Company: FMFG
Filing Date: 2025-05-15
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0001437749-25-017235
Chunk: 8

Company: Farmers & Merchants Bancshares, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-05-15
Form: 10-Q
Item: Part I, Item 1
Chunk 8
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625% level and was phased in over a four-year period (increasing by that amount on each subsequent January 1, until it reached 2.5% on January 1, 2019). The Basel III Capital Rules also provide for a “countercyclical capital buffer” that is applicable to only certain covered institutions and does not have current applicability to the Bank.

The aforementioned capital conservation buffer is designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress. Banking institutions with a ratio of Common Equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets above the minimum but below the conservation buffer (or below the combined capital conservation buffer and countercyclical capital buffer, when the latter is applied) will face constraints on dividends, equity repurchases, and compensation based on the amount of the shortfall.

  Capital Standards (continued)  
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On September 17, 2019, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (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.

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 tier 1 leverage ratio of greater than 8%, less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets, and limited amounts of off-balance-sheet exposures and trading assets and liabilities. A qualifying community banking organization that opts into the CBLR framework and meets all requirements under the framework will be considered to have met the well-capitalized ratio requirements under the Prompt Corrective Action regulations and will not be required to report or calculate risk-based capital. The Company has not opted-in to the CBLR framework.

As of March 31, 2025 the most recent notification from the FDIC categorized the Bank as well capitalized under the regulatory framework for prompt corrective action. To be categorized as well capitalized the Bank must maintain ratios as set forth in the table. There have been no conditions or events since that notification that management believes have changed