Company: FMFG
Filing Date: 2025-03-13
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001437749-25-007333
Chunk: 12

Company: Farmers & Merchants Bancshares, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-03-13
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 12
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 capital level requirements in order to qualify as “well capitalized”: (i) a new common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 6.5%; (ii) a Tier 1 capital ratio of 8% (increased from 6%); (iii) a total capital ratio of 10% (unchanged from current rules); and (iv) a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 5% (increased from 4%).

7

The Basel III capital rules set forth certain changes for the calculation of risk-weighted assets. These changes include (i) an increased number of credit risk exposure categories and risk weights; (ii) an alternative standard of creditworthiness consistent with Section 939A of the Dodd-Frank Act; (iii) revisions to recognition of credit risk mitigation; (iv) rules for risk weighting of equity exposures and past due loans, and (v) revised capital treatment for derivatives and repo-style transactions.

Regulators may require higher capital ratios when warranted by the particular circumstances or risk profile of a given banking organization. In the current regulatory environment, banking organizations must stay well-capitalized in order to receive favorable regulatory treatment on acquisition and other expansion activities and favorable risk-based deposit insurance assessments. Our capital policy establishes guidelines meeting these regulatory requirements and takes into consideration current or anticipated risks as well as potential future growth opportunities.

As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with the applicable requirements of the Basel III rules.

On September 17, 2019, the FDIC finalized a rule that introduces an optional simplified measure of capital adequacy for qualifying community banking organizations (i. e., the community bank leverage ratio (“ CBLR”) framework), as required by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act. The CBLR framework is designed to reduce burden by removing the requirements for calculating and reporting risk-based capital ratios for qualifying community banking organizations that opt into the framework.

On April 6, 2020, in a joint statement, the FDIC, Federal Reserve and the Office of Comptroller of the Currency issued two interim final rules regarding temporary changes to the CBLR framework to implement provisions of the CARES Act. Under the interim final rules, the community bank leverage ratio was reduced to 8% beginning in the second quarter and for the remainder of calendar year 2020, 8.5% for calendar year 2021, and 9% thereafter. In order to qualify for the CBLR framework, a community banking organization must have a