Note 2. Business Combination

On July 11, 2018, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Greater Hudson Bank (“GHB”), under which GHB would merge with and into ConnectOne Bank, with ConnectOne Bank as the surviving bank. This transaction was completed effective January 2, 2019 (“Merger date”). As part of this merger, the Company acquired seven branch offices located in Rockland, Orange and Westchester Counties, New York. Pursuant to the merger agreement, holders of GHB common stock received 0.245 shares of common stock of ConnectOne with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares.

The acquisition of GHB was accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting and, accordingly, assets acquired, liabilities assumed and consideration paid were recorded at their estimated fair values as of the acquisition date. The application of the acquisition method of accounting resulted in the recognition of goodwill of $10.3 million and a core deposit intangible of $5.1 million. The assets acquired and liabilities assumed and consideration paid in the acquisition of GHB were recorded at their estimated fair values based on management’s best estimates using information available at the date of the acquisition and are subject to adjustment for up to one year after the closing date of the acquisition. While the fair values are not expected to be materially different from the estimates, accounting guidance provides that an acquirer must recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement period, which runs through January 2, 2020, in the measurement period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. The acquirer must record in the financial statements, the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization or other income effects, if any, as a result of the changes to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date. The items most susceptible to adjustment are the credit fair value adjustments on loans, core deposit intangible and the deferred income tax assets resulting from the acquisition.

In connection with the acquisition, the consideration paid and the fair value of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed as of the date of acquisition are summarized in the following table:

	Estimated Fair
	Value at
	January 2, 2019
	(in thousands)
Consideration paid:
Common stock issued in acquisition	$	56,025

Assets acquired:
Cash and cash equivalents		13,741
Securities available-for-sale		121,672
Loans, net		362,914
Premises and equipment, net		1,624
Accrued interest receivable		2,434
Core deposit intangibles		5,131
Other assets		26,650
Total assets acquired		534,166

Liabilities assumed:
Deposits		416,110
Borrowings		64,186
Other liabilities		8,179
Total liabilities assumed		488,475

Net assets acquired		45,691

Goodwill recorded in acquisition	$	10,334

The amount of goodwill recorded represents the excess purchase price over the estimated fair value of the net assets acquired by ConnectOne and reflects the economies of scale, increased market share and lending capabilities, greater access to best-in-class banking technology, and related synergies that are expected to result from the acquisition.

Loans acquired in the GHB acquisition were recorded at fair value, and there was no carryover related allowance for loan losses. The fair values of loans acquired from GHB were estimated based on the value of the expected cash flows, which were projected based on the contractual terms of the loans, including both maturity and contractual amortization. The monthly principal and interest cash flows were adjusted for expected losses and prepayments, where appropriate. Projected cash flows were then discounted to present value using a discount rate developed based on the relative risk of the cash flows, considering the loan type, liquidity risk, the maturity of the loans, servicing costs and a required return on capital.

The following is a summary of the loans accounted for in accordance with ASC 310-30 that were acquired in the GHB acquisition as of the Merger date:

	Estimated Fair
	Value at
	January 2, 2019
	(in thousands)
Contractually required principal and interest acquisition	$	19,874
Contractual cash flows not expected to be collected (non-accretable discount)		(12,167	)
Expected cash flows at acquisition		7,707
Interest component of expected cash flows (accretable discount)		(1,286	)
Fair value of acquired loans	$	6,421

Goodwill is not amortized for book purposes; however, it is reviewed at least annually for impairment and is not deductible for tax purposes.

The fair value of retail demand and interest bearing deposit accounts was assumed to approximate the carrying value as those accounts have no stated maturity and are payable on demand. The fair value of time deposits was estimated by discounting the contractual future cash flows using market rates offered for time deposits of similar remaining maturities. The fair value of borrowed funds was estimated by discounting the future cash flows using market rates for similar borrowings.

Direct acquisition and integration costs of the Merger were expensed as incurred. These items were recorded as merger-related expenses on the statement of operations. During the three months ended March 31, 2019, merger expenses were $7.6 million.