RISK FACTORS

You should consider carefully the following risk factors in evaluating an investment in the shares of common stock. In addition to these risks and the other risks and uncertainties described elsewhere in this prospectus, there may be additional risks and uncertainties that are not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Business

Because we intend to continue to increase our commercial real estate and commercial business loan originations, our credit risk will increase and downturns in the real estate market or local economy could adversely affect our earnings.

We intend to continue to emphasize the origination of commercial real estate and commercial business loans. Commercial real estate and commercial business loans generally have more risk than the one- to four-family residential real estate loans we originate. Because the repayment of commercial real estate and commercial business loans depends on the successful management and operation of the borrower’s properties or related businesses, repayment of such loans can be affected by adverse conditions in the local real estate market or economy. Commercial real estate and commercial loans also may involve relatively large loan balances to individual borrowers or groups of related borrowers. A downturn in the real estate market or the local economy could adversely impact the value of properties securing the loan or the revenues from the borrower’s business, thereby increasing the risk of nonperforming loans. Further, unlike residential mortgage loans or multi-family and commercial real estate loans, commercial business loans may be secured by collateral other than real estate, such as inventory and accounts receivable, the value of which may be more difficult to appraise and may be more susceptible to fluctuation in value at default. As our commercial real estate and commercial loan portfolios increase, the corresponding risks and potential for losses from these loans may also increase. Furthermore, it may be difficult to assess the future performance of newly originated commercial loans, as such loans may have delinquency or charge-off levels above our historical experience, which could adversely affect our future performance.

A worsening of economic conditions in our market area could reduce demand for our products and services and/or result in increases in our level of nonperforming loans, which could adversely affect our operations, financial condition and earnings.

Local economic conditions have a significant impact on the ability of our borrowers to repay loans and the value of the collateral securing loans. Almost all of our loans that we retain are to borrowers located in, or are secured by collateral located in, Otero and Dona Ana Counties, New Mexico and the Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona metropolitan area.

The employment base and economy in our New Mexico market area is concentrated in federal defense facilities, education (New Mexico State University), state and local government, agriculture and tourism, with the federal defense industry facilities and related military and civilian employment comprising the largest segment of the regional economy. Our operations are thus subject to downturns in these key local economic sectors. Such risks include a reduction in federal defense spending or a transfer of defense operations to other areas of the country. The agriculture industry, centered in the Rio Grande valley, typically is affected by national and international food prices and government agriculture policies, including price support programs. Tourism can be negatively affected by a variety of factors including economic activity, unemployment levels, wage levels and weather conditions. Higher education, while generally a stable or growing economic sector, also is subject to factors such as the overall number of high school graduates, the general economic climate for employment after high school, the level of state and federal financial support to educational institutions, annual college costs and general competition for students.

Our Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona metropolitan market area has a substantially larger population and economic base for our banking operations. However, this market area remains subject to national macro-economic forces.

A deterioration in economic conditions could have the following consequences, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations:

Moreover, a significant decline in general economic conditions caused by inflation, recession, acts of terrorism, an outbreak of hostilities or other international or domestic calamities, unemployment or other factors beyond our control could further impact these local economic conditions and could further negatively affect the financial results of our banking operations. In addition, deflationary pressures, while possibly lowering our operating costs, could have a significant negative effect on our borrowers, especially our business borrowers, and the values of underlying collateral securing loans, which could negatively affect our financial performance.

Our business strategy includes growth, and our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively affected if we fail to grow or fail to manage our growth effectively.

Our business strategy includes growth in assets, deposits and the scale of our operations. Achieving our growth targets will require us to attract customers that currently bank at other financial institutions in our market area. Our ability to successfully grow will depend on a variety of factors, including our ability to attract and retain experienced bankers, the continued availability of desirable business opportunities, competition from other financial institutions in our market area and our ability to manage our growth. Growth opportunities may not be available or we may not be able to manage our growth successfully. If we do not manage our growth effectively, our financial condition and operating results could be negatively affected.

Future changes in interest rates may reduce our profits.

Our ability to make a profit largely depends on our net interest income, which could be negatively affected by changes in interest rates. Net interest income is the difference between:

The rates we earn on our assets and the rates we pay on our liabilities are generally fixed for a contractual period of time. Like many savings institutions, our liabilities generally have shorter contractual maturities than our assets. This imbalance can create significant earnings volatility because market interest rates change over time. In a period of rising interest rates, the interest income we earn on our assets may not increase as rapidly as the interest we pay on our liabilities. In a period of declining interest rates, the interest income we earn on our assets may decrease more rapidly than the interest we pay on our liabilities, as borrowers prepay mortgage loans, and mortgage-backed securities and callable investment securities are called, requiring us to reinvest those cash flows at lower interest rates. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Management of Market Risk.”

Any increase in market interest rates may reduce our mortgage banking income. We generate revenues primarily from gains on the sale of mortgage loans to investors, and we recognized non-interest income of $1.6

million and $4.3 million on such sales during the three months ended March 31, 2016 and the year ended December 31, 2015, respectively. We also earn interest on loans held for sale while they are awaiting delivery to our investors.  In a rising or higher interest rate environment, our mortgage loan originations may decrease, resulting in fewer loans that are available for sale. This would result in a decrease in interest income and a decrease in revenues from loan sales. In addition, our results of operations are affected by the amount of non-interest expenses associated with mortgage banking activities, such as salaries and employee benefits, occupancy, equipment, data processing and other operating costs. During periods of reduced loan demand, our results of operations may be adversely affected to the extent that we are unable to reduce expenses commensurate with the decline in mortgage loan origination activity.

In addition, changes in interest rates can affect the average life of loans and mortgage-backed and related securities. A reduction in interest rates results in increased prepayments of loans and mortgage-backed and related securities as borrowers refinance their debt to reduce their borrowing costs. This creates reinvestment risk, which is the risk that we may not be able to reinvest prepayments at rates that are comparable to the rates we earned on the prepaid loans or securities. Furthermore, an inverted interest rate yield curve, where short-term interest rates (which are usually the rates at which financial institutions borrow funds) are higher than long-term interest rates (which are usually the rates at which financial institutions lend funds for fixed-rate loans) can reduce a financial institution’s net interest margin and create financial risk for financial institutions who originate longer-term, fixed rate mortgage loans.

Any substantial, unexpected, prolonged change in market interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. Changes in the level of interest rates also may negatively affect the value of our assets and ultimately affect our earnings.

We monitor interest rate risk through the use of a simulation model that estimates the amounts by which the fair value of our assets and liabilities (our economic value of equity or “EVE”) would change in the event of a range of assumed changes in market interest rates. As of March 31, 2016, in the event of an instantaneous 200 basis point increase in interest rates, we estimate that we would experience an 8.39% increase in EVE. For further discussion of how changes in interest rates could impact us, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Market Risk.”

If our allowance for loan losses is not sufficient to cover actual loan losses, our earnings could decrease.

We make various assumptions and judgments about the collectability of our loan portfolio, including the creditworthiness of our borrowers and the value of the real estate and other assets serving as collateral for the repayment of many of our loans. In determining the amount of the allowance for loan losses, we review our loans and our loss and delinquency experience, and we evaluate economic conditions. If our assumptions or the results of our analyses are incorrect, our allowance for loan losses may not be sufficient to cover losses inherent in our loan portfolio, resulting in additions to our allowance. In addition, our emphasis on loan growth and on increasing our portfolios of commercial real estate and commercial business loans, as well as any future credit deterioration, could require us to increase our allowance for loan losses in the future. At March 31, 2016, our allowance for loan losses was 1.27% of total gross loans less acquired loans and 151.81% of nonperforming loans. Material additions to our allowance would materially decrease our net income.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has adopted a new accounting standard that will be effective for Bancorp 34 and Bank 34 for our first fiscal year after December 15, 2019. This standard, referred to as Current Expected Credit Loss, or CECL, will require financial institutions to determine periodic estimates of lifetime expected credit losses on loans, and recognize the expected credit losses as allowances for loan losses. This will change the current method of providing allowances for loan losses that are probable, which would likely require us to increase our allowance for loan losses, and to greatly increase the types of data we would need to collect and review to determine the appropriate level of the allowance for loan losses.

In addition, bank regulators periodically review our allowance for loan losses and may require us to increase our provision for loan losses or recognize further loan charge-offs. Any increase in our allowance for loan

losses or loan charge-offs as required by these regulatory authorities or otherwise may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Strong competition within our market area may limit our growth and profitability.

Competition in the banking and financial services industry is intense. In all of our market areas, we compete with commercial banks, savings institutions, mortgage brokerage firms, credit unions, finance companies, mutual funds, insurance companies, brokerage and investment banking firms and unregulated or less regulated non-banking entities, operating locally and elsewhere. Many of these competitors have substantially greater resources and lending limits than we have and offer certain services that we do not or cannot provide. In addition, some of our competitors offer loans with lower interest rates on more attractive terms than loans we offer. Competition also makes it increasingly difficult and costly to attract and retain qualified employees. We expect competition to increase in the future as a result of legislative, regulatory and technological changes and the continuing trend of consolidation in the financial services industry. Our profitability depends upon our continued ability to successfully compete for business and qualified employees in our market areas. The greater resources and deposit and loan products offered by some of our competitors may limit our ability to increase our interest earning assets. For additional information see “Business of Bank 34—Competition.”

A continuation of the historically low interest rate environment may adversely affect our net interest income and profitability.

In recent years the Federal Reserve Board’s policy has been to maintain interest rates at historically low levels through its targeted federal funds rate and the purchase of mortgage-backed securities. Although the Federal Reserve Board increased target interest rates in December 2015, market interest rates on the loans we have originated and the yields on securities we have purchased since 2008 have been lower than in prior years. Our ability to reduce our interest expense is limited at current interest rate levels while the average yield on our interest-earning assets may continue to decrease. A continuation of a low interest rate environment may adversely affect our net interest income, which would have an adverse effect on our profitability.

Our cost of operations is high relative to our revenues.

Our efficiency ratio (the ratio of noninterest expense to the sum of net interest income and noninterest income) was 98.41%, 93.41% and 96.60% for the three months ended March 31, 2016 and the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Our non-interest expense has increased in recent periods as we have expanded our commercial credit review and administration functions to support our continued commercial loan growth, and as we have added secondary market management and compliance specialists to support our growing mortgage banking operations. Our efficiency ratio will remain high unless we are able to increase commercial loan originations and mortgage banking revenues consistent with the staffing we have added in anticipation of this increased lending activity. In addition, any decrease in our commercial loan originations and mortgage banking revenues could increase our efficiency ratio unless we are able to reduce the related non-interest expense, such as through staff reductions or decreased occupancy expense.

The need to account for certain assets at estimated fair value, such as loans held for sale and investment securities, may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

We report certain assets, such as loans held for sale and investment securities, at estimated fair value. The balance of loans held for sale was $17.6 million at March 31, 2016, while the balance of investment securities was $29.5 million at March 31, 2016. Generally, for assets that are reported at fair value, we use quoted market prices or valuation models that utilize observable market inputs to estimate fair value. Because we carry these assets on our financial records at their estimated fair value, we may incur losses even if the subject asset presents minimal credit risk. At March 31, 2016 and the year ended December 31, 2015, accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) from investment securities was $10,000 and $(216,000), respectively, and we did not recognize a loss on investment securities or loans held for sale during the three months ended March 31, 2016 or the year ended December 31, 2015.

Our one- to four-family residential real estate loans expose us to increased credit risks.

At March 31, 2016, $29.9 million, or 15.1% of our gross loans held for investment, was secured by one- to four-family residential real estate.  Economic recovery, including improvements in real estate values, has been inconsistent in our market areas.  As a result, some of our mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit may be inadequately collateralized, which would expose us to a greater risk of loss if we seek to recover on defaulted loans by selling the real estate collateral or if borrowers who sell their homes are unable to repay their loans in full from the sale proceeds.

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.

Alamogordo Financial Corp. and Bank 34 are subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the Federal Reserve Board and by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, respectively. Such regulation and supervision governs the activities in which an institution and its holding company may engage and are intended primarily for the protection of the federal deposit insurance fund and the depositors and borrowers of Bank 34, rather than for our stockholders. Regulatory authorities have extensive discretion in their supervisory and enforcement activities, including the imposition of restrictions on our operations, the classification of our assets and determination of the level of our allowance for loan losses. These regulations, along with existing tax, accounting, securities, insurance and monetary laws, rules, standards, policies, and interpretations control the methods by which financial institutions conduct business, implement strategic initiatives and tax compliance, and govern financial reporting and disclosures. Any change in such regulation and oversight, whether in the form of regulatory policy, regulations, legislation or supervisory action, may have a material impact on our operations. Further, changes in accounting standards can be both difficult to predict and involve judgment and discretion in their interpretation by us and our independent accounting firms. These changes could materially impact, potentially even retroactively, how we report our financial condition and results of operations.

The Dodd-Frank Act has significantly changed the regulation of banks and savings institutions and affects the lending, deposit, investment, trading and operating activities of financial institutions and their holding companies. The Dodd-Frank Act requires various federal agencies to adopt a broad range of new implementing rules and regulations, and to prepare numerous studies and reports for Congress. The federal agencies have been given significant discretion in drafting the implementing rules and regulations, many of which are not in final form. As a result, we cannot at this time predict the full extent to which the Dodd-Frank Act will impact our business, operations or financial condition. However, compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act and its implementing regulations and policies has already resulted in changes to our business and operations, as well as additional costs, and has diverted management’s time from other business activities, which have adversely affected our financial condition and results of operations.

We have become subject to more stringent capital requirements, which may adversely impact our return on equity, require us to raise additional capital, or limit our ability to pay dividends or repurchase shares.

A final capital rule, effective for us on January 1, 2015, includes new minimum risk-based capital and leverage ratios and refines the definition of what constitutes “capital” for calculating these ratios. The new minimum capital requirements are: (i) a new common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 4.5%; (ii) a Tier 1 to risk-based assets capital ratio of 6% (increased from 4%); (iii) a total capital ratio of 8% (unchanged from prior rules); and (iv) a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4%. The final rule also requires unrealized gains and losses on certain “available-for-sale” securities holdings to be included for calculating regulatory capital requirements unless a one-time opt-out is exercised. Bank 34 has elected to opt out of the requirement under the final rule to include certain “available-for-sale” securities holdings for calculating its regulatory capital requirements. The final rule also establishes a “capital conservation buffer” of 2.5%, and, when fully phased in, will result in the following minimum ratios: (i) a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 7.0%; (ii) a Tier 1 to risk-based assets capital ratio of 8.5%; and (iii) a total capital ratio of 10.5%. The new capital conservation buffer requirement will be phased in beginning in January 2016 at 0.625% of risk-weighted assets and will increase each year until fully implemented in January 2019. An institution will be

subject to limitations on paying dividends, engaging in share repurchases and paying discretionary bonuses if its capital level falls below the buffer amount. These limitations will establish a maximum percentage of eligible retained income that can be utilized for such actions.

We have analyzed the effects of these new capital requirements, and we believe that, upon completion of the offering, we will meet all of these new requirements, including the full 2.5% capital conservation buffer as if it had been fully phased in.

The application of more stringent capital requirements could, among other things, result in lower returns on equity, and may require raising additional capital in the future, and result in regulatory actions if we are unable to comply with such requirements. Furthermore, the imposition of liquidity requirements in connection with the implementation of Basel III could result in our having to lengthen the term of our funding sources, change our business models or increase our holdings of liquid assets. The implementation of changes to asset risk weightings for risk-based capital calculations, changes to items included in or deducted from regulatory capital or additional capital conservation buffers could result in management modifying its business strategy, and could limit our ability to make distributions, including paying dividends or repurchasing our shares. Specifically, beginning in 2016, Bank 34’s ability to pay dividends to Bancorp 34 will be limited if it does not have the capital conservation buffer required by the new capital rules, which may further limit Bancorp 34’s ability to pay dividends to stockholders. See “Supervision and Regulation—Capital Requirements.”

Non-compliance with the USA PATRIOT Act, Bank Secrecy Act, or other laws and regulations could result in fines or sanctions.

The USA PATRIOT and Bank Secrecy Acts require financial institutions to develop programs to prevent financial institutions from being used for money laundering and terrorist activities. If such activities are detected, financial institutions are obligated to file suspicious activity reports with the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. These rules require financial institutions to establish procedures for identifying and verifying the identity of customers seeking to open new financial accounts. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in fines or sanctions, including restrictions on conducting acquisitions or establishing new branches. The policies and procedures we have adopted that are designed to assist in compliance with these laws and regulations may not be effective in preventing violations of these laws and regulations.

Acquisitions may disrupt our business and dilute stockholder value.

We completed our acquisition of Bank 1440 in August 2014, and in the acquisition we received assets valued at $88.3 million and assumed liabilities of $75.8 million. We regularly evaluate merger and acquisition opportunities with other financial institutions and financial services companies. As a result, negotiations may take place and future mergers or acquisitions involving cash, debt, or equity securities may occur from time to time. We would seek acquisition partners that offer us either significant market presence or the potential to expand our market footprint and improve profitability through economies of scale or expanded services.

Acquiring other banks, businesses, or branches may have an adverse effect on our financial results and may involve various other risks commonly associated with acquisitions, including, among other things:

If we are unable to successfully integrate an acquired company, the anticipated benefits may not be realized fully or may take longer to realize than expected. A significant decline in asset valuations or cash flows may also cause us not to realize expected benefits.

Our ability to originate and sell loans could be restricted by recently adopted federal regulations.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a rule intended to clarify how lenders can avoid legal liability under the Dodd-Frank Act, which holds lenders accountable for ensuring a borrower’s ability to repay a mortgage loan. Under the rule, loans that meet the “qualified mortgage” definition will be presumed to have complied with the new ability-to-repay standard. Under the rule, a “qualified mortgage” loan must not contain certain specified features, including:

Also, to qualify as a “qualified mortgage,” a loan must be made to a borrower whose total monthly debt-to-income ratio does not exceed 43%.  Lenders must also verify and document the income and financial resources relied upon to qualify a borrower for the loan and underwrite the loan based on a fully amortizing payment schedule and maximum interest rate during the first five years, taking into account all applicable taxes, insurance and assessments.

The Dodd-Frank Act also requires the regulatory agencies to issue regulations that require securitizers of loans to retain “not less than 5% of the credit risk for any asset that is not a qualified residential mortgage.”  The regulatory agencies have issued a final rule to implement this requirement.  The final rule provides that the definition of “qualified residential mortgage” includes loans that meet the definition of “qualified mortgage” under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s rule.

In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act requires the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau to adopt rules and publish forms that combine certain disclosures that consumers receive in connection with applying for and closing on certain mortgage loans loan under the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (“TRID”). The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has implemented a final rule to implement this requirement, and the final rule was effective in October 2015.

We currently sell in the secondary market the significant majority of the one- to four-family residential real estate loans that we originate. These final rules could have a significant effect on the secondary market for loans and the types of loans we originate, and restrict or delay our ability to make loans, any of which could limit our growth or profitability.

Secondary mortgage market conditions could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our mortgage banking operations provide a significant portion of our non-interest income. In addition to being affected by interest rates, the secondary mortgage markets are also subject to investor demand for residential mortgage loans and increased investor yield requirements for these loans.  These conditions may fluctuate or worsen in the future.  As a result, a prolonged period of secondary market illiquidity may reduce our loan production volumes and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If we are required to repurchase mortgage loans that we have previously sold, it would negatively affect our earnings.

Our mortgage banking operations involves originating residential mortgage loans for sale in the secondary market under agreements that contain representations and warranties related to, among other things, the origination and characteristics of the mortgage loans.  We may be required to repurchase mortgage loans that we have sold in cases of borrower default or breaches of these representations and warranties, and we would be subject to increased risk of disputes and repurchase demands as our volume of loan sales increases.  If we are required to repurchase mortgage loans or provide indemnification or other recourse, this could significantly increase our costs and thereby affect our future earnings.

Our success depends on hiring and retaining key personnel.

Our performance largely depends on the talents and efforts of highly skilled individuals. We rely on key personnel to manage and operate our business, including major revenue generating functions such as loan and deposit generation, as well as operational functions such as regulatory compliance and information technology. The loss of key staff may adversely affect our ability to maintain and manage these functions effectively, which could negatively affect our revenues. In addition, loss of key personnel could result in increased recruiting and hiring expenses, which could reduce our net income. Our continued ability to compete effectively depends on our ability to attract new employees and to retain and motivate our existing employees.

We face significant operational risks because the financial services business involves a high volume of transactions and increased reliance on technology, including risk of loss related to cyber-security breaches.  

We operate in diverse markets and rely on the ability of our employees and systems to process a high number of transactions and to collect, process, transmit and store significant amounts of confidential information regarding our customers, employees and others and concerning our own business, operations, plans and strategies. Operational risk is the risk of loss resulting from our operations, including but not limited to, the risk of fraud by employees or persons outside our company, the execution of unauthorized transactions by employees, errors relating to transaction processing and technology, systems failures or interruptions breaches of our internal control systems and compliance requirements, and business continuation and disaster recovery. Insurance coverage may not be available for such losses, or where available, such losses may exceed insurance limits. This risk of loss also includes the potential legal actions that could arise as a result of operational deficiencies or as a result of non-compliance with applicable regulatory standards or customer attrition due to potential negative publicity. In addition, we outsource some of our data processing to certain third-party providers. If these third-party providers encounter difficulties, including as a result of cyber-attacks or information security breaches, or if we have difficulty communicating with them, our ability to adequately process and account for transactions could be affected, and our business operations could be adversely affected.

In the event of a breakdown in our internal control systems, improper operation of systems or improper employee actions, or a breach of our security systems, including if confidential or proprietary information were to be mishandled, misused or lost, we could suffer financial loss, face regulatory action, civil litigation and/or suffer damage to our reputation.

Legal and regulatory proceedings and related matters could adversely affect us.

We have been and may in the future become involved in legal and regulatory proceedings. We consider most of the proceedings to be in the normal course of our business or typical for the industry; however, it is inherently difficult to assess the outcome of these matters, and we may not prevail in any proceedings or litigation. There could be substantial cost and management diversion in such litigation and proceedings, and any adverse determination could have a materially adverse effect on our business, brand or image, or our financial condition and results of our operations.

Managing reputational risk is important to attracting and maintaining customers, investors and employees.

Threats to our reputation can come from many sources, including adverse sentiment about financial institutions generally, unethical practices, employee misconduct, failure to deliver minimum standards of service or quality, merger and acquisition activity, compliance deficiencies and questionable or fraudulent activities of our customers.  Our policies and procedures may not be fully effective in protecting our reputation and promoting ethical conduct.  Negative publicity regarding our business, employees, or customers, with or without merit, may result in the loss of customers and employees, costly litigation and increased governmental regulation, all of which could adversely affect our operating results.

Changes in management’s estimates and assumptions may have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements and our financial condition or operating results.

In preparing this prospectus as well as periodic reports we are required to file under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including our consolidated financial statements, our management is and will be required under applicable rules and regulations to make estimates and assumptions as of a specified date. These estimates and assumptions are based on management’s best estimates and experience as of that date and are subject to substantial risk and uncertainty. Materially different results may occur as circumstances change and additional information becomes known. Areas requiring significant estimates and assumptions by management include our evaluation of the adequacy of our allowance for loan losses, our valuation of investment securities, our valuation of deferred tax assets and our determining fair value measurements.

Changes in our accounting policies or in accounting standards could materially affect how we report our financial condition and results of operations.

Our accounting policies are essential to understanding our financial condition and results of operations. Some of these policies require the use of estimates and assumptions that may affect the value of our assets or liabilities and financial results. Some of our accounting policies are critical because they require management to make difficult, subjective, and complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain, and because it is likely that materially different amounts would be reported under different conditions or using different assumptions. If such estimates or assumptions underlying our financial statements are incorrect, we may experience material losses.

From time to time, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Securities and Exchange Commission change the financial accounting and reporting standards or the interpretation of those standards that govern the preparation of our financial statements. These changes are beyond our control, can be difficult to predict and could materially affect how we report our financial condition and results of operations. We could also be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in restating prior period financial statements in material amounts.

We are subject to environmental liability risk associated with lending activities or properties we own.

A significant portion of our loan portfolio is secured by real estate, and we could become subject to environmental liabilities with respect to one or more of these properties, or with respect to properties that we own in operating our business. During the ordinary course of business, we may foreclose on and take title to properties

securing defaulted loans. In doing so, there is a risk that hazardous or toxic substances could be found on these properties. If hazardous conditions or toxic substances are found on these properties, we may be liable for remediation costs, as well as for personal injury and property damage, civil fines and criminal penalties regardless of when the hazardous conditions or toxic substances first affected any particular property. Environmental laws may require us to incur substantial expenses to address unknown liabilities and may materially reduce the affected property’s value or limit our ability to use or sell the affected property. In addition, future laws or more stringent interpretations or enforcement policies with respect to existing laws may increase our exposure to environmental liability. Our policies, which require us to perform an environmental review before initiating any foreclosure action on non-residential real property, may not be sufficient to detect all potential environmental hazards. The remediation costs and any other financial liabilities associated with an environmental hazard could have a material adverse effect on us.

We are an emerging growth company, and any decision on our part to comply only with certain reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an emerging growth company, and, for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to “emerging growth companies,” including, but not limited to, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As an emerging growth company, we also will not be subject to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which would require that our independent auditors review and attest as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. We have also elected to comply with new or amended accounting pronouncements in the same manner as a private company. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years following the completion of our acquisition of Bank 1440. We will cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest of: (i) the end of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our acquisition of Bank 1440; (ii) the first fiscal year after our annual gross revenues are $1.0 billion or more; (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; or (iv) the end of any fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700 million as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year. Investors may find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result of any choices to reduce future disclosure, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and the price of our common stock may be more volatile.

Risks Related to the Offering

The future price of the shares of common stock may be less than the $10.00 purchase price per share in the offering.

If you purchase shares of common stock in the offering, you may not be able to sell them later at or above the $10.00 purchase price. In many cases, shares of common stock issued by newly converted savings institutions or mutual holding companies have traded below the initial offering price. The aggregate purchase price of the shares of common stock sold in the offering will be based on an independent appraisal. The independent appraisal is not intended, and should not be construed, as a recommendation of any kind as to the advisability of purchasing shares of common stock. The independent appraisal is based on certain estimates, assumptions and projections, all of which are subject to change from time to time. After the shares begin trading, the trading price of our common stock will be determined by the marketplace, and may be influenced by many factors, including prevailing interest rates, the overall performance of the economy, changes in federal tax laws, new regulations, investor perceptions of Bancorp 34 and the outlook for the financial services industry in general. Price fluctuations in our common stock may be unrelated to our operating performance.

Our failure to effectively deploy the net proceeds may have an adverse effect on our financial performance.

We intend to invest between $5.3 million and $7.5 million of the net proceeds of the offering (or $8.7 million at the adjusted maximum of the offering range) in Bank 34. We may use the remaining net proceeds to invest in short-term investments and for general corporate purposes, including repurchasing shares of our common stock and paying dividends. We also expect to use a portion of the net proceeds we retain to fund a loan to our employee stock ownership plan to purchase shares of common stock in the offering. Bank 34 may use the net proceeds it receives to fund new loans, expand its retail banking franchise by establishing or acquiring new branches or by acquiring other financial institutions or other financial services companies, or for other general corporate purposes. However, with the exception of funding the loan to the employee stock ownership plan, we have not allocated specific amounts of the net proceeds for any of these purposes, and we will have significant flexibility in determining the amount of the net proceeds we apply to different uses and when we apply or reinvest such proceeds. Also, certain of these uses, such as opening new branches or acquiring other financial institutions, may require the approval of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency or the Federal Reserve Board. We have not established a timetable for investing the net proceeds, and we cannot predict how long we will require to invest the net proceeds. Our failure to reinvest these funds effectively would reduce our profitability and may adversely affect the value of our common stock.

Our return on equity will be low following the stock offering. This could negatively affect the trading price of our shares of common stock.

Net income divided by average stockholders’ equity, known as “return on equity,” is a ratio many investors use to compare the performance of financial institutions. Our return on equity will be low until we are able to leverage the additional capital we receive from the stock offering. Our return on equity also will be negatively affected by added expenses associated with our employee stock ownership plan and the stock-based benefit plans we intend to adopt, and may be negatively affected by higher minimum regulatory capital requirements. Until we can increase our net interest income and non-interest income and leverage the capital raised in the stock offering, we expect our return on equity to be low, which may reduce the market price of our shares of common stock.

Our stock-based benefit plans will increase our expenses and reduce our income.

We intend to adopt one or more new stock-based benefit plans after the conversion, subject to stockholder approval, which will increase our annual compensation and benefit expenses related to the stock options and stock awards granted to participants under the new stock-based benefit plans. The actual amount of these new stock-related compensation and benefit expenses will depend on the number of options and stock awards granted under the plans, the fair market value of our stock or options on the date of grant, the vesting period, and other factors which we cannot predict at this time. If we adopt stock-based benefit plans within 12 months following the conversion, the shares of common stock reserved for issuance pursuant to awards of restricted stock and grants of options under such plans would be limited to 4% and 10%, respectively, of the total shares of our common stock sold in the stock offering. If we adopt stock-based benefit plans more than 12 months after the completion of the conversion, we may award restricted shares of common stock or grant options in excess of these amounts, which would further increase costs.

In addition, we will recognize expense for our employee stock ownership plan when shares are committed to be released to participants’ accounts, and we will recognize expense for restricted stock awards and stock options over the vesting period of awards made to recipients. The expense in the first year following the offering for shares purchased in the offering and for our new stock-based benefit plans, assuming such plans had been implemented at the beginning of the year, has been estimated to be approximately $304,000 ($204,000 after tax) at the adjusted maximum of the offering range as set forth in the pro forma financial information under “Pro Forma Data,” assuming the $10.00 per share purchase price as fair market value. Actual expenses, however, may be higher or lower, depending on the price of our common stock. For further discussion of our proposed stock-based plans, see “Management—Benefits to be Considered Following Completion of the Conversion.”

The implementation of stock-based benefit plans may dilute your ownership interest. Historically, stockholders have approved these stock-based benefit plans.

We intend to adopt one or more new stock-based benefit plans following the stock offering. These plans may be funded either through open market purchases of our common stock or from the issuance of authorized but unissued shares of common stock. Our ability to repurchase shares of our common stock to fund these plans will be subject to many factors, including applicable regulatory restrictions on stock repurchases, the availability of stock in the market, the trading price of our stock, our capital levels, alternative uses for our capital and our financial performance. While our intention is to fund the new stock-based benefit plans through open market purchases, stockholders would experience a 7.11% dilution in ownership interest if newly issued shares of our common stock are used to fund stock options and shares of restricted common stock in amounts equal to 10% and 4%, respectively, of the shares sold in the offering, and all such stock options are exercised. Such dilution would also reduce earnings per share. If we adopt the plans more than 12 months following the conversion, new stock-based benefit plans would not be subject to these limitations and stockholders could experience greater dilution.

Although the implementation of new stock-based benefit plans would be subject to stockholder approval, historically, the overwhelming majority of stock-based benefit plans adopted by savings institutions and their holding companies following mutual-to-stock conversions have been approved by stockholders.

We have not determined when we will adopt one or more new stock-based benefit plans. Stock-based benefit plans adopted more than 12 months following the completion of the conversion may exceed regulatory restrictions on the size of stock-based benefit plans adopted within 12 months, which would further increase our costs.

If we adopt stock-based benefit plans more than 12 months following the completion of the conversion, then grants of shares of common stock or stock options under our proposed stock-based benefit plans may exceed 4% and 10%, respectively, of shares of common stock sold in the stock offering. Stock-based benefit plans that provide for awards in excess of these amounts would increase our costs beyond the amounts estimated in “—Our stock-based benefit plans will increase our expenses and reduce our income.” Stock-based benefit plans that provide for awards in excess of these amounts could also result in dilution to stockholders in excess of that described in “—The implementation of stock-based benefit plans may dilute your ownership interest. Historically, stockholders have approved these stock-based benefit plans.” Although the implementation of stock-based benefit plans would be subject to stockholder approval, the timing of the implementation of such plans will be at the discretion of our board of directors.

Various factors may make takeover attempts more difficult to achieve.

Certain provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws and federal banking laws, including regulatory approval requirements, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of Bancorp 34 without our board of directors’ approval. Under regulations applicable to the conversion, for a period of three years following completion of the conversion, no person may acquire beneficial ownership of more than 10% of our common stock without prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board. Under federal law, subject to certain exemptions, a person, entity or group must notify the Federal Reserve Board and receive the Federal Reserve Board’s non-objection before acquiring control of a savings and loan holding company. There also are provisions in our articles of incorporation and bylaws that we may use to delay or block a takeover attempt, including a provision that prohibits any person from voting more than 10% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Bank 34’s charter will contain a similar restriction on acquisitions of 10% or more of its common stock, directly or indirectly, for five years following the conversion. Furthermore, shares of restricted stock and stock options that we may grant to employees and directors, stock ownership by our management and directors and other factors may make it more difficult for companies or persons to acquire control of Bancorp 34 without the consent of our board of directors. Taken as a whole, these statutory or regulatory provisions and provisions in our articles of incorporation and bylaws could result in our being less attractive to a potential acquirer and thus could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

For additional information, see “Restrictions on Acquisition of Bancorp 34” and “Management—Benefits to be Considered Following Completion of the Conversion.”

There may be a limited trading market in our shares of common stock, which would hinder your ability to sell our common stock and may lower the market price of our common stock.

Prior to the conversion and offering, transactions in shares of Alamogordo Financial Corp. common stock have been quoted on the OTC Pink Marketplace operated by OTC Markets Group Inc., but the shares have not been actively traded.   We have applied to list the shares of Bancorp 34 common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market following the conversion and offering.  In order to have our stock listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we are required to have at least three broker-dealers who will make a market in our common stock.  Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. has advised us that it intends to make a market in our common stock following the offering, but is under no obligation to do so.  The development of a public market having the desirable characteristics of depth, liquidity and orderliness depends on the existence of willing buyers and sellers, the presence of which is not within our control or that of any market maker. The number of active buyers and sellers of our common stock at any particular time may be limited, which may have an adverse effect on the price at which our common stock can be sold.  Persons purchasing the common stock may not be able to sell their shares at or above the $10.00 price per share in the offering. Purchasers of our common stock should recognize that there are risks involved in their investment and that there may be a limited trading market in the common stock.

You may not revoke your decision to purchase Bancorp 34 common stock in the subscription or community offerings after you send us your order.

Funds submitted or automatic withdrawals authorized in connection with the purchase of shares of common stock in the subscription and community offerings will be held by us until the completion or termination of the conversion and offering, including any extension of the expiration date and consummation of a syndicated offering. Because completion of the conversion and offering will be subject to regulatory approvals and an update of the independent appraisal prepared by Keller & Company, Inc., among other factors, there may be one or more delays in completing the conversion and offering. Orders submitted in the subscription and community offerings are irrevocable, and purchasers will have no access to their funds unless the offering is terminated, or extended beyond [extension date], or the number of shares to be sold in the offering is increased to more than 1,879,484 shares or decreased to fewer than 1,207,986 shares.

The distribution of subscription rights could have adverse income tax consequences.

If the subscription rights granted to certain current or former depositors and borrowers of Bank 34 are deemed to have an ascertainable value, receipt of such rights may be taxable in an amount equal to such value. Whether subscription rights are considered to have ascertainable value is an inherently factual determination. We have received an opinion of counsel, Luse Gorman, PC, that it is more likely than not that such rights have no value; however, such opinion is not binding on the Internal Revenue Service.