f10k_123111-0160.htm



UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K
(Mark One):
 
 
x
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011
or
o
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from ________ to _________
 
Commission File No. 0-28364

NORWOOD FINANCIAL CORP.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Pennsylvania
 
23-2828306
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation or Organization)
 
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

717 Main Street, Honesdale, Pennsylvania
   
18431
 
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
   
(Zip Code)
 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (570) 253-1455

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

Title of Each Class
 
Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, $.10 par value
 
The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

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. o YES     x 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. o YES     x 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.  x YES     o NO
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§229.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  x YES     o 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.  x
 
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.

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).o Yes     x No
 
The Registrant’s voting stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “NWFL.”  The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the closing price of the registrant’s Common Stock as of June 30, 2011, $26.15 per share, was $80.5 million based on 3,078,792 shares of Common Stock outstanding.  For purposes of this calculation, the term “affiliate” refers to all directors and executive officers of the registrant, and all persons beneficially owning more than 5% of the registrant’s common stock.
 
As of March 1, 2012, there were 3,286,120 shares outstanding of the registrant’s Common Stock.
 
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
 
1.  Portions of the Annual Report to Stockholders for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2011. (Parts I, II, and IV)
2.  Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement for the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. (Part III)





 
 
 
 

NORWOOD FINANCIAL CORP.
ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

Table of Contents

Part I
 
Page
     
Item 1.
Business
2
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
  22
Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
  31
Item 2.
Properties
  31
Item 3.
Legal Proceedings
  31
Item 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
  32
 
Part II
   
     
Item 5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
  32
Item 6.
Selected Financial Data
  32
Item 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
  32
Item 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk
  32
Item 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
  32
Item 9
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
  32
Item 9A.
Controls and Procedures
  32
Item 9B.
Other Information
 33
 
Part III
   
     
Item 10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
  33
Item 11.
Executive Compensation
  33
Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
  33
Item 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence
  34
Item 14.
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
  34
 
Part IV
   
     
Item 15.
Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules
  35
     
SIGNATURES
 
     
     




 
1
 
 

PART I
Forward Looking Statements

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 contains safe harbor provisions regarding forward-looking statements. When used in this discussion, the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “contemplates,” “expects,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Those risks and uncertainties as detailed in Item 1A include:

 
our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from our acquisition of North Penn Bancorp, Inc.
 
possible future impairment of intangible assets
 
our ability to effectively manage future growth
 
loan losses in excess of our allowance
 
risks inherent in commercial lending
 
real estate collateral which is subject to declines in value
 
potential other-than-temporary impairments
 
higher deposit insurance premiums
 
soundness of other financial institutions
 
increased compliance burden under new financial reform legislation
 
risk of failure to stabilize the financial system
 
current market volatility
 
potential liquidity risk
 
availability of capital
 
regional economic factors
 
loss of senior officers
 
comparatively low legal lending limits
 
limited market for the Company’s stock
 
restrictions on ability to pay dividends
 
common stock may lose value
 
competitive environment
 
issuing additional shares may dilute ownership
 
extensive and complex governmental regulation and associated cost
 
interest rate risks

Norwood Financial Corp. undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to those forward-looking statements which may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
 
Item 1. Business

General

Norwood Financial Corp. (the “Company”), a Pennsylvania corporation, is the holding company for Wayne Bank. On March 29, 1996, the Bank completed a holding company reorganization and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had total assets of $668.8 million, deposits of $525.8 million, and stockholders’ equity of $88.1 million. The Company’s ratio of average equity to average assets was 12.76%, 12.56% and 12.09% for fiscal years 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

 
2
 
 
Wayne Bank is a Pennsylvania chartered commercial bank headquartered in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. The Bank was originally chartered on February 17, 1870 as Wayne County Savings Bank. Wayne County Savings Bank changed its name to Wayne County Bank and Trust in December 1943. In September 1993, the Bank adopted the name Wayne Bank. The Bank’s deposits are currently insured to  applicable limits by the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) as administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). The Bank is regulated by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking (“PDB”) and the FDIC.

The Bank is an independent community bank with five offices in Wayne County, three offices in Pike County, five offices in Monroe County and three offices in Lackawanna County. The Bank offers a wide variety of personal and business credit services and trust and investment products and real estate settlement services to the consumers, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities in each of the communities that the Bank serves. The Bank primarily serves the Pennsylvania counties of Wayne, Pike, Monroe and Lackawanna and, to a much lesser extent, Susquehanna County. In addition, the Bank operates 16 automated teller machines, one in each of its branch locations.
 
 
The Company’s main office is located at 717 Main Street, Honesdale, Pennsylvania and its telephone number is (570) 253-1455. The Company maintains a website at www.waynebank.com.  Information on our website should not be treated as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.  The Company makes copies of its SEC filings available free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed, through a link on its website to the SEC’s website.

Acquisition of North Penn Bancorp, Inc.

On May 31, 2011, the Company completed its acquisition of North Penn Bancorp, Inc. (“North Penn”) and its wholly owned subsidiary, North Penn Bank, as contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of December 14, 2010, by and among the Company, Wayne Bank, North Penn and North Penn Bank (the “Agreement”). The Company acquired all of the outstanding shares of North Penn for an aggregate cash consideration of approximately $12.2 million and 532,000 shares of the Company’s common stock.  The cash and stock transaction was valued at approximately $26.9 million based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on May 31, 2011.  In accordance with the Agreement, each outstanding share of North Penn common stock was converted, at the election of the holder, into either the right to receive $19.12 in cash or 0.6829 shares of the Company’s common stock, subject to the election and allocation procedures in the Agreement, including the requirement that $12,194,000 of the merger consideration (which included amounts paid in cancellation of existing stock options, for the unallocated shares held by the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”) and any shares as to which the holders exercised dissenters’ rights) be paid in cash and that the remainder be paid in the Company’s common stock.

Competition

The competition for deposit products comes from other insured financial institutions such as commercial banks, thrift institutions, credit unions, and multi-state regional banks in the Company’s market area of Wayne, Pike, Monroe and Lackawanna Counties, Pennsylvania. Based on data compiled by the FDIC as of June 30, 2011 (the latest date for which data is available), the Bank had the third largest share of FDIC-insured deposits in Wayne County with approximately 19.8%, third largest share in Pike County with 18.9%, ninth largest share in Monroe County with 3.0% and 10th largest share in Lackawanna County with 2.2%. This data does not reflect deposits held by credit unions with which the Bank also competes. Deposit competition also includes a number of insurance products sold by local agents and investment products such as mutual funds and other securities sold by local and regional brokers. Loan competition
 
 
3
 
 
varies depending upon market conditions and comes from other insured financial institutions such as commercial banks, thrift institutions, credit unions, multi-state regional banks, and mortgage bankers.
 
Personnel

As of December 31, 2011, the Bank had 140 full-time and 9 part-time employees. None of the Bank’s employees are represented by a collective bargaining group.

Lending Activities

The Bank’s loan products include loans for personal and business use. Personal lending includes mortgage lending to finance principal residences and to a lesser extent second home dwellings. The Bank’s loan products include fixed-rate mortgage products with terms up to 30 years which may be sold, in the secondary market through the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) or held in the Bank’s portfolio subject to the extent consistent with our asset/liability management strategies. Fixed-rate home equity loans are originated on terms up to 180 months, as well as offering a home equity line of credit tied to the prime rate. The Bank to a lesser extent also offers indirect dealer financing of automobiles (new and used), boats, and recreational vehicles through a limited network of dealers in Northeast Pennsylvania, but is allowing this portfolio to run-off. At December 31, 2011, there were $7.4 million of indirect loans in the portfolio.  In connection with the acquisition of North Penn Bancorp, Inc., the Company acquired approximately $119.7 million in loans, including $36.2 million in residential real estate loans, $70.8 million in commercial real estate loans, $10.5 million in commercial, financial and agricultural loans, $1.8 million in consumer loans and $358,000 in construction loans.

Commercial loans and commercial mortgages are provided to local small and mid-sized businesses at a variety of terms and rate structures.  At December 31, 2011, the Bank had approximately $44.8 million in loans to the hospitality, lodging industry.  Commercial lending activities include lines of credit, revolving credit, term loans, mortgages, various forms of secured lending and a limited amount of letter of credit facilities. The rate structure may be fixed, immediately repricing tied to the prime rate or adjustable at set intervals.

The Bank’s construction lending has primarily involved lending for commercial construction projects and for single-family residences. All loans for the construction of speculative sale homes have a loan value ratio of not more than 80%. For both commercial and single-family projects loan proceeds are disbursed during the construction phase according to a draw schedule based on the stage of completion. Construction projects are inspected by contracted inspectors or bank personnel. Construction loans are underwritten on the basis of the estimated value of the property as completed. For commercial projects, the Bank typically also provides the permanent financing after the construction period, as a commercial mortgage.

The Bank also, from time to time originates loans secured by undeveloped land. Land loans granted to individuals have a term of up to 5 years. Land loans granted to developers may have an interest only period during development. The substantial majority of land loans have a loan-to-value ratio not exceeding 75%. The Bank has limited its exposure to land loans but may expand its lending on raw land, as market conditions allow, to qualified borrowers experienced in the development and sale of raw land.

Loans involving construction financing and loans on raw land have a higher level of risk than loans for the purchase of existing homes since collateral values, land values, development costs and construction costs can only be estimated at the time the loan is approved. The Bank has sought to minimize its risk in construction lending and in lending for the purchase of raw land by offering such
 
 
4
 
 
 
 financing primarily to builders and developers to whom the Bank has loaned funds in the past and to persons who have previous experience in such projects. The Bank also limits construction lending and loans on raw land to its market area, with which management is familiar.

Adjustable-rate loans decrease the risks associated with changes in interest rates by periodically repricing, but involve other risks because as interest rates increase, the underlying payments by the borrower increase, thus increasing the potential for payment default. At the same time, the marketability of the underlying collateral may be adversely affected by higher interest rates. Upward adjustment of the contractual interest rate may also be limited by the maximum periodic interest rate adjustment permitted in certain adjustable-rate mortgage loan documents, and, therefore is potentially limited in effectiveness during periods of rapidly rising interest rates. These risks have not had an adverse effect on the Bank.

Consumer lending, including indirect financing provides benefits to the Bank’s asset/liability management program by reducing the Bank’s exposure to interest rate changes, due to their generally shorter terms. Such loans may entail additional credit risks compared to owner-occupied residential mortgage lending especially when unsecured or secured by collateral such as automobiles that depreciate rapidly. As a result, the Bank has de-emphasized the indirect lending product line.

Commercial lending including real-estate related loans entail significant additional risks when compared with residential real estate and consumer lending. For example, commercial loans typically involve larger loan balances to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers. The payment experience on such loans typically is dependent on the successful operation of the project and these risks can be significantly impacted by the cash flow of the borrowers and market conditions for commercial office, retail, and warehouse space. In periods of decreasing cash flows, the commercial borrower may permit a lapse in general maintenance of the property causing the value of the underlying collateral to deteriorate. The liquidation of commercial property is often more costly and may involve more time to sell than residential real estate. The Bank offsets such factors with requiring more owner equity, a lower loan to value ratio and by obtaining the personal guaranties of the principals. In addition, a majority of the Bank’s commercial real estate portfolio is owner occupied property.

Commercial loans and leases are considered to have a higher degree of credit risk than secured real estate lending. The repayment of unsecured commercial business loans is wholly dependent of the success of the borrower’s business, while secured commercial business loans may be secured by collateral that may not be readily marketable in the event of default.

Due to the type and nature of the collateral, consumer lending generally involves more credit risk when compared with residential real estate lending. Consumer lending collections are typically dependent on the borrower’s continuing financial stability, and thus, are more likely to be adversely affected by job loss, divorce, illness and personal bankruptcy. In most cases, any repossessed collateral for a defaulted consumer loan will not provide an adequate source of repayment of the outstanding loan balance. The remaining deficiency is usually turned over to a collection agency.

There are additional risks associated with indirect automobile lending since we must rely on the automobile dealer to provide accurate information to us and accurate disclosures to the borrowers. These loans are principally done on a non-recourse basis. We seek to mitigate these risks by only dealing with dealers with whom we have a long-standing relationship.

Loan Solicitation and Processing

The Bank has established various lending limits for its officers and also maintains an Officer Loan Committee to approve higher loan amounts. The loan committee is comprised of the President and
 
 
5
 
 
 
Chief Executive Officer, Senior Lending Officer and other Bank officers. The Loan Committee has the authority to approve all loans up to set limits based on the type of loan and the collateral. Requests in excess of these limits must be submitted to the Directors’ Loan Committee or Board of Directors for approval. Additionally, the President and Chief Executive Officer, and the Senior Lending Officer and other officers have the authority to approve secured and unsecured loans up to amounts approved by the Board of Directors and maintained in the Bank’s Loan Policy. Notwithstanding individual lending authority, certain loan policy exceptions must be submitted to the loan committee for approval.

Hazard insurance coverage is required on all properties securing loans made by the Bank. Flood insurance is also required, when applicable.

Loan applicants are notified of the credit decision by letter. If the loan is approved, the loan commitment specifies the terms and conditions of the proposed loan including the amount, interest rate, amortization term, a brief description of the required collateral, and the required insurance coverage. The borrower must provide proof of fire, flood (if applicable) and casualty insurance on the property serving as collateral and title insurance, and these applicable insurances must be maintained during the full term of the loan.




 
6
 
 

Loan Portfolio Composition. Set forth below is selected data relating to the composition of the Bank’s loan portfolio at the dates indicated.


    
As of December 31,
 
   
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2008
 
2007
 
   
$
 
%
 
$
 
%
 
$
 
%
 
$
 
%
 
$
 
%
 
   
(dollars in thousands)
 
                                                     
Commercial  loans
 
$
22,684
 
5.0
 
$
22,386
 
6.3
 
$
24,116
 
6.6
 
$
25,886
 
7.4
 
$
29,159
 
8.8
 
Real Estate-construction
   
11,087
 
2.4
   
12,638
 
3.5
   
14,405
 
4.0
   
14,856
 
4.2
   
20,404
 
6.2
 
Real Estate-residential and commercial
   
410,624
 
89.6
   
308,656
 
86.4
   
310,584
 
85.3
   
292,893
 
83.8
   
263,481
 
79.5
 
Consumer loans
   
13,934
 
3.0
   
13,668
 
3.8
   
14,850
 
4.1
   
16,087
 
4.6
   
18,526
 
5.5
 
     
458,329
 
100.0
   
357,348
 
100.0
   
363,955
 
100.0
   
 349,722
 
100.0
   
 331,570
 
100.0
 
Deferred fees, net
   
(422
)
     
(493
)
     
  (481
)
     
(318
)
     
(274
)
   
Allowance for loan losses
   
(5,458
)
     
(5,616
)
     
(5,453
)
     
(4,233
)
     
(4,081
)
   
Loans receivable, net
 
$
452,449
     
$
351,239
     
$
358,021
     
$
345,171
     
$
327,215
     



 
7
 
 

Maturities and Sensitivities of Loans to Changes in Interest Rates. The following table sets forth maturities and interest rate sensitivity for selected categories of loans as of December 31, 2011. Scheduled repayments are reported in the maturity category in which payment is due.  Demand loans, loans having no stated schedule of repayments and no stated maturity and overdrafts are reported as due in one year or less.

   
One Year
or Less
   
After One to
Five Years
   
Over
Five Years
   
Total
 
   
(dollars in thousands)
 
Commercial loans
  $ 3,845     $ 6,258     $ 12,581     $ 22,684  
Real Estate - Construction
    6,141       4,055       891       11,087  
                                 
Total
  $ 9,986     $ 10,313     $ 13,472     $ 33,771  
                                 
Loans with fixed rates
  $ 6,435     $ 9,087     $ 8,796     $ 24,318  
Loans with floating rates
    8,558       895       -       9,453  
Total
  $ 14,993     $ 9,982     $ 8,796     $ 33,771  
                                 

Non-Performing Assets. The following table sets forth information regarding non-accrual loans, foreclosed real estate owned and loans that are 90 days or more delinquent but on which the Bank was accruing interest at the dates indicated. The increase in non-accrual loans during 2011 includes $1.9 million of such loans which were acquired from North Penn.  For the year ended December 31, 2011, interest income that would have been recorded on loans accounted for on a non-accrual basis under the original terms of such loans was $535,000 of which $117,000 was collected.

   
As of December 31,
 
   
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2008
 
2007
 
   
(dollars in thousands)
 
Non-accrual loans:
                               
Commercial
 
$
404
 
$
513
 
$
 
$
 
$
 
Real estate – residential and commercial
   
7,411
   
3,527
   
4,916
   
2,087
   
109
 
Consumer
   
   
   
   
   
2
 
Total
   
7,815
   
4,040
   
4,916
   
2,087
   
111
 
                                 
Accruing loans which are contractually past-due 90 days or more:
                               
Commercial and all other
   
   
   
9
   
   
 
Real estate
   
   
39
   
90
   
   
49
 
Consumer
   
   
   
   
   
3
 
Total
   
   
39
   
99
   
   
52
 
                                 
Total non-performing loans
   
7,815
   
4,079
   
5,015
   
2,087
   
163
 
Foreclosed real estate
   
2,910
   
748
   
392
   
660
   
 
Total non-performing assets
 
$
10,725
 
$
4,827
 
$
5,407
 
$
2,747
 
$
163
 
Total non-performing loans to total loans
   
1.71
%
 
1.14
%
 
1.38
%
 
0.60
%
 
0.05
%
Total non-performing loans to total assets
   
1.17
%
 
0.76
%
 
0.95
%
 
0.41
%
 
0.03
%
Total non-performing assets to total assets
   
1.60
%
 
0.90
%
 
1.02
%
 
0.54
%
 
0.03
%

The recorded investment in impaired loans, not requiring an allowance for loan losses was $6,807,000 (net of a charge-off against the allowance for loan losses of $698,000) and $6,111,000 (net of charge-offs against the allowance of $220,000) at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively. The
 
 
8
 
 
 
recorded investment in impaired loans requiring an allowance for loan losses was $6,823,000 (net of charge-off against the allowance for loan losses of $0) and $8,641,000 (net of a charge-off against the allowance of $480,000) at December 31, 2011 and 2010. For the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, the average recorded investment in these impaired loans was $15,783,000, $10,096,000 and $3,585,000 and the interest income recognized on these impaired loans was $561,000, $385,000 and $139,000, respectively. In connection with the North Penn acquisition, the Company acquired loans with deteriorated credit quality with an unpaid balance of $1.9 million, which are being carried at their fair value of $1.3 million.

Potential Problem Loans. As of December 31, 2011, there were no loans not previously disclosed, where known information about possible credit problems of borrowers causes management to have serious doubts as to the ability of such borrowers to comply with the present loan repayment terms.

Analysis of the Allowance for Loan Losses. The following table sets forth information with respect to the Bank’s allowance for loan losses for the years indicated:

   
As of December 31,
 
   
2011
   
2010
   
2009
   
2008
   
2007
 
   
(dollars in thousands)
 
                               
Total loans receivable net of deferred fees
  $ 457,907     $ 356,855     $ 363,474     $ 349,404     $ 331,296  
Average loans receivable
  $ 414,473     $ 355,980     $ 356,345     $ 335,137     $ 323,444  
                                         
Allowance balance at beginning of period
  $ 5,616     $ 5,453     $ 4,233     $ 4,081     $ 3,828  
                                         
Charge-offs:
                                       
Commercial
    (2 )     (85 )     (17 )     (7 )      
Real Estate – residential and commercial
    (1,735 )     (699 )     (358 )     (465 )     (4 )
Consumer
    (109 )     (82 )     (139 )     (171 )     (117 )
                                         
Total
    (1,846 )     (866 )     (514 )     (643 )     (121 )
                                         
Recoveries:
                                       
Commercial
    5             11              
Real Estate – residential and commercial
    51       2       4       1       2  
Consumer
    57       27       34       59       54  
Leases
                            3  
                                         
Total
    113       29       49       60       59  
                                         
Net Charge-offs
    (1,733 )     (837 )     (465 )     (583 )     (62 )
                                         
Provision Expense
    1,575       1,000       1,685       735       315  
Allowance balance at end of period
  $ 5,458     $ 5,616     $ 5,453     $ 4,233     $ 4,081  
                                         
Allowance for loan losses as a percent of total loans outstanding
    1.19 %     1.57 %     1.50 %     1.21 %     1.23 %
                                         
Net loans charged off as a percent of average loans outstanding
    0.42 %     0.24 %     0.13 %     0.17 %     0.02 %



 
9
 
 

Allocation of the Allowance For Loan Losses. The following table sets forth the allocation of the Bank’s allowance for loan losses by loan category and the percent of loans in each category to total loans at the date indicated. The allocation is made for analytical purposes and is not necessarily indicative of the categories in which credit losses may occur. The total allowance is available to absorb losses from any type of loan.
 
   
As of December 31,
 
   
2011
 
2010
 
2009
 
2008
   2007  
         
% of
       
% of
       
% of
       
% of
       
% of
 
         
Loans
       
Loans
       
Loans
       
Loans
       
Loans
 
         
to Total
       
to Total
       
to Total
       
to Total
       
to Total
 
   
Amount
 
Loans
 
Amount
 
Loans
 
Amount
 
Loans
 
Amount
 
Loans
 
Amount
 
Loans
 
   
(dollars in thousands)
 
Commercial
 
$
147
 
5.0
%
$
171
 
6.3
%
$
333
 
6.6
%
$
491
 
7.4
%
$
413
 
8.8
%
Real estate – construction
   
72
 
2.4
   
110
 
3.5
   
136
 
4.0
   
138
 
4.2
   
148
 
6.2
 
Real estate – residential and commercial
   
5,095
 
89.6
   
5,143
 
86.4
   
4,748
 
85.3
   
3,315
 
83.8
   
2,939
 
79.5
 
Consumer
   
144
 
3.0
   
192
 
3.8
   
236
 
4.1
   
289
 
4.6
   
362
 
5.5
 
Unallocated
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
219
 
 
Total
 
$
5,458
 
100.0
%
$
5,616
 
100.0
%
$
5,453
 
100.0
%
$
4,233
 
100.0
%
$
4,081
 
 100.0
%
 

 
10
 
 


Investment Activities

General. The Company maintains a portfolio of investment securities consisting of obligations of the U.S. Government and its agencies including mortgage-backed securities and obligations of states, counties and municipalities including school districts. To a lesser extent, the Company also has corporate debt obligations in the portfolio as well as a portfolio of equity instruments of other financial services companies. The Company considers its investment portfolio a source of earnings and liquidity. Investment securities may also be pledged to secure public deposits and customer repurchase agreements.

Securities Portfolio. Carrying values of securities at the dates indicated are as follows:


   
As of December 31,
 
   
2011
   
2010
   
2009
 
   
(dollars in thousands)
 
Securities:
  (carrying value)
                 
U.S. Government agencies
  $ 13,398     $ 30,268     $ 39,772  
State and political subdivisions
    56,917       49,936       32,343  
Corporate obligations
    8,809       4,249       5,240  
Mortgage-backed securities –
  government sponsored entities
    70,965       60,928       53,154  
Equity securities-financial services
    345       604       776  
  Total Securities
  $ 150,434     $ 145,985     $ 131,285  
Fair Value of Securities
  $ 150,440     $ 145,994     $ 131,299  




 
11
 
 

Maturity Distribution of Securities. The following table sets forth certain information regarding carrying values, weighted average yields, and maturities of the Company’s securities portfolio as of December 31, 2011. Yields on tax-exempt securities are stated on a fully taxable equivalent basis using a Federal tax rate of 34%. Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities as certain instruments have call features which allow prepayment of obligations. Maturity on the mortgage-backed securities is based upon contractual terms, the average life may differ as a result of changes in cash flow. Equity securities with no stated maturity are classified as “after ten years.”  The average yield on equity securities reflects actual income received during the period.

 
              
After One
   
After Five
             
Total Investment
 
   
One Year or Less
   
Through Five Years
   
Through Ten Years
   
After Ten Years
   
Securities
 
   
Carrying
 
Average
   
Carrying
 
Average
   
Carrying
 
Average
   
Carrying
 
Average
   
Carrying
 
Value
 
   
Value
 
Yield
   
Value
 
Yeild
   
Value
 
Yield
   
Value
 
Yield
   
Value
 
Yield
 
   
(dollars in thousands)
 
                                                             
U.S. Government agencies
 
$
 
%
 
$
13,398
 
1.86
%
 
$
 
%
 
$
 
%
 
$
13,398
 
1.86
%
State and political subdivision
   
466
 
5.13
%
   
3,515
 
4.43
%
   
19,223
 
5.31
%
   
33,713
 
5.55
%
   
56,917
 
5.40
%
Corporate obligations
   
1,518
 
1.23
%
   
6,157
 
3.60
%
   
1,134
 
4.20
%
   
 
%
   
8,809
 
3.27
%
Mortgage-backed securities-
government sponsored
entities
   
 
%
   
257
 
5.14
%
   
25,166
 
2.79
%
   
45,542
 
3.09
%
   
70,965
 
2.99
%
Equity securities-financial services
   
 
%
   
 
%
   
 
%
   
345
 
6.74
%
   
345
 
6.74
%
                                                             
Total Investment Securities
 
$
1,984
 
2.15
%
 
$
23,327
 
2.74
%
 
$
45,523
 
3.89
%
 
$
79,600
 
4.15
%
 
$
150,434
 
3.83
%
                                                             
                                                             

 
12
 
 

Deposit Activities

General. The Bank provides a full range of deposit products to its retail and business customers. These include interest-bearing and noninterest bearing transaction accounts, statement savings and money market accounts. Certificate of deposit terms range up to 5 years for retail instruments. The Bank has no brokered deposits.  The Bank participates in the Jumbo CD ($100,000 and over) markets with local municipalities and school districts which are typically priced on a competitive bid basis. Other services the Bank offers its customers on a limited basis include cash management, direct deposit, Remote Deposit Capture and Automated Clearing House (ACH) activity. The Bank operates sixteen automated teller machines and is affiliated with the MoneyPass ATM network. Internet banking including bill-pay is offered through the website at www.waynebank.com.

The following table sets forth information regarding deposit categories of the Company.

    Years Ended Deember 31,     
    2011   2010    2009     
    Average   Average   Average     
     Balance    Rate Paid   Balance    Rate Paid   Balance    Rate Paid    
    (dollars in thousands)    
                                   
Non-interest bearing demand
 
$
69,721
 
%
$
61,966
 
%
$
59,224
 
%
 
Interest-bearing demand
   
46,960
 
0.13
   
38,150
 
0.11
   
35,808
 
0.10
   
Money Market
   
93,974
 
0.52
   
69,847
 
0.76
   
63,160
 
1.10
   
Savings
   
67,862
 
0.24
   
48,588
 
0.22
   
44,526
 
0.35
   
Time
   
196,253
 
1.60
   
177,761
 
2.03
   
174,201
 
2.80
   
                                   
Total
 
$
474,770
     
$
396,312
     
$
376,919
       

Maturities of Time Deposits. The following table indicates the amount of the Bank’s time deposits of $100,000 or more by time remaining until maturity as of December 31, 2011.


       
   
Amount
 
Maturity Period
 
(in thousands)
 
       
Within three months
  $ 9,334  
Over three through six months
    21,798  
Over six through twelve months
    17,343  
Over twelve months
    32,079  
    $ 80,554  



 
13
 
 

Short-Term Borrowings

The following table sets forth information concerning short-term borrowings (those maturing within one year) which consist principally of securities sold under agreements to repurchase, short-term Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) advances, federal funds purchased and U.S. Treasury demand notes that the Company had during the periods indicated.

   
Years Ended December 31,
 
   
2011
   
2010
   
2009
 
   
(dollars in thousands)
 
Short term borrowings:
                 
Average balance during the year
  $ 28,521     $ 26,100     $ 26,402  
Maximum month-end balance during the year
  $ 32,637     $ 40,068     $ 35,323  
Average interest rate during the year
    0.32 %     0.45 %     1.11 %
Total short-term borrowings at end of the year
  $ 21,794     $ 33,309     $ 25,803  
Weighted average interest rate at the end of the year
    0.25 %     0.37 %     0.56 %

Trust Activities

The Bank operates a Wealth Management/Trust Department which provides estate planning, investment management and financial planning to customers for which it is generally compensated based on a percentage of assets under management. As of December 31, 2011, the Bank had $107.7 million of assets under management compared to $113.7 million as of December 31, 2010. The decrease is partially due to stock market performance which can affect the value of a customer’s investment portfolio.

Subsidiary Activities

The Bank, a Pennsylvania chartered bank, is the only wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Norwood Investment Corp. (NIC), a Pennsylvania Corporation incorporated in 1996 and a Pennsylvania licensed insurance agency, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bank. NIC’s business is annuity and mutual fund sales and discount brokerage activities primarily to customers of the Bank. The annuities, mutual funds and other investment products are not insured by the FDIC or any other government agency. They are not deposits, obligations of or guaranteed by any bank. The securities are offered through Invest Financial a registered broker/dealer. NIC generated gross revenues for the Company of $140,000, compared to $116,000 in 2010 which is included in Other Income.

WCB Realty Corp., a Pennsylvania corporation, is a wholly-owned real estate subsidiary of the Bank whose principal asset is the administrative offices of the Company, which also includes the Main Office of the Bank.

WTRO Properties Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, is a wholly-owned real estate subsidiary of the Bank established to hold title to certain real estate upon which the Bank has foreclosed.  As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the outstanding balance of foreclosed properties on which WTRO held title totaled $2,000,000 and $448,000, respectively.  The increase is due to the addition of a commercial property located in Luzerne County.

Norwood Settlement Services, LLC, a Pennsylvania limited liability company, was established in 2004 to provide title and settlement service to Bank customers and non-customers.  Gross revenues, included in other income, for 2011 totaled $27,000 and $33,000 in 2010.

 
14
 
 
 
Regulation

Set forth below is a brief description of certain laws which relate to the regulation of the Registrant and the Bank. The description does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to applicable laws and regulations.

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
 
On July 21, 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) was signed into law.  The Dodd-Frank Act is intended to effect a fundamental restructuring of federal banking regulation.  Among other things, the Dodd-Frank Act creates a new Financial Stability Oversight Council to identify systemic risks in the financial system and gives federal regulators new authority to take control of and liquidate financial firms.  The Dodd-Frank Act additionally creates a new independent federal regulator to administer federal consumer protection laws. The Dodd-Frank Act is expected to have a significant impact on our business operations as its provisions take effect.  Among the provisions that are likely to affect us are the following:
 
Holding Company Capital Requirements.  The Dodd-Frank Act requires the Federal Reserve to apply consolidated capital requirements to depository institution holding companies that are no less stringent than those currently applied to depository institutions.  Under these standards, trust preferred securities will be excluded from Tier 1 capital unless such securities were issued prior to May 19, 2010 by a bank holding company with less than $15 billion in assets. The Dodd-Frank Act additionally requires capital requirements to be countercyclical so that the required amount of capital increases in times of economic expansion and decreases in times of economic contraction, consistent with safety and soundness.
 
Deposit Insurance.  The Dodd-Frank Act permanently increases the maximum deposit insurance amount for banks, savings institutions and credit unions to $250,000 per depositor, and extends unlimited deposit insurance to non-interest bearing transaction accounts through December 31, 2012. The Dodd-Frank Act also broadens the base for FDIC insurance assessments. Assessments will now be based on the average consolidated total assets less tangible equity capital of a financial institution. The Dodd-Frank Act requires the FDIC to increase the reserve ratio of the Deposit Insurance Fund from 1.15% to 1.35% of insured deposits by 2020 and eliminates the requirement that the FDIC pay dividends to insured depository institutions when the reserve ratio exceeds certain thresholds. Effective one year from the date of enactment, the Dodd-Frank Act eliminated the federal statutory prohibition against the payment of interest on business checking accounts.
 
Corporate Governance. The Dodd-Frank Act requires publicly traded companies to give stockholders a non-binding vote on executive compensation at their first annual meeting taking place six months after the date of enactment and at least every three years thereafter and on so-called “golden parachute” payments in connection with approvals of mergers and acquisitions unless previously voted on by shareholders. The new legislation also authorizes the SEC to promulgate rules that would allow stockholders to nominate their own candidates using a company’s proxy materials. Additionally, the Dodd-Frank Act directs the federal banking regulators to promulgate rules prohibiting excessive compensation paid to executives of depository institutions and their holding companies with assets in excess of $1.0 billion, regardless of whether the company is publicly traded or not.  The Dodd-Frank Act gives the SEC authority to prohibit broker discretionary voting on elections of directors and executive compensation matters.
 
 
15
 
 
 
Prohibition Against Charter Conversions of Troubled Institutions.  Effective one year after enactment, the Dodd-Frank Act prohibits a depository institution from converting from a state to federal charter or vice versa while it is the subject of a cease and desist order or other formal enforcement action or a memorandum of understanding with respect to a significant supervisory matter unless the appropriate federal banking agency gives notice of the conversion to the federal or state authority that issued the enforcement action and that agency does not object within 30 days.  The notice must include a plan to address the significant supervisory matter.  The converting institution must also file a copy of the conversion application with its current federal regulator which must notify the resulting federal regulator of any ongoing supervisory or investigative proceedings that are likely to result in an enforcement action and provide access to all supervisory and investigative information relating hereto.
 
Interstate Branching.  The Dodd-Frank Act authorizes national and state banks to establish branches in other states to the same extent as a bank chartered by that state would be permitted to branch.  Previously, banks could only establish branches in other states if the host state expressly permitted out-of-state banks to establish branches in that state.  Accordingly, banks will be able to enter new markets more freely.
 
Limits on Derivatives.  Effective 18 months after enactment, the Dodd-Frank Act prohibits state-chartered banks from engaging in derivatives transactions unless the loans to one borrower limits of the state in which the bank is chartered takes into consideration credit exposure to derivatives transactions.  For this purpose, derivative transaction includes any contract, agreement, swap, warrant, note or option that is based in whole or in part on the value of, any interest in, or any quantitative measure or the occurrence of any event relating to, one or more commodities securities, currencies, interest or other rates, indices or other assets.
 
Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders.  Effective one year from the date of enactment, the Dodd-Frank Act expands the definition of affiliate for purposes of quantitative and qualitative limitations of Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act to include mutual funds advised by a depository institution or its affiliates.  The Dodd-Frank Act will apply Section 23A and Section 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act (governing transactions with insiders) to derivative transactions, repurchase agreements and securities lending and borrowing transaction that create credit exposure to an affiliate or an insider. Any such transactions with affiliates must be fully secured. The current exemption from Section 23A for transactions with financial subsidiaries will be eliminated.  The Dodd-Frank Act will additionally prohibit an insured depository institution from purchasing an asset from or selling an asset to an insider unless the transaction is on market terms and, if representing more than 10% of capital, is approved in advance by the disinterested directors.
 
Debit Card Interchange Fees.  Effective July 21, 2011, the Dodd-Frank Act requires that the amount of any interchange fee charged by a debit card issuer with respect to a debit card transaction must be reasonable and proportional to the cost incurred by the issuer.  Within nine months of enactment, the Federal Reserve Board is required to establish standards for reasonable and proportional fees which may take into account the costs of preventing fraud.  While the restrictions on interchange fees do not apply to banks that, together with their affiliates, have assets of less than $10 billion, the rule could affect the competitiveness of debit cards issued by smaller banks.
 
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Dodd-Frank Act creates a new, independent federal agency called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), which is granted broad rulemaking, supervisory and enforcement powers under various federal consumer financial protection laws, including the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Act, the Consumer Financial Privacy
 
 
16
 
 
 
provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and certain other statutes. The CFPB will have examination and primary enforcement authority with respect to depository institutions with $10 billion or more in assets. Smaller institutions will be subject to rules promulgated by the CFPB but will continue to be examined and supervised by federal banking regulators for consumer compliance purposes. The CFPB will have authority to prevent unfair, deceptive or abusive practices in connection with the offering of consumer financial products.  The Dodd-Frank Act authorizes the CFPB to establish certain minimum standards for the origination of residential mortgages including a determination of the borrower’s ability to repay.  In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act will allow borrowers to raise certain defenses to foreclosure if they receive any loan other than a “qualified mortgage” as defined by the CFPB. The Dodd-Frank Act permits states to adopt consumer protection laws and standards that are more stringent than those adopted at the federal level and, in certain circumstances, permits state attorneys general to enforce compliance with both the state and federal laws and regulations.
 
Regulation of the Company

General. The Company, as a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (“BHCA”), is subject to regulation and supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”) and by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking (the “Department”).  The Company is required to file annually a report of its operations with, and is subject to examination by, the Federal Reserve and the Department. This regulation and oversight is generally intended to ensure that the Company limits its activities to those allowed by law and that it operates in a safe and sound manner without endangering the financial health of its subsidiary banks.

Under the BHCA, the Company must obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve before it may acquire control of another bank or bank holding company, merge or consolidate with another bank holding company, acquire all or substantially all of the assets of another bank or bank holding company, or acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of any voting shares of any bank or bank holding company if, after such acquisition, the bank holding company would directly or indirectly own or control more than 5% of such shares.

Federal statutes impose restrictions on the ability of a bank holding company and its nonbank subsidiaries to obtain extensions of credit from its subsidiary bank, on the subsidiary bank’s investments in the stock or securities of the holding company, and on the subsidiary bank’s taking of the holding company’s stock or securities as collateral for loans to any borrower. A bank holding company and its subsidiaries are also prevented from engaging in certain tie-in arrangements in connection with any extension of credit, lease or sale of property, or furnishing of services by the subsidiary bank.

A bank holding company is required to serve as a source of financial and managerial strength to its subsidiary banks and may not conduct its operations in an unsafe or unsound manner. In addition, it is the policy of the Federal Reserve that a bank holding company should stand ready to use available resources to provide adequate capital to its subsidiary banks during periods of financial stress or adversity and should maintain the financial flexibility and capital-raising capacity to obtain additional resources for assisting its subsidiary banks. A bank holding company’s failure to meet its obligations to serve as a source of strength to its subsidiary banks will generally be considered by the Federal Reserve to be an unsafe and unsound banking practice or a violation of the Federal Reserve regulations, or both.

Non-Banking Activities. The business activities of the Company, as a bank holding company, are restricted by the BHCA. Under the BHCA and the Federal Reserve’s bank holding company regulations, the Company may only engage in, or acquire or control voting securities or assets of a company engaged in, (1) banking or managing or controlling banks and other subsidiaries authorized under the BHCA and (2) any BHCA activity the Federal Reserve has determined to be so closely related to banking or
 
 
17
 
 
 
managing or controlling banks to be a proper incident thereto. These include any incidental activities necessary to carry on those activities, as well as a lengthy list of activities that the Federal Reserve has determined to be so closely related to the business of banking as to be a proper incident thereto.

Financial Modernization. The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, permits greater affiliation among banks, securities firms, insurance companies, and other companies under a new type of financial services company known as a “financial holding company.”  A financial holding company essentially is a bank holding company with significantly expanded powers. Financial holding companies are authorized by statute to engage in a number of financial activities previously impermissible for bank holding companies, including  securities underwriting, dealing and market making; sponsoring mutual funds and investment companies; insurance underwriting and agency; and merchant banking activities. The Act also permits the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department to authorize additional activities for financial holding companies if they are “financial in nature” or “incidental” to financial activities. A bank holding company may become a financial holding company if each of its subsidiary banks is well capitalized, well managed, and has at least a “satisfactory” CRA rating. A financial holding company must provide notice to the Federal Reserve within 30 days after commencing activities previously determined by statute or by the Federal Reserve and Department of the Treasury to be permissible. The Company has not submitted notice to the Federal Reserve of its intent to be deemed a financial holding company.

Regulatory Capital Requirements. The Federal Reserve has adopted capital adequacy guidelines pursuant to which it assesses the adequacy of capital in examining and supervising a bank holding company and in analyzing applications to it under the BHCA. The Federal Reserve’s capital adequacy guidelines are similar to those imposed on the Bank by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). See “Regulation of the Bank-Regulatory Capital Requirements.”

Regulation of the Bank

General. As a Pennsylvania chartered, FDIC insured commercial bank, the Bank is subject to extensive regulation and examination by the Department and by the FDIC, which insures its deposits to the maximum extent permitted by law. The federal and state laws and regulations applicable to banks regulate, among other things, the scope of their business, their investments, the reserves required to be kept against deposits, the timing of the availability of deposited funds and the nature and amount of and collateral for certain loans. The laws and regulations governing the Bank generally have been promulgated to protect depositors and not for the purpose of protecting stockholders. This regulatory structure also gives the federal and state banking agencies extensive discretion in connection with their supervisory and enforcement activities and examination policies, including policies with respect to the classification of assets and the establishment of adequate loan loss reserves for regulatory purposes. Any change in such regulation, whether by the Department, the FDIC or the United States Congress, could have a material impact on the Company, the Bank and their operations.

Pennsylvania  Banking Law. The Pennsylvania Banking Code (“Banking Code”) contains detailed provisions governing the organization, location of offices, rights and responsibilities of directors, officers, and employees, as well as corporate powers, savings and investment operations and other aspects of the Bank and its affairs. The Banking Code delegates extensive rule-making power and administrative discretion to the Department so that the supervision and regulation of state chartered banks may be flexible and readily responsive to changes in economic conditions and in savings and lending practices.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Act (“FDIA”), however, prohibits state chartered banks from making new investments, loans, or becoming involved in activities as principal and equity investments which are not permitted for national banks unless (1) the FDIC determines the activity or investment does not pose a significant risk of loss to the Deposit Insurance Fund and (2) the bank meets
 
 
18
 
 
 
 all applicable capital requirements. Accordingly, the additional operating authority provided to the Bank by the Banking Code is significantly restricted by the FDIA.

Federal Deposit Insurance. The Bank’s deposits are insured to applicable limits by the FDIC.  Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the maximum deposit insurance amount has been permanently increased from $100,000 to $250,000 and unlimited deposit insurance has been extended to non-interest-bearing transaction accounts until December 31, 2012.  Prior to the Dodd-Frank Act, the FDIC had established a Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program under which, for the payment of an additional assessment by insured banks that did not opt out, the FDIC fully guaranteed all non-interest-bearing transaction accounts until December 31, 2010 (the “Transaction Account Guarantee Program”) and all senior unsecured debt of insured depository institutions or their qualified holding companies issued between October 14, 2008 and October 31, 2009, with the FDIC’s guarantee expiring by December 31, 2012 (the “Debt Guarantee Program”).  Neither the Company nor the Bank opted out of the Debt Guarantee Program but neither issued any debt thereunder.  The Bank did not opt out of the Transaction Account Guarantee Program.

The FDIC has adopted a risk-based premium system that provides for quarterly assessments based on an insured institution’s ranking in one of four risk categories based on their examination ratings and capital ratios. Well-capitalized institutions with the CAMELS ratings of 1 or 2 are grouped in Risk Category I and, until 2009, were assessed for deposit insurance at an annual rate of between five and seven basis points with the assessment rate for an individual institution determined according to a formula based on a weighted average of the institution’s individual CAMELS component ratings plus either five financial ratios or the average ratings of its long-term debt. Institutions in Risk Categories II, III and IV were assessed at annual rates of 10, 28, and 43 basis points, respectively.

Starting in 2009, the FDIC significantly raised the assessment rate in order to restore the reserve ratio of the Deposit Insurance Fund to the statutory minimum of 1.15%.  For the quarter beginning January 1, 2009, the FDIC raised the base annual assessment rate for institutions in Risk Category I to between 12 and 14 basis points while the base annual assessment rates for institutions in Risk Categories II, III and IV were increased to 17, 35 and 50 basis points, respectively.  For the quarter beginning April 1, 2009 the FDIC set the base annual assessment rate for institutions in Risk Category I to between 12 and 16 basis points and the base annual assessment rates for institutions in Risk Categories II, III and IV at 22, 32 and 45 basis points, respectively.  An institution’s assessment rate could be lowered by as much as five basis points based on the ratio of its long-term unsecured debt to deposits or, for smaller institutions based on the ratio of certain amounts of Tier 1 capital to adjusted assets.  The assessment rate may be adjusted for Risk Category I institutions that have a high level of brokered deposits and have experienced higher levels of asset growth (other than through acquisitions) and could be increased by as much as ten basis points for institutions in Risk Categories II, III and IV whose ratio of brokered deposits to deposits exceeds 10%.  Reciprocal deposit arrangements like CDARS® were treated as brokered deposits for Risk Category II, III and IV institutions but not for institutions in Risk Category I.  An institution’s base assessment rate would also be increased if an institution’s ratio of secured liabilities (including FHLB advances and repurchase agreements) to deposits exceeds 25%.  The maximum adjustment for secured liabilities for institutions in Risk Categories I, II, III and IV would be 8, 11, 16 and 22.5 basis points, respectively, provided that the adjustment may not increase an institution’s base assessment rate by more than 50%.

The FDIC imposed a special assessment equal to five basis points of assets less Tier 1 capital as of June 30, 2009 payable on September 30, 2009 and reserved the right to impose additional special assessments.  In lieu of further special assessments, on November 12, 2009 the FDIC required all insured depository institutions to prepay their estimated risk-based assessments for the fourth quarter of 2009, and for all of 2010, 2011, and 2012 on December 30, 2009.  For purposes of estimating future assessments, an
 
 
19
 
 
 
institution would assume 5% annual growth in the assessment base and a three basis point increase in the current assessment rate for 2011 and 2012.  The prepaid assessment would be applied against the actual assessment until exhausted.  Any funds remaining after June 30, 2013 would be returned to the institution.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires the FDIC to take such steps as necessary to increase the reserve ratio of the Deposit Insurance Fund from 1.15% to 1.35% of insured deposits by 2020.  In setting the assessments, the FDIC is required to offset the effect of the higher reserve ratio against insured depository institutions with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion. The Dodd-Frank Act also broadens the base for FDIC insurance assessments so that assessments will be based on the average consolidated total assets less average tangible equity capital of a financial institution rather than on its insured deposits.  The FDIC has adopted a new restoration plan to increase the reserve ratio to 1.15% by September 30, 2020 with additional rulemaking scheduled regarding the method to be used to achieve a 1.35% reserve ratio by that date and offset the effect on institutions with assets less than $10 billion in assets.

The FDIC has adopted new assessment regulations that redefine the assessment base as average consolidated assets less average tangible equity.  Insured banks with more than $1.0 billion in assets must calculate quarterly average assets based on daily balances while smaller banks and newly chartered banks may use weekly averages.  In the case of a merger, the average assets of the surviving bank for the quarter must include the average assets of the merged institution for the period in the quarter prior to the merger. Average assets are reduced by goodwill and other intangibles.  Average tangible equity equals Tier 1 capital. For institutions with more than $1.0 billion in assets, average tangible equity is calculated on a weekly basis while smaller institutions may use the quarter-end balance.  Beginning April 1, 2011, the base assessment rate for insured institutions in Risk Category I ranges between 5 to 9 basis points and for institutions in Risk Categories II, III, and IV will be 14, 23 and 35 basis points.  An institution’s assessment rate may be reduced based on the amount of its outstanding unsecured long-term debt and for institutions in Risk Categories II, III and IV may be increased based on their brokered deposits. Risk Categories are eliminated for institutions with more than $10 billion in assets which will be assessed at a rate between 5 and 35 basis points.

In addition, all FDIC-insured institutions are required to pay assessments to the FDIC to fund interest payments on bonds issued by the Financing Corporation (“FICO”), an agency of the Federal government established to recapitalize the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation.  The FICO assessment rates, which are determined quarterly, averaged .01% of insured deposits on an annualized basis in fiscal year 2011.  These assessments will continue until the FICO bonds mature in 2017.
 
Regulatory Capital Requirements. The FDIC has promulgated capital adequacy requirements for state-chartered banks that, like the Bank, are not members of the Federal Reserve System. At December 31, 2011, the Bank exceeded all regulatory capital requirements and was classified as “well capitalized.”

The FDIC’s capital regulations establish a minimum 3% Tier I leverage capital requirement for the most highly-rated state-chartered, non-member banks, with an additional cushion of at least 100 to 200 basis points for all other state-chartered, non-member banks, which effectively increases the minimum Tier I leverage ratio for such other banks to 4% to 5%. Under the FDIC’s regulation, the highest-rated banks are those that the FDIC determines are not anticipating or experiencing significant growth and have well diversified risk, including no undue interest rate risk exposure, excellent asset quality, high liquidity, good earnings and, in general, which are considered a strong banking organization, rated composite 1 under the Uniform Financial Institutions Rating System. Tier I or core capital is defined as the sum of common stockholders’ equity (including retained earnings), noncumulative perpetual preferred stock and related surplus, and minority interests in consolidated subsidiaries, minus all intangible assets other than certain servicing and purchased credit card relationships, and minus certain other listed assets.

 
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The FDIC’s regulations also require that state-chartered, non-member banks meet a risk-based capital standard. The risk-based capital standard requires the maintenance of total capital (which is defined as Tier I capital and supplementary (Tier 2) capital) to risk weighted assets of 8%. In determining the amount of risk-weighted assets, all assets, plus certain off balance sheet assets, are multiplied by a risk-weight of 0% to 100%, based on the risks the FDIC believes are inherent in the type of asset or item. The components of Tier I capital for the risk-based standards are the same as those for the leverage capital requirement. The components of supplementary (Tier 2) capital include cumulative perpetual preferred stock, mandatory subordinated debt, perpetual subordinated debt, intermediate-term preferred stock, up to 45% of unrealized gains on equity securities and a bank’s allowance for loan and lease losses. Allowance for loan and lease losses includable in supplementary capital is limited to a maximum of 1.25% of risk-weighted assets. Overall, the amount of supplementary capital that may be included in total capital is limited to 100% of Tier I capital.

A bank that has less than the minimum leverage capital requirement is subject to various capital plan and activities restriction requirements. The FDIC’s regulations also provide that any insured depository institution with a ratio of Tier I capital to total assets that is less than 2.0% is deemed to be operating in an unsafe or unsound condition pursuant to Section 8(a) of the FDIA and could be subject to potential termination of deposit insurance.

The Bank is also subject to minimum capital requirements imposed by the Department on Pennsylvania-chartered depository institutions. Under the Department’s capital regulations, a Pennsylvania bank or savings bank must maintain a minimum leverage ratio of Tier 1 capital (as defined under the FDIC’s capital regulations) to total assets of 4%. In addition, the Department has the supervisory discretion to require  higher leverage ratio for any institutions based on the institution’s substandard performance in any of a number of areas. The Bank was in compliance in both the FDIC and Pennsylvania capital requirements as of December 31, 2011.
 
Affiliate Transaction Restrictions. Federal laws strictly limit the ability of banks to engage in transactions with their affiliates, including their bank holding companies. In particular loans by a subsidiary bank and its parent company or the nonbank subsidiaries of the bank holding company are limited to 10% of a bank subsidiary’s capital and surplus and, with respect to such parent company and all such nonbank subsidiaries, to an aggregate of 20% of the bank subsidiary’s capital and surplus. Further, loans and other extensions of credit generally are required to be secured by eligible collateral in specified amounts. Federal law also requires that all transactions between a bank and its affiliates be on terms as favorable to the bank as transactions with non-affiliates.

Loans to One Borrower. Under Pennsylvania law, commercial banks have, subject to certain exemptions, lending limits to one borrower in an amount equal to 15% of the institution’s capital accounts. An institution’s capital account includes the aggregate of all capital, surplus, undivided profits, capital securities and general reserves for loan losses. Pursuant to the national bank parity provisions of the Pennsylvania Banking Code, the Bank may also lend up to the maximum amounts permissible for national banks, which are allowed to make loans to one borrower of up to 25% of capital and surplus in certain circumstances. As of December 31, 2011, loans-to-one-borrower limitation was $11.4 million and the Bank was in compliance with such limitation.
 
Federal Home Loan Bank System. The Bank is a member of the FHLB of Pittsburgh, which is one of 12 regional FHLBs. Each FHLB serves as a reserve or central bank for its members within its assigned region. It is funded primarily from funds deposited by member institutions and proceeds from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB System. It makes loans to members (i.e., advances) in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Trustees of the FHLB.

 
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As a member, the Bank is required to purchase and maintain restricted stock in the FHLB of Pittsburgh in an amount equal to the greater of 1% of its aggregate unpaid residential mortgage loans, home purchase contracts or similar obligations at the beginning of each year or 5% of the Bank’s outstanding advances from the FHLB. At December 31, 2011, the Bank was in compliance with this requirement. The FHLB has incurred losses in both 2009 and 2010 and has suspended the payment of dividends and has allowed some stock redemptions; however, the FHLB has shown positive results during 2011.  The losses are primarily attributable to impairment of investment securities associated with the extreme economic conditions in place during the previous several years.  Management evaluated the stock and concluded that the stock was not impaired for the periods presented herein.  More consideration was given to the long-term prospects for the FHLB as opposed to the recent stress caused by the extreme economic conditions that the world is facing.  Management also considered that the FHLB’s regulatory capital ratios have increased from the prior year, liquidity appears adequate, and new shares of FHLB stock continue to change hands at the $100 par value.

Federal Reserve System. The Federal Reserve requires all depository institutions to maintain non-interest bearing reserves at specified levels against their transaction accounts (primarily checking and NOW accounts) and non-personal time deposits. The balances maintained to meet the reserve requirements imposed by the Federal Reserve may be used to satisfy the liquidity requirements that are imposed by the Department. At December 31, 2011, the Bank met its reserve requirements.

Restrictions on Dividends. The Pennsylvania Banking Code states, in part, that dividends may be declared and paid only out of accumulated net earnings and may not be declared or paid unless surplus (retained earnings) is at least equal to contributed capital. The Bank has not declared or paid any dividends which cause the Bank’s retained earnings to be reduced below the amount required. Finally, dividends may not be declared or paid if the Bank is in default in payment of any assessment due the FDIC.

The Federal Reserve has issued a policy statement on the payment of cash dividends by bank holding companies, which expresses the Federal Reserve’s view that a bank holding company should pay cash dividends only to the extent that the holding company’s net income for the past year is sufficient to cover both the cash dividends and a rate of earnings retention that is consistent with the holding company’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. The Federal Reserve also indicated that it would be inappropriate for a company experiencing serious financial problems to borrow funds to pay dividends. In a recent Supervisory Letter, the Federal Reserve staff has stated that, as a general matter, bank holding companies should eliminate cash dividends if net income available to shareholders for the past four quarters, net of dividends previously paid, is not sufficient to fully fund the dividend. Furthermore, under the federal prompt corrective action regulations, the Federal Reserve may prohibit a bank holding company from paying any dividends if the holding company’s bank subsidiary is classified as “undercapitalized.”

Item 1A. Risk Factors

In determining whether to invest in our securities, investors should consider, among other factors, the following:


 
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Risks Related to Our Business

We may not realize the anticipated benefits from our acquisition of North Penn Bancorp, Inc.
 
On May 31, 2011, we completed the acquisition of North Penn Bancorp, Inc. (“North Penn”) and its wholly owned subsidiary, North Penn Bank, pursuant to which North Penn merged with and into the Company and immediately thereafter, North Penn Bank merged with and into the Bank.  The acquisition of North Penn is anticipated to strengthen our market position in Monroe County and allow us to better serve our customers in Lackawanna County  The success of this transaction, however, will depend on, among other things, our ability to realize anticipated cost savings and to combine the businesses of the Bank and North Penn Bank in a manner that permits growth opportunities and does not materially disrupt the existing customer relationships of North Penn Bank nor result in decreased revenues resulting from any loss of customers. If we are not able to successfully achieve these objectives, the anticipated benefits of the merger may not be realized fully or at all or may take longer to realize than expected.

We hold certain intangible assets that could be classified as impaired in the future. If these assets are considered to be either partially or fully impaired in the future, our earnings would decrease.

At December 31, 2011, we had approximately $10.5 million in goodwill and identifiable intangible assets on our balance sheet. We are required to test our goodwill and identifiable intangible assets for impairment on a periodic basis. The impairment testing process considers a variety of factors, including the current market price of our common stock, the estimated net present value of our assets and liabilities, and information concerning the terminal valuation of similarly situated insured depository institutions. If an impairment determination is made in a future reporting period, our earnings and the book value of these intangible assets will be reduced by the amount of the impairment. If an impairment loss is recorded, it will have little or no impact on the tangible book value of our common stock or our regulatory capital levels, but such an impairment loss could significantly restrict the Bank’s ability to make dividend payments to us.

Our success will depend upon our ability to effectively manage our future growth.

We believe that we have in place the management and systems, including data processing systems, internal controls and a strong credit culture, to support continued growth. However, our continued growth and profitability depend on the ability of our officers and key employees to manage such growth effectively, to attract and retain skilled employees and to maintain adequate internal controls and a strong credit culture. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will be successful in managing our expansion, and the failure to do so would adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

If we experience loan losses in excess of our allowance, our earnings will be adversely affected.

The risk of credit losses on loans varies with, among other things, general economic conditions, the type of loan being made, the creditworthiness of the borrower over the term of the loan and, in the case of a collateralized loan, the value and marketability of the collateral for the loan. Management maintains an allowance for loan losses based upon, among other things, historical experience, an evaluation of economic conditions and regular reviews of delinquencies and loan portfolio quality. Based upon such factors, management makes various assumptions and judgments about the ultimate collectibility of the loan portfolio and provides an allowance for loan losses based upon a percentage of the outstanding balances and for specific loans when their ultimate collectibility is considered questionable. If management’s assumptions and judgments prove to be incorrect and the allowance for loan losses is inadequate to absorb future losses, or if the bank regulatory authorities require us to increase
 
 
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the allowance for loan losses as a part of their examination process, our earnings and capital could be significantly and adversely affected.

As of December 31, 2011, our allowance for loan losses was $5,458,000 which represented 1.19% of outstanding loans. At such date, we had 48 nonperforming loans totaling $7.8 million and 22 impaired loans totaling $13.8 million. We actively manage our nonperforming loans in an effort to minimize credit losses. Although management believes that its allowance for loan losses is adequate, there can be no assurance that the allowance will prove sufficient to cover future loan losses. Further, although management uses the best information available to make determinations with respect to the allowance for loan losses, future adjustments may be necessary if economic conditions differ substantially from the assumptions used or adverse developments arise with respect to our non-performing or performing loans. Material additions to our allowance for loan losses would result in a decrease in our net income and capital, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Most of our loans are to commercial borrowers, which have a higher degree of risk than other types of loans.

Commercial loans are often larger and may involve greater risks than other types of lending. Because payments on such loans are often dependent on the successful operation of the property or business involved, repayment of such loans may be more sensitive than other types of loans due to adverse conditions in the real estate market or the economy. Unlike residential mortgage loans, which generally are made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from his or her employment and other income and which are secured by real property whose value tends to be more easily ascertainable, commercial loans typically are made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from the cash flow of the borrower’s business. As a result, the availability of funds for the repayment of commercial loans may be substantially dependent on the success of the business itself and the general economic environment. If the cash flow from business operations is reduced, the borrower’s ability to repay the loan may be impaired.

Most of our loans are secured, in whole or in part, with real estate collateral which is subject to declines in value.

In addition to the financial strength and cash flow characteristics of the borrower in each case, we often secure our loans with real estate collateral. As of December 31, 2011, approximately 89.6% of our loans, had real estate as a primary, secondary or tertiary component of collateral. In addition, approximately 47.2% of our securities portfolio consisted of mortgage-backed securities issued by either Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA). Real estate values and real estate markets are generally affected by, among other things, changes in national, regional or local economic conditions, fluctuations in interest rates and the availability of loans to potential purchasers, changes in tax laws and other governmental statutes, regulations and policies, and acts of nature. The real estate collateral in each case provides an alternate source of repayment in the event of default by the borrower. If real estate prices in our markets decline, the value of the real estate collateral securing our loans could be reduced. If we are required to liquidate the collateral securing a loan during a period of reduced real estate values to satisfy the debt, our earnings and capital could be adversely affected.


 
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We may be required to record other-than-temporary impairment charges in respect of our investment securities portfolio and restricted stock.
 
As of December 31, 2011, we had approximately $7.6 million in investments, including mortgage-backed securities, on which we had unrealized losses of $59,000.  In addition, we had $3.6 million of restricted stock in the FHLB of Pittsburgh, which has suspended the payment of dividends and repurchases of excess capital stock. We may be required to record impairment charges on our investments and FHLB stock if they suffer a decline in value that is considered other-than-temporary. Numerous factors, including lack of liquidity for resales of certain investment securities, absence of reliable pricing information for investment securities, adverse changes in the business climate, or adverse actions by regulators could have a negative effect on the value of our investments and mortgage backed securities. If an impairment charge is significant enough to result in a loss for the period, it could affect the ability of our bank subsidiary to upstream dividends to us, which could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and our ability to pay dividends to stockholders and could also negatively impact our regulatory capital ratios and result in us not being classified as “well capitalized” for regulatory purposes.
 
Higher FDIC deposit insurance premiums and assessments could adversely affect our earnings and financial condition.

FDIC insurance premiums increased substantially in 2009 and we may be required to pay higher FDIC premiums in the future.  The large number of bank failures has significantly depleted the deposit insurance fund and reduced the ratio of reserves to insured deposits below the designated reserve ratio.  To restore the deposit insurance fund, the FDIC adopted a revised risk-based deposit insurance assessment schedule, which significantly raised deposit insurance premiums on all insured banks.  The FDIC also imposed a five basis point special assessment payable September 30, 2009 on each insured depository institution’s assets minus Tier 1 capital as of June 30, 2009.   In order to increase the funds available to the Deposit Insurance Fund, the FDIC required all insured depository institutions to prepay their federal deposit insurance assessments through 2012.  The prepayment was based on the institution’s assessment base and assessment rate as of September 30, 2009 assuming 5% annual growth in deposits and a three basis point increase in the assessment rate during years 2011 and 2012.  The prepayment was recorded on the balance sheet as a non-earning prepaid expense asset against which future quarterly assessments will be charged.  The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act requires the FDIC to achieve a higher reserve ratio for the Deposit Insurance Fund and significantly changes the methodology for calculating assessments.
 
The soundness of other financial institutions could adversely affect us.
 
Our ability to engage in routine funding transactions could be adversely affected by the actions and commercial soundness of other financial institutions.  Defaults by, or even rumors or questions about, one or more financial services institutions, or the financial services industry generally, have led to market-wide liquidity problems and could lead to losses or defaults by us or by other institutions.  There is no assurance that any such losses would not materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
 
Recently enacted financial reform legislation could substantially increase our compliance burden and costs and necessitate changes in the conduct of our business.

On July 21, 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) was signed into law. The Dodd-Frank Act will have a broad impact on the financial services industry, including significant regulatory and compliance changes. Many of the requirements called for in the Dodd-Frank Act will be implemented over time and most will be subject to implementing regulations over the course of several years. Given the uncertainty associated with the manner in which the provisions
 
 
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of the Dodd-Frank Act will be implemented by the various regulatory agencies and through regulations, the full extent of the impact such requirements will have on our operations is unclear. The changes resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act may impact the profitability of our business activities, require changes to certain of our business practices, impose upon us more stringent capital, liquidity and leverage requirements or otherwise adversely affect our business. In particular, the following provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, among others, are expected to impact our operations and activities, both currently and prospectively:
 
·  
The imposition of capital requirements on Norwood Financial Corp. that are no less stringent than those applicable to Wayne Bank, which may reduce our flexibility in raising capital;
 
·  
Changes in methodologies for calculating deposit insurance premiums and increases in required deposit insurance fund reserve levels, which could increase our deposit insurance expense;
 
·  
Elimination of restrictions on interstate branching, which could allow more competitors to enter our market area; and
 
·  
Imposition of comprehensive, new consumer protection requirements, which could substantially increase our compliance burden and potentially expose us to new liabilities.

Further, we may be required to invest significant management attention and resources to evaluate and make any changes necessary to comply with new statutory and regulatory requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act. Failure to comply with the new requirements may negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition. While we cannot predict what effect any presently contemplated or future changes in the laws or regulations or their interpretations would have on us, these changes could be materially adverse to our investors.

Recent legislative and regulatory initiatives to address difficult market and economic conditions may not stabilize the U.S. banking system.

In response to this financial crisis affecting the banking system and financial markets, the United States Congress enacted the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Under these and other laws and government actions:

·  
the U.S. Department of the Treasury, or “Treasury,” has provided capital to financial institutions and adopted programs to facilitate and finance the purchase of problem assets and finance asset-backed securities via the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or “TARP”;
 
·  
the FDIC provided temporary liquidity guarantee, or “TLG”, of all FDIC-insured institutions and their affiliates’ debt, as well as deposits in noninterest-bearing transaction deposit accounts; and
 
·  
the federal government has undertaken various forms of economic stimulus, including assistance to homeowners in restructuring mortgage payments on qualifying loans.
 
TARP and the TLG are winding down, and the effects of this wind-down cannot be predicted. In addition, the federal government is considering various proposals for a comprehensive overhauling reform of the financial services industry and markets and coordinating reforms with other countries. There can be no assurance that these various initiatives or any other future legislative or regulatory initiatives will be successful at improving economic conditions globally, nationally or in our markets, or that the measures adopted will not have adverse consequences.

 
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Recent levels of market volatility are unprecedented.
 
The capital and credit markets have recently experienced volatility and disruption which has reached unprecedented levels. In some cases, the markets produced downward pressure on stock prices and credit availability for certain issuers without regard to those issuers’ underlying financial strength. If these levels of market disruption and volatility return, there can be no assurance that we will not experience an adverse effect, which may be material, on our ability to access capital and on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
 
Liquidity risk could impair our ability to fund operations and jeopardize our financial condition.
 
Liquidity is essential to our business. An inability to raise funds through deposits, borrowings, the sale of loans and investments and other sources could have a substantial negative effect on our liquidity. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities or on terms which are acceptable to us could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically or the financial services industry or economy in general. Factors that could detrimentally impact our access to liquidity sources include a decrease in the level of our business activity as a result of a downturn in the markets in which our loans are concentrated or adverse regulatory action against us. Our ability to borrow could also be impaired by factors that are not specific to us, such as a disruption in the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry in light of the recent turmoil faced by banking organizations and the continued deterioration in credit markets.
 
We may elect or be compelled to seek additional capital in the future, but that capital may not be available when it is needed.
 
We are required by federal and state regulatory authorities to maintain adequate levels of capital to support our operations. In addition, we may elect to raise additional capital to support our business or to finance acquisitions, if any, or we may otherwise elect or be required to raise additional capital. In that regard, a number of financial institutions have recently raised considerable amounts of capital in response to a deterioration in their results of operations and financial condition arising from the turmoil in the mortgage loan market, deteriorating economic conditions, declines in real estate values and other factors. Should we be required by regulatory authorities to raise additional capital, we may seek to do so through the issuance of, among other things, our common stock or preferred stock.
 
Our ability to raise additional capital, if needed, will depend on conditions in the capital markets, economic conditions and a number of other factors, many of which are outside our control, and on our financial performance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you of our ability to raise additional capital if needed or on terms acceptable to us. If we cannot raise additional capital when needed, it may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
 
Our business is geographically concentrated and is subject to regional economic factors that could have an adverse impact on our business.

Substantially all of our business is with customers in our market area of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Most of our customers are consumers and small and medium-sized businesses which are dependent upon the regional economy. Adverse changes in economic and business conditions in our markets could adversely affect our borrowers, their ability to repay their loans and to borrow additional funds, and consequently our financial condition and performance.
 
 
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Additionally, we often secure our loans with real estate collateral, most of which is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. A decline in local economic conditions could adversely affect the values of such real estate. Consequently, a decline in local economic conditions may have a greater effect on our earnings and capital than on the earnings and capital of larger financial institutions whose real estate loan portfolios are geographically diverse.
 
The loss of senior executive officers and certain other key personnel could hurt our business.

Our success depends, to a great extent, upon the services of Lewis J. Critelli, our President and Chief Executive Officer.  Although we have an employment agreement with non-compete provisions with Mr. Critelli, the existence of such agreement does not assure that we will retain his services. The unexpected loss of Mr. Critelli could have a material adverse effect on our operations. From time to time, we also need to recruit personnel to fill vacant positions for experienced lending officers and branch managers. Competition for qualified personnel in the banking industry is intense, and there can be no assurance that we will continue to be successful in attracting, recruiting and retaining the necessary skilled managerial, marketing and technical personnel for the successful operation of our existing lending, operations, accounting and administrative functions or to support the expansion of the functions necessary for our future growth. Our inability to hire or retain key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
 
Our legal lending limits are relatively low and restrict our ability to compete for larger customers.

At December 31, 2011, our lending limit per borrower was approximately $11.4 million, or 15% of our capital plus allowance for loan losses. Accordingly, the size of loans that we can offer to potential borrowers is less than the size of loans that many of our competitors with larger capitalization are able to offer. We may engage in loan participations with other banks for loans in excess of our legal lending limits. However, there can be no assurance that such participations will be available at all or on terms which are favorable to us and our customers.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

There is a limited trading market for our common stock, which may adversely impact your ability to sell your shares and the price you receive for your shares.

Although our common stock is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market, there has been limited trading activity in our stock and an active trading market is not expected to develop. This means that there may be limited liquidity for our common stock, which may make it difficult to buy or sell our common stock, may negatively affect the price of our common stock and may cause volatility in the price of our common stock.

There are restrictions on our ability to pay cash dividends.

Although we have paid cash dividends on a quarterly basis since 1996, and the Bank has paid dividends for many previous years, there is no assurance that we will continue to pay cash dividends. Future payment of cash dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will be dependent upon our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements and such other factors as the Board may deem relevant and will be subject to applicable federal and state laws that impose restrictions on our ability to pay dividends.

 
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Our common stock is not insured and you could lose the value of your entire investment.

An investment in shares of our common stock is not a deposit and is not insured against loss by the government.

Our management and significant shareholders control a substantial percentage of our stock and therefore have the ability to exercise substantial control over our affairs.

As of December 31, 2011, our directors and executive officers beneficially owned approximately 279,468 shares, or approximately 8.2% of our common stock, including options to purchase 105,615 shares, in the aggregate, of our common stock at exercise prices ranging from $19.05 to $31.50 per share. Because of the large percentage of stock held by our directors and executive officers and other significant shareholders, these persons could influence the outcome of any matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders.

We may issue additional shares of common or preferred stock, which may dilute the ownership and voting power of our shareholders and the book value of our common stock.

We are currently authorized to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of common stock of which 3,371,866 shares are currently outstanding and up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock of which no shares are outstanding. Our Board of Directors has authority, without action or vote of the shareholders, to issue all or part of the authorized but unissued shares and to establish the terms of any series of preferred stock. These authorized but unissued shares could be issued on terms or in circumstances that could dilute the interests of other stockholders. In addition, a total of 250,000 shares of common stock have been reserved for issuance under the Norwood Financial Corp 2006 Stock Option Plan, of which 148,846 were issued as of December 31, 2011. As of December 31, 2011, options to purchase a total of 180,914 shares were exercisable and had exercise prices ranging from $19.05 to $31.50.  Any such issuance will dilute the percentage ownership interest of shareholders and may further dilute the book value of our common stock.

Provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law could deter takeovers which are opposed by the Board of Directors.

Our articles of incorporation require the approval of 80% of our outstanding shares for any merger or consolidation unless the transaction meets certain fair price criteria or the business combination has been approved or authorized by the Board of Directors. In addition, our articles of incorporation may require the disgorgement of profits realized by any person who attempts to acquire control of the Company. As a Pennsylvania corporation with a class of securities registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company is governed by certain provisions of the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law that, inter alia, permit the disparate treatment of certain shareholders; prohibit calls of special meetings of shareholders; require unanimous written consent for shareholder action in lieu of a meeting; require shareholder approval for certain transactions in which a shareholder has an interest; and impose additional requirements on business combinations with persons who are the beneficial owners of more than 20% of the Company’s stock.

Risks Related to Our Industry

We operate in a competitive market which could constrain our future growth and profitability.

We operate in a competitive environment, competing for deposits and loans with commercial banks, savings associations and other financial entities. Competition for deposits comes primarily from
 
 
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other commercial banks, savings associations, credit unions, money market and mutual funds and other investment alternatives. Competition for loans comes primarily from other commercial banks, savings associations, mortgage banking firms, credit unions and other financial intermediaries. Many of the financial intermediaries operating in our market area offer certain services, such as international banking services, which we do not offer. Moreover, banks with a larger capitalization and financial intermediaries not subject to bank regulatory restrictions have larger lending limits and are thereby able to serve the needs of larger customers.

We are required to comply with extensive and complex governmental regulation which can adversely affect our business.

Our operations are and will be affected by current and future legislation and by the policies established from time to time by various federal and state regulatory authorities. We are subject to supervision and periodic examination by the Federal Reserve Board (the “FRB”), “FDIC” and the Pennsylvania Department of Banking. Banking regulations, designed primarily for the safety of depositors, may limit a financial institution’s growth and the return to its investors by restricting such activities as the payment of dividends, mergers with or acquisitions by other institutions, investments, loans and interest rates, interest rates paid on deposits, expansion of branch offices, and the offering of securities or trust services. We are also subject to capitalization guidelines established by federal law and could be subject to enforcement actions to the extent that we are found by regulatory examiners to be undercapitalized. It is not possible to predict what changes, if any, will be made to existing federal and state legislation and regulations or the effect that any such changes may have on our future business and earnings prospects. Further, the cost of compliance with regulatory requirements may adversely affect our ability to operate profitability.

In addition, the monetary policies of the FRB have had a significant effect on the operating results of banks in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future. Among the instruments of monetary policy used by the FRB to implement its objectives are changes in the discount rate charged on bank borrowings and changes in the reserve requirements on bank deposits. It is not possible to predict what changes, if any, will be made to the monetary policies of the FRB or to existing federal and state legislation or the effect that such change may have on our future business and earnings prospects.

During the past several years, significant legislative attention has been focused on the regulation and deregulation of the financial services industry. Non-bank financial institutions, such as securities brokerage firms, insurance companies and money market funds, have been permitted to engage in activities which compete directly with traditional bank business.

We realize income primarily from the difference between interest earned on loans and investments and interest paid on deposits and borrowings, and changes in interest rates may adversely affect our profitability and assets.

Changes in prevailing interest rates may hurt our business. We derive our income mainly from the difference or “spread” between the interest earned on loans, securities and other interest-earning assets, and interest paid on deposits, borrowings and other interest-bearing liabilities. In general, the larger the spread, the more we earn. When market rates of interest change, the interest we receive on our assets and the interest we pay on our liabilities will fluctuate. This can cause decreases in our spread and can adversely affect our income.

Interest rates affect how much money we can lend. For example, when interest rates rise, the cost of borrowing increases and loan originations tend to decrease. In addition, changes in interest rates can affect the average life of loans and investment securities. A reduction in interest rates generally results in
 
 
30
 
 
 
increased prepayments of loans and mortgage-backed securities, as borrowers refinance their debt in order to reduce their borrowing cost. This causes reinvestment risk, because we generally are not able to reinvest prepayments at rates that are comparable to the rates we earned on the prepaid loans or securities. Changes in market interest rates could also reduce the value of our financial assets. If we are unsuccessful in managing the effects of changes in interest rates, our financial condition and results of operations could suffer.

As a public company, we are subject to numerous reporting requirements that are currently evolving and could substantially increase our operating expenses and divert management’s attention from the operation of our business.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which became law in July 2002, has required changes in some of our corporate governance, securities disclosure and compliance practices. In response to the requirements of that Act, the SEC has promulgated new rules covering a variety of subjects. Compliance with these new rules has significantly increased our legal and financial and accounting costs, and we expect these increased costs to continue. In addition, compliance with the requirements has taken a significant amount of management’s and the Board of Directors’ time and resources. Likewise, these developments may make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors, particularly independent directors, or qualified executive officers.

As directed by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the SEC adopted rules requiring public companies to include a report of management on the company’s internal control over financial reporting in their annual reports on Form 10-K that contains an assessment by management of the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting. In addition, the independent registered public accounting firm auditing the company’s financial statements must report on the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting. If we are ever unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting or, if our independent auditors are unable to provide us with an unqualified report as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting for any future year-ends as required by Section 404, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which could result in a decrease in the value of our securities.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item  2. Properties

The Bank operates from its main office located at 717 Main Street, Honesdale, Pennsylvania and 15 additional branch offices. The Bank’s total investment in office property and equipment is $20.1 million with a net book value of $7.5 million as of December 31, 2011. The Bank currently operates automated teller machines at all 16 of its facilities. The Bank leases five of its locations with minimum lease commitments of $3.5 million through 2029.  Four of the locations have various renewal options.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries are involved in any pending legal proceedings, other than routine legal matters occurring in the ordinary course of business, which in the aggregate involve amounts which are believed by management to be immaterial to the consolidated financial condition or results of operations of the Company.

 
31
 
 

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

Information relating to the market for Registrant’s common equity and related stockholder matters appears under “Capital and Dividends” in the Registrant’s Annual Report to Stockholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 (the “Annual Report”) and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

The above-captioned information appears under “Summary of Selected Financial Data” in the Annual Report, and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations

The above-captioned information appears under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” in the Annual Report and is incorporated herein by reference from the Annual Report.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk

The above-captioned information appears under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis -- Market Risk” in the Annual Report and is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

The Company’s consolidated financial statements listed in Item 15 and the Summary of Quarterly Results (unaudited) are incorporated herein by reference from the Annual Report.

Item 9. Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

Not applicable.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

(a)  Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Company’s management evaluated, with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms.

(b)  Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting and the Report of the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm are incorporated herein by reference from the Annual Report. There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the Company’s last fiscal quarter that have
 
 
32
 
 
materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B. Other Information

None.
PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

The information contained under the sections captioned “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” and “Proposal I -- Election of Directors” and “Corporate Governance” in the Proxy Statement for the 2012 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Proxy Statement”) are incorporated herein by reference.

The Company has adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer and principal accounting officer or controller. The Company undertakes to provide a copy of the Code of Ethics to any person without charge, upon request to Joseph A. Kneller, Senior Vice President, Norwood Financial Corp., 717 Main Street, Honesdale, PA  18431.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

The information contained under the section captioned “Director and Executive Compensation” in the Proxy Statement is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

(a)           Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners

Information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Section captioned  “Principal Holders of Our Common Stock” of the Proxy Statement.

(b)           Security Ownership of Management

Information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the sections captioned  “Proposal I -- Election of Directors” of the Proxy Statement.
 
(c)          Changes in Control

Management of the Company knows of no arrangements, including any pledge by any person of securities of the Company, the operation of which may at a subsequent date result in a change in control of the registrant.
  
 
33
 
 
(d)           Equity Compensation Plan Information

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

   
(a)
 
(b)
 
(c)
 
   
Number of Securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights
 
Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights
 
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans, (excluding securities reflected in column (a))
 
Equity compensation plans
approved by security holders
                           
Stock Option Plan
   
39,412
     
$
26.26
     
   
2006 Stock Option Plan
   
168,100
       
29.05
     
75,300
   
                             
Equity compensation plans not
approved by security holders
                           
1999 Directors Stock Compensation Plan
   
2,402
       
20.73
     
   
TOTAL
   
209,914
     
$
28.43
     
75,300
   

The 1999 Directors Stock Compensation Plan provides for annual grants of options to non-employee directors as of the close of business on the day of the first regularly scheduled board meeting in December of each year. The amounts of such awards are determined by the board or a committee thereof. The exercise price for each option is equal to the fair market value of the stock as of the date of grant. Options generally have terms of ten years and one day from the date of grant and vest over periods ranging from six months to one year from the date of grant. Except in the event of death or disability, optionees may not sell shares acquired on exercise of options within six months of the date of grant. Options are not transferable except in the event of the death of the optionee.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the section in the Proxy Statement captioned “Related Party Transactions” and “Corporate Governance”.

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the section in the Proxy Statement captioned “Proposal II -- Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.”


 
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PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules

 
(a)
Listed below are all financial statements, schedules and exhibits filed as part of this report, and are incorporated by reference.

 
1.
The consolidated balance sheets of Norwood Financial Corp. and subsidiary as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the related consolidated statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the years in the three year period ended December 31, 2011, together with the related notes and the independent registered public accounting firm report of S.R. Snodgrass, A.C., independent registered public accounting firm.

 
2.
Schedules omitted as they are not applicable.

 
3.
Exhibits

No.
Description
   
3(i)
Articles of Incorporation of Norwood Financial Corp.(1)
3(ii)
Bylaws of Norwood Financial Corp. (2)
4.0
Specimen Stock Certificate of Norwood Financial Corp. (1)
10.1†
Employment Agreement with Lewis J. Critelli (2)
10.2†
Change in Control Severance Agreement with William S. Lance (2)
10.3†
Norwood Financial Corp. Stock Option Plan (3)
10.4†
Salary Continuation Agreement between the Bank and William W. Davis, Jr. (3)
10.5†
Salary Continuation Agreement between the Bank and Lewis J. Critelli (3)
10.6†
1999 Directors Stock Compensation Plan (3)
10.7†
Salary Continuation Agreement between the Bank and Joseph A. Kneller (5)
10.8†
Salary Continuation Agreement between the Bank and John H. Sanders (5)
10.9†
2006 Stock Option Plan (6)
10.10†
First and Second Amendments to Salary Continuation Agreement with William W. Davis, Jr. (7)
10.11†
First and Second Amendments to Salary Continuation Agreement with Lewis J. Critelli (7)
10.12†
First and Second Amendments to Salary Continuation Agreement with Joseph A. Kneller (7)
10.13†
First and Second Amendments to Salary Continuation Agreement with John H. Sanders (7)
13
Annual Report to Stockholders for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011
21
Subsidiaries of Norwood Financial Corp. (see Item 1. Business, General and Subsidiary Activity)
23
Consent of S.R. Snodgrass, A.C.
31
Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certifications of CEO and CFO
32
Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to §906 of Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002
101.INS
XBRL Instance document *
101.SCH
XBRL Schema Document *
101.CAL
XBRL Calculation Linkbase Document *
101.LAB
XBRL Labels Linkbase Document *
101.PRE
XBRL Presentation Linkbase Document *
101.DEF
XBRL Definition Linkbase Document *

 
35
 
 

Management contract or compensatory plan arrangement.
*
Submitted as Exhibits 101 to this Form 10-K are documents formatted in XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language).  Pursuant to Rule 406T of Regulation S-T, these interactive data files are deemed not filed or part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of Sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933 or Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and otherwise are not subject to liability.
(1)
Incorporated herein by reference into this document from the Exhibits to Form 10, Registration Statement initially filed with the Commission on April 29, 1996, Registration No.0-28364.
(2)
Incorporated by reference into this document from the identically numbered exhibits to the Registrant’s Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 15, 2010.
(3)
Incorporated herein by reference into this document from the Exhibits to the Registrant’s Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 23, 2000, File No. 0-28364.
(4)
Incorporated by reference into this document from the Exhibits to Form S-8 filed with the Commission on August 14, 1998, File No. 333-61487.
(5)
Incorporated by reference into this document from the identically numbered exhibits to the Registrant’s Form 10-K filed with the Commission on March 22, 2004, File No. 0-28364.
(6)
Incorporated by reference to this document from Exhibit 4.1 to Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (File No. 333-134831) filed with the Commission on June 8, 2006.
(7)
Incorporated herein by reference from the Exhibits to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed April 4, 2006.



 
36
 
 


SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
 
   
NORWOOD FINANCIAL CORP.
 
 
Dated: March 13, 2012
 
 
 
By:
/s/ Lewis J. Critelli
     
Lewis J. Critelli
President and Chief Executive Officer
(Duly Authorized Representative)
 
Pursuant to the requirement of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on March 13, 2012 on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities indicated.
 
 
/s/ Lewis J. Critelli
 
 
Lewis J. Critelli
President, Chief Executive Officer and  Director
(Principal Executive Officer )
 
William W. Davis, Jr.
Director
 
 
/s/ Dr. Andrew A. Forte
 
/s/ Susan Gumble-Cottell
Dr. Andrew A. Forte
Director
 
Susan Gumble-Cottell
Director
 
 
/s/ Daniel J. O’Neill
 
/s/ John E. Marshall
Daniel J. O’Neill
Director
 
John E. Marshall
Director
 
 
/s/ Ralph A. Matergia
 
/s/ Dr. Kenneth A. Phillips
Ralph A. Matergia
Director
 
Dr. Kenneth A. Phillips
Director
 
 
/s/ Kevin M. Lamont
 
 
Kevin M. Lamont
Director
 
Richard L. Snyder
Director
 
 
/s/ William S. Lance
   
William S. Lance
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)