UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2017

Commission File Number 0-19065 

SANDY SPRING BANCORP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Maryland	52-1532952
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

17801 Georgia Avenue, Olney, Maryland	20832
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

301-774-6400

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share	The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

[  ]  Yes  [X]  No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

[  ]  Yes  [X]  No*

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.[X]   Yes   [  ]  No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    [X]  Yes  [  ]  No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. [X]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one):

Large accelerated filer  [X]               Accelerated filer   [  ]   Non-accelerated filer  [  ]    Smaller reporting company  [  ]    

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  [  ]  Yes  [X]  No

The aggregate market value of the voting common stock of the registrant held by non-affiliates on June 30, 2017, the last day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter was approximately $949 million, based on the closing sales price of $40.66 per share of the registrant's Common Stock on that date.

The number of outstanding shares of common stock outstanding as of February 21, 2018.

Common stock, $1.00 par value – 35,453,721 shares

Documents Incorporated By Reference

Part III: Portions of the definitive proxy statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held on April 25, 2018 (the "Proxy Statement").

* The registrant is required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 of the Act.

SANDY SPRING BANCORP, INC.
Table of Contents
Forward-Looking Statements.......................................................................................................................................		3
PART I.
Item 1. Business.........................................................................................................................................................		4
Item 1A. Risk Factors.................................................................................................................................................		15
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments...........................................................................................................................		23
Item 2. Properties.......................................................................................................................................................		23
Item 3. Legal Proceedings............................................................................................................................................		23
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures...................................................................................................................................		23
PART II.
Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities..		24
Item 6. Selected Financial Data....................................................................................................................................		28
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.......................................		29
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk..............................................................................		58
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data....................................................................................................		59
	Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm..................................................................................	60
	Consolidated Financial Statements....................................................................................................................	62
	Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements..................................................................................................	67
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure......................................		118
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures................................................................................................................................		118
Item 9B. Other Information..........................................................................................................................................		118
PART III.
Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance...................................................................................		118
Item 11. Executive Compensation................................................................................................................................		119
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.....................		119
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence.........................................................		119
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services............................................................................................................		119
PART IV.
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules...........................................................................................................		119
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary......................................................................................................................................		122
Signatures……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………............		123

Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report Form 10-K, as well as other periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and written or oral communications made from time to time by or on behalf of Sandy Spring Bancorp and its subsidiaries (the “Company”), may contain statements relating to future events or future results of the Company that are considered “forward-looking statements” under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,”  “plan,” “estimate,” “intend” and “potential,” or words of similar meaning, or future or conditional verbs such as “should,” “could,” or “may.”  Forward-looking statements include statements of our goals, intentions and expectations; statements regarding our business plans, prospects, growth and operating strategies; statements regarding the quality of our loan and investment portfolios; and estimates of our risks and future costs and benefits.

Forward-looking statements reflect our expectation or prediction of future conditions, events or results based on information currently available. These forward-looking statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those in such statements.  These risk and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks identified in Item 1A of this report and the following:

·general business and economic conditions nationally or in the markets that the Company serves could adversely affect, among other things, real estate prices, unemployment levels, and consumer and business confidence, which could lead to decreases in the demand for loans, deposits and other financial services that we provide and increases in loan delinquencies and defaults;

·changes or volatility in the capital markets and interest rates may adversely impact the value of securities, loans, deposits and other financial instruments and the interest rate sensitivity of our balance sheet as well as our liquidity;

·our liquidity requirements could be adversely affected by changes in our assets and liabilities;

·our investment securities portfolio is subject to credit risk, market risk, and liquidity risk as well as changes in the estimates we use to value certain of the securities in our portfolio;

·the effect of legislative or regulatory developments including changes in laws concerning taxes, banking, securities, insurance and other aspects of the financial services industry;

·competitive factors among financial services companies, including product and pricing pressures and our ability to attract, develop and retain qualified banking professionals;

·acquisition integration risks, including potential deposit attrition, higher than expected costs, customer loss, business disruption and the inability to realize benefits and cost savings from, and limit any unexpected liabilities associated with, any business combinations;

·the effect of changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and other regulatory agencies; and

·the effect of fiscal and governmental policies of the United States federal government.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this report.  We do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date of this report or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events except as required by federal securities laws.

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PART I

Item 1.  BUSINESS 

General

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company") is the bank holding company for Sandy Spring Bank (the "Bank"). The Company is registered as a bank holding company pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the "Holding Company Act"). As such, the Company is subject to supervision and regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the "Federal Reserve"). The Company began operating in 1988. Sandy Spring Bank traces its origin to 1868, making it among the oldest banking institutions in the region. The Bank is independent, community oriented, and conducts a full-service commercial banking business through 42 community offices and 6 financial centers located in Central Maryland, Northern Virginia, and Washington D. C as of December 31, 2017. The Bank is a state chartered bank subject to supervision and regulation by the Federal Reserve and the State of Maryland. The Bank's deposit accounts are insured by the Deposit Insurance Fund administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the "FDIC") to the maximum permitted by law. The Bank is a member of the Federal Reserve System and is an Equal Housing Lender. The Company, the Bank, and its other subsidiaries are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employers. 

The Company is a community banking organization that focuses its lending and other services on businesses and consumers in the local market area with $5.4 billion in assets at December 31, 2017.  Through its subsidiaries, Sandy Spring Insurance Corporation and West Financial Services, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank offers a comprehensive menu of insurance and investment management services. 

On January 1, 2018, the Company completed its acquisition of WashingtonFirst Bankshares, Inc. (“WashingtonFirst”), the parent company for WashingtonFirst Bank, in a transaction valued at approximately $452 million. WashingtonFirst was headquartered in Reston, Virginia, and had 19 community banking offices and more than $2.1 billion in assets as of December 31, 2017.

The Company's and the Bank's principal executive office is located at 17801 Georgia Avenue, Olney, Maryland 20832, and its telephone number is 301-774-6400.

Availability of Information

This report is not part of the proxy materials; it is provided along with the annual proxy statement for convenience of use and as an expense control measure. The Company makes available through the Investor Relations area of the Company website, at www.sandyspringbank.com,annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Access to these reports is provided by means of a link to a third-party vendor that maintains a database of such filings.  In general, the Company intends that these reports be available as soon as practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  Technical and other operational obstacles or delays caused by the vendor may delay their availability.  The SEC maintains a website (www.sec.gov) where these filings also are available through the SEC’s EDGAR system.  There is no charge for access to these filings through either the Company’s site or the SEC’s site.

Market and Economic Overview

Sandy Spring Bank is headquartered in Montgomery County, Maryland and conducts business primarily in Central Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C.  The Bank’s business footprint serves Greater Washington, which includes the District of Columbia proper, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, one of the country’s most economically successful regions. The region’s economic strength is due to the region’s significant federal government presence and its strong growth in the business and professional services sector. The proximity to numerous armed forces installations in Maryland, including the United States Cyber Command in Ft. Meade, Maryland, together with a strategic location between two of the country’s leading ports - the Port of Baltimore and the Port of Norfolk – has provided opportunities for growth in a variety of areas, including logistics and transportation.

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The unemployment rate in the region has remained consistently below the national average for the last several years. Much of this success is due to the region’s highly trained and educated workforce. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the region is home to six of the top ten most highly educated counties in the nation and five of the top ten most affluent counties, as measured by household income. The Company’s geographical location provides access to key neighboring markets such as Philadelphia, New York City, Pittsburgh and the Richmond/Norfolk, Virginia corridor.

The local economy that the Company operates in continues to improve and indications are that the regional economy will continue to strengthen and expand.  Consumer confidence continued to improve throughout 2017.  While the economic improvement has resulted in many positive economic trends such as lower unemployment, increased housing starts and strong housing prices, these have been offset by other concerns such as the lack of wage growth, low inflation levels and the strength of the dollar, that in concert, have acted to suppress the pace of economic expansion.  Volatility in global economic markets and various episodes of geo-political unrest continue to cause a degree of uncertainty in the financial markets.  Additionally, the potential for additional interest rate increases in the future has tempered confidence among individual consumers and small and mid-sized businesses.   Management is encouraged by the overall strength of the current economic environment and the prospects for continued growth of the Company. 

Loan Products

The Company currently offers a complete menu of loan products primarily in the Company’s identified market footprint that are discussed in detail below and on the following pages.  These following sections should be read in conjunction with the section “Credit Risk” on page 47 of this report.

Residential Real Estate Loans

The residential real estate category contains loans principally to consumers secured by residential real estate. The Company's residential real estate lending policy requires each loan to have viable repayment sources. Residential real estate loans are evaluated for the adequacy of these repayment sources at the time of approval, based upon measures including credit scores, debt-to-income ratios, and collateral values. Credit risk for residential real estate loans arises from borrowers lacking the ability or willingness to repay the loan or by a shortfall in the value of the residential real estate in relation to the outstanding loan balance in the event of a default and subsequent liquidation of the real estate collateral.  The residential real estate portfolio includes both conforming and non-conforming mortgage loans.

Conforming mortgage loans represent loans originated in accordance with underwriting standards set forth by the government-sponsored entities (“GSEs”), including the Federal National Mortgage Association (“Fannie Mae”), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”), and the Government National Mortgage Association (“Ginnie Mae”), which serve as the primary purchasers of loans sold in the secondary mortgage market by mortgage lenders. These loans are generally collateralized by one-to-four-family residential real estate, have loan-to-collateral value ratios of 80% or less or have mortgage insurance to insure down to 80%, and are made to borrowers in good credit standing. Substantially all fixed-rate conforming loans originated are sold in the secondary mortgage market. For any loans retained by the Company, title insurance insuring the priority of its mortgage lien, as well as fire and extended coverage casualty insurance protecting the properties securing the loans is required. Borrowers may be required to advance funds, with each monthly payment of principal and interest, to a loan escrow account from which the Company makes disbursements for items such as real estate taxes and mortgage insurance premiums. Appraisers approved by the Company appraise the properties securing substantially all of the Company's residential mortgage loans.

Non-conforming mortgage loans represent loans that generally are not saleable in the secondary market to the GSEs for inclusion in conventional mortgage-backed securities due to the credit characteristics of the borrower, the underlying documentation, the loan-to-value ratio, or the size of the loan, among other factors. The Company originates non-conforming loans for its own portfolio and for sale to third-party investors, usually large mortgage companies, under commitments by the mortgage company to purchase the loans subject to compliance with pre-established investor criteria. Non-conforming loans generated for sale include loans that may not be underwritten using customary underwriting standards. These loans typically are held after funding for thirty days or less, and are included in residential mortgages held for sale.  The Company may sell both conforming and non-conforming loans on either a servicing released or servicing retained basis. 

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The Company makes residential real estate development and construction loans generally to provide interim financing on property during the development and construction period. Borrowers include builders, developers and persons who will ultimately occupy the single-family dwelling. Residential real estate development and construction loan funds are disbursed periodically as pre-specified stages of completion are attained based upon site inspections. Interest rates on these loans are usually adjustable.  Loans to individuals for the construction of primary personal residences are typically secured by the property under construction, frequently include additional collateral (such as a second mortgage on the borrower's present home), and commonly have maturities of twelve to eighteen months. The Company attempts to obtain the permanent mortgage loan under terms, conditions and documentation standards that permit the sale of the mortgage loan in the secondary mortgage loan market.

Commercial Loans

Included in this category are commercial real estate loans, commercial construction loans and other commercial loans. Over the years, the Company’s commercial loan clients have come to represent a diverse cross-section of small to mid-size local businesses within the Company’s market footprint, whose owners and employees are often established Bank customers. Such banking relationships are a natural business for the Company, with its long-standing community roots and extensive experience in serving and lending to this market segment.

Commercial loans are evaluated for the adequacy of repayment sources at the time of approval and are regularly reviewed for any possible deterioration in the ability of the borrower to repay the loan. Collateral generally is required to provide the Company with an additional source of repayment in the event of default by a commercial borrower. The structure of the collateral package, including the type and amount of the collateral, varies from loan to loan depending on the financial strength of the borrower, the amount and terms of the loan, and the collateral available to be pledged by the borrower, but generally may include real estate, accounts receivable, inventory, equipment or other assets. Loans also may be supported by personal guarantees from the principals of the commercial loan borrowers.  The financial condition and cash flow of commercial borrowers are closely monitored by the submission of corporate financial statements, personal financial statements and income tax returns. The frequency of submissions of required information depends upon the size and complexity of the credit and the collateral that secures the loan.  Credit risk for commercial loans arises from borrowers lacking the ability or willingness to repay the loan, and in the case of secured loans, by a shortfall in the collateral value in relation to the outstanding loan balance in the event of a default and subsequent liquidation of collateral. The Company has no commercial loans to borrowers in similar industries that exceed 10% of total loans.

Included in commercial loans are credits directly originated by the Company and, to a lesser extent, syndicated transactions or loan participations that are originated by other lenders. The Company's commercial lending policy requires each loan, regardless of whether it is directly originated or is purchased, to have viable repayment sources. The risks associated with syndicated loans or purchased participations are similar to those of directly originated commercial loans, although additional risk may arise from the limited ability to control actions of the primary lender.  Shared National Credits (SNC), as defined by the banking regulatory agencies, represent syndicated lending arrangements with three or more participating financial institutions and credit exceeding $20.0 million in the aggregate. As of December 31, 2017, the Company had no SNC purchases outstanding and $26.9 million in SNC sold outstanding. During 2017, the Company’s primary regulator completed its annual SNC examination. As a result of this review no action was required on the Company’s SNC participations.

The Company sells participations in loans it originates to other financial institutions in order to build long-term customer relationships or limit loan concentration. The Company also purchases whole loans and loan participations as part of its asset/liability management strategy. Strict policies are in place governing the degree of risk assumed and volume of loans held. At December 31, 2017, other financial institutions had $26.9 million in outstanding commercial and commercial real estate loan participations sold by the Company, excluding SNC participations. In addition, the Company had $33.1 million in outstanding commercial and commercial real estate loan participations purchased from other lenders, excluding SNC participations.

6

The Company's commercial real estate loans consist of both loans secured by owner occupied properties and non-owner occupied properties where an established banking relationship exists and involves investment properties for warehouse, retail, and office space with a history of occupancy and cash flow.The commercial real estate category contains mortgage loans to developers and owners of commercial real estate. Commercial real estate loans are governed by the same lending policies and subject to credit risk as previously described for commercial loans. Commercial real estate loans secured by owner-occupied properties are based upon the borrower’s financial health and the ability of the borrower and the business to repay. The Company seeks to reduce the risks associated with commercial mortgage lending by generally lending in its market area, using conservative loan-to-value ratios and obtaining periodic financial statements and tax returns from borrowers to perform loan reviews. It is also the Company's general policy to obtain personal guarantees from the principals of the borrowers and to underwrite the business entity from a cash flow perspective. Interest rate risks are mitigated by using either floating interest rates or by fixing rates for a short period of time, generally less than three years.  While loan amortizations may be approved for up to 300 months, each loan generally has a call provision (maturity date) of five to seven years or less.

The Company primarily lends for commercial construction in local markets that are familiar and understandable, works selectively with top-quality builders and developers, and requires substantial equity from its borrowers.  The underwriting process is designed to confirm that the project will be economically feasible and financially viable; it is generally evaluated as though the Company will provide permanent financing. The Company's portfolio growth objectives do not include speculative commercial construction projects or projects lacking reasonable proportionate sharing of risk. Development and construction loans are secured by the properties under development or construction, and personal guarantees are typically obtained. Further, to assure that reliance is not placed solely upon the value of the underlying collateral, the Company considers the financial condition and reputation of the borrower and any guarantors, the amount of the borrower's equity in the project, independent appraisals, cost estimates and pre-construction sales information. A risk rating system is used on the commercial loan portfolio to determine any exposures to losses.

Acquisition, development and construction loans (“AD&C loans”) to residential builders are generally made for the construction of residential homes for which a binding sales contract exists and the prospective buyers had been pre-qualified for permanent mortgage financing by either third-party lenders (mortgage companies or other financial institutions) or the Company.  Loans for the development of residential land are extended when evidence is provided that the lots under development will be or have been sold to builders satisfactory to the Company. These loans are generally extended for a period of time sufficient to allow for the clearing and grading of the land and the installation of water, sewer and roads, which is typically a minimum of eighteen months to three years.

The Company makes commercial business loans. Commercial term loans are made to provide funds for equipment and general corporate needs.  This loan category is designed to support borrowers who have a proven ability to service debt over a term generally not to exceed 84 months.  The Company generally requires a first lien position on all collateral and requires guarantees from owners having at least a 10% interest in the involved business.  Interest rates on commercial term loans are generally floating or fixed for a term not to exceed five years.  Management monitors industry and collateral concentrations to avoid loan exposures to a large group of similar industries or similar collateral. Commercial business loans are evaluated for historical and projected cash flow attributes, balance sheet strength, and primary and alternate resources of personal guarantors.  Commercial term loan documents require borrowers to forward regular financial information on both the business and personal guarantors. Loan covenants require at least annual submission of complete financial information and in certain cases this information is required monthly, quarterly or semi-annually depending on the degree to which the Company desires information resources for monitoring a borrower’s financial condition and compliance with loan covenants.  Examples of properly margined collateral for loans, as required by bank policy, would be a 75% advance on the lesser of appraisal or recent sales price on commercial property, an 80% or less advance on eligible receivables, a 50% or less advance on eligible inventory and an 80% advance on appraised residential property. Collateral borrowing certificates may be required to monitor certain collateral categories on a monthly or quarterly basis. Loans may require personal guarantees.  Key person life insurance may be required as appropriate and as necessary to mitigate the risk of loss of a primary owner or manager. Whenever appropriate and available, the Bank seeks governmental loan guarantees, such as the Small Business Administration loan programs, to reduce risks.

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Commercial lines of credit are granted to finance a business borrower’s short-term credit needs and/or to finance a percentage of eligible receivables and inventory.  In addition to the risks inherent in term loan facilities, line of credit borrowers typically require additional monitoring to protect the lender against increasing loan volumes and diminishing collateral values.  Commercial lines of credit are generally revolving in nature and require close scrutiny.  The Company generally requires at least an annual out of debt period (for seasonal borrowers) or regular financial information (monthly or quarterly financial statements, borrowing base certificates, etc.) for borrowers with more growth and greater permanent working capital financing needs.  Advances against collateral value are limited.  Lines of credit and term loans to the same borrowers generally are cross-defaulted and cross-collateralized.  Interest rate charges on this group of loans generally float at a factor at or above the prime lending rate.

Consumer Loans

Consumer lending continues to be important to the Company’s full-service, community banking business.  This category of loans includes primarily home equity loans and lines, installment loans and personal lines of credit. 

The home equity category consists mainly of revolving lines of credit to consumers that are secured by residential real estate.Home equity lines of credit and other home equity loans are originated by the Company for typically up to 85% of the appraised value, less the amount of any existing prior liens on the property. While home equity loans have maximum terms of up to twenty years and interest rates are generally fixed, home equity lines of credit have maximum terms of up to ten years for draws and thirty years for repayment, and interest rates are generally adjustable. The Company secures these loans with mortgages on the homes (typically a second mortgage). Purchase money second mortgage loans originated by the Company have maximum terms ranging from ten to thirty years. These loans generally carry a fixed rate of interest for a term of 15 or 20 years. ARM loans have a 30 year amortization period with a fixed rate of interest for the first five, seven or ten years, re-pricing annually thereafter at a predetermined spread to LIBOR. Home equity lines are generally governed by the same lending policies and subject to credit risk as described for residential real estate loans.

Other consumer loans include installment loans used by customers to purchase automobiles, boats and recreational vehicles. These consumer loans are generally governed by the same overall lending policies as described for residential real estate. Credit risk for consumer loans arises from borrowers lacking the ability or willingness to repay the loan, and in the case of secured loans, by a shortfall in the value of the collateral in relation to the outstanding loan balance in the event of a default and subsequent liquidation of collateral. 

Consumer installment loans are generally offered for terms of up to six years at fixed interest rates.  Automobile loans can be for up to 100% of the purchase price or the retail value listed by the National Automobile Dealers Association. The terms of the loans are determined by the age and condition of the collateral. Collision insurance policies are required on all these loans, unless the borrower has substantial other assets and income. The Company also makes other consumer loans, which may or may not be secured. The term of the loans usually depends on the collateral. The majority of unsecured loans usually do not exceed $50 thousand and have a term of no longer than 36 months.

Deposit Activities

Subject to the Company’s Asset/Liability Committee (the “ALCO”) policies and current business plan, the Treasury function works closely with the Company’s retail deposit operations to accomplish the objectives of maintaining deposit market share within the Company’s primary markets and managing funding costs to preserve the net interest margin.

One of the Company’s primary objectives as a community bank is to develop long-term, multi-product customer relationships from its comprehensive menu of financial products. To that end, the lead product to develop such relationships is typically a deposit product. The Company intends to rely on deposit growth to fund long-term loan growth.

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Treasury Activities

The Treasury function manages the wholesale segments of the balance sheet, including investments, purchased funds and long-term debt, and is responsible for all facets of interest rate risk management for the Company, which includes the pricing of deposits consistent with conservative interest rate risk and liquidity practices. Management’s objective is to achieve the maximum level of consistent earnings over the long term, while minimizing interest rate risk, credit risk and liquidity risk and optimizing capital utilization. In managing the investment portfolio under its stated objectives, the Company invests primarily in U.S. Treasury and Agency securities, U.S Agency mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”), U.S. Agency Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMO”), municipal bonds and, to a minimal extent, trust preferred securities and corporate bonds. Treasury strategies and activities are overseen by the Risk Committee of the board of directors, ALCO and the Company’s Investment Committee, which reviews all investment and funding transactions. The ALCO activities are summarized and reviewed quarterly with the Company’s board of directors.

The primary objective of the investment portfolio is to provide the necessary liquidity consistent with anticipated levels of deposit funding and loan demand with a minimal level of risk. The overall average duration of 3.7 years of the investment portfolio together with the types of investments (97% of the portfolio is rated AA or above) is intended to provide sufficient cash flows to support the Company’s lending goals. Liquidity is also provided by lines of credit maintained with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (“FHLB”), the Federal Reserve, and to a lesser extent, bank lines of credit.

Borrowing Activities

Management utilizes a variety of sources to raise borrowed funds at competitive rates, including federal funds purchased, FHLB borrowings and retail repurchase agreements. FHLB borrowings typically carry rates at varying spreads from the LIBOR rate or treasury yield curve for the equivalent term because they may be secured with investments or high quality loans. Federal funds purchased, which are generally overnight borrowings, are typically purchased at the Federal Reserve target rate.

The Company’s borrowing activities are achieved through the use of the previously mentioned lines of credit to address overnight and short-term funding needs, match-fund loan activity and, when opportunities are present, to lock in attractive rates due to market conditions.

Employees

The Company and its subsidiaries employed 754 persons, including executive officers, loan and other banking and trust officers, branch personnel, and others at December 31, 2017. None of the Company's employees is represented by a union or covered under a collective bargaining agreement. Management of the Company considers its employee relations to be excellent.

Competition

The Bank's principal competitors for deposits are other financial institutions, including other banks, credit unions, and savings institutions located in the Bank’s primary market area of central Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington D. C. Competition among these institutions is based primarily on interest rates and other terms offered, service charges imposed on deposit accounts, the quality of services rendered, and the convenience of banking facilities. Additional competition for depositors' funds comes from mutual funds, U.S. Government securities, and private issuers of debt obligations and suppliers of other investment alternatives for depositors such as securities firms. Competition from credit unions has intensified in recent years as historical federal limits on membership have been relaxed. Because federal law subsidizes credit unions by giving them a general exemption from federal income taxes, credit unions have a significant cost advantage over banks and savings associations, which are fully subject to federal income taxes. Credit unions may use this advantage to offer rates that are highly competitive with those offered by banks and thrifts.

9

The banking business in Central Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington D. C. generally, and the Bank's primary service areas specifically, are highly competitive with respect to both loans and deposits. As noted above, the Bank competes with many larger banking organizations that have offices over a wide geographic area. These larger institutions have certain inherent advantages, such as the ability to finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns and promotions and to allocate their investment assets to regions offering the highest yield and demand. They also offer services, such as international banking, that are not offered directly by the Bank (but are available indirectly through correspondent institutions), and, by virtue of their larger total capitalization, such banks have substantially higher legal lending limits, which are based on bank capital, than does the Bank. The Bank can arrange loans in excess of its lending limit, or in excess of the level of risk it desires to take, by arranging participations with other banks.  The primary factors in competing for loans are interest rates, loan origination fees, and the range of services offered by lenders. Competitors for loan originations include other commercial banks, mortgage bankers, mortgage brokers, savings associations, and insurance companies.

Sandy Spring Insurance Corporation (“SSIC”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bank, offers annuities as an alternative to traditional deposit accounts. SSIC operates Sandy Spring Insurance, a general insurance agency located in Annapolis, Maryland, and Neff & Associates, an insurance agency located in Ocean City, Maryland.  Both agencies face competition primarily from other insurance agencies and insurance companies.  West Financial Services, Inc. (“WFS”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Bank, is an asset management and financial planning company located in McLean, Virginia.  The competition that WFS faces is primarily from other financial planners, banks, and financial management companies.

In addition to competing with other commercial banks, credit unions and savings associations, commercial banks such as the Bank compete with non-bank institutions for funds. For instance, yields on corporate and government debt and equity securities affect the ability of commercial banks to attract and hold deposits. Mutual funds also provide substantial competition to banks for deposits.  Other entities, both governmental and in private industry, raise capital through the issuance and sale of debt and equity securities and indirectly compete with the Bank in the acquisition of deposits.

Financial holding companies may engage in banking as well as types of securities, insurance, and other financial activities.  Banks with or without holding companies also may establish and operate financial subsidiaries that may engage in most financial activities in which financial holding companies may engage. Competition may increase as bank holding companies and other large financial services companies expand their operations to engage in new activities and provide a wider array of products.

Monetary Policy

The Company and the Bank are affected by fiscal and monetary policies of the federal government, including those of the Federal Reserve Board, which regulates the national money supply in order to mitigate recessionary and inflationary pressures. Among the techniques available to the Federal Reserve Board are engaging in open market transactions of U.S. Government securities, changing the discount rate and changing reserve requirements against bank deposits. These techniques are used in varying combinations to influence the overall growth of bank loans, investments and deposits. Their use may also affect interest rates charged on loans and paid on deposits. The effect of governmental policies on the earnings of the Company and the Bank cannot be predicted.

Regulation, Supervision, and Governmental Policy

The following is a brief summary of certain statutes and regulations that significantly affect the Company and the Bank. A number of other statutes and regulations may affect the Company and the Bank but are not discussed in the following paragraphs.

Bank Holding Company Regulation

The Company is registered as a bank holding company under the Holding Company Act and, as such, is subject to supervision and regulation by the Federal Reserve. As a bank holding company, the Company is required to furnish to the Federal Reserve annual and quarterly reports of its operations and additional information and reports. The Company is also subject to regular examination by the Federal Reserve.

Under the Holding Company Act, a bank holding company must obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve before (1) acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of any class of voting securities of any bank or bank holding company if, after the acquisition, the bank holding company would directly or indirectly own or control more than 5% of the class; (2) acquiring all or substantially all of the assets of another bank or bank holding company; or (3) merging or consolidating with another bank holding company.

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Prior to acquiring control of the Company or the Bank, any company must obtain approval of the Federal Reserve. For purposes of the Holding Company Act, "control" is defined as ownership of 25% or more of any class of voting securities of the Company or the Bank, the ability to control the election of a majority of the directors, or the exercise of a controlling influence over management or policies of the Company or the Bank.

The Holding Company Act also limits the investments and activities of bank holding companies. In general, a bank holding company is prohibited from acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of a company that is not a bank or a bank holding company or from engaging directly or indirectly in activities other than those of banking, managing or controlling banks, providing services for its subsidiaries, non-bank activities that are closely related to banking, and other financially related activities. The activities of the Company are subject to these legal and regulatory limitations under the Holding Company Act and Federal Reserve regulations.

The Change in Bank Control Act and the related regulations of the Federal Reserve require any person or persons acting in concert (except for companies required to make application under the Holding Company Act) to file a written notice with the Federal Reserve before the person or persons acquire control of the Company or the Bank. The Change in Bank Control Act defines "control" as the direct or indirect power to vote 25% or more of any class of voting securities or to direct the management or policies of a bank holding company or an insured bank.

In general, bank holding companies that qualify as financial holding companies under federal banking law may engage in an expanded list of non-bank activities. Non-bank and financially related activities of bank holding companies, including companies that become financial holding companies, also may be subject to regulation and oversight by regulators other than the Federal Reserve. The Company is not a financial holding company, but may choose to become one in the future.

The Federal Reserve has the power to order a holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity, or to terminate its ownership or control of any subsidiary, when it has reasonable cause to believe that the continuation of such activity or such ownership or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial safety, soundness, or stability of any bank subsidiary of that holding company.

The Federal Reserve has adopted guidelines regarding the capital adequacy of bank holding companies, which require bank holding companies to maintain specified minimum ratios of capital to total assets and capital to risk-weighted assets. See "Regulatory Capital Requirements."

The Federal Reserve has the power to prohibit dividends by bank holding companies if their actions constitute unsafe or unsound practices. The Federal Reserve has issued a policy statement on the payment of cash dividends by bank holding companies, which expresses the Federal Reserve's view that a bank holding company should pay cash dividends only to the extent that the company's net income for the past year is sufficient to cover both the cash dividends and a rate of earnings retention that is consistent with the company's capital needs, asset quality, and overall financial condition.

Bank Regulation

The Bank is a state chartered bank and trust company subject to supervision by the State of Maryland.  As a member of the Federal Reserve System, the Bank is also subject to supervision by the Federal Reserve.  Deposits of the Bank are insured by the FDIC to the legal maximum. Deposits, reserves, investments, loans, consumer law compliance, issuance of securities, payment of dividends, establishment of branches, mergers and acquisitions, corporate activities, changes in control, electronic funds transfers, responsiveness to community needs, management practices, compensation policies, and other aspects of operations are subject to regulation by the appropriate federal and state supervisory authorities. In addition, the Bank is subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations which set forth specific restrictions and procedural requirements with respect to extensions of credit (including to insiders), credit practices, disclosure of credit terms and discrimination in credit transactions.

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The Federal Reserve regularly examines the operations and condition of the Bank, including, but not limited to, its capital adequacy, reserves, loans, investments, and management practices. These examinations are for the protection of the Bank's depositors and the Deposit Insurance Fund. In addition, the Bank is required to furnish quarterly and annual reports to the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve's enforcement authority includes the power to remove officers and directors and the authority to issue cease-and-desist orders to prevent a bank from engaging in unsafe or unsound practices or violating laws or regulations governing its business.

The Federal Reserve has adopted regulations regarding capital adequacy, which require member banks to maintain specified minimum ratios of capital to total assets and capital to risk-weighted assets. See "Regulatory Capital Requirements." Federal Reserve and State regulations limit the amount of dividends that the Bank may pay to the Company. See “Note 11 –Stockholders’ Equity” in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The Bank is subject to restrictions imposed by federal law on extensions of credit to, and certain other transactions with, the Company and other affiliates, and on investments in their stock or other securities. These restrictions prevent the Company and the Bank's other affiliates from borrowing from the Bank unless the loans are secured by specified collateral, and require those transactions to have terms comparable to terms of arms-length transactions with third persons. In addition, secured loans and other transactions and investments by the Bank are generally limited in amount as to the Company and as to any other affiliate to 10% of the Bank's capital and surplus and as to the Company and all other affiliates together to an aggregate of 20% of the Bank's capital and surplus. Certain exemptions to these limitations apply to extensions of credit and other transactions between the Bank and its subsidiaries. These regulations and restrictions may limit the Company's ability to obtain funds from the Bank for its cash needs, including funds for acquisitions and for payment of dividends, interest, and operating expenses.

Under Federal Reserve regulations, banks must adopt and maintain written policies that establish appropriate limits and standards for extensions of credit secured by liens or interests in real estate or are made for the purpose of financing permanent improvements to real estate. These policies must establish loan portfolio diversification standards; prudent underwriting standards, including loan-to-value limits, that are clear and measurable; loan administration procedures; and documentation, approval, and reporting requirements. A bank's real estate lending policy must reflect consideration of the Interagency Guidelines for Real Estate Lending Policies (the "Interagency Guidelines") adopted by the federal bank regulators. The Interagency Guidelines, among other things, call for internal loan-to-value limits for real estate loans that are not in excess of the limits specified in the Guidelines. The Interagency Guidelines state, however, that it may be appropriate in individual cases to originate or purchase loans with loan-to-value ratios in excess of the supervisory loan-to-value limits.

Sandy Spring Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the Deposit Insurance Fund of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s risk-based assessment system, insured institutions are assigned to one of four risk categories based on supervisory evaluations, regulatory capital levels and certain other factors, with less risky institutions paying lower assessments. An institution’s assessment rate depends upon the category to which it is assigned. Assessment rates currently range from 1.5 to 40 basis points. No institution may pay a dividend if in default of the federal deposit insurance assessment.  Deposit insurance assessments are based on total assets less tangible equity.   The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has authority to increase insurance assessments. Management cannot predict what insurance assessment rates will be in the future.

Regulatory Capital Requirements

The Federal Reserve establishes capital and leverage requirements for the Company and the Bank. Specifically, the Company and the Bank are subject to the following minimum capital requirements: (1) a common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 4.5%; (2) a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6% ; (3) a total risk-based capital ratio of 8% ; and (4) a leverage ratio of 4%.

Common Equity Tier 1 capital consists solely of common stock (plus related surplus), retained earnings, accumulated other comprehensive income, and limited amounts of minority interests that are in the form of common stock. Additional Tier 1 capital includes other perpetual instruments historically included in Tier 1 capital, such as non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock. The rule permits bank holding companies with less than $15 billion in total consolidated assets to continue to include trust preferred securities and cumulative perpetual preferred stock issued before May 19, 2010 in Tier 1 capital, but not in Common Equity Tier 1 capital, subject to certain restrictions. Tier 2 capital consists of instruments that previously qualified in Tier 2 capital plus instruments that the rule has disqualified from Tier 1 capital treatment.

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In addition, in order to avoid restrictions on capital distributions or discretionary bonus payments to executives, a covered banking organization must maintain a "capital conservation buffer" on top of its minimum risk-based capital requirements. The capital conservation buffer requirement began to phase in beginning in January 2016 at 0.625% of risk-weighted assets and will increase by that amount each year until fully implemented in January 2019.  This buffer must consist solely of Tier 1 Common Equity and the buffer applies to all three measurements: Common Equity Tier 1, Tier 1 capital and total capital.

Supervision and Regulation of Mortgage Banking Operations

The Company's mortgage banking business is subject to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD"), the Federal Housing Administration ("FHA"), the Veterans' Administration ("VA") and Fannie Mae with respect to originating, processing, selling and servicing mortgage loans. Those rules and regulations, among other things, prohibit discrimination and establish underwriting guidelines, which include provisions for inspections and appraisals, require credit reports on prospective borrowers, and fix maximum loan amounts. Lenders such as the Company are required annually to submit audited financial statements to Fannie Mae, FHA and VA. Each of these regulatory entities has its own financial requirements. The Company's affairs are also subject to examination by the Federal Reserve, Fannie Mae, FHA and VA at all times to assure compliance with the applicable regulations, policies and procedures. Mortgage origination activities are subject to, among others, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Federal Truth-in-Lending Act, Fair Housing Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, the National Flood Insurance Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and related regulations that prohibit discrimination and require the disclosure of certain basic information to mortgagors concerning credit terms and settlement costs. The Company's mortgage banking operations also are affected by various state and local laws and regulations and the requirements of various private mortgage investors.

Community Reinvestment

Under the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”), a financial institution has a continuing and affirmative obligation to help meet the credit needs of the entire community, including low and moderate income neighborhoods.  The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions, or limit an institution’s discretion to develop the types of products and services that it believes are best suited to its particular community.  However, institutions are rated on their performance in meeting the needs of their communities.  Performance is tested in three areas: (a) lending, to evaluate the institution’s record of making loans in its assessment areas; (b) investment, to evaluate the institution’s record of investing in community development projects, affordable housing, and programs benefiting low or moderate income individuals and businesses; and (c) service, to evaluate the institution’s delivery of services through its branches, ATMs and other offices.  The CRA requires each federal banking agency, in connection with its examination of a financial institution, to assess and assign one of four ratings to the institution’s record of meeting the credit needs of the community and to take such record into account in its evaluation of certain applications by the institution, including applications for charters, branches and other deposit facilities, relocations, mergers, consolidations, acquisitions of assets or assumptions of liabilities, and savings and loan holding company acquisitions.  The CRA also requires that all institutions make public, disclosure of their CRA ratings.  The Bank was assigned a “satisfactory” rating as a result of its last CRA examination.

Bank Secrecy Act

Under the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”), a financial institution is required to have systems in place to detect certain transactions, based on the size and nature of the transaction. Financial institutions are generally required to report cash transactions involving more than $10,000 to the United States Treasury. In addition, financial institutions are required to file suspicious activity reports for transactions that involve more than $5,000 and which the financial institution knows, suspects, or has reason to suspect involves illegal funds, is designed to evade the requirements of the BSA, or has no lawful purpose. The Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act, commonly referred to as the "USA Patriot Act" or the "Patriot Act”, enacted prohibitions against specified financial transactions and account relationships, as well as enhanced due diligence standards intended to prevent the use of the United States financial system for money laundering and terrorist financing activities. The Patriot Act requires banks and other depository institutions, brokers, dealers and certain other businesses involved in the transfer of money to establish anti-money laundering programs, including employee training and independent audit requirements meeting minimum standards specified by the act, to follow standards for customer identification and maintenance of customer identification records, and to compare customer lists against lists of suspected terrorists, terrorist organizations and money launderers. The Patriot Act also requires federal bank regulators to evaluate the effectiveness of an applicant in combating money laundering in determining whether to approve a proposed bank acquisition.

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Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“Sarbanes-Oxley”) established a broad range of corporate governance and accounting measures intended to increase corporate responsibility and protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of disclosures under federal securities laws. The Company is subject to Sarbanes-Oxley because it is required to file periodic reports with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Among other things, Sarbanes-Oxley, its implementing regulations and related Nasdaq Stock Market rules have established membership requirements and additional responsibilities for the Company’s audit committee, imposed restrictions on the relationship between the Company and its outside auditors (including restrictions on the types of non-audit services the auditors may provide to the Company), imposed additional financial statement certification responsibilities for the Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer, expanded the disclosure requirements for corporate insiders, required management to evaluate the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures and its internal control over financial reporting, and required the Company’s auditors to issue a report on its internal control over financial reporting.

Regulatory Restructuring Legislation

The Dodd-Frank Act, enacted in 2010, implements significant changes to the regulation of depository institutions.  The Dodd-Frank Act created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as an independent bureau of the Federal Reserve to take over the implementation of federal consumer financial protection and fair lending laws from the depository institution regulators.  However, institutions of $10 billion or fewer in assets continue to be examined for compliance with such laws and regulations by, and to be subject to the primary enforcement authority of, their primary federal regulator.  In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act, among other things, requires changes in the way that institutions are assessed for deposit insurance, requires that originators of securitized loans retain a percentage of the risk for the transferred loans, directs the Federal Reserve to regulate pricing of certain debit card interchange fees, and contains a number of reforms related to mortgage originations. 

Other Laws and Regulations

Some of the aspects of the lending and deposit business of the Bank that are subject to regulation by the Federal Reserve and the FDIC include reserve requirements and disclosure requirements in connection with personal and mortgage loans and deposit accounts.  In addition, the Bank is subject to numerous federal and state laws and regulations that include specific restrictions and procedural requirements with respect to the establishment of branches, investments, interest rates on loans, credit practices, the disclosure of credit terms, and discrimination in credit transactions.

Enforcement Actions

Federal statutes and regulations provide financial institution regulatory agencies with great flexibility to undertake an enforcement action against an institution that fails to comply with regulatory requirements.  Possible enforcement actions range from the imposition of a capital plan and capital directive to civil money penalties, cease-and-desist orders, receivership, conservatorship, or the termination of the deposit insurance.

Executive Officers

The following listing sets forth the name, age (as of February 23, 2018), principal position and recent business experience of each executive officer:

R. Louis Caceres, 55, Executive Vice President of the Bank. Mr. Caceres was made Executive Vice President of the Bank in 2002.  Prior to that, Mr. Caceres was a Senior Vice President of the Bank. 

Ronald E. Kuykendall, 65, became Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company and the Bank in 2002.  Prior to that, Mr. Kuykendall was General Counsel and Secretary of the Company and Senior Vice President of the Bank. 

Philip J. Mantua, CPA, 59, became Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company and the Bank in 2004.  Prior to that, Mr. Mantua was Senior Vice President of Managerial Accounting.

Ronda M. McDowell, 53, became an Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of the Bank in 2013. Prior to that, Ms. McDowell served as a Senior Vice President, Loan Administration and Retail Senior Credit Officer of the Bank.

Joseph J. O'Brien, Jr., 54, became Executive Vice President for Commercial and Retail Banking on January 1, 2011.  Mr. O’Brien joined the Bank in July 2007 as Executive Vice President for Commercial Banking.

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John D. Sadowski, 54, became Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of the Bank on February 1, 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Sadowski served as a Senior Vice President of the Bank.

Daniel J. Schrider, 53, became President of the Company and the Bank effective March 26, 2008 and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2009.  Prior to that, Mr. Schrider served as an Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer of the Bank.

Item 1A.  RISK FACTORS

Investing in the Company’s common stock involves risks. The investor should carefully consider the following risk factors before deciding to make an investment decision regarding the Company’s stock. The risk factors may cause future earnings to be lower or the financial condition to be less favorable than expected. In addition, other risks that the Company is not aware of, or which are not believed to be material, may cause earnings to be lower, or may deteriorate the financial condition of the Company. Consideration should also be given to the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as in the documents incorporated by reference into this Form 10-K.

Changes in U.S. or regional economic conditions could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations.

The Company’s business activities and earnings are affected by general business conditions in the United States and in the Company’s local market area.  These conditions include short-term and long-term interest rates, inflation, unemployment levels, consumer confidence and spending, fluctuations in both debt and equity capital markets, and the strength of the economy in the United States generally and in the Company’s market area in particular.  A favorable business environment is generally characterized by, among other factors, economic growth, efficient capital markets, low inflation, low unemployment, high business and investor confidence, and strong business earnings. Unfavorable or uncertain economic and market conditions can be caused by declines in economic growth, business activity or investor or business confidence; limitations on the availability or increases in the cost of credit and capital; increases in inflation or interest rates; high unemployment, natural disasters; or a combination of these or other factors. Economic pressure on consumers and uncertainty regarding continuing economic improvement may result in changes in consumer and business spending, borrowing and savings habits.  A return to elevated levels of unemployment, declines in the values of real estate, or other events that affect household and/or corporate incomes could impair the ability of the Company’s borrowers to repay their loans in accordance with their terms and reduce demand for banking products and services. 

The geographic concentration of the Company’s operations makes the Company susceptible to downturns in local economic conditions.

The Company’s commercial and commercial real estate lending operations are concentrated in central Maryland, Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. The Company’s success depends in part upon economic conditions in these markets. Adverse changes in economic conditions in these markets could limit growth in loans and deposits, impair the Company’s ability to collect amounts due on loans, increase problem loans and charge-offs and otherwise negatively affect performance and financial condition. Declines in real estate values could cause some of the Company’s residential and commercial real estate loans to be inadequately collateralized, which would expose the Company to a greater risk of loss in the event that the recovery on amounts due on defaulted loans is resolved by selling the real estate collateral.

The Company’s allowance for loan losses may not be adequate to cover its actual loan losses, which could adversely affect the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

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An allowance for loan losses is maintained in an amount that is believed to be adequate to provide for probable losses inherent in the portfolio. The Company has an aggressive program to monitor credit quality and to identify loans that may become non-performing; however, at any time there could be loans included in the portfolio that may result in losses, but that have not been identified as non-performing or potential problem credits. There can be no assurance that the ability exists to identify all deteriorating credits prior to them becoming non-performing assets, or that the Company will have the ability to limit losses on those loans that are identified. As a result, future additions to the allowance may be necessary. Additionally, future additions may be required based on changes in the loans comprising the portfolio and changes in the financial condition of borrowers, or as a result of assumptions by management in determining the allowance. Additionally, banking regulators, as an integral part of their supervisory function, periodically review the adequacy of Company’s allowance for loan losses. These regulatory agencies may require an increase in the provision for loan losses or to recognize further loan charge-offs based upon their judgments, which may be different from the Company’s. Any increase in the allowance for loan losses could have a negative effect on the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

If non-performing assets increase, earnings will be adversely impacted.

At December 31, 2017, non-performing assets, which are comprised of non-accrual loans, 90 days past due loans and other real estate owned, totaled $31.6 million, or 0.58%, of total assets, compared to non-performing assets of $33.8 million, or 0.66% of total assets at December 31, 2016. Non-performing assets adversely affect net income in various ways. Interest income is not recorded on non-accrual loans or other real estate owned. The Company must record a reserve for probable losses on loans, which is established through a current period charge to the provision for loan losses, and from time to time must write-down the value of properties in the Company’s other real estate owned portfolio to reflect changing market values. Additionally, there are legal fees associated with the resolution of problem assets as well as carrying costs such as taxes, insurance and maintenance related to other real estate owned. Further, the resolution of non-performing assets requires the active involvement of management, which can distract them from more profitable activity. Finally, if the estimate for the recorded allowance for loan losses proves to be incorrect and the allowance is inadequate, the allowance will have to be increased and, as a result, Company earnings would be adversely affected.  A downturn in the Company’s market areas could increase credit risk associated with the loan portfolio, as it could have a material adverse effect on both the ability of borrowers to repay loans as well as the value of the real property or other property held as collateral for such loans.  There can be no assurance that non-performing loans will not increase in the future, or that the Company’s non-performing assets will not result in further losses in the future.

The Company may be subject to certain risks related to originating and selling mortgage loans.

When mortgage loans are sold, it is customary to make representations and warranties to the purchaser about the mortgage loans and the manner in which they were originated. Whole loan sale agreements require the repurchase or substitution of mortgage loans in the event the Company breaches any of these representations or warranties. In addition, there may be a requirement to repurchase mortgage loans as a result of borrower fraud or in the event of early payment default of the borrower on a mortgage loan. The Company receives a limited number of repurchase and indemnity demands from purchasers as a result of borrower fraud and early payment default of the borrower on mortgage loans. The Company has enhanced its underwriting policies and procedures, however, these steps may not be effective or reduce the risk associated with loans sold in the past. If repurchase and indemnity demands increase materially, the Company’s results of operations could be adversely affected.

Any delays in the Company’s ability to foreclose on delinquent mortgage loans may negatively impact the Company’s business.

The origination of mortgage loans occurs with the expectation that if the borrower defaults then the ultimate loss is mitigated by the value of the collateral that secures the mortgage loan. The ability to mitigate the losses on defaulted loans depends upon the ability to promptly foreclose upon the collateral after an appropriate cure period. In some states, the large number of mortgage foreclosures that have occurred has resulted in delays in foreclosing. Any delay in the foreclosure process will adversely affect the Company by increasing the expenses related to carrying such assets, such as taxes, insurance, and other carrying costs, and exposes the Company to losses as a result of potential additional declines in the value of such collateral.

Changes in interest rates may adversely affect earnings and financial condition.

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The Company’s net income depends to a great extent upon the level of net interest income. Changes in interest rates can increase or decrease net interest income and net income. Net interest income is the difference between the interest income earned on loans, investments, and other interest-earning assets, and the interest paid on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and borrowings. Net interest income is affected by changes in market interest rates, because different types of assets and liabilities may react differently, and at different times, to market interest rate changes. When interest-bearing liabilities mature or re-price more quickly than interest-earning assets in a period, an increase in market rates of interest could reduce net interest income. Similarly, when interest-earning assets mature or re-price more quickly than interest-bearing liabilities, falling interest rates could reduce net interest income.

Changes in market interest rates are affected by many factors beyond the Company’s control, including inflation, unemployment, money supply, international events, and events in world financial markets. The Company attempts to manage its risk from changes in market interest rates by adjusting the rates, maturity, re-pricing, and balances of the different types of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, but interest rate risk management techniques are not exact. As a result, a rapid increase or decrease in interest rates could have an adverse effect on the net interest margin and results of operations. Changes in the market interest rates for types of products and services in various markets also may vary significantly from location to location and over time based upon competition and local or regional economic factors. At December 31, 2017, the Company’s interest rate sensitivity simulation model projected that net interest income would decrease by 2.82% if interest rates immediately rose by 200 basis points. The results of an interest rate sensitivity simulation model depend upon a number of assumptions which may not prove to be accurate. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully manage interest rate risk.

The Company’s investment securities portfolio is subject to credit risk, market risk, and liquidity risk.

The investment securities portfolio has risk factors beyond the Company’s control that may significantly influence its fair value. These risk factors include, but are not limited to, rating agency downgrades of the securities, defaults of the issuers of the securities, lack of market pricing of the securities, and instability in the credit markets. Lack of market activity with respect to some securities has, in certain circumstances, required the Company to base its fair market valuation on unobservable inputs. Any changes in these risk factors, in current accounting principles or interpretations of these principles could impact the Company’s assessment of fair value and thus the determination of other-than-temporary impairment of the securities in the investment securities portfolio. Investment securities that previously were determined to be other-than-temporarily impaired could require further write-downs due to continued erosion of the creditworthiness of the issuer. Write-downs of investment securities would negatively affect the Company’s earnings and regulatory capital ratios.

The Company is subject to liquidity risks.

Market conditions could negatively affect the level or cost of available liquidity, which would affect the Company’s ongoing ability to accommodate liability maturities and deposit withdrawals, meet contractual obligations, and fund asset growth and new business transactions at a reasonable cost, in a timely manner, and without adverse consequences. Core deposits and Federal Home Loan Bank advances are the Company’s primary source of funding. A significant decrease in the core deposits, an inability to renew Federal Home Loan Bank advances, an inability to obtain alternative funding to core deposits or Federal Home Loan Bank advances, or a substantial, unexpected, or prolonged change in the level or cost of liquidity could have a negative effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

Impairment in the carrying value of goodwill could negatively impact the Company’s earnings.

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At December 31, 2017, goodwill totaled $85.8 million.  The Company has provisionally recognized approximately $264 million in additional goodwill in connection with the acquisition of WashingtonFirst, which was completed on January 1, 2018. Goodwill represents the excess purchase price paid over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a business combination.  The estimated fair values of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities may be subject to refinement as additional information relative to closing date fair values becomes available and may result in adjustments to goodwill within the first 12 months following the closing date of the acquisition. The Company expects to finalize the valuation by the end of the first quarter of 2018. Goodwill is reviewed for impairment at least annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. There could be a requirement to evaluate the recoverability of goodwill prior to the normal annual assessment if there is a disruption in the Company’s business, unexpected significant declines in operating results, or sustained market capitalization declines. These types of events and the resulting analyses could result in goodwill impairment charges in the future, which would adversely affect the results of operations. A goodwill impairment charge does not adversely affect regulatory capital ratios or tangible capital. Based on an analysis, it was determined that the fair value of the Company’s reporting units exceeded the carrying value of their assets and liabilities and, therefore, goodwill was not considered impaired at December 31, 2017.

The Company depends on its executive officers and key personnel to continue the implementation of its long-term business strategy and could be harmed by the loss of their services.

The Company believes that its continued growth and future success will depend in large part on the skills of its management team and its ability to motivate and retain these individuals and other key personnel. In particular, the Company relies on the leadership of its Chief Executive Officer, Daniel J. Schrider. The loss of service of Mr. Schrider or one or more of the Company’s other executive officers or key personnel could reduce the Company’s ability to successfully implement its long-term business strategy, its business could suffer and the value of the Company’s common stock could be materially adversely affected. Leadership changes will occur from time to time and the Company cannot predict whether significant resignations will occur or whether the Company will be able to recruit additional qualified personnel. The Company believes its management team possesses valuable knowledge about the banking industry and the Company’s markets and that their knowledge and relationships would be very difficult to replicate. Although the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have entered into employment agreements with the Company, it is possible that they may not complete the term of their employment agreements or renew them upon expiration. The Company’s success also depends on the experience of its branch managers and lending officers and on their relationships with the customers and communities they serve. The loss of these key personnel could negatively impact the Company’s banking operations. The loss of key personnel, or the inability to recruit and retain qualified personnel in the future, could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition or operating results.

The market price for the Company’s stock may be volatile.

The market price for the Company’s common stock has fluctuated, ranging between $37.15 and $45.17 per share during the 12 months ended December 31, 2017. The overall market and the price of the Company’s common stock may experience volatility. There may be a significant impact on the market price for the common stock due to, among other things:

·past and future dividend practice;

·financial condition, performance, creditworthiness and prospects;

·quarterly variations in operating results or the quality of the Company’s assets;

·operating results that vary from the expectations of management, securities analysts and investors;

·changes in expectations as to the future financial performance;

·announcements of innovations, new products, strategic developments, significant contracts, acquisitions and other material events by the Company or its competitors;

·the operating and securities price performance of other companies that investors believe are comparable to the Company;

·future sales of the Company’s equity or equity-related securities;

·the credit, mortgage and housing markets, the markets for securities relating to mortgages or housing, and developments with respect to financial institutions generally; and

·changes in global financial markets and global economies and general market conditions, such as interest or foreign exchange rates, stock, commodity or real estate valuations or volatility or other geopolitical, regulatory or judicial events.

There can be no assurance that a more active or consistent trading market in the Company’s common stock will develop. As a result, relatively small trades could have a significant impact on the price of the Company’s common stock.

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Combining acquired businesses may be more difficult, costly or time consuming than expected and the anticipated benefits and cost savings of acquisitions may not be realized.

The success of the Company’s mergers and acquisitions, including anticipated benefits and cost savings, will depend, in part, on the Company’s ability to successfully combine and integrate the acquired business in a manner that permits growth opportunities and does not materially disrupt existing customer relations nor result in decreased revenues due to loss of customers. It is possible that the integration process could result in the loss of key employees, the disruption of either company’s ongoing businesses or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies that adversely affect the combined company’s ability to maintain relationships with clients, customers, depositors, employees and other constituents or to achieve the anticipated benefits and cost savings of the transaction. The loss of key employees could adversely affect the Company’s ability to successfully conduct its business, which could have an adverse effect on the Company’s financial results and the value of its common stock. If the Company experiences difficulties with the integration process, the anticipated benefits of a transaction may not be realized fully or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected. As with any merger of financial institutions, there also may be business disruptions that cause the Company to lose customers or cause customers to remove their accounts from the Company and move their business to competing financial institutions. Integration efforts will also divert management attention and resources. These integration matters could have an adverse effect on the Company during this transition period and for an undetermined period after completion of a transaction. It is possible that the potential cost savings could turn out to be more difficult to achieve than anticipated. The cost savings estimates also depend on the ability to combine the businesses in a manner that permits those cost savings to be realized. If the estimates turn out to be incorrect or there is an inability to combine successfully, the anticipated cost savings may not be realized fully or at all, or may take longer to realize than expected.

Market competition may decrease the Company’s growth or profits.

The Company competes for loans, deposits, and investment dollars with other banks and other financial institutions and enterprises, such as securities firms, insurance companies, savings associations, credit unions, mortgage brokers, and private lenders, many of which have substantially greater resources than possessed by the Company. Credit unions have federal tax exemptions, which may allow them to offer lower rates on loans and higher rates on deposits than taxpaying financial institutions such as commercial banks. In addition, non-depository institution competitors are generally not subject to the extensive regulation applicable to institutions that offer federally insured deposits. Other institutions may have other competitive advantages in particular markets or may be willing to accept lower profit margins on certain products. These differences in resources, regulation, competitive advantages, and business strategy may decrease the Company’s net interest margin, increase the Company’s operating costs, and may make it harder to compete profitably.

The Company operates in a highly regulated industry, and compliance with, or changes to, the laws and regulations that govern its operations may adversely affect the Company.

The banking industry is heavily regulated. Banking regulations are primarily intended to protect the federal deposit insurance funds and depositors, not shareholders. Sandy Spring Bank is subject to regulation and supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and by Maryland banking authorities. Sandy Spring Bancorp is subject to regulation and supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The burdens imposed by federal and state regulations put banks at a competitive disadvantage compared to less regulated competitors such as finance companies, mortgage banking companies, and leasing companies. Changes in the laws, regulations, and regulatory practices affecting the banking industry may increase the cost of doing business or otherwise adversely affect the Company and create competitive advantages for others. Regulations affecting banks and financial services companies undergo continuous change, and the Company cannot predict the ultimate effect of these changes, which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition. Federal economic and monetary policy may also affect the Company’s ability to attract deposits and other funding sources, make loans and investments, and achieve satisfactory interest spreads.

The Company’s ability to pay dividends is limited by law.

The ability to pay dividends to shareholders largely depends on Sandy Spring Bancorp’s receipt of dividends from Sandy Spring Bank. The amount of dividends that Sandy Spring Bank may pay to Sandy Spring Bancorp is limited by federal laws and regulations. The ability of Sandy Spring Bank to pay dividends is also subject to its profitability, financial condition and cash flow requirements.  There is no assurance that Sandy Spring Bank will be able to pay dividends to Sandy Spring Bancorp in the future.  The Company may limit the payment of dividends, even when the legal ability to pay them exists, in order to retain earnings for other uses. 

19

Restrictions on unfriendly acquisitions could prevent a takeover of the Company.

The Company’s articles of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could discourage takeover attempts that are not approved by the board of directors. The Maryland General Corporation Law includes provisions that make an acquisition of the Company more difficult. These provisions may prevent a future takeover attempt in which the shareholders otherwise might receive a substantial premium for their shares over then-current market prices.

These provisions include supermajority provisions for the approval of certain business combinations and certain provisions relating to meetings of shareholders. The Company’s articles of incorporation also authorize the issuance of additional shares without shareholder approval on terms or in circumstances that could deter a future takeover attempt.

Future sales of the Company’s common stock or other securities may dilute the value and adversely affect the market price of the Company’s common stock.

In many situations, the board of directors has the authority, without any vote of the Company’s shareholders, to issue shares of authorized but unissued stock, including shares authorized and unissued under the Company’s equity incentive plans. In the future, additional securities may be issued, through public or private offerings, in order to raise additional capital. Any such issuance would dilute the percentage of ownership interest of existing shareholders and may dilute the per share book value of the Company’s common stock. In addition, option holders may exercise their options at a time when the Company would otherwise be able to obtain additional equity capital on more favorable terms.

Changes in tax laws may negatively impact the Company’s financial performance.

Changes in tax laws contained in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was enacted in December 2017, contain a number of provisions that could have an impact on the banking industry, borrowers and the market for single family residential and multifamily residential real estate. Among the changes are: lower limits on the deductibility of mortgage interest on single family residential mortgages; limitations on deductibility of business interest expense; and limitations on the deductibility of property taxes and state and local income taxes. Such changes may have an adverse effect on the market for and valuation of single family residential properties and multifamily residential properties, and on the demand for such loans in the future. If home ownership or multifamily residential property ownership become less attractive, demand for mortgage loans would decrease. The value of the properties securing loans in the Company’s portfolio may be adversely impacted as a result of the changing economics of home ownership and multifamily residential ownership, which could require an increase in the Company’s provision for loan losses, which would reduce its profitability and could materially adversely affect its business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, certain borrowers could become less able to service their debts as a result of higher tax obligations. These changes could adversely affect the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in accounting standards or interpretation of new or existing standards may affect how the Company reports its financial condition and results of operations.

From time to time the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) and the SEC change accounting regulations and reporting standards that govern the preparation of the Company’s financial statements. In addition, the FASB, SEC, bank regulators and the

outside independent auditors may revise their previous interpretations regarding existing accounting regulations and the application of these accounting standards. These changes can be difficult to predict and can materially impact how to record and report the Company’s financial condition and results of operations. In some cases, there could be a requirement to apply a new or revised accounting standard retroactively, resulting in the restatement of prior period financial statements.

New capital rules that became effective in 2015 and 2016 generally require insured depository institutions and their holding companies to hold more capital.

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On July 2, 2013, the Federal Reserve adopted a final rule for the Basel III capital framework. These rules substantially amend the regulatory risk-based capital rules applicable to the Company. The rules phase in over time beginning in 2015 and will become fully effective in 2019. The rules apply to the Company as well as to Sandy Spring Bank. Under these rules, the Company’s minimum capital requirements are (i) a common Tier 1 equity ratio of 4.5%, (ii) a Tier 1 capital (common Tier 1 capital plus Additional Tier 1 capital) of 6% and (iii) a total capital ratio of 8%. The Company’s leverage ratio requirement remains at the 4% level previously required. Beginning in 2016, a capital conservation buffer began to phase in over three years, ultimately resulting in a requirement of 2.5% on top of the common Tier 1, Tier 1 and total capital requirements, resulting in a required common Tier 1 equity ratio of 7%, a Tier 1 ratio of 8.5%, and a total capital ratio of 10.5%. Failure to satisfy any of these three capital requirements will result in limits on paying dividends, engaging in share repurchases and paying discretionary bonuses. These limitations will establish a maximum percentage of eligible retained income that could be utilized for such actions.

The Company faces a risk of noncompliance and enforcement action with the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations.

The federal Bank Secrecy Act, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the "PATRIOT Act") and other laws and regulations require financial institutions, among other duties, to institute and maintain effective anti-money laundering programs and file suspicious activity and currency transaction reports as appropriate. The federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, established by the U.S. Treasury Department to administer the Bank Secrecy Act, is authorized to impose significant civil money penalties for violations of those requirements and engages in coordinated enforcement efforts with the individual federal banking regulators, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service. Federal and state bank regulators also focus on compliance with Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering regulations. If the Company’s policies, procedures and systems are deemed to be deficient or the policies, procedures and systems of the financial institutions that the Company may acquire in the future are deficient, the Company would be subject to liability, including fines and regulatory actions such as restrictions on its ability to pay dividends and the necessity to obtain regulatory approvals to proceed with certain aspects of its business plan, including its acquisition plans, which would negatively impact the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. Failure to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing could also have serious reputational consequences for the Company.

The Company’s accounting estimates and risk management processes rely on analytical and forecasting models.

The processes that the Company uses to estimate its inherent loan losses and to measure the fair value of financial instruments, as well as the processes used to estimate the effects of changing interest rates and other market measures on its financial condition and results of operations, depends upon the use of analytical and forecasting models. These models reflect assumptions that may not be accurate, particularly in times of market stress or other unforeseen circumstances. Even if these assumptions are adequate, the models may prove to be inadequate or inaccurate because of other flaws in their design or their implementation. If the models that the Company uses for interest rate risk and asset-liability management are inadequate, the Company may incur increased or unexpected losses upon changes in market interest rates or other market measures. If the models that the Company uses for determining its probable loan losses are inadequate, the allowance for loan losses may not be sufficient to support future charge-offs. If the models that the Company uses to measure the fair value of financial instruments are inadequate, the fair value of such financial instruments may fluctuate unexpectedly or may not accurately reflect what the Company could realize upon sale or settlement of such financial instruments. Any such failure in the Company’s analytical or forecasting models could have a material adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations.

Failure to keep up with technological change in the financial services industry could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s competitive position or profitability.                                                                                        

The financial services industry is undergoing rapid technological change with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. The effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial institutions to better serve customers and to reduce costs. The Company’s future success depends, in part, upon its ability to address the needs of its customers by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands, as well as to create additional efficiencies in the Company’s operations. Many of the Company’s competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements. The Company may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services or be successful in marketing these products and services to its customers. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the financial services industry could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

21

The Company’s risk management framework may not be effective in mitigating risks and/or losses to the Company.

The Company’s risk management framework is comprised of various processes, systems and strategies, and is designed to manage the types of risk to which the Company is subject, including, among others, credit, market, liquidity, interest rate and compliance. The Company’s framework also includes financial or other modeling methodologies that involve management assumptions and judgment. The Company’s risk management framework may not be effective under all circumstances and may not adequately mitigate any risk or loss to the Company. If the Company’s risk management framework is not effective, the Company could suffer unexpected losses and the Company’s business, financial condition, or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. The Company may also be subject to potentially adverse regulatory consequences.

The Company’s information systems may experience an interruption or security breach.

The Company relies heavily on communications and information systems to conduct its business. The Company, its customers, and other financial institutions with which the Company interacts, are subject to ongoing, continuous attempts to penetrate key systems by individual hackers, organized criminals, and in some cases, state-sponsored organizations. Any failure, interruption or breach in security of these systems could result in failures or disruptions in the Company’s customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan and other systems, misappropriation of funds, and theft of proprietary Company or customer data. While the Company has policies and procedures designed to prevent or limit the effect of the possible failure, interruption or security breach of the Company’s information systems, there can be no assurance that any such failure, interruption or security breach will not occur or, if they do occur, that they will be adequately addressed. The occurrence of any failure, interruption or security breach of the Company’s information systems could damage its reputation, result in a loss of customer business, subject the Company to additional regulatory scrutiny, or expose the Company to civil litigation and possible financial liability.

Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise the Company’s information and expose the Company to liability, which would cause its business and reputation to suffer.

In the ordinary course of the Company’s business, the Company collects and stores sensitive data, including intellectual property, its proprietary business information and that of the Company’s customers, suppliers and business partners, and personally identifiable information of its customers and employees, in the Company’s data centers and on its networks. The secure processing, maintenance and transmission of this information is critical to the Company’s operations and business strategy. Despite the Company’s security measures, the Company’s information technology and infrastructure may be vulnerable to attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, malfeasance or other disruptions. Any such breach could compromise the Company’s networks and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. Any such access, disclosure or other loss of information could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability under laws that protect the privacy of personal information, and regulatory penalties, disrupt the Company’s operations and the services it provides to customers, damage its reputation, and cause a loss of confidence in its products and services, which could adversely affect the Company’s business, revenues and competitive position.

The reliance of the Company on third party vendors could expose it to additional cyber risk and liability.

The operation of the Company’s business involves outsourcing of certain business functions and reliance on third-party providers, which may result in transmission and maintenance of personal, confidential, and proprietary information to and by such vendors.  Although the Company requires third-party providers to maintain certain levels of information security, such providers remain vulnerable to breaches, unauthorized access, misuse, computer viruses, or other malicious attacks that could ultimately compromise sensitive information possessed by the Company.  Although the Company contracts to limit its liability in connection with attacks against third-party providers, the Company remains exposed to risk of loss associated with such vendors.

The Company outsources certain aspects of its data processing to certain third-party providers which may expose it to additional risk.

The Company outsources certain key aspects of the Company’s data processing to certain third-party providers. While the Company has selected these third-party providers carefully, it cannot control their actions. If the Company’s third-party providers encounter difficulties, including those which result from their failure to provide services for any reason or their poor performance of services, or if the Company has difficulty in communicating with them, its ability to adequately process and account for customer transactions could be affected, and the Company’s business operations could be adversely impacted. Replacing these third-party providers could also entail significant delay and expense.

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The Company’s third-party providers may be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses, phishing schemes and other security breaches. Threats to information security also exist in the processing of customer information through various other third-party providers and their personnel. The Company may be required to expend significant additional resources to protect against the threat of such security breaches and computer viruses, or to alleviate problems caused by such security breaches or viruses. To the extent that the activities of the Company’s third-party providers or the activities of the Company’s customers involve the storage and transmission of confidential information, security breaches and viruses could expose the Company to claims, regulatory scrutiny, litigation and other possible liabilities.

The Company is dependent on its information technology and telecommunications systems third-party servicers and systems failures, interruptions or breaches of security could have an adverse effect on its financial condition and results of operations.

The Company’s business is highly dependent on the successful and uninterrupted functioning of its information technology and telecommunications systems third-party servicers. The Company outsources many of its major systems, such as data processing and deposit processing systems. The failure of these systems, or the termination of a third-party software license or service agreement on which any of these systems is based, could interrupt the Company’s operations. Because the Company’s information technology and telecommunications systems interface with and depend on third-party systems, it could experience service denials if demand for such services exceeds capacity or such third-party systems fail or experience interruptions. If sustained or repeated, a system failure or service denial could result in a deterioration of the Company’s ability to provide customer service, compromise its ability to operate effectively, damage the Company’s reputation, result in a loss of customer business and/or subject the Company to additional regulatory scrutiny and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, the Company provides its customers the ability to bank remotely, including online over the Internet. The secure transmission of confidential information is a critical element of remote banking. The Company’s network could be vulnerable to unauthorized access, computer viruses, phishing schemes, spam attacks, human error, natural disasters, power loss and other security breaches. The Company may be required to spend significant capital and other resources to protect against the threat of security breaches and computer viruses, or to alleviate problems caused by security breaches or viruses. Further, the Company outsources some of the data processing functions used for remote banking, and accordingly it is dependent on the expertise and performance of its third-party providers. To the extent that the Company’s activities, the activities of its customers, or the activities of the Company’s third-party service providers involve the storage and transmission of confidential information, security breaches and viruses could expose the Company to claims, litigation and other possible liabilities. Any inability to prevent security breaches or computer viruses could also cause existing customers to lose confidence in the Company’s systems and could adversely affect its reputation, results of operations and ability to attract and maintain customers and businesses. In addition, a security breach could also subject the Company to additional regulatory scrutiny, expose it to civil litigation and possible financial liability and cause reputational damage.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 2. PROPERTIES

The Company’s headquarters is located in Olney, Maryland. As of December 31, 2017, Sandy Spring Bank owned 12 of its 42 full-service community banking centers and leased the remaining banking centers. See Note 6–Premises and Equipment to the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information.

Item 3.  LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

In the normal course of business, the Company becomes involved in litigation arising from the banking, financial, and other activities it conducts. Management, after consultation with legal counsel, does not anticipate that the ultimate liability, if any, arising out of these matters will have a material effect on the Company's financial condition, operating results or liquidity.

Item 4.  MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

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PART II

Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Stock Listing

Common shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. are listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “SASR”.  At February 23, 2018 there were approximately 2,300 holders of record of the Company’s common stock.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

Computershare Shareholder Services, P.O. Box 30170, College Station, TX 77842-3170

Dividends

The dividend amount is established by the board of directors each quarter. In making its decision on dividends, the board considers operating results, financial condition, capital adequacy, regulatory requirements, shareholder returns, and other factors.  Shareholders received quarterly cash common dividends totaling $25.1 million in 2017, $23.7 million in 2016, $22.4 million in 2015, $19.2 million in 2014 and $16.1 million in 2013. Dividends have increased from 2012 through 2017 due to the Company’s improved operating results.   

Share Transactions with Employees

Shares issued under the employee stock purchase plan, which was authorized on July 1, 2011, totaled 17,578 in 2017 and 23,779 in 2016, while issuances pursuant to exercises of stock options and grants of restricted stock were 77,631 and 93,535 in the respective years.  Shares issued under the director stock purchase plan in 2017 and 2016 were not significant.

Quarterly Stock Information

The following table provides stock price activity and dividend payment information for the periods indicated:

	2017							2016
		Stock Price Range				Per Share		Stock Price Range				Per Share
Quarter		Low		High		Dividend		Low		High		Dividend
1st		$	38.25	$	44.37	$	0.26	$	24.36	$	27.43	$	0.24
2nd		$	38.15	$	45.17		0.26	$	26.03	$	29.47		0.24
3rd		$	36.88	$	41.44		0.26	$	27.74	$	31.28		0.24
4th		$	38.23	$	42.85		0.26	$	29.51	$	40.64		0.26
Total						$	1.04					$	0.98

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The Company’s 2015 stock repurchase program expired on August 31, 2017.  Under the recently expired repurchase program a total of 736,139 shares of common stock were repurchased.

Shares repurchased pursuant to the stock repurchase program during the fourth quarter of 2017 were as follows:

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			Total number of Shares	Maximum Number that
			Purchased as part of	May Yet Be Purchased
	Total Number of	Average Price Paid	Publicly Announced Plans	Under the Plans or
Period	Shares Purchased	per Share	or Programs	Programs
October 1, 2017 through
October 31, 2017	-	N/A	-	-
November 1, 2017 through
November 30, 2017	-	N/A	-	-
December 1, 2017 through
December 31, 2017	-	N/A	-	-

Total Return Comparison

The following graph and table show the cumulative total return on the common stock of the Company over the last five years, compared with the cumulative total return of a broad stock market index (the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index or “S&P 500”), and a narrower index of Mid-Atlantic bank holding company peers with assets of $2 billion to $7 billion.  The cumulative total return on the stock or the index equals the total increase in value since December 31, 2012, assuming reinvestment of all dividends paid into the stock or the index. The graph and table were prepared assuming that $100 was invested on December 31, 2012, in the common stock and the securities included in the indexes.

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The Peer Group Index includes twenty publicly traded bank holding companies, other than the Company, headquartered in the Mid-Atlantic region and with assets of $2 billion to $7 billion.  The companies included in this index are:  Access National Corporation (VA); Bancorp, Inc. (DE); Bryn Mawr Bank Corporation (PA); Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Company (VA); Carter Bank & Trust (VA); City Holding Company (WV); CNB Financial Corporation (PA); ConnectOne Bancorp, Inc. (NJ); Farmers National Banc Corp. (OH); First Bancorp (NC);  First Community Bancshares, Inc. (VA); HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. (NC); Lakeland Bancorp, Inc. (NJ); Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. (NC); Old Line Bancshares (MD); Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation (NJ); Peoples Bancorp Inc. (OH); Peoples Financial Services Corp. (PA); Republic First Bancorp (PA); Revere Bank (MD); Southern BancShares, Inc. (NC); Southern National Bancorp of Virginia, Inc. (VA); Summit Financial Group, Inc. (WV); Sun Bancorp, Inc. (NJ); TriState Capital Holdings, Inc. (PA); United Community Financial Corp. (OH); Univest Corporation of Pennsylvania (PA).  Returns are weighted according to the issuer’s stock market capitalization at the beginning of each year shown.

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Equity Compensation Plans

The following table presents the number of shares available for issuance under the Company’s equity compensation plans at December 31, 2017.

				Number of securities remaining
		Number of securities to be		available for future issuance
		issued upon exercise of	Weighted average exercise	under equity compensation plans
		outstanding options,	price of outstanding options,	(excluding securities reflected in
Plan category		warrants and rights	warrants and rights	the first column)
Equity compensation plans		87,300	$26.22	1,340,359
	approved by security holders
Equity compensation plans not		-	-	-
	approved by security holders
Total		87,300	$26.22	1,340,359

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Item 6.  SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Consolidated Summary of Financial Results
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)		2017			2016			2015			2014			2013
Results of Operations:
Tax-equivalent interest income		$	202,258		$	177,267		$	164,790		$	153,558		$	154,639
Interest expense			26,031			21,004			20,113			18,818			19,433
Tax-equivalent net interest income			176,227			156,236			144,677			134,740			135,206
	Tax-equivalent adjustment		7,459			6,711			6,478			5,192			5,292
Provision (credit) for loan losses			2,977			5,546			5,371			(163)			(1,084)
Net interest income after provision (credit) for loan losses			165,791			144,006			132,828			129,711			130,998
Non-interest income			51,243			51,042			49,901			46,871			47,511
Non-interest expenses			129,099			123,058			115,347			120,800			111,524
Income before taxes			87,935			71,990			67,382			55,782			66,985
Income tax expense			34,726			23,740			22,027			17,582			22,563
Net income			53,209			48,250			45,355			38,200			44,422
Per  Share Data:
Net income - basic per share		$	2.20		$	2.00		$	1.84		$	1.53		$	1.78
Net income - diluted per share			2.20			2.00			1.84			1.52			1.77
Dividends declared per common share			1.04			0.98			0.90			0.76			0.64
Book value per common share			23.50			22.32			21.58			20.83			19.98
Dividends declared to diluted net income per common share			47.27	%		49.00	%		48.91	%		50.00	%		36.16	%
Period End Balances:
Assets		$	5,446,675		$	5,091,383		$	4,655,380		$	4,397,132		$	4,106,100
Investment securities			775,025			779,648			841,650			933,619			1,016,609
Loans			4,314,248			3,927,808			3,495,370			3,127,392			2,784,266
Deposits			3,963,662			3,577,544			3,263,730			3,066,509			2,877,225
Borrowings			885,192			945,119			829,145			764,432			703,842
Stockholders’ equity			563,816			533,572			524,427			521,751			499,363
Average Balances:
Assets		$	5,239,920		$	4,743,375		$	4,486,453		$	4,194,206		$	4,007,411
Investment securities			813,601			740,519			883,143			977,730			1,063,247
Loans			4,097,988			3,677,662			3,276,610			2,917,514			2,642,872
Deposits			3,849,186			3,460,804			3,184,359			2,986,213			2,889,875
Borrowings			798,733			717,542			735,474			662,111			595,842
Stockholders’ equity			550,926			527,524			519,671			514,207			487,836
Performance Ratios:
Return on average assets			1.02	%		1.02	%		1.01	%		0.91	%		1.11	%
Return on average common equity			9.66			9.15			8.73			7.43			9.11
Yield on average interest-earning  assets			4.08			3.96			3.91			3.93			4.15
Rate on average interest-bearing liabilities			0.77			0.68			0.70			0.69			0.74
Net interest spread			3.31			3.28			3.21			3.24			3.41
Net interest margin			3.55			3.49			3.44			3.45			3.63
Efficiency ratio – GAAP  (1)			58.68			61.35			61.32			68.47			62.86
Efficiency ratio – Non-GAAP  (1)			54.59			58.66			61.09			62.48			60.06
Capital Ratios:
Tier 1 leverage			9.24	%		10.14	%		10.60	%		11.26	%		11.32	%
Common equity tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets			10.84			11.01			12.17			n.a			n.a
Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets			10.84			11.74			13.13			13.95			14.42
Total regulatory capital to risk-weighted assets			11.85			12.80			14.25			15.06			15.65
Tangible common equity to tangible assets - Non-GAAP (2)			9.04			9.07			9.66			10.15			10.37
Average equity to average assets			10.51			11.12			11.58			12.26			12.17
Credit Quality Ratios:
Allowance for loan losses to loans			1.05	%		1.12	%		1.17	%		1.21	%		1.39	%
Non-performing loans to total loans			0.68			0.81			0.99			1.09			1.44
Non-performing assets to total assets			0.58			0.66			0.80			0.85			1.01
Net charge-offs to average loans			0.04			0.06			0.07			0.03			0.12

(1)See the discussion of the efficiency ratio in the section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations entitled “Operating Expense Performance.”

(2)See the discussion of tangible common equity in the section of Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations entitled “Tangible Common Equity.”

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Item 7.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Overview

Net income for Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”) for the year ended December 31, 2017 totaled  $53.2 million ($2.20 per diluted share), compared to net income of $48.3 million ($2.00 per diluted share) for the prior year. These results reflect the following events:

·Net income for 2017 included $5.6 million of additional tax expense and $2.6 million of post-tax expenses associated with the acquisition of WashingtonFirst Bankshares, resulting in a reduction of earnings per share of approximately $0.34 cents per share for 2017.

·Total loans at December 31, 2017 increased 10% compared to the balance at December 31, 2016 due primarily to an 11% increase in commercial loans. Overall the entire portfolio grew $386 million during the year.

·The net interest margin increased to 3.55% in 2017 compared to 3.49% in 2016.

·Combined noninterest-bearing and interest-bearing transaction account balances increased 10% to $1.9 billion at December 31, 2017 as compared to $1.8 billion at December 31, 2016.

·The provision for loan losses was $3.0 million for 2017 compared to $5.5 million for 2016.  The provision for 2017 compared to 2016 decreased due to the effect of the improvement in loan quality and a reduction in non-performing loans which offset the impact of loan growth during 2017.

·Non-interest income increased 4% for 2017 compared to 2016 exclusive of investment securities gains and gains from the prior year’s debt extinguishment.  The increase was driven by increases in income from wealth management, insurance agency commissions and deposit service charges.

·Non-interest expenses increased 5% for 2017 compared to the prior year. The current year’s expenses included $4.3 million in merger expenses.  Excluding penalties due to the prepayment of FHLB advances in 2017 and 2016 in addition to the merger expense, non-interest expense increased 3% due to increased compensation cost and FDIC insurance.

In 2017, the Mid-Atlantic region in which the Company operates continued to experience continued improved regional economic performance. The national economy improved as well throughout the year.  Consumer confidence has been bolstered by certain positive economic trends such as lower unemployment, increased housing metrics and solid performance in the financial markets.   These positive trends have been tempered by international economic concerns together with concerns over a lack of wage growth and the rise in interest rates. These factors can act to constrain economic activity on the part of both large and small businesses. Despite this challenging business environment, the Company has experienced healthy loan growth while maintaining strong levels of liquidity, capital and credit quality.

The net interest margin increased to 3.55% in 2017 compared to 3.49% for 2016. Average loans increased 11%, compared to the prior year, while average total deposits increased 11% compared to 2016.  Liquidity continues to remain strong due to borrowing lines with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and the Federal Reserve and the size and composition of the investment portfolio.  At December 31, 2017, the Bank remained above all “well-capitalized” regulatory requirement levels. In addition, tangible book value per common share increased 6% to $20.18 from $18.98 at December 31, 2016.  The Company’s credit quality remained strong as non-performing assets totaled $31.6 million at December 31, 2017 compared to $33.8 million at December 31, 2016 due to a decrease in non-performing commercial loans. Non-performing assets represented 0.58% of total assets at December 31, 2017 compared to 0.66% at December 31, 2016.  The ratio of net charge-offs to average loans was 0.04% for 2017, compared to 0.06% for the prior year.

Total assets at December 31, 2017 increased 7% compared to December 31, 2016. Loan balances increased 10% compared to the prior year end due to increases of 11% in residential mortgage and construction loans and 11% in commercial loans. The growth in commercial loans was driven by double digit increases in owner-occupied real estate and investor real estate loans while the increase in mortgage loans was due primarily to growth in residential construction loans.  Customer funding sources, which include deposits plus other short-term borrowings from core customers, increased 10% compared to balances at December 31, 2016. The increase in customer funding sources was driven by increases of 18% in certificates of deposit, 11% in money market savings and 10% in checking accounts. The Company utilizes low cost FHLB borrowings to assist in the management of the net interest margin. The effect on the net interest margin partially mitigates the increased rates offered on certificates of deposit and money market accounts to retain these deposit relationships in the expectation of higher interest rates.  During the same period, stockholders’ equity increased to $563 million due to net income in 2017, which effect was somewhat offset by dividends paid to stockholders during 2017.

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Net interest income increased 13% compared to the prior year due to the effects of an 11% growth in average interest-earning assets with an increase of 12 basis points in the yield while the rate on interest-bearing liabilities which grew 10% from the prior year increased 9 basis points over the same period.

Non-interest income, exclusive of investment securities gains of $1.3 million in 2017 and $1.9 million in 2016, as well as the $1.2 million gain in the prior year’s from debt extinguishment, increased 4% for 2017 compared to 2016.  This was due to increases in income from wealth management, insurance agency commissions and deposit service charges during 2017 as compared to 2016.

Non-interest expenses increased 5% to $129.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2017, compared to $123.1 million for the prior year. A primary driver of expenses in 2017 was $4.3 million in merger expenses related to the WashingtonFirst acquisition.  This expense was partially offset by the decrease in prepayment penalties of $1.9 million for the early payoff of high-rate FHLB advances as compared to the year ended December 31, 2016.  Excluding the impact of the FHLB prepayment penalties from the current and prior year’s results and the exclusion of merger expenses for 2017, non-interest expense increased 3%.

The tax rate reduction associated with the recently enacted tax reform legislation caused a revaluation of net deferred tax assets and resulted in $5.6 million of additional income tax expense in the fourth quarter of 2017.  This additional income tax expense and merger expenses, net of tax, resulted in a reduction of earnings per share of approximately $0.34 per share for 2017. Pre-tax, pre-provision income, which adjusts for these items, increased 23% from full-year 2016 to full-year 2017 to a record $95.2 million.

Critical Accounting Policies

The Company’s consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America and follow general practices within the banking industry.  Application of these principles requires management to make estimates, assumptions, and judgments that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes.  These estimates, assumptions, and judgments are based on information available as of the date of the financial statements; accordingly, as this information changes, the financial statements may reflect different estimates, assumptions, and judgments.  Certain policies inherently rely more extensively on the use of estimates, assumptions, and judgments and as such may have a greater possibility of producing results that could be materially different than originally reported. Estimates, assumptions, and judgments are necessary for assets and liabilities that are required to be recorded at fair value.  A decline in the value of assets required to be recorded at fair value will warrant an impairment write-down or valuation allowance to be established.  Carrying assets and liabilities at fair value inherently results in greater financial statement volatility.  The fair values and the information used to record valuation adjustments for certain assets and liabilities are based either on quoted market prices or are provided by other third-party sources, when readily available.  Management believes the following accounting policies are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our reported financial results:

·Allowance for loan losses;

·Goodwill and other intangible asset impairment;

·Accounting for income taxes;

·Fair value measurements;

·Defined benefit pension plan.

Allowance for Loan Losses

The allowance for loan losses is an estimate of the probable losses that are inherent in the loan portfolio at the balance sheet date.  The allowance is based on the basic principle that a loss be accrued when it is probable that the loss has occurred at the date of the financial statements and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated.

Management believes that the allowance for loan losses is adequate. However, the determination of the allowance requires significant judgment, and estimates of probable losses in the lending portfolio can vary significantly from the amounts actually observed. While management uses available information to recognize probable losses, future additions or reductions to the allowance may be necessary based on changes in the composition of loans in the portfolio and changes in the financial condition of borrowers as a result of changes in economic conditions. In addition, various regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, and independent consultants engaged by the Company periodically review the loan portfolio and the allowance.  Such reviews may result in additional provisions based on their judgments of information available at the time of each examination.

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The Company’s allowance for loan losses has two basic components: a general allowance (ASC 450 reserves) reflecting historical losses by loan category, as adjusted by several factors whose effects are not reflected in historical loss ratios, and specific allowances (ASC 310 reserves) for individually identified loans.  Each of these components, and the allowance methodology used to establish them, are described in detail in Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in this report.  The amount of the allowance is reviewed monthly by the Risk Committee of the board of directors and formally approved quarterly by that same committee of the board.

General allowances are based upon historical loss experience by portfolio segment measured over the prior eight quarters and weighted equally.  The historical loss experience is supplemented by the inclusion of quantitative risk factors to address various risk characteristics of the Company’s loan portfolio including:

·trends in delinquencies and other non-performing loans;

·changes in the risk profile related to large loans in the portfolio;

·changes in the categories of loans comprising the loan portfolio;

·concentrations of loans to specific industry segments;

·changes in economic conditions on both a local, regional and national level;

·changes in the Company’s credit administration and loan portfolio management processes; and

·quality of the Company’s credit risk identification processes. 

The general allowance comprised 91% of the total allowance at December 31, 2017 and 89% at December 31, 2016. The general allowance is calculated in two parts based on an internal risk classification of loans within each portfolio segment.  Allowances on loans considered to be “criticized” and “classified” under regulatory guidance are calculated separately from loans considered to be “pass” rated under the same guidance.  This segregation allows the Company to monitor the allowance applicable to higher risk loans separate from the remainder of the portfolio in order to better manage risk and ensure the sufficiency of the allowance for loan losses.

The portion of the allowance representing specific allowances is established on individually impaired loans. As a practical expedient, for collateral dependent loans, the Company measures impairment based on fair value of the collateral less costs to sell the underlying collateral. For loans on which the Company has not elected to use a practical expedient to measure impairment, the Company will measure impairment based on the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate.  In determining the cash flows to be included in the discount calculation the Company considers the following factors that combine to estimate the probability and severity of potential losses:

·the borrower’s overall financial condition;

·resources and payment record;

·demonstrated or documented support available from financial guarantors; and

·the adequacy of collateral value and the ultimate realization of that value at liquidation.

The specific allowance accounted for 9% of the total allowance at December 31, 2017 and 11% at December 31, 2016.  The estimated losses on impaired loans can differ substantially from actual losses.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Asset Impairment

Goodwill represents the excess purchase price paid over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a business combination. Goodwill is not amortized but is assessed for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired.  Impairment assessment requires that the fair value of each of the Company’s reporting units be compared to the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s net assets, including goodwill. The Company’s reporting units were identified based upon an analysis of each of its individual operating segments. If the fair values of the reporting units exceed their book values, no write-down of recorded goodwill is required. If the fair value of a reporting unit is less than book value, an expense may be required to write-down the related goodwill to the proper carrying value. The Company assesses for impairment of goodwill as of October 1 of each year using September 30 data and again at any quarter-end if any triggering events occur during a quarter that may affect goodwill. Examples of such events include, but are not limited to, a significant deterioration in future operating results, adverse action by a regulator or a loss of key personnel. Determining the fair value of a reporting unit requires the Company to use a degree of subjectivity. 

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Under current accounting guidance, the Company has the option to assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. Based on the assessment of these qualitative factors, if it is determined that the fair value of a reporting unit is not less than the carrying value, then performing the two-step impairment process, previously required, is unnecessary. However, if it appears that the carrying value exceeds the fair value based on the qualitative assessment,  the first step of the two-step process must be performed. The Company has elected this accounting guidance with respect to its Community Banking, Investment Management and Insurance segments. At December 31, 2017 there was no evidence of impairment of goodwill or intangibles in any of the Company’s reporting units.

Other intangible assets represent purchased assets that lack physical substance but can be distinguished from goodwill because of contractual or other legal rights or because the asset is capable of being sold or exchanged either on its own or in combination with a related contract, asset, or liability. Other intangible assets have finite lives and are reviewed for impairment annually.  These assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line or sum-of-the-years basis over varying periods that initially did not exceed 15 years.

Accounting for Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes by recording deferred income taxes that reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Management exercises significant judgment in the evaluation of the amount and timing of the recognition of the resulting tax assets and liabilities. The judgments and estimates required for the evaluation are updated based upon changes in business factors and the tax laws. If actual results differ from the assumptions and other considerations used in estimating the amount and timing of tax recognized, there can be no assurance that additional expenses will not be required in future periods. The Company’s accounting policy follows the prescribed authoritative guidance that a minimal probability threshold of a tax position must be met before a financial statement benefit is recognized. The Company recognized, when applicable, interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in other non-interest expenses in the Consolidated Statements of Income. Assessment of uncertain tax positions requires careful consideration of the technical merits of a position based on management’s analysis of tax regulations and interpretations. Significant judgment may be involved in applying the applicable reporting and accounting requirements.

Management expects that the Company’s adherence to the required accounting guidance may result in volatility in quarterly and annual effective income tax rates due to the requirement that any change in judgment or measurement of a tax position taken in a prior period be recognized as a discrete event in the period in which it occurs. Factors that could impact management’s judgment include changes in income, tax laws and regulations, and tax planning strategies.

Fair Value Measurements

The Company measures certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value in accordance with applicable accounting standards.  Significant financial instruments measured at fair value on a recurring basis are investment securities available-for-sale, residential mortgages held for sale and commercial loan interest rate swap agreements.  Loans where it is probable that the Company will not collect all principal and interest payments according to the contractual terms are considered impaired loans and are measured on a nonrecurring basis.

The Company conducts a quarterly review for all investment securities that have potential impairment to determine whether unrealized losses are other-than-temporary. Valuations for the investment portfolio are determined using quoted market prices, where available. If quoted market prices are not available, valuations are based on pricing models, quotes for similar investment securities, and, where necessary, an income valuation approach based on the present value of expected cash flows. In addition, the Company considers the financial condition of the issuer, the receipt of principal and interest according to the contractual terms and the intent and ability of the Company to hold the investment for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value.

The above accounting policies with respect to fair value are discussed in further detail in “Note 20-Fair Value” to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

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The Company has a qualified, noncontributory, defined benefit pension plan. The plan was frozen for existing entrants after December 31, 2007 and all benefit accruals for employees were frozen as of December 31, 2007 based on past service. Future salary increases and additional years of service will no longer affect the defined benefit provided by the plan although additional vesting may continue to occur.

Several factors affect the net periodic benefit cost of the plan, including (1) the size and characteristics of the plan population, (2) the discount rate, (3) the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets and (4) other actuarial assumptions. Pension cost is directly related to the number of employees covered by the plan and other factors including salary, age, years of employment, and the terms of the plan. As a result of the plan freeze, the characteristics of the plan population should not have a materially different effect in future years. The discount rate is used to determine the present value of future benefit obligations. The discount rate is determined by matching the expected cash flows of the plan to a yield curve based on long term, high quality fixed income debt instruments available as of the measurement date, which is December 31 of each year. The discount rate is adjusted each year on the measurement date to reflect current market conditions. The expected long-term rate of return on plan assets is based on a number of factors that include expectations of market performance and the target asset allocation adopted in the plan investment policy. Should actual asset returns deviate from the projected returns, this can affect the benefit plan expense recognized in the financial statements.

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Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. and Subsidiaries
CONSOLIDATED AVERAGE BALANCES, YIELDS AND RATES
		Year Ended December 31,
				2017						2016						2015
					Annualized						Annualized						Annualized
	Average		(1)		Average		Average		(1)		Average		Average		(1)		Average
(Dollars in thousands and tax-equivalent)	Balances		Interest		Yield/Rate		Balances		Interest		Yield/Rate		Balances		Interest		Yield/Rate
Assets
Residential mortgage loans	$	873,278	$	30,648	3.51	%	$	826,089	$	28,331	3.43	%	$	748,584	$	25,251	3.37	%
Residential construction loans		167,664		6,292	3.75			143,378		5,169	3.61			134,486		4,970	3.70
Total mortgage loans		1,040,942		36,940	3.55			969,467		33,500	3.46			883,070		30,221	3.42
Commercial AD&C loans		298,563		14,844	4.97			283,018		13,199	4.66			225,022		10,299	4.58
Commercial investor real estate loans		1,040,871		46,558	4.47			812,896		37,110	4.57			684,218		32,073	4.69
Commercial owner occupied real estate loans		800,879		38,759	4.84			707,830		33,837	4.78			641,798		31,508	4.91
Commercial business loans		457,802		20,585	4.50			453,148		19,750	4.36			404,994		17,926	4.43
Leasing		-		-	-			-		-	-			27		1	2.50
Total commercial loans		2,598,115		120,746	4.65			2,256,892		103,896	4.60			1,956,059		91,807	4.69
Consumer loans		458,931		16,934	3.72			451,303		15,596	3.48			437,481		14,624	3.37
Total loans (2)		4,097,988		174,620	4.26			3,677,662		152,992	4.16			3,276,610		136,652	4.17
Loans held for sale		6,855		279	4.06			11,256		387	3.44			13,571		544	4.01
Taxable securities		517,375		14,372	2.78			461,973		11,923	2.58			592,153		15,016	2.54
Tax-exempt securities (3)		296,226		12,550	4.24			278,546		11,747	4.22			290,990		12,479	4.29
Total investment securities		813,601		26,922	3.31			740,519		23,670	3.20			883,143		27,495	3.11
Interest-bearing deposits with banks		37,523		410	1.09			40,940		213	0.52			37,761		98	0.26
Federal funds sold		2,581		27	1.03			876		5	0.50			473		1	0.23
Total interest-earning assets		4,958,548		202,258	4.08			4,471,253		177,267	3.96			4,211,558		164,790	3.91
Less:  allowance for loan losses		(44,557)						(42,487)						(38,732)
Cash and due from banks		48,970						47,219						46,719
Premises and equipment, net		53,947						53,386						51,804
Other assets		223,012						214,004						215,104
Total assets	$	5,239,920					$	4,743,375					$	4,486,453
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity
Interest-bearing demand deposits	$	616,524		507	0.08	%	$	581,185		446	0.08	%	$	532,578		418	0.08	%
Regular savings deposits		322,856		216	0.07			300,035		182	0.06			276,873		146	0.05
Money market savings deposits		1,000,965		5,031	0.50			920,125		1,951	0.21			860,399		1,364	0.16
Time deposits		651,610		7,502	1.15			558,355		5,582	1.00			481,368		3,950	0.82
Total interest-bearing deposits		2,591,955		13,256	0.51			2,359,700		8,161	0.35			2,151,218		5,878	0.27
Other borrowings		133,356		337	0.25			120,711		290	0.24			110,899		255	0.23
Advances from FHLB		664,966		12,426	1.87			565,342		11,610	2.05			589,575		13,081	2.22
Subordinated debentures		411		12	2.94			31,489		943	3.00			35,000		899	2.57
Total interest-bearing liabilities		3,390,688		26,031	0.77			3,077,242		21,004	0.68			2,886,692		20,113	0.70
Noninterest-bearing demand deposits		1,257,231						1,101,104						1,033,141
Other liabilities		41,075						37,505						46,949
Stockholders' equity		550,926						527,524						519,671
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$	5,239,920					$	4,743,375					$	4,486,453
Net interest income and spread			$	176,227	3.31	%			$	156,263	3.28	%			$	144,677	3.21	%
Less: tax-equivalent adjustment				7,459						6,711						6,478
Net interest income			$	168,768					$	149,552					$	138,199
Interest income/earning assets					4.08	%					3.96	%					3.91	%
Interest expense/earning assets					0.53						0.47						0.47
Net interest margin					3.55	%					3.49	%					3.44	%
(1) Tax-equivalent income has been adjusted using the combined marginal federal and state rate of 39.88% for 2017, 2016 and 2015. The annualized taxable-equivalent adjustments utilized in
the above table to compute yields aggregated to $7.5 million, $6.7 million and $6.5 million in 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.
(2) Non-accrual loans are included in the average balances.
(3) Includes only investments that are exempt from federal taxes.

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Net Interest Income

The largest source of the Company’s operating revenue is net interest income, which is the difference between the interest earned on interest-earning assets and the interest paid on interest-bearing liabilities. For purposes of this discussion and analysis, the interest earned on tax-advantaged loans and tax-exempt investment securities has been adjusted to an amount comparable to interest subject to normal income taxes. The result is referred to as tax-equivalent interest income and tax-equivalent net interest income. The following discussion of net interest income should be considered in conjunction with the review of the information provided in the preceding table.

2017 vs. 2016

Net interest income for 2017 was $168.8 million compared to $149.6 million for 2016 due to growth in earning assets coupled with the overall increase in the associated yields on those assets. On a tax-equivalent basis, net interest income for 2017 was $176.2 million compared to $156.3 million for 2016. The preceding table provides an analysis of net interest income performance that reflects a net interest margin that increased to 3.55% for 2017 compared to 3.49% for 2016.  Net interest income for 2017 included $1.1 million in interest recoveries on previously charged-off loans.  Exclusive of these recoveries the net interest margin would have been 3.53%.  Average interest-earning assets increased by 11% while average interest-bearing liabilities increased 10% in 2017.  The growth and increased rates earned on the interest-earning assets exceeded the growth and rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities, which resulted in the 13% in net interest income.  Average noninterest-bearing deposits increased 14% in 2017 while the percentage of average noninterest-bearing deposits to total deposits increased to 33% for 2017 compared to 32% for 2016.

2016 vs. 2015

Net interest income for 2016 was $149.6 million compared to $138.2 million for 2015. On a tax-equivalent basis, net interest income for 2016 was $156.3 million compared to $144.7 million for 2015. The preceding table provides an analysis of net interest income performance that reflects a net interest margin that increased to 3.49% for 2016 compared to 3.44% for 2015.  Average interest-earning assets increased by 6% while average interest-bearing liabilities increased 7% in 2016.  Average noninterest-bearing deposits increased 7% in 2016 while the percentage of average noninterest-bearing deposits to total deposits also remained at 32% for 2016 compared to 2015.

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Effect of Volume and Rate Changes on Net Interest Income

The following table analyzes the reasons for the changes from year-to-year in the principal elements that comprise net interest income:

			2017 vs. 2016							2016 vs. 2015
			Increase						Increase
			Or		Due to Change In Average:*				Or		Due to Change In Average:*
(Dollars in thousands and tax equivalent)			(Decrease)		Volume		Rate		(Decrease)		Volume		Rate
Interest income from earning assets:
	Residential mortgage loans		$	2,317	$	1,645	$	672	$	3,080	$	2,628	$	452
	Residential construction loans			1,123		914		209		199		322		(123)
	Commercial AD&C loans			1,645		744		901		2,900		2,716		184
	Commercial investor real estate loans			9,448		10,272		(824)		5,037		5,879		(842)
	Commercial owner occupied real estate loans			4,922		4,493		429		2,329		3,179		(850)
	Commercial business loans			835		203		632		1,824		2,111		(287)
	Leasing			-		-		-		(1)		(1)		-
	Consumer loans			1,338		271		1,067		972		455		517
	Loans held for sale			(108)		(170)		62		(157)		(86)		(71)
	Taxable securities			2,449		1,487		962		(3,093)		(3,328)		235
	Tax-exempt securities			803		747		56		(732)		(530)		(202)
	Interest-bearing deposits with banks			197		(19)		216		115		9		106
	Federal funds sold			22		13		9		4		2		2
Total interest income				24,991		20,600		4,391		12,477		13,356		(879)
Interest expense on funding of earning assets:
	Interest-bearing demand deposits			61		61		-		28		28		-
	Regular savings deposits			34		11		23		36		10		26
	Money market savings deposits			3,080		184		2,896		587		107		480
	Time deposits			1,920		1,012		908		1,632		688		944
	Other borrowings			47		34		13		35		23		12
	Advances from FHLB			816		1,903		(1,087)		(1,471)		(514)		(957)
	Subordinated debentures			(931)		(906)		(25)		44		(97)		141
Total interest expense				5,027		2,299		2,728		891		245		646
		Net interest income	$	19,964	$	18,301	$	1,663	$	11,586	$	13,111	$	(1,525)
* Variances that are the combined effect of volume and rate, but cannot be separately identified,  are allocated to the volume and rate variances
	based on their respective relative amounts.

36

Interest Income

2017 vs. 2016

The Company's total tax-equivalent interest income increased 14% for 2017 compared to the prior year as average loans and investments and their associated yields increased during the year. In 2017, the average balance of the loan portfolio increased 11% and average investments increased 10% compared to the prior year.

The growth in the loan portfolio was primarily in the commercial investor real estate and owner occupied portfolios. These increases were driven by organic loan growth as the regional economy continued to improve. The yield on average loans increased by 10 basis points compared to the prior year due to higher yields on the entire loan portfolio, as the commercial portfolio increased 5 basis points compared to the prior year. The yield on the portfolio benefited from the impact of multiple rate increases by the Federal Reserve during the year.  Exclusive of the $1.1 million in interest recoveries recognized during 2017, the yield on the average loan portfolio would have increased 8 basis points. 

The average yield on total investment securities increased 11 basis points while the average balance of the portfolio increased 10% in 2017 compared to 2016. The increase in the yield on investments was driven primarily by the acquisition of higher yielding state and municipal securities during the year with excess available funding. As a result, the average balance of the higher yielding state and municipal portfolio increased during the year as a percentage of the overall portfolio while the proportion of lower yielding securities had decreased due to sales and normal amortization of mortgage-backed securities in 2016.

2016 vs. 2015

The Company's total tax-equivalent interest income increased 8% for 2016 compared to the prior year. The previous table shows that the increase in average loans more than offset the decrease in earning asset yields with respect to the loan portfolio.

In 2016, the average balance of the loan portfolio increased 12% compared to the prior year. This increase was driven by organic loan growth as the regional economy improved. Growth occurred primarily in the commercial investor real estate and residential mortgage portfolios. The yield on average loans decreased by 1 basis point compared to the prior year due to lower yields on commercial loans.

The average yield on total investment securities increased 9 basis points while the average balance of the portfolio decreased 16% in 2016 compared to 2015. The increase in the yield on investments was due primarily to a decline in the relative size of the lower-yielding mortgage-backed securities portfolio due in large part to the sale of $40 million of such securities to fund the prepayment of FHLB advances in the 2016. The average balance of the higher-yielding state and municipal portfolio reflected a decline due to calls during 2016. This decline resulted in an increase to the relative size of this portfolio as a percentage of the overall portfolio.

Interest Expense

2017 vs. 2016

Interest expense increased by $5.0 million or 25% in 2017 compared to 2016. The increase in interest expense was driven by the increased cost of interest-bearing deposits due to higher rates paid on money market savings deposits and the rates offered on certificates of deposit together combined with 10% growth in the average balances.  The increases in average deposits were mainly comprised of $191 million or 11% in average noninterest-bearing and interest-bearing checking accounts together with an increase of $93 million or 17% in certificates of deposit as the Company offered higher rates on certificates of deposit to fund loan growth.  Additionally, average balances of money market accounts increased $81 million or 9% and average balances of regular savings accounts increased $23 million or 8%  in 2017 compared to 2016.  Average balances of Federal Home Loan Bank advances increased 18% and the average rates paid decreased 18 basis points in 2017 compared to 2016 due to the redemption of high-rate advances during 2017 and 2016, which had a beneficial impact on the cost of funds as the average rate decreased 18 basis points.

2016 vs. 2015

37

Interest expense increased by $0.9 million or 4% in 2016 compared to 2015. The increase in expense was due to the cost of interest-bearing deposits increasing primarily due to higher rates offered on certificates of deposit together with growth in the average balances, while the average balances of Federal Home Loan Bank advances declined 4% and the average rates paid decreased 17 basis points due to the redemption of high-rate advances early in 2016. Average deposits increased 9% in 2016 compared to 2015.  This increase was primarily due to increases of $117 million or 7% in average noninterest-bearing and interest-bearing checking accounts together with an increase of $77 million or 16% in certificates of deposit as the Company offered higher rates on certificates of deposit to fund loan growth. Average balances of regular savings accounts increased $23 million or 8% and average balances of money market accounts increased $60 million or 7% in 2016 compared to 2015.  

Interest Rate Performance

2017 vs. 2016

The Company’s net interest margin increased to 3.55% for 2017 compared to 3.49% for 2016 while the net interest spread increased to 3.31% in 2017 compared to 3.28% in 2016.  This increase is the result of interest-earning asset growth at increased yields which exceeded the increased rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities that grew at a lower pace.

2016 vs. 2015

The Company’s net interest margin increased to 3.49% for 2016 compared to 3.44% for 2015 while the net interest spread increased to 3.28% in 2016 compared to 3.21% in 2015. This increase was driven by an increase in the yield on interest-earning assets as a result of loan growth and the migration of assets from lower-yielding investment securities into higher-yielding loans.

38

Non-interest Income 

Non-interest income amounts and trends are presented in the following table for the years indicated:

									2017/2016		2017/2016			2016/2015		2016/2015
(Dollars in thousands)			2017		2016		2015		$ Change			% Change		$ Change		% Change
	Securities gains		$	1,273	$	1,932	$	36	$	(659)		(34.1)	%	$	1,896	N/M	%
	Service charges on deposit accounts			8,298		7,953		7,607		345		4.3			346	4.5
	Mortgage banking activities			2,734		4,049		3,114		(1,315)		(32.5)			935	30.0
Service charges on deposit accounts	Wealth management income			19,146		17,805		19,931		1,341		7.5			(2,126)	(10.7)
Mortgage banking activities	Insurance agency commissions			6,231		5,408		5,176		823		15.2			232	4.5
	Income from bank owned life insurance			2,403		2,462		2,571		(59)		(2.4)			(109)	(4.2)
	Visa check fees			4,827		4,674		4,652		153		3.3			22	0.5
	Letter of credit fees			847		888		790		(41)		(4.6)			98	12.4
	Extension fees			568		559		503		9		1.6			56	11.1
	Other income			4,916		5,312		5,521		(396)		(7.5)			(209)	(3.8)
		Total non-interest income	$	51,243	$	51,042	$	49,901	$	201		0.4		$	1,141	2.3

2017 vs. 2016

Total non-interest income was $51.2 million for 2017 compared to $51.0 million for 2016. The year ended December 31, 2017, included gains of $1.3 million on sales of investment securities while the prior year included a $1.2 million gain on the extinguishment of subordinated debentures and $1.9 million in gains on the sales of investment securities.  Excluding these gains, non-interest income increased 4% compared to the prior year primarily due to increases in wealth management income, insurance agency commissions and deposit service charges.  Investment securities gains for the year were applied to offset penalties for prepayments of FHLB advances during the year as part of the strategic management of the interest margin.

Service charges on deposits increased in 2017 compared to 2016 due to increases in commercial analysis fees, ATM and point of service fees.  Income from mortgage banking activities decreased in 2017 compared to 2016 due to lower origination volumes compared to the prior year as a result of higher average interest rates and lower bulk sales activity during the year. Wealth management income is comprised of income from trust and estate services and investment management fees earned by West Financial Services, the Company’s investment management subsidiary. Trust services fees increased 10% compared to the prior year, due to higher recurring fees while assets under trust and estate management increased 14% over the prior year.  Investment management fees in West Financial Services increased 12% for 2017 compared to 2016, due primarily to a 15% increase in assets under management from new client acquisitions and market activity.  Overall total assets under management increased to $2.8 billion at December 31, 2017 compared to $2.4 billion at December 31, 2016.Insurance agency commissions increased 15% in 2017 compared to 2016 due primarily to higher commercial insurance income.  The current year also contained a full year’s income from the acquisition of an agency that occurred after mid-2016.Income from bank owned life insurance remained level in 2017 compared to the prior year. The Company invests in bank owned life insurance products in order to manage the cost of employee benefit plans.  Investments totaled $95.7 million at December 31, 2017 and $93.3 million at December 31, 2016 and were well diversified by carrier in accordance with defined policies and practices.  The average tax-equivalent yield on these insurance contract assets was 4.21% for 2017 compared to 4.44% for the prior year.Other non-interest income decreased 7.5% during the current year compared to the prior year which contained the gain of $1.2 million on the extinguishment of $5 million in subordinated debentures.  The impact of the exclusion of this prior year gain was offset in the current year by increases in various miscellaneous fees and commissions.

39

2016 vs. 2015

Total non-interest income was $51.0 million for 2016 compared to $49.9 million for 2015. The drivers of non-interest income for 2016 were increases in securities gains and income from mortgage banking activities. Income from mortgage banking activities increased in 2016 compared to 2015 due to higher volumes (including bulk sales) and increased margins on loan sales compared to the prior year.  Wealth management income decreased 11% from the prior year primarily due to the sale of a portion of the portfolio of assets under management in 2016. This resulted in a decrease in fees on sales of investment products and services as compared to the prior year.   However, trust services fees increased 4% compared to the prior year, due to higher one-time fees while assets under management increased 4% over the prior year.  Investment management fees in West Financial Services increased 6% for 2016 compared to 2015, due to a 12% increase in assets under management due to new client acquisitions and market activity.  Overall total assets under management decreased to $2.4 billion at December 31, 2016 compared to $2.8 billion at December 31, 2015.  Insurance agency commissions increased in 2016 compared to 2015 as a result of higher income from commercial lines as a result of a late year agency acquisition and contingency fees that more than offset a reduction from physicians’ liability policies. Service charges on deposits increased in 2016 compared to 2015 due increases in commercial fees and return check charges. Income from bank owned life insurance decreased in 2016 compared to the prior year due to policy proceeds recognized in the prior year. Investment securities gains increased in 2016 compared to the prior year due to the sale of mortgage-backed ARM securities. The proceeds of these transactions were applied to prepay FHLB advances in the first quarter of 2016.

Non-interest Expense

Non-interest expense amounts and trends are presented in the following table for the years indicated:

								2017/2016		2017/2016			2016/2015		2016/2015
(Dollars in thousands)		2017		2016		2015		$ Change			% Change		$ Change		% Change
Salaries and employee benefits		$	73,132	$	71,354	$	71,003	$	1,778		2.5	%	$	351	0.5	%
Occupancy expense of premises			13,053		12,960		12,809		93		0.7			151	1.2
Equipment expenses			7,015		6,883		6,071		132		1.9			812	13.4
Marketing			3,119		2,851		2,896		268		9.4			(45)	(1.6)
Outside data services			5,486		5,377		5,023		109		2.0			354	7.0
FDIC insurance			3,305		2,741		2,491		564		20.6			250	10.0
Amortization of intangible assets			101		130		372		(29)		(22.3)			(242)	(65.1)
Litigation expenses			-		-		(3,869)		-		N/M			3,869	N/M
Merger expenses			4,252		-		-		4,252		N/M			-	N/M
Professional fees			4,492		4,840		4,819		(348)		(7.2)			21	0.4
Other real estate owned			17		19		76		(2)		(10.5)			(57)	(75.0)
Postage and delivery			1,179		1,155		1,173		24		2.1			(18)	(1.5)
Communications			1,502		1,583		1,587		(81)		(5.1)			(4)	(0.3)
Loss on FHLB redemption			1,275		3,167		-		(1,892)		(59.7)			3,167	N/M
Other expenses			11,171		9,998		10,896		1,173		11.7			(898)	(8.2)
	Total non-interest expense	$	129,099	$	123,058	$	115,347	$	6,041		4.9		$	7,711	6.7

2017 vs. 2016

Non-interest expenses totaled $129.1 million in 2017 compared to $123.1 million in 2016. This increase in expenses was driven by merger expenses and increased compensation costs.

Salaries and employee benefits, the largest component of non-interest expenses, increased in 2017 due principally to higher compensation expenses as a result of merit increases. The average number of full-time equivalent employees was 729 in 2017 compared to 728 for 2016.  Occupancy expenses remained stable in 2017 compared to 2016 as increased rental expense was offset by lower building and grounds maintenance costs during the year.  Equipment expenses increased in 2017 compared to 2016 due to an increase in equipment service costs.  Marketing expense for 2017 increased compared to 2016 as a result of focused marketing initiatives. Outside data services expense increased in 2017 compared to 2016 due to the increased cost of contractual services.  FDIC insurance expense increased in 2017 compared to 2016 due to loan growth during the year.  Merger expenses associated with the acquisition of WashingtonFirst.  Other non-interest expenses increased in 2017 compared to 2016 driven by the impact of asset dispositions related to the closure of two branch locations that occurred in late 2017.  Expenses for postage, communications and other real estate owned expenses remained relatively stable for 2017 compared to the prior year.

2016 vs. 2015

40

Non-interest expenses totaled $123.1 million in 2017 compared to $115.3 million in 2016. This increase in expenses was the result of prepayment penalties of $3.2 million in 2016 for the early payoff of $75 million of FHLB advances together with the recapture in 2015 of $3.9 million in previously accrued litigation expenses and a $1.0 million charitable contribution to the Sandy Spring Bank Foundation, also in 2015.  Excluding these transactions, non-interest expenses for the year ended December 31, 2016 increased 1% over the prior year.  Salary and benefits expenses increased due higher compensation costs as a result of merit increases. Occupancy expenses increased in 2015 compared to the prior year due to increased rental expenses. Equipment expenses increased due to higher software expense related to new systems implementations. Outside data services increased due to new contract services to prevent bank card fraud.  FDIC insurance expense increased in 2016 compared to 2015 due loan growth during the year. Amortization of intangible assets decreased due to the costs of prior year acquisitions being fully amortized during the year. Litigation expenses decreased due to the settlement of all claims that were the subject of an adverse jury verdict originally rendered in 2014.  Other non-interest expenses increased in 2016 compared to 2015 after excluding the prepayment penalties of $3.2 million for the early payoff of high-rate FHLB advances in 2016 and the charitable contribution accrued in 2015.   Excluding these items, other non-interest expenses decreased due largely to lower EFT losses in 2016 compared to 2015.  Expenses for marketing and other real estate remained essentially unchanged for 2016 compared to the prior year.

Operating Expense Performance

Management views the GAAP efficiency ratio as an important financial measure of expense performance and cost management.  The ratio expresses the level of non-interest expenses as a percentage of total revenue (net interest income plus total non-interest income).  Lower ratios indicate improved productivity.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

The Company also uses a traditional efficiency ratio that is a non-GAAP financial measure of operating expense control and efficiency of operations.  Management believes that its traditional ratio better focuses attention on the operating performance of the Company over time than does a GAAP ratio, and is highly useful in comparing period-to-period operating performance of the Company’s core business operations.  It is used by management as part of its assessment of its performance in managing non-interest expenses.  However, this measure is supplemental, and is not a substitute for an analysis of performance based on GAAP measures.  The reader is cautioned that the non-GAAP efficiency ratio used by the Company may not be comparable to GAAP or non-GAAP efficiency ratios reported by other financial institutions.

In general, the efficiency ratio is non-interest expenses as a percentage of net interest income plus non-interest income.  Non-interest expenses used in the calculation of the non-GAAP efficiency ratio exclude goodwill impairment losses, the amortization of intangibles, and non-recurring expenses.  Income for the non-GAAP ratio includes the favorable effect of tax-exempt income, and excludes securities gains and losses, which vary widely from period to period without appreciably affecting operating expenses, and non-recurring gains.  The measure is different from the GAAP efficiency ratio, which also is presented in this report.  The GAAP measure is calculated using non-interest expense and income amounts as shown on the face of the Consolidated Statements of Income.  The GAAP and non-GAAP efficiency ratios are reconciled and provided in the following table. The GAAP efficiency ratio improved for 2017 compared to the prior year as a direct result of the increase in net interest income. The non-GAAP efficiency ratio also improved in 2017 compared to the prior year as a result of the 13% growth in net interest income while non-interest expense increased 5%.

In addition, the Company excludes certain specific expenses from net income as a measure of the level of recurring income before taxes. Management believes this provides financial statement users with a useful metric of the run-rate of revenues and expenses which is readily comparable to other financial institutions. This measure is calculated by adding (subtracting) the provision (credit) for loan losses, the provision for income taxes and merger expenses back to net income.

41

GAAP and Non-GAAP Efficiency Ratios

				Year ended December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)				2017		2016		2015		2014		2013
Pre-tax pre-provision pre-merger expense income:
Net income				$	53,209	$	48,250	$	45,355	$	38,200	$	44,422
	Plus Non-GAAP adjustment:
		Litigation expenses			-		-		(3,869)		6,519		-
		Merger expenses			4,252		-		-		-		-
		Income taxes			34,726		23,740		22,027		17,582		22,563
		Provision (credit) for loan losses			2,977		5,546		5,371		(163)		(1,084)
Pre-tax pre-provision pre-merger expense income				$	95,164	$	77,536	$	68,884	$	62,138	$	65,901
Efficiency ratio - GAAP basis:
Non-interest expenses				$	129,099	$	123,058	$	115,347	$	120,800	$	111,524
Net interest income plus non-interest income				$	220,011	$	200,594	$	188,100	$	176,419	$	177,425
Efficiency ratio - GAAP basis					58.68%		61.35%		61.32%		68.47%		62.86%
Efficiency ratio - Non-GAAP basis:
Non-interest expenses				$	129,099	$	123,058	$	115,347	$	120,800	$	111,524
	Less Non-GAAP adjustment:
		Amortization of intangible assets			101		130		372		821		1,845
		Loss on FHLB redemption			1,275		3,167		-		-		-
		Litigation expenses			-		-		(3,869)		6,519		-
		Merger expenses			4,252		-		-		-		-
Non-interest expenses - as adjusted				$	123,471	$	119,761	$	118,844	$	113,460	$	109,679
Net interest income plus non-interest income				$	220,011	$	200,594	$	188,100	$	176,419	$	177,425
	Plus Non-GAAP adjustment:
		Tax-equivalent income			7,459		6,711		6,478		5,192		5,292
	Less Non-GAAP adjustments:
			Securities gains		1,273		1,932		36		5		115
			Gain on redemption of subordinated debentures		-		1,200		-		-		-
	Net interest income plus non-interest income - as adjusted			$	226,197	$	204,173	$	194,542	$	181,606	$	182,602
Efficiency ratio - Non-GAAP basis					54.59%		58.66%		61.09%		62.48%		60.06%

Income Taxes

The Company had income tax expense of $34.7 million in 2017, compared to expense of $23.7 million in 2016 and $22.0 million in 2015. The current year’s results included $5.6 million in additional income tax expense from the revaluation of deferred tax assets as a result of the reduction in the corporate income tax rate under the recently enacted Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.  The resulting effective rates were 39% for 2017, 33% for 2016 and 33% for 2015. Exclusive of the impact of the additional tax expense, the effective tax rate for 2017 would have been 33%. 

FINANCIAL CONDITION

The Company's total assets were $5.4 billion at December 31, 2017, increasing $355 million or 7% compared to $5.1 billion at December 31, 2016. Interest-earning assets increased $354 million to $5.2 billion at December 31, 2017 compared to December 31, 2016. The increase in interest-earning assets was primarily due to organic loan growth and to a lesser extent an increase in investment securities during 2017.

42

Loans

A comparison of loan portfolio for the years indicated is presented in the following table:

		December 31,
		2017				2016				Year-to-Year Change
(Dollars in thousands)		Amount		%		Amount		%		$ Change		% Change
Residential real estate:
	Residential mortgage	$	921,435	21.4	%	$	841,692	21.4	%	$	79,743	9.5	%
	Residential construction		176,687	4.1			150,229	3.8			26,458	17.6
Commercial real estate:
	Commercial owner occupied real estate		857,196	19.9			775,552	19.8			81,644	10.5
	Commercial investor real estate		1,112,710	25.8			928,113	23.6			184,597	19.9
	Commercial AD&C		292,443	6.8			308,279	7.9			(15,836)	(5.1)
Commercial Business			497,948	11.5			467,286	11.9			30,662	6.6
Consumer			455,829	10.5			456,657	11.6			(828)	(0.2)
	Total loans	$	4,314,248	100.0	%	$	3,927,808	100.0	%	$	386,440	9.8

Total loans, excluding loans held for sale, increased $386 million or 10% at December 31, 2017 compared to December 31, 2016. The commercial loan portfolio increased by 11% to $2.5 billion at December 31, 2017 compared to the prior year end due to double-digit increases in investor real estate loans and owner occupied real estate loans. These increases reflect the improving economy and the Company’s increased emphasis on growth in its commercial portfolio.

The residential real estate portfolio, which is comprised of residential construction and permanent residential mortgage loans, increased 11% at December 31, 2017 compared to December 31, 2016. Permanent residential mortgages, most of which are 1-4 family, increased 10% due to lower bulk sales of mortgage loans. The Company generally retains adjustable rate mortgages in its portfolio. The Company also retains a substantial portion of its fixed rate mortgage originations to low and moderate income borrowers in its portfolio.  The Company elected to sell $40 million and $32 million of these loans during 2017 and 2016, respectively.  Residential construction loans increased 18% at December 31, 2017 compared to the balance at December 31, 2016 due to higher volume of such loans.  The consumer loan portfolio remained level at December 31, 2017 compared to December 31, 2016.

Analysis of Loans

The trends in the composition of the loan  portfolio over the previous five years are presented in following table:

		December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)		2017		%		2016		%		2015		%		2014		%		2013		%
Residential real estate:
	Residential mortgage	$	921,435	21.4	%	$	841,692	21.4	%	$	796,358	22.8	%	$	717,886	22.9	%	$	618,381	22.2	%
	Residential construction		176,687	4.1			150,229	3.8			129,281	3.7			136,741	4.4			129,177	4.7
Commercial real estate:
	Commercial owner occupied		857,196	19.9			775,552	19.8			678,027	19.4			611,061	19.5			592,823	21.3
	Commercial investor		1,112,710	25.8			928,113	23.6			719,084	20.6			640,193	20.5			552,178	19.8
	Commercial AD&C loans		292,443	6.8			308,279	7.9			255,980	7.3			205,124	6.6			160,696	5.8
Commercial business			497,948	11.5			467,286	11.9			465,765	13.3			390,781	12.5			356,651	12.8
Leases			-	-			-	-			-	-			54	-			703	-
Consumer			455,829	10.5			456,657	11.6			450,875	12.9			425,552	13.6			373,657	13.4
	Total loans	$	4,314,248	100.0	%	$	3,927,808	100.0	%	$	3,495,370	100.0	%	$	3,127,392	100.0	%	$	2,784,266	100.0	%

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Loan Maturities and Interest Rate Sensitivity

Loan maturities and interest rate characteristics for specific lending portfolios is presented in the following table:

			At December 31, 2017
			Remaining Maturities of Selected Credits in Years
(In thousands)			1 or less		Over 1-5		Over 5		Total
Residential construction loans			$	139,082	$	27,174	$	10,431	$	176,687
Commercial AD&C loans				250,419		30,848		11,176		292,443
Commercial business loans (1)				278,947		161,520		57,481		497,948
	Total		$	668,448	$	219,542	$	79,088	$	967,078
Rate Terms:
	Fixed		$	68,677	$	144,730	$	56,767	$	270,174
	Variable or adjustable			599,771		74,812		22,321		696,904
		Total	$	668,448	$	219,542	$	79,088	$	967,078
(1)  Loans not secured by real estate

Investment Securities

The investment portfolio, consisting of available-for-sale and other equity securities, decreased 1% to $775 million at December 31, 2017, from $780 million at December 31, 2016.

Composition of Investment Securities

The composition of investment securities for the periods indicated is presented in the following table:

			December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)			2017		%		2016		%		2015		%
Available-for-Sale: (1)
	U.S. government agencies		$	106,568	13.8	%	$	121,790	15.6	%	$	108,400	12.9	%
	State and municipal			312,253	40.3			287,684	36.9			164,707	19.6
	Mortgage-backed (2)			300,040	38.7			312,711	40.1			316,696	37.6
	Corporate debt			9,432	1.2			9,134	1.2			-	-
	Trust preferred			1,002	0.1			1,012	0.1			1,023	0.1
	Marketable equity securities			212	0.0			1,223	0.2			1,223	0.1
		Total available-for-sale securities(3)		729,507	94.1			733,554	94.1			592,049	70.3
Held-to-Maturity and Other Equity
	U.S. government agencies			-	-			-	-			56,460	6.7
	State and municipal			-	-			-	-			149,537	17.8
	Mortgage-backed (2)			-	-			-	-			168	-
	Corporate debt			-	-			-	-			2,100	0.3
	Other equity securities			45,518	5.9			46,094	5.9			41,336	4.9
		Total held-to-maturity and other equity		45,518	5.9			46,094	5.9			249,601	29.7
Total Securities(3)			$	775,025	100.0	%	$	779,648	100.0	%	$	841,650	100.0	%

⁽¹⁾At estimated fair value.

⁽²⁾Issued by a U. S. Government Agency or secured by U.S. Government Agency collateral.

⁽³⁾The outstanding balance of no single issuer, except for U.S. Government Agency securities, exceeded ten percent of stockholders' equity at December 31, 2017, 2016 or 2015.

The investment portfolio from December 31, 2016 to December 31, ##D<CY remained stable during the year even as the Company funded double digit loan growth.   The ability to maintain the size of the investment was possible due to deposit growth during 2017 and the cash flows from this deposit growth was reinvested at higher rates and benefited the net interest margin.

44

The investment portfolio consists primarily of U.S. Agency securities, U.S. Agency mortgage-backed securities, U.S. Agency collateralized mortgage obligations and state and municipal securities. The duration of the portfolio was 3.7 years at December 31, 2017 and 3.3 years at December 31, 2016.  The Company considers the duration of the portfolio to be adequate for liquidity purposes. The composition and duration of the investment portfolio has resulted in a portfolio with low credit risk that would provide the required liquidity needed to meet increased loan and liquidity demands. The portfolio is monitored on a continuing basis with consideration given to interest rate trends and the structure of the yield curve and with constant assessment of economic projections and analysis.

Maturities and weighted average yields for investment securities available-for-sale at December 31, 2017 are presented in the following table.  Amounts appear in the table at amortized cost, without market value adjustments, by stated maturity.

Maturity of Investment Securities

			Years to Maturity at December 31, 2017
			Within				After One Year				After Five Years
			One Year or Less				Through Five years				Through Ten Years				Over Ten Years
(Dollars in thousands)			Amount		Yield		Amount		Yield		Amount		Yield		Amount		Yield		Total		Yield
Available-for-Sale (1)
	U. S. government agencies
		and corporations	$	-	-	%	$	5,000	2.24	%	$	104,349	2.20	%	$	-	-	%	$	109,349	2.20	%
	State and municipal (2)			12,430	4.74			154,450	4.59			102,412	3.82			36,817	4.28			306,109	4.30
	Mortgage-backed			359	4.36			20,659	2.96			12,623	3.13			269,023	2.43			302,664	2.48
	Corporate debt			-	-			-	-			9,100	5.94			-	-			9,100	5.94
	Trust preferred			-	-			-	-			-	-			931	9.25			931	9.25
		Total	$	12,789	4.73		$	180,109	4.34		$	228,484	3.13		$	306,771	2.65		$	728,153	3.25
(1) At cost, adjusted for amortization and accretion of purchase premiums and discounts, respectively.
(2) Yields on state and municipal securities have been calculated on a tax-equivalent basis using the applicable federal income tax rate of 35%.

Other Earning Assets

Residential mortgage loans held for sale decreased $3 million to $10 million at December 31, 2017 compared to $13 million as of December 31, 2016 due to the decrease in volume of originations at the end of the year.  The aggregate of federal funds sold and interest-bearing deposits with banks decreased by $24 million to $57 million in 2017.  The balances were higher at the prior year end in anticipation of the repurchase of $30 million in subordinated debentures that occurred in January 2017.

45

Deposits

The composition of deposits for the periods indicated is presented in the following table:

			December 31,
			2017				2016				Year-to-Year Change
(Dollars in thousands)			Amount		%		Amount		%		$ Change		% Change
Noninterest-bearing deposits			$	1,264,392	31.9	%	$	1,138,139	31.8	%	$	126,253	11.1	%
Interest-bearing deposits:
	Demand			658,716	16.6			615,058	17.2			43,658	7.1
	Money market savings			1,030,432	26.0			927,837	25.9			102,595	11.1
	Regular savings			321,171	8.1			310,471	8.7			10,700	3.4
	Time deposits of less than $100,000			293,201	7.4			258,621	7.2			34,580	13.4
	Time deposits of $100,000 or more			395,750	10.0			327,418	9.2			68,332	20.9
		Total interest-bearing deposits		2,699,270	68.1			2,439,405	68.2			259,865	10.7
Total deposits			$	3,963,662	100.0	%	$	3,577,544	100.0	%	$	386,118	10.8

Deposits and Borrowings

Total deposits increased $386 million or 11% at December 31, 2017 compared to December 31, 2016. The drivers of this increase were increases of 18% in certificates of deposit, 11% in money market savings and 3% in regular savings accounts compared to the prior year. In addition, combined noninterest-bearing and interest-bearing checking accounts increased 10% over 2016. The increases in the money market deposit products can be attributed to clients’ emphasis on liquidity and safety in addition to rates becoming more attractive due to rising rates during the year. The increase in certificates of deposit occurred as the Company began to offer higher rates to manage its funding of the growth in the loan portfolio and to maintain multiple product relationships. Total borrowings decreased 6% at December 31, 2017 compared to December 31, 2016. This decrease was due to the reduction of short-term FHLB advances due to the deposit growth and the extinguishment of subordinated debentures.

Capital Management

Management monitors historical and projected earnings, dividends and asset growth, as well as risks associated with the various types of on- and off-balance sheet assets and liabilities, in order to determine appropriate capital levels. Total stockholders' equity increased to $564 million at December 31, 2017, from $534 million at December 31, 2016. This increase was due to net income during the year that was offset by dividends. The ratio of average equity to average assets decreased to 10.51% for 2017, as compared to 11.12% for 2016 as a result of the growth in average assets during 2017.

Bank holding companies and banks are required to maintain capital ratios in accordance with guidelines adopted by the federal bank regulators. These guidelines are commonly known as Risk-Based Capital guidelines. The actual regulatory ratios and required ratios for capital adequacy, in addition to the ratios required to be categorized as “well capitalized”, are summarized for the Company in the following table.

Risk-Based Capital Ratios

			Minimum
	Ratios at December 31,		Regulatory
	2017	2016	Requirements
Total Capital to risk-weighted assets	11.85%	12.80%	8.00%
Tier 1 Capital to risk-weighted assets	10.84%	11.74%	6.00%
Common Equity Tier 1 Capital to risk-weighted assets	10.84%	11.01%	4.50%
Tier 1 Leverage	9.24%	10.14%	4.00%

46

Regulatory capital at Decmber 31, 2017 is comprised of tier 1 capital of $485.8 million and total qualifying capital of $531.1 million.  The prior year’s regulatory capital included $30.0 million in trust preferred securities.  These securities were repurchased in January 2017 and resulted in an approximate 75 basis point reduction in the Company’s regulatory capital ratios.  As of December 31, 2017, the most recent notification from the Bank’s primary regulator categorized the Bank as a "well-capitalized" institution under the prompt corrective action rules of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act.  Designation as a well-capitalized institution under these regulations is not a recommendation or endorsement of the Company or the Bank by federal bank regulators.

The minimum capital level requirements applicable to the Company and the Bank are: (1) a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 4.5%; (2) a Tier 1 capital ratio of 6%; (3) a total capital ratio of 8%; and (4) a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4%.  The rules also establish a “capital conservation buffer” of 2.5% above the regulatory minimum capital requirements, which must consist entirely of common equity Tier 1 capital. The capital conservation buffer requirement is being phased in beginning in January 2016 at 0.625% of risk-weighted assets and will increase by that amount each year until fully implemented in January 2019. An institution would be subject to limitations on paying dividends, engaging in share repurchases, and paying discretionary bonuses to executive officers if its capital level falls below the buffer amount. These limitations establish a maximum percentage of eligible retained income that could be utilized for such actions.

Tangible Common Equity

Tangible equity, tangible assets and tangible book value per share are non-GAAP financial measures calculated using GAAP amounts. Tangible common equity and tangible assets exclude the balances of goodwill and other intangible assets from stockholder’s equity and total assets, respectively. Management believes that this non-GAAP financial measure provides information to investors that may be useful in understanding our financial condition.  Because not all companies use the same calculation of tangible equity and tangible assets, this presentation may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures calculated by other companies.  A reconciliation of the non-GAAP ratio of tangible equity to tangible assets and tangible book value per share are provided in the following table.

Tangible Common Equity Ratio – Non-GAAP

			December 31,
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)		2017		2016		2015		2014		2013
Tangible common equity ratio:
Total stockholders' equity		$	563,816	$	533,572	$	524,427	$	521,751	$	499,363
	Accumulated other comprehensive loss		6,857		6,614		1,297		823		2,970
	Goodwill		(85,768)		(85,768)		(84,171)		(84,171)		(84,171)
	Other intangible assets, net		(580)		(680)		(138)		(510)		(1,330)
Tangible common equity		$	484,325	$	453,738	$	441,415	$	437,893	$	416,832
Total assets		$	5,446,675	$	5,091,383	$	4,655,380	$	4,397,132	$	4,106,100
	Goodwill		(85,768)		(85,768)		(84,171)		(84,171)		(84,171)
	Other intangible assets, net		(580)		(680)		(138)		(510)		(1,330)
Tangible assets		$	5,360,327	$	5,004,935	$	4,571,071	$	4,312,451	$	4,020,599
Tangible common equity ratio			9.04%		9.07%		9.66%		10.15%		10.37%
Tangible book value per share			$20.18		$18.98		$18.17		$17.48		$16.68

Credit Risk

47

The fundamental lending business of the Company is based on understanding, measuring and controlling the credit risk inherent in the loan portfolio.  The Company’s loan portfolio is subject to varying degrees of credit risk.  Credit risk entails both general risks, which are inherent in the process of lending, and risk specific to individual borrowers.  The Company’s credit risk is mitigated through portfolio diversification, which limits exposure to any single customer, industry or collateral type.  Typically, each consumer and residential lending product has a generally predictable level of credit losses based on historical loss experience.  Home mortgage and home equity loans and lines generally have the lowest credit loss experience.  Loans secured by personal property, such as auto loans, generally experience medium credit losses.  Unsecured loan products, such as personal revolving credit, have the highest credit loss experience and for that reason, the Company has chosen not to engage in a significant amount of this type of lending.  Credit risk in commercial lending can vary significantly, as losses as a percentage of outstanding loans can shift widely during economic cycles and are particularly sensitive to changing economic conditions.  Generally, improving economic conditions result in improved operating results on the part of commercial customers, enhancing their ability to meet their particular debt service requirements.  Improvements, if any, in operating cash flows can be offset by the impact of rising interest rates that may occur during improved economic times.  Inconsistent economic conditions may have an adverse effect on the operating results of commercial customers, reducing their ability to meet debt service obligations. 

Total non-performing loans decreased 8% to $29.3 million at December 31, 2017 compared to the balance at December 31, 2016. While the diversification of the lending portfolio among different commercial, residential and consumer product lines along with different market conditions of the D.C. suburbs, Northern Virginia and Baltimore metropolitan area has mitigated some of the risks in the portfolio, local economic conditions and levels of non-performing loans can be influenced by any volatility being experienced in various sectors of the economy on both a regional and national level.

To control and manage credit risk, management has a credit process in place to reasonably ensure that credit standards are maintained along with an in-house loan administration accompanied by oversight and review procedures.  The primary purpose of loan underwriting is the evaluation of specific lending risks and involves the analysis of the borrower’s ability to service the debt as well as the assessment of the value of the underlying collateral.  Oversight and review procedures include the monitoring of portfolio credit quality, early identification of potential problem credits and the aggressive management of problem credits.  As part of the oversight and review process, the Company maintains an allowance for loan losses (the “allowance”).

The allowance represents an estimation of the probable losses that are inherent in the loan portfolio.  The adequacy of the allowance is determined through careful and ongoing evaluation of the credit portfolio, and involves consideration of a number of factors, as outlined below, to establish an adequate allowance for loan losses.  Determination of the allowance is inherently subjective and requires significant estimates, including estimated losses on pools of homogeneous loans based on historical loss experience and consideration of current economic trends, which may be susceptible to significant change.  Loans deemed uncollectible are charged-off against the allowance, while recoveries are credited to the allowance.  Management adjusts the level of the allowance through the provision for loan losses, which is recorded as a current period operating expense.

The methodology for assessing the appropriateness of the allowance includes:  (1) a general allowance that reflects historical losses supplemented by qualitative factors, as adjusted, by credit category, and (2) a specific allowance for impaired credits on an individual or portfolio basis.  This methodology is further described in the section entitled “Critical Accounting Policies” and in “Note 1 – Significant Accounting Policies” of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. The amount of the allowance is reviewed quarterly by the Risk Committee of the board of directors.

48

The Company recognizes a collateral dependent lending relationship as non-performing when either the loan becomes 90 days delinquent or as a result of factors (such as bankruptcy, interruption of cash flows, etc.) considered at the monthly credit committee meeting. When a commercial loan is placed on non-accrual status, it is considered to be impaired and all accrued but unpaid interest is reversed.  Classification as an impaired loan is based on a determination that the Company may not collect all principal and interest payments according to contractual terms. Impaired loans exclude large groups of smaller-balance homogeneous loans that are collectively evaluated for impairment such as residential real estate and consumer loans.  Typically, all payments received on non-accrual loans are applied to the remaining principal balance of the loans.  Integral to the assessment of the allowance process is an evaluation that is performed to determine whether a specific allowance on an impaired loan is warranted and, when losses are confirmed, a charge-off is taken to reduce the loan to its net realizable value. Further collateral deterioration can result in either further specific allowances being established or additional charge-offs.  When additional deterioration becomes apparent, an action plan is developed for the particular loan and an appraisal will be obtained depending on the time elapsed since the prior appraisal, the loan balance and/or the result of the internal evaluation.  A current appraisal on large loans is usually obtained if the appraisal on file is more than 12 months old and there has been a material change in market conditions, zoning, physical use or the adequacy of the collateral based on an internal evaluation.  The Company’s policy is to strictly adhere to regulatory appraisal standards.  If an appraisal is ordered, no more than a 30 day turnaround is requested from the appraiser, who is selected by Credit Administration from an approved appraiser list. After receipt of the updated appraisal, the assigned credit officer will recommend to the Chief Credit Officer whether a specific allowance or a charge-off should be taken. The Chief Credit Officer has the authority to approve a specific allowance or charge-off between monthly credit committee meetings to ensure that there are no significant time lapses during this process.

The Company’s methodology for evaluating whether a loan is impaired begins with risk-rating credits on an individual basis and includes consideration of the borrower’s overall financial condition, payment record and available cash resources that may include the sufficiency of collateral value and, in a select few cases, verifiable support from financial guarantors.  In measuring impairment, the Company looks primarily to the discounted cash flows of the project itself or to the value of the collateral as the primary sources of repayment of the loan.  The Company may consider the existence of guarantees and the financial strength and wherewithal of the guarantors involved in any loan relationship. Guarantees may be considered as a source of repayment based on the guarantor’s financial condition and respective payment capacity.  Accordingly, absent a verifiable payment capacity, a guarantee alone would not be sufficient to avoid classifying the loan as impaired.

Management has established a credit process that dictates that structured procedures be performed to monitor these loans between the receipt of an original appraisal and the updated appraisal.  These procedures include the following:

·An internal evaluation is updated annually to include borrower financial statements and/or cash flow projections.

·The borrower may be contacted for a meeting to discuss an updated or revised action plan which may include a request for additional collateral.

·Re-verification of the documentation supporting the Company’s position with respect to the collateral securing the loan.

·At the monthly credit committee meeting the loan status is examined and the loan may be downgraded and a specific allowance may be decided upon in advance of the receipt of the appraisal.

·Upon receipt of the updated appraisal (or based on an updated internal financial evaluation) the loan balance is compared to the appraisal and a specific allowance is decided upon for the particular loan, typically for the amount of the difference between the appraisal and the loan balance, net of estimated cost to sell.

·The Company will specifically reserve for or charge-off the excess of the loan amount over the amount of the appraisal net of closing costs. In certain cases the Company may establish a larger reserve due to knowledge of current market conditions or the existence of an offer for the collateral that will facilitate a more timely resolution of the loan.

If an updated appraisal is received subsequent to the preliminary determination of a specific allowance or partial charge-off, and it is less than the initial appraisal used in the initial charge-off, an additional specific allowance or charge-off is taken on the related credit. Partially charged-off loans are not written back up based on updated appraisals and always remain on non-accrual with any and all subsequent payments applied to the remaining balance of the loan as principal reductions. No interest income is recognized on loans that have been partially charged-off.

49

Loans considered to be troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”) are loans that have their terms restructured (e.g., interest rates, loan maturity date, payment and amortization period, etc.) in circumstances that provide payment relief to a borrower experiencing financial difficulty. All restructured loans are considered impaired loans and may either be in accruing status or non-accruing status.  Non-accruing restructured loans may return to accruing status provided doubt has been removed concerning the collectability of principal and interest as evidenced by a sufficient period of payment performance in accordance with the restructured terms.  Loans may be removed from the restructured category if the borrower is no longer experiencing financial difficulty, a re-underwriting event took place and the revised loan terms of the subsequent restructuring agreement are considered to be consistent with terms that can be obtained in the credit market for loans with comparable risk. 

The Company may extend the maturity of a performing or current loan that may have some inherent weakness associated with the loan. However, the Company generally follows a policy of not extending maturities on non-performing loans under existing terms. Maturity date extensions only occur under revised terms that clearly place the Company in a position to increase the likelihood of or assure full collection of the loan under the contractual terms and /or terms at the time of the extension that may eliminate or mitigate the inherent weakness in the loan.  These terms may incorporate, but are not limited to additional assignment of collateral, significant balance curtailments/liquidations and assignments of additional project cash flows.  Guarantees may be a consideration in the extension of loan maturities.  As a general matter, the Company does not view extension of a loan to be a satisfactory approach to resolving non-performing credits.  On an exception basis, certain performing loans that have displayed some inherent weakness in the underlying collateral values, an inability to comply with certain loan covenants which are not affecting the performance of the credit or other identified weakness may be extended.

Collateral values or estimates of discounted cash flows (inclusive of any potential cash flow from guarantees) are evaluated to estimate the probability and severity of potential losses. The actual occurrence and severity of losses involving impaired credits can differ substantially from estimates.

The determination of the allowance requires significant judgment, and estimates of probable losses in the loan portfolio can vary significantly from the amounts actually observed.  While management uses available information to recognize probable losses, future additions to the allowance may be necessary based on changes in the credits comprising the portfolio and changes in the financial condition of borrowers, such as may result from changes in economic conditions. In addition, federal and state regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, and independent consultants engaged by the Bank, periodically review the loan portfolio and the allowance.  Such reviews may result in adjustments to the allowance based upon their analysis of the information available at the time of each examination.

The Company makes provisions for loan losses in amounts necessary to maintain the allowance at an appropriate level, as established by use of the allowance methodology previously discussed. The provision for loan losses was $3.0 million in 2017, $5.5 million in 2016 and $5.4 million in 2015.  Historical net charge-offs represent a principal component in the application of the Company’s allowance methodology. The provision for 2017 compared to 2016 decreased due to the effect of the improvement in loan quality and a reduction in non-performing loans which offset the impact of loan growth during 2017.  The provision was level from 2016 compared to 2015 due to qualitative improvement in the portfolio that offset the impact of portfolio growth during that period.

The Company typically sells a portion of its fixed-rate residential mortgage originations in the secondary mortgage market.  Concurrent with such sales, the Company is required to make customary representations and warranties to the purchasers about the mortgage loans and the manner in which they were originated. The related sale agreements grant the purchasers recourse back to the Company, which could require the Company to repurchase loans or to share in any losses incurred by the purchasers. This recourse exposure typically extends for a period of nine to eighteen months after the sale of the loan although the time frame for repurchase requests can extend for an indefinite period.  Such transactions could be due to a number of causes including borrower fraud or early payment default. The Company has seen a very limited number of repurchase and indemnity demands from purchasers for such events and routinely monitors its exposure in this regard. The Company maintains a liability of $0.5 million for probable losses due to repurchases. The Company believes that this reserve is adequate.

50

The Company periodically engages in whole loan sale transactions of its residential mortgage loans as a part its interest rate risk management strategy. The Company sold $39.7 million and $31.8 million of loans on a servicing-retained basis during 2017 and 2016, respectively, and realized a total gain on sale of $422 thousand and $506 thousand, respectively. Servicing asset associated with these sales during 2017 and 2016 was $346 thousand and $339 thousand, respectively. There were no whole loan sales during 2015. Income earned by the Company on its loan servicing rights is derived primarily from contractually specified servicing fees and other ancillary fees. Such income earned for 2017 and 2016 was not significant.

Mortgage loan servicing rights are accounted for at amortized cost and are monitored for impairment on an ongoing basis. At December 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016, the amortized cost of the Company's mortgage loan servicing rights was $697 thousand and $418 thousand, respectively. The Company did not incur any impairment losses during 2017.

Allowance for Loan Losses

The following table presents a five-year history for the allocation of the allowance for losses.  The allowance is allocated in the following table to various loan categories based on the methodology used to estimate loan losses; however, the allocation does not restrict the usage of the allowance for any specific loan or lease category.

				December 31,
(In thousands)			2017		2016		2015		2014		2013
Residential real estate:
	Residential mortgage		$	7,273	$	7,261	$	6,901	$	6,232	$	7,819
	Residential construction			1,243		963		894		923		1,156
		Total residential real estate		8,516		8,224		7,795		7,155		8,975
Commercial real estate:
	Commercial investor			14,438		12,939		10,440		9,784		9,263
	Commercial owner occupied			6,931		7,885		7,984		7,143		6,308
	Commercial AD&C			3,839		4,652		4,691		4,267		3,754
		Total commercial real estate		25,208		25,476		23,115		21,194		19,325
Commercial Business				9,161		7,539		6,529		5,852		6,308
Leases				-		-		-		9		16
Consumer				2,372		2,828		3,456		3,592		4,142
	Total allowance		$	45,257	$	44,067	$	40,895	$	37,802	$	38,766

During 2017, there were no changes in the Company’s methodology for assessing the appropriateness of the allowance for loan losses. Variations can occur over time in the estimation of the adequacy of the allowance as a result of the credit performance of borrowers.

At December 31, 2017, total non-performing loans were $29.3 million, or 0.68% of total loans, compared to $31.9 million, or 0.81% of total loans, at December 31, 2016. The allowance represented 154% of non-performing loans at December 31, 2017 as compared to 138% at December 31, 2016. The increase in this ratio was due primarily to the increase in the allowance over the prior year combined with the decrease in total non-performing loans decreased. The allowance for loan losses as a percent of total loans was 1.05% at December 31, 2017 as compared to 1.12% at December 31, 2016.   

Continued analysis of the actual loss history on the problem credits in 2016 and 2017 provided an indication that the coverage of the inherent losses on the problem credits was adequate. The Company continues to monitor the impact of the economic conditions on our commercial customers, the reduced inflow of non-accruals, lower inflow in criticized loans and the significant decline in early stage delinquencies.  The improvement in these credit metrics supports management’s outlook for continued improved credit quality performance.

The balance of impaired loans was $20.8 million, with specific allowances of $4.0 million against those loans at December 31, 2017, as compared to $24.1 million with specific allowances of $4.8 million, at December 31, 2016.

51

The Company's borrowers are concentrated in central Maryland, Northern Virginia and in Washington D.C.  Commercial and residential mortgages, including home equity loans and lines, represented 77% of total loans at December 31, 2017 and 76% of total loans at December 31, 2016.  Certain loan terms may create concentrations of credit risk and increase the Company’s exposure to loss. These include terms that permit the deferral of principal payments or payments that are smaller than normal interest accruals (negative amortization); loans with high loan-to-value ratios; loans, such as option adjustable-rate mortgages, that may expose the borrower to future increases in repayments that are in excess of increases that would result solely from increases in market interest rates; and interest-only loans.  The Company does not make loans that provide for negative amortization or option adjustable-rate mortgages.

52

Summary of Loan Loss Experience

The following table presents the activity in the allowance for loan losses for the periods indicated:

			Year Ended December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)			2017		2016		2015		2014		2013
Balance, January 1			$	44,067	$	40,895	$	37,802	$	38,766	$	42,957
Provision (credit) for loan losses				2,977		5,546		5,371		(163)		(1,084)
Loan charge-offs:
Residential real estate:
	Residential mortgage			(87)		(1,404)		(614)		(323)		(1,194)
	Residential construction			-		-		-		(4)		(104)
Commercial real estate:
	Commercial investor			-		(197)		(91)		(3)		(4,774)
	Commercial owner occupied			(248)		-		(1,043)		(265)		(240)
	Commercial AD&C			-		(48)		(739)		(529)		(85)
Commercial business				(1,538)		(597)		(306)		(729)		(2,915)
Leases				-		-		(4)		-		-
Consumer				(693)		(888)		(998)		(834)		(1,853)
		Total charge-offs		(2,566)		(3,134)		(3,795)		(2,687)		(11,165)
Loan recoveries:
Residential real estate:
	Residential mortgage			150		358		145		121		162
	Residential construction			26		32		51		79		11
Commercial real estate:
	Commercial investor			101		133		20		38		3,354
	Commercial owner occupied			-		5		3		6		425
	Commercial AD&C			103		40		580		-		3,080
Commercial business				94		44		475		1,477		818
Leases				-		-		-		-		10
Consumer				305		148		243		165		198
		Total recoveries		779		760		1,517		1,886		8,058
	Net charge-offs			(1,787)		(2,374)		(2,278)		(801)		(3,107)
		Balance, period end	$	45,257	$	44,067	$	40,895	$	37,802	$	38,766
Net charge-offs to average loans				0.04%		0.06%		0.07%		0.03%		0.12%
Allowance to total loans				1.05%		1.12%		1.17%		1.21%		1.39%

53

Analysis of Credit Risk

The following table presents information with respect to non-performing assets and 90-day delinquencies for the years indicated:

			At December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)			2017		2016		2015		2014		2013
Non-accrual loans
Residential real estate
	Residential mortgage		$	7,196	$	7,257	$	8,822	$	3,012	$	5,735
	Residential construction			177		195		418		1,105		2,315
Commercial real estate:
	Commercial investor			5,575		8,107		8,368		8,156		6,802
	Commercial owner occupied			3,582		4,823		6,340		8,941		5,936
	Commercial AD&C			136		137		194		2,464		4,127
Commercial business				6,703		5,833		3,696		3,184		3,400
Consumer				2,967		2,859		2,193		1,668		2,259
		Total non-accrual loans(1)		26,336		29,211		30,031		28,530		30,574
Loans 90 days past due
Residential real estate:
	Residential mortgage			225		232		-		-		-
	Residential construction			-		-		-		-		-
Commercial real estate:
	Commercial investor			-		-		-		-		-
	Commercial owner occupied			-		-		-		-		-
	Commercial AD&C			-		-		-		-		-
Commercial business				-		-		-		-		-
Consumer				-		-		-		-		1
		Total 90 days past due loans		225		232		-		-		1
Restructured loans (accruing)				2,788		2,489		4,467		5,497		9,459
	Total non-performing loans(2)			29,349		31,932		34,498		34,027		40,034
Other real estate owned, net				2,253		1,911		2,742		3,195		1,338
	Total non-performing assets		$	31,602	$	33,843	$	37,240	$	37,222	$	41,372
Non-performing loans to total loans				0.68%		0.81%		0.99%		1.09%		1.44%
Non-performing assets to total assets				0.58%		0.66%		0.80%		0.85%		1.01%
Allowance for loan losses to non-performing loans				154.20%		138.00%		118.54%		111.09%		96.83%

(1)Gross interest income that would have been recorded in 2017 if non-accrual loans shown above had been current and in accordance with their original terms was $2.3 million. No interest was recorded on these loans during the year. Please see Note 1 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for a description of the Company’s policy for placing loans on non-accrual status.

(2)Performing loans considered potential problem loans, as defined and identified by management, amounted to $9.0 million at December 31, 2017. Although these are loans where known information about the borrowers' possible credit problems causes management to have concerns as to the borrowers' ability to comply with the loan repayment terms, most are current as to payment terms,  well collateralized and are not believed to present significant risk of loss.  Loans classified for regulatory purposes not included in either non-performing or potential problem loans consist only of "other loans especially mentioned" and do not, in management's opinion, represent or result from trends or uncertainties reasonably expected to materially impact future operating results, liquidity or capital resources, or represent material credits where known information about the borrowers' possible credit problems causes management to have doubts as to the borrowers' ability to comply with the loan repayment terms.

54

Market Risk Management

The Company's net income is largely dependent on its net interest income.  Net interest income is susceptible to interest rate risk to the extent that interest-bearing liabilities mature or re-price on a different basis than interest-earning assets.  When interest-bearing liabilities mature or re-price more quickly than interest-earning assets in a given period, a significant increase in market rates of interest could adversely affect net interest income.  Similarly, when interest-earning assets mature or re-price more quickly than interest-bearing liabilities, falling interest rates could result in a decrease in net interest income. Net interest income is also affected by changes in the portion of interest-earning assets that are funded by interest-bearing liabilities rather than by other sources of funds, such as noninterest-bearing deposits and stockholders' equity.

The Company’s interest rate risk management goals are (1) to increase net interest income at a growth rate consistent with the growth rate of total assets, and (2) to minimize fluctuations in net interest margin as a percentage of interest-earning assets.  Management attempts to achieve these goals by balancing, within policy limits, the volume of floating-rate liabilities with a similar volume of floating-rate assets; by keeping the average maturity of fixed-rate asset and liability contracts reasonably matched; by maintaining a pool of administered core deposits; and by adjusting pricing rates to market conditions on a continuing basis.

The Company’s board of directors has established a comprehensive interest rate risk management policy, which is administered by management’s Asset Liability Management Committee (“ALCO”). The policy establishes limits on risk, which are quantitative measures of the percentage change in net interest income (a measure of net interest income at risk) and the fair value of equity capital (a measure of economic value of equity or “EVE” at risk) resulting from a hypothetical change in U.S. Treasury interest rates for maturities from one day to thirty years. The Company measures the potential adverse impacts that changing interest rates may have on its short-term earnings, long-term value, and liquidity by employing simulation analysis through the use of computer modeling. The simulation model captures optionality factors such as call features and interest rate caps and floors imbedded in investment and loan portfolio contracts. As with any method of gauging interest rate risk, there are certain shortcomings inherent in the interest rate modeling methodology used by the Company. When interest rates change, actual movements in different categories of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, loan prepayments, and withdrawals of time and other deposits, may deviate significantly from assumptions used in the model. As an example, certain money market deposit accounts are assumed to reprice at 100% of the interest rate change in each of the up rate shock scenarios even though this is not a contractual requirement. As a practical matter, management would likely lag the impact of any upward movement in market rates on these accounts as a mechanism to manage the Bank’s net interest margin.  Finally, the methodology does not measure or reflect the impact that higher rates may have on adjustable-rate loan customers’ ability to service their debts, or the impact of rate changes on demand for loan, lease, and deposit products.

The Company prepares a current base case and eight alternative simulations at least once a quarter and reports the analysis to the board of directors.  In addition, more frequent forecasts are produced when interest rates are particularly uncertain or when other business conditions so dictate.

The statement of condition is subject to quarterly testing for eight alternative interest rate shock possibilities to indicate the inherent interest rate risk.  Average interest rates are shocked by +/- 100, 200, 300, and 400 basis points (“bp”), although the Company may elect not to use particular scenarios that it determines are impractical in a current rate environment.  It is management’s goal to structure the balance sheet so that net interest earnings at risk over a twelve-month period and the economic value of equity at risk do not exceed policy guidelines at the various interest rate shock levels.

The Company augments its quarterly interest rate shock analysis with alternative external interest rate scenarios on a monthly basis. These alternative interest rate scenarios may include non-parallel rate ramps and non-parallel yield curve twists.  If a measure of risk produced by the alternative simulations of the entire balance sheet violates policy guidelines, ALCO is required to develop a plan to restore the measure of risk to a level that complies with policy limits within two quarters.

Measures of net interest income at risk produced by simulation analysis are indicators of an institution’s short-term performance in alternative rate environments.  These measures are typically based upon a relatively brief period, usually one year.  They do not necessarily indicate the long-term prospects or economic value of the institution.

55

Estimated Changes in Net Interest Income
Change in Interest Rates:	+ 400 bp	+ 300 bp	+ 200 bp	+ 100 bp	- 100 bp	- 200 bp	-300 bp	-400 bp
Policy Limit	23.50%	17.50%	15.00%	10.00%	10.00%	15.00%	17.50%	23.50%
December 31, 2017	(7.36%)	(4.93%)	(2.82%)	(1.13%)	(2.24%)	N/A	N/A	N/A
December 31, 2016	(8.55%)	(5.76%)	(2.84%)	(1.20%)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

As shown above, measures of net interest income at risk decreased from December 31, 2016 at all rising interest rate shock levels. All measures remained well within prescribed policy limits.

The decrease in the risk position with respect to net interest income from December 31, 2016 to December 31, 2017 was the result of the positive impact from the liquidation of the subordinated debt and the restructuring of  FHLB borrowings during the year that more than compensated for the negative impact caused by the growth in deposits during 2017.

The measures of equity value at risk indicate the ongoing economic value of the Company by considering the effects of changes in interest rates on all of the Company’s cash flows, and by discounting the cash flows to estimate the present value of assets and liabilities.  The difference between these discounted values of the assets and liabilities is the economic value of equity, which, in theory, approximates the fair value of the Company’s net assets.

Estimated Changes in Economic Value of Equity (EVE)
Change in Interest Rates:	+ 400 bp	+ 300 bp	+ 200 bp	+ 100 bp	- 100 bp	- 200 bp	-300 bp	-400 bp
Policy Limit	35.00%	25.00%	20.00%	10.00%	10.00%	20.00%	25.00%	35.00%
December 31, 2017	(21.09%)	(14.75%)	(8.58%)	(3.39%)	(0.98%)	N/A	N/A	N/A
December 31, 2016	(14.83%)	(10.72%)	(6.42%)	(2.86%)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

Measures of the economic value of equity (“EVE”) at risk increased from December 31, 2016 in all rising shock scenarios. The increased risk is due to the combined results of shorter durations on deposits and increased durations on investments. The impact of the duration movements was slightly offset by the positive effect from the increase in demand deposits and the restructuring of the FHLB borrowings that occurred during 2017.  The lengthening of durations on assets coupled with shorter durations on liabilities increase the Company’s exposure in rising rate scenarios.

Liquidity Management

Liquidity is measured by a financial institution's ability to raise funds through loan repayments, maturing investments, deposit growth, borrowed funds, capital and the sale of highly marketable assets such as investment securities and residential mortgage loans. The Company's liquidity position, considering both internal and external sources available, exceeded anticipated short-term and long-term needs at December 31, 2017.  Management considers core deposits, defined to include all deposits other than time deposits of $100 thousand or more, to be a relatively stable funding source. Core deposits equaled 69% of total interest-earning assets at December 31, 2017. In addition, loan payments, maturities, calls and pay downs of securities, deposit growth and earnings contribute a flow of funds available to meet liquidity requirements. In assessing liquidity, management considers operating requirements, the seasonality of deposit flows, investment, loan and deposit maturities and calls, expected funding of loans and deposit withdrawals, and the market values of available-for-sale investments, so that sufficient funds are available on short notice to meet obligations as they arise and to ensure that the Company is able to pursue new business opportunities.

In addition to factors discussed above that can affect liquidity, the Company’s growth, mortgage banking activities and changes in the liquidity of the investment portfolio due to fluctuations in interest rates are also taken into consideration.  Under this approach, implemented by the Funds Management Subcommittee of ALCO under formal policy guidelines, the Company’s liquidity position is measured weekly, looking forward at thirty day intervals from thirty (30) to three hundred sixty (360) days.  The measurement is based upon the projection of funds sold or purchased position, along with ratios and trends developed to measure dependence on purchased funds and core growth.  Resulting projections as of December 31, 2017, show short-term investments exceeding short-term borrowings by $20 million over the subsequent 360 days.  This projected excess of liquidity versus requirements provides the Company with flexibility in how it funds loans and other earning assets. 

56

The Company also has external sources of funds, which can be drawn upon when required.  The main sources of external liquidity are available lines of credit with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and the Federal Reserve. The line of credit with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta totaled $1.6 billion, of which $1.6 billion was available for borrowing based on pledged collateral, with $766 million borrowed against it as of December 31, 2017. The line of credit at the Federal Reserve totaled $339 million, all of which was available for borrowing based on pledged collateral, with no borrowings against it as of December 31, 2017.  Other external sources of liquidity available to the Company in the form of unsecured lines of credit granted by correspondent banks totaled $70 million at December 31, 2017, against which there were no outstanding borrowings.  In addition, the Company had a secured line of credit with a correspondent bank of $20 million as of December 31, 2017. Based upon its liquidity analysis, including external sources of liquidity available, management believes the liquidity position was appropriate at December 31, 2017. 

The parent company (“Bancorp”) is a separate legal entity from the Bank and must provide for its own liquidity. In addition to its operating expenses, Bancorp is responsible for paying any dividends declared to its common shareholders and interest and principal on outstanding debt. Bancorp’s primary source of income is dividends received from the Bank. The amount of dividends that the Bank may declare and pay to Bancorp in any calendar year, without the receipt of prior approval from the Federal Reserve, cannot exceed net income for that year to date plus retained net income (as defined) for the preceding two calendar years. Based on this requirement, as of December 31, 2017, the Bank could have declared a dividend of $35 million to Bancorp. At December 31, 2017, Bancorp had liquid assets of $13 million.

Arrangements to fund credit products or guarantee financing take the form of loan commitments (including lines of credit on revolving credit structures) and letters of credit.  Approvals for these arrangements are obtained in the same manner as loans.  Generally, cash flows, collateral value and risk assessment are considered when determining the amount and structure of credit arrangements. 

The Company has various contractual obligations that affect its cash flows and liquidity.  For information regarding material contractual obligations, please see “Market Risk Management” previously discussed, “Contractual Obligations” below, and “Note 6-Premises and Equipment,” “Note 9-Borrowings,” “Note 13-Pension, Profit Sharing and Other Employee Benefit Plans,” “Note 18-Financial Instruments with Off-balance Sheet Risk and Derivatives,” and “Note 20-Fair Value” of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

With the exception of the Company’s obligations in connection with its irrevocable letters of credit and loan commitments, the Company has no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, or capital resources, that is material to investors  For additional information on off-balance sheet arrangements, please see “Note 18-Financial Instruments with Off-balance Sheet Risk and Derivatives” and “Note 9-Borrowings” of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, and “Capital Management”.

Contractual Obligations

The Company enters into contractual obligations in the normal course of business.  Among these obligations are FHLB advances, operating leases related to branch and administrative facilities and a long-term contract with a data processing provider.  Payments required under these obligations, are set forth in the table following as of December 31, 2017.

			Projected Maturity Date or Payment Period(1)
				Less than						After
(In thousands)		Total		1 year		1-3 Years		3-5 Years		5 Years
Retail repurchase agreements		$	119,359	$	119,359	$	-	$	-	$	-
Advances from FHLB			765,833		575,000		180,833		10,000		-
Certificates of deposit			688,951		365,533		287,646		35,772		-
Operating lease obligations			44,244		6,490		17,756		8,876		11,122
Purchase obligations (2)			5,311		2,745		2,566		-		-
	Total	$	1,623,698	$	1,069,127	$	488,801	$	54,648	$	11,122

57

⁽¹⁾Assumed a seven year term for purposes of this table.

(2) Represents payments required under contract, based on average monthly charges for 2017 with the Company’s current data processing service  provider that expires in September 2020.

Item 7A.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk.

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to Part II, Item 7 of this report.

58

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

As part of the Corporation’s program to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, our management assessed the effectiveness of the Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017 (the “Assessment”). In making this Assessment, management used the control criteria framework of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (“COSO”) of the Treadway Commission published in its report entitled Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013). Management’s Assessment included an evaluation of the design of the Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting and testing of the operational effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting.  Based on this assessment, the Company’s management concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2017. 

The attestation reports by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, Ernst & Young LLP, on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting begins on the following pages.

59

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of condition of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company at December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the consolidated results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), and our report dated February 23, 2018 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/   Ernst & Young LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2013.

Tysons, Virginia

February 23, 2018

60

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. 

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. and subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 Framework) (the COSOcriteria). In our opinion, Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. and subsidiaries (“the Company”) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on the COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated statements of condition of the Company as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017 and the related notes and our report dated February 23, 2018 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effectiveinternal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/   Ernst & Young LLP

Tysons, Virginia

February 23, 2018

61

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. and Subsidiaries
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CONDITION
			December 31,		December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)			2017		2016
Assets
	Cash and due from banks		$	55,693	$	53,190
	Federal funds sold			2,845		1,953
	Interest-bearing deposits with banks			53,962		78,982
		Cash and cash equivalents		112,500		134,125
	Residential mortgage loans held for sale (at fair value)			9,848		13,222
	Investments available-for-sale (at fair value)			729,507		733,554
	Other equity securities			45,518		46,094
	Total loans			4,314,248		3,927,808
		Less: allowance for loan losses		(45,257)		(44,067)
	Net loans			4,268,991		3,883,741
	Premises and equipment, net			54,761		53,562
	Other real estate owned			2,253		1,911
	Accrued interest receivable			15,480		14,589
	Goodwill			85,768		85,768
	Other intangible assets, net			580		680
	Other assets			121,469		124,137
Total assets			$	5,446,675	$	5,091,383
Liabilities
	Noninterest-bearing deposits		$	1,264,392	$	1,138,139
	Interest-bearing deposits			2,699,270		2,439,405
		Total deposits		3,963,662		3,577,544
	Securities sold under retail repurchase agreements and federal funds purchased			119,359		125,119
	Advances from FHLB			765,833		790,000
	Subordinated debentures			-		30,000
	Accrued interest payable and other liabilities			34,005		35,148
		Total liabilities		4,882,859		4,557,811
Stockholders' Equity
	Common stock -- par value $1.00; shares authorized 50,000,000; shares issued and outstanding 23,996,293 and
		23,901,084 at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively		23,996		23,901
	Additional paid in capital			168,188		165,871
	Retained earnings			378,489		350,414
	Accumulated other comprehensive loss			(6,857)		(6,614)
		Total stockholders' equity		563,816		533,572
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity			$	5,446,675	$	5,091,383
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

62

SANDY SPRING BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
				Year Ended December 31,
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)				2017		2016		2015
Interest Income:
	Interest and fees on loans			$	172,091	$	150,868	$	135,170
	Interest on loans held for sale				279		387		544
	Interest on deposits with banks				410		213		98
	Interest and dividends on investment securities:
		Taxable			13,881		11,500		14,440
		Exempt from federal income taxes			8,111		7,583		8,059
	Interest on federal funds sold				27		5		1
			Total interest income		194,799		170,556		158,312
Interest Expense:
Interest on deposits					13,256		8,161		5,878
Interest on retail repurchase agreements and federal funds purchased					337		290		255
Interest on advances from FHLB					12,426		11,610		13,081
Interest on subordinated debt					12		943		899
			Total interest expense		26,031		21,004		20,113
Net interest income					168,768		149,552		138,199
Provision for loan losses					2,977		5,546		5,371
			Net interest income after provision for loan losses		165,791		144,006		132,828
Non-interest Income:
	Investment securities gains				1,273		1,932		36
	Service charges on deposit accounts				8,298		7,953		7,607
	Mortgage banking activities				2,734		4,049		3,114
	Wealth management income				19,146		17,805		19,931
	Insurance agency commissions				6,231		5,408		5,176
	Income from bank owned life insurance				2,403		2,462		2,571
	Bank card fees				4,827		4,674		4,652
	Other income				6,331		6,759		6,814
			Total non-interest income		51,243		51,042		49,901
Non-interest Expenses:
	Salaries and employee benefits				73,132		71,354		71,003
	Occupancy expense of premises				13,053		12,960		12,809
	Equipment expenses				7,015		6,883		6,071
	Marketing				3,119		2,851		2,896
	Outside data services				5,486		5,377		5,023
	FDIC insurance				3,305		2,741		2,491
	Amortization of intangible assets				101		130		372
	Litigation expenses				-		-		(3,869)
	Merger expenses				4,252		-		-
	Other expenses				19,636		20,762		18,551
			Total non-interest expenses		129,099		123,058		115,347
Income before income taxes					87,935		71,990		67,382
Income tax expense					34,726		23,740		22,027
			Net income	$	53,209	$	48,250	$	45,355
Net Income Per Share Amounts:
Basic net income per share				$	2.20	$	2.00	$	1.84
Diluted net income per share				$	2.20	$	2.00	$	1.84
Dividends declared per share				$	1.04	$	0.98	$	0.90
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

63

SANDY SPRING BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
				Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)				2017		2016		2015
Net income				$	53,209	$	48,250	$	45,355
	Other comprehensive income:
	Investments available-for-sale:
		Net change in unrealized losses on investments available-for-sale			(294)		(6,246)		(2,520)
			Related income tax benefit		108		2,484		1,030
		Net investment gains reclassified into earnings			(1,273)		(1,932)		(36)
			Related income tax expense		504		770		14
			Net effect on other comprehensive loss		(955)		(4,924)		(1,512)
	Defined benefit pension plan:
		Recognition of unrealized gain (loss)			1,202		(651)		1,736
			Related income tax (expense) benefit		(490)		258		(698)
			Net effect on other comprehensive income (loss)		712		(393)		1,038
	Total other comprehensive loss				(243)		(5,317)		(474)
Comprehensive income				$	52,966	$	42,933	$	44,881
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

64

SANDY SPRING BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
				Year Ended December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)				2017		2016		2015
Operating activities:
Net income				$	53,209	$	48,250	$	45,355
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
		Depreciation and amortization			7,976		7,958		7,305
		Provision for loan losses			2,977		5,546		5,371
		Share based compensation expense			2,164		2,139		1,979
		Deferred income tax expense (benefit)			6,089		349		(3)
		Origination of loans held for sale			(142,877)		(196,726)		(193,316)
		Proceeds from sales of loans held for sale			149,367		239,705		191,232
		Gains on sales of loans held for sale			(3,403)		(3,877)		(2,861)
		(Gain)/loss on sales of other real estate owned			(68)		48		267
		Investment securities gains			(1,273)		(1,932)		(36)
		Tax benefits associated with share based compensation			1,809		125		350
		Net increase in accrued interest receivable			(891)		(1,146)		(809)
		Net increase in other assets			(9,829)		(5,134)		(2,015)
		Net increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities			(1,007)		(2,932)		(6,267)
		Other – net			5,174		(1,873)		4,628
			Net cash provided by operating activities		69,417		90,500		51,180
Investing activities:
	Proceeds (purchases) of other equity securities				576		(4,758)		101
	Purchases of investments held-to-maturity				-		-		(2,100)
	Purchases of investments available-for-sale				(125,028)		(287,211)		(46,190)
	Proceeds from sales of investment available-for-sale				2,251		40,863		-
	Proceeds from maturities, calls and principal payments of investments held-to-maturity				-		5,004		12,943
	Proceeds from maturities, calls and principal payments of investments available-for-sale				123,762		298,803		121,994
	Net increase in loans				(427,773)		(469,942)		(372,203)
	Proceeds from the sales of other real estate owned				1,275		1,393		2,112
	Proceeds from sale of loans held for investment				40,031		-		-
	Acquisition of business activity, net of cash acquired				-		(1,347)		-
	Expenditures for premises and equipment				(7,441)		(5,798)		(8,572)
			Net cash used in investing activities		(392,347)		(422,993)		(291,915)
Financing activities:
	Net increase in deposits				386,118		313,814		197,221
	Net increase/(decrease) in retail repurchase agreements and federal funds purchased				(5,760)		15,974		34,713
	Proceeds from advances from FHLB				3,965,000		2,665,000		2,274,000
	Repayment of advances from FHLB				(3,989,167)		(2,560,000)		(2,244,000)
	Retirement of subordinated debt				(30,000)		(5,000)		-
	Proceeds from issuance of common stock				1,200		1,580		1,174
	Stock rendered for payment of withholding taxes				(952)		(683)		(687)
	Repurchase of Common Stock				-		(13,273)		(22,624)
	Dividends paid				(25,134)		(23,676)		(22,397)
			Net cash provided by financing activities		301,305		393,736		217,400
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents					(21,625)		61,243		(23,335)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year					134,125		72,882		96,217
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year				$	112,500	$	134,125	$	72,882
Supplemental Disclosures:
	Interest payments			$	26,377	$	21,377	$	20,040
	Income tax payments				31,738		22,331		21,060
	Transfers of investments from held-to-maturity to available-for-sale				-		203,118		-
	Transfers from loans to residential mortgage loans held for sale				39,744		36,867		-
	Transfers from loans to other real estate owned				1,588		637		1,947
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

65

SANDY SPRING BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
`								Accumulated
				Additional				Other		Total
		Common		Paid-In		Retained		Comprehensive		Stockholders’
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)		Stock		Capital		Earnings		Income (Loss)		Equity
	Balances at January 1, 2015	$	25,045	$	194,647	$	302,882	$	(823)	$	521,751
	Net income		-		-		45,355		-		45,355
	Other comprehensive income, net of tax		-		-		-		(474)		(474)
	Common stock dividends -  $0.90 per share		-		-		(22,397)		-		(22,397)
	Stock compensation expense		-		1,979		-		-		1,979
	Common stock issued pursuant to:
	Stock option plan - 39,787 shares		40		562		-		-		602
	Directors stock purchase plan - 837 shares		1		21		-		-		22
	Employee stock purchase plan - 25,136 shares		25		541		-		-		566
	Restricted stock - 55,784 shares		56		(409)		-		-		(353)
	Purchase of treasury shares - 870,450 shares		(871)		(21,753)		-		-		(22,624)
	Balances at December 31, 2015		24,296		175,588		325,840		(1,297)		524,427
	Net income		-		-		48,250		-		48,250
	Other comprehensive income, net of tax		-		-		-		(5,317)		(5,317)
	Common stock dividends -  $0.98 per share		-		-		(23,676)		-		(23,676)
	Stock compensation expense		-		2,264		-		-		2,264
	Common stock issued pursuant to:
	Stock option plan - 44,067 shares		44		672		-		-		716
	Directors stock purchase plan - 258 shares		-		7		-		-		7
	Employee stock purchase plan - 23,779 shares		24		567		-		-		591
	Restricted stock - 49,468 shares		49		(466)		-		-		(417)
	Purchase of treasury shares - 512,459 shares		(512)		(12,761)		-		-		(13,273)
	Balances at December 31, 2016		23,901		165,871		350,414		(6,614)		533,572
	Net income		-		-		53,209		-		53,209
	Other comprehensive income, net of tax		-		-		-		(243)		(243)
	Common stock dividends -  $1.04 per share		-		-		(25,134)		-		(25,134)
	Stock compensation expense		-		2,164		-		-		2,164
	Common stock issued pursuant to:
	Stock option plan - 30,567 shares		31		562		-		-		593
	Employee stock purchase plan - 17,578 shares		17		590		-		-		607
	Restricted stock - 47,064 shares		47		(999)		-		-		(952)
	Balances at December 31, 2017	$	23,996	$	168,188	$	378,489	$	(6,857)	$	563,816
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements

66

Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to thE Consolidated Financial Statements

Note 1 – Significant Accounting Policies

Nature of Operations

Sandy Spring Bancorp (the “Company”), a Maryland corporation, is the bank holding company for Sandy Spring Bank (the “Bank”), which conducts a full-service commercial banking, mortgage banking and trust business. Services to individuals and businesses include accepting deposits, extending real estate, consumer and commercial loans and lines of credit, equipment leasing, general insurance, personal trust, and investment and wealth management services. The Company operates in central Maryland, Northern Virginia, and the greater Washington D.C. market.  The Company offers investment and wealth management services through the Bank’s subsidiary, West Financial Services.  Insurance products are available to clients through Sandy Spring Insurance, and Neff & Associates, which are agencies of Sandy Spring Insurance Corporation.

Basis of Presentation

The accounting and reporting policies of the Company conform to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and prevailing practices within the financial services industry for financial information.  The following summary of significant accounting policies of the Company is presented to assist the reader in understanding the financial and other data presented in this report.  Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to the current period presentation.  The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date of the issuance of its financial statements.

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiary, Sandy Spring Bank and its subsidiaries, Sandy Spring Insurance Corporation and West Financial Services, Inc. Consolidation has resulted in the elimination of all significant intercompany accounts and transactions. 

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements, and affect the reported amounts of revenues earned and expenses incurred during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates that could change significantly relate to the provision for loan losses and the related allowance, determination of impaired loans and the related measurement of impairment, potential impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets, valuation of investment securities and the determination of whether impaired securities are other-than-temporarily impaired, valuation of other real estate owned, valuation of share-based compensation, the assessment that a liability should be recognized with respect to any matters under litigation, the calculation of current and deferred income taxes and the actuarial projections related to pension expense and the related liability.

Assets Under Management

Assets held for others under fiduciary and agency relationships are not assets of the Company or its subsidiaries and are not included in the accompanying balance sheets.  Trust department income and investment management fees are presented on an accrual basis.

Cash Flows

For purposes of reporting cash flows, cash and cash equivalents include cash and due from banks, federal funds sold and interest-bearing deposits with banks (items with an original maturity of three months or less).

Residential Mortgage Loans Held for Sale

The Company engages in sales of residential mortgage loans originated by the Bank.  Loans held for sale are carried at fair value. Fair value is derived from secondary market quotations for similar instruments. The Company measures residential mortgage loans at fair value when the Company first recognizes the loan (i.e., the fair value option), as permitted by current accounting standards.  Changes in fair value of these loans are recorded in earnings as a component of mortgage banking activities in non-interest income in the Consolidated Statements of Income.  The Company's current practice is to sell the majority of such loans on a servicing released basis. Any retained servicing assets are amortized in proportion to their net servicing fee income over the life of the respective loans.  Servicing assets are evaluated for impairment on a periodic basis.    

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Investments Held-to-Maturity

Investments held-to-maturity represents securities which the Company has the ability and positive intent to hold until maturity. These securities are recorded at cost at the time of acquisition. The carrying values of investments held-to-maturity are adjusted for premium amortization and discount accretion to the maturity date on the effective interest method.  Related interest and dividends are included in interest income. Declines in the fair value of individual held-to-maturity investments below their cost that are other-than-temporary result in write-downs of the individual securities to their fair value.  Factors that may affect the determination of whether other-than-temporary impairment (“OTTI”) has occurred include a downgrading of the security below investment grade by the rating agency or due to potential default, a significant deterioration in the financial condition of the issuer, or that management would not have the ability to hold a security for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value.  During 2016, all investments held-to-maturity were transferred to investments available-for-sale.  Accordingly, acquisitions of investments in the future will not be classified as held-to-maturity.

Investments Available-for-Sale

Marketable equity securities and debt securities not classified as held-to-maturity or trading are classified as securities available-for-sale. Securities available-for-sale are acquired as part of the Company's asset/liability management strategy and may be sold in response to changes in interest rates, loan demand, changes in prepayment risk or other factors. Securities available-for-sale are carried at fair value, with unrealized gains or losses based on the difference between amortized cost and fair value, reported net of deferred tax, as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), a separate component of stockholders' equity. The carrying values of securities available-for-sale are adjusted for premium amortization and discount accretion. Premium is amortized to the earliest call date and discount accreted to the maturity date using the effective interest method. Realized gains and losses on security sales or maturities, using the specific identification method, are included as a separate component of non-interest income. Related interest and dividends are included in interest income.  Declines in the fair value of individual available-for-sale securities below their cost that are other-than-temporary (“OTTI”) result in write-downs of the individual securities to their fair value.  Factors affecting the determination of whether other-than-temporary impairment has occurred include a downgrading of the security below investment grade by a rating agency or due to potential default, a significant deterioration in the financial condition of the issuer, or a change in management’s intent and ability to hold a security for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value.

Other Equity Securities

Other equity securities include Federal Reserve stock, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta stock and other equities that are considered restricted as to marketability and recorded at cost.  These securities are carried at cost and evaluated for impairment each reporting period.

Loan Financing Receivables

The Company’s financing receivables consist primarily of loans that are stated at their principal balance outstanding net of any unearned income and deferred fees and costs. Interest income on loans is accrued at the contractual rate based on the principal outstanding. Loan origination fees, net of certain direct origination costs, are deferred and recognized as an adjustment of the related loan yield using the interest method.

Loans are considered past due or delinquent when the principal or interest due in accordance with the contractual terms of the loan agreement or any portion thereof remains unpaid after the due date of the scheduled payment.  Immaterial shortfalls in payment amounts do not necessarily result in a loan being considered delinquent or past due.  If any payments are past due and subsequent payments are resumed without payment of the delinquent amount, the loan shall continue to be considered past due.  Whenever any loan is reported delinquent on a principal or interest payment or portion thereof, the amount reported as delinquent is the outstanding principal balance of the loan.

Loans, except for consumer loans, are placed into non-accrual status when any portion of the loan principal or interest becomes 90 days past due.  Management may determine that certain circumstances warrant earlier discontinuance of interest accruals on specific loans if an evaluation of other relevant factors (such as bankruptcy, interruption of cash flows, etc.) indicates collection of amounts contractually due is unlikely.  These loans are considered, collectively, to be non-performing loans.  Consumer installment loans that are not secured by real estate are not placed on non-accrual, but are charged down to their net realizable value when they are four months past due.  Loans designated as non-accrual have all previously accrued but unpaid interest reversed.  Payments received on non-accrual loans when doubt about the ultimate collectability of the principal no longer exists may have their interest payments recorded as interest income on a cash basis or using the cost-recovery method with all payments applied to reduce the outstanding principal until the loan returns to accrual status.  Loans may be returned to accrual status when all principal and interest amounts contractually due are brought current and future payments are reasonably assured.

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Large groups of smaller balance homogeneous loans are not individually evaluated for impairment and include lease financing receivables, residential permanent and construction mortgages and consumer installment loans.  All other loans are considered non-homogeneous and are evaluated for impairment if they are placed in non-accrual status.  Loans are determined to be impaired when, based on available information, it is probable that the Company may not collect all principal and interest payments according to contractual terms. Factors considered in determining whether a loan is impaired include:

·the financial condition of the borrower;

·reliability and sources of the cash flows;

·absorption or vacancy rates; and

·deterioration of related collateral.

The impairment of a loan is measured based on the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan's original effective interest rate, or as permitted, the impairment may be measured based on a loan’s observable market price or the fair value of the collateral less cost to sell.  The majority of the Company’s impaired loans are considered to be collateral dependent and impairment is measured by determining the fair value of the collateral using third party appraisals conducted at least annually with underlying assumptions that are reviewed by management. Third party appraisals may be obtained on a more frequent basis if deemed necessary. Internal evaluations of collateral value are conducted quarterly to ensure any further deterioration of the collateral value is recognized on a timely basis.   The Company may receive updated appraisals which contradict the preliminary determination of fair value used to establish a specific allowance on a loan.  In these instances the specific allowance is adjusted to reflect the Company’s evaluation of the appraised fair value.  In the event a loss was previously confirmed and the loan was charged down to the estimated fair value based on a previous appraisal, the balance of partially charged-off loans are not subsequently increased but could be further decreased depending on the direction of the change in fair value.  Payments on fully or partially charged-off loans are accounted for under the cost-recovery method.  Under this method, all payments are applied on a cash basis to reduce the entire outstanding principal, then to recognize a recovery of all previously charged-off amounts before interest income may be recognized.  Based on the impairment evaluation, if the Company determines an estimable loss exists, a specific allowance will be established for that loan.  Once a loss has been confirmed, the loan is charged-down to its estimated net realizable value. Interest income on impaired loans is recognized using the same method as non-accrual loans, with the exception of loans that are considered troubled debt restructurings. 

Loans considered to be troubled debt restructurings (“TDRs”) are loans that have their terms restructured (e.g., interest rates, loan maturity date, payment and amortization period, etc.) in circumstances that provide payment relief to a borrower experiencing financial difficulty. All restructured loans are considered impaired loans and may either be in accruing status or non-accruing status.  Non-accruing restructured loans may return to accruing status provided doubt has been removed concerning the collectability of principal and interest as evidenced by a sufficient period of payment performance in accordance with the restructured terms.  Loans may be removed from the restructured category if the borrower is no longer experiencing financial difficulty, a re-underwriting event took place and the revised loan terms of the subsequent restructuring agreement are considered to be consistent with terms that can be obtained in the credit market for loans with comparable risk. 

Management uses relevant information available to make the determination on whether loans are impaired in accordance with GAAP. However, the determination of whether loans are impaired and the measurement of the impairment requires significant judgment, and estimates of losses inherent in the loan portfolio can vary significantly from the amounts actually observed.

Allowance for Loan Losses

The allowance for loan losses (“allowance” or “ALL”) represents an amount which, in management's judgment, is adequate to absorb the probable estimate of losses that may be sustained on outstanding loans at the balance sheet date based on the evaluation of the size and current risk characteristics of the loan portfolio.  The allowance is reduced by charge-offs, net of recoveries of previous losses, and is increased or decreased by a provision or credit for loan losses, which is recorded as a current period operating expense.  The allowance is based on the basic principle that a loss be accrued when it is probable that the loss has occurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated.

Determination of the adequacy of the allowance is inherently complex and requires the use of significant and highly subjective estimates.  The reasonableness of the allowance is reviewed periodically by the Risk Committee of the board of directors and formally approved quarterly by that same committee of the board.

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The Company’s methodology for estimating the allowance includes a general component reflecting historical losses, as adjusted, by loan portfolio segment, and a specific component for impaired loans. There were no changes in the Company’s allowance policies or methodology from the prior year.

The general component is based upon historical loss experience by each portfolio segment measured, over the prior eight quarters weighted equally.  The historical loss experience is supplemented to address various risk characteristics of the Company’s loan portfolio including:

·trends in delinquencies and other non-performing loans;

·changes in the risk profile related to large loans in the portfolio;

·changes in the categories of loans comprising the loan portfolio;

·concentrations of loans to specific industry segments;

·changes in economic conditions on both a local and national level;

·changes in the Company’s credit administration and loan portfolio management processes; and

·the quality of the Company’s credit risk identification processes. 

The general component is calculated in two parts based on an internal risk classification of loans within each portfolio segment. Reserves on loans considered to be “classified” under regulatory guidance are calculated separately from loans considered to be “pass” rated under the same guidance.  This segregation allows the Company to monitor the allowance component applicable to higher risk loans separate from the remainder of the portfolio in order to better manage risk and reasonably determine the sufficiency of reserves.

Integral to the assessment of the allowance process is an evaluation that is performed to determine whether a specific allowance on an impaired credit is warranted.  For the particular loan that may have potential impairment, an appraisal will be ordered depending on the time elapsed since the prior appraisal, the loan balance and/or the result of the internal evaluation.  The Company typically relies on current (12 months old or less) third party appraisals of the collateral to assist in measuring impairment. In the cases in which the Company does not rely on a third party appraisal, an internal evaluation is prepared by an approved credit officer.  A current appraisal on large loans is usually obtained if the appraisal on file is more than 12 months old and there has been a material change in market conditions, zoning, physical use or the adequacy of the collateral based on an internal evaluation. The Company’s policy is to strictly adhere to regulatory appraisal standards.  If an appraisal is ordered, no more than a 30 day turnaround is requested from the appraiser, who is selected by Credit Administration from an approved appraiser list. After receipt of the updated appraisal, the assigned credit officer will recommend to the Chief Credit Officer whether a specific allowance or a charge-off should be taken. When losses are confirmed, a charge-off is taken that is at least in the amount of the collateral deficiency as determined by the independent third party appraisal.  Any further collateral deterioration results in either further specific reserves being established or additional charge-offs.  The Chief Credit Officer has the authority to approve a specific allowance or charge-off between monthly credit committee meetings to ensure that there are no significant time lapses during this process.

The portion of the allowance representing specific allowances is established on individually impaired loans. As a practical expedient, for collateral dependent loans, the Company measures impairment based on the net realizable value of the underlying collateral. For loans on which the Company has not elected to use a practical expedient to measure impairment, the Company will measure impairment based on the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate.  In determining the cash flows to be included in the discount calculation the Company considers the following factors that combine to estimate the probability and severity of potential losses:

·the borrower’s overall financial condition;

·resources and payment record;

·demonstrated or documented support available from financial guarantors; and

·the adequacy of collateral value and the ultimate realization of that value at liquidation.

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Management believes it uses relevant information available to make determinations about the allowance and that it has established the existing allowance in accordance with GAAP. However, the determination of the allowance requires significant judgment, and estimates of probable losses in the loan portfolio can vary significantly from the amounts actually observed. While management uses available information to recognize inherent losses, future additions to the allowance may be necessary based on changes in the loans comprising the portfolio and changes in the financial condition of borrowers, such as may result from changes in economic conditions. In addition, various regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, and independent consultants engaged by the Company, periodically review the loan portfolio and the allowance.  Such review may result in additional provisions based on management’s judgments of information available at the time of each examination.

Premises and Equipment

Premises and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization, computed using the straight-line method. Premises and equipment are depreciated over the useful lives of the assets, which generally range from 3 to 10 years for furniture, fixtures and equipment, 3 to 5 years for computer software and hardware, and 10 to 40 years for buildings and building improvements.  Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of the lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements. The costs of major renewals and betterments are capitalized, while the costs of ordinary maintenance and repairs are included in non-interest expense.

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill represents the excess purchase price paid over the fair value of the net assets acquired in a business combination. Goodwill is not amortized but is tested for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired.  Impairment testing requires that the fair value of each of the Company’s reporting units be compared to the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s net assets, including goodwill. The Company’s reporting units were identified based upon an analysis of each of its individual operating segments. If the fair values of the reporting units exceed their book values, no write-down of recorded goodwill is required. If the fair value of a reporting unit is less than book value, an expense may be required to write-down the related goodwill to the proper carrying value. Any impairment would be realized through a reduction of goodwill or the intangible and an offsetting charge to non-interest expense.  The Company tests for impairment of goodwill as of October 1 of each year, and again at any quarter-end if any triggering events occur during a quarter that may affect goodwill. Examples of such events include, but are not limited to, adverse action by a regulator or a loss of key personnel. Determining the fair value of a reporting unit requires the Company to use a degree of subjectivity. 

Current accounting guidance provides the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. The Company assesses qualitative factors on a quarterly basis. Based on the assessment of these qualitative factors, if it is determined that the fair value of a reporting unit is not less than the carrying value, then performing the two-step impairment process, previously required, is unnecessary. However, if it is determined that the carrying value exceeds the fair value the first step, described above, of the two-step process must be performed.  At December 31, 2017 and 2016 there was no evidence of impairment of goodwill or intangibles in any of the Company’s reporting units.

Other intangible assets represent purchased assets that lack physical substance but can be distinguished from goodwill because of contractual or other legal rights or because the asset is capable of being sold or exchanged either on its own or in combination with a related contract, asset, or liability. Other intangible assets have finite lives and are reviewed for impairment annually.  These assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives either on a straight-line or sum-of-the-years basis over varying periods that initially did not exceed 15 years. 

Other Real Estate Owned (“OREO”)

OREO is comprised of properties acquired in partial or total satisfaction of problem loans. The properties are recorded at fair value less estimated costs of disposal, on the date acquired or on the date that the Company acquires effective control over the property. Gains or losses arising at the time of acquisition of such properties are charged against the allowance for loan losses. During the holding period OREO continues to be measured at lower of cost or fair value less estimated costs of disposal, and any subsequent declines in value are expensed as incurred. Gains and losses realized from the sale of OREO, as well as valuation adjustments and expenses of operation are included in non-interest expense.

Derivative Financial Instruments

Derivative Loan Commitments

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Mortgage loan commitments are derivative loan commitments if the loan that will result from exercise of the commitment will be held for sale upon funding.  Derivative loan commitments are recognized at fair value on the consolidated statements of condition in other assets or other liabilities with changes in their fair values recorded as a component of mortgage banking activities in the consolidated statements of income.

Mortgage loan commitments are issued to borrowers.  Subsequent to commitment date, changes in the fair value of the loan commitment are recognized based on changes in the fair value of the underlying mortgage loan due to interest rate changes, changes in the probability the derivative loan commitment will be exercised, and the passage of time.  In estimating fair value, a probability is assigned to a loan commitment based on an expectation that it will be exercised and the loan will be funded.

Forward Loan Sale Commitments

Loan sales agreements are evaluated to determine whether they meet the definition of a derivative as facts and circumstances may differ significantly. If agreements qualify, to protect against the price risk inherent in derivative loan commitments, the Company utilizes both “mandatory delivery” and “best efforts” forward loan sale commitments to mitigate the risk of potential decreases in the values of loans that would result from the exercise of the derivative loan commitments. Mandatory delivery contracts are accounted for as derivative instruments. Generally, best efforts contracts also meet the definition of derivative instruments after the loan to the borrower has closed.  Accordingly, forward loan sale commitments that economically hedge the closed loan inventory are recognized at fair value on the consolidated statements of condition in other assets or other liabilities with changes in their fair values recorded as a component of mortgage banking activities in the consolidated statements of income.  The Company estimates the fair value of its forward loan sales commitments using a methodology similar to that used for derivative loan commitments.

Interest Rate Swap Agreements

The Company enters into interest rate swaps (“swaps”) with loan customers to provide a facility to mitigate the fluctuations in the variable rate on the respective loans.  These swaps are matched in exact offsetting terms to swaps that the Company enters into with an outside third party.  The swaps are reported at fair value in other assets or other liabilities. The Company's swaps qualify as derivatives, but are not designated as hedging instruments, thus any net gain or loss resulting from changes in the fair value is recognized in other non-interest income.  Further discussion of the Company's financial derivatives is set forth in Note 18 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Off-Balance Sheet Credit Risk

The Company issues financial or standby letters of credit that represent conditional commitments to fund transactions by the Company, typically to guarantee performance of a customer to a third party related to borrowing arrangements.  The credit risk associated with issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as occurs when extending loan facilities to borrowers.  The Company monitors the exposure to the letters of credit as part of its credit review process.  Extensions of letters of credit, if any, would become part of the loan balance outstanding and would be evaluated in accordance with the Company’s credit policies.  Potential exposure to loss for unfunded letters of credit if deemed necessary would be recorded in other liabilities.

In the ordinary course of business the Company originates and sells whole loans to a variety of investors.  Mortgage loans sold are

subject to representations and warranties made to the third party purchasers regarding certain attributes.  Subsequent to the sale, if a material underwriting deficiency or documentation defect is determined, the Company may be obligated to repurchase the mortgage loan or reimburse the investor for losses incurred if the deficiency or defect cannot be rectified within a specific period subsequent to discovery.  The Company monitors the activity regarding the requirement to repurchase loans and the associated losses incurred.  This information is applied to determine an estimated recourse reserve that is recorded in other liabilities.

Valuation of Long-Lived Assets

The Company reviews long-lived assets and certain identifiable intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.  Recoverability is measured by a comparing the carrying amount of the asset to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to be generated by the asset.  If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the estimated fair value of the assets.  Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the cost or the fair value, less costs to sell.

Transfers of Financial Assets

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Transfers of financial assets are accounted for as sales when control over the assets has been surrendered.  Control over transferred assets is deemed to be surrendered when (1) the assets have been isolated from the Company, (2) the transferee obtains the right (free of conditions that constrain it from taking advantage of that right or from providing more than a trivial benefit to the transferor) to pledge or exchange the transferred assets, and (3) the Company does not maintain effective control over the transferred assets through any agreement to repurchase or redeem them before their maturity or likely cause a holder to return those assets whether through unilateral ability or a price so favorable to the transferee that it is probable that the transferee will require the transferor to repurchase them. A participating interest must be in an entire financial asset and cannot represent an interest in a group of financial assets.  Except for compensation paid for services performed, all cash flows from the asset are allocated to the participating interest holders in proportion to their share of ownership. Financial assets obtained or liabilities incurred in a sale are recognized and initially measured at fair value. 

Insurance Commissions and Fees

Commission revenue is recognized over the term of the coverage period.  The Company also receives contingent commissions from insurance companies as additional incentive for achieving specified premium volume goals and/or the loss experience of the insurance placed by the Company. Contingent commissions from insurance companies are recognized when determinable, which is generally when such commissions are received.

Advertising Costs

Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and included in non-interest expenses.

Net Income per Common Share

The Company calculates earnings per common share under the dual class method, which provides that unvested share-based payment awards that contain nonforfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents (whether paid or unpaid) are participating securities and shall be included in the computation of earnings per share pursuant to the dual class method. The Company has determined that its outstanding non-vested restricted stock awards are participating securities.

Under the dual class method, basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing net earnings allocated to common stock by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the applicable period, excluding outstanding participating securities. Diluted earnings per common share is computed using the weighted-average number of shares determined for the basic earnings per common share computation plus the dilutive effect of outstanding stock options and restricted stock using the treasury stock method.

Income Taxes

Income tax expense is based on the results of operations, adjusted for permanent differences between items of income or expense reported in the financial statements and those reported for tax purposes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined using the liability method. Under the liability method, deferred income taxes are determined based on the differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the income tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured at the enacted tax rates that will be in effect when these differences reverse. The effects of the enactment of the new tax law are accounted for under the existing authoritative guidance.

The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties on income taxes in other non-interest expenses. The Company remains subject to examination for income tax returns by the Internal Revenue Service, as well as all of the states where it conducts business, for the years ending after December 31, 2014.  There are currently no examinations in process as of December 31, 2017.

Adopted Accounting Pronouncement

The FASB issued Update No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (Topic 718), in March 2016. This guidance requires recognition of all income tax effects of stock awards in the income statement when such awards vest or are settled. In addition, it revises the existing guidance to allow employers to withhold more of an employee’s shares to satisfy the employer’s statutory withholding requirements and still qualify for equity accounting treatment. Finally, an entity is now allowed to make an entity-wide accounting policy election to either estimate the number or awards that are expected to vest, as required in the current guidance, or account for forfeitures as they occur. The Company adopted this accounting pronouncement prospectively during the first interim period within the current annual period. Adoption of the standard had no material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Pending Accounting Pronouncements

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The FASB issued Update No. 2017-08, Receivables-Nonrefundable Fees and Other Costs (Subtopic 310-20):  Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities, in March 2017. This guidance is intended to eliminate the current diversity in practice with respect to the amortization period for certain purchased callable debt securities held at a premium. Under current generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), entities generally amortize the premium as an adjustment of yield over the contractual life. As a result, upon the exercise of a call on a callable debt security held at a premium, the unamortized premium is recorded as a loss in earnings. The amendments in this update shorten the amortization period for such callable debt securities held at a premium requiring the premium to be amortized to the earliest call date. This guidance is effective for a public business entity that is a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filer for its fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows as our current accounting policy for amortization of premium on purchased callable debt securities is in accordance with provisions of ASU 2017-08.

The FASB issued Update No. 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, in January 2017. The objective of this guidance is to simplify an entity’s required test for impairment of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. In Step 2 an entity measured a goodwill impairment loss by comparing the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. In computing the implied fair value of goodwill, an entity had to determine the fair value at the impairment date of its assets and liabilities, including any unrecognized assets and liabilities, following a procedure that would be required in determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination. Under this Update, an entity should perform its annual or quarterly goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount and record an impairment charge for the excess of the carrying amount over the reporting unit’s fair value.  The loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit and the entity must consider the income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. This guidance is effective for a public business entity that is an SEC filer for its annual or any interim goodwill impairment tests in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The FASB issued Update 2017-01, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Clarifying the Definition of a Business, in January 2017. The objective of this guidance is to clarify the definition of a business to provide entities with assistance in evaluating whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. The update provides a screen to determine when an integrated set of assets and activities (a “set”) is not a business. The screen requires that when substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable assets or a group of similar identifiable assets, the set is not a business. The screen thus reduces the number of transactions that need to be further evaluated. If the screen is not met, the amendments in this Update (1) require that to be considered a business, a set must include, at a minimum, an input and substantive process that together significantly contribute to the ability to create output and (2) remove the evaluation of whether a market participant could replace missing elements. The amendments provide a framework to assist entities in evaluating whether both an input and a substantive process are present. The framework includes two sets of criteria to consider that depend on whether a set has outputs. Although outputs are not required for an asset to be a business, outputs generally are a key element of a business; therefore, the Board has developed more stringent criteria for sets without outputs. This guidance was adopted by the Company on January 1, 2018. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows and will be considered for future acquisitions.

The FASB issued Update No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flow (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments, in August 2016. This guidance is intended to reduce the diversity in practice with respect to the presentation and classification of items in the statement of cash flows. This guidance is effective for public business entities for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2017. The standard’s provisions will be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented. An entity may elect early adoption but must adopt all of the amendments in the same period. The planned adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

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The FASB issued Update No. 2016-13, Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) (Topic 326), in June 2016. This guidance changes the impairment model for most financial assets measured at amortized cost and certain other instruments. Entities will be required to use an expected loss model, replacing the incurred loss model that is currently in use. Under the new guidance, an entity will measure all expected credit losses for financial instruments held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current condition and reasonable and supportable forecasts.  This will result in earlier recognition of loss allowances in most instances. Credit losses related to available-for-sale debt securities (regardless of whether the impairment is considered to be other-than-temporary) will be measured in a manner similar to the present, except that such losses will be recorded as allowances rather than as reductions in the amortized cost of the related securities. With respect to trade and other receivables, loans, held-to-maturity debt securities, net investments in leases and off-balance-sheet credit exposures, the guidance requires that an entity estimate its lifetime expected credit loss and record an allowance resulting in the net amount expected to be collected to be reflected as the financial asset.  Entities are also required to provide significantly more disclosures, including information used to track credit quality by year of origination for most financing receivables. This guidance is effective for public business entities for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2019. The standard’s provisions will be applied as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective. Early adoption by public business entities is permitted for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company has established an internal steering committee and engaged an external vendor to assist with implementing required changes to loan loss estimation models, methodology and processes. Relevant historical data for the development of the methodology in accordance with ASC 326 has been identified. The Company is assessing this guidance to determine its impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

The FASB issued Update No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), in February 2016. From the lessee’s perspective, the new standard establishes a right-of-use (ROU) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement for lessees. The guidance also eliminates the current real estate-specific provision and changes the guidance on sale-leaseback transactions, initial direct costs and lease executory costs. All entities will classify leases to determine how to recognize lease-related revenue and expense. In applying this guidance entities will also need to determine whether an arrangement contains a lease or service agreement. Disclosures are required by lessees and lessors to meet the objective of enabling users of financials statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. For public entities, this guidance is effective for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. Entities are required to use a modified retrospective approach for leases that exist or are entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period in the financial statements. The Company has identified the full population of leases subject to ASC 842 and expects them to meet the definition of operating lease. The Company expects minimal impact to its results of operations and is assessing this guidance to determine the impact on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Condition.

The FASB issued Update No. 2016-01, Financial Instruments – (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Liabilities”, in January 2016.  This guidance requires entities to measure equity investments at fair value and recognize changes on fair value in net income. The guidance also provides a new measurement alternative for equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values and don’t qualify for the net asset value practical expedient. Entities will have to record changes in instrument specific credit risk for financial liabilities measured under the fair value option in other comprehensive income, except for certain financial liabilities of consolidated collateralized financing entities. Entities will also have to reassess the realizability of a deferred tax asset related to an available-for-sale debt security in combination with their other deferred tax assets. This simplifies the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring a qualitative assessment to identify impairment. For public entities, the guidance in this update is effective for the first interim or annual period beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company has performed a preliminary evaluation of the provisions of ASU No. 2016-01. Based on this evaluation, the Company has determined that the adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

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The FASB issued Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic  606), in May 2014 that provides accounting guidance for all revenue arising from contracts with customers and affects all entities that enter into contracts to provide goods or services to customers. The guidance also provides for a model for the measurement and recognition of gains and losses on the sale of certain nonfinancial assets, such as property and equipment, including real estate. For financial reporting purposes, the standard allows for either full retrospective adoption, meaning the standard is applied to all of the periods presented, or modified retrospective adoption, meaning the standard is applied only to the most current period presented in the financial statements with the cumulative effect of initially applying the standard recognized at the date of initial application. The Company’s revenue is comprised of net interest income and non-interest income. The guidance does not apply to revenue associated with financial instruments, net interest income, mortgage origination and servicing activities, and gains and losses from securities. Accordingly, the majority of the Company’s revenues will not be affected. The following revenue streams were identified to be in scope of ASC 606: 1) wealth management income; 2) insurance agency commissions; 3) bank card fees; and 4) service charges on deposit accounts. The Company adopted the standard on January 1, 2018 and has completed an assessment of the revenue contracts for the revenue streams identified to be in scope. The Company’s accounting policies and revenue recognition principles will not change materially as the principles of ASC 606 are largely consistent with the current revenue recognition practices.

Note 2 – Cash and Due from Banks

The Federal Reserve Act requires that banks maintain cash reserve balances with the Federal Reserve Bank based principally on the type and amount of their deposits. At its option, the Company maintains additional balances to compensate for clearing and safekeeping services. The average balance maintained in 2017 was $37.4 million and in 2016 was $40.5 million.

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Note 3 – Investments

Investments available-for-sale

The amortized cost and estimated fair values of investments available-for-sale at December 31 are presented in the following table:

			2017								2016
					Gross		Gross		Estimated				Gross		Gross		Estimated
			Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair		Amortized		Unrealized		Unrealized		Fair
(In thousands)			Cost		Gains		Losses		Value		Cost		Gains		Losses		Value
U.S. government agencies			$	109,349	$	-	$	(2,781)	$	106,568	$	124,314	$	32	$	(2,556)	$	121,790
State and municipal				306,109		6,313		(169)		312,253		281,090		7,180		(586)		287,684
Mortgage-backed				302,664		1,585		(4,209)		300,040		314,029		2,851		(4,169)		312,711
Corporate debt				9,100		332		-		9,432		9,100		34		-		9,134
Trust preferred				931		71		-		1,002		1,089		-		(77)		1,012
	Total debt securities			728,153		8,301		(7,159)		729,295		729,622		10,097		(7,388)		732,331
Marketable equity securities				212		-		-		212		1,223		-		-		1,223
		Total investments available-for-sale	$	728,365	$	8,301	$	(7,159)	$	729,507	$	730,845	$	10,097	$	(7,388)	$	733,554

Any unrealized losses in the U.S. government agencies, state and municipal or mortgage-backed securities at December 31, 2017 are the result of changes in interest rates.  These declines are considered temporary in nature and will decline over time and recover as these securities approach maturity.

The mortgage-backed portfolio at December 31, 2017 is composed entirely of either the most senior tranches of GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC collateralized mortgage obligations ($102.6 million), or GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC mortgage-backed securities ($197.5 million).  The Company does not intend to sell these securities and has sufficient liquidity to hold these securities for an adequate period of time, which may be maturity, to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value.

At December 31, 2017 the trust preferred portfolio consisted of one pooled trust preferred security.  The pooled trust preferred security, which is backed by debt issued by banks and thrifts, totals $0.9 million with a fair value of $1.0 million.  The fair value of this security was determined by management through the use of a third party valuation specialist due to the limited trading activity for this security. 

As a result of this evaluation, it was determined that the pooled trust preferred security had not incurred any credit-related other-than-temporary impairment (“OTTI”) for the year ended December 31, 2017. The unrealized gain on this security that is recognized in other comprehensive income (“OCI”) and is not expected to be sold and which the Company has the ability to hold until maturity, was $0.1 million at December 31, 2017.

The following table provides the activity of OTTI on investment securities due to credit losses recognized in earnings for the period indicated:

(In thousands)		OTTI Losses
Cumulative credit losses on investment securities, through December 31, 2015	$	531
Additions for credit losses not previously recognized		-
Cumulative credit losses on investment securities, through December 31, 2016		531
Additions for credit losses not previously recognized		-
Cumulative credit losses on investment securities, through December 31, 2017	$	531

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Gross unrealized losses and fair values by length of time that the individual available-for-sale securities have been in an unrealized loss position at December 31 are presented in the following table:

		2017
						Continuous Unrealized
						Losses Existing for:
		Number								Total
		of				Less than		More than		Unrealized
(Dollars in thousands)		securities		Fair Value		12 months		12 months		Losses
U.S. government agencies			13	$	106,568	$	545	$	2,236	$	2,781
State and municipal			20		18,228		107		62		169
Mortgage-backed			46		221,621		402		3,807		4,209
	Total		79	$	346,417	$	1,054	$	6,105	$	7,159

		2016
						Continuous Unrealized
						Losses Existing for:
		Number								Total
		of				Less than		More than		Unrealized
(Dollars in thousands)		securities		Fair Value		12 months		12 months		Losses
U.S. government agencies			12	$	96,788	$	2,556	$	-	$	2,556
State and municipal			53		48,010		516		70		586
Mortgage-backed			37		212,844		3,971		198		4,169
Trust preferred			1		1,012		-		77		77
	Total		103	$	358,654	$	7,043	$	345	$	7,388

The amortized cost and estimated fair values of debt securities available-for-sale by contractual maturity at December 31 are provided in the following table.  The Company has allocated mortgage-backed securities into the four maturity groupings reflected in the following table using the expected average life of the individual securities based on statistics provided by independent third party industry sources.  Expected maturities will differ from contractual maturities as borrowers may have the right to prepay obligations with or without prepayment penalties.

		2017				2016
				Estimated				Estimated
		Amortized		Fair		Amortized		Fair
(In thousands)		Cost		Value		Cost		Value
Due in one year or less		$	12,789	$	12,889	$	7,493	$	7,541
Due after one year through five years			180,109		184,264		156,953		162,233
Due after five years through ten years			228,484		227,688		282,468		282,713
Due after ten years			306,771		304,454		282,708		279,844
	Total debt securities available-for-sale	$	728,153	$	729,295	$	729,622	$	732,331

At December 31, 2017 and 2016, investments available-for-sale with a book value of $431.7 million and $453.0 million, respectively, were pledged as collateral for certain government deposits and for other purposes as required or permitted by law. The outstanding balance of no single issuer, except for U.S. government agency securities, exceeded ten percent of stockholders' equity at December 31, 2017 and 2016.

Equity securities

Other equity securities at the dates indicated are presented in the following table:

(In thousands)		2017		2016
Federal Reserve Bank stock		$	8,398	$	8,334
Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta stock			37,120		37,760
	Total equity securities	$	45,518	$	46,094

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Securities gains

Gross realized gains and losses on all investments for the years ended December 31 are presented in the following table:

(In thousands)		2017		2016		2015
Gross realized gains from sales of investments available-for-sale		$	-	$	1,491	$	-
Net gains from calls of investments available-for-sale			32		440		18
Net gains from calls of investments held-to-maturity			-		1		18
Gross realized gains from sales of equity securities			1,241		-		-
	Net securities gains	$	1,273	$	1,932	$	36

Note 4 – Loans

The lending business of the Company is based on understanding, measuring and controlling the credit risk inherent in the loan portfolio.  The Company’s loan portfolio is subject to varying degrees of credit risk.  Credit risk entails both general risks, which are inherent in the process of lending, and risk specific to individual borrowers.  The Company’s credit risk is mitigated through portfolio diversification, which limits exposure to any single customer, industry or collateral type.

Outstanding loan balances at December 31, 2017 and 2016 are net of unearned income including net deferred loan costs of $1.8 million and $1.4 million, respectively.

The loan portfolio segment balances at December 31 are presented in the following table:

(In thousands)		2017		2016
Residential real estate:
	Residential mortgage	$	921,435	$	841,692
	Residential construction		176,687		150,229
Commercial real estate:
	Commercial owner occupied real estate		857,196		775,552
	Commercial investor real estate		1,112,710		928,113
	Commercial AD&C		292,443		308,279
Commercial Business			497,948		467,286
Consumer			455,829		456,657
	Total loans	$	4,314,248	$	3,927,808

Portfolio Segments

The Company currently manages its credit products and the respective exposure to credit losses (credit risk) by the following specific portfolio segments (classes) which are levels at which the Company develops and documents its systematic methodology to determine the allowance for loan losses attributable to each respective portfolio segment.  These segments are:

·Commercial business loans – Commercial loans are made to provide funds for equipment and general corporate needs.  Repayment of a loan primarily uses the funds obtained from the operation of the borrower’s business.  Commercial loans also include lines of credit that are utilized to finance a borrower’s short-term credit needs and/or to finance a percentage of eligible receivables and inventory.

·Commercial acquisition, development and construction loans –Commercial acquisition, development and construction loans are intended to finance the construction of commercial properties and include loans for the acquisition and development of land.  Construction loans represent a higher degree of risk than permanent real estate loans and may be affected by a variety of factors such as the borrower’s ability to control costs and adhere to time schedules and the risk that constructed units may not be absorbed by the market within the anticipated time frame or at the anticipated price.  The loan commitment on these loans often includes an interest reserve that allows the lender to periodically advance loan funds to pay interest charges on the outstanding balance of the loan. 

·Commercial owner occupied real estate loans - Commercial owned-occupied real estate loans consist of commercial mortgage loans secured by owner occupied properties where an established banking relationship exists and involves a variety of property types to conduct the borrower’s operations.The primary source of repayment for this type of loan is the cash flow from the business and is based upon the borrower’s financial health and the ability of the borrower and the business to repay.

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·Commercial investor real estate loans - Commercial investor real estate loans consist of loans secured by non-owner occupied properties where an established banking relationship exists and involves investment properties for warehouse, retail, and office space with a history of occupancy and cash flow.This commercial real estate category contains mortgage loans to the developers and owners of commercial real estate where the borrower intends to operate or sell the property at a profit and use the income stream or proceeds from the sale(s) to repay the loan.

·Consumer loans - This category of loans includes primarily home equity loans and lines, installment loans, personal lines of credit and marine loans.  The home equity category consists mainly of revolving lines of credit to consumers which are secured by residential real estate. These loans are typically secured with second mortgages on the homes.  Other consumer loans include installment loans used by customers to purchase automobiles, boats and recreational vehicles.

·Residential mortgage loans – The residential real estate category contains permanent mortgage loans principally to consumers secured by residential real estate. Residential real estate loans are evaluated for the adequacy of repayment sources at the time of approval, based upon measures including credit scores, debt-to-income ratios, and collateral values. Loans may be either conforming or non-conforming. 

·Residential construction loans - The Company makes residential real estate construction loans generally to provide interim financing on residential property during the construction period. Borrowers are typically individuals who will ultimately occupy the single-family dwelling. Loan funds are disbursed periodically as pre-specified stages of completion are attained based upon site inspections.

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Loans to Related Parties

Certain directors and executive officers have loan transactions with the Company. The following schedule summarizes changes in amounts of loans outstanding, both direct and indirect, to these persons during the periods indicated:

(In thousands)		2017		2016		2015
Balance at January 1		$	41,988	$	21,050	$	21,756
	Additions		6,140		21,355		8,684
	Repayments		(11,416)		(417)		(9,390)
Balance at December 31		$	36,712	$	41,988	$	21,050

Note 5 – CREDIT QUALITY ASSESSMENT

Allowance for Loan Losses

Credit risk can vary significantly as losses, as a percentage of outstanding loans, can vary widely during economic cycles and are sensitive to changing economic conditions.  The amount of loss in any particular type of loan can vary depending on the purpose of the loan and the underlying collateral securing the loan.  Collateral securing commercial loans can range from accounts receivable to equipment to improved or unimproved real estate depending on the purpose of the loan.  Home mortgage and home equity loans and lines are typically secured by first or second liens on residential real estate.  Consumer loans may be secured by personal property, such as auto loans or they may be unsecured loan products.

Management has an internal credit process in place to maintain credit standards. This process along with an in-house loan administration, accompanied by oversight and review procedures, combines to control and manage credit risk.  The primary purpose of loan underwriting is the evaluation of specific lending risks that involves the analysis of the borrower’s ability to service the debt as well as the assessment of the value of the underlying collateral.  Oversight and review procedures include the monitoring of the portfolio credit quality, early identification of potential problem credits and the management of the problem credits.  As part of the oversight and review process, the Company maintains an allowance for loan losses (the “allowance”) to absorb estimated and probable losses in the loan  portfolio.  The allowance is based on consistent, periodic review and evaluation of the loan portfolio, along with ongoing, monthly assessments of the probable losses and problem credits in each portfolio. While portions of the allowance are attributed to specific portfolio segments, the entire allowance is available to absorb credit losses inherent in the total loan portfolio. 

Summary information on the allowance for loan loss activity for the years ended December 31 is provided in the following table:

(In thousands)			2017		2016		2015
Balance at beginning of year			$	44,067	$	40,895	$	37,802
	Provision for loan losses			2,977		5,546		5,371
	Loan charge-offs			(2,566)		(3,134)		(3,795)
	Loan recoveries			779		760		1,517
		Net charge-offs		(1,787)		(2,374)		(2,278)
Balance at period end			$	45,257	$	44,067	$	40,895

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The following tables provide information on the activity in the allowance for loan losses by the respective loan portfolio segment for the years ended December 31:

		2017
				Commercial Real Estate								Residential Real Estate
								Commercial
		Commercial		Commercial		Commercial		Owner				Residential		Residential
(Dollars in thousands)		Business		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Consumer		Mortgage		Construction		Total
Balance at beginning of year		$	7,539	$	4,652	$	12,939	$	7,885	$	2,828	$	7,261	$	963	$	44,067
Provision (credit)			2,616		(1,254)		1,930		(459)		(57)		(56)		257		2,977
Charge-offs			(1,538)		-		-		(248)		(693)		(87)		-		(2,566)
Recoveries			94		103		101		-		305		150		26		779
	Net (charge-offs)/ recoveries		(1,444)		103		101		(248)		(388)		63		26		(1,787)
Balance at end of period		$	8,711	$	3,501	$	14,970	$	7,178	$	2,383	$	7,268	$	1,246	$	45,257
Total loans		$	497,948	$	292,443	$	1,112,710	$	857,196	$	455,829	$	921,435	$	176,687	$	4,314,248
Allowance for loans to total loans ratio			1.75%		1.20%		1.35%		0.84%		0.52%		0.79%		0.71%		1.05%
Balance of loans specifically evaluated for impairment		$	8,105	$	136	$	5,575	$	4,078		na.	$	2,915	$	-	$	20,809
Allowance for loans specifically evaluated for impairment		$	3,220	$	-	$	663	$	131		na.	$	-	$	-	$	4,014
Specific allowance to specific loans ratio			39.73%		na.		11.89%		3.21%		na.		na.		na.		19.29%
Balance of loans collectively evaluated		$	489,843	$	292,307	$	1,107,135	$	853,118	$	455,829	$	918,520	$	176,687	$	4,293,439
Allowance for loans collectively evaluated		$	5,491	$	3,501	$	14,307	$	7,047	$	2,383	$	7,268	$	1,246	$	41,243
Collective allowance to collective loans ratio			1.12%		1.20%		1.29%		0.83%		0.52%		0.79%		0.71%		0.96%

		2016
				Commercial Real Estate								Residential Real Estate
								Commercial
		Commercial		Commercial		Commercial		Owner				Residential		Residential
(Dollars in thousands)		Business		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Consumer		Mortgage		Construction		Total
Balance at beginning of year		$	6,529	$	4,691	$	10,440	$	7,984	$	3,456	$	6,901	$	894	$	40,895
Provision (credit)			1,563		(31)		2,563		(104)		112		1,406		37		5,546
Charge-offs			(597)		(48)		(197)		-		(888)		(1,404)		-		(3,134)
Recoveries			44		40		133		5		148		358		32		760
	Net (charge-offs)/ recoveries		(553)		(8)		(64)		5		(740)		(1,046)		32		(2,374)
Balance at end of period		$	7,539	$	4,652	$	12,939	$	7,885	$	2,828	$	7,261	$	963	$	44,067
Total loans		$	467,286	$	308,279	$	928,113	$	775,552	$	456,657	$	841,692	$	150,229	$	3,927,808
Allowance for loans total loans ratio			1.61%		1.51%		1.39%		1.02%		0.62%		0.86%		0.64%		1.12%
Balance of loans specifically evaluated for impairment		$	7,018	$	137	$	8,107	$	5,567		na.	$	3,263	$	-	$	24,092
Allowance for loans specifically evaluated for impairment		$	2,604	$	-	$	1,736	$	485		na.	$	-	$	-	$	4,825
Specific allowance to specific loans ratio			37.10%		na.		21.41%		8.71%		na.		na.		na.		20.03%
Balance of loans collectively evaluated		$	460,268	$	308,142	$	920,006	$	769,985	$	456,657	$	838,429	$	150,229	$	3,903,716
Allowance for loans collectively evaluated		$	4,935	$	4,652	$	11,203	$	7,400	$	2,828	$	7,261	$	963	$	39,242
Collective allowance to collective loans ratio			1.07%		1.51%		1.22%		0.96%		0.62%		0.87%		0.64%		1.01%

The Company’s methodology for evaluating whether a loan is impaired begins with risk-rating credits on an individual basis and includes consideration of the borrower’s overall financial condition, payment record and available cash resources that may include the collateral value and, in a select few cases, verifiable support from financial guarantors.  In measuring impairment, the Company looks primarily to the discounted cash flows of the project itself or to the value of the collateral as the primary sources of repayment of the loan.  Collateral values or estimates of discounted cash flows (inclusive of any potential cash flow from guarantees) are evaluated to estimate the probability and severity of potential losses.  The actual occurrence and severity of losses involving impaired credits can differ substantially from estimates. 

The Company may consider the existence of guarantees and the financial strength and wherewithal of the guarantors involved in any loan relationship. Guarantees may be considered as a source of repayment based on the guarantor’s financial condition and respective payment capacity.  Accordingly, absent a verifiable payment capacity, a guarantee alone would not be sufficient to avoid classifying the loan as impaired.

82

Management has established a credit process that dictates that procedures be performed to monitor impaired loans between the receipt of an original appraisal and the updated appraisal.  These procedures include the following:

·An internal evaluation is updated quarterly to include borrower financial statements and/or cash flow projections.

·The borrower may be contacted for a meeting to discuss an updated or revised action plan which may include a request for additional collateral.

·Re-verification of the documentation supporting the Company’s position with respect to the collateral securing the loan.

·At the monthly credit committee meeting the loan may be downgraded.

·Upon receipt of the updated appraisal or based on an updated internal financial evaluation, the loan balance is compared to the appraisal and a specific allowance is determined for the particular loan, typically for the amount of the difference between the appraisal and the loan balance.

·The Company will specifically reserve for or charge-off the excess of the loan amount over the amount of the appraisal. In certain cases the Company may establish a larger reserve due to knowledge of current market conditions or the existence of an offer for the collateral that will facilitate a more timely resolution of the loan.

The Company generally follows a policy of not extending maturities on non-performing loans under existing terms. Certain performing loans that have displayed some inherent weakness in the underlying collateral values, an inability to comply with certain loan covenants which do not affect the performance of the credit or other identified weakness may have their terms extended on an exception basis.  Maturity date extensions only occur under revised terms that place the Company in a better position to fully collect the loan under the contractual terms and /or terms at the time of the extension that may eliminate or mitigate the inherent weakness in the loan.  These terms may incorporate, but are not limited to additional assignment of collateral, significant balance curtailments/liquidations and assignments of additional project cash flows.  Documented or demonstrated guarantees may be a consideration in the extension of loan maturities.  As a general matter, the Company does not view extension of a loan to be a satisfactory approach to resolving non-performing credits.

Loans that have their terms restructured (e.g., interest rates, loan maturity date, payment and amortization period, etc.) in circumstances that provide payment relief or other concessions to a borrower experiencing financial difficulty are considered trouble debt restructured loans. All restructurings that constitute concessions to a troubled borrower are considered impaired loans that may either be in accruing status or non-accruing status.  Non-accruing restructured loans may return to accruing status provided there is a sufficient period of payment performance in accordance with the restructure terms.  Loans may be removed from the restructured category if the borrower is no longer experiencing financial difficulty, a re-underwriting event took place and the revised loan terms of the subsequent restructuring agreement are considered to be consistent with terms that can be obtained in the credit market for loans with comparable credit risk.  At December 31, 2017, restructured loans totaled $9.0 million, of which $2.8 million were accruing and $6.2 million were non-accruing.  The Company had no commitments to lend additional funds on loans that have been restructured at December 31, 2017. Restructured loans at December 31, 2016 totaled $9.2 million, of which $2.5 million were accruing and $6.7 million were non-accruing.  Commitments to lend additional funds on loans that have been restructured at December 31, 2016 amounted to $0.1 million.

83

The following table provides summary information regarding impaired loans at December 31 and for the years then ended:

(In thousands)		2017		2016		2015
Impaired loans with a specific allowance		$	11,693	$	13,563	$	14,208
Impaired loans without a specific allowance			9,116		10,529		14,719
	Total impaired loans	$	20,809	$	24,092	$	28,927
Allowance for loan  losses related to impaired loans		$	4,014	$	4,825	$	3,375
Allowance for loan related to loans collectively evaluated			41,243		39,242		37,520
	Total allowance for loan losses	$	45,257	$	44,067	$	40,895
Average impaired loans for the period		$	23,179	$	26,382	$	29,828
Contractual interest income due on impaired loans during the period		$	2,314	$	2,082	$	2,527
Interest income on impaired loans recognized on a cash basis		$	754	$	511	$	961
Interest income on impaired loans recognized on an accrual basis		$	169	$	186	$	274

The following tables present the recorded investment with respect to impaired loans, the associated allowance by the applicable portfolio segment and the principal balance of the impaired loans prior to amounts charged-off at December 31 for the years indicated:

			2017
					Commercial Real Estate								Total Recorded
									Commercial		All		Investment in
					Commercial		Commercial		Owner		Other		Impaired
(In thousands)			Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Loans		Loans
Impaired loans with a specific allowance
		Non-accruing	$	4,516	$	-	$	5,157	$	-	$	-	$	9,673
		Restructured accruing		1,129		-		-		-		-		1,129
		Restructured non-accruing		108		-		-		783		-		891
	Balance		$	5,753	$	-	$	5,157	$	783	$	-	$	11,693
	Allowance		$	3,220	$	-	$	663	$	131	$	-	$	4,014
Impaired loans without a specific allowance
		Non-accruing	$	391	$	-	$	418	$	1,318	$	-	$	2,127
		Restructured accruing		273		-		-		496		890		1,659
		Restructured non-accruing		1,688		136		-		1,481		2,025		5,330
	Balance		$	2,352	$	136	$	418	$	3,295	$	2,915	$	9,116
Total impaired loans
		Non-accruing	$	4,907	$	-	$	5,575	$	1,318	$	-	$	11,800
		Restructured accruing		1,402		-		-		496		890		2,788
		Restructured non-accruing		1,796		136		-		2,264		2,025		6,221
	Balance		$	8,105	$	136	$	5,575	$	4,078	$	2,915	$	20,809
Unpaid principal balance in total impaired loans			$	11,263	$	1,248	$	10,166	$	6,331	$	3,681	$	32,689

84

	2017
			Commercial Real Estate								Total Recorded
							Commercial		All		Investment in
			Commercial		Commercial		Owner		Other		Impaired
(In thousands)	Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Loans		Loans
Average impaired loans for the period	$	7,903	$	137	$	6,835	$	5,336	$	2,968	$	23,179
Contractual interest income due on impaired loans during the period	$	828	$	333	$	669	$	400	$	84
Interest income on impaired loans recognized on a cash basis	$	204	$	-	$	24	$	394	$	132
Interest income on impaired loans recognized on an accrual basis	$	111	$	-	$	-	$	26	$	32

			2016
					Commercial Real Estate								Total Recorded
									Commercial		All		Investment in
					Commercial		Commercial		Owner		Other		Impaired
(In thousands)			Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Loans		Loans
Impaired loans with a specific allowance
		Non-accruing	$	2,807	$	-	$	7,029	$	1,884	$	-	$	11,720
		Restructured accruing		1,140		-		-		-		-		1,140
		Restructured non-accruing		64		-		-		639		-		703
	Balance		$	4,011	$	-	$	7,029	$	2,523	$	-	$	13,563
	Allowance		$	2,604	$	-	$	1,736	$	485	$	-	$	4,825
Impaired loans without a specific allowance
		Non-accruing	$	1,562	$	-	$	562	$	1,083	$	-	$	3,207
		Restructured accruing		45		-		-		744		560		1,349
		Restructured non-accruing		1,400		137		516		1,217		2,703		5,973
	Balance		$	3,007	$	137	$	1,078	$	3,044	$	3,263	$	10,529
Total impaired loans
		Non-accruing	$	4,369	$	-	$	7,591	$	2,967	$	-	$	14,927
		Restructured accruing		1,185		-		-		744		560		2,489
		Restructured non-accruing		1,464		137		516		1,856		2,703		6,676
	Balance		$	7,018	$	137	$	8,107	$	5,567	$	3,263	$	24,092
Unpaid principal balance in total impaired loans			$	10,082	$	4,398	$	12,805	$	7,760	$	3,971	$	39,016

	2016
			Commercial Real Estate								Total Recorded
							Commercial		All		Investment in
			Commercial		Commercial		Owner		Other		Impaired
(In thousands)	Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Loans		Loans
Average impaired loans for the period	$	5,646	$	150	$	9,480	$	6,561	$	4,545	$	26,382
Contractual interest income due on impaired loans during the period	$	570	$	294	$	718	$	310	$	190
Interest income on impaired loans recognized on a cash basis	$	153	$	-	$	43	$	266	$	49
Interest income on impaired loans recognized on an accrual basis	$	107	$	-	$	-	$	37	$	42

85

Credit Quality

The following tables provide information on the credit quality of the loan portfolio by segment at December 31 for the years indicated:

		2017
				Commercial Real Estate								Residential Real Estate
								Commercial
				Commercial		Commercial		Owner				Residential		Residential
(In thousands)		Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Consumer		Mortgage		Construction		Total
Non-performing loans and assets:
	Non-accrual loans	$	6,703	$	136	$	5,575	$	3,582	$	2,967	$	7,196	$	177	$	26,336
	Loans 90 days past due		-		-		-		-		-		225		-		225
	Restructured loans		1,402		-		-		496		-		890		-		2,788
Total non-performing loans			8,105		136		5,575		4,078		2,967		8,311		177		29,349
	Other real estate owned		39		365		-		400		-		1,449		-		2,253
Total non-performing assets		$	8,144	$	501	$	5,575	$	4,478	$	2,967	$	9,760	$	177	$	31,602

		2016
				Commercial Real Estate								Residential Real Estate
								Commercial
				Commercial		Commercial		Owner				Residential		Residential
(In thousands)		Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Consumer		Mortgage		Construction		Total
Non-performing loans and assets:
	Non-accrual loans	$	5,833	$	137	$	8,107	$	4,823	$	2,859	$	7,257	$	195	$	29,211
	Loans 90 days past due		-		-		-		-		-		232		-		232
	Restructured loans		1,185		-		-		744		-		560		-		2,489
Total non-performing loans			7,018		137		8,107		5,567		2,859		8,049		195		31,932
	Other real estate owned		39		365		395		637		-		475		-		1,911
Total non-performing assets		$	7,057	$	502	$	8,502	$	6,204	$	2,859	$	8,524	$	195	$	33,843

			2017
					Commercial Real Estate								Residential Real Estate
									Commercial
					Commercial		Commercial		Owner				Residential		Residential
(In thousands)			Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Consumer		Mortgage		Construction		Total
Past due loans
	31-60 days		$	587	$	-	$	775	$	414	$	2,107	$	6,100	$	-	$	9,983
	61-90 days			-		-		-		-		106		3,103		-		3,209
	> 90 days			-		-		-		-		-		225		-		225
		Total past due		587		-		775		414		2,213		9,428		-		13,417
	Non-accrual loan			6,703		136		5,575		3,582		2,967		7,196		177		26,336
	Current loans			490,658		292,307		1,106,360		853,200		450,649		904,811		176,510		4,274,495
		Total loans	$	497,948	$	292,443	$	1,112,710	$	857,196	$	455,829	$	921,435	$	176,687	$	4,314,248

			2016
					Commercial Real Estate								Residential Real Estate
									Commercial
					Commercial		Commercial		Owner				Residential		Residential
(In thousands)			Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Consumer		Mortgage		Construction		Total
Past due loans
	31-60 days		$	663	$	896	$	850	$	1,479	$	808	$	3,969	$	-	$	8,665
	61-90 days			672		-		1,206		744		1,104		2,139		-		5,865
	> 90 days			-		-		-		-		-		232		-		232
		Total past due		1,335		896		2,056		2,223		1,912		6,340		-		14,762
	Non-accrual loans			5,833		137		8,107		4,823		2,859		7,257		195		29,211
	Current loans			460,118		307,246		917,950		768,506		451,886		828,095		150,034		3,883,835
		Total loans	$	467,286	$	308,279	$	928,113	$	775,552	$	456,657	$	841,692	$	150,229	$	3,927,808

86

Loans are monitored for credit quality on a recurring basis.  The credit quality indicators used are dependent on the portfolio segment to which the loan relates.  Commercial loans and non-commercial loans have different credit quality indicators as a result of the methods used to monitor each of these loan segments.

The credit quality indicators for commercial loans are developed through review of individual borrowers on an ongoing basis.  Each borrower is evaluated at least annually with more frequent evaluation of more severely criticized loans.  The indicators represent the rating for loans as of the date presented based on the most recent credit review performed.  These credit quality indicators are defined as follows:

Pass - A pass rated credit is not adversely classified because it does not display any of the characteristics for adverse classification.

Special mention – A special mention credit has potential weaknesses that deserve management’s close attention.  If uncorrected, such weaknesses may result in deterioration of the repayment prospects or collateral position at some future date.  Special mention assets are not adversely classified and do not warrant adverse classification.

Substandard – A substandard loan is inadequately protected by the current net worth and payment capacity of the obligor or of the collateral pledged, if any.  Loans classified as substandard generally have a well-defined weakness, or weaknesses, that jeopardize the liquidation of the debt.  These loans are characterized by the distinct possibility of loss if the deficiencies are not corrected.

Doubtful – A loan that is classified as doubtful has all the weaknesses inherent in a loan classified as substandard with added characteristics that the weaknesses make collection or liquidation in full highly questionable and improbable, on the basis of currently existing facts, conditions and values.

Loss – Loans classified as a loss are considered uncollectible and of such little value that their continuing to be carried as a loan is not warranted.  This classification is not necessarily equivalent to no potential for recovery or salvage value, but rather that it is not appropriate to defer a full write-off even though partial recovery may be effected in the future. 

The following tables provide information by credit risk rating indicators for each segment of the commercial loan portfolio at December 31 for the years indicated:

		2017
				Commercial Real Estate
								Commercial
				Commercial		Commercial		Owner
(In thousands)		Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Total
	Pass	$	482,924	$	292,307	$	1,103,480	$	845,102	$	2,723,813
	Special Mention		2,443		-		3,517		5,505		11,465
	Substandard		12,581		136		5,713		6,589		25,019
	Doubtful		-		-		-		-		-
Total		$	497,948	$	292,443	$	1,112,710	$	857,196	$	2,760,297

		2016
				Commercial Real Estate
								Commercial
				Commercial		Commercial		Owner
(In thousands)		Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Total
	Pass	$	442,725	$	308,142	$	917,255	$	758,651	$	2,426,773
	Special Mention		10,010		-		2,395		9,255		21,660
	Substandard		14,551		137		8,463		7,646		30,797
	Doubtful		-		-		-		-		-
Total		$	467,286	$	308,279	$	928,113	$	775,552	$	2,479,230

87

Homogeneous loan pools do not have individual loans subjected to internal risk ratings therefore, the credit indicator applied to these pools is based on their delinquency status. The following tables provide information by credit risk rating indicators for those remaining segments of the loan portfolio at December 31 for the years indicated:

			2017
					Residential Real Estate
					Residential		Residential
(In thousands)			Consumer		Mortgage		Construction		Total
	Performing		$	452,862	$	913,124	$	176,510	$	1,542,496
	Non-performing:
		90 days past due		-		225		-		225
		Non-accruing		2,967		7,196		177		10,340
		Restructured loans		-		890		-		890
Total			$	455,829	$	921,435	$	176,687	$	1,553,951

			2016
						Residential Real Estate
						Residential		Residential
(In thousands)				Consumer		Mortgage		Construction		Total
	Performing			$	453,798	$	833,643	$	150,034	$	1,437,475
	Non-performing:
		90 days past due			-		232		-		232
		Non-accruing			2,859		7,257		195		10,311
		Restructured loans			-		560		-		560
Total				$	456,657	$	841,692	$	150,229	$	1,448,578

During the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company restructured $2.1 million in loans that were designated as troubled debt restructurings.  Modifications consisted principally of interest rate concessions.  No modifications resulted in the reduction of the principal in the associated loan balances.  Restructured loans are subject to periodic credit reviews to determine the necessity and adequacy of a specific loan loss allowance based on the collectability of the recorded investment in the restructured loan.  Loans restructured during 2017 have specific reserves of $0.2 million at December 31, 2017.  For the year ended December 31, 2016, the Company restructured $0.6 million in loans.  Modifications consisted principally of interest rate concessions and no modifications resulted in the reduction of the recorded investment in the associated loan balances.  Loans restructured during 2016 did not have significant specific reserves at December 31, 2016.

The following table provides the amounts of the restructured loans at the date of restructuring for specific segments of the loan portfolio during the period indicated:

		For the Year Ended December 31, 2017
				Commercial Real Estate
								Commercial		All
				Commercial		Commercial		Owner		Other
(In thousands)		Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Loans		Total
Troubled debt restructurings
	Restructured accruing	$	492	$	-	$	-	$	-	$	-	$	492
	Restructured non-accruing		1,019		-		-		540		-		1,559
Balance		$	1,511	$	-	$	-	$	540	$	-	$	2,051
Specific allowance		$	247	$	-	$	-	$	-	$	-	$	247
Restructured and subsequently defaulted		$	-	$	-	$	-	$	-	$	-	$	-

88

		For the Year Ended December 31, 2016
				Commercial Real Estate
								Commercial		All
				Commercial		Commercial		Owner		Other
(In thousands)		Commercial		AD&C		Investor R/E		Occupied R/E		Loans		Total
Troubled debt restructurings
	Restructured accruing	$	42	$	-	$	-	$	508	$	-	$	550
	Restructured non-accruing		-		-		-		-		-		-
Balance		$	42	$	-	$	-	$	508	$	-	$	550
Specific allowance		$	39	$	-	$	-	$	-	$	-	$	39
Restructured and subsequently defaulted		$	-	$	-	$	479	$	-	$	-	$	479

Other Real Estate Owned

Other real estate owned totaled $2.3 million and $1.9 million at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.  At December 31, 2017, $1.5 million of the other real estate owned was comprised of consumer mortgage loans. 

89

Note 6 – Premises and Equipment

Presented in the following table are the components of premises and equipment at December 31:

(In thousands)		2017		2016
Land		$	10,160	$	10,160
Buildings and leasehold improvements			64,278		62,215
Equipment			37,452		35,152
	Total premises and equipment		111,890		107,527
Less: accumulated depreciation and amortization			(57,129)		(53,965)
	Net premises and equipment	$	54,761	$	53,562

Depreciation and amortization expense for premises and equipment amounted to $5.3 million, $5.3 million and $4.6 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. 

Total rental expense of premises and equipment, net of rental income, for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 was $7.9 million, $7.6 million, and $7.3 million, respectively. Lease commitments entered into by the Company bear initial terms varying from 3 to 15 years, or they are 20-year ground leases, and are associated with premises.

Future minimum lease payments, including any additional rents due to escalation clauses, for all non-cancelable operating leases within the years ending December 31 are presented in the table below:

		Operating
(In thousands)		Leases
2018		$	6,490
2019			6,375
2020			6,042
2021			5,339
2022			4,519
Thereafter			15,479
	Total minimum lease payments	$	44,244

Note 7 – Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

The gross carrying amounts and accumulated amortization of intangible assets and goodwill are presented at December 31 in the following table:

		2017						Weighted		2016						Weighted
		Gross				Net		Average		Gross				Net		Average
		Carrying		Accumulated		Carrying		Remaining		Carrying		Accumulated		Carrying		Remaining
(Dollars in thousands)		Amount		Amortization		Amount		Life		Amount		Amortization		Amount		Life
Amortizing intangible assets:
Other identifiable intangibles		$	786	$	(206)	$	580		13.1 years	$	786	$	(106)	$	680		13.8 years
	Total amortizing intangible assets	$	786	$	(206)	$	580			$	786	$	(106)	$	680
Goodwill		$	85,768			$	85,768			$	85,768			$	85,768

90

The following table presents the net carrying amount of goodwill by segment for the periods indicated:

		Community				Investment
(In thousands)		Banking		Insurance		Management		Total
Balance December 31, 2015		$	69,991	$	5,191	$	8,989	$	84,171
	Purchase of insurance agency		-		1,597		-		1,597
Balance December 31, 2016			69,991		6,788		8,989		85,768
	No Activity		-		-		-		-
Balance December 31, 2017		$	69,991	$	6,788	$	8,989	$	85,768

The following table presents the estimated future amortization expense for amortizing intangible assets within the years ending December 31:

(In thousands)		Amount
2018		$	95
2019			83
2020			66
2021			60
Thereafter			276
	Total amortizing intangible assets	$	580

Note 8  – Deposits

The following table presents the composition of deposits at December 31 for the years indicated:

(In thousands)				2017		2016
Noninterest-bearing deposits				$	1,264,392	$	1,138,139
Interest-bearing deposits:
	Demand				658,716		615,058
	Money market savings				1,030,432		927,837
	Regular savings				321,171		310,471
	Time deposits of less than $100,000				293,201		258,621
	Time deposits of $100,000 or more				395,750		327,418
		Total interest-bearing deposits			2,699,270		2,439,405
			Total deposits	$	3,963,662	$	3,577,544

Demand deposit overdrafts reclassified as loan balances were $2.0 million and $1.3 million at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.  Overdraft charge-offs and recoveries are reflected in the allowance for loan losses.

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The following table presents the maturity schedule for time deposits maturing within years ending December 31:

(In thousands)		Amount
2018		$	365,533
2019			187,407
2020			71,325
2021			28,914
Thereafter			35,772
	Total time deposits	$	688,951

The Company's time deposits of $100,000 or more represented 9.0% of total deposits at December 31, 2017 and are presented by maturity in the following table:

	Months to Maturity
	3 or		Over 3		Over 6		Over
(In thousands)	Less		to 6		to 12		12		Total
Time deposits--$100 thousand or more	$	33,046	$	68,127	$	111,421	$	183,156	$	395,750

Interest expense on time deposits of $100,000 or more amounted to $4.5 million, $3.2 million and $2.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Deposits received in the ordinary course of business from the directors and officers of the Company amounted to $29.9 million and $26.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively

Note 9 – Borrowings

Information relating to retail repurchase agreements and other short-term borrowings is presented in the following table at and for the years ending December 31:

		2017				2016				2015
(Dollars in thousands)		Amount		Rate		Amount		Rate		Amount		Rate
	Retail repurchase agreements	$	119,359	0.24	%	$	125,119	0.24	%	$	109,145	0.23	%
Average for the Year:
	Retail repurchase agreements	$	133,356	0.25	%	$	120,711	0.24	%	$	110,776	0.23	%
Maximum Month-end Balance:
	Retail repurchase agreements	$	147,459			$	139,325			$	128,511

The Company pledges U.S. Agencies and Corporate securities, based upon their market values, as collateral for 102.5% of the principal and accrued interest of its retail repurchase agreements.

At December 31, 2017, the Company has an available line of credit for $1.6 billion with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (the "FHLB") under which its borrowings are limited to $1.6 billion based on pledged collateral at prevailing market interest rates with $765.8 million borrowed against it at December 31, 2017.  At December 31, 2016, lines of credit totaled $1.4 billion under which $1.4 billion was available based on pledged collateral with $790.0 million borrowed against it as of December 31, 2016.  Under a blanket lien, the Company has pledged qualifying residential mortgage loans amounting to $805.7 million, commercial loans amounting to $1.2 billion, home equity lines of credit (“HELOC”) amounting to $281.0 million and multifamily loans amounting to $83.0 million at December 31, 2017 as collateral under the borrowing agreement with the FHLB.  At December 31, 2016 the Company had pledged collateral of qualifying mortgage loans of $725.1 million, commercial loans of $1.0 billion, HELOC loans of $307.2 million and multifamily loans of $60.4 million under the FHLB borrowing agreement.  The Company also had lines of credit available from the Federal Reserve and correspondent banks of $359.7 million and $369.4 million at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, collateralized by loans and state and municipal securities. In addition, the Company had unsecured lines of credit with correspondent banks of $70.0 million and $70.0 million at December 31, 2017 and 2016.  At December 31, 2017 there were no outstanding borrowings against these lines of credit.

Advances from FHLB and the respective maturity schedule at December 31 for the years indicated consisted of the following:

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		2017				2016
				Weighted				Weighted
				Average				Average
(Dollars in thousands)		Amounts		Rate		Amounts		Rate
Maturity:
	One year	$	575,000	1.43	%	$	470,000	0.65	%
	Two years		80,000	3.50			150,000	2.40
	Three years		100,833	3.13			80,000	3.50
	Four years		10,000	3.49			80,000	3.54
	Five years		-	-			10,000	3.49
	After five years		-	-			-	-
Total advances from FHLB		$	765,833	1.89		$	790,000	1.60

Note 10 – SUBORDINATED DEBENTURES

The Company formed Sandy Spring Capital Trust II (“Capital Trust”) to facilitate the pooled placement issuance of $35.0 million of trust preferred securities on August 10, 2004. In conjunction with this issuance, the Company issued subordinated debt to the Capital Trust.  In the second quarter of 2016, the Company repurchased $5 million liquidation value of the trust preferred securities issued by the Capital Trust, which allowed the Company to retire $5 million of the subordinated debt. The Company recognized a gain of $1.2 million on this transaction.  On January 6, 2017, the Company repurchased the remaining $30 million in subordinated debentures at par value. In conjunction with this transaction, the Capital Trust redeemed its balance of $30 million of trust preferred securities that were outstanding at December 31, 2016.

Note 11 – Stockholders’ Equity

The Company’s Articles of Incorporation authorize 50,000,000 shares of capital stock (par value $1.00 per share).  Issued shares have been classified as common stock.  The Articles of Incorporation provide that remaining unissued shares may later be designated as either common or preferred stock.

The Company has a director stock purchase plan (the “Director Plan”) which commenced on May 1, 2004.  Under the Director Plan, members of the board of directors may elect to use a portion (minimum 50%) of their annual retainer fee to purchase shares of Company stock.  The Company has reserved 45,000 authorized but unissued shares of common stock for purchase under the plan.  Purchases are made at the fair market value of the stock on the purchase date.  At December 31, 2017, there were 25,291 shares available for issuance under the plan.

The Company has an employee stock purchase plan (the “Purchase Plan”) which was authorized on July 1, 2011.  The Company has reserved 300,000 authorized but unissued shares of common stock for purchase under the current version of the plan.  Shares are purchased at 85% of the fair market value on the exercise date through monthly payroll deductions of not less than 1% or more than 10% of cash compensation paid in the month.  The Purchase Plan is administered by a committee of at least three directors appointed by the board of directors.  At December 31, 2017, there were 138,577 shares available for issuance under this plan.

The Company’s 2015 stock repurchase plan expired on August 31, 2017. The program permitted the repurchase of up to 5% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock or approximately 1,200,000 shares. Under the recently expired repurchase program a total of 736,139 shares of common stock were repurchased for a total cost of $19.2 million. 

The Company has a dividend reinvestment plan that is sponsored and administered by Computershare Shareholder Services as independent agent, which enables current shareholders as well as first-time buyers to purchase and sell common stock of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. directly through Computershare at low commissions.  Participants may reinvest cash dividends and make periodic supplemental cash payments to purchase additional shares. 

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Bank and holding company regulations, as well as Maryland law, impose certain restrictions on dividend payments by the Bank, as well as restricting extensions of credit and transfers of assets between the Bank and the Company. At December 31, 2017, the Bank could have paid additional dividends of $34.8 million to its parent company without regulatory approval.  In conjunction with the Company’s long-term borrowing from Capital Trust, the Bank issued a note to Bancorp for $35.0 million, of which $30 million was outstanding at December 31, 2016. The loan was fully repaid during 2017. There were no other loans outstanding between the Bank and the Company at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

Note 12 – Share Based Compensation

At December 31, 2017, the Company had two share-based compensation plans in existence, the 2005 Omnibus Stock Plan (“Omnibus Stock Plan”) and the 2015 Omnibus Incentive Plan (“Omnibus Incentive Plan”).  The Omnibus Stock Plan expired during the second quarter of 2015 but has outstanding options that may still be exercised.  The Omnibus Incentive Plan is described in the following paragraph.

The Company’s Omnibus Incentive Plan was approved on May 6, 2015 and provides for the granting of non-qualifying stock options to the Company’s directors, and incentive and non-qualifying stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock grants, restricted stock units and performance awards to selected key employees on a periodic basis at the discretion of the board.  The Omnibus Incentive Plan authorizes the issuance of up to 1,500,000 shares of common stock, of which 1,340,359 shares are available for issuance at December 31, 2017, has a term of ten years, and is administered by a committee of at least three directors appointed by the board of directors.  Options granted under the plan have an exercise price which may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the common stock on the date of the grant and must be exercised within seven to ten years from the date of grant.  The exercise price of stock options must be paid for in full in cash or shares of common stock, or a combination of both.  The board committee has the discretion when making a grant of stock options to impose restrictions on the shares to be purchased upon the exercise of such options.  The Company generally issues authorized but previously unissued shares to satisfy option exercises. 

The fair values of all of the options granted for the periods indicated have been estimated using a binomial option-pricing model with the weighted-average assumptions for the years ended December 31 are presented in the following table:

	2017		2016		2015
Dividend yield	2.45	%	3.48	%	3.40	%
Weighted average expected volatility	40.27	%	41.54	%	42.98	%
Weighted average risk-free interest rate	2.14	%	1.42	%	1.42	%
Weighted average expected lives (in years)	5.67		5.71		5.42
Weighted average grant-date fair value	$13.42		$7.75		$7.63

The dividend yield is based on estimated future dividend yields.  The risk-free rate for periods within the contractual term of the share option is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of the grant.  Expected volatilities are generally based on historical volatilities.  The expected term of share options granted is generally derived from historical experience. The Company recognized forfeitures as they occur.

Compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the vesting period of the respective stock option or restricted stock grant. Compensation expense of $2.1 million, $1.9 million, and $1.9 million was recognized for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, related to the awards of stock options and restricted stock grants.  The intrinsic value for the stock options exercised was $0.7 million, $0.6 million, and $0.5 million in the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The total of unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options was approximately $0.2 million as of December 31, 2017.  That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.8 years.  The total of unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted stock was approximately $4.3 million as of December 31, 2017.  That cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of approximately 3.0 years.  The fair value of the options vested during the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, was $0.2 million, $0.2 million and $0.2 million, respectively.

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In the first quarter of 2017, 12,941 stock options were granted, subject to a three year vesting schedule with one third of the options vesting on April 1^st of each year.  The Company granted 48,338 shares of restricted stock in the first quarter of 2017, which are subject to a five year vesting schedule with one fifth of the shares vesting on April 1^st of each year. An additional 6,873 shares of performance based restricted stock grants were also approved as part of the restricted shares granted in the first quarter. The performance shares are subject to cliff vesting after three years based on the relative performance of the Company’s stock in comparison to a selected peer group. Vesting can vary from 0-150% of the target grant based on the results of the Company’s stock performance. There were no additional stock options or shares of restricted stock granted during the remainder of 2017.

A summary of share option activity for the period indicated is reflected in the following table:

					Weighted
		Number	Weighted		Average	Aggregate
		of	Average		Contractual	Intrinsic
		Common	Exercise		Remaining	Value
		Shares	Share Price		Life(Years)	(in thousands)
Balance at January 1, 2017		108,503	$	22.46		$	1,902
Granted		12,941	$	42.48
Exercised		(30,567)	$	19.39		$	669
Forfeited or expired		(3,577)	$	30.07
Balance at December 31, 2017		87,300	$	26.22	3.5	$	1,160
Exercisable at December 31, 2017		56,815	$	22.42	2.5	$	943
Weighted average fair value of options
	granted during the year		$	13.42

A summary of the activity for the Company’s restricted stock for the period indicated is presented in the following table:

	Number	Weighted
	of	Average
	Common	Grant-Date
(In dollars, except share data):	Shares	Fair Value
Restricted stock at January 1, 2017	212,646	$	25.19
Granted	55,211	$	42.48
Vested	(70,382)	$	23.77
Forfeited	(8,440)	$	27.42
Restricted stock at December 31, 2017	189,035	$	30.67

Note 13 – Pension, Profit Sharing, and Other Employee Benefit Plans

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

The Company has a qualified, noncontributory, defined benefit pension plan (the “Plan”) covering substantially all employees. All benefit accruals for employees were frozen as of December 31, 2007 based on past service and thus future salary increases and additional years of service will no longer affect the defined benefit provided by the plan although additional vesting may continue to occur.

The Company's funding policy is to contribute amounts to the plan sufficient to meet the minimum funding requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as amended. In addition, the Company contributes additional amounts as it deems appropriate based on benefits attributed to service prior to the date of the plan freeze. The Plan invests primarily in a diversified portfolio of managed fixed income and equity funds.

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The Plan’s funded status at December 31 is as follows:

(In thousands)			2017		2016
Reconciliation of Projected Benefit Obligation:
	Projected obligation at January 1		$	40,783	$	39,416
	Interest cost			1,640		1,657
	Actuarial loss (gain)			(32)		251
	Benefit payments			(1,945)		(1,248)
	Increase related to change in assumptions			2,995		707
		Projected obligation at December 31		43,441		40,783
Reconciliation of Fair Value of Plan Assets:
	Fair value of plan assets at January 1			36,020		30,683
	Actual return on plan assets			4,971		755
	Contribution			2,200		5,830
	Benefit payments			(1,945)		(1,248)
		Fair value of plan assets at December 31		41,246		36,020
Funded status at December 31			$	(2,195)	$	(4,763)
Accumulated benefit obligation at December 31			$	43,441	$	40,783
Unrecognized net actuarial loss			$	12,487	$	13,689
	Net periodic pension cost not yet recognized		$	12,487	$	13,689

Weighted-average assumptions used to determine benefit obligations at December 31 are presented in the following table:

	2017	2016	2015
Discount rate	3.65%	4.15%	4.26%
Rate of compensation increase	N/A	N/A	N/A

The components of net periodic benefit cost for the years ended December 31 are presented in the following table:

(In thousands)		2017		2016		2015
Interest cost on projected benefit obligation		$	1,640	$	1,657	$	1,629
Expected return on plan assets			(1,985)		(1,614)		(1,622)
Recognized net actuarial loss			1,181		1,164		1,032
	Net periodic benefit cost	$	836	$	1,207	$	1,039

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Weighted-average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit cost for years ended December 31 are presented in the following table:

	2017	2016	2015
Discount rate	4.15%	4.26%	3.91%
Expected return on plan assets	6.00%	5.00%	5.00%
Rate of compensation increase	N/A	N/A	N/A

The expected rate of return on assets of 6.00% reflects the Plan’s predominant investment of assets in equity securities and an analysis of the average rate of return of the S&P 500 index and 10 year U. S. Treasury bonds over the past 10 years.

The following table reflects the components of the net unrecognized benefits costs that is reflected in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for the periods indicated. Additions represent the growth in the unrecognized actuarial loss during the period.  Reductions represent the portion of the unrecognized benefits that are recognized each period as a component of the net periodic benefit cost.

		Unrecognized
		Net
(In thousands)		Loss
Included in accumulated other comprehensive loss at January 1, 2015		$	14,774
	Additions during the year		1,955
	Reclassifications due to recognition as net periodic pension cost		(1,032)
	Decrease related to change in assumptions		(2,659)
Included in accumulated other comprehensive loss as of December 31, 2015			13,038
	Additions during the year		1,108
	Reclassifications due to recognition as net periodic pension cost		(1,164)
	Increase related to change in assumptions		707
Included in accumulated other comprehensive loss as of December 31, 2016			13,689
	Reductions during the year		(3,016)
	Reclassifications due to recognition as net periodic pension cost		(1,181)
	Increase related to change in assumptions		2,995
Included in accumulated other comprehensive loss as of December 31, 2017			12,487
	Applicable tax effect		(4,943)
Included in accumulated other comprehensive loss net of tax effect at December 31, 2017		$	7,544
Amount expected to be recognized as part of net periodic pension cost in the next fiscal year		$	679

There are no plan assets expected to be returned to the employer in the next twelve months.

The following items have not yet been recognized as a component of net periodic benefit cost at December 31:

(In thousands)		2017		2016		2015
Net actuarial loss		$	12,487	$	13,689	$	13,038
	Net periodic benefit cost not yet recognized	$	12,487	$	13,689	$	13,038

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Pension Plan Assets

The Company’s pension plan weighted average allocations at December 31 are presented in the following table:

		2017		2016
Asset Category:
Cash and certificates of deposit		-	%	2.6	%
Equity Securities		15.6		71.2
Mutual Funds		84.4		26.2
	Total pension plan assets	100.0	%	100.0	%

The Company has a written investment policy approved by the board of directors that governs the investment of the defined benefit pension fund trust portfolio.  The investment policy is designed to provide limits on risk that is undertaken by the investment managers both in terms of market volatility of the portfolio and the quality of the individual assets that are held in the portfolio.  The investment policy statement focuses on the following areas of concern: preservation of capital, diversification, risk tolerance, investment duration, rate of return, liquidity and investment management costs.

The Company has constituted the Retirement Plans Investment Committee (“RPIC”) in part to monitor the investments of the Plan as well as to recommend to executive management changes in the Investment Policy Statement which governs the Plan’s investment operations. These recommendations include asset allocation changes based on a number of factors including the investment horizon for the Plan. The Company uses outside third parties to advise RPIC on the Plan’s investment matters.

Investment strategies and asset allocations are based on careful consideration of plan liabilities, the plan’s funded status and the Company’s financial condition. Investment performance and asset allocation are measured and monitored on an ongoing basis. During 2017, management initiated a shift in target allocations for plan assets towards fixed income securities in order to more closely align expected cash outflows with its funding source. This asset allocation has been set after taking into consideration the Plan’s current frozen status and the possibility of partial plan terminations over the intermediate term.

Market volatility risk is controlled by limiting the asset allocation of the most volatile asset class, equities, to no more than 70% of the portfolio and by ensuring that there is sufficient liquidity to meet distribution requirements from the portfolio without disrupting long-term assets.  Diversification of the equity portion of the portfolio is controlled by limiting the value of any initial acquisition so that it does not exceed 5% of the market value of the portfolio when purchased.  The policy requires the sale of any portion of an equity position when its value exceeds 10% of the portfolio.  Fixed income market volatility risk is managed by limiting the term of fixed income investments to five years.  Fixed income investments must carry an “A” or better rating by a recognized credit rating agency.  Corporate debt of a single issuer may not exceed 10% of the market value of the portfolio.  The investment in derivative instruments such as “naked” call options, futures, commodities, and short selling is prohibited.  Investment in equity index funds and the writing of “covered” call options (a conservative strategy to increase portfolio income) are permitted.  Foreign currency-denominated debt instruments are not permitted. At December 31, 2017, management is of the opinion that there are no significant concentrations of risk in the assets of the plan with respect to any single entity, industry, country, commodity or investment fund that are not otherwise mitigated by FDIC insurance available to the participants of the plan and collateral pledged for any such amount that may not be covered by FDIC insurance.  Investment performance is measured against industry accepted benchmarks.  The risk tolerance and asset allocation limitations imposed by the policy are consistent with attaining the rate of return assumptions used in the actuarial funding calculations. The RPIC committee meets quarterly to review the activities of the investment managers to ensure adherence with the Investment Policy Statement.

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Fair Values

The fair values of the Company’s pension plan assets by asset category at December 31 are presented in the following tables:

		2017
		Quoted Prices in		Significant Other		Significant
		Active Markets for		Observable		Unobservable
		Identical Assets		Inputs		Inputs
(In thousands)		(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
Asset Category:
Money market funds		$	-	$	-	$	-	$	-
Mutual funds:
	Large cap U.S. equity funds		1,299		1,309		-		2,608
	Small/Mid cap U.S. equity funds		-		867		-		867
	International equity funds		2,980		-		-		2,980
	Short-term fixed income funds		-		1,220		-		1,220
	Fixed income funds		4,574		28,997		-		33,571
Total mutual funds			8,853		32,393		-		41,246
	Total pension plan assets	$	8,853	$	32,393	$	-	$	41,246

		2016
		Quoted Prices in		Significant Other		Significant
		Active Markets for		Observable		Unobservable
		Identical Assets		Inputs		Inputs
(In thousands)		(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
Asset Category:
Money market funds		$	-	$	925	$	-	$	925
Mutual funds:
	Large cap U.S. equity funds		7,189		10,168		-		17,357
	Small/Mid cap U.S. equity funds		2,288		2,140		-		4,428
	International equity funds		2,053		1,806		-		3,859
	Short-term fixed income funds		-		9,451		-		9,451
Total mutual funds			11,530		23,565		-		35,095
	Total pension plan assets	$	11,530	$	24,490	$	-	$	36,020

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Contributions

The decision as to whether or not to make a plan contribution and the amount of any such contribution is dependent on a number of factors. Such factors include the investment performance of the plan assets in the current economy and, since the plan is currently frozen, the remaining investment horizon of the plan. After consideration of these factors, the Company made a contribution of $2.2 million in 2017. Management continues to monitor the funding level of the pension plan and may make contributions as necessary during 2018.

Estimated Future Benefit Payments

Benefit payments, which reflect expected future service, as appropriate, that are expected to be paid for the years ending December 31 are presented in the following table:

	Pension
(In thousands)	Benefits
2018	$	2,510
2019		2,000
2020		1,800
2021		2,560
2022		2,450
2023 - 2027		13,890

Cash and Deferred Profit Sharing Plan

The Sandy Spring Bank 401(k) Plan includes a 401(k) provision with a Company match. The 401(k) provision is voluntary and covers all eligible employees after ninety days of service.  Employees contributing to the 401(k) provision receive a matching contribution of 100% of the first 3% of compensation and 50% of the next 2% of compensation subject to employee contribution limitations.  The Company matching contribution vests immediately.  The Plan permits employees to purchase shares of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. common stock with their 401(k) contributions, Company match, and other contributions under the Plan.  The Company’s matching contribution to the 401(k) Plan that are included in non-interest expenses totaled $2.0 million, $2.0 million, and $2.0 million in 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Executive Incentive Retirement Plan

The Executive Incentive Retirement Plan is a non-qualified deferred compensation defined contribution plan that provides for contributions to be made to the participants’ plan accounts based on the attainment of a level of financial performance compared to a selected group of peer banks. This level of performance is determined annually by the board of directors.  Benefit costs related to the Plan included in non-interest expense for 2017, 2016 and 2015 were $0.4 million, $0.3 million, and $0.2 million, respectively.

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Note 14 – OTHER NON-INTEREST INCOME AND OTHER NON-INTEREST EXPENSE

Selected components of other non-interest income and other non-interest expense for the years ended December 31 are presented in the following table:

(In thousands)		2017		2016		2015
Letter of credit fees		$	847	$	888	$	790
Extension fees			568		559		503
Other income			4,916		5,312		5,521
	Total other non-interest income	$	6,331	$	6,759	$	6,814

(In thousands)		2017		2016		2015
Professional fees		$	4,492	$	4,840	$	4,819
Other real estate owned			17		19		76
Postage and delivery			1,179		1,155		1,173
Communications			1,502		1,583		1,587
Loss on FHLB redemption			1,275		3,167		-
Other expenses			11,171		9,998		10,896
	Total other non-interest expense	$	19,636	$	20,762	$	18,551

Note 15 – Income Taxes

The following table provides the components of income tax expense for the years ended December 31:

(In thousands)			2017		2016		2015
Current income taxes:
Federal			$	22,355	$	18,699	$	17,890
State				5,146		4,692		4,140
	Total current			27,501		23,391		22,030
Deferred income taxes:
Federal				6,973		516		10
State				252		(167)		(13)
	Total deferred			7,225		349		(3)
		Total income tax expense	$	34,726	$	23,740	$	22,027

The Company does not have uncertain tax positions that are deemed material, and did not recognize any adjustments for unrecognized tax benefits.

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Temporary differences between the amounts reported in the financial statements and the tax bases of assets and liabilities result in deferred taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities, shown as the sum of the appropriate tax effect for each significant type of temporary difference, are presented in the following table at December 31 for the years indicated:

(In thousands)				2017		2016
Deferred Tax Assets:
	Allowance for loan losses			$	12,024	$	17,517
	Employee benefits				1,398		2,034
	Pension plan OCI				3,318		5,433
	Deferred loan fees and costs				416		457
	Non-qualified stock option expense				429		555
	Losses on other real estate owned				42		43
	Other than temporary impairment				217		322
	Loan and deposit premium/discount				91		187
	Reserve for recourse loans				133		199
	Merger Expenses				299		-
	Other				7		9
		Gross deferred tax assets			18,374		26,756
Deferred Tax Liabilities:
	Unrealized gains on investments available-for-sale				(307)		(1,065)
	Pension plan costs				(2,735)		(3,550)
	Depreciation				(1,852)		(1,179)
	Intangible assets				(1,264)		(1,721)
	Bond accretion				(146)		(133)
	Other				(204)		(155)
		Gross deferred tax liabilities			(6,508)		(7,803)
			Net deferred tax asset	$	11,866	$	18,953

The reconcilements between the statutory federal income tax rate and the effective rate for the years ended December 31 are presented in the following table:

(Dollars in thousands)			2017				2016				2015
					Percentage of				Percentage of				Percentage of
					Pre-Tax				Pre-Tax				Pre-Tax
			Amount		Income		Amount		Income		Amount		Income
Income tax expense at federal statutory rate			$	30,776	35.0	%	$	25,194	35.0	%	$	23,584	35.0	%
Increase (decrease) resulting from:
	Tax exempt income, net			(3,929)	(4.5)			(3,606)	(5.0)			(3,457)	(5.1)
	Bank-owned life insurance			(841)	(0.9)			(862)	(1.1)			(900)	(1.3)
	State income taxes, net of federal income tax benefits			3,508	4.0			2,965	4.1			2,687	4.0
	Federal tax rate change			5,544	6.3			-	-			-	-
	Other, net			(332)	(0.4)			49	-			113	0.1
		Total income tax expense and rate	$	34,726	39.5	%	$	23,740	33.0	%	$	22,027	32.7	%

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Act) was enacted on December 22, 2017.  The Act reduces the U.S. federal corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% for years beginning on or after January 1, 2018.  The Company recorded a provisional amount to deferred tax expense of $5.5 million, which was primarily due to a re-measurement of deferred tax assets and liabilities at the newly enacted rate. Certain deferred tax assets and liabilities were re-measured based on the rates at which they are expected to reverse in the future, which is generally 21%. The Company is analyzing certain aspects of the Act along with the recently issued FASB guidance on reclassification of the tax effects stranded in OCI, which could potentially affect the measurement of these balances or give rise to new deferred tax amounts.

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Note 16 – Net Income per Common Share

The calculation of net income per common share for the years ended December 31 is presented in the following table:

(Dollars and amounts in thousands, except per share data)			2017		2016		2015
Net income			$	53,209	$	48,250	$	45,355
Basic:
Basic weighted average EPS shares				24,175		24,120		24,609
		Basic net income per share	$	2.20	$	2.00	$	1.84
Diluted:
Basic weighted average EPS shares				24,175		24,120		24,609
Dilutive common stock equivalents				32		29		89
	Dilutive EPS shares			24,207		24,149		24,698
		Diluted net income per share	$	2.20	$	2.00	$	1.84
Anti-dilutive shares				3		3		7

NOTE 17 – ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

Comprehensive income (loss) is defined as net income plus transactions and other occurrences that are the result of non-owner changes in equity.  For financial statements presented for the Company, non-equity changes are comprised of unrealized gains or losses on available-for-sale debt securities and any minimum pension liability adjustments.  These do not have an impact on the Company’s net income.  The following table presents the activity in net accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for the periods indicated:

		Unrealized Gains
		(Losses) on
		Investments		Defined Benefit
(In thousands)		Available-for-Sale		Pension Plan		Total
Balance at January 1, 2015		$	8,078	$	(8,901)	$	(823)
	Period change, net of tax		(1,512)		1,038		(474)
Balance at December 31, 2015			6,566		(7,863)		(1,297)
	Period change, net of tax		(4,924)		(393)		(5,317)
Balance at December 31, 2016			1,642		(8,256)		(6,614)
	Period change, net of tax		(955)		712		(243)
Balance at December 31, 2017		$	687	$	(7,544)	$	(6,857)

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The following table provides the information on the reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for the periods indicated:

			Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)				2017		2016		2015
Unrealized gains/(losses) on investments available-for-sale
	Affected line item in the Statements of Income:
		Investment securities gains		$	1,273	$	1,932	$	36
		Income before taxes			1,273		1,932		36
		Tax expense			504		770		14
		Net income		$	769	$	1,162	$	22
Amortization of defined benefit pension plan items
	Affected line item in the Statements of Income:
		Recognized actuarial gain (loss) (1)		$	(1,181)	$	(651)	$	1,736
		Income before taxes (benefit)			(1,181)		(651)		1,736
		Tax expense (benefit)			(467)		(258)		698
		Net income (loss)		$	(714)	$	(393)	$	1,038
(1)	This amount is included in the computation of net periodic benefit cost, see Note 13

NOTE 18 – Financial Instruments with Off-balance Sheet Risk and Derivatives

In the normal course of business, the Company has various outstanding credit commitments that are not reflected in the financial statements. These commitments are made to satisfy the financing needs of the Company's clients. The associated credit risk is controlled by subjecting such activity to the same credit and quality controls as exist for the Company's lending and investing activities. The commitments involve diverse business and consumer customers and are generally well collateralized.  Collateral held varies, but may include residential real estate, commercial real estate, property and equipment, inventory and accounts receivable.  Commitments do not necessarily represent future cash requirements as a portion of the commitments have some reduced likelihood of being exercised.  Additionally, many of the commitments are subject to annual reviews, material change clauses or requirements for inspections prior to draw funding that could result in a curtailment of the funding commitments.

A summary of the financial instruments with off-balance sheet credit risk is as follows at December 31 for the years indicated:

(In thousands)		2017		2016
Commercial real estate development and construction		$	390,646	$	334,552
Residential real estate-development and construction			130,751		97,524
Real estate-residential mortgage			18,238		22,970
Lines of credit, principally home equity and business lines			1,044,949		949,939
Standby letters of credit			62,937		68,748
	Total Commitments to extend credit and available credit lines	$	1,647,521	$	1,473,733

The Company has entered into interest rate swaps (“swaps”) to facilitate customer transactions and meet their financing needs. These swaps qualify as derivatives, but are not designated as hedging instruments. Interest rate swap contracts involve the risk of dealing with counterparties and their ability to meet contractual terms. When the fair value of a derivative instrument contract is positive, this generally indicates that the counterparty or customer owes the Company, and results in credit risk to the Company. When the fair value of a derivative instrument contract is negative, the Company owes the customer or counterparty and therefore, has no credit risk.  The swap positions are offset to minimize the potential impact on the Company’s financial statements.  Credit risk exists if the borrower’s collateral or financial condition indicates that the underlying collateral or financial condition of the borrower makes it probable that amounts due will be uncollectible. Any amounts due to the Company will be expected to be collected from the borrower.   Management reviews this credit exposure on a monthly basis.  At December 31, 2017 and 2016, all loans associated with the swap agreements were determined to be “pass” rated credits as provided by regulatory guidance and therefore no component of credit loss was factored into the valuation of the swaps.  A summary of the Company’s interest rate swaps at December 31 for the years indicated is included in the following table:

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			2017
			Notional		Estimated		Years to	Receive		Pay
(Dollars in thousands)			Amount		Fair Value		Maturity	Rate		Rate
Interest Rate Swap Agreements:
	Pay Fixed/Receive Variable Swaps		$	8,894	$	(707)	5.2	2.54	%	5.42	%
	Pay Variable/Receive Fixed Swaps			8,894		707	5.2	5.42	%	2.54	%
		Total Swaps	$	17,788	$	-	5.2	3.98	%	3.98	%

			2016
			Notional		Estimated		Years to	Receive		Pay
(Dollars in thousands)			Amount		Fair Value		Maturity	Rate		Rate
Interest Rate Swap Agreements:
	Pay Fixed/Receive Variable Swaps		$	9,433	$	(1,010)	6.3	1.86	%	5.38	%
	Pay Variable/Receive Fixed Swaps			9,433		1,010	6.3	5.38	%	1.86	%
		Total Swaps	$	18,866	$	-	6.3	3.62	%	3.62	%

The estimated fair value of the swaps at December 31 for the periods indicated in the table above were recorded in other assets and other liabilities.  The associated net gains and losses on the swaps are recorded in other non-interest income.

Note 19 - litigation

The Company and its subsidiaries are subject in the ordinary course of business to various pending or threatened legal proceedings in which claims for monetary damages are asserted. After consultation with legal counsel, management does not anticipate that the ultimate liability, if any, arising out of these legal matters will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, operating results or liquidity.

In 2014, as a result of an adverse jury verdict the Company accrued $6.5 million for litigation expenses associated with the actions of an employee from an institution that was acquired in 2012.  During 2015, as a result of a settlement of all claims, including claims for a contribution from its insurer relating to this litigation, the Company reversed $4.5 million in previously accrued litigation expenses.

Note 20 – Fair Value

Generally accepted accounting principles provide entities the option to measure eligible financial assets, financial liabilities and commitments at fair value (i.e. the fair value option), on an instrument-by-instrument basis, that are otherwise not permitted to be accounted for at fair value under other accounting standards.  The election to use the fair value option is available when an entity first recognizes a financial asset or financial liability or upon entering into a commitment.  Subsequent changes in fair value must be recorded in earnings.  The Company applies the fair value option on residential mortgage loans held for sale.  The fair value option on residential mortgage loans allows the recognition of gains on sale of mortgage loans to more accurately reflect the timing and economics of the transaction.

The standard for fair value measurement establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value.  The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements).  The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below.

Basis of Fair Value Measurement:

Level 1- Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;

Level 2- Quoted prices in markets that are not active, or inputs that are observable, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability;

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Level 3- Prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (i.e. supported by little or no market activity). 

A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. 

Changes to interest rates may result in changes in the cash flows due to prepayments or extinguishments.  Accordingly, this could result in higher or lower measurements of the fair values.

Assets and Liabilities

Mortgage loans held for sale

Mortgage loans held for sale are valued based on quotations from the secondary market for similar instruments and are classified as Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. 

Investments available-for-sale

U.S. government agencies and mortgage-backed securities

Valuations are based on active market data and use of evaluated broker pricing models that vary based by asset class and includes available trade, bid, and other market information.  Generally, the methodology includes broker quotes, proprietary models, descriptive terms and conditions databases coupled with extensive quality control programs.  Multiple quality control evaluation processes review available market, credit and deal level information to support the evaluation of the security.  If there is a lack of objectively verifiable information available to support the valuation, the evaluation of the security is discontinued.  Additionally, proprietary models and pricing systems, mathematical tools, actual transacted prices, integration of market developments and experienced evaluators are used to determine the value of a security based on a hierarchy of market information regarding a security or securities with similar characteristics.  The Company does not adjust the quoted price for such securities.  Such instruments are generally classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

State and municipal securities

Proprietary valuation matrices are used for valuing all tax-exempt municipals that can incorporate changes in the municipal market as they occur.  Market evaluation models include the ability to value bank qualified municipals and general market municipals that can be broken down further according to insurer, credit support, state of issuance and rating to incorporate additional spreads and municipal curves.  Taxable municipals are valued using a third party model that incorporates a methodology that captures the trading nuances associated with these bonds.  Such instruments are generally classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.

Trust preferred securities

In active markets, these types of instruments are valued based on quoted market prices that are readily accessible at the measurement date and are classified within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Positions that are not traded in active markets or are subject to transfer restrictions are valued or adjusted to reflect illiquidity and/or non-transferability, and such adjustments are generally based on available market evidence.  In the absence of such evidence, management uses a process that employs certain assumptions to determine the present value. For further information, refer to Note 3 – Investments. Positions that are not traded in active markets or are subject to transfer restrictions are classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. 

Interest rate swap agreements

Interest rate swap agreements are measured by alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency in markets that are not active.  Based on the complex nature of interest rate swap agreements, the markets these instruments trade in are not as efficient and are less liquid than that of the more mature Level 1 markets.  These markets do however have comparable, observable inputs in which an alternative pricing source values these assets in order to arrive at a fair market value.  These characteristics classify interest rate swap agreements as Level 2.

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Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis

The following tables set forth the Company’s financial assets and liabilities at the December 31 for the years indicated that were accounted for or disclosed at fair value.  Assets and liabilities are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement:

			2017
			Quoted Prices in				Significant
			Active Markets for		Significant Other		Unobservable
			Identical Assets		Observable Inputs		Inputs
(In thousands)			(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
Assets
	Residential mortgage loans held for sale		$	-	$	9,848	$	-	$	9,848
	Investments available-for-sale:
		U.S. government agencies		-		106,568		-		106,568
		State and municipal		-		312,253		-		312,253
		Mortgage-backed		-		300,040		-		300,040
		Corporate debt		-		-		9,432		9,432
		Trust preferred		-		-		1,002		1,002
		Marketable equity securities		-		212		-		212
	Interest rate swap agreements			-		707		-		707
Liabilities
	Interest rate swap agreements		$	-	$	(707)	$	-	$	(707)

			2016
			Quoted Prices in				Significant
			Active Markets for		Significant Other		Unobservable
			Identical Assets		Observable Inputs		Inputs
(In thousands)			(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)		Total
Assets
	Residential mortgage loans held for sale		$	-	$	13,222	$	-	$	13,222
	Investments available-for-sale:
		U.S. government agencies		-		121,790		-		121,790
		State and municipal		-		287,684		-		287,684
		Mortgage-backed		-		312,711		-		312,711
		Corporate debt		-		-		9,134		9,134
		Trust preferred		-		-		1,012		1,012
		Marketable equity securities		-		1,223		-		1,223
	Interest rate swap agreements			-		1,010		-		1,010
Liabilities
	Interest rate swap agreements		$	-	$	(1,010)	$	-	$	(1,010)

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The fair value of investments transferred or that are purchased and placed in Level 3 is estimated by discounting the expected future cash flows using the current rates for investments with similar credit ratings and similar remaining maturities.  Expected cash flows were projected based on contractual cash flows.

The following table provides activity of assets reported as Level 3 for the period indicated:

			Significant
			Unobservable
			Inputs
(In thousands)			(Level 3)
Investments available-for-sale:
	Balance at January 1, 2017		$	10,146
		Sales of Level 3 assets		(158)
		Total unrealized gains included in accumulated other comprehensive loss		446
	Balance at December 31, 2017		$	10,434

Assets Measured at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis

The following table sets forth the Company’s financial assets subject to fair value adjustments (impairment) on a nonrecurring basis at December 31 for the year indicated that are valued at the lower of cost or market.  Assets are classified in their entirety based on the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement:

		2017
		Quoted Prices in		Significant
		Active Markets		Other		Significant
		for Identical		Observable		Unobservable
(In thousands)		Assets  (Level 1)		Inputs (Level 2)		Inputs (Level 3)		Total		Total Losses
Impaired loans (1)		$	-	$	-	$	8,474	$	8,474	$	(11,806)
Other real estate owned			-		-		2,253		2,253		(158)
	Total	$	-	$	-	$	10,727	$	10,727	$	(11,964)
(1) Amounts represent the fair value of collateral for impaired loans allocated to the allowance for loan losses.  Fair values are determined using actual market prices
(Level 2), independent third party valuations and borrower records, discounted as appropriate (Level 3).

		2016
		Quoted Prices in		Significant
		Active Markets		Other		Significant
		for Identical		Observable		Unobservable
(In thousands)		Assets  (Level 1)		Inputs (Level 2)		Inputs (Level 3)		Total		Total Losses
Impaired loans (1)		$	-	$	-	$	8,981	$	8,981	$	(10,600)
Other real estate owned			-		-		1,911		1,911		(107)
	Total	$	-	$	-	$	10,892	$	10,892	$	(10,707)
(1) Amounts represent the fair value of collateral for impaired loans allocated to the allowance for loan losses.  Fair values are determined using actual market prices
(Level 2), independent third party valuations and borrower records, discounted as appropriate (Level 3).

At December 31, 2017, impaired loans totaling $20.8 million were written down to fair value of $16.8 million as a result of specific loan loss allowances of $4.0 million associated with the impaired loans which was included in the allowance for loan losses.  Impaired loans totaling $24.1 million were written down to fair value of $19.3 million at December 31, 2016 as a result of specific loan loss allowances of $4.8 million associated with the impaired loans.

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Loan impairment is measured using the present value of expected cash flows, the loan’s observable market price or the fair value of the collateral (less selling costs) if the loans are collateral dependent.  Collateral may be real estate and/or business assets including equipment, inventory and/or accounts receivable.  The value of business equipment, inventory and accounts receivable collateral is based on net book value on the business’ financial statements and, if necessary, discounted based on management’s review and analysis. Appraised and reported values may be discounted based on management’s historical knowledge, changes in market conditions from the time of valuation, and/or management’s expertise and knowledge of the client and client’s business.  Impaired loans are reviewed and evaluated on at least a quarterly basis for additional impairment and adjusted accordingly, based on the factors identified above. Valuation techniques are consistent with those techniques applied in prior periods.

Other real estate owned (“OREO”) is adjusted to fair value upon transfer of the loans to OREO.  Subsequently, OREO is carried at the lower of carrying value or fair value.  The estimated fair value for other real estate owned included in Level 3 is determined by independent market based appraisals and other available market information, less cost to sell, that may be reduced further based on market expectations or an executed sales agreement.  If the fair value of the collateral deteriorates subsequent to initial recognition, the Company records the OREO as a non-recurring Level 3 adjustment.  Valuation techniques are consistent with those techniques applied in prior periods.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The Company discloses fair value information about financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate the value, whether or not such financial instruments are recognized on the balance sheet.  Fair value is the amount at which a financial instrument could be exchanged in a current transaction between willing parties, other than in a forced sale or liquidation, and is best evidenced by a quoted market price, if one exists.

Quoted market prices, where available, are shown as estimates of fair market values. Because no quoted market prices are available for a significant portion of the Company's financial instruments, the fair value of such instruments has been derived based on the amount and timing of future cash flows and estimated discount rates.

Present value techniques used in estimating the fair value of many of the Company's financial instruments are significantly affected by the assumptions used. In that regard, the derived fair value estimates cannot be substantiated by comparison to independent markets and, in many cases, could not be realized in immediate cash settlement of the instrument. Additionally, the accompanying estimates of fair values are only representative of the fair values of the individual financial assets and liabilities, and should not be considered an indication of the fair value of the Company.

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The carrying amounts and fair values of the Company’s financial instruments at December 31 for the year indicated are presented in the following table:

					Fair Value Measurements
	2017				Quoted Prices in
			Estimated		Active Markets for		Significant Other		Significant
	Carrying		Fair		Identical Assets		Observable Inputs		Unobservable Inputs
(In thousands)	Amount		Value		(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
Financial Assets
Other equity securities	$	45,518	$	45,518	$	-	$	45,518	$	-
Loans, net of allowance		4,268,991		4,320,719		-		-		4,320,719
Other assets		95,730		95,730		-		95,730		-
Financial Liabilities
Time deposits	$	688,951	$	684,139	$	-	$	684,139	$	-
Securities sold under retail repurchase agreements and
federal funds purchased		119,359		119,359		-		119,359		-
Advances from FHLB		765,833		769,860		-		769,860		-

					Fair Value Measurements
	2016				Quoted Prices in
			Estimated		Active Markets for		Significant Other		Significant
	Carrying		Fair		Identical Assets		Observable Inputs		Unobservable Inputs
(In thousands)	Amount		Value		(Level 1)		(Level 2)		(Level 3)
Financial Assets
Investments held-to-maturity and other equity securities	$	46,094	$	46,094	$	-	$	46,094	$	-
Loans, net of allowance		3,883,741		3,933,700		-		-		3,933,700
Other assets		93,328		93,328		-		93,328		-
Financial Liabilities
Time deposits	$	586,039	$	584,868	$	-	$	584,868	$	-
Securities sold under retail repurchase agreements and
federal funds purchased		125,119		125,119		-		125,119		-
Advances from FHLB		790,000		800,756		-		800,756		-
Subordinated debentures		30,000		29,985		-		-		29,985

The following methods and assumptions were used to estimate the fair value of each category of financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate that value:

Cash and temporary investments:  The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents approximate their fair value and have been excluded from the table above.

Investments:  The fair value of marketable securities is based on quoted market prices, prices quoted for similar instruments, and prices obtained from independent pricing services.

Loans: For certain categories of loans, such as mortgage, installment and commercial loans, the fair value is estimated by discounting the expected future cash flows using the current rates at which similar loans would be made to borrowers with similar credit ratings and similar remaining maturities.  Expected cash flows were projected based on contractual cash flows, adjusted for estimated prepayments.

Accrued interest receivable:  The carrying value of accrued interest receivable approximates fair value due to the short-term duration and has been excluded from the table above.

Other assets:  The investment in bank-owned life insurance represents the cash surrender value of the policies at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, as determined by each insurance carrier.  The carrying value of accrued interest receivable approximates fair values due to the short-term duration.

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Deposits:  The fair value of demand, money market savings and regular savings deposits, which have no stated maturity, were considered equal to their carrying amount, representing the amount payable on demand. While management believes that the Bank’s core deposit relationships provide a relatively stable, low-cost funding source that has a substantial intangible value separate from the value of the deposit balances, these estimated fair values do not include the intangible value of core deposit relationships, which comprise a significant portion of the Bank’s deposit base.

Short-term borrowings:  The carrying values of short-term borrowings, including overnight, securities sold under agreements to repurchase and federal funds purchased approximates the fair values due to the short maturities of those instruments.

Long-term borrowings: The fair value of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta advances and subordinated debentures was estimated by computing the discounted value of contractual cash flows payable at current interest rates for obligations with similar remaining terms.  The Company's credit risk is not material to calculation of fair value because these borrowings are collateralized. The Company classifies advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy since the fair value of such borrowings is based on rates currently available for borrowings with similar terms and remaining maturities. Subordinated debentures were classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy due to the lack of market activity of such instruments.

Accrued interest payable: The carrying value of accrued interest payable approximates fair value due to the short-term duration and has been excluded from the previous table.

Note 21 – Parent Company Financial Information

Financial statements for Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (Parent Only) for the periods indicated are presented in the following tables:

Statement of Condition
			December 31,
(In thousands)			2017		2016
Assets
	Cash and cash equivalents		$	13,237	$	10,869
	Investments available-for-sale (at fair value)			9,644		10,357
	Investment in subsidiary			541,062		513,083
	Loan to subsidiary			-		30,000
	Other assets			304		515
Total assets			$	564,247	$	564,824
Liabilities
	Subordinated debentures		$	-	$	30,000
	Accrued expenses and other liabilities			431		1,252
		Total liabilities		431		31,252
Stockholders’ Equity
	Common stock			23,996		23,901
	Additional paid in capital			168,188		165,871
	Retained earnings			378,489		350,414
	Accumulated other comprehensive loss			(6,857)		(6,614)
		Total stockholders’ equity		563,816		533,572
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity			$	564,247	$	564,824

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Statements of Income
			Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)			2017		2016		2015
Income:
	Cash dividends from subsidiary		$	25,420	$	43,975	$	42,580
	Other income			1,832		2,476		995
		Total income		27,252		46,451		43,575
Expenses:
	Interest			12		944		899
	Other expenses			970		1,139		1,123
		Total expenses		982		2,083		2,022
Income before income taxes and equity in undistributed income of subsidiary				26,270		44,368		41,553
Income tax expense (benefit)				331		78		(308)
		Income before equity in undistributed income of subsidiary		25,939		44,290		41,861
Equity in undistributed income of subsidiary				27,270		3,960		3,494
	Net income		$	53,209	$	48,250	$	45,355

Statements of Cash Flows
				Year Ended December 31,
(In thousands)				2017		2016		2015
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Net income				$	53,209	$	48,250	$	45,355
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
		Equity in undistributed income-subsidiary			(27,270)		(3,960)		(3,494)
		Decrease in receivable from subsidiary bank			30,000		-		-
		Share based compensation expense			2,164		2,139		1,979
		Tax benefit from stock options exercised			-		125		350
		Other-net			(4,028)		3,213		10
			Net cash provided by operating activities		54,075		49,767		44,200
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
	Proceeds (purchases) of investment available-for-sale				3,179		(7,000)		(2,600)
		Net cash provided/ (used) by investing activities			3,179		(7,000)		(2,600)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
	Retirement of subordinated debt				(30,000)		(5,000)		-
	Proceeds from issuance of common stock				1,200		1,580		1,174
	Stock tendered for payment of withholding taxes				(952)		(683)		(687)
	Repurchase of common stock				-		(13,273)		(22,624)
	Dividends paid				(25,134)		(23,676)		(22,397)
		Net cash used by financing activities			(54,886)		(41,052)		(44,534)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents					2,368		1,715		(2,934)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year					10,869		9,154		12,088
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year				$	13,237	$	10,869	$	9,154

112

Note 22 – Regulatory Matters

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

Quantitative measures established and defined by regulation to ensure capital adequacy require the Company and the Bank to maintain minimum amounts and ratios of total, Tier 1 and Common Equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets, and of Tier 1 capital to average assets. As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the capital levels of the Company and the Bank substantially exceeded all applicable capital adequacy requirements.

As of December 31, 2017, the most recent notification from the Bank’s primary regulator categorized the Bank as well capitalized under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action.  To be categorized as well capitalized the Bank must maintain minimum total risk-based, Tier 1 risk-based, Common Equity Tier 1 risk-based, and Tier 1 leverage ratios as set forth in the following table. There are no conditions or events since that notification that management believes have changed the Bank's category.

The Company's and the Bank's actual capital amounts and ratios at December 31 for the years indicated are presented in the following table:

113

										To Be Well
										Capitalized Under
						For Capital				Prompt Corrective
		Actual				Adequacy Purposes				Action Provisions
(Dollars in thousands)		Amount		Ratio		Amount		Ratio		Amount		Ratio
As of December 31, 2017:
Total Capital to risk-weighted assets
	Company	$	531,070	11.85	%	$	358,501	8.00	%		N/A	N/A
	Sandy Spring Bank	$	508,514	11.38	%	$	357,352	8.00	%	$	446,690	10.00	%
Tier 1 Capital to risk-weighted assets
	Company	$	485,814	10.84	%	$	268,875	6.00	%		N/A	N/A
	Sandy Spring Bank	$	463,257	10.37	%	$	268,014	6.00	%	$	357,352	8.00	%
Common Equity Tier 1 Capital to risk-
	weighted assets
	Company	$	485,814	10.84	%	$	201,657	4.50	%		N/A	N/A
	Sandy Spring	$	463,257	10.37	%	$	201,011	4.50	%	$	290,349	6.50	%
Tier 1 Leverage
	Company	$	485,814	9.24	%	$	210,407	4.00	%		N/A	N/A
	Sandy Spring Bank	$	463,257	8.82	%	$	210,006	4.00	%	$	262,508	5.00	%
As of December 31, 2016:
Total Capital to risk-weighted assets
	Company	$	529,990	12.80	%	$	331,177	8.00	%		N/A	N/A
	Sandy Spring Bank	$	508,593	12.33	%	$	330,023	8.00	%	$	412,529	10.00	%
Tier 1 Capital to risk-weighted assets
	Company	$	485,923	11.74	%	$	248,383	6.00	%		N/A	N/A
	Sandy Spring Bank	$	434,526	10.53	%	$	247,517	6.00	%	$	330,023	8.00	%
Common Equity Tier 1 Capital to risk-
	weighted assets
	Company	$	455,923	11.01	%	$	186,287	4.50	%		N/A	N/A
	Sandy Spring	$	434,526	10.53	%	$	185,638	4.50	%	$	268,144	6.50	%
Tier 1 Leverage
	Company	$	485,923	10.14	%	$	191,776	4.00	%		N/A	N/A
	Sandy Spring Bank	$	434,526	9.09	%	$	191,304	4.00	%	$	239,130	5.00	%

114

Note 23 - Segment Reporting

Currently, the Company conducts business in three operating segments—Community Banking, Insurance and Investment Management.  Each of the operating segments is a strategic business unit that offers different products and services.  The Insurance and Investment Management segments were businesses that were acquired in separate transactions where management of acquisition was retained.  The accounting policies of the segments are the same as those of the Company.  However, the segment data reflect inter-segment transactions and balances.

The Community Banking segment is conducted through Sandy Spring Bank and involves delivering a broad range of financial products and services, including various loan and deposit products to both individuals and businesses.  Parent company income is included in the Community Banking segment, as the majority of effort of these functions is related to this segment.  Major revenue sources include net interest income, gains on sales of mortgage loans, trust income, fees on sales of investment products and service charges on deposit accounts.  Expenses include personnel, occupancy, marketing, equipment and other expenses.  Non-cash charges associated with amortization of intangibles related to the acquired entities was not significant for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

The Insurance segment is conducted through Sandy Spring Insurance Corporation, a subsidiary of the Bank, and offers annuities as an alternative to traditional deposit accounts.  Sandy Spring Insurance Corporation operates Sandy Spring Insurance, a general insurance agency located in Annapolis, Maryland, and Neff and Associates, located in Ocean City, Maryland.  Major sources of revenue are insurance commissions from commercial lines, personal lines, and medical liability lines.  Expenses include personnel and support charges.  Non-cash charges associated with amortization of intangibles related to the acquired entities was not significant for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively. 

The Investment Management segment is conducted through West Financial Services, Inc., a subsidiary of the Bank.  This asset management and financial planning firm, located in McLean, Virginia, provides comprehensive investment management and financial planning to individuals, families, small businesses and associations including cash flow analysis, investment review, tax planning, retirement planning, insurance analysis and estate planning.  West Financial currently has approximately $1.4 billion in assets under management.  Major revenue sources include non-interest income earned on the above services.  Expenses include personnel and support charges.  Non-cash charges associated with amortization of intangibles related to the acquired entities was not significant for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

115

Information for the operating segments and reconciliation of the information to the consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31 is presented in the following tables:

	2017
	Community				Investment		Inter-Segment
(In thousands)	Banking		Insurance		Mgmt.		Elimination		Total
Interest income	$	194,798	$	2	$	7	$	(8)	$	194,799
Interest expense		26,039		-		-		(8)		26,031
Provision for loan losses		2,977		-		-		-		2,977
Non-interest income		37,447		6,233		8,335		(772)		51,243
Non-interest expenses		119,607		5,533		4,731		(772)		129,099
Income before income taxes		83,622		702		3,611		-		87,935
Income tax expense		33,684		(399)		1,441		-		34,726
Net income	$	49,938	$	1,101	$	2,170	$	-	$	53,209
Assets	$	5,446,056	$	8,873	$	13,126	$	(21,380)	$	5,446,675

	2016
	Community				Investment		Inter-Segment
(In thousands)	Banking		Insurance		Mgmt.		Elimination		Total
Interest income	$	170,556	$	3	$	5	$	(8)	$	170,556
Interest expense		21,012		-		-		(8)		21,004
Provision for loan losses		5,546		-		-		-		5,546
Non-interest income		38,769		5,418		7,568		(713)		51,042
Non-interest expenses		114,368		5,097		4,306		(713)		123,058
Income before income taxes		68,399		324		3,267		-		71,990
Income tax expense		22,337		130		1,273		-		23,740
Net income	$	46,062	$	194	$	1,994	$	-	$	48,250
Assets	$	5,092,283	$	7,732	$	13,650	$	(22,282)	$	5,091,383

	2015
	Community				Investment		Inter-Segment
(In thousands)	Banking		Insurance		Mgmt.		Elimination		Total
Interest income	$	158,313	$	1	$	4	$	(6)	$	158,312
Interest expense		20,119		-		-		(6)		20,113
Provision (credit) for loan losses		5,371		-		-		-		5,371
Non-interest income		53,398		5,516		7,104		(16,117)		49,901
Non-interest expenses		122,183		5,189		4,092		(16,117)		115,347
Income before income taxes		64,038		328		3,016		-		67,382
Income tax expense		20,710		141		1,176		-		22,027
Net income	$	43,328	$	187	$	1,840	$	-	$	45,355
Assets	$	4,656,573	$	5,542	$	12,658	$	(19,393)	$	4,655,380

116

Note 24 – Quarterly Financial Results (unaudited)

A summary of selected consolidated quarterly financial data for the years ended December 31 is provided in the following tables:

	2017
	First		Second		Third		Fourth
(In thousands, except per share data)	Quarter		Quarter		Quarter		Quarter
Interest income	$	45,958	$	48,576	$	49,589	$	50,676
Interest expense		5,705		6,250		6,892		7,184
Net interest income		40,253		42,326		42,697		43,492
Provision for loan losses		194		1,322		934		527
Non-interest income		12,632		13,571		12,746		12,294
Non-interest expense		29,981		32,868		31,191		35,059
Income before income taxes		22,710		21,707		23,318		20,200
Income tax expense		7,598		6,966		8,229		11,933
Net income	$	15,112	$	14,741	$	15,089	$	8,267
Basic net income per share	$	0.63	$	0.61	$	0.62	$	0.34
Diluted net income per share	$	0.63	$	0.61	$	0.62	$	0.34

	2016
	First		Second		Third		Fourth
(In thousands, except per share data)	Quarter		Quarter		Quarter		Quarter
Interest income	$	41,653	$	41,803	$	42,857	$	44,243
Interest expense		5,531		5,071		5,126		5,276
Net interest income		36,122		36,732		37,731		38,967
Provision for loan losses		1,236		2,957		781		572
Non-interest income		13,363		12,751		12,584		12,344
Non-interest expense		32,317		30,871		29,326		30,544
Income before income taxes		15,932		15,655		20,208		20,195
Income tax expense		5,119		5,008		6,734		6,879
Net income	$	10,813	$	10,647	$	13,474	$	13,316
Basic net income per share	$	0.45	$	0.45	$	0.56	$	0.55
Diluted net income per share	$	0.45	$	0.44	$	0.56	$	0.55

117

Note 25 – acquisition of Washingtonfirst bankshares, inc.

On January 1, 2018 (“Acquisition Date”), the Company completed its acquisition of WashingtonFirst Bankshares, Inc. (“WashingtonFirst”) in a transaction valued at approximately $452 million in the aggregate, based on the Company’s volume-weighted average share price of $39.5051. Volume-weighted average share price represents a volume-weighted average price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, for the twenty trading day period ending on the fifth trading day before the closing of the acquisition. As of the Acquisition Date, WashingtonFirst was merged into the Company and WashingtonFirst’s wholly-owned subsidiary, WashingtonFirst Bank, was merged  with and into Sandy Spring Bank.

The Company issued an aggregate of 11,446,441 shares of the Company’s common stock in the transaction. At the effective date of the acquisition, Sandy Spring shareholders owned approximately 67.7% of the combined company and WashingtonFirst’s shareholders owned approximately 32.3% of the combined company.

WashingtonFirst was headquartered in Reston, Virginia, had 19 community banking offices throughout the Washington D.C. metropolitan region and more than $2.1 billion in assets as of December 31, 2017. In addition, WashingtonFirst provided wealth management services through its subsidiary, 1st Portfolio Wealth Advisors, and mortgage banking services through the bank’s subsidiary, WashingtonFirst Mortgage Corporation. 

The acquisition of WashingtonFirst is being accounted for as a business combination using the acquisition method of accounting and, accordingly, assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and consideration paid are recorded at estimated fair values on the Acquisition Date. Due to complexity of the fair value analysis and relatively short time frame between the Acquisition Date and financial statements issuance date, the valuation of acquired assets and assumed liabilities was not final as of the financial statements issuance date. The provisional amount of goodwill recognized was approximately $264 million. The estimated fair values of the acquired assets and assumed liabilities will be subject to refinement as additional information relative to closing date fair values becomes available. Any subsequent adjustments to the fair values of acquired assets and liabilities assumed, identifiable intangible assets, or other purchase accounting adjustments will result in adjustments to goodwill within the first 12 months following the closing date of acquisition. We anticipate to finalize the valuation by the end of the first quarter of 2018.

Item 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

None.

Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Fourth Quarter 2017 Changes In Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting

No change occurred during the fourth quarter of 2017 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

As required by SEC rules, the Company’s management evaluated the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) as of December 31, 2017.  The Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer participated in the evaluation.  Based on this evaluation, the Company’s chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2017.

Management’s annual report on internal control over financial reporting is located on page 59 of this report.

Item 9B. OTHER INFORMATION

None.

PART III

Item 10.               Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

118

The material labeled “Information About Nominees and Incumbent Directors,” “Corporate Governance and Other Matters,”  “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance,” “Shareholder Proposals and Communications,” and  “Report of the Audit Committee” in the Proxy Statement is incorporated in this Report by reference. Information regarding executive officers is included under the caption “Executive Officers” on page 14 of this Report.

Item 11.               Executive Compensation

The material labeled "Corporate Governance and Other Matters," "Compensation Discussion and Analysis," and "Compensation Committee Report" in the Proxy Statement is incorporated in this Report by reference.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related   Stockholder Matters

The material labeled “Owners of More than 5% of Bancorp’s Common Stock” and, "Stock Ownership of Directors and Executive Officers" in the Proxy Statement is incorporated in this Report by reference. Information regarding securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans is incorporated by reference from “Equity Compensation Plans” on page 27.

Item 13.               Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director Independence

The material labeled “Director Independence” and "Transactions and Relationships with Management" in the Proxy Statement is incorporated in this Report by reference.

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services

The material labeled “Audit and Non-Audit” Fees in the Proxy Statement is incorporated in this Report by reference.

PART IV.

Item 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

The following financial statements are filed as a part of this report:

   Consolidated Statements of Condition at December 31, 2017 and 2016

   Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

   Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

   Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

   Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders' Equity for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015

   Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements

   Reports of Registered Public Accounting Firm

All financial statement schedules have been omitted, as the required information is either not applicable or included in the Consolidated Financial Statements or related Notes.

119

Exhibit No.	Description
3(a)	Articles of Incorporation of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 1996, SEC File No. 0-19065)
3(b)	Articles of Amendment to the Articles of Incorporation of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3(b) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, SEC File No. 0-19065)
3(c)	Bylaws of Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to Registration Statement on Form S-3, SEC File No. 333-222910)
4(a)	No long-term debt instrument issued by the Company exceeds 10% of consolidated assets or is registered.  In accordance with paragraph 4(iii) of Item 601(b) of Regulation S-K, the Company will furnish the SEC copies of all long-term debt instruments and related agreements upon request.
10(a)*	Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. 2005 Omnibus Stock Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed on June 27, 2005, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(b)*	Form of Director Fee Deferral Agreement, August 26, 1997, as amended (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(h) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(c)*	Form of Amendment to Directors’ Fee Deferral Agreement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(o) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(d)*	Sandy Spring Bank Directors’ Deferred Fee Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(d) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(e)*	Employment Agreement by and among Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank, and Philip J. Mantua (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed on January 17, 2012, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(f)*	Employment Agreement by and among Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank, and Daniel J. Schrider (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(h) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(g)*	Form of Sandy Spring National Bank of Maryland Officer Group Term Replacement Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(r) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2001, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(h)*	Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. Directors’ Stock Purchase Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4 to Registration Statement on Form S-8, File No. 333-166808)
10(i)*	Sandy Spring Bank Executive Incentive Retirement Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(v) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(j)*	Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. 2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (incorporated by reference to Appendix A of the Definitive Proxy Statement filed on March 28, 2011, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(k)*	Change in Control Agreement by and among Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank, and R. Louis  Caceres (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(m) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(l)*	Employment Agreement by and among Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank, and Joseph J. O’Brien, Jr. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed on January 17, 2012, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(m)*	Second Amendment to Employment Agreement Between Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank and Daniel J. Schrider dated January 1, 2009 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed on March 7, 2013, SEC File No. 0-19065)

120

10(n)*	Amendment to Employment Agreement Between Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank and Philip J. Mantua dated January 13, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to Form 8-K filed on March 7, 2013, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(o)*	Amendment to Employment Agreement Between Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank and Joseph J. O’Brien, Jr. dated January 13, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to Form 8-K filed on March 7, 2013, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(p)*	Amendment to Change in Control Agreement Between Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank and R. Louis Caceres dated March 9, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to Form 8-K filed on March 7, 2013, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(q)*	Change in Control Agreement Between Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank and Ronald E. Kuykendall dated March 7, 2013 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10(t) to Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(r)*	Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. 2015 Omnibus Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Appendix A of the Definitive Proxy Statement filed on March 31, 2015,  SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(s)*	Separation and Consulting Agreement by and between Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc., Sandy Spring Bank and Shaza L. Andersen dated December 29, 2017 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Form 8-K filed on January 2, 2018, SEC File No. 0-19065)
10(t)*	WashingtonFirst Bank Supplemental Executive Retirement Agreement effective October 1, 2014 between WashingtonFirst Bank and Joseph S. Bracewell (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.17 to Form 8-K filed by WashingtonFirst Bankshares, Inc. on October 17, 2014, SEC File No. 001-35768)
10(u)*	WashingtonFirst Bank Supplemental Executive Retirement Agreement effective October 1, 2014 between WashingtonFirst Bank and Shaza L. Andersen (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.13 to Form 8-K filed by WashingtonFirst Bankshares, Inc. on April 29, 2014, SEC File No. 001-35768)
21	Subsidiaries
23(a)	Consent of Ernst and Young LLP
31(a)	Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification
31(b)	Rule 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) Certification
32(a)	18 U.S.C. Section 1350 Certification
32(b)	18 U.S.C. Section 1350 Certification
101	The following materials from the Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 formatted in Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL): (i) the Consolidated Statements of Condition; (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Income; (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income; (iv) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; (v) the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity; and (vi) related notes.
* Management Contract or Compensatory Plan or Arrangement filed pursuant to Item 15(b) of this Report.

121

Item 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY

None.

122

SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to
be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
SANDY SPRING BANCORP, INC.
(Registrant)
By:	/s/ Daniel J. Schrider
	Daniel J. Schrider
	President and Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons
on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated as of February 23, 2018.
Principal Executive Officer and Director:		Principal Financial and Accounting Officer:
/s/ Daniel J. Schrider		/s/ Philip J. Mantua
Daniel J. Schrider		Philip J. Mantua
President and Chief Executive Officer		Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
	Signature		Title
/s/ Shaza L. Andersen			Director
Shaza L. Andersen
/s/ Joseph S. Bracewell			Director
Joseph S. Bracewell
/s/ Ralph F. Boyd, Jr.			Director
Ralph F. Boyd, Jr.
/s/ Mark E. Friis			Director
Mark E. Friis
/s/ Robert E. Henel, Jr.			Director
Robert E. Henel, Jr.
/s/ Pamela A. Little			Director
Pamela A. Little
/s/ James J. Maiwurm			Director
James J. Maiwurm
/s/ Mark C. Michael			Director
Mark C. Michael
/s/ Gary G. Nakamoto			Director
Gary G. Nakamoto
/s/ Robert L. Orndorff			Director
Robert L. Orndorff
/s/ Joe R. Reeder			Director
Joe R. Reeder
/s/ Craig A. Ruppert			Director
Craig A. Ruppert
/s/ Mona Abutaleb Stephenson			Director
Mona Abutaleb Stephenson
/s/ Dennis A. Starliper			Director
Dennis A. Starliper

123

124