Note 6. Loans, Allowance for Loan Losses and Credit Quality | Note 6. Loans, Allowance for Loan Losses and Credit Quality The composition of net loans as of the balance sheet dates was as follows: March 31, December 31, 2021 2020 Commercial & industrial $ 188,443,623 $ 161,067,501 Commercial real estate 278,483,091 280,544,550 Municipal 52,207,213 54,807,367 Residential real estate - 1st lien 169,810,218 170,507,263 Residential real estate - Jr lien 36,878,573 38,147,659 Consumer 3,666,921 4,280,990 Total loans 729,489,639 709,355,330 Deduct: ALL 7,468,288 7,208,485 Deferred net loan fees 2,272,165 1,195,741 Net loans $ 719,749,186 $ 700,951,104 The following is an age analysis of past due loans (including non-accrual) as of the balance sheet dates, by portfolio segment: 90 Days Total Non-Accrual 90 Days or More and March 31, 2021 30-89 Days or More Past Due Current Total Loans Loans Accruing Commercial & industrial $ 586,017 $ 0 $ 586,017 $ 187,857,606 $ 188,443,623 $ 437,904 $ 0 Commercial real estate 387,005 458,299 845,304 277,637,787 278,483,091 1,597,427 119,394 Municipal 0 0 0 52,207,213 52,207,213 0 0 Residential real estate - 1st lien 2,126,285 955,890 3,082,175 166,728,043 169,810,218 1,448,109 413,575 - Jr lien 66,595 111,747 178,342 36,700,231 36,878,573 188,787 76,649 Consumer 5,627 0 5,627 3,661,294 3,666,921 0 0 Totals $ 3,171,529 $ 1,525,936 $ 4,697,465 $ 724,792,174 $ 729,489,639 $ 3,672,227 $ 609,618 90 Days Total Non-Accrual 90 Days or More and December 31, 2020 30-89 Days or More Past Due Current Total Loans Loans Accruing Commercial & industrial $ 119,413 $ 0 $ 119,413 $ 160,948,088 $ 161,067,501 $ 434,196 $ 0 Commercial real estate 127,343 567,957 695,300 279,849,250 280,544,550 1,875,942 0 Municipal 0 0 0 54,807,367 54,807,367 0 0 Residential real estate - 1st lien 1,872,439 828,344 2,700,783 167,806,480 170,507,263 2,173,315 390,288 - Jr lien 18,322 180,711 199,033 37,948,626 38,147,659 191,311 98,889 Consumer 14,388 0 14,388 4,266,602 4,280,990 0 0 Totals $ 2,151,905 $ 1,577,012 $ 3,728,917 $ 705,626,413 $ 709,355,330 $ 4,674,764 $ 489,177 For all loan segments, loans over 30 days past due are considered delinquent. As of the balance sheet dates presented, residential mortgage loans in process of foreclosure consisted of the following: Number of loans Balance March 31, 2021 6 $ 310,137 December 31, 2020 6 312,807 A state-imposed moratorium on residential foreclosure proceedings adopted in April 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, remained in effect in Vermont as of March 31, 2021. Allowance for loan losses The ALL is established through a provision for loan losses charged to earnings. Loan losses are charged against the allowance when management believes that future payments of a loan balance are unlikely. Subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance. Unsecured loans are charged off when they become uncollectible and no later than 120 days past due. Unsecured loans to customers who subsequently file bankruptcy are charged off within 30 days of receipt of the notification of filing or by the end of the month in which the loans become 120 days past due, whichever occurs first. For secured loans, both residential and commercial, the potential loss on impaired loans is carried as a loan loss reserve specific allocation; the loss portion is charged off when collection of the full loan appears unlikely. The unsecured portion of a real estate loan is that portion of the loan exceeding the "fair value" of the collateral less the estimated cost to sell. Value of the collateral is determined in accordance with the Company’s appraisal policy. The unsecured portion of an impaired real estate secured loan is charged off by the end of the month in which the loan becomes 180 days past due. As described below, the allowance consists of general, specific and unallocated components. However, the entire allowance is available to absorb losses in the loan portfolio, regardless of specific, general and unallocated components considered in determining the amount of the allowance. General component The general component of the ALL is based on historical loss experience and various qualitative factors and is stratified by the following loan segments: commercial and industrial, CRE, municipal, residential real estate 1st lien, residential real estate Jr lien and consumer loans. The Company does not disaggregate its portfolio segments further into classes. Loss ratios are calculated by loan segment using appropriate look back periods. Management uses an average of historical losses based on a time frame appropriate to capture relevant loss data for each loan segment in the current economic climate. During periods of economic stability, a relatively longer period (e.g., five years) may be appropriate. During periods of significant expansion or contraction, the Company may appropriately shorten the historical time period. Due primarily to the effects of COVID-19, during 2020 the Company shortened its look back period to one year, which remained in effect as of March 31, 2021. Qualitative factors include the levels of and trends in delinquencies and non-performing loans, levels of and trends in loan risk groups, trends in volumes and terms of loans, effects of any changes in loan related policies, experience, ability and the depth of management, documentation and credit data exception levels, national and local economic trends, external factors such as competition and regulation and lastly, concentrations of credit risk in a variety of areas, including portfolio product mix, the level of loans to individual borrowers and their related interests, loans to industry segments, and the geographic distribution of CRE loans. This evaluation is inherently subjective as it requires estimates that are susceptible to revision as more information becomes available. The qualitative factors are determined based on the various risk characteristics of each loan segment. The Company has policies, procedures and internal controls that management believes are commensurate with the risk profile of each of these segments. Major risk characteristics relevant to each portfolio segment are as follows: Commercial & Industrial - Commercial Real Estate - Municipal - Residential Real Estate - 1 st Residential Real Estate - Jr Lien - Consumer - Specific component The specific component of the ALL relates to loans that are impaired. Impaired loans are loans to a borrower that in the aggregate are greater than $100,000and that are in non-accrual status or are TDRs regardless of amount. A specific allowance is established for an impaired loan when its estimated fair value or net present value of future cash flows is less than the carrying value of the loan. For all loan segments, except consumer loans, a loan is considered impaired when, based on current information and events, in management’s estimation it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect the scheduled payments of principal or interest when due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Factors considered by management in determining impairment include payment status, collateral value and probability of collecting scheduled principal and interest payments when due. Loans that experience insignificant or temporary payment delays and payment shortfalls generally are not classified as impaired. Management evaluates the significance of payment delays and payment shortfalls on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration all of the circumstances surrounding the loan and the borrower, including the length and frequency of the delay, the reasons for the delay, the borrower’s prior payment record and the amount of the shortfall in relation to the principal and interest owed. Impairment is measured on a loan by loan basis, by either the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate, the loan’s obtainable market price, or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent. Impaired loans also include troubled loans that are restructured. A TDR occurs when the Company, for economic or legal reasons related to the borrower’s financial difficulties, grants a concession to the borrower that would otherwise not be granted. TDRs may include the transfer of assets to the Company in partial satisfaction of a troubled loan, a modification of a loan’s terms, or a combination of the two. As described above in Note 3, under March 2020 guidance from the federal banking agencies and concurrence by the FASB, certain short-term loan accommodations made in good faith for borrowers experiencing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 health emergency will not be considered TDRs. Large groups of smaller balance homogeneous loans are collectively evaluated for impairment. Accordingly, the Company does not separately identify individual consumer loans for impairment evaluation, unless such loans are subject to a restructuring agreement. Unallocated component An unallocated component of the ALL is maintained to cover uncertainties that could affect management’s estimate of probable losses. The unallocated component reflects management’s estimate of the margin of imprecision inherent in the underlying assumptions used in the methodologies for estimating specific and general losses in the portfolio. The tables below summarize changes in the ALL and select loan information, by portfolio segment, for the periods indicated. As of or for the three months ended March 31, 2021 Residential Residential Commercial Commercial Real Estate Real Estate & Industrial Real Estate Municipal 1st Lien Jr Lien Consumer Unallocated Total ALL beginning balance $ 842,547 $ 3,854,153 $ 82,211 $ 1,735,304 $ 234,896 $ 60,461 $ 398,913 $ 7,208,485 Charge-offs (18,847 ) 0 0 0 0 (14,161 ) 0 (33,008 ) Recoveries 4,761 7,000 0 1,567 528 11,458 0 25,314 Provision (credit) 60,170 (37,468 ) 1,320 (69,277 ) (32,112 ) (18,136 ) 363,000 267,497 ALL ending balance $ 888,631 $ 3,823,685 $ 83,531 $ 1,667,594 $ 203,312 $ 39,622 $ 761,913 $ 7,468,288 ALL evaluated for impairment Individually $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 119,306 $ 255 $ 0 $ 0 $ 119,561 Collectively 888,631 3,823,685 83,531 1,548,288 203,058 39,621 761,913 7,348,727 Total $ 888,631 $ 3,823,685 $ 83,531 $ 1,667,594 $ 203,313 $ 39,621 $ 761,913 $ 7,468,288 Loans evaluated for impairment Individually $ 420,974 $ 1,645,678 $ 0 $ 4,394,274 $ 143,333 $ 0 $ 6,604,259 Collectively 188,022,649 276,837,413 52,207,213 165,415,944 36,735,240 3,666,921 722,885,380 Total $ 188,443,623 $ 278,483,091 $ 52,207,213 $ 169,810,218 $ 36,878,573 $ 3,666,921 $ 729,489,639 As of or for the year ended December 31, 2020 Residential Residential Commercial Commercial Real Estate Real Estate & Industrial Real Estate Municipal 1st Lien Jr Lien Consumer Unallocated Total ALL beginning balance $ 836,766 $ 3,181,646 $ 0 $ 1,388,564 $ 289,684 $ 51,793 $ 178,038 $ 5,926,491 Charge-offs (39,148 ) (34,200 ) 0 (203,623 ) (28,673 ) (74,327 ) 0 (379,971 ) Recoveries 1,087 20,000 0 12,856 5,809 33,213 0 72,965 Provision (credit) 43,842 686,707 82,211 537,507 (31,924 ) 49,782 220,875 1,589,000 ALL ending balance $ 842,547 $ 3,854,153 $ 82,211 $ 1,735,304 $ 234,896 $ 60,461 $ 398,913 $ 7,208,485 ALL evaluated for impairment Individually $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 108,474 $ 307 $ 0 $ 0 $ 108,781 Collectively 842,547 3,854,153 82,211 1,626,830 234,589 60,461 398,913 7,099,704 Total $ 842,547 $ 3,854,153 $ 82,211 $ 1,735,304 $ 234,896 $ 60,461 $ 398,913 $ 7,208,485 Loans evaluated for impairment Individually $ 414,266 $ 1,943,723 $ 0 $ 4,657,050 $ 135,053 $ 0 $ 7,150,092 Collectively 160,653,235 278,600,827 54,807,367 165,850,213 38,012,606 4,280,990 702,205,238 Total $ 161,067,501 $ 280,544,550 $ 54,807,367 $ 170,507,263 $ 38,147,659 $ 4,280,990 $ 709,355,330 As of or for the three months ended March 31, 2020 Residential Residential Commercial Commercial Real Estate Real Estate & Industrial Real Estate Municipal 1st Lien Jr Lien Consumer Unallocated Total ALL beginning balance $ 836,766 $ 3,181,646 $ 0 $ 1,388,564 $ 289,684 $ 51,793 $ 178,038 $ 5,926,491 Charge-offs 0 0 0 (77,696 ) (28,673 ) (27,391 ) 0 (133,760 ) Recoveries 0 0 0 3,334 3,367 10,829 0 17,530 Provision (credit) 30,901 141,408 0 163,074 21,403 18,486 1,231 376,503 ALL ending balance $ 867,667 $ 3,323,054 $ 0 $ 1,477,276 $ 285,781 $ 53,717 $ 179,269 $ 6,186,764 ALL evaluated for impairment Individually $ 0 $ 0 $ 0 $ 119,355 $ 477 $ 0 $ 0 $ 119,832 Collectively 867,667 3,323,054 0 1,357,921 285,304 53,717 179,269 6,066,932 Total $ 867,667 $ 3,323,054 $ 0 $ 1,477,276 $ 285,781 $ 53,717 $ 179,269 $ 6,186,764 Loans evaluated for impairment Individually $ 392,187 $ 1,650,748 $ 0 $ 4,781,243 $ 314,521 $ 0 $ 7,138,699 Collectively 108,066,217 255,163,954 59,649,823 158,547,023 41,716,277 4,132,697 627,275,991 Total $ 108,458,404 $ 256,814,702 $ 59,649,823 $ 163,328,266 $ 42,030,798 $ 4,132,697 $ 634,414,690 Impaired loans, by portfolio segment, were as follows: As of March 31, 2021 Unpaid Average Interest Recorded Principal Related Recorded Income Investment(1) Balance Allowance Investment(1)(2) Recognized(2) Related allowance recorded Residential real estate 1st lien $ 1,159,129 $ 1,196,306 $ 119,306 $ 1,029,855 $ 18,650 Jr lien 4,466 4,463 255 4,622 117 Total with related allowance 1,163,595 1,200,769 119,561 1,034,477 18,767 No related allowance recorded Commercial & industrial 420,975 485,396 417,620 204 Commercial real estate 1,645,921 2,103,732 1,794,967 2,044 Residential real estate 1st lien 3,269,662 4,132,986 3,529,314 46,958 Jr lien 138,870 180,547 134,574 0 Total with no related allowance 5,475,428 6,902,661 5,876,475 49,206 Total impaired loans $ 6,639,023 $ 8,103,430 $ 119,561 $ 6,910,952 $ 67,973 (1) Recorded investment in impaired loans as of March 31, 2021 includes accrued interest receivable and deferred net loan costs of $34,764. (2) For the three months ended March 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2020 Unpaid Average Interest Recorded Principal Related Recorded Income Investment(1) Balance Allowance Investment(1)(2) Recognized(2) Related allowance recorded Residential real estate 1st lien $ 900,581 $ 950,063 $ 108,474 $ 889,262 $ 72,713 Jr lien 4,777 4,775 307 5,416 541 Total with related allowance 905,358 954,838 108,781 894,678 73,254 No related allowance recorded Commercial & industrial 414,266 471,405 397,136 6,396 Commercial real estate 1,944,013 2,394,284 1,746,430 14,139 Residential real estate 1st lien 3,788,965 4,607,848 3,878,829 230,838 Jr lien 130,279 169,720 163,750 4,524 Total with no related allowance 6,277,523 7,643,257 6,186,145 255,897 Total impaired loans $ 7,182,881 $ 8,598,095 $ 108,781 $ 7,080,823 $ 329,151 (1) Recorded investment in impaired loans as of December 31, 2020 includes accrued interest receivable and deferred net loan costs of $32,789. (2) For the year ended December 31, 2020. As of March 31, 2020 Unpaid Average Interest Recorded Principal Related Recorded Income Investment(1) Balance Allowance Investment (1)(2) Recognized(2) Related allowance recorded Residential real estate 1st lien $ 968,459 $ 991,113 $ 119,355 $ 923,449 $ 20,431 Jr lien 5,686 5,683 477 5,904 144 Total with related allowance 974,145 996,796 119,832 929,353 20,575 No related allowance recorded Commercial & industrial 392,187 424,442 406,560 0 Commercial real estate 1,651,247 2,004,694 1,675,509 3,542 Residential real estate 1st lien 3,834,253 4,609,223 3,724,607 51,612 Jr lien 308,838 350,313 229,405 0 Total with no related allowance 6,186,525 7,388,672 6,036,081 55,154 Total impaired loans $ 7,160,670 $ 8,385,468 $ 119,832 $ 6,965,434 $ 75,729 (1) Recorded investment in impaired loans as of March 31, 2020 includes accrued interest receivable and deferred net loan costs of $21,971. (2) For the three months ended March 31, 2020. For all loan segments, the accrual of interest is discontinued when a loan is specifically determined to be impaired or when the loan is delinquent 90 days and management believes, after considering collection efforts and other factors, that the borrower's financial condition is such that collection of interest is considered by management to be doubtful. Any unpaid interest previously accrued on those loans is reversed from income. Interest income is generally not recognized on specific impaired loans unless the likelihood of further loss is considered by management to be remote. Interest payments received on impaired loans are generally applied as a reduction of the loan principal balance. Loans are returned to accrual status when all the principal and interest amounts contractually due are brought current and a satisfactory payment performance of six or more months has occurred. Credit Quality Grouping In developing the ALL, management uses credit quality groupings to help evaluate trends in credit quality. The Company groups credit risk into Groups A, B and C. The manner the Company utilizes to assign risk grouping is driven by loan purpose. Commercial purpose loans are individually risk graded while the retail portion of the portfolio is generally grouped by delinquency pool. Group A loans - Acceptable Risk Group B loans - Management Involved Group C loans - Unacceptable Risk Commercial purpose loan ratings are assigned by the commercial account officer; for larger and more complex commercial loans, the credit rating is a collaborative assignment by the lender and the credit analyst. The credit risk rating is based on the borrower's expected performance, i.e., the likelihood that the borrower will be able to service its obligations in accordance with the loan terms. Credit risk ratings are meant to measure risk versus simply record history. Assessment of expected future payment performance requires consideration of numerous factors. While past performance is part of the overall evaluation, expected performance is based on an analysis of the borrower's financial strength, and historical and projected factors such as size and financing alternatives, capacity and cash flow, balance sheet and income statement trends, the quality and timeliness of financial reporting, and the quality of the borrower’s management. Other factors influencing the credit risk rating to a lesser degree include collateral coverage and control, guarantor strength and commitment, documentation, structure and covenants and industry conditions. There are uncertainties inherent in this process. Credit risk ratings are dynamic and require updating whenever relevant information is received. Risk ratings are assessed on an ongoing basis and at various points, including at delinquency or at the time of other adverse events. For larger, more complex or adversely rated loans, risk ratings are also assessed at the time of annual or periodic review. Lenders are required to make immediate disclosure to the Senior Credit Officer of any known increase in loan risk, even if considered temporary in nature. The risk ratings within the loan portfolio, by segment, as of the balance sheet dates were as follows: As of March 31, 2021 Residential Residential Commercial Commercial Real Estate Real Estate & Industrial Real Estate Municipal 1st Lien Jr Lien Consumer Total Group A $ 184,463,009 $ 263,134,345 $ 52,207,213 $ 167,435,341 $ 36,584,488 $ 3,666,921 $ 707,491,317 Group B 796,373 9,908,005 0 0 0 0 10,704,378 Group C 3,184,241 5,440,741 0 2,374,877 294,085 0 11,293,944 Total $ 188,443,623 $ 278,483,091 $ 52,207,213 $ 169,810,218 $ 36,878,573 $ 3,666,921 $ 729,489,639 As of December 31, 2020 Residential Residential Commercial Commercial Real Estate Real Estate & Industrial Real Estate Municipal 1st Lien Jr Lien Consumer Total Group A $ 156,748,590 $ 261,932,833 $ 54,807,367 $ 167,478,918 $ 37,850,056 $ 4,280,990 $ 683,098,754 Group B 998,641 12,784,078 0 0 0 0 13,782,719 Group C 3,320,270 5,827,639 0 3,028,345 297,603 0 12,473,857 Total $ 161,067,501 $ 280,544,550 $ 54,807,367 $ 170,507,263 $ 38,147,659 $ 4,280,990 $ 709,355,330 Modifications of Loans and TDRs A loan is classified as a TDR if, for economic or legal reasons related to a borrower’s financial difficulties, the Company grants a concession to the borrower that it would not otherwise consider. The Company is deemed to have granted such a concession if it has modified a troubled loan in any of the following ways: • Reduced accrued interest; • Reduced the original contractual interest rate to a rate that is below the current market rate for the borrower; • Converted a variable-rate loan to a fixed-rate loan; • Extended the term of the loan beyond an insignificant delay; • Deferred or forgiven principal in an amount greater than three months of payments; • Performed a refinancing and deferred or forgiven principal on the original loan; • Capitalized protective advance to pay delinquent real estate taxes; or • Capitalized delinquent accrued interest. An insignificant delay or insignificant shortfall in the amount of payments typically would not require the loan to be accounted for as a TDR. However, pursuant to regulatory guidance, any payment delay longer than three months is generally not considered insignificant. Management’s assessment of whether a concession has been granted also takes into account payments expected to be received from third parties, including third-party guarantors, provided that the third party has the ability to perform on the guarantee. The Company’s TDRs are principally a result of extending loan repayment terms to relieve cash flow difficulties. The Company has only, on a limited basis, reduced interest rates for borrowers below the current market rate for the borrower. The Company has not forgiven principal or reduced accrued interest within the terms of original restructurings, nor has it converted variable rate terms to fixed rate terms. However, the Company evaluates each TDR situation on its own merits and does not foreclose the granting of any particular type of concession. The Company has adopted the TDR guidance issued by the federal banking agencies in March and April 2020 regarding the treatment of certain short-term loan modifications relating to the COVID-19 pandemic (See Note 3). Under this guidance, qualifying concessions and modifications are not considered TDRs. As of March 31, 2021, the Company had granted short term loan concessions and/or modifications within the terms of this guidance to 435 borrowers, with respect to loans having an aggregate principal balance of $110.5 million. These loans may bear a higher risk of default in future periods. New TDRs, by portfolio segment, during the periods presented were as follows: Three months ended March 31, 2021 Pre- Post- Modification Modification Outstanding Outstanding Number of Recorded Recorded Contracts Investment Investment Commercial & industrial 1 $ 41,751 $ 41,751 Year ended December 31, 2020 Pre- Post- Modification Modification Outstanding Outstanding Number of Recorded Recorded Contracts Investment Investment Residential real estate - 1st lien 6 $ 591,826 $ 687,751 Three months ended March 31, 2020 Pre- Post- Modification Modification Outstanding Outstanding Number of Recorded Recorded Contracts Investment Investment Residential real estate - 1st lien 3 $ 168,109 $ 196,478 The TDRs for which there was a payment default during the twelve month periods presented below were as follows: For the twelve months ended March 31, 2021 Number of Recorded Contracts Investment Commercial & industrial 1 $ 41,001 Residential real estate - 1st lien 1 162,821 2 $ 203,822 For the twelve months ended December 31, 2020 Number of Recorded Contracts Investment Residential real estate - 1st lien 1 $ 165,168 For the twelve months ended March 31, 2020 Number of Recorded Contracts Investment Commercial real estate 1 $ 376,864 TDRs are treated as other impaired loans and carry individual specific reserves with respect to the calculation of the ALL. These loans are categorized as non-performing, may be past due, and are generally adversely risk rated. The TDRs that have defaulted under their restructured terms are generally in collection status and their reserve is typically calculated using the fair value of collateral method. The specific allowances within the ALL related to TDRs as of the balance sheet dates are presented in the table below. March 31, December 31, 2021 2020 Specific Allocation $ 119,561 $ 108,781 As of the balance sheet dates, the Company evaluates whether it is contractually committed to lend additional funds to debtors with impaired, non-accrual or modified loans. The Company is contractually committed to lend on one SBA guaranteed line of credit to a borrower whose lending relationship was previously restructured. |