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Securities
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Securities [Abstract]  
Securities
NOTE 2 - SECURITIES
 
The composition of securities is as follows:
 
(in thousands)
 
Amortized
cost (1)
  
Gross un-
realized gains
  
Gross un-
realized losses
  
Fair value
 
June 30, 2011
            
Available-for-sale
            
U.S. Treasury notes
 $4,999  $373  $-  $5,372 
U.S. Government Agency notes
  22,573   422   -   22,995 
Municipal bonds
  51,388   459   (3,062)  48,785 
Mortgage backed securities
                
U.S. Government Agencies
  30,895   938   (1)  31,832 
Collateralized mortgage obligations
                
U.S. Government Agencies
  8,052   41   -   8,093 
Non-agency
  16,624   499   (282)  16,841 
SBA bonds
  4,062   80   -   4,142 
Corporate bonds
  1,095   28   -   1,123 
Preferred Stock
  20   204   -   224 
Total securities available-for-sale
 $139,708  $3,044  $(3,345) $139,407 
Held-to-maturity
                
Mortgage backed security
 $53  $1  $-  $54 
Non-marketable securities
                
Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston stock
 $6,032  $-  $-  $6,032 
December 31, 2010
                
Available-for-sale
                
U.S. Treasury notes
 $4,999  $197  $-  $5,196 
U.S. Government Agency notes
  41,590   380   (92)  41,878 
Municipal bonds
  51,330   139   (5,371)  46,098 
Mortgage backed securities
                
U.S. Government Agencies
  19,190   566   (20)  19,736 
Collateralized mortgage obligations
                
U.S. Government Agencies
  9,283   29   (1)  9,311 
Non-agency
  19,002   714   (599)  19,117 
SBA bonds
  4,831   70   -   4,901 
Corporate bonds
  1,089   41   -   1,130 
Preferred Stock
  20   35   -   55 
Total securities available-for-sale
 $151,334  $2,171  $(6,083) $147,422 
Held-to-maturity
                
Mortgage backed security
 $56  $2  $-  $58 
Non-marketable securities
                
Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston stock
 $6,032  $-  $-  $6,032 
 
(1)
Net of other-than-temporary impairment write-down recognized in earnings.
 
Salisbury did not sell any securities available-for-sale during the three month periods ended June 30, 2011 and 2010.
 
Included in non-agency Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”) are eight securities issued by Wells Fargo with an aggregate amortized cost basis and fair value of $5,671,000 and $5,867,000, respectively, that exceeded 10% of shareholders' equity as of June 30, 2011.
 


 
The following table summarizes, for all securities in an unrealized loss position, including debt securities for which a portion of other-than-temporary impairment has been recognized in other comprehensive income, the aggregate fair value and gross unrealized loss of securities that have been in a continuous unrealized loss position as of the date presented:
 
  
Less than 12 Months
  
12 Months or Longer
  
Total
 
(in thousands)
 
Fair
value
  
Unrealized
losses
  
Fair
value
  
Unrealized
 losses
  
Fair
value
  
Unrealized
losses
 
June 30, 2011
                  
Available-for-sale
                  
U.S. Government Agency notes
 $-  $-  $-  $-  $-  $- 
Municipal Bonds
  14,410   630   15,321   2,432   29,731   3,062 
Mortgage backed securities
  58   1   -   -   58   1 
Collateralized mortgage obligations
                        
U.S. Government Agencies
  -   -   -   -   -   - 
Non-agency
  1,004   15   2,068   151   3,072   166 
Total temporarily impaired securities
  15,472   646   17,389   2,583   32,861   3,229 
Other-than-temporarily impaired securities
                        
Collateralized mortgage obligations
                        
Non-agency
  3,186   71   750   45   3,936   116 
Total temporarily impaired and other-than-
                        
temporarily impaired securities
 $18,658  $717  $18,139  $2,628  $36,797  $3,345 
 
Salisbury evaluates securities for Other Than Temporary Impairment (“OTTI”) where the fair value of a security is less than its amortized cost basis at the balance sheet date. As part of this process, Salisbury considers its intent to sell each debt security and whether it is more likely than not that it will be required to sell the security before its anticipated recovery. If either of these conditions is met, Salisbury recognizes an OTTI charge to earnings equal to the entire difference between the security's amortized cost basis and its fair value at the balance sheet date. For securities that meet neither of these conditions, an analysis is performed to determine if any of these securities are at risk for OTTI.
 
The following summarizes, by security type, the basis for evaluating if the applicable securities were OTTI at June 30, 2011.
 
U.S Government Agency notes, U.S. Government Agency mortgage-backed securities and U.S. Government Agency CMOs: The contractual cash flows are guaranteed by U.S. government agencies and U.S. government-sponsored enterprises. Changes in fair values are a function of changes in investment spreads and interest rate movements and not changes in credit quality. Management expects to recover the entire amortized cost basis of these securities.  Furthermore, Salisbury does not intend to sell these securities and it is not more likely than not that Salisbury will be required to sell these securities before recovery of their cost basis, which may be maturity.  Therefore, management does not consider these securities to be OTTI at June 30, 2011.
 
Municipal bonds: Contractual cash flows are performing as expected. The decline in fair values at June 30, 2011 as compared with December 31, 2010, is primarily due to an increase in interest rates and risk premium spreads for municipal bonds in 2011 compared to 2010. Late in 2010 and continuing into 2011 the municipal bond market experienced significant price declines as uncertainty about the health of local and state government finances caused investors to exit the market. Salisbury purchased substantially all of these securities during 2006-to-2008 as bank qualified, insured, AAA rated general obligation or revenue bonds. Salisbury's portfolio is mostly comprised of tax-exempt general obligation bonds or public-purpose revenue bonds for schools, municipal offices, sewer infrastructure and fire houses, for small towns and municipalities across the United States. In the wake of the financial crisis, most monoline bond insurers had their ratings downgraded or withdrawn because of excessive exposure to insurance for collateralized debt obligations. Salisbury has performed credit underwriting reviews of certain issuers, including those that have had their ratings withdrawn and those that are insured by insurers that have had their ratings withdrawn, to assess their default risk. For all completed reviews pass credit risk ratings have been assigned. Management believes that unrealized losses on its municipal bonds are a function of interest rate movements and changes in investor spreads for credit sensitive securities. Management expects to recover the entire amortized cost basis of these securities.  Salisbury does not intend to sell these securities and it is not more likely than not that Salisbury will be required to sell these securities before recovery of their cost basis, which may be maturity.  Management does not consider these securities to be OTTI at June 30, 2011.
 

 
Non-agency CMOs: Salisbury performed a detailed cash flow analysis of its non-agency CMOs at June 30, 2011 to assess whether any of the securities were OTTI. Salisbury uses third party provided cash flow forecasts of each security based on a variety of market driven assumptions and securitization terms, including prepayment speed, default or delinquency rate, and default severity for losses including interest, legal fees, property repairs, expenses and realtor fees, that, together with the loan amount are subtracted from collateral sales proceeds to determine severity. In 2009 Salisbury determined that five non-agency CMO securities reflected OTTI and recognized losses for deterioration in credit quality of $1,128,000. Salisbury judged these five securities not to have additional OTTI and all other CMO securities not to be OTTI as of June 30, 2011. It is possible that future loss assumptions could change necessitating Salisbury to recognize future OTTI for further deterioration in credit quality. Salisbury does not intend to sell these securities and it is not more likely than not that Salisbury will be required to sell these securities before recovery of their cost basis.
 
The following table presents activity related to credit losses recognized into earnings on the non-agency CMOs held by Salisbury for which a portion of an OTTI charge was recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income:
 
Six months ended June 30 (in thousands)
 
2011
  
2010
 
Balance, beginning of period
 $1,128  $1,128 
Credit component on debt securities in which OTTI was not previously recognized
  -   - 
Balance, end of period
 $1,128  $1,128 
 
Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (“FHLBB”): The Bank is a member of the FHLBB. The FHLBB is a cooperative that provides services, including funding in the form of advances, to its member banking institutions. As a requirement of membership, the Bank must own a minimum amount of FHLBB stock, calculated periodically based primarily on its level of borrowings from the FHLBB. No market exists for shares of the FHLBB and therefore, they are carried at par value. FHLBB stock may be redeemed at par value five years following termination of FHLBB membership, subject to limitations which may be imposed by the FHLBB or its regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Board, to maintain capital adequacy of the FHLBB. While the Bank currently has no intentions to terminate its FHLBB membership, the ability to redeem its investment in FHLBB stock would be subject to the conditions imposed by the FHLBB. In 2008, the FHLBB announced to its members that it is focusing on preserving capital in response to ongoing market volatility including the extension of a moratorium on excess stock repurchases and in 2009 announced the suspension of its quarterly dividends. On February 22, 2011, the FHLBB announced the resumption of modest quarterly cash dividends to its members through 2011 and on June 27, 2011 the FHLBB announced that its excess stock pool will be discontinued effective June 28, 2011, and designating December 28, 2011, as the required stock purchase date. Based on the capital adequacy and the liquidity position of the FHLBB, management believes there is no impairment related to the carrying amount of the Bank's FHLBB stock as of June 30, 2011. Further deterioration of the FHLBB's capital levels may require the Bank to deem its restricted investment in FHLBB stock to be OTTI. If evidence of impairment exists in the future, the FHLBB stock would reflect fair value using either observable or unobservable inputs. The Bank will continue to monitor its investment in FHLBB stock.