Note 11 - Regulatory Matters

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Disclosure Text Block [Abstract]

Regulatory Capital Requirements under Banking Regulations [Text Block]

11. 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, 2013									December 31, 2012
	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		18.57	%		19.82	%		11.80	%		18.27	%		19.53	%		11.24	%
Farmers Bank		17.99			19.25			10.04			17.94			19.20			9.68
United Bank		15.08			16.35			9.70			15.41			16.69			9.45
First Citizens		13.47			14.23			9.55			13.57			14.46			9.42
Citizens Northern		13.25			14.50			9.54			12.97			14.22			9.36

¹Tier 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%).

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

Summary of Regulatory Agreements

Below is a summary of the regulatory agreements that the Parent Company and two of its subsidiary banks have entered into with their primary regulators. The agreement entered into during 2009 between Farmers Bank and its primary regulator was terminated in January 2013 as a result of satisfactory compliance.

Parent Company

Primarily due to the regulatory actions and capital requirements during 2009 at certain 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”) proposed the Company enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (“Memorandum”). The Company’s board approved entry into the Memorandum at a regular board meeting during the fourth quarter of 2009. 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 in the fourth quarter of 2009 from $.25 per share down to $.10 per share and 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.

United Bank  

In November of 2009, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) and United Bank entered into a Cease and Desist Order (“C&D”) primarily as a result of its level of nonperforming assets.  The C&D was terminated in December 2011 coincident with the issuance of a Consent Order (“Consent Order”) entered into between the parties. The Consent Order is substantially the same as the C&D, with the primary exception being that United Bank must achieve and maintain a Tier 1 Leverage ratio of 9.0% and a Total Risk-based Capital ratio of 13.0% no later than March 31, 2012. 

Other components in the regulatory order include stricter oversight and reporting to its regulators in terms of complying with the Consent 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. There is also a requirement to obtain written consent prior to declaring or paying a dividend and to develop a written contingency plan if the bank is unable to meet the capital levels established in the Consent Order.

Citizens Northern  

The KDFI and the FDIC entered into a Memorandum with Citizens Northern on September 8, 2010.  The Memorandum was terminated July 7, 2013 upon the issuance of an updated Memorandum. The updated Memorandum contains many of the same provisions included in the terminated Memorandum, with a new requirement that Citizens Northern maintain a Tier 1 leverage ratio at or above 9.0%. In addition, the updated Memorandum requires having and retaining qualified management in the areas of loan administration and collection. It also requires Citizens Northern to address credit underwriting and administration weaknesses identified in the most recent examination of the bank by the KDFI and FDIC.

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.

Farmers Bank 

In November of 2009, the KDFI and FRB St. Louis entered into a Memorandum with Farmers Bank.  The Memorandum was terminated in January 2013 following a joint examination by the KDFI and FRB St. Louis, which found satisfactory compliance with the terms of the Memorandum and overall improvement in financial condition.

Regulators continue to monitor the Company’s progress and compliance with the regulatory agreements through periodic on-site examinations, regular communications, and quarterly data analysis. 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 has been met. The Company believes that it and its subsidiary banks are in compliance with the requirements identified 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 currently under no directive by its regulators to raise any additional capital.