ITEM 1.    BUSINESS 

General

 

C&F Financial Corporation (the Corporation) is a bank holding company that was incorporated in March 1994 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Corporation owns all of the stock of its sole operating subsidiary, Citizens and Farmers Bank (C&F Bank or the Bank), which is an independent commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Bank originally opened for business under the name Farmers and Mechanics Bank on January 22, 1927. The Bank has the following five wholly-owned subsidiaries, all incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia:

 

The Corporation operates in a decentralized manner in three principal business activities: (1) retail banking through C&F Bank, (2) mortgage banking through C&F Mortgage Corporation (C&F Mortgage) and (3) consumer finance through C&F Finance Company (C&F Finance). The following general business discussion focuses on the activities within each of these segments.

 

In addition, the Corporation conducts brokerage activities through C&F Investment Services, Inc., insurance activities through C&F Insurance Services, Inc. and title insurance services through C&F Title Agency, Inc. The financial position and operating results of any one of these subsidiaries are not significant to the Corporation as a whole and are not considered principal activities of the Corporation at this time.

 

The Corporation also owns two non-operating subsidiaries, C&F Financial Statutory Trust II (Trust II) formed in December 2007 and C&F Financial Statutory Trust I (Trust I) formed in July 2005. These trusts were formed for the purpose of issuing $10.0 million each of trust preferred capital securities in private placements to institutional investors. These trusts are unconsolidated subsidiaries of the Corporation and their principal assets are $10.3 million each of the Corporation's junior subordinated debt securities (referred to herein as "trust preferred capital notes") that are reported as liabilities of the Corporation.

 

Retail Banking

 

We provide retail banking services at the Bank's main office in West Point, Virginia, and 17 Virginia branches located one each in Chester, Hampton, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Newport News, Norge, Providence Forge, Quinton, Saluda, Sandston, Varina, West Point and Yorktown, and two each in Williamsburg and Richmond. These branches provide a wide range of banking services to individuals and businesses. These services include various types of checking and savings deposit accounts, as well as business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity and installment loans. The Bank also offers ATMs, internet banking and credit cards, as well as travelers' checks, safe deposit box rentals, collection, notary public, wire service and other customary bank services to its customers. Revenues from retail banking operations consist primarily of interest earned on loans and investment securities and fees related to deposit services. At December 31, 2012, assets of the Retail Banking segment totaled $813.8 million. For the year ended December 31, 2012, the net income for this segment totaled $2.2 million.

 

Mortgage Banking

 

We conduct mortgage banking activities through C&F Mortgage, which was organized in September 1995. C&F Mortgage provides mortgage loan origination services through 13 locations in Virginia, three in Maryland, one each in Wilmington, Delaware; Moorestown, New Jersey; and Gastonia, North Carolina. The Virginia offices are located one each in Charlottesville, Fishersville, Fredericksburg, Glen Allen, Hanover, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Newport News, Roanoke, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, and two in Midlothian. The Maryland offices are located in Annapolis, Ellicott City and Waldorf. C&F Mortgage offers a wide variety of residential mortgage loans, which are originated for sale generally to the following investors: Wells Fargo Home Mortgage; Franklin American Mortgage Company; US Bank Home Mortgage; Penny Mac Corporation; Ally Bank; Lake Michigan Financial

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Group, Inc.; Plaza Home Mortgage, Inc.; Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development; and the Virginia Housing Development Authority. C&F Mortgage does not securitize loans. The Bank also purchases permanent loans from C&F Mortgage. C&F Mortgage originates conventional mortgage loans, mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the FHA), mortgage loans guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture (the USDA) and the Veterans Administration (the VA), and home equity loans. A majority of the conventional loans are conforming loans that qualify for purchase by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). The remainder of the conventional loans is non-conforming in that they do not meet Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines, but are eligible for sale to various other investors. Through its subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage also provides ancillary mortgage loan origination services for loan settlement and residential appraisals. Revenues from mortgage banking operations consist principally of gains on sales of loans to investors in the secondary mortgage market, loan origination fee income and interest earned on mortgage loans held for sale. At December 31, 2012, assets of the Mortgage Banking segment totaled $87.0 million. For the year ended December 31, 2012, net income for this segment totaled $2.2 million.

Consumer Finance

 

We conduct consumer finance activities through C&F Finance, which the Bank acquired on September 1, 2002. C&F Finance is a regional finance company providing automobile loans throughout Virginia and in portions of Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia through its offices in Richmond and Hampton, Virginia, in Nashville, Tennessee and in Hunt Valley, Maryland. C&F Finance is an indirect lender that provides automobile financing through lending programs that are designed to serve customers in the "non-prime" market who have limited access to traditional automobile financing. C&F Finance generally purchases automobile retail installment sales contracts from manufacturer-franchised dealerships with used-car operations and through selected independent dealerships. C&F Finance selects these dealers based on the types of vehicles sold. Specifically, C&F Finance prefers to finance later model, low mileage used vehicles because the initial depreciation on new vehicles is extremely high. C&F Finance's typical borrowers have experienced prior credit difficulties. Because C&F Finance serves customers who are unable to meet the credit standards imposed by most traditional automobile financing sources, C&F Finance typically charges interest at higher rates than those charged by traditional financing sources. As C&F Finance provides financing in a relatively high-risk market, it expects to experience a higher level of credit losses than traditional automobile financing sources. Revenues from consumer finance operations consist principally of interest earned on automobile loans. At December 31, 2012, assets of the Consumer Finance segment totaled $280.2 million. For the year ended December 31, 2012, net income for this segment totaled $12.6 million.

 

Employees

 

At December 31, 2012, we employed 528 full-time equivalent employees. We consider relations with our employees to be excellent.

 

Competition

 

Retail Banking

 

In the Bank's market area, we compete with large national and regional financial institutions, savings associations and other independent community banks, as well as credit unions, mutual funds, brokerage firms and insurance companies. Increased competition has come from out-of-state banks through their acquisition of Virginia-based banks and expansion of community and regional banks into our service areas.

 

The banking business in Virginia, and in the Bank's primary service area in the Hampton to Richmond corridor, is highly competitive for both loans and deposits, and is dominated by a relatively small number of large banks with many offices operating over a wide geographic area. Among the advantages such large banks have are their ability to finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns, efficiencies through economies of scale and, by virtue of their greater total capitalization, substantially higher lending limits than the Bank.

 

Factors such as interest rates offered, the number and location of branches and the types of products offered, as well as the reputation of the institution, affect competition for deposits and loans. We compete by emphasizing customer service and technology, establishing long-term customer relationships, building customer loyalty, and providing products and services to address the specific needs of our customers. We target individual and small-to-medium size business customers.

 

No material part of the Bank's business is dependent upon a single or a few customers, and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Bank's business.

 

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Mortgage Banking

 

C&F Mortgage competes with large national and regional banks, credit unions, smaller regional mortgage lenders and small local broker operations. Due to the increased regulatory and compliance burden, the industry has seen a consolidation in the number of competitors in the marketplace. The downturn in the housing markets related to declines in real estate values, increased payment defaults and foreclosures has had a dramatic effect on the secondary market. The guidelines surrounding agency business (i.e., loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) have become much more restrictive and the associated mortgage insurance for loans above 80 percent loan-to-value has continued to tighten. The jumbo markets have slowed considerably and pricing has increased dramatically. These changes in the conventional market have caused a dramatic increase in government lending and state bond programs.

The competitive factors faced by C&F Mortgage may change due to the "Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act" (the Dodd-Frank Act), which was signed into law on July 21, 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act affects many aspects of mortgage finance regulation, which may result in changes to the competitive landscape in the future. The many modifications introduced have required or will require extensive rulemaking, and the full effect of the Dodd-Frank Act and the size of the related compliance burden will not be known for some time to come. The reforms to mortgage lending encompass broad new restrictions on lending practices and loan terms, amend price thresholds for certain lending segments, add new disclosure forms and procedures for all mortgages, and mandate stronger legal liabilities in connection with real estate finance. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act authorizes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the CFPB) to establish certain minimum standards for the origination of residential mortgages, including a determination of the borrower's ability to repay (for which the CFPB finalized rules in January 2013), and allows borrowers to raise certain defenses to foreclosure if they receive any loan other than a "qualified mortgage" as defined by the Dodd-Frank Act and the CFPB. While C&F Mortgage is continuing to evaluate all aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act, such legislation and regulations promulgated pursuant to such legislation could materially and adversely affect the manner in which it conducts its mortgage business, result in heightened federal regulation and oversight of its business activities, and result in increased costs and potential litigation associated with its business activities. Given the far-reaching effect of the Dodd-Frank Act on mortgage finance, compliance with the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act may require substantial changes to mortgage lending systems and processes and other implementation efforts.

 

To operate profitably in this environment, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and be able to attract and retain top mortgage origination talent. C&F Mortgage competes by attracting the top sales people in the industry, providing an operational infrastructure that manages the guideline changes efficiently and effectively, offering a product menu that is both competitive in loan parameters as well as price, and providing consistently high quality customer service.

 

No material part of C&F Mortgage's business is dependent upon a single customer and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Mortgage's business. However, given the current regulatory and compliance environment in which C&F Mortgage operates, strategies are being implemented to mitigate any significant disruption in C&F Mortgage's direct or indirect access to the secondary market for residential mortgage loans. C&F Mortgage, like all residential mortgage lenders, would be affected by the inability of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA or the VA to purchase or guarantee loans. Although C&F Mortgage sells loans to various intermediaries, the ability of these aggregators to purchase or guarantee loans would be limited if these government-sponsored entities cease to exist or materially limit their purchases or guarantees of mortgage loans.

 

Consumer Finance

 

The non-prime automobile finance business is highly competitive. The automobile finance market is highly fragmented and is served by a variety of financial entities, including the captive finance affiliates of major automotive manufacturers, banks, savings associations, credit unions and independent finance companies. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources and lower costs of funds than our finance subsidiary. In addition, competitors often provide financing on terms that are more favorable to automobile purchasers or dealers than the terms C&F Finance offers. Many of these competitors also have long-standing relationships with automobile dealerships and may offer dealerships or their customers other forms of financing, including dealer floor plan financing and leasing, which we do not.

 

During 2008 and 2009, there was a significant contraction in the number of institutions providing automobile financing for the non-prime market. This contraction accompanied the economic downturn and the tightening of credit, which contributed to increasing defaults, a decline in collateral values and higher charge-offs.  As these issues have abated, institutions with access to capital have begun to re-enter the market, resulting in intensified competition for loans and qualified personnel. To continue to operate profitably, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and access to competitive costs of funds.

 

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Providers of automobile financing traditionally have competed on the basis of interest rates charged, the quality of credit accepted, the flexibility of loan terms offered and the quality of service provided to dealers and customers. To establish C&F Finance as one of the principal financing sources at the dealers it serves, we compete predominately by providing a high level of dealer service, building strong dealer relationships, offering flexible loan terms, and quickly funding loans purchased from dealers.

 

No material part of C&F Finance's business is dependent upon any single dealer relationship, and the loss of any single dealer relationship would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Finance's business.

 

Regulation and Supervision

 

General

 

Bank holding companies and banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. The following summary briefly describes significant provisions of currently applicable federal and state laws and certain regulations and the potential impact of such provisions on the Corporation and the Bank. This summary is not complete, and we refer you to the particular statutory or regulatory provisions or proposals for more information. Because federal regulation of financial institutions changes regularly and is the subject of constant legislative debate, we cannot forecast how federal and state regulation of financial institutions may change in the future and affect the Corporation's and the Bank's operations.

Regulatory Reform

The financial crisis of 2008, including the downturn of global economic, financial and money markets and the threat of collapse of numerous financial institutions, and other recent events have led to the adoption of numerous new laws and regulations that apply to, and focus on, financial institutions. The most significant of these new laws is the Dodd-Frank Act, which was adopted on July 21, 2010 and, in part, is intended to implement significant structural reforms to the financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act is discussed in more detail below.

As a result of the Dodd-Frank Act and other regulatory reforms, the Corporation is experiencing a period of rapidly changing regulations. These regulatory changes could have a significant effect on how the Corporation conducts its business. The specific implications of the Dodd-Frank Act and other proposed regulatory reforms cannot yet be predicted and will depend to a large extent on the specific regulations that are adopted in the coming months and years to implement regulatory reform initiatives.

 

Regulation of the Corporation

 

As a bank holding company, the Corporation is subject to regulation and supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve Board). The Federal Reserve Board has the power to order any bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate its ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve Board has reasonable grounds to believe that continuation of such activity or ownership constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness, safety or stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

 

The Federal Reserve Board has jurisdiction to approve any bank or non-bank acquisition, merger or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. The Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the BHCA) generally limits the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity that is closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks, and permits interstate banking acquisitions subject to certain conditions, including national and state concentration limits. As a result of the Dodd-Frank Act, a bank holding company must be well capitalized and well managed to engage in an interstate bank acquisition or merger, and banks may branch across state lines provided that the law of the state in which the branch is to be located would permit establishment of the branch if the bank were a state bank chartered by such state.

 

Federal law and regulatory policy impose a number of obligations and restrictions on bank holding companies and their depository institution subsidiaries to reduce potential loss exposure to the depositors and to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) insurance funds. For example, pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act and Federal Reserve policy, a bank holding company must commit resources to support its subsidiary depository institutions, which is referred to as serving as a "source of strength." In addition, insured depository institutions under common control must reimburse the FDIC for any loss suffered or reasonably anticipated by the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) as a result of the default of a commonly controlled insured depository institution. The FDIC may decline to enforce the provisions if it determines that a waiver is in the best interest of the DIF. An FDIC claim for damage is superior to claims of stockholders of an insured depository institution or its holding company but is subordinate to claims of depositors, secured creditors and holders of subordinated debt, other than affiliates, of the commonly controlled insured depository institution.

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The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA) provides that amounts received from the liquidation or other resolution of any insured depository institution must be distributed, after payment of secured claims, to pay the deposit liabilities of the institution before payment of any other general creditor or stockholder. This provision would give depositors a preference over general and subordinated creditors and stockholders if a receiver is appointed to distribute the assets of the Bank.

 

The Corporation also is subject to regulation and supervision by the State Corporation Commission of Virginia. The Corporation also must file annual, quarterly and other periodic reports with, and comply with other regulations of, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC).

 

Capital Requirements

 

The Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have issued substantially similar risk-based and leverage capital guidelines applicable to banking organizations they supervise. Under the risk-based capital requirements of these federal bank regulatory agencies, the Corporation and the Bank are required to maintain a minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0 percent and a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.0 percent. At least half of the total capital must be Tier 1 capital, which includes common equity, retained earnings and qualifying perpetual preferred stock, less certain intangibles and other adjustments. The remainder may consist of Tier 2 capital, such as a limited amount of subordinated and other qualifying debt (including certain hybrid capital instruments), other qualifying preferred stock and a limited amount of the general loan loss allowance. As long as the Corporation has total consolidated assets of less than $15 billion, under current capital standards the Corporation may include in Tier 1 and total capital the Corporation's trust preferred securities that were issued before May 19, 2010. The capital guidelines also provide that banking organizations experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions must maintain capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets.

 

In June 2012, the federal bank regulatory agencies proposed (i) rules to implement the Basel III capital framework as outlined by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and (ii) rules for calculating risk-weighted assets. The federal bank regulatory agencies have delayed the implementation of Basel III and the new-risk-weighted assets calculations to consider comments received on the proposed rules. The timing for the agencies' publication of revised proposed rules regarding, or final rules to implement, Basel III and the new risk-weighted assets calculations is uncertain.  

Basel III, if implemented by the U.S. banking agencies and fully phased-in as proposed, will require bank holding companies and their bank subsidiaries to maintain substantially more capital, with a greater emphasis on common equity. The Basel III final capital framework, among other things, (i) introduces as a new capital measure "Common Equity Tier 1" (CET1), (ii) specifies that Tier 1 capital consists of CET1 and "Additional Tier 1 capital" instruments meeting specified requirements, (iii) defines CET1 narrowly by requiring that most adjustments to regulatory capital measures be made to CET1 and not to the other components of capital and (iv) expands the scope of the adjustments as compared to existing regulations.

 

If fully phased in as proposed, Basel III would require banks to maintain (i) as a newly adopted international standard, a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%, plus a 2.5% "capital conservation buffer" (which is added to the 4.5% CET1 ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 7%), (ii) a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer (which is added to the 6.0% Tier 1 capital ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 8.5% upon full implementation), (iii) a minimum ratio of Total (that is, Tier 1 plus Tier 2) capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer (which is added to the 8.0% total capital ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum total capital ratio of 10.5% upon full implementation) and (iv) as a newly adopted international standard, a minimum leverage ratio of 3%, calculated as the ratio of Tier 1 capital to balance sheet exposures plus certain off-balance sheet exposures (computed as the average for each quarter of the month-end ratios for the quarter).

 

Basel III also provides for a "countercyclical capital buffer," generally designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress and to be imposed when national regulators determine that excess aggregate credit growth becomes associated with a buildup of systemic risk. This buffer would be a CET1 add-on to the capital conservation buffer in the range of 0% to 2.5% when fully implemented (potentially resulting in total buffers of between 2.5% and 5%).

 

The Basel III final framework provides for a number of new deductions from and adjustments to CET1. These include, for example, the requirement that mortgage servicing rights, deferred tax assets dependent upon future taxable income and significant investments in non-consolidated financial entities be deducted from CET1 to the extent that any one such category exceeds 10% of CET1 or all such categories in the aggregate exceed 15% of CET1. Implementation of the deductions and other adjustments to CET1 are currently expected to be phased-in over a five-year period (20% per year). The implementation of the capital conservation

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buffer is expected to begin at 0.625% and be phased in over a four-year period (increasing by that amount each year until it reaches 2.5%).

In connection with proposing rules to adopt the Basel III capital framework, the federal banking regulators also proposed revisions to the general rules for calculating a banking organization's total risk-weighted assets (the denominator for risk-based capital ratios) (such revisions, the Standardized Approach). If adopted as proposed, the Standardized Approach would modify the risk weightings that are applied to many classes of assets held by community banks, importantly including by applying higher risk weightings to certain "higher risk" mortgage loans and commercial real estate loans that are frequently held in a community bank's loan portfolio.

 

The regulations ultimately applicable to the Corporation may be substantially different from the Basel III or Standardized Approach proposed rules that were issued in June 2012. Requirements to maintain higher levels of capital or to maintain higher levels of liquid assets could adversely affect the Corporation's net income and return on equity.

 

Limits on Dividends

 

The Corporation is a legal entity that is separate and distinct from the Bank. A significant portion of the revenues of the Corporation result from dividends paid to it by the Bank. Both the Corporation and the Bank are subject to laws and regulations that limit the payment of dividends, including limits on the sources of dividends and requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. Banking regulators have indicated that Virginia banking organizations should generally pay dividends only (1) from net undivided profits of the bank, after providing for all expenses, losses, interest and taxes accrued or due by the bank and (2) if the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization's capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, the FDIA prohibits insured depository institutions such as the Bank from making capital distributions, including paying dividends, if, after making such distribution, the institution would become undercapitalized as defined in the statute. We do not expect that any of these laws, regulations or policies will materially affect the ability of the Corporation or the Bank to pay dividends.

 

The Dodd-Frank Act

 

The Dodd-Frank Act implements far-reaching changes across the financial regulatory landscape, including changes that will affect all bank holding companies and banks, including the Corporation and the Bank.  Provisions that significantly affect the business of the Corporation and the Bank include the following:

 

In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act implements other far-reaching changes to the financial regulatory landscape, including provisions that:

 

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Many aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act remain subject to rulemaking and will take effect over several years, making it difficult to anticipate the overall financial impact on the Corporation, its subsidiaries, its customers or the financial industry more generally. Some of the rules that have been proposed and, in some cases, adopted to comply with the Dodd-Frank Act's mandates are discussed further below.

 

Insurance of Accounts, Assessments and Regulation by the FDIC

 

The Bank's deposits are insured by the DIF of the FDIC up to the standard maximum insurance amount for each deposit insurance ownership category. As of January 1, 2013, the basic limit on FDIC deposit insurance coverage is $250,000 per depositor. Under the FDIA, the FDIC may terminate deposit insurance upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC, subject to administrative and potential judicial hearing and review processes.

 

Deposit Insurance Assessments.   The DIF is funded by assessments on banks and other depository institutions. As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, in February 2011, the FDIC approved a final rule that changed the assessment base for DIF assessments from domestic deposits to average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity (defined as Tier 1 capital). In addition, as also required by the Dodd-Frank Act, the FDIC has adopted a new large-bank pricing assessment scheme, set a target "designated reserve ratio" (described in more detail below) of 2 percent for the DIF and established a lower assessment rate schedule when the reserve ratio reaches 1.15 percent and, in lieu of dividends, provides for a lower assessment rate schedule, when the reserve ratio reaches 2 percent and 2.5 percent. An institution's assessment rate depends upon the institution's assigned risk category, which is based on supervisory evaluations, regulatory capital levels and certain other factors. Initial base assessment rates ranges from 2.5 to 45 basis points. The FDIC may make the following further adjustments to an institution's initial base assessment rates: decreases for long-term unsecured debt including most senior unsecured debt and subordinated debt; increases for holding long-term unsecured debt or subordinated debt issued by other insured depository institutions; and increases for broker deposits in excess of 10 percent of domestic deposits for institutions not well rated and well capitalized.

 

The Dodd-Frank Act transferred to the FDIC increased discretion with regard to managing the required amount of reserves for the DIF, or the "designated reserve ratio." Among other changes, the Dodd-Frank Act (i) raised the minimum designated reserve ratio to 1.35 percent and removed the upper limit on the designated reserve ratio, (ii) requires that the designated reserve ratio reach 1.35 percent by September 2020, and (iii) requires the FDIC to offset the effect on institutions with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion of raising the designated reserve ratio from 1.15 percent to 1.35 percent. The FDIA requires that the FDIC consider the appropriate level for the designated reserve ratio on at least an annual basis. On October 2010, the FDIC adopted a new DIF restoration plan to ensure that the fund reserve ratio reaches 1.35 percent by September 30, 2020, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act.

 

Regulation of the Bank and Other Subsidiaries

 

The Bank is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions (VBFI) and the FDIC. The various laws and regulations issued and administered by the regulatory agencies (including the CFPB) affect corporate practices, such as the payment of dividends, the incurrence of debt and the acquisition of financial institutions and other companies, and affect business practices and operations, such as the payment of interest on deposits, the charging of interest on loans, the types of business conducted, the products and terms offered to customers and the location of offices.

 

Community Reinvestment Act. The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) imposes on financial institutions an affirmative and ongoing obligation to meet the credit needs of their local communities, including low and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with the safe and sound operation of those institutions. A financial institution's efforts in meeting community credit needs are assessed based on specified factors. These factors also are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. In 2010, the FDIC issued C&F Bank's 2009 Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation (the 2009 CRA Evaluation). C&F Bank received "Satisfactory" ratings on the Investment Test component and the Service Test

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component evaluated as part of the 2009 CRA Evaluation.  Based on issues identified at one of C&F Bank's subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage, C&F Bank  received a "Needs to Improve" rating on the Lending Test component, and as a result, a "Needs to Improve" rating on its overall rating in January 2011. Upon the conclusion of the FDIC's CRA examination in January 2012, the FDIC upgraded C&F Bank's CRA Lending Test rating and the overall CRA rating to "Satisfactory."

Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Atlanta, which is one of 12 regional FHLBs that provide funding to their members for making housing loans as well as for affordable housing and community development loans. Each FHLB serves as a reserve, or central bank, for the members within its assigned region. Each FHLB makes loans to members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB. As a member, the Bank must purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB. At December 31, 2012, the Bank owned $3.7 million of FHLB stock.

Consumer Protection. The Dodd-Frank Act created the CFPB, a federal regulatory agency that is responsible for implementing, examining and enforcing compliance with federal consumer financial laws for institutions with more than $10 billion of assets and, to a lesser extent, smaller institutions. The Dodd-Frank Act gives the CFPB authority to supervise and regulate providers of consumer financial products and services, and establishes the CFPB's power to act against unfair, deceptive or abusive practices, and gives the CFPB rulemaking authority in connection with numerous federal consumer financial protection laws (for example, but not limited to, the Truth-in-Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act).

 

As a smaller institution (i.e., with assets of $10 billion or less), most consumer protection aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act will continue to be applied to the Corporation by the Federal Reserve and to the Bank by the FDIC. However, the CFPB may include its own examiners in regulatory examinations by a small institution's prudential regulators and may require smaller institutions to comply with certain CFPB reporting requirements. In addition, regulatory positions taken by the CFPB and administrative and legal precedents established by CFPB enforcement activities, including in connection with supervision of larger bank holding companies, could influence how the Federal Reserve and FDIC apply consumer protection laws and regulations to financial institutions that are not directly supervised by the CFPB. The precise effect of the CFPB's consumer protection activities on the Corporation cannot be forecast.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. In addition to certain of the Bank's regulations, the Corporation's Mortgage Banking segment is subject to the rules and regulations of, and examination by, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the FHA, the USDA, the VA and state regulatory authorities with respect to originating, processing and selling mortgage loans. Those rules and regulations, among other things, establish standards for loan origination, prohibit discrimination, provide for inspections and appraisals of property, require credit reports on prospective borrowers and, in some cases, restrict certain loan features and fix maximum interest rates and fees. In addition to other federal laws, mortgage origination activities are subject to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Truth-in-Lending Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and Home Ownership Equity Protection Act, and the regulations promulgated under these acts. These laws prohibit discrimination, require the disclosure of certain basic information to mortgagors concerning credit and settlement costs, limit payment for settlement services to the reasonable value of the services rendered and require the maintenance and disclosure of information regarding the disposition of mortgage applications based on race, gender, geographical distribution and income level. The Dodd-Frank Act has transferred rulemaking authority under many of these laws to the CFPB.

Consumer Financing Regulation . The Corporation's Consumer Finance segment also is regulated by the VBFI and the states and jurisdictions in which it operates, and the segment's lending operations are subject to federal regulations over which the CFPB has rulemaking authority. The VBFI regulates and enforces laws relating to consumer lenders and sales finance agencies such as C&F Finance. Such rules and regulations generally provide for licensing of sales finance agencies; limitations on amounts, duration and charges, including interest rates, for various categories of loans; requirements as to the form and content of finance contracts and other documentation; and restrictions on collection practices and creditors' rights.

 

Other Safety and Soundness Regulations

 

Prompt Correction Action. The federal banking agencies have broad powers under current federal law to take prompt corrective action to resolve problems of insured depository institutions. The extent of these powers depends upon whether the institution in question is "well capitalized," "adequately capitalized," "undercapitalized," "significantly undercapitalized" or "critically undercapitalized." These terms are defined under uniform regulations issued by each of the federal banking agencies regulating these institutions. An insured depository institution which is less than adequately capitalized must adopt an acceptable capital restoration plan, is subject to increased regulatory oversight and is increasingly restricted in the scope of its permissible activities. As of December 31, 2012, the Bank was considered "well capitalized."

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Incentive Compensation. The Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the FDIC have issued regulatory guidance (the Incentive Compensation Guidance) intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of such organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of banking organizations, such as the Corporation, that are not "large, complex banking organizations." The findings will be included in reports of examination, and deficiencies will be incorporated into the organization's supervisory ratings. Enforcement actions may be taken against a banking organization if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the organization's safety and soundness and the organization is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires the SEC and the federal bank regulatory agencies to establish joint regulations or guidelines that require financial institutions with assets of at least $1 billion to disclose the structure of their incentive compensation practices and prohibit such institutions from maintaining compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risk-taking by providing excessive compensation or that could lead to material financial loss to the financial institution. The SEC and the federal bank regulatory agencies proposed such regulations in March 2011, which may become effective before the end of 2013. If the regulations are adopted in the form initially proposed, they will impose limitations on the manner in which the Corporation may structure compensation for its executives only if the Corporation's total consolidated assets exceed $1 billion. These proposed regulations incorporate the principles discussed in the Incentive Compensation Guidance.

Financial Holding Company Status. As provided by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLBA), a bank holding company may become eligible to engage in activities that are financial in nature or incident or complimentary to financial activities by qualifying as a financial holding company. To qualify as a financial holding company, each insured depository institution controlled by the bank holding company must be well-capitalized, well-managed and have at least a satisfactory rating under the CRA. In addition, the bank holding company must file with the Federal Reserve Board a declaration of its intention to become a financial holding company. To date, the Corporation has not filed a declaration to become a financial holding company, and qualification as such by other bank holding companies has not had a material effect on the Corporation's or the Bank's business.

 

Confidentiality and Required Disclosures of Customer Information. The Corporation is subject to various laws and regulations that address the privacy of nonpublic personal financial information of consumers. The GLBA and certain regulations issued thereunder protect against the transfer and use by financial institutions of consumer nonpublic personal information. A financial institution must provide to its customers, at the beginning of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution's policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers' nonpublic personal financial information. These privacy provisions generally prohibit a financial institution from providing a customer's personal financial information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that the information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure.

The Corporation is also subject to various laws and regulations that attempt to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The Bank Secrecy Act requires all financial institutions to, among other things, create a system of controls designed to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and imposes recordkeeping and reporting requirements. The USA Patriot Act facilitates information sharing among governmental entities and financial institutions for the purpose of combating terrorism and money laundering, and requires financial institutions to establish anti-money laundering programs. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sends banking regulatory agencies lists of the names of persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, and requests banks to search their records for any relationships or transactions with persons on those lists. If the Bank finds any relationships or transactions, it must file a suspicious activity report with the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) and contact the FBI. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is a division of the Treasury, is responsible for helping to ensure that United States entities do not engage in transactions with "enemies" of the United States, as defined by various Executive Orders and Acts of Congress. If the Bank finds a name of an "enemy" of the United States on any transaction, account or wire transfer that is on an OFAC list, it must freeze such account, file a suspicious activity report with the Treasury and notify the FBI.

Although these laws and programs impose compliance costs and create privacy obligations and, in some cases, reporting obligations, these laws and programs do not materially affect the Bank's products, services or other business activities.

Stress Testing. As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, the federal banking agencies have implemented stress testing requirements for certain financial institutions, including bank holding companies and state chartered banks, with more than $10 billion in total consolidated assets. Although these requirements do not apply to institutions with less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets, the federal banking agencies emphasize that all banking organizations, regardless of size, should have the capacity to analyze the potential effect of adverse market conditions or outcomes on the organization's financial condition. Based on existing regulatory guidance, the Corporation and the Bank will be expected to consider the institution's interest rate risk

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management, commercial real estate loan concentrations and other credit-related information, and funding and liquidity management during this analysis of adverse outcomes.

 

Future Regulation

 

From time to time, various legislative and regulatory initiatives are introduced in Congress and state legislatures, as well as by regulatory agencies. Such initiatives may include proposals to expand or contract the powers of bank holding companies and depository institutions or proposals to substantially change the financial institution regulatory system. Such legislation could change banking statutes and the operating environment of the Corporation in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The Corporation cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted, and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on the financial condition or results of operations of the Corporation. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Corporation or C&F Bank, or any of its subsidiaries, could have a material effect on the business of the Corporation.

 

Available Information

 

The Corporation's SEC filings are filed electronically and are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov . In addition, any document filed by the Corporation with the SEC can be read and copied at the SEC's public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of documents can be obtained at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Corporation's SEC filings also are available through our web site at http://www.cffc.com under "Investor Relations/SEC Filings" as of the day they are filed with the SEC. Copies of documents also can be obtained free of charge by writing to the Corporation's secretary at P.O. Box 391, West Point, VA 23181 or by calling 804-843-2360.