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 ended December 31, 2017

OR

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

For the transition period from ____________ to ____________

Commission file number 0-20914

OHIO VALLEY BANC CORP.

(Exact Name of Small Business Issuer as Specified in its Charter)

(740) 446-2631

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

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

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

None

    Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

YES ☐   NO ☑

    Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

 YES ☐   NO ☑

    Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

YES ☑   NO ☐

    Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate web site, if any, every Interactive Data file required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

YES ☑   NO ☐

   

 

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

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

    Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

YES ☐   NO ☑

    Based on the closing sales price of $36.05 per share on June 30, 2017, the aggregate market value of the issuer's shares held by non-affiliates on such date was $144,879,867.  For this purpose, shares held by non-affiliates are all outstanding shares except those held by the directors and executive officers of the issuer and those held by The Ohio Valley Bank Company as trustee with respect to which The Ohio Valley Bank Company has sole or shared voting or dispositive power.

    The number of common shares of the registrant outstanding as of February 28, 2018 was 4,719,783.

Documents Incorporated By Reference:

(1)	Portions of the 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders of Ohio Valley Banc Corp. (Exhibit 13) are incorporated by reference into Part I, Item 1 and Part II, Items 5, 6, 7, 7A, 8 and 9A.

(2)	Portions of the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on May 16, 2018 are incorporated by reference into Part III, Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14.

PART I

ITEM 1 - BUSINESS

Ohio Valley Banc Corp. ("Ohio Valley" or the "Company") is an Ohio corporation registered as a financial holding company pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended ("BHC Act").  Ohio Valley was incorporated under the laws of the State of Ohio on January 8, 1992 and began conducting business on October 23, 1992.  The principal executive offices of Ohio Valley are located at 420 Third Avenue, Gallipolis, Ohio 45631.  Ohio Valley's common shares are listed on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol "OVBC."  Ohio Valley has one banking subsidiary, The Ohio Valley Bank Company (the "Bank").  The Bank has one wholly-owned subsidiary, Ohio Valley REO, LLC, an Ohio limited liability company ("Ohio Valley REO"), to which the Bank transfers certain real estate acquired by the Bank through foreclosure for sale by Ohio Valley REO. Ohio Valley also owns three nonbank subsidiaries: Loan Central, Inc., which engages in consumer lending ("Loan Central"); Ohio Valley Financial Services Agency, LLC, which is used to facilitate the receipt of commissions on insurance sold by the Bank and Loan Central ("Ohio Valley Financial Services"); and OVBC Captive, Inc., a limited purpose property and casualty insurance company ("OVBC Captive").  Ohio Valley also owns one wholly-owned subsidiary trust formed solely to issue a trust preferred security.   Ohio Valley and its subsidiaries are collectively referred to as the "Company." Ohio Valley's financial service operations are considered by management to be aggregated in two reportable segments:  banking and consumer finance.  Total revenues from the banking segment, which  accounted for the majority of the Company's total revenues, totaled 92.7%, 91.6% and 90.9% of total consolidated revenues for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

 

As a financial  holding company  registered under the  BHC Act, Ohio  Valley's primary  business is community  banking.  As of December 31, 2017, Ohio Valley's consolidated assets approximated to $1,026,290,000, and total shareholders' equity approximated to $109,361,000.

Ohio  Valley  is  also  permitted  to  engage   in  certain  non-banking  activities, such  as  securities  underwriting  and  dealing  activities,  insurance  agency  and underwriting activities and merchant banking/equity investment activities.  Ohio Valley presently has an insurance agency, Ohio Valley Financial Services, which is used to facilitate the receipt of commissions on insurance sold by the Bank and Loan Central. Ohio Valley also has a captive insurance company, OVBC Captive, that is engaged in the business of providing commercial property and various liability insurance to the Company and related entities.  Management will consider opportunities to engage in additional nonbanking activities as they arise.

Information about the Company's business segments is set forth in Note R to the Company's Financial Statements located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

 

A substantial portion of Ohio Valley's revenue is derived from cash dividends paid by the Bank.   The Bank presently has nineteen offices located in Ohio and West Virginia, all but two offering automatic teller machines ("ATMs").  Twelve of these offices also offer drive-up services.  The Bank accounted for substantially all of Ohio Valley's consolidated assets at December 31, 2017.

The Bank is primarily engaged in commercial and retail banking.  The Bank is a full-service financial institution offering a blend of commercial and consumer banking services within southeastern Ohio as well as western West Virginia.  The banking services offered by the Bank include the acceptance of deposits in checking, savings, time and money market accounts; the making and servicing of personal, commercial, floor plan and student loans; and the making of construction and real estate loans.  The Bank also offers individual retirement accounts, safe deposit boxes, wire transfers and other standard banking products and services.  As part of its lending function, the Bank offers credit card services.  The Bank's deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC").  In addition to originating loans, the Bank invests in U.S. government and agency obligations, interest-bearing deposits in other financial institutions, and other investments permitted by applicable law.

The Bank began offering trust services in 1981.   The trust department acts as trustee under wills, trusts and profit sharing plans, as executor and administrator of estates, and as guardian for estates of minors and incompetents.  In addition, the trust department performs a variety of investment and security services where the Bank acts as an agent on behalf of the client.  Trust services are available to all customers of the Bank.

The Bank also offers Internet banking to its customers, which allows customers to perform various transactions using a computer from any location as long as they have access to the Internet and a secure browser.  Specifically, customers can check personal account balances, receive information about transactions within their accounts, make transfers between accounts, stop payment on a check, and reorder checks.  Customers may also pay bills online and can make payments to virtually any business or individual.  Furthermore, the Bank offers other financial management online services, such as cash management and news updates related to repossession auctions, current rates and general bank news.

Loan Central is engaged in consumer finance, offering smaller balance personal and mortgage loans to individuals with higher credit risk history.  Loan Central's line of business also includes seasonal tax refund loan services.  Loan Central presently has six offices, all located within southeastern Ohio.

Ohio Valley Financial Services is a licensed insurance agency that is used to facilitate the receipt of commissions on insurance sold by the Bank and Loan Central.  Ohio Valley Financial Services is licensed by the State of Ohio Department of Insurance.

OVBC Captive is a pure captive insurance company engaged in providing commercial property and various liability insurance to the Company and affiliates.  OVBC Captive has been approved under the guidelines of the State of Nevada Division of Insurance.

Ohio Valley owns one special purpose entity, Ohio Valley Statutory Trust III, which has issued $8,500,000 in trust preferred securities.  Ohio Valley has issued a like amount of subordinated debentures to the Trust in exchange for the proceeds of the issuance of the trust preferred securities.  Ohio Valley used the proceeds to provide additional capital to the Bank to support growth.  Further detail on Ohio Valley Statutory Trust III is located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders under "Note J – Subordinated Debentures and Trust Preferred Securities," in the notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

 

 

 Financial information regarding the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 and results of operations for the last three fiscal years is contained in the Company's consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

As of the close of business on August 5, 2016, Ohio Valley completed its merger with Milton Bancorp, Inc. ("Milton Bancorp") pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated as of January 7, 2016, by and between Ohio Valley and Milton Bancorp, as amended (the "Merger Agreement").  Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Milton Bancorp was merged with and into Ohio Valley.  Immediately following the Merger, The Milton Banking Company ("Milton Bank") was merged with and into the Bank.  The consideration paid for Milton Bancorp totaled $18.875 million, of which $11.444 million was the market value of the Company's common shares and $7.431 million was cash.  The fair value of the common shares issued as part of the consideration paid for Milton Bancorp was determined on the basis of the closing price of the Company's common shares on the acquisition date.  After the merger, the Company's assets totaled approximately $950 million and branches increased to 19 locations.  Further detail on the merger is located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders under "Note B – Business Combinations" in the notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

The Company's loan portfolio increased $34,418,000 to finish at $769,319,000 in 2017.  The increase in total loans was primarily due to growth within the Company's Athens, Ohio and West Virginia locations.  The loan portfolio is comprised of commercial (commercial real estate and commercial and industrial), residential real estate and consumer loans, including credit card and home equity loans.  During 2017, residential real estate loans increased $23,141,000, or 8.1%, while commercial loans increased $5,939,000, or 1.9%, and consumer loans increased $5,338,000, or 4.0%, as compared to 2016.  Consolidated interest and fee revenue from loans accounted for 76.50%, 76.21%, and 74.52% of total consolidated revenues in 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.  The Company's market area for lending is primarily located in southeastern Ohio and portions of western West Virginia.  The Company believes that there is no significant concentration of loans to borrowers engaged in the same or similar industries and does not have any loans to foreign entities.

The Company's residential real estate loans consist primarily of one- to four-family residential mortgages and carry many of the same customer and industry risks as the commercial loan portfolio.  Real estate loans to consumers are secured primarily by a first lien mortgage or deed of trust  with evidence of title in favor of the Bank.  The Company also requires proof of hazard insurance, required at the time of closing, with the Bank or Loan Central named as the mortgagee and as loss payee.  The Company generally requires the amount of a residential real estate loan be no more than 80% of the purchase price or the appraisal value (whichever is the lesser) of the real estate securing the loan, unless private mortgage insurance is obtained by the borrower for the percentage exceeding 80%.  These loans generally range from one-year adjustable to thirty-year fixed-rate mortgages.  The Company's market area for real estate lending is primarily located in southeastern Ohio and portions of western West Virginia.  The Bank continues to sell a portion of its new fixed-rate real estate loan originations to the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac") to enhance customer service and loan pricing.  Secondary market sales of these real estate loans, which have fixed rates with fifteen- to thirty-year terms, have assisted in meeting the consumer preference for long-term fixed-rate loans as well as minimized the Bank's exposure to interest rate risk. Currently, the Bank's fixed-rate real estate loan offerings are limited to maturity terms up to fifteen years, with 100% of its thirty-year real estate loan demand being sold to Freddie Mac.

 

 

 

The Company's commercial loan portfolio consists of loans to corporate borrowers primarily in small to mid-sized industrial and commercial companies that include service, retail and wholesale merchants.  Collateral securing these loans includes equipment, inventory, stock, commercial real estate and rental property.  Commercial loans are considered to have a higher level of risk compared to other types of loans (i.e., single-family residential mortgages, installment loans and credit card loans), although care is taken to minimize these risks.  Numerous risk factors impact this portfolio, such as the economy, new technology, labor rates, cash flow, financial structure and asset quality.  The payment experience on commercial loans is dependent on adequate cash flows from the business to service both interest and principal due.  Thus, commercial loans may be more sensitive to adverse conditions in the economy generally or adverse conditions in a specific industry.  The Company diversifies risk within this portfolio by closely monitoring industry concentrations and portfolios to ensure that it does not exceed established lending guidelines.  Underwriting standards require a comprehensive credit analysis and independent evaluation of virtually all larger balance commercial loans prior to approval. The Bank's loan committee will review and approve all new commercial loan originations that exceed the originating loan officer's lending limits according to the following thresholds:  up to $750,000 unsecured, up to $3,000,000 secured, and up to $3,000,000 aggregate.  The  Executive Committee of the Bank's Board of Directors will review and approve all new commercial loan originations up to the legal lending limit of the Bank.

Consumer loans are secured by automobiles, mobile homes, recreational vehicles and other personal property.  Personal loans and unsecured credit card receivables are also included as consumer loans.  The Company makes installment credit available to customers in their primary market area of southeastern Ohio and portions of western West Virginia.  Credit approval for consumer loans requires demonstration of sufficient income to repay principal and interest due, stability of employment, a positive credit record and sufficient collateral for secured loans.  The Company monitors the risk associated with these types of loans by monitoring factors such as portfolio growth, lending policies and economic conditions.  Underwriting standards are continually evaluated and modified based upon these factors.  A qualified compliance officer is responsible for monitoring the performance of his or her respective consumer portfolio and updating loan personnel.  The Company makes credit life insurance and health and accident insurance available to all qualified borrowers, thus reducing their risk of loss when their income is terminated or interrupted.  The Company reviews its respective consumer loan portfolios monthly to charge off loans which do not meet applicable standards.  Credit card accounts are administered in accordance with the same standards as those applied to other consumer loans.  Consumer loans generally involve more risk as to collectibility than mortgage loans because of the type and nature of collateral and, in certain instances, the absence of collateral.  As a result, consumer lending collections are dependent upon the borrower's continued financial stability and are adversely affected by job loss, divorce or personal bankruptcy and by adverse economic conditions.  Also included in the category of consumer loans are home equity loans.  Home equity lines of credit are generally made as second mortgages and charged a variable interest rate.  Home equity lines are written with ten-year terms but are reviewed annually.  The Company's consumer loans also consist of seasonal refund anticipation loans ("RAL's") offered by Loan Central during the tax season.  RAL's are short-term cash advances against a customer's anticipated income tax refund.

The Company's underwriting guidelines and standards are updated periodically and are presented to the Board of Directors of the holding company for approval.  The purposes of the standards and guidelines are to grant loans on a sound and collectible basis; to invest available funds in a safe, profitable manner; to serve the legitimate credit needs of the Company's primary market areas; and to ensure that all loan applicants receive fair and equal treatment in the lending process.  It is the intent of the underwriting guidelines and standards to minimize losses by carefully investigating the credit history of each applicant; verifying the source of repayment and the ability of the applicant to repay; collateralizing those loans in which collateral is deemed to be required; exercising care in the documentation of the application, review, approval, and origination process; and administering a comprehensive loan collection program.  The above guidelines are adhered to and subject to the experience, background and personal judgment of the loan officer assigned to the loan application.  A loan officer may grant, with justification, a loan with variances from the underwriting guidelines and standards.  However, a loan officer may not exceed his or her respective lending authority without obtaining the prior, proper approval from a superior.

 

 

The Company's investment policy stresses the management of the investment securities portfolio, which includes both securities held to maturity and securities available for sale, to maximize the return over the long-term in a manner that is consistent with good banking practices and relative safety of principal.  The Company's investment portfolio is comprised of U.S. Government sponsored entity and mortgage-backed securities as well as obligations of state and political subdivisions.  Revenues from interest and dividends on securities accounted for 5.29%, 5.69% and 5.94% of total consolidated revenues in 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.  The Company currently does not engage in trading account activity.

Sources of funds for loan and investment activities include "core deposits."  Core deposits include demand deposits; savings, money market and NOW accounts; and certificates of deposit less than $100,000.  The Company will also utilize certificates of deposit and money market deposits from wholesale markets, when necessary, to support growth in assets.  Short- and long-term advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank have also been a significant source of funding.  Further funding has come from one trust preferred securities offering through Ohio Valley Statutory Trust III, totaling $8,500,000.  Ohio Valley used the proceeds to provide additional capital to the Bank to support growth. 

     

The Company began its participation in a tax refund service in 2006, in which it serves as a facilitator for the clearing of tax refunds for a single tax refund product provider.  A tax refund clearing agreement between the Bank and tax refund product provider requires the Bank to process electronic refund checks ("ERC's") and electronic refund deposits ("ERD's") presented for payment on behalf of taxpayers through accounts containing taxpayer refunds.  The Bank, in turn, receives a fee paid by the third-party tax software provider for each transaction that is processed.  As a result of ERC/ERD fee activity being mostly seasonal, the majority of income will generally be recorded during the first half of the fiscal year, with only minimal income recorded thereafter.  During the year ended 2017, the Company's ERC/ERD fees totaled $1,692,000, a decrease of $356,000, or 17.4%, as compared to the same period in 2016. Management anticipated the tax fee revenue would decrease due to changes in product service agreements. On October 21, 2014, the Bank entered into a new agreement with the third-party tax refund product provider. The new agreement generally provided for a different fee structure, including different fees depending upon the tax refund product selected, and fees that generally will be lower for each refund facilitated, with a reduction in per transaction fees to occur in future years. It is impossible to predict the number of refunds that will be facilitated in the future, the products chosen and therefore the fees that will be received by the Bank. Nevertheless, the Bank anticipates that without an increase in the number of refunds facilitated by the Bank, the fees received by the Bank from this arrangement will continue to be reduced in future years.  This revenue source accounted for 17.9% of the Company's overall noninterest income during the year ended 2017.

Competition among providers of financial products and services continues to increase, with consumers having the opportunity to select from a growing variety of traditional and nontraditional alternatives.  The principal factors of competition for the Company's banking business are the rates of interest charged for loans, the rates of interest paid for deposits, the fees charged for services and the availability and quality of services.  The market area for the Bank is concentrated primarily in the Gallia, Jackson, Pike and Meigs Counties of Ohio as well as the Mason and Cabell Counties of West Virginia.  Some additional business originates from the surrounding Ohio counties of Lawrence, Vinton, Scioto, Athens, Ross, Pickaway and Madison.  Competition for deposits and loans comes primarily from local banks and savings associations, although some competition is also experienced from local credit unions and insurance companies.  The Company also competes with non-financial institutions that offer financial products and services.  Some of the Company's competitors are not subject to the same level of regulation and oversight that is required of banks and bank holding companies.  As a result, some of these competitors may have lower cost structures.

 

 

Loan Central's market presence further strengthens the Company's ability to compete in the Gallia, Jackson, Lawrence and Pike Counties by serving a consumer base that may not meet the Bank's credit standards.  Loan Central also operates in Scioto and Ross counties of Ohio, which are outside the Bank's primary market area.  With the exception of Loan Central's tax refund loan activities and the Bank's ERC/ERD activities, the Company's business is not seasonal, nor is it dependent upon a single or small group of customers.

Historically, larger regional institutions, with substantially greater resources, have been generating a growing market presence.  Yet, in recent years, the financial industry continues to consolidate, which affects competition by eliminating some regional and local institutions, while strengthening the acquiring companies.  Many financial institutions have experienced significant challenges as a result of the economic crisis, which resulted in bank failures and significant intervention from the U.S. Government.

Overall, the Company believes it is able to compete effectively in both current and newer markets.  There can be no assurance, however, that our ability to market products and services successfully or to obtain adequate yield on our loans will not be impacted by the nature of the competition that now exists or may later develop.

The following is a summary of certain statutes and regulations affecting Ohio Valley as well as the Bank and Loan Central.  The summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to such statutes and regulations. The regulation of financial holding companies and their subsidiaries is intended primarily for the protection of consumers, depositors, borrowers, the Federal Deposit Insurance Fund and the banking system as a whole, and not for the protection of shareholders.  Applicable laws and regulations restrict permissible activities and investments, and require actions to protect loan, deposit, brokerage, fiduciary and other customers, as well as the Federal Deposit Insurance Fund.  They also may restrict Ohio Valley's abilty to repurchase its common shares or to receive dividends from the Bank, and impose capital adequacy and liquidity requirements.

Ohio Valley is subject to the requirements of the BHC Act and to the reporting requirements of, and examination and regulation by, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the "Federal Reserve Board").  The Federal Reserve Board also has extensive enforcement authority over bank holding companies, including, among other things, the ability to:

·	assess civil money penalties;

·	issue cease and desist or removal orders; and

·	require that a bank holding company divest subsidiaries (including its banking subsidiaries).

 

 

 

In general, the Federal Reserve Board may initiate enforcement action for violations of laws and regulations and unsafe or unsound practices.

A bank holding company is required to serve as a source of financial strength to each subsidiary bank and to commit resources to support those subsidiary banks.  The Federal Reserve Board may require a bank holding company to contribute additional capital to an undercapitalized subsidiary bank and may disapprove of the payment of dividends to the shareholders of the bank holding company if the Federal Reserve Board believes the payment would be an unsafe or unsound practice. The Federal Reserve Board also requires bank holding companies to provide advance notification of planned dividends under certain circumstances.

The BHC Act requires the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board in any case where a bank holding company proposes to:

·	acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any bank that is not already majority-owned by it;

·	acquire all or substantially all of the assets of another bank or bank holding company; or

·	merge or consolidate with any other bank holding company.

Ohio Valley became a financial holding company during 2000, permitting it to engage in activities beyond those permitted for traditional bank holding companies.  In order to become a financial holding company, a bank holding company and all of its depository institutions must be well capitalized and well managed under federal banking regulations, and the depository institutions must have received a Community Reinvestment Act rating of at least satisfactory.

Financial holding companies may engage in a wide variety of financial activities, including any activity that the Federal Reserve Board and the Treasury Department consider financial in nature or incidental to financial activities, and any activity that the Federal Reserve Board determines complementary to a financial activity and which does not pose a substantial safety and soundness risk.  These activities include securities underwriting and dealing activities, insurance and underwriting activities and merchant banking/equity investment activities.  Because it has authority to engage in a broad array of financial activities, a financial holding company may have several affiliates that are functionally regulated by financial regulators other than the Federal Reserve Board, such as the SEC and state insurance regulators.

If a financial holding company or a subsidiary bank fails to meet the requirements for the holding company to remain a financial holding company, the financial holding company must enter into a written agreement with the Federal Reserve Board within 45 days to comply with all applicable capital and management requirements.  Until the Federal Reserve Board determines that the holding company and its subsidiary banks meet the requirements, the Federal Reserve Board may impose additional limitations or conditions on the conduct or activities of the financial holding company or any affiliate that the Federal Reserve Board finds to be appropriate or consistent with federal banking laws.  If the deficiencies are not corrected within 180 days, the financial holding company may be required to divest ownership or control of all banks.  If restrictions are imposed on the activities of the holding company, such restrictions may not be made publicly available pursuant to confidentiality regulations of the banking regulators.

Loan Central is supervised and regulated by the State of Ohio Department of Financial Institutions, Division of Consumer Finance ("ODFI").  Ohio Valley Financial Services is supervised and regulated by the State of Ohio Department of Insurance. OVBC Captive is supervised and regulated by the State of Nevada Division of Insurance. The insurance laws and regulations applicable to insurance agencies, including Ohio Valley Financial Services and OVBC Captive, require education and licensing of individual agents and agencies, require reports and impose business conduct rules.

 

 

·	limit the extent to which a bank or its subsidiaries may engage in "covered transactions" with any one affiliate to an amount equal to 10% of that bank's capital stock and surplus (i.e., tangible capital);

·	limit the extent to which a bank or its subsidiaries may engage in "covered transactions" with all affiliates to 20% of that bank's capital stock and surplus; and

·	require that all such transactions be on terms substantially the same, or at least as favorable to the bank subsidiary, as those provided to a non-affiliate.

As an Ohio state-chartered bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland ("FRB"), the Bank is supervised and regulated primarily by the ODFI and the Federal Reserve Board.  The Bank is also subject to the regulations of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the "CFPB"), which has broad authority to adopt and enforce consumer protection regulations.

The Bank's deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the FDIC, and the Bank is subject to the applicable provisions of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and certain regulations of the FDIC.

Various requirements and restrictions under the laws of the United States, the State of Ohio and the State of West Virginia affect the operations of the Bank, including requirements to maintain reserves against deposits, restrictions on the nature and amount of loans that may be made and the interest that may be charged thereon, restrictions relating to investments and other activities, limitations on credit exposure to correspondent banks, limitations on activities based on capital and surplus, limitations on payment of dividends, limitations on branching and increasingly extensive consumer protection laws and regulations.

Consumer protection laws and regulations include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act (prohibiting certain types of discriminatory lending practices), the Truth in Lending Act (requiring understandable disclosure of credit terms), the Home Mortgage Dislcosure Act (requiring the collection of data that enables regulatory agencies to determine whether the financial insitutions are serving the housing credit needs of the communities in which they are located), the Real Estate Seteelement Procedures Act (requiring disclosures to borrowers and prohibiting abusive practices that increase borrowers' costs) and the privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (requiring policies and procedures to restrict unauthorized sharing of non-public customer data with nonaffiliated parties and protecting customer information from unauthorized access).  The banking regulators also use their authority under the Federal Trade Commission Act to take supervisory or enforcement action with respect to unfair or deceptive acts or practices by banks that may not necessarily fall within the scope of specific banking or consumer finance law.

 

 

In October 2017, the CFPB issued a final rule with respect to certain consumer loans to be effective on January 16, 2018, although compliance with most sections to be required starting on August 19, 2019.  The first major part of the rule makes it an unfair and abusive practice for a lender to make certain types of loans without reasonably determining that the borrower has the ability to repay the loan.  The rule also places limitations on lenders' ability to withdraw payment from the borrower's account and requires lenders to provide certain notices to the borrower before attempting to withdraw payment on a covered loan from the borrower's account.  On January 16, 2018, the CFPB issued a press release stating that it "intends to engage in a rulemaking process so that the Bureau may reconsider the Payday Rule."

In 2017, the State of Ohio completed a substantial re-writing of Ohio's banking laws that became effective on January 1, 2018.  One of the primary purposes of the revision of the law was to adopt one universal bank charter for depository institutions chartered by the state, rather than having separate types of state depository institution charters with different powers and limitations for banks, savings banks and savings and loan associations.  The result is that all Ohio-chartered depository institutions are now considered to have full commercial bank powers, unless an institution elects to continue to be governed by federal restrictions applicable to federal savings and loan associations and federal savings banks.  While the most substantial changes in the law affect institutions chartered by Ohio as savings banks or savings and loan associations prior to the effectiveness of the new law, some changes also apply to institutions, like the Bank, that were chartered as commercial banks prior to the change in the law.  The changes for all Ohio-chartered banks include provisions allowing Ohio-chartered banks to exercise the same powers, perform all acts, and provide all services that are permitted for federally chartered depository institutions, with the exception of laws and regulations dealing with interest rates, thereby enhancing opportunities for Ohio-chartered banks to compete with other financial institutions.  Other provisions clarify previous laws addressing, or allow more flexibility with respect to, corporate governance matters, mergers and acquisitions and additional reliance on Ohio corporate law generally.

In addition, in October 2017, Ohio-chartered banks received notices of required assessments to be paid to the ODFI.  For two years, the ODFI was funded by State of Ohio excess unclaimed funds allocated to the ODFI by the State of Ohio.  That funding source has ceased to be available, and assessments are once again required, as before the funding by unclaimed funds.

Financial institutions and their holding companies are required to maintain capital as a way of absorbing losses that can, as well as losses that cannot, be predicted.  The Federal Reserve has adopted risk-based capital guidelines for financial holding companies as well as state banks that are members of the Federal Reserve Bank.  The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC have adopted risk-based capital guidelines for national banks and state non-member banks, respectively.  The guidelines provide a systematic analytical framework which makes regulatory capital requirements sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banking organizations, takes off-balance sheet exposures expressly into account in evaluating capital adequacy and minimizes disincentives to holding liquid, low-risk assets.  Capital levels as measured by these standards are also used to categorize financial institutions for purposes of certain prompt corrective action regulatory provisions.

The risk-based capital guidelines adopted by the federal banking agencies are based on the "International Convergence of Capital Measurement and Capital Standard" (Basel I), published by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the "Basel Committee").  New capital rules applicable to smaller banking organizations (the "Basel III Capital Rules"), which also implement certain of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the "Dodd-Frank Act"), became effective commencing on January 1, 2015.  Compliance with the new minimum capital requirements was required effective on January 1, 2015, whereas a new capital conservation buffer and deductions from common equity capital phase in from January 1, 2016, through January 1, 2019, and most deductions from common equity tier 1 capital will phase in from January 1, 2015, through January 1, 2019.

 

 

The rules include (a) a minimum common equity tier 1 capital ratio of 4.5 percent, (b) a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 6.0 percent, (c) a minimum total risk-based capital ratio of 8.0 percent, and (d) a minimum leverage ratio (Tier 1 capital to average assets) of 4%.

Common equity for the common equity tier 1 capital ratio includes common stock (plus related surplus) and retained earnings, plus limited amounts of minority interests in the form of common stock, less the majority of certain regulatory deductions.

Tier 1 capital includes common equity as defined for the common equity tier 1 capital ratio, plus certain non-cumulative preferred stock and related surplus, cumulative preferred stock and related surplus and trust preferred securities that have been grandfathered (but which are not permitted going forward), and limited amounts of minority interests in the form of additional Tier 1 capital instruments, less certain deductions.

Tier 2 capital, which can be included in the total capital ratio, includes certain capital instruments (such as subordinated debt) and limited amounts of the allowance for loan and lease losses, subject to new eligibility criteria, less applicable deductions.

The deductions from common equity tier 1 capital include goodwill and other intangibles, certain deferred tax assets, mortgage-servicing assets above certain levels, gains on sale in connection with a securitization, investments in a banking organization's own capital instruments and investments in the capital of unconsolidated financial institutions (above certain levels).  The deductions phase in from 2015 through 2019.

Under the guidelines, capital is compared to the relative risk related to the balance sheet.  To derive the risk included in the balance sheet, one of several risk weights is applied to different balance sheet and off-balance sheet assets, primarily based on the relative credit risk of the counterparty.  The capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings and other factors.  Some of the risk weightings were changed effective January 1, 2015.

The rules also place restrictions on the payment of capital distributions, including dividends, and certain discretionary bonus payments to executive officers if the company does not hold a capital conservation buffer of greater than 2.5 percent composed of common equity tier 1 capital above its minimum risk-based capital requirements, or if its eligible retained income is negative in that quarter and its capital conservation buffer ratio was less than 2.5 percent at the beginning of the quarter.  The capital conservation buffer phases in starting on January 1, 2016, at .625% and is currently 1.875%.  The implementation of Basel III is not expected to have a material impact on Ohio Valley's or the Bank's capital ratios.

Federal banking regulators have established regulations governing prompt corrective action to resolve capital deficient banks.  Under these regulations, institutions which become undercapitalized become subject to mandatory regulatory scrutiny and limitations, which increase as capital continues to decrease.  Such institutions are also required to file capital plans with their primary federal regulator, and their holding companies must guarantee the capital shortfall up to 5% of the assets of the capital deficient institution at the time it becomes undercapitalized.

Effective January 1, 2015, in order to be "well-capitalized," a bank must have a common equity tier 1 capital ratio of at least 6.5%, a total risk-based capital ratio of at least 10%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 8% and a leverage ratio of at least 5%, and the bank must not be subject to any written agreement, order, capital directive or prompt corrective action directive to meet and maintain a specific capital level or any capital measure.  Ohio Valley's management believes that the Bank meets the ratio requirements to be deemed "well-capitalized" under the prompt corrective action regulations.

 

 

A bank with a capital level that might qualify for well capitalized or adequately capitalized status may nevertheless be treated as though the bank is in the next lower capital category if the bank's primary federal banking supervisory authority determines that an unsafe or unsound condition or practice warrants that treatment.  A bank's operations can be significantly affected by its capital classification under the prompt corrective action rules.  For example, a bank that is not well capitalized generally is prohibited from accepting brokered deposits and offering interest rates on deposits higher than the prevailing rate in its market without advance regulatory approval.  These deposit-funding limitations can have an adverse effect on the bank's liquidity.  At each successively lower capital category, an insured depository institution is subject to additional restrictions.  Undercapitalized banks are required to take specified actions to increase their capital or otherwise decrease the risks to the federal deposit insurance fund. Bank regulatory agencies generally are required to appoint a receiver or conservator within 90 days after a bank becomes critically undercapitalized, with a leverage ratio of less than 2%.  The Federal Deposit Insurance Act provides that a federal bank regulatory authority may require a bank holding company to divest itself of an undercapitalized bank subsidiary if the agency determines that divestiture will improve the bank's financial condition and prospects.

Regulations of the Federal Reserve require a financial holding company to maintain total risk-based capital of 10.0% and Tier 1 risk-based capital of 6.0%.

In September 2017, the Federal Reserve, along with other bank regulatory agencies, proposed amendments to its capital requirements to simplify various aspects of the capital rules for community banks, including the Bank, in an attempt to reduce the regulatory burden for such smaller financial institutions.  Because the amendments were proposed with a request for comments and have not been finalized, we do not yet know what effect the final rules will have on the Bank's capital calculations.  In November 2017, the federal banking agencies extended, for the community banks, the existing capital requirements for certain items that were scheduled to change effective January 1, 2018, in light of the simplification amendments being considered.

The ability of a bank holding company to obtain funds for the payment of dividends and for other cash requirements is largely dependent on the amount of dividends that may be declared by its subsidiary banks and other subsidiaries.  However, the Federal Reserve Board expects Ohio Valley to serve as a source of strength to the Bank, which may require it to retain capital for further investments in the Bank, rather than for dividends for shareholders of Ohio Valley.  The Bank may not pay dividends to Ohio Valley if, after paying such dividends, it would fail to meet the required capital levels. Dividends are also subject to limitations if the Company or the Bank fails to hold the required capital conservation buffer.  The Bank must have the approval of its regulatory authorities if a dividend in any year would cause the total dividends for that year to exceed the sum of its current year's net profits and retained net profits for the preceding two years, less required transfers to surplus.  Under Ohio law, the Bank may pay a dividend from surplus only with the approval of its shareholders and the approval of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions.  Payment of dividends by the Bank may be restricted at any time at the discretion of its regulatory authorities, if they deem such dividends to constitute an unsafe and/or unsound banking practice or if necessary to maintain adequate capital for the Bank.  These provisions could have the effect of limiting Ohio Valley's ability to pay dividends on its outstanding common shares.

In addition, Federal Reserve Board policy requires Ohio Valley to provide notice to the FRB in advance of the payment of a dividend to Ohio Valley's shareholders under certain circumstances, and the FRB may disapprove of such dividend payment if the FRB determines the payment would be an unsafe or unsound practice.

 

 

Dividend restrictions are also listed within the provisions of Ohio Valley's trust preferred security arrangements.  Under the provisions of these agreements, the interest payable on the trust preferred securities is deferral for up to five years and any such deferral would not be considered a default.  During any period of deferral, Ohio Valley would be precluded from declaring or paying dividends to its shareholders or repurchasing any of its common stock.

The FDIC is an independent federal agency which insures deposits, up to prescribed statutory limits, of federally-insured banks and savings associations and safeguards the safety and soundness of the financial institution industry.  The deposits of the Bank are insured up to statutorily prescribed limits by the FDIC, generally up to a maximum of $250,000 per separately insured depositor.

As insurer, the FDIC is authorized to conduct examinations of and to require reporting by insured institutions, including the Bank, to prohibit any insured institution from engaging in any activity the FDIC determines to pose a threat to the deposit insurance fund, and to take enforcement actions against insured institutions.  The FDIC may terminate insurance of deposits of any institution if it finds that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC or other regulatory agency.

The FDIC assesses a quarterly deposit insurance premium on each insured institution based on risk characteristics of the institution and may also impose special assessments in emergency situations.  The premiums fund the Deposit Insurance Fund ("DIF").  Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, the FDIC has established 2.0% as the designated reserve ratio ("DRR"), which is the amount in the DIF as a percentage of all DIF insured deposits.  In March 2016, the FDIC adopted final rules designed to meet the statutory minimum DRR of 1.35% by September 30, 2020, the deadline imposed by the Dodd-Frank Act.  The Dodd-Frank Act requires the FDIC to offset the effect on institutions with assets of less than $10 billion of the increase in the statutory minimum DRR to 1.35% from the former statutory minimum of 1.15%.  Although the FDIC's new rules reduced assessment rates on all banks, they imposed a surcharge on banks with assets of $10 billion or more to be paid until the DRR reaches 1.35%.  The rules also provide assessment credits to banks with assets of less than $1 billion for the portion of their assessments that contribute to the increase of the DRR to 1.35%.  The rules further changed the method of determining risk-based assessment rates for established banks with less than $10 billion in assets to better ensure that banks taking on greater risks pay more for deposit insurance than banks that take on less risk.

In addition, all FDIC-insured institutions are required to pay assessments to fund interest payments on bonds issued by the Financing Corporation, which was established by the government to recapitalize a predecessor to the DIF.  These assessments will continue until the Financing Corporation bonds mature in 2019.

Insurance of deposits may be terminated by the FDIC upon a finding that the insured institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition enacted or imposed by the bank's regulatory agency.  Notice would be given to all depositors before the deposit insurance was terminated.

The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (the "CRA") requires depository institutions to assist in meeting the credit needs of their market areas consistent with safe and sound banking practice.  Under the CRA, each depository institution is required to hep meet the credit needs of its market areas by, among other things, providing credit or other financial assistance to low and moderate-income individuals and communities.  Depository institutions are periodically examined for compliance with the CRA.  As of its most recent evaluation, the Bank was assigned an overall CRA rating of "Satisfactory."

 

 

The Bank is subject to regulations limiting the ability of financial institutions to disclose non-public information about consumers to nonaffiliated third parties.  These limitations require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to a nonaffiliated party.

The business of commercial banks is affected not only by general economic conditions, but also by the policies of various governmental regulatory authorities, including the Federal Reserve Board.  The Federal Reserve Board regulates the money and credit conditions and interest rates in order to influence general economic conditions primarily through open market operations in U.S. Government securities, changes in the discount rate on bank borrowings and changes in reserve requirements against bank deposits.  These policies and regulations significantly influence the amount of bank loans and deposits and the interest rates charged and paid thereon, and thus have an effect on earnings.

The Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorist Act of 2001 (the "Patriot Act") gives the federal government new powers to address terrorist threats through enhanced domestic security measures, expanded surveillance powers, increased information sharing and broadened anti-money laundering requirements.  Title III of the Patriot Act takes measures intended to encourage information sharing among bank regulatory agencies and law enforcement bodies.  Further, certain provisions of Title III impose affirmative obligations on a broad range of financial institutions.  Among other requirements, Title III and related regulations require regulated financial institutions to establish a program specifying procedures for obtaining identifying information from customers seeking to open new accounts and establish enhanced due diligence policies, procedures and controls designed to detect and report suspicious activity.  The Company has established policies and procedures to comply with the requirements of the Patriot Act.

In June 2010, the Federal Reserve Board, the OCC and the FDIC issued joint interagecy guidance on incentive compensation policies (the "Joint Guidance") intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of such organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking.  This principles-based guidance, which covers all employees that have the ability to affect materially the risk profile of an organization, either individually or as part of a group, is based upon the key principles that a banking organization's incentive compensation arrangements should:  (i) provide incentives that do not encourage risk-taking beyond the organization's ability to effectively identify and manage risks; (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management; and (iii) be supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the organization's board of directors.  The Joint Guidance made incentive compensation part of the regulatory agencies' examination process, with the findings of the supervisory intiatives included in reports of examination and enforcement actions possible.

In 2011, federal bank regulatory agencies jointly issued proposed rules on incentive-based compensation arrangements under applicable provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act (the "First Proposed Joint Rules").  The First Proposed Joint Rules generally would have applied to financial institutions with $1 billion or more in assets that maintain incentive-based compensation arrangements for certain covered employees.

In May 2016, the federal bank regulatory agencies approved a second joint notice of proposed rules ("the Second Proposed Joint Rules") designed to prohibit incentive-based compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risks at financial institutions.  The Second Proposed Joint Rules would apply to covered financial institutions with total assets of $1 billion or more.  The requirements of the Second Proposed Joint Rules would differ for each of three categories of financial institutions:

 

 

·	Level 1 consists of institutions with assets of $250 billion or more;

·	Level 2 consists of institutions with assets of at least $50 billion and less than $250 billion; and

·	Level 3 consists of institutions with assets of at least $1 billion and less than $50 billion.

Some of the requirements would apply only to Level 1 and Level 2 institutions.  For all covered institutions, including Level 3 institutions, the Second Proposed Joint Rules would:

·	prohibit incentive-based compensation arrangements that are "excessive" or "could lead to material financial loss;"

·	require incentive based compensation that is consistent with a balance of risk and reward, effective management and control of risk, and effective governance; and

·	require board oversight, recordkeeping and disclosure to the appropriate regulatory agency.

Level 1 and Level 2 institutions would have additional requirements, including deferrals of awards to certain covered persons; potential downward adjustments, forfeitures or clawbacks; and additional risk-management and control standards, policies and procedures.  In addition, certain practices and types of incentive compensation would be prohibited.

As of December 31, 2017, Ohio Valley and its subsidiaries had approximately 305 full-time equivalent employees and officers.  Management considers its relationship with its employees and officers to be good.

Management anticipates no material effect upon the capital expenditures, earnings and competitive position of the Company by reason of any laws regulating or protecting the environment.  Ohio Valley believes that the nature of the operations of its subsidiaries has little, if any, environmental impact.  Ohio Valley, therefore, anticipates no material capital expenditures for environmental control facilities in its current fiscal year or for the foreseeable future.

The Bank and Loan Central may be required to make capital expenditures related to properties which they may acquire through foreclosure proceedings in the future.  However, the amount of such capital expenditures, if any, is not currently determinable.

Neither Ohio Valley nor its subsidiaries have any material patents, trademarks, licenses, franchises or concessions.  No material amounts have been spent on research activities, and no employees are engaged full-time in research activities.

Ohio Valley's subsidiaries do not have any offices located in a foreign country, and they have no foreign assets, liabilities, or related income and expense.

The following section contains certain financial disclosures relating to Ohio Valley as required under the SEC's Industry Guide 3, "Statistical Disclosure by Bank Holding Companies," or a specific reference as to the location of the required disclosures in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders, which are incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

A. & B. The average balance sheet information and the related analysis of net interest earnings for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 are incorporated herein by reference to the information appearing under the caption "Table I – Consolidated Average Balance Sheet & Analysis of Net Interest Income," within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

C.

Tables setting forth the effect of volume and rate changes on interest income and expense for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 are incorporated herein by reference to the information appearing under the caption "Table II - Rate Volume Analysis of Changes in Interest Income & Expense," within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

II.        INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO

A.

Types of Securities - Total securities on the balance sheet were comprised of the following classifications at December 31:

B.

Information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the information appearing under the caption "Table III - Securities," within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

C.

Excluding obligations of the U.S. Government and its agencies, no concentration of securities exists of any issuer that is greater than 10% of shareholders' equity of Ohio Valley.

A.

Types of Loans - Total loans on the balance sheet were comprised of the following classifications at December 31:

 

 

 

B.

Maturities and Sensitivities of Loans to Changes in Interest Rates - Information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the information appearing under the caption "Table VI - Maturity and Repricing Data of Loans," within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

C.

1.

Risk Elements - Gross interest income that would have been recorded on loans that were classified as nonaccrual or troubled debt restructurings if the loans had been in accordance with their original terms is estimated to be $1,377,000, $1,235,000 and $1,126,000 for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.  The amount of interest income that was included in net income recorded on such loans was $920,000, $779,000 and $757,000 for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Additional information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the information appearing under the caption "Table V - Summary of Nonperforming, Past Due and Restructured Loans," within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

2.

Potential Problem Loans - At December 31, 2017 and 2016, there were no loans that are not already included in "Table V - Summary of Nonperforming, Past Due and Restructured Loans" within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders, for which management has some doubt as to the borrower's ability to comply with the present repayment terms.  These loans and their loss exposure have been considered in management's analysis of the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses.

3.

Foreign Outstandings - There were no foreign outstandings at December 31, 2017, 2016 or 2015.

4.

Loan Concentrations - As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, there were no concentrations of loans greater than 10% of total loans which are not otherwise disclosed as a category of loans pursuant to Item III.A. above.  Also refer to the Consolidated Financial Statements regarding concentrations of credit risk found within "Note A-Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" of the notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders which is incorporated herein by reference.

D.

Other Interest-Bearing Assets - As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, there were no other interest-bearing assets that would be required to be disclosed under Item III.C. if such assets were loans.

A.

The following schedule presents an analysis of the allowance for loan losses for the fiscal years ended December 31:

 

 

 

Discussion of factors that influenced management in determining the amount of additions charged to provision expense is incorporated herein by reference to the information appearing under the captions "Provision Expense" and "Allowance for Loan Losses" within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

B.

Allocation of the Allowance for Loan Losses - Information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the information appearing under the caption  "Table IV - Allocation of the Allowance for Loan Losses," within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

A.

Deposit Summary - Information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the information appearing under the caption "Table I - Consolidated Average Balance Sheet & Analysis of Net Interest Income," within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

C.&E.

Foreign Deposits - There were no foreign deposits outstanding at December 31, 2017, 2016, or 2015.

D.

Schedule of Maturities - The following table provides a summary of total time deposits of $100,000 or greater by remaining maturities for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016:

 

Information required by this section is incorporated herein by reference to the information appearing under the caption "Table X - Key Ratios" within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

During each of the last three fiscal years, the Company's average amount of short-term borrowings was less than 30% of shareholders' equity at the end of the period.

ITEM 1A – RISK FACTORS

Certain statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K which are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, the statements specifically identified as forward-looking statements within this document.  In addition, certain statements in future filings by Ohio Valley with the SEC, in press releases, and in oral and written statements made by or with the approval of Ohio Valley which are not statements of historical fact constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act.  Examples of forward-looking statements include: (i) projections of income or expense, earnings per share, the payment or non-payment of dividends, capital structure and other financial items; (ii) statements of plans and objectives of Ohio Valley or our management or Board of Directors, including those relating to products or services and strategic plans, such as mergers; (iii) statements of future economic performance; and (iv) statements of assumptions underlying such statements.  Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "targeted," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying those statements.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements to encourage companies to provide prospective information so long as those statements are identified as forward-looking and are accompanied by meaningful cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.  We desire to take advantage of the "safe harbor" provisions of that Act.

Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties.  Actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements because of various factors and possible events, including those factors identified below.  There is also the risk that Ohio Valley's management or Board of Directors incorrectly analyzes these risks and forces, or that the strategies Ohio Valley develops to address them are unsuccessful.

In addition, consistent with our community banking philosophy, substantially all of our loans are to individuals and businesses in Ohio and West Virginia.  Therefore, our local and regional economies have a direct impact on our ability to generate deposits to support loan growth, the demand for loans, the ability of borrowers to repay loans, the value of collateral securing our loans (particularly loans secured by real estate), and our ability to collect, liquidate and restructure problem loans.  Consequently, any decline in the economy of this market area could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.  We are less able than larger financial institutions to spread risks of unfavorable local economic conditions across a large number of diversified economies.

Our earnings depend substantially on our interest rate spread, which is the difference between (i) the rates we earn on loans, securities and other earning assets and (ii) the interest rates we pay on deposits and other borrowings.  These rates are highly sensitive to many factors beyond our control, including general economic conditions and the policies of various governmental and regulatory authorities.  While we have taken measures intended to manage the risks of operating in a changing interest rate environment, there can be no assurance that such measures will be effective in avoiding undue interest rate risk.  As market interest rates rise, we will have competitive pressures to increase the rates we pay on deposits, which will result in a decrease of our net interest income and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

 

Adverse changes in the financial markets may adversely impact our results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Business

In our market area, we encounter significant competition from other commercial banks, savings and loan associations, credit unions, mortgage banking firms, consumer finance companies, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, money market mutual funds and other financial institutions.  The increasingly competitive environment is a result primarily of changes in regulation, changes in technology and product delivery systems and the accelerating pace of consolidation among financial service providers.  Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources and lending limits than we do and may offer services that we do not or cannot provide.  Technology and other changes are allowing parties to complete financial transactions that historically have involved banks at one or both ends of the transaction.  For example, consumers can now pay bills and transfer funds directly without banks.  The process of eliminating banks as intermediaries could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of customer deposits and income generated from those deposits.  Our ability to maintain our history of strong financial performance and return on investment to shareholders will depend in part on our continued ability to compete successfully in our market area and on our ability to expand our scope of available financial services as needed to meet the needs and demands of our customers.

We target our business development and marketing strategy primarily to serve the banking and financial services needs of small to medium-sized businesses.  These small to medium-sized businesses generally have fewer financial resources in terms of capital or borrowing capacity than larger companies.  If general economic conditions negatively impact our Ohio and West Virginia markets or the other geographic markets in which we operate, our results of operations and financial condition may be negatively affected.

We intend to continue pursuing a profitable growth strategy.  Our prospects must be considered in light of the risks, expenses and difficulties frequently encountered by companies in significant growth stages of development.  We cannot assure you that we will be able to expand our market presence in our existing markets or successfully enter new markets or that any such expansion will not adversely affect our results of operations.  Failure to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business, future prospects, financial condition or results of operations and could adversely affect our ability to successfully implement our business strategy.  Also, if we grow more slowly than anticipated, our operating results could be materially adversely affected.

 

 

·	the risk of loss of key employees and customers.

We are subject to periodic reviews from state and federal regulators, which may impact our operations and our financial condition.  As part of the regulatory review, the loan portfolio and the allowance for loan losses are evaluated.  As a result, the incurred loss identified on loans or the assigned loan rating could change and may require us to increase our provision for loan losses or loan charge-offs.  In addition, any downgrade in loan ratings could impact our level of impaired loans or classified assets.  Any increase in our provision for loan losses or loan charge-offs as required by these regulatory authorities could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Findings of deficiencies in compliance with regulations could result in restrictions on our activities or even a loss in our financial holding company status.

When the Bank sells a mortgage loan, it agrees to repurchase or substitute a mortgage loan if it is later found to have breached any representation or warranty the Bank made about the loan or if the borrower is later found to have committed fraud in connection with the origination of the loan.  While we have underwriting policies and procedures designed to avoid breaches of representations and warranties as well as borrower fraud, we cannot assurance that no breach or fraud will ever occur.  Required repurchases, substitutions or indemnifications could have an adverse effect on our liquidity, results of operations and financial condition.

Our loan customers may not repay their loans according to their terms, and the collateral securing the payment of these loans may be insufficient to pay any remaining loan balance.  We may experience significant loan losses, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.  In accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, we maintain an allowance for loan losses to provide for loan defaults and non-performance, which when combined, we refer to as the allowance for loan losses.  Our allowance for loan losses may not be adequate to cover actual credit losses, and future provisions for credit losses could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.  Our allowance for loan losses is based on prior experience, as well as an evaluation of the risks in the current portfolio.  The amount of future losses is susceptible to changes in economic, operating and other conditions, including changes in interest rates that may be beyond our control, and these losses may exceed current estimates.  Federal regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, review our loans and allowance for loan losses.  Moreover, the Financial Accounting Standards Board has changed its requirements for establishing the allowance, which will be effective for us in the first quarter of 2020.  We cannot assure you that we will not further increase the allowance for loan losses or that regulators will not require us to increase this allowance.  Either of these occurrences could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

 

 

Moreover, the Financial Accounting Standards Board has changed its requirements for establishing the allowance for loan losses.  The new guidance is effective for annual reporting periods and interim reporting periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2019. Management is currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this accounting guidance on the Bank's allowance for loan losses.

Technology and other changes allow parties to complete financial transactions without banks.  For example, consumers can pay bills and transfer funds directly without banks.  Consumers can also shop for higher deposit interest rates at banks across the country, which may offer higher rates because they have few or no physical branches and open deposit accounts electronically.  This process could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of client deposits and the income generated from those deposits, in addition to increasing our funding costs.

Our business requires that we collect, process and store sensitive consumer data by utilizing computer systems and telecommunications networks operated by both us and third-party service providers.  Our dependence upon automated systems to record and process the Bank's transactions poses the risk that technical system flaws, employee errors, tampering or manipulation of those systems, or attacks by third parties will result in losses and may be difficult to detect.  Our inability to use these information systems at critical points in time could unfavorably impact the timeliness and efficiency of our business operations.  In recent years, some banks have experienced denial of service attacks in which individuals or organizations flood the bank's website with extraordinarily high volumes of traffic, with the goal and effect of disrupting the ability of the bank to process transactions.  We could also be adversely affected if one of our employees causes a significant operational break-down or failure, either as a result of human error or where an individual purposefully sabotages or fraudulently manipulates our operations or systems.  We are further exposed to the risk that third-party service providers may be unable to fulfill their contractual obligations or will be affected by the same risks as the Bank has.  These disruptions may interfere with service to the Bank's customers, cause additional regulatory scrutiny and result in a financial loss or liability.  We are also at risk of the impact of natural disasters, terrorism and international hostilities on our systems or for the effects of outages or other failures involving power or communications systems operated by others.

 

Employees could engage in fraudulent, improper or unauthorized activities on behalf of clients or improper use of confidential information.  We may not be able to prevent employee errors or misconduct, and the precautions we take to detect this type of activity might not be effective in all cases.  Employee errors or misconduct could subject us to civil claims for negligence or regulatory enforcement actions, including fines and restrictions on our business.

In addition, there have been instances where financial institutions have been victims of fraudulent activity in which criminals pose as customers to initiate wire and automated clearinghouse transactions out of customer accounts.  The recent massive breach of the systems of a credit bureau presents additional threats as criminals now have more information about a larger portion of our country's population than past breaches have involved, which could be used by criminals to pose as customers initiating transfers of money from customer accounts.  Although we have policies and procedures in place to verify the authenticity of our customers, we cannot assure that such policies and procedures will prevent all fraudulent transfers.  Such activity can result in financial liability and harm to our reputation.

Management cannot be certain that the security controls we have adopted will prevent unauthorized access to our computer systems or those of our third-party service providers, whom we require to maintain similar controls. A security breach of the computer systems and loss of confidential information, such as customer account numbers or personal information, could result in a loss of customers' confidence and, thus, loss of business.  In addition, unauthorized access to or use of sensitive data could subject us to litigation and liability and costs to prevent further such occurrences.

Further, we may be affected by data breaches at retailers and other third parties who participate in data interchanges with us and our customers that involve the theft of customer credit and debit card data, which may include the theft of our debit card PIN numbers and commercial card information used to make purchases at such retailers and other third parties.  Such data breaches could result in us incurring significant expenses to reissue debit cards and cover losses, which could result in a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our assets at risk for cyber-attacks include financial assets and non-public information belonging to customers.  We use several third-party vendors who have access to our assets via electronic media.  Certain cyber security risks arise due to this access, including cyber espionage, blackmail, ransom, and theft.  As cyber and other data security threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify and enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any security vulnerabilities.

 

We are dependent primarily upon the earnings of our operating subsidiaries for funds to pay dividends on our common stock.  The payment of dividends by us is also subject to certain regulatory restrictions.  As a result, any payment of dividends in the future will be dependent, in large part, on our ability to satisfy these regulatory restrictions and our subsidiaries' earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and other factors.  Although our financial earnings and financial condition have allowed us to declare and pay periodic cash dividends to our shareholders, there can be no assurance that our dividend policy or the size of dividend distribution will continue in the future, even if we are able to pay dividends.  Our failure to pay dividends on our common shares could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common shares.

 

 

We may be compelled to seek additional capital in the future but may not be able to access capital when needed.

Ohio Valley and the Bank are required by regulatory authorities to maintain specified levels of capital.  Federal banking agencies have adopted extensive changes to their capital requirements, including raising required amounts and eliminating inclusion of certain instruments from the calculation of capital.  We began transitioning to the new requirements on January 1, 2015.  Ohio Valley may be required to raise additional capital.  If Ohio Valley experiences increased loan losses, additional capital may need to be obtained.  In addition, Ohio Valley may elect to raise additional capital to support its business, to finance acquisitions, if any, or for other purposes.  Our ability to raise additional capital, if needed, will depend on our financial performance, conditions in the capital markets, economic conditions and a number of other factors, many of which are outside of our control.  There can be no assurance, therefore, that we can raise additional capital at all or on terms acceptable to us.  If we cannot raise additional capital when needed or desired, it may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and prospects.

We believe that our success depends largely on the efforts and abilities of our senior management.  Their experience and industry contacts significantly benefit us.  In addition, our success depends in part upon senior management's ability to implement our business strategy.  The competition for qualified personnel in the financial services industry is intense, and the loss of services of any of our senior executive officers or an inability to continue to attract, retain and motivate key personnel could adversely affect our business.  We cannot assure you that we will be able to retain our existing key personnel or attract additional qualified personnel.

Our business is primarily relationship-driven in that many of our key employees have extensive customer relationships.  Loss of a key employee with such customer relationships may lead to the loss of business if the customers were to follow that employee to a competitor.  While we believe our relationships with our key producers is good, we cannot guarantee that all of our key personnel will remain with our organization.  Loss of such key personnel, should they enter into an employment relationship with one of our competitors, could result in the loss of some of our customers.

 

Management's accounting policies and methods are fundamental to how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations.  Our management must exercise judgment in selecting and applying many of these accounting policies and methods in order to ensure that they comply with generally accepted accounting principles and reflect management's judgment as to the most appropriate manner in which to record and report our financial condition and results of operations.  In some cases, management must select the accounting policy or method to apply from two or more alternatives, any of which might be reasonable under the circumstances yet might result in reporting materially different amounts than would have been reported under a different alternative.

Management has identified several accounting policies that are considered significant (one as being "critical") to the presentation of our financial condition and results of operations because they require management to make particularly subjective and/or complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain and because of the likelihood that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions.  Because of the inherent uncertainty of estimates about these matters, no assurance can be given that the application of alternative policies or methods might not result in our reporting materially different amounts.

 

 

 

We may have to foreclose on collateral property to protect our investment and may thereafter own and operate such property, in which case we will be exposed to the risks inherent in the ownership of real estate.  The amount that we, as a mortgagee, may realize after a default is dependent upon factors outside of our control, including, but not limited to:  (i) general or local economic conditions; (ii) neighborhood values; (iii) interest rates; (iv) real estate tax rates; (v) operating expenses of the mortgaged properties; (vi) supply of and demand for rental units or properties; (vii) ability to obtain and maintain adequate occupancy of the properties; (viii) zoning laws; (ix) governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies; and (x) acts of God.  Certain expenditures associated with the ownership of real estate, principally real estate taxes and maintenance costs, may adversely affect the income from the real estate.  Therefore, the cost of operating a real property may exceed the rental income earned from such property, and we may have to advance funds in order to protect our investment, or we may be required to dispose of the real property at a loss.  The foregoing expenditures and costs could adversely affect our ability to generate revenues, resulting in reduced levels of profitability.

In the course of our business, we may acquire, through foreclosure, commercial properties securing loans that are in default.  There is a risk that hazardous substances could be discovered on those properties.  In this event, we could be required to remove the substances from and remediate the properties at our cost and expense.  The cost of removal and environmental remediation could be substantial.  We may not have adequate remedies against the owners of the properties or other responsible parties and could find it difficult or impossible to sell the affected properties.  These events could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operation.

The commercial soundness of many financial institutions may be closely interrelated as a result of relationships between the institutions.  As a result, concerns about, or a default or threatened default by, one institution could lead to significant market-wide liquidity and credit problems, losses or defaults by other institutions.  This "systemic risk" may adversely affect our business.

Your ability to sell or purchase our common shares depends upon the existence of an active trading market for our common shares.  Additionally, a fair valuation of the purchase or sales price of our common shares also depends upon an active trading market, and thus the price you receive for a thinly-traded stock may not reflect its true value.  A limited trading market for common shares may cause fluctuations in the market value of those common shares to be exaggerated, leading to price volatility in excess of that which would occur in a more active trading market.

Although our common shares are quoted on The NASDAQ Global Market, the volume of trades on any given day has been limited historically, as a result of which shareholders might not have been able to sell or purchase our common shares at the volume, price or time desired.  On June 26, 2017, our common shares were added to the Russell 3000® Index.  The addition of our common shares to the Russell 3000® Index increased the volume of trading in our shares as well as the price at which our shares trade.   There can be no assurance that our common shares will remain in that index.  If our common shares are removed from the Russell 3000® Index, the volume of trading in our shares may decrease materially as well as the prices at which our shares trade.

Our articles of incorporation contain provisions that make it more difficult for a third party to gain control or acquire us without the consent of our board of directors.  These provisions also could discourage proxy contests and may make it more difficult for dissident shareholders to elect representatives as directors and take other corporate actions.  These provisions of our governing documents may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control that might be in the best interests of our shareholders.

Risks Related to the Legal and Regulatory Environment

In addition to laws, regulations and actions directed at the operations of banks, proposals to reform the housing finance market could negatively affect our ability to sell loans.

Although it is impossible for us to predict at this time what changes in laws and regulations will be implemented and the effect they will have on us and the rest of our industry, it is possible that our revenue could decrease, our interest expense could increase and deposit insurance premiums could change, and steps may need to be taken to increase qualifying capital.  Our operating and compliance costs could increase and could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to extensive federal, state and local taxes, including income, excise, sales/use, payroll, franchise, withholding and ad valorem taxes.  Changes to our taxes could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.  In addition, our customers are subject to a wide variety of federal, state and local taxes.  Changes in taxes paid by our customers, including changes in the deductibility of mortgage loan related expenses, may adversely affect their ability to purchase homes or consumer products, which could adversely affect their demand for our loans and deposit products.  In addition, such negative effects on our customers could result in defaults on the loans we have made and decrease the value of mortgage-backed securities in which we have invested.

On December 22, 2017, H.R.1, formally known as the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act," was enacted into law.  This new tax legislation, among other changes, limits the amount of state, federal and local taxes that taxpayers are permitted to deduct on their individual tax returns and eliminates other deductions in their entirety.  Such limits and eliminations may result in customer defaults on loans we have made and decrease the value of mortgage-backed securities in which we have invested.

In October 2017, the CFPB issued a final rule with respect to certain consumer loans to be effective on January 16, 2018, although compliance with most sections to be required starting on August 19, 2019.  The first major part of the rule makes it an unfair and abusive practice for a lender to make short-term and longer-term loans with balloon payments (with certain exceptions) without reasonably determining that the borrower has the ability to repay the loan.  The second major part of the rule applies to the same types of loans as well as longer-term loans with an annual percentage rate greater than 36 percent that are repaid directly from the borrower's account.  The rule states that it is an unfair and abusive practice for the lender to withdraw payment from the borrower's account after two consecutive payment attempts have failed, unless the lender obtains the consumer's new and specific authorization to make further withdrawals from the account.  The rule also requires lenders to provide certain notices to the borrower before attempting to withdraw payment on a covered loan from the borrower's account.

 

 

On January 16, 2018, the CFPB issued a press release stating that it "intends to engage in a rulemaking process so that the Bureau may reconsider the Payday Rule."

We are currently assessing the expected effect of this new rule on the Bank's and Loan Central's lending businesses and on the Company's financial condition and results of operations.  The costs of copmlying with this regulation or a determination to discontinue certain types of consumer lending in light of the expense of compliance could have an adverse effect on the financial conditions and results of operations of the Company.

ITEM 1B – UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable

ITEM 2 - PROPERTIES

Ohio Valley does not directly own or lease any real or personal property.

The principal executive offices of Ohio Valley and the Bank are located at 420 Third Avenue, Gallipolis, Ohio.  The Bank owns fourteen financial service centers located in Gallipolis (Gallia Co.), Jackson, Oak Hill and Wellston (Jackson Co.), Waverly (Pike Co.), New Holland (Pickaway Co.), and Mount Sterling (Madison Co.)  in Ohio; and Point Pleasant (Mason Co.), and Milton and Barboursville (Cabell Co.) in West Virginia.  The Bank leases five additional financial service centers located in Gallipolis (Gallia Co.), Pomeroy (Meigs Co.) and Athens (Athens Co.) in Ohio.  The Bank also owns and operates thirty-six ATMs, including nineteen off-site ATMs.  Furthermore, the Bank owns three facilities and leases one facility in Gallipolis (Gallia Co.), Ohio, which are used for additional office space.   The Bank also owns a facility in Gallipolis (Gallia Co.), and a facility in Point Pleasant (Mason Co.), in West Virginia, which are all leased to third parties.

Loan Central conducts its consumer finance operations through six offices located in Gallipolis (Gallia Co.), Jackson (Jackson Co.), Waverly (Pike Co.), South Point (Lawrence Co.), Wheelersburg (Scioto Co.) and Chillicothe (Ross Co.), all in Ohio.  All of these facilities are leased by Loan Central, except for the Wheelersburg (Scioto Co.) facility.  Loan Central also owns a building in Jackson, Ohio (Jackson Co.) which will be used to conduct business beginning in 2018, and will replace their exisiting branch location that was being leased.  Loan Central leases a portion of its Wheelersburg (Scioto Co.) facility to a third party.

Management considers all of these properties to be satisfactory for the Company's current operations.  The Bank and Loan Centrals' leased facilities are all subject to commercially standard leasing arrangements.

Information concerning the value of the Company's owned and leased real property and a summary of future lease payments is contained in "Note E – Premises and Equipment" of the notes to the Company's consoldiated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

 

 

ITEM 3 – LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Not applicable

ITEM 4 – MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable

PART II

ITEM 5 - MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED  STOCKHOLDER

                 MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

The information required under this Item 5 by Items 201(a) through (c) of SEC Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the information presented under the captions "Summary of Common Stock Data" and "Performance Graph" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders and "Note P - Regulatory Matters" of the notes to the Company's consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

Ohio Valley did not sell any unregistered equity securities during the three months ended December 31, 2017.

Ohio Valley did not purchase any of its shares during the three months ended December 31, 2017.

ITEM 6 - SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

ITEM 7 - MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL

                 CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The information required under this Item 7 by Item 303 of SEC Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the information presented under the caption "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

ITEM 7A - QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Market risk is the risk of loss arising from adverse changes in the fair value of financial instruments due to interest rate risk, exchange rate risk, equity price risk and commodity price risk.  Ohio Valley does not maintain a trading account for any class of financial instruments, and is not currently subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk, equity price risk or commodity price risk.  Ohio Valley's market risk is composed primarily of interest rate risk.

The information required under this Item 7A by Item 305 of SEC Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the information presented under the captions "Interest Rate Sensitivity and Liquidity" and "Interest Rate Sensitivity -- Table VIII" found within "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.

ITEM 8 - FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Ohio Valley's consolidated financial statements and related notes are listed below and incorporated herein by reference to Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders.  The supplementary data "Consolidated Quarterly Financial Information (unaudited)" and the "Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders is also incorporated herein by reference.

Consolidated Statements of Condition as of December 31, 2017 and 2016

Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

ITEM 9 - CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS

                 ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

Not applicable

ITEM 9A – CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

With the participation of the Chief Executive Officer (the principal executive officer) and the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (the principal financial officer) of Ohio Valley, Ohio Valley's management has evaluated the effectiveness of Ohio Valley's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Based on that evaluation, Ohio Valley's Chief Executive Officer and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that:

·

information required to be disclosed by Ohio Valley in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports that Ohio Valley files or submits under the Exchange Act would be accumulated and communicated to Ohio Valley's management, including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure;

·	information required to be disclosed by Ohio Valley in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and other reports that Ohio Valley files or submits under the Exchange Act would be recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms; and

·	Ohio Valley's disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

"Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders is incorporated into this Item 9A by reference.

 

 

The "Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" located in Ohio Valley's 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders is incorporated into this Item 9A by reference.

There were no changes in Ohio Valley's internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during Ohio Valley's fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2017, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, Ohio Valley's internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B – OTHER INFORMATION

None

PART III

ITEM 10 – DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

The information required under this Item 10 by Items 401, 405, and 407(c)(3), (d)(4) and (d)(5) of SEC Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the information presented in Ohio Valley's definitive proxy statement relating to the annual meeting of shareholders of Ohio Valley to be held on May 16, 2018 (the "2018 Proxy Statement"), under the captions "Proxy Item 1:  Election of Directors," "Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance" and "Compensation of Executive Officers and Directors" of the 2018 Proxy Statement.

The Board of Directors of Ohio Valley has adopted a Code of Ethics covering the directors, officers and employees of Ohio Valley and its affiliates, including, without limitation, the principal executive officer, the principal financial officer and the principal accounting officer of Ohio Valley.  The Code of Ethics is posted on Ohio Valley's website at www.ovbc.com.  Amendments to the Code of Ethics and waivers of the provisions of the Code of Ethics will also be posted on Ohio Valley's website.  Interested persons may obtain copies of the Code of Ethics without charge by writing to Ohio Valley Banc Corp., Attention: Larry E. Miller, Secretary, 420 Third Avenue, Gallipolis, Ohio 45631.

ITEM 11 - EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION

The information required under this Item 11 by Items 402 and 407(e)(4) and (e)(5) of SEC Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the information presented under the caption "Compensation of Executive Officers and Directors" and "Proxy item 1: Election of Directors – Committees of the Board – Compensation and Management Succession Committee" of the 2018 Proxy Statement.

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

The information required under this Item 12 by Item 403 of SEC Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the information presented under the caption "Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management" of the 2018 Proxy Statement.

Ohio Valley does not maintain any equity compensation plans requiring disclosure pursuant to Item 201(d) of SEC Regulation S-K.

ITEM 13 - CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE

The information required under this Item 13 by Item 404 and Item 407(a) of SEC Regulation S-K is incorporated herein by reference to the information presented under the captions "Certain Relationships and Related Transactions" and "Proxy Item 1:  Election of Directors" of the 2018 Proxy Statement.

ITEM 14 – PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

The information required under this Item 14 by Item 9(e) of Schedule 14A is incorporated herein by reference to the information presented under the captions "Pre-Approval of Services Performed by Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" and "Services Rendered by Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm" of the 2018 Proxy Statement.

PART IV

ITEM 15 – EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

A. (1) Financial Statements

The following consolidated financial statements of Ohio Valley appear in the 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders, Exhibit 13, and are specifically incorporated herein by reference under Item 8 of this Form 10-K:

Consolidated Statements of Condition as of December 31, 2017 and 2016

Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 (2) Financial Statement Schedules

Financial statement schedules are omitted as they are not required or are not applicable, or the required information is included in the financial statements.

 (3) Exhibits

Reference is made to the Exhibit Index beginning on page 36 of this Form 10-K.

ITEM 16 – FORM 10-K SUMMARY

Not applicable.

 

Exhibit Number		Exhibit Description
2(a)		Agreement and Plan of Merger between Ohio Valley Banc Corp. and Milton Bancorp, Inc. dated January 7, 2016:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Ohio Valley's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 7, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
2(b)		Amendment to Agreement and Plan of Merger by and between Ohio Valley Banc Corp. and Milton Bancorp, Inc., dated April 20, 2016: Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2.1 to Ohio Valley's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on April 21, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
3(a)		Amended Articles of Incorporation of Ohio Valley (reflects amendments through April 7, 1999) [for SEC reporting compliance only - - not filed with the Ohio Secretary of State].  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3(a) to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
3(b)		Code of Regulations of Ohio Valley: Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3(b) to Ohio Valley's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2010 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
4		Agreement to furnish instruments and agreements defining rights of holders of long-term debt: Filed herewith.
10.1*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Executive Group Life Split Dollar Plan Agreement, dated December 31, 2011, between Thomas E. Wiseman and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.2*		Schedule A to Exhibit 10.1 identifying other identical Executive Group Life Split Dollar Agreements between The Ohio Valley Bank Company and certain executive officers of Ohio Valley Banc Corp.:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.3(a)*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Third Amended and Restated Director Retirement Agreement, dated December 18, 2012, between Jeffrey E. Smith and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3(a) to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.3(b)*		Schedule A to Exhibit 10.3(a) identifying other identical Third Amended and Restated Director Retirement Agreements between The Ohio Valley Bank Company and directors of Ohio Valley Banc Corp.:  Filed herewith.

Exhibit Number		Exhibit Description
10.4*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Salary Continuation Agreement, dated January 26, 2016, by and between Larry E. Miller and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to Ohio Valley's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 26, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.5*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Salary Continuation Agreement, dated December 18, 2012, between Jeffrey E. Smith and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.6(a)*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Second Amended and Restated Director Deferred Fee Agreement, dated December 18, 2012, between Thomas E. Wiseman and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.6(a) to Ohio Valley's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for quarterly period ended September 30, 2015 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.6(b)*		Schedule A to Exhibit 10.6(a) identifying other identical Second Amended and Restated Director Deferred Fee Agreements between The Ohio Valley Bank Company and directors of Ohio Valley Banc Corp.:  Filed herewith.
10.7(a)*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Executive Deferred Compensation Agreement, dated December 18, 2012, between Jeffrey E. Smith and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.6(b) to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2012 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.7(b)*		First Amendment to The Ohio Valley Bank Company Executive Deferred Compensation Agreement, dated January 26, 2016:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Ohio Valley's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 26, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.7(c)*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Executive Deferred Compensation Agreement, dated January 26, 2016, between Larry E. Miller and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Ohio Valley's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 26, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.7(d)*		Schedule A to Exhibit 10.7(a) identifying other identical Executive Deferred Compensation Agreements between The Ohio Valley Bank Company and executive officers of Ohio Valley Banc Corp.:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.7(d) to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 (SEC File No. 0-20914).

Exhibit Number		Exhibit Description
10.7(e)*		Schedule A to Exhibit 10.7(b) identifying the named executive officers of Ohio Valley Banc Corp. who executed with  The Ohio Valley Bank Company the First Amendment to The Ohio Valley Bank Company Executive Deferred Compensation Agreement:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Ohio Valley's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on January 26, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.8*		Summary of Compensation for Directors and Named Executive Officers of Ohio Valley Banc Corp.:  Filed herewith.
10.9*		Summary of Bonus Program of Ohio Valley Banc Corp.:  Filed herewith.
10.10*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan agreement, dated March 6, 2012, between Thomas E. Wiseman and The Ohio Valley Bank Company; Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Ohio Valley's Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 9, 2012 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.11*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Fourth Amended and Restated Director Retirement Agreement, dated May 13, 2015, between Brent A. Saunders and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.11 to Ohio Valley's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for quarterly period ended September 30, 2015 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.12*		Schedule A to Exhibit 10.11 identifying other identical Fourth Amended and Restated Director Retirement Agreements between The Ohio Valley Bank Company and directors of Ohio Valley Banc Corp.:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.12 to Ohio Valley's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for quarterly period ended September 30, 2015 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.13*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Third Amended and Restated Director Deferred Fee Agreement, dated May 13, 2015, between Brent A. Saunders and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to Ohio Valley's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for quarterly period ended September 30, 2015 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.14*		Schedule A to Exhibit 10.13 identifying other identical Third Amended and Restated Director Deferred Fee Agreements between The Ohio Valley Bank Company and directors of Ohio Valley Banc Corp.:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to Ohio Valley's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for quarterly period ended September 30, 2015 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.15*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Director Retirement Agreement, dated December 14, 2016, between Brent R. Eastman and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.15 to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.16*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Director Deferred Fee Agreement, dated December 14, 2016, between Brent R. Eastman and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.16 to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).

Exhibit Number		Exhibit Description
10.17*		2016 Determination of Director's Fees Agreement for purposes of the Director Deferred Fee Agreements for Directors Thomas, Howe, Wiseman, Barnitz and Saunders:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.18*		2016 Determination of Director's Fees Agreement for purposes of the Director Deferred Fee Agreement for Director Smith:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.18 to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.19*		2016 Determination of Director's Fees Agreement for purposes of the Director Retirement Agreement for Directors Thomas, Howe, Smith, and Wiseman:  Filed herewith.
10.21*		2016 Determination of Director's Fees Agreement for purposes of the Director Retirement Agreement for Directors Barnitz and Saunders:  Incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.21 to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 (SEC File No. 0-20914).
10.22*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Director Retirement Agreement, dated December 19, 2017, between Kimberly A. Canady and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Filed herewith.
10.22(a)*		Schedule A to Exhibit 10.22 identifying other Director Retirement Agreements between The Ohio Valley Bank Company and directors of Ohio Valley Banc Corp.:  Filed herewith.
10.23*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Director Retirement Agreement, dated December 20, 2017, between John G. Jones and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Filed herewith.
10.24*		The Ohio Valley Bank Company Director Deferred Fee Agreement, dated December 19, 2017, between Kimberly A. Canady and The Ohio Valley Bank Company:  Filed herewith.
10.24(a)*		Schedule A to Exhibit 10.24 identifying other Director Deferred Fee Agreements between The Ohio Valley Bank Company and directors of Ohio Valley Banc Corp.:  Filed herewith.
13		Ohio Valley's Annual Report to Shareholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017:  Filed  herewith.  (Not  deemed filed except for portions thereof specifically incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.)
21		Subsidiaries of Ohio Valley:  Filed herewith.
23		Consent of Crowe Horwath LLP.:  Filed herewith.

Exhibit Number		Exhibit Description
31.1		Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification (Principal Executive Officer):  Filed herewith.
31.2		Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification (Principal Financial Officer):  Filed herewith.
32		Section 1350 Certifications (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Accounting Officer): Filed herewith.
101.INS #		XBRL Instance Document:  Submitted electronically herewith. #
101.SCH #		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema:  Submitted electronically herewith. #
101.CAL #		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase:  Submitted electronically herewith. #
101.DEF #		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase:  Submitted electronically herewith. #
101.LAB #		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase: Submitted electronically herewith. #
101.PRE #		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase:  Submitted electronically herewith. #

# Attached as Exhibit 101 to Ohio Valley's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 are the following documents formatted in XBRL (eXtensive Business Reporting Language): (i) Consolidated Statements of Condition at December 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016; (ii) Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015; (iii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015; (iv) Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015; (v) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015; and (vi) Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Ohio Valley has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below on March 16, 2018 by the following persons on behalf of Ohio Valley and in the capacities indicated.