Note 9 - Regulatory Matters

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

9. Regulatory Matters

The Company and its subsidiary banks are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal banking agencies. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements will initiate certain mandatory and possibly additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have a direct material effect on the Company’s financial statements. Under capital adequacy guidelines and the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action, the banks must meet specific capital guidelines that involve quantitative measures of the banks’ assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance sheet items as calculated under regulatory accounting practices. The Company and its subsidiary banks’ capital amounts and classification are also subject to qualitative judgments by the regulators about components, risk weightings, and other factors.

The regulatory ratios of the consolidated Company and its subsidiary banks were as follows for the dates indicated.


	September 30, 2011									December 31, 2010
	Tier 1 Risk-based Capital1			Total Risk-based Capital1			Tier 1 Leverage2			Tier 1 Risk-based Capital1			Total Risk-based Capital1			Tier 1 Leverage2
Consolidated		16.54	%		17.81	%		9.98	%		15.35	%		16.61	%		9.39	%
Farmers Bank		17.01			18.28			9.34			15.59			16.86			8.55
First Citizens Bank		13.78			14.65			9.01			12.76			13.50			8.46
United Bank		14.09			15.37			8.93			12.91			14.18			8.24
Citizens Northern		12.20			13.45			8.40			11.42			12.68			8.04

Tier 1 Risk-based and Total Risk-based Capital ratios are computed by dividing a bank’s Tier 1 or Total Capital, as defined by regulation, by a risk-weighted sum of the bank’s assets, with the risk weighting determined by general standards established by regulation. The safest assets (e.g., government obligations) are assigned a weighting of 0% with riskier assets receiving higher ratings (e.g., ordinary commercial loans are assigned a weighting of 100%).

2	Tier 1 Leverage ratio is computed by dividing a bank’s Tier 1 Capital by its total quarterly average assets, as defined by regulation.

Summary of Regulatory Agreements

Below is a summary of the regulatory agreements that the Parent Company and three of its subsidiary banks have entered into with their primary regulators. For a more complete discussion and additional information regarding these regulatory actions, please refer to the section captioned “Capital Resources” under Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Result of Operations” of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010.

Parent Company

Primarily due to the regulatory actions and capital requirements at three of the Company’s subsidiary banks (as discussed below), the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (“FRB St. Louis”) and Kentucky Department of Financial Institutions (“KDFI”) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (“Memorandum”) with the Company. Pursuant to the Memorandum, the Company agreed that it would develop an acceptable capital plan to ensure that the consolidated organization remains well-capitalized and each of its subsidiary banks meet the capital requirements imposed by their regulator as summarized below.

The Company also agreed to reduce its common stock dividend from $.25 per share down to $.10 per share during the fourth quarter of 2009 and to not make interest payments on the Company’s trust preferred securities or dividends on its common or preferred stock without prior approval from FRB St. Louis and KDFI. Representatives of the FRB St. Louis and KDFI have indicated that any such approval for the payment of dividends will be predicated on a demonstration of adequate, normalized earnings on the part of the Company’s subsidiaries sufficient to support quarterly payments on the Company’s trust preferred securities and quarterly dividends on the Company’s common and preferred stock. While both regulatory agencies have granted approval of all subsequent quarterly Company requests to make interest payments on its trust preferred securities and dividends on its preferred stock, the Company has not (based on the assessment by Company management of both the Company’s capital position and the earnings of its subsidiaries) sought regulatory approval for the payment of common stock dividends since the fourth quarter of 2009. Moreover, the Company will not pay any such dividends on its common stock in any subsequent quarter until the regulator’s assessment of the earnings of the Company’s subsidiaries, and the Company’s assessment of its capital position, both yield the conclusion that the payment of a Company common stock dividend is warranted.

Other components in the regulatory order for the parent company include requesting and receiving regulatory approval for the payment of new salaries/bonuses or other compensation to insiders; assisting its subsidiary banks in addressing weaknesses identified in their reports of examinations; providing periodic reports detailing how it will meet its debt service obligations; and providing progress reports with its compliance with the regulatory Memorandum.

Farmers Bank

Farmers Bank was the subject of a regularly scheduled examination by the KDFI which was conducted in mid-September 2009. As a result of this examination, the KDFI and FRB St. Louis entered into a Memorandum with Farmers Bank. The Memorandum requires that Farmers Bank obtain written consent prior to declaring or paying the Parent Company a cash dividend and to achieve and maintain a Tier 1 Leverage ratio of 8.0% by June 30, 2010. The Parent Company injected from its reserves $11 million in capital into Farmers Bank during 2009 subsequent to the Memorandum.

At June 30, 2010, Farmers Bank had a Tier 1 Leverage ratio of 7.98% and a Total Risk-based Capital ratio of 15.78%. Subsequent to June 30, 2010, the Parent Company injected into Farmers Bank an additional $200 thousand in capital in order to raise its Tier 1 Leverage ratio to 8.0% to comply with the Memorandum. At September 30, 2011 Farmers Bank had a Tier 1 Leverage ratio of 9.34% and a Total Risk-based Capital ratio of 18.28%.

Other parts of the regulatory order include the development and documentation of plans for reducing problem loans, providing progress reports on compliance with the Memorandum, developing and implementing a written profit plan and strategic plans, and evaluating policies and procedures for monitoring construction loans and use of interest reserves. It also restricts the bank from extending additional credit to borrowers with credits classified as substandard, doubtful or special mention in the report of examination.

United Bank

As a result of an examination conducted in late July and early August of 2009, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) proposed United Bank enter into a Cease and Desist Order (“Order”) primarily as a result of its level of nonperforming assets. The Order requires United Bank to obtain written consent prior to declaring or paying the Parent Company a cash dividend and achieve and maintain a Tier 1 Leverage ratio of 8.0% by June 30, 2010 and a Total Risk-based Capital ratio of 12% immediately. Subsequent to the Order, the Parent Company injected $10.5 million from its reserves into United Bank during October, 2009. In 2010, the Parent Company injected from its reserves a total of $1.9 million of capital into United Bank. At June 30, 2010, United Bank had a Tier 1 Leverage ratio of 8.06% and a Total Risk-based Capital ratio of 14.12%, which was in excess of the amount required by the Order. In 2011, the Parent Company injected an additional $4.0 million from its reserves into United Bank, boosted its Tier 1 Leverage ratio to 8.93% and Total Risk-based Capital ratio to 15.37% at September 30, 2011.

Other components in the regulatory order include stricter oversight and reporting to its regulators in terms of complying with the Order. It also includes an increase in the level of reporting by management to its board of directors of its financial results, budgeting, and liquidity analysis, as well as restricting the bank from extending additional credit to borrowers with credits classified as substandard, doubtful or special mention in the report of examination.

Citizens Northern

Citizens Northern was the subject of a regularly scheduled examination by the KDFI which was completed in late May 2010. As a result of this examination, the KDFI and the FDIC on September 8, 2010 entered into a Memorandum with Citizens Northern. The Memorandum requires that Citizens Northern obtain written consent prior to declaring or paying a dividend and to increase Tier 1 Leverage ratio to equal or exceed 7.5% prior to September 30, 2010 and to achieve and maintain Tier 1 Leverage ratio to equal or exceed 8.0% prior to December 31, 2010. In December 2010, the Parent Company injected $250 thousand of capital into Citizens Northern to bring its Tier 1 Leverage ratio up to 8.04% as of year-end 2010. At September 30, 2011, Citizens Northern had a Tier 1 Leverage ratio of 8.40% and a Total Risk-based Capital ratio of 13.45%.

Other parts of the regulatory order include the development and documentation of plans for reducing problem loans, providing progress reports on compliance with the Memorandum, and for the development and implementation of a written profit plan and strategic plans. It also restricts the bank from extending additional credit to borrowers with credits classified as substandard, doubtful or special mention in the report of examination.

At the Parent Company and at each of its bank subsidiaries, the Company believes it is adequately addressing all issues of the regulatory agreements to which it is subject. However, only the respective regulatory agencies can determine if compliance with the applicable regulatory agreements have been met. The Company and its subsidiary banks are in compliance with the requirements identified in the regulatory agreements as of September 30, 2011, with the exception that the level of substandard loans at United Bank and Farmers Bank exceed their target amounts by $11.9 million and $2.6 million, respectively.

The level of substandard loans meeting the reporting requirements at United Bank increased $16.7 million during the third quarter of 2011. Newly classified loans in the amount of $24.8 million were added in the third quarter of 2011, partially offset by principal repayments of $3.1 million, loan charge-offs of $1.4 million, and $4.7 million due to loans no longer meeting the reporting requirements or that have been reclassified as other real estate owned through foreclosure. Farmers Bank was in excess of its target amount due mainly to the addition of one credit relationship during the first quarter of 2011 in the amount of $7.1 million. The overall level of substandard loans meeting the reporting requirements at Farmers Bank decreased $4.8 million during the third quarter 2011. Regulators continue to monitor the Company’s progress and compliance with the agreements through periodic on-site examinations, regular communications, and quarterly data analysis. The results of these examinations and communications show satisfactory progress toward meeting the requirements included in the regulatory agreements.

The Parent Company maintains cash available to fund a certain amount of additional injections of capital to its bank subsidiaries as determined by management or if required by its regulators. If needed, further amounts in excess of available cash may be funded by future public or private sales of securities, although the Parent Company is under no directive by its regulators to raise any additional capital.