Basis Of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Basis Of Presentation [Abstract]

Basis Of Presentation

(1) Basis of Presentation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of ECB Bancorp, Inc. ("Bancorp") and its wholly-owned subsidiary, The East Carolina Bank (the "Bank") (Bancorp and the Bank collectively referred to hereafter as the "Company"). The Bank has one wholly-owned subsidiary, ECB Financial Services, Inc., which formerly provided courier services to the Bank but is currently inactive. All intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated in consolidation. The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the balance sheets and the reported amounts of income and expenses for the periods presented. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change in the near-term relate to the determination of the allowance for loan losses and retirement plan costs. In connection with the determination of the allowance for loan losses, management obtains independent appraisals for significant properties held as collateral for loans. Our retirement plans and other post-retirement benefit costs are actuarially determined based on assumptions on the discount rate, estimated future return on plan assets and the health care cost trend rate.

All adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented have been included (such adjustments are normal and recurring in nature). The notes to consolidated financial statements in Bancorp's annual report on Form 10-K as of December 31, 2010 should be referenced when reading these unaudited interim consolidated financial statements. Operating results for the period ended September 30, 2011, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2011.

Reclassification

Certain reclassifications have been made to the prior period's financial statements to place them on a comparable basis with the current year. Net income and shareholders' equity previously reported were not affected by these reclassifications.

Loans

Loans are generally stated at their outstanding unpaid principal balances adjusted for charge-offs, the allowance for loan losses and any deferred fees or costs. Loan origination fees net of certain direct loan origination costs are deferred and amortized as a yield adjustment over the contractual life of the related loans using the level-yield method.

Impaired loans are defined as those which management believes it is probable we will not collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement.

Interest on loans is recorded based on the principal amount outstanding. The Company ceases accruing interest on loans (including impaired loans) when, in management's judgment, the collection of interest appears doubtful or the loan is past due 90 days or more. All interest accrued but not collected for loans that are placed on nonaccrual or charged off is reversed against interest income. The interest on these loans is accounted for on the cash-basis or cost-recovery method, until qualifying for return to accrual status. Management may return a loan classified as nonaccrual to accrual status when the obligation has been brought current, has performed in accordance with its contractual terms over an extended period of time, and the ultimate collectability of the total contractual principal and interest is no longer in doubt.

Allowance for Loan Losses

The allowance for loan losses (AFLL) is established through provisions for losses charged against income. Loan amounts deemed to be uncollectible are charged against the AFLL, and subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance. The AFLL represents management's estimate of the amount necessary to absorb estimated probable losses in the loan portfolio. Management's periodic evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance is based on individual loan reviews, past loan loss experience, economic conditions in the Company's market areas, the fair value and adequacy of underlying collateral, and the growth and loss attributes of the loan portfolio. This evaluation is inherently subjective as it requires material estimates that may be susceptible to significant change. Thus, future changes to the AFLL may be necessary based on the impact of changes in loan loss experience, the fair value and adequacy of underlying collateral, the growth and loss attributes of the loan portfolio and economic conditions. In addition, various regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the Company's AFLL. Such agencies may require the Company to recognize adjustments to the AFLL based on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their examination.

In evaluating the allowance for loan losses, the Company prepares an analysis of its current loan portfolio through the use of historical loss rates, homogeneous risk analysis grouping to include probabilities for loss in each group by risk grade, estimation of years to impairment in each homogeneous grouping, analysis of internal credit processes, past due loan portfolio performance and overall economic conditions, both regionally and nationally.

During the third quarter of 2011, the following circumstances occurred which represent the primary factors contributing to a reduction in the AFLL:

• We experienced a significant decline in the outstanding balance of construction and land development as well as commercial and industrial loans. Additionally, the overall risk grade of the remaining loans within these segments has improved. Given the significance of historical loss rates attributable to these loan segments, the declining loan balances and improved average risk grades had a substantial impact on our general reserves, effectively lowering them by approximately 16 basis points, or $769 thousand, as compared to our prior quarter end.

• Consistent with each quarterly reporting period, management also evaluated the AFLL model's unallocated internal and external factor percentages. As the Bank has continued to strengthen certain internal controls of the credit function, specific internal factors were scored to ensure they were consistent with improved Bank policies and procedures. The impact of these modifications increased our general reserves by approximately 14 basis points, or $690 thousand as compared to our prior quarter end.

• During the quarter, management conducted an impairment migration study using the Bank's historical data from the preceding two years. From this study we determined that our years to impairment AFLL model assumption should be reduced in all but two of our loan segments. This analysis provided statistical support for the refinement of this assumption and effectively lowered our general reserves by approximately 47 basis points, or $2.3 million, after considering the net effect of the prior two points above, as compared to our prior quarter end.

Management's migration study was supplemented by an independent study of the allowance model. During the third quarter of 2011, the Bank also employed an independent specialist to perform a loss migration analysis on the Bank's loan portfolio in order to provide additional statistical data and validation for the Bank's AFLL modeling process. That analysis provided the Bank with useful data regarding its loss migration history and mean level of loss history given our credit migration, and served as an independent validation of our overall allowance position at period end. Management and the Board of Directors have evaluated the impact of these AFLL model updates and determined that the allowance represents an amount necessary to absorb estimated probable losses in the loan portfolio.

Historical loss calculations for each homogeneous risk group are based on a three year average loss ratio calculation with the most recent quarter's loss history included in the model. The impact is to more quickly recognize and increase the loss history in a respective grouping. For those groups with little or no loss history, management increases the historical factor through a positive adjustment to more accurately represent current economic conditions and their probable impact on that particular loan group.

Homogeneous loan groups are assigned risk factors based on their perceived loss potential, current economic conditions and on their respective risk ratings. The probability of loss is increased as the risk grade increases within each risk grouping to more accurately reflect the Bank's exposure in that particular group of loans. The Bank utilizes a system of eight possible risk ratings. The risk ratings are established based on perceived probability of loss. Most loans risk rated "substandard", "doubtful" and "loss" are removed from their homogeneous group and individually analyzed for impairment. Some smaller loans risk rated "substandard", "doubtful" and "loss" with balances less than $100 thousand are not removed from their homogeneous group and individually analyzed for impairment. Other groups of loans based on loan size may be selected for impairment review. Loans are considered impaired if, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Bank will be unable to collect the scheduled payments of principal and interest when due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. The measurement of impaired loans is based on either the fair value of the underlying collateral, the present value of the future cash flows discounted at the historical effective interest rate stipulated in the loan agreement, or the estimated market value of the loan. In measuring the fair value of the collateral, management uses a comparison to the recent selling price of similar assets, which is consistent with those that would be utilized by unrelated third parties.

A portion of the Bank's allowance for loan losses is not allocated to any specific category of loans. This general portion of the allowance reflects the elements of imprecision and estimation risk inherent in the calculation of the overall allowance. Due to the subjectivity involved in determining the overall allowance, including the portion determined through general qualitative and quantitative internal and external factors, the general portion may fluctuate from period to period based on management's evaluation of the factors affecting the assumptions used in calculating the allowance, including historical loss experience, current and expected economic conditions and geographic conditions. While the Company believes that our management uses the best information available to determine the allowance for loan losses, unforeseen market conditions could result in adjustments to the allowance for loan losses, and net income could be significantly affected, if circumstances differ substantially from the assumptions used in making the final determination. Because these factors and management's assumptions are subject to change, the allocation is not necessarily indicative of future loan portfolio performance.

Unsecured loans are charged-off in full against the Company's allowance for loan losses as soon as the loan becomes uncollectible. Unsecured loans are considered uncollectible when no regularly scheduled monthly payment has been made within three months, the loan matured over 90 days ago and has not been renewed or extended or the borrower files for bankruptcy. Secured loans are considered uncollectible when the liquidation of collateral is deemed to be the most likely source of repayment. Once secured loans reach 90 days past due, they are placed into non-accrual status. If the loan is deemed to be collateral dependent, the principal balance is written down immediately to reflect the current market valuation based on current independent appraisal. Included in the write-down is the estimated expense to liquidate the property and typically an additional allowance for the foreclosure discount.

Subsequent Events

In preparing these financial statements, the Company has evaluated events and transactions for potential recognition or disclosure through the date the consolidated financial statements were issued.

A special meeting of the shareholders of the Company was held on October 12, 2011. At this meeting the shareholders approved amending the Company's Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of its authorized shares of common stock from 10,000,000 to 50,000,000 and authorized 2,000,000 shares of a new class of mandatorily convertible non-voting common stock. The shareholders also approved the Company's 2011 Equity Plan and the issuance of shares of the Company's common stock to certain institutional investors in a private placement offering pursuant to the terms of a Securities Purchase Agreement, dated as of June 30, 2011 and amended and restated as of September 9, 2011, and related documents.