ITEM 1. BUSINESS

General Business

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (“Bancorp” or the “Company”), was formed in 1999 to serve as the holding company for Peoples Bank (the “Bank”). Bancorp is a bank holding company registered with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”) under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”). Bancorp’s principal source of income is dividends declared and paid by the Bank on its capital stock, if any. Bancorp has no operations and conducts no business of its own other than owning the Bank and PEBK Capital Trust II. Accordingly, the discussion of the business which follows primarily concerns the business conducted by the Bank. Our principal executive offices are located at 518 West C Street, Newtown, North Carolina, 28658, and our telephone number is (828) 464-5620.

The Bank, founded in 1912, is a state-chartered commercial bank serving the citizens and business interests of the Catawba Valley and surrounding communities through 17 banking offices, located in Lincolnton, Newton, Denver, Catawba, Conover, Maiden, Claremont, Hiddenite, Hickory, Charlotte, Cornelius, Mooresville, Raleigh, and Cary, North Carolina. The Bank also operates loan production offices in Charlotte, Denver, Salisbury and Winston-Salem North Carolina. The Company’s fiscal year ends December 31. At December 31, 2021, the Company had total assets of $1.6 billion, net loans of $875.5 million, deposits of $1.4 billion, total securities of $410.2 million, and shareholders’ equity of $142.4 million.

The Bank operates three banking offices focused on the Latino population that were formerly operated as a division of the Bank under the name Banco de la Gente (“Banco”). These offices, which offer the same banking services as our other branches offer, now operate under the same name as our other offices; however, we continue to separately categorize mortgage loans originated from these offices. 

The Bank has a diversified loan portfolio, with no foreign loans and few agricultural loans. Real estate loans are predominately variable rate and fixed rate commercial property loans, which include residential development loans to commercial customers. Commercial loans are spread throughout a variety of industries with no one particular industry or group of related industries accounting for a significant portion of the commercial loan portfolio. The majority of the Bank’s deposit and loan customers are individuals and small-to medium-sized businesses located in the Bank’s market area. The Bank’s loan portfolio also includes Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) mortgage loans generated through the Bank’s former Banco offices. Additional discussion of the Bank’s loan portfolio and sources of funds for loans can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” on pages A-4 through A-26 of the Annual Report, which is included in this Form 10-K as Exhibit (13).

The operations of the Bank are significantly influenced by general economic conditions and by related monetary and fiscal policies of Bancorp and the Bank’s regulatory agencies, including the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”) and the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks (the “Commissioner”).

At December 31, 2021, the Company employed 287 full-time employees and 24 part-time employees, which equated to 299 full-time equivalent employees.

Subsidiaries

The Bank is a subsidiary of the Company. At December 31, 2021, the Bank had four subsidiaries, Peoples Investment Services, Inc., Real Estate Advisory Services, Inc., Community Bank Real Estate Solutions, LLC (“CBRES”) and PB Real Estate Holdings, LLC. Through a relationship with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., Peoples Investment Services, Inc. provides the Bank’s customers access to investment counseling and non-deposit investment products such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, tax deferred annuities, and related brokerage services. Real Estate Advisory Services, Inc. provides real estate appraisal and real estate brokerage services. CBRES serves as a “clearing-house” for appraisal services for community banks. Other banks are able to contract with CBRES to find and engage appropriate appraisal companies. As a separate legal entity, CBRES’s services and the appraisal process are conducted independent from the financing process of the Bank. PB Real Estate Holdings, LLC acquires, manages and disposes of real property, other collateral and assets obtained in the ordinary course of collecting debts previously contracted. In 2019, the Company launched PB Insurance Agency, which is part of CBRES. All of the Bank's subsidiaries are incorporated in the state of North Carolina.

In June 2006, the Company formed a wholly owned Delaware statutory trust, PEBK Capital Trust II (“PEBK Trust II”), to facilitate the issuance of $20.6 million of trust preferred securities. PEBK Trust II is not included in the consolidated financial statements. The Company redeemed $5.0 million of outstanding trust preferred securities in 2019. The trust preferred securities issued by PEBK Trust II accrue and pay quarterly dividends at a floating rate of three-month LIBOR plus 163 basis points. The Company has guaranteed payment of these dividends and other payments due on the trust preferred securities.

Market Area and Competition

The Bank’s primary market consists of the communities in an approximate 50-mile radius around its headquarters office in Newton, North Carolina. This area includes Catawba County, Alexander County, Lincoln County, Iredell County and portions of northeast Gaston County, North Carolina. The Bank also conducts a portion of its business outside of this area. The Bank is located only 40 miles north of Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Bank’s primary market area is and will continue to be significantly affected by its close proximity to this major metropolitan area.

Employment in the Bank’s primary market area is diversified among manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade, technology, services and utilities. Catawba County’s largest employers include Catawba County Schools, Catawba Valley Medical Center, Duke LifePoint/Frye Regional Medical Center, CommScope, Inc. (manufacturer of fiber optic cable and accessories), Corning Optical Communications (manufacturer of fiber optic cable and accessories), Target Stores Distribution Center. (transportation and warehousing), Catawba County, GKN Driveline (manufacturing), Sutter Street Manufacturing (manufacturing) and Catawba Valley Community College. Lincoln County’s largest employers include Lincoln County Schools, County of Lincoln, Atrium Health Lincoln, RSI Home Products (manufacturing), Wal-Mart Associates Inc., The Timken Company (manufacturing), Julius Blum Inc. (manufacturing), Lowes Home Centers Inc. and Cataler North America (manufacturing).

The Bank has operated in the Catawba Valley region of North Carolina for over 100 years and is the only financial institution headquartered in Newton, North Carolina. Nevertheless, the Bank faces strong competition both in attracting deposits and making loans. Direct competition for deposits has historically come from other commercial banks, credit unions and brokerage firms located in its primary market area, including large financial institutions. One national money center commercial bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Based upon June 30, 2021 comparative data, the Bank had 20.61% of the deposits in Catawba County, placing it second in deposit size among a total of 11 banks with branch offices in Catawba County; 19.77% of the deposits in Lincoln County, placing it second in deposit size among a total of nine banks with branch offices in Lincoln County; and 15.97% of the deposits in Alexander County, placing it fourth in deposit size among a total of five banks with branch offices in Alexander County.

The Bank also faces additional significant competition for investors’ funds from short-term money market securities and other corporate and government securities. The Bank’s core deposit base has grown principally due to economic growth in the Bank’s market area coupled with the implementation of new and competitive deposit products. The ability of the Bank to attract and retain deposits depends on its ability to generally provide a rate of return, liquidity and risk comparable to that offered by competing investment opportunities.

The Bank experiences strong competition for loans from commercial banks and mortgage banking companies. The Bank competes for loans primarily through the interest rates and loan fees it charges and the efficiency and quality of services it provides to borrowers. Competition is increasing as a result of the continuing reduction of restrictions on the interstate operations of financial institutions.

Lending Policies and Procedures

Our lending activities follow written, non-discriminatory underwriting standards and loan origination procedures established by the Board of Directors of the Bank (the “Bank Board”). The loan approval process is intended to assess the borrower’s ability to repay the loan and the value of the collateral that will secure the loan. To assess the borrower’s ability to repay, we review the borrower’s employment, credit history, and other information on the historical and projected income and expenses of the borrower.

The objectives of our lending program are to: (i) establish a sound asset structure; (ii) provide a sound and profitable loan portfolio to (a) protect the depositor’s funds and (b) maximize our shareholders’ return on investment; (iii) promote the stable economic growth and development of the market area served by the Bank; and (iv) comply with all regulatory agency requirements and applicable law.

The Bank’s legal lending limit is set by law and is monitored by the FDIC and the Commissioner. As of December 31, 2021, the Bank’s legal lending limit was $24.7 million (absent fully marketable collateral), and the largest credit relationship was $20.4 million. The underwriting standards and loan origination procedures include officer lending limits, which are approved by the Bank Board. The President/Chief Executive Officer of the Bank has loan authority of up to the legal lending limit of the Bank. As of December 21, 2021, the individual lending authority of the Chief Credit Officer/Executive Vice President was set at $4 million.

It is the policy of the Bank to ensure that the Bank Board is fully apprised of the status and critical factors affecting the quality and performance of the loan portfolio. These factors include, but are not limited to: (i) credit underwriting policies and procedures; (ii) results of loan reviews and loan audits; and, (iii) credit concentrations (single borrowers and specific industries).

Management provides the Bank Board with the loan portfolio information as described below:

Monthly:

Annually:

On an annual basis, the Bank Board:

Investment Policies and Procedures

The Bank’s investment policy is designed to provide flexibility as necessary to maintain satisfactory liquidity while maximizing earnings on funds available for investment. The Bank maintains an investment portfolio of high-quality investment securities that is managed in a manner consistent with safe and sound banking practices. The characteristics and financial goals of the investment portfolio are complementary to the Bank’s broader business strategies and congruent with the Bank’s capital policies, technical expertise, and risk tolerances.

The Bank’s specific investment objectives are as follows:

A. Provide Earnings - Maximize the total return on invested funds in a manner that is consistent with the Bank’s overall financial goals and risk considerations. This objective is fulfilled by investing in, holding, and divesting from individual securities that, when considered in combination, contribute to a superior risk/reward for the total portfolio.

B. Provide Liquidity - Remain sufficiently liquid to meet anticipated funding demands either through declines in deposits and/or increases in loan demand. The Bank makes investments that are marketable and capable of being converted to cash at their market values in a relatively short period of time.

C. Mitigate Interest Rate Risk - Utilize portfolio strategies to assist the Bank in managing its overall interest rate sensitivity position in accordance with the goals and objectives approved by the Asset/Liability Management Committee (“ALCO”) of the Bank.

D. Ensure the Safety of Principal -At all times, the safety of principal is a primary consideration. Upon purchase, the Bank’s investments are limited to investment-grade instruments that fully comply with all applicable regulatory guidelines and limitations.

E. Manage Tax Liabilities - Conduct portfolio management in light of the Bank’s current and projected tax position in order to improve overall profitability by reducing the Bank’s tax exposure to its minimum permissible level.

F. Meet Pledging Requirements - Provide collateral for various deposit and funding products such as public funds, trust deposits, repurchase agreements and FHLB borrowings.

The Bank Board reviews and approves the Bank’s Investment Policy annually or more frequently, if appropriate. All investment portfolio activities are reported to the ALCO and the Bank Board. The Bank Board oversees the establishment of appropriate systems and internal controls designed to keep portfolio strategies and holdings consistent with the overall strategies of the Bank.

The Bank Board designates a Primary Investment Officer who is directed to implement the Investment Policy of the Bank in a safe and sound manner. The Primary Investment Officer of the Bank is charged with the responsibility to actively manage the Bank’s investment portfolio, in conformity with the preceding objectives and the following approval requirements. Such responsibility includes the purchase and/or disposition of any holding within the investment portfolio up to $8 million and the ability to establish accounts with other depository institutions or investment firms as needed to process investment activity approved under this policy. Any activity over $8 million and less than 20% of the Bank’s capital as defined by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) must be approved by the ALCO. Transactions exceeding 20% of GAAP capital must be approved by the Bank Board. Also, any sale of securities that will result in a gain of more than $500,000 or a loss before income taxes exceeding the lesser of $250,000 or 2.5% of the current year’s projected net income must be approved by the Bank Board. The Investment Officer may designate certain investment functions to other officers of the Bank and may also seek outside sources for investment advice or periodic appraisals of the portfolio. The Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer serves as the Primary Investment Officer.

Human Capital Management

At December 31, 2021, the Company employed 287 full-time employees and 24 part-time employees, which equated to 299 full-time equivalent employees. We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreements, and we consider our employee relations to be good.

Oversight of our corporate culture is an important element of our Board of Directors oversight of risk because our people are critical to the success of our corporate strategy. Our Board of Directors sets the “tone at the top,” and holds senior management accountable for embodying, maintaining, and communicating our culture to employees. Our culture is guided by our guiding principles below:

Our Core Values

Our Bank Promise, Vision, and Mission

We are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. We are working to cultivate our leaders and shape future talent pools to help us meet the needs of our customers now and in the future. Our human capital is the most valuable asset we have. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture but our reputation and our achievement as well. We embrace our employee’s differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

By emphasizing a consistent set of principles that all employees follow, we believe that our employees work experience is more satisfying, and they are better able to serve their customers consistently and at a high level.

Our employees are key to our success as an organization. We are committed to attracting, retaining and promoting top quality talent regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, national origin, age, religion and physical ability. We strive to identify and select the best candidates for all open positions based on qualifying factors for each job. We are dedicated to providing a workplace for our employees that is inclusive, supportive, and free of any form of discrimination or harassment; rewarding and recognizing our employees based on their individual results and performance; and recognizing and respecting all of the characteristics and differences that make each of our employees unique.

Employees have annual assignments related to “valuing differences” and diversity training is an integrated part of our leadership training as well. We expanded our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (“DEI”) course library to support our ongoing culture sustainability program development. We launched our “Courageous Conversations” initiative in 2020, a program we will continue to build on annually. We are an active member of the North Carolina Bankers Association DEI Council doing work to expand DEI programming and other resources for community banks.

We also seek to design careers within our organization that are fulfilling ones, with competitive compensation and benefits alongside a positive work-life balance. We dedicate resources to fostering professional and personal growth with continuing education, on-the-job training and development programs. We have worked closely with our employees during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure their safety and their ability to take care of their family. Health safety protocols were established, remote work arrangements were facilitated and considerations were provided for family needs, such as child care, all without any employee layoffs or furloughs.

Supervision and Regulation

Bank holding companies and commercial banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. The following is a brief summary of certain statutes and rules and regulations that affect or will affect the Company, the Bank and their subsidiaries. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statute and regulatory provisions referred to below and is not intended to be an exhaustive description of the statutes or regulations applicable to the business of the Company, the Bank and their subsidiaries. Supervision, regulation and examination of the Company and the Bank by the regulatory agencies are intended primarily for the protection of depositors rather than shareholders of the Company. Statutes, rules and regulations which contain wide-ranging proposals for altering the structures, regulations and competitive relationship of financial institutions are introduced regularly. The Company cannot predict whether or in what form any proposed statute, rule or regulation will be adopted or the extent to which the business of the Company and the Bank may be affected by such statute or regulation.

General. There are a number of obligations and restrictions imposed on bank holding companies and their depository institution subsidiaries by law and regulatory policy that are designed to minimize potential loss to depositors and the FDIC deposit insurance fund in the event a depository institution becomes in danger of default or in default. For example, to mitigate the risk of failure, bank holding companies are required to guarantee the compliance of any insured depository institution subsidiary that may become “undercapitalized” with the terms of the capital restoration plan filed by such subsidiary with its appropriate federal banking agency up to the lesser of (i) an amount equal to 5% of the bank’s total assets at the time the bank became undercapitalized or (ii) the amount which is necessary (or would have been necessary) to bring the bank into compliance with all capital standards as of the time the bank fails to comply with such capital restoration plan. The Company, as a registered bank holding company, is subject to the regulation of the Federal Reserve. Under a policy of the Federal Reserve with respect to bank holding company operations, a bank holding company is required to serve as a source of financial strength to its subsidiary depository institutions and to commit resources to support such institutions in circumstances where it might not do so absent such policy. The Federal Reserve under the BHCA also has the authority to require a bank holding company to terminate any activity or to relinquish control of a nonbank subsidiary (other than a nonbank subsidiary of a bank) upon the Federal Reserve’s determination that such activity or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness and stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

As a result of the Company’s ownership of the Bank, the Company is also registered under the bank holding company laws of North Carolina. Accordingly, the Company is also subject to regulation and supervision by the Commissioner.

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) and the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act (the “Economic Growth Act”). On July 21, 2010, the Dodd-Frank Act became law. The Dodd-Frank Act has had and will continue to have a broad impact on the financial services industry, including significant regulatory and compliance changes including, among other things,

In May 2018, the Economic Growth Act, was enacted to modify or remove certain financial reform rules and regulations, including some of those implemented under the Dodd-Frank Act. While the Economic Growth Act maintains most of the regulatory structure established by the Dodd-Frank Act, it amends certain aspects of the regulatory framework for small depository institutions with assets less than $10 billion and for large banks with assets of more than $50 billion.

The Economic Growth Act, among other matters, expands the definition of qualified mortgages which may be held by a financial institution and provides for an alternative capital rule which financial institutions and their holding companies with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion may elect to utilize. The Economic Growth Act instructed the federal banking regulators to establish a single “Community Bank Leverage Ratio” of between 8% and 10%. In addition, the Economic Growth Act includes regulatory relief for community banks of certain sizes regarding regulatory examination cycles, call reports, the Volcker Rule (proprietary trading prohibitions), mortgage disclosures and risk weights for certain high-risk commercial real estate loans. We have not opted to utilize the Community Bank Leverage Ratio and have instead continued to use the Basel III standards (see discussion on Basel III standards under the heading “Capital Adequacy” below).

It is difficult at this time to predict when or how any new standards under the Economic Growth Act will ultimately be applied to, or what specific impact the Economic Growth Act and the yet-to-be-written implementing rules and regulations will have on us.

Capital Adequacy. At December 31, 2021, the Bank exceeded each of its minimum capital requirements with a Tier 1 leverage capital ratio of 9.50%, common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 15.27%, Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 15.27% and total risk-based capital ratio of 16.19%. At December 31, 2021, the Company also exceeded each of its minimum capital requirements with a Tier 1 leverage capital ratio of 9.64%, common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 13.96%, Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 15.43% and total risk-based capital ratio of 16.35%.

On July 2, 2013, the Federal Reserve approved a final rule that establishes an integrated regulatory capital framework that addresses shortcomings in certain capital requirements. The rule, which became effective on January 1, 2015, implements in the United States the Basel III regulatory capital reforms from the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and certain changes required by the Dodd-Frank Act. The final rule:

The new minimum regulatory capital ratios and changes to the calculation of risk-weighted assets became effective for the Bank and the Company on January 1, 2015. The required minimum conservation buffer was phased in incrementally, starting at 0.625% on January 1, 2016 and increased to 1.25% on January 1, 2017, 1.875% on January 1, 2018, and 2.5% on January 1, 2019.

The final rule established common equity Tier 1 capital as a new capital component. Common equity Tier 1 capital consists of common stock instruments that meet the eligibility criteria in the final rule, retained earnings, accumulated other comprehensive income/loss and common equity Tier 1 minority interest. As a result, Tier 1 capital has two components: common equity Tier 1 capital and additional Tier 1 capital. The final rule also revised the eligibility criteria for inclusion in additional Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital. As a result of these changes, certain non-qualifying capital instruments, including cumulative preferred stock and trust preferred securities, are excluded as a component of Tier 1 capital for institutions of the size of the Company.

The final rule further requires that certain items be deducted from common equity Tier 1 capital, including (1) goodwill and other intangible assets, other than mortgage servicing rights, net of deferred tax liabilities (“DTLs”); (2) deferred tax assets that arise from operating losses and tax credit carryforwards, net of valuation allowances and DTLs; (3) after-tax gain-on-sale associated with a securitization exposure; and (4) defined benefit pension fund assets held by a depository institution holding company, net of DTLs. In addition, banking organizations must deduct from common equity Tier 1 capital the amount of certain assets, including mortgage servicing assets, that exceed certain thresholds. The final rule also allows all but the largest banking organizations to make a one-time election not to recognize unrealized gains and losses on available for sale debt securities in regulatory capital, as under prior capital rules.

The final rule provides that the failure to maintain the minimum conservation buffer will result in restrictions on capital distributions and discretionary cash bonus payments to executive officers. If a banking organization’s conservation buffer is less than 0.625%, the banking organization may not make any capital distributions or discretionary cash bonus payments to executive officers. If the conservation buffer is greater than 0.625% but not greater than 1.25%, capital distributions and discretionary cash bonus payments are limited to 20% of net income for the four calendar quarters preceding the applicable calendar quarter (net of any such capital distributions), or eligible retained income. If the conservation buffer is greater than 1.25% but not greater than 1.875%, the limit is 40% of eligible retained income, and if the conservation buffer is greater than 1.875% but not greater than 2.5%, the limit is 60% of eligible retained income. The preceding thresholds for the conservation buffer and related restrictions represent the fully phased in rules effective January 1, 2019.

Dividend and Repurchase Limitations. Federal regulations provide that the Company must obtain Federal Reserve approval prior to repurchasing its common stock for consideration in excess of 10% of its net worth during any twelve-month period unless the Company (i) both before and after the redemption satisfies capital requirements for a “well capitalized” bank holding company; (ii) received a one or two rating in its last examination; and (iii) is not the subject of any unresolved supervisory issues.

The ability of the Company to pay dividends or repurchase shares is largely dependent upon the Company’s receipt of dividends from the Bank. North Carolina commercial banks, such as the Bank, are subject to legal limitations on the amounts of dividends they are permitted to pay. Also, an insured depository institution, such as the Bank, is prohibited from making capital distributions, including the payment of dividends, if, after making such distribution, the institution would become “undercapitalized” (as such term is defined in the applicable law and regulations).

Deposit Insurance. As a member of the FDIC, our deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the FDIC, and such insurance is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. The basic deposit insurance level is generally $250,000, as specified in FDIC regulations. For this protection, each insured bank pays a quarterly statutory assessment and is subject to the rules and regulations of the FDIC.

We recognized approximately $415,000, $263,000 and $119,000 in FDIC insurance expense in 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively. In November 2018, the FDIC announced that the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) reserve ratio exceeded the statutory minimum of 1.35% as of September 30, 2018. Among other things, this resulted in the FDIC awarding assessment credits for banks with less than $10 billion in total assets that had contributed to the DIF in prior years. We were notified in January 2019 that we had received approximately $272,000 in credits that would be available to offset deposit insurance assessments once the DIF reached 1.38%. The DIF reached 1.38% as of June 30, 2019 and therefore, the FDIC began to apply the Bank’s credits to our quarterly deposit insurance assessments beginning with the second quarter of 2019. The Bank’s credits were fully utilized in the first quarter of 2020.

The FDIC may conduct examinations of and require reporting by FDIC-insured institutions. It may also prohibit an institution from engaging in any activity that it determines by regulation or order to pose a serious risk to the deposit insurance fund and may terminate the Bank’s deposit insurance if it determines that the institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices or is in an unsafe or unsound condition.

Federal Home Loan Bank System. The Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) system provides a central credit facility for member institutions. As a member of the FHLB of Atlanta, the Bank is required to own capital stock in the FHLB of Atlanta in an amount at least equal to 0.20% (or 20 basis points) of the Bank’s total assets at the end of each calendar year, plus 4.25% of its outstanding advances (borrowings) from the FHLB of Atlanta under the new activity-based stock ownership requirement. On December 31, 2021, the Bank was in compliance with this requirement.

Community Reinvestment. Under the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”), as implemented by regulations of the FDIC, an insured institution has a continuing and affirmative obligation consistent with its safe and sound operation to help meet the credit needs of its entire community, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions, nor does it limit an institution’s discretion to develop, consistent with the CRA, the types of products and services that it believes are best suited to its particular community. The CRA requires the federal banking regulators, in connection with their examinations of insured institutions, to assess the institutions’ records of meeting the credit needs of their communities, using the ratings of “outstanding,” “satisfactory,” “needs to improve,” or “substantial noncompliance,” and to take that record into account in its evaluation of certain applications by those institutions. All institutions are required to make public disclosure of their CRA performance ratings. The Bank received a “satisfactory” rating in its last CRA examination, which was conducted in January 2020.

Changes in Control. The BHCA prohibits the Company from acquiring direct or indirect control of more than 5% of the outstanding voting stock or substantially all of the assets of any bank or savings bank or merging or consolidating with another bank or financial holding company or savings bank holding company without prior approval of the Federal Reserve. Similarly, Federal Reserve approval (or, in certain cases, non‑objection) must be obtained prior to any person acquiring control of the Company. Control is deemed to exist if, among other things, a person acquires 25% or more of any class of voting stock of the Company or controls in any manner the election of a majority of the directors of the Company.

Federal Securities Law. The Company has registered its common stock with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time (the “Exchange Act”). As a result of such registration, the proxy and tender offer rules, insider trading reporting requirements, annual and periodic reporting and other requirements of the Exchange Act are applicable to the Company. In addition, the SEC and Nasdaq have adopted regulations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the Dodd Frank Act that apply to the Company as a Nasdaq-traded, public company, which seek to improve corporate governance, provide enhanced penalties for financial reporting improprieties and improve the reliability of disclosures in SEC filings.

Transactions with Affiliates. Under current federal law, depository institutions are subject to the restrictions and limitations contained in Section 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act with respect to loans to directors, executive officers and principal shareholders. In addition to limitations on the dollar value of loans to directors, executive officers and principal shareholders, pursuant to Section 22(h), the Federal Reserve requires that loans to directors, executive officers, and principal shareholders be made on terms substantially the same as offered in comparable transactions with non-executive employees of the Bank. The FDIC has imposed additional limits on the amount a bank can loan to an executive officer.

Loans to One Borrower. The Bank is subject to the loans-to-one-borrower limits established by North Carolina law, which are substantially the same as those applicable to national banks. Under these limits, no loans and extensions of credit to any borrower outstanding at one time and not fully secured by readily marketable collateral may exceed 15% of the Bank’s total equity capital. At December 31, 2021, this limit was $24.7 million. This limit is increased by an additional 10% of the Bank’s total equity capital, or $41.2 million as of December 31, 2021, for loans and extensions of credit that are fully secured by readily marketable collateral.

Anti-Money Laundering and the USA Patriot Act. A major focus of governmental policy on financial institutions in recent years has been aimed at combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (the “USA Patriot Act”“), substantially broadened the scope of United States anti-money laundering laws and regulations by imposing significant new compliance and due diligence obligations on financial institutions, creating new crimes and penalties and expanding the extra-territorial jurisdiction of the United States. Financial institutions are also prohibited from entering into specified financial transactions and account relationships and must use enhanced due diligence procedures in their dealings with certain types of high-risk customers and implement a written customer identification program. Financial institutions must take certain steps to assist government agencies in detecting and preventing money laundering and report certain types of suspicious transactions. Regulatory authorities routinely examine financial institutions for compliance with these obligations, and failure of a financial institution to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, or to comply with all of the relevant laws or regulations, could have serious financial, legal and reputational consequences for the institution, including causing applicable bank regulatory authorities not to approve merger or acquisition transactions when regulatory approval is required or to prohibit such transactions even if approval is not required. Regulatory authorities have imposed cease and desist orders and civil money penalties against institutions found to be violating these obligations.

The Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (“AMLA”), which amends the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 (“BSA”), was enacted in January 2021. The AMLA is intended to be a comprehensive reform and modernization to U.S. bank secrecy and anti-money laundering laws. Among other things, it codifies a risk-based approach to anti-money laundering compliance for financial institutions; requires the development of standards for evaluating technology and internal processes for BSA compliance; expands enforcement- and investigation-related authority, including increasing available sanctions for certain BSA violations and instituting BSA whistleblower incentives and protections.

Interstate Banking and Branching. The BHCA was amended by the Interstate Banking Act. The Interstate Banking Act provides that adequately capitalized and managed financial and bank holding companies are permitted to acquire banks in any state. State law prohibiting interstate banking or discriminating against out-of-state banks is preempted. States are not permitted to enact laws opting out of this provision; however, states are allowed to adopt a minimum age restriction requiring that target banks located within the state be in existence for a period of years, up to a maximum of five years, before a bank may be subject to the Interstate Banking Act. The Interstate Banking Act, as amended by the Dodd-Frank Act, establishes deposit caps which prohibit acquisitions that result in the acquiring company controlling 30% or more of the deposits of insured banks and thrift institutions held in the state in which the target maintains a branch or 10% or more of the deposits nationwide. States have the authority to waive the 30% deposit cap. State-level deposit caps are not preempted as long as they do not discriminate against out-of-state companies, and the federal deposit caps apply only to initial entry acquisitions.

Limits on Rates Paid on Deposits and Brokered Deposits. FDIC regulations limit the ability of insured depository institutions to accept, renew or roll-over deposits by offering rates of interest which are significantly higher than the prevailing rates of interest on deposits offered by other insured depository institutions having the same type of charter in such depository institution’s normal market area. Under these regulations, “well capitalized” depository institutions may accept, renew or roll-over such deposits without restriction, “adequately capitalized” depository institutions may accept, renew or roll-over such deposits with a waiver from the FDIC (subject to certain restrictions on payments of rates) and “undercapitalized” depository institutions may not accept, renew, or roll-over such deposits. Definitions of “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized” and “undercapitalized” are the same as the definitions adopted by federal banking agencies to implement the prompt corrective action provisions discussed above.

Current Expected Credit Loss Accounting Standard. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) has adopted a new accounting standard related to reserving for credit losses. This standard, referred to as Current Expected Credit Loss (or “CECL”), requires FDIC-insured institutions and their holding companies (banking organizations) to recognize credit losses expected over the life of certain financial assets. The CECL framework is expected to result in earlier recognition of credit losses and is expected to be significantly influenced by the composition, characteristics and quality of the Company’s loan portfolio, as well as the prevailing economic conditions and forecasts. See Item 1A. Risk Factors for a further discussion of risks related to CECL.

Financial Privacy and Cybersecurity. The federal banking regulators have adopted rules that limit the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose non-public information about consumers to non-affiliated third parties. These limitations require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to a non-affiliated third party. These regulations affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial companies and conveyed to outside vendors. In addition, consumers may also prevent disclosure of certain information among affiliated companies that is assembled or used to determine eligibility for a product or service, such as that shown on consumer credit reports and asset and income information from applications. Consumers also have the option to direct banks and other financial institutions not to share information about transactions and experiences with affiliated companies for the purpose of marketing products or services.

In the ordinary course of business, we rely on electronic communications and information systems to conduct our operations and to store sensitive data. We employ an in-depth, layered, defensive approach that leverages people, processes and technology to manage and maintain cybersecurity controls. We employ a variety of preventative and detective tools to monitor, block, and provide alerts regarding suspicious activity, as well as to report on any suspected advanced persistent threats. Notwithstanding the strength of our defensive measures, the threat from cyber-attacks is severe, attacks are sophisticated and increasing in volume, and attackers respond rapidly to changes in defensive measures. While to date we have not detected a significant compromise, significant data loss or any material financial losses related to cybersecurity attacks, our systems and those of our customers and third-party service providers are under constant threat and it is possible that we could experience a significant event in the future. Risks and exposures related to cybersecurity attacks are expected to remain high for the foreseeable future due to the rapidly evolving nature and sophistication of these threats, as well as due to the expanding use of Internet banking, mobile banking and other technology-based products and services by us and our customers. See Item 1A. Risk Factors for a further discussion of risks related to cybersecurity.

The Bank Secrecy Act (BSA). The BSA requires all financial institutions, including banks and securities broker-dealers, to, among other things, establish a risk-based system of internal controls reasonably designed to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism. It includes a variety of recordkeeping and reporting requirements (such as cash and suspicious activity reporting) as well as due diligence/know-your-customer documentation requirements. The Bank has established an anti-money laundering program to comply with the BSA requirements.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“SOX”) implements a broad range of corporate governance and accounting measures for public companies (including publicly-held bank holding companies such as the Company) designed to promote honesty and transparency in corporate America and better protect investors from the types of corporate wrongdoings that occurred at Enron and WorldCom, among other companies. SOX’s principal provisions, many of which have been implemented through regulations released and policies and rules adopted by the securities exchanges in 2003 and 2004, provide for and include, among other things:

The Company complies with the provisions of SOX and its underlying regulations. Management believes that such compliance efforts have strengthened the Company’s overall corporate governance structure, and does not believe that such compliance has to date had, or will in the future have, a material impact on the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

Standards for Safety and Soundness. Pursuant to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (“FDICIA”) the federal bank regulatory agencies have prescribed, by regulation, standards and guidelines for all insured depository institutions and depository institution holding companies relating to: (i) internal controls, information systems and internal audit systems; (ii) loan documentation; (iii) credit underwriting; (iv) interest rate risk exposure; (v) asset growth; and (vi) compensation, fees and benefits. The compensation standards prohibit employment contracts, compensation or benefit arrangements, stock option plans, fee arrangements or other compensatory arrangements that would provide “excessive” compensation, fees or benefits, or that could lead to material financial loss. In addition, the federal bank regulatory agencies are required by FDICIA to prescribe standards specifying: (i) maximum classified assets to capital ratios; (ii) minimum earnings sufficient to absorb losses without impairing capital; and (iii) to the extent feasible, a minimum ratio of market value to book value for publicly-traded shares of depository institutions and depository institution holding companies.

Other. Additional regulations require annual examinations of all insured depository institutions by the appropriate federal banking agency and establish operational and managerial, asset quality, earnings and stock valuation standards for insured depository institutions, as well as compensation standards.

The Bank is subject to examination by the FDIC and the Commissioner. In addition, the Bank is subject to various other state and federal laws and regulations, including state usury laws, laws relating to fiduciaries, consumer credit, equal credit and fair credit reporting laws and laws relating to branch banking. The Bank, as an insured North Carolina commercial bank, is prohibited from engaging as a principal in activities that are not permitted for national banks, unless (i) the FDIC determines that the activity would pose no significant risk to the appropriate deposit insurance fund and (ii) the Bank is, and continues to be, in compliance with all applicable capital standards.

Future Requirements. Statutes and regulations, which contain wide-ranging proposals for altering the structures, regulations and competitive relationships of financial institutions, are introduced regularly. Neither the Company nor the Bank can predict whether or what form any proposed statute or regulation will be adopted or the extent to which the business of the Company or the Bank may be affected by such statute or regulation.

Available Information

The Company makes its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports available free of charge on its internet website www.peoplesbanknc.com as soon as reasonably practicable after the reports are electronically filed with the SEC. The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q are also available on its internet website in interactive data format using the eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL), which allows financial statement information to be downloaded directly into spreadsheets, analyzed in a variety of ways using commercial off-the-shelf software and used within investment models in other software formats. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy information, statements and other information filed by the Company with the SEC electronically. These filings are also accessible on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov.

The Company maintains an internet website at www.peoplesbanknc.com. The Company’s corporate governance policies, including the charters of the Audit and Enterprise Risk, Compensation, and Governance Committees, and the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics may be found on the Company’s website. A written copy of the foregoing corporate governance policies is available upon written request to the Company. Information included on the Company’s website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.