Loans

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2012

Loans [Abstract]

Loans

(6) Loans

Loans at September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011 classified by type are as follows:

	September 30, 2012		December 31, 2011
Real estate loans:
Construction and land development	$	65,823	$	67,232
Secured by farmland		28,079		29,947
Secured by residential properties		106,301		110,238
Secured by nonfarm, nonresidential properties		205,190		203,287
Consumer installment		5,946		6,485
Credit cards and related plans		1,555		1,660
Commercial and all other loans:
Commercial and industrial		60,905		45,649
Loans to finance agricultural production		33,178		21,524
All other loans		10,044		10,587
		517,021		496,609
Less deferred fees and costs, net		87		67
	$	516,934	$	496,542
Included in the above:
Nonaccrual loans	$	18,025	$	15,973
Restructured loans 1		11,144		9,596

1. Restructured loans include loans restructured and still accruing. The Bank is not committed to advance additional funds on restructured loans.

There were no loans outstanding that were past due ninety days or more that were still accruing at September 30, 2012 or December 31, 2011.

The Bank, through its normal lending activity, originates and maintains loans receivable that are substantially concentrated in the Eastern region of North Carolina, where its offices are located. The Bank’s policy calls for collateral or other forms of repayment assurance to be received from the borrower at the time of loan origination. Such collateral or other form of repayment assurance is subject to changes in economic value due to various factors beyond the control of the Bank, and such changes could be significant.

The Bank’s loan policies and procedures establish the basic guidelines governing its lending operations. The guidelines address the type of loans that the Bank seeks, target markets, underwriting and collateral requirements, terms, interest rate and yield considerations and compliance with laws and regulations. All loans or credit lines are subject to approval procedures and amount limitations. These limitations apply to the borrower’s total outstanding indebtedness to the Bank, including any indebtedness as a guarantor. The policies are reviewed and approved at least annually by the Board of Directors of the Bank. The Bank supplements its own supervision of the loan underwriting and approval process with periodic loan reviews by independent, outside professionals experienced in loan review. On an annual basis, the Board of Directors of the Bank determines officers lending authority. Authorities may include loans, letters of credit, overdrafts, uncollected funds and such other authorities as determined by the Board of Directors.

Responsibility for loan underwriting resides with the Chief Credit Officer position. This position is responsible for loan underwriting and approval. This is accomplished through individual lender approval authorities with supervision by Credit Policy Officers who review and approve loans which exceed the lender’s authority. Also, all Special Mention and Classified loans are reviewed quarterly. Detailed, written action plans are updated by the lenders and those plans are reviewed by a joint committee consisting of Regional Managers, Credit Policy Officers, CCO, Commercial Banking Manager and Special Assets Manager.

The following describe the risk characteristics relevant to each of the portfolio segments.

Real Estate Loans. Our real estate loan classification includes all loans secured by real estate. Real estate loans include loans made to purchase, construct or improve residential or commercial real estate, and for real estate development purposes. However, many of our real estate loans, while secured by real estate, were made for various other commercial, agricultural and consumer purposes (which may or may not be related to our real estate collateral). This generally reflects our efforts to reduce credit risk by taking real estate as primary or additional collateral, whenever possible, without regard to loan purpose. Substantially all of our real estate loans are secured by real property located in or near our banking markets. We make long-term residential mortgage loans through our mortgage department. These loans are held for sale and we generally hold these loans for a short period of time of approximately ten days. This allows us to make long-term residential loans available to our customers and generate fee income but avoid most risks associated with those loans.

Construction and land development loans involve special risks because loan funds are advanced on the security of houses or other improvements that are under construction and are of uncertain value before construction is complete. For that reason, it is more difficult to evaluate accurately the total loan funds required to complete a project and the related loan-to-value ratios. To reduce these risks, we generally limit loan amounts to 85% of the projected “as built” appraised values of our collateral on completion of construction. For larger projects, we include amounts for contingencies in our construction cost estimates. We generally require a qualified permanent financing commitment from an outside lender unless we have agreed to convert the construction loan to permanent financing ourselves.

Loans secured by farmland are made to agricultural customers for the purpose of acquisition or improvement of farmland. The loans are typically secured by land which is cultivated for primarily row crop production and related interests, such as grain elevator facilities and farming operations buildings. Repayment of loans secured by farmland may depend on successful crop production or other farm related operations.

Residential loans may be made at fixed or variable interest rates, and they generally have maturities that do not exceed five years and provide for payments based on amortization schedules of less than twenty years. Loans with a maturity of more than five years or that are based on an amortization schedule of more than five years generally will include contractual provisions that allow us to call the loan in full, or provide for a “balloon” payment in full, at the end of a period of no more than five years.

Nonfarm and nonresidential loans typically involve larger loan balances concentrated with single borrowers or groups of related borrowers. Repayment of commercial real estate loans may depend on the successful operation of income producing properties, a business, or a real estate project and, therefore, may, to a greater extent than in the case of other loans, be subject to the risk of adverse conditions in the economy generally or in the real estate market in particular.

Consumer Installment Loans, Credit Cards and Related Plans. Our consumer installment loans consist primarily of loans for various consumer purposes, as well as the outstanding balances of non-real estate secured consumer revolving credit accounts. A majority of these loans are secured by liens on various personal assets of the borrowers, but they also may be made on an unsecured basis. Consumer loans generally are made at fixed interest rates and with maturities or amortization schedules that generally do not exceed five years. Consumer installment loans involve greater risks than other loans, particularly in the case of loans that are unsecured or secured by depreciating assets. When damage or depreciation reduces the value of our collateral below the unpaid balance of a defaulted loan, repossession may not result in repayment of the entire outstanding loan balance. The resulting deficiency may not warrant further substantial collection efforts against the borrower. In connection with consumer lending in general, the success of our loan collection efforts is highly dependent on the continuing financial stability of our borrowers, and our collection of consumer installment loans may be more likely to be adversely affected by a borrower’s job loss, illness, personal bankruptcy or other change in personal circumstances than is the case with other types of loans.

Commercial and Industrial and Agricultural Loans. Our commercial and industrial loan and loans to finance agriculture includes loans to small- and medium-sized businesses and individuals for working capital, equipment purchases and various other business and agricultural purposes. These loans generally are secured by business assets, such as inventory, accounts receivable, equipment or similar assets, but they also may be made on an unsecured basis. Commercial and industrial loans typically are made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from business cash flow. As a result, the ability of borrowers to repay commercial loans may be substantially dependent on the success of their businesses, and the collateral for commercial loans may depreciate over time and cannot be appraised with as much precision as real estate.

At September 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, included in mortgage, commercial, and residential loans were loans collateralized by owner-occupied residential real estate of approximately $51.0 million and $53.2 million, respectively.

Loans with a book value of approximately $24.0 million at September 30, 2012 are pledged as eligible collateral for FHLB advances. Loans with a book value of approximately $25.8 million at December 31, 2011 were pledged as eligible collateral for FHLB advances.