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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

FORM 10–Q

 


 

(Mark One)

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

 

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2005

 

OR

 

¨ 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 0–30777

 


 

PACIFIC MERCANTILE BANCORP

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 


 

California   33–0898238
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

949 South Coast Drive, Suite 300,

Costa Mesa, California

  92626
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

(714) 438–2500

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Not Applicable

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed, since last year)

 


 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 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 ¨

 

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

 

APPLICABLE ONLY TO CORPORATE ISSUERS:

 

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

10,160,977 shares of Common Stock as of May 3, 2005

 



Table of Contents

PACIFIC MERCANTILE BANCORP

QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10Q

FOR

THE QUARTER ENDED March 31, 2005

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page No.

Part I

 

Financial Information

    

Item 1.

 

Financial Statements

   1
   

Consolidated Statements of Financial Condition at March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004

   1
   

Consolidated Statements of Income for the Three Months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004

   2
   

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income for the Three Months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004

   3
   

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Three Months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004

   4
   

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

   5

Item 2.

 

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   9
   

Risks and Uncertainties That Could Affect Our Future Financial Performance

   26

Item 3.

 

Market Risk

   29

Item 4.

 

Controls and Procedures

   29

Part II.

        

Item 5.

 

Other Information

   30

Item 6.

 

Exhibits

   30

Signatures

   S–1

Exhibit Index

   E–1

Exhibit 31.1

 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer under Section 302 of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act

    

Exhibit 31.2

 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer under Section 302 of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act

    

Exhibit 32.1

 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer under Section 906 of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act

    

Exhibit 32.2

 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer under Section 906 of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act

    

 


Table of Contents

PART I. – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

PACIFIC MERCANTILE BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

(Dollars in thousands)

 

     March 31,
2005


    December 31,
2004


 
     (unaudited)        

ASSETS

                

Cash and due from banks

   $ 36,543     $ 26,509  

Federal funds sold

     62,900       69,600  
    


 


Cash and cash equivalents

     99,443       96,109  

Interest-bearing deposits with financial institutions

     473       738  

Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank Stock, at cost

     10,819       10,662  

Securities available for sale, at fair value

     213,293       169,412  

Loans held for sale, at fair value

     30,144       42,348  

Loans (net of allowances of $4,152 and $4,032, respectively)

     525,311       511,827  

Investment in unconsolidated subsidiaries

     837       837  

Accrued interest receivable

     2,937       2,539  

Premises and equipment, net

     2,752       2,987  

Other assets

     7,855       8,080  
    


 


Total assets

   $ 893,864     $ 845,539  
    


 


LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

                

Deposits:

                

Noninterest-bearing

   $ 201,045     $ 175,329  

Interest-bearing

     370,345       358,234  
    


 


Total deposits

     571,390       533,563  

Borrowings

     200,854       204,754  

Accrued interest payable

     805       1,259  

Other liabilities

     17,938       3,150  

Junior subordinated debentures

     27,837       27,837  
    


 


Total liabilities

     818,824       770,563  
    


 


Commitments and contingencies

     —         —    

Shareholders’ equity:

                

Preferred stock, no par value, 2,000,000 shares authorized, none issued

     —         —    

Common stock, no par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 10,160,977 and 10,084,381 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, respectively

     69,071       69,028  

Retained earnings

     8,648       7,420  

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss)

     (2,679 )     (1,472 )
    


 


Total shareholders’ equity

     75,040       74,976  
    


 


Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

   $ 893,864     $ 845,539  
    


 


 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

1


Table of Contents

 

Part I. Item 1. (continued)

 

PACIFIC MERCANTILE BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Dollars in thousands, except for per share data)

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,


     2005

   2004

Interest income:

             

Loans, including fees

   $ 8,014    $ 5,336

Federal funds sold

     356      66

Securities available for sale and stock

     1,822      2,533

Interest-bearing deposits with financial institutions

     5      2
    

  

Total interest income

     10,197      7,937

Interest expense:

             

Deposits

     1,975      1,613

Borrowings

     1,653      1,144
    

  

Total interest expense

     3,628      2,757
    

  

Net interest income

     6,569      5,180

Provision for loan losses

     120      615
    

  

Net interest income after provision for loan losses

     6,449      4,565
    

  

Noninterest income

     918      1,230

Noninterest expense

     5,268      4,497
    

  

Income before income taxes

     2,099      1,298

Income tax expense

     871      514
    

  

Net income

   $ 1,228    $ 784
    

  

Net income per share:

             

Basic

   $ 0.12    $ 0.08
    

  

Diluted

   $ 0.11    $ 0.07
    

  

Weighted average number of shares:

             

Basic

     10,110,125      10,081,248

Diluted

     10,856,945      10,509,465

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

2


Table of Contents

 

Part I. Item 1. (continued)

 

PACIFIC MERCANTILE BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

     Three Months
Ended March 31,


     2005

    2004

Net income

   $ 1,228     $ 784

Other comprehensive gain (loss), net of tax:

              

Change in unrealized gain (loss) on securities available for sale, net of tax effect

     (1,207 )     721
    


 

Total comprehensive income

   $ 21     $ 1,505
    


 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

3


Table of Contents

 

Part I. Item 1. (continued)

 

PACIFIC MERCANTILE BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Dollars in thousands)

(unaudited)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,


 
     2005

    2004

 

Cash Flows From Operating Activities:

                

Net income

   $ 1,228     $ 784  

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:

                

Depreciation and amortization

     291       275  

Provision for loan losses

     120       615  

Net amortization of premium (discount) on securities

     349       481  

Net gains on sales of securities available for sale

     —         (319 )

Mark to market (gain)/loss adjustment of equity securities

     5       —    

Net gains on sales of loans held for sale

     (545 )     (559 )

Proceeds from sales of loans held for sale

     62,132       76,366  

Originations and purchases of loans held for sale

     (49,503 )     (81,305 )

Mark to market (gain)/loss adjustment of loans held for sale

     120       (75 )

Net gain on sale of fixed assets

     (15 )     —    

Net (increase) decrease in accrued interest receivable

     (398 )     5  

Net decrease (increase) in other assets

     1,482       (446 )

Net increase in deferred taxes

     (452 )     (424 )

Net decrease in accrued interest payable

     (454 )     (398 )

Net increase (decrease) in other liabilities

     14,788       (85 )
    


 


Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     29,148       (5,085 )

Cash Flows From Investing Activities:

                

Net (increase) decrease in interest-bearing deposits with financial institutions

     265       (6 )

Maturities of, proceeds from sales of and principal payments received for securities available for sale and other stock

     12,898       57,985  

Purchase of securities available for sale and other stock

     (59,302 )     (19,463 )

Net increase in loans

     (13,604 )     (57,852 )

Proceeds from sale of fixed assets

     15       —    

Purchases of premises and equipment

     (56 )     (58 )
    


 


Net cash used in investing activities

     (59,784 )     (19,394 )

Cash Flows From Financing Activities:

                

Net increase in deposits

     37,827       8,467  

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

     43       —    

Net (decrease) increase in borrowings

     (3,900 )     25,401  
    


 


Net cash provided by financing activities

     33,970       33,868  
    


 


Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

     3,334       9,389  

Cash and Cash Equivalents, beginning of period

     96,109       59,785  
    


 


Cash and Cash Equivalents, end of period

   $ 99,443     $ 69,174  
    


 


Supplementary Cash Flow Information:

                

Cash paid for interest on deposits and other borrowings

   $ 4,082     $ 3,155  
    


 


Cash paid for income taxes

   $ 96     $ 79  
    


 


Non-Cash Investing Activities:

                

Net decrease in net unrealized gains and losses on securities held for sale, net of income tax

   $ (1,207 )   $ 721  
    


 


 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

4


Table of Contents

 

Part I. Item 1. (continued)

 

PACIFIC MERCANTILE BANCORP AND SUBSIDIARIES

 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(Unaudited)

 

1. Nature of Business

 

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Pacific Mercantile Bancorp (“PMBC”) and its wholly owned subsidiaries, which are Pacific Mercantile Bank (the “Bank”) and PMB Securities Corp. (which, together with PMBC, shall be referred to as the “Company” or as “we”, “us” or “our”). The Bank is chartered by the California Department of Financial Institutions (the “DFI”) and is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (“FRB”). In addition, the deposit accounts of the Bank’s customers are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to the maximum amount allowed by law.

 

Substantially all of our operations are conducted and substantially all our assets are owned by the Bank, which accounts for substantially all of our consolidated revenues and expenses, and earnings. The Bank provides a full range of banking services to small and medium-size businesses, professionals and the general public in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego Counties of California and is subject to competition from other financial institutions conducting operations in those same markets.

 

PMB Securities Corp. commenced operations in June 2002 as an SEC registered securities broker–dealer that is engaged in the retail securities brokerage business and is a member firm of the National Association of Securities Dealers.

 

During 2002, we organized three business trusts, under the names Pacific Mercantile Capital Trust I, PMB Capital Trust I, and PMB Statutory Trust III, respectively, to facilitate our issuance of $17 million principal amount of junior subordinated debentures, all with maturity dates in 2032. In October 2004, we organized PMB Capital Trust III to facilitate our issuance of $10 million principal amount of junior subordinated debentures, with a maturity date in 2034. In accordance with applicable accounting standards, the financial statements of these trusts are not included into the Company’s consolidated financial statements. See Note 2: “Significant Accounting Policies — Principles of Consolidation” below.

 

2. Significant Accounting Policies

 

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the instructions to Form 10–Q and, therefore, do not include all footnotes that would be necessary for a fair presentation of financial position, results of operations, changes in cash flows and comprehensive income (loss) in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). However, these interim financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments and accruals) which, in the opinion of our management, are necessary for a fair presentation of our results for the interim periods presented. These unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with a basis consistent with prior periods, and should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2004 and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10–K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

 

However, our consolidated financial position at March 31, 2005, and the consolidated results of our operations for the three month period ended March 31, 2005, are not necessarily indicative of what our financial position will be as of the end of, or the results of operations that may be expected for any other interim period during or the full year ending December 31, 2005.

 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Cont.-)

 

2. Significant Accounting Policies (Cont.-)

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, and contingencies at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Principles of Consolidation

 

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries Pacific Mercantile Bank and PMB Securities Corp. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Our wholly owned trust subsidiaries, Pacific Mercantile Capital Trust I, PMB Capital Trust I, PMB Statutory Trust III, and PMB Capital Trust III (the “Trust Subsidiaries”), are not included in our consolidated financial statements, in accordance with Financial Interpretation Number (FIN) 46 issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

 

Nonperforming Loans and Other Assets

 

At March 31, 2005, we had $11,000 in nonaccrual and impaired loans and had no restructured loans and no loans that were past due as to principal for 90 days or more that were still accruing interest.

 

Income Per Share

 

Basic income per share for any fiscal period is computed by dividing net income for such period by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during that period. Fully diluted income per share reflects the potential dilution that could have occurred assuming all outstanding options or warrants to purchase our shares of common stock at exercise prices that were less than the market price of our shares were exercised into common stock, thereby increasing the number of shares outstanding during the period.

 

Stock-Based Employee Compensation Plans

 

The Company accounts for stock-based employee compensation as prescribed by APB Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,” and has adopted the disclosure provisions of Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123, “Accounting for Stock Based Compensation.” SFAS No. 123 requires pro-forma disclosures of the Company’s net income and net income per share as if the fair value based method of accounting for stock based awards had been applied. Under the fair value based method, compensation cost is recorded based on the value of the award at the grant date and is recognized over the employee’s period of service with the Company. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No. 123(R), “Share-Based Payment” in December 2004, which requires entities that grant stock options and shares to employees to recognize the fair value of those options and shares as compensation cost over the service (vesting) period in their financial statements. Public entities effective date for SFAS No. 123(R) is the first annual reporting period beginning after December 31, 2005. The Company will adopt SFAS No. 123(R) as of January 1, 2006, as required.

 

Effective March 2, 1999, our Board of Directors adopted, and in January 2000 our shareholders approved, the 1999 Stock Option Plan (the “1999 Option Plan”). That Plan authorizes the granting of options to directors, officers and other key employees that entitle them to purchase shares of common stock of the Company at a price per share equal to or above the fair market value of the Company’s shares on the date the option is granted. Options may vest immediately or over various periods of up to five years, determined by the Company’s Compensation Committee at the time it approves the grant of options under the 1999 Option Plan. Options may be granted for terms up to 10 years, or following termination of service, if sooner. A total of 1,248,230 shares were authorized for issuance under the 1999 Option Plan (which number has been adjusted for stock splits effectuated subsequent to the Plan’s adoption).

 

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Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Cont.-)

 

2. Significant Accounting Policies (Cont.-)

 

Effective February 17, 2004, the Board of Directors adopted the Pacific Mercantile Bancorp 2004 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2004 Plan”), which was approved by the Company’s shareholders in May 2004. That Plan authorizes the granting of options and rights to purchase restricted stock to directors, officers and other key employees, that entitle them to purchase shares of common stock of the Company at a price per share equal to or above the fair market value of the Company’s shares on the date the option is granted or the stock purchase rights are awarded. Options and restricted stock purchase rights may vest immediately or over various periods of up to five years, determined by the Company’s Compensation Committee at the time the options are granted or the stock purchase rights are awarded. Options may be granted under the 2004 Plan for up to 10 years after the grant date, or following termination of service, if sooner. In the case of restricted stock purchase rights, they generally will expire, if not exercised, within 15 days of the date of the award. Any unvested shares, subject to restricted purchase rights, will become subject to repurchase by the Company in the event of a termination of employment or service of the holder of the stock purchase right. A total of 400,000 shares were authorized for issuance under the 2004 Plan.

 

The Company continues to account for stock-based compensation using the intrinsic value method prescribed by Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,” under which no compensation cost for stock options is recognized in the accompanying financial statements for stock option or stock purchase awards granted at or above fair market value. Had compensation expense for the Company’s 1999 and 2004 Option Plans been determined based upon the fair value at the grant date for awards under those Plans in accordance with SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,” the Company’s net income and income per share would have been reduced to the pro forma amounts indicated below:

 

    

Three Months Ended

March 31,


(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)


   2005

   2004

Net Income:

             

As reported

   $ 1,228    $ 784

Deduct: Total stock-based employee compensation expense determined under fair value based method for all awards, net of related tax effects

     131      109
    

  

Pro Forma

   $ 1,097    $ 675
    

  

Income Per Share as Reported:

             

Basic

   $ 0.12    $ 0.08

Fully diluted

     0.11      0.07

Income Per Share Pro Forma:

             

Basic

   $ 0.11    $ 0.07

Fully diluted

     0.10      0.06

Weighted Average Number of Shares:

             

Basic

     10,110,125      10,081,248

Fully diluted

     10,856,945      10,509,465

 

The fair values of the options that were outstanding under the 1999 and 2004 Plans as of March 31, 2005 and 2004 were estimated as of their respective dates of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The following table summarizes the weighted average assumptions used for grants in the three month periods ended March 31:

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,


 

Assumptions


   2005

    2004

 

Expected volatility

   46.92 %   57.00 %

Risk-free interest rate

   3.61 %   3.02 %

Expected dividend yield

   1.04 %   1.22 %

Expected life of the option

   5 years     5 years  

 

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Table of Contents

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Cont.-)

 

2. Significant Accounting Policies (Cont.-)

 

Comprehensive Income

 

Accounting principles generally require that recognized revenue, expenses, gains and losses be included in net income. Although certain changes in assets and liabilities, such as unrealized gains and losses on securities available for sale, are reported as a separate component of the equity section of the balance sheet net of income taxes, such items, along with net income, are components of comprehensive income.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In December 2004, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123, (revised 2004), “Share-Based Payment”. SFAS No. 123R, which supersedes Accounting Principle Board (“APB”) Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees”, requires entities that grant stock options and shares to employees to recognize the fair value of those options and shares as compensation over the service (vesting) period in their financial statements; pro forma disclosure will no longer be permitted. The cost of the equity instruments is to be measured based on the fair value of the instruments on the date they are granted and is required to be recognized over the period during which the employees are required to provide services in exchange for the equity instruments. No compensation cost is recognized for equity instruments for which employees do not render the requisite service. This statement becomes applicable for public entities on the first day of the first annual reporting period beginning after December 31, 2005, which in our case will be January 1, 2006.

 

The impact of adopting SFAS No. 123R cannot be accurately estimated at this time, as it will depend on the market value and the amount of share based awards granted in future periods.

 

Reclassification

 

Certain amounts in the accompanying 2004 consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to 2005 presentation.

 

Commitments and Contingencies

 

To meet the financing needs of its customers in the normal course of business, the Company is party to financial instruments with off–balance sheet risk. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit. These instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit and interest rate risk in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated financial statements. At March 31, 2005, the Company was committed to fund loans totaling approximately $163 million (inclusive of mortgage loans that, if funded, will be held for sale). The contractual amounts of credit-related financial instruments such as commitments to extend credit, credit-card arrangements, and letters of credit represent the amounts of potential accounting loss should the contract be fully drawn upon, the customer default, and the value of any existing collateral become worthless.

 

The Company uses the same credit policies in making commitments to extend credit and conditional obligations as it does for on–balance sheet instruments. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates; however, 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 Company evaluates each customer’s credit worthiness on a case–by–case basis, using the same credit underwriting standards that are employed in making commercial loans. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Company upon an extension of credit, is based on management’s credit evaluation of the customer. Collateral held varies, but may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, residential real estate and income–producing commercial properties.

 

In the ordinary course of business, we are subject to legal actions normally associated with financial institutions. At March 31, 2005, we were not a party to any pending legal action that is expected to be material to our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

 

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ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

OVERVIEW

 

Pacific Mercantile Bancorp is a bank holding company that owns all of the stock of Pacific Mercantile Bank (the “Bank”), which is a commercial bank that provides a full range of banking services to small and medium-size businesses and to professionals and the general public in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, in Southern California. Substantially all of our operations are conducted and substantially all of our assets are owned by the Bank, which accounts for substantially all of our consolidated revenues and operating costs.

 

The following discussion presents information about our consolidated results of operations for the three month periods ended March 31, 2005 and 2004 and our consolidated financial condition, liquidity and capital resources at March 31, 2005 and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Report.

 

Forward–Looking Information

 

Statements contained in this Report that are not historical facts or that discuss our expectations or beliefs regarding our future operations or future financial performance, or financial or other trends in our business, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Often, they include the words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” or “may.” The information contained in such forward-looking statements is based on current information and assumptions about future events over which we do not have control and our business is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our financial condition or actual operating results in the future to differ significantly from our expected financial condition or operating results that are set forth in those statements. Those risks and uncertainties are described in this Section of this Report, including in the subsection below entitled “Risks and Uncertainties That Could Affect Our Future Financial Performance” and readers of this Report are urged to read this Section in its entirety, including that subsection.

 

Critical Accounting Policies

 

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”) and general practices in the banking industry. The accounting policies we follow in determining the sufficiency of our allowance for loan losses and the fair value of derivative financial instruments involve judgments and assumptions which can have a material impact on the carrying value of our loans and those financial instruments, respectively, and, as a result, we consider these accounting policies to be critical accounting policies.

 

Allowance for Loan Losses. The accounting policies and practices we follow in determining the sufficiency of the allowance we establish for possible loan losses require us to make judgments and assumptions about economic and market trends that can affect the ability of our borrowers to meet their loan payment obligations. Accordingly, we use historical loss factors, adjusted for current economic market conditions and other economic indicators, to determine the losses inherent in our loan portfolio and the sufficiency of our allowance for loan losses. The actual loan losses could be greater than that predicted by those loss factors and our current assessments of current conditions and economic trends if unanticipated changes were to occur in those conditions. In such an event, it would be necessary for us to increase the allowance for loan losses by means of a charge to income referred to in our financial statements as the “provision for loan losses.” Such an increase would reduce the carrying value of our loans on our balance sheet, and the additional provision for loan losses taken to increase that allowance would reduce our income, in the period when it is determined that an increase in the allowance for loan losses is necessary. See the discussion in the subsections below entitled “—Provision for Loan Losses” and “—Allowance for Loan Losses and Nonperforming Loans” below.

 

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Derivative Financial Instruments. The derivative financial instruments that we enter into consist primarily of interest rate lock commitments that are designed to hedge mortgage loans held for sale. At March 31, 2005, approximately $25 million, or 83%, of mortgage loans held for sale were hedged. We estimate the fair value of mortgage loans held for sale based on period end market interest rates obtained from various mortgage investors. The fluctuations in the fair values of the mortgage loans held for sale are reflected in our consolidated statements of financial condition and, correspondingly, as adjustments to our noninterest income. We also enter into non-designated derivative instruments relating to mortgage loan interest rate lock commitments with borrowers and investors in order to reduce our exposure to adverse fluctuations in interest rates. At March 31, 2005 we had $2 million of mortgage loan commitments identified as non-designated derivative instruments. We did not have any significant ineffective hedges at March 31, 2005.

 

Overview of Operating Results in the Three Months ended March 31, 2005

 

The following table sets forth information regarding the interest income that we generated, the interest expense that we incurred, our net interest income, noninterest income, noninterest expense, and our net income and net income per share for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004.

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,

 
    

2005

Amount


  

2004

Amount


   Percent
Change


 
     (Unaudited)       
     (Dollars in thousands, except per share data)  

Interest income

   $ 10,197    $ 7,937    28.5 %

Interest expense

     3,628      2,757    31.6 %
    

  

      

Net interest income

   $ 6,569    $ 5,180    26.8 %

Noninterest income

   $ 918    $ 1,230    (25.4 )%

Noninterest expense

   $ 5,268    $ 4,497    17.1 %

Net income

   $ 1,228    $ 784    56.6 %

Net income per share—diluted

   $ 0.11    $ 0.07    57.1 %

Weighted average number of diluted shares

     10,856,945      10,509,465    3.3 %

 

Key Factors Affecting Operating Results in the Three Months Ended March 31, 2005

 

    Increase in Net Interest Income. The increase in net interest income in the three months ended March 31, 2005, as compared to the corresponding period of 2004, was primarily the result of growth in the volume of our core loans (loans exclusive of those held for sale). Core loans grew by $117 million, or 29%, to $525 million at March 31, 2005 from $408 million at March 31, 2004.

 

    Improvement in Net Interest Margin. Net interest margin improved to 3.26% in the three month period ended March 31, 2005, as compared to 2.99% in the corresponding three month period of 2004. This improvement was due largely to (i) an increase in the volume of core loans, which generated higher yields than our other earning assets, and (ii) an increase in the yield on federal funds sold for the three month period ended March 31, 2005, which improved to 2.38% from 0.93% in the same period of 2004 as a result of an increase, by the Federal Reserve Board (“FRB”), of 1.75% in the overnight funds rates over the period from June 2004 through March 2005.

 

    Decrease in Noninterest Income. Noninterest income decreased by $312,000, or 25%, to $918,000 in the first quarter of 2005, as compared to the corresponding period of 2004. This decrease was primarily attributable to a decline in gains on sale of securities available for sale (consisting primarily of mortgage backed securities).

 

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    Increase in Noninterest Expense, while the Efficiency Ratio remained constant. Even though our net interest income increased by 27%, our noninterest expenses increased by $771,000, or 17%, in the three month period ended March 31, 2005, in each case as compared to the corresponding period of 2004. Due to the increases in net interest income which more than offset the growth in operating expenses, our efficiency ratio (operating expenses as a percentage to total revenues) remained unchanged at 70% in both three month periods ended March 31, 2005 and 2004.

 

Set forth below are certain key financial performance ratios and other financial data for the periods indicated:

 

    

Three Months Ended

March 31,


 
     2005

    2004

 
     (Unaudited)  

Return on average assets (1).

   0.58 %   0.43 %

Return on average shareholders’ equity (1)

   6.61 %   4.42 %

Net interest margin (2)

   3.26 %   2.99 %

(1) Annualized.

 

(2) Net interest income expressed as a percentage of total average interest earning assets.

 

Results of Operations

 

Net Interest Income

 

One of the principal determinants of a bank’s income is its net interest income, which is the difference between (i) the interest that a bank earns on loans, investment securities and other interest earning assets, on the one hand, and (ii) its interest expense, which consists primarily of the interest it must pay to attract and retain deposits and the interest that it pays on borrowings and other interest-bearing liabilities, on the other hand. A bank’s interest income and interest expense are, in turn, affected by a number of factors, some of which are outside of its control, including national and local economic conditions and the FRB’s monetary policies, which affect interest rates, the demand for loans, and the ability of borrowers to meet their loan payment obligations.

 

The following table sets forth our interest income, interest expense, net interest income and net interest margin in the three month periods ended March 31, 2005 and March 31, 2004, respectively:

 

    

Three Months Ended

March 31


 

(Dollars in thousands)


   2005
Amount


    2004
Amount


    Percent
Change


 
     (Unaudited)  

Interest income

   $ 10,197     $ 7,937     28.5 %

Interest expense

     3,628       2,757     31.6 %
    


 


     

Net interest income

   $ 6,569     $ 5,180     26.8 %
    


 


     

Net interest margin

     3.26 %     2.99 %      

 

As the table above indicates, net interest income increased by $1.4 million, or 26.8%, in the first quarter of 2005 as compared to the first quarter of 2004. That increase was attributable to increases in interest income of $2.3 million, or 28.5%, which more than offset an increase in our interest expense of $871,000, or 31.6%, in the three month period ended March 31, 2005, as compared to the same period in 2004.

 

The increase in interest income in the quarter ended March 31, 2005, was primarily attributable to an increase in the volume of average interest earning assets, including a $169 million increase in the average volume of outstanding loans (exclusive of mortgages held for sale) over the corresponding quarter of 2004. That increase more than offset an $81 million reduction in average investment securities in the first quarter of 2005 as compared to the first quarter last year.

 

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The increase in interest expense in the quarter ended March 31, 2005, as compared to the same quarter last year, was primarily attributable to increases of $28 million and $46 million in the average volumes of interest bearing deposits and Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings, respectively, which were the primary sources of funding for our loan growth.

 

Our net interest margin improved to 3.26% in the first quarter of 2005 from 2.99% in the first quarter ended March 31, 2004. In the three months ended March 31, 2005 the yield on interest earning assets improved to 5.06%, while the average rate of interest paid on our interest bearing liabilities increased to 2.49%, as compared to a yield on interest earning assets of 4.58% and an average rate of interest paid on interest bearing liabilities of 2.18%, in the same three months of 2004.

 

This improvement in the average yield on interest earning assets was due primarily to the substantial increase in the volume of core loans on which we generate greater yields than on our other interest earning assets.

 

The following table sets forth changes in interest income, including loan fees, and interest paid in the three month period ended March 31, 2005, as compared to the same period in 2004 and the extent to which those changes were attributable to changes in the volume and of rates of interest earned on interest earning assets and in the volume of and rates of interest paid on interest-bearing liabilities.

 

Changes in interest earned and interest paid due to changes in the mix of interest earning assets and interest bearing liabilities have been allocated to the change due to volume and the change due to interest rates in proportion to the relationship of the absolute dollar amounts of the changes in each.

 

    

Three Months Ended March 31,

2005 Compared to 2004


 
     Increase (decrease)
due to Changes in


  

Total
Increase

(Decrease)


 
     Volume

    Rates

  
     (In thousands)  

Interest income

                       

Short-term investments(1)

   $ 122     $ 172    $ 294  

Securities available for sale and stock

     (1,034 )     321      (713 )

Loans

     2,381       298      2,679  
    


 

  


Total earning assets

     1,469       791      2,260  

Interest expense

                       

Interest-bearing checking accounts

     2       13      15  

Money market and savings accounts

     59       218      277  

Certificates of deposit

     29       41      70  

Borrowings

     283       48      331  

Junior subordinated debentures

     136       42      178  
    


 

  


Total interest-bearing liabilities

     509       362      871  
    


 

  


Net interest income

   $ 960     $ 429    $ 1,389  
    


 

  



(1) Short-term investments consist of federal funds sold and interest bearing deposits with financial institutions.

 

The above table indicates that the increase of $1.4 million in our net interest income in the three months ended March 31, 2005, as compared to the like period in 2004, was the result of a $960,000 increase in the volume variance and by a $429,000 increase in the rate variance for the three months ended March 31, 2005, as compared to the same period in 2004. The increase in the volume variance reflects the increases in average earning assets and in average interest-bearing liabilities of $119 million and $85 million, respectively, in the three month period ended March 31, 2005, as compared to the corresponding period of 2004.

 

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Provision for Loan Losses

 

Like virtually all banks and other financial institutions, we follow the practice of maintaining a reserve or allowance (the “Allowance”) for possible loan losses that occur from time to time as an incidental part of the banking business. When it is determined that the payment in full of a loan has become unlikely, the carrying value of the loan is reduced to what management believes is its realizable value. This reduction, which is referred to as a loan “charge-off,” or “write-down” is charged against that Allowance. The amount of the Allowance for Loan Losses is increased periodically (i) to replenish the Allowance after it has been reduced due to loan charge-offs, (ii) to reflect changes in the volume of outstanding loans, and (iii) to take account of changes in the risk of potential losses due to a deterioration in the condition of borrowers or in the value of property securing non–performing loans or changes in economic conditions. See “—Financial Condition—Allowance for Loan Losses and Nonperforming Loans” below in this Section of this Report. Increases in the Allowance for Loan Losses are made through a charge, recorded as an expense in the statement of income referred to as the “provision for loan losses.” Recoveries of loans previously charged-off are added back to the Allowance and, therefore, have the effect of increasing the Allowance for Loan Losses and reducing the amount of the provision that might otherwise be made to replenish or increase the Allowance.

 

Although we employ economic models that are based on bank regulatory guidelines, industry standards and historical loss experience to evaluate and determine the sufficiency of the Allowance for Loan Losses and, thereby, the amount of the provisions required to be made for potential loan losses, those determinations involve judgments about trends in current economic conditions and other events that can affect the ability of borrowers to meet their loan obligations. The duration and effects of current economic trends are subject to a number of uncertainties and changes that are outside of our ability to control. See the discussion below in this Section under the caption “Risks and Uncertainties That Could Affect our Future Financial Performance — we could incur losses on the loans we make.” In the event of unexpected subsequent events or changes in circumstances, it could become necessary in the future to incur additional charges to increase the Allowance, which would have the effect of reducing our income or could cause us to incur losses.

 

In addition, the Federal Reserve Board and the California Department of Financial Institutions, as an integral part of their examination processes, periodically review the Bank’s Allowance for Loan Losses. These agencies may require the Bank to make additional provisions, over and above that which we have already made, the effect of which would be to reduce our income.

 

Noninterest Income

 

Noninterest income consists primarily of mortgage banking income (which includes loan origination and processing fees, yield spread premium and service released premiums) and net gains on sales of loans held for sale, which are generated by our mortgage loan division. That division, which we established during fiscal 2001, originates conforming and non-conforming, agency quality, residential first and second lien and home equity mortgage loans.

 

The volume of residential mortgage refinancings is subject to significant fluctuations in response to changes in prevailing mortgage interest rates. Such interest rate changes can impact the volume of mortgage loan originations which, in turn, affects the loan processing fees and yield spread premiums we are able to realize on the mortgage loans we originate. For example, the decline in mortgage rates which began in 2002 and continued until June 2004, increased the demand for mortgage loan refinancings, which led to increases in our noninterest income during that period. Conversely, an increasing interest rate environment, or even the prospect of increasing interest rates, which has occurred since June 2004, generally causes a decline in mortgage loan refinancings and, therefore, corresponding declines in the volume of mortgage loan originations and in the income that the mortgage banking division is able to generate. We seek to manage the impact of changes in interest rates by seeking to originate mortgages for home purchases which are not as interest rate sensitive as mortgage loan refinancings. Mortgage loans for home purchases accounted for approximately 41% of our mortgage loan fundings in the quarter ended March 31, 2005, as compared to approximately 27% in the quarter ended March 31, 2004.

 

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The following table identifies the components of and the percentage changes in noninterest income in the three month period of 2005, as compared to the same period in 2004.

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,

 
     Amount

  

Percent

Change

2005 vs. 2004


 
     2005

   2004

  
     (Dollars in thousands)       

Mortgage banking (including net gains on sales of loans held for sale)

   $ 526    $ 542    (3.0 )%

Service charges and fees on deposits

     164      185    (11.4 )%

Net gains on sales of securities available for sale

     —        319    —    

Other

     228      184    23.9 %
    

  

      

Total noninterest income

   $ 918    $ 1,230    (25.4 )%
    

  

      

 

The decrease in noninterest income in the three months ended March 31, 2005, over the like period in 2004, was primarily attributable to a decline of $319,000 in net gains on securities (which consisted primarily of mortgage backed securities) available for sale.

 

Noninterest Expense

 

The following table sets forth the principal components of noninterest expense and the amounts thereof, incurred in the three month periods ended March 31, 2005 and 2004.

 

     Three Months Ended March 31,

 
     Amount

  

Percent

Change

2005 vs. 2004


 
     2005

   2004

  
     (Dollars in thousands)       

Salaries and employee benefits

   $ 3,123    $ 2,412    29.5 %

Occupancy

     532      506    5.1 %

Equipment and depreciation

     377      343    9.9 %

Data processing

     117      164    (28.7 )%

Professional fees

     223      314    (29.0 )%

Other operating expense(1)

     896      758    18.2 %
    

  

      

Total noninterest expense

   $ 5,268    $ 4,497    17.1 %
    

  

      

(1) Other operating expense primarily consists of telephone, stationery and office supplies, regulatory expenses, investor relations, insurance premiums, postage, and correspondent bank fees.

 

The increase of $771,000, or 17%, in noninterest expense in the three months ended March 31, 2005, as compared to the same three months of 2004, was primarily attributable to staff increases necessitated by increased loan demand and deposit activity at our existing Financial Centers, the opening, in September 2004, of our new Long Beach Financial Center, and costs associated with the transitioning of the mortgage banking division’s focus from mortgage refinancings to home purchase financings.

 

A measure of our ability to control noninterest expense in relation to the level of our net revenue (net interest income plus noninterest income) is our efficiency ratio, which is the ratio of noninterest expense to net revenue. As a general rule, all other things being equal, a lower efficiency ratio indicates an ability to generate increased revenue without a commensurate increase in the staffing and equipment and third party services and, therefore, would indicate greater efficiencies in our operations. However, a bank’s efficiency ratio can be adversely affected by factors such as the opening of new banking offices, the revenues of which usually lag behind the expenses that a bank must incur to staff and open the new offices.

 

        Notwithstanding the increase in the dollar amount of our noninterest expense in the first quarter this year, as compared to the first quarter last year, we were able to keep our efficiency ratio essentially unchanged, at 70.4% for the first quarter this year, as compared to 70.2% in the first quarter last year, largely because we were able to increase our net interest income by increasing the volume of loans we generated at our existing Financial Centers. That increase in net interest income more than offset the decline in noninterest income and largely offset the increases in noninterest expense that were attributable not only to increased lending and deposit activity at our existing Financial Centers, but also the costs associated with the opening of our new Long Beach Financial Center in September 2004.

 

Due largely to the opening of our new Ontario Financial Center, which is currently scheduled for late spring of 2005, we expect noninterest expense to increase during the balance of 2005, which could also cause our efficiency ratio to increase during that period.

 

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Table of Contents

Asset/Liability Management

 

The primary objective of asset/liability management is to reduce our exposure to interest rate fluctuations, which can affect our net interest margins and, therefore, our net interest income and net earnings. We seek to achieve this objective by matching interest rate sensitive assets and liabilities, and maintaining the maturities and the repricing of these assets and liabilities at appropriate levels in response to the changes in the interest rate environment. Generally, if rate sensitive assets exceed rate sensitive liabilities, net interest income will be positively impacted during a rising interest rate environment and negatively impacted during a declining interest rate environment. When rate sensitive liabilities exceed rate sensitive assets, net interest income generally will be positively impacted during a declining interest rate environment and negatively impacted during a rising interest rate environment. However, because interest rates for different asset and liability products offered by depository institutions respond differently to changes in the interest rate environment, the relationship or “gap” between interest sensitive assets and interest sensitive liabilities is only a general indicator of interest rate sensitivity and how our net interest income might be affected by changing rates of interest.

 

For example, rates on certain assets or liabilities typically lag behind changes in market rates of interest. Additionally, prepayments of loans and securities available for sale, and early withdrawals of certificates of deposit, could cause the interest sensitivities to vary.

 

The table below sets forth information concerning our rate sensitive assets and liabilities at March 31, 2005. The assets and liabilities are classified by the earlier of maturity or repricing dates in accordance with their contractual terms. As is described above, certain shortcomings are inherent in the method of analysis presented in this table.

 

     Three
Months or
Less


    Over Three
Through
Twelve
Months


    Over One
Year
Through
Five Years


    Over Five
Years


    Non -
Interest-
Bearing


    Total

     (Dollars in thousands)
Assets                                               

Interest-bearing deposits in other financial institutions

   $ 473     $ —       $ —       $ —       $ —       $ 473

Investment in unconsolidated trust subsidiaries

     —         —         —         837       —         837

Securities available for sale

     15,610       38,437       110,913       48,333       —         213,293

Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank stock

     10,819       —         —         —         —         10,819

Federal funds sold

     62,900       —         —         —         —         62,900

Loans, gross

     247,969       52,330       236,384       22,924       —         559,607

Non-interest earning assets, net

     —         —         —         —         45,935       45,935
    


 


 


 


 


 

Total assets

   $ 337,771     $ 90,767     $ 347,297     $ 72,094     $ 45,935     $ 893,864
    


 


 


 


 


 

Liabilities and Shareholders Equity                                               

Noninterest-bearing deposits

   $ —       $ —       $ —       $ —       $ 201,045     $ 201,045

Interest-bearing deposits

     199,625       127,590       43,130       —         —         370,345

Borrowings

     27,854       106,000       67,000       —         —         200,854

Junior subordinated debentures

     22,682       5,155       —         —         —         27,837

Other liabilities

     —         —         —         —         18,743       18,743

Shareholders’ equity

     —         —         —         —         75,040       75,040
    


 


 


 


 


 

Total liabilities and shareholders equity

   $ 250,161     $ 238,745     $ 110,130     $ 0     $ 294,828     $ 893,864
    


 


 


 


 


 

Interest rate sensitivity gap

   $ 87,610     $ (147,978 )   $ 237,167     $ 72,094     $ (248,893 )      
    


 


 


 


 


     

Cumulative interest rate sensitivity gap

   $ 87,610     $ (60,368 )   $ 176,799     $ 248,893     $ —          
    


 


 


 


 


     

Cumulative % of rate sensitive assets in maturity period

     38 %     48 %     87 %     95 %     100 %      
    


 


 


 


 


     

Rate sensitive assets to rate sensitive liabilities

     135 %     38 %     315 %     N/A       N/A        
    


 


 


 


 


     

Cumulative ratio

     135 %     88 %     130 %     142 %     N/A        
    


 


 


 


 


     

 

At March 31, 2005, our rate sensitive balance sheet was shown to be in a negative twelve-month gap position. This implies that our net interest margin would decrease in the short–term if interest rates rise and would increase in the

 

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Table of Contents

short-term if interest rates were to fall. However, as noted above, the extent to which our net interest margin will be impacted by changes in prevailing interests rates will depend on a number of factors, including how quickly rate sensitive assets and liabilities react to interest rate changes, the mix of our interest earning assets (loans versus other lower yielding interest earning assets, such as securities) and the mix of our interest bearing deposits (between for example, lower interest core deposits and higher cost time certificates of deposit) and our other interest bearing liabilities.

 

Derivative Financial Instruments

 

We use derivative instruments to reduce our exposure to adverse fluctuations in interest rates in accordance with our risk management policy. Generally, if interest rates increase, the value of our mortgage loan commitments to borrowers and mortgage loans held for sale are adversely impacted. We attempt to economically hedge 100% of the risk of the overall change in the fair value of loan commitments to borrowers and mortgage loans held for sale by entering into rate lock commitments with investors in mortgage loans at the date loan commitments are made to the individual borrowers. These rate lock commitments are entered into at the same terms as those extended to borrowers to be delivered to the investors at a future date.

 

Mortgage loan commitments to borrowers and rate lock commitments with investors in mortgage loans are non-designated as derivative instruments and are included in mortgage loans held for sale in our balance sheets, and gains and losses resulting from these derivative instruments are included in gains on sales of loans in the Company’s consolidated statements of income.

 

Financial Condition

 

Assets

 

Our total consolidated assets increased by $48 million, or 6%, to $894 million at March 31, 2005 from $846 million at December 31, 2004, primarily as a result of increases in loan volume. That increase was funded by increases in borrowings and, to a lesser extent, increases in deposits.

 

The following table sets forth the composition of our interest earning assets at:

 

     March 31,
2005


   December 31,
2004


     (In thousands)

Federal funds sold

   $ 62,900    $ 69,600

Interest-bearing deposits with financial institutions

     473      738

Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank Stock, at cost

     10,819      10,662

Securities available for sale, at fair value

     213,293      169,412

Loans and loans held for sale (net of allowances of $4,152 and $4,032, respectively)

     555,455      554,175

 

Loans Held for Sale

 

Loans held for sale in the secondary market, which consist primarily of mortgage loans, totaled $30 million at March 31, 2005, a decrease of $12 million from $42 million at December 31, 2004. Loans held for sale are carried at the lower of cost or estimated fair value in the aggregate except for those designated as fair value hedges, which are carried at fair value. There were $25 million of loans held for sale designated as fair value hedges at March 31, 2005, and there were no ineffective hedges. Net unrealized losses on loans held for sale, if any, are recognized through a valuation allowance by charges to income. As of March 31, 2005, we had a valuation allowance of approximately $35,000 representing net unrealized losses related to these loans held for sale and unfunded commitments to make such loans.

 

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Table of Contents

Loans

 

The following table sets forth the composition, by loan category, of our loan portfolio, excluding mortgage loans held for sale, at March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004:

 

     March 31, 2005

    December 31, 2004

 
     Amount

    Percent

    Amount

    Percent

 
     (Dollars in thousands)  

Commercial loans

   $ 149,997     28.3 %   $ 132,964     25.8 %

Real estate loans

     181,248     34.3 %     174,520     33.7 %

Residential mortgage loans

     161,044     30.4 %     173,194     33.6 %

Construction loans

     31,233     5.9 %     29,731     5.8 %

Consumer loans

     5,809     1.1 %     5,471     1.1 %
    


 

 


 

Gross loans

     529,331     100.0 %     515,880     100.0 %
            

         

Deferred fee (income) costs, net

     132             (21 )      

Allowance for loan losses

     (4,152 )           (4,032 )      
    


       


     

Loans, net

   $ 525,311           $ 511,827        
    


       


     

 

Commercial loans are loans to businesses to finance capital purchases or improvements, or to provide cash flow for operations. Real estate and residential mortgage loans are loans secured by trust deeds on real property, including commercial property and single family and multi-family residences. Construction loans are interim loans to finance specific construction projects. Consumer loans include installment loans to consumers.

 

The following tables set forth the maturity distribution of our loan portfolio (excluding consumer and residential mortgage loans and mortgage loans held for sale) at March 31, 2005:

 

     March 31, 2005

     One Year
or Less


   Over One
Year
Through
Five Years


   Over Five
Years


   Total

     (Dollars in thousands)

Real estate and construction loans(1)

                           

Floating rate

   $ 37,295    $ 34,675    $ 118,215    $ 190,185

Fixed rate

     182      15,644      6,470      22,296

Commercial loans

                           

Floating rate

     78,527      36,803      9,535      124,865

Fixed rate

     6,287      17,175      1,670      25,132
    

  

  

  

Total

   $ 122,291    $ 104,297    $ 135,890    $ 362,478
    

  

  

  


(1) Does not include mortgage loans on single and multi-family residences and consumer loans, which totaled $161.0 million and $5.8 million, respectively, at March 31, 2005.

 

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Table of Contents

Allowance for Loan Losses and Nonperforming Loans

 

Allowance for Loan Losses. The allowance for loan losses (the “Allowance”) at March 31, 2005 was $4.2 million, which represented about 0.78% of the loans outstanding at March 31, 2005, as compared to $4.0 million, or 0.78%, of the loans outstanding at December 31, 2004, in each case exclusive of loans held for sale.

 

We carefully monitor changing economic conditions, the loan portfolio by category, the financial condition of borrowers, the history of the loan portfolio, and we follow bank regulatory guidelines in determining the adequacy of the Allowance. We believe that the Allowance at March 31, 2005 is adequate to provide for losses inherent in the loan portfolio. However, as the volume of loans increases, additional provisions for loan losses will be required to maintain the Allowance at adequate levels. Additionally, the Allowance was established on the basis of assumptions and judgments regarding such matters as economic conditions and trends and the condition of borrowers, historical industry loan loss data and regulatory guidelines, and actual loan losses in the future could vary from the losses predicted on the basis of those assumptions, judgments and guidelines. For example, if economic conditions were to deteriorate, or interest rates were to increase, which would have the effect of increasing the risk that borrowers would encounter difficulties meeting their loan payment obligations, it could become necessary to increase the Allowance by means of additional provisions for loan losses. See “—Results of Operations—Provision for Loan Losses” above.

 

Set forth below is a summary of the transactions in the allowance for loan losses for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and the year ended December 31, 2004:

 

     March 31,
2005


   December 31,
2004


 
     (In thousands)  

Balance, beginning of period

   $ 4,032    $ 3,943  

Provision for loan losses

     120      973  

Amounts charged off

     0      (884 )
    

  


Balance, end of period

   $ 4,152    $ 4,032  
    

  


 

The $884,000 charge off during fiscal year ended December 31, 2004, primarily represents one loan that had been fully reserved and included in the Allowance at December 31, 2003.

 

Non-Performing Loans. We also measure and establish reserves for loan impairments on a loan-by-loan basis using either the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at a loan’s effective interest rate, or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral-dependent. We exclude from our impairment calculations smaller, homogeneous loans such as consumer installment loans and lines of credit. Also, loans that experience insignificant payment delays or shortfalls are generally not considered impaired. We cease accruing interest, and therefore classify as nonaccrual, any loan as to which principal or interest has been in default for a period of 90 days or more, or if repayment in full of interest or principal is not expected.

 

At March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, we had a $11,000 loan that was delinquent 90 days or more and which was classified as a nonaccrual and impaired loan. We had no loans delinquent 90 days or more with principal still accruing interest or any restructured loans at March 31, 2005 or December 31, 2004.

 

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Deposits

 

Average Balances of and Average Interest Rates Paid on Deposits. Set forth below are the average amounts (in thousands) of, and the average rates paid on, deposits for the three months ended March 31, 2005:

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31, 2005


 
     Average
Balance


   Average
Rate


 
     (In thousands)  

Noninterest-bearing demand deposits

   $ 184,899    —    

Interest-bearing checking accounts

     21,665    0.54 %

Money market and savings deposits

     136,802    1.76 %

Time deposits

     202,147    2.71 %
    

      

Total deposits

   $ 545,513    1.47 %
    

      

 

Deposit Totals. Deposits totaled $571 million at March 31, 2005 as compared to $534 million at December 31, 2004. At March 31, 2005, noninterest-bearing deposits comprised $201 million, or 35% of total deposits, as compared to $175 million, or 33%, of total deposits at December 31, 2004. By comparison, certificates of deposit in denominations of $100,000 or more comprised $109 million, or 19%, of total deposits at March 31, 2005 and $99 million, or 19%, of total deposits at December 31, 2004.

 

Set forth below is a maturity schedule of domestic time certificates of deposit outstanding at March 31, 2005:

 

     At March 31, 2005

     Certificates
of Deposit
Under
$100,000


  

Certificates

of Deposit

$100,000

or more


     (In thousands)

Maturities:

             

Three months or less

   $ 12,676    $ 24,253

Over three and through twelve months

     63,329      69,511

Over twelve months

     27,832      15,299
    

  

Total

   $ 103,837    $ 109,063
    

  

 

Business Segment Information

 

The Company has two reportable business segments: commercial banking and mortgage banking. The commercial banking segment provides small and medium-size businesses, professional firms and individuals with a diversified range of products and services such as various types of deposit accounts, various types of commercial and consumer loans, cash management services, and Internet banking services. The mortgage banking segment originates and purchases residential mortgages that, for the most part, are resold within 30 days to long-term investors in the secondary residential mortgage market.

 

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Since we derive substantially all of our revenues from interest and noninterest income, and interest expense is our most significant expense, we report the net interest income (interest income less interest expense) and noninterest income (primarily net gains on sales of loans held for sale and fee income) for each of these segments. Set forth below are the net interest income and noninterest income for each of those business segments for the three months ended March 31, 2005 and 2004. The Company does not allocate general and administrative expenses or income taxes to the segments. Also set forth in the following table are the assets allocated to each of these business segments at March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004.

 

     Commercial

   Mortgage

   Other

   Total

     (Dollars in thousands)

Net interest income for the period ended:

                           

March 31, 2005

   $ 4,723    $ 1,316    $ 530    $ 6,569

March 31, 2004

   $ 3,109    $ 614    $ 1,457    $ 5,180

Noninterest income for the period ended:

                           

March 31, 2005

   $ 377    $ 507    $ 34    $ 918

March 31, 2004

   $ 251    $ 542    $ 437    $ 1,230

Segment Assets at:

                           

March 31, 2005

   $ 452,665    $ 104,622    $ 336,577    $ 893,864

December 31, 2004

   $ 436,393    $ 120,224    $ 288,922    $ 845,539

 

Liquidity

 

We actively manage our liquidity needs to insure sufficient funds are available to meet the ongoing needs of our customers. We project the future sources and uses of funds and maintain sufficient liquid funds for unanticipated events. Our primary sources of cash include payments on loans, the sale or maturity of investments and growth in deposits. The primary uses of cash include funding new loans and making advances on existing lines of credit, purchasing investments, including securities available for sale, funding deposit withdrawals and paying operating expenses. We maintain funds in overnight federal funds and other short-term investments to provide for short-term liquidity needs. We also have obtained credit lines from the Federal Home Loan Bank and other financial institutions to meet any additional liquidity requirements.

 

Cash flow Provided by Financing Activities. Cash flow of $34 million was provided by financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2005, the source of which consisted primarily of net increases of $38 million in deposits, offset somewhat by a decrease of $4 million in net borrowings.

 

Cash flow From Operating Activities. Cash flow of $29 million was provided by our operating activities in the three months ended March 31, 2005, primarily from sales of loans held for sale of $75 million, offset by the origination of loans held for sale, which totaled $62 million and $15 million in other liabilities, primarily representing the purchase of mortgage backed securities which settled in April 2005.

 

Cash flow Used in Investing. Cash flow used in investing activities in the three months ended March 31, 2005 was $60 million, primarily to fund an increase of $14 million in loans and $60 million of purchases of investment securities available for sale, offset somewhat by $13 million proceeds from principal payments received on investment securities available for sale in the three months ended March 31, 2005.

 

Our liquid assets, which included cash and due from banks, federal funds sold, interest earning deposits with financial institutions and unpledged securities available for sale (excluding Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Home Loan Bank stock) totaled $184 million or 21% of total assets at March 31, 2005.

 

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Table of Contents

The relationship between gross loans and total deposits provides a useful measure of our liquidity. Since repayment of loans tends to be less predictable than the maturity of investments and other liquid resources, the higher the loan-to-deposit ratio the less liquid are our assets. On the other hand, since we realize greater yields and higher interest income on loans than we do on investments, a lower loan-to-deposit ratio can adversely affect interest income and earnings. As a result, our goal is to achieve a loan-to-deposit ratio that appropriately balances the requirements of liquidity and the need to generate a fair return on assets. At March 31, 2005, the ratio of loans-to-deposits (excluding loans held for sale) was 92%, compared to 96% at December 31, 2004.

 

Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

Loan Commitments and Standby Letters of Credit. In order to meet the financing needs of our customers in the normal course of business, we make commitments to extend credit and issue standby commercial letters of credit to or for our customers. At March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004, we were committed to fund certain loans (inclusive of mortgages held for sale) amounting to approximately $163 million and $167 million, respectively.

 

Commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and the customer may be required to pay a fee and meet other conditions in order to draw on those commitments or standby letters of credit. We expect, based on historical experience, that many of the commitments will expire without being drawn upon and, therefore, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements.

 

To varying degrees, commitments to extend credit involve elements of credit and interest rate risk for us that are in excess of the amounts recognized in our balance sheets. Our maximum exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the customers to whom such commitments are made is equal to the amount of those commitments. As a result, before making such a commitment to a customer, we evaluate the customer’s creditworthiness using the same underwriting standards that we would apply if we were approving loans to the customer. In addition, we often require the customer to secure its payment obligations for amounts drawn on such commitments with collateral such as accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, income-producing commercial properties, residential properties and properties under construction. As a consequence, our exposure to credit and interest rate risk on such commitments is not different in character or amount than risks inherent in the outstanding loans in our loan portfolio.

 

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Bank to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan commitments to customers.

 

We believe that our cash and cash equivalent resources, together with available borrowings under our credit facilities, will be sufficient to enable us to meet any increases in demand for loans or in the utilization of outstanding loan commitments or standby letters of credit and any increase in deposit withdrawals that might occur in the foreseeable future.

 

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Table of Contents

Contractual Obligations

 

Borrowings. As of March 31, 2005, we had $67 million of outstanding long-term borrowings and $123 million of outstanding short-term borrowings that we had obtained from the Federal Home Loan Bank. The table below sets forth the amounts, in thousands of dollars, the interest rates we pay on, and the maturity dates of these Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings. These borrowings, along with the securities sold under agreements to repurchase, have a weighted-average annualized interest rate of 2.57%.

 

Principal Amounts

   Interest Rate

    Maturity Dates

   Principal Amounts

   Interest Rate

    Maturity Dates

(Dollars in thousands)          (Dollars in thousands)      
5,000    2.33 %   June 15, 2005    $ 5,000    2.50 %   February 21, 2006
5,000    2.31 %   June 17, 2005      6,000    2.34 %   February 28, 2006
7,000    2.29 %   June 24, 2005      5,000    3.26 %   April 10, 2006
5,000    2.95 %   August 15, 2005      5,000    3.13 %   June 19, 2006
5,000    2.24 %   August 29, 2005      5,000    2.76 %   August 9, 2006
10,000    2.70 %   September 19, 2005      2,000    2.94 %   August 28, 2006
3,000    1.93 %   September 19, 2005      3,000    2.56 %   September 18, 2006
5,000    1.76 %   September 30, 2005      3,000    2.49 %   September 25, 2006
5,000    2.34 %   October 13, 2005      5,000    2.39 %   October 2, 2006
7,000    2.34 %   November 14, 2005      2,000    2.40 %   October 2, 2006
5,000    2.35 %   November 14, 2005      7,000    3.18 %   November 12, 2006
5,000    2.33 %   November 17, 2005      5,000    2.69 %   December 12, 2006
5,000    2.33 %   November 21, 2005      5,000    2.67 %   December 18, 2006
7,000    2.41 %   January 9, 2006      4,000    2.50 %   January 22, 2007
6,000    1.94 %   January 23, 2006      5,000    2.57 %   February 12, 2007
10,000    2.74 %   January 30, 2006      3,000    3.14 %   September 18, 2007
5,000    2.66 %   February 2, 2006      2,000    3.06 %   September 24, 2007
7,000    3.18 %   February 3, 2006      1,000    2.91 %   October 1, 2007
5,000    2.00 %   February 13, 2006      5,000    3.45 %   February 11, 2009

 

At March 31, 2005, U.S. Agency and Mortgage Backed securities, U.S. Government agency securities and collateralized mortgage obligations with an aggregate fair market value of $120 million and $107 million of residential mortgage and other real estate secured loans were pledged to secure these Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings, repurchase agreements, local agency deposits, and Treasury, tax and loan accounts.

 

The highest amount of borrowings outstanding at any month end during the three months ended March 31, 2005 consisted of $190 million of borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank and $15 million of overnight borrowings in the form of securities sold under repurchase agreements. During 2004, the highest amount of borrowings outstanding at any month end consisted of $191 million of advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank and $17 million of overnight borrowings in the form of securities sold under repurchase agreements.

 

Junior Subordinated Debentures. Pursuant to rulings of the Federal Reserve Board, bank holding companies have been permitted to issue long term subordinated debt instruments that will, subject to certain conditions, qualify as and, therefore, augment capital for regulatory purposes. Pursuant to those rulings, in 2002, we formed subsidiary grantor trusts to sell and issue to institutional investors a total of $17 million principal amount of floating junior trust preferred securities (“trust preferred securities”). We received the net proceeds from the sale of the trust preferred securities in exchange for our issuance to the grantor trusts, of a total $17 million principal amount of our junior subordinated floating rate debentures (the “Debentures”), the payment terms of which mirror those of the trust preferred securities. In October 2004, we established another grantor trust that sold an additional $10 million of trust preferred securities to an institutional investor and, in connection therewith, we sold and issued an additional $10 million principal amount junior subordinated floating rate debentures in exchange for the proceeds raised from the sale of those trust preferred securities. The payments that we make of interest and principal on the Debentures are used by the grantor trusts to make the payments that come due to the holders of the trust preferred securities pursuant to the terms of those securities.

 

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Table of Contents

Set forth below is certain information regarding the terms of the Debentures that were outstanding as of March 31, 2005:

 

Original Issue Dates


   Principal Amount

  

Interest Rate


  

Maturity Date


     (In thousands)          

June 2002

   $ 5,000    LIBOR plus 3.75%(1)    June 2032

August 2002

   $ 5,000    LIBOR plus 3.625%(2)    August 2032

September 2002

   $ 7,000    LIBOR plus 3.40%(1)    September 2032

October 2004

   $ 10,000    LIBOR plus 2.00%(1)    October 2034
    

         

Total

   $ 27,000          
    

         

(1) Interest rate resets quarterly.

 

(2) Interest rate resets semi-annually.

 

These Debentures have quarterly or semi-annual interest payments, which may be deferred until the first redeemable date, and are redeemable at our option beginning 5 years after their respective original issue dates.

 

Under the Federal Reserve Board rulings, the borrowings evidenced by the Debentures, which are subordinated to all of our other borrowings that are outstanding or which we may obtain in the future, are eligible (subject to certain dollar limitations) to qualify and, at March 31, 2005, $25.9 million of those Debentures qualified as Tier I capital, for regulatory purposes. The remaining $1.9 million qualified as Tier II capital for regulatory purposes. See discussion below under the subcaption “—Regulatory Capital Requirements.”

 

Investment Policy and Securities Available for Sale

 

Our investment policy is designed to provide for our liquidity needs and to generate a favorable return on investments without undue interest rate risk, credit risk or asset concentrations.

 

Our investment policy:

 

    authorizes us to invest in obligations issued or fully guaranteed by the United States Government, certain federal agency obligations, time deposits issued by federally insured depository institutions, municipal securities and in federal funds sold;

 

    provides that the weighted average maturities of U.S. Government obligations and federal agency securities cannot exceed 10 years and municipal obligations cannot exceed 25 years;

 

    provides that time deposits must be placed with federally insured financial institutions, cannot exceed $100,000 in any one institution and may not have a maturity exceeding 60 months; and

 

    prohibits engaging in securities trading activities.

 

Securities available for sale are those that we intend to hold for an indefinite period of time, but which may be sold in response to changes in liquidity needs, changes in interest rates, changes in prepayment risks or other similar factors. Such securities are recorded at fair value. Any unrealized gains and losses are reported as “Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)” rather than included in or deducted from earnings.

 

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Table of Contents

The following is a summary of the major components of securities available for sale and a comparison of the amortized cost, estimated fair values and gross unrealized gains and losses as of March 31, 2005 and December 31, 2004:

 

     Amortized
Cost


   Gross
Unrealized
Gain


   Gross
Unrealized
Loss


   Estimated
Fair Value


     (Dollars in thousands)

March 31, 2005

                           

Securities Available For Sale:

                           

Mortgage Backed Securities

   $ 196,965    $ 26    $ 4,053    $ 192,938

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations

     19,833      0      473      19,360
    

  

  

  

Total Government and Agencies Securities

     216,798      26      4,526      212,298

Mutual Fund

     995      0      0      995
    

  

  

  

Total Securities Available For Sale

   $ 217,793    $ 26    $ 4,526    $ 213,293
    

  

  

  

December 31, 2004

                           

Securities Available For Sale:

                           

U.S. Agencies and Mortgage Backed Securities

   $ 160,405    $ 14    $ 2,383    $ 158,036

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations

     10,487      3      122      10,368
    

  

  

  

Total Government and Agencies Securities

     170,892      17      2,505      168,404

Fannie Mae Trust Preferred Stock

     1,008      0      0      1,008
    

  

  

  

Total Securities Available For Sale

   $ 171,900    $ 17    $ 2,505    $ 169,412
    

  

  

  

 

At March 31, 2005, U.S. Agencies and Mortgage Backed securities, U.S. Government agency securities and collateralized mortgage obligations with an aggregate fair market value of $129 million were pledged to secure Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings, repurchase agreements, local agency deposits and Treasury, tax and loan accounts.

 

The amortized cost and estimated fair value, at March 31, 2005, of securities available for sale are shown in the table below by contractual maturities and historical prepayments based on the prior three months of principal payments. Expected maturities will differ from contractual maturities and historical prepayments, particularly with respect to collateralized mortgage obligations, because borrowers may react to interest rate market conditions differently than the historical prepayment rates.

 

     Maturing in

 
     One year
or less


    Over one
year
through
five years


    Over five
years
through
ten years


    Over ten
years


    Total

 
(Dollars in thousands)                               

Securities available for sale, amortized cost

   $ 49,047     $ 106,426     $ 50,582     $ 11,738     $ 217,793  

Securities available for sale, estimated fair value

     48,077       104,265       49,320       11,631       213,293  

Weighted average yield

     3.32 %     3.63 %     3.99 %     4.14 %     3.67 %

 

The table below shows as of March 31, 2005, the gross unrealized losses and fair values of our investments, aggregated by investment category and length of time that the individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position.

 

     Securities With Unrealized Loss as of March 31, 2005

     Less than 12 months

   12 months or more

   Total

(Dollars In thousands)    Fair
Value


   Unrealized
Loss


   Fair Value

   Unrealized
Loss


   Fair Value

   Unrealized
Loss


US Agencies and Mortgage Backed Securities

   $ 68,525    $ 1,058    $ 105,148    $ 2,995    $ 173,673    $ 4,053

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations

     15,360      228      4,000      245      19,360      473
    

  

  

  

  

  

Total Temporarily impaired securities

   $ 83,885    $ 1,286    $ 109,148    $ 3,240    $ 193,033    $ 4,526
    

  

  

  

  

  

 

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We regularly monitor investments for significant declines in fair value. We have determined that the declines in the fair values of these investments below their amortized costs, as set forth in the table above, are temporary based on the following: (i) those declines are due to interest rate changes and not due to a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the issuers of those investment securities, and (ii) we have the ability to hold those securities until there is a recovery in their values.

 

Capital Resources

 

Capital Regulatory Requirements Applicable to Banking Institutions. Under federal banking regulations that apply to all United States based bank holding companies and federally insured banks, the Company (on a consolidated basis) and the Bank (on a stand-alone basis) must meet specific capital adequacy requirements that, for the most part, involve quantitative measures that determine the ratios of their capital to their assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance sheet items calculated under regulatory accounting practices. Under those regulations, based primarily on those quantitative measures each bank holding company and each federally insured bank is determined by its primary federal bank regulatory agency to come within one of the following categories.

 

    well capitalized

 

    adequately capitalized

 

    undercapitalized

 

    significantly undercapitalized; or

 

    critically undercapitalized

 

Certain qualitative assessments also are made by a banking institution’s primary federal regulatory agency that could lead the agency to determine that the banking institution should be assigned to a lower capital category than the one indicated by the quantitative measures used to assess the institution’s capital adequacy. At each successive lower capital category, a bank and its bank holding company are subject to greater operating restrictions and increased regulatory supervision by their federal bank regulatory agencies.

 

The following table sets forth the amounts of capital and capital ratios of the Company (on a consolidated basis) and the Bank (on a stand alone basis) at March 31, 2005, as compared to the respective minimum regulatory requirements applicable to them.

 

                Applicable Federal Regulatory Requirement

 
     Amount

   Ratio

    Capital Adequacy
Purposes


    Amount

   Ratio

 
     (Dollars in thousands)  

Total Capital to Risk Weighted Assets:

                                       

Company

   $ 109,708    17.1 %   $ 51,403    At least 8.0 %   $ 64,253    At least 10.0 %

Bank

     68,901    10.9 %     50,776    At least 8.0 %     63,471    At least 10.0 %

Tier 1 Capital to Risk Weighted Assets:

                                       

Company

   $ 103,625    16.1 %   $ 25,701    At least 4.0 %   $ 38,552    At least 6.0 %

Bank

     64,772    10.2 %     25,388    At least 4.0 %     38,082    At least 6.0 %

Tier 1 Capital to Average Assets:

                                       

Company

   $ 103,625    12.1 %   $ 34,229    At least 4.0 %   $ 42,786    At least 5.0 %

Bank

     64,772    7.6 %     34,063    At least 4.0 %     42,578    At least 5.0 %

 

As of March 31, 2005, based on applicable capital regulations, the Company (on a consolidated basis) and the Bank (on a stand-alone basis) qualified as well capitalized institutions under the capital adequacy guidelines described above.

 

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Table of Contents

Our consolidated total capital and Tier 1 capital of the Company, at March 31, 2005, include approximately $25.9 million of long term indebtedness evidenced by the Junior Subordinated Debentures that we issued in 2002 and 2004 in connection with the sale of trust preferred securities. The remaining $1.9 million was classified as Tier II capital. See “—Financial Condition—Contractual Obligations” above. We contributed $23 million of the net proceeds from the sale of the trust preferred securities to the Bank, thereby, increasing its total capital and Tier 1 capital.

 

Dividend Policy. The Company intends to retain earnings to support future growth and, therefore, does not expect to pay dividends for at least for the next 6-12 months.

 

Risks and Uncertainties That Could Affect Our Future Financial Performance

 

This Report, including the discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations set forth above, contains certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are estimates of, or expectations or beliefs regarding our future financial performance that are based on current information and that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual operating results and financial performance in the future to differ significantly from those expected at the current time. Those risks and uncertainties include, although they are not limited to, the following:

 

Risks Related to Our Business

 

We face intense competition from other banks and financial institutions that could hurt our business

 

We conduct our business operations in Southern California, where the banking business is highly competitive and is dominated by a relatively small number of large multi-banks with offices operating over wide geographical areas. We also compete with other financial service businesses, mutual fund companies, and securities brokerage and investment banking firms that offer competitive banking and financial products and services. The larger banks, and some of those other financial institutions, have greater resources that enable them to conduct extensive advertising campaigns and to shift resources to regions or activities of greater potential profitability. Some of these banks and institutions also have substantially more capital and higher lending limits that could enable them to attract larger clients, and offer financial products and services that we are unable to offer, particularly with respect to attracting loans and deposits.

 

Increased competition may prevent us from (i) achieving increases, or could even result in a decrease, in our loan volume or deposit accounts or (ii) increasing interest rates on loans or reducing interest rates we pay to attract or retain deposits, any of which could cause a decline in interest income or an increase in interest expense, that could cause our net interest income and our earnings to decline.

 

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Table of Contents

Adverse changes in economic conditions in Southern California could disproportionately harm our business

 

The large majority of our customers and the properties securing a large proportion of our loans are located in Southern California. A worsening of economic conditions in Southern California could harm our business by:

 

    reducing loan demand which, in turn, would lead to reduced net interest margins and net interest income;

 

    affecting the financial capability of borrowers to meet their loan obligations which could, in turn, result in increases in loan losses and require increases in provisions made for possible loan losses, thereby reducing our earnings; and

 

    leading to reductions in real property values that, due to our reliance on real property to secure many of our loans, could make it more difficult for us to prevent losses from being incurred on non-performing loans through the sale of such real properties.

 

Additionally, real estate values in California have been increasing rapidly in recent years. In the event that these values are not sustained or other events, such as earthquakes or fires, that may be more prevalent in Southern California than other geographic areas, cause a decline in real estate values, our collateral coverage for our loans will be reduced and we may suffer increased loan losses.

 

National economic conditions and changes in Federal Reserve Board monetary policies could affect our operating result.

 

Our ability to achieve and sustain our profitability is substantially dependent on our net interest income. Like most banking organizations and other depository institutions, our interest income is affected by a number of factors outside of our control, including changes in market rates of interest, which in turn are affected by changes in national economic conditions and national monetary policies adopted by the Federal Reserve Board. From 2001 and continuing until June 30, 2004, the Federal Reserve Board followed a policy of reducing interest rates in an effort to stimulate the national economy. Those interest rate reductions, coupled with sluggishness in the economy, led to decreases in our net interest margin during 2003 and made it more difficult to increase earnings. We cannot predict whether the improvement in the economy will continue or whether the Federal Reserve Board’s recent increases in interest rates, which have totaled 175 basis points since June 2004, will succeed in lessening the downward pressure on net interest margins that was prevalent through most of the last three years.

 

On the other hand, the benefits of increased market rates of interest may be offset, partially or in whole, because those increases will increase the costs of attracting deposits and obtaining borrowings. If we are unable to effectuate commensurate increases in the rates we are able to charge on existing or new loans due to competitive pressures or contractual restrictions on our ability to increase interest rates on existing loans, our net interest margin may suffer despite the increase in interest rates. Changes in economic conditions and increasing rates of interest also could cause prospective borrowers to fail to qualify for our loan products and reduce loan demand, thereby reducing our net interest margins. In addition, if economic conditions were to worsen, that could adversely affect the financial capability of borrowers to meet their loan obligations, which could result in loan losses and require increases in provisions made for possible loan losses.

 

Rapid growth could strain our resources and lead to operating problems or inefficiencies

 

We have grown substantially in the past five years by opening new financial centers. We intend over the next 12 months to open additional financial centers, primarily in Southern California, either by opening new offices or acquiring one or more community banks. The opening of new offices or the acquisition of another bank will result in increased operating expenses until new banking offices or acquired banking operations attract sufficient business to cover operating expenses, which usually takes at least six to twelve months. There is no assurance, however, as to how long it would take for new financial centers to begin generating positive cash flow and earnings. Also, we cannot assure that we will be able to adequately manage our growth, which will make substantial demands on the time and attention of management and on our capital resources. The failure to prepare appropriately and on a timely basis for growth could cause us to experience inefficiencies or failures in our service delivery systems, regulatory problems, and erosion in customer confidence, unexpected expenses or other problems.

 

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Table of Contents

Additionally, acquisitions of banks are extremely time consuming and expensive, and, in the case of bank acquisitions, subject to regulatory control. Expansion through the acquisition of other banks may also have the following consequences:

 

    expenses of any undisclosed or potential legal liabilities of the acquired bank;

 

    costs, delays and difficulties of integrating the acquired bank’s operations, technologies and personnel into our existing operations, organization and culture;

 

    possible regulatory agency required divestiture of certain assets; and

 

    issuances of equity securities to pay for acquisitions which may be dilutive to existing shareholders.

 

We could incur losses on the loans we make

 

The failure or inability of borrowers to repay their loans is an inherent risk in the banking business. We take a number of measures designed to reduce this risk, including the maintenance of stringent loan underwriting policies and the establishment of reserves for possible loan losses and the requirement that borrowers provide collateral that we could sell in the event they fail to pay their loans. However, the ability of borrowers to repay their loans, the adequacy of our reserves and our ability to sell collateral for amounts sufficient to offset loan losses are affected by a number of factors outside of our control, such as changes in economic conditions, increases in market rates of interest and changes in the condition or value of the collateral securing our loans. As a result, we could incur losses on the loans we make that will hurt our operating results and weaken our financial condition.

 

Government regulations may impair our operations or restrict our growth

 

We are subject to extensive supervision and regulation by federal and state bank regulatory agencies. The primary objective of these agencies is to protect bank depositors and other customers and not shareholders, whose respective interests will often differ. The regulatory agencies have the legal authority to impose restrictions which they believe are needed to protect depositors and customers of banking institutions, even if such restrictions would adversely affect the ability of the banking institution to expand its business, or result in increases in its costs of doing business or hinder its ability to compete with financial services companies that are not regulated or banks or financial service organizations that are less regulated. Additionally, due to the complex and technical nature of many of the government regulations to which banking organizations are subject, inadvertent violations may occur. In such an event, we would be required to correct or implement measures to prevent a recurrence of such violations. If more serious violations were to occur, the regulatory agencies could limit our activities or growth, fine us or ultimately put us out of business.

 

Our computer and network systems may be vulnerable to unforeseen problems and security risks

 

The computer systems and network infrastructure that we use to provide automated and Internet banking services could be vulnerable to unforeseen problems. Our operations are dependent upon our ability to protect our computer equipment against damage from fire, power loss, telecommunications failure, earthquakes and similar catastrophic events and from security breaches. Any of those occurrences could result in damage to or a failure of our computer systems that could cause an interruption in our banking services and, therefore, harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Additionally, interruptions in service and security breaches could lead existing customers to terminate their banking relationships with us and could make it more difficult for us to attract new banking customers.

 

The loss of key personnel could hurt our financial performance

 

Our success depends to a great extent on the continued availability of our existing management, in particular on Raymond E. Dellerba, President and Chief Executive Officer. In addition to their skills and experience as bankers, our executive officers provide us with extensive community ties upon which our competitive strategy is partially based. We do not maintain key-man life insurance on these executives, other than Mr. Dellerba. As a result, the loss of the services of any of these officers could harm our ability to implement our business strategy.

 

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Evolving regulation of corporate governance and public disclosure may result in additional expenses and continuing uncertainty

 

Changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, new SEC regulations and NASDAQ Stock Market rules are creating uncertainty for companies such as ours. We are committed to maintaining high standards of corporate governance and public disclosure. As a result, we intend to invest resources to comply with evolving laws, regulations and standards, and this investment may result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue generating activities to compliance activities. If our efforts to comply with new or changed laws, regulations and standards differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to our practices, our reputation may be harmed or we may be subject to litigation.

 

Other Risks

 

Other risks that could affect our future financial performance are described in the Section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Prospectus dated December 8, 2003, included in our S-2 Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and readers are urged to review those risks as well.

 

Due to these and other possible uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Report. We also disclaim any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this Report or in the above-referenced S-2 Registration Statement or Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

ITEM 3. MARKET RISK

 

We are exposed to market risk as a consequence of the normal course of conducting our business activities. The primary market risk to which we are exposed is interest rate risk. Our interest rate risk arises from the instruments, positions and transactions entered into for purposes other than trading. They include loans, securities, deposit liabilities, and short-term borrowings. Interest rate risk occurs when assets and liabilities reprice at different times as market interest rates change. Interest rate risk is managed within an overall asset/liability framework for the Company.

 

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under that Act (the Exchange Act), such as this Annual Report on Form 10-K, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our disclosure controls and procedures also are designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

 

Our management, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures in effect as of March 31, 2005. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of March 31, 2005, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurance that material information, relating to the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, required to be included in our Exchange Act reports, including this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, is made known to management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, on a timely basis.

 

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended March 31, 2005 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

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PART II

 

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION

 

None

 

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

 

The following documents are filed Exhibits to the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q:

 

Exhibits:

    
Exhibit 31.1    Certification of Chief Executive Officer under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Exhibit 31.2    Certification of Chief Financial Officer under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Exhibit 32.1    Certification of Chief Executive Officer under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
Exhibit 32.2    Certification of Chief Financial Officer under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

        PACIFIC MERCANTILE BANCORP

Date: May 6, 2005

      By:  

/s/ NANCY A. GRAY

               

Nancy A. Gray, Chief Financial Officer

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.

  

Description of Exhibit


31.1    Certification of Chief Executive Officer under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
31.2    Certification of Chief Financial Officer under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
32.1    Certification of Chief Executive Officer under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
32.2    Certification of Chief Financial Officer under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

 

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