31, 2008 was $9.85, which was down from $10.53 at December 31, 2007.

 

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Outlook

The real estate markets that we serve have experienced significant weakness over the last several quarters. Sales volumes and new housing starts continue to slow substantially. Real estate prices have also declined, although the decline in prices has so far been less dramatic. The weakness in real estate markets is particularly prevalent in the commercial and construction areas, where we have heavy concentrations. In recent months we have also seen, both locally and nationally, a general decline in lending activities by financial institutions in connection with the overall market turmoil. Many of our borrowers are developers who depend on end-users to purchase their projects as a source of repayment. The ability of our borrowers to timely repay our loans, therefore, will be negatively impacted to the extent that these end-users are unable to obtain financing to purchase the underlying real estate projects.

As a result of these trends, we expect that our loan growth will level off and could even decline over the next several months. In addition, we expect that our level of other real estate will increase marginally into 2009 as we anticipate foreclosing on properties at a faster rate than we are able to dispose of such properties. Therefore, we believe that our level of non-performing assets will increase and that our level of net interest margin and profitability will be negatively impacted in the short term. We also expect further deterioration in our loan portfolio as economic conditions continue to weaken. The combination of these forces could produce losses over the foreseeable future.

Declining Regulatory Capital Ratios

Our regulatory capital ratios, which have declined over the last several years as a result of our growth, have experienced additional stress in recent quarters because of losses we have sustained and additional provisions to our allowance for loan losses. In order to maintain our bank’s “well capitalized” regulatory status at December 31, 2008 we sold promissory notes to two directors in December 2008 for aggregate proceeds of $525,000. The notes carry interest rates equal to 12% per annum and mature on December 31, 2009. Proceeds of $400,000 from the issuance of these notes were contributed to our bank subsidiary prior to year end to bolster its capital ratios. Even with this contribution, our bank’s total risk-based capital ratio was 10.01% at December 31, 2008, which is only one basis point above the minimum requirement to maintain “well capitalized” status. Any further deterioration in our loan portfolio, which we expect over the short term, would cause further decline in our regulatory capital ratios, although this decline may be offset somewhat by proceeds from the private placement offering of preferred stock that we are currently conducting.

Possible Enforcement Action

Under applicable laws the Federal Reserve Board, the FDIC as our deposit insurer, and the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, as our chartering authority, have the ability to impose substantial sanctions, restrictions, and requirement on us if they determine upon examination or otherwise, violations of laws with which we must comply, or weaknesses or failures with respect to general standards of safety and soundness. Our bank subsidiary is regulated by these governmental entities. Applicable law prohibits our disclosures of specific examination findings, but formal enforcement actions are generally disclosed by the regulatory authorities after these actions become effective. These actions typically require certain corrective steps, impose limits on activities (such as lending, deposit taking, acquisitions or branching), prescribe lending parameters (such as loan types, volumes and terms) and require additional capital to be raised. In many cases, policies must be revised by the institution and submitted to the regulatory authority for approval within time frames prescribed by the regulatory authorities. Failure to adhere to the requirements of any action, once issued, can result in more severe penalties. Generally, these enforcement actions can be lifted only after a subsequent examination substantiates complete correction of the underlying issues. We anticipate becoming subject to such an enforcement action in the near future due to our increased level of non-performing loans and their impact on our financial condition.

Financial condition at December 31, 2008 and 2007

The following is a summary of our balance sheets as of the dates indicated:

 

     December 31
     2008    2007
     (Dollars in Thousands)

Cash and due from banks

   $ 2,450    $ 1,570

Interest-bearing deposits in banks

     3,802      2,764

Federal funds sold

     7,198      6,113

Securities available for sale

     24,787      9,283

Securities held to maturity

     2,522      2,000

Restricted equity securities

     1,517      1,116

Loans, net

     190,016      176,186

 

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Accrued interest receivable

     2,215      1,921

Premises and equipment

     9,100      7,541

Other real estate owned

     8,845      242

Bank owned life insurance

     3,683      3,512

Other assets

     1,973      793
             
   $ 258,108    $ 213,041
             

Total deposits

   $ 221,079    $ 180,436

Other borrowings

     19,737      14,100

Accrued interest payable

     1,080      948

Other liabilities

     144      387

Shareholders’ equity

     16,068      17,170
             
   $ 258,108    $ 213,041
             

As of December 31, 2008, we had total assets of $258 million. Growth of deposits and other borrowings of $40.6 million and $5.6 million, respectively, were used to fund net loan growth of $13.8 million, increase securities by $16.4 million and acquire other real estate of $8.6 million. Six municipal bonds in our portfolio are classified as held to maturity. All other securities are classified as available for sale for liquidity purposes to support our expected loan growth.

We have 90% of our loan portfolio collateralized by real estate. Our real estate mortgage and construction portfolio consists of loans collateralized by one-to-four-family residential properties (10%), construction loans to build on-to-four-family residential properties (18%) and nonresidential properties consisting primarily of small business commercial properties (62%). We generally require that loans collateralized by real estate not exceed the collateral values by the following percentages for each type of real estate loan:

 

One-to-four-family residential properties

   90 %

Construction loans on one-to-four-family residential properties

   80 %

Construction loans on commercial properties

   80 %

Fully completed Commercial and Residential structures

   85 %

The remaining 10% of the loan portfolio consists of commercial, consumer and other loans.

We require collateral commensurate with the repayment ability and creditworthiness of the borrower. The specific economic and credit risks associated with our loan portfolio, especially the real estate portfolio, include, but are not limited to, a general downturn in the economy which could affect unemployment rates in our market area, general real estate market deterioration, interest rate fluctuations, deteriorated or non-existing collateral, title defects, inaccurate appraisals, financial deterioration of borrowers, fraud, and any violation of banking protection laws. Construction lending can also present other specific risks to the lender such as whether developers can find builders to buy lots for home construction, whether the builders can obtain financing for the construction, whether the builders can sell the home to a buyer, and whether the buyer can obtain permanent financing.

We attempt to reduce these economic and credit risks not only by adhering to loan to value guidelines, but also by investigating the creditworthiness of the borrower and monitoring the borrower’s financial position. Also, we establish and periodically review our lending policies and procedures. Georgia banking regulations limit exposure by prohibiting loan relationships that exceed 25% of the Bank’s statutory capital, as defined by the state law. Our legal lending limit, as of December 31, 2008 was approximately $5,033,000.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Liquidity management involves the matching of the cash flow requirements of customers, who may be either depositors desiring to withdraw funds or borrowers needing assurance that sufficient funds will be available to meet their credit needs, and our ability to meet those needs. We strive to maintain an adequate liquidity position by managing the balances and maturities of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities so that the balance we have in short-term investments at any given time will adequately cover any reasonably anticipated immediate need for funds. Additionally, we maintain relationships with correspondent banks, which could provide funds to the Bank on short notice, if needed.

Our liquidity and capital resources are monitored daily by management and on a periodic basis by state and federal regulatory authorities. As determined under guidelines established by these regulatory authorities, our liquidity ratio at December 31, 2008 was considered satisfactory. At that date, we believe that our short-term investments and available Federal Funding were adequate to cover any reasonably anticipated immediate need for funds. At December 31, 2008, we had unused available Federal Fund lines of $12,500,000 and unused Federal Home Loan Bank borrowing capacity of approximately $706,000.

 

23


As of December 31, 2008 we had an increased liquidity position as total cash and due from banks amounted to $2.5 million, representing 0.95% of total assets as compared to 0.74% as of December 31, 2007. Investment securities available-for-sale totaled to $24.8 million and interest-bearing deposits in banks amounted to $3.8 million, representing 9.60% and 1.47% of total assets, respectively. These securities and interest bearing deposits in banks provide a secondary source of liquidity since they can be converted into cash in a timely manner.

Our ability to maintain and expand our deposit base and borrowing capabilities is a source of liquidity. For the year ended December 31, 2008, total deposits increased from $180.4 million at December 31, 2007 to $221.1 million at December 31, 2008. Of this total, however, approximately $132.1 million, or 59.7%, represent time deposits that are scheduled to mature within one year. Furthermore, we intend to continue to rely heavily on short-term time deposits as a primary source of funding for the foreseeable future. If we are unable to offer a competitive rate as these deposits mature, we could lose a substantial amount of deposits within a short period of time, which would strain our liquidity. While we consider this scenario to be unlikely, our net interest income and profitability would be negatively affected if we have to increase rates to maintain deposits.

Management is committed to maintaining capital at a level sufficient to protect depositors, provide for reasonable growth, and fully comply with all regulatory requirements. Our capital ratios which had declined over the last couple of years due to our growth, experienced additional stress in 2008 because of the losses we sustained. We are currently offering up to $4 million in preferred stock through a private placement offering. We expect that our capital ratios will improve as proceeds from this offering are collected and will then decline as we use the proceeds to fund moderate loan growth. However, any further deterioration in our loan portfolio would cause our capital ratios to decline. The table below illustrates our bank’s regulatory capital ratios at December 31, 2008.

 

     Piedmont
Community
Bank
    Regulatory
Minimum
Requirements
(Well
Capitalized)
 

Leverage capital ratios

   8.10 %   5.00 %

Risk-based capital ratios:

    

Tier 1 capital

   8.76     6.00  

Total capital

   10.01     10.00  

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We are a party to financial instruments with off-balance sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of our customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit. Such commitments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk and interest rate risk in excess of the amount recognized in the balance sheets.

Our exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instrument for commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit is represented by the contractual amount of those instruments. We use the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as we do for on-balance sheet instruments. A summary of our commitments is as follows:

 

     December 31
2008

Commitments to extend credit

   $ 21,434,000

Letters of credit

     20,000
      
   $ 21,454,000
      

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. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by us upon extension of credit, is based on our credit evaluation of the customer.

 

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Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by us to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. Those letters of credit are primarily issued to support public and private borrowing arrangements. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loans to customers. Collateral is required in instances which we deem necessary.

Contractual Obligations

We have various contractual obligations that we must fund as part of our normal operations. The following table shows aggregate information about our contractual obligations and the periods in which payments are due. The amounts and time periods are measured from December 31, 2008.

Payments due by period (in thousands)

 

     Total    Less than
1 year
   1-3 years    3-5 years    More than
5 years

Other borrowings

   $ 19,737    $ 900    $ 525    $ 4,000    $ 14,312

Operating lease obligations

     6      6      —        —        —  

Time deposits

     172,663      132,130      39,367      1,166      —  
                                  

Total

   $ 192,406    $ 133,036    $ 39,892    $ 5,166    $ 14,312
                                  

Effects of Inflation

The impact of inflation on banks differs from its impact on non-financial institutions. Banks, as financial intermediaries, have assets that are primarily monetary in nature and that tend to fluctuate in concert with inflation. A bank can reduce the impact of inflation if it can manage its rate sensitivity gap. This gap represents the difference between rate sensitive assets and rate sensitive liabilities. We, through our Asset/Liability Committee, attempt to structure the assets and liabilities and manage the rate sensitivity gap, thereby seeking to minimize the potential effects of inflation. For information on the management of our interest rate sensitive assets and liabilities, see “Asset/Liability Management.”

Results of Operations For The Years Ended December 31, 2008 and 2007

The following is a summary of our operations for the years indicated:

 

     Year Ended
December 31
 
     2008     2007  
     (Dollars in Thousands)  

Interest and dividend income

   $ 12,394     $ 13,458  

Interest expense

     (8,297 )     (7,825 )
                

Net interest income

     4,097       5,633  

Provision for loan losses

     (2,158 )     (614 )

Other income

     636       330  

Other expenses

     (5,191 )     (4,195 )
                

Pretax income

     (2,616 )     1,154  

Income tax expense

     1,072       (485 )

Minority interest

     —         —    
                

Net income

   $ (1,544 )   $ 669  
                

Net Interest Income

Our results of operations are determined by our ability to manage interest income and expense effectively, to minimize loan and investment losses, to generate non-interest income, and to control operating expenses. Because interest rates are determined by market forces and economic conditions beyond our control, our ability to generate net interest income is dependent upon our ability to obtain an adequate net interest spread between the rate we pay on interest-bearing liabilities and the rate we earn on interest-earning assets.

During 2008, average loans were $191.1 million, average securities were $14.7 million and average Federal funds sold were $2.5 million. Average interest-bearing liabilities total $206.9 million. The rate earned on average interest-earning assets was 5.84%. The rate paid on average interest-bearing liabilities was 4.01% which resulted in a net interest spread of 1.83%. The net interest margin, which is net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets, was 1.93%.

 

25


During 2007, average loans were $148.9 million, average securities were $11.3 million and average Federal funds sold were $2.8 million. Average interest-bearing liabilities total $152.4 million. The rate earned on average interest-earning assets was 8.08%. The rate paid on average interest-bearing liabilities was 5.13% which resulted in a net interest spread of 2.95%. The net interest margin, which is net interest income divided by average interest-earning assets, was 3.38%.

The decrease in our net yield on average interest earning assets is primarily due to interest reversals for loans placed on nonaccrual and the dramatic decreases in interest rates initiated by the Federal Reserve. The yield on our loans decreased 245 basis points in 2008. Our net interest margin declined 145 basis points to 1.93%, reflecting the lost interest from non accrual loans and compression attributable to the declining rate environment throughout 2008.

Provisions for Loan Losses

Our management assesses the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses quarterly. This assessment includes procedures to estimate the allowance and test the adequacy and appropriateness of the resulting balance. The allowance for loan loss consists of two components: (1) a specific amount representative of identified credit exposures that are readily predictable by the current performance of the borrower and underlying collateral; and (2) a general amount based upon historical losses that is then adjusted for various stress factors representative of various economic factors and characteristics of the loan portfolio. Even though the allowance for loan losses is composed of two components, the entire allowance is available to absorb any credit losses.

We establish the specific amount by examining impaired loans which are defined as containing one or more of the following characteristics: collectability of principal and interest from the borrower is in question, the loan is on non-accrual or the loan has been restructured. Under generally accepted accounting principles, we may measure the loss either by (1) the observable market price of the loan; or (2) the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate; or (3) the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent. Because the majority of our impaired loans are collateral dependent, nearly all of our specific allowances are calculated based on the fair value of the collateral. As of December 31, 2008, we had approximately $211,000 in specific loss allocations against specific loans in our evaluation of the allowance for loan losses.

We establish the general amount by taking the remaining loan portfolio (excluding those loans discussed above) with allocations based on historical losses in the total portfolio. The calculation of the general amount is then subjected to stress factors that are particularly subjective. The amount due to stress testing takes into consideration factors such as (1) the current economic condition and its impact on the industry; (2) the depth or experience in the lending staff; (3) any concentrations of credit (such as commercial real estate) in any particular industry group; (4) new banking laws or regulations; (5) past due trends; and (6) changes in lending policy or the quality of loan review. Risk ratings are applied to these factors to determine the amount of loan loss reserve necessary to adequately cover the potential losses which the bank could incur. The calculation is then reviewed and evaluated by management, who will use their best judgment to ensure the appropriateness of the reserve.

In assessing the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses, we also rely on an ongoing independent credit administration review process. We undertake this process both to ascertain whether there are loans in the portfolio whose credit quality has weakened over time and to assist in our overall evaluation of the risk characteristics of the entire loan portfolio. Our credit administration review process includes the judgment of management, the input of our internal loan review function, and reviews that may have been conducted by bank regulatory agencies as part of their usual examination process.

Our provision for loan losses was $2,157,500 and $614,000 in 2008 and 2007, respectively. The large majority of the increase was related to reserves needed for the downturn in the economy and to our assessment of the inherent risk in the portfolio although some of the increase was also attributable to the growth in our loan portfolio. Amounts charged off during 2008 totaled $1,058,340 as compared to zero charge-offs in 2007. We had $20,984,360 in nonperforming loans (nonaccrual loans and loans past due 90 days or more) and other real estate owned at December 31, 2008 as compared to $570,000 in 2007. Based upon our evaluation of the loan portfolio, we believe our allowance for loan losses is adequate to meet any potential losses in the loan portfolio.

Non-interest Income

Non-interest income consists of service charges on deposit accounts, income on bank owned life insurance, gains on foreclosures and the disposition of other real estate, gains on the sale of securities, mortgage origination income and other miscellaneous income.

 

26


Non-interest income increased $306,000 to $636,000 in 2008 as compared to $330,000 in 2007. The increase is primarily due to an increase of $158,000 in BOLI income from $12,000 in 2007 to $170,000 in 2008 and the increase on gain on sale of other real estate owned (“OREO”) of approximately $156,000.

Non-interest Expense

Non-interest expenses for 2008 and 2007 consist of salaries and employee benefits of $2,450,000 and $2,252,000, equipment and occupancy expenses of $558,000 and $441,000, and other operating expenses of $2,184,000 and $1,502,000, respectively. The increase in salaries and employee benefits of $198,000 over 2007 is primarily due to annual raise increases. The increase in equipment and occupancy expenses of $117,000 over 2007 is due primarily to increased depreciation of $108,000 and increased utilities expense of $19,000. The increase in other operating expenses of $682,000 over 2007 is due primarily to increased data processing expense of $27,000, increased insurance of $31,000, increase in OREO expense of $217,000, $339,000 of expenses related to an abandoned stock offering, increased legal expense of $18,000, increased printing and supplies of $17,000, increased board related expenses $12,000, increase in regulatory fees of $87,000 and increased phone service of $38,000.

Income Tax

Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 109, “Accounting for Income Taxes,” requires the asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting for deferred income taxes. We use the asset and liability method of accounting for deferred income taxes and provide deferred income taxes for all significant income tax temporary differences. See Note 7 to the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for additional detail.

As part of the process of preparing our consolidated financial statements we are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves estimating our actual current tax exposure together with assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items, such as depreciation and the provision for loan losses, for tax and financial reporting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities that are included in our consolidated balance sheet.

We must also assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, and to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we must establish a valuation allowance. Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowance recorded against our net deferred tax assets. To the extent we establish a valuation allowance or adjust this allowance in a period, we must include an expense or benefit within the tax provision in the consolidated statement of income.

We have recorded on our consolidated balance sheet net deferred tax assets of $792,000. We believe there will be sufficient taxable income in the future to allow us to recover these deferred tax assets.

Asset/Liability Management

The following table sets forth the distribution of the repricing of our interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities as of December 31, 2008, the interest rate-sensitivity gap, the cumulative interest rate-sensitivity gap, the interest rate-sensitivity gap ratio and the cumulative interest rate-sensitivity gap ratio. The table also sets forth the periods in which interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities will mature or may reprice in accordance with their contractual terms. However, the table does not necessarily indicate the impact of general interest rate movements on the net interest margin as the repricing of various categories of assets and liabilities is subject to competitive pressures and the needs of our customers. In addition, various assets and liabilities indicated as repricing within the same period may in fact reprice at different times within this period and at different rates.

 

     Within
Three
Months
   After
Three
Months
but
Within
One year
   After
One
Year but
Within
Five
Years
   After
Five
Years
   Total
     (Dollars in Thousands)

Interest-earning assets:

              

Federal funds sold

   $ 7,198    $ —      $ —      $ —      $ 7,198

Interest bearing deposits in banks

     693      544      2,565      —        3,802

 

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Securities

     —        22       751       28,053       28,826  

Loans

     138,798      19,182       32,945       2,040       192,965  
                                       
     146,689      19,748       36,261       30,093       232,791  
                                       

Interest-bearing liabilities:

           

Interest-bearing demand and savings

     43,515      —         —         —         43,515  

Time deposits

     25,335      106,443       40,885       —         172,663  

Other borrowings

     900      525       4,000       14,312       19,737  
                                       
     69,750      106,968       44,885       14,312       235,915  
                                       

Interest rate sensitivity gap

   $ 76,939    $ (87,220 )   $ (8,624 )   $ 15,781     $ (3,124 )
                                       

Cumulative interest rate sensitivity gap

   $ 76,939    $ (10,281 )   $ (18,905 )   $ (3,124 )  
                                 

Interest rate sensitivity gap ratio

     2.10      0.18       0.81       2.10    
                                 

Cumulative interest rate sensitivity gap ratio

     2.10      0.94       0.91       0.99    
                                 

SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND STATISTICAL DATA

The tables and schedules on the following pages set forth certain significant financial information and statistical data with respect to the distribution of assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity, the interest rates we experienced; our investment portfolio; our loan portfolio, including types of loans, maturities, and sensitivities of loans to changes in interest rates and information on nonperforming loans; summary of the loan loss experience and allowance for loan losses; types of deposits and the return on equity and assets.

DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS, LIABILITIES, AND

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

INTEREST RATES AND INTEREST DIFFERENTIALS

Average Balance Sheet:

The condensed average balance sheet for the years indicated is presented below in thousands:

 

     2008     2007     2006  

Assets

      

Cash and due from banks

   $ 1,583     $ 1,273     $ 1,086  

Interest-bearing deposits in banks

     3,735       3,359       1,584  

Securities

     13,416       10,487       6,508  

Securities valuation account

     (123 )     (110 )     (174 )

Federal funds sold

     2,509       2,820       967  

Restricted equity securities

     1,366       960       612  

Loans (1)

     191,094       148,881       96,390  

Allowance for loan losses

     (2,433 )     (1,520 )     (1,042 )

Other assets

     18,813       9,913       6,100  
                        
   $ 229,960     $ 176,063     $ 112,031  
                        

Total interest-earning assets

   $ 212,120     $ 166,507     $ 106,061  
                        

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

      

Deposits:

      

Noninterest-bearing demand

   $ 5,427     $ 5,700     $ 4,889  

Interest-bearing demand and savings

     55,139       50,294       12,407  

Time deposits

     133,715       89,619       69,472  
                        
     194,281       145,613       86,768  

Other borrowings

     18,073       12,499       8,744  

Other liabilities

     940       1,281       804  
                        
     213,294       159,392       96,316  

Shareholders’ equity

     16,666       16,670       15,715  
                        
   $ 229,960     $ 176,063     $ 112,031  
                        

Total interest-bearing liabilities

   $ 206,927     $ 152,412     $ 90,623  
                        

 

(1) Nonaccrual loans included in average loans were $3,265,180, $29,000 and $0 in 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively.

 

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Interest Income and Interest Expense

The following tables set forth the amount of our interest income and interest expense for each category of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities and the average interest rate for total interest-earning assets and total interest-bearing liabilities, net interest spread and net yield on average interest-earning assets.

 

     Years Ended December 31,  
     2008     2007     2006  
                Average     Average  
     Interest    Rate     Interest    Rate     Interest    Rate  

INTEREST INCOME:

               

Interest and fees on loans (1)

   $ 11,500    6.02 %   $ 12,617    8.47 %   $ 7,959    8.26 %

Interest on taxable securities

     659    4.91 %     492    4.69 %     270    4.15 %

Interest on federal funds sold

     46    1.81 %     141    5.00 %     48    4.96 %

Interest on deposits in banks

     142    3.80 %     160    4.76 %     77    4.86 %

Interest on other securities

     47    3.45 %     48    5.00 %     31    5.07 %
                           

Total interest income

     12,394    5.84 %     13,458    8.08 %     8,385    7.91 %
                           

INTEREST EXPENSE:

               

Interest on interest-bearing demand and savings

     1,426    2.59 %     2,456    4.88 %     529    4.26 %

Interest on time deposits

     6,147    4.60 %     4,823    5.38 %     3,355    4.83 %

Interest on other borrowings

     724    3.43 %     546    4.37 %     436    4.99 %
                           

Total interest expense

     8,297    4.01 %     7,825    5.13 %     4,320    4.77 %
                           

NET INTEREST INCOME

   $ 4,097      $ 5,633      $ 4,065   
                           

Net interest spread

      1.83 %      2.95 %      3.14 %

Net yield on average interest-earning assets

      1.93 %      3.38 %      3.83 %

 

(1) Interest and fees on loans include $175,000, $330,000 and $227,000 of loan fee income for the year ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. Interest income recognized on nonaccrual loans during 2008 and 2007 was insignificant.

Rate and Volume Analysis

The following table describes the extent to which changes in interest rates and changes in volume of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities have affected our interest income and expense during the year indicated. For each category of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, information is provided on changes attributable to (1) change in volume (change in volume multiplied by old rate); (2) change in rate (change in rate multiplied by old volume); and (3) a combination of change in rate and change in volume. The changes in interest income and interest expense attributable to both volume and rate have been allocated proportionately on a consistent basis to the change due to volume and the change due to rate.

 

     Year Ended December 31, 2008 vs. 2007
Changes Due to:
 
     Rate     Volume     Net  
     (Dollars in Thousands)  

Increase (decrease) in:

      

Income from interest-earning assets:

      

Interest and fees on loans

   $ (3,647 )   $ 2,530     $ (1,117 )

Interest on taxable securities

     23       144       167  

Interest on federal funds sold

     (89 )     (6 )     (95 )

Interest on deposits in banks and other

     (32 )     14       (18 )

Interest on other securities

     (15 )     14       (1 )
                        

Total interest income

     (3,760 )     2,696       (1,064 )
                        

 

29


Expense from interest-bearing liabilities:

       

Interest on interest-bearing demand and Savings

     (1,155 )     125      (1,030 )

Interest on time deposits

     (704 )     2,028      1,324  

Interest on other borrowing

     (45 )     223      178  
                       

Total interest expense

     (1,904 )     2,376      472  
                       

Net interest income

   $ (1,856 )   $ 320    $ (1,536 )
                       

INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO

Types of Investments

The carrying amounts of securities held to maturity at December 31, 2008 and 2007 are summarized as follows:

 

     December 31,
     2008    2007    2006
     (Dollars in Thousands)

State and county municipal bonds

   $ 2,522    $ 2,000    $ 645
                    

The carrying amounts of securities available for sale at December 31, 2008 and 2007 are summarized as follows:

 

     December 31,
     2008    2007    2006
     (Dollars in Thousands)

Government sponsored agencies

   $ 4,897    $ 7,425    $ 4,486

Mortgage-backed securities

     19,890      1,858      1,677
                    
   $ 24,787    $ 9,283    $ 6,163
                    

Maturities

The amounts of debt securities, including the weighted average yield in each category as of December 31, 2008, are shown in the following table according to contractual maturity classifications (1) one year or less, (2) after one through five years, (3) after five through ten years and (4) after ten years. Restricted equity securities are not included in the table because they have no contractual maturity.

 

     One year or less     After one year
through five years
    After five years
through ten years
 
     Amount    Yield(1)     Amount    Yield(1)     Amount    Yield(1)  

Government sponsored agencies

   $ —      —   %   $ 257    3.70 %   $ 590    4.94 %

State and county municipal

     522    2.88 %     125    3.50 %     250    3.80 %

Mortgage-backed securities

     —      —   %     369    4.50 %     2,674    4.75 %
                           
   $ 522      $ 751      $ 3,514   
                           

 

     After ten years     Total  
     Amount    Yield(1)     Amount    Yield(1)  

Government sponsored agencies

   $ 4,050    5.50 %   $ 4,897    5.09 %

State and county municipal

     1,625    4.48 %     2,522    3.79 %

Mortgage-backed securities

     16,847    5.08 %     19,890    5.02 %
                  
   $ 22,522      $ 27,309   
                  

 

(1) The weighted average yield were computed using coupon interest, adding discount accretion or subtracting premium amortization, as appropriate, on a ratable basis over the life of each security.

 

30


LOAN PORTFOLIO

Types of Loans

The amount of loans outstanding at December 31, 2008 and 2007 is shown in the following table according to the type of loan.

 

     2008     2007     2006     2005     2004  
     (Dollars in Thousands)  

Commercial

   $ 16,227     $ 19,032     $ 6,946     $ 3,735     $ 1,944  

Real estate-construction

     34,736       37,310       25,002       12,318       12,110  

Real estate-mortgage

     19,694       19,213       12,847       10,456       11,256  

Real estate-commercial

     120,225       100,505       72,088       51,781       26,864  

Consumer installment and other

     2,078       1,993       2,109       1,912       1,484  
                                        
     192,960       178,053       118,992       80,202       53,658  

Deferred loan fees

     4       (18 )     (65 )     (36 )     11  

Allowance for loan losses

     (2,948 )     (1,849 )     (1,265 )     (879 )     (548 )
                                        

Loans, net

   $ 190,016     $ 176,186     $ 117,692     $ 79,287     $ 53,121  
                                        

Maturities and Sensitivities of Loans to Changes in Interest Rates

Total loans as of December 31, 2008 are shown in the following table according to contractual maturity classification one year or less, after one year through five years, and after five years.

 

     (Dollars in Thousands)

Revolving, Open-end 1-4 family

  

One year or less

   $ 8,968

After one year through five years

     139

After five years

     —  
      
     9,107
      

Closed-end 1-4 family

  

One year or less

     8,088

After one year through five years

     8,557

After five years

     23
      
     16,668
      

Construction and Land Development

  

One year or less

     82,075

After one year through five years

     25,816

After five years

     53
      
     107,944
      

Nonfarm, Nonresidential

  

One year or less

     16,538

After one year through five years

     21,863

After five years

     2,965
      
     41,366
      

Commercial and Industrial

  

One year or less

     3,826

After one year through five years

     4,712

After five years

     —  
      
     8,538
      

Other

  

One year or less

     7,645

After one year through five years

     1,668

After five years

     24
      
     9,337
      
   $ 192,960
      

The following table summarizes loans at December 31, 2008 with due dates after one year that have predetermined and floating or adjustable interest rates.

 

     December 31, 2008
     (Dollars in Thousands)

Predetermined interest rates

   $ 9,991

Floating or adjustable interest rates

     55,829
      
   $ 65,820
      

 

31


Risk Elements

Information with respect to nonaccrual, past due, and restructured loans is as follows:

 

     December 31,
     2008    2007    2006    2005    2004
     (Dollars in Thousands)

Nonaccrual loans

   $ 8,451    $ 128    $ —      $ —      $ —  

Loans contractually past due ninety days or more as to interest or principal payments and still accruing

     3,688      200      —        —        —  

Restructured loans

     2,863      —        —        —        —  

Potential problem loans

     20,515      3,306      —        —        —  

Interest income that would have been recorded on nonaccrual and restructured loans under original terms

     146      5      —        —        —  

Interest income that was recorded on nonaccrual and restructured loans

     246      1      —        —        —  

Potential problem loans are defined as loans about which we have serious doubts as to the ability of the borrower to comply with the present loan repayment terms and which may cause the loan to be placed on nonaccrual status, to become past due more than ninety days, or to be restructured. Potential problem loans increased from $3.3 million at December 31, 2007 to $20.5 million at December 31, 2008. Specific allowances for loan losses related to potential problem loans increased from $105,000 at December 31, 2007 to $211,000 at December 31, 2008.

It is our policy to discontinue the accrual of interest income when, in the opinion of management, collection of interest becomes doubtful. The collection of interest becomes doubtful when there is a significant deterioration in the financial condition of the borrower and full repayment of principal and interest is not expected unless the loan is both well-secured and in the process of collection.

Loans classified for regulatory purposes as loss, doubtful, substandard, or special mention that have not been included in the table above do not represent or result from trends or uncertainties that management reasonably expects will materially impact future operating results, liquidity, or capital resources. These classified loans do not represent material credits about which we are aware of any information that causes us to have serious doubts as to the ability of such borrowers to comply with the loan repayment terms.

SUMMARY OF LOAN LOSS EXPERIENCE

The following table summarizes average loan balances for the year determined using the daily average balances during the year; changes in the allowance for loan losses arising from loans charged off and recoveries on loans previously charged off; additions to the allowance which have been charged to operating expense and the ratio of net charge-offs during the year to average loans.

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2008    2007    2006     2005     2004  
     (Dollars in Thousands)  

Average amount of loans outstanding

   $ 191,094    $ 148,881    $ 96,390     $ 65,192     $ 37,511  
                                      

Balance of allowance for loan losses at beginning of year

   $ 1,849    $ 1,235    $ 879     $ 548     $ 281  
                                      

Loans charged off

     1,058      —        (2 )     (41 )     (9 )

Loans recovered

     —        —        2       1       1  
                                      

 

32


Net charge-offs

     1,058       —         —         (40 )     (8 )
                                        

Additions to allowance charged to operating expense during year

     2,157       614       356       371       275  
                                        

Balance of allowance for loan losses at end of year

   $ 2,948     $ 1,849     $ 1,235     $ 879     $ 548  
                                        

Ratio of net loans charged off during the year to average loans outstanding

     .55 %     .00 %     .00 %     .06 %     .02 %
                                        

The allowance for loan losses is maintained at a level that is deemed appropriate by management to adequately cover all known and inherent risks in the loan portfolio. Our evaluation of the loan portfolio includes a periodic review of loan loss experience, current economic conditions that may affect the borrower’s ability to pay and the underlying collateral value of the loans. In making this evaluation we rely to some extent on information provided to us by selling banks with respect to loan participations that we purchase. As of December 31, 2008 we had purchased a total of $15.3 million in loan participations, which constituted approximately 8% of our total loan portfolio. While we generally apply the same underwriting standards to loan participations as we do to loans we originate, we may experience a loss if we are unable to detect inaccuracies in the information provided by the selling bank. Please see a further discussion of our evaluation of the allowance for loan losses under the caption “Provision for Loan Losses” included in this discussion. Base on all currently available information, management considers the allowance for loan losses adequate to cover possible loan losses on the loans outstanding.

As of December 31, 2008 and 2007, our allocation of the allowance for loan losses does not specifically correspond to the categories of loans listed below. Based on our best estimate, the allocation for loan losses to type of loans, as of the indicated dates, is as follows:

 

     December 31, 2008     December 31, 2007     December 31, 2006  
     Amount    Percent of
loans in
each category
to total loans
    Amount    Percent of
loans in
each category
to total loans
    Amount    Percent of
loans in
each category

to total loans
 
     (Dollars in Thousands)  

Commercial

   $ 265    9 %   $ 203    11 %   $ 74    6 %

Real estate – construction

     531    18       388    21       259    21  

Real estate – mortgage

     295    10       203    11       136    11  

Real estate – commercial

     1,828    62       1,036    56       741    60  

Consumer installment

     29    1       19    1       25    2  
                                       
   $ 2,948    100 %   $ 1,849    100 %   $ 1,235    100 %
                                       

 

     December 31, 2005     December 31, 2004  
     Amount    Percent of
loans in
each category
to total loans
    Amount    Percent of
loans in
each category
to total loans
 
     (Dollars in Thousands)  

Commercial

   $ 44    5 %   $ 22    4 %

Real estate – construction

     132    15       126    23  

Real estate – mortgage

     114    13       115    21  

Real estate – commercial

     563    64       274    50  

Consumer installment

     26    3       11    2  
                          
   $ 879    100 %   $ 548    100 %
                          

DEPOSITS

The average amount of deposits and average rates paid thereon, classified as to noninterest-bearing demand deposits, interest-bearing demand deposits and savings deposits, and time deposits, for the period of operations is presented below.

 

33


     Years Ended December 31,  
     2008 (1)     2007 (1)     2006(1)  
     Amount    Rate     Amount    Rate     Amount    Rate  
     (Dollars in Thousands)  

Noninterest-bearing demand deposits

   $ 5,427    —   %   $ 5,700    —   %   $ 4,889    —   %

Interest-bearing demand deposits and savings

     55,139    2.59       50,294    4.88       12,407    4.26  

Time deposits

     133,715    4.60       89,619    5.38       69,472    4.83  
                           
   $ 194,281      $ 145,613      $ 86,768   
                           

 

(1) Average balances were determined using the daily average balances during the year.

The aggregate amount of time deposits issued in denominations of $100,000 or more as of December 31, 2008 are shown below by category, which is based on time remaining until maturity of (1) three months or less, (2) over three through six months, (3) over six through twelve months, and (4) over twelve months.

 

     (Dollars in Thousands)

Three months or less

   $ 14,346

Over three months through six months

     13,613

Over six months through twelve months

     34,818

Over twelve months

     27,330
      

Total

   $ 90,107
      

We had brokered deposits of $40,988,000 and $16,495,000 at December 31, 2008 and 2007, respectively.

RETURN ON ASSETS AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

The following rate of return information for the year indicated is presented below.

 

     Year Ended
December 31
 
     2008     2007     2006  
     (Dollars in Thousands)  

Return on assets (1)

   (0.67 )%   0.37 %   0.65 %

Return on equity (2)

   (9.26 )%   4.01 %   4.66 %

Dividend payout ratio (3)

   —   %   —   %   —   %

Equity to assets ratio (4)

   7.25 %   9.47 %   14.03 %

 

(1) Net income divided by average total assets.
(2) Net income divided by average equity.
(3) Dividends declared per share of common stock divided by net income per share.
(4) Average equity divided by average total assets.

 

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The following consolidated financial statements are included within Exhibit 13.1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

Consolidated Balance Sheets – December 31, 2008 and 2007

Consolidated Statements of Income and Other Comprehensive Income – December  31, 2008 and 2007

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity – Years Ended December 31, 2008 and 2007

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows – Years Ended December 31, 2008 and 2007

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None

 

34


ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our principal executive and principal financial officers believe that our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) or 15(d)-15(e), are effective. This conclusion was based on an evaluation of these controls and procedures as of the end of the fourth quarter of 2008.

Changes in Internal Controls

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fourth quarter of 2008 that materially affected, or that are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control system has been designed to provide reasonable assurance to our management and board of directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of our published financial statements. All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.

Our management has assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008. To make this assessment, we used the criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in Internal Control – Integrated Framework, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on our assessment, we believe that, as of December 31, 2008, our internal controls over financial reporting were effective.

This annual report does not include an attestation report of our registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our registered public accounting firm pursuant to temporary rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission that permit us to provide only management’s report in this annual report.

As of the end of the period covered by this report, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and the Principal Financial and Accounting Officer, of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures.

Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

 

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

PART III

 

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Code of Ethics

We have adopted a code of ethics that applies to our officers and employees. Although the code does not satisfy all of the criteria set forth in Item 406(b) of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Regulation S-K, we believe that it is reasonably designed to promote ethical conduct and prevent conflicts of interest. Because the existing code accomplishes these objectives, we did not believe that it was necessary to adopt an additional code of ethics that complies with the SEC’s definition at this time, although we may do so in the future. Upon written request, a copy of our Code of Ethics will be furnished to shareholders without charge. Please direct your written request to Julie Simmons, Piedmont Community Bank, P.O. Box 1669, Gray, Georgia 31032.

The remaining information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to the information under the headings “Directors and Executive Officers”, “Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934”, and “Meetings and Committees of the Board of Directors” in the 2009 Proxy Statement.

 

35


ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The information required by this Item is incorporated by reference to the information under the heading “Executive Compensation” in the 2009 Proxy Statement.

 

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table sets forth information relating to the Company’s equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2008:

Equity compensation Plan Information

 

Plan Category

   Number of
securities
to be issued
upon
exercise of
outstanding
options,
warrants
and rights.
(a)
   Weighted-
average
exercise
price of
outstanding
options,
warrants
and rights.
(b)
   Number of
securities
remaining
for future
issuance
under equity
compensation
plan
(excluding
securities
reflected in
column (a)
(c)

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders

   348,090    $ 11.72    35,412

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

   —        —      —  
                

Total

   348,090    $ 11.72    35,412

The remaining information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the information under the heading “Common Stock Ownership” in the 2009 Proxy Statement

 

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTION, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the information under the headings “Directors and Executive Officers” and “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions” in the 2009 Proxy Statement.

 

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to the information under the heading “Independent Public Accountant” in the 2009 Proxy Statement.

 

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS

A list of financial statements filed as part of this report on Form 10-K is set forth in Item 8 and into this Item 15 by reference. A list of the exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K is shown on the “Index to Exhibits” that follows the signature page to this report and incorporated into this Item 15 by reference.

 

36


SIGNATURES

In accordance with Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the registrant caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

PIEDMONT COMMUNITY BANK GROUP, INC.
Date:   March 27, 2009
BY:  

/s/ ROBERT D. HULSEY, JR.

  ROBERT D. HULSEY, JR.
  Chief Executive Officer

In accordance with the Exchange Act, this report has been signed by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on March 27, 2009.

 

Signature

     

Title

/s/ Franklin J. Davis

    Director
Franklin J. Davis    

/s/ Robert D. Hulsey, Jr.

    Director, Chief Executive Office
Robert D. Hulsey, Jr.    

/s/ Christine A. Daniels

    Director, Secretary
Christine A. Daniels    

/s/ James R. Hawkins

    Director
James R. Hawkins    

/s/ Arthur Goolsby

    Director
Arthur Goolsby    

/s/ Mickey Parker

    Director, President
Mickey Parker    

/s/ Julie Simmons

    Chief Financial Officer and Accounting Officer
Julie Simmons    

/s/ Dr. John A. Hudson

    Director, Chairman
Dr. John A. Hudson    

/s/ Angela M. Tribble

    Director
Angela M. Tribble    

/s/ Zelma A. Redding

    Director
Zelma A. Redding    

/s/ Terrell L. Fulford

    Director, Vice Chairman
Terrell L. Fulford    

/s/ Robert C. McMahan

    Director
Robert C. McMahan    

/s/ Joseph S. Dumas

    Director
Joseph S. Dumas    

/s/ Roy H. Fickling

    Director
Roy H. Fickling    

 

37


INDEX TO EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit
Number

  

Description

  2.1

   Merger Agreement and Plan of Reorganization dated April 26, 2006 by and among the Registrant, Piedmont Community Bank and PCB Interim Corporation (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K12G3 filed with the SEC on February 8, 2007 – File No. 000-52453).

  3.1

   Articles of Incorporation of Registrant, as amended.

  3.2

   Bylaws of Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Registrant’s Form 8-K12G3 filed with the SEC on February 8, 2007 – File No. 000-52453).

  4.1

   Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders (see articles of incorporation at exhibit 3.1 hereto and bylaws at Exhibit 3.2 hereto).

  4.2

   Form of Common Stock Certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to the Registrant’s Form SB-2 filed with the SEC on September 20, 2007 – File No. 333-146206).

10.1

   Piedmont Community Bank Group 2006 Stock Option Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Registrant’s Form SB-2 filed with the SEC on September 20, 2007 – File No. 333-146206). *

10.2

   Employment agreement with R. Drew Hulsey, Jr. dated February 16, 2005 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Registrant’s Form SB-2 filed with the SEC on September 20, 2007 – File No. 333-146206). *

10.3

   Employment agreement with Mickey Parker dated February 16, 2005 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Registrant’s Form SB-2 filed with the SEC on September 20, 2007 – File No. 333-146206). *

10.4

   Employment Agreement with Julie Simmons dated February 16, 2005 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Registrant’s Form SB-2 filed with the SEC on September 20, 2007 – File No. 333-146206). *

10.5

   Form of Promissory Note Dated December 31, 2008 with directors Franklin J. Davis, Arthur Goolsby and Roy H. Fickling (the aggregate principal balance of the two notes was $525,000 at December 31, 2008.

13.1

   Consolidated Financial Statements

21

   Subsidiaries of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 21 to the Registrant’s Form SB-2 filed with the SEC on September 20, 2007 – File No. 333-146206).

31.1

   Rule 13a-14(a) Certification by Registrant’s Principal Executive Officer

31.2

   Rule 13a-14(a) Certification by Registrant’s Principal Financial and Accounting Officer

32.1

   Rule 13a-14(b) Certification by Registrant’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer

 

* Denotes management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

 

38

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