EDGAR 10-K Filing

Company CIK: 1109242
Filing Year: 2022
Filename: 1109242_10-K_2022_0001564590-22-007615.json

---

ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Item 1.
Business
General
Hanmi Financial Corporation (“Hanmi Financial,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our”) is a Delaware corporation incorporated on March 14, 2000 to be the holding company for Hanmi Bank (the “Bank”) and is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”). Our principal office is located at 900 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1250, Los Angeles, California 90017, and our telephone number is (213) 382-2200.
Hanmi Bank, the primary subsidiary of Hanmi Financial, is a state chartered bank incorporated under the laws of the State of California on August 24, 1981, and licensed pursuant to the California Financial Code (“California Financial Code”). The Bank’s deposit accounts are insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act up to applicable limits thereof. The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (the “DFPI”) is the Bank’s primary state bank regulator and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”) is its primary federal regulator. The Bank’s headquarters are located at 3660 Wilshire Boulevard, Penthouse Suite A, Los Angeles, California 90010.
The Bank is a community bank conducting general business banking, with its primary market encompassing the Korean-American community and other Asian-American communities across California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington. The Bank’s full-service offices are located in markets where many of the businesses are owned by immigrants and other minority groups. The Bank’s client base reflects the multi-ethnic composition of these communities.
The Bank’s revenues are derived primarily from interest and fees on loans, interest and dividends on the securities portfolio, and service charges on deposit accounts.
A summary of revenues for the periods indicated follows:
Year Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)
Interest and fees on loans receivable
$
208,602
81.1
%
$
211,836
79.3
%
$
229,402
83.6
%
Interest and dividends on securities
7,171
2.8
%
11,438
4.3
%
15,808
5.8
%
Other interest income
0.4
%
0.2
%
1,562
0.6
%
Service charges, fees and other income
23,729
9.2
%
22,145
8.3
%
21,006
7.7
%
Gain on sale of SBA loans
17,266
6.7
%
5,247
2.0
%
5,251
1.9
%
Subtotal
257,670
100.2
%
251,258
94.1
%
273,029
99.5
%
Net gain (loss) on sale of securities
(499
)
(0.2
)%
15,712
5.9
%
1,295
0.5
%
Total revenues
$
257,171
100.0
%
$
266,970
100.0
%
$
274,324
100.0
%
Market Area
The Bank historically has provided its banking services through its branch network to a wide variety of small- to medium-sized businesses. Throughout the Bank’s service areas, competition is intense for both loans and deposits. While the market for banking services is dominated by a few nationwide banks with many offices operating over wide geographic areas, the Bank’s primary competitors are other community banks that focus their marketing efforts on Korean-American and other Asian-American businesses in the Bank’s service areas.
Lending Activities
The Bank originates loans for its own portfolio and for sale in the secondary market. Lending activities include real estate loans (commercial property, construction and residential property), commercial and industrial loans (commercial term, commercial lines of credit and international), equipment lease financing and SBA loans.
Real Estate Loans
Real estate lending involves risks associated with the potential decline in the value of the underlying real estate collateral and the cash flows from income-producing properties. Declines in real estate values and cash flows can be caused by a number of factors, including a decline in general economic conditions, rising interest rates, changes in tax and other laws and regulations affecting the holding of real estate, environmental conditions, governmental and other use restrictions, development of competitive properties and increasing vacancy rates. When real estate values decline, the Bank’s real estate dependence increases the risk of loss both in the Bank’s loan portfolio and the Bank’s holdings of other real estate owned (“OREO”), which are the result of foreclosures on real property due to default by borrowers who use the property as collateral for loans. OREO properties are categorized as real property that is owned by the Bank but which is not directly related to the Bank’s business.
Commercial Property
The Bank offers commercial real estate loans, which are usually collateralized by first deeds of trust. The Bank obtains formal appraisals in accordance with applicable regulations to support the value of the real estate collateral. All appraisal reports on commercial mortgage loans are reviewed by an appraisal review officer. The review generally covers an examination of the appraiser’s assumptions and methods, as well as compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (the “USPAP”). The Bank determines creditworthiness of a borrower by evaluating cash flows, asset and debt structure, as well as credit history. The purpose of the loan is also an important consideration that dictates loan structure and the credit decision.
The Bank’s commercial real estate loans are principally secured by investor-owned or owner-occupied commercial and industrial buildings. Generally, these types of loans are made with a maturity date of up to seven years, with longer amortization periods. Typically, the Bank’s commercial real estate loans have a debt-coverage ratio at time of origination of 1.25 or more and a loan-to-value ratio of 70 percent or less. The Bank offers fixed-rate commercial real estate loans, including hybrid-fixed rate loans that are fixed for one to five years and then convert to adjustable rate loans for the remaining term. In addition, the Bank originates loans with an adjustable rate of interest indexed to the prime rate appearing in The Wall Street Journal (the “WSJ Prime Rate”) or the Bank’s prime rate (the “Bank Prime Rate”), as adjusted from time to time. Amortization schedules for commercial real estate loans generally do not exceed 25 years.
Payments on loans secured by investor-owned and owner-occupied properties are often dependent upon successful operation or management of the properties. Repayment of such loans may be subject to the risk from adverse conditions in the real estate market or the economy. The Bank seeks to minimize these risks in a variety of ways, including limiting the size of such loans in relation to the market value of the property and strictly scrutinizing the property securing the loan. At the time of loan origination, a sensitivity analysis is performed for potential increases in vacancy and interest rates. Additionally, an annual risk assessment is also performed for the commercial real estate secured loan portfolio, which involves evaluating recent industry trends. When possible, the Bank also obtains corporate or individual guarantees. Representatives of the Bank conduct site visits of most commercial properties securing the Bank’s real estate loans before the loans are approved.
The Bank generally requires the borrower to provide, at least annually, current cash flow information in order for the Bank to re-assess the debt-coverage ratio. In addition, the Bank requires title insurance to insure the status of its lien on real estate secured loans when a trust deed on the real estate is taken as collateral. The Bank also requires the borrower to maintain fire insurance, extended coverage casualty insurance and, if the property is in a flood zone, flood insurance, in an amount equal to the outstanding loan balance, subject to applicable laws that may limit the amount of hazard insurance a lender can require to replace such improvements. We cannot assure that these procedures will protect against losses on loans secured by real property.
Construction
The Bank maintains a small construction portfolio for multifamily and commercial and industrial properties within its market areas. The future condition of the local economy could negatively affect the collateral values of such loans. The Bank’s construction loans typically have the following structure:
•
maturities of two years or less;
•
a floating rate of interest based on the WSJ Prime Rate or the Bank Prime Rate;
•
minimum cash equity consistent with high volatility commercial real estate guidelines;
•
third party fund control monitoring;
•
a reserve of anticipated interest costs during construction or an advance of fees;
•
a first lien position on the underlying real estate;
•
advance rates at time of origination that do not exceed the lesser of 75 percent of the value of the property or costs of construction; and
•
recourse against a guarantor in the event of default.
On a case-by-case basis, the Bank originates permanent loans on the commercial property under loan conditions that require strong project stability and debt service coverage. Construction loans involve additional risks compared to loans secured by existing improved real property. Such risks include:
•
the uncertain value of the project prior to completion;
•
the uncertainty in estimating construction costs;
•
construction delays and cost overruns;
•
possible difficulties encountered in connection with municipal, state or other governmental ordinances or regulations during construction; and
•
the difficulty in accurately evaluating the market value of the completed project.
Because of these uncertainties, construction lending often involves the disbursement of substantial funds where repayment of the loan is dependent on the success of the final project rather than the ability of the borrower or guarantor to repay principal and interest on the loan. If the Bank is forced to foreclose on a construction project prior to, or at completion, due to a default under the terms of a loan, there can be no assurance that the Bank will be able to recover all of the unpaid balance of, or accrued interest on, the loan as well as the related foreclosure and holding costs. In addition, the Bank may be required to fund additional amounts in order to complete a pending construction project and may have to hold the property for an indeterminable period of time. The Bank has underwriting procedures designed to identify factors that it believes to maintain acceptable levels of risk in construction lending, including, among other procedures, engaging qualified and bonded third parties to provide progress reports and recommendations for construction loan disbursements. No assurance can be given that these procedures will prevent losses arising from the risks associated with construction loans described above.
Residential Property
The Bank purchases and originates fixed-rate and variable-rate mortgage loans secured by one- to four-family properties with amortization schedules of 15 to 30 years and maturity schedules of up to 30 years. The loan fees, interest rates and other provisions of the Bank’s residential loans are determined by an analysis of the Bank’s cost of funds, cost of origination, cost of servicing, risk factors and portfolio needs.
Commercial and Industrial Loans
The Bank offers commercial loans for intermediate and short-term credit. Commercial loans may be unsecured, partially secured or fully secured. The majority of the commercial loans that the Bank originates are for businesses located primarily in California, Illinois and Texas, and the maturity schedules range from 12 to 60 months. The Bank finances primarily small- and middle-market businesses in a wide spectrum of industries. Commercial and industrial loans consist of credit lines for operating needs, loans for equipment purchases and working capital, and various other business purposes. The Bank requires credit underwriting before considering any extension of credit.
Commercial lending entails significant risks. Commercial loans typically involve larger loan balances, are generally dependent on the cash flows of the business, and may be subject to adverse conditions in the general economy or in a specific industry. Short-term business loans are customarily intended to finance current operations and typically provide for principal payment at maturity, with interest payable monthly. Term loans typically provide for floating interest rates, with monthly payments of both principal and interest.
In general, it is the intent of the Bank to take collateral whenever possible, regardless of the loan purpose(s). Collateral may include, but is not limited to, liens on inventory, accounts receivable, fixtures and equipment, leasehold improvements and real estate. Where real estate is the primary collateral, the Bank obtains formal appraisals in accordance with applicable regulations to support the value of the real estate collateral. Typically, the Bank requires all principals and significant stockholders of a business to be guarantors on all loan instruments. All borrowers must demonstrate the ability to service and repay not only their obligations to the Bank, but also any and all outstanding business debt, without liquidating the collateral, based on historical earnings or reliable projections.
Commercial Term
The Bank offers term loans for a variety of needs, including loans for purchases of equipment, machinery or inventory, business acquisitions, tenant improvements, and refinancing of existing business-related debts. These loans have repayment terms of up to seven years.
Commercial Lines of Credit
The Bank offers lines of credit for a variety of short-term needs, including lines of credit for working capital, accounts receivable and inventory financing, and other purposes related to business operations. Commercial lines of credit usually have a term of 12 months.
International
The Bank offers a variety of international finance and trade services and products, including letters of credit, import financing (trust receipt financing and bankers’ acceptances) and export financing. Although most of our trade finance activities are related to trade with Asian countries, all of our loans are made to companies domiciled in the United States, and a substantial portion of those borrowers are California-based businesses engaged in import and export activities.
Leases Receivable
Equipment finance agreements have terms ranging from one to seven years. Commercial equipment leases are secured by the business assets being financed. The Bank generally obtains a personal guaranty of the owner(s) of the business. Equipment finance leases are similar to commercial business loans in that the leases are typically made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from the cash flows of the borrower’s business. As a result, the availability of funds for the repayment of commercial equipment leases may be substantially dependent on the success of the business itself, which in turn, is often dependent in part upon general economic conditions.
SBA Loans
The Bank originates loans that are guaranteed by the SBA, an independent agency of the federal government. SBA loans are offered for business purposes such as owner-occupied commercial real estate, business acquisitions, start-ups, franchise financing, working capital, improvements and renovations, inventory and equipment, and debt-refinancing. SBA loans offer lower down payments and longer-term financing, which helps small business that are starting out, or about to expand. The guarantees on SBA loans and SBA express loans are generally 75 percent and 50 percent of the principal amount of the loan, respectively. The Bank typically requires that SBA loans be secured by business assets and by a first or second deed of trust on any available real property. When the SBA loan is secured by a first deed of trust on real property, the Bank obtains appraisals in accordance with applicable regulations. SBA loans have terms ranging from five to 25 years depending on the use of the proceeds. To qualify for a SBA loan, a borrower must demonstrate the capacity to service and repay the loan, without liquidating the collateral, based on historical earnings or reliable projections.
The Bank normally sells to unrelated third parties a substantial amount of the guaranteed portion of the SBA loans that it originates. When the Bank sells a SBA loan, it has an option to repurchase the loan if the loan defaults. If the Bank repurchases a defaulted loan, the Bank will make a demand for the guaranteed portion to the SBA. Even after the sale of an SBA loan, the Bank retains the right to service the SBA loan and to receive servicing fees. The unsold portions of the SBA loans that remain owned by the Bank are included in loans receivable on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of December 31, 2021, the Bank had $13.3 million of SBA loans held for sale and $144.7 million of SBA loans in its loan portfolio, and was servicing $473.5 million of SBA loans sold to investors.
Off-Balance Sheet Commitments
As part of the suite of services available to its small- to medium-sized business customers, the Bank from time to time issues formal commitments and lines of credit. These commitments can be either secured or unsecured. They may be revolving lines of credit for seasonal working capital needs, commercial letters of credit or standby letters of credit. Commercial letters of credit facilitate import trade. Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Bank to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party.
Lending Procedures and Lending Limits
Individual lending authority is granted to the Chief Credit Administration Officer and certain additional designated officers. Loans for which direct and indirect borrower liability exceeds an individual’s lending authority are referred to the Bank’s Management Credit Committee.
Legal lending limits are calculated in conformance with the California Financial Code, which prohibits a bank from lending to any one individual, entity or its related interests on an unsecured basis any amount that exceeds 15 percent of the sum of such bank’s stockholders’ equity plus the allowance for credit losses, capital notes and any debentures, or 25 percent on a secured and unsecured basis. At December 31, 2021, the Bank’s authorized legal lending limits for loans to one borrower was $123.1 million for unsecured loans and an additional $82.1 million for secured and unsecured loans combined.
The Bank seeks to mitigate the risks inherent in its loan portfolio by adhering to strict underwriting practices. The review of each loan application includes analysis of the applicant’s business, experience, prior credit history, income level, cash flows, financial condition, tax returns, cash flow projections, and the value of any collateral to secure the loan, based upon reports of independent appraisers and/or audits of accounts receivable or inventory pledged as security. In the case of real estate loans over a specified threshold, the review of collateral value includes an appraisal report prepared by an independent Bank-approved appraiser. All appraisal reports on commercial real property secured loans are reviewed by an appraisal review officer. The review generally covers an examination of the appraiser’s assumptions and methods, as well as compliance with the USPAP.
Allowance for Credit Losses, Allowance for Credit Losses Related to Off-Balance Sheet Items and Provision for Credit Losses
The Bank maintains an allowance for credit losses at an appropriate level considered by management to be adequate to cover the current expected credit losses associated with its loan portfolio under prevailing economic conditions. In addition, the Bank maintains an allowance for credit losses related to off-balance sheet items associated with unfunded commitments and letters of credit, which is included in other liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
The Bank assesses its allowance for credit losses for adequacy on a quarterly basis and more frequently as needed. The DFPI and the FDIC may require the Bank to recognize additions to the allowance for credit losses through a provision for credit losses based upon their assessment of the information available to them at the time of their examinations.
Deposits
The Bank offers a traditional array of deposit products, including noninterest-bearing checking accounts, interest-bearing checking and savings accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal (“NOW”) accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit. These accounts, except for noninterest-bearing checking accounts, earn interest at rates established by management based on competitive market factors and management’s desire to increase certain types or maturities of deposit liabilities. Our approach is to tailor products and bundle those that meet the customer’s needs. This approach is designed to add value for the customer, increase products per household, and produce higher service fee income.
Available Information
We file reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our Proxy Statements, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments thereto. The SEC maintains a website at www.sec.gov, which contains the reports, proxy and information statements and other information we file with the SEC.
We also maintain an Internet website at www.hanmi.com. We make available free of charge through our website our Proxy Statements, Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments thereto, as soon as reasonably practicable after we file such reports with the SEC. We make our website content available for information purposes only. It should not be relied upon for investment purposes. None of the information contained in or hyperlinked from our website is incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Human Capital Resources
Our core values of Integrity, Transparency, Fairness and Collaboration are central to our belief that long-term corporate value is derived by serving the best interests of all of our constituents. The success of our business is dependent on our dedicated employees, who not only strive to provide value to our customers but also provide invaluable support to the communities that we serve. We recognize that our employees are key to Hanmi’s success and we are committed to building a workplace that can attract and retain high-caliber talent.
(a) Our People
We strive to make Hanmi an inclusive, safe and healthy workplace, with opportunities for our employees to grow and develop in their careers. We recruit the best people for the job regardless of gender, ethnicity or other protected traits and it is our policy to fully comply with all laws applicable to discrimination in the workplace.
At December 31, 2021, the Company employed 591 individuals across our nine state footprint, of which 5 were part-time. None of the employees are represented by a union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The management of the Company believes that its employee relations are good and has established a cross-functional Employee Engagement Committee with executive leadership, to promote relationship building across the organization.
Employee retention helps us operate efficiently and offers continuity to our customers and the communities we serve. At December 31, 2021, 43 percent of our current staff had been with us for at least five years.
(b) Learning and Development
We have a robust learning and development program with broad offerings to help employees achieve their career goals. Through Hanmi Banking School, the Corporate Learning and Development department offers a variety of programs to empower employees with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful and remain competitive. Hanmi offers in-house training led by instructors or through interactive online offerings to all employees. Employees can choose from core workshops focused on a single concept or job skill, leadership and professional development programing to develop our emerging leaders, and regulatory compliance trainings to ensure safe and sound banking practices. In addition to internal training, we offer a tuition reimbursement program where costs for certain relevant job training is offered to eligible employees.
Our 12 week Management Leadership Program, based on Franklin Covey’s critical practices, brings together mid-level managers to help our emerging leaders succeed in the face of change. We also have partnerships with Bankers’ Compliance Group and Western Bankers’ Association to provide webinars and trainings. In 2021, we launched the Hanmi Credit Trainee Program, which brings qualified talent with no prior banking experience into a 12 month program with internal and Moody’s Analytics training courses. The goal is to train the next generation of bankers and continue to provide opportunities to develop talent in the communities we serve.
(c) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Hanmi was founded 40 years ago to serve the underbanked, minority immigrant community in Los Angeles. Our corporate values reflect the importance of embracing diversity and equitable practices to ensure we are representative of the communities we serve. As of December 31, 2021:
•
Women represent 66 percent of the Company’s workforce, and 60 percent of the Company’s managerial roles are female;
•
Minorities represent 89 percent of the Company’s workforce, and 86 percent of the Company’s managerial roles.
(d) Compensation and Benefits
As part of our compensation philosophy, we offer competitive salaries and employee benefits to attract and retain superior talent. In 2018, we increased our hourly minimum wage to $15 per hour across the organization. In addition to
healthy base wages, we offer annual bonus opportunities, a company matched 401(k) Plan, healthcare and insurance benefits, flexible spending accounts, wellness incentives, long-term disability, paid time off, and employee assistance programs.
(e) Employee Health and Safety
We recognize that the success of our business is fundamentally connected to the well-being of our employees. We provide benefits that support their physical and mental health by providing tools and resources to help them improve or maintain their health status; and that offer choice where possible so they can customize their benefits to meet their needs. In 2021, we issued a Wellness Day to all employees to take a well-reserved break to rest, maintain overall health, and connect with friends and family.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we implemented significant operating environment changes that we determined were in the best interest of our employees, as well as the communities in which we operate. This includes continued safety measures for on-site employees, distribution of personal protective equipment, flexible work arrangements for eligible employees, limited business travel, and adjustment of paid time off policies for pandemic related absences in order to better support our workforce.
(f) Community Engagement
As a community bank, we are proud to work with our communities to build a stronger future for all of our stakeholders. Hanmi is committed to and has a long history of supporting the communities in which we live and work. Through employee engagement surveys we have focused our community engagement and employee volunteer efforts in five areas: Youth, Education, Health, Senior, and Community Development. Though COVID-19 has impacted in-person activities, prior to the pandemic our employees averaged over 1,000 hours a year, participating in a variety of educational efforts such as financial literacy, financial education for seniors, affordable housing education, education for first-time homebuyers and working with various community non-profits.
Insurance
We maintain directors and officers, financial institution bond and commercial insurance at levels deemed adequate by management to protect Hanmi Financial from certain litigation and other losses.
Competition
The banking and financial services industry is highly competitive. The increasingly competitive environment faced by banks is primarily the result of changes in laws and regulation, changes in technology and product delivery systems, new competitors in the market, and the accelerating pace of consolidation among financial service providers. We compete for loans, deposits and customers with other commercial banks, savings institutions, securities and brokerage companies, mortgage companies, real estate investment trusts, insurance companies, finance companies, money market funds, credit unions, financial technology companies, and other non-bank financial service providers. Some of these competitors are larger in total assets and capitalization, have greater access to capital markets, including foreign-ownership, and/or offer a broader range of financial products and services, such as more extensive and established branch networks and trust services, which the Bank does not provide.
Other institutions, including brokerage firms, credit card companies and retail establishments, offer banking services and products to consumers that are in direct competition with the Bank, including money market funds with check access and cash advances on credit card accounts. In addition, many non-bank competitors are not subject to the same extensive federal or state regulations that govern bank holding companies and federally insured banks.
The Bank’s direct competitors are community banks that focus their marketing efforts on Korean-American, Asian-American and immigrant-owned businesses, while offering the same or similar services and products as those offered by the Bank. These banks compete for loans and deposits primarily through the interest rates and fees they charge, and the convenience and quality of service they provide to customers.
Economic, Legislative and Regulatory Developments
Future profitability, like that of most financial institutions, is primarily dependent on interest rate differentials and credit quality. In general, the difference between the interest rates paid by us on interest-bearing liabilities, such as deposits and other borrowings, and the interest rates received by us on our interest-earning assets, such as loans extended to our customers and securities held in our investment portfolio, will comprise the major portion of our earnings. These rates are
highly sensitive to many factors that are beyond our control, such as inflation, recession and unemployment, and the impact that future changes in domestic and foreign economic conditions might have on us.
Our business is also influenced by the monetary and fiscal policies of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”), the federal government, and the policies of regulatory agencies, particularly the FDIC and the DFPI. The Federal Reserve implements national monetary policies (with objectives such as curbing inflation and combating recession) through its open-market operations in U.S. government securities, by adjusting the required level of reserves for depository institutions subject to its reserve requirements, and by varying the target federal funds and discount rates applicable to borrowings by depository institutions. The actions of the Federal Reserve in these areas influence the growth of bank loans, investments and deposits, and affect interest earned on interest-earning assets and interest paid on interest-bearing liabilities. The nature and impact on us of any future changes in monetary and fiscal policies cannot be predicted.
From time to time, federal and state legislation is enacted that may have the effect of materially increasing the cost of doing business, limiting or expanding permissible activities, or affecting the competitive balance between banks and other financial services providers, such as federal legislation permitting affiliations among commercial banks, insurance companies and securities firms. We cannot predict whether or when any potential legislation will be enacted, and if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on our financial condition or results of operations. In addition, the outcome of any investigations initiated by state authorities or litigation raising issues may result in necessary changes in our operations, additional regulation and increased compliance costs.
Regulation and Supervision
(a) General
The Company, which is a bank holding company, and the Bank, which is a California-chartered state nonmember bank, are subject to significant regulation and restrictions by federal and state laws and regulatory agencies. The applicable statutes and regulations, among other things, restrict activities and investments in which we may engage and our conduct of them, impose capital requirements with which we must comply, impose various reporting and information collecting obligations upon us, and subject us to comprehensive supervision and regulation by regulatory agencies. The federal and state banking statutes and regulations and the supervision, regulation and examination of banks and their parent companies by the regulatory agencies are intended primarily for the maintenance of the safety and soundness of banks and their depositors, the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) of the FDIC, and the financial system as a whole, rather than for the protection of stockholders or creditors of banks or their parent companies.
The following discussion of statutes and regulations is a summary and does not purport to be complete, nor does it address all applicable statutes and regulations. This discussion is qualified in its entirety by reference to the statutes and regulations referred to in this discussion. Banking statutes, regulations and policies are continuously under review by federal and state legislatures and regulatory agencies, and a change in them could have a material adverse effect on our business, such as materially increasing the cost of doing business, limiting or expanding permissible activities, or affecting the competitive balance between banks and other financial services providers.
We cannot predict whether or when other legislation or new regulations may be enacted, and if enacted, the effect that new legislation, or any implemented regulations and supervisory policies, would have on our financial condition and results of operations. Such developments may further alter the structure, regulation, and competitive relationship among financial institutions, and may subject us to increased regulation, disclosure, and reporting requirements.
(b) Legislation and Regulatory Developments
Legislative and regulatory developments to date, as well as those that come in the future, have had, and are likely to continue to have, an impact on the conduct of our business. Additional legislation, changes in rules promulgated by federal and state bank regulators, or changes in the interpretation, implementation, or enforcement of existing laws and regulations, may directly affect the method of operation and profitability of our business. The profitability of our business may also be affected by laws and regulations that impact the business and financial sectors in general.
In the exercise of their supervisory and examination authority, the regulatory agencies have emphasized corporate governance, stress testing, enterprise risk management and other board responsibilities; anti-money laundering compliance and enhanced high risk customer due diligence; vendor management; cyber security and fair lending and other consumer compliance obligations.
(c) Capital Adequacy Requirements
Bank holding companies and banks are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by state and federal banking regulators. The current capital rules require banking organizations to maintain: (i) a minimum capital ratio of Common Equity Tier 1 to risk-weighted assets of 4.50 percent; (ii) a minimum capital ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of 6.00 percent; (iii) a minimum capital ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of 8.00 percent; and (iv) a minimum leverage ratio of Tier 1 capital to adjusted average consolidated assets of 4.00 percent. In addition, the current capital rules require a capital conservation buffer of 2.5 percent above the minimum capital ratios. Banking organizations with capital ratios above the minimum capital ratio but below the capital conservation buffer will face limitation on the payment of dividends, common stock repurchases and discretionary cash payments to executive officers.
Capital adequacy requirements and, additionally for banks, prompt corrective action regulations (See “Prompt Corrective Action Provisions” below), involve quantitative measures of assets, liabilities, and certain off-balance sheet items calculated under regulatory accounting practices. Capital amounts and classifications are also subject to qualitative judgments by regulators about components, risk weighting, and other factors. The risk-based capital requirements for banking organizations require capital ratios that vary based on the perceived degree of risk associated with an organization’s operations for both transactions reported on the balance sheet as assets, such as loans, and those recorded as off-balance sheet items, such as commitments, letters of credit and recourse arrangements. The risk-based capital ratio is determined by classifying assets and certain off-balance sheet financial instruments into weighted categories, with higher levels of capital being required for those categories perceived as representing greater risks and dividing its qualifying capital by its total risk-adjusted assets and off-balance sheet items. Banking organizations engaged in significant trading activity may also be subject to the market risk capital guidelines and be required to incorporate additional market and interest rate risk components into their risk-based capital standards.
At December 31, 2021, the Company and the Bank’s total risk-based capital ratios were 16.61 percent and 14.72 percent, respectively; Tier 1 risk-based capital ratios were 11.97 percent and 13.61 percent, respectively; Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratios were 11.59 percent and 13.61 percent, respectively, and the Company’s and Bank’s Tier 1 leverage capital ratios were 9.63 percent and 10.96 percent, respectively, all of which ratios exceeded the minimum percentage requirements for the Bank to be deemed “well-capitalized” and for the Company to meet and exceed all applicable capital ratio requirements for regulatory purposes. The Bank’s capital conservation buffer was 6.72 percent and 6.86 percent, and the Company’s capital conservation buffer was 5.97 percent and 5.93 percent as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations-Capital Resources.” The federal banking regulators may require banks and bank holding companies subject to enforcement actions to maintain capital ratios in excess of the minimum ratios otherwise required to be deemed well capitalized, in which case institutions may no longer be deemed to be well capitalized and may therefore be subject to restrictions on taking brokered deposits.
Bank regulators may also continue their past policies of expecting banks to maintain additional capital beyond the new minimum requirements. The implementation of more stringent requirements to maintain higher levels of capital, or to maintain higher levels of liquid assets, could adversely impact the Company’s net income and return on equity, restrict the ability to pay dividends or executive bonuses, and require the raising of additional capital.
Management believes that, as of December 31, 2021, the Company and the Bank met all applicable capital requirements to which they were subject.
(d) Bank Holding Company Regulation
The Company is a bank holding company that is subject to comprehensive supervision, regulation, examination and enforcement by the Federal Reserve.
Bank holding companies and their subsidiaries are subject to significant regulation and restrictions by Federal and State laws and regulatory agencies, which may affect the cost of doing business, and may limit permissible activities and expansion or impact the competitive balance between banks and other financial services providers. Federal and state banking laws and regulations, among other things:
•
Require periodic reports and such additional reports of information as the Federal Reserve may require;
•
Limit the scope of bank holding companies’ activities and investments;
•
Require bank holding companies to meet or exceed certain levels of capital (See “Capital Adequacy Requirements” above);
•
Require that bank holding companies serve as a source of financial and managerial strength to subsidiary banks and commit resources as necessary to support each subsidiary bank;
•
Limit dividends payable to shareholders and restrict the ability of bank holding companies to obtain dividends or other distributions from their subsidiary banks. The Company’s ability to pay dividends on both its common and preferred stock is subject to legal and regulatory restrictions. Substantially all of the Company’s funds to pay dividends or to pay principal and interest on our debt obligations are derived from dividends paid by the Bank;
•
Require a bank holding company to terminate an activity or terminate control of or liquidate or divest certain subsidiaries, affiliates or investments if the Federal Reserve believes the activity or the control of the subsidiary or affiliate constitutes a significant risk to the financial safety, soundness or stability of any bank subsidiary;
•
Require the prior approval of senior executive officer or director changes and prohibit golden parachute payments, including change in control agreements, or new employment agreements with such payment terms, which are contingent upon termination if an institution is in “troubled condition;”
•
Regulate provisions of certain bank holding company debt, including the authority to impose interest ceilings and reserve requirements on such debt and require prior approval to purchase or redeem securities; and
•
Require prior Federal Reserve approval to acquire substantially all the assets of a bank, to acquire more than 5.0 percent of a class of voting shares of a bank, or to merge with another bank holding company and consider certain competitive, management, financial, anti-money-laundering compliance, potential impact on U.S. financial stability or other factors in granting these approvals, in addition to similar California or other state banking agency approvals which may also be required.
A bank holding company is subject to supervision and examination by the Federal Reserve. Examinations are designed to inform the Federal Reserve of the financial condition and nature of the operations of the bank holding company and its subsidiaries and to monitor compliance with the BHCA and other laws affecting the operations of bank holding companies. To determine whether potential weaknesses in the condition or operations of bank holding companies might pose a risk to the safety and soundness of their subsidiary banks, examinations focus on whether a bank holding company has adequate systems and internal controls in place to manage the risks inherent in its business, including credit risk, interest rate risk, market risk, liquidity risk, operational risk, legal risk and reputation risk. Bank holding companies may be subject to potential enforcement actions by the Federal Reserve for unsafe or unsound practices in conducting their businesses or for violations of any law, rule, regulation or any condition imposed in writing by the Federal Reserve. Enforcement actions may include the issuance of cease and desist orders, the imposition of civil money penalties, the requirement to meet and maintain specific capital levels for any capital measure, the issuance of directives to increase capital, formal and informal agreements, or removal and prohibition orders against officers or directors and other institution-affiliated parties. The Company is a bank holding company within the meaning of Section 3700 of the California Financial Code. Therefore, the Company and any of its subsidiaries are subject to examination by, and may be required to file reports with, the DFPI. The DFPI approvals may also be required for certain mergers and acquisitions.
(e) Bank Regulation
The Bank is a California state-chartered commercial bank whose deposits are insured by the FDIC. The FDIC is its primary federal bank regulator and the DFPI is the Bank’s primary state bank regulator. The Bank is subject to comprehensive supervision, regulation, examination and enforcement by the FDIC and the DFPI. Specific federal and state laws and regulations which are applicable to banks regulate, among other things, the scope of their business, their investments, their reserves against deposits, the timing of the availability of deposited funds, their activities relating to dividends, investments, loans, the nature and amount of and collateral for certain loans, servicing and foreclosing on loans, borrowings, capital requirements, certain check-clearing activities, branching, and mergers and acquisitions.
Banks are also subject to restrictions on their ability to conduct transactions with affiliates and other related parties. The Federal Reserve Regulation O imposes limitations on loans or extensions of credit to “insiders”, including officers, directors, and principal shareholders. The Federal Reserve Act Section 23A and Regulation W impose quantitative limits, qualitative requirements, and collateral requirements on certain transactions with, or for the benefit of, its affiliates. Transactions covered generally include loans, extensions of credit, investments in securities issued by an affiliate, and acquisitions of assets from an affiliate. Section 23B of the Federal Reserve Act and Regulation W require that most types of transactions by a bank with, or for the benefit of, an affiliate be on terms and conditions at least as favorable to the bank as those prevailing for comparable transactions with unaffiliated parties. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“Dodd-Frank”) expanded definitions and restrictions on transactions with affiliates and insiders under
Sections 23A and 23B, and also lending limits for derivative transactions, repurchase agreements, and securities lending and borrowing transactions.
Pursuant to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (“FDI Act”) and the California Financial Code, California state chartered commercial banks may generally engage in any activity permissible for national banks. Therefore, the Bank may form subsidiaries to engage in the activities commonly conducted by national banks in operating subsidiaries. Further, the Bank may conduct certain “financial” activities permitted under the Gramm Leach Bliley Act of 1999 in a “financial subsidiary” to the same extent as may a national bank, provided the Bank is and remains “well-capitalized,” “well-managed” and in satisfactory compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”). The Bank currently has no financial subsidiaries.
(f) Enforcement Authority
The federal and California regulatory structure gives the bank regulatory agencies extensive discretion in connection with their supervisory and enforcement activities and examination policies, including policies with respect to the classification of assets and the establishment of appropriate loan loss reserves for regulatory purposes. The regulatory agencies have adopted guidelines to assist in identifying and addressing potential safety and soundness concerns before an institution’s capital becomes impaired. The guidelines establish operational and managerial standards generally relating to: (1) internal controls, information systems and security, and internal audit systems; (2) loan documentation; (3) credit underwriting; (4) interest-rate exposure; (5) asset growth and asset quality; and (6) compensation, fees, and benefits. Further, the regulatory agencies have adopted safety and soundness guidelines for asset quality and for evaluating and monitoring earnings to ensure that earnings are sufficient for the maintenance of adequate capital and reserves. If, as a result of an examination, the DFPI or FDIC, as applicable, determines that the financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, earnings prospects, management, liquidity, or other aspects of the Bank’s operations are unsatisfactory or that the Bank or its management is violating or has violated any law or regulation, the DFPI and the FDIC have residual authority to:
•
Require affirmative action to correct any conditions resulting from any violation or practice;
•
Direct an increase in capital and the maintenance of higher specific minimum capital ratios, which could preclude the Bank from being deemed well capitalized and restrict its ability to accept certain brokered deposits;
•
Restrict the Bank’s growth geographically, by products and services, or by mergers and acquisitions, including bidding in FDIC receiverships for failed banks;
•
Enter into or issue informal or formal enforcement actions, including required Board resolutions, Matters Requiring Board Attention, written agreements, and consent or cease and desist orders, or prompt corrective action orders to take corrective action and cease unsafe and unsound practices;
•
Require the sale of subsidiaries or assets;
•
Limit dividend and distributions;
•
Require prior approval of senior executive officer or director changes, or remove officers and directors;
•
Assess civil monetary penalties; and
•
Terminate FDIC insurance, revoke the charter and/or take possession of and close and liquidate the Bank or appoint the FDIC as receiver.
(g) Deposit Insurance
The FDIC is an independent federal agency that insures deposits, up to prescribed statutory limits, of federally insured banks and savings institutions, and safeguards the safety and soundness of the banking and savings industries. The FDIC insures our customer deposits through the DIF up to prescribed limits for each depositor. As a general matter, the maximum deposit insurance amount is $250,000 per depositor, per FDIC-insured bank, per ownership category. The amount of FDIC assessments paid by each DIF member institution is based on its relative risk of default as measured by FDIC modeling, based on regulatory capital and other financial ratios as well as supervisory factors. The FDIC may terminate a depository institution’s deposit insurance upon a finding that the institution’s financial condition is unsafe or unsound, or that the institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices that pose a risk to the DIF or that may prejudice the interest of the bank’s depositors. The termination of deposit insurance for a bank would also result in the revocation of the bank’s charter by the DFPI.
We are generally unable to control the amount of premiums that we are required to pay for FDIC insurance, which can be affected by the cost of bank failures to the FDIC among other factors. Any future increases in FDIC insurance premiums
may have a material and adverse effect on our earnings and could have a material adverse effect on the value of, or market for, our common stock.
(h) Prompt Corrective Action Provisions
The FDI Act requires the federal bank regulatory agencies to take “prompt corrective action” with respect to a depository institution if that institution does not meet certain capital adequacy requirements, including requiring the prompt submission of an acceptable capital restoration plan. Depending on the bank’s capital ratios, the agencies’ regulations define five categories in which an insured depository institution will be placed: well-capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized, and critically undercapitalized. At each successive lower capital category, an insured bank is subject to more restrictions, including restrictions on the bank’s activities, operational practices or the ability to pay dividends. Based upon its capital levels, a bank that is classified as well-capitalized, adequately capitalized or undercapitalized may be treated as though it were in the next lower capital category if the appropriate federal banking agency, after notice and opportunity for hearing, determines that an unsafe or unsound condition, or an unsafe or unsound practice, warrants such treatment.
To be considered well-capitalized under the prompt corrective action standards, the Bank is required to maintain a Common Equity Tier 1 ratio of at least 6.5 percent, a Tier 1 capital ratio of at least 8.0 percent, a total capital ratio of at least 10.0 percent, and a Tier 1 leverage ratio of at least 5.0 percent. A qualifying institution that complies with the optional community bank leverage ratio of 8.5 percent through calendar year 2021 and 9.0 percent thereafter, if elected by the qualifying institution, is considered to be “well capitalized”. The Bank did not elect to use the community bank leverage ratio alternative framework as of December 31, 2021.
(i) Dividends
The Company depends in part upon dividends received from the Bank to fund its activities, including the payment of dividends. The Company and the Bank are subject to various federal and state restrictions on their ability to pay dividends. It is the Federal Reserve’s policy that bank holding companies should generally pay dividends on common stock only out of income available over the past year, and only if prospective earnings retention is consistent with the organization’s expected future needs and financial condition. It is also the Federal Reserve’s policy that bank holding companies should not maintain dividend levels that undermine their ability to be a source of strength to its banking subsidiaries. The Federal Reserve also discourages dividend payment ratios that are at maximum allowable levels unless both asset quality and capital are very strong. In addition, the federal bank regulators are authorized to prohibit a bank or bank holding company from engaging in unsafe or unsound banking practices and, depending upon the circumstances, could find that paying a dividend or making a capital distribution would constitute an unsafe or unsound banking practice.
The Bank is a legal entity that is separate and distinct from its holding company. The Company is dependent on the performance of the Bank for funds which may be received as dividends from the Bank for use in the operation of the Company and for the ability of the Company to pay dividends to shareholders. Future cash dividends by the Bank will also depend upon management’s assessment of future capital requirements, contractual restrictions, and other factors. The current capital rules may restrict dividends by the Bank if the additional capital conservation buffer is not achieved.
The power of the board of directors of the Bank to declare a cash dividend to the Company is subject to California law, which restricts the amount available for cash dividends to the lesser of a bank’s retained earnings or net income for its last three fiscal years (less any distributions to shareholders made during such period). Where the above test is not met, cash dividends may still be paid, with the prior approval of the DFPI, in an amount not exceeding the greatest of: (1) retained earnings of the bank; (2) the net income of the bank for its last fiscal year; or (3) the net income of the bank for its current fiscal year.
(j) Operations and Consumer Compliance Laws
The Bank must comply with numerous federal and state anti-money laundering and consumer protection statutes and implementing regulations, including the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, the Bank Secrecy Act, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, the CRA, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, as amended by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the National Flood Insurance Act, the California Homeowner Bill of Rights, and various federal and state privacy protection laws. Noncompliance with any of these laws could subject the Bank to compliance enforcement actions as well as lawsuits, and could also result in administrative penalties, including, fines and reimbursements. The Bank and the Company are also subject to federal and state laws prohibiting unfair or fraudulent business practices, untrue or misleading advertising, and unfair competition.
These laws and regulations mandate certain disclosure and reporting requirements, and regulate the manner in which financial institutions must deal with customers when taking deposits, making loans, servicing, collecting and foreclosure of loans, and providing other services. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations can subject the Bank to various penalties, including but not limited to enforcement actions, injunctions, fines or criminal penalties, punitive damages to consumers, and the loss of certain contractual rights. The CRA is intended to encourage banks to help meet the credit needs of the communities in which they operate, including low and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound operations. The bank regulators examine and assign each bank a public CRA rating. The CRA requires the bank regulators to take into account the bank’s record in meeting the needs of its communities when considering an application by a bank to establish or relocate a branch or to conduct certain mergers or acquisitions, or an application by the parent holding company to merge with another bank holding company or acquire a banking organization. An unsatisfactory CRA record could substantially delay approval or result in denial of an application. The Bank was rated “Needs to Improve” in meeting community credit needs under the CRA at its most recent examination for CRA performance.
Dodd-Frank provided for the creation of the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau (the “CFPB”), which has broad rulemaking, supervisory and enforcement authority over consumer financial products and services, including deposit products, residential mortgages, home-equity loans and credit cards. The CFPB’s functions include investigating consumer complaints, conducting market research, rulemaking, supervising and examining bank consumer transactions, and enforcing rules related to consumer financial products and services. CFPB regulations and guidance apply to banks, and banks with $10 billion or more in assets are subject to examination by the CFPB. Banks with less than $10 billion in assets, including the Bank, continue to be examined for compliance by their primary federal banking agency.
(k) Federal Home Loan Bank System
The Bank is a member and holder of the capital stock of the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (“FHLBSF”). There are eleven Federal Home Loan Banks (each, an “FHLB”) across the U.S. owned by their members. Each FHLB serves as a reserve or central bank for its members within its assigned region and makes available loans or advances to its members. Each FHLB is financed primarily from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB system. Each FHLB makes available loans or advances to its members in compliance with the policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the individual FHLB. Each member of FHLBSF is currently required to own stock in an amount equal to the greater of: (i) a membership stock requirement of 1.0 percent of an institution’s “membership asset value” which is determined by multiplying the amount of the member’s membership assets by the applicable membership asset factors and is capped at $15.0 million; or (ii) an activity-based stock requirement (2.7 percent of the member’s outstanding advances) and 0.10 percent of outstanding letter of credit. At December 31, 2021, the Bank was in compliance with the FHLBSF’s stock ownership requirement, and our investment in FHLBSF capital stock was $16.4 million. The total borrowing capacity available based on pledged collateral and the remaining available borrowing capacity as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 were $1.84 billion and $1.61 billion, respectively.
(l) Impact of Monetary Policies
The earnings and growth of the Bank are largely dependent on its ability to maintain a favorable differential or spread between the yield on its interest-earning assets and the rates paid on its deposits and other interest-bearing liabilities. As a result, the Bank’s performance is influenced by general economic conditions, both domestic and foreign, the monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government, and the policies of the regulatory agencies. The Federal Reserve implements national monetary policies (such as seeking to curb inflation and combat recession) by its open-market operations in U.S. government securities, by adjusting the required level of reserves for financial institutions subject to its reserve requirements, and by varying the discount rate applicable to borrowings by banks from the Federal Reserve Banks. The actions of the Federal Reserve in these areas influence the growth of bank loans, investments, and deposits, and also affect interest rates charged on loans, and deposits. The nature and impact of any future changes in monetary policies cannot be predicted.
(m) Regulation of Non-Bank Subsidiaries
Non-bank subsidiaries are subject to additional or separate regulation and supervision by other state, federal and self-regulatory bodies. Additionally, any foreign-based subsidiaries would also be subject to foreign laws and regulations.
(n) Federal Securities Law
The Company’s common stock is registered with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The Company is subject to the information and proxy solicitation requirements, insider trading restrictions and other requirements under the Exchange Act.
(o) The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”)
The CARES Act, which became law on March 27, 2020, provided over $2 trillion to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) and stimulate the economy. The law had several provisions relevant to depository institutions, including:
•
Allowing institutions not to characterize loan modifications relating to the COVID-19 pandemic as a troubled debt restructuring (“TDR”) for accounting purposes;
•
The ability of a borrower of a federally-backed mortgage loan experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to request forbearance from paying their mortgage for up to 180 days, subject to extension for an additional 180-day period. During that time, no fees, penalties or interest beyond the amounts scheduled or calculated as if the borrower made all contractual payments on time and in full under the mortgage contract could accrue on the borrower’s account. Except for vacant or abandoned property, the servicer of a federally-backed mortgage was prohibited from taking any foreclosure action, including any eviction or sale action, for not less than the 60-day period beginning March 18, 2020, which period has subsequently been extended several times by federal mortgage-backing agencies; and
•
The ability of a borrower of a multi-family federally-backed mortgage loan that was current as of February 1, 2020, to submit a request for forbearance for up to 30 days, which could be extended for up to two additional 30-day periods upon the request of the borrower. Later extensions were made available, for a total of six months, for certain federally-backed multi-family mortgage loans. During the time of the forbearance, the multi-family borrower could not evict or initiate the eviction of a tenant or charge any late fees, penalties or other charges to a tenant for late payment of rent. Additionally, a multi-family borrower that received a forbearance could not require a tenant to vacate a dwelling unit before a date that is 30 days after the date on which the borrower provided the tenant notice to vacate and may not issue a notice to vacate until after the expiration of the forbearance.
(p) The Paycheck Protection Program
The Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”), established as part of the CARES Act, provided 100 percent federally guaranteed (principal and interest) loans to eligible small businesses though the Small Business Administration’s (“SBA””) 7(a) loan guaranty program for amounts up to 2.5 times the average monthly “payroll costs” of the business. The entire principal amount of the borrower’s PPP loan, including any accrued interest, is eligible for PPP loan forgiveness so long as, during the applicable loan forgiveness covered period, employee and compensation levels of the business are maintained and 60 percent of the loan proceeds are used for payroll expenses, with the remaining 40 percent of the loan proceeds used for other qualifying expenses including, but not limited to, mortgage interest, rent and utilities. The initial phase of the PPP, after being extended multiple times by Congress, expired on August 8, 2020. However, on January 11, 2021, the SBA reopened the PPP for First Draw PPP loans to small businesses and non-profit organizations that did not receive a loan through the initial PPP phase. Further, on January 13, 2021, the SBA reopened the PPP for Second Draw PPP loans to small businesses and non-profit organizations that did receive a loan through the initial PPP phase. Maximum loan amounts were also increased for accommodation and food service businesses. Although the PPP ended in accordance with its terms on May 31, 2021, outstanding PPP loans continue to go through the process of either obtaining forgiveness from the SBA or pursuing claims under the SBA guaranty.
(q) Board Diversity
On September 30, 2020, a law was passed in California requiring all public companies (defined as companies with outstanding shares listed on a major United States stock exchange) that are headquartered in California to have at least three female directors (assuming a board size of at least six directors) by the end of 2021. Further, such legislation requires that by the end of 2021, California-headquartered public companies have at least one director on their boards who is from an underrepresented community, defined as “an individual who self identifies as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Alaska Native, or who self identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender”. In addition to that initial 2021 requirement, the law mandates that the number of directors from underrepresented communities be increased by the end of calendar year 2022, depending on the size of the board, up to three members of the board, assuming the board size of at least nine directors. The Company was in compliance with these requirements as of December 31, 2021.
In August 2021, the SEC approved a new Nasdaq Stock Market listing rules that would require each company (1) to have at least one director who self-identifies as a female, and (2) to have at least one director who self-identifies as Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian, Native American or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, two or more races or ethnicities, or as LGBTQ+, or (3) to explain why the company does not have at least two directors on its board who self-identify in the categories listed above. The rules also require Nasdaq-listed companies to provide statistical information in a proposed uniform format on the company’s board of directors related to a director’s self-identified gender, race, and self-identification as LGBTQ+. Each Nasdaq-listed company would have one year from the date the SEC approves the Nasdaq rules to comply with requirement for statistical information regarding diversity. Nasdaq-listed companies would
have two years from the date the SEC approves the Nasdaq rules have, or explain why it does not have, one diverse director and four years after the SEC approves the Nasdaq rules to have, or explain why it does not have, two diverse directors.

---

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with the information included elsewhere in this Report and other documents we file with the SEC. The following risks and uncertainties described below are those that we have identified as material. Events or circumstances arising from one or more of these risks could adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results and prospects and the price of our common stock could decline. The risks identified below are not intended to be a comprehensive list of all risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we may currently view as not material, may also adversely impact our financial condition, business operations and results of operations.
Risks Related to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has and is expected to continue to adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. The spread of the coronavirus has caused us to modify our business practices, including employee travel, employee work locations, and cancellation of physical participation in meetings, events and conferences. We have many employees working remotely and we may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers and business partners.
Given the ongoing and dynamic nature of the circumstances, it is difficult to predict the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business. The extent of such impact will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain, including when the coronavirus can be controlled and abated. As the result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the related adverse local and national economic consequences, we could be subject to any of the following risks, any of which could have a material, adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity, and results of operations:
•
demand for our products and services may decline, making it difficult to grow assets and income;
•
if the economy is unable to substantially reopen, or high levels of unemployment return for an extended period of time, loan delinquencies, problem assets, and foreclosures may increase, resulting in increased charges and reduced income;
•
collateral for loans, especially real estate, may decline in value, which could cause credit loss expense to increase;
•
our allowance for credit losses may have to be increased if borrowers experience financial difficulties, which will adversely affect our net income;
•
the net worth and liquidity of loan guarantors may decline, impairing their ability to honor commitments to us;
•
as the result of the decline in the Federal Reserve Board’s target federal funds rate, the yield on our assets may decline to a greater extent than the decline in our cost of interest-bearing liabilities, reducing our net interest margin and spread and reducing net income;
•
a material decrease in net income or a net loss over several quarters could result in a decrease of our quarterly cash dividend;
•
our cyber security risks are increased as the result of an increase in the number of employees working remotely;
•
we rely on third party vendors for certain services and the unavailability of a critical service due to the COVID-19 outbreak could have an adverse effect on us;
•
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation premiums may increase if the agency experiences additional resolution costs;
•
potential goodwill impairment charges could result if acquired assets and operations are adversely affected and remain at reduced levels;
•
due to legislation and government action limiting foreclosure of real property and reduced governmental capacity to effect business transactions and property transfers, we may have more difficulty taking possession of collateral supporting our loans, which may negatively impact our ability to minimize our losses, which could adversely impact our financial results; and
•
we face litigation, regulatory enforcement and reputation risk as a result of our participation in the Paycheck Participation Program (“PPP”) and the risk that the SBA may not fund some or all PPP loan guaranties.
Moreover, our future success and profitability substantially depends on the management skills of our executive officers and directors, many of whom have held officer and director positions with us for many years. The unanticipated loss or unavailability of key employees due to the pandemic could harm our ability to operate our business or execute our business strategy. We may not be successful in finding and integrating suitable successors in the event of key employee loss or unavailability.
Any one or a combination of the factors identified above could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations and prospects.
Risks Related to our Lending Activities
Our concentrations of loans in certain industries could have adverse effects on credit quality. As of December 31, 2021, the Bank’s loan portfolio included loans to: (i) lessors of non-residential buildings of $1.69 billion, or 32.8 percent of total loans; (ii) borrowers in the hospitality industry of $770.4 million, or 15.0 percent of total loans; and (iii) borrowers in the retail industry of $300.7 million, or 5.8 percent of total loans. Because of these concentrations of loans in specific industries, a deterioration within these industries, especially those that have been particularly adversely impacted by the COVID pandemic, could affect the ability of borrowers, guarantors and related parties to perform in accordance with the terms of their loans, which could have material and adverse consequences on our financial condition and results of operations.
Our focus on lending to small to mid-sized community-based businesses may increase our credit risk. Most of our commercial business and commercial real estate loans are made to small or middle market businesses. These businesses generally have fewer financial resources in terms of capital or borrowing capacity than larger entities and have a heightened vulnerability to economic conditions. If general economic conditions in the markets in which we operate negatively impact this customer sector, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected. Furthermore, the deterioration of our borrowers’ businesses may hinder their ability to repay their loans with us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Our loan portfolio is predominantly secured by real estate and thus we have a higher degree of risk from a downturn in our real estate markets, especially a downturn in the Southern California real estate market. A downturn in the real estate markets could hurt our business because many of our loans are secured by real estate, predominantly in California. Real estate values and real estate markets are generally affected by changes in national, regional or local economic conditions, fluctuations in interest rates and the availability of loans to potential purchasers, changes in tax laws and other governmental statutes, regulations and policies, and acts of nature, such as earthquakes and natural disasters and pandemics. If real estate values decline, the value of real estate collateral securing our loans could be significantly reduced. Our ability to recover on defaulted loans by foreclosing and selling the real estate collateral would then be diminished, and we would be more likely to suffer material losses on defaulted loans.
We are exposed to risk of environmental liabilities with respect to properties to which we take title. In the course of our business, we may foreclose and take title to real estate, and could be subject to environmental liabilities with respect to these properties. We may be held liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage, personal injury or investigation and clean-up costs incurred by these parties in connection with environmental contamination or the release of hazardous or toxic substances at a property. The costs associated with investigation or remediation activities could be substantial. In addition, if we are the owner or former owner of a contaminated site, we may be subject to claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination emanating from the property. In addition, future laws or more stringent interpretations or enforcement policies with respect to existing laws may increase our exposure to environmental liability. Although we have policies and procedures to perform an environmental review before initiating any foreclosure on nonresidential real property, these reviews may not be sufficient to detect all potential environmental hazards. If we become subject to significant environmental liabilities, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
Risks Related to Local and International Economic Conditions
Deteriorating business and economic conditions can adversely affect our industry and business. Our financial performance generally, and the ability of borrowers to make payments on outstanding loans and the value of the collateral securing those loans, is highly dependent upon the business and economic conditions in the markets in which we operate and in the United States as a whole. In addition, rising geopolitical risks nationally and abroad may adversely impact the economy and financial markets in the United States. These economic pressures may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and stock price. In particular, we may face the following risks in connection with deterioration in economic conditions:
•
Problem assets and foreclosures may increase;
•
Demand for our products and services may decline;
•
Low cost or non-interest-bearing deposits may decrease;
•
Inflation may accelerate, which may increase our operating costs and also may increase real estate costs and lower customer buying power, thereby reducing loan demand;
•
The value of our securities portfolio may decrease; and
•
Collateral for loans made by us, especially real estate, may decline in value.
Our banking operations are concentrated primarily in California, Illinois and Texas. Adverse economic conditions in these states in particular could impair borrowers’ ability to repay their loans, decrease the level and duration of deposits by customers, and erode the value of loan collateral. Adverse economic conditions can potentially cause a decline in real estate sales and prices in many markets across the United States, the recurrence of an economic recession, and higher rates of unemployment. These conditions could increase the amount of our non-performing assets and have an adverse effect on our ability to collect on our non-performing loans or otherwise liquidate our non-performing assets (including other real estate owned) on terms favorable to us, if at all, any of which may cause us to incur losses, adversely affect our capital, and hurt our business.
Our Southern California concentration means economic conditions in Southern California could adversely affect our operations. Though the Bank’s operations have expanded outside of our original Southern California focus, the majority of our loan and deposit concentration is still primarily in Los Angeles County and Orange County in Southern California. Because of this geographic concentration, our results depend largely upon economic conditions in these areas. A deterioration in the economic conditions or a significant natural or man-made disaster, pandemics or disease in these market areas, could have a material adverse effect on the quality of the Bank’s loan portfolio, the demand for our products and services, and on our overall financial condition and results of operations.
Changing conditions in South Korea could adversely affect our business. A substantial number of our customers have economic and cultural ties to South Korea and, as a result, we are likely to feel the effects of adverse economic and political conditions in South Korea. U.S. and global economic policies, political or political tension, and global economic conditions may adversely impact the South Korean economy.
Management closely monitors our exposure to the South Korean economy and, to date, we have not experienced any significant loss attributable to our exposure to South Korea. Nevertheless, our efforts to minimize exposure to downturns in the South Korean economy may not be successful in the future, and a significant downturn in the South Korean economy could possibly have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. If economic conditions in South Korea change, we could experience an outflow of deposits from our customers with connections to South Korea, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
Risk Related to Laws and Regulation and Their Enforcement
Our Needs to Improve rating under The Community Reinvestment Act may restrict our operations and limit our ability pursue certain strategic opportunities. On July 21, 2021, the Bank received a CRA rating from the FDIC of “Needs to Improve” for the period March 29, 2018 to May 3, 2021. A “Needs to Improve” rating results in restrictions on certain expansionary activities, including certain mergers and acquisitions and the establishment and relocation of bank branches. The rating will also result in a loss of expedited processing of applications to undertake certain activities. A “Needs to Improve” rating could have an impact on the Bank’s relationships with certain states, counties, municipalities or other public agencies to the extent applicable law, regulation or policy limits, restricts or influences whether such entity may do business with a bank that has a below “Satisfactory” rating.
These restrictions, among others, will remain in place at least until the Bank’s next CRA rating is publicly released by the FDIC.
Changes in laws and regulations and the cost of regulatory compliance with new laws and regulations may adversely affect our operations and/or increase our costs of operations. We are subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by our banking regulators. Such regulation and supervision govern the activities in which a financial institution and its holding company may engage and are intended primarily for the protection of insurance funds and the depositors and borrowers of Hanmi Bank rather than for the protection of our stockholders. Regulatory authorities have extensive discretion in their supervisory and enforcement activities, including the ability to impose restrictions on our
operations, comment on the classification of our assets, and determine the level of our allowance for credit losses. These regulations, along with the currently existing tax, accounting, securities, deposit insurance and monetary laws, rules, standards, policies, and interpretations, control the ways financial institutions conduct business, implement strategic initiatives, and prepare financial reporting and disclosures. Changes in such regulation and oversight, whether in the form of regulatory policy, new regulations, legislation or supervisory action, may have a material impact on our operations. Further, compliance with such regulation may increase our costs and limit our ability to pursue business opportunities.
Additional requirements imposed by Dodd-Frank and other regulations, including additional requirements imposed by the CFPB, could adversely affect us. Dodd-Frank and related regulations subject us and other financial institutions to more restrictions, oversight, reporting obligations and costs. In addition, this increased regulation of the financial services industry places restrictions on compensation practices and interest rates for customers. Federal and state regulatory agencies also frequently adopt changes to their regulations or change the manner in which existing regulations are applied.
Dodd-Frank created the CFPB, which is tasked with establishing and implementing rules and regulations under certain federal consumer protection laws with respect to the conduct of providers of certain consumer financial products and services. The CFPB has rulemaking authority over many of the statutes governing products and services offered to bank consumers.
Current and future legal and regulatory requirements, restrictions and regulations, including those imposed under Dodd-Frank, may adversely impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations, may require us to invest significant management attention and resources to evaluate and make any changes required by the legislation and accompanying rules. If we fail to comply with applicable consumer rules and regulations, we may be subject to adverse enforcement actions, fines or penalties.
We face a risk of noncompliance and enforcement action with the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering statutes and regulations. The Bank Secrecy Act, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and other laws and regulations require financial institutions, among other duties, to institute and maintain an effective anti-money laundering program and file suspicious activity and currency transaction reports as appropriate. The federal Financial Crimes Enforcement Network 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. We are also subject to increased scrutiny of our compliance with the rules enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control and compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. If our policies, procedures and systems are deemed deficient, we could be subject to liability, including fines and regulatory actions, which may include restrictions on our ability to pay dividends and to obtain regulatory approvals to proceed with certain transactions, including conducting acquisitions or establishing new branches. Failure to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing could also have serious reputational consequences for us.
Future changes to the FDIC assessment rate could adversely affect our earnings. The amount of premiums that we are required to pay for FDIC insurance is generally beyond our control. If there are additional bank or financial institution failures, if our risk classification changes, or the method for calculating premiums change, this may impact assessment rates, which may have a material and adverse effect on our earnings.
Risks Related to Our Operations
Our failure to effectively utilize the excess liquidity on our balance sheet may have an adverse effect on our financial performance and the value of our common stock.
At December 31, 2021, we had $609.0 million in cash and cash equivalents, which far exceeded our historical amounts. The high level of cash equivalents reflected strong deposit growth, including the receipt of PPP funds and cash from government stimulus programs and reduced spending by our customers, which far exceeded loan growth. We intend to invest these funds into higher-yielding interest-earning assets, specifically commercial real estate loans. However, if we are not able to invest our excess liquidity into higher-yielding interest-earning assets or do so in a reasonable period of time, maintaining a high level of excess liquidity will have a negative impact on our financial performance, which could negatively impact the value of our common stock.
Liquidity risk could impair our ability to fund operations and jeopardize our financial condition. Liquidity is essential to our business. An inability to raise funds through deposits, including brokered deposits, borrowings, the sale of loans, and other sources, could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically or the financial services industry in general. Factors that could detrimentally impact our access to liquidity sources include a decrease in the level of our business activity due to a market downturn or adverse regulatory action against us. Furthermore, if certain funding sources become unavailable, we may need to seek alternatives at higher costs, which would negatively impact our results of operations.
Our ability to acquire deposits or borrow could also be impaired by factors that are not specific to us, such as a severe disruption of the financial markets or negative views and expectations about the prospects for the financial services industry as a whole.
The soundness of other financial institutions could adversely affect us. Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty or other relationships. We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and we routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial industry, including brokers and dealers, commercial banks, investment banks, mutual and hedge funds, and other institutional clients. Many of these transactions expose us to credit risk in the event of default of our counterparty or client. In addition, our credit risk may be exacerbated when the collateral held by us cannot be obtained or is liquidated at prices not sufficient to recover the full amount of the financial instrument exposure due us. Any such losses could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
A failure in or breach of our operational or security systems or infrastructure, including as a result of cyber-attacks or data breaches, could disrupt our businesses, result in the disclosure or misuse of confidential or proprietary information, damage our reputation, increase our costs and cause losses. As a financial institution, we depend on our ability to process, record and monitor a large number of customer transactions. As our customer base and locations have expanded throughout the U.S. and as customer, public, legislative 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, data processing and 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 sudden increases in customer transaction volume; electrical or telecommunications outages; degradation or loss of public internet domain; climate change-related impacts and natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornados, and hurricanes; pandemics; events arising from local or larger scale political or social matters, including terrorist acts; building emergencies such as water leakage, fires and structural issues; and cyber-attacks. Although we have business continuity plans and other safeguards in place, our business operations may be adversely affected by significant and widespread disruption to our physical infrastructure or operating systems that support our businesses and customers.
As a financial institution, we are susceptible to information security breaches and cybersecurity-related incidents that may be committed against us, our clients or our vendors, which may result in financial losses or increased costs to us, our clients or our vendors, disclosure or misuse of our information or our client or vendor information, misappropriation of assets, privacy breaches against our clients or our vendors, litigation or damage to our reputation. Information security breaches and cybersecurity-related incidents may include fraudulent or unauthorized access to systems used by us, our clients or our vendors, attacks resulting in denial or degradation of service, and malware or other cyber-attacks. We also may become subject to governmental enforcement actions or litigation in the event we do not comply with data privacy requirements or experience a data breach.
Our business relies on our digital technologies, computer and email systems, software, and networks to conduct our operations. In addition, to access our products and services, our customers may use personal smart-phones, tablet PCs, and other mobile devices that are beyond our control systems. Although we believe we have strong information security procedures and controls, our technologies, systems, networks, and our customers’ devices may become the target of cyber-attacks or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of the Bank’s or our customers’ confidential, proprietary and other information, or otherwise disrupt the Bank’s or its customers’ or other third parties’ business operations.
Our risk and exposure to cyber-attacks or other information security breaches remains heightened because of, among other things, the evolving nature of these threats, our plans to continue to enhance our internet banking and mobile banking channel strategies and our expanded geographic footprint. There continues to be a rise in security breaches and cyber-attacks within the financial services industry, especially in the commercial banking sector. Consistent with industry trends, we are exposed to an increase in attempted security breaches and cybersecurity-related attacks. As cyber threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities.
Disruptions or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support our businesses, customers or third parties, or cyber-attacks or security breaches of the networks, systems or devices that our customers or third parties use to access our products and services could result in customer attrition, financial losses, the inability of our customers or
vendors to transact business with us, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, 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.
The failure to maintain current technologies and the costs to update technology could negatively impact our business and financial results. Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to effectively embrace technology to better serve customers and reduce costs. We may be required to expand additional resources to employ this technology. Failure to keep pace with technological change could potentially have an adverse effect on our business operations and financial condition and results of operations.
We may not be able to successfully implement future information technology system enhancements, which could adversely affect our business operations and profitability. We invest significant resources in information technology system enhancements to improve functionality and security. We may not be able to successfully implement and integrate future system enhancements, which could adversely impact our ability to provide timely and accurate financial information in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, which could result in enforcement actions from regulatory authorities. In addition, future system enhancements could have higher than expected costs and/or result in operating inefficiencies.
Failure to properly utilize system enhancements that are implemented in the future could result in impairment charges that adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations and could result in significant costs to remediate or replace the defective components. In addition, we may incur significant training, licensing, maintenance, consulting and amortization expenses during and after systems implementations, and any such costs may continue for an extended period of time.
We rely on third party vendors and other service providers, which could expose us to additional risk. We face additional risk of failure in or breach of operational or security systems or infrastructure related to our reliance on third party vendors and other service providers. Third parties with which we do business or that facilitate our business activities or vendors that provide services or security solutions for our operations, particularly those that are cloud-based, could be sources of operational and information security risk to us, including from breakdowns or failures of their own systems or capacity constraints. We are subject to operational risks relating to such third parties’ technology and information systems. The continued efficacy of our technology and information systems, related operational infrastructure and relationships with third party vendors in our ongoing operations is integral to our performance. Failure of any of these resources, including operational or systems failures, interruptions of client service operations and ineffectiveness of or interruption in third party data processing or other vendor support, may cause material disruptions in our business, impairment of customer relations and exposure to liability for our customers, as well as action by bank regulatory authorities. In addition, a number of our vendors are large national entities, and their services could prove difficult to replace in a timely manner if a failure or other service interruption were to occur. Failures of certain vendors to provide contracted services could adversely affect our ability to deliver products and services to our customers and cause us to incur significant expense.
Fraudulent activity could damage our reputation, disrupt our businesses, increase our costs and cause losses. We are susceptible to fraudulent activity that may be committed against us, our clients or our vendors, which may result in damage to our reputation, financial losses or increased costs to us or our clients or vendors, disclosure or misuse of our information or our client or vendor information, misappropriation of assets, privacy breaches against our clients or vendors, litigation, or damage to our reputation. Such fraudulent activity may take many forms, including check fraud (counterfeit, forgery, etc.), electronic fraud, wire fraud, phishing, social engineering and other dishonest acts. The occurrence of fraudulent activity could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We are dependent on key personnel and the loss of one or more of those key personnel may materially and adversely affect our prospects. Our success depends in large part on our ability to attract key people who are qualified and have knowledge and experience in the banking industry in our markets and to retain those people to successfully implement our business objectives. Competition for qualified employees and personnel in the banking industry is intense, particularly for qualified persons with knowledge of, and experience in, our banking space. The process of recruiting personnel with the combination of skills and attributes required to carry out our strategies is often lengthy. Our success depends to a significant degree upon our ability to attract and retain qualified management, loan origination, finance, administrative, compliance, marketing and technical personnel and upon the continued contributions of our management and employees. The unexpected loss of services of one or more of our key personnel or failure to attract or retain such employees could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud. Effective internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and disclosures to stockholders, to prevent fraud and to operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports and disclosures or prevent fraud, our business may be adversely affected and our reputation and operating results would be harmed. Any failure to develop or maintain effective internal controls and disclosure controls and procedures or difficulties encountered in their implementation may also result in regulatory enforcement action against us, adversely affect our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations.
Risks Related to Accounting Matters
Our allowance for credit losses may not be adequate to cover actual losses. Current U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires credit loss recognition using a methodology that estimates current expected credit losses for the life of the loan and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates.
A significant source of risk arises from the possibility that we could sustain losses because borrowers, guarantors and related parties may fail to perform in accordance with the terms of their loans. The underwriting and credit monitoring policies and procedures that we have adopted to address these risks may not prevent unexpected losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We maintain an allowance for credit losses to provide for losses resulting from loan defaults and non-performance. The allowance is increased for new loan growth. We also make various assumptions and judgments about the collectability of loans in our portfolio, including the creditworthiness of borrowers, the strength of the economy and the value of the real estate and other assets serving as collateral for the repayment of loans. In determining the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses, we rely on our experience and our evaluation of economic conditions. If our assumptions prove to be incorrect, our allowance for credit losses may not be sufficient to cover losses inherent in our loan portfolio, and adjustments may be necessary to address different economic conditions or adverse developments in the loan portfolio. Consequently, a problem with one or more loans could require us to significantly increase our provision for credit losses. In addition, the DFPI and the FDIC review our allowance for credit losses and as a result of such reviews, they may require us to adjust our allowance for credit losses or recognize loan charge-offs. Material additions to the allowance would materially decrease our net income.
Changes in accounting standards may affect how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. Our accounting policies and methods are fundamental to how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. From time to time, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) and SEC change the financial accounting and reporting standards that govern the preparation of our financial statements. Further, changes in accounting standards can be both difficult to predict and may involve judgment and discretion in their interpretation and implementation by us and our independent accounting firm. These changes could materially impact, potentially retroactively, how we report our financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Market Interest Rates
Our earnings are affected by changing interest rates. Our profitability is dependent to a large extent on our net interest income. Like most financial institutions, we are affected by changes in general interest rate levels and by other economic factors beyond our control. Although we believe we have implemented strategies to reduce the potential effects of changes in interest rates on our results of operations, any substantial and prolonged change in market interest rates could adversely affect our operating results.
Net interest income may decline in a particular period if:
•
in a declining interest rate environment, more interest-earning assets than interest-bearing liabilities re-price or mature, or
•
in a rising interest rate environment, more interest-bearing liabilities than interest-earning assets re-price or mature.
Our net interest income may decline based on our exposure to a difference in short-term and long-term interest rates. If the difference between the short-term and long-term interest rates shrinks or disappears, the difference between rates paid on deposits and received on loans could narrow significantly resulting in a decrease in net interest income. In addition to these factors, if market interest rates rise rapidly, interest rate adjustment caps may limit increases in the interest rates on adjustable-rate loans, thus reducing our net interest income. Also, certain adjustable-rate loans re-price based on lagging interest rate indices. This lagging effect may also negatively impact our net interest income when general interest rates continue to rise periodically. Increasing interest rates may also reduce the fair value of our fixed-rate available-for-sale investment securities negatively impacting shareholders’ equity.
Any substantial, unexpected or prolonged change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. While we pursue an asset/liability strategy designed to mitigate our risk from changes in interest rates, changes in interest rates can still have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Changes in interest rates also may negatively affect our ability to originate real estate loans, the value of our assets and our ability to realize gains from the sale of our assets, all of which affects our earnings. Also, our interest rate risk modeling techniques and assumptions cannot fully predict or capture the impact of actual interest rate changes on our balance sheet or projected operating results.
Risks Related to Competitive Matters
Competition may adversely affect our performance. The banking and financial services businesses in our market areas are highly competitive. We face competition in attracting deposits, making loans, and attracting and retaining employees, particularly in the Korean-American community. Price competition for loans and deposits sometimes requires us to charge lower interest rates on our loans and pay higher interest rates on our deposits, which may reduce our net interest income. Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources and lending limits than we have and may offer services that we do not provide. The greater resources and broader offering of deposit and loan products of some of our competitors may also limit our ability to increase our interest-earning assets. The increasingly competitive environment is a result of changes in regulation, changes in technology and product delivery systems, new competitors in the market, and the pace of consolidation among financial services providers. Our results in the future may be materially and adversely impacted depending upon the nature and level of competition.
Risks Related to Tax Matters
If our deferred tax assets are determined not to be recoverable, it would negatively impact our earnings. Deferred tax assets are evaluated on a quarterly basis to determine if they are expected to be recoverable in the future. Our evaluation considers positive and negative evidence to assess whether it is more likely than not that a portion of the asset will not be realized. Future negative operating performance or other negative evidence may result in a valuation allowance being recorded against some or the entire amount.
Changes to tax regulations could negatively impact our earnings. Our future earnings could be negatively impacted by changes in tax legislation including changing tax rates and tax base such as limiting, phasing-out or eliminating deductions or tax credits, taxing certain excess income from intellectual property and changing other tax laws in the U.S.
Other Risks Related to Our Business
Uncertainty surrounding the future of LIBOR (London Interbank Offer Rate) may affect the fair value and return on our financial instruments that use LIBOR as a reference rate. We hold assets, liabilities, and derivatives that are indexed to the various tenors of LIBOR. LIBOR will not be supported in its current form after June 2023. We believe the U.S. financial sector will maintain an orderly and smooth transition to new interest rate benchmarks, which we will evaluate and adopt if appropriate. Additionally, banking regulators have stated that the failure to adequately prepare for LIBOR’s discontinuance could undermine financial stability and an institution’s safety and soundness and create litigation, operational, and consumer protection risks. While in the U.S., the Alternative Rates Reference Committee of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “FRB”) and Federal Reserve Bank of New York have identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) as an alternative U.S. dollar reference interest rate, it is too early to predict the financial impact this rate index replacement may have, if at all.
We are exposed to the risks of natural disasters and global market disruptions. A significant portion of our operations is concentrated in Southern California, which is in an earthquake-prone region. A major earthquake may result in material loss to us. A significant percentage of our loans are secured by real estate. Many of our borrowers may suffer property damage, experience interruption of their businesses or lose their jobs after an earthquake. Those borrowers might not be able
to repay their loans, and the collateral for such loans may decline significantly in value. We are vulnerable to losses if an earthquake, fire, flood or other natural catastrophe occurs in Southern California.
Additionally, global markets may be adversely affected by natural disasters, the emergence of widespread health emergencies or pandemics, cyber-attacks or campaigns, military conflict, terrorism or other geopolitical events. Also, any sudden or prolonged market downturn in the U.S. or abroad, as a result of the above factors or otherwise could result in a decline in revenue and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition, including capital and liquidity levels.
Risks Relating to Ownership of Our Common Stock
The Bank could be restricted from paying dividends to us, its sole shareholder, and, thus, we would be restricted from paying dividends to our stockholders in the future. The primary source of our income from which we pay our obligations and distribute dividends to our stockholders is from the receipt of dividends from the Bank. The availability of dividends from the Bank is limited by various statutes and regulations. As of January 1, 2022, the Bank had the ability to pay $98.0 million of dividends without the prior approval of the Commissioner of DFPI.
The price of our common stock may be volatile or may decline. The trading price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly due to a number of factors, many of which are outside our control. In addition, the stock market is subject to fluctuations. These broad market fluctuations could adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Among the factors that could affect our stock price are:
•
actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results and financial condition;
•
changes in revenue or earnings estimates or publication of research reports and recommendations by financial analysts;
•
failure to meet analysts’ revenue or earnings estimates;
•
speculation in the press or investment community;
•
strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings;
•
general market conditions and, in particular, developments related to market conditions for the financial services industry;
•
proposed or adopted legislative, regulatory or accounting changes or developments;
•
anticipated or pending investigations, proceedings or litigation that involve or affect us; or
•
domestic and international economic factors unrelated to our performance.
The stock market and, in particular, the market for financial institution stocks, has experienced significant volatility. The trading price of the shares of our common stock will depend on many factors, which may change from time to time, including, without limitation, our financial condition, performance, creditworthiness and prospects, future sales of our equity or equity-related securities, and other factors identified above in the section captioned “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” A significant decline in our stock price could result in substantial losses for individual stockholders and could lead to costly and disruptive securities litigation and potential delisting from Nasdaq.
Your share ownership may be diluted by the issuance of additional shares of our common stock in the future. Your share ownership may be diluted by the issuance of additional shares of our common stock in the future. We may decide to raise additional funds for many reasons, including in response to regulatory or other requirements, to meet our liquidity and capital needs, to finance our operations and business strategy or for other reasons. If we raise funds, by issuing equity securities or instruments that are convertible into equity securities, the percentage ownership of our existing stockholders will be reduced. Further, the new equity securities may have rights, preferences and privileges superior to those of our common stock.
Anti-takeover provisions and state and federal law may limit the ability of another party to acquire us, which could cause our stock price to decline. Various provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws could delay or prevent a third-party from acquiring us, even if doing so might be beneficial to our stockholders. These provisions provide for, among other things, supermajority approval for certain actions, limitation on large stockholders taking certain actions and authorization to issue “blank check” preferred stock by action of the Board of Directors without stockholder approval. In addition, the BHCA, and the Change in Bank Control Act of 1978, as amended, together with applicable federal regulations, require that, depending on the particular circumstances, either Federal Reserve approval must be obtained or notice must be furnished to Federal Reserve and not disapproved prior to any person or entity acquiring “control” of a state nonmember bank, such as the Bank. Additional prior approvals from other federal or state bank regulators may also be necessary depending upon the particular circumstances. These provisions may prevent a merger or acquisition
that would be attractive to stockholders and could limit the price investors would be willing to pay in the future for our common stock.

---

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
None.

---

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Item 2.
Properties
Hanmi Financial’s principal office is located at 900 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1250, Los Angeles, California. As of December 31, 2021, we had 43 properties consisting of 35 branch offices and 8 loan production offices. We own 9 locations and the remaining properties are leased.
As of December 31, 2021, our consolidated investment in premises and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization, was $24.8 million. Our lease expense was $8.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. We consider our present facilities to be sufficient for our current operations.

---

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Item 3.
Legal Proceedings
Hanmi Financial and its subsidiaries are subject to lawsuits and claims that arise in the ordinary course of their businesses. Neither Hanmi Financial nor any of its subsidiaries is currently involved in any legal proceedings, the outcome of which we believe would have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition or results of operations of Hanmi Financial or its subsidiaries.

---

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Item 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
Part II

---

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY
Item 5.
Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Market Information
Hanmi Financial’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “HAFC.” As of February 17, 2022, there were approximately 687 record holders of our common stock.
Performance Graph
The following graph shows a comparison of cumulative total stockholder return on Hanmi Financial’s common stock with the cumulative total returns for: (i) the Nasdaq Composite Index; (ii) the Standard and Poor’s 500 Financials Index (“S&P 500 Financials”); and (iii) the S&P U.S. Small Cap Banks Index (which replaced the SNL U.S. Bank $1B-$5B Index and the SNL U.S. Bank $5B-$10B Index, no longer compiled by S&P Global, New York, New York as of August 7, 2021). The graph assumes an initial investment of $100 and reinvestment of dividends. The graph is historical only and may not be indicative of possible future performance. The performance graph shall not be deemed incorporated by reference to any general statement incorporating by reference to this Annual Report on Form 10-K into any filing under the Securities Act, or under the Exchange Act, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate this information by reference, and shall not otherwise be deemed filed under either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.
December 31,
Hanmi Financial Corporation
$
100.00
$
64.91
$
65.90
$
37.36
$
78.02
Nasdaq Composite
$
100.00
$
96.12
$
129.97
$
186.69
$
226.63
S&P 500 Financials
$
100.00
$
85.33
$
110.23
$
105.71
$
140.11
S&P U.S. Small Cap Banks
$
100.00
$
81.80
$
100.08
$
87.81
$
119.40
Source: S&P Global, New York, NY
Recent Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
There were no unregistered sales of Hanmi Financial’s equity securities during the year ended December 31, 2021.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers
The following table presents stock purchases made in respect of the stock repurchase program announced on January 24, 2019 that authorized the buy-back of up to 5.0 percent, or 1,500,000, of our shares outstanding. The table below provides information on purchases made during the three months ended December 31, 2021:
Purchase Date:
Average Price
Paid Per Share
Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Program
Maximum Shares That
May Yet Be Purchased
Under the Program
October 1, 2021 - October 31, 2021
$
20.24
24,708
659,972
November 1, 2021 - November 30, 2021
$
-
-
-
December 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
$
-
-
-
Total
$
20.24
24,708
659,972
During 2021, the Company acquired 24,953 shares from employees in connection with the satisfaction of income tax withholding obligations incurred through vesting of Company stock awards. Such shares are not purchased as a part of the Company’s repurchase program.

---

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
Item 6.
[RESERVED]

---

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
Item 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This discussion presents management’s analysis of the financial condition and results of operations as of and for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes related thereto presented elsewhere in this Report. See also “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Critical Accounting Policies
We have established various accounting policies that govern the application of GAAP in the preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions to arrive at the carrying value of assets and liabilities and amounts reported for revenues and expenses. Our financial position and results of operations can be materially affected by these estimates and assumptions. Critical accounting policies are those policies that are most important to the determination of our financial condition and results of operations or that require management to make assumptions and estimates that are subjective or complex. Our significant accounting policies are discussed in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 1 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies.” Management believes that the following policy is critical.
Allowance for credit losses and Allowance for credit losses related to off-balance sheet items
Our allowance for credit losses methodologies incorporate a variety of risk considerations, both quantitative and qualitative, in establishing an allowance for credit losses that management believes is appropriate at each reporting date. Quantitative factors include our historical loss experiences on loan pools segmented by type, and considers risk rating, delinquency and charge-off trends, collateral values, changes in nonperforming loans, and other factors. Qualitative factors are used to adjust the allowance calculation for risks not considered by the quantitative calculations. Qualitative factors considered in our methodologies include the general economic forecast in our markets, concentrations of credit, changes in lending management and staff, quality of the loan review system, and changes in interest rates. See “- Allowance for Credit Losses”, “Financial Condition - Allowance for credit losses and Allowance for credit losses related to off-balance sheet items”, “Results of Operations -Credit Loss Expense” and “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 1 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” for additional information on methodologies used to determine the allowance for credit losses and the allowance for credit losses related to off-balance sheet items.
Executive Overview
For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, net income was $98.7 million, $42.2 million and $32.8 million, respectively. The increase of $56.5 million, or 133.9 percent, in net income for the year ended December 31, 2021 as compared with the year ended December 31, 2020, was primarily due to a decrease in credit loss expense of $69.9 million and lower interest expense on customer deposits of $22.3 million. These decreases were partially offset by higher income tax expense of $19.5 million, lower interest income securities of $4.3 million and lower interest on loans receivable of $3.2 million.
The increase of $9.4 million, or 28.7 percent, in net income for the year ended December 31, 2020 as compared with the year ended December 31, 2019, was primarily due to lower interest expense on customer deposits of $29.1 million and higher noninterest income of $15.6 million primarily from higher gains on sale of securities. These increases were partially offset by lower interest income on loans receivable of $17.6 million and higher credit loss provisions of $15.3 million for loans receivable, off-balance sheet items and accrued interest receivable.
Effective January 1, 2020, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses, which replaced the incurred loss methodology for estimating credit losses with a forward-looking current expected credit losses (“CECL”) methodology. The adoption resulted in a $17.4 million increase to the beginning balance of the allowance for credit losses, a $335,000 decrease to the beginning balance of the allowance for off-balance sheet-items and an after-tax charge of $12.2 million to the beginning balance of retained earnings.
For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, our earnings per diluted share were $3.22, $1.38 and $1.06, respectively.
Additional significant financial highlights include:
•
Cash and due from banks increased $217.1 million to $609.0 million as of December 31, 2021 from $391.8 million at December 31, 2020, primarily from a higher volume of non-interest bearing deposits and the issuance of subordinated debt.
•
Loans receivable increased by $271.4 million, or 5.6 percent, to $5.15 billion as of December 31, 2021, compared with $4.88 billion as of December 31, 2020. The increase was due to strong demand in commercial real estate and commercial and industrial loans.
•
Securities increased $157.0 million to $910.8 million at December 31, 2021 from $753.8 million at December 31, 2020, primarily from excess liquidity, which was invested mainly in tax-exempt municipal bonds.
•
Deposits were $5.79 billion at December 31, 2021 compared with $5.28 billion at December 31, 2020 as noninterest-bearing deposits increased $675.8 million while interest-bearing deposits decreased by $164.5 million.
•
Cash dividends of $0.54 per share of common stock were paid for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared with $0.52 and $0.96 per share of common stock for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Results of Operations
Net Interest Income
Our primary source of revenue is net interest income, which is the difference between interest and fees derived from earning assets, and interest paid on liabilities obtained to fund those assets. Our net interest income is affected by changes in the level and mix of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities, referred to as volume changes. Net interest income is also affected by changes in the yields earned on assets and rates paid on liabilities, referred to as rate changes. Interest rates charged on loans are affected principally by changes to market interest rates, the demand for such loans, the supply of money available for lending purposes, and other competitive factors. Those factors are, in turn, affected by general economic conditions and other factors beyond our control, such as federal economic policies, the general supply of money in the economy, legislative tax policies, governmental budgetary matters, and the actions of the Federal Reserve.
The following table shows the average balances of assets, liabilities and stockholders’ equity; the amount of interest income, on a tax equivalent basis and interest expense; the average yield or rate for each category of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities; and the net interest spread and the net interest margin for the periods indicated. All average balances are daily average balances.
For the Year Ended
December 31, 2021
December 31, 2020
December 31, 2019
Interest
Average
Interest
Average
Interest
Average
Average
Income /
Yield /
Average
Income /
Yield /
Average
Income /
Yield /
Balance
Expense
Rate
Balance
Expense
Rate
Balance
Expense
Rate
Assets
(dollars in thousands)
Interest-earning assets:
Loans receivable (1)
$
4,794,505
$
208,601
4.35
%
$
4,684,512
$
211,836
4.52
%
$
4,507,975
$
229,402
5.09
%
Securities (2)
845,437
6,230
0.75
%
663,700
10,537
1.59
%
618,610
14,806
2.39
%
FHLB stock
16,385
5.74
%
16,385
5.51
%
16,385
1,147
7.00
%
Interest-bearing deposits in other banks
684,442
0.13
%
306,668
0.19
%
73,906
1,562
2.11
%
Total interest-earning assets
6,340,769
216,675
3.42
%
5,671,265
223,867
3.95
%
5,216,876
246,917
4.73
%
Noninterest-earning assets:
Cash and due from banks
62,401
72,557
103,475
Allowance for credit losses
(84,735
)
(75,250
)
(41,933
)
Other assets
225,750
228,131
197,517
Total assets
$
6,544,185
$
5,896,703
$
5,475,935
Liabilities and stockholders' equity
Interest-bearing liabilities:
Deposits:
Demand: interest-bearing
$
113,326
$
0.05
%
$
94,167
$
0.07
%
$
83,613
$
0.14
%
Money market and savings
2,028,235
5,199
0.26
%
1,758,300
11,016
0.63
%
1,566,403
23,556
1.50
%
Time deposits
1,111,857
6,395
0.58
%
1,412,951
22,908
1.62
%
1,752,642
39,433
2.25
%
Total interest-bearing deposits
3,253,418
11,655
0.36
%
3,265,418
33,994
1.04
%
3,402,658
63,105
1.85
%
Borrowings
145,297
1,697
1.17
%
196,397
2,367
1.21
%
40,374
1.89
%
Subordinated debentures
154,400
8,273
5.35
%
118,663
6,607
5.57
%
118,079
7,032
5.96
%
Total interest-bearing liabilities
3,553,115
21,625
0.61
%
3,580,478
42,968
1.20
%
3,561,111
70,900
1.99
%
Noninterest-bearing liabilities and equity:
Demand deposits: noninterest-bearing
2,307,052
1,680,882
1,288,301
Other liabilities
77,637
77,478
61,209
Stockholders' equity
606,381
557,865
565,314
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity
$
6,544,185
$
5,896,703
$
5,475,935
Net interest income (taxable equivalent basis)
$
195,050
$
180,899
$
176,017
Cost of deposits (3)
0.21
%
0.69
%
1.35
%
Net interest spread (taxable equivalent basis) (4)
2.81
%
2.75
%
2.74
%
Net interest margin (taxable equivalent basis)(5)
3.08
%
3.19
%
3.37
%
(1)
Loans receivable include loans held for sale and exclude the allowance for credit losses. Nonaccrual loans receivable are included in the average loans receivable balance.
(2)
Amounts calculated on a fully taxable equivalent basis using the current statutory federal tax rate of 21 percent.
(3)
Represents interest expense on deposits as a percentage of all interest-bearing and noninterest-bearing deposits.
(4)
Represents the average yield earned on interest-earning assets less the average rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities.
(5)
Represents net interest income as a percentage of average interest-earning assets.
The table below shows changes in interest income and interest expense and the amounts attributable to variations in interest rates and volumes for the periods indicated. The variances attributable to simultaneous volume and rate changes have been allocated to the change due to volume and the change due to rate categories in proportion to the relationship of the absolute dollar amount attributable solely to the change in volume and to the change in rate.
Year Ended December 31,
2021 vs 2020
2020 vs 2019
Increases (Decreases) Due to Change In
Increases (Decreases) Due to Change In
Volume
Rate
Total
Volume
Rate
Total
(in thousands)
Interest and dividend income:
Loans receivable (1)
$
4,917
$
(8,152
)
$
(3,235
)
$
8,724
$
(26,290
)
$
(17,566
)
Securities (2)
2,327
(6,634
)
(4,307
)
1,014
(5,283
)
(4,269
)
FHLB stock
-
-
(245
)
(245
)
Interest-bearing deposits in other banks
(240
)
1,450
(2,420
)
(970
)
Total interest and dividend income (taxable equivalent) (2)
$
7,795
$
(14,987
)
$
(7,192
)
$
11,188
$
(34,238
)
$
(23,050
)
Interest expense:
Demand: interest-bearing
$
$
(23
)
$
(9
)
$
$
(59
)
$
(46
)
Money market and savings
1,485
(7,302
)
(5,817
)
2,594
(15,134
)
(12,540
)
Time
(4,114
)
(12,399
)
(16,513
)
(6,768
)
(9,757
)
(16,525
)
Borrowings
(602
)
(68
)
(670
)
1,972
(368
)
1,604
Subordinated debentures
1,932
(266
)
1,666
(460
)
(425
)
Total interest expense
$
(1,285
)
$
(20,058
)
$
(21,343
)
$
(2,154
)
$
(25,778
)
$
(27,932
)
Change in net interest income (taxable equivalent) (2)
$
9,080
$
5,071
$
14,151
$
13,342
$
(8,460
)
$
4,882
(1)
Loans receivable include loans held for sale and exclude the allowance for credit losses. Nonaccrual loans receivable are included in the average loans receivable balance.
(2)
Amounts calculated on a fully equivalent basis using the current statutory federal tax rate of 21 percent.
2021 Compared to 2020
Interest income, on a taxable equivalent basis, decreased $7.2 million, or 3.2 percent, to $216.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 from $223.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Interest expense decreased $21.3 million or 49.7 percent, to $21.6 million for 2021 from $43.0 million in 2020. Net interest income, on a taxable equivalent basis, was $195.1 million and $180.9 million for 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in net interest income was primarily due to the decrease in interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities, partially offset by the decrease in interest income on interest-earning assets. Average loans were 75.6 percent of average interest earning assets for 2021, down from 82.6 percent for 2020. The net interest spread and net interest margin, on a taxable equivalent basis, for the year ended December 31, 2021 were 2.81 percent and 3.08 percent, respectively, compared with 2.75 percent and 3.19 percent, respectively, for 2020.
The average balance of loans increased $110.0 million, or 2.3 percent, to $4.79 billion for 2021 from $4.68 billion for 2020. The average balance of securities increased $181.7 million, or 27.4 percent, to $845.4 million in 2021 from $663.7 million for 2020. The average balance of interest earning assets increased $669.5 million, or 11.8 percent, to $6.34 billion for the year ended December 31, 2021 from $5.67 billion for 2020. The increase in the average balance of loans was due mainly to new loan production in real estate loans. The average balance of interest-bearing liabilities decreased $27.4 million, or 0.8 percent, to $3.55 billion for 2021 compared to $3.58 billion in 2020. The decrease in average interest-bearing liabilities resulted primarily from lower time deposits and borrowings, offset by increases in money market and savings accounts and subordinated debentures.
The average yield on loans decreased to 4.35 percent for the year ended December 31, 2021 from 4.52 percent for 2020, primarily due to the continued decrease in market interest rates in 2021, offset by the change in composition of the loan portfolio with a greater concentration of commercial real estate loans. The average yield on securities, on a taxable equivalent basis, decreased to 0.75 percent for 2021 from 1.59 percent for 2020, attributable primarily to the sale of securities during the second quarter of 2020 to take advantage of unrealized gains, the proceeds of which were reinvested into lower-yielding securities. The average yield on interest-earning assets, on a taxable equivalent basis, decreased 52 basis points to 3.42 percent in 2021 from 3.95 percent in 2020, due mainly to the decrease in the yields on the loan portfolio due to a decrease in market interest rates and the origination of $133.1 million of PPP loans at a rate of one percent. The average cost of interest-bearing liabilities decreased by 59 basis points to 0.61 percent for 2021 from 1.20 percent for 2020. The decrease was due to lower market interest rates and a shift away from time deposits to money market and savings deposits in the composition of the deposit accounts and lower borrowings, partially offset by an increase in subordinated debentures.
2020 Compared to 2019
Interest income, on a taxable equivalent basis, decreased $23.1 million, or 9.3 percent, to $223.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $246.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Interest expense decreased $27.9 million or 39.4 percent, to $43.0 million in 2020 from $70.9 million in 2019. Net interest income, on a taxable equivalent basis, was $180.9 million and $176.0 million in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The increase in net interest income was primarily due to the decrease in interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities, partially offset by the decrease in interest income on interest-earning assets. Average loans were 82.6 percent of average interest earning assets for 2020, down from 86.4 percent for 2019. The net interest spread and net interest margin, on a taxable equivalent basis, for the year ended December 31, 2020 were 2.75 percent and 3.19 percent, respectively, compared with 2.74 percent and 3.37 percent, respectively, for 2019.
The average balance of loans increased $176.5 million, or 3.9 percent, to $4.68 billion in 2020 from $4.51 billion for 2019. The average balance of securities increased $45.1 million, or 7.3 percent, to $663.7 million for 2020 from $618.6 million in 2019. The average balance of interest earning assets increased $454.4 million, or 8.7 percent, to $5.67 billion for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $5.22 billion for 2019. The increase in the average balance of loans was due mainly to new loan production driven by PPP loans. The average balance of interest-bearing liabilities increased $19.4 million, or 0.5 percent, to $3.58 billion in 2020 compared to $3.56 billion in 2019. The increase in average interest-bearing liabilities resulted primarily from higher money market and savings and borrowings balances, offset by a decrease in time deposits.
The average yield on loans decreased to 4.52 percent for the year ended December 31, 2020 from 5.09 percent for 2019, primarily due to a decrease in market interest rates commencing in the first quarter of 2020 and the origination of $301.8 million of PPP loans at a rate of one percent during the second quarter of 2020, offset by the change in composition of the loan portfolio with a greater concentration of commercial and industrial loans receivable. The average yield on securities, on a taxable equivalent basis, decreased to 1.59 percent in 2020 from 2.39 percent in 2019, attributable primarily to the sale of securities during the second quarter of 2020 to take advantage of unrealized gains, the proceeds of which were reinvested into lower-yielding securities. The average yield on interest-earning assets, on a taxable equivalent basis, decreased 78 basis points to 3.95 percent in 2020 from 4.73 percent for 2019, due mainly to the decrease in the yields on the loan portfolio due to a decrease in market interest rates and the origination of $301.8 million of PPP loans at a rate of one percent. The average cost of interest-bearing liabilities decreased by 79 basis points to 1.20 percent in 2020 from 1.99 percent for 2019. The decrease was due to lower market interest rates and a shift away from time deposits to noninterest bearing demand deposits in the composition of the deposit accounts.
Credit Loss Expense
As a result of credit risks inherent in our lending business, we recognize an allowance for credit losses through charges to credit loss expense. These charges pertain not only to our outstanding loan portfolio, but also to off-balance sheet items, such as letters of credit and commitments to extend credit, and the allowance for uncollectible accrued interest receivable for loans modified under the CARES Act. Credit loss expense for our outstanding loan portfolio are recorded to the allowance for credit losses. The allowance for off-balance sheet items is included in accrued expenses and other liabilities and the allowance for uncollectible accrued interest receivable is included in accrued interest receivable.
2021 Compared to 2020
The credit loss expense recovery for 2021 was $24.4 million compared with a credit loss expense of $45.5 million for 2020. The credit loss expense recovery for 2021 was comprised of a $24.1 million negative provision for credit losses, a $0.2 million negative provision for off-balance sheet items and $1.7 million negative provision for accrued interest receivable for loans currently or previously modified under the CARES Act, offset by $1.6 from a SBA guarantee repair loss allowance. See “Financial Condition - Allowance for credit losses and Allowance for credit losses related to off-balance sheet items” for additional information. For the year ended December 31, 2020, credit loss expense was $45.5 million and included a $42.5 million provision for credit losses. Additionally, a $0.7 million provision for off-balance sheet items and a $2.3 million provision for losses on accrued interest receivable for loans currently or previously modified under the CARES Act, was recorded as credit loss expense during 2020.
2020 Compared to 2019
Credit loss expense for the full year 2020 was $45.5 million compared with $30.2 million for 2019. Credit loss expense for 2020 reflected the new accounting standard for determining the allowance for credit losses and included a $42.5 million provision for credit losses which primarily reflected the change to life of loan current expected credit losses, and the impact of the pandemic. Additionally, a $0.7 million provision for off-balance sheet items and a $2.3 million provision for losses on accrued interest receivable for loans currently or previously modified under the CARES Act, was recorded as credit loss expense during 2020. For the year ended December 31, 2019, under the former accounting standard for determining the allowance for credit losses, the provision for credit losses was $30.2 million, which primarily reflected specific allowance allocations related to a troubled loan relationship. The 2019 provision for off-balance sheet items, included in other operating expenses, was $1.0 million.
Noninterest Income
The following table sets forth the various components of noninterest income for the years indicated:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Service charges on deposit accounts
$
11,043
$
8,485
$
9,951
Trade finance and other service charges and fees
4,628
4,033
4,786
Servicing income
2,820
2,481
1,798
Bank-owned life insurance income
1,011
1,113
1,121
All other operating income
3,857
4,625
2,114
Service charges, fees and other
23,359
20,737
19,770
Gain on sale of SBA loans
17,266
5,247
5,252
Net gain (loss) on sales of securities
(499
)
15,712
1,295
Gain on sale of bank premises
1,235
Legal settlement
1,000
-
Total noninterest income
$
40,496
$
43,104
$
27,552
2021 Compared to 2020
For the year ended December 31, 2021 noninterest income was $40.5 million, a decrease of $2.6 million, or 6.1 percent, compared with $43.1 million in 2020. The decrease was primarily attributable to a net loss of $0.5 million on the sale of securities for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared with $15.7 million of gains in 2020, partially offset by higher gain on the sale of SBA loans of $12.0 million and higher service charges on deposit accounts of $2.6 million.
2020 Compared to 2019
For the year ended December 31, 2020 noninterest income was $43.1 million, an increase of $15.6 million, or 56.4 percent, compared with $27.6 million in 2019. The increase was primarily attributable to a net gain of $15.7 million in the sale of securities for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared with $1.3 million in 2019 and a $1.0 million legal settlement from a failed bank acquisition, partially offset by lower service charges on deposit accounts of $1.5 million and lower gains of $0.8 million in the sale of bank premises.
Noninterest Expense
The following table sets forth various components of noninterest expense for the years indicated:
Year Ended December 31,
(in thousands)
Salaries and employee benefits
$
72,561
$
66,988
$
67,900
Occupancy and equipment
19,075
18,283
17,064
Data processing
12,003
11,222
8,755
Professional fees
5,566
6,771
9,060
Supplies and communications
3,026
3,096
2,936
Advertising and promotion
2,649
2,671
3,797
All other operating expenses
9,870
10,268
14,221
Subtotal
124,750
119,299
123,732
Other real estate owned expense
Repossessed personal property expense (income)
(492
)
(452
)
-
Impairment loss on bank premises
-
1,734
Total noninterest expense
$
124,455
$
119,053
$
125,906
2021 Compared to 2020
For the year ended December 31, 2021, noninterest expense was $124.5 million, an increase of $5.4 million, or 4.5 percent, compared with $119.1 million for 2020. The increase was due primarily to higher salaries and benefits of $5.6 million, stemming from increased compensation on higher loan production and a decrease of $1.2 million in professional fees.
2020 Compared to 2019
For the year ended December 31, 2020, noninterest expense was $119.1 million, a decrease of $6.9 million, or 5.4 percent, compared with $125.9 million in 2019. The decrease was due primarily to the capitalization of $3.1 million in cost for PPP originations, a $1.6 million decrease in repossessed personal property expense and a $1.5 million decrease in impairments on bank premises.
Income Tax Expense
For the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, income tax expense was $36.8 million, $17.3 million and $14.6 million, respectively. The effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 was 27.2 percent, 29.1 percent and 30.8 percent, respectively. The lower effective tax rate in 2021 compared to 2020 and 2019 was due mainly to a reduction in the deferred tax asset valuation allowance required for state net operating loss carryforwards and state tax credits.
Income taxes are discussed in more detail in “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 1 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and “Note 11 - Income Taxes” presented elsewhere herein.
Financial Condition
Securities Portfolio
As of December 31, 2021, our securities portfolio was composed of mortgage-backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations, debt securities issued by U.S. government agencies and sponsored agencies and tax-exempt municipal bonds. Most of the securities carried fixed interest rates. Other than holdings of U.S. government and agency securities, there were no securities of any one issuer exceeding 10 percent of stockholders’ equity as of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
As of December 31, 2021, securities available for sale increased $157.0 million, or 20.8 percent, to $910.8 million from $753.8 million as of December 31, 2020. The increase was mainly due to purchases of U.S. government agency and sponsored agency securities and tax-exempt municipal bonds with excess liquidity.
The following table summarizes the contractual maturity schedule for securities, at amortized cost, and their cost-weighted average yield, which is calculated using amortized cost as the weight, as of December 31, 2021:
After One
Year But
After Five
Years But
Within One
Year
Within Five
Years
Within Ten
Years
After Ten
Years
Total
Amount
Yield
Amount
Yield
Amount
Yield
Amount
Yield
Amount
Yield
(dollars in thousands)
Securities available for sale:
U.S. Treasury securities
$
-
-
%
$
15,457
0.98
%
$
-
-
%
$
-
-
%
$
15,457
0.98
%
U.S. government agency and sponsored agency obligations:
Mortgage-backed securities
1.85
%
3,761
0.89
%
1,502
1.05
%
609,661
1.06
%
615,393
1.06
%
Collateralized mortgage obligations
2.04
%
1.23
%
1,751
2.00
%
93,139
0.67
%
95,153
0.70
%
Debt securities
-
-
%
105,040
0.75
%
12,459
1.01
%
-
-
%
117,499
0.78
%
Total U.S. government agency and sponsored agency obligations
1.87
%
109,001
0.75
%
15,712
1.13
%
702,800
1.01
%
828,045
0.98
%
Municipal bonds-tax exempt
-
-
%
-
-
%
-
-
%
79,152
1.33
%
79,152
1.33
%
Total securities available for sale
$
1.87
%
$
124,458
0.78
%
$
15,712
1.13
%
$
781,952
1.04
%
$
922,654
1.01
%
Loan Portfolio
As of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, loans receivable (excluding loans held for sale), net of deferred loan costs, discounts and allowance for credit losses, were $5.08 billion, $4.79 billion and $4.55 billion, respectively, representing an increase of $289.2 million or 6.0 percent in 2021 and an increase of $241.0 million, or 5.3 percent in 2020. The $289.2 million increase in loans in 2021 was attributable to higher new loan production, mainly in commercial real estate and commercial and industrial loans, and enhanced asset quality due to the gradual improvement in the economic environment during the year.
During the year ended December 31, 2021, total loan disbursements consisted of $795.1 million in commercial real estate loans, $272.4 million in leases receivable, $372.3 million in commercial and industrial loans, $292.1 million in SBA loans and $206.8 million in residential/consumer loans, offset by $1.66 billion in pay-offs and other net reductions.
The table below shows the maturity distribution of outstanding loans (before the allowance for credit losses) as of December 31, 2021. In addition, the table shows the distribution of such loans between those with floating or variable interest rates and those with fixed or predetermined interest rates.
Within One
Year
After One
Year but
Within Five
Years
After Five
Years but
Within
Fifteen
Years
After
Fifteen
Years
Total
(in thousands)
Real estate loans:
Commercial property
Retail
$
148,240
$
561,061
$
260,833
$
-
$
970,134
Hospitality
216,771
444,829
56,092
-
717,692
Other
272,725
1,083,799
454,124
108,385
1,919,033
Total commercial property loans
637,736
2,089,689
771,049
108,385
3,606,859
Construction
42,025
52,981
-
-
95,006
Residential/consumer loans
6,914
5,423
387,978
400,546
Total real estate loans
686,675
2,142,901
776,472
496,363
4,102,411
Commercial and industrial loans
292,924
190,661
78,246
-
561,831
Leases receivable
19,874
419,548
47,877
-
487,299
Loans receivable
$
999,473
$
2,753,110
$
902,595
$
496,363
$
5,151,541
Loans with predetermined interest rates
$
395,860
$
2,010,497
$
224,073
$
128,813
$
2,759,243
Loans with variable interest rates
603,613
742,613
678,522
367,550
2,392,298
The table below shows the maturity distribution of outstanding loans with fixed or predetermined interest rates due after one year, as of December 31, 2021.
After One Year but Within Three Years
After Three Years but Within Five Years
After Five Years but Within Fifteen Years
After Fifteen Years
Total
(in thousands)
Real estate loans:
Commercial property
Retail
$
169,457
$
281,651
$
40,074
$
-
$
491,182
Hospitality
135,669
51,510
19,383
-
206,562
Other
269,599
577,103
99,054
8,765
954,521
Total commercial property loans
574,725
910,264
158,511
8,765
1,652,265
Construction
26,428
-
-
-
26,428
Residential/consumer loans
2,964
120,048
123,199
Total real estate loans
601,282
910,322
161,475
128,813
1,801,892
Commercial and industrial loans
20,543
58,803
14,720
-
94,066
Leases receivable
179,791
239,756
47,878
-
467,425
Loans receivable
$
801,616
$
1,208,881
$
224,073
$
128,813
$
2,363,383
The table below shows the maturity distribution of outstanding loans with floating or variable interest rates (including hybrids) due after one year, as of December 31, 2021.
After One Year but Within Three Years
After Three Years but Within Five Years
After Five Years but Within Fifteen Years
After Fifteen Years
Total
(in thousands)
Real estate loans:
Commercial property
Retail
$
61,527
$
48,426
$
220,759
$
-
$
330,712
Hospitality
214,374
43,275
36,709
-
294,358
Other
117,221
119,876
355,069
99,621
691,787
Total commercial property loans
393,122
211,577
612,537
99,621
1,316,857
Construction
25,922
-
-
26,553
Residential/consumer loans
-
2,459
267,929
270,433
Total real estate loans
419,089
212,208
614,996
367,550
1,613,843
Commercial and industrial loans
49,895
61,421
63,526
-
174,842
Leases receivable
-
-
-
-
-
Loans receivable
$
468,984
$
273,629
$
678,522
$
367,550
$
1,788,685
As of December 31, 2021, the loan portfolio included the following concentrations of loans to one type of industry that were greater than 10 percent of loans receivable:
Balance as of December 31, 2021
Percentage
of Loans
Receivable
Outstanding
(in thousands)
Lessor of nonresidential buildings
$
1,691,192
32.8
%
Hospitality
$
770,353
15.0
%
Loan Quality Indicators
Delinquent loans (defined as 30 to 89 days past due and still accruing) were $5.9 million, $9.5 million and $10.3 million as of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, representing a decrease of $3.6 million or 37.9 percent, in 2021 and a decrease of $777,000 or 7.6 percent, in 2020.
Activity in criticized loans was as follows for the periods indicated:
Special Mention
Classified
(in thousands)
December 31, 2021
Balance at beginning of period
$
76,978
$
140,169
Additions
146,226
60,083
Reductions
(127,910
)
(139,619
)
Balance at end of period
$
95,294
$
60,633
December 31, 2020
Balance at beginning of period
$
26,632
$
94,025
Additions
94,672
112,771
Reductions
(44,326
)
(66,627
)
Balance at end of period
$
76,978
$
140,169
Special mention loans increased by $18.3 million, or 23.8 percent to $95.3 million at December 31, 2021 compared with $77.0 million as of December 31, 2020. Of such loans outstanding at December 31, 2021 and 2020, $32.8 million and $49.1 million, respectively, consisted of loans adversely affected by the pandemic.
Classified loans decreased by $79.5 million, or 56.7 percent, to $60.6 million at December 31, 2021, from $140.2 million at December 31, 2020. Of such loans outstanding at December 31, 2021 and 2020, $41.1 million and $54.0 million, respectively, were adversely affected by the pandemic.
Nonperforming Assets
Nonperforming loans consist of loans on nonaccrual status and loans 90 days or more past due and still accruing interest. Nonperforming assets consist of nonperforming loans and OREO. Loans are placed on nonaccrual status when, in the opinion of management, the full timely collection of principal or interest is in doubt. Generally, the accrual of interest is discontinued when principal or interest payments become more than 90 days past due, unless management believes the loan is adequately collateralized and in the process of collection. However, in certain instances, we may place a particular loan on nonaccrual status earlier, depending upon the individual circumstances surrounding the delinquency of the loan. When a loan is placed on nonaccrual status, previously accrued but unpaid interest is reversed against current income. Subsequent collections of cash are applied as principal reductions when received, except when the ultimate collectability of principal is probable, in which case interest payments are credited to income. Nonaccrual loans may be restored to accrual status when principal and interest become current and full repayment is expected, which generally occurs after sustained payment of six months. Interest income is recognized on the accrual basis for impaired loans not meeting the criteria for nonaccrual. OREO consists of properties acquired by foreclosure or similar means or are vacant bank properties for which their usage for operations has ceased and management intends to offer for sale.
Except for nonperforming loans discussed below, management is not aware of any loans as of December 31, 2021 for which known credit problems of the borrower would cause serious doubts as to the ability of such borrowers to comply with their present loan repayment terms, or any known events that would result in the loan being designated as nonperforming at some future date.
Nonaccrual loans were $13.4 million, $83.0 million and $63.8 million as of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, representing a decrease of $69.7 million, or 83.9 percent, in 2021 and an increase of $19.2 million, or 30.1 percent, in 2020. The decrease in nonaccrual loans in 2021 was primarily due to the payoffs, paydowns, note sales, or upgrades of $35.8 million for nine hospitality loans, $12.4 million for two film tax credit loans, $13.5 million for a troubled relationship, and $8.8 million for lease receivables. At December 31, 2021, $4.7 million of nonaccrual loans related to loans adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, all loans 90 days or more past due were classified as nonaccrual.
The $13.4 million nonperforming loans as of December 31, 2021 were allocated with individually evaluated allowances of $2.8 million. The allowance for collateral-dependent loans is calculated as the difference between the outstanding loan balance and the value of the collateral as determined by recent appraisals less estimated costs to sell. The allowance for collateral-dependent loans varies based on the collateral coverage of the loan at the time of designation as nonperforming. We continue to monitor the collateral coverage on these loans on a quarterly basis, based on recent appraisals, and adjust the allowance accordingly.
As of December 31, 2021, OREO consisted of one property with a carrying value of $675,000. As of December 31, 2020, there were four properties with a combined carrying value of $2.4 million in OREO.
Individually Evaluated Loans
The Company reviews all loans on an individual basis when they do not share similar risk characteristics with loan pools. Individually evaluated loans are measured for expected credit losses based on the present value of expected cash flows discounted at the effective interest rate, the observable market price, or the fair value of collateral. The allowance for collateral-dependent loans is calculated as the difference between the outstanding loan balance and the value of the collateral as determined by recent appraisals, less estimated costs to sell. The allowance for collateral-dependent loans varies based on the collateral coverage of the loan at the time of the designation as nonperforming.
Individually evaluated loans were $13.4 million, $91.0 million and $64.8 million as of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, representing a decrease of $77.6 million, or 85.3 percent, in 2021, and an increase of $26.2 million, or 40.4 percent, in 2020. Specific allowance allocations associated with individually evaluated loans decreased $11.2 million to $2.8 million as of December 31, 2021, compared with $14.0 million as of December 31, 2020.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, no loans were restructured and subsequently classified as TDRs. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we restructured monthly payments for five loans, with a net carrying value of $4.5 million at the time of modification, which we subsequently classified as TDRs. Temporary payment structure modifications included, but were not limited to, extending the maturity date, reducing the amount of principal and/or interest due monthly, and/or allowing for interest only monthly payments for six months or less.
At December 31, 2021, the Company assessed accruing TDRs along with performing and accruing loans on a collective basis. As of December 31, 2021, there were no outstanding accruing TDRs. As of December 31, 2020, TDRs on accrual status were $7.9 million, all of which were temporary interest rate and payment reductions or extensions of maturity, and a $5,000 allowance relating to these loans, was included in the allowance for credit losses. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, TDRs on nonaccrual status were $2.9 million and $17.1 million, respectively, and a $4,000 and $12,000 allowance relating to these loans, respectively, was included in the allowance for credit losses.
As of December 31, 2019, TDRs on accrual status were $0.8 million, all of which were temporary interest rate and payment reductions or extensions of maturity, and a $29,000 allowance relating to these loans was included in the allowance for credit losses. As of December 31, 2019, restructured loans on nonaccrual status were $55.5 million and a $22.7 million allowance relating to these loans, was included in the allowance for credit losses.
Allowance for credit losses and Allowance for credit losses related to off-balance sheet items
The Company’s estimate of the allowance for credit losses at December 31, 2021 reflects losses expected over the remaining contractual life of the assets based on historical, current, and forward-looking information. The contractual term does not consider extensions, renewals or modifications unless the Company has identified an expected troubled debt restructuring.
Management selected three loss methodologies for the collective allowance estimation. At December 31, 2021, the Company used the discounted cash flow (“DCF”) method to estimate allowances for credit losses for the commercial and industrial loan portfolio, the Probability of Default/Loss Given Default (“PD/LGD”) method for the commercial property, construction and residential property portfolios, and the Weighted Average Remaining Maturity (“WARM”) method to estimate expected credit losses for equipment financing agreements (lease receivables portfolio). Loans that do not share similar risk characteristics are individually evaluated for allowances.
For all loan pools utilizing the DCF method, the Company determined that four quarters represented a reasonable and supportable forecast period and reverted to a historical loss rate over twelve quarters on a straight-line basis. For each of these loan segments, the Company applied an annualized historical PD/LGD using all available historical periods. Since reasonable and supportable forecasts of economic conditions are imbedded directly into the DCF model, qualitative adjustments are considered but were minimal.
For loan pools utilizing the PD/LGD method, the Company used historical periods that included an economic downturn to derive historical losses for better alignment in the estimation of expected losses under the PD/LGD method. The Company relied on Frye-Jacobs modeled LGD rates for loan segments with no historical losses. In addition, for those loans granted a loan modification due to COVID-19, the Company used the annualized PD/LGD as of March 31, 2020 to reflect the moratorium on TDRs under Section 4013 of the CARES Act. The PD/LGD method incorporates a forecast into loss estimates using a qualitative adjustment.
The Company used the WARM method to estimate expected credit losses for equipment financing agreements or the equipment lease receivables portfolio. The Company applied an expected loss ratio based on internal historical losses adjusted as appropriate for qualitative factors.
For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company relied on the economic projections from Moody’s Analytics Economic Scenarios and Forecasts to inform its loss driver forecasts over the four-quarter forecast period. For all loan pools, the Company utilizes and forecasts the national unemployment rate as the primary loss driver.
To adjust the historical and forecast periods to current conditions, the Company applies various qualitative factors derived from market, industry or business specific data, changes in the underlying portfolio composition, trends relating to credit quality, delinquency, nonperforming and adversely rated leases, and reasonable and supportable forecasts of economic conditions.
The allowance for credit losses was $72.6 million at December 31, 2021 compared with $90.4 million at December 31, 2020. The allowance attributed to loans individually evaluated was $2.8 million at December 31, 2021 compared with $14.0 million at December 31, 2020. This decline primarily resulted from the payoff of two film tax credit loans for $6.2 million and charge-offs of $3.3 million for lease receivables. The allowance attributed to loans collectively evaluated was $69.8 million at December 31, 2021 compared with $76.4 million at December 31, 2020. This decrease principally reflected the improvement in macroeconomic conditions and assumptions during the year ended December 31, 2021, offset by increased loan production. The Company recognizes the inherent uncertainties in the estimate of the allowance for credit losses and the effect the COVID-19 pandemic may have on borrowers and the economy.
The table below presents the allowance for credit losses by portfolio segment as a percentage of the total allowance for credit losses and loans by portfolio segment as a percentage of the aggregate investment of loans receivable for the periods presented:
As of December 31,
Allowance
Amount
Percentage of Total Allowance
Total Loans
Percentage of Total Loans
Allowance
Amount
Percentage of Total Allowance
Total Loans
Percentage of Total Loans
(dollars in thousands)
Real estate loans:
Commercial property
Retail
$
6,579
9.1
%
$
970,134
18.8
%
$
4,855
5.4
%
$
824,606
16.9
%
Hospitality
22,670
31.2
%
717,692
13.9
%
28,801
31.9
%
859,953
17.6
%
Other
15,065
20.8
%
1,919,033
37.3
%
13,991
15.4
%
1,610,377
33.0
%
Total commercial property loans
44,314
61.1
%
3,606,859
70.0
%
47,647
52.7
%
3,294,936
67.5
%
Construction
4,078
5.6
%
95,006
1.8
%
2,876
3.2
%
58,882
1.2
%
Residential/consumer loans
0.7
%
400,546
7.8
%
1,353
1.5
%
345,831
7.1
%
Total real estate loans
48,890
67.4
%
4,102,411
79.6
%
51,876
57.4
%
3,699,649
75.8
%
Commercial and industrial loans
12,418
17.1
%
561,831
10.9
%
21,410
23.6
%
757,255
15.5
%
Leases receivable
11,249
15.5
%
487,299
9.5
%
17,140
19.0
%
423,264
8.7
%
Total
$
72,557
100.0
%
$
5,151,541
100.0
%
$
90,426
100.0
%
$
4,880,168
100.0
%
The following table sets forth certain information regarding certain ratios related to our allowance for credit losses and allowance for credit losses related to off-balance sheet items for the periods presented. Allowance for credit losses related to off-balance sheet items is determined by applying loss factors according to loan pool and grade as well as actual current commitment usage figures by loan type to existing contingent liabilities:
As of and for the Year Ended December 31,
(dollars in thousands)
Ratios:
Allowance for credit losses to loans
1.41
%
1.85
%
1.33
%
Nonaccrual loans to loans
0.26
%
1.70
%
1.38
%
Allowance for credit losses to nonaccrual loans
543.09
%
108.91
%
96.31
%
Balance:
Nonaccrual loans at end of period
$
13,360
$
83,032
$
63,761
Nonperforming loans at end of period
$
13,360
$
83,032
$
63,761
The allowance for credit losses was $72.6 million, $90.4 million and $61.4 million, respectively, as of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, representing a decrease of $17.8 million, or 19.7 percent, in 2021 and an increase of $29.0 million, or 47.3 percent, in 2020. The allowance for credit losses as a percentage of loans decreased to 1.41 percent as of December 31, 2021 from 1.85 percent as of December 31, 2020. The decrease in the allowance for credit losses was mainly due to the decline in the allowance attributable to loans individually evaluated resulting from loan pay-offs and the decline in the allowance attributed to loans collectively evaluated resulting from improvements in macroeconomic conditions and assumptions.
The allowance for off-balance sheet exposure, primarily unfunded loan commitments, as of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, was $2.6 million, $2.8 million and $2.4 million, respectively, representing a decrease of $206,000, or 7.4 percent, in 2021, and an increase of $395,000, or 16.5 percent, in 2020. The Bank closely monitors the borrower’s repayment capabilities, while funding existing commitments to ensure losses are minimized. Based on management’s evaluation and analysis of portfolio credit quality and prevailing economic conditions, we believe these allowances were adequate for losses inherent in the loan portfolio and off-balance sheet exposure as of December 31, 2021.
The following table presents a summary of net charge-offs (recoveries) for the loan portfolio:
For the year ended December 31,
Average Loans
Net Charge-offs (Recoveries)
Net Charge-offs (Recoveries) to Average Loans
Average Loans
Net Charge-offs (Recoveries)
Net Charge-offs (Recoveries) to Average Loans
Average Loans
Net Charge-offs (Recoveries)
Net Charge-offs (Recoveries) to Average Loans
(dollars in thousands)
Commercial real estate loans
$
3,364,940
$
(420
)
(0.01
)%
$
3,163,686
$
(34
)
-
%
$
3,137,493
$
(2,058
)
(0.07
)%
Construction loans
68,851
(8,954
)
(13.00
)%
$
68,110
13,478
19.79
%
$
75,238
-
-
%
Residential/consumer loans
344,698
(6
)
-
%
374,789
(1
)
-
%
472,082
-
-
%
Commercial and industrial loans
580,220
(351
)
(0.06
)%
615,423
12,976
2.11
%
537,211
0.01
%
Leases receivable
435,797
3,454
0.79
%
462,504
4,470
0.97
%
446,941
2,741
0.61
%
Total
$
4,794,506
$
(6,277
)
(0.13
)%
$
4,684,512
$
30,889
0.66
%
$
4,668,965
$
0.02
%
For the year ended December 31, 2021, gross charge-offs were $6.4 million, a decrease of $27.6 million, or 81.2 percent, from $34.0 million for the same period in 2020, and gross recoveries were $12.7 million, an increase of $9.6 million, or 313.0 percent, from $3.1 million in 2020. Net loan recoveries were $6.3 million, or 0.13 percent of average loans, compared with net loan charge-offs of $30.9 million, or 0.66 percent of average loans and $0.7 million or 0.02 percent of average loans, respectively, for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019.
Classified loans decreased by 56.7 percent, to $60.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 from $140.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease in classified loans was mainly attributable to various payoffs and upgrades of $85.8 million related to twenty commercial real estate hotel loans, $12.0 million for a troubled loan relationship, and $12.4 million for two film tax credit loans, offset by various downgrades of $29.8 million, of which $17.6 million were for two commercial real estate hotel loans.
Deposits
The following table shows the composition of deposits by type as of the dates indicated:
As of December 31,
Balance
Percent
Balance
Percent
Balance
Percent
(dollars in thousands)
Demand - noninterest-bearing
$
2,574,517
44.5
%
$
1,898,766
36.0
%
$
1,391,624
29.6
%
Interest-bearing:
Demand
125,183
2.2
%
100,617
1.9
%
84,323
1.8
%
Money market and savings
2,099,381
36.2
%
1,991,926
37.7
%
1,667,096
35.5
%
Uninsured time deposits of more than $250,000:
Three months or less
69,464
1.2
%
134,543
2.6
%
91,313
1.9
%
Over three months through six months
73,808
1.3
%
70,011
1.3
%
97,360
2.1
%
Over six months through twelve months
29,706
0.5
%
52,401
1.0
%
44,751
1.0
%
Over twelve months
0.0
%
8,633
0.2
%
4,490
0.1
%
Other time deposits
813,661
14.1
%
1,018,111
19.3
%
1,318,005
28.0
%
Total deposits
$
5,786,269
100.0
%
$
5,275,008
100.0
%
$
4,698,962
100.0
%
Total deposits were $5.79 billion, $5.28 billion and $4.70 billion as of December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively, representing an increase of $511.3 million, or 9.7 percent, in 2021, and an increase of $576.0 million, or 12.3 percent, in 2020. The increase in total deposits for 2021 was mainly attributable to a $675.8 million increase in noninterest bearing demand accounts and an increase of $107.5 million in money market and savings accounts, offset by a decrease of $204.4 million in time deposits $250,000 or less. The increase in noninterest bearing business banking accounts reflected proceeds from PPP loans and other government assistance programs, as well as an increase in our marketing efforts.
The average balance of deposits for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019 were $5.56 billion, $4.95 billion and $4.69 billion, respectively. The average balance of deposits increased 12.4 percent, 5.4 percent and 5.2 percent in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
As of December 31, 2021, the aggregate amount of uninsured deposits (deposits in amounts greater than $250,000, which is the maximum amount for federal deposit insurance) was $2.63 billion. The aggregate amount of our uninsured time deposits was $173.5 million. In addition, other uninsured deposits, such as demand deposits and money market and savings deposits was $2.46 billion.
Borrowings and Subordinated Debentures
Borrowings mostly take the form of advances from the FHLB. At December 31, 2021, advances from the FHLB were $137.5 million, a decrease of $12.5 million from $150.0 million at December 31, 2020. At December 31, 2021, the Bank had $137.5 million in term advances and no overnight advances from the FHLB.
The following is a summary of contractual maturities greater than twelve months of FHLB advances:
December 31, 2021
December 31, 2020
FHLB of San Francisco
Outstanding
Balance
Weighted
Average
Rate
Outstanding
Balance
Weighted
Average
Rate
(dollars in thousands)
Advances due over 12 months through 24 months
$
50,000
0.97
%
50,000
1.62
%
Advances due over 24 months through 36 months
37,500
0.40
%
50,000
0.97
%
Outstanding advances over 12 months
$
87,500
0.73
%
$
100,000
1.30
%
The following is financial data pertaining to FHLB advances:
As of December 31,
(dollars in thousands)
Weighted-average interest rate at end of year
1.05
%
1.40
%
1.70
%
Weighted-average interest rate during the year
1.17
%
1.42
%
1.89
%
Average balance of FHLB advances
$
145,277
$
156,601
$
40,374
Maximum amount outstanding at any month-end
$
162,500
$
300,000
$
285,000
Subordinated debentures were $215.0 million as of December 31, 2021 and $119.0 million as of December 31, 2020. The increase was due primarily to the issuance of 3.750% Fixed-to-Floating Subordinated Notes (“2021 Notes”) of $110.0 million on August 20, 2021. Subordinated debentures are comprised of fixed-to-floating subordinated notes of $194.2 million and $98.5 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures of $20.8 million and $20.4 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. See “Note 10 - Subordinated Debentures” to the consolidated financial statements for more details.
Interest Rate Risk Management
The spread between interest income on interest-earning assets and interest expense on interest-bearing liabilities is the principal component of net interest income, and interest rate changes substantially affect our financial performance. We emphasize capital protection through stable earnings rather than maximizing yield. In order to achieve stable earnings, we prudently manage our assets and liabilities and closely monitor the percentage changes in net interest income and equity value in relation to limits established within our guidelines.
The Company performs simulation modeling to estimate the potential effects of interest rate changes. The following table summarizes as of December 31, 2021, one of the stress simulations performed to forecast the impact of changing interest rates on net interest income and the value of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities reflected on our balance sheet (i.e., an instantaneous parallel shift in the yield curve of the magnitude indicated below). This sensitivity analysis is compared to policy limits, which specify the maximum tolerance level for net interest income exposure over a 1- to 12-month and a 13- to 24-month horizon, given the basis point adjustment in interest rates reflected below.
Net Interest Income Simulation
Change in
1- to 12-Month Horizon
13- to 24-Month Horizon
Interest
Dollar
Percentage
Dollar
Percentage
Rate
Change
Change
Change
Change
(dollars in thousands)
300%
$
28,976
13.77%
$
48,046
23.14%
200%
$
19,168
9.11%
$
32,030
15.43%
100%
$
9,904
4.70%
$
17,319
8.34%
(100%)
$
(10,120
)
(4.81)%
$
(19,646
)
(9.46)%
Economic Value of Equity
(EVE)
Change in
Interest
Dollar
Percentage
Rate
Change
Change
(dollars in thousands)
300%
$
144,956
25.11%
200%
$
107,384
18.60%
100%
$
67,455
11.69%
(100%)
$
(147,703
)
(25.59)%
The estimated sensitivity does not necessarily represent our forecast, and the results may not be indicative of actual changes to our net interest income. These estimates are based upon a number of assumptions including the nature and timing of interest rate levels including yield curve shape, prepayments on loans and securities, pricing strategies on loans and deposits, and replacement of asset and liability cash flows. While the assumptions used are based on current economic and local market conditions, there is no assurance as to the predictive nature of these conditions, including how customer preferences or competitor influences might change.
Capital Resources and Liquidity
Capital Resources
Historically, our primary source of capital has been the retention of operating earnings. In order to ensure adequate levels of capital, management periodically assesses projected sources and uses of capital in conjunction with projected increases in assets and levels of risk. Management considers, among other things, earnings generated from operations, and access to capital from financial markets through the issuance of additional securities, including common stock or notes, to meet our capital needs.
In response to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board reduced the quarterly cash dividends paid on common stock beginning in the second quarter of 2020. For the third and fourth quarters of 2020, cash dividends paid were $0.08 per share, down from $0.12 per share and $0.24 per share in the second and first quarters of 2020, respectively. The Board believed these actions were the most prudent course of action as it continued to monitor the results of operations and financial condition of the Company. Due to the continued stabilization of Company results and financial condition, the Board authorized an increase in the quarterly cash dividend to $0.10 for the first quarter of 2021 and $0.12 per share for the second and third quarters of 2021. As the effects of the pandemic continue to subside and the Company’s results and financial condition improved, the Board again increased the dividend for the fourth quarter of 2021 to $0.20 per share. The Board expects to continue to re-evaluate the level of quarterly dividends in subsequent quarters.
The Company’s ability to pay dividends to shareholders depends in part upon dividends it receives from the Bank. California law restricts the amount available for cash dividends to the lesser of a bank’s retained earnings or net income for its last three fiscal years (less any distributions to shareholders made during such period). Where the above test is not met, cash dividends may still be paid, with the prior approval of the DFPI, in an amount not exceeding the greatest of: (1) retained earnings of the bank; (2) net income of the bank for its last fiscal year; or (3) the net income of the bank for its current fiscal year. As of January 1, 2022, after giving effect to the 2022 first quarter dividend declared by the Company, the Bank has the ability to pay $98.0 million of dividends without the prior approval of the Commissioner of the DFPI.
At December 31, 2021, the Bank’s total risk-based capital ratio of 14.72 percent, Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 13.61 percent, common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 13.61 percent, and Tier 1 leverage capital ratio of 10.96 percent, placed the Bank in the “well capitalized” category, which is defined as institutions with total risk-based capital ratio equal to or greater than 10.0 percent, Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio equal to or greater than 8.0 percent, common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 6.5 percent, and Tier 1 leverage capital ratio equal to or greater than 5.0 percent.
At December 31, 2021, the Company’s total risk-based capital ratio, Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio, common equity Tier 1 capital ratio and Tier 1 leverage capital ratio were 16.61 percent, 11.97 percent, 11.59 percent, and 9.63 percent, respectively, all of which exceeded all of the Company’s regulatory capital ratio requirements.
For a discussion of recently implemented changes to the capital adequacy framework prompted by Basel III and the Dodd-Frank Act, see “Note 13 - Regulatory Matters” of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in this Report.
Liquidity
The Bank has Contingency Funding Plans (“CFPs”) designed to ensure that liquidity sources are sufficient to meet its ongoing obligations and commitments, particularly in the event of a liquidity contraction. The CFPs are designed to examine and quantify its liquidity under various “stress” scenarios. Furthermore, the CFPs provide a framework for management and other critical personnel to follow in the event of a liquidity contraction or in anticipation of such an event. The CFPs address authority for activation and decision making, liquidity options and the responsibilities of key departments in the event of a liquidity contraction.
For a discussion of our liquidity position, see “Note 22 - Liquidity” of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in this Report.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
For a discussion of off-balance sheet arrangements, see “Note 19 - Off-Balance Sheet Commitments” of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and “Item 1. Business - Off-Balance Sheet Commitments” in this Report.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Effective
FASB ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting, On March 12, 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04 to ease the potential burden in accounting for reference rate reform. The amendments in ASU 2020-04 are elective and apply to all entities that have contracts, hedging relationships, and other transactions that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued due to reference rate reform.
The new guidance provided several optional expedients that reduce costs and complexity of accounting for reference rate reform, including measures to simplify or modify accounting issues resulting from reference rate reform for contract modifications, hedges, and debt securities.
The amendments are effective for all entities from the beginning of an interim period that includes the issuance date of ASU 2020-04. An entity may elect to apply the amendments prospectively through December 31, 2022.
The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s operating results or financial condition.

---

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Item 7A.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
For quantitative and qualitative disclosures regarding market risks in the Bank’s portfolio, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Interest Rate Risk Management” and “- Capital Resources and Liquidity.”

---

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
Item 8.
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The financial statements required to be filed as a part of this Report are set forth on pages 49 through 107.

---

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS
Item 9.
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.

---

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Item 9A.
Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
As of December 31, 2021, Hanmi Financial carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, under the supervision and with the participation of our senior management, including our Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) and our Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer). The purpose of the disclosure controls and procedures is to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports that are filed or submitted under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Based upon that evaluation, the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that as of December 31, 2021, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective in ensuring that the information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Act is (i) accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management (including the Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer) to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure, and (ii) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.
Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
The management of Hanmi Financial is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Hanmi Financial’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. Internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
•
pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the Company’s assets;
•
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP;
•
provide reasonable assurance that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and
•
provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021. Management based this assessment on criteria for effective internal control over financial reporting described in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Management’s assessment included an evaluation of the design of Hanmi Financial’s internal control over financial reporting and testing of the operational effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting. Management reviewed the results of its assessment with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors. Based on this assessment, management concluded that Hanmi Financial maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Attestation Report of the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Crowe LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm that audited and reported on the Consolidated Financial Statements of Hanmi Financial and its subsidiaries, has issued an audit report on the effectiveness of Hanmi Financial’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2021 in accordance with the standards of Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).

---

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 9B.
Other Information
On February 25, 2022, the Bank entered into an amended and restated employment agreement with our Chief
Executive Officer (the “Amended Agreement”). The Amended Agreement is effective as of February 28, 2022 and replaces the executive’s prior employment agreement with the Company and the Bank, dated February 26, 2020, and any amendments thereto (the “Prior Agreement”).
The terms of the Amended Agreement are generally consistent with the Prior Agreement, except that the Amended Agreement provides for:
•
a three-year term commencing on February 28, 2022 and ending on February 28, 2025, which then renews automatically for one-year periods unless either Ms. Lee, the Company or Bank provides written notice of non-renewal;
•
an annual salary of $715,000; and
•
twenty-five (25) days of paid leave annually.
The foregoing description of the Amended Agreement does not purport to be complete and it is qualified in its entirety by a copy of the Amended Agreement that is included as Exhibit 10.9 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

---

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Item 10.
Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the sections of Hanmi Financial Corporation’s Definitive Proxy Statement to be filed with the SEC in connection with its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2022 Proxy Statement”) entitled “Election of Directors,” “Corporate Governance Principles and Board Matters,” “Executive Compensation - Officers” and “Beneficial Ownership of Principal Stockholders and Management - Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports.”
The Company maintains in effect a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for all employees, executive officers and directors. The codes of conduct are available on the Company’s website www.hanmi.com on the “Investors Relations” page and is also available to any person without charge by sending a request to the Corporate Secretary at 900 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1250, Los Angeles, California 90017.

---

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Item 11.
Executive Compensation
The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the sections of the 2022 Proxy Statement entitled “Corporate Governance and Board Matters - Director Compensation,” “- CHR Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” and “Executive Compensation.”

---

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS
Item 12.
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Information concerning security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management not otherwise included herein is incorporated by reference to the 2022 Proxy Statement under the heading “Beneficial Ownership of Principal Stockholders and Management.”
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
The following table sets forth the total number of shares available for issuance under the Company’s equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2021:
Plan category
Number of securities
to be issued upon
exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights (a)
Weighted-average
exercise price of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
Number of securities
remaining available
for future issuance
under equity
compensation plans
(excluding securities
reflected in
column (a))
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders
115,938
$
19.58
1,420,485
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders
-
-
-
Total equity compensation plans
115,938
$
19.58
1,420,485

---

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS
Item 13.
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the sections of the 2022 Proxy Statement entitled “Corporate Governance and Board Matters - Director Independence” and “Certain Relationships and Related Transactions.”

---

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
Item 14.
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
The information required by this Item is incorporated herein by reference to the section of the 2022 Proxy Statement entitled “Ratification of the Appointment of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” and “Audit and Non-Audit Fees.”
Part IV

---

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Item 15.
Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(1)
The financial statements are listed in the Index to consolidated financial statements on page 49 of this Report.
(2)
All financial statement schedules have been omitted, as the required information is not applicable, not material or has been included in the notes to consolidated financial statements.
(3)
The exhibits required to be filed with this Report are listed in the exhibit index included herein at pages 108 - 110.