we firmly believe that we are doing the things necessary for us to remain relevant in these ever-changing times and will see a positive return on our investments, which will help us to achieve greater efficiencies and better returns as we execute on our strategy for growth.
Our primary focus is protecting the investment of our shareholders in our Company and rewarding them in a balanced fashion by growing their value and paying an attractive cash dividend. In these areas, our shareholders have been nicely rewarded with a year-over-year increase in cash dividends paid of $0.08, or 15.0%, (inclusive of a special cash dividend of $0.15 paid in the first quarter), and a market value increase of $1.77, or 12.4%, to a level of $16.07 as of September 30, 2022. Even though our Company and industry have been through a couple of challenging years from an operating perspective due to the pandemic, we are now fully looking forward and focusing on growing and building a better, more profitable company. In the short-term, there is clearly a threat that the FOMC could overcorrect by raising rates too quickly and highly; thus, having a negative impact on our economy by pushing it into a recessionary state. We are hopeful that this does not occur and obstruct our vision for growth. As always, we are highly optimistic about the potential of our Company. Over the last couple of years, we have become more efficient and better at delivering our products and services in a fashion demanded by our evolving markets. We will continue to build upon our solid foundation and have a longer-term vision. With a keen focus on continual process improvement, product development and delivery, we firmly believe the future for our Company is very bright.
The following discusses the financial condition of the Company as of September 30, 2022, as compared to December 31, 2021, and the results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the same period in 2021. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the interim condensed consolidated financial statements and related footnotes included herein.
Forward-Looking Statements
This report, including MD&A, contains certain forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, certain plans, expectations, goals, projections, and statements, which are not historical facts and are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties. Statements that do not describe historical or current facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words and phrases such as optimistic that, expect, anticipate, believe, intend, estimate, plan, target, goal, or similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as will, may, might, should, would, could, or similar variations. The forward-looking statements are intended to be subject to the safe harbor provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
While there is no assurance that any list of risks and uncertainties or risk factors is complete, below are certain factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained or implied in the forward-looking statements: changes in general economic, political, or industry conditions; the magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the global economy and financial market conditions and our business, results of operations, and financial condition; uncertainty in U.S. fiscal and monetary policy, including the interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve Board; volatility and disruptions in global capital and credit markets; movements in interest rates; reform of LIBOR; competitive pressures on product pricing and services; success, impact, and timing of our business strategies, including market acceptance of any new products or services; the nature, extent, timing, and results of governmental actions, examinations, reviews, reforms, regulations, and interpretations, including those related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the Basel III regulatory capital reforms, as well as those involving the Ohio Division of Financial Institutions, Federal Reserve, FDIC, and CFPB; potential adverse reactions or changes to business or employee relationships; and other factors that may affect the future results of the Company.
All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and are based on information available at that time. The Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements were made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events except as required by federal securities laws. As forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, caution should be exercised against placing undue reliance on such statements.
Critical Accounting Policies
Management makes certain judgments that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and footnotes. These estimates, assumptions and judgments are based on information available as of the date of the financial statements, and as this information changes, the financial statements could reflect different estimates, assumptions, and judgments.
