1st Franklin Financial Corporation (the "Company") is a consumer finance company which originates and services direct cash loans, real estate loans and sales finance contracts through 343 branch offices located throughout the southeastern United States. In addition to this business, the Company writes credit insurance when requested by its loan customers as an agent for a non-affiliated insurance company specializing in such insurance. Two of the Company's wholly owned subsidiaries, Frandisco Life Insurance Company and Frandisco Property and Casualty Insurance Company, reinsure the credit life, the credit accident and health, the credit unemployment and the credit property insurance so written.

Cash and Cash Equivalents. Cash includes cash on hand and with banks. Cash equivalents are short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less. The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents approximates fair value due to the relatively short period of time between the origination of the instruments and their expected realization. The Company may have deposits in excess of amounts covered by the Federal Deposits Insurance Corporation with its banking partners. Cash equivalents are classified as a Level 1 financial asset.

Loans. The fair value of the Company's direct cash loans and sales finance contracts approximate the carrying value since the estimated life, assuming prepayments, is short-term in nature. The fair value of the Company's real estate loans approximate the carrying value since the interest rate charged by the Company approximates market rates. Loans are classified as a Level 3 financial asset.

Investment Securities. The fair value of investment securities is based on quoted market prices. If a quoted market price is not available, fair value is estimated using market prices for similar securities. See additional information below regarding fair value under Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") No. 820, Fair Value Measurements. See Note 4 for fair value measurement of available-for-sale investment securities and for information related to how these securities are valued.

Senior Debt. The carrying value of the Company's senior debt securities approximates fair value due to the relatively short period of time between the origination of the instruments and their expected payment. Senior debt securities are classified as a Level 2 financial liability.

Subordinated Debt. The carrying value of the Company's subordinated debt securities approximates fair value due to the re-pricing frequency of the securities. Subordinated debt securities are classified as a Level 2 financial liability.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) requires Management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the

(3)Other revenues primarily relate to commissions earned by the Company on sales of auto club memberships. Auto club commissions are revenue from contracts with customers and are accounted for in accordance with the guidance set forth in ASC 606.

Accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America require that an interest yield method be used to calculate the income recognized on accounts which have precomputed charges. An interest yield method is used by the Company on each individual account with precomputed charges to calculate income for those on-going accounts; however, state regulations often allow interest refunds to be made according to the "Rule of 78's" method for payoffs and renewals. Since the majority of the Company's accounts which have precomputed charges are paid off or renewed prior to maturity, the result is that most of the accounts effectively yield on a Rule of 78's basis.

Precomputed finance charges are included in the gross amount of certain direct cash loans, sales finance contracts and certain real estate loans. These precomputed charges are deferred and recognized as income on an accrual basis using the effective interest method. Some other cash loans and real estate loans, which do not have precomputed charges, have income recognized on a simple interest accrual basis. Income is not accrued on a loan that is more than 60 days past due.

The property and casualty credit insurance policies written by the Company, as agent for an unrelated insurance company, are reinsured by the Company's property and casualty insurance subsidiary. The premiums are deferred and earned over the period of insurance coverage using the pro-rata method or the effective yield method, depending on whether the amount of insurance coverage generally remains level or declines.

The credit life and accident and health policies written by the Company, as agent for an unrelated insurance company, are reinsured by the Company's life insurance subsidiary. The premiums are deferred and earned using the pro-rata method for level-term life policies and the effective yield method for decreasing-term life policies. Premiums on accident and health policies are earned based on an average of the pro-rata method and the effective yield method.

Claims of the insurance subsidiaries are expensed as incurred and reserves are established for incurred but not reported claims. Reserves for claims totaled $6.5 million and $5.3 million at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, and are included in unearned insurance premiums on the consolidated statements of financial position.

The primary revenue category included in other revenue relates to commissions earned by the Company on sales of auto club memberships. Commissions received from the sale of auto club memberships are earned at the time the membership is sold. The Company sells the memberships as an agent for a third

Office machines, equipment and Company automobiles are recorded at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over a period of three to ten years. Leasehold improvements are amortized on a straight-line basis over five years or less depending on the term of the applicable lease. Depreciation and amortization expense for each of the three years ended December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020 was $4.4 million, $4.6 million and $4.8 million, respectively.

Restricted cash consists of funds maintained in restricted accounts in order to comply with certain requirements imposed on insurance companies by the State of Georgia and to meet the reserve requirements of its reinsurance agreements. Restricted cash also includes escrow deposits held by the Company on behalf of certain real estate mortgage customers.


	Year Ended December 31, (In thousands)
	2022		2021		2020
Cash and cash equivalents	$	49,653	$	33,061	$	59,214
Restricted cash	15,781		7,306		8,465
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	65,434	$	40,367	$	67,679

The Company annually evaluates whether events and circumstances have occurred or triggering events have occurred that indicate the carrying amount of property and equipment may warrant revision or may not be recoverable. When factors indicate that these long-lived assets should be evaluated for possible impairment, the Company assesses the recoverability by determining whether the carrying value of such long-lived assets will be recovered through the future undiscounted cash flows expected from use of the asset and its eventual disposition. Based on Management’s evaluation, there was no impairment of the carrying value of the long-lived assets, including property and equipment at December 31, 2022 or 2021.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued ASC 740-10. FASB ASC 740-10 provides that a tax benefit from an uncertain tax position may be recognized when it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolutions of any related appeals or litigation processes, based on the technical merits. Income tax positions must meet a more-likely-than-not recognition threshold at the effective date to be recognized. FASB ASC 740-10 also provides guidance on measurement, de-recognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim periods, disclosure and transition. At December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company had no uncertain tax positions.

The Company’s insurance subsidiaries are treated as taxable entities and income taxes are provided for where applicable (Note 12). No provision for income taxes has been made by the Company since it has elected to be treated as an S Corporation for income tax reporting purposes. However, certain states do not recognize S Corporation status, and the Company has accrued amounts necessary to pay the required income taxes in such states.

When the Company takes possession of collateral which secures a loan, the collateral is recorded at the lower of its estimated resale value or the loan balance. Any losses incurred at that time are charged against the Allowance for Credit Losses.

Management has designated the Company’s investment securities held in the Company's investment portfolio at December 31, 2022 and 2021 as being available-for-sale. This portion of the investment portfolio is reported at fair value with unrealized gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported in other comprehensive income (loss) included in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). Gains and losses on sales of securities designated as available-for-sale are determined based on the specific identification method.

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting, which provides optional accounting relief for the expected market transition from the use of the London Interchange Bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to the proposed Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”). The Company's benchmark rate transitioned to SOFR on December 1, 2022 with no impact to the condensed consolidated financial statements, (Note 6).

In March 2022 the FASB issued ASU No. 2022-02 "Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Troubled Debt Restructuring and Vintage Disclosures. The key provisions include (1) enhancements to disclosure requirements for certain loan refinancings and restructurings by creditor when borrower is experiencing financial difficulty, the creditor must apply the loan refinancing and restructuring guidance to determine whether a modification results in a new loan or a continuation of an existing loan (2) for public business entities, the entity is required to disclose current-period gross write-offs by year of origination for financing receivables and net investments in leases. The amendments in this update are effective for annual and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2022. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of disclosure updates to its footnotes, but believes implementation will not have a material financial effect on its financial statements.