●the impact of future cash requirements relating to commitments to extend credit;

RecentDevelopment of the Business

On December 18, 2019, we entered into an agreement to release certain management members of our mortgage division from their employment contracts and allow those individuals to create a limited liability company (“LLC”) for the purpose of hiring our remaining mortgage employees. We also agreed to transfer ownership of the domain name “VAmortgage.com” to the newly created LLC. In consideration of the release of the employment agreements, the transfer of our mortgage employees, and the sale of the domain name, the LLC paid us $750 thousand.

Under the agreement, there is a transition period of approximately 45 days, after which we have agreed to cease originating residential first lien mortgage loans and exit our mortgage banking activities. Accordingly, we expect to have the majority of the residential first lien mortgage pipeline processed by the end of the first quarter of 2020. In order to manage future loan run-off within our residential mortgage loan portfolio, we plan on buying first lien residential mortgage loans, on a servicing released basis, from both the LLC and other third-party originators.

On December 6, 2018, we entered into Subordinated Note Purchase Agreements with certain institutional accredited investors pursuant to which we sold and issued $25.0 million in aggregate principal amount of 6.00% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Subordinated Notes due December 6, 2028 (the “Notes”). We used the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, to provide for continued growth and to supplement our regulatory capital ratios.

On March 1, 2018, we completed our merger with First Mariner Bank, a Maryland chartered trust company (“First Mariner”). At the effective time of the merger, First Mariner merged with and into the Bank, with the Bank continuing as the surviving bank. At the effective time of the merger, each outstanding share of First Mariner common stock and First Mariner Series A Non-Voting Non-Cumulative Perpetual Preferred Stock issued and outstanding was cancelled and converted into the right to receive 1.6624 shares of our common stock with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares. The aggregate merger consideration of $173.8 million included $9.2 million of cash and 9,143,222 shares of our common stock, which was valued at approximately $164.6 million. In our merger with First Mariner, we acquired 14 branches located in Baltimore City and Baltimore, Harford, Howard and Anne Arundel counties. First Mariner had total assets with a fair value of $1.01 billion as of March 1, 2018, including $664.3 million of loans, net of purchase accounting adjustments.

On February 1, 2017, we closed an underwritten public offering of 2,760,000 shares of our common stock, which included the exercise in full of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, at a public offering price of $15.00 per share. The amount of gross proceeds raised in the offering was approximately $41.4 million, after underwriting discounts and estimated expenses, and the amount of net proceeds raised in this offering was $38.4 million. We used the proceeds of the offering to pay off a $12.7 million loan to Raymond James Bank, N.A. and retained the remainder. This had a positive impact on our liquidity and capital position in 2017 and provided funds that allowed us to continue to grow our loans and investments.

Our Market Area

Our headquarters are located in Baltimore City, Maryland. We consider our primary market area to be the Greater Baltimore Metropolitan Area in Maryland. As of December 31, 2019,2020, we had 1615 full-service branches and eight mortgage and commercial lending offices located throughout Maryland.Maryland; however, we plan to close two of our branches in early 2021. For additional detaildetails regarding branch and lending offices, see “Item 2. Properties” below in this report.

Competition

Our primary market area is highly competitive and heavily branched by other financial institutions of all sizes.  The principal methods of competition for financial services are price (interest rates paid on deposits, interest rates charged on loans and fees charged for services) and service (convenience and quality of services rendered to customers). In addition to competition from other commercial banks, we face significant competition from non-bank financial institutions, including savings and loan associations, credit unions, finance companies, insurance companies and investment firms. The financial services industry has become more competitive as technology advances have lowered barriers to entry, enabling more companies, including nonbank companies, to provide financial services. Many of our nonbank competitors which are not subject to the same extensive federal regulations that govern bank holding companies and banks, such as the Company and the Bank, may have certain competitive advantages.  Technological advances may diminish the importance of depository institutions and other financial institutions. We also compete for deposits with a broad range of other types of investments, including mutual funds and annuities.

Mergers and acquisitions have also led to increased concentration in the banking industry, placing added competitive pressure on our core banking products and services as we see competitors enter some of our markets or offer similar products.  While we believe that acquisitions of several local competitors by larger institutions headquartered outside of the State of Maryland during the last several years has enhanced our competitive position as a locally-headquartered and managed community bank, many of these competitors have substantially greater resources and lending limits than we do and offer services, such as extensive and established branch networks and trust services, that we do not expect to provide in the near future or ever.

As a community bank with over $2$2.5 billion in assets, we believe that we are well positioned to navigate the ongoing market consolidation and heightened regulatory environment. We have the ability to outsource certain activities (internal audit, compliance review, information security monitoring) and to source new products and services in a highly efficient manner, allowing us to avoid the risk of impairment of operating earnings faced by some banks. We believe this offers an advantage over our competitors which may be locked into legacy systems, or which may find the onslaught of new regulations and evolving consumer expectations challenging. Strategic partnerships for these outsourced activities include contractual relationships with some of the largest and strongest providers of item processing, data processing, information monitoring and payment systems alternatives.  We believe that this provides us with the best of technology and product selection without sacrificing the more intimate delivery advantages of a community bank.  We further believe the current economic and regulatory environment will continue to result in greater consolidation among financial institutions, including community banks.  Some of that consolidation will occur with larger banks, thus exacerbating the scarcity of banks able to underwrite and offer advice in interactions with customers as we do, which we believe gives us a wider window of opportunity to extend our brand and value proposition.  We believe, however, that to the extent some of that consolidation occurs between and among smaller banks, the resulting combined institutions will be better positioned to differentiate themselves. Areas of our primary market are currently experiencing significant disruption due to industry consolidation, management turnover and de novo banking activities. We believe these disruptions will continue in the short-term and may accelerate, which could create additional opportunities for us.

We believe that “Our Mission to Build our Legacy by Helping Others to Build Theirs” approach to delivering services to small and medium-sized businesses is essential to our competitive position.  Through a team of experienced advisors, we provide our customers with access to local policy and decision makers.  We also offer an array of competitive credit and cash management services that we feel fills a “white space” in the market.  We believe that we fit well between sophisticated, but often distracted large banks and responsive, but less capable small banks.  Our relationship managers, team leaders and executive management generally have decades of banking experiences and are well established in the communities that they serve.  They are able to interface with clients directly to share that experience and to provide

connections with their own network of other specialized advisors.  We believe we also benefit from our committed leadership, at both the executive management and board level, who bring a broad array of skills and experiences and who are able to position us for consistent profitable growth.

Lending Activities

General

Our primary focus is making loans to and gathering deposits from small and medium-sized businesses and their owners, professionals and executives, and high-net-worth individuals in our primary market area.  Our loans are made to customers primarily in the Greater Baltimore market and, to a lesser extent, the Greater Washington market.  Our lending activities consist generally of short to medium-term commercial lending, commercial mortgage lending for both owner occupied and investment properties, residential mortgage lending, and consumer lending, both secured and unsecured. A substantial portion of our loan portfolio consists of loans to businesses secured by real estate and/or other business assets.

Credit Policies and Administration

We have adopted a comprehensive lending policy that includes stringent underwriting standards for all types of loans.  Our lending teams follow pricing guidelines established periodically by our management team.  In an effort to manage risk, minimal lending authority is given to individual loan officers. Most loan officers can approve loans up to $100,000 (with a select number of loan officers having the authority to $1,000,000). The Chief Credit Officer, the Chief Commercial Banking Officer, the Chief Executive Officer and the PresidentChief Operating Officer can approve loans up to $2,000,000,$2,500,000, or any two together can approve loans up to $4,000,000.$5,000,000. Loans above these amounts are reviewed by our Loan Committee. Under the leadership of our executive management team, we believe that we employ experienced lending officers, secure appropriate collateral, and carefully monitor the financial condition of our borrowers and the concentration of loans in our portfolio.

In addition to the normal repayment risks, all loans in the portfolio are subject to the state of the economy and the related effects on the borrower and/or the real estate market.  Generally, longer-term loans have periodic interest rate adjustments and/or call provisions.  Senior management monitors the loan portfolio closely to ensure that we minimize past due loans and that we swiftly deal with potential problem loans.

We also retain an outside, independent firm to annually perform a detailed review of our loan portfolio.  We use the results of the firm’s report primarily to validate the risk ratings applied to loans in the portfolio and identify any systemic weaknesses in underwriting, documentation or management of the portfolio.  Results of the annual review are presented to executive management, the Asset Quality Committee of the board of directors of the Bank and the full board of directors of the Bank and are available to and used by regulatory examiners when they review the Bank’s asset quality.

We also use an internal credit administration group that assists us in the underwriting and serves as an additional reviewer of underwriting.  In addition, a separately-managed loan administration group oversees documentation, compliance and timeliness of collection activities.  Our outsourced internal audit firm also reviews documentation, compliance and file management.

Commercial Lending

Our commercial lending consists of lines of credit, revolving credit facilities, accounts receivable and inventory financing, term loans, equipment loans, equipment leases, small business administration (“SBA”) loans, stand-by letters of credit and unsecured loans.  We originate commercial loans for any business purpose, including the financing of leasehold improvements and equipment, the carrying of accounts receivable, general working capital, contract administration and acquisition activities.  These loans typically have maturities of seven years or less.  We have a diverse client base and we do not have a concentration of these types of loans in any specific industry segment.  We generally secure commercial business loans with accounts receivable and inventory, equipment, indemnity deeds of trust and other collateral such as marketable securities, cash value of life insurance, and time deposits at the Bank.  Commercial business loans have a higher degree of risk than residential mortgage loans because the availability of funds for repayment generally depends on

the success of the business.  To help manage this risk, we establish parameters/covenants at the inception of the loan to provide early warning systems before payment default.  We normally seek to obtain appropriate collateral and personal guarantees from the borrower’s principal owners.  We are able, given our business model, to proactively monitor the financial condition of the business.

Commercial Mortgage Lending

We finance commercial real estate for our clients, for both owner-occupied properties and investmentnon-owner occupied (investment) properties (including residential properties).  We generally will finance owner occupied commercial real estate at a maximum loan-to-value of 85% and non-owner occupied at a maximum loan-to-value of 80%.  Our underwriting policies and processes focus on the underlying credit of the owner for owner occupiedowner-occupied real estate and on the rental income stream (including rent terms and strength of tenants) for non-owner occupied real estate as well as an assessment of the underlying real estate.  Risks inherent in managing a commercial real estate portfolio relate to vacancy rates/absorption rates for surrounding properties, sudden or gradual drops in property values as well as changes in the economic climate.  We attempt to mitigate these risks by carefully underwriting loans of this type as well as by following appropriate loan-to-value standards.  We are cash flow lenders and we generally do not rely solely on property valuations in reaching a lending decision.  Personal guarantees are often required for commercial real estate loans as they are for other commercial loans.  Most of our commercial real estate loans carry fixed interest rates and amortize over 20 to 25 years but have five to seven-year maturities.  Properties securing our commercial real estate loans primarily include office buildings, office condominiums, distribution facilities and manufacturing plants.  Substantially all of our commercial real estate loans are secured by properties located in our market area.

Commercial real estate loans generally carry higher interest rates and have shorter terms than one-to-four family residential mortgage loans.  Commercial real estate loans, however, entail significant additional risks as compared with residential mortgage lending, as they typically involve larger loan balances concentrated with single borrowers or groups of related borrowers.  In addition, the payment of loans secured by income-producing properties typically depends on the successful operation of the property, as repayment of the loan generally is dependent, in large part, on sufficient income from the property to cover operating expenses and debt service.  Changes in economic conditions that are not in the control of the borrower or lender could affect the value of the collateral for the loan or the future cash flow of the property.  Additionally, any decline in real estate values may be more pronounced for commercial real estate than residential properties.

Construction Lending

Construction lending can cover funding for land acquisition, land development and/or construction of residential or commercial structures.  Our construction loans generally bear a variable rate of interest and have terms of one to two years.  Funds are advanced on a percentage-of-completion basis.  These loans are generally repaid at the end of the development or construction phase, although loans for both residential and commercial construction will often convert into a permanent mortgage loan at the end of the term of the loan.  Loan to value parameters range from 65% of the value of land to 75% for developed land, 80% for commercial or multifamily construction and 85% for residential construction.  These loan-to-value ratios represent the upper limit of advance rates to remain in compliance with Bank policy.  Typically, loan-to-value ratios should be somewhat lower than these upper limits, requiring the borrower to provide significant equity at the inception of the loan.  Our underwriting looks not only at the value of the property but the expected cash flows to be generated by sale of the parcels or completed construction.  We expect the borrower to demonstrate solid experience in this type of construction and personal guarantees are usually required.

Construction lending entails significant risks compared with residential mortgage lending.  These risks involve larger loan balances concentrated with single borrowers with funds advanced upon the security of the land or the project under construction.  The value of the project is estimated prior to the completion of construction.  Thus, it is more difficult to evaluate accurately the total loan funds required to complete a project and related loan to value ratios.  If the estimate of construction or development cost proves to be inaccurate, we may be required to advance additional funds beyond the amount originally committed in order to protect the value of the property.  Moreover, if the estimated value of the completed project proves to be inaccurate, the borrower may hold a property with a value that is insufficient to assure full repayment.  To mitigate these risks, in addition to the underwriting considerations noted above, we maintain an in-house

construction monitoring unit that has oversight for the projects and we require both site visits and frequent reporting before funds are advanced.

Residential Mortgage Lending

WithBeginning in early 2020, we ceased originating first lien residential mortgage loans as a result of the exit of our mortgage banking activities, we will cease to originate residential first-lien mortgage loans in early 2020. However, inactivities. In order to manage loan run-off within ourthe residential mortgage loan portfolio, we plan on buyingnow purchase first lien residential mortgage loans, on a servicing released basis, from both the LLC and other third-party originators. We previously originated first mortgageIn addition to ensuring program eligibility and prudent underwriting from our delegated correspondents, we require that all loans to individuals, most of which had a loan to value not exceeding 85%. The remainder of this portion of our portfolio consists of home equity lines of credit and fixed rate home equity loans. Our residential mortgage loans are generally for a primary residence although we occasionally originated loans for a second home wheremeet the borrower has extremely strong credit. We originated adjustable rate residential mortgage loans with initial fixed-rate terms of five to seven years, as well as fixed rate residential mortgage loans with primarily 15- or 30-year terms. In general, we made residential mortgage loans based on the borrower’s ability to repay rules established by the loan from his or her salaryConsumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”). Correspondents must demonstrate experience, facilities, selling standards, capital requirements, legal standing, licensing and other income; such loans are secured by residential real estate, the value of which is generally readily ascertainable. insurance in order to participate.

We made these loans consistent with our appraisal and real estate lending policies, which detail maximum loan-to-value ratios and maturities. We generally made residential mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit secured by owner-occupied property within the guidelines of our regular purchasers of these loans.

Ouroriginate home equity loans and home equity lines of credit that are primarily secured by a second mortgage on owner occupied one-to-four family residences.  Our home equity loans are originated at fixed interest rates and with terms of between five and 30 years for primary residences and between five and 15 years for secondary and rental properties, and are fully amortizing.  Our home equity lines allow for the borrower to draw against the line for ten years, after which the line is refinanced into a 20-year fixed-rate loan.  Home equity lines of credit carry a variable rate of interest and minimum monthly payments during the draw period, which are the greater of (i) $50.00 or (ii) depending on credit score, loan-to-value and debt-to-income ratios, either the interest due or interest due plus 1% of the outstanding loan balance.  Home equity loans and lines of credit are generally underwritten with a maximum loan-to-value ratio of 85% (80% when appraised value is greater than $1 million) for a primary residence when combined with the principal balance of the existing mortgage loan.  At the time we close a home equity loan or line of credit, we record a mortgage to perfect our security interest in the underlying collateral.

Home equity loans and lines of credit generally have greater risk than owner-occupied residential loans secured by first mortgages.  When customers default on their loans we attempt to foreclose on the property.  However, the value of the collateral may not be sufficient to repay the amount of the unpaid loan, and we may be unsuccessful in recovering the remaining balance from these customers.  In addition, decreases in property values could adversely affect the value of properties used as collateral for the loans.  These second lien loans represent a smaller portion of our portfolio than our first lien residential mortgage loans.

Our home equity loans and home improvement loan portfolio gives us a diverselines of credit provide some diversification in our client base.  Although most of these loans are in our primary market area, we believe the diversity of the individual loans in the portfolio reduces our potential risk.

Consumer Lending

We offer various types of secured and unsecured consumer loans. Generally, our consumer loans, are made for personal, family or household purposes as a convenience to our customer base. As a general guideline, a consumer’s total debt service should not exceed 40% of their gross income. The underwriting standards for consumerincluding marine loans include a determination of the applicant’s payment history on other debts and an assessment of his or her ability to meet existing obligations and payments on the proposed loan.

originated through brokers. Consumer loans may present greater credit risk than residential mortgage loans because many consumer loans are unsecured or are secured by rapidly depreciating assets.  Repossessed collateral for a defaulted consumer loan may not provide an adequate source of repayment of the outstanding loan balance because of the greater likelihood of damage, loss or depreciation.  Consumer loan collections also depend on the borrower’s continuing financial stability.  If a borrower suffers personal financial difficulties, the loan may not be repaid.  Also, various federal and state laws, including bankruptcy and insolvency laws, may limit the amount we can recover on such loans.

Loan Originations, Purchases, Sales, Participations and Servicing

All loans that we originate or purchase are underwritten pursuant to our policies and procedures, which incorporate standard underwriting guidelines.  We originate both fixed and variable rate loans.  Our loan origination activity may be adversely affected by a rising interest rate environment that typically results in decreased loan demand.  WeWith the exit of our mortgage banking activities, we now generally retain in our portfolio the majority of loans that we originate, except for first lien residential mortgage loans whereoriginate. In addition, we sell the majority of the loans into the secondary market. With the exit of our mortgage banking activities, we will cease to originate residential first lien mortgage loans in early 2020. However, in order to manage loan run-off within our residential mortgage loan portfolio, we plan on buyingnow purchase first lien residential mortgage loans, on a servicing released basis, from both the LLC and other third-party originators. We do not retain the servicing rights on sold loans.any loans sold.

We occasionally sell participations in commercial loans to correspondent banks if the amount of the loan exceeds our internal lending limits.  More rarely,In addition, we purchase loan participations from correspondent banks in theour local market as well.market.  Those loans are underwritten in-house with the same care ofas loans directly originated.

Loan Approval Procedures and Authority

Our lending activities follow written, non-discriminatory underwriting standards and loan origination procedures established by our board of directors.  The loan approval process is intended to assess the borrower’s ability to repay the loan, the viability of the loan, and the adequacy of the value of the collateral that will secure the loan, if applicable.  To assess a business borrower’s ability to repay, we review and analyze, among other factors, current income, credit history including our prior experience with the borrower, cash flow, any secondary sources of repayment, other debt obligations in regards to the equity/net worth of the borrower and collateral available to us to secure the loan.

We generally require appraisals of all real property securing one- to four-family residential and commercial real estate loans and home equity loans and lines of credit.  All appraisers are state-licensed or state-certified appraisers, and our practice is to have local appraisers approved by our board of directors annually.

Mortgage Banking

As previously noted, on December 18, 2019,Although we entered into an agreement to cease originating residential first lien mortgage loans and exitexited our mortgage banking activities in early 2020. Our mortgage banking activities, prior to the exit of these activities, generated revenue by providing an extensive line of consumer real estate products2020 and services to customers nationwide. We historically offered products available to customers through a retail network of mortgage loan officersstill have recourse exposure on loans we previously originated and bankers as well as a sales force offering our customers direct access to our products.

Until we cease originating residential first lien mortgage loans in early 2020, we will continue to originate residential mortgage loans that remain in our pipeline primarily as a correspondent lender. Activity in the residential mortgage loan market is highly sensitive to changes in interest rates and product availability. While we do have delegated underwriting authority from most of our loan purchasers, at times we also employ the services of the purchaser to underwrite the loans. Because the loans are originated within purchaser guidelines and designated automated underwriting and product specific requirements as part of the loan application, the loans sold have a limited recourse provision. Most contracts with investors contain recourse periods.sold. In general, we may be required to repurchase a previously sold mortgage loan or indemnify the purchaser if there is non-compliance with defined loan origination or documentation standards, including fraud, negligence or material misstatement in the loan documents.  In addition, we may have an obligation to repurchase a loan if the mortgagor has defaulted early in the loan term.  The potential default repurchase period varies by purchaser but can be up to approximately 12 months after sale of the loan to the purchaser.  The recourse period for fraud, material misstatement, breach of representations and warranties, noncompliance with law, or similar matters could be as long as the term of the loan.  Mortgages subject to recourse are collateralized by single-family residential properties, follow purchaser guidelines, and carry private mortgage insurance, where applicable.

Until we cease originating residential first lienThe exit of our mortgage loansbanking activities is discussed in early 2020, we will continue to enter into commitments to originate residential mortgage loans whereby the interest rate on the loan is determined prior to funding (i.e. rate lock commitments). Such rate lock commitments on mortgage loans to be sold in the secondary market are considered to be derivatives. To protect against the price risk inherent in residential mortgage loan commitments, we use “best efforts” in delivering to purchasers. Under a “best efforts” contract, we commit to deliver an individual mortgage loan of a specified principal amount and quality to a purchaser and the purchaser commits to a price that it will purchase the loan from us if the loanNote 2 to the underlying borrower closes. We protect the Bank from changes in interest rates through the use of best efforts forward delivery commitments, whereby the purchaser commits to purchase a loan at a price representing a premium on the day the borrower commits to an interest rate with the intent that the purchaser has assumed the interest rate risk on the loan. As a result, we are not generally exposed to losses on loans sold utilizing best efforts. Nor will we realize gains related to rate lock commitments due to changes in interest rates. The market values of rate lock commitments and best efforts contracts are not readily ascertainable with precision because rate lock commitments and best efforts contracts are not actively traded. Because of the high correlation between rate lock commitments and best efforts contracts, we do not expect to incur any gain or loss on the rate lock commitments.Consolidated Financial Statements.

Investments and Funding

We balance our liquidity needs based on loan and deposit growth throughutilize both our investment and borrowings portfolios.portfolios to balance the liquidity needs that result from changes in loan and deposit balances.  It is our goal to provide adequate funding in support of loan growth and ample contingent liquidity against unusual funding needs.  A significant portion of our investment portfolio is generally kept in highly liquid securities, and a portion of the portfolio is used to generate additional positive earnings.  Our primary source of funds is, and will continue to be, core deposits generated from our market area.  Additional funding is provided by overnight unsecured master notes, customer repurchase agreements, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (“FHLB”) advances, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (the “FRB”)Bank of Richmond Discount Window borrowings, subordinated debentures and other purchased funds.  Other purchased funds may include certificates of deposit (“CDs”) over $100,000, federal funds purchased, and institutional or brokered deposits.  LinesCollateralized lines of credit and Fed Funds lines of credit are maintained with multiple correspondent banks in order to protect liquidity levels resulting from unexpected deposit withdrawals and natural-market credit demand.

Our investment policy is reviewed annually by our board of directors.  Our board of directors has appointed itsthe Board Asset Liability Committee (“Board ALCO”) to serve as the Investment Committee. The Board Asset Liability Committee thereforeALCO meets at regular intervals (not less than quarterly) and provides a report on the investment portfolio performance to our full board of directors.  The investment officer is designated by the Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for the day-to-day management of liquidity and the investment portfolio in accordance with the policies approved by our board of directors. We actively monitor our investment portfolio and we classify the majority of the portfolio is classified as “available for sale.”  In general, under such a classification, we may sell investment instruments as management deems appropriate.

Other Banking Products

We offer our customers wire transfer services, ATM and check cards, automated teller machines (“ATMs”) at all of our branch locations, ATM and check cards, safe deposit boxes at mostselected branches, and credit cards through a third party processor.  In addition, we offer our business customers merchant card services, overnight sweep services, ACH origination capabilities, ACH and check positive pay, and remote deposit capture devices for those customers who have a high volume of checks to deposit.deposit, and through a third-party provider, an insured cash sweep product to provide expanded FDIC coverage beyond the standard $250,000 per depositor.

We also provide Internetdigital banking capabilities to our customers. With our Internet banking service, our customers may open accounts online, view their accounts online and electronically remit bill payments including an option for same day payment. Our Online and Mobile Banking capabilities allow both consumer and business customers to essentially do their banking from anywhere at any time.  All customers have the ability tocan open accounts, check balances, view eStatements, pay bills, pay people via PopMoney, set real-time account alerts, manage cards, and deposit checks from their desktops, tablets, and/or mobile devices.  In addition, our consumer customers have access to send and receive money via Zelle®, mobile payment options including Apple Pay®, Google Pay™ and Samsung Pay™ and can control their debit cards by allowing them to remotely manage, monitor, and proactively control their debit card activity.

Deposit Activities

Deposits are the major source of our funding.  We offer a broad array of consumer and business deposit products that include demand, money market, savings, individual retirement accounts, and certificates of deposit.  Utilizing key technology partnerships, we offer a competitive array of commercial cash management products that allow us to attract demand deposits.  We believe that we pay competitive rates on our interest bearing deposits.  As a relationship-oriented organization, we generally seek to obtain deposit relationships with our loan clients.

Employees

We have 299235 full-time and eight part-time employees as of December 31, 2019.2020. None of our employees are represented by any collective bargaining unit, and we believe that relations with our employees are good.

Lending Limit

Limits

The Bank’s legal lending limit for loans to one borrower was $35.8$41.1 million as of December 31, 2019,2020, and we further monitor our exposure to one borrower through aan internal policy to limit our “in-house” lending limit toof $25.0 million as of December 31, 2019,2020, which in-house limit can be exceeded on a limited basis.  As part of our risk management strategy, we may participate a portion of larger loans to other financial institutions.  This strategy allows us to maintain customer relationships yet observe both the legal and “in house” lending limitlimits and manage credit exposure.  However, this strategy may not always be available.

Available Information

The Company is a public company subject to the reporting requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). We file electronically with the SEC our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).  We make available on the investor relations page of our website at www.howardbank.com, free of charge, copies of these reports as soon as reasonably practicable after filing or furnishing them to the SEC.  The information on our website is not incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SUPERVISION AND REGULATION

As a financial institution, we operate in a highly regulated environment. The regulatory framework under which we operate is intended primarily for the protection of depositors and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (the “FDIC’s”) Deposit Insurance Fund and not for the protection of our stockholders and creditors. The following is a general summary of the material aspects of certain statutes and regulations applicable to us. These summary descriptions are not complete,

and you should refer to the full text of the statutes, regulations, and corresponding guidance for more information. These statutes and regulations are subject to change, and additional statutes, regulations, and corresponding guidance may be adopted. We are unable to predict these future changes or the effects, if any, that these changes could have on our business, revenues, and results of operations.

Recent Regulatory Developments

Regulatory developments implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the CARES Act and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, which enhanced and expanded certain provisions of the CARES Act, have had and will continue to have an impact on our operations.

The CARES Act and Initiatives Related to COVID-19

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or the CARES Act, was signed into law. The CARES Act provided for approximately $2.2 trillion in direct economic relief in response to the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19. Many of the CARES Act’s programs are, and remain, dependent upon the direct involvement of financial institutions like the Bank. These programs have been implemented through rules and guidance adopted by federal departments and agencies, including the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Federal Reserve and other federal bank regulatory authorities, including those with direct supervisory jurisdiction over the Company and the Bank. Furthermore, as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, federal regulatory authorities continue to issue additional guidance with respect to the implementation, life cycle, and eligibility requirements for the various CARES Act programs, as well as industry-specific recovery procedures for COVID-19. In addition, it is possible that Congress will enact supplementary COVID-19 response legislation, including amendments to the CARES Act or new bills comparable in scope to the CARES Act. We continue to assess the impact of the CARES Act and other statutes, regulations and supervisory guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, or ARP, was signed into law. The ARP provides for approximately $1.9 trillion in direct economic relief as well as funding for COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and vaccine deployment. The ARP builds upon many of the measures from the CARES Act and subsequent COVID-19 related legislation.

Paycheck Protection Program

A principal provision of the CARES Act amended the SBA’s loan program to create a guaranteed, unsecured loan program, the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, to fund operational costs of eligible businesses, organizations and self-employed persons impacted by COVID-19. These loans are eligible to be forgiven if certain conditions are satisfied and are fully guaranteed by the SBA. Additionally, loan payments will also be deferred for the first six months of the loan term. The PPP commenced on April 3, 2020 and was available to qualified borrowers through August 8, 2020. No collateral or personal guarantees were required. On December 27, 2020, the President signed into law omnibus federal spending and economic stimulus legislation titled the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021” that included the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act (the “HHSB Act”). Among other things, the HHSB Act renewed the PPP, allocating $284.45 billion for both new first time PPP loans under the existing PPP and the expansion of existing PPP loans for certain qualified, existing PPP borrowers. In addition to extending and amending the PPP, the HHSB Act also creates a new grant program for “shuttered venue operators.” As a participating lender in the PPP, we continue to monitor legislative, regulatory, and supervisory developments related thereto, including the most recent changes implemented by the HHSB Act.

Troubled Debt Restructurings and Loan Modifications for Affected Borrowers

The CARES Act, as extended by certain provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, permits banks to suspend requirements under GAAP for loan modifications to borrowers affected by COVID-19 that may otherwise be characterized as troubled debt restructurings and suspend any determination related thereto if (i) the borrower was not more than 30 days past due as of December 31, 2019, (ii) the modifications are related to COVID-19, and (iii) the modification occurs between March 1, 2020 and the earlier of 60 days after the date of termination of the national

emergency or January 1, 2022.  Federal bank regulatory authorities also issued guidance to encourage banks to make loan modifications for borrowers affected by COVID-19.

Howard Bancorp, Inc.

We are a bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHC Act”).  We are subject to regulation and examination by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (the “FRB”) and the Maryland Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation (the “Commissioner”) and are required to file periodic reports and any additional information that the FRB and the Commissioner may require.  In addition, the FRB and the Commissioner have enforcement authority over the Company, which includes the power to remove officers and directors and the authority to issue cease and desist orders to prevent us from engaging in unsafe or unsound practices or violating laws or regulations governing our business.  In general, these enforcement actions may be initiated for violations of laws and regulations and unsafe or unsound practices. Other actions or inactions may provide the basis for enforcement action, including misleading or untimely reports filed with regulatory authorities.

The status of Howard Bancorp as a registered bank holding company under the BHC Act and a Maryland-chartered bank holding company does not exempt it from certain federal and state laws and regulations applicable to corporations generally, including, without limitation, certain provisions of the federal securities laws.

Source of Strength

Under FRB regulations, a bank holding company is required to serve as a source of financial and managerial strength to its subsidiary banks and may not conduct its operations in an unsafe or unsound manner.  Under this requirement, we could, in the future, be required to provide financial assistance to the Bank should the Bank experience financial distress.  In addition, in serving as a source of strength to its subsidiary banks, a bank holding company should stand ready to use available resources to provide adequate capital funds to its subsidiary banks during periods of financial stress or adversity and should maintain the financial flexibility and capital raising capacity to obtain additional resources for assisting its subsidiary banks.  A bank holding company’s failure to meet its obligations to serve as a source of strength to its subsidiary banks will generally be considered by the FRB to be an unsafe and unsound banking practice, a violation of FRB regulations or both. The FRB may require a bank holding company to terminate any activity or relinquish control of a nonbank subsidiary (other than a nonbank subsidiary of a bank) upon the FRB’s determination that such activity or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness or stability of any subsidiary depository institution of the bank holding company. Further, federal bank regulatory authorities have additional discretion to require a bank holding company to divest itself of any bank or nonbank subsidiary if the agency determines that divestiture may aid the depository institution’s financial condition.

Acquisitions

The primary purpose of a bank holding company is to control and manage banks.  The BHC Act generally requires the prior approval of the Federal ReserveFRB for any merger involving a bank holding company or any acquisition by a bank holding company of another bank or bank holding company.  Subject to certain conditions (including deposit concentration limits established by the BHC Act), the Federal ReserveFRB may allow a bank holding company to acquire banks located in any state of the United States. In approving interstate acquisitions, the Federal ReserveFRB is required to give effect to applicable state law limitations on the aggregate amount of deposits that may be held by the acquiring bank holding company and its FDIC-insured institution affiliates in the state in which the target bank is located (provided that those limits do not discriminate against out-of-state institutions or their holding companies) and state laws that require that the target bank have been in existence for a minimum period of time (not to exceed five years) before being acquired by an out-of-state bank holding company.  Furthermore, in accordance with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), bank holding companies must be well-capitalized and examiners must rate them well-managed in order to effect interstate mergers or acquisitions.

action rules discussed below, the ability of a bank holding company to pay dividends may be restricted if a subsidiary bank becomes undercapitalized.  These regulatory policies could affect the ability of the Company to pay dividends or otherwise engage in capital distributions.

In addition, funds for cash distributions to our stockholders are derived primarily from dividends received from our Bank.  Our Bank is subject to various general regulatory policies and requirements relating to the payment of dividends. Any restriction on the ability of our Bank to pay dividends will indirectly restrict the ability of the Company to pay dividends to our stockholders.  See “Howard Bank—Dividends” below.

Federal Securities Regulation

Our common stock is registered with the SEC under the Exchange Act.  As such, we are subject to the information, proxy solicitation, insider trading restrictions and other requirements of the Exchange Act.

Further, if we wish to sell common stock or other securities to raise capital in the future, we will be subject to the registration, anti-fraud, and other applicable provisions of state and federal securities laws.  For example, we will have to register the sales of such securities under the Securities Act, the Maryland Securities Act, and the applicable securities laws of each state in which we offer or sell the securities, unless an applicable exemption from registration exists with respect to such sales.  Such exemptions may, among other things, limit the number and types of persons we could sell such securities to and the manner in which we could market the securities.  We would also be subject to federal and state anti-fraud requirements with respect to any statements we make to potential purchasers in connection with the offer and sale of such securities.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 addresses, among other issues, corporate governance, auditing and accounting, executive compensation, and enhanced and timely disclosure of corporate information. We have adopted policies, procedures and systems designed to ensure compliance with the Sarbanes Oxley Act and related regulations.

Howard Bank

Howard Bank is a Maryland-chartered trust company (with all powers of a commercial bank), and its deposit accounts are insured by the FDIC up to the maximum legal limits.  It is subject to regulation, supervision and regular examination by the Commissioner and the FDIC.  The regulations of these agencies govern most aspects of the Bank’s business, including required reserves against deposits, loans, investments, mergers and acquisitions, borrowing, dividends and location and number of branch offices.

Financial Institutions Article of the Maryland Annotated Code

The Financial Institutions Article of the Maryland Annotated Code (the “Banking Code”) contains detailed provisions governing the organization, operations, corporate powers, commercial and investment authority, branching rights and responsibilities of directors, officers and employees of Maryland banking institutions.  The Banking Code delegates extensive rulemaking power and administrative discretion to the Commissioner in its supervision and regulation of state-chartered banking institutions.  The Commissioner may order any banking institution to discontinue any violation of law or unsafe or unsound business practice.

The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act

On May 24, 2018, President Trump signed into law the first major financial services reform bill since the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act.  The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (the “Reform Law”) modifies

or eliminates certain requirements on community and regional banks and nonbank financial institutions.  For instance, under the Reform Act and related rule making:

●the asset threshold for bank holding companies to qualify for treatment under the “Small Bank Holding Company and Savings and Loan Holding Company Policy Statement” was raised from $1 billion to $3 billion, which exempts these institutions (including the Company) from certain regulatory requirements including the Basel III capital rules;

●a new “community bank leverage ratio” was adopted, which is applicable to certain banks and bank holding companies with total assets of less than $10 billion (as described below under “Capital Requirements”); and

●banks with up to $3 billion in total consolidated assets may be examined by their federal banking regulator every 18 months (as opposed to every 12 months).

Capital Requirements

Regulatory capital rules adopted in July 2013 and fully phased in as of January 1, 2019, which we refer to as Basel III, impose minimum capital requirements for bank holding companies and banks.  The Basel III rules apply to all national and state banks and savings and loan associations regardless of size and bank holding companies and savings and loan holding companies other than “small bank holding companies,” generally holding companies with consolidated assets of less than $3 billion. The Company is currently considered a “small bank holding company.” More stringent requirements are imposed on “advanced approaches” banking organizations-those organizations with $250 billion or more in total consolidated assets, $10 billion or more in total foreign exposures, or that have opted in tointo the Basel II capital regime. Specifically, the following minimum capital requirements apply to the Bank:

●a common equity Tier 1 (“CET1”) risk-based capital ratio of 4.5%;

The final rules also established a “capital conservation buffer” above the regulatory minimum capital requirements, which must consist entirely of CET1 risk-based capital, which was phased in over several years. The fully phased-in capital conservation buffer of 2.500%, which became effective on January 1, 2019, resulted in the following effective minimum capital ratios beginning in 2019: (i) a CET1 risk-based capital ratio of 7.0%, (ii) a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.5%, and (iii) a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.5%. Under Basel III, institutions are subject to limitations on paying dividends, engaging in share repurchases, and paying discretionary bonuses if their capital levels fall below the buffer amount. These limitations establish a maximum percentage of eligible retained income that could be utilized for such actions.

Under Basel III, Tier 1 capital includes two components: CET1 capital and additional Tier 1 capital. The highest form of capital, CET1 capital, consists solely of common stock (plus related surplus), retained earnings, accumulated other comprehensive income, otherwise referred to as AOCI, and limited amounts of minority interests that are in the form of common stock. Additional Tier 1 capital is primarily comprised of noncumulative perpetual preferred stock, Tier 1 minority interests and grandfathered trust preferred securities (as discussed below). Tier 2 capital generally includes the allowance for creditloan and lease losses up to 1.25% of risk-weighted assets, qualifying preferred stock, subordinated debt and qualifying tier 2 minority interests, less any deductions in Tier 2 instruments of an unconsolidated financial institution.  Cumulative perpetual preferred stock is included only in Tier 2 capital, except that the Basel III rules permit 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 CET1 capital), subject to certain restrictions.  The regulations also require unrealized gains and losses on certain “available-for-sale” securities holdings to be included for purposes of calculating regulatory capital unless the Bank elected to opt-out from this treatment, which it did.

On December 21, 2018, the federal banking agencies issued a joint final rule to revise their regulatory capital rules to (i) address the upcoming implementation of a new credit impairment model, the Current Expected Credit Loss, or CECL model, an accounting standard under GAAP; (ii) provide an optional three-year phase-in period for the day-one adverse regulatory capital effects that banking organizations are expected to experience upon adopting CECL; and (iii) require the use of CECL in stress tests beginning with the 2020 capital planning and stress testing cycle for certain banking organizations that are subject to stress testing. We are currently evaluating the impact the CECL model will have on our accounting, and expect to recognize a one-time cumulative-effect adjustment to our allowance for creditloan and lease losses as of the beginning of the first quarter of 2023, the first reporting period in which the new standard is effective for us. At this time, we cannot yet reasonably determine the magnitude of such one-time cumulative adjustment, if any, or of the overall impact of the new standard on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

In November 2019, the federal banking regulators published final rules implementing a simplified measure of capital adequacy for certain banking organizations that have less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets. Under the final rules, which went into effect on January 1, 2020, depository institutions and depository institution holding companies that have less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets and meet other qualifying criteria, including a leverage ratio of greater than 9%, off-balance-sheet exposures of 25% or less of total consolidated assets and trading assets plus trading liabilities of 5% or less of total consolidated assets, are deemed “qualifying community banking organizations” and are eligible to opt into the “community bank leverage ratio framework.” A qualifying community banking organization that elects to use the community bank leverage ratio framework and that maintains a leverage ratio of greater than 9% is considered to have satisfied the generally applicable risk-based and leverage capital requirements under the Basel III rules and, if applicable, is considered to have met the “well capitalized” ratio requirements for purposes of its primary federal regulator’s prompt corrective action rules, discussed below. The final rules include a two-quarter grace period during which a qualifying community banking organization that temporarily fails to meet any of the qualifying criteria, including the greater-than-9% leverage capital ratio requirement, is generally still deemed “well capitalized” so long as the banking organization maintains a leverage capital ratio greater than 8%. A banking organization that fails to maintain a leverage capital ratio greater than 8% is not permitted to use the grace period and must comply with the generally applicable requirements under the Basel III rules and file the appropriate regulatory reports. We do not have any immediate plans to elect to use the community bank leverage ratio framework but may make such an election in the future.

Prompt Corrective Action

Under federal prompt corrective action regulations, the bank regulatory agencies are authorized and, under certain circumstances, required, to take various “prompt corrective actions” to resolve the problems of any bank subject to their jurisdiction that is not adequately capitalized.  Depending on their capital levels, every insured depository institution is in one of five capital tiers: well-capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized and critically undercapitalized.  Under the prompt corrective action regulations, a bank is considered “well capitalized” if it: (i) has a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0% or greater; (ii) a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or greater; (iii) a CET1 ratio of 6.5% or greater; (iv) a leverage capital ratio of 5.0% or greater; and (iv) is not subject to any written agreement, order, capital directive, or prompt corrective action directive to meet and maintain a specific capital level for any capital measure.  Well capitalized status is a prerequisite for certain types of favorable regulatory treatment, including expedited processing of applications by the FDIC and the ability to rely on brokered deposits.

The Bank has been “well capitalized” since it commenced its business operations.

Effective with the March 31, 2020 Call Report, qualifying community banking organizations that elect to use the new community bank leverage ratio framework and that maintain a leverage ratio of greater than 9.0% will be considered to have satisfied the risk-based and leverage capital requirements to be deemed well-capitalized.

We do not have any immediate plans to elect to use the community bank leverage ratio framework but may make such an election in the future.

The bank regulatory agencies may impose higher capital requirements on certain banks, and future regulatory change could impose higher capital standards as a routine matter.  The regulators may also set higher capital requirements for holding companies whose circumstances warrant it.  For example, holding companies experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions are expected to maintain strong capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets.

As an additional means to identify problems in the financial management of depository institutions, the Federal Deposit Insurance Act requires federal bank regulatory agencies to establish certain non-capital safety and soundness standards for institutions for which they are the primary federal regulator.  The standards relate generally to operations and management, asset quality, interest rate exposure and executive compensation.  The agencies are authorized to take action against institutions that fail to meet such standards.

Dividends

The Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank.  Virtually all of the Company’s revenue available for the payment of dividends on its common stock results from dividends paid to the Company by the Bank.  Under Maryland law, the Bank may declare a cash dividend, after providing for due or accrued expenses, losses, interest and taxes, from its undivided profits or, with the prior approval of the Commissioner, from its surplus in excess of 100% of its required capital stock.  Also, if the Bank’s surplus is less than 100% of its required capital stock, then, until its surplus is 100% of its capital stock, the Bank must transfer to its surplus annually at least 10% of its net earnings and may not declare or pay any cash dividends that exceed 90% of its net earnings.  In addition, federal bank regulators have stated that paying dividends that deplete a banking organization’s capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsafe and unsound banking practice and that banking organizations should generally only pay dividends out of current earnings.  The Bank must also maintain the CET1 capital conservation buffer of 2.5% to avoid becoming subject to restrictions on capital distributions, including dividends, as described above.

Deposit Insurance Assessments

The Bank’s deposit accounts are insured by the FDIC generally up to a maximum of $250,000 per separately insured depositor. FDIC-insured depository institutions are required to pay deposit insurance assessments to the FDIC. The amount of a particular institution’s deposit insurance assessment is determined by an FDIC risk-based assessment system. The assessment is a function of a financial ratios method that takes into account seven financial ratios and the institution’s weighted average CAMELS component ratings.  The assessment must be within a range that depends on the institution’s composite CAMELS rating, and the assessment will be adjusted up or down to come within the range. Assessment rates (inclusive of possible adjustments) for institutions with less than $10 billion in consolidated assets currently range from 1.5 to 30 basis points of each institution’s total assets less tangible capital. The FDIC may increase or decrease the range of assessments uniformly, except that no adjustment can deviate more than two basis points from the base assessment rate without notice and comment rulemaking. The FDIC may terminate insurance of deposits upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC.

In addition to the ordinary assessments described above, the FDIC has the ability to impose special assessments in certain instances.  For example, under the Dodd-Frank Act, the minimum designated reserve ratio for the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) was increased to 1.35% of the estimated total amount of insured deposits. On September 30, 2018, the DIF reached 1.36%, exceeding the statutorily required minimum reserve ratio of 1.35%.  On reaching the minimum reserve ratio of 1.35%, FDIC regulations provided for two changes to deposit insurance assessments:  (i) surcharges on insured depository institutions with total consolidated assets of $10 billion or more (large institutions) ceased; and (ii) small banks were to receive assessment credits for the portion of their assessments that contributed to the growth in the reserve ratio from between 1.15% and 1.35%, to be applied when the reserve ratio is at or above 1.38%.  The Bank subsequently received such assessment credits.credits in 2019.

Maryland Regulatory Assessment

The Commissioner annually assesses state banking institutions to cover the expense of regulating banking institutions.  The Bank’s asset size determines the amount of the assessment.

Liquidity

The Bank is subject to the reserve requirements imposed by the State of Maryland. A Maryland banking institution is required to have at all times a reserve equal to at least 15% of its demand deposits. The Bank is also  subject to the uniform reserve requirements of the FRB’s Regulation D, which applies to all insured depository institutions with transaction accounts or non-personal time deposits.  During 2019, amounts in transaction accounts above $16.9 millionEffective March 26, 2020, the FRB reduced reserve

requirement ratios to zero percent, thus eliminating reserve requirements for depository institutions to support lending to households and up to $110.6 million were required to have reserves held against them in the ratio of 3% of such amounts. Amounts above $110.6 million required reserves of $3.2 million plus 10% of the amount in excess of $110.6 million.businesses. The FRB changesmay change its reserve requirements on an annual basisin the future and the Bank ismay be subject to new reserve requirements for 2020. The Bank was in compliance with its reserve requirements at December 31, 2019 and is in compliance with its current reserve requirements.2021.

Loans-to-One-Borrower Limitation

With certain limited exceptions, a Maryland banking institution may lend to a single or related group of borrowers an aggregate amount not more than 15% of its unimpaired capital and surplus.  An additional amount may be lent, equal to 10% of unimpaired capital and surplus, if such loan is secured by readily marketable collateral, which is defined to include certain securities and bullion, but generally does not include real estate.  The Bank is in compliance with the loans-to-one borrower limitations.

Commercial Real Estate Loans

Commercial real estate (“CRE”) loans are subject to two types of regulatory oversight.  If total reported loans for construction, land development, and other land represent more than 100% of a bank’s total capital or if total CRE loans represent 300% or more of total capital and have grown by 50% or more in the last 36 months, the bank is expected to have enhanced risk management and will be subject to greater regulatory scrutiny.  In addition, the risk-based capital rules (so long as they are applicable) presumptively risk weight CRE loans at 100% but impose a 150% risk weight on loans deemed to be high volatility.  Among other things, the capital rules required that a borrower contribute 15% of the equity of a financed project in order for the loan to qualify for the lower risk weight.  The Reform Act narrowed the types of loans potentially subject to the higher risk weight but did not eliminate that risk weight.

Community Reinvestment Act and Fair Lending Laws

Under the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (“CRA”), the FDIC is required to assess the record of all financial institutions regulated by it to determine if such institutions are meeting the credit needs of the communities (including low and moderate income neighborhoods) that they serve.  CRA performance evaluations are based on a four-tiered rating system: Outstanding, Satisfactory, Needs to Improve and Substantial Noncompliance.  CRA performance evaluations are considered in evaluating applications for such things as mergers, acquisitions and new branches.  The Bank has a CRA rating of “Satisfactory.”

In December 2019, the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) proposed changes to the regulations implementing the CRA, which, if adopted will result in changes to the current CRA framework.CRA. The FRB did not join the proposal.

On May 20, 2020, the OCC issued a final rule to strengthen and modernize its existing CRA framework, but the FDIC was not prepared to finalize its CRA proposal at that time.

In addition, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act prohibit lenders from discriminating in their lending practices on the basis of characteristics, such as ethnicity, gender, and race, as specified in each statute. The failure to comply with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act could result in enforcement actions by the FDIC, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Justice, and in private civil actions by borrowers.

Transactions with Related Parties

Transactions between banks and their related parties or affiliates are limited by Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act.  An affiliate of a bank is any company or entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the bank.  In a holding company context, the parent bank holding company and any companies which are controlled by such parent holding company are affiliates of the bank.

Generally, Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act and the FRB’s Regulation W limit the “covered transactions” in which a bank or its subsidiaries may engage with any one affiliate to an amount equal to 10% of such bank’s capital stock and surplus, and limit such covered transactions with all affiliates to an amount equal to 20% of such bank’s capital stock and surplus.  The term ‘‘covered transaction’’ includes loans, asset purchases, issuances of guarantees, and other similar

transactions that expose the bank to the credit risk of an affiliate. In addition, loans or other extensions of credit by the bank to an affiliate must be collateralized in accordance with regulatory requirements.  The Bank’s transactions with affiliates must be consistent with safe and sound banking practices and may not involve the purchase by the Bank of any low-quality asset. Section 23B applies to covered transactions as well as certain other transactions and requires that all such transactions be on terms substantially the same, or at least as favorable, to the bank or subsidiary as those provided to non-affiliates.

Section 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act and the FRB’s Regulation O govern extensions of credit made by a bank to its directors, executive officers, and principal stockholders (‘‘insiders’’). Among other things, these provisions require that extensions of credit to insiders be made on terms that are substantially the same as, and follow credit underwriting procedures that are not less stringent than, those prevailing for comparable transactions with unaffiliated persons and that do not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features. Further, such extensions may not exceed certain limitations on the amount of credit extended to such persons, individually and in the aggregate, which limits are based, in part, on the amount of Howard Bank’s capital. Extensions of credit in excess of certain limits must also be approved by the board of directors.

On December 27, 2019,22, 2020, the federal banking agencies issued an interagency statement explaining that such agencies will provideextending the temporary relief from enforcement action against banks or asset managers, which become principal stockholders of banks, with respect to certain extensions of credit by banks that otherwise would violate Regulation O, provided the asset managers and banks satisfy certain conditions designed to ensure that there is a lack of control by the asset manager over the bank.  This temporary relief will apply until January 1, 2022, unless amended or extended, while the Federal Reserve,FRB, in consultation with the other federal banking agencies, considers whether to amend Regulation O.

Standards for Safety and Soundness

Federal law requires each federal banking agency to prescribe certain standards for all insured depository institutions.  These standards relate to, among other things, internal controls, information systems and audit systems, loan documentation, credit underwriting, interest rate risk exposure, asset growth, compensation, and other operational and managerial standards as the agency deems appropriate. Interagency guidelines set forth the safety and soundness standards that the federal banking agencies use to identify and address problems at insured depository institutions before capital becomes impaired.  If the appropriate federal banking agency determines that an institution fails to meet any standard prescribed by the guidelines, the agency may require the institution to submit to the agency an acceptable plan to achieve compliance with the standard.

Enforcement Powers

The Bank and its “institution-affiliated parties,” including its management, employees, agents, independent contractors, and consultants such as attorneys and accountants and others who participate in the conduct of the financial institution’s affairs, are subject to potential civil and criminal penalties for violations of law, regulations or written orders of a government agency. These practices can include the failure of an institution to timely file required reports or the filing of false or misleading information or the submission of inaccurate reports. Potential civil penalties have been substantially increased. Criminal penalties for some financial institution crimes have been increased to 20 years.

In addition, regulators are provided with considerable flexibility to commence enforcement actions against institutions and institution-affiliated parties. Possible enforcement actions include the termination of deposit insurance. Furthermore, banking agencies’ have expansive power to issue cease-and-desist orders. These orders may, among other things, require affirmative action to correct any harm resulting from a violation or practice, including restitution, reimbursement, indemnifications or guarantees against loss. A financial institution may also be ordered to restrict its growth, dispose of certain assets, rescind agreements or contracts or take other actions as determined by the ordering agency to be appropriate.

Further, state attorneys general may bring civil actions or other proceedings under the Dodd-Frank Act or regulations against state-chartered banks, including the Bank.

Anti-Money Laundering and Office of Foreign Assets Control

Under federal law, financial institutions must maintain programs to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism that include established internal policies, procedures and controls; a designated compliance officer; an ongoing employee training program; testing of the program by an independent audit function; and a “know your customer” program with enhanced due diligence of certain customers.  Financial institutions must take reasonable steps to conduct enhanced scrutiny of account relationships to guard against money laundering; they must file currency transaction reports for deposits and withdrawals of large amounts of currency and suspicious activity reports of possible criminal activity.  Financial institutions also must assess their money laundering risk with respect to private banking and foreign correspondent banking relationships.  Law enforcement authorities have been granted increased access to financial information maintained by financial institutions. Bank regulators routinely examine institutions for compliance with these obligations, and they must consider an institution’s compliance in connection with the regulatory review of applications, including applications for banking mergers and acquisitions.  The regulatory authorities have imposed “cease and desist” orders and civil money penalty sanctions against institutions found to be violating these obligations.

Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering compliance has been a special focus of the Federal banking agencies in recent years. Any non-compliance is likely to result in an enforcement action, often with substantial monetary penalties and reputation damage. A savings association or bank that is required to strengthen its compliance program often must put on hold any initiatives that require banking agency approval.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control, (“OFAC”) is responsible for helping to ensure that U.S. entities do not engage in transactions with certain prohibited parties, as defined by various Executive Orders and Acts of Congress. OFAC sends bank regulatory agencies lists of persons and organizations suspected of aiding, harboring or engaging in terrorist acts, known as Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.  If we find a name on any transaction, account or wire transfer that is on an OFAC list, we must freeze such account, file a suspicious activity report and notify the appropriate authorities.

USA PATRIOT Act

The Patriot Act became effective on October 26, 2001 and amended the Bank Secrecy Act. The Patriot Act provides, in part, for the facilitation of information sharing among governmental entities and financial institutions for the purpose of combating terrorism and money laundering by enhancing anti-money laundering and financial transparency laws, as well as enhanced information collection tools and enforcement mechanics for the U.S. government, including:

●requiring standards for verifying customer identification at account opening;

●rules to promote cooperation among financial institutions, regulators and law enforcement entities in identifying parties that may be involved in terrorism or money laundering;

●reports by nonfinancial trades and businesses filed with the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network for transactions exceeding $10,000; and

The Patriot Act requires financial institutions to undertake enhanced due diligence of private bank accounts or correspondent accounts for non-U.S. persons that they administer, maintain, or manage. Bank regulators routinely examine institutions for compliance with these obligations and are required to consider compliance in connection with the regulatory review of applications.

Under the Patriot Act, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) can send the Bank a list of the names of persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities or money laundering. The Bank may be requested to search its records for any relationships or transactions with persons on the list. If the Bank finds any relationships or transactions, it must report those relationships or transactions to FinCEN.

Consumer Protection Laws

We are subject to a number of federal and state laws designed to protect borrowers and promote lending to various sectors of the economy.  These laws include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and various state law counterparts. Further, the Dodd-Frank Act established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”),CFPB, which has the responsibility for making rules and regulations under the federal consumer protection laws relating to financial products and services.  The CFPB has the authority to supervise and examine depository institutions with more than $10 billion in assets for compliance with federal consumer laws. The authority to supervise and examine depository institutions with $10 billion or less in assets, such as the Bank, for compliance with federal consumer laws remains largely with those institutions’ primary regulators.  However, the CFPB may participate in examinations of these smaller institutions on a “sampling basis” and may refer potential enforcement actions against such institutions to their primary regulators.  As such, the CFPB may participate in examinations of the Bank. The CFPB also has a broad mandate to prohibit unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices and is specifically empowered to require certain disclosures to consumers and draft model disclosure forms. Failure to comply with consumer protection laws and regulations can subject financial institutions to enforcement actions, fines and other penalties.

In addition, federal law currently contains extensive customer privacy protection provisions.  Under these provisions, a financial institution must provide to its customers, at the inception of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution’s policies and practices regarding the handling of customers’ nonpublic personal financial information.  These provisions also provide that, except for certain limited exceptions, a financial institution may not provide such personal information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that such information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure.  Further, under the ‘‘Interagency Guidelines Establishing Information Security Standards,’’ banks must implement a comprehensive information security program that includes administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer information.  Federal law makes it a criminal offense, except in limited circumstances, to obtain or attempt to obtain customer information of a financial nature by fraudulent or deceptive means.

Effect of Governmental Monetary Policies

Our earnings are affected by domestic economic conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government and its agencies. The FRB’s monetary policies have had, and are likely to continue to have, an important impact on the operating results of commercial banks through the FRB’s power to implement national monetary policy in order, among other things, to curb inflation or combat a recession. The monetary policies of the FRB affect the levels of bank loans, investments and deposits through the FRB’s control over the issuance of United States government securities, its regulation of the discount rate applicable to member banks and its influence over reserve requirements to which member banks are subject. We cannot predict the nature or impact of future changes in monetary and fiscal policies. On August 1, 2019, September 19, 2019 and October 31, 2019, the Federal Open Market Committee (the “FMOC”) decreased the federal funds target rate by 25 basis points, which resulted in a total reduction of 75 basis points during 2019. On March 4, 2020, the FMOC decreased the federal funds target rate by 50 basis points to a target range of 1.00% to 1.25%; and on March 16, 2020, the FMOC decreased the federal funds target rate by 100 basis points to a target range of 0.00% to 0.25%. Further changes may occur in 2021.

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Item 1A. Risk Factors

You should consider carefully the following risks, along with the other information contained in and incorporated into this report.  The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones that may affect us.  Additional risks and uncertainties also may adversely affect our business and operations.  If any of the following events actually occur, our business and financial results could be materially adversely affected.

Economic and Geographic-Related Risks

Risk Factors Relating to Our Business

BecauseThe global COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected our loan portfolio consists largely of commercial business, and commercial real estate loans, our portfolio carries a higher degree of risk than would a portfolio composed primarily of residential mortgage loans.

Our loan portfolio is made up largely of commercial business loans and commercial real estate loans, most of which is collateralized by real estate. These types of loans generally expose a lender to a higher degree of risk of non-payment and loss than do residential mortgage loans because of several factors, including dependence on the successful operation of a business or a project for repayment, the collateral securing these loans may not be sold as easily as residential real estate, and loan terms with a balloon payment rather than full amortization over the loan term. In addition, commercial real estate and commercial loans typically involve larger loan balances to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers compared to one- to four-family residential mortgage loans. Consequently, an adverse development with respect to one loan or one credit relationship can expose us to a significantly greater risk of loss compared to an adverse development with respect to a one- to four-family residential mortgage loan. Underwriting and portfolio management activities cannot completely eliminate all risks related to these loans. Any significant failure to pay on time by our customers or a significant default by our customers would materially and adversely affect us.

We make both secured and some unsecured commercial and industrial loans. Unsecured loans generally involve a higher degree of risk of loss than do secured loans because, without collateral, repayment is wholly dependent upon the success of the borrowers’ businesses. Secured commercial and industrial loans are generally collateralized by accounts receivable, inventory, equipment or other assets owned by the borrower and include a personal guaranty of the business owner. Compared to real estate, that type of collateral is more difficult to monitor, its value is harder to ascertain, it may depreciate more rapidly and it may not be as readily saleable if repossessed. Further, commercial and industrial loans generally will be serviced primarily from the operation of the business, which may not be successful, and commercial real estate loans generally will be serviced from income on the properties securing the loans.

While any declines in the value of our real estate collateral securing loans have been reflected in existing reserves, the discounts and reserves we have taken against our loan portfolio based on our internal review of economic conditions and their impact on real estate values in our market areas may be insufficient. Deterioration in the real estate market or the economy could adversely affect the value of the properties securing the loans or revenues from borrowers’ businesses, thereby increasing the risk of non-performing loans and increased portfolio losses that could materially and adversely affect us.

The small businesses that make up the majority of our commercial borrowers generally do not have the cash reserves to help cushion them from an economic slowdown to the same extent that large borrowers do and thus may be more heavily impacted by an economic downturn. A return of recessionary conditions and/or other negative developments in the domestic or international credit markets or economies may have a negative effect on the ability of our commercial borrowers to make timely repayments of their loans, which could have an adverse impact on our earnings.

Construction loans are subject to risks during the construction phase that are not present in standard residential real estate and commercial real estate loans. These risks include:

Real estate construction and land loans also present risks of default in the event of declines in property values or volatility in the real estate market during the construction phase. If we are forced to foreclose on a project prior to completion, we may not be able to recover the entire unpaid portion of the loan, may be required to fund additional amounts to complete a project and may have to hold the property for an indeterminate amount of time. If any of these risks were to occur, it could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

As of December 31, 2019, our commercial real estate loans were equal to 288% of our total risk-based capital. The federal banking agencies have issued guidance regarding high concentrations of commercial real estate loans within bank loan portfolios. The guidance requires financial institutions that exceed certain levels of commercial real estate lending compared with their total capital to maintain heightened risk management practices that address the following key elements: board and management oversight and strategic planning, portfolio management, development of underwriting standards, risk assessment and monitoring through market analysis and stress testing, and maintenance of increased capital levels as needed to support the level of commercial real estate lending. If there is any deterioration in our commercial real estate or real estate construction and land portfolios or if our regulators conclude that we have not implemented appropriate risk management practices, it could adversely affect our business and result in a requirement that we increase our capital levels, and such capital may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

A failure in or breach of our operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of our third party vendors and other service providers or other third parties, including as a result of cyber-attacks, could disrupt our businesses, result in the disclosure or misuse of confidential or proprietary information, damage our reputation, increase our costs and cause losses.

We rely heavily on communications and information systems to conduct our business. Information security risks for financial institutions such as ours have generally increased in recent years in part because of the proliferation of new technologies, the use of the internet and telecommunications technologies to conduct financial transactions, and the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime, hackers, terrorists, activists, and other external parties. As client, public, and regulatory expectations regarding operational and information security have increased, our operational systems and infrastructure must continue to be safeguarded and monitored for potential failures, disruptions, and breakdowns. Our business, financial, accounting and data processing systems, or other operating systems and facilities may stop operating properly or become disabled or damaged as a result of a number of factors, including events that are wholly or partially beyond our control. For example, there could be electrical or telecommunications outages; natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes; disease pandemics; events arising from local or larger scale political or social matters, including terrorist acts; and, as described below, cyber-attacks.

As noted above, our business relies on our digital technologies, computer and email systems, software, and networks to conduct its operations. Although we have information security procedures and controls in place, our technologies, systems, networks, and our clients’ devices may become the target of cyberattacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of our or our clients’ confidential, proprietary and other information, or otherwise disrupt our or our clients’ or other third parties’ business operations. Third parties with whom we do business or that facilitate our business activities, including financial intermediaries, or vendors that provide services or security solutions for our operations, and other third parties, could also be sources of operational and information security risk to us, including from breakdowns or failures of their own systems or capacity constraints.

While we have disaster recovery and other policies and procedures designed to prevent or limit the effect of the failure, interruption or security breach of our information systems, there can be no assurance that any such failures, interruptions or security breaches will not occur or, if they do occur, that they will be adequately addressed. Our risk and exposure to these matters remains heightened because of the evolving nature of these threats. As a result, cybersecurity and the continued development and enhancement of our controls, processes and practices designed to protect our systems, computers, software, data and networks from attack, damage or unauthorized access remain a focus for us. As threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate information security vulnerabilities. Disruptions or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support our businesses and clients, or cyber-attacks or security breaches of the networks, systems or devices that our clients use to access our products and services could result in client attrition, regulatory fines, penalties or intervention, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs, any of which could materially adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.

We depend on information technology and telecommunications systems of third-party servicers, and systems failures, interruptions or breaches of security involving these systems could have an adverse effect on our operations, financial condition and results of operations.operations, and the ultimate effect of the pandemic on our business, financial condition and results of operations will depend on future developments and other factors that are highly uncertain.

OurThe global COVID-19 pandemic and related government-imposed and other measures intended to control the spread of the disease, including restrictions on travel and the conduct of business, is highly dependentsuch as stay-at-home orders, quarantines, travel bans, border closings, business and school closures and other similar measures, have had a significant impact on global economic conditions and have negatively impacted certain aspects of our business, financial condition and results of operations, and may continue to do so in the successfulfuture.  The governmental and uninterruptedsocial response to the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented slow-down in economic activity and a related increase in unemployment. The COVID-19 pandemic, and related efforts to contain it, have also caused significant disruptions in the functioning of the financial markets and have increased economic and market uncertainty and volatility.  

Given the ongoing, dynamic and unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is difficult to predict the full impact the pandemic will have on our information technologybusiness. While certain factors point to improving economic conditions, uncertainty remains regarding the path of the economic recovery, the mitigating impacts of government interventions, the success of vaccine distribution and telecommunications systems, third-party servicers accounting systems and mobile and online banking platforms. We outsource manythe efficacy of our major systems, suchadministered vaccines, as data processing, deposit processing systems and online banking platforms. While we have selected these vendors carefully, we do not control their actions.well as the effects of the change in leadership resulting from the recent elections.  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 our operations. Financial or operational difficulties of a vendor could also hurt our operations if those difficulties interfere with the vendor’s ability to serve us. Furthermore, our vendors could also be sources of operational and information security risk to us, including from breakdowns or failures of their own systems or capacity constraints. Replacing these third-party vendors could also create significant delay and expense. Because our information technology and telecommunications systems interface with and depend on third-party systems, we 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 our ability to process new and renewal loans, gather deposits and provide customer service, compromise our ability to operate effectively, damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business and/orCOVID-19 pandemic may subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny and possible financial liability,any of the following risks, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Because our loan portfolio includes residential real estate loans, our earnings are sensitive to the credit risks associated with these types of loans.

While we will cease originating residential first lien mortgage loans in early 2020, we will continue to originate home equity loans and home equity lines of credit within our local market area. In addition, we will purchase residential first lien mortgage loans in order to offset portfolio runoff. While residential real estate loans are more diversified than loans to commercial borrowers, and our local real estate market and economy have performed better than many other markets, a downturn could cause higher unemployment, more delinquencies, and could adversely affect the value of properties securing loans in our portfolio. In addition, should values begin to decline again, the real estate market may take longer to recover or not recover to previous levels. These risks increase the probability of an adverse impact on our financial results as fewer borrowers would be eligible to borrow and property values could be below necessary levels required for adequate coverage on the requested loan.

We may be unable to successfully implement a disposition or wind-down of certain business activities which no longer fit our strategic plan.

In December 2019, we entered into an agreement to sell certain assets related to our mortgage business, and we agreed to cease originating residential first lien mortgage loans and exit our mortgage banking activities in early 2020. In addition, we may engage in future dispositions or wind-downs of certain business. Key risks associated with exiting a business include:

Our financial condition, earnings and asset quality could be adversely affected if we are required to repurchase loans originated for sale by our residential lending department.

As discussed in “Item 1. Business—Mortgage Banking,”most loans that we sell in the secondary market are with recourse. Therefore, wemay be required to repurchase a previously sold mortgage loan or indemnify the purchaser if there is non-compliance with defined loan origination or documentation standards, including fraud, negligence or material misstatement in the loan documents, if the mortgagor has defaulted early in the loan term, or noncompliance with applicable law. While to date we have had to repurchase only a minimal amount of loans previously sold, should repurchases become a material issue, our earnings and asset quality could be adversely impacted, which could adversely impact the market price of our common stock.

If our allowance for credit losses is not sufficient to cover actual loan losses, our earnings would decrease.

We are exposed to the risk that our customers will be unable to repay their loans according to their terms and that any collateral securing the payment of their loans will not be sufficient to ensure full repayment. Credit losses are inherent in the lending business and could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and ability to meet our obligations. Volatility and deterioration in domestic markets may also increase our risk for credit losses. We maintain an allowance for credit losses that we believe is adequate for absorbing any potential losses in our loan portfolio. Management, through a periodic review and consideration of our loan portfolio, determines the amount of the allowance for credit losses. We cannot, however, predict with certainty the amount of probable losses in our portfolio or be sure that our allowance will be adequate in the future. If management’s assumptions and judgments prove to be incorrect and the allowance for credit losses is inadequate to absorb future losses, our losses will increase and our earnings will suffer.

We make various assumptions and judgments about the collectability of our loan portfolio, including the creditworthiness of our borrowers and the value of the real estate and other assets serving as collateral for the repayment of many of our loans. In determining the amount of the allowance for credit losses, we review our loans and our loss and delinquency experience, and we evaluate economic conditions. If our assumptions are incorrect, our allowance for credit losses may not be sufficient to cover probable incurred losses in our loan portfolio, resulting in additions to the allowance and a corresponding decrease to earnings. Material additions to the allowance could materially decrease our net income. If delinquencies and defaults should increase, we may be required to further increase our provision for loan losses.

Significant increases to our allowance would materially decrease our net income. In addition, bank regulators periodically review our allowance for credit losses and may require us to increase our provision for credit losses or recognize further loan charge-offs to the allowance for credit losses. Any increase in the allowance for credit losses or loan charge-offs might have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

New accounting standards could require us to increase our allowance for credit losses and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The measure of our allowance for credit losses is dependent on the adoption and interpretation of accounting standards. The Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, recently issued a new credit impairment model, the Current Expected Credit Loss, or CECL model, which will become applicable to us in 2023. Under the CECL model, we will be required to present certain financial assets carried at amortized cost, such as loans held for investment and held-to-maturity debt securities, at the net amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is to be based on information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. This measurement will take place at the time the financial asset is first added to the balance sheet and periodically thereafter. This differs significantly from the “incurred loss” model currently required under GAAP, which delays recognition until it is probable a loss has been incurred. Accordingly, we expect that the adoption of the CECL model will materially affect how we determine our allowance for credit losses and could require us to significantly increase our allowance. Moreover, the CECL model may create more volatility in the level of our allowance for credit losses. If we are required to materially increase our level of allowance for credit losses for any reason, such increase could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Certain of our estimates related to accounting for acquired loans may differ from actual results.

The application of the purchase method of accounting in our mergers and any future mergers or acquisitions will impact our allowance for credit losses. Under the purchase method of accounting, all acquired loans were recorded in our Consolidated Financial Statements at their estimated fair value at the time of acquisition and any related allowance for loan loss was eliminated because credit quality, among other factors, was considered in the determination of fair value. To the extent that our estimates of fair value are too high, we will incur losses associated with the acquired loans. The allowance associated with our acquired credit impaired loans reflects deterioration in cash flows since acquisition resulting from our quarterly re-estimation of cash flows which involves complex cash flow projections and significant judgment on timing of loan resolution.

If the estimates we have made regarding the performance of loans we have acquired are inaccurate, the fair value estimates may exceed the actual collectability of the balances, and this may result in the related loans being considered by us as impaired, which would result in a reduction in interest income. The tangible book value we measure is based in part on these estimates, and if fair value estimates differ from actual collectability, then subsequent earnings may also differ from original estimates. Measures of tangible book value and earnings impact of business combinations are frequently used in evaluating the merits and value of business combinations. Numerous assumptions and estimates are integral to purchased loan accounting, and actual results could be different from prior estimates.

Our growth strategy may not be successful, may be dilutive and may have other adverse consequences.

As previously mentioned, a key component of our growth strategy is to pursue acquisitions of other financial institutions or branches of other financial institutions, and we routinely evaluate opportunities to acquire additional financial institutions or branches or to open new branches. As consolidation of the banking industry continues, the competition for suitable acquisition candidates may increase. We compete with other banking companies for acquisition opportunities, and there are a limited number of candidates that meet our acquisition criteria. Consequently, we may not be able to identify suitable candidates for acquisitions. If we are unable to locate suitable acquisition candidates willing to sell on terms acceptable to us, our net income could decline and we would be required to find other methods to grow our business. We may also open additional branches organically and expand into new markets or offer new products and services.

Our merger and acquisition activities could be material and could require us to use a substantial amount of common stock and dilute our existing stockholders, cash, other liquid assets, and/or incur debt. In addition, if goodwill recorded in connection with our prior or potential future acquisitions were determined to be impaired, then we would be required to recognize a charge against our earnings, which could materially and adversely affect ourliquidity, results of operations, duringrisk-weighted assets and regulatory capital:

●because the periodincidence of reported COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations and deaths varies significantly by state and locality, the economic downturn caused by the pandemic may be deeper and more sustained in certain areas, including those in which we do business, relative to other areas of the impairment was recognized.country;

Our expansion activities could involve a number of additional risks, including:

Also, the costs to lease and start up new branch facilities or to acquire existing financial institutions or branches, and the additional costs to operate these facilities, may increase our noninterest expense. It also may be difficult to adequately and profitably manage the anticipated growth from the new branches. We can provide no assurance that any new branch sites will successfully attract a sufficient level of deposits and other banking business to offset their operating expenses.

Further, we plan to continue to make investments in our infrastructure in the future. We also currently plan to open additional branches in the areas where we now operate and in other markets over the next few years. We anticipate that this will have the short-term effect of, at least temporarily, increasing our expenses at a faster rate than revenue growth, which will have an adverse effect on net income.

If we grow too quickly and are not able to control costs and maintain asset quality, growth could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. Further, we may not be successful in our growth strategy, which would negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Consumers may decide not to use banks to complete their financial transactions.

Technology and other changes are allowing consumers to complete financial transactions through alternative methods that historically have involved banks. For example, consumers can now maintain funds that would have historically been held as bank deposits in brokerage accounts, mutual funds or general-purpose reloadable prepaid cards. Consumers can also complete transactions such as paying bills and transferring funds directly without the assistance of banks. The process of eliminating banks as intermediaries, which may increase as consumers become more comfortable with these new technologies and offerings, could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of customer deposits and the related income generated from those deposits. The loss of these revenue streams and the lower cost of deposits as a source of funds could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Strong competition within our market area may limit our growth and profitability.

Competition in the banking and financial services industry within our market area is intense. In our market area, we compete with, among others, commercial banks, savings institutions, mortgage brokerage firms, credit unions, mutual funds, insurance companies and brokerage and investment banking firms operating locally and elsewhere. There are also a number of smaller community-based banks that pursue similar operating strategies as the Bank. In addition, some of our competitors have recently offered loans with lower fixed rates and on more attractive terms than we have been willing to offer. Our continued profitability depends on our continued ability to successfully compete in our market area. The greater resources and broader range of deposit and loan products offered by our competition may limit our ability to increase our interest earning assets and profitability. See “Item 1. Business -Competition” for more information about competition in our market area.

We expect competition to remain intense in the future as a result of legislative, regulatory and technological changes and the continuing trend of consolidation in the financial services industry. Banks, securities firms and insurance companies can merge under the umbrella of a financial holding company, which can offer virtually any type of financial service, including banking, securities underwriting, insurance (both agency and underwriting) and merchant banking. Increased competition among financial services companies due to the recent consolidation of certain competing financial institutions may adversely affect ●our ability to market our products and services. Also, technological advances have lowered barriers to entryservices may be impaired by a variety of external factors, including a prolonged reduction in economic activity and made it possiblecontinued economic and financial market volatility, which could cause demand for banks to compete in our market without a retail footprint by offering competitive rates and for non-banks to offer products and services that have traditionally been provided by banks. Additionally, due to their size, manydecline, in turn making it difficult for us to grow assets and income;

●if the economy is unable to substantially reopen and high levels of our competitorsunemployment continue for an extended period of time, loan delinquencies, problem assets, and foreclosures may offer a broader range of productsincrease, resulting in increased charges and services as well as better pricingreduced income;

●collateral for certain products and services than we can,loans, especially real estate, may decline in value, which could affectmay reduce our ability to growliquidate such collateral and remain profitable on a long-term basis. Our profitability depends oncould cause loan losses to increase and impair our ability over the long run to successfully compete inmaintain our market area,targeted loan origination volume;

●our allowance for loan and competition for deposits and the origination of loans could limit our abilitylease losses may have to successfully implement our business plan, and couldbe increased if borrowers experience financial difficulties beyond forbearance periods, which will adversely affect our results of operationsnet income;

●an increase in non-performing loans due to the COVID-19 pandemic would result in a corresponding increase in the future. Further, if we must raise interest rates paid on deposits or lower interest rates chargedrisk-weighting of assets and therefore an increase in required regulatory capital;

●the net worth and liquidity of borrowers and loan guarantors may decline, impairing their ability to honor commitments to us;

●as the result of the reduction of the FRB’s target federal funds rate to near 0%, the yield on our loans,assets may decline to a greater extent than the decline in our cost of interest-bearing liabilities, reducing our net interest margin and profitabilityspread and reducing net income;

●deposits could be adversely affected.decline if customers need to draw on available balances as a result of the economic downturn;

●the borrowing needs of our clients may increase, especially during this challenging economic environment, which could result in increased borrowing against our contractual obligations to extend credit;

Furthermore, competition●we face heightened cybersecurity risk in connection with our operation of a remote working environment, which risks include, among others, greater phishing, malware, and other cybersecurity attacks, vulnerability to disruptions of our information technology infrastructure and telecommunications systems, increased risk of unauthorized dissemination of confidential information, limited ability to restore our systems in the bankingevent of a systems failure or interruption, greater risk of a security breach resulting in destruction or misuse of valuable information, and financial services industry is coming not only from traditional competitors but from technology-oriented financial services (“FinTech”) companies, which are subject to limited regulation. They offer user friendly front-end, quick turnaround times for loans and other benefits. While we are considering the possibilitypotential impairment of developing relationships with FinTech companies for efficiency in processing and/or as a source of loans and other benefits, we cannot limit the possibility that our customers or future prospects will work directly with a FinTech company instead. This could impact our growth and profitability going forward.

We continually encounter technological change.

The financial services industry is continually undergoing rapid technological change with frequent introductions of new technology driven by new or modified products and services. The effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial institutions to better serve customers and to reduce costs. Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to addressperform critical functions—all of which could expose us

to risks of data or financial loss, litigation and liability and could seriously disrupt our operations and the needsoperations of any impacted customers;

●we rely on third party vendors for certain services and the unavailability of a critical service or limitations on the business capacities of our customers by using technologyvendors for extended periods of time due to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands, as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations. Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements. We may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services or be successful in marketing these products and services to our customers. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the financial services industry could have a material adverse effect on our business and, in turn, our financial condition and results of operations.

We must comply with extensive and complex governmental regulation, whichCOVID-19 pandemic could have an adverse effect on our businessoperations; and our growth strategy,

●as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there may be unexpected developments in financial markets, legislation, regulations and consumer and customer behavior.

Even after the COVID-19 outbreak has subsided, we may be adversely affected by changescontinue to experience materially adverse impacts to our business as a result of the virus’ global economic impact, including the availability of credit, adverse impacts on our liquidity and any recession that has occurred or may occur in lawsthe future. There are no comparable recent events that provide guidance as to the effect the spread of COVID-19 as a global pandemic may have, and, regulations.

We operate inas a result, the ultimate impact of the outbreak is highly regulated industryuncertain and are subject to examination, supervision, and comprehensive regulation by various federal and state regulatory agencies. The Company is subject to FRB regulation, andchange. We do not yet know the Bank is subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination byfull extent of the FDIC and the Commissioner.

Many of these regulations are intended to protect depositors, the publicimpacts on our business, our operations or the FDIC insurance funds, not stockholders. Regulatory requirements affect our lending practices, capital structure, investment practices, dividend policy and many other aspects of our business. These requirements may constrain our operations, and changes in regulations could adversely affect us. The burden imposed by these federal and state regulations may place banks in general, and the Bank specifically, at a competitive disadvantage compared to less regulated competitors. In addition, the cost of compliance with regulatory requirements could adversely affect our ability to operate profitably or increase profitability. See “Supervision and Regulation” for more information about applicable banking laws and regulations.

Regulatory authorities have extensive discretion in their supervisory and enforcement activities, including the imposition of restrictions on our operations, classification of our assets and determination of the level of our allowance for credit losses. In addition, changes to statutes, regulations or regulatory policies or supervisory guidance, including changes in interpretation or implementation of statutes, regulations, policies or supervisory guidance, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways, including, among other things, subjecting us to increased capital, liquidity and risk management requirements, creating additional costs, limiting the types of financial services and products we may offer and/or increasing the ability of non-banks to offer competing financial services and products. Failure to comply with laws, regulations or policies could also result in heightened regulatory scrutiny and in sanctions by regulatory agencies (suchglobal economy as a memorandum of understanding, a written supervisory agreement or a cease and desist order), civil money penalties and/or reputation damage. Any of these consequences could restrict our ability to expand our business or could require us to raise additional capital or sell assets on terms that are not advantageous to us or our shareholders andwhole. However, the effects could have a material adverse effectimpact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. While we have policiesoperations and procedures designed to prevent any such violations, such violations may occur despite our best efforts.

Further, as a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses in connection with compliance with rules of the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.

We face a risk of noncompliance and enforcement action with the Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations.

Financial institutions are required under the PATRIOT Act, Bank Secrecy Act and other laws and regulations to, among other duties, institute and maintain effective anti-money laundering programs and file suspicious activity and currency transaction reports as appropriate. These rules also require financial institutions to establish procedures for identifying and verifying the identity of customers seeking to open new financial accounts. 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 has recently engaged 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. There is also increased scrutiny of compliance with the rules enforced by the OFAC. Federal and state bank regulators also have begun to focus on compliance with Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering regulations. If our policies, procedures and systems are deemed deficient or the policies, procedures and systems of the financial institutions that we have already acquired or may acquire in the future are deficient, we would be subject to liability, including fines and regulatory actions such as restrictions on our ability to pay dividends and the necessity to obtain regulatory approvals to proceed with certain aspectsheighten many of our business plan, including our acquisition plans, which would negatively impact our 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 us.known risks described herein.

Our business may be adversely affected by economic conditions.

Our financial performance generally, and in particular the ability of borrowers to pay interest on and repay principal of outstanding loans and the value of collateral securing those loans, as well as demand for loans and other products and services we offer and whose success we rely on to drive our growth, is highly dependent upon the business environment in the primary markets where we operate and in the United States as a whole.  Unlike larger banks that are more geographically diversified, we are a regional bank that provides banking and financial services to customers primarily in the Great Baltimore Metropolitan area.  The economic conditions in this local market may be different from, and in some instances worse than, the economic conditions in the United States as a whole.  In addition, due to the proximity of our primary market area to Washington, D.C., decreases in spending by the Federal government or cuts to Federal government employment could impact us to a greater degree than banks that serve a larger or a different geographical area.  Such risks are beyond our control and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations and, in turn, the value of our common stock.  Some elements of the business environment that affect our financial performance include short-term and long-term interest rates, the prevailing yield curve, inflation and price levels, monetary and trade policy, unemployment and the strength of the domestic economy and the local economy in the markets in which we operate. Unfavorable market conditions can result in a deterioration in the credit quality of our borrowers and the demand for our products and services, an increase in the number of loan delinquencies, defaults and charge-offs, additional provisions for loan losses, adverse asset values of the collateral securing our loans and an overall material adverse effect on the quality of our loan portfolio. 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; epidemics or pandemics;pandemics (including COVID-19); or a combination of these or other factors.

During 2019,The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is fluid and continues to evolve and there is pervasive uncertainty surrounding the future economic conditions that will emerge in the months and years following the onset of the pandemic.  Even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, the U.S. economy has continuedwill likely require some time to grow acrossrecover from its effects, the length of which is unknown, and during which we may experience a wide range of industries and regions in the United States. However,recession.  In addition, there are continuing concerns related to, among other things, the level of U.S. government debt and fiscal actions that may be taken to address that debt, the potential effects of the novel coronavirus on international trade (including supply chains and export levels), travel, employee productivity and other economic activities, depressed oil prices and the U.S.-China trade disputesa potential resurgence of economic and related tariffs,political tensions with China that may have a destabilizing effect on financial markets and economic activity.  There can be no assurance that current economic conditions will continue or improve, and economic conditions could worsen. Economic pressure on consumers and uncertainty regarding continuingoverall economic improvementuncertainty may result in changes in consumer and business spending, borrowing and saving habits.  A return of recessionaryThese economic conditions and/or other negative developments in the domestic or international credit markets or economies may significantly affect the markets in which we do business, the value of our loans and investments, and our ongoing operations, costs and profitability.  Declines in real estate values and sales volumes and high unemployment or underemployment may also result in higher than expected loan delinquencies, increases in our levels of nonperforming and classified assets and a decline in demand for our products and services.  These negative events may cause us to incur losses and may adversely affect our capital, liquidity and financial condition.

Credit, Lending and Interest Rate Risks

ChangesBecause our loan portfolio consists largely of commercial business and commercial real estate loans, our portfolio carries a higher degree of risk than would a portfolio composed primarily of residential mortgage loans.

Our loan portfolio is made up largely of commercial business loans and commercial real estate loans, most of which is collateralized by real estate.  These types of loans generally expose a lender to a higher degree of risk of non-payment and loss than do residential mortgage loans because of several factors, including dependence on the successful operation of a business or a project for repayment, the collateral securing these loans may not be sold as easily as residential real estate, and loan terms with a balloon payment rather than full amortization over the loan term.  In addition, commercial real estate and commercial loans typically involve larger loan balances to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers compared to one- to four-family residential mortgage loans.  Consequently, an adverse development with respect to one loan or one credit relationship can expose us to a significantly greater risk of loss compared to an adverse development with respect to a one- to four-family residential mortgage loan.  Underwriting and portfolio management activities cannot completely eliminate all risks related to these loans.  Any significant failure to pay on time by our customers or a significant default by our customers would materially and adversely affect us.  

We make both secured and some unsecured commercial and industrial loans.  Unsecured loans generally involve a higher degree of risk of loss than do secured loans because, without collateral, repayment is wholly dependent upon the success of the borrowers’ businesses.  Secured commercial and industrial loans are generally collateralized by accounts receivable, inventory, equipment or other assets owned by the borrower and include a personal guaranty of the business owner.  Compared to real estate, that type of collateral is more difficult to monitor, its value is harder to ascertain, it may depreciate more rapidly and it may not be as readily saleable if repossessed.  Further, commercial and industrial loans generally will be serviced primarily from the operation of the business, which may not be successful, and commercial real estate loans generally will be serviced from income on the properties securing the loans.

While any declines in U.S. trade policiesthe value of our real estate collateral securing loans have been reflected in existing reserves, the discounts and reserves we have taken against our loan portfolio based on our internal review of economic conditions and their impact on real estate values in our market areas may be insufficient.  Deterioration in the real estate market or the economy could adversely affect the value of the properties securing the loans or revenues from borrowers’ businesses, thereby increasing the risk of non-performing loans and increased portfolio losses that could materially and adversely affect us.

The small businesses that make up the majority of our commercial borrowers generally do not have the cash reserves to help cushion them from an economic slowdown to the same extent that large borrowers do and thus may be more heavily impacted by an economic downturn, including the downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Any recession that has occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic or that may occur and/or other negative developments in the domestic or international credit markets or economies may have a negative effect on the ability of our commercial borrowers to make timely repayments of their loans, which could have an adverse impact on our earnings.

Construction loans are subject to risks during the construction phase that are not present in standard residential real estate and commercial real estate loans.  These risks include:

●the viability of the contractor;

●the value of the project being subject to successful completion;

●the contractor’s ability to complete the project, to meet deadlines and time schedules and to stay within cost estimates; and

●concentrations of such loans with a single contractor and its affiliates.

Real estate construction and land loans also present risks of default in the event of declines in property values or volatility in the real estate market during the construction phase.  If we are forced to foreclose on a project prior to completion, we may not be able to recover the entire unpaid portion of the loan, may be required to fund additional amounts to complete a project and may have to hold the property for an indeterminate amount of time.  If any of these risks were to occur, it could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

As of December 31, 2020, our commercial real estate loans were equal to 271% of our total regulatory capital. The federal banking agencies have issued guidance regarding high concentrations of commercial real estate loans within bank loan portfolios.  The guidance requires financial institutions that exceed certain levels of commercial real estate lending compared with their total capital to maintain heightened risk management practices that address the following key elements:  board and management oversight and strategic planning, portfolio management, development of underwriting standards, risk assessment and monitoring through market analysis and stress testing, and maintenance of increased capital levels as needed to support the level of commercial real estate lending.  If there is any deterioration in our commercial real estate or real estate construction and land portfolios or if our regulators conclude that we have not implemented appropriate risk management practices, it could adversely affect our business and result in a requirement that we increase our capital levels, and such capital may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.

Because our loan portfolio includes residential real estate loans, our earnings are sensitive to the credit risks associated with these types of loans.

While we ceased originating residential first lien mortgage loans in early 2020, we will continue to originate home equity loans and home equity lines of credit within our local market area.  We will also purchase residential first lien mortgage loans in order to offset portfolio runoff.  While residential real estate loans are more diversified than loans to commercial borrowers, and our local real estate market and economy have historically performed better than many other markets, a prolonged downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic could cause higher unemployment, more delinquencies, and could adversely affect the value of properties securing loans in our portfolio.  In addition, should values begin to decline again, the real estate market may take longer to recover or not recover to previous levels.  These risks increase the probability of an adverse impact on our financial results as fewer borrowers would be eligible to borrow and property values could be below necessary levels required for adequate coverage on the requested loan.

If our allowance for loan and lease losses is not sufficient to cover actual loan losses, our earnings would decrease.

We are exposed to the risk that our customers will be unable to repay their loans according to their terms and that any collateral securing the payment of their loans will not be sufficient to ensure full repayment. Credit losses are inherent in the lending business and could have a material adverse effect on our operating results and ability to meet our obligations. Volatility and deterioration in domestic markets may also increase our risk for credit losses.  We maintain an allowance for loan and lease losses that we believe is adequate for absorbing any potential losses in our loan portfolio.  Management, through a periodic review and consideration of our loan portfolio, determines the amount of the allowance for loan and lease losses.  We cannot, however, predict with certainty the amount of probable losses in our portfolio or be sure that our allowance will be adequate in the future.  If management’s assumptions and judgments prove to be incorrect and the allowance for loan and lease losses is inadequate to absorb future losses, our losses will increase and our earnings will suffer.

We make various assumptions and judgments about the collectability of our loan portfolio, including the creditworthiness of our borrowers and the value of the real estate and other factors beyondassets serving as collateral for the repayment of many of our control, includingloans.  In determining the impositionamount of tariffsthe allowance for loan and retaliatory tariffslease losses, we review our loans and our loss and delinquency experience, and we evaluate economic conditions.  If our assumptions are incorrect, our allowance for loan and lease losses may not be sufficient to cover probable incurred losses in our loan portfolio, resulting in additions to the impacts of epidemicsallowance and a corresponding decrease to earnings.  We expect economic uncertainty to continue in 2021, and further deterioration in economic conditions may result in a significant increase to our allowance for loan losses in future periods.  Material additions to the allowance could materially decrease our net income.  If delinquencies and defaults should increase, we may be required to further increase our provision for loan losses.

In addition, bank regulators periodically review our allowance for loan and lease losses and may require us to increase our provision for credit losses or pandemics, may adversely impactrecognize further loan charge-offs to the allowance for loan and lease losses.  Any increase in the allowance for loan and lease losses or loan charge-offs might have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our financial condition, earnings and asset quality could be adversely affected if we are required to repurchase loans originated for sale by our former mortgage banking division.

ThereAs discussed in “Item 1. Business — Mortgage Banking,” most loans that we sold in the secondary market are with recourse.  Therefore, we may be required to repurchase a previously sold mortgage loan or indemnify the purchaser if there is non-compliance with defined loan origination or documentation standards, including fraud, negligence or material misstatement in the loan documents, if the mortgagor has defaulted early in the loan term, or noncompliance with applicable law. While to date we have been changesonly had to repurchase a minimal amount of loans previously sold, should repurchases become a material issue, our earnings and discussions with respectasset quality could be adversely impacted, which could adversely impact the market price of our common stock.

Certain of our estimates related to U.S. trade policies, legislation, treatiesaccounting for acquired loans may differ from actual results.

The application of the purchase method of accounting in our prior mergers and tariffs, including trade policiesany future mergers or acquisitions will impact our allowance for loan and tariffs affectinglease losses.  Under the purchase method of accounting, all acquired loans were recorded in our Consolidated Financial Statements at their estimated fair value at the time of acquisition and any related allowance for loan and lease loss was eliminated because credit quality, among other countries, including China,factors, was considered in the European Union, Canada and Mexico and retaliatory tariffs by such countries. Tariffs and retaliatory tariffs have been imposed, and additional tariffs and retaliation tariffs have been proposed. Such tariffs, retaliatory tariffs or other trade restrictions on products and materialsdetermination of fair value. To the extent that our customers importestimates of fair value are too high, we will incur losses associated with the acquired loans. The allowance associated with our acquired credit impaired loans reflects deterioration in cash flows since acquisition resulting from our quarterly re-estimation of cash flows which involves complex cash flow projections and significant judgment on timing of loan resolution.  

If the estimates we have made regarding the performance of loans we have acquired are inaccurate, the fair value estimates may exceed the actual collectability of the balances, and this may result in the related loans being considered by us as impaired, which would result in a reduction in interest income.  The tangible book value we measure is based in part on these estimates, and if fair value estimates differ from actual collectability, then subsequent earnings may also differ from original estimates.  Measures of tangible book value and earnings impact of business combinations are frequently used in evaluating the merits and value of business combinations.  Numerous assumptions and estimates are integral to purchased loan accounting, and actual results could be different from prior estimates.

The small and medium-sized businesses that we lend to may have fewer resources to weather a downturn in the economy, which may impair a borrower’s ability to repay a loan to the Bank that could materially harm our operating results.

We target our business development and marketing strategy primarily to serve the banking and financial services needs of small and medium-sized businesses.  These small and medium-sized businesses frequently have a smaller market share than their competition, may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, may need substantial additional capital to expand or exportcompete and may experience significant volatility in operating results.  Any one or more of these factors may impair their ability to repay a loan.  In addition, the success of a small and medium-sized business often depends on the management talents and efforts of one or two persons or a small group of persons, and the death, disability or resignation of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on its business and its ability to repay a loan.  As a result, economic downturns and other events that negatively impact our market areas and the businesses we serve could cause the prices of our customers’ productsus to increase whichincur substantial credit losses that could reduce demand for such products, or reduce our customer margins, and adversely impact their revenues, financial results and ability to service debt; which, in turn, could adverselynegatively affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, to the extent changes in the political environment have a negative impact on us or on the markets in which we operate our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely impacted in the future. It remains unclear what the U.S. Administration or foreign governments will or will not do with respect to tariffs already imposed, additional tariffs that may be imposed, or international trade agreements and policies. On January 26, 2020, President Trump signed a new trade deal between the United States, Canada and Mexico to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. The full impact of this agreement on us, our customers and on the economic conditions in our primary banking markets is currently unknown. In addition, the novel coronavirus and concerns regarding the extent to which it may spread have affected, and may increasingly affect, international trade (including supply chains and export levels), travel, employee productivity and other economic activities. A trade war or other governmental action related to tariffs or international trade agreements or policies, as well as coronavirus or other potential epidemics or pandemics, have the potential to negatively impact ours and/or our customers’ costs, demand for our customers' products, and/or the U.S. economy or certain sectors thereof and, thus, adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.condition.

Our profitability depends on interest rates, and changes in interest rates could have an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

Our results of operations depends to a large extent on our “net interest income,” which is the difference between the interest income received from our interest-earning assets, such as loans and investment securities, and the interest expense incurred in connection with our interest-bearing liabilities, such as interest on deposit accounts.  Changes in interest rates can increase or decrease our net interest income, 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 reprice more quickly than interest earning assets in a period, an increase in interest rates could reduce net interest income.  Similarly, when interest earning assets mature or reprice more quickly than interest bearing liabilities, falling interest rates could reduce net interest

income.  Additionally, an increase in interest rates may, among other things, reduce loan demand and our ability to originate loans (which would also decrease our ability to generate noninterest income through the sale of loans into the secondary market), and make it more difficult for borrowers to repay adjustable-rate loans or otherwise decrease loan repayment rates.  A decrease in the general level of interest rates may affect us through, among other things, increased prepayments on our loan and mortgage-backed securities portfolios and increased competition for deposits.  Accordingly, changes in the level of market interest rates affect our net yield on interest earning assets, loan origination volume, loan and mortgage-backed securities portfolios, and our overall results.  Fluctuations in interest rates are highly sensitive to many factors that are not predictable or controllable.  Therefore, while we attempt to manage our risk from changes in market interest rates by adjusting the rates, maturity, repricing, and balances of the different types of interest-earning assets and interest bearing liabilities, we might not be able to maintain a consistent positive spread between the interest that we receive and the interest that we pay.  As a result, a rapid increase or decrease in interest rates could have an adverse effect on our net interest margin and results of operations.

In addition, as market interest rates rise, we will have competitive pressures to increase the rates we pay on deposits.  Because interest rates we pay on our deposits could be expected to increase more quickly than the increase in the yields we earn on our interest-earning assets, our net interest income would be adversely affected.

Governmental economic and monetary policy will influence our results of operations.  The rates of interest payable on deposits and chargeable on loans are affected by monetary policy as determined by various governmental and regulatory authorities, in particular the FRB, as well as by national, state and local economic conditions.  The FRB, in an attemptIn response to help the overall economy, has among other things keptCOVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Open Market Committee cut short-term interest rates to a record low through its targeted federal funds raterange of 0% to 0.25%, and the purchase of TreasuryFRB has indicated it expects rates to remain within this range through 2023 and mortgage-backed securities.possibly longer. If the FRB increases the federal funds rate in the near term, overallshort-term interest rates will likely rise,continue to remain at their historically low levels for a prolonged period and assuming longer term interest rates fall further, we could experience net interest margin compression as our interest-earning assets would continue to reprice downward while our interest-bearing liability rates could fail to decline in tandem, which may negatively impact the housing markets and U.S. economic growth.would have an adverse effect on our net interest income.  If rates remain relatively low it could create deflationary pressures, which while possibly lowering our operating costs, could have a negative impact on our borrowers, especially our commercial borrowers, and the values of collateral securing our loans, which could negatively affect our financial performance.

If the FRB increases the federal funds rate, overall interest rates will likely rise, which may negatively impact the housing markets and U.S. economic growth.  

We also are subject to reinvestment risk associated with changes in interest rates.  Changes in interest rates may affect the average life of loans and mortgage-related securities.  Decreases in interest rates can result in increased prepayments of loans and mortgage-related securities, as borrowers refinance to reduce borrowing costs.  Under these circumstances, we are subject to reinvestment risk to the extent that we are unable to reinvest the cash received from such prepayments at rates that are comparable to the interest rates on existing loans and securities.

Reforms toCapital and uncertainty of the London Inter-bank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, calculation process and potential phasing out of LIBOR may adversely affect us.Liquidity Risks

In 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority announced that after 2021 it would no longer compel banks to submit the rates required to calculate the LIBOR. This announcement indicates that the continuation of LIBOR on the current basis cannot and will not be guaranteed after 2021. Consequently, at this time, it is not possible to predict whether and to what extent banks will continue to provide submissions for the calculation of LIBOR. Similarly, it is not possible to predict whether LIBOR will continue to be viewed as an acceptable market benchmark, what rate or rates may become accepted alternatives to LIBOR, or what the effect of any such changes in views or alternatives may be on the markets for LIBOR-indexed financial instruments. The FRB in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, is considering replacing the U.S. dollar LIBOR with a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities (“SOFR”). SOFR is observed and backward looking, which stands in contrast with LIBOR under the current methodology, which is an estimated forward-looking rate and relies, to some degree, on the expert judgment of submitting panel members. Given that SOFR is a secured rate backed by government securities, it will be a rate that does not take into account bank credit risk (as is the case with LIBOR). SOFR is therefore likely to be lower than LIBOR and is less likely to correlate with the funding costs of financial institutions. Whether or not SOFR attains traction as a LIBOR replacement tool remains in question, although some transactions using SOFR have been completed in 2019, and the future of LIBOR remains uncertain as this time. Uncertainty as to the nature of alternative reference rates and as to potential changes or other reforms to LIBOR may adversely affect LIBOR rates and the value of LIBOR-based loans, and securities in our portfolio. If LIBOR rates are no longer available, and we are required to implement substitute indices for the calculation of interest rates under our loan agreements with our borrowers, we may experience significant expenses in effecting the transition, and may be subject to disputes or litigation with customers and creditors over the appropriateness or comparability to LIBOR of the substitute indices, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

We may be subject to more stringent capital requirements in the future.future.

We are subject to regulatory requirements specifying minimum amounts and types of capital that we must maintain. From time to time, the regulators change these regulatory capital adequacy guidelines. If we fail to meet these minimum capital guidelines and other regulatory requirements, we may be restricted in the types of activities we may conduct and we may be prohibited from taking certain capital actions, such as paying dividends and repurchasing or redeeming capital securities.

In particular, the capital requirements applicable to the Bank under the Basel III rules become fully phased-in on January 1, 2019. The Bank is now required to satisfy additional, more stringent, capital adequacy standards than it had in the past. While we expect to meet the requirements of the Basel III rules, we may fail to do so. Failure to meet minimum capital requirements could result in certain mandatory and possible additional discretionary actions by regulators that, if undertaken, could have an adverse material effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, these requirements could have a negative impact on our ability to lend, grow deposit balances, make acquisitions or make capital distributions in the form of dividends or share repurchases. Higher capital levels could also lower our return on equity.

Our investment securities portfolio is subject to credit risk, market risk, and liquidity risk.

Our business may be adversely affected by increasing prevalence of fraud and other financial crimes.

As a financial institution, we areinvestment securities portfolio is subject to risk of loss due to fraud and other financial crimes. Nationally, reported incidents of fraud and other financial crimes have increased. We believe we have controls in place to detect and prevent such losses,risks beyond our control that may significantly influence its fair value.  These include, but in some cases multi-party collusion or other sophisticated methods of hiding fraud may not be readily detected or detectable, and could result in losses that affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Financial crime isare not limited to, rating agency downgrades of the financial services industry. Our customers could experience fraudsecurities, 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 us to base their businesses, which could materially impact their ability to repay their loans, and deposit customersfair market valuation on unobservable inputs.  Any changes in all financial institutions are constantly and unwittingly solicited by othersthese risk factors, in fraud schemes that vary from easily detectable and obvious attempts to high-level and very complex international schemes that could drain an account of millions of dollars and require detailed financial forensics to unravel. While we have controls in place, contractual agreements with our customers partitioning liability, and insurance to help mitigate the risk, nonecurrent accounting principles or interpretations of these are guarantees that we will not experience a loss, potentially a loss thatprinciples could have a material adverse effect onimpact our financial condition, reputationassessment of fair value and resultsthus the determination of operations.

The small and medium-sized businesses that we lend to may have fewer resources to weather a downturnother-than-temporary impairment of the securities in the economy, which may impair a borrower’s abilityinvestment securities portfolio.  Investment securities that previously were determined to repay a loanbe other-than-temporarily impaired could require further write-downs due to continued erosion of the Bank that could materially harm our operating results.

We target our business development and marketing strategy primarily to servecreditworthiness of the banking and financial services needsissuer.  Write-downs of small and medium-sized businesses. These small and medium-sized businesses frequently have a smaller market share than their competition, may be more vulnerable to economic downturns, may need substantial additional capital to expand or compete and may experience significant volatility in operating results. Any one or more of these factors may impair their ability to repay a loan. In addition, the success of a small and medium-sized business often depends on the management talents and efforts of one or two persons or a small group of persons, and the death, disability or resignation of one or more of these persons could have a material adverse impact on its business and its ability to repay a loan. As a result, economic downturns and other events that negatively impact our market areas and the businesses we serve could cause us to incur substantial credit losses that couldinvestment securities would negatively affect our resultsearnings and regulatory capital ratios.

Further, most of operationsour securities investment portfolio as of December 31, 2020 has been designated as available for sale pursuant to Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 320 – “Investments.”  ASC Topic 320 requires that unrealized gains and financial condition.

Changes in tax laws may negatively impact our financial performance.

Changes in tax laws containedlosses 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, as well as 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, which could have a material adverse effect on our mortgage banking operations and as a result on our revenues, net income, operating results and financial condition. In addition, theestimated value of the properties securing loans in ouravailable for sale portfolio may be adversely impacted“marked to market” and reflected as a resultseparate item in stockholders’ equity, net of tax.  If the market value of the changing economics of home ownership and multifamily residential ownership, whichinvestment portfolio declines, this could require an increasecause a corresponding decline in our provision for credit losses, which would reduce our profitability and could materially adversely affect our 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 our business, financial condition and results of operations.stockholders’ equity.

We are subject to liquidity risks.

Market conditions could negatively affect the level or cost of available liquidity, which would affect our 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 are our primary source of funding, but this is supplemented by overnight unsecured master notes, customer repurchase agreements, FHLB advances, the FRB Discount Window, subordinated debentures and other purchased funds.  A significant decrease in our core deposits, an inability to renew FHLB advances or access the Discount Window, an inability to obtain alternative funding to core deposits or our other traditional sources of funds, or a substantial, unexpected, or prolonged change in the level or cost of liquidity could have a negative effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend heavily on key employees, Mary Ann Scully and Robert D. Kunisch, Jr., to continue the implementation of our long-term business strategy and the loss of their services could disrupt our operations and result in reduced earnings.

Ms. Scully is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Kunisch is our President. We believe that our continued growth and future success will depend in large part on the skills of our senior management team. We believe these two executive officers possess valuable knowledge about and experience in the banking industry and that their knowledge and relationships would be difficult to replicate. We have entered into an employment agreement with each of Ms. Scully and Mr. Kunisch and acquired key-person life insurance on each, but the existence of such agreements and insurance does not assure that we will be able to retain their services or recover losses associated with the loss of their services. The unexpected loss of the services of Ms. Scully or Mr. Kunisch could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations, financial condition and operating results, as well as the value of our common stock.

We may be required to raise additional capital in the future, but that capital may not be available when it is needed on attractive terms, or at all.

We are required by regulatory authorities to maintain adequate levels of capital to support our operations.  Our capital requirements for the foreseeable future are currently satisfied.  We may at some point, however, need to raise additional capital to support our continued growth or if our liquidity is adversely affected by external factors such as a return of recessionary conditions and/or other negative developments in the domestic or international credit markets.  Our ability to raise additional capital, if needed, will depend in part on conditions in the capital markets at that time, which are outside our control.  Accordingly, we cannot assure you of our ability to raise additional capital, if needed, on terms acceptable to us.  If we cannot raise additional capital when needed, our ability to further expand our operations could be materially impaired, or the failure to raise additional capital could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition or results of operations.  In addition, if we decide to raise additional equity capital, your interest in the Company could be diluted.  Furthermore, if we raise additional capital through the issuance of debt securities, there can be no assurance that sufficient revenues or cash flow will exist to service such debt.

Risks Related to Our Industry

Our investmentThe phase-out of LIBOR could negatively impact our net interest income and require significant operational work.

The United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), has announced that it will not compel panel banks to contribute to LIBOR after 2021. The discontinuance of LIBOR has resulted in significant uncertainty regarding the transition to suitable alternative reference rates and could adversely impact our business, operations, and financial results.

The FRB, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large U.S. financial institutions, has endorsed replacing the U.S. dollar LIBOR with a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by Treasury securities portfolio(“SOFR”). SOFR is subjectobserved and backward looking, which stands in contrast with LIBOR under the current methodology, which is an estimated forward-looking rate and relies, to some degree, on the expert judgment of submitting panel members. Given that SOFR is a secured rate backed by government securities, it will be a rate that does not take into account bank credit risk market risk,(as is the case with LIBOR). In November 2020, the federal banking agencies issued a statement that says that banks may use any reference rate for its loans that the bank determines to be appropriate for its funding model and liquidity risk.customer needs.  

Our investmentWe have substantial exposure to LIBOR-based products, including loans, securities, portfolio is subjectderivatives and hedges, and we are preparing to risks beyond our control that may significantly influence its fair value. These include,transition away from the widespread use of LIBOR to alternative rates. We continue to monitor the market's progress toward an alternative to LIBOR, but are not limitedyet comfortable that there is an efficient instrument with sufficient liquidity to rating agency downgradesbegin a meaningful transition. At this time, we anticipate that a transition may occur in late 2021 or early 2022. We continue to monitor market developments and regulatory updates, including recent announcements from the ICE Benchmark Administrator to extend the cessation date for several USD LIBOR tenors to June 30, 2023, as well as collaborate with regulators and industry groups on the transition. The manner and impact of this transition, as well as the effect of these developments on our funding costs, loan and investment and trading securities defaultsportfolios, asset-liability management, and business, is uncertain.

Consumers may decide not to use banks to complete their financial transactions.

Technology and other changes are allowing consumers to complete financial transactions through alternative methods that historically have involved banks.  For example, consumers can now maintain funds that would have historically been held as bank deposits in brokerage accounts, mutual funds or general-purpose reloadable prepaid cards.  Consumers can also complete transactions such as paying bills and transferring funds directly without the assistance of the issuersbanks.  The process of the securities, lack of market pricing of the securities,eliminating banks as intermediaries, which may increase as consumers become more comfortable with these new technologies and instabilityofferings, could result in the credit markets. Lackloss of market activity with respect to some securities has, in certain circumstances, required us to base their fair market valuation on unobservable inputs. Any changes in these risk factors, in current accounting principles or interpretationsfee income, as well as the loss of customer deposits and the related income generated from those deposits.  The loss of these principlesrevenue streams and the lower cost of deposits as a source of funds could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Strong competition within our market area may limit our growth and profitability.

Competition in the banking and financial services industry within our market area is intense.  In our market area, we compete with, among others, commercial banks, savings institutions, mortgage brokerage firms, credit unions, mutual funds, insurance companies and brokerage and investment banking firms operating locally and elsewhere.  There are also a number of smaller community-based banks that pursue similar operating strategies as the Bank.  In addition, some of our competitors may offer loans with lower fixed rates and on more attractive terms than we are willing to offer.  Our continued profitability depends on our continued ability to successfully compete in our market area.  The greater resources and broader range of deposit and loan products offered by our competition may limit our ability to increase our interest earning assets and profitability.  See “Item 1. Business—Competition” for more information about competition in our market area.

We expect competition to remain intense in the future as a result of legislative, regulatory and technological changes and the continuing trend of consolidation in the financial services industry.  Banks, securities firms and insurance companies can merge under the umbrella of a financial holding company, which can offer virtually any type of financial service, including banking, securities underwriting, insurance (both agency and underwriting) and merchant banking.  Increased competition among financial services companies due to the recent consolidation of certain competing financial institutions may adversely affect our ability to market our products and services.  Also, technological advances have lowered barriers to entry and made it possible for banks to compete in our market without a retail footprint by offering competitive rates and for non-banks to offer products and services that have traditionally been provided by banks.  Additionally, due to their size, many of our competitors may offer a broader range of products and services as well as better pricing for certain products and services than we can, which could affect our ability to grow and remain profitable on a long-term basis.  Our profitability depends on our ability to successfully compete in our market area, and competition for deposits and the origination of loans could limit our ability to successfully implement our business plan, and could adversely affect our

results of operations in the future.  Further, if we must raise interest rates paid on deposits or lower interest rates charged on our loans, our net interest margin and profitability could be adversely affected.  

Furthermore, competition in the banking and financial services industry is coming not only from traditional competitors but from technology-oriented financial services (“FinTech”) companies, which are subject to limited regulation.  They offer user friendly front-end, quick turnaround times for loans and other benefits.  While we are considering the possibility of developing relationships with FinTech companies for efficiency in processing and/or as a source of loans and other benefits, we cannot limit the possibility that our customers or future prospects will work directly with a FinTech company instead.  This could impact our assessment of fair valuegrowth 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 our earnings and regulatory capital ratios.profitability going forward.

Further, most of our securities investment portfolio as of December 31, 2019 has been designated as available for sale pursuant to Statement of Financial Accounting Standards, Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 320 – “Investments.” ASC Topic 320 requires that unrealized gains and losses in the estimated value of the available for sale portfolio be “marked to market” and reflected as a separate item in stockholders’ equity, net of tax. If the market value of the investment portfolio declines, this could cause a corresponding decline in stockholders’ equity.

Our lending limit may limit our growth.

We are limited in the amount we can loan to a single borrower by the amount of our capital.  Generally, under current law, we may lend up to 15% of our unimpaired capital and surplus to any one borrower.  Based upon our current capital levels, such amount is significantly less than that of many of our competitors and may discourage potential borrowers who have credit needs in excess of our lending limit from doing business with us.  We accommodate larger loans by selling participations in those loans to other financial institutions, but this strategy may not always be available.

The failure to maintain our reputation may materially adversely affect our ability to grow and generate revenue.

Our reputation is one of the most valuable components of our business.  Damage to our reputation could undermines the confidence of clients and prospects in our ability to serve them and therefore could negatively affect our earnings.  Negative public opinion can result from our actual or alleged conduct in any number of activities, including lending practices, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and cybersecurity incidents, and from actions taken by government regulators and community organizations in response to those activities.  Damage to our reputation could affect the confidence of rating agencies, regulators, stockholders and other parties in a wide range of transactions that are important to our business.  Failure to maintain our reputation ultimately would have an adverse effect on our ability to maintain and grow our business.  Actions by the financial services industry generally or by other members of or individuals in the financial services industry also could impact our reputation negatively.  The considerable expansion in the use of social media over recent years has increased the risk that our reputation could be negatively impacted in a short amount of time.  If we are unable to quickly and effectively respond to any incidents negatively impacting our reputation, it could have a material and long-term negative impact on our business and, therefore, our operating results.

Risks Related to Our Strategy

Our growth strategy may not be successful, may be dilutive and may have other adverse consequences.

A key component of our growth strategy is to pursue acquisitions of other financial institutions or branches of other financial institutions, and we routinely evaluate opportunities to acquire additional financial institutions or branches or to open new branches.  As consolidation of the banking industry continues, the competition for suitable acquisition candidates may increase.  We compete with other banking companies for acquisition opportunities, and there are a limited number of candidates that meet our acquisition criteria.  Consequently, we may not be able to identify suitable candidates for acquisitions.  If we are unable to locate suitable acquisition candidates willing to sell on terms acceptable to us, our net income could decline and we would be required to find other methods to grow our business.  We may also open additional branches organically and expand into new markets or offer new products and services.  

Our merger and acquisition activities could be material and could require us to use a substantial amount of common stock and dilute our existing stockholders, cash, other liquid assets, and/or incur debt.  In addition, if goodwill recorded in connection with our prior or potential future acquisitions were determined to be impaired, then we would be required to recognize a charge against our earnings, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations during the period in which the impairment was recognized.

Our expansion activities could involve a number of additional risks, including:

●the time and expense associated with identifying and evaluating potential acquisition and merger partners;

●using inaccurate estimates and judgments to evaluate credit, operations, management and market risks with respect to the target institution or its branches or assets;

●the time and expense associated with evaluating new markets for expansion, hiring experienced local management and opening new offices or branches as there may be a substantial time lag between these activities before we generate sufficient assets and deposits to support the costs of the expansion;

●operating in markets in which we have had no or only limited experience;

●taking a significant amount of time negotiating a transaction or working on expansion plans, resulting in management’s time and attention being diverted from the operation of our existing business;

●we may not be able to correctly identify profitable or growing markets for new branches;

●difficulty or unanticipated expense associated with converting the operating systems of the acquired or merged company into ours;

●the possibility that we will be unable to successfully implement integration strategies, due to challenges associated with integrating complex systems, technology, banking centers, and other assets of the acquired bank in a manner that minimizes any adverse effect on customers, suppliers, employees, and other constituencies;

●the possibility that the expected benefits of a transaction may not materialize in the timeframe expected or at all, or may be costlier to achieve;

●the ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the merger or acquisition;

●creating an adverse short-term effect on our results of operations;

●losing key employees and customers as a result of a merger or acquisition that is poorly received;

●the possibility of regulatory approval being delayed, impeded, conditioned or denied due to existing or new regulatory issues surrounding the Company, the target institution or the proposed combined entity as a result of, among other things, issues related to anti-money laundering/Bank Secrecy Act compliance, fair lending laws, fair housing laws, consumer protection laws, unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices regulations, or the CRA;

●delay in completing a merger or acquisition due to litigation;

●inability to obtain additional financing (including by issuing additional common equity), if necessary, on favorable terms or at all; and

●unforeseen adjustments, write-downs, write-offs or restructuring or other impairment charges.

Also, the costs to lease and start up new branch facilities or to acquire existing financial institutions or branches, and the additional costs to operate these facilities, may increase our noninterest expense.  It also may be difficult to adequately and profitably manage the anticipated growth from the new branches.  We can provide no assurance that any new branch sites will successfully attract a sufficient level of deposits and other banking business to offset their operating expenses.

Further, we plan to continue to make investments in our infrastructure in the future.  We may in the future open additional branches in the areas where we now operate and in other markets.  We anticipate that this will have the short-term effect of, at least temporarily, increasing our expenses at a faster rate than revenue growth, which will have an adverse effect on net income.  

If we grow too quickly and are not able to control costs and maintain asset quality, growth could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.  Further, we may not be successful in our growth strategy, which would negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations.

Operational Risks

A failure in or breach of our operational or security systems or infrastructure, or those of our third party vendors and other service providers or other third parties, including as a result of cyber-attacks, could disrupt our businesses, result in the disclosure or misuse of confidential or proprietary information, damage our reputation, increase our costs and cause losses.

We rely heavily on communications and information systems to conduct our business. Information security risks for financial institutions such as ours have generally increased in recent years in part because of the proliferation of new technologies, the use of the internet and telecommunications technologies to conduct financial transactions, and the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime, hackers, terrorists, activists, and other external parties. As client, public, and regulatory expectations regarding operational and information security have increased, our operational systems and infrastructure must continue to be safeguarded and monitored for potential failures, disruptions, and breakdowns. Our business, financial, accounting and data processing systems, or other operating systems and facilities may stop operating properly or become disabled or damaged as a result of a number of factors, including events that are wholly or partially beyond our control. For example, there could be electrical or telecommunications outages; natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes; disease pandemics; events arising from local or larger scale political or social matters, including terrorist acts; and, as described below, cyber-attacks.

As noted above, our business relies on our digital technologies, computer and email systems, software, and networks to conduct its operations. Although we have information security procedures and controls in place, our technologies, systems, networks, and our clients’ devices may become the target of cyberattacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of our or our clients’ confidential, proprietary and other information, or otherwise disrupt our or our clients’ or other third parties’ business operations. Third parties with whom we do business or that facilitate our business activities, including financial intermediaries, or vendors that provide services or security solutions for our operations, and other third parties, could also be sources of operational and information security risk to us, including from breakdowns or failures of their own systems or capacity constraints.

While we have disaster recovery and other policies and procedures designed to prevent or limit the effect of the failure, interruption or security breach of our information systems, there can be no assurance that any such failures, interruptions or security breaches will not occur or, if they do occur, that they will be adequately addressed. Our risk and exposure to these matters remains heightened because of the evolving nature of these threats. As a result, cybersecurity and the continued development and enhancement of our controls, processes and practices designed to protect our systems, computers, software, data and networks from attack, damage or unauthorized access remain a focus for us. As threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate information security vulnerabilities. Disruptions or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support our businesses and clients, or cyber-attacks or security breaches of the networks, systems or devices that our clients use to access our products and services could result in client attrition, regulatory fines, penalties or intervention, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs, any of which could materially adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.

We depend on information technology and telecommunications systems of third-party servicers, and systems failures, interruptions or breaches of security involving these systems could have an adverse effect on our operations, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is highly dependent on the successful and uninterrupted functioning of our information technology and telecommunications systems, third-party servicers accounting systems and mobile and online banking platforms.  We outsource many of our major systems, such as data processing, deposit processing systems and online banking platforms. While we have selected these vendors carefully, we do not control their actions. 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 our operations. Financial or operational difficulties of a vendor could also hurt our operations if those difficulties interfere with the vendor’s ability to serve us. Furthermore, our vendors could also be sources of operational and information security risk to us, including from breakdowns or failures of their own systems or capacity constraints. Replacing these third-party vendors could also create significant delay and expense. Because our information technology and

telecommunications systems interface with and depend on third-party systems, we 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 our ability to process new and renewal loans, gather deposits and provide customer service, compromise our ability to operate effectively, damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business and/or subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny and possible financial liability, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We continually encounter technological change.

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

Our business may be adversely affected by increasing prevalence of fraud and other financial crimes.

As a financial institution, we are subject to risk of loss due to fraud and other financial crimes.  Nationally, reported incidents of fraud and other financial crimes have increased.  We believe we have controls in place to detect and prevent such losses, but in some cases multi-party collusion or other sophisticated methods of hiding fraud may not be readily detected or detectable, and could result in losses that affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Financial crime is not limited to the financial services industry.  Our customers could experience fraud in their businesses, which could materially impact their ability to repay their loans, and deposit customers in all financial institutions are constantly and unwittingly solicited by others in fraud schemes that vary from easily detectable and obvious attempts to high-level and very complex international schemes that could drain an account of millions of dollars and require detailed financial forensics to unravel.  While we have controls in place, contractual agreements with our customers partitioning liability, and insurance to help mitigate the risk, none of these are guarantees that we will not experience a loss, potentially a loss that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, reputation and results of operations.

Legal, Accounting, Regulatory and Compliance Risks

We must comply with extensive and complex governmental regulation, which could have an adverse effect on our business and our growth strategy, and we may be adversely affected by changes in laws and regulations.

We operate in a highly regulated industry and are subject to examination, supervision, and comprehensive regulation by various federal and state regulatory agencies.  The Company is subject to FRB regulation, and the Bank is subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the FDIC and the Commissioner.  

Many of these regulations are intended to protect depositors, the public or the FDIC insurance funds, not stockholders.  Regulatory requirements affect our lending practices, capital structure, investment practices, dividend policy and many other aspects of our business.  These requirements may constrain our operations, and changes in regulations could adversely affect us.  The burden imposed by these federal and state regulations may place banks in general, and the Bank specifically, at a competitive disadvantage compared to less regulated competitors.  In addition, the cost of compliance with regulatory requirements could adversely affect our ability to operate profitably or increase profitability.  See “Supervision and Regulation” for more information about applicable banking laws and regulations.  

Regulatory authorities have extensive discretion in their supervisory and enforcement activities, including the imposition of restrictions on our operations, classification of our assets and determination of the level of our allowance for loan and lease losses.  In addition, changes to statutes, regulations or regulatory policies or supervisory guidance, including changes

in interpretation or implementation of statutes, regulations, policies or supervisory guidance, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways, including, among other things, subjecting us to increased capital, liquidity and risk management requirements, creating additional costs, limiting the types of financial services and products we may offer and/or increasing the ability of non-banks to offer competing financial services and products. Failure to comply with laws, regulations or policies could also result in heightened regulatory scrutiny and in sanctions by regulatory agencies (such as a memorandum of understanding, a written supervisory agreement or a cease and desist order), civil money penalties and/or reputation damage. Any of these consequences could restrict our ability to expand our business or could require us to raise additional capital or sell assets on terms that are not advantageous to us or our stockholders and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. While we have policies and procedures designed to prevent any such violations, such violations may occur despite our best efforts.  

Further, as a public company, we incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses in connection with compliance with rules of the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.

We face risks related to the adoption of future legislation and potential changes in federal regulatory agency leadership, policies, and priorities.

With a new Congress taking office in January 2021, Democrats have retained control of the U.S. House of Representatives, and have gained control of the U.S. Senate, albeit with a majority found only in the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Harris. However slim the majorities, though, the net result is unified Democratic control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, and consequently Democrats will be able to set the agenda both legislatively and in the Administration. We expect that Democratic-led Congressional committees will pursue greater oversight and will also pay increased attention to the banking sector’s role in providing COVID-19-related assistance. The prospects for the enactment of major banking reform legislation under the new Congress are unclear at this time.

Moreover, the turnover of the presidential administration has produced, and likely will continue to produce, certain changes in the leadership and senior staffs of the federal banking agencies, the CFPB, SEC, and the U.S. Treasury Department. These changes could impact the rulemaking, supervision, examination and enforcement priorities and policies of the agencies. The potential impact of any changes in agency personnel, policies and priorities on the financial services sector, including the Bank, cannot be predicted at this time.  Regulations and laws may be modified at any time, and new legislation may be enacted that will affect us.  Any future changes in federal and state laws and regulations, as well as the interpretation and implementation of such laws and regulations, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways, including those listed above or other ways that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We face a risk of noncompliance and enforcement action with the Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations.

Financial institutions are required under the PATRIOT Act, Bank Secrecy Act and other laws and regulations to, among other duties, institute and maintain effective anti-money laundering programs and file suspicious activity and currency transaction reports as appropriate. These rules also require financial institutions to establish procedures for identifying and verifying the identity of customers seeking to open new financial accounts.  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 has engaged 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. There is also increased scrutiny of compliance with the rules enforced by the OFAC. Federal and state bank regulators also focus on compliance with Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering regulations. If our policies, procedures and systems are deemed deficient or the policies, procedures and systems of the financial institutions that we have already acquired or may acquire in the future are deficient, we would be subject to liability, including fines and regulatory actions such as restrictions on our ability to pay dividends and the necessity to obtain regulatory approvals to proceed with certain aspects of our business plan, including our acquisition plans, which would negatively impact our 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 us.

New accounting standards could require us to increase our allowance for loan and lease losses and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The measure of our allowance for loan and lease losses is dependent on the adoption and interpretation of accounting standards. The Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, has issued a new credit impairment model, the Current Expected Credit Loss, or CECL model, which will become applicable to us in 2023. Under the CECL model, we will be required to present certain financial assets carried at amortized cost, such as loans held for investment and held-to-maturity debt securities, at the net amount expected to be collected. The measurement of expected credit losses is to be based on information about past events, including historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect the collectability of the reported amount. This measurement will take place at the time the financial asset is first added to the balance sheet and periodically thereafter. This differs significantly from the “incurred loss” model currently required under GAAP, which delays recognition until it is probable a loss has been incurred. Accordingly, we expect that the adoption of the CECL model will materially affect how we determine our allowance for loan and lease losses and could require us to significantly increase our allowance. Moreover, the CECL model may create more volatility in the level of our allowance for loan and lease losses. If we are required to materially increase our level of allowance for loan and lease losses for any reason, such increase could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We could be adversely affected by changes in tax laws and regulations or the interpretations of such laws and regulations.

We are subject to the income tax laws of the U.S., and its states and municipalities in which we do business. These tax laws are complex and may be subject to different interpretations. We must make judgments and interpretations about the application of these inherently complex tax laws when determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities, and our valuation allowance. Changes to the tax laws, administrative rulings or court decisions could increase our provision for income taxes and reduce our net income.

In addition, our ability to continue to record our deferred tax assets is dependent on our ability to realize their value through future projected earnings. Future changes in tax laws or regulations could adversely affect our ability to record our deferred tax assets. Loss of part or all of our deferred tax assets would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We are party to various claims and lawsuits incidental to our business. Litigation is subject to many uncertainties such that the expenses and ultimate exposure with respect to many of these matters cannot be ascertained.

From time to time, we are the subject of various claims and legal actions by customers, employees, stockholders and others. Whether such claims and legal actions are legitimate or unfounded, if such claims and legal actions are not resolved in our favor, they may result in significant financial liability and/or adversely affect the market perception of us and our products and services as well as impact customer demand for those products and services.  In light of the potential cost and uncertainty involved in litigation, we have in the past and may in the future settle matters even when we believe we have a meritorious defense. Certain claims may seek injunctive relief, which could disrupt the ordinary conduct of our business and operations or increase our cost of doing business. Our insurance or indemnities may not cover all claims that may be asserted against us.  Any judgments or settlements in any pending litigation or future claims, litigation or investigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition and results of operations.

From time to time we are, or may become, involved in suits, legal proceedings, information-gatherings, investigations and proceedings by governmental and self-regulatory agencies that may lead to adverse consequences.

Many aspects of the banking business involve a substantial risk of legal liability.  From time to time, we are, or may become, the subject of information-gathering requests, reviews, investigations and proceedings, and other forms of regulatory inquiry, including by bank regulatory agencies, self-regulatory agencies, the SEC and law enforcement authorities.  The results of such proceedings could lead to significant civil or criminal penalties, including monetary penalties, damages, adverse judgements, settlements, fines, injunctions, restrictions on the way we conduct our business or reputational harm.

As a participating lender in the SBA Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), we are subject to additional risks of litigation from our customers or other parties regarding our processing of loans for the PPP and risks that the SBA may not fund some or all PPP loan guaranties.

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the CARES Act, which created a guaranteed, unsecured loan program, the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, to fund operational costs of eligible businesses, organizations and self-employed persons during COVID-19.  Under the PPP, small businesses and other entities and individuals can apply for loans from existing SBA lenders and other approved regulated lenders that enroll in the program, subject to numerous limitations and eligibility criteria. The Bank is participating as a lender in the PPP. The PPP commenced on April 3, 2020 and was available to qualified borrowers through August 8, 2020, and an additional stimulus package was approved on December 28, 2020, authorizing an additional $284.5 billion of PPP funds.  Since the opening of the PPP, several other larger banks have been subject to litigation regarding the process and procedures that such banks used in processing applications for the PPP. We may be exposed to the risk of litigation, from both customers and non-customers that approached us regarding PPP loans, regarding our process and procedures used in processing applications for the PPP. If any such litigation is filed against us and is not resolved in a manner favorable to us, it may result in significant financial liability or adversely affect our reputation.  In addition, litigation can be costly, regardless of outcome.  Any financial liability, litigation costs or reputational damage caused by PPP-related litigation could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We also have credit risk on PPP loans if a determination is made by the SBA that there is a deficiency in the manner in which the loan was originated, funded, or serviced by us, such as an issue with the eligibility of a borrower to receive a PPP loan, which may or may not be related to the ambiguity in the laws, rules and guidance regarding the operation of the PPP.  In the event of a loss resulting from a default on a PPP loan and a determination by the SBA that there was a deficiency in the manner in which the PPP loan was originated, funded, or serviced by us, the SBA may deny its liability under the guaranty, reduce the amount of the guaranty, or, if it has already paid under the guaranty, seek recovery of any loss related to the deficiency from us.

Risks Related to Our Human Capital

We depend heavily on key employees, including Mary Ann Scully and Robert D. Kunisch, Jr., to continue the implementation of our long-term business strategy, and the loss of one or more of these key employees could curtail our growth, disrupt our operations and result in reduced earnings.

Ms. Scully is our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Kunisch is our President and Chief Operating Officer. We believe that our continued growth and future success will depend in large part on the skills of our senior management team.  We believe these two executive officers possess valuable knowledge about and experience in the banking industry and that their knowledge and relationships would be difficult to replicate.  We have entered into an employment agreement with each of Ms. Scully and Mr. Kunisch and acquired key-person life insurance on each, but the existence of such agreements and insurance does not assure that we will be able to retain their services or recover losses associated with the loss of their services.  The unexpected loss of the services of Ms. Scully or Mr. Kunisch could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations, financial condition and operating results, as well as the value of our common stock.

Our success also depends, in part, on our continued ability to attract and retain experienced loan originators, as well as other management personnel. Competition for personnel is intense, and we may not be successful in attracting or retaining qualified personnel. Our failure to compete for these personnel, or the loss of the services of several of such key personnel, could adversely affect our business strategy and materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

Risks Related to an Investment in Our Common Stock

Anti-takeover provisions in our corporate documents and in federal and state law may make it difficult and expensive to remove current management.

Anti-takeover provisions in our articles of incorporation and bylaws and federal and state banking laws, including regulatory approval requirements, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so would be perceived to be beneficial to our stockholders.  For example, we have a classified board of directors with three-year staggered terms, which may delay the ability of stockholders to change the membership of a majority of our board.  In addition, directors may only be removed from office by the affirmative vote of at least 80% of all of the votes of our stockholders entitled to be cast.  Our articles of incorporation also authorize our board to classify or reclassify shares of our stock in one or more classes or series, to cause the issuance of additional shares of our stock, and to amend our articles without stockholder approval to increase or decrease the number of shares of stock that we have authority to issue.   The combination of these provisions may inhibit a non-negotiated merger or other business combination, which, in turn, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.  These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult and expensive for holders of our common stock to elect directors other than the candidates nominated by our board of directors or otherwise remove existing directors and management, even if current management is not performing adequately.

Maryland law and our articles of incorporation limit the liability of our directors and officers and the rights of us and our stockholders to take action against our directors and officers.

Maryland law provides that a director will not have any liability as a director as long as he or she performs his or her duties in accordance with the applicable standard of conduct. In addition, our articles of incorporation eliminate our directors’ and officers’ liability to us and our stockholders for money damages to the fullest extent permitted by Maryland law. Our articles of incorporation and bylaws also require us to indemnify our directors and officers for liability resulting from actions taken by them in those capacities to the maximum extent permitted by Maryland law. As a result, we and our stockholders may have more limited rights against our directors and officers than might otherwise exist under common law. In addition, we may be obligated to fund the defense costs incurred by our directors and officers.

The market price for our common stock may be volatile.

The market price of our common stock could be subject to significant fluctuations due to changes in sentiment in the market regarding our operations or business prospects. Factors that may affect market sentiment include:

●operating results that vary from the expectations of our management or of securities analysts and investors;

While the U.S. and other governments continue efforts to restore confidence in financial markets and promote economic growth, market and economic turmoil could still occur in the near- or long-term, negatively affecting our business, financial condition and results of operations, as well as the price, trading volume and volatility of our common stock.

We may be unable to, or may continue to choose not to, pay dividends on our common stock.

We have never paid cash dividends to holders of our common stock. Although we may pay cash dividends in the future, we currently intend to retain a large majority of any earnings to help fund our growth. Our ability to pay cash dividends

may be limited by regulatory restrictions, by our Bank’s ability to pay cash dividends to the Company and by our need to maintain sufficient capital to support our operations. The FRB has issued a policy statement regarding the payment of dividends by bank holding companies. In general, the FRB’s policies provide that dividends should be paid only out of current earnings and only if the prospective rate of earnings retention by the bank holding company appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. The FRB’s policies also require that a bank holding company serve as a source of financial strength to its subsidiary banks by standing ready to use available resources to provide adequate capital funds to those banks during periods of financial stress or adversity and by maintaining the financial flexibility and capital-raising capacity to obtain additional resources for assisting its subsidiary banks where necessary. Under the prompt corrective action regulations, the ability of a bank holding company to pay dividends may be restricted if a subsidiary bank becomes undercapitalized. These regulatory policies could affect the ability of the Company to pay dividends or otherwise engage in capital distributions.

Since the Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank and does not conduct stand-alone operations, its ability to pay dividends depends on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends to it. As a Maryland-chartered trust company, the Bank is subject to limitations on the amount of dividends that it is permitted to pay. The federal banking agencies have also issued policy statements which provide that bank holding companies and insured banks should generally only pay dividends out of current earnings.

If our Bank is not permitted to pay cash dividends to the Company, it is unlikely that we would be able to pay cash dividends on our common stock. Moreover, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends only when, and if declared by our board of directors. If we fail to pay dividends in the future, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock may be the sole opportunity for gains on an investment in our common stock. In addition, in the event the Bank becomes unable to pay dividends to the Company, we may not be able to service our debt or pay our other obligations. Accordingly, the Company’s inability to receive dividends from the Bank could also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We can sell additional shares of common stock without consulting stockholders and without offering shares to existing stockholders, which would result in dilution of our stockholders’ interests and could depress our stock price.

Our articles of incorporation currently authorize an aggregate of 20,000,000 shares of common stock, 18,714,84418,782,399 of which are outstanding as of February 27, 2020.March 15, 2021. As permitted by Maryland law, our articles of incorporation provide that our board of directors can amend our articles of incorporation, without stockholder approval, to increase or decrease the aggregate number of shares of stock or the number of shares of any class of stock that we have the authority to issue. Our board of directors is further authorized to issue additional shares of common stock and preferred stock, at such times and for such consideration as it may determine, without stockholder action. Because our common stockholders do not have preemptive rights to purchase shares of our capital stock (that is, the right to purchase a stockholder’s pro rata share of any securities issued by us), any future offering of capital stock could have a dilutive effect on holders of our common stock.

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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None

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Item 2. Properties

Our headquarters are located at 3301 Boston Street, Baltimore, Maryland in a building that we own, which also includes a full-service branch office.  Including the headquarters building, at December 31, 2019,2020, we owned ten of our sixteenfifteen full-service branches and leased the remaining sixfive branches, all of which are located in our Greater Baltimore Metropolitan market area.  In addition, we lease five regional mortgage banking or commercial lending offices (four in Maryland and one in Delaware) and lease one former branch location. Of the five regional offices and one former branch not occupied, we sublease four of the five locations.  We also own twoone former branch facilitiesfacility that areis classified as long-lived assets within “Interest receivable and other assets” on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, “Premises and Equipment,” and “Leases”“Operating Leases” for information with respect to the amount at which our premises and equipment are recorded andas well as our commitments under long-term leases.

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Item 3. Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we may be involved in litigation relating to claims arising out of our normal course of business. As of the date of this report, we are not aware of any material pending litigation matters.

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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 Purchase of Equity Securities

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the symbol “HBMD.”  At February 27, 2020,March 15, 2021, we had 387369 stockholders of record.

Dividends

We have not declared or paid any dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, for use in our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future; however, our board of directors may decide to declare dividends in the future. Payments of future dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors after taking into account various factors, including our business, operating results and financial condition, current and anticipated cash needs, plans for expansion, tax considerations, general economic conditions and other factors deemed relevant to our board. We are not obligated to pay dividends on our common stock.

As a Maryland corporation, we are subject to certain restrictions on dividends under the Maryland General Corporation Law. Generally, Maryland law limits cash dividends if the corporation would not be able to pay its debts in the usual course of business after giving effect to the cash dividend or if the corporation’s total assets would be less than the corporation’s total liabilities plus the amount needed to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution of stockholders whose preferential rights on dissolution are superior to those receiving the distribution. We are also subject to certain restrictions on the payment of cash dividends as a result of banking laws, regulations and policies. See “Supervision and Regulation—Howard Bancorp, Inc.—Dividends.”

Because we are a bank holding company and do not engage directly in business activities of a material nature, our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders depends, in large part, upon our receipt of dividends from the Bank, which is also subject to numerous limitations on the payment of dividends under federal and state banking laws, regulations and policies. See “Supervision and Regulation—Howard Bank—Dividends.”

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

The information required by this section of this Item is incorporated by reference to the information included under the captions “Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans” in the Proxy Statement.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table reflects information regarding ourWe did not engage in any share repurchases forin the three months ended December 31, 2019:

⁽¹⁾fourth quarter of 2020. On April 24, 2019, our Board of Directors authorized a stock repurchase program under which we can,were authorized, from time to time, to purchase up to $7.0 million of our outstanding common shares, until the program expires on October 24, 2020. Under theshares. We completed our $7.0 million stock repurchase program shares of common stock may be repurchased by us in open market transactions or in privately negotiated transactions as permitted under applicable rules and regulations or through a 10b5-1 trading plan under the Exchange Act, which would permit shares to be repurchased when we might otherwise be precluded from doing so because of self-imposed trading blackout periods or other regulatory restrictions. Repurchases may be conducted, suspended, or terminated at any time without notice. The extent to which we repurchase any shares and the timing of such repurchases will depend upon market conditions and other considerations as may be considered in our sole discretion. A total of 19,764 shares at an average price paid per share of $16.34 were repurchased under this program as of December 31, 2019. As ofon February 24, 2020, we had repurchased all remainingand no shares under the stock repurchase program, resulting in a total of 392,565 shares repurchased at an average price paid per share of $17.83.remain available for repurchase.