8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 2, 2020

Financial Institutions, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

New York	0-26481	16-0816610
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)
220 Liberty Street Warsaw, New York		14569
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (585) 786-1100

Not Applicable

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instructions A.2. below):

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common stock, par value $0.01 per share	FISI	Nasdaq Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 8.01 Other Events.

On November 4, 2020, Financial Institutions, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program for up to 801,879 shares of its common stock, or approximately 5% of the Company’s outstanding common shares. The repurchase program permits shares to be repurchased in open market transactions and pursuant to any trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  The timing and number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors including price, corporate and regulatory requirements, market conditions, and other corporate liquidity requirements and priorities. The repurchase program does not obligate the Company to purchase any shares and it may be extended, modified or discontinued at any time.

A copy of the press release announcing the approval of the share repurchase program is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

Exhibit Number	Description	Location
99.1	Press Release issued by Financial Institutions, Inc. on November 4, 2020	Filed Herewith
104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements 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.

	Financial Institutions, Inc.
Date: November 4, 2020	By:	/s/ Justin K. Bigham
		Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Financial Institutions, Inc. Announces Stock Repurchase Program

WARSAW, NY – November 4, 2020 – Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:FISI) (the “Company”), parent company of Five Star Bank (the “Bank”), SDN Insurance Agency, LLC (“SDN”), Courier Capital, LLC (“Courier Capital”) and HNP Capital, LLC (“HNP Capital”), today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program for up to 801,879 shares of its common stock, or approximately 5% of the Company’s outstanding common shares.

The repurchase program permits shares to be repurchased in open market transactions and pursuant to any trading plan that may be adopted in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  

The timing and number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors including price, corporate and regulatory requirements, market conditions, and other corporate liquidity requirements and priorities. The repurchase program does not obligate the Company to purchase any shares and it may be extended, modified or discontinued at any time.

About Financial Institutions, Inc.

Financial Institutions, Inc. provides diversified financial services through its subsidiaries Five Star Bank, SDN, Courier Capital and HNP Capital. Five Star Bank provides a wide range of consumer and commercial banking and lending services to individuals, municipalities and businesses through a network of approximately 50 offices throughout Western and Central New York State. SDN provides a broad range of insurance services to personal and business clients. Courier Capital and HNP Capital provide customized investment management, investment consulting and retirement plan services to individuals, businesses, institutions, foundations and retirement plans. Financial Institutions, Inc. and its subsidiaries employ approximately 630 individuals. The Company’s stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol FISI. Additional information is available at www.fiiwarsaw.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements as defined by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that involve significant risks and uncertainties. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance and financial condition, and often contain words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “see,” “will,” “would,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “target,” “preliminary,” or “range.” Statements herein are based on certain assumptions and analyses by the Company and factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in or implied by such statements for a variety of reasons including, but not limited to: the Company’s ability to complete the exchange of subordinated notes recently sold in a private placement for registered notes, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s customers, business, and results of operations as well as the economy in Western New York and the United States, the Company’s ability to implement its strategic plan, whether the Company experiences greater credit losses than expected, whether the Company experiences breaches of its, or third party, information systems, the attitudes and preferences of the Company’s customers, the Company’s ability to successfully integrate and profitably operate SDN, Courier Capital, HNP Capital and other acquisitions, the competitive environment, fluctuations in the fair value of securities in its investment portfolio, changes in the regulatory environment and the Company’s compliance with regulatory requirements, changes in interest rates, and general economic and credit market conditions nationally and regionally. Consequently, all forward-looking statements made herein are qualified by these cautionary statements and the cautionary language in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents filed with the SEC. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise these statements following the date of this press release.

For additional information contact:

Shelly J. Doran

(585) 627-1362

sjdoran@five-starbank.com

XML

Document And Entity Information	Nov. 02, 2020
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	8-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Nov. 02, 2020
Entity Registrant Name	Financial Institutions, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0000862831
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity File Number	0-26481
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	NY
Entity Tax Identification Number	16-0816610
Entity Address, Address Line One	220 Liberty Street
Entity Address, City or Town	Warsaw
Entity Address, State or Province	NY
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	14569
City Area Code	585
Local Phone Number	786-1100
Written Communications	false
Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common stock, par value $0.01 per share
Trading Symbol	FISI
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ