emyb-20241231x10k
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year end December 31, 2024
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 000-53528
Embassy Bancorp, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(State of incorporation) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
One Hundred Gateway Drive, Suite 100Bethlehem, PA 18017
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
None None None
Securities registered under section 12(g) of the Exchange Act:
Common Stock, Par Value $1.00 per share
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes [ ] No [ X ]
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes [ ] 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 filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [ X ] No [ ]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files). Yes [ X ] No [ ]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer Accelerated filer
Non-accelerated filer Smaller reporting company
Emerging growth company ̈
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ̈
Indicate by checkmark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262 (b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ̈
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ̈
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ̈
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 or the Exchange Act.) Yes No
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was $72,465,972
(APPLICABLE ONLY TO CORPORATE REGISTRANTS)
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common equity, as of the latest practicable date:
COMMON STOCK
(Title Class) (Outstanding Shares)
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s definitive proxy statement for the 2025 annual meeting of shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.
Embassy Bancorp, Inc.
Table of Contents
Part I
Item 1 Business 4
Item 1A Risk Factors 18
Item 1B Unresolved Staff Comments 27
Item 1C Cybersecurity 27
Item 2 Properties 29
Item 3 Legal Proceedings 29
Item 4 Mine Safety Disclosures 29
Part II
Item 5 Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and 30
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Item 6 [Reserved] 31
Item 7A Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 51
Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 51
Management Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting 52
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID: 23) 53
Consolidated Balance Sheets 55
Consolidated Statements of Income 56
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income 57
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity 58
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 59
Notes to Financial Statements 60
Item 9A Controls and Procedures 97
Item 9B Other Information 97
Item 9C Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 97
Part III
Item 10 Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 98
Item 11 ExecutiveCompensation 98
Item 12 Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and 98
Related Stockholder Matters
Item 14 Principal Accountant Fees and Services 98
Part IV
Item 15 Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 99
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Embassy Bancorp, Inc.
PART I
Item 1. BUSINESS.
General
Embassy Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) is a Pennsylvania corporation organized in 2008 and registered as a bank holding company pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHC Act”). The Company was formed for purposes of acquiring Embassy Bank For The Lehigh Valley (the “Bank”) in connection with the reorganization of the Bank into a bank holding company structure, which was consummated on November 11, 2008. The reorganization enabled the Company to better compete and grow in its competitive and rapidly changing marketplace. Accordingly, the Company owns all of the capital stock of the Bank, giving the organization more flexibility in meeting its capital needs as the Company continues to grow.
The Bank, which is the Company’s principal operating subsidiary, was originally incorporated as a Pennsylvania bank on May 11, 2001 and opened its doors on November 6, 2001. It was formed by a group of local business persons and professionals with significant prior experience in community banking in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania, the Bank’s primary market area.
Mission
The Company provides a traditional range of financial products and services to meet the depository and credit needs of individual consumers, small and medium sized businesses, and professionals in its market area. As a locally owned and operated community bank, there is a strong focus on service that is highly personalized, efficient, and responsive to local needs. It is the intention of the Company to deliver its products and services with the care and professionalism expected of a community bank and with a special dedication to personalized service. To create this environment, the Company employs an experienced, well-trained, and highly motivated staff, with interest in building quality client relationships using state-of-the-art delivery systems and client service facilities. The Company’s executive leadership has extensive banking experience and establishes the Company’s goal to serve the financial needs of its clients and provide a profitable return to its investors, consistent with safe and sound banking practices.The Company focuses on obtaining and retaining customer relationships by offering a broad range of financial services, competitively priced and delivered in a responsive manner, with an emphasis on understanding the financial needs of its customers.
Correspondent and third party vendor relationships are utilized where it is cost beneficial to support the Companies products and services. The specific objectives of the Company are: 1) to provide individuals, professionals and local businesses with the highest standard of relationship banking in the local market; 2) to attract deposits and loans with state of the art products and services and competitive pricing; 3) to provide a reasonable return to shareholders on capital invested; and 4) to attract, train and retain a happy, motivated and team-oriented group of banking professionals dedicated to meeting the Company’s objectives.
Service/Market Area
The Company is headquartered in Hanover Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania and draws its primary deposits and business from areas immediately surrounding its principal office and its branch offices in South Whitehall Township, Lower Macungie Township, the City of Bethlehem, Salisbury Township, Lower Saucon Township, Lower Nazareth Township, Borough of Nazareth, Borough of Macungie, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, as well as the remainder of Lehigh and Northampton Counties in Pennsylvania.
According to Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) data of its insured institutions, as of June 30, 2024, the Company ranks 4th in bank market share in Northampton County with four (4) offices, and 7th in Lehigh County bank market share with six (6) offices, with a combined deposit market share of 8.86% for both counties, an increase from 8.53% as of June 30, 2023. The Company believes there is significant room for organic growth in its current market area of Lehigh and Northampton Counties.
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The Company continually evaluates strategic locations for branch offices within the Lehigh Valley, which are supplemented by convenient access through electronic banking products and services, for both consumer and commercial customers. The Company currently has ten (10) offices.
Market “Niche”
The Company provides the traditional array of commercial banking products and services emphasizing a one-on-one, sit down approach, for the delivery of products and services to consumers and businesses located in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in Pennsylvania. In the Company’s primary market area, which is dominated by offices of large statewide, regional and interstate banking institutions, as well as non-bank financial service providers (such as credit unions, financial technology companies, brokerage firms, insurance companies and mortgage companies), the Company’s banking services that are furnished in a friendly and courteous manner with a timely response to customer needs fill a “niche” that arises due to the continued loss of local institutions through merger and acquisitions.
Deposits
In order for the Company to attract and retain stable deposit relationships, the Company offers business cash management solution services to help local companies better manage their cash flow. The expertise and experience of the Company’s management coupled with the latest technology accessed through third party providers enables the Company to maximize the growth of business-related deposits.
As for consumers, deposit growth is driven by a variety of factors including, but not limited to, population growth, bank and non-bank competition, local bank mergers and consolidations, increase in household income, interest rates, accessibility of location and the sales efforts of Company personnel. Time deposits can be attracted and increased by paying an interest rate higher than that offered by competitors, but are the costliest type of deposit. The most profitable type of deposits are non-interest bearing demand (checking) accounts, which can be attracted by offering free checking. However, both high interest rates and free checking accounts generate certain expenses for a bank and the desire to increase deposits must be balanced with the need to be profitable and the extent of banking relationships with the customers. The deposit services of the Company are generally comprised of demand deposits, savings deposits, money market deposits, time deposits and individual retirement accounts.
Loans
The loan portfolio of the Company consists primarily of secured fixed and variable rate loans, with a significant concentration in commercial real estate transaction, consumer residential real estate mortgage, and home equity loans. While most credit facilities are appropriately collateralized, major emphasis is placed upon the financial condition of the borrower and evaluating the borrower’s cash flow versus debt service requirements. The Company has an experienced lending and private banking team. The Company believes that the familiarity of its experienced leadership team and members of the Company’s Loan Committee, in regard to prospective local borrowers, enables the Company to better evaluate the character, integrity, and creditworthiness of the prospective borrowers.
Loan growth is driven by customer demand, which in turn is influenced by individual and business indebtedness and consumer demand for goods. The Company’s loan and private banking officers call upon accountants, financial planners, attorneys, local realtors, and others to generate loans and loan referrals. Again, a balance between growth, credit risk and pricing are required to maintain performing loans for the Company, as lending money will always entail some risk. A performing loan is a loan which is being repaid according to its original terms and is the most desirable type of loan that a bank seeks to make, to support the generation of enough earnings for a bank to be profitable. The risk involved in each loan must, therefore, be carefully evaluated before the loan is made. The interest rate at which the loan is made should always reflect the risk factors involved, including the term of the loan, the value of collateral, if any, the reliability of the projected source of repayment and the amount of the loan requested. Credit quality will always be the Company’s most important lending factor.
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The Company does not sell its mortgages into the secondary market, has not been involved in any “sub-prime” mortgage lending or lending to fintech start-ups or crypto currency and related companies. The Company has not purchased or invested in any securities backed by or which include sub-prime, fintech start-ups, or crypto currency loans.
Commercial Lending
The Company typically targets businesses with annual revenues of less than $20 million, including business owners, operators of real estate, legal, and medical professionals. The Company offers responsiveness, flexibility and local decision making for loan applications of small business owners, thereby eliminating delays caused by non-local management. The Company participates in various local, state, and federal loan programs.
Consumer Lending
The Company offers its retail customer base a product line of consumer loan services, including mortgage loans, first time home buyer mortgages, secured home equity loans, lines of credit, and, to a much lesser extent, auto loans and unsecured personal loans.
Residential Mortgage Loans
The Company offers a range of specialty home equity and mortgage products, including competitively priced first time homeowner loans, which are retained and serviced by the Company. The Company also offers limited mortgage escrow services. The Company seeks to capitalize on its policy of closing loans in a time frame that will meet the needs of its borrowers.
Commercial Mortgage/Construction Loans
The Company originates various types of loans secured by real estate, including, to a limited extent, construction loans. Construction loans are generally priced at floating rates tied to current market rates. Upon completion of construction, these loans may be converted into permanent commercial and residential loans. Construction lending is expected to constitute a minor portion of the Company’s loan portfolio.
Other Loan Information
In some cases, the Company originates loans larger than its lending limit and enters into participation arrangements for those loans with other banks.
As an independent community bank, the Company serves the special needs of legal, medical, accounting, financial service providers and other professionals. Commercial mortgages, lines of credit, term loans and demand loans are tailored to meet the needs of the Company’s customers in the professional community. In addition to the usual criteria for pricing credit-related products, the Company takes into consideration the overall customer relationship to establish credit pricing. Deposit relationships in demand, savings, money market, and certificate accounts are considered in loan pricing, along with the credit worthiness of the borrower.
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Other Services
To further attract and retain customer relationships, the Company currently provides or expects to provide the standard array of financial services expected of a community bank, which include the following:
ACH Origination Credit/Debit Card Merchant Processing Person to Person Payments
ATM and Debit Cards Direct Deposit/ACH Services Personal Financial Management
Automated Teller Machines Escrow Management Services Positive Pay
Bank by Mail Fraud Detection Services Remote Deposit Capture
Cash Management Services Gift Cards Safe Deposit Boxes
Certified Checks Mobile Banking Savings Bond Redemptions
Commercial Credit Cards Night Depository Services Treasurer Checks
Consumer Credit Cards On-Line Banking and Bill Pay Wire Transfers
Fee Income
Fee income is non-interest related. The Company earns fee income by charging customers for banking services, credit card and merchant processing, treasurer’s checks, overdrafts, wire transfers, check orders, and cash management services, as well as other deposit and loan related fees. The Company is subject to regulatory restrictions on the application of fees. Unlike many in the industry, the Company does not sell its mortgages on the secondary market, nor does it offer trust or investment/brokerage services to its customers, all of which would generate additional fee income.
Bank Premises
The Company currently leases nine (9) of its bank operations premises and leases the land only at the Borough of Macungie branch, with the building being owned by the Company. The ten (10) offices are situated at the following locations:
Northampton County:
Hanover Township (includes administrative offices)
Lower Saucon Township
Lower Nazareth Township
Borough of Nazareth
Lehigh County:
South Whitehall Township
Salisbury Township
Lower Macungie Township
City of Bethlehem
Borough of Macungie
City of Allentown
The Company pays certain additional expenses of occupying these spaces including, but not necessarily limited to, real estate taxes, insurance, utilities, and repairs. The Company is obligated under the leases to maintain the premises in good order, condition, and repair.
Employees
As of December 31, 2024, the Company had a total of 112 full-time equivalent employees.
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Competition
The geographic market the Company serves is highly competitive for deposits and loans. The Company competes with local, regional and national traditional banking institutions, as well as non-bank financial service providers such as credit unions, financial technology companies, brokerage firms, insurance companies and mortgage companies. In the Company’s primary market area, major regional and super-regional banks generally hold larger market share positions. By virtue of their larger capital bases, these institutions have significantly larger lending limits, more robust advertising campaigns, significantly larger branch networks, and can invest in technology on a larger scale. The industry, as a whole, competes primarily in the area of interest rates, products offered, customer service and convenience.
The Company believes it is able to compete within its market by offering competitive interest rates and a superior level of personalized customer service, as reflected in our combined deposit market share percentage for Northampton and Lehigh Counties. The Company also continues to capitalize on opportunities created by competitive branch hour adjustments and/or closures in the Company’s market area, recent merger announcements, and name changes, attracting customers looking to relocate to a local, reputable community bank.
Credit unions present a significant competitive challenge to the Company. As credit unions currently enjoy an exemption from income tax, they are able to offer higher deposit rates and lower loan rates than banks can on a comparable basis. Credit unions are also not currently subject to certain regulatory constraints imposed on banks, such as the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”), which require the Company to implement procedures to make and monitor loans throughout the communities served. Adhering to such regulatory requirements raises the Company’s compliance costs associated with lending activities and reduces potential operating profits. Accordingly, the Company competes by focusing on building customer relationships and maintaining the commitment to customer service the community has come to expect.
Segments
The Company acts as an independent community financial services provider and offers traditional banking and related financial services to individual, business and government customers. The Company offers a full array of commercial and retail financial services, including the taking of time, savings, and demand deposits; the making of commercial, consumer, residential mortgage, and home equity loans; and the providing of other financial services.
Management does not separately allocate expenses, including the cost of funding loan demand, between commercial and retail operations of the Company.
Seasonality
Management does not feel that the deposits, loans, or the business of the Company are generally seasonal in nature. Deposit and loan generation may, however, vary with local and national economic and market conditions, which should not have a material effect on planning and policy making.
Supervision and Regulation
The Company is subject to extensive regulation under federal and Pennsylvania banking laws, regulations and policies, including prescribed standards relating to capital, earnings, dividends, the repurchase or redemption of shares, loans or extensions of credit to affiliates and insiders, internal controls, information systems, internal audit systems, loan documentation, credit underwriting, asset growth, impaired assets and loan-to-value ratios. The regulatory framework for banks is intended primarily for the protection of depositors, federal deposit insurance funds and the banking systems as a whole, and not for the protection of shareholders.
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While the current administration has issued several executive orders that may have an impact on the financial industry, the following summary sets forth certain of the material elements of the regulatory framework applicable to bank holding companies and their bank subsidiaries and provides certain specific information about the Company and the Bank. It does not describe all of the provisions of the statutes, regulations and policies that are identified, and the Company is following closely the executive orders for any changes. To the extent that the following information describes statutory and regulatory provisions, it is qualified in its entirety by express reference to each of the particular statutory and regulatory provisions. A change in applicable statutes, regulations or regulatory policy may have a material effect on the business of the Company.
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
As a result of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), which became law on July 21, 2010, there is additional regulatory oversight and supervision of the Company and the Bank. The Dodd-Frank Act significantly changed the regulation of financial institutions and the financial services industry, and includes provisions affecting large and small financial institutions alike, including several provisions that affect the regulation of community banks and bank holding companies.
The Dodd-Frank Act, among other things, imposed new capital requirements on bank holding companies; changed the base for FDIC insurance assessments to a bank’s average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity, rather than upon its deposit base; permanently raised the current standard deposit insurance limit to $250,000; and expanded the FDIC’s authority to raise insurance premiums.
The Dodd-Frank Act also includes provisions that affect corporate governance and executive compensation at all publicly traded companies and allows financial institutions to pay interest on business checking accounts. The legislation also restricts proprietary trading, places restrictions on the owning or sponsoring of hedge and private equity funds, and regulates the derivatives activities of banks and their affiliates. The Dodd-Frank Act also establishes the Financial Stability Oversight Council to identify threats to the financial stability of the U.S., promote market discipline, and respond to emerging threats to the stability of the U.S. financial system.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the “CFPB”) and the federal banking agencies continue to focus attention on consumer protection laws and regulations. The CFPB is responsible for promoting fairness and transparency for mortgages, credit cards, deposit accounts and other consumer financial products and services and for interpreting and enforcing the federal consumer financial laws that govern the provision of such products and services. Federal consumer financial laws enforced by the CFPB include, but are not limited to, the ECOA, the TILA, the Truth in Savings Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the RESPA, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The CFPB is also authorized to prevent any institution under its authority from engaging in an unfair, deceptive, or abusive act or practice in connection with consumer financial products and services. As a residential mortgage lender, we are subject to multiple federal consumer protection statutes and regulations, including, but not limited to, those statutes and regulations referenced above.
In particular, fair lending laws prohibit discrimination in the provision of banking services. Fair lending laws include the ECOA and the Fair Housing Act, both of which outlaw discrimination in credit and residential real estate transactions on the basis of prohibited factors including, among others, race, color, national origin, gender, and religion. A lender may be liable for policies that result in a disparate treatment of, or have a disparate impact on, a protected class of applicants or borrowers. If a pattern or practice of lending discrimination is alleged by a regulator, then that agency may refer the matter to the Department of Justice for investigation. Failure to comply with these and similar statutes and regulations could subject us to formal or informal enforcement actions, the imposition of civil money penalties and litigation.
The CFPB has exclusive examination and primary enforcement authority with respect to compliance with federal consumer financial protection laws and regulations by institutions under its supervision and is authorized, individually
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or jointly with the federal banking agencies, to conduct investigations to determine whether any person is, or has, engaged in conduct that violates such laws or regulations. The CFPB may bring an administrative enforcement proceeding or civil action in federal district court. In addition, in accordance with a memorandum of understanding entered into between the CFPB and the Department of Justice, the two agencies have agreed to coordinate efforts related to enforcing the fair lending laws, which includes information sharing and conducting joint investigations; however, the extent to which such coordination may actually occur is unpredictable and may change over time as the result of a number of factors, including changes in leadership at the Department of Justice and the CFPB, as well as changes in the enforcement policies and priorities of each agency. As an independent bureau funded by the Federal Reserve Board, the CFPB may impose requirements that are more stringent than those of the other bank regulatory agencies.
Capital Standards
The Company and the Bank are subject to the Basel III rules that are based upon the final framework of the Basel Committee for strengthening capital and liquidity regulations. The final rule implements the “Basel III” regulatory capital reforms and changes required by the Dodd-Frank Act.
The final rule includes minimum risk-based capital and leverage ratios, which became effective for the Bank and the Company on January 1, 2015, and refine the definition of what constitutes “capital” for purposes of calculating these ratios.
The minimum capital requirements are:
A new common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 4.5%;
A Tier 1 to risk-based assets capital ratio of 6%;
A total capital ratio of 8%; and
A Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4%.
The final rule also established a “capital conservation buffer” of 2.5%, that effectively results in the following minimum ratios:
A common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 7.0%;
A Tier 1 to risk-based assets capital ratio of 8.5%; and
A total capital ratio of 10.5%.
An institution will be subject to limitations on paying dividends, engaging in share repurchases, and paying discretionary bonuses if its capital level falls below the buffer amount. These limitations will establish a maximum percentage of eligible retained income that can be utilized for such actions.
In addition to the risk-based capital guidelines, the federal banking regulators established minimum leverage ratio (Tier 1 capital to total assets) guidelines for bank holding companies. These guidelines provide for a minimum leverage ratio of 3% for those bank holding companies which have the highest regulatory examination ratings and are not contemplating or experiencing significant growth or expansion. All other bank holding companies are required to maintain a leverage ratio of at least 4%.
The capital ratios to be considered “well capitalized” under current capital rules are: common equity of 6.5%, Tier 1 leverage of 5%, Tier 1 risk-based capital of 8%, and Total Risk-Based capital of 10%.
Effective in the third quarter of 2018, the Federal Reserve raised the consolidated asset limit to be considered a small bank holding company from $1 billion to $3 billion. A company that qualifies as a small bank holding company is not subject to the Federal Reserve’s consolidated capital rules, although a company that so qualifies may continue to file reports that include such capital amounts and ratios. The Company voluntarily elected to continue to report those amounts and ratios.
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At December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, the Company qualified as “well-capitalized” under the foregoing regulatory capital standards and exceeded the capital conservation buffers. See Note 12 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Report.
Capital Adequacy and Operations
Enacted in 1991, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (“FDICIA”) contains provisions limiting activities and business methods of depository institutions. FDICIA required the primary federal banking regulators to promulgate regulations setting forth standards relating to, among other things, internal controls, and audit systems; credit underwriting and loan documentation; interest rate exposure and other off-balance sheet assets and liabilities; and compensation of directors and officers. FDICIA also provided for expanded regulation of depository institutions and their affiliates, including parent holding companies, by such institutions’ primary federal banking regulator. Each primary federal banking regulator is required to specify, by regulation, capital standards for measuring the capital adequacy of the depository institutions it supervises and, depending upon the extent to which a depository institution does not meet such capital adequacy measures, the primary federal banking regulator may prohibit such institution from paying dividends or may require such institution to take other steps to become adequately capitalized.
FDICIA established five capital tiers, ranging from “well capitalized” to “critically under-capitalized”. A depository institution is well capitalized if it significantly exceeds the minimum level required by regulation for each relevant capital measure. Under FDICIA, an institution that is not well capitalized is generally prohibited from accepting brokered deposits and offering interest rates on deposits higher than the prevailing rate in its market; in addition, “pass through” insurance coverage may not be available for certain employee benefit accounts. FDICIA also requires an undercapitalized depository institution to submit an acceptable capital restoration plan to the appropriate federal bank regulatory agency. One requisite element of such a plan is that the institution’s parent holding company must guarantee compliance by the institution with the plan, subject to certain limitations. In the event of the parent holding company’s bankruptcy, the guarantee, and any other commitments that the parent holding company has made to federal bank regulators to maintain the capital of its depository institution subsidiaries, would be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to priority in payment.
At December 31, 2024, the Bank qualified as “well capitalized” under these regulatory capital standards. See Note 12 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included at Item 8 of this Report.
Federal Deposit Insurance (“FDI”) Act and Part 363 of the FDIC Regulations
Section 36 of the FDI Act and Part 363 of the FDIC's regulations require insured depository institutions with at least $500 million in total assets to file a Part 363 Annual Report with the applicable bank regulatory agencies, which, among other things, requires that the Company establish and maintain an effective internal control structure over financial reporting and provide an assessment by management of the institution's compliance with the designated laws and regulations pertaining to insider loans and dividend restrictions.
Bank Holding Company Regulation
As a bank holding company, the Company is subject to regulation and examination by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (the “Pennsylvania Department of Banking”) and the Federal Reserve Board. The Company is required to file with the Federal Reserve Board an annual report and such additional information as the Federal Reserve Board may require pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHC Act”). The BHC Act requires each bank holding company to obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve Board before it may acquire substantially all the assets of any bank, or before it may acquire ownership or control of any voting shares of any bank if, after such acquisition, it would own or control, directly or indirectly, more than five percent of the voting shares of such bank. Such a transaction may also require approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Banking. Pennsylvania law permits Pennsylvania bank holding companies to control an unlimited number of banks.
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Pursuant to the BHC Act and regulations promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board thereunder, the Company may only engage in or own companies that engage in activities deemed by the Federal Reserve Board to be so closely related to the business of banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto, and the holding company must obtain permission from the Federal Reserve Board prior to engaging in most new business activities.
A bank holding company and its subsidiaries are subject to certain restrictions imposed by the BHC Act on any extensions of credit to the bank or any of its subsidiaries, investments in the stock or securities thereof, and on the taking of such stock or securities as collateral for loans to any borrower. A bank holding company and its subsidiaries are also prevented from engaging in certain tie-in arrangements in connection with any extension of credit, lease or sale of property or furnishing of services.
Under the Dodd-Frank Act and Federal Reserve Board regulations, a bank holding company is required to serve as a source of financial and managerial strength to its subsidiary banks and may not conduct its operations in an unsafe or unsound manner. In addition, in serving as a source of strength to its subsidiary banks, a bank holding company should stand ready to use available resources to provide adequate capital funds to its subsidiary banks during periods of financial stress or adversity and should maintain the financial flexibility and capital-raising capacity to obtain additional resources for assisting its subsidiary banks. A bank holding company’s failure to meet its obligations to serve as a source of strength to its subsidiary banks will generally be considered by the Federal Reserve Board to be an unsafe and unsound banking practice or a violation of the Federal Reserve Board regulations or both. This doctrine is commonly known as the “source of strength” doctrine.
Regulation of Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley
Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley is a Pennsylvania-chartered banking institution and is subject to regulation, supervision and regular examination by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities and the FDIC. Federal and state banking laws and regulations govern, among other things, the scope of a bank’s business, the investments a bank may make, the reserves against deposits a bank must maintain, the loans a bank makes and collateral it takes, the maximum interest rates a bank may pay on deposits, the activities of a bank with respect to mergers and consolidations, the establishment of branches, and management practices and other aspects of banking operations.
Dividend Restrictions
The Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank. Declaration and payment of cash dividends depends upon cash dividend payments to the Company by the Bank, which is the Company’s primary source of revenue and cash flow. Accordingly, the right of the Company, and consequently the right of our creditors and shareholders, to participate in any distribution of the assets or earnings of any subsidiary is necessarily subject to the prior claims of creditors of the subsidiary, except to the extent that claims of the Company in its capacity as a creditor may be recognized.
As a Pennsylvania chartered bank, the Bank is subject to regulatory restrictions on the payment and amounts of dividends under the Pennsylvania Banking Code. Further, the ability of banking subsidiaries to pay dividends is also subject to their profitability, financial condition, capital expenditures and other cash flow requirements. See Note 12 to the consolidated financial statements included at Item 8 of this Report.
The payment of dividends by the Bank and the Company may also be affected by other factors, such as the requirement to maintain adequate capital above regulatory guidelines. The federal banking agencies have indicated that paying dividends that deplete a depository institution’s capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsafe and unsound banking practice. Under FDICIA, a depository institution may not pay any dividend if payment would cause it to become undercapitalized or if it already is undercapitalized. Moreover, the federal agencies have issued policy statements that provide that bank holding companies and insured banks should generally only pay dividends out of current operating earnings. Federal banking regulators have the authority to prohibit banks and bank holding companies from paying a dividend if the regulators deem such payment to be an unsafe or unsound practice.
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Community Reinvestment Act
The Company’s Directors and Officers are committed to reaching out to the community in which they live and work. The personal, business and community rewards for helping local residents and businesses are numerous. The Board is dedicated to recognizing an ongoing commitment and understanding of the Company’s responsibility under the CRA. The Company is committed to providing access to credit and deposit products for all members of the communities that it serves.
The Company had its last CRA examination in 2022 and received a “satisfactory” rating. The Company received notification of and supplied all necessary information for its next exam tentatively to begin in May 2025.
Restrictions on Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders
The Bank also is subject to the restrictions of Sections 23A, 23B, 22(g) and 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act and Regulation O adopted by the Federal Reserve Board. Section 23A requires that loans or extensions of credit to an affiliate, purchases of securities issued by an affiliate, purchases of assets from an affiliate (except as may be exempted by order or regulation), the acceptance of securities issued by an affiliate as collateral and the issuance of a guarantee or acceptance of letters of credit on behalf of an affiliate (collectively, “Covered Transactions”) be on terms and conditions consistent with safe and sound banking practices. Section 23A also imposes quantitative restrictions on the amount of and collateralization requirements on such transactions. Section 23B requires that all Covered Transactions and certain other transactions, including the sale of securities or other assets to an affiliate and the payment of money or the furnishing of services to an affiliate, be on terms comparable to those prevailing for similar transactions with non-affiliates.
Section 22(g) and 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act impose similar limitations on loans and extensions of credit from the Bank to its executive officers, directors, and principal shareholders and any of their related interests. The limitations restrict the terms and aggregate amount of such transactions. Regulation O implements the provisions of Sections 22(g) and 22(h) and requires maintenance of records of such transactions by the Bank and regular reporting of such transactions by insiders. The FDIC also requires the Bank, upon request, to disclose publicly loans and extensions of credit to insiders in excess of certain amounts.
Deposit Insurance and Premiums
As a FDIC member institution, the Bank’s deposits are insured to the maximum of $250,000 per depositor through the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) that is administered by the FDIC and each institution is required to pay quarterly deposit insurance premium assessments to the FDIC. The Bank is not subject to the special assessments from the Silicon Bank failure.
Other Federal Laws and Regulations
State usury and credit laws limit the amount of interest and various other charges collected or contracted by a bank on loans. The Bank’s loans are also subject to federal laws applicable to credit transactions, such as the following:
Federal Truth-In-Lending Act, which governs disclosures of credit terms to consumer borrowers;
Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, requiring financial institutions to provide information to enable public officials to determine whether a financial institution is fulfilling its obligations to meet the housing needs of the community it serves;
Equal Credit Opportunity Act, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed, or other prohibitive factors in extending credit;
Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, which requires lenders to disclose certain information regarding the nature and cost of real estate settlements, and prohibits certain lending practices, as well as limits escrow account amounts in real estate transactions;
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Fair Credit Reporting Act, governing the manner in which consumer debts may be collected by collection agencies; and
Various rules and regulations of various federal agencies charged with the implementation of such federal laws.
Additionally, the Company’s operations are subject to additional federal laws and regulations applicable to financial institutions, including, without limitation:
Privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and related regulations, which require the Company to maintain privacy policies intended to safeguard customer financial information, to disclose the policies to the Company’s customers and to allow customers to “opt out” of having their financial service providers disclose their confidential financial information to non-affiliated third parties, subject to certain exceptions;
Right to Financial Privacy Act, which imposes a duty to maintain confidentiality of consumer financial records and prescribes procedures for complying with administrative subpoenas of financial records;
Consumer protection rules for the sale of insurance products by depository institutions, adopted pursuant to the requirements of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act; and
USA Patriot Act, which requires financial institutions to take certain actions to help prevent, detect, and prosecute international money laundering and the financing of terrorism.
Under guidance issued by the federal banking agencies, the agencies have expressed concerns with institutions that ease commercial real estate underwriting standards and have directed financial institutions to maintain underwriting discipline and exercise risk management practices to identify, measure and monitor lending risks. The agencies have also issued guidance that requires a financial institution to employ enhanced risk management practices if the institution is exposed to significant concentration risk. Under that guidance, an institution is potentially exposed to significant concentration risk if: (i) total reported loans for construction, land development, and other land represent 100% or more of total capital or (ii) total reported loans secured by multi-family and non-farm residential properties, loans for construction, land development, and other land loans otherwise sensitive to the general commercial real estate market, including loans to commercial real estate related entities, represent 300% or more of total capital, and the outstanding balance of the institution's commercial real estate loan portfolio has increased by 50% or more during the prior 36 months.
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act represented a comprehensive revision of laws affecting corporate governance, accounting obligations and corporate reporting. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is applicable to all companies with equity securities registered or that file reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including publicly held bank holding companies such as the Company. In particular, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act establishes: (i) requirements for audit committees, including independence, expertise, and responsibilities; (ii) additional responsibilities regarding financial statements for the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the reporting company; (iii) standards for auditors and regulation of audits; (iv) increased disclosure and reporting obligations for the reporting company and its directors and executive officers; and (v) new and increased civil and criminal penalties for violations of the securities laws.
Governmental Policies
The Company’s earnings are significantly affected by the monetary and fiscal policies of governmental authorities, including the Federal Reserve Board. Among the instruments of monetary policy used by the Federal Reserve Board to implement these objectives are open-market operations in U.S. Government securities and federal funds, changes in the discount rate on member bank borrowings and changes in reserve requirements against member bank deposits. These instruments of monetary policy are used in varying combinations to influence the overall level of bank loans, investments and deposits, and the interest rates charged on loans and paid for deposits. The Federal Reserve Board frequently uses these instruments of monetary policy, especially its open-market operations and the discount rate, to influence the level of interest rates and to affect the strength of the economy, the level of inflation or the price of the dollar in foreign exchange markets. The monetary policies of the Federal Reserve Board have had a significant effect
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on the operating results of banking institutions in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future. It is not possible to predict the nature of future changes in monetary and fiscal policies, or the effect which they may have on the Company’s business and earnings.
Other Legislative Initiatives
Proposals may be introduced in the United States Congress and in the Pennsylvania Legislature and before various bank regulatory authorities, which would alter the powers of, and restrictions on, different types of banking organizations and which would restructure part or all of the existing regulatory framework for banks, bank holding companies and other providers of financial services. Moreover, other bills may be introduced in Congress which would further regulate, deregulate, or restructure the financial services industry, including proposals to substantially reform the regulatory framework. It is not possible to predict whether these or any other proposals will be enacted into law or, even if enacted, the effect which they may have on the Company’s business and earnings.
Human Capital Management
We believe that outstanding people are the key to the Company’s growth and success. Through the efforts of our team, Embassy has established itself as a leading organization in our Lehigh Valley community. The Company’s philosophy is to strive to maintain simplicity in our policies and efficiency in our procedures. We pride ourselves in creating an open, diverse, and transparent culture that celebrates teamwork and recognizes team members at all levels. We believe that diversity of cultures, thoughts, and experiences results in better outcomes and empowers our team members to make more meaningful contributions within our company and community. This in turn provides an environment in which our team will thrive. The majority of our team are full-time employees. We also employ part-time employees and some seasonal/temporary team members.
It is by design that the Company runs a very efficient operation, relying greatly on the knowledge and experience of its leadership team, and, where appropriate, the outsourcing of certain functions to high quality vendors, in order to do so. This level of efficiency requires that individual members of the Company’s leadership team assume roles that are most often held by multiple individuals at banks within the Company’s peer group. For example, David M. Lobach, Jr. serves as Chairman of the Board, as well as President and Chief Executive Officer, Judith A. Hunsicker serves as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and CRA Officer, Michael B. Macy serves as Chief Lending Officer of Business Banking and oversees business banking and business development, Diane M. Cunningham oversees retail banking branch network and consumer lending, as well as marketing, and Lynne M. Neel oversees the finance department, deposit operations, online and mobile banking, loan operations and investor relations. This multidisciplinary approach is replicated throughout the Company.
The Company has created a group consisting of team members called the “Culture Club.” The group is designed to keep our business culture in the forefront of all we do. This team provides new employees with their first look at the unique Embassy culture through an orientation program created with the individual in mind. In addition, the team actively works on creative activities and educational events to enhance our existing culture for the entire Embassy team. Our culture is truly defined by “us.” The Company family is made up of professionals who share the common goal of making our bank succeed by providing superior customer service through sales, education, technology, and teamwork. Our experience has shown that when employees communicate openly and directly with supervisors, the work environment can be excellent, expectations can be clear, and attitudes will be positive. We believe that the Company amply demonstrates its commitment to employees by responding effectively to employee concerns.
Annually, every team member is asked to complete a team member commitment form, in which they describe duties and responsibilities they may face in their day to day work. The Company maintains these forms and uses them to aid in orienting new employees to their jobs, identifying the requirements of each position, balancing responsibilities amongst the team, establishing hiring criteria, setting standards for employee performance evaluations, and establishing a basis for making reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. They are also used for discussion in connection with an existing employee’s review process. Supervisors and employees are strongly encouraged to discuss job performance and goals on an informal, day-to-day basis. Employees are also asked to
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annually participate in the Company's self-assessment process, which includes their Personal Team Member Commitment (which describes positions) and Personal Balance Sheet. Additionally, this Balance Sheet is a formal performance evaluation conducted to provide both supervisors and employees the opportunity to discuss job tasks, identify and correct weaknesses, encourage and recognize strengths, and discuss positive, purposeful approaches for efficiently carrying out the responsibility of each position.
The salary and benefits program at the Company was created to achieve consistent pay practices, comply with federal and state laws, mirror our commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity, and offer competitive salaries and benefits within our labor market. Because recruiting and retaining talented and diverse employees is critical to our success, the Company is committed to paying its team members equitable wages that reflect the requirements and responsibilities of their positions and are competitive with the pay received by similarly situated employees in other banks in the area.
Compensation for every position is determined by several factors, including the essential duties and responsibilities of the job, and knowledge of pay practices of other employers. The Company periodically reviews its salary and benefits program and restructures it as necessary.
Eligible employees at the Company are provided a wide range of benefits. A number of the programs (such as Social Security, workers' compensation, state disability, and unemployment insurance) cover all employees in the manner prescribed by law. Benefits eligibility is dependent upon a variety of factors, primarily whether the employee is full time or part time.
The Company’s CEO speaks to the entire Team monthly during the Team meeting, which provides training and general information. The officers of the Bank meet approximately quarterly and these meetings are focused on training and development of future leadership.
Available Information
The Company’s common stock is registered under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Trades in Company common stock made by certain brokerage firms are reported on the OTCQX Market Tier of the OTC Markets under the symbol “EMYB”. The Company is subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act, and, accordingly, electronically files annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, proxy and information statements and other information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). You may obtain these reports and statements, and any amendments, from the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. You may obtain copies of these reports, and any amendments, through our website at www.embassybank.com. These reports are available through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed electronically with the SEC.
The Company’s headquarters are located at 100 Gateway Drive, in Hanover Township, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18017, and its telephone number is 1-610-882-8800. The Company has adopted a Code of Conduct/Ethics that applies to all directors and officers of the Company. This document is available in the Investor Relations section on the Company’s website. The information included on the website and the Investor Relations page is not considered a part of this document.
Caution About Forward-looking Statements
This report contains forward-looking statements, including statements of goals, intentions, and expectations as to future trends, plans, events or results of Company operations and policies and regarding general economic conditions. These forward-looking statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based upon current and anticipated economic conditions, nationally and in the Company’s market, interest rates and interest rate policy, competitive factors, and other conditions that, by their nature, are not susceptible to accurate forecast, and are subject to significant uncertainty.
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Such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes”, “expects”, “may”, “intends”, “will”, “should”, “anticipates”, or the negative of any of the foregoing or other variations thereon or comparable terminology, or by discussion of strategy.
No assurance can be given that the future results covered by forward-looking statements will be achieved. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could impact the Company’s operating results include, but are not limited to:
the impact of adverse conditions in the economy and financial markets, including increasing or elevated interest rates, on the performance of the Company's loan portfolio and demand for the Company's products and services;
the potential impacts of recent events affecting the financial services industry on the Company, including increased competition for, and costs of, deposits and other funding sources, more stringent regulatory requirements relating to liquidity and interest rate risk management and capital adequacy and increased FDIC insurance expenses;
the effects of actions by the federal government, including those of the Federal Reserve Board and other government agencies, that impact the money supply, the potential effect of tariffs on cost of goods, and market interest rates;
the effects of market interest rates, and the relative balances of interest rate-sensitive assets to interest rate-sensitive liabilities, on net interest margin and net interest income;
the composition of the Company's loan portfolio, including commercial real estate and residential real estate, which collectively represent a majority of the loan portfolio, may expose the Company to increased credit risk;
the effects of changes in interest rates on demand for the Company's products and services;
investment securities gains and losses, including declines in the fair value of securities which may result in changes to earnings or shareholders' equity;
the effects of changes in interest rates or disruptions in liquidity markets on the Company's sources of funding;
capital and liquidity strategies, including the Company's ability to comply with applicable capital and liquidity requirements, and the Company's ability to generate capital internally or raise capital on favorable terms;
the effects of competition on deposit rates and growth, loan rates and growth and net interest margin;
the impact of operational risks, including the risk of human error, inadequate or failed internal processes and systems, computer and telecommunications systems failures, faulty or incomplete data and an inadequate risk management framework;
the loss of, or failure to safeguard, confidential or proprietary information;
the Company's failure to identify and adequately and promptly address cybersecurity risks, including data breaches and cyberattacks;
the impact of failures from third-party vendors upon which the Company relies to perform in accordance with contractual arrangements and the effects of concerns about other financial institutions on the Company;
the potential effects of increases in non-performing assets, which may require the Company to increase the allowance for credit losses, charge-off loans and incur elevated collection and carrying costs related to such non-performing assets;
the determination of the allowance for credit losses, which depends significantly upon assumptions and judgments with respect to a variety of factors, including the performance of the loan portfolio, the weighted-average remaining lives of different classifications of loans within the loan portfolio and current and forecasted economic conditions, among other factors;
the effects of the extensive level of regulation and supervision to which the Company and Bank are subject;
changes in regulation and government policy, which could result in significant changes in banking and financial services regulation;
the continuing impact of the Dodd-Frank Act on the Company’s business and results of operations;
the potential for negative consequences resulting from regulatory violations, investigations and examinations, including potential supervisory actions, the assessment of fines and penalties, the imposition of sanctions, the need to undertake remedial actions and possible damage to the Company’s reputation;
the effects of adverse outcomes in litigation and governmental or administrative proceedings;
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the effects of changes in U.S. federal, state or local tax laws;
the effects of the significant amounts of time and expense associated with regulatory compliance and risk management;
geopolitical conditions, including acts or threats of terrorism, actions taken by the United States or other governments in response to acts or threats of terrorism and/or military conflicts, which could impact business and economic conditions in the United States and abroad;
public health crises and pandemics and their effects on the economic and business environments in which the Company operates, including on the Company’s credit quality and business operations, as well as the impact on general economic and financial market conditions;
the Company’s ability to achieve its growth plans;
the Company’s ability to attract and retain talented personnel;
the effects of competition from financial service companies and other companies offering bank services;
the Company’s ability to keep pace with technological changes;
the effects of negative publicity on the Company’s reputation; and
other factors that may affect future results of the Company.
Item 1A. RISK FACTORS.
Before investing in Embassy Bancorp, Inc. common stock, an investor should carefully consider the risk factors described below, which are not intended to be all inclusive, and review other information contained in this report and in our other filings with the SEC. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing the Company. Additional risks and uncertainties that we are not aware of, or that we currently deem less significant, or that we otherwise are not specifically focused on, may also impact our business, results of operations, and our common stock. If any of these known or unknown risks or uncertainties actually occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. If this were to happen, the market price of our common stock could decline significantly, and an investor could lose all or part of his or her investment in the Company.
Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “us,” “our,” “Embassy,” or “Embassy Bancorp, Inc.,” collectively refer to Embassy Bancorp, Inc. and its banking subsidiary, and specific references to the “Bank” refer to Embassy Bank for the Lehigh Valley, the wholly-owned banking subsidiary of Embassy Bancorp, Inc.
Risks Related to Our Business
Changes in interest rates may adversely affect our earnings and financial condition.
Our ability to make a profit, like that of most financial institutions, substantially depends upon our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income earned on interest earning assets, such as loans and investment securities, and the interest expense paid on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. Changes in interest rates can increase or decrease net interest income and net income.
Different types of assets and liabilities may react differently, and at different times, to changes in market interest rates. When interest-bearing liabilities mature or reprice more quickly than interest-earning assets in a period, an increase in market rates of interest could reduce net interest income. When interest-earning assets mature or reprice more quickly than interest-bearing liabilities, falling interest rates could reduce net interest income. Changes in market interest rates are affected by many factors beyond our control, including inflation, unemployment, money supply, international events, and events in the United States and other financial markets.
We attempt to manage risk from changes in market interest rates, in part, by controlling the mix of interest rate sensitive assets and interest rate sensitive liabilities. However, interest rate risk management techniques are not exact and a substantial, unexpected, prolonged, or rapid change in interest rates could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
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Interest rate volatility could negatively affect our net interest income, lending activities, deposits, and profitability.
Our net interest income, lending activities, deposits and profitability could be negatively affected by volatility in interest rates. A prolonged period of extremely volatile and unstable market conditions would likely increase our funding costs and negatively affect market risk mitigation strategies. Higher income volatility from changes in interest rates and spreads to benchmark indices could cause a loss of future net interest income and a decrease in current fair market values of our assets. Fluctuations in interest rates will impact both the level of income and expense recorded on most of our assets and liabilities and the market value of all interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our net income, operating results, or financial condition.
Changes in the estimated fair value of our securities portfolio may reduce shareholders' equity and net income.
At December 31, 2024, the Company maintained an available for sale securities portfolio of $280.8 million. The estimated fair value of the available for sale securities portfolio may change depending on the credit quality of the underlying issuer, market liquidity, changes in interest rates and other factors. Shareholders' equity is increased or decreased by the amount of the change in the unrealized gain or loss (difference between the estimated fair value and the amortized cost) of the available for sale securities portfolio, net of the related tax expense or benefit, under the category of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss). During the year ended December 31, 2024, we incurred other comprehensive losses of $6.9 million related to net changes in unrealized holding losses in the available for sale investment securities portfolio. A decline in the estimated fair value of this portfolio would result in a decline in shareholders' equity, as well as book value per common share. This decrease would occur even though the securities are not sold. The accumulated other comprehensive loss, does not impact the net income of the Company.
Effects of inflation may adversely affect our profitability.
The majority of assets and liabilities of the Company are monetary in nature, and therefore, differ greatly from most commercial and industrial companies that have significant investments in fixed assets or inventories. The precise impact of inflation upon the Company is difficult to measure. Inflation may affect the borrowing needs of consumers, thereby impacting the growth rate of the Company’s assets, as well as the expense paid on our deposits and borrowings. Inflation may also affect the general level of interest rates, which can have a direct bearing on the profitability of the Company.
The Company is subject to lending risk.
Risks associated with lending activities include, among other things, the impact of changes in interest rates and economic conditions, which may adversely impact the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans and the value of the associated collateral. Various laws and regulations also affect our lending activities, and failure to comply with such applicable laws and regulations could subject the Company to enforcement actions and civil monetary penalties.
At December 31, 2024, 47.2% of our loan portfolio consisted of commercial real estate, commercial construction and commercial loans, which are generally perceived as having more risk of default than residential real estate loans. Commercial business, commercial real estate and construction loans are more susceptible to a risk of loss during a downturn in the business cycle. These types of loans involve larger loan balances to a single borrower or groups of related borrowers. Commercial real estate loans may be affected to a greater extent than residential loans by adverse conditions in real estate markets or the economy because commercial real estate borrowers' ability to repay their loans depends on successful development of their properties and the successful operation of the borrower's business, as well as the factors affecting residential real estate borrowers.
Loans secured by properties where repayment is dependent upon payment of rent by third party tenants or the sale of the property may be impacted by loss of tenants and lower lease rates needed to attract new tenants.
Commercial business loans are typically affected by the borrowers' ability to repay the loans from the cash flows of their businesses. These loans may involve greater risk because the availability of funds to repay each loan depends
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substantially on the success of the business itself. The collateral securing the loans and leases often depreciates over time, is difficult to appraise and liquidate and fluctuates in value based on the success of the business. If interest rates rise, the borrower's debt service requirement may increase, negatively impacting the borrower's ability to service their debt.
An increase in nonperforming loans and leases from these types of loans could result in an increase in the provision for credit losses and an increase in loan and lease charge-offs. The risk of credit losses on loans and leases increases if the economy worsens.
Our allowance for credit losses may be insufficient.
The FASB issued an accounting standard on allowance for credit losses “ACL”, which became effective for us beginning on January 1, 2023. This standard, referred to as CECL, requires financial institutions to determine periodic estimates of lifetime expected credit losses on loans and recognize the expected credit losses as allowances for credit losses. The allowance, in the judgment of management, is necessary to reserve for estimated credit losses and risks inherent in the loan portfolio. The level of the allowance reflects management’s continuing evaluation of industry concentrations; forecasts; specific credit risks; credit loss experience; current loan portfolio quality; present economic, political, and regulatory conditions and unidentified losses inherent in the current loan portfolio. The determination of the appropriate level of the allowance for possible credit losses inherently involves a high degree of subjectivity and requires us to make significant estimates of current credit risks and future trends, all of which may undergo material changes. Changes in economic conditions affecting borrowers, new information regarding existing loans, identification of additional problem credits and other factors, both within and outside of our control, may require an increase in the allowance. In addition, bank regulatory agencies periodically review our allowance for possible credit losses and may require an increase in the provision for possible credit losses or the recognition of further loan charge-offs, based on information unavailable to, or judgments different than those of, management. In addition, if charge-offs in future periods exceed the allowance, we may need additional provisions to increase the allowance for possible credit losses. Any increases in the allowance resulting from credit loss provisions will result in a decrease in net income and, possibly, capital, and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our profitability depends significantly on economic conditions in Pennsylvania.
Unlike larger or regional financial institutions that are more geographically diversified, our success is dependent to a significant degree on economic conditions in Pennsylvania, especially in Lehigh and Northampton Counties, which are the counties and markets primarily served by us in the years up to and including 2024. The banking industry is affected by general economic conditions, including the effects of inflation, recession, unemployment, real estate values, trends in national and global economics, and other factors beyond our control. An economic recession or a delayed recovery over a prolonged period of time in Pennsylvania, or more specific to the areas served by us, could cause an increase in the level of the Bank’s non-performing assets and credit losses, thereby causing operating losses, impairing liquidity, and eroding capital. We can give no assurance that adverse changes in the local economy would not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Strong competition within our market area may limit our growth and profitability.
Competition in the banking and financial services industry is intense. The geographic market the Company serves is highly competitive for deposits and loans. The Company competes with local, regional, and national traditional banking institutions, as well as non-bank financial service providers such as credit unions, brokerage firms, insurance companies and mortgage companies. In the Company’s primary market area, major regional and super-regional banks generally hold larger market share positions. By virtue of their larger capital bases and greater financial resources, these institutions have significantly larger lending limits, more robust advertising campaigns, larger branch networks, and can invest in technology on a larger scale. The industry, as a whole, competes primarily in the area of interest rates, products offered, customer service and convenience. Our profitability depends upon our ability to successfully compete in our market area.
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A lack of liquidity could adversely affect the Company's financial condition and results of operations.
Liquidity is essential to the Company’s business. The Company relies on its ability to generate deposits and effectively manage the repayment of its liabilities to ensure that there is adequate liquidity to fund operations. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings, the sale and maturities of loans and securities and other sources could have a substantial negative effect on liquidity. The Company’s most important source of funds is its deposits. Deposit balances can decrease when customers perceive alternative investments as providing a better risk adjusted return, which are strongly influenced by such external factors as the direction of interest rates, local and national economic conditions and the availability and attractiveness of alternative investments. Further, the demand for deposits may be reduced due to a variety of factors such as negative trends in the banking sector, the level of and/or composition of our uninsured deposits, demographic patterns, changes in customer preferences, reductions in consumers' disposable income, the monetary policy of the FRB or regulatory actions that decrease customer access to particular products. If customers move money out of bank deposits and into other investments such as money market funds, the Company would lose a relatively low-cost source of funds, which would increase its funding costs and reduce net interest income. Any changes made to the rates offered on deposits to remain competitive with other financial institutions may also adversely affect profitability and liquidity. Other primary sources of funds consist of cash flows from operations, maturities of investment securities and/or loans and borrowings from the FHLB and/or FRB discount window. The Company also may borrow funds from third-party lenders, such as other financial institutions. The Company’s access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance or capitalize its activities, or on terms that are acceptable, could be impaired by factors that affect the Company directly or the financial services industry or economy in general, such as disruptions in the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry, a decrease in the level of the Company’s business activity as a result of a downturn in markets or by one or more adverse regulatory actions against the Company or the financial sector in general. Any decline in available funding could adversely impact the Company’s ability to originate loans, invest in securities, meet expenses, or to fulfill obligations such as meeting deposit withdrawal demands, any of which could have a material adverse impact on its liquidity, business, financial condition and results of operations.
The Basel III capital rules require us to maintain higher levels of capital, which could reduce our profitability.
Basel III targets higher levels of base capital, certain capital buffers, and a migration toward common equity as the key source of regulatory capital. Basel III signals a growing effort by domestic and international bank regulatory agencies to require financial institutions, including depository institutions, to maintain higher levels of capital. In the future, we may be required to maintain higher levels of capital, thus potentially reducing opportunities to invest capital into interest-earning assets, which could limit the profitable business operations available to us, and adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.
If our information systems are interrupted or sustain a breach in security, those events may negatively affect our financial performance and reputation.
In conducting our business, we rely heavily on our information systems. Maintaining and protecting those systems and data is difficult and expensive, as is dealing with any failure, interruption, or breach in security of these systems, whether due to acts or omissions by us or by a third party, and whether intentional or not. Any such failure, interruption, or breach could result in failures or disruptions in our customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan, and other systems. A breach of our information security may result from fraudulent activity committed against us or our customers, resulting in financial loss to us or our customers, or privacy breaches against our customers. Such fraudulent activity may consist of check fraud, electronic fraud, wire fraud, “phishing”, social engineering, identity theft, or other deceptive acts. Such fraudulent activity could be heightened by geopolitical events, including the Russia/Ukraine and Middle East conflict. The policies, procedures, and technical safeguards put in place by us to prevent or limit the effect of any failure, interruption, or security breach of our information systems and data may be insufficient to prevent or remedy the effects of any such occurrences. The occurrence of any failures, interruptions, or security breaches of our information systems, or those of our third party vendors, and data could damage our reputation, cause us to incur additional expenses, result in online services or other businesses becoming inoperable, subject us to regulatory sanctions or additional regulatory scrutiny, or expose us to civil litigation and
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possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our business operations and interaction with customers are increasingly done via electronic means, and this has increased risks related to cyber security.
We are exposed to the risk of cyber-attacks in the ordinary course of our business. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. An increased level of attention in the industry is focused on cyber-attacks that include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. To combat against these attacks, we have policies and procedures in place to prevent or limit the effect of the possible security breach of our information systems and we have insurance against some cyber-risks and attacks. While we have not incurred any material losses related to cyber-attacks, nor are we aware of any specific or threatened cyber-incidents as of the date of this report, we may incur substantial costs and suffer other negative consequences if we fall victim to successful cyber-attacks. Such negative consequences could include remediation costs, which may include liability for stolen assets or information and repairing system damage; deploying additional personnel and protection technologies, training employees, and engaging third party experts and consultants; lost revenues resulting from unauthorized use of proprietary information or the failure to retain or attract customers following an attack; litigation; and reputational damage adversely affecting customer or investor confidence.
The Bank does not engage in cryptocurrency transactions for itself or its customers.
We operate in a highly regulated environment and may be adversely affected by changes in laws and regulations.
We are subject to extensive regulation, supervision, and examination by federal and state banking authorities. Any change in applicable regulations or federal, state, or local legislation could have a substantial impact on us and our operations. Additional legislation and regulations that could significantly affect our powers, authority and operations may be enacted or adopted in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Further, regulators have significant discretion and authority to prevent or remedy unsafe or unsound practices or violations of laws by banks and bank holding companies in the performance of their supervisory and enforcement duties. The exercise of regulatory authority may have a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition.
We are required to make a number of judgments in applying generally accepted accounting principles and different estimates and assumptions in the application of these standards could result in a decrease in capital and/or other material changes to our reports of financial condition and results of operations.
Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change relate to the determination of the allowance for credit losses on loans. While we have identified those accounting policies that are considered critical and have procedures in place to facilitate the associated judgments, different assumptions in the application of these standards could result in a decrease to net income and, possibly, capital and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. From time to time, the FASB and the SEC issues changes to or updated interpretations of the financial accounting and reporting guidance that governs the preparation of our financial statements. These changes are beyond our control, can be difficult to predict, and could materially impact how we report our financial condition and results of operations. We could be required to apply new or revised guidance retrospectively, which may result in the revision of prior financial statements by material amounts. The implementation of new or revised guidance could also result in material adverse effects to our reported capital.
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Prior levels of market volatility were unprecedented and future volatility may have materially adverse effects on the market price of our common stock, our liquidity and financial condition.
Starting in March 2020, the capital and credit markets have experienced extreme volatility and disruption related to the COVID-19 pandemic and, also, as a result of the bank failures in 2023. In many cases, the markets exerted downward pressure on stock prices, security prices, and credit availability for certain issuers without regard to their underlying financial strength. If such levels of market disruption and volatility continue, there can be no assurance that we will not experience adverse effects, which may materially affect the market price of our common stock and/or our liquidity, financial condition, and profitability.
Our banking subsidiary may be required to pay higher FDIC insurance premiums or special assessments which may adversely affect our earnings.
Poor economic conditions and the resulting bank failures from the most recent recession have stressed the Deposit Insurance Fund and increased the costs of our FDIC insurance assessments. Promptly following the failures of several banks, the federal banking regulators announced that the FDIC will use funds from the Deposit Insurance Fund to ensure that all depositors in SVB, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank are made whole, at no cost to taxpayers. Additional bank failures may prompt the FDIC to increase its premiums above the recently increased levels or to issue additional special assessments. We are generally unable to control the amount of premiums or special assessments that our banking subsidiary is required to pay for FDIC insurance. Any future changes in the calculation or assessment of FDIC insurance premiums may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition, and our ability to continue to pay dividends on our common stock at the current rate or at all.
If we conclude that the decline in the value of any of our investment securities is from a credit loss, we are required to write down the value of that security through a charge to earnings.
We review our investment securities portfolio at each quarter-end reporting period to determine whether the fair value of individual securities or the portfolio as a whole is below the current carrying value. For available-for-sale debt securities in an unrealized loss position, we first assess whether we intend to sell, or it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security, prior to the recovery of its amortized cost basis. If either of the above criteria is met, the security’s amortized cost basis is written down to fair value through earnings. Due to the complexity of the calculations and assumptions used in determining whether an asset is impaired, the impairment disclosed, or lack thereof, may not accurately reflect the actual impairment in the future.
Our financial performance may suffer if our information technology is unable to keep pace with our growth or industry developments.
Effective and competitive delivery of our products and services is increasingly dependent upon information technology resources and processes, both those provided internally as well as those provided through third party vendors. In addition to better serving customers, the effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables us to reduce costs. Our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services to enhance customer convenience, as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations. Many of our competitors have greater resources to invest in technological improvements. Additionally, as technology in the financial services industry changes and evolves, keeping pace becomes increasingly complex and expensive for us. Our failure to timely and effectively implement technological advances could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
We are highly reliant on third party vendors and our ability to manage the operational risks associated with outsourcing those services.
We rely on third parties to provide services that are integral to our operations. These vendors provide services that support our operations, including the storage and processing of sensitive consumer and business customer data, as well as our sales efforts. A cybersecurity breach of a vendor’s system may result in theft of our data or disruption of
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business processes. In most cases, we will remain primarily liable to our customers for losses arising from a breach of a vendor’s data security system. We rely on our outsourced service providers to implement and maintain prudent cybersecurity controls. We have procedures in place to assess a vendor’s cybersecurity controls prior to establishing a contractual relationship and to periodically review assessments of those control systems; however, these procedures are not infallible, and a vendor’s system can be breached despite the procedures we employ. We cannot be sure that we will be able to maintain these relationships on favorable terms. The loss of these vendor relationships could disrupt the services we provide to our customers and cause us to incur expense in connection with replacing these services.
The soundness of other financial institutions may adversely affect us.
Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty, or other relationships. We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including commercial banks, brokers and dealers, investment banks, and other institutional clients. Many of these transactions expose us to credit risk in the event of a default by a counterparty or client. In addition, our credit risk may be exacerbated when the collateral held by us cannot be readily realized or liquidated at prices sufficient to recover the full amount of the credit or derivative exposure due to us. Any such losses could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
The trading volume in our common stock is less than that of larger public companies, which can contribute to volatility in our stock price and adversely affect the liquidity of an investment in our common stock.
Our common stock is not traded on a security exchange. Trades in our stock made by certain brokerage firms are reported on the OTCQX Market Tier of the OTC Markets, but trading in our stock is sporadic. The trading history of our common stock has been characterized by relatively low trading volume. This lack of an active public market means that the value of a shareholder’s investment in our common stock may be subject to sudden fluctuations, as individual trades have a greater effect on our reported trading price than would be the case in a broad public market with significant daily trading volume.
The market price of our common stock may also be subject to fluctuations in response to numerous other factors, including the factors discussed in this report, regardless of our actual operating performance. The possibility of such fluctuations occurring is increased due to the illiquid nature of the trading market of our common stock. Therefore, a shareholder may be unable to sell our common stock at or above the price at which it was purchased, at or above the current market price, or at the time of his, her or its choosing.
Our insiders control a substantial percentage of our stock and therefore have the ability to exercise significant control over our affairs.
As of December 31, 2024, our directors and executive officers beneficially owned in excess of 29% of our issued and outstanding common stock on a fully diluted basis. Such persons, as a group, will have sufficient votes to strongly influence the outcome of all matters submitted to our shareholders, including the election of directors. This concentration of ownership might also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of our company.
Our ability to pay dividends on our common stock, and principal and interest on our debt, depends primarily on dividends from our banking subsidiary, which is subject to regulatory limits.
Embassy Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company and its operations are conducted by its direct and indirect subsidiaries, primarily the Bank. Our ability to pay dividends on our common stock and principal and interest on our debt depends on our receipt of dividends from the Bank. Dividend payments from the Bank are subject to legal and regulatory limitations, generally based on net profits and retained earnings, imposed by the various banking regulatory agencies. The ability of the Bank to pay dividends is also subject to profitability, financial condition, liquidity, and capital management limits. There is no assurance that our subsidiary will be able to pay dividends in the future or that
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we will generate adequate cash flow to pay dividends in the future. Federal Reserve policy, which applies to us as a registered bank holding company, also provides that dividends by bank holding companies should generally be paid out of earnings from both the current period and a designated look-back period. Our failure to pay dividends on our common stock could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
Provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws, Pennsylvania law, state and federal banking regulations, and our significant percentage of insider ownership, could act to delay or prevent a takeover by a third party.
Various Pennsylvania laws affecting business corporations may have the effect of discouraging offers to acquireus, even if the acquisition would be advantageous to our shareholders. By incorporating under Pennsylvania law, our board of directors owes its fiduciary duty solely to the Company. As such, Pennsylvania law does not require a director to act solely because of the effect such action might have on an acquisition or potential acquisition of control of the corporation or the consideration that might be offered or paid to shareholders in such an acquisition.
Additionally, Pennsylvania law:
expands the factors and groups which a corporation’s board of directors can consider in determining whether an action is in the best interests of the corporation, including the effect of such action on its shareholders, employees, suppliers, customers, creditors and communities;
provides that a corporation’s board of directors need not consider the interests of any particular group (including the shareholders) as dominant or controlling;
provides that a corporation’s directors, in order to satisfy the presumption that they have acted in the best interests of the corporation, need not satisfy any greater obligation or higher burden of proof with respect to actions relating to an acquisition or potential acquisition of control; and
provides that actions relating to acquisitions of control that are approved by a majority of “disinterested directors” are presumed to satisfy the directors’ standard, unless it is proven by clear and convincing evidence that the directors did not assent to such action in good faith after reasonable investigation.
In addition, we have various anti-takeover measures in place under our articles of incorporation and bylaws, including a supermajority vote requirement for mergers, advance notice requirements for nominations for election of directors and the presentation of shareholder proposals at meetings of shareholders, a staggered Board of Directors, and the absence of cumulative voting.
Further, federal and state banking laws and regulations generally require filings and approvals prior to certain transactions that would result in a party acquiring control of our company.
Any one or more of these laws or measures, particularly when coupled with the fact that our insiders hold approximately 29% of our voting shares, may impede the takeover of the Company and may prevent our shareholders from taking part in a transaction in which they could realize a premium over the current market price of our common stock.
If we need to, or are compelled to, raise additional capital in the future, that capital may not be available when it is needed and on terms favorable to current shareholders.
Federal banking regulators require us and our bank subsidiary to maintain adequate levels of capital to support our operations. These capital levels are determined and dictated by law, regulation, and bank regulatory agencies. In addition, capital levels are also determined by our management and board of directors based on capital levels that they believe are necessary to support our business operations. As of December 31, 2024, all three capital ratios for us and our banking subsidiary were above “well capitalized” levels under current bank regulatory guidelines.
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Our ability to raise additional capital will depend on conditions in the capital markets at that time, which are outside of our control, and on our financial performance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you of our ability to raise additional capital on terms and time frames acceptable to us or to raise additional capital at all. If we cannot raise additional capital in sufficient amounts when needed, our ability to comply with regulatory capital requirements could be materially impaired. Additionally, the inability to raise capital in sufficient amounts may adversely affect our operations, financial condition, and results of operating. Our ability to borrow could also be impaired by factors that are nonspecific to us, such as severe disruption of the financial markets or negative news and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry as a whole as evidenced by recent turmoil in the domestic and worldwide credit markets. If we raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or other securities, we would likely dilute the ownership interests of current investors and could dilute the per share book value and earnings per share of our common stock. Furthermore, a capital raise through issuance of additional shares of common stock may have an adverse impact on our stock price.
Our common stock is equity and is subordinate to all of our existing and future indebtedness.
Shares of our common stock are equity interests in our Company and do not constitute indebtedness. As such, shares of our common stock rank junior to all indebtedness and other non-equity claims on us with respect to assets available to satisfy claims on us, including in a liquidation of the Company. Also, the Company’s right to participate in a distribution of assets upon the Bank’s liquidation or reorganization is subject to the prior claims of the Bank’s creditors, including the preferred claims of the Bank’s depositors.
Our common stock is not insured by any governmental entity.
Our common stock is not a bank deposit and, therefore, is not insured against loss by the FDIC, any other deposit insurance fund or by any other public or private entity. Investment in our common stock is inherently risky for the reasons described in this “Risk Factors” section. As a result, if you acquire our common stock, you may lose some or all of your investment.
General Risk Factors
Our controls and procedures may fail or could be circumvented.
Management has implemented a series of internal controls, disclosure controls and procedures, and corporate governance policies and procedures in order to ensure accurate financial control and reporting. However, any system of controls, no matter how well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system are met. Any failure or circumvention of our controls and/or procedures could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operation and financial condition.
Loss of our senior executive officers or other key employees could impair our relationship with our customers and adversely affect our business.
We have assembled a leadership management team which has substantial background and experience in banking and financial services in the markets we serve. Loss of these key personnel could negatively impact our earnings because of their skills, customer relationships and/or the potential difficulty of promptly replacing them.
Acts of terrorism, natural disasters, global climate change, pandemics and global conflicts may have a negative impact on our business and operations.
Acts of war or terrorism, natural disasters, global climate change, pandemics, global conflicts, geopolitical events, or a combination of these factor or other factors, could have a negative impact on our business and operations. While we have in place business continuity plans, such events could still damage our facilities, disrupt or delay the normal operations of our business (including communications and technology), result in harm to or cause travel limitations on our employees, and have a similar impact on our clients, suppliers, third-party vendors and counterparties. These
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events also could impact us negatively to the extent that they result in reduced capital markets activity, lower asset price levels, or disruptions in general economic activity in the United States or abroad, or in financial market settlement functions. In addition, these or similar events may impact economic growth negatively, which could have an adverse effect on our business and operations, and may have other adverse effects on us in ways that we are unable to predict.
Negative public opinion could damage our reputation and adversely affect our earnings.
Reputational risk, or the risk to our earnings and capital from negative public opinion, is inherent in our business. Negative public opinion can result from the actual or perceived manner in which we conduct our business activities, including banking operations, our management of actual or potential conflicts of interest and ethical issues, and our protection of confidential client information. Negative public opinion can adversely affect our ability to keep and attract customers and can expose us to litigation and regulatory action. Although we take steps to minimize reputation risk in the way we conduct our business activities and deal with our customers, communities and vendors, these steps may not be effective.
Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.
None.
Item 1C. CYBERSECURITY.
Our operations are dependent on our information technology systems, and the systems of our third party partners, upon which we rely, to maintain our ability to access, store, and transmit sensitive information in a secure manner. One of the primary risks to which we are exposed is the risk that our information systems are compromised, either deliberately or unintentionally, and that sensitive information is disclosed, misused or corrupted, or our operations are disrupted. Such an incident could result in a number of adverse consequences, including disruptions in customer relationship management, system damage, remediation costs, litigation, and reputational damage. We maintain an information security and governance program that is designed to protect our information systems against such risks.
Risk Management and Strategy
The Company recognizes the significance of such risks and cybersecurity is a critical component of our overall risk management program. In order to combat against and mitigate the impact of any unauthorized access to or attack on our information systems, we have implemented policies and procedures designed to assess, identify, and manage material risks arising from cybersecurity threats. Additionally, because we rely on third parties to provide services that are integral to our operations, we have procedures in place to assess a technology provider’s cybersecurity controls prior to establishing a contractual relationship and to periodically review assessments of those systems. Whenever possible, we include cybersecurity requirements in our contracts with such providers, which typically include agreed-upon security standards and protocols and our right to obtain periodic reports or assessments of such provider’s compliance therewith.
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Our cybersecurity program provides a program for compliance with applicable cybersecurity and data protection laws. Our program is designed to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer, employee and Company information, protect against known or evolving threats to the security or integrity of customer records and personal information and protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information. We work with third party firms to review and monitor our cyber security programs, our regulators, and other third-party service providers to ensure that these policies are adequately designed to appropriately safeguard such information. The Company’s policies and procedures include, and are not limited to:
Information Systems and Cyber Security Policy Patch and Change Management
Cyber Incident Response Policy and Testing Annual NIST Risk Assessments
Third Party Risk Management Policies Access to Threat Intelligence
Remote Access Policy Dark Web Monitoring
Customer Facing Technology Risk Assessments Cyber Risk Insurance Policy
Cyber Security Awareness Training Physical Security Policy
Vulnerability Assessments
The Company uses a layered security structure of processes and technologies to detect, prevent, mitigate, monitor and respond to cybersecurity threats.
Employees undergo cybersecurity training during orientation. Employees and board members receive annual training to promote cybersecurity awareness. All employees are required to abide by our cybersecurity and data protection policies.
To our knowledge and to date, the Company has not experienced a material cybersecurity incident.
Governance
Cybersecurity and data protection is essential for the Company to maintain the trust of our customers, team members and stakeholders. The Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for overseeing the Company’s management of cybersecurity risk, including oversight into appropriate risk mitigation, strategies, processes, systems, and controls.
The Company has an IT Team and Cyber Incident Response Team made up of senior managers of the bank and led by the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the Information Security Officer (ISO) and the Security Officer (SO). The COO, ISO and SO, in conjunction with our third party cyber security technology provider, are primarily responsible for assessing and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats and are responsible for designing, implementing and maintaining our cybersecurity environment and incident response procedures. The ISO has twenty-eight (28) years of experience exclusively in the IT field. The IT Team is responsible for ensuring the Board of Directors and employees are trained annually on cybersecurity and information security awareness and apprised of any emerging threats. Additionally, the IT Team ensures employees are adequately trained on our incident response procedures.
The ISO and SO report to the COO and monthly written Cybersecurity reports are presented to the Board of Directors. At least annually the IT Team leadership and members of the Audit Committee and Board meet strategically to review, and as appropriate, adapt our cybersecurity program to an evolving landscape of emerging threats, evaluate effectiveness of key security controls, assess cybersecurity best practices, and to adopt the annual cybersecurity strategy. A written cybersecurity report and briefing to the full Board is conducted on an annual basis. These reports cover, but are not limited to, the Company’s cybersecurity environment, threats, material cybersecurity risks and events, improvements and effectiveness, the results of periodic testing (both internal and external), and other material matters related to the cybersecurity program.
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Item 2. PROPERTIES.
The Company, through the Bank, occupies ten (10) full-service banking offices in the Lehigh Valley:
Northampton County:
Hanover Township (includes administrative offices)
Lower Saucon Township
Lower Nazareth Township
Borough of Nazareth
Lehigh County:
South Whitehall Township
Salisbury Township
Lower Macungie Township
City of Bethlehem
Borough of Macungie
City of Allentown
Of the ten (10) offices, the Company currently leases nine (9) of its premises and leases the land at Borough of Macungie branch. The Borough of Macungie branch building is owned by the Company. The Company’s headquarters is located in Bethlehem, PA.
Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
The Company and the Bank are an occasional party to legal actions arising in the ordinary course of its business. In the opinion of management, the Company has adequate legal defenses and/or insurance coverage respecting any and each of these actions and does not believe that they will materially affect the Company’s operations or financial position.
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.
(a)Shares of Company common stock are traded over-the-counter and in privately negotiated transactions. The Company’s common stock is not listed on any national securities exchange.
Trades in Company common stock made by certain brokerage firms are reported on the OTCQX Market Tier of the OTC Markets under the symbol “EMYB”. The following table reflects high and low bid prices for shares of the Company’s common stock for the periods indicated, based upon information derived from www.otcmarkets.com.
High Low High Low
The above quotations may not reflect inter-dealer prices and should not be considered over-the-counter market quotations as that term is customarily used.
(b)As of March 14, 2025, there are approximately 809 owners of record of the common stock of the Company.
(c)On July 12, 2024, the Company paid $3,199,426 or $0.42 per share, in an annual cash dividend on its common stock. On July 14, 2023, the Company paid $3,041,266 or $0.40 per share, in an annual cash dividend on its common stock. As a general matter, cash available for dividend distribution to shareholders of the Company may come from dividends paid to the Company by the Bank, depending upon existing cash levels at the Company. See “Supervision and Regulation – Dividend Restrictions” in Item 1 of this report for a description of restrictions that may limit the Company’s ability to pay dividends on its common stock.
(d)The following table sets forth information about options outstanding under the Company’s shareholder approved Stock Incentive Plan, as of December 31, 2024:
Equity Compensation Plans andIndividual Employment Agreements - N/A 364,355
(e)Sales of Securities.
None.
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(f)Repurchase of Equity Securities.
The following table sets forth the number of shares of common stock repurchased by the Company, and the average price paid for such shares, during the fourth quarter of 2024. The Company has not publicly announced any purchase plan or program.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
October 1 - 31, 2024 N/A N/A N/A N/A
November 1 - 30, 2024 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Item 6. [Reserved]
Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
This discussion and analysis provides an overview of the consolidated financial condition and results of operations of the Company for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes to consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this report.
Critical Accounting Estimates and Judgements
The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”), which require the Company to make estimates and assumptions. The Company believes that its determination of the allowance for credit losses (“ACL”) involves a higher degree of judgment and complexity than the Company’s other significant accounting policies. Further, this estimate can be materially impacted by changes in market conditions or the actual or perceived financial condition of the Company’s borrowers, subjecting the Company to significant volatility of earnings.
A material estimate that is particularly susceptible to significant change is the determination of the allowance for credit losses. The allowance for credit losses represents the estimated amount considered necessary to cover lifetime expected credit losses inherent in financial assets at the balance sheet date. The measurement of expected credit losses is applicable to loans receivable and securities measured at amortized cost. It also applies to off-balance sheet credit exposures such as loan commitments and unused lines of credit. The allowance is established through a provision for credit losses that is charged against income. The methodology for determining the allowance for credit losses is considered a critical accounting policy by management because of the high degree of judgment involved, the subjectivity of the assumptions used, and the potential for changes in the forecasted economic environment that could result in changes to the amount of the recorded allowance for credit losses. Management believes the allowance for credit losses is adequate and reasonable. For additional discussion concerning the Company’s allowance for credit losses and related matters, see “Provision for Credit Losses” and “Allowance for Credit Losses” in Notes 1 and 3 to the consolidated financial statements. Given the very subjective nature of identifying and valuing credit losses, it is likely that well-informed individuals could make materially different assumptions, and could, therefore calculate a materially different allowance value. While management uses available information to recognize losses on loans, changes in economic conditions may necessitate revisions in future years. In addition, various regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the Company’s allowance for credit losses. Such
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agencies may require the Company to recognize adjustments to the allowance based on their judgments of information available to them at the time of their examination.
GENERAL
The Company is a Pennsylvania corporation organized in 2008 and registered as a bank holding company pursuant to the BHC Act. The Company was formed for purposes of acquiring the Bank in connection with the reorganization of the Bank into a bank holding company structure, which was consummated on November 11, 2008. Accordingly, the Company owns all of the capital stock of the Bank, giving the organization more flexibility in meeting its capital needs as the Company continues to grow.
The Bank, which is the Company’s primary operating subsidiary, was originally incorporated as a Pennsylvania bank on May 11, 2001 and opened its doors on November 6, 2001. It was formed by a group of local business persons and professionals with significant prior experience in community banking in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania, the Bank’s primary market area.
Since its inception, the Board’s philosophy has been that, by running the Bank with a view toward the long term, only good things will happen for the Bank’s customers, team members, shareholders, and the Lehigh Valley community.
OVERVIEW
The Company’s assets increased by $47.9 million from $1.66 billion at December 31, 2023 to $1.70 billion at December 31, 2024. The increase was due to a $17.6 million increase in cash and cash equivalents, an increase of $14.7 million in net loans receivable, and an increase of $10.3 million in bank owned life insurance, offset by a decrease of $4.8 million in securities available for sale. The $17.6 million increase in cash and cash equivalents was due to an increase in deposits of $76.8 million, $31.6 million in principal pay downs on mortgage-backed securities and maturities within the securities available for sale portfolio, offset by a decrease in securities sold under agreement to repurchase of $10.3 million, a decrease in short term borrowings of $19.4 million, the net loan growth of $14.7 million, the purchase of $44.3 million in securities available for sale, and the purchase of $9.0 million of bank owned life insurance policies in the first quarter of 2024. The $4.8 million decrease in securities available for sale was net of an increase in unrealized losses of $8.8 million. The current unrealized loss position of the securities portfolio is due to the increase in market interest rates in response to economic conditions since purchase and not due to the credit quality of the investment portfolio.
Net loans receivable increased by $14.7 million to $1.26 billion at December 31, 2024, as compared to $1.24 billion at December 31, 2023. The market continues to be very competitive and the Company is committed to maintaining a high-quality portfolio that returns a reasonable market rate. While the past and current economic and competitive conditions in the marketplace have created more competition for loans to creditworthy customers, the Company continues to expand its market presence and pipeline, and continues to focus on developing a reputation as being a market leader in both commercial and consumer/mortgage lending. Management believes that this combination of relationship building, cross marketing and responsible underwriting will translate into continued long-term growth of a portfolio of quality loans and core deposit relationships. The Company continues to monitor the interest rate exposure of its interest-bearing assets and liabilities. See the expanded discussion under the Financial Condition: Loans section below.
The Company's deposits increased by $76.8 million from $1.48 billion at December 31, 2023 to $1.55 billion at December 31, 2024. The increase in deposits was due to a $22.7 million increase in non-interest bearing deposits and an increase of $54.0 million in interest bearing deposits. The Company continues to seek deposits using a highly effective relationship building, sales and marketing effort, which serves to further increase the Company’s overall presence in the market it serves, along with deposit relationships developed as a result of cross-marketing efforts to its loan and other non-depository banking service customers. The Company’s success in attracting new deposit relationships is, in part, due to the increased usage of the Company’s online banking platform, competitively offered rates, and the continued convenience and efficiency of our branch network and branch personnel. The Company
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continues to take advantage of deposit opportunities created by mergers, name changes, competitive branch hour and service adjustments and/or closures in the Company’s market area, and by attracting new customers looking to relocate to a local, reputable community bank.
The Company’s net income decreased $2.2 million, or 17.5%, to $10.4 million in 2024 from $12.7 million in 2023. Basic and diluted earnings per share decreased to $1.37 in 2024, as compared to $1.67 in 2023. The difference in net income for the year ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 resulted primarily from an increase in interest expense of $10.7 million, or 58.9%, due to the rate environment, and an increase in non-interest expenses; offset, to a lesser degree, by an increase in interest income, an increase in non-interest income, and a increase in the credit for credit losses.
Subsequent to the December 31, 2024 balance sheet date, in January 2025, the Company purchased nine (9) Treasury bonds and one (1) government agency bond totaling $33.7 million, in February 2025 the Company purchased six (6) Treasury bonds and two (2) government agency bonds totaling $17.9 million, and in March 2025 the Company purchased two (2) Treasury bonds and (2) government agency bonds totaling $14.8 million.. Also subsequent to year end, in January 2025 the Company paid off the FHLB short-term borrowings of $15.6 million, as described in Note 8.
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin
The majority of the Company’s earnings derives from net interest income, which is the difference between income earned on assets and the cost supporting those assets. The net interest margin is the ratio of net interest income to average earning assets. Earning assets are composed primarily of loans and investments, along with interest-bearing deposits with other banks. Interest-bearing deposits and borrowings make up the cost of funds. Non-interest bearing deposits and capital are other components representing funding sources. Changes in the volume and mix of assets and funding sources, along with the changes in yields earned and rates paid, determine changes in net interest income and net interest margin. The timing of deposit and loan growth also impacts net interest income.
Generally, changes in net interest income are measured by net interest rate spread and net interest margin. Interest rate spread is the mathematical difference between the average interest earned on earning assets and interest paid on interest bearing liabilities. Interest margin represents the net interest yield on earning assets. The interest margin gives a reader a better indication of asset earning results when compared to peer groups or industry standards.
The Company determines interest rate spread and margin on both US GAAP and tax equivalent basis. The use of tax equivalent basis in determining interest rate spread and margin is considered a non-US GAAP measure. The Company believes use of this measure provides meaningful information to the reader of the consolidated financial statements when comparing taxable and non-taxable assets. However, it is supplemental to US GAAP which is used to prepare the Company’s consolidated financial statements and should not be read in isolation or relied upon as a substitute for US GAAP measures. In addition, the non-US GAAP measure may not be comparable to non-US GAAP measures reported by other companies. The tax rate used to calculate the tax equivalent adjustments was 21% for 2024 and 2023.
2024 Compared to 2023
Total interest income for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased $7.8 million to $65.0 million, as compared to $57.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Average earning assets were $1.60 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $1.56 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023. The tax equivalent yield on average earning assets was 4.09% for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to 3.69% for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Total interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased $10.7 million to $28.8 million, as compared to $18.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Average interest bearing liabilities were $1.20 billion for the
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Embassy Bancorp, Inc.
year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $1.17 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023. The yield on average interest bearing liabilities was 2.39% and 1.55% for the years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The Company’s overall cost of funds for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was 1.87% and 1.20%, respectively.
Net interest income for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $36.2 million, compared to $39.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease in net interest income is, in part, the result of an increase in the average balance of certificates of deposit, an increase in the average balance of NOW and money markets, an increase in the average balances of securities under agreement to repurchase, and a decrease in the average balance of taxable investments, along with a decrease in the rate of non-taxable investments and an increase in the rates of interest bearing demand deposits, NOW, money market, savings, certificates of deposit, and securities under agreements to repurchase and other borrowings. The decrease in net interest income was offset by an increase in the average balances of taxable and non-taxable loans, an increase in the average balance of taxable investments and non-taxable investments, an increase in the average balance of fed funds sold, an increase in the average balance of interest bearing deposits with banks, along with an increase in the rate of taxable and non-taxable loans, taxable investments, federal funds sold, and interest bearing deposits with banks. Also offsetting the decrease in net interest income was a decrease in the average balance of savings and a decrease in the balance and rate of FHLB short term borrowings. The Company’s net interest margin is 2.26% on a US GAAP basis and 2.29% on a tax equivalent (non-US GAAP) basis for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to 2.50% on a US GAAP basis and 2.53% on a tax equivalent (non-US GAAP) basis for the year ended December 31, 2023.
For the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company’s net interest margin is 2.24% on a US GAAP basis and 2.28% on a tax equivalent (non-US GAAP) basis, respectively. These are both increases from the quarter ended December 31, 2023, when the net interest margin was 2.16% on a US GAAP basis and 2.20% on a tax equivalent (non-US GAAP) basis, respectively. The quarterly results for the fourth quarter of 2024 were consistent with the quarter ended September 30, 2024, when the net interest margin was 2.24% on a US GAAP basis and 2.27% on a tax equivalent (non-US GAAP) basis, respectively.
For the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company’s overall cost of funds decreased to 1.91% from 1.98% for the third quarter of 2024, respectively.
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Embassy Bancorp, Inc.
The following table includes the average balances, interest income and expense and the average rates earned and paid for assets and liabilities for the periods presented. All average balances are daily average balances.
Average Balances, Rates and Interest Income and Expense
Average Tax Equivalent Average Tax Equivalent
Balance Interest Yield Balance Interest Yield
(Dollars in Thousands)
ASSETS
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND
Tax equivalent adjustments:
Total tax equivalent adjustments 560 523
Net interest income on a tax equivalent basis $ 36,744 $ 39,562
Net interest spread (US GAAP basis) 1.66% 2.10%
Net interest margin (US GAAP basis) 2.26% 2.50%
Net interest spread (non-US GAAP basis) (3) 1.70% 2.14%
Net interest margin (non-US GAAP basis) (3) 2.29% 2.53%
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Embassy Bancorp, Inc.
The table below demonstrates the relative impact on net interest income of changes in the volume of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities and changes in rates earned and paid by the Company on such assets and liabilities.
Increase (decrease) due to changes in:
(In Thousands)
Volume Rate Total
Interest-earning assets:
Investment securities - non-taxable 14 (51) (37)
Federal funds sold 8 3 11
Total net change in income on
Interest-bearing liabilities:
Interest bearing demand deposits,
Securities sold under agreements to
repurchase and other borrowings 36 16 52
Total net change in expense on
Provision for Credit Losses
The Company adopted ASC Topic 326 on January 1, 2023, and applied the standard’s provisions as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings, as of January 1, 2023 (i.e., modified retrospective approach). Upon adoption of the standard, the Company recorded a $188 thousand increase to the allowance for credit losses, which resulted in a $148 thousand after-tax decrease to retained earnings as of January 1, 2023. The tax effect resulted in a $40 thousand increase to deferred tax assets.
The allowance for credit losses is established through provisions for credit losses charged against income. Loans deemed to be uncollectible are charged against the allowance for credit losses, and subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance.
The allowance for credit losses is maintained at a level management considers to be adequate to provide for losses that can be reasonably anticipated over the expected life of the loans. Management’s periodic evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance is based on known and inherent risks in the portfolio, adverse situations that may affect the borrower’s ability to repay, the estimated value of any underlying collateral, composition of the loan portfolio, current
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Embassy Bancorp, Inc.
and forecasted economic conditions and other relevant factors. This evaluation is inherently subjective, as it requires material estimates that may be susceptible to significant change.
The allowance consists of a collectively evaluated component and an individually evaluated component. The collectively evaluated component covers non-classified loans and classified loans not considered loans individually evaluated for credit losses, and is based on historical loss experience adjusted for forecasting factors and qualitative factors. The individually evaluated component relates to loans that are classified as loans individually evaluated for credit losses and/or restructured. For loans that are classified as loans individually evaluated for credit losses, an allowance is established when the discounted cash flows (or collateral value or observable market price) of the loans individually evaluated for credit losses is lower than the carrying value of that loan.
For additional information on ASC Topic 326, see Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.”.
For the year ended December 31, 2024, the credit for credit losses was $525 thousand, compared to the credit for credit losses of $178 thousand for the year ended December 31, 2023. In the year ended December 31, 2024, there were $11 thousand in charge-offs and $241 thousand in recoveries, compared to no charge-offs and $2 thousand in recoveries for the year ended December 31, 2023. The (credit) provision for credit losses is a function of the allowance for credit loss methodology that the Company uses to determine the appropriate level of the allowance for inherent credit losses after net charge-offs have been deducted. See the discussion below under “Credit Risk and Loan Quality” regarding the Company’s considerations of its December 31, 2024 allowance for credit loss levels. The allowance for credit losses is $12.2 million as of December 31, 2024, which is 0.96% of total loans receivable, compared to $12.5 million or 0.99% of total loans receivable as of December 31, 2023. Based principally on loan growth, economic conditions, asset quality, and loan-loss experience, including that of comparable institutions in the Company’s market area, the allowance is believed to be adequate to absorb any losses expected in the portfolio. Because future events affecting borrowers and collateral cannot be predicted with certainty, there can be no assurance that the existing allowance for credit losses is adequate, or that material increases will not be necessary should the quality of the loans deteriorate. The Company has not participated in any sub-prime lending activity.
Non-interest Income
Non-interest income is derived from the Company’s operations and represents primarily merchant and credit card processing fees, debit card interchange fees, service fees on deposit and loan relationships and income from bank owned life insurance. Non-interest income also may include net gains and losses from the sale of available for sale securities, loans, and other real estate owned.
Total non-interest income was $3.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $2.6 million for the same period in 2023. The increase is, in part, attributable to an increase in bank owned life insurance of $576 thousand primarily due to the purchase of $9.0 million of new bank owned life insurance policies and the conversion of $2.0 million in previous BOLI policies to higher yielding BOLI products through a 1035 exchange transaction in the first quarter of 2024. Also, contributing to the increase in non-interest income is an increase of $15 thousand in debit card interchange fees and an increase of $4 thousand in other service fees. Offsetting this increase is a decrease in merchant and credit card processing fees of $39 thousand.
As the deposit customer account base continues to grow and the Company continues to mature and develop additional sources of fee income, non-interest income is expected to become a larger contributor to the overall profitability of the Company. Currently, and unlike many in the industry, the Company does not derive additional non-interest fee income by selling its mortgages in the secondary market, nor does it offer trust or investment/brokerage services to its customers, that traditionally increase non-interest income.
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Embassy Bancorp, Inc.
Non-interest Expense
Non-interest expenses represent the normal operating expenses of the Company. These expenses include salaries, employee benefits, occupancy, equipment, data processing, advertising and other expenses related to the overall operation of the Company.
Non-interest expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $27.3 million, compared to $26.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in non-interest expenses is, in part, attributable to a $474 thousand increase in salaries and employee benefits due to annual increases in salaries and benefits, incentives and bonuses, employee taxes, and health insurance cost, offset by an increase in deferred loan costs, a decrease in stock grant expense, and a decrease in non-qualified pension expense. Additional increases in non-interest expenses are attributable to an increase of $244 thousand in occupancy and equipment due in part to an increase in rent expense, building maintenance, utility expenses, and in depreciation expense, as well as an increase of $25 thousand in professional fees, an increase of $33 thousand in FDIC insurance, an increase of $29 thousand in loan and real estate expenses, and an increase of $165 thousand in other expenses. The increase in other expenses was due, in part, to increases in bank shares tax, cash over and short, shareholder relations, and other operating expenses, offset by decreases in dispute and fraud losses on debit cards, wire fraud losses, check fraud losses, debit card production, and customer check printing. These increases in non-interest expenses were offset, in part, by a $58 thousand decrease in advertising and promotion expenses. The Company’s efficiency ratio was 69.3% and 63.3% for the year ending December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
A breakdown of other non-interest expenses is included in the Consolidated Statements of Income included in Item 8 of this Report.
Income Taxes
The provision for income taxes was $2.1 million and $2.8 million for December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023. The effective rate on income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was 16.5% and 18.1%, respectively. The decrease in the tax rate is, in part, the result of an increase in income on bank owned life insurance and the result of the change in the mix of taxable and tax free loans and investments.
FINANCIAL CONDITION
Securities
The Company’s securities portfolio continues to be classified, in its entirety, as “available for sale.” Management believes that a portfolio classification of available for sale allows complete flexibility in the investment portfolio. Using this classification, the Company intends to hold these securities for an indefinite amount of time, but not necessarily to maturity. Such securities are carried at fair value with unrealized gains or losses reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity. The portfolio is generally structured to provide maximum return on investments while providing a consistent source of liquidity and meeting strict risk standards. Investment securities consist primarily of mortgage-backed securities issued by FHLMC or FNMA, taxable and non-taxable municipal bonds, government agency bonds, and Treasury bonds. The Company holds no high-risk or direct internationally exposed securities or derivatives as of December 31, 2024. The Company has not made any investments in non-U.S. government agency mortgage backed securities or sub-prime loans. The current liquidity of the portfolio has been impacted by the increase in market interest rates. Selling of securities would not be expected as a primary source of short term liquidity given the unrealized losses currently in the portfolio.
The Company’s securities portfolio was $280.8 million at December 31, 2024, a $4.8 million decrease from securities of $276.1 million at December 31, 2023.The decrease in the investment portfolio resulted from principal pay downs on mortgage-backed securities,the maturity of one (1) non-taxable municipal bond, the maturity of three (3) Treasury bonds, and the maturity of one (1) government agency bonds totaling $31.6 million, as well as an increase in unrealized losses of $8.8 million, offset by the purchase of seven (7) Treasury bonds and three (3) government agency
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Embassy Bancorp, Inc.
bonds totaling $44.3 million. The carrying value of the securities portfolio as of December 31, 2024 includes a net unrealized loss of $64.1 million, which is recorded as accumulated other comprehensive loss in stockholders’ equity net of income tax effect. This compares to a net unrealized loss of $55.3 million at December 31, 2023. The current unrealized loss position of the securities portfolio is due to increasing market interest rates in 2022 through 2023 in response to economic conditions since initial purchase. Management determined the Company does not have the intent to sell, nor is it more likely than not that it will be required to sell securities in an unrealized loss position at December 31, 2024. Further, management reviewed the Company's securities as of December 31, 2024 and concluded there were no credit-related declines in fair value. The effective duration of the securities portfolio is approximately 6 years at December 31, 2024.
The following table sets forth the composition of the securities portfolio at fair value as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023.
(In Thousands)
U.S. Government agency obligations 12,446 2,339
U.S. Government sponsored enterprise (GSE)
- Mortgage-backed securities - commercial 436 442
U.S. Government sponsored enterprise (GSE)
The following table presents the maturities and average weighted yields of the debt securities portfolio as of December 31, 2024. Maturities of mortgage-backed securities are based on estimated life. Yields are based on amortized cost.
Securities by Maturities
1 year or Less 1-5 Years 5-10 Years Over 10 Years Total