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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C.  20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

x      Annual report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015

o         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:  001-34089

Bancorp of New Jersey, Inc.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

201-944-8600

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act:  None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  YES o  NO x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.  YES o  NO x

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 o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files.)  Yes x  No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendments to this Form 10-K.  o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerate filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

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

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2015 was approximately $51,178,000 based on the last sale price as of such date.

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s common stock, no par value, outstanding as of March 23, 2016 was 6,240,241.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s definitive proxy statement, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with its 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held May 19, 2016, are incorporated by reference in Part III of this annual report on Form 10-K.

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PART I

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This document contains forward-looking statements, in addition to historical information.  Forward looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project,” and variations of such words and similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may,” or similar expressions.  The U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, provide a safe harbor in regard to the inclusion of forward-looking statements in this document and documents incorporated by reference.

You should note that many factors, some of which are discussed elsewhere in this document and in the documents that are incorporated by reference, could affect the future financial results of Bancorp of New Jersey, Inc. and its subsidiaries and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this document.  These factors include, but are not limited, to the following:

·                  Economic conditions affecting the financial industry;

·                  Changes in interest rates and shape of the yield curve;

·                  Credit risk associated with our lending activities;

·                  Risks relating to our market area, significant real estate collateral and the real estate market;

·                  Legislative and regulatory changes and our ability to comply with the significant laws and regulations impacting the banking and financial services industry;

·                  Operating, legal and regulatory compliance risk;

·                  Regulatory capital requirements and our ability to raise and maintain capital;

·                  Our ability to prevent, detect and respond to any cyberattacks in order to protect our information assets and supporting infrastructure including information of our customers;

·                  Our ability to attract and retain well-qualified management;

·                  Fiscal and monetary policy;

·                  Economic, political and competitive forces affecting our business risks associated with potential business combinations; and

·                  That management’s analysis of these risks and factors could be incorrect, and/or that the strategies developed to address them could be unsuccessful.

Bancorp of New Jersey, Inc., referred to as “we” or the “Company,” cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, all of which change over time, and we assume no duty to update forward-looking statements, except as may be required by applicable law or regulation, and except as required by applicable law or regulation, we do not undertake, and specifically disclaim any obligation, to publicly release any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statements. We caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.  These statements speak only as of the date made, and we advise readers that various factors, including those described above, could affect our financial performance and could cause actual results or circumstances for future periods to differ materially from those anticipated or projected.

ITEM 1.                                                BUSINESS

General

The Company is a one-bank holding company incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey in November, 2006 to serve as a holding company for Bank of New Jersey, referred to as the “Bank.”  (Unless the context otherwise requires, all references to the “Company” in this annual report shall be deemed to refer also to the Bank).  The Company was organized at the direction of the board of directors of the Bank for the purpose of acquiring all of the capital stock of the Bank.  On July 31, 2007, the Company became the bank holding company of the Bank. During the second quarter of 2009, the Bank formed BONJ-New York Corp.  The New York subsidiary is engaged in the business of acquiring, managing and administering portions of Bank of New Jersey’s investment and loan portfolios.

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During the third quarter of 2014, the Bank formed BONJ-New Jersey Investment Company, a New Jersey corporation; BONJ- Delaware Investment Company, a Delaware corporation; and BONJ REIT Inc., a New Jersey corporation.  These subsidiaries were formed as part of the establishment by the Company of a real estate investment trust to reduce the Company’s effective corporate tax rate.

The Bank is a commercial bank formed under the laws of the State of New Jersey on May 10, 2006.  The Bank operates from its main office at 1365 Palisade Avenue, Fort Lee, New Jersey, 07024, and its additional eight branch offices located at 204 Main Street, Fort Lee, New Jersey, 07024, 401 Hackensack Avenue, Hackensack, New Jersey, 07601, 458 West Street, Fort Lee, New Jersey, 07024, 320 Haworth Avenue, Haworth, New Jersey, 07641, 4 Park Street, Harrington Park, New Jersey, 07640, 104 Grand Avenue, Englewood, NJ 07631, 354 Palisade Avenue, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010, and 585 Chestnut Ridge Road, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677.  A tenth location at 750 East Palisade Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 07632 has received approval from the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance, sometimes referred to as “NJDOBI”, and has applied to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or “FDIC” for approval.  The branch is expected to open in 2016.

The Company is subject to the supervision and regulation of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, sometimes referred to as the “FRB.”  The Bank is supervised and regulated by the FDIC and the NJDOBI.  The Bank’s deposits are insured by the FDIC up to applicable limits.  The operation of the Company and the Bank are subject to the supervision and regulation of the FRB, FDIC, and the NJDOBI.  The principal executive offices of the Bank are located at 1365 Palisade Avenue, Fort Lee, NJ, 07024 and the telephone number is (201) 944-8600.

Business of the Company

The Company’s primary business is ownership and supervision of the Bank.  The Company, through the Bank, conducts a traditional commercial banking business, accepting deposits from the general public, including individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations, and governmental units.  The Bank makes commercial loans, consumer loans, and both residential and commercial real estate loans.  In addition, the Bank provides other customer services and makes investments in securities, as permitted by law.  The Bank continues to offer an alternative, community-oriented style of banking in an area, which is presently dominated by larger, statewide and national institutions.  Our goal remains to establish and retain customer relationships by offering a broad range of traditional financial services and products, competitively-priced and delivered in a responsive manner to small businesses, professionals, and individuals in the local market.  As a locally operated community bank, the Bank seeks to provide superior customer service that is highly personalized, efficient, and responsive to local needs.  To better serve our customers and expand our market reach, we provide for the delivery of certain financial products and services to local customers and to a broader market through the use of mail, telephone, and internet banking.  The Bank strives to deliver these products and services with the care and professionalism expected of a community bank and with a special dedication to personalized customer service.

The specific objectives of the Bank are:

·                                          To provide local businesses, professionals, and individuals with banking services responsive to and determined by the local market;

·                                          To provide direct access to Bank management by members of the community, whether during or after business hours;

·                                          To attract deposits and loans by competitive pricing; and

·                                          To provide a reasonable return to shareholders on capital invested.

Market Area

The principal market for our deposit gathering and lending activities lies within Bergen County in New Jersey.  The market is dominated by offices of large statewide and interstate banking institutions.  The market

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area has a relatively large affluent base for our services and a diversified mix of commercial businesses and residential neighborhoods.  In order to meet the demands of this market, the Company operates its main office in Fort Lee, New Jersey and eight additional branch offices, two in Fort Lee, one in Hackensack, one in Haworth, one in Harrington Park, one in Englewood, one in Cliffside Park, and one in Woodcliff Lake, all in Bergen County, New Jersey.

Extended Hours

The Bank provides convenient full-service banking from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm weekdays and 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday in all offices except Hackensack, which has no Saturday hours, Main Street in Fort Lee, which offers full service banking from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm weekdays and Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, and Palisade Avenue in Fort Lee, which offer full service banking from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm weekdays and Saturday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Competition

The banking business remains highly competitive and is increasingly more regulated. The profitability of the Company depends upon the Bank’s ability to compete in its market area.  The Bank continues to face considerable competition in its market area for deposits and loans from other depository institutions.  The Bank faces competition in attracting and retaining deposit and loan customers, and with respect to the terms and conditions it offers on its deposit and loan products.  Many of its competitors have greater financial resources, broader geographic markets, and greater name recognition, and are able to provide more services and finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns.

The Bank competes with local, regional, and national commercial banks, savings banks, and savings and loan associations.  The Bank also competes with money market mutual funds, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, stock brokerage firms, regulated small loan companies, credit unions, and issuers of commercial paper and other securities.

Concentration

The Company is not dependent for deposits or exposed by loan concentrations to a single customer or a small group of customers the loss of any one or more of which would have a material adverse effect upon the financial condition of the Company.  As a community bank however, our market area is concentrated in Bergen County, New Jersey, and 88.8% of our loan portfolio was collateralized by real estate, primarily in our market area, as of December 31, 2015.

Employees

At December 31, 2015, the Company employed seventy-four full-time equivalent employees.  None of these employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement.  The Company believes its relations with employees to be good.

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Supervision and Regulation

General

The Company and the Bank are each extensively regulated under both federal and state law.  These laws restrict permissible activities and investments and require compliance with various consumer protection provisions applicable to lending, deposit, brokerage and fiduciary activities. They also impose capital adequacy requirements and condition the Company’s ability to repurchase stock or to receive dividends from the Bank. The Company is also subject to comprehensive examination and supervision by the FRB and the Bank is also subject to comprehensive examination and supervision by NJDOBI and the FDIC.  These regulatory agencies generally have broad discretion to impose restrictions and limitations on the operations of the Company and the Bank. This supervisory framework could materially impact the conduct and profitability of the Company’s and Bank’s activities. Federal and state banking regulators have the authority to initiate informal or formal enforcement actions against the Company and the Bank. Informal actions may include board resolutions approved by the applicable regulators, supervisory letters or memoranda of understanding. Formal actions may include consent orders, cease-and-desist orders, termination of deposit insurance and civil money penalties. Informal actions are generally a confidential part of the regulators’ examination and supervisory process and may not be disclosed without the permission of the regulators. All formal actions, however, are publicly disclosed.

To the extent that the following information describes statutory and regulatory provisions, it is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statutory and regulatory provisions. Proposals to change the laws and regulations governing the banking industry are frequently raised at both the state and federal level. The likelihood and timing of any changes in these laws and regulations, and the impact such changes may have on the Company and the Bank, are difficult to ascertain. A change in applicable laws and regulations, or in the manner such laws or regulations are interpreted by regulatory agencies or courts, may have a material effect on our business, operations and earnings.

Bank Holding Company Act

The Company is registered as a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”), and is subject to regulation and supervision by the FRB. The BHCA requires the Company to secure the prior approval of the FRB before it owns or controls, directly or indirectly, more than five percent (5%) of the voting shares or substantially all of the assets of, any bank or savings bank, or merges or consolidates with another bank or savings bank holding company. Further, under the BHCA, the activities of the Company and any nonbank subsidiary are limited to those activities which the FRB determines to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident thereto, and prior approval of the FRB may be required before engaging in certain activities. In making such determinations, the FRB is required to weigh the expected benefits to the public such as greater convenience, increased competition and gains in efficiency, against the possible adverse effects, such as undue concentration of resources, decreased or unfair competition, conflicts of interest, and unsound banking practices.

The BHCA was substantially amended by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (“GLBA”), which among other things permits a “financial holding company” to engage in a broader range of non-banking activities, and to engage on less restrictive terms in certain activities than were previously permitted. These expanded activities include securities underwriting and dealing, insurance underwriting and sales, and merchant banking activities. To become a financial holding company, the Company and the Bank must be “well capitalized” and “well managed” (as defined by federal law), and have at least a “satisfactory” Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) rating.  GLBA also imposes certain privacy requirements on all financial institutions and their treatment of consumer information.  At this time, the Company has not elected to become a financial holding company, as we do not engage in any non-banking activities which would require us to be a financial holding company.

There are a number of restrictions imposed on the Company and the Bank by law and regulatory policy that are designed to minimize potential loss to the depositors of the Bank and the FDIC insurance funds in the event the Bank should become insolvent.  For example, FRB policy requires a bank holding company to serve as a source of financial strength to its subsidiary depository institutions and to commit resources to support such institutions in circumstances where it might not do so absent such policy.  While the authority of the FRB to invoke this so-called “source of strength doctrine” has been called into question, the FRB

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maintains that it has the authority to apply the doctrine when circumstances warrant.  The FRB also has the authority under the BHCA to require a bank holding company to terminate any activity or to relinquish control of a non-bank subsidiary upon the FRB’s determination that such activity or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness and stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

Any capital loan by the Company to the Bank is subordinate in right of payment to deposits and certain other indebtedness of the Bank.  In addition, in the event of the Company’s bankruptcy, any commitment by the Company to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of the Bank will be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to a priority of payment.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (“FDIA”) provides that, in the event of the “liquidation or other resolution” of an insured depository institution, the claims of depositors of the institution (including the claims of the FDIC as a subrogee of insured depositors) and certain claims for administrative expenses of the FDIC as a receiver will have priority over other general unsecured claims against the institution.  If an insured depository institution fails, insured and uninsured depositors, along with the FDIC will have priority in payment ahead of unsecured, non-deposit creditors, including the Company, with respect to any extensions of credit they have made to such insured depository institution.

Supervision and Regulation of the Bank

The operations and investments of the Bank are also limited by federal and state statutes and regulations. The Bank is subject to the supervision and regulation by the NJDOBI and the FDIC. The Bank is also subject to various requirements and restrictions under federal and state law, including requirements to maintain reserves against deposits, restrictions on the types, amount and terms and conditions of loans that may be originated, and limits on the type of other activities in which the Bank may engage and the investments it may make. Under the GLBA, the Bank may engage in expanded activities (such as insurance sales and securities underwriting) through the formation of a “financial subsidiary.”  In order to be eligible to establish or acquire a financial subsidiary, the Bank must be “well capitalized” and “well managed” and may not have less than a “satisfactory” CRA rating. At this time, the Bank does not engage in any activity which would require it to maintain a financial subsidiary.

The Bank is also subject to federal laws that limit the amount of transactions between the Bank and its nonbank affiliates, including the Company. Under these provisions, transactions (such as a loan or investment) by the Bank with any nonbank affiliate are generally limited to 10% of the Bank’s capital and surplus for all covered transactions with such affiliate or 20% of capital and surplus for all covered transactions with all affiliates. Any extensions of credit, with limited exceptions, must be secured by eligible collateral in specified amounts. The Bank is also prohibited from purchasing any “low quality” assets from an affiliate.  The Dodd-Frank Act imposed additional requirements on transactions with affiliates, including an expansion of the definition of “covered transactions” and increasing the amount of time for which collateral requirements regarding covered transactions must be maintained.

Securities and Exchange Commission

The Company is also under the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for matters relating to the offering and sale of its securities and is subject to the SEC’s rules and regulations relating to periodic reporting, reporting to shareholders, proxy solicitations, and insider-trading regulations.

Monetary Policy

The earnings of the Company are and will be affected by domestic economic conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government and its agencies. The monetary policies of the FRB have a significant effect upon the operating results of commercial banks such as the Bank.  The FRB has a major effect upon the levels of bank loans, investments and deposits through its open market operations in United States government securities and through its regulation of, among other things, the discount rate on borrowings of member banks and the reserve requirements against member banks’ deposits. It is not possible to predict the nature and impact of future changes in monetary and fiscal policies.

Deposit Insurance

The Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the Deposit Insurance Fund of the FDIC. The Deposit Insurance Fund is the successor to the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund, which were merged in 2006.

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No institution may pay a dividend if in default of the federal deposit insurance assessment.

On July 21, 2010, the Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law.  The Dodd-Frank Act changed the assessment base for federal deposit insurance from the amount of insured deposits held by the depository institution to the depository institution’s average total consolidated assets less average tangible equity, eliminating the ceiling on the size of the deposit insurance fund (“DIF”) and increasing the floor on the size of the DIF.  The Dodd-Frank Act established a minimum designated reserve ratio (“DRR”) of 1.35 percent of the estimated insured deposits, mandates the FDIC to adopt a restoration plan should the DRR fall below 1.35 percent, and provides dividends to the industry should the DRR exceed 1.50 percent.

On February 7, 2011, the Board of Directors of the FDIC approved a final rule on Assessments, Dividend Assessment Base and Large Bank Pricing (the “Final Rule”).  The Final Rule implements the changes to the deposit insurance assessment system as mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act.  The Final Rule became effective April 1, 2011.

The Final Rule changed the assessment base for insured depository institutions from adjusted domestic deposits to the average consolidated total assets during an assessment period less average tangible equity capital during that assessment period.  Tangible equity is defined in the Final Rule as Tier 1 Capital and shall be calculated monthly, unless, like us, the insured depository institution has less than $1 billion in assets, then the insured depository institution will calculate the Tier 1 Capital on an end-of-quarter basis.  Parents or holding companies of other insured depository institutions are required to report separately from their subsidiary depository institutions.

The Final Rule retains the unsecured debt adjustment, which lowers an insured depository institution’s assessment rate for any unsecured debt on its balance sheet.  In general, the unsecured debt adjustment in the Final Rule will be measured to the new assessment base and will be increased by 40 basis points.  The Final Rule also contains a brokered deposit adjustment for assessments.  The Final Rule provides an exemption to the brokered deposit adjustment to financial institutions that are “well capitalized” and have composite CAMEL ratings of 1 or 2.  CAMEL ratings are confidential ratings used by the federal and state regulators for assessing the soundness of financial institutions.  These ratings range from 1 to 5, with a rating of 1 being the highest rating.

The Final Rule also creates a new rate schedule that intends to provide more predictable assessment rates to financial institutions.  The revenue under the new rate schedule will be approximately the same.  Moreover, it indefinitely suspends the requirement that it pay dividends from the insurance fund when it reaches 1.5 percent of insured deposits, to increase the probability that the fund reserve ratio will reach a sufficient level to withstand a future crisis.  In lieu of the dividend payments, the FDIC has adopted progressively lower assessment rate schedules that become effective when the reserve ratio exceeds 2 percent and 2.5 percent.

On March 15, 2016, the FDIC approved a final rule to increase the DIF to the statutorily required minimum level of 1.35%.  The final rule will take effect on July 1, 2016.  Under this rule, banks with total assets of $10 billion or more will fund the DIF increase by paying an assessment surcharge of 4.5 cents per $100 of their assessment base, subject to certain adjustments.  Banks like us with less than $10 billion in total assets will have substantially lower assessment rates, which is consistent with existing deposit insurance assessment requirements previously adopted in 2011.  The FDIC has stated that it expects the DIF reserve ratio will likely reach 1.35% after approximately two years of the surcharge payments;

The Dodd-Frank Act made permanent the $250,000 limit for federal deposit insurance and increased the cash limit of Securities Investor Protection Corporation protection from $100,000 to $250,000.

The FDIC has authority to increase insurance assessments.  A significant increase in insurance assessments would likely have an adverse effect on our operating expenses and results of operations.  Management cannot predict what insurance assessment rates will be in the future.

Deposit insurance may be terminated by the FDIC upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed the FDIC.

Dividend Restrictions

Under applicable New Jersey law, the Company is not permitted to pay dividends on its capital stock if, following the payment of the dividend, (1) it would be unable to pay its debts as they become due in the usual course of business or (2) its total assets would be less than its total liabilities. Further, it is the policy of the FRB that bank holding companies should pay dividends only out of current earnings and only if future retained earnings would be consistent with the Company’s capital, asset quality, liquidity and financial condition. As part of its supervisory authority, the FRB may impose informal or formal restrictions on the Company’s ability to pay dividends, including requiring the non-objection of the FRB to payment of any dividends, distribution of interest or creating new debt.

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Since it has no significant independent sources of income, the ability of the Company to pay dividends is dependent on its ability to receive dividends from the Bank. Under the New Jersey Banking Act of 1948, as amended (the “Banking Act”), a bank may declare and pay cash dividends only if, after payment of the dividend, the capital stock of the bank will be unimpaired and either the bank will have a surplus of not less than 50% of its capital stock or the payment of the dividend will not reduce the bank’s surplus.  The FDIC prohibits payment of cash dividends if, as a result, the institution would be undercapitalized or the Bank is in default with respect to any assessment due to the FDIC.

Risk-Based Capital Requirements

The federal banking regulators have adopted certain risk-based capital guidelines to assist in assessing capital adequacy of a banking organization’s operations for both transactions reported on the balance sheet as assets and transactions, such as letters of credit, and recourse agreements, which are recorded as off-balance sheet items. Under these guidelines, nominal dollar amounts of assets and credit-equivalent amounts of off-balance sheet items are multiplied by one of several risk adjustment percentages, which range from 0% for assets with low credit risk, such as certain US Treasury securities, to 100% for assets with relatively high credit risk, such as business loans.

A banking organization’s risk-based capital ratios are obtained by dividing its qualifying capital by its total risk adjusted assets. The regulators measure risk-adjusted assets, which include off-balance-sheet items, against both total qualifying capital, Common Equity Tier 1 capital and Tier 1 capital.

·                  “Common Equity Tier 1 Capital” includes common equity and minority interest in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, less goodwill and other intangibles, subject to certain exceptions and retained earnings.

·                  “Tier 1”, or core capital, includes common equity, non-cumulative preferred stock and minority interest in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, less goodwill and other intangibles, subject to certain exceptions.

In July 2013, the federal banking agencies issued final rules to implement the Basel III regulatory capital reforms and changes required by the Dodd-Frank Act. The phase-in period for community banking organizations began January 1, 2015, while larger institutions (generally those with assets of $250 billion or more) began compliance on January 1, 2014. The final rules call for the following capital requirements:

·                  A minimum ratio of common equity tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of 4.5%.

·                  A minimum ratio of tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of 6%.

·                  A minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of 8%.

·                  A minimum leverage ratio of 4%.

In addition, the final rules establish a common equity tier 1 capital conservation buffer of 2.5% of risk-weighted assets applicable to all banking organizations. If a banking organization fails to hold capital above the minimum capital ratios and the capital conservation buffer, it will be subject to certain restrictions on capital distributions and discretionary bonus payments. The phase-in period for the capital conservation and countercyclical capital buffers for all banking organizations began on January 1, 2016.

Under the proposed rules, accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) would have been included in a banking organization’s common equity tier 1 capital. The final rules allow community banks to make a one-time election not to include these additional components of AOCI in regulatory capital and instead use the existing treatment under the general risk-based capital rules that excludes most AOCI components from regulatory capital. The opt-out election was required to be made in the first call report or FR Y-9 series report that is filed after the financial institution becomes subject to the final rule. On xxxx/xx/xxxx, the Company’s Board of Directors adopted a resolution to “opt-out” of the inclusion of the components of AOCI in regulatory capital

The final rules permanently grandfather non-qualifying capital instruments (such as trust preferred securities and cumulative perpetual preferred stock) issued before May 19, 2010 for inclusion in the tier 1 capital of banking organizations with total consolidated assets less than $15 billion as of December 31, 2009 and banking organizations that were mutual holding companies as of May 19, 2010.

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Consistent with the Dodd-Frank Act, the new rules replace the ratings-based approach to securitization exposures, which is based on external credit ratings, with the simplified supervisory formula approach in order to determine the appropriate risk weights for these exposures. Alternatively, banking organizations may use the existing gross-up approach to assign securitization exposures to a risk weight category or choose to assign such exposures a 1,250 percent risk weight.

Under the new rules, mortgage servicing assets (MSAs) and certain deferred tax assets (DTAs) are subject to stricter limitations than those applicable under the current general risk-based capital rule. The new rules also increase the risk weights for past-due loans, certain commercial real estate loans, and some equity exposures, and makes selected other changes in risk weights and credit conversion factors.

Failure to meet applicable capital guidelines could subject a banking organization to a variety of enforcement actions including:

·                  limitations on its ability to pay dividends;

·                  the issuance by the applicable regulatory authority of a capital directive to increase capital, and in the case of depository institutions, the termination of deposit insurance by the FDIC, as well as to the measures described under FDICIA as applicable to undercapitalized institutions.

In addition, future changes in regulations or practices could further reduce the amount of capital recognized for purposes of capital adequacy. Such a change could affect the ability of Peoples Bank to grow and could restrict the amount of profits, if any, available for the payment of dividends to Peoples.

At December 31, 2015, the Company met its capital requirements with a ratio of common equity tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of 10.95%; its ratio of tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of 10.95%; its ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of 12.19%; and its leverage ratio of 9.02%.

Prompt Corrective Action

In addition to the required minimum capital levels described above, Federal law establishes a system of “prompt corrective actions” which Federal banking agencies are required to take, and certain actions which they have discretion to take, based upon the capital category into which a Federally regulated depository institution falls.  Regulations set forth detailed procedures and criteria for implementing prompt corrective action in the case of any institution which is not adequately capitalized.  Under the rules, an institution will be deemed “well capitalized” or better if its leverage ratio exceeds 5%, its Tier 1 risk based capital ratio exceeds 6%, and if the Total risk based capital ratio exceeds 10%.  An institution will be deemed to be “adequately capitalized” or better if it exceeds the minimum Federal regulatory capital requirements.  However, it will be deemed “undercapitalized” if it fails to meet the minimum capital requirements; “significantly undercapitalized” if it has a total risk based capital ratio that is less than 6%, a Tier 1 risk based capital ratio that is less than 3%, or a leverage ratio that is less than 3%, and “critically undercapitalized” if the institution has a ratio of tangible equity to total assets that is equal to or less than 2%.

The prompt corrective action rules require an undercapitalized institution to file a written capital restoration plan, along with a performance guaranty by its holding company or a third party.  In addition, an undercapitalized institution becomes subject to certain automatic restrictions including a prohibition on payment of dividends, a limitation on asset growth and expansion, in certain cases, a limitation on the payment of bonuses or raises to senior executive officers, and a prohibition on the payment of certain “management fees” to any “controlling person.”  Institutions that are classified as undercapitalized are also subject to certain additional supervisory actions, including: increased reporting burdens and regulatory monitoring; a limitation on the institution’s ability to make acquisitions, open new branch offices, or engage in new lines of business; obligations to raise additional capital; restrictions on transactions with affiliates; and restrictions on interest rates paid by the institution on deposits.  In certain cases, bank regulatory agencies may require replacement of senior executive officers or directors, or sale of the institution to a willing purchaser.  If an institution is deemed to be “critically undercapitalized” and continues in that category for four quarters, the statute requires, with certain narrowly limited exceptions, that the institution be placed in receivership.

As of December 31, 2015, the Bank was classified as “well capitalized.”  This classification is primarily for the purpose of applying the federal prompt corrective action provisions and is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as a representation of overall financial condition or prospects of the Bank.

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Beginning January 1, 2015, all insured depository institutions were required to incorporate the revised regulatory capital requirements (see Supervision and Regulation — Risk-Based Capital Requirements) into the prompt corrective action framework, including the new common equity tier 1 capital asset ratio and a higher tier 1 risk-based capital ratio.

Community Reinvestment Act

The CRA requires that banks meet the credit needs of all of their assessment area (as established for these purposes in accordance with applicable regulations based principally on the location of branch offices), including those of low income areas and borrowers.  The CRA also requires that the FDIC assess all financial institutions that it regulates to determine whether these institutions are meeting the credit needs of the community they serve. Under the CRA, institutions are assigned a rating of “outstanding,” “satisfactory,” “needs to improve” or “unsatisfactory”.  The Bank’s record in meeting the requirements of the CRA is made publicly available and is taken into consideration in connection with any applications with Federal regulators to engage in certain activities, including approval of a branch or other deposit facility, mergers and acquisitions, office relocations, or expansions into non-banking activities.  As of December 31, 2015, the bank maintains a “satisfactory” CRA rating.

USA Patriot Act

Under the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT) Act, financial institutions are subject to prohibitions against specified financial transactions and account relationships as well as enhanced due diligence and “know your customer” standards in their dealings with foreign financial institutions and foreign customers.  Under the USA PATRIOT Act, financial institutions must establish anti-money laundering programs meeting the minimum standards specified by the Act and implementing regulations. The USA PATRIOT Act also requires the Federal banking regulators to consider the effectiveness of a financial institution’s anti-money laundering activities when reviewing bank mergers and bank holding company acquisitions.

The Bank has implemented the required internal controls to ensure proper compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 comprehensively revised the laws affecting corporate governance, auditing and accounting, executive compensation and corporate reporting for entities, such as the Company, with equity or debt securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”). Among other things, Sarbanes-Oxley and its implementing regulations have established new membership requirements and additional responsibilities for our audit committee, imposed restrictions on the relationship between the Company and its outside auditors (including restrictions on the types of non-audit services our auditors may provide to us), imposed additional responsibilities for our external financial statements on our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, and expanded the disclosure requirements for our corporate insiders.  The requirements are intended to allow stockholders to more easily and efficiently monitor the performance of companies and directors. The Company and its Board of Directors have, as appropriate, adopted or modified the Company’s policies and practices in order to comply with these regulatory requirements and to enhance the Company’s corporate governance practices.

Pursuant to Sarbanes-Oxley, the Company has adopted a Code of Conduct and Ethics applicable to its Board, executives and employees.  This Code of Conduct can be found on the Company’s website at www.bonj.net.

Dodd-Frank Act

The Dodd-Frank Act became law on July 21, 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act implements far-reaching changes across the financial regulatory landscape.

The Dodd-Frank Act creates the CFPB of Consumer Financial Protection (“CFPB”), which is an independent CFPB within the Federal Reserve System with broad authority to regulate the consumer finance industry including regulated financial institutions such as us, and non-banks and others who are involved in the consumer finance industry.  The CFPB has exclusive authority through rulemaking, orders, policy statements, guidance and enforcement actions to administer and enforce federal consumer finance laws, to oversee non federally regulated entities, and to impose its own regulations and pursue enforcement actions when it determines that a practice is unfair, deceptive or abusive (“UDA”).  The federal consumer finance laws and

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all of the functions and responsibilities associated with them were transferred to the CFPB on July 21, 2011. While the CFPB has the exclusive power to interpret, administer and enforce federal consumer finance laws and UDA, the Dodd-Frank Act provides that the FDIC continues to have examination and enforcement powers over us relating to the matters within the jurisdiction of the CFPB because it has less than $10 billion in assets. The Dodd-Frank Act also gives state attorneys general the ability to enforce federal consumer protection laws.

The Dodd-Frank Act also:

·                  Applies the same leverage and risk-based capital requirements to most bank holding companies (“BHCs”) that apply to insured depository institutions;

·                  Requires BHCs and banks to be both well-capitalized and well-managed in order to acquire banks located outside their home state and requires any BHC electing to be treated as a financial holding company to be both well-managed and well-capitalized;

·                  Changes the assessment base for federal deposit insurance from the amount of insured deposits held by the depository institution to the depository institution’s average total consolidated assets less tangible equity, eliminates the ceiling on the size of the DIF and increases the floor of the size of the DIF.

·                  Makes permanent the $250,000 limit for federal deposit insurance and increases the cash limit of Securities Investor Protection Corporation protection from $100,000 to $250,000;

·                  Eliminates all remaining restrictions on interstate banking by authorizing national and state banks to establish de novo branches in any state that would permit a bank chartered in that state to open a branch at that location;

·                  Repeals Regulation Q, the federal prohibitions on the payment of interest on demand deposits thereby permitting depository institutions to pay interest on business transaction and other accounts;

·                  Enhances the requirements for certain transactions with affiliates under Section 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act, including an expansion of the definition of “covered transactions” and increasing the amount of time for which collateral requirements regarding covered transactions must be maintained;

·                  Expands insider transaction limitations through the strengthening of loan restrictions to insiders and the expansion of the types of transactions subject to the various limits, including derivative transactions, repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements and securities lending or borrowing transactions. Restrictions are also placed on certain asset sales to and from an insider to an institution, including requirements that such sales be on market terms and, in certain circumstances, approved by the institution’s board of directors; and

·                  Strengthens the previous limits on a depository institution’s credit exposure to one borrower which limited a depository institution’s ability to extend credit to one person (or group of related persons) in an amount exceeding certain thresholds. The Dodd-Frank Act expanded the scope of these restrictions to include credit exposure arising from derivative transactions, repurchase agreements, and securities lending and borrowing transactions.

While designed primarily to reform the financial regulatory system, the Dodd Frank Act also contains a number of corporate governance provisions that will affect public companies with securities registered under the Exchange Act.  The Dodd-Frank Act requires the Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt rules which may affect our executive compensation policies and disclosure.  It also exempts smaller issuers, such as us, from the requirement, originally enacted under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that our independent auditor also attest to and report on management’s assessment of internal control over financial reporting.

Although a significant number of the rules and regulations mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act have been finalized, including rules regulating compensation of residential mortgage loan originators and mortgage loan

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servicing practices, and defining qualified mortgage loans, many of the new requirements called for have yet to be implemented and will likely be subject to implementing regulations over the course of several years.  Given the uncertainty associated with the manner in which the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act will be implemented by the various agencies, the full extent of the impact such requirements will have on financial institutions’ operations is unclear.  The Dodd-Frank Act could require us to make material expenditures, in particular personnel training costs and additional compliance expenses, or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow. It could also require us to change certain of our business practices, adversely affect our ability to pursue business opportunities that we might otherwise consider pursuing, cause business disruptions and/or have other impacts that are as of yet unknown to us.  Failure to comply with these laws or regulations, even if inadvertent, could result in negative publicity, fines or additional expenses, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flow.

Ability to Repay and Qualified Mortgage Rule

Pursuant to the Dodd Frank Act, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a final rule on January 10, 2013 (which became effective January 10, 2014), amending Regulation Z as implemented by the Truth in Lending Act, requiring mortgage lenders to make a reasonable and good faith determination based on verified and documented information that a consumer applying for a mortgage loan has a reasonable ability to repay the loan according to its terms. Mortgage lenders are required to determine consumers’ ability to repay in one of two ways. The first alternative requires the mortgage lender to consider the following eight underwriting factors when making the credit decision:

·                  current or reasonably expected income or assets;

·                  current employment status;

·                  the monthly payment on the covered transaction;

·                  the monthly payment on any simultaneous loan;

·                  the monthly payment for mortgage-related obligations;

·                  current debt obligations, alimony, and child support;

·                  the monthly debt-to-income ratio or residual income; and

·                  credit history.

Alternatively, the mortgage lender can originate “qualified mortgages,” which are entitled to a presumption that the creditor making the loan satisfied the ability-to-repay requirements. In general, a “qualified mortgage” is a mortgage loan without negative amortization, interest-only payments, balloon payments, or terms exceeding 30 years. In addition, to be a qualified mortgage, the points and fees paid by a consumer cannot exceed 3% of the total loan amount. Loans which meet these criteria will be considered qualified mortgages, and as a result generally protect lenders from fines or litigation in the event of foreclosure. Qualified mortgages that are “higher-priced” (e.g. subprime loans) garner a rebuttable presumption of compliance with the ability-to-repay rules, while qualified mortgages that are not “higher-priced” (e.g. prime loans) are given a safe harbor of compliance. The final rule, as issued, is not expected to have a material impact on our lending activities or our results of operations or financial condition.

TILA/RESPA Integrated Disclosures (TRID)

On October 3, 2015, the CFPB implemented a final rule combining the mortgage disclosures consumers previously received under TILA and RESPA. For more than 30 years, the TILA and RESPA mortgage disclosures had been administered separately by, respectively, the Federal Reserve Board and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The final rule requires lenders to provide applicants with the new Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure and generally applies to most closed-end consumer mortgage loans for which the creditor or mortgage broker receives an application on or after October 3, 2015.

Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act

In April 2012, the JOBS Act became law. The JOBS Act is aimed at facilitating capital raising by smaller companies and banks and bank holding companies by implementing the following changes:

·                  Raising the threshold requiring registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) for banks and bank holding companies from 500 to 2,000 holders of record;

·                  Raising the threshold for triggering deregistration under the Exchange Act for banks and bank holding companies from 300 to 1,200 holders of record;

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·                  Raising the limit for Regulation A offerings from $5 million to $50 million per year and exempting some Regulation A offerings from state blue sky laws;

·                  Permitting advertising and general solicitation in Rule 506 and Rule 144A offerings;

·                  Allowing private companies to use “crowd funding” to raise up to $1 million in any 12-month period, subject to certain conditions; and

·                  Creating a new category of issuer, called an “Emerging Growth Company”, for companies with less than $1 billion in annual gross revenue, which will benefit from certain changes that reduce the cost and burden of carrying out an equity initial public offering (IPO) and complying with public company reporting obligations for up to five years.

Federal Home Loan Bank Membership

The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (“FHLBNY”).  Each member of the FHLBNY is required to maintain a minimum investment in capital stock of the FHLBNY.  The Board of Directors of the FHLBNY can increase the minimum investment requirements in the event it has concluded that additional capital is required to allow it to meet its own regulatory capital requirements.  Any increase in the minimum investment requirements outside of specified ranges requires the approval of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.  Because the extent of any obligation to increase our investment in the FHLBNY depends entirely upon the occurrence of a future event, potential payments to the FHLBNY is not determinable.

Additionally, in the event that the Bank fails, the right of the FHLBNY to seek repayment of funds loaned to the Bank shall take priority (a “super lien”) over all other creditors.

Other Laws and Regulations

The Company and the Bank are subject to a variety of laws and regulations which are not limited to banking organizations. For example, in lending to commercial and consumer borrowers, and in owning and operating its own property, the Bank is subject to regulations and potential liabilities under state and federal environmental laws.

We are heavily regulated by regulatory agencies at the federal and state levels.  We, like most of our competitors, have faced and expect to continue to face increased regulation and regulatory and political scrutiny, which creates significant uncertainty for us and the financial services industry in general.

Future Legislation and Regulation

Regulators have increased their focus on the regulation of the financial services industry in recent years. Proposals that could substantially intensify the regulation of the financial services industry have been and are expected to continue to be introduced in the U.S. Congress, in state legislatures and from applicable regulatory authorities. These proposals may change banking statutes and regulation and our operating environment in substantial and unpredictable ways.  If enacted, these proposals could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. We cannot predict whether any of these proposals will be enacted and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

ITEM 1A.                                       RISK FACTORS

As a smaller reporting company, the Company is not required to provide the information otherwise required by this Item.

ITEM 1B.                                       UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

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ITEM 2.                                                PROPERTIES

The Company, currently, conducts its business through its main office located at 1365 Palisade Avenue, Fort Lee, New Jersey, and its eight additional branches. A tenth branch is under construction, will be located in Englewood Cliffs, NJ and is expected to open in 2016. The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company’s properties as of the date of this report.

ITEM 3.                                                LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company and the Bank are subject to routine litigation during the normal course of business.  Accordingly, the Company and the Bank may periodically be parties to or otherwise involved in legal proceedings, such as claims to enforce liens, claims involving the making and servicing of real property loans, and other issues incident to the Bank’s business.  Management does not believe that there are any proceedings pending against the Company or the Bank or contemplated by governmental authorities, which, if determined adversely, would have a material effect on the business, financial position or results of operations of the Company or the Bank.

ITEM 4.                                                MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

ITEM 5.                                                MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

The principal market in which the Company’s common stock is traded is the NYSE MKT LLC exchange.  The Company’s common stock trades under the symbol “BKJ”.

The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices for our common stock for each of the indicated periods.

Holders

As of March 23, 2016 there were approximately 1,130 shareholders of our common stock, which includes an estimate of shareholders who hold their shares in street name.

Dividends

In 2015, the Company declared four quarterly cash dividends in the amount of $0.06 per share.  These cash dividends were paid to shareholders on March 31, 2015, June 30, 2015, September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2015, respectively, and the Company currently expects that comparable quarterly cash dividends will continue to be declared and paid in the future.

In 2014, the Company declared four quarterly cash dividends.  Cash dividends of $0.06 per share were paid to shareholders on March 31, 2014, June 28, 2014, September 30, 2014 and December 31, 2014.

Future dividends will be subject to approval by the board of directors.  The decision to declare and pay, as well as the timing and amount of any future dividends will be determined by the board of directors with consideration to the Company’s earnings, capital needs, financial condition, regulatory requirements and other relevant factors.

Under applicable New Jersey law, the Company is permitted to pay dividends on its capital stock if, following the payment of the dividend, it is able to pay its debts as they become due in the usual course of business, or its total assets are greater than its total liabilities. Further, it is the policy of the FRB that bank holding companies should pay dividends only out of current earnings and only if future retained earnings would be consistent with the holding company’s capital, liquidity, asset quality and financial condition. As part of its supervisory authority, the FRB may impose informal or formal restrictions on the Company’s ability to pay dividends, including requiring the non-objection of the FRB to payment of any dividends.

Under the New Jersey Banking Act of 1948, as amended, the Bank may declare and pay dividends only if, after payment of the dividend, the capital stock of the Bank will be unimpaired and either the Bank will have a surplus of not less than 50% of its capital stock or the payment of the dividend will not reduce the Bank’s surplus. The FDIC prohibits payment of cash dividends if, as a result, the Bank would be undercapitalized.

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Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

The following tables summarize our equity compensation plan information as of December 31, 2015:

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ITEM 6.                                                SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

As a smaller reporting company, the Company is not required to provide the information otherwise required by this Item.

ITEM 7.                                                MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATION

The following discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8 of this report.  When necessary, reclassifications have been made to prior years’ data throughout the following discussion and analysis for purposes of comparability.

In addition to historical information, this discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements.  The forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, all of which can change over time, and could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.  We assume no duty to update forward-looking statements, except as may be required by applicable law or regulation.  Important factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this section, and also include economic conditions, affecting the financial industry; changes in interest rates and shape of the yield curve; credit risk associated with our lending activities; risks relating to our market area, significant real estate collateral and the real estate market; legislative and regulatory changes, and our ability to comply with the significant laws and regulations impacting the banking and financial services industry; operating, legal and regulatory compliance risk; regulatory capital requirements and our ability to raise and maintain capital; our ability to prevent, detect, and respond to any cyberattacks in order to protect our information assets and supporting infrastructure, including information of our customers; our ability to attract and retain well-qualified management; fiscal and monetary policy; economic, political and competitive forces affecting our business; risks associated with potential business combinations; and that management’s analysis of these risks and factors could be incorrect, and/or that the strategies developed to address them could be unsuccessful.  Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s analysis only as of the date of the report.  The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect events and circumstances that arise after such date, except as may be required by applicable law or regulation.

Overview and Strategy

Our bank charter was approved in April 2006 and the Bank opened for business on May 10, 2006.  On July 31, 2007, the Company became the bank holding company of the Bank.  On June 3, 2008, the Company’s common stock was listed on the American Stock Exchange, now NYSE MKT LLC.  We currently operate a nine branch network and have received NJDOBI approval and applied for FDIC approval to open our tenth location.  Our main office is located at 1365 Palisade Avenue, Fort Lee, NJ 07024 and our current eight additional offices are located at 204 Main Street, Fort Lee, NJ  07024, 401 Hackensack Avenue, Hackensack, NJ 07601, 458 West Street, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, 320 Haworth Avenue, Haworth, NJ 07641, 4 Park Street, Harrington Park, NJ 07640, 104 Grand Avenue, Englewood, NJ 07631, 354 Palisade Avenue, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010, and 585 Chestnut Ridge Road, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677.  Our tenth branch location will be located at 750 East Palisade Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 and is expected to open during 2016.

We conduct a traditional commercial banking business, accepting deposits from the general public, including individuals, businesses, non-profit organizations, and governmental units.  We make commercial loans, consumer loans, and both residential and commercial real estate loans.  In addition, we provide other customer services and make investments in securities, as permitted by law.  We have sought to offer an alternative, community-oriented style of banking in an area that is dominated by larger, statewide and national financial institutions.  Our focus remains on establishing and retaining customer relationships by offering a broad range of traditional financial services and products, competitively-priced and delivered in a responsive manner to small businesses, professionals and individuals in the local market.  As a locally operated community bank, we believe we provide superior customer service that is highly personalized, efficient and responsive to local needs.  To better serve our customers and expand our market reach, we provide for the delivery of certain financial products and services to local customers and a broader market through the use of mail, telephone, internet, and electronic banking.  We endeavor to deliver these products and services with

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the care and professionalism expected of a community bank and with a special dedication to personalized customer service.

Our specific objectives are:

·                                          To provide local businesses, professionals, and individuals with banking services responsive to and determined by the local market;

·                                          To provide direct access to Bank management by members of the community, whether during or after business hours;

·                                          To attract deposits and loans by competitive pricing; and

·                                          To provide a reasonable return to shareholders on capital invested.

Critical Accounting Policies and Judgments

Our financial statements are prepared based on the application of certain accounting policies, the most significant of which are described in Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this report.  Certain of these policies require numerous estimates and strategic or economic assumptions that may prove inaccurate or subject to variation and may significantly affect our reported results and financial position for the period or future periods.  Financial assets and liabilities required to be recorded at, or adjusted to reflect, fair value require the use of estimates, assumptions, and judgments.  Assets carried at fair value inherently result in more financial statement volatility.  Fair values and information used to record valuation adjustments for certain assets and liabilities are based on either quoted market prices or are provided by other independent third-party sources, when available.  When such information is not available, management estimates valuation adjustments.  Changes in underlying factors, assumptions, or estimates in any of these areas could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Allowance for Loan Losses

The allowance for loan losses (“ALLL”) represents our best estimate of losses known and inherent in our loan portfolio that are both probable and reasonable to estimate. In determining the amount of the ALLL, we consider the losses inherent in our loan portfolio and changes in the nature and volume of our loan activities, along with general economic and real estate market conditions. We utilize a segmented approach which identifies: (1) impaired loans for which specific reserves are established; (2) classified loans for which the general valuation allowance for the respective loan type is deemed to be inadequate; and (3) performing loans for which a general valuation allowance is established. We maintain a loan review system which provides for a systematic review of the loan portfolios and the identification of impaired loans. The review of residential real estate and home equity consumer loans, as well as other more complex loans, is triggered by identified evaluation factors, including delinquency status, size of loan, type of collateral and the financial condition of the borrower. Specific reserves are established for impaired loans based on a review of such information and/or appraisals of the underlying collateral. General reserves are based upon a combination of factors including, but not limited to, actual loan loss experience, composition of the loan portfolio, current economic conditions and management’s judgment.

Although specific and general reserves are established in accordance with management’s best estimates, actual losses are dependent upon future events, and as such, further provisions for loan losses may be necessary in order to maintain the allowance for loan losses at an adequate level.  For example, our evaluation of the allowance includes consideration of current economic conditions, and a change in economic conditions could reduce the ability of borrowers to make timely repayments of their loans. This could result in increased delinquencies and increased non-performing loans, and thus a need to make additional provisions for loan losses. Any provision reduces our net income. While the allowance is increased by the provision for loan losses, it is decreased by charge-offs, net of recoveries. Loans deemed to be uncollectible are charged against

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the allowance for loan losses, and subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance. A change in economic conditions could adversely affect the value of properties collateralizing real estate loans, resulting in increased charges against the allowance and reduced recoveries, and require additional provisions for loan losses. Furthermore, growth or a change in the composition of our loan portfolio could require additional provisions for loan losses.

At December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, we consider the ALLL of $8.0 million and $7.2 million adequate to absorb probable losses inherent in the loan portfolio. For further discussion, see “Provision for Loan Losses”, “Loan Portfolio”, “Loan Quality”, and “Allowance for Loan Losses” sections below in this discussion and analysis, as well as Note 1-Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 3-Loans and Allowance for Loan Losses in the Notes to Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this annual report.

Deferred Tax Assets

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases.  Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply in the period in which the deferred tax asset or liability is expected to be settled or realized.  The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period in which the change occurs.  Deferred tax assets are reduced, through a valuation allowance, if necessary, by the amount of such benefits that are not expected to be realized based on current available evidence.

Impairment of Assets

Loans are considered impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect all amounts due according to contractual terms of the loan agreement.  The collection of all amounts due according to contractual terms means both the contractual interest and principal payments of a loan will be collected as scheduled in the loan agreement.  Impaired loans are measured based on the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate, except that as a practical expedient, a creditor may measure impairment based on a loan’s observable market price, or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral-dependent.  The fair value of collateral, which is discounted from the appraised value to estimate the selling price and costs, is used if a loan is collateral-dependent.  At December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company had nineteen and eighteen impaired loans, respectively.  All of these loans have been measured for impairment using various measurement methods, including fair value of collateral.

Periodically, we may need to assess whether there have been any events or economic circumstances to indicate that a security on which there is an unrealized loss is impaired on an other-than-temporary basis.  In any such instance, we would consider many factors including the severity and duration of the impairment, our intent to sell a debt security prior to recovery and/or whether it is more likely than not we will have to sell the debt security prior to recovery.  Securities on which there is an unrealized loss that is deemed to be other-than-temporary are written down to fair value with the write-down recorded as a realized loss in securities gains (losses).  Unrealized losses at December 31, 2015 consisted of losses on sixteen investments in government sponsored enterprise obligations, and two in U. S. Treasury securities, which we believe were caused by interest rate increases.  The contractual terms of those investments do not permit the issuer to settle the securities at a price less than the amortized cost basis of the investments.  Because the Company does not intend to sell the investments and it is not more likely than not that the Company will be required to sell the investments before recovery of their amortized cost basis, which may be maturity, the Company does not consider those investments to be other-than-temporarily impaired at December 31, 2015.  Thirteen of the investments with unrealized losses at December 31, 2015 were in a loss position for more than twelve months.  At December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, we did not have any other-than-temporarily impaired securities.

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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS - Years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014

Our results of operations depend primarily on our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest earned on our interest-earning assets and the interest paid on interest-bearing liabilities, primarily deposits, which support our assets.  Net interest margin is net interest income expressed as a percentage of average interest earning assets. Net income is also affected by the amount of non-interest income and non-interest expense, the provision for loan losses and income tax expense.

Net Income

For the year ended December 31, 2015, net income increased by $1.0 million, to $4.8 million from $3.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  The increase in net income for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to 2014 was due to an increase in net interest income of $2.2 million and a decrease in the provision for loan losses of $2.2 million, offset somewhat by an increase in non-interest expense and income tax expense of $3.1 million and $414 thousand, respectively.  The increase in net interest income is reflective of the growth in interest-earning assets, offset somewhat by an increase in interest bearing deposits.  The decrease in the provision for loan losses was driven by slower loan growth in the current year as compared to the prior year. Additionally, there was a decrease in the amount of  loans placed on nonaccrual status during 2015, which contributed to the decrease in the provision for loan losses, as compared to 2014.

On a per share basis, basic and diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2015 were $0.79 as compared to basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.71 and $0.70, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2014.

Analysis of Net Interest Income

Net interest income represents the difference between income on interest-earning assets and expense on interest-bearing liabilities.  Net interest income depends upon the average volumes of interest-earning assets and interest bearing liabilities and the yield earned or the interest paid on them.  For the year ended December 31, 2015, net interest income increased by $2.2 million, or 10.5%, to $23.5 million from $21.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  This increase in net interest income was primarily the result of an increase in average loans and interest earning cash accounts of $95.2 million, or 17.4%, and $54.4 million, or 224.7%, respectively during 2015, as compared to 2014, offset somewhat by a decrease in the average rate earned on all interest earning assets of 29 basis points, down to 3.98% for the year ended December 31, 2015, from 4.27% for the year ended December 31, 2014, and an increase in the average balance of interest bearing liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2015 of $102.2 million compared to the average balance for the prior year.

Average Balance Sheets

The following table sets forth certain information relating to our average assets and liabilities for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, and reflect the average yield on assets and average cost of liabilities for the periods indicated.  Such yields are derived by dividing income or expense, on a tax-equivalent basis, by the average balance of assets or liabilities, respectively, for the periods shown.  The taxable equivalent adjustment for 2015, 2014, and 2013 was $37, $46, and $16 thousand, respectively.  Securities available for sale are reflected in the following table at average amortized cost.  Nonaccrual loans are included in the average loan balance.   Amounts have been computed on a fully tax-equivalent basis, assuming a blended tax rate of 40% in 2015, 2014 and 2013.

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For the years ended December 31,

(dollars in thousands)

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Rate/Volume Analysis

The following table presents, by category, the major factors that contributed to the changes in net interest income on a tax equivalent basis for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively (in thousands):

Provision For Loan Losses

The provision for loan losses represents our determination of the amount necessary to bring our allowance for loan losses to the level that we consider adequate to absorb probable losses inherent in our loan portfolio.  For the year ended December 31, 2015, the Company’s provision for loan losses was $924 thousand, a decrease of $2.2 million from the provision of $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  See “Allowance for Loan Losses” for additional information about our allowance for loan losses and our methodology for determining the amount of the allowance.

Non-Interest Income

Non-interest income which consists primarily of service fees received from deposit accounts and gains (losses) on the sales of securities for the year ended December 31, 2015, was $309 thousand, an increase of $118 thousand from the $191 thousand recorded during the year ended December 31, 2014.  The increase in non-interest income was primarily due to a $117 thousand increase in service fees received from deposit accounts in 2015, as compared to one year ago.

Non-Interest Expenses

Non-interest expenses for the year ended December 31, 2015 amounted to $15.5 million, an increase of $3.1 million, or 24.7% over the $12.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.  This increase was due in most part to increases in salaries and employee benefits, FDIC and state assessments and other expenses of $1.1 million, $512 thousand and $505 thousand, respectively.  The increase in salaries and employee benefits was primarily due to general increases in staff, salaries and benefits.  The increase in FDIC and state assessments was due to the growth of the bank as well as an increase in the bank’s FDIC’s quarterly assessment factor.

Income Tax Expense

The income tax provision, which includes both federal and state taxes, for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 was $2.5 million and $2.1 million, respectively, representing an increase of $414 thousand.  The increase in the income tax expense for 2015 as compared to 2014 was due to the increase in pretax income for 2015 as compared to 2014.  The effective tax rate for 2015 was 34.5% compared to 35.9% for 2014.

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FINANCIAL CONDITION — Years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013

Total consolidated assets increased $59.2 million, or 8.0%, from $743.7 million at December 31, 2014 to $802.9 million at December 31, 2015.  Total loans increased from $634.0 million at December 31, 2014 to $645.1 million at December 31, 2015, an increase of $11.1 million or 1.8%.  Total deposits increased from $649.0 million at December 31, 2014 to $700.7 million at December 31, 2015, an increase of $51.8 million, or 8.0%.

Loans

Our loan portfolio is the primary component of our assets.  Total loans, excluding net deferred fees and costs and the allowance for loan losses, increased by 1.8% from $634.0 million at December 31, 2014, to $645.1 million at December 31, 2015.  This growth in the loan portfolio continues to be primarily attributable to recommendations and referrals from members of our board of directors, our shareholders and our executive officers, and selective marketing by our management and staff.  We believe that we will continue to have opportunities for loan growth within the Bergen County market of northern New Jersey, due in part, to future consolidation of banking institutions within our market, which we expect to see as a result of increased regulatory standards, market pressures, and the overall economy.  We believe that it is not cost-efficient for large institutions, many of which are headquartered out of state, to provide the level of personal service to small business borrowers that these customers seek and that we intend to provide.

Our loan portfolio consists of commercial loans, real estate loans, consumer loans and home equity loans.  Commercial loans are made for the purpose of providing working capital, financing the purchase of equipment or inventory, as well as for other business purposes.  Real estate loans consist of loans secured by commercial or residential real property and loans for the construction of commercial or residential property.  Consumer loans including home equity loans, are made for the purpose of financing the purchase of consumer goods, home improvements, and other personal needs, and are generally secured by the personal property being owned or being purchased.

Our loans are primarily to businesses and individuals located in Bergen County, New Jersey.  We have not made loans to borrowers outside of the United States.  We have not made any sub-prime loans.  Commercial lending activities are focused primarily on lending to small business borrowers.  We believe that our strategy of customer service, competitive rate structures, and selective marketing have enabled us to gain market share of local loans.

The following table sets forth the classification of the Company’s loans by major category as of December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011 (in thousands):

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The following table sets forth the maturity of fixed and adjustable rate loans as of December 31, 2015 (in thousands):

Loan Quality

As mentioned above, our principal assets are our loans.  Inherent in the lending function is the risk of the borrower’s inability to repay a loan under its existing terms.  Risk elements include nonaccrual loans, past due and restructured loans, potential problem loans, loan concentrations, and other real estate owned.

Non-performing assets include loans that are not accruing interest (nonaccrual loans) as a result of principal or interest being in default for a period of 90 days or more and accruing loans that are 90 days past due, troubled debt restructuring loans and foreclosed assets.  When a loan is classified as nonaccrual, interest accruals discontinue and all current year past due interest is reversed against loan interest income and any past due interest applicable to prior years, is reversed against the allowance for loan losses.  Until the loan becomes current, any payments received from the borrower are applied to outstanding principal until such time as management determines that the financial condition of the borrower and other factors merit recognition of such payments of interest.  In the case of modified loans that meet the definition of a troubled debt restructuring loan (“TDR”), loan payments are applied as contractually agreed to in the TDR modification.

We attempt to manage overall credit risk through loan diversification and our loan underwriting and approval procedures.  Due diligence begins at the time we begin to discuss the origination of a loan with a borrower.  Documentation, including a borrower’s credit history, materials establishing the value and liquidity of potential collateral, the purpose of the loan, the source and timing of the repayment of the loan, and other factors are analyzed before a loan is submitted for approval.  Loans made are also subject to periodic audit and review.

As of December 31, 2015, the Bank had fifteen nonaccrual loans totaling approximately $7.4 million, of which eight loans totaling approximately $3.8 million have specific reserves totaling $347 thousand and seven loans totaling approximately $3.5 million that have no specific reserve. If interest had been accrued on these non-accrual loans, the interest income recognized would have been approximately $267 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2015.  Within its nonaccrual loans at December 31, 2015, the Bank had four residential mortgage loans, one home equity loan and one commercial real estate mortgage that met the definition of a TDR loan. TDRs are loans where a concession has been granted to a borrower experiencing financial difficulties.  The concession could include a reduction in the interest rate of the loan, payment extensions, forgiveness of principal or other actions to maximize collection.  At December 31, 2015, one residential mortgage loan with a balance of $248 thousand has a specific reserve of $90 thousand.  Three residential mortgage, one home equity and one commercial real estate TDR loans with cumulative balances of $ 3.1 million, $859 thousand and $367 thousand respectively, have no specific reserves connected with them.

As of December 31, 2014, the Bank had sixteen nonaccrual loans totaling approximately $8.5 million, all of which have no specific reserve.  If interest had been accrued on these non-accrual loans, the interest income recognized would have been approximately $544 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2014.  Within its nonaccrual loans at December 31, 2014, the Bank had five residential mortgage loans, two home equity loans and one commercial real estate mortgage that met the definition of a TDR loan. At December 31, 2014, the five residential mortgages, two home equity loans and the one commercial real estate mortgage TDR loans had cumulative balances of $4.2 million, $1.0 million and $377 thousand, respectively and all had no specific reserves connected with them.

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The following table sets forth certain information regarding the Company’s impaired loans, nonaccrual loans, troubled debt restructured loans, accruing loans 90 days or more past due, and OREO as of December 31, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011: