# FIRST BUSINESS FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC. (FBIZ) FY 2021 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from FIRST BUSINESS FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.'s 10-K for fiscal year 2021.

SEC filing source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1521951/000152195122000016/fbiz-20211231.htm
Accession: 0001521951-22-000016
Filing date: 2022-02-23
Report date: 2021-12-31
Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary.
Confidence: high

Company profile: /company/FBIZ/
All MD&A years: /company/FBIZ/mda/
Next year: /company/FBIZ/mda/fy2022/ (FY 2022)

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Forward-Looking Statements

    When used in this report the words or phrases “may,” “could,” “should,” “hope,” “might,” “believe,” “expect,” “plan,” “assume,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “project,” “likely,” or similar expressions are intended to identify “forward-looking statements.” Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including among other things:

•Adverse changes in the economy or business conditions, either nationally or in our markets, including, without limitation, inflation, supply chain issues, labor shortages, and the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global, national, and local economy, which may effect the Corporation’s credit quality, revenue, and business operations.

•Competitive pressures among depository and other financial institutions nationally and in our markets.

•Increases in defaults by borrowers and other delinquencies.

•Our ability to manage growth effectively, including the successful expansion of our client support, administrative infrastructure, and internal management systems.

•Fluctuations in interest rates and market prices.

•The consequences of continued bank acquisitions and mergers in our markets, resulting in fewer but much larger and financially stronger competitors.

•Changes in legislative or regulatory requirements applicable to us and our subsidiaries.

•Changes in tax requirements, including tax rate changes, new tax laws, and revised tax law interpretations.

•Fraud, including client and system failure or breaches of our network security, including our internet banking activities.

•Failure to comply with the applicable SBA regulations in order to maintain the eligibility of the guaranteed portions of SBA loans.

    These risks, together with the risks identified in Item 1A — Risk Factors, could cause actual results to differ materially from what we have anticipated or projected. These risk factors and uncertainties should be carefully considered by our shareholders and potential investors. Investors should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made.

    Where any such forward-looking statement includes a statement of the assumptions or bases underlying such forward-looking statement, we caution that, while our management believes such assumptions or bases are reasonable and are made in good faith, assumed facts or bases can vary from actual results, and the differences between assumed facts or bases and actual results can be material, depending on the circumstances. Where, in any forward-looking statement, an expectation or belief is expressed as to future results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the statement of expectation or belief will be achieved or accomplished.

    We do not intend to, and specifically disclaim any obligation to, update any forward-looking statements.

    The following discussion and analysis is intended as a review of significant events and factors affecting our financial condition and results of operations for the periods indicated. The discussion should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and the Notes thereto.

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Overview

    We are a registered bank holding company incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin and are engaged in the commercial banking business through our wholly-owned banking subsidiary, FBB. All of our operations are conducted through FBB and First Business Specialty Finance, LLC (“FBSF”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of FBB. We operate as a business bank focusing on delivering a full line of commercial banking products and services tailored to meet the specific needs of small and medium-sized businesses, business owners, executives, professionals, and high net worth individuals. Our products and services include those for business banking, private wealth, and bank consulting. Within business banking, we offer commercial lending, asset-based lending, accounts receivable financing, equipment financing, floorplan financing, vendor financing, SBA lending and servicing, treasury management services, and company retirement plans. Our private wealth services for executives and individuals include trust and estate administration, financial planning, investment management, consumer lending, and private banking. For other financial institutions, our bank consulting experts provide investment portfolio administrative services, asset liability management services, and asset liability management process validation. We do not utilize a branch network to attract retail clients. Our operating philosophy is predicated on deep client relationships within our commercial bank markets and extensive expertise within our nationwide specialized lending business lines, combined with the efficiency of centralized administrative functions, such as information technology, loan and deposit operations, finance and accounting, credit administration, compliance, marketing, and human resources. Our focused model allows experienced staff to provide the level of financial expertise needed to develop and maintain long-term relationships with our clients.

Long-Term Strategic Plan

    In early 2019, management finalized the development of its five year strategic plan and began the implementation of strategies and initiatives that will drive successful execution. Management’s objective over this five year period is to excel by building an expert team with diverse experiences who work together to impact client success more than any other financial partner. To meet this objective, we identified four key strategies which are linked to corporate financial goals, all business lines, and centralized administration functions to ensure communication and execution are consistent at all levels of the Corporation. These four strategies are described below:

•We will identify, attract, develop, and retain a diverse, high performing team to positively impact the overall performance and efficiency of the Corporation.

•We will increase internal efficiencies, deliver a differentiated client experience, and drive client experience utilizing technology where possible.

•We will diversify and grow our deposit base.

•We will optimize our business lines for diversification and performance.

The following table below shows the Corporation’s performance for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019 in comparison to the key performance indicators included in the Corporation’s long-term strategic plan.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","As of and for the Year Ended December 31,"],["Key Performance Indicators","2019","2020","2021","2023 Goal"],["Return on average equity (\u201cROAE\u201d)","12.55%","8.64%","16.21%","13.50%"],["Return on average assets (\u201cROAA\u201d)","1.14%","0.70%","1.37%","1.15%"],["Top line revenue growth","9.1%","11.5%","8.4%","\u2265 10% per year"],["In-market deposits to total bank funding","75.5%","74.8%","82.9%","\u2265 75%"],["Employee engagement (1)","82%","91%","87%","\u2265 80%"],["Client satisfaction (1)","93%","96%","93%","\u2265 90%"],["(1) Anonymous surveys conducted annually"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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Financial Performance Summary 

Results as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021 include:

•Net income for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $35.8 million, increasing 110.6% compared to $17.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

•Diluted earnings per common share were $4.17 for the year ended December 31, 2021, increasing 111.4% compared to $1.97 in the prior year.

•Return on average assets and return on average equity for the year ended December 31, 2021 were 1.37% and 16.21% respectively, compared to 0.70% and 8.64%, respectively, for 2020.

•Pre-tax, pre-provision adjusted earnings, which excludes certain one-time and discrete items, for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $41.2 million, increasing 7.2% compared to $38.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Pre-tax, pre-provision adjusted return on average assets for the year ended December 31, 2021 was 1.58%, compared to 1.59% for the year ended December 31, 2020.

•Net interest margin was 3.44% for the year ended December 31, 2021, increasing 4 basis points from 3.40% for the year ended December 31, 2020. Adjusted net interest margin, which excludes certain one-time and discrete items, was 3.21% for the year ended December 31, 2021, decreasing seven basis points from 3.28% for the year ended December 31, 2020.

•Fees in lieu of interest, defined as prepayment fees, asset-based loan fees, non-accrual interest, and loan fee amortization, totaled $11.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, increasing 19.8% compared to $9.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Loan fee amortization for the year ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020 includes PPP processing fee income of $7.3 million and $5.3 million, respectively.

•Top line revenue, which consists of net interest income and non-interest income, grew 8.4% to $112.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $104.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020.

•Provision for loan and lease losses was a net benefit of $5.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to provision expense of $16.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Net recoveries as a percentage of average loans and leases were 0.07% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to net charge-offs of 0.39% for the year ended December 31, 2020.

•Total assets at December 31, 2021 increased $85.1 million, or 3.3%, to $2.653 billion from $2.568 billion at December 31, 2020.

•Period-end gross loans and leases receivable at December 31, 2021 increased $93.4 million, or 4.4%, to $2.239 billion from $2.146 billion as of December 31, 2020. Average gross loans and leases of $2.179 billion increased $167.8 million, or 8.3% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $2.011 billion for the same period in 2020.

•Period-end gross loans and leases receivable, excluding net PPP loans, at December 31, 2021 increased $291.5 million, or 15.18%, to $2.212 billion from $1.921 billion as of December 31, 2020. Average gross loans and leases, excluding net PPP loans, of $2.027 billion increased $230.6 million, or 12.8% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $1.796 billion for the same period in 2020.

•PPP loans and PPP deferred processing fees were $27.9 million and $557,000, respectively, at December 31, 2021. Average PPP loans, net of deferred processing fees, were $152.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021.

•Non-performing assets were $6.5 million or 0.25% of total assets as of December 31, 2021, compared to $26.7 million or 1.04% of total assets as of December 31, 2020. Non-performing assets to total assets, excluding net PPP loans were 0.25% as of December 31, 2021, compared to 1.14% as of December 31, 2020.

•The allowance for loan and lease losses as of December 31, 2021 decreased $4.2 million, or 14.7%, to $24.3 million, compared to $28.5 million as of December 31, 2020. The allowance for loan and lease losses was 1.09% of total loans as of December 31, 2021, compared to 1.33% as of December 31, 2020. Excluding net PPP loans, the allowance for loan and lease losses decreased to 1.10% of total loans as of December 31, 2021, compared to 1.48% as of December 31, 2020.

•Period-end in-market deposits at December 31, 2021 increased $245.3 million, or 14.6%, to $1.928 billion from $1.683 billion as of December 31, 2020. Average in-market deposits of $1.784 billion increased $215.8 million, or 13.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $1.569 billion for the same period in 2020.

•Trust assets under management and administration increased by $671.7 million, or 29.9%, to $2.921 billion at December 31, 2021, compared to $2.249 billion at December 31, 2020.

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Results of Operations

Top Line Revenue

    Top line revenue, comprised of net interest income and non-interest income, increased 8.4% for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020 primarily due to a $7.6 million, or 9.8%, increase in net interest income and a $1.2 million, or 4.3%, increase in non-interest income. The increase in net interest income was driven by an increase in PPP loan processing fees, a decrease in interest expense, and an increase in average loans and leases outstanding and related interest income, partially offset by a reduction in asset-based loan fees in lieu of interest. The increase in non-interest income was primarily due to a $2.2 million increase in trust and investment fee income, $2.2 million increase in other fee income, $1.1 million increase in gains on the sale of SBA loans, and $680,000 increase in loan fee income. These favorable variances in top line revenue were partially offset by a reduction in swap fee income, which decreased $5.5 million compared to the year ended December 31, 2020.

    The components of top line revenue were as follows: 

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","For the Year Ended December 31,","","","","Change From Prior Year"],["","","2021","","2020","","","","$ Change","","% Change"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Net interest income","","$","84,662","","","$","77,071","","","","","$","7,591","","","9.8","%"],["Non-interest income","","28,100","","","26,940","","","","","1,160","","","4.3"],["Top line revenue","","$","112,762","","","$","104,011","","","","","$","8,751","","","8.4"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Return on Average Assets and Return on Average Equity

    ROAA was 1.37% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to 0.70% for the year ended December 31, 2020 principally due to a $22.6 million decrease in provision for loan and lease losses. Please refer to the Components of the Provision for Loan and Lease Losses included in the Provision for Loan and Lease Losses section below for further discussion on the reasons driving the improvement in profitability. We consider ROAA a critical metric to measure the profitability of our organization and how efficiently our assets are deployed. ROAA also allows us to better benchmark our profitability to our peers without the need to consider different degrees of leverage which can ultimately influence return on equity measures.

    ROAE for the year ended December 31, 2021 was 16.21% compared to 8.64% for the year ended December 31, 2020. The primary reason for the increase in ROAE is consistent with the net income variance explanation as discussed under Return on Average Assets above. We view ROAE as an important measurement for monitoring profitability and continue to focus on improving our return to our shareholders by enhancing the overall profitability of our client relationships, controlling our expenses, and minimizing our costs of credit.

Efficiency Ratio and Pre-Tax, Pre-Provision Adjusted Earnings

    Efficiency ratio is a non-GAAP measure representing non-interest expense excluding the effects of the SBA recourse benefit, impairment of tax credit investments, net losses on foreclosed properties, amortization of other intangible assets, losses on early extinguishment of debt, and other discrete items, if any, divided by operating revenue, which is equal to net interest income plus non-interest income less realized net gains or losses on securities, if any. Pre-tax, pre-provision adjusted earnings is defined as operating revenue less operating expense. Management believes the adjustments made to non-interest expense and non-interest income allow investors and analysts to better assess the Corporation’s operating expenses in relation to its core operating revenue by removing the volatility that is associated with certain one-time items and other discrete items.

    The efficiency ratio was 63.49% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to 63.09% for the year ended December 31, 2020. The Corporation generated positive operating leverage as pre-tax, pre-provision adjusted earnings increased $2.8 million, or 7.2%, to $41.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $38.4 million for the same period in 2020. The increase in operating revenue was partially offset by a $5.9 million, or 12.8%, increase in compensation.

We believe the Corporation will generate positive operating leverage annually and progress towards enhancing the long-term efficiency ratio at a measured pace as we focus on strategic initiatives directed toward revenue growth, process improvement, and automation. These initiatives include efforts to grow our existing specialized lending revenues, increase our commercial banking market share, and scale our private wealth management business in our less mature commercial banking markets.

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    We believe the efficiency ratio and pre-tax, pre-provision adjusted earnings allow investors and analysts to better assess the Corporation’s operating expenses in relation to its top line revenue by removing the volatility that is associated with certain non-recurring and other discrete items. The efficiency ratio and pre-tax, pre-provision adjusted earnings also allow management to benchmark performance of our model to our peers without the influence of the loan loss provision and tax considerations, which will ultimately influence other traditional financial measurements, including ROAA and ROAE. The information provided below reconciles the efficiency ratio to its most comparable GAAP measure.

    Please refer to the Non-Interest Income and Non-Interest Expense sections below for discussion on additional drivers of the year-over-year change in the efficiency ratio.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","For the Year Ended December 31,","Change From Prior Year"],["","","2021","","2020","","$ Change","","% Change"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Total non-interest expense","","$","71,535","","","$","68,898","","","$","2,637","","","3.8","%"],["Less:"],["Net loss on foreclosed properties","","15","","","383","","","(368)","","","(96.1)"],["Amortization of other intangible assets","","25","","","35","","","(10)","","","(28.6)"],["SBA recourse benefit","","(76)","","","(278)","","","202","","","(72.7)"],["Impairment of tax credit investments","","\u2014","","","2,395","","","(2,395)","","","NM"],["Loss on early extinguishment of debt","","\u2014","","","744","","","(744)","","","NM"],["Total operating expense (a)","","$","71,571","","","$","65,619","","","$","5,952","","","9.1"],["Net interest income","","$","84,662","","","$","77,071","","","$","7,591","","","9.8"],["Total non-interest income","","28,100","","","26,940","","","1,160","","","4.3"],["Less:"],["Net gain (loss) on sale of securities","","29","","","(4)","","","33","","","NM"],["Adjusted non-interest income","","28,071","","","26,944","","","1,127","","","4.2"],["Total operating revenue (b)","","$","112,733","","","$","104,015","","","$","8,718","","","8.4"],["Efficiency ratio","","63.49","%","","63.09","%"],["Pre-tax, pre-provision adjusted earnings (b-a)","","$","41,162","","","$","38,396","","","$","2,766","","","7.2"],["Average total assets","","2,605,008","","","2,419,616","","","185,392","","","7.7"],["Pre-tax, pre-provision adjusted return on average assets","","1.58","%","","1.59","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

NM = Not meaningful

Net Interest Income

    Net interest income levels depend on the amount of and yield on interest-earning assets as compared to the amount of and rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities. Net interest income is sensitive to changes in market rates of interest and the asset/liability management processes to prepare for and respond to such changes.

The table below shows average balances, interest, average rates, net interest margin and the spread between combined average rates earned on our interest-earning assets and cost of interest-bearing liabilities for the periods indicated. The average balances are derived from average daily balances.

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[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","For the Year Ended December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","Average Balance","","Interest","","Average Yield/ Rate","","Average Balance","","Interest","","Average Yield/ Rate"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Interest-earning assets"],["Commercial real estate and other mortgage loans(1)","","$","1,387,434","","","$","51,930","","","3.74","%","","$","1,245,886","","","$","51,188","","","4.11","%"],["Commercial and industrial loans(1)","","727,923","","","37,470","","","5.15","%","","701,328","","","35,487","","","5.06","%"],["Direct financing leases(1)","","19,591","","","872","","","4.45","%","","26,564","","","1,039","","","3.91","%"],["Consumer and other loans(1)","","44,206","","","1,572","","","3.56","%","","37,544","","","1,446","","","3.85","%"],["Total loans and leases receivable(1)","","2,179,154","","","91,844","","","4.21","%","","2,011,322","","","89,160","","","4.43","%"],["Mortgage-related securities(2)","","159,242","","","2,633","","","1.65","%","","173,084","","","3,548","","","2.05","%"],["Other investment securities(3)","","44,739","","","777","","","1.74","%","","31,809","","","639","","","2.01","%"],["FHLB stock","","13,066","","","651","","","4.98","%","","11,576","","","671","","","5.80","%"],["Short-term investments","","64,308","","","90","","","0.14","%","","37,314","","","161","","","0.43","%"],["Total interest-earning assets","","2,460,509","","","95,995","","","3.90","%","","2,265,105","","","94,179","","","4.16","%"],["Non-interest-earning assets","","144,499","","","","","","","154,511"],["Total assets","","$","2,605,008","","","","","","","$","2,419,616"],["Interest-bearing liabilities"],["Transaction accounts","","$","506,693","","","988","","","0.19","%","","$","392,577","","","1,448","","","0.37","%"],["Money market","","693,608","","","1,183","","","0.17","%","","651,402","","","2,842","","","0.44","%"],["Certificates of deposit","","47,020","","","396","","","0.84","%","","111,698","","","2,198","","","1.97","%"],["Wholesale deposits","","119,831","","","986","","","0.82","%","","142,591","","","2,434","","","1.71","%"],["Total interest-bearing deposits","","1,367,152","","","3,553","","","0.26","%","","1,298,268","","","8,922","","","0.69","%"],["FHLB advances","","376,781","","","4,908","","","1.30","%","","379,891","","","5,507","","","1.45","%"],["Federal reserve PPPLF","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","%","","15,207","","","54","","","0.36","%"],["Other borrowings","","31,935","","","1,759","","","5.51","%","","24,472","","","1,509","","","6.17","%"],["Junior subordinated notes","","10,068","","","1,113","","","11.05","%","","10,054","","","1,116","","","11.10","%"],["Total interest-bearing liabilities","","1,785,936","","","11,333","","","0.63","%","","1,727,892","","","17,108","","","0.99","%"],["Non-interest-bearing demand deposit accounts","","536,981","","","","","","","412,825"],["Other non-interest-bearing liabilities","","61,580","","","","","","","82,337"],["Total liabilities","","2,384,497","","","","","","","2,223,054"],["Stockholders\u2019 equity","","220,511","","","","","","","196,562"],["Total liabilities and stockholders\u2019 equity","","$","2,605,008","","","","","","","$","2,419,616"],["Net interest income","","","","$","84,662","","","","","","","$","77,071"],["Net interest spread","","","","","","3.27","%","","","","","","3.17","%"],["Net interest-earning assets","","$","674,573","","","","","","","$","537,213"],["Net interest margin","","","","","","3.44","%","","","","","","3.40","%"],["Average interest-earning assets to average interest-bearing liabilities","","137.77","%","","","","","","131.09","%"],["Return on average assets","","1.37","%","","","","","","0.70","%"],["Return on average equity","","16.21","%","","","","","","8.64","%"],["Average equity to average assets","","8.46","%","","","","","","8.12","%"],["Non-interest expense to average assets","","2.75","%","","","","","","2.85","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(1)The average balances of loans and leases include non-accrual loans and leases and loans held for sale. Interest income related to non-accrual loans and leases is recognized when collected. Interest income includes net loan fees collected in lieu of interest.

(2)Includes amortized cost basis of assets available-for-sale and held-to-maturity.

(3)Yields on tax-exempt municipal securities are not presented on a tax-equivalent basis in this table.

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    The following table provides information with respect to: (1) the change in net interest income attributable to changes in rate (changes in rate multiplied by prior volume); and (2) the change in net interest income attributable to changes in volume (changes in volume multiplied by prior rate) for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The change in net interest income attributable to changes in rate and volume (changes in rate multiplied by changes in volume) has been allocated to the rate and volume changes in proportion to the relationship of the absolute dollar amounts of the change in each.

Rate/Volume Analysis

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","Increase (Decrease) for the Year Ended December 31,"],["","","2021 Compared to 2020"],["","","Rate","","Volume","","Net"],["","","(In Thousands)"],["Interest-earning assets"],["Commercial real estate and other mortgage loans(1)","","$","(4,784)","","","$","5,526","","","$","742"],["Commercial and industrial loans(1)","","621","","","1,362","","","1,983"],["Direct financing leases(1)","","130","","","(297)","","","(167)"],["Consumer and other loans(1)","","(117)","","","243","","","126"],["Total loans and leases receivable(1)","","(4,150)","","","6,834","","","2,684"],["Mortgage-related securities(2)","","(647)","","","(268)","","","(915)"],["Other investment securities","","(96)","","","234","","","138"],["FHLB Stock","","(100)","","","80","","","(20)"],["Short-term investments","","(147)","","","76","","","(71)"],["Total net change in income on interest-earning assets","","(5,140)","","","6,956","","","1,816"],["Interest-bearing liabilities"],["Transaction accounts","","(805)","","","345","","","(460)"],["Money market","","(1,832)","","","173","","","(1,659)"],["Certificates of deposit","","(895)","","","(907)","","","(1,802)"],["Wholesale deposits","","(1,107)","","","(341)","","","(1,448)"],["Total deposits","","(4,639)","","","(730)","","","(5,369)"],["FHLB advances","","(554)","","","(45)","","","(599)"],["Federal reserve PPPLF","","\u2014","","","(54)","","","(54)"],["Other borrowings","","(174)","","","424","","","250"],["Junior subordinated notes","","(5)","","","2","","","(3)"],["Total net change in expense on interest-bearing liabilities","","(5,372)","","","(403)","","","(5,775)"],["Net change in net interest income","","$","232","","","$","7,359","","","$","7,591"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(1)The average balances of loans and leases include non-accrual loans and leases and loans held for sale. Interest income related to non-accrual loans and leases is recognized when collected. Interest income includes net loan fees collected in lieu of interest.

(2)Includes amortized cost basis of assets available-for-sale and held-to-maturity.

    Net interest income increased by $7.6 million, or 9.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase compared to the prior year was principally due to an increase in average loans and leases outstanding, increase in PPP loan processing fees, and rate-driven decrease in interest expense. Average gross loans and leases of $2.179 billion increased by $167.8 million, or 8.3% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $2.011 billion for the same period in 2020. Loan fees collected in lieu of interest increased 19.8% to $11.2 million, compared to $9.3 million during the same period of comparison. Excluding PPP fee amortization, loan fees collected in lieu of interest decreased 4.6% to $3.8 million, compared to $4.0 million during the same period of comparison. Excluding net PPP loans, average gross loans and leases for the year ended December 31, 2021 increased $230.6 million, or 12.8%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2020. Excluding fees in lieu of interest and interest income from PPP loans, net interest income increased $6.4 million, or 9.7%.

    The yield on average earning assets for the year ended December 31, 2021 was 3.90%, a decrease of 26 basis points compared to 4.16% for the year ended December 31, 2020. This decrease was principally due to the renewal of fixed-rate loans and reinvestment of security cash flows at historically low interest rates and a decrease in recurring loan fees in lieu of interest.

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This decrease was partially offset by the increase in PPP loan processing fees and reduction in average PPP loans earning 1% interest. Excluding the impact of recurring loan fees in lieu of interest and PPP fees in both 2021 and 2020, the yield on average earning assets for the year ended December 31, 2021 was 3.45%, a decrease of 30 basis points compared to 3.75% for the year ended December 31, 2020.

    The average rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities was 0.63% for the year ended December 31, 2021, a decrease of 36 basis points from 0.99% for the year ended December 31, 2020. The average rate paid declined as the Corporation decreased deposit rates and renewed maturing FHLB advances at historically low fixed rates. In addition to the reduction in deposit rates and FHLB advance renewals, average wholesale deposits, which are typically longer duration and therefore a higher cost funding source than in-market deposits, decreased $22.8 million, or 16.0%.

    Net interest margin increased four basis points to 3.44% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to 3.40% for the year ended December 31, 2020. Adjusted net interest margin measured 3.21% for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to 3.28% for the year ended December 31, 2020. Adjusted net interest margin is a non-GAAP measure representing net interest income excluding the fees in lieu of interest and other recurring but volatile components of net interest margin divided by average interest-earning assets less average net PPP loans, if any, and other recurring but volatile components of average interest-earning assets. Fees in lieu of interest are defined as prepayment fees, asset-based loan fees, non-accrual interest, and loan fee amortization. The decrease in adjusted net interest margin was primarily due to the decrease in average yield on loans and leases receivable and investment securities, partially offset by a decrease in the average rate paid on in-market deposits and wholesale funding.

    Management believes its success in growing in-market deposits, disciplined loan pricing, and increased production in existing higher-yielding specialized lending lines of business will allow the Corporation to achieve a net interest margin of at least 3.50%, on average, over the long-term. However, the collection of loan fees in lieu of interest is an expected source of volatility to quarterly net interest income and net interest margin, particularly given the nature of the Corporation’s asset-based lending business and the Corporation’s participation in the PPP. Net interest margin may also experience volatility due to events such as the collection of interest on loans previously in non-accrual status or the accumulation of significant short-term deposit inflows. Due to significant loan growth in 2021 and expectations for low double-digit loan growth in 2022, management believes excess liquidity will revert back to historical averages in 2022.

Provision for Loan and Lease Losses

    We determine our provision for loan and lease losses pursuant to our allowance for loan and lease loss methodology, which is based on the magnitude of current and historical net charge-offs recorded throughout the established look-back period, the evaluation of several qualitative factors for each portfolio category, and the amount of specific reserves established for impaired loans that present collateral shortfall positions. Refer to Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses, below, for further information regarding our allowance for loan and lease loss methodology.

The Corporation recognized a $5.8 million provision benefit for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $16.8 million provision expense for the year ended December 31, 2020. The provision benefit for the year ended December 31, 2021 was primarily due to a net recovery of $1.6 million, a $4.5 million reduction in the general reserve from improving historical loss rates, and a $2.2 million decrease in specific reserves. These decreases were partially offset by a $2.9 million increase in the general reserve due to loan growth.

The following table shows the components of the provision for loan and lease losses for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to the year ended December 31, 2020.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","For the Year Ended December 31,"],["(Dollars in thousands)","","2021","","2020"],["Change in general reserve due to subjective factor changes","","$","(426)","","","$","5,460"],["Change in general reserve due to historical loss factor changes","","(4,456)","","","949"],["Charge-offs","","3,508","","","8,139"],["Recoveries","","(5,126)","","","(332)"],["Change in specific reserves on impaired loans, net","","(2,175)","","","316"],["Change due to loan growth, net","","2,872","","","2,276"],["Total provision for loan and lease losses","","$","(5,803)","","","$","16,808"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

     The addition of specific reserves on impaired loans represents new specific reserves established when collateral shortfalls or government guaranty deficiencies are present, while conversely the release of specific reserves represents the

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reduction of previously established reserves that are no longer required. Changes in the allowance for loan and lease losses due to subjective factor changes reflect management’s evaluation of the level of risk within the portfolio based upon several factors for each portfolio segment. Charge-offs in excess of previously established specific reserves require an additional provision for loan and lease losses to maintain the allowance for loan and lease losses at a level deemed appropriate by management. This amount is net of the release of any specific reserve that may have already been provided. Change in the inherent risk of the portfolio is primarily influenced by the overall growth in gross loans and leases and an analysis of loans previously charged off, as well as movement of existing loans and leases in and out of an impaired loan classification where a specific evaluation of a particular credit may be required rather than the application of a general reserve loss rate. Refer to Asset Quality, below, for further information regarding the overall credit quality of our loan and lease portfolio.

Non-Interest Income

    Non-interest income increased by $1.2 million, or 4.3%, to $28.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, from $26.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Management continues to focus on revenue growth from multiple non-interest income sources in order to maintain a diversified revenue stream through greater contributions from fee-based revenues. Total non-interest income accounted for 24.9% of our total revenues in 2021 compared to 25.9% in 2020. The increase in total non-interest income for the year ended December 31, 2021 primarily reflected record private wealth management services fee income, an increase in other non-interest income and loan fees, and a significant increase in gain on the sale of SBA loans. These favorable variances were partially offset by a decrease in commercial loan interest rate swap fee income.

    The components of non-interest income were as follows: 

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","For the Year Ended December 31,","","Change From Prior Year"],["","2021","","2020","","","","$ Change","","% Change"],["","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Private wealth management services fee income","$","10,784","","","$","8,611","","","","","$","2,173","","","25.2","%"],["Gain on sale of SBA loans","4,044","","","2,899","","","","","1,145","","","39.5"],["Service charges on deposits","3,837","","","3,415","","","","","422","","","12.4"],["Loan fees","2,506","","","1,826","","","","","680","","","37.2"],["Increase in cash surrender value of bank-owned life insurance","1,413","","","1,402","","","","","11","","","0.8"],["Net gain (loss) on sale of securities","29","","","(4)","","","","","33","","","NM"],["Swap fees","1,368","","","6,860","","","","","(5,492)","","","(80.1)"],["Other non-interest income","4,119","","","1,931","","","","","2,188","","","113.3"],["Total non-interest income","$","28,100","","","$","26,940","","","","","$","1,160","","","4.3"],["Fee income ratio(1)","24.9","%","","25.9","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(1)Fee income ratio is fee income, per the above table, divided by top line revenue (defined as net interest income plus non-interest income).

    Private wealth management services fee income increased by $2.2 million, or 25.2%, to a record $10.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $8.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Private wealth management services fee income is primarily driven by the amount of assets under management and administration, as well as the mix of business at different fee structures, and can be positively or negatively influenced by the timing and magnitude of volatility within the equity markets. This increase was driven by growth in assets under management and administration attributable to both new client relationships and increased equity values. At December 31, 2021, our trust assets under management and administration were a record $2.921 billion, or 29.9% more than trust assets under management and administration of $2.249 billion at December 31, 2020. We expect to continue to increase our revenue from assets under management and administration as we deepen existing and grow new client relationships in our less mature commercial bank markets, but market volatility may also affect the actual change in revenue.

Gain on sale of SBA loans for the year ended December 31, 2021 totaled $4.0 million, an increase of $1.1 million, or 39.5%, from the same period in 2020. Management believes SBA 7a loan production, while variable based on timing of closings, will continue to increase annually at a measured pace.

Loan fees increased $680,000, or 37.2%, to $2.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $1.8 million for the same period in 2020. The increase was principally due to recognizing a full year of floorplan financing

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curtailment fees and an increase in SBA servicing fee income commensurate with the Corporation’s growing SBA sold portfolio.

    Other non-interest income increased by $2.2 million to $4.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $1.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily due to an above average increase in returns from the Corporation’s investments in mezzanine funds.

Commercial loan interest rate swap fee income was $1.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $6.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 as it became less advantageous for clients to secure long-term, fixed-rate financing with an interest rate swap relative to other fixed-rate alternatives. We originate commercial real estate loans in which we offer clients a floating rate and an interest rate swap. The client’s swap is then offset with a counter-party dealer. The execution of these transactions generates swap fee income. The aggregate amortizing notional value of interest rate swaps with various borrowers was $640.6 million as of December 31, 2021, compared to $629.1 million as of December 31, 2020. Interest rate swaps can be an attractive product for our commercial borrowers, although associated fee income can be variable from period to period based on client demand and the interest rate environment in any given quarter.

Non-Interest Expense

    Non-interest expense increased by $2.6 million, or 3.8%, to $71.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 from $68.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. Operating expense, which excludes certain one-time and discrete items as defined in the Efficiency Ratio table above, increased $6.0 million, or 9.1%, to $71.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 compared to $65.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in operating expense was primarily due to an increase in compensation, marketing, and data processing. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in other non-interest expense.

    The components of non-interest expense were as follows: 

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","For the Year Ended December 31,","","Change From Prior Year"],["","2021","","2020","","","","$ Change","","% Change"],["","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Compensation","$","51,710","","","$","45,850","","","","","$","5,860","","","12.8","%"],["Occupancy","2,180","","","2,252","","","","","(72)","","","(3.2)"],["Professional fees","3,736","","","3,530","","","","","206","","","5.8"],["Data processing","3,087","","","2,734","","","","","353","","","12.9"],["Marketing","2,022","","","1,580","","","","","442","","","28.0"],["Equipment","990","","","1,199","","","","","(209)","","","(17.4)"],["Computer software","4,260","","","3,900","","","","","360","","","9.2"],["FDIC insurance","1,143","","","1,238","","","","","(95)","","","(7.7)"],["Collateral liquidation costs","265","","","328","","","","","(63)","","","(19.2)"],["Net loss on foreclosed properties","15","","","383","","","","","(368)","","","(96.1)"],["Impairment on tax credit investments","\u2014","","","2,395","","","","","(2,395)","","","NM"],["SBA recourse (benefit) provision","(76)","","","(278)","","","","","202","","","(72.7)"],["Loss on early extinguishment of debt","\u2014","","","744","","","","","(744)","","","NM"],["Other non-interest expense","2,203","","","3,043","","","","","(840)","","","(27.6)"],["Total non-interest expense","$","71,535","","","$","68,898","","","","","$","2,637","","","3.8"],["Total operating expense(1)","$","71,571","","","$","65,619","","","","","$","5,952","","","9.1"],["Full-time equivalent employees","304","","","301","","","","","3","","","1.0"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

NM = Not meaningful

(1)Total operating expense represents total non-interest expense, adjusted to exclude the impact of discrete items as previously defined in the non-GAAP efficiency ratio calculation above.

    Compensation expense increased by $5.9 million, or 12.8%, to $51.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 from $45.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 principally due to an increase in average FTEs, annual merit increases, growth in employee benefit costs and increase in incentive compensation. The increase reflects a $2.1 million, or

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7.0%, increase in employee salaries and a $2.3 million, or 35.5%, increase in individual and corporate performance-based incentive compensation accruals reflecting strong company performance relative to bonus criteria. Average FTEs were 307 for the year ended December 31, 2021, increasing by 16, or 5.5%, from 291 for the year ended December 31, 2020. Performance-based incentive compensation accruals will reset to target performance at the start of 2022 and will be evaluated quarterly and increased or decreased based on management’s forecast of full year performance for the Corporation.

Marketing expense increased by $442,000, or 28.0%, to $2.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 from $1.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. During 2020, the Corporation’s adherence to COVID-19 restrictions resulted in a reduction in marketing expenses, such as meals and entertainment, and advertisement expense. Management expects marketing expense to continue to increase modestly and return to pre-pandemic levels over the next several quarters primarily driven by sponsorships and business development activities.

Data processing expense increased by $353,000, or 12.91%, to $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 from $2.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The increase in data processing expense was due to the increase in services associated with deposit accounts, as well as implementation costs for various client-facing products and functionality. Management expects data processing expense to continue to increase modestly commensurate with the increase in deposit accounts.

Other non-interest expense decreased by $840,000, or 27.6%, to $2.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 from $3.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The decrease was principally due to a reduction in the credit valuation adjustment (“CVA”) related to the commercial loan interest rate swap program. The CVA represents a change in the market value of the Company’s commercial loan interest rate swaps to estimate potential borrower credit risk within the portfolio. The CVA can vary from period to period based on the size of the portfolio, credit metrics, and the interest rate environment in any given quarter. The CVA was $191,000 as of December 31, 2021, compared to $461,000 as of December 31, 2020.

The Corporation incurred a $744,000 loss, recognized through non-interest expense, on the early extinguishment of $59.5 million in FHLB term advances late in the second quarter of 2020, as the Corporation lowered wholesale funding costs and improved the Corporation’s funding position. Management believes this strategy helped stabilize net interest margin during the extended low interest rate environment in 2021.

No tax credits or related impairment was recognized for the year ended December 31, 2021. The impairment on tax credit investments for the year ended December 31, 2020 were related to a new market and historic tax credits. The impairment on tax credits were more than offset by a reduction to income tax expense resulting in a net benefit to earnings in the year the credits are earned in 2020.

Income Taxes

    Income tax expense was $11.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, compared to $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020. The Corporation recognized federal historic tax credits in 2020 which reduced income tax expense by $2.8 million. No tax credits were recognized in 2021. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2021 was 24.0% compared to 7.2% for the year ended December 31, 2020. The effective tax rate, excluding tax credits and other discrete items, for the year ended December 31, 2020 was 19.5%. For 2022, the Company expects to report an effective tax rate of 22%-23%, excluding discrete items, as management intends to continue actively pursuing tax credit opportunities.

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FINANCIAL CONDITION

General

    Total assets increased by $85.1 million, or 3.3%, to $2.653 billion as of December 31, 2021 compared to $2.568 billion at December 31, 2020. The increase in total assets was primarily driven by an increase in loans and leases receivable, securities available-for-sale, and short-term investments, partially offset by a decrease in cash and derivatives. Total liabilities increased by $58.8 million, or 2.5%, to $2.420 billion as of December 31, 2021 compared to $2.362 billion at December 31, 2020. The increase in total liabilities was principally due to an increase in deposits, partially offset by a decrease in FHLB advances and derivatives.

Cash and cash equivalents

    Cash and cash equivalents include short-term investments and cash and due from banks. Short-term investments increased by $20.0 million to $47.4 million at December 31, 2021 from $27.4 million at December 31, 2020. The increase in short-term investments was offset by a decrease in cash and due from banks driven by a reduction in cash letter in transit. Short-term investments primarily consist of interest-bearing deposits held at the Federal Reserve Bank (“FRB”). We value the safety and soundness provided by the FRB, and therefore, we incorporate short-term investments in our on-balance sheet liquidity program. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, interest-bearing deposits held at the FRB were $47.0 million and $26.7 million, respectively. In general, the level of our cash and short-term investments will be influenced by the timing of deposit gathering, scheduled maturities of wholesale deposits, funding of loan and lease growth when opportunities are presented, and the level of our securities portfolio. Please refer to the section entitled Liquidity and Capital Resources for further discussion.

Securities

    Total securities, including available-for-sale and held-to-maturity, increased by $15.1 million to $225.4 million at December 31, 2021 from $210.3 million at December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, our total securities portfolio had a weighted average estimated maturity of approximately 5.7 years and 5.0 years, respectively. The investment portfolio primarily consists of mortgage-backed securities and is used to provide a source of liquidity, including the ability to pledge securities for possible future cash advances, while contributing to the earnings potential of the Bank. The overall duration of the securities portfolio is established and maintained to further mitigate interest rate risk present within our balance sheet as identified through asset/liability simulations. We purchase investment securities intended to protect net interest margin while maintaining an acceptable risk profile. In addition, we will purchase investment securities to utilize our cash position effectively within appropriate policy guidelines and estimates of future cash demands. While mortgage-backed securities present prepayment risk and extension risk, we believe the overall credit risk associated with these investments is minimal, as the majority of the securities we hold are guaranteed by the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), or the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), a U.S. government agency. The estimated repayment streams associated with this portfolio also allow us to better match short-term liabilities. The Bank’s investment policies allow for various types of investments, including tax-exempt municipal securities. The ability to invest in tax-exempt municipal securities provides for further opportunity to improve our overall yield on the securities portfolio. We evaluate the credit risk of the municipal securities prior to purchase and generally limit exposure to general obligation issuances from municipalities, primarily in Wisconsin.

    The majority of the securities we hold have active trading markets; therefore, we have not experienced difficulties in pricing our securities. We use a third-party pricing service as our primary source of market prices for the securities portfolio. On a quarterly basis, we validate the reasonableness of prices received from this source through independent verification of the portfolio, data integrity validation through comparison of current price to prior period prices, and an expectation-based analysis of movement in prices based upon the changes in the related yield curves and other market factors. On a periodic basis, we review the third-party pricing vendor’s methodology for pricing relevant securities and the results of its internal control assessments. Our securities portfolio is sensitive to fluctuations in the interest rate environment and has limited sensitivity to credit risk due to the nature of the issuers and guarantors of the securities as previously discussed. If interest rates decline and the credit quality of the securities remains constant or improves, the fair value of our debt securities portfolio would likely improve, thereby increasing total comprehensive income. If interest rates increase and the credit quality of the securities remains constant or deteriorates, the fair value of our debt securities portfolio would likely decline and therefore decrease total comprehensive income. The magnitude of the fair value change will be based upon the duration of the portfolio. A securities portfolio with a longer average duration will exhibit greater market price volatility than a securities portfolio with a shorter average duration in a changing rate environment. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we recognized unrealized holding losses of $4.3 million before income taxes through other comprehensive income. These losses were the result of a decrease in interest rates. No securities within our portfolio were deemed to be other-than-temporarily impaired as of December 31, 2021. We sold approximately $15.0 million of securities during the year ended December 31, 2021 to proactively manage our securities portfolio and meet our long-term investment objectives. As of December 31, 2021 no securities were classified as

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trading securities. At December 31, 2021, $70.3 million of our securities were pledged to secure various obligations, including interest rate swap contracts and municipal deposits.

    The tables below set forth information regarding the amortized cost and fair values of our securities.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","As of December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","Amortized Cost","","Fair Value","","Amortized Cost","","Fair Value"],["","","(In Thousands)"],["Available-for-sale:"],["U.S. Treasuries","","$","4,971","","","$","4,914","","","$","\u2014","","","$","\u2014"],["U.S. government agency securities - government-sponsored enterprises","","19,797","","","19,935","","","22,699","","","22,629"],["Municipal securities","","30,828","","","30,957","","","24,067","","","24,779"],["Residential mortgage-backed securities - government issued","","19,563","","","19,661","","","9,894","","","10,403"],["Residential mortgage-backed securities - government-sponsored enterprises","","85,748","","","85,705","","","102,843","","","105,006"],["Commercial mortgage-backed securities - government issued","","5,801","","","5,771","","","5,289","","","5,464"],["Commercial mortgage-backed securities - government-sponsored enterprises","","36,786","","","36,531","","","12,584","","","13,365"],["Other securities","","2,205","","","2,228","","","2,205","","","2,279"],["","","$","205,699","","","$","205,702","","","$","179,581","","","$","183,925"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","As of December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","Amortized Cost","","Fair Value","","Amortized Cost","","Fair Value"],["","","(In Thousands)"],["Held-to-maturity:"],["Municipal securities","","$","13,009","","","$","13,228","","","$","17,106","","","$","17,508"],["Residential mortgage-backed securities - government issued","","2,226","","","2,266","","","3,564","","","3,676"],["Residential mortgage-backed securities - government-sponsored issued","","2,502","","","2,578","","","3,693","","","3,856"],["Commercial mortgage-backed securities - government-sponsored enterprises","","2,009","","","2,204","","","2,011","","","2,293"],["","","$","19,746","","","$","20,276","","","$","26,374","","","$","27,333"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

    U.S. Treasuries represent treasury bonds issued by the United States Treasury. U.S. government agency securities - government-sponsored enterprises represent securities issued by FNMA and the SBA. Municipal securities include securities issued by various municipalities located primarily within Wisconsin and are primarily general obligation bonds that are tax-exempt in nature. Residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities - government issued represent securities guaranteed by GNMA. Residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities - government-sponsored enterprises include securities guaranteed by FHLMC, FNMA, and the FHLB. Other securities represent certificates of deposit of insured banks and savings institutions with an original maturity greater than three months. As of December 31, 2021, no issuer's securities exceeded 10% of our total stockholders' equity.

    The following table sets forth the contractual maturity and weighted average yield characteristics of the fair value of our available-for-sale securities and the amortized cost of our held-to-maturity securities at December 31, 2021, classified by remaining contractual maturity. Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities because issuers have the right to call or prepay securities without call or prepayment penalties. Yields on tax-exempt securities have not been computed on a tax equivalent basis.

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[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","Less than One Year","","One to Five Years","","Five to Ten Years","","Over Ten Years"],["","","Fair Value","","Weighted Average Yield","","Fair Value","","Weighted Average Yield","","Fair Value","","Weighted Average Yield","","Fair Value","","Weighted Average Yield","","Total"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Available-for-sale:"],["U.S. treasuries","","$","\u2014","","","\u2014","%","","$","4,914","","","1.00","%","","$","\u2014","","","\u2014","%","","$","\u2014","","","\u2014","%","","$","4,914"],["U.S. government agency securities - government-sponsored enterprises","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","978","","","0.56","","","4,726","","","0.93","","","14,231","","","0.80","","","19,935"],["Municipal securities","","496","","","0.30","","","2,951","","","1.33","","","11,839","","","1.41","","","15,671","","","1.85","","","30,957"],["Residential mortgage-backed securities - government issued","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","2,273","","","2.94","","","17,388","","","1.89","","","19,661"],["Residential mortgage-backed securities - government-sponsored enterprises","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","1,216","","","2.34","","","13,271","","","2.09","","","71,218","","","1.72","","","85,705"],["Commercial mortgage-backed securities - government issued","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","1,658","","","3.10","","","4,113","","","1.60","","","5,771"],["Commercial mortgage-backed securities - government-sponsored enterprises","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","1,878","","","2.41","","","24,703","","","1.63","","","9,950","","","1.53","","","36,531"],["Other securities","","2,228","","","2.38","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","2,228"],["","","$","2,724","","","","","$","11,937","","","","","$","58,470","","","","","$","132,571","","","","","$","205,702"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","Less than One Year","","One to Five Years","","Five to Ten Years","","Over Ten Years"],["","","Amortized Cost","","Weighted Average Yield","","Amortized Cost","","Weighted Average Yield","","Amortized Cost","","Weighted Average Yield","","Amortized Cost","","Weighted Average Yield","","Total"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Held-to-maturity:"],["Municipal securities","","$","3,793","","","2.13","%","","$","7,289","","","2.27","%","","$","1,927","","","2.67","%","","$","\u2014","","","\u2014","%","","$","13,009"],["Residential mortgage-backed securities - government issued","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","1,491","","","2.00","","","735","","","2.14","","","2,226"],["Residential mortgage-backed securities - government-sponsored enterprises","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","1,796","","","1.68","","","706","","","3.35","","","2,502"],["Commercial mortgage-backed securities - government-sponsored enterprises","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","2,009","","","3.27","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","2,009"],["","","$","3,793","","","","","$","7,289","","","","","$","7,223","","","","","$","1,441","","","","","$","19,746"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Derivatives

    The Bank’s investment policies allow the Bank to participate in hedging strategies or to use financial futures, options, forward commitments, or interest rate swaps with prior approval from the Board. The Bank utilizes, from time to time, derivative instruments in the course of its asset/liability management. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Bank did not hold any derivative instruments that were designated as fair value hedges. The Corporation offers interest rate swap products directly to qualified commercial borrowers. The Corporation economically hedges client derivative transactions by entering into offsetting interest rate swap contracts executed with a third party. Derivative transactions executed as part of this program are not considered hedging instruments and are marked-to-market through earnings each period. The derivative contracts have mirror-image terms, which results in the positions’ changes in fair value offsetting through earnings each period.

    As of December 31, 2021, the aggregate amortizing notional value of interest rate swaps with various commercial borrowers was approximately $640.6 million, compared to $629.1 million as of December 31, 2020. We receive fixed rates and pay floating rates based upon LIBOR on the swaps with commercial borrowers. These swaps mature between January 2024 and March 2038. Commercial borrower swaps are completed independently with each borrower and are not subject to master netting arrangements. As of December 31, 2021, the commercial borrower swaps were reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as a derivative asset of $26.3 million and as a derivative liability of $6.6 million compared to a derivative asset and liability of $49.4 million and $58,000, respectively, as of December 31, 2020. On the offsetting swap contracts with dealer counterparties, we pay fixed rates and receive floating rates based upon LIBOR. These interest rate swaps also have maturity dates between January 2024 and March 2038. Dealer counterparty swaps are subject to master netting agreements among the contracts within our Bank and were reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as a net derivative liability of $19.7 million as of December 31, 2021, compared to $49.3 million as of December 31, 2020. The gross amount of dealer counterparty swaps as of December 31, 2021, without regard to the enforceable master netting agreement, was a gross derivative liability of $26.3 million and a gross derivative asset of $6.6 million, compared to a gross derivative liability and asset of $49.4 million and

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$58,000, respectively, as of December 31, 2020. The decrease in derivative asset and liabilities as of December 31, 2021 compared to December 31, 2020 is due to the fluctuation in interest rates.

The Corporation also enters into interest rate swaps to manage interest rate risk and reduce the cost of match-funding certain long-term fixed rate loans. These derivative contracts involve the receipt of floating rate interest from a counterparty in exchange for the Corporation making fixed-rate payments over the life of the agreement, without the exchange of the underlying notional value. The instruments are designated as cash flow hedges as the receipt of floating rate interest from the counterparty is used to manage interest rate risk associated with forecasted issuances of short-term FHLB advances. The change in the fair value of these hedging instruments is recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income and is subsequently reclassified into earnings in the period that the hedged transactions affects earnings. As of December 31, 2021, the aggregate notional value of interest rate swaps designated as cash flow hedges was $106.0 million. These interest rate swaps mature between December 2022 and December 2027. A pre-tax unrealized loss of $3.6 million was recognized in other comprehensive income for the year ended December 31, 2021 and there was no ineffective portion of these hedges.

Loans and Leases Receivable

    Loans and leases receivable, net of allowance for loan and lease losses, increased by $97.6 million, or 4.6%, to $2.215 billion at December 31, 2021 from $2.117 billion at December 31, 2020. Excluding net PPP loans, loans and leases receivable, net of allowance for loan and lease losses, increased by $295.6 million, or 15.63%, to $2.188 billion at December 31, 2021 from $1.892 billion at December 31, 2020. Excluding PPP loans, commercial and industrial (“C&I”) loans, non-owner-occupied commercial real estate (“CRE”), and construction loans were the largest contributors to loan growth as of December 31, 2021, increasing $196.5 million, $96.9 million, and $38.8 million, respectively, from December 31, 2020.

    There continues to be a concentration in CRE loans which represented 65.7% and 70.6% of our total loans, excluding net PPP loans, as of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively. As of December 31, 2021, approximately 16.2% of the CRE loans were owner-occupied CRE, compared to 18.7% as of December 31, 2020. We consider owner-occupied CRE more characteristic of the Corporation’s C&I portfolio as, in general, the client’s primary source of repayment is the cash flow from the operating entity occupying the commercial real estate property.

    Our C&I portfolio decreased $1.5 million, or 0.2%, to $730.8 million at December 31, 2021 from $732.3 million at December 31, 2020. Excluding net PPP loans, C&I loans increased $196.5 million, or 38.8%, to $703.5 million from $507.0 million at December 31, 2020. Management does not believe this loan growth rate is sustainable and anticipates it will moderate to low double-digits as the Company’s specialized lending products scale over time. The Corporation experienced significant C&I loan growth in 2021, led by conventional commercial lending, as well as specialized commercial lending which represented 20.0% of total loans as of December 31, 2021, up from 17.0% as of December 31, 2020. Management believes the timely prior-period investments in the Corporation’s specialized lending business lines, such as dealer floorplan financing, small-ticket equipment vendor financing, accounts receivable financing, and asset based lending have positioned C&I lending for strong and sustainable growth in 2022 and beyond.

We will continue to actively pursue C&I loans across the Corporation as this segment of our loan and lease portfolio provides an attractive yield commensurate with an appropriate level of credit risk and creates opportunities for in-market deposit, treasury management, and private wealth management relationships which generate additional fee revenue.

    Underwriting of new credit is primarily through approval from a serial sign-off or committee process and is a key component of our operating philosophy. Business development officers have no individual lending authority limits, and thus, a significant portion of our new credit extensions require approval from a loan approval committee regardless of the type of loan or lease, amount of the credit, or the related complexities of each proposal. In addition, we make every reasonable effort to ensure that there is appropriate collateral or a government guarantee at the time of origination to protect our interest in the related loan or lease. To monitor the ongoing credit quality of our loans and leases, each credit is evaluated for proper risk rating using a nine grade risk rating system at the time of origination, subsequent renewal, evaluation of updated financial information from our borrowers, or as other circumstances dictate.

    While we continue to experience significant competition from banks operating in our primary geographic areas, we remain committed to our underwriting standards and will not deviate from those standards for the sole purpose of growing our loan and lease portfolio. We continue to expect our new loan and lease activity to be adequate to replace normal amortization, allowing us to continue growing in future years.

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The following table presents information concerning the composition of the Bank’s consolidated loans and leases receivable. 

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","As of December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","Amount Outstanding","","% of Total Loans and Leases","","Amount Outstanding","","% of Total Loans and Leases"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Commercial real estate:"],["Commercial real estate \u2014 owner occupied","","$","235,589","","","10.5","%","","$","253,882","","","11.8","%"],["Commercial real estate \u2014 non-owner occupied","","661,423","","","29.5","","","564,532","","","26.3"],["Land development","","42,792","","","1.9","","","49,839","","","2.3"],["Construction","","179,841","","","8.0","","","141,043","","","6.6"],["Multi-family","","320,072","","","14.3","","","311,556","","","14.5"],["1-4 family","","14,911","","","0.7","","","38,284","","","1.8"],["Total commercial real estate","","1,454,628","","","64.9","","","1,359,136","","","63.2"],["Commercial and industrial","","730,819","","","32.6","","","732,318","","","34.0"],["Direct financing leases, net","","15,743","","","0.7","","","22,331","","","1.1"],["Consumer and other:"],["Home equity and second mortgage","","4,223","","","0.2","","","7,833","","","0.4"],["Other","","35,518","","","1.6","","","28,897","","","1.3"],["Total consumer and other","","39,741","","","1.8","","","36,730","","","1.7"],["Total gross loans and leases receivable","","2,240,931","","","100.0","%","","2,150,515","","","100.0","%"],["Less:"],["Allowance for loan and lease losses","","24,336","","","","","28,521"],["Deferred loan fees","","1,523","","","","","4,545"],["Loans and leases receivable, net","","$","2,215,072","","","","","$","2,117,449"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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The following table shows the scheduled contractual maturities of the Bank’s consolidated gross loans and leases receivable, as well as the dollar amount of such loans and leases which are scheduled to mature after one year and have fixed or adjustable interest rates, as of December 31, 2021. 

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","Amounts Due","","Interest Terms On Amounts Due after One Year"],["","","In One Year or Less","","After One Year through Five Years","","After Five Years","","Total","","Fixed Rate","","Variable Rate"],["","","(In Thousands)"],["Commercial real estate:"],["Owner-occupied","","$","14,481","","","$","112,813","","","$","108,295","","","$","235,589","","","$","164,074","","","$","57,034"],["Non-owner occupied","","83,881","","","294,650","","","282,892","","","661,423","","","310,930","","","266,612"],["Land development","","17,074","","","23,964","","","1,754","","","42,792","","","8,432","","","17,286"],["Construction","","34,103","","","30,941","","","114,797","","","179,841","","","56,351","","","89,387"],["Multi-family","","23,216","","","98,516","","","198,340","","","320,072","","","99,619","","","197,237"],["1-4 family","","3,013","","","7,587","","","4,311","","","14,911","","","11,755","","","143"],["Commercial and industrial","","235,189","","","418,358","","","77,272","","","730,819","","","304,426","","","191,204"],["Direct financing leases","","1,239","","","13,992","","","512","","","15,743","","","14,504","","","\u2014"],["Consumer and other","","4,367","","","34,418","","","956","","","39,741","","","30,055","","","5,319"],["","","$","416,563","","","$","1,035,239","","","$","789,129","","","$","2,240,931","","","$","1,000,146","","","$","824,222"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

    Commercial Real Estate. The Bank originates owner-occupied and non-owner-occupied commercial real estate loans which have fixed or adjustable rates and generally terms of three to 10 years and amortizations of up to 30 years on existing commercial real estate. The Bank also originates loans to construct commercial properties and complete land development projects. The Bank’s construction loans generally have terms of six to 24 months with fixed or adjustable interest rates and fees that are due at the time of origination. Loan proceeds are disbursed in increments as construction progresses and as project inspections warrant.

    The repayment of commercial real estate loans generally is dependent on sufficient income from the properties securing the loans to cover operating expenses and debt service. Payments on commercial real estate loans are often dependent on external market conditions impacting the successful operation or development of the property or business involved. Therefore, repayment of such loans is often sensitive to conditions in the real estate market or the general economy, which are outside the borrower’s control. In the event that the cash flow from the property is reduced, the borrower’s ability to repay the loan could be negatively impacted. The deterioration of one or a few of these loans could cause a material increase in our level of nonperforming loans, which would result in a loss of revenue from these loans and could result in an increase in the provision for loan and lease losses and an increase in charge-offs, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our net income. Additionally, many of these loans have real estate as a primary or secondary component of collateral. The market value of real estate can fluctuate significantly in a short period of time as a result of economic conditions. Adverse developments affecting real estate values in one or more of our markets could impact collateral coverage associated with the commercial real estate segment of our portfolio, possibly leading to increased specific reserves or charge-offs, which would adversely affect profitability. Of the $1.455 billion of commercial real estate loans outstanding as of December 31, 2021, $25.8 million were originated by our asset-based lending subsidiary, as part of a larger asset-based lending relationship.

    Commercial and Industrial. The Bank’s commercial and industrial loan portfolio is comprised of loans for a variety of purposes which principally are secured by inventory, accounts receivable, equipment, machinery, and other corporate assets and are advanced within limits prescribed by our loan policy. The majority of such loans are secured and typically backed by personal guarantees of the owners of the borrowing business. Of the $730.8 million of C&I loans outstanding as of December 31, 2021, $354.2 million were conventional C&I loans and $447.1 million were specialized lending C&I loans. Specialized lending consists of asset-based lending, accounts receivable financing, floorplan financing, equipment financing, and SBA lending.

    Direct Financing Leases. Direct financing leases initiated through FBSF are originated with a fixed rate and typically a term of seven years or less. It is customary in the leasing industry to provide 100% financing; however, FBSF will, from time-to-time, require a down payment or lease deposit to provide a credit enhancement. As of December 31, 2021, the Bank had $15.7 million in net direct financing receivables outstanding.

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    FBSF leases machinery and equipment to clients under leases which qualify as direct financing leases for financial reporting and as operating leases for income tax purposes. Under the direct financing method of accounting, the minimum lease payments to be received under the lease contract, together with the estimated unguaranteed residual value (approximating 3% to 20% of the cost of the related equipment), are recorded as lease receivables when the lease is signed and the lease property is delivered to the client. The excess of the minimum lease payments and residual values over the cost of the equipment is recorded as unearned lease income. Unearned lease income is recognized over the term of the lease on a basis which results in a level rate of return on the unrecovered lease investment. Lease payments are recorded when due under the lease contract. Residual value is the estimated fair market value of the equipment on lease at lease termination and was estimated to be $3.6 million as of December 31, 2021. In estimating the equipment’s fair value, FBSF relies on historical experience by equipment type and manufacturer, published sources of used equipment pricing, internal evaluations and, when available, valuations by independent appraisers, adjusted for known trends.

    Consumer and Other. The Bank originates a small amount of consumer loans consisting of home equity, first and second mortgages, and other personal loans for professional and executive clients of the Bank.

Asset Quality

    Non-accrual loans and leases decreased $20.3 million, or 76.1%, to $6.4 million at December 31, 2021 compared to $26.6 million at December 31, 2020.

    Our total impaired assets consisted of the following:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","As of December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Non-accrual loans and leases"],["Commercial real estate:"],["Commercial real estate \u2013 owner occupied","","$","348","","","$","5,429"],["Commercial real estate \u2013 non-owner occupied","","\u2014","","","3,783"],["Land development","","\u2014","","","890"],["Construction","","\u2014","","","\u2014"],["Multi-family","","\u2014","","","\u2014"],["1-4 family","","339","","","250"],["Total non-accrual commercial real estate","","687","","","10,352"],["Commercial and industrial","","5,572","","","16,155"],["Direct financing leases, net","","99","","","49"],["Consumer and other:"],["Home equity and second mortgage","","\u2014","","","40"],["Other","","\u2014","","","21"],["Total non-accrual consumer and other loans","","\u2014","","","61"],["Total non-accrual loans and leases","","6,358","","","26,617"],["Foreclosed properties, net","","164","","","34"],["Total non-performing assets","","6,522","","","26,651"],["Performing troubled debt restructurings","","217","","","46"],["Total impaired assets","","$","6,739","","","$","26,697"],["Total non-accrual loans and leases to gross loans and leases","","0.28","%","","1.24","%"],["Total non-performing assets to gross loans and leases plus foreclosed properties, net","","0.29","%","","1.24","%"],["Total non-performing assets to total assets","","0.25","%","","1.04","%"],["Allowance for loan and lease losses to gross loans and leases","","1.09","%","","1.33","%"],["Allowance for loan and lease losses to non-accrual loans and leases","","382.76","%","","107.15","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

    As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, $627,000 and $6.5 million of the non-accrual loans were considered troubled debt restructurings, respectively. As noted in the table above, non-performing assets consisted of non-accrual loans and leases and foreclosed properties totaling $6.5 million, or 0.25% of total assets, as of December 31, 2021, a decrease in non-performing

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assets of $20.1 million, or 75.5%, from December 31, 2020. Impaired loans and leases as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 also included $217,000 and $46,000, respectively, of loans classified as performing troubled debt restructurings, which are considered impaired due to the concession in terms, but are meeting the restructured payment terms and therefore are not on non-accrual status.

The following asset quality ratios exclude net PPP loans as they are fully guaranteed by the SBA:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","As of December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","(In Thousands)"],["Total non-accrual loans and leases to gross loans and leases","","0.29","%","","1.38","%"],["Total non-performing assets to gross loans and leases plus foreclosed properties, net","","0.29","","","1.38"],["Total non-performing assets to total assets","","0.25","","","1.14"],["Allowance for loan and lease losses to gross loans and leases","","1.10","","","1.48"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

    We use a wide variety of available metrics to assess the overall asset quality of the portfolio and no one metric is used independently to make a final conclusion as to the asset quality of the portfolio. Non-performing assets as a percentage of total assets decreased to 0.25% at December 31, 2021 from 1.04% at December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2021, the payment performance of our loans and leases did not point to any new areas of concern, as approximately 99.8% of the total portfolio was in a current payment status, compared to 99.0% as of December 31, 2020. We also monitor asset quality through our established categories as defined in Note 4 – Loan and Lease Receivables, Impaired Loans and Leases and Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses of the Consolidated Financial Statements. As we continue to actively monitor the credit quality of our loan and lease portfolios, we may identify additional loans and leases for which the borrowers or lessees are having difficulties making the required principal and interest payments based upon factors including, but not limited to, the inability to sell the underlying collateral, inadequate cash flow from the operations of the underlying businesses, liquidation events, or bankruptcy filings. We are proactively working with our impaired loan borrowers to find meaningful solutions to difficult situations that are in the best interests of the Bank.

    In 2021, as well as in all previous reporting periods, there were no loans over 90 days past due and still accruing interest. Loans and leases greater than 90 days past due are considered impaired and are placed on non-accrual status. Cash received while a loan or a lease is on non-accrual status is generally applied solely against the outstanding principal. If collectability of the contractual principal and interest is not in doubt, payments received may be applied to both interest due on a cash basis and principal.

    Additional information about impaired loans is as follows:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","As of December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","(In Thousands)"],["Impaired loans and leases with no impairment reserves","","$","4,419","","","$","18,966"],["Impaired loans and leases with impairment reserves required","","2,156","","","7,697"],["Total impaired loans and leases","","6,575","","","26,663"],["Less: Impairment reserve (included in allowance for loan and lease losses)","","1,505","","","3,681"],["Net impaired loans and leases","","$","5,070","","","$","22,982"],["Average impaired loans and leases","","$","14,260","","","$","27,703"],["","","For the years ended December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","(In Thousands)"],["Interest income attributable to impaired loans and leases","","$","1,104","","","$","2,794"],["Less: Interest income recognized on impaired loans and leases","","454","","","636"],["Net foregone interest income on impaired loans and leases","","$","650","","","$","2,158"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

    Loans and leases with no impairment reserves represent impaired loans where the collateral, based upon current information, is deemed to be sufficient or that have been partially charged-off to reflect our net realizable value of the loan.

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When analyzing the adequacy of collateral, we obtain external appraisals as appropriate. Our policy regarding commercial real estate appraisals requires the utilization of appraisers from our approved list, the performance of independent reviews to monitor the quality of such appraisals, and receipt of new appraisals for impaired loans at least annually, or more frequently as circumstances warrant. We make adjustments to the appraised values for appropriate selling costs. In addition, the ordering of appraisals and review of the appraisals are performed by individuals who are independent of the business development process. Based on the specific evaluation of the collateral of each impaired loan, we believe the reserve for impaired loans was appropriate at December 31, 2021. However, we cannot provide assurance that the facts and circumstances surrounding each individual impaired loan will not change and that the specific reserve or current carrying value will not be different in the future, which may require additional charge-offs or specific reserves to be recorded.

Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses

     The allowance for loan and lease losses decreased $4.2 million, or 14.7%, to $24.3 million as of December 31, 2021 from $28.5 million as of December 31, 2020. The allowance for loan and lease losses as a percentage of gross loans and leases also decreased to 1.09% as of December 31, 2021 from 1.33% as of December 31, 2020. The allowance for loan and lease losses as a percentage of gross loans and leases, excluding net PPP loans, was 1.10% as of December 31, 2021 from 1.48% as of December 31, 2020. The decrease in allowance for loan and lease losses as a percent of gross loans and leases was principally driven by significant commercial real estate loan recoveries, and the related impact it had on our commercial real estate historical loss factors, and the release of specific reserves following loan payoffs and charge-offs. These general and specific reserve releases were partially offset by an increase in general reserve commensurate with loan growth. In addition to the commercial real estate recovery, all other loan segments experienced a reduction in historical loss factors as the look-back period began to roll off the Corporations higher loss rates from the Great Recession. Management believes this will continue in 2022, allowing for additional reserve release throughout the year.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we recorded net recoveries on impaired loans and leases of approximately $1.6 million, which included $3.5 million of charge-offs and $5.1 million of recoveries. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded net charge-offs on impaired loans and leases of approximately $7.8 million, which included $8.1 million of charge-offs and $332,000 of recoveries. The 2020 charge-off activity was principally driven by a $3.3 million charge-off for a previously reserved legacy SBA loan in the restaurant industry and a $2.8 million charge-off for a previously reserved conventional loan in the hospitality industry.

As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, our allowance for loan and lease losses to total non-accrual loans and leases was 382.76% and 107.15%, respectively. This ratio increased primarily due to the substantial decrease in non-accrual loans and leases discussed above, in comparison to the decrease in the allowance for loan and leases losses. Impaired loans and leases exhibit weaknesses that inhibit repayment in compliance with the original terms of the note or lease. However, the measurement of impairment on loans and leases may not always result in a specific reserve included in the allowance for loan and lease losses. As part of the underwriting process, as well as our ongoing monitoring efforts, we try to ensure that we have sufficient collateral to protect our interest in the related loan or lease. As a result of this practice, a significant portion of our outstanding balance of non-performing loans or leases may not require additional specific reserves or require only a minimal amount of required specific reserve. Management is proactive in recording charge-offs to bring loans to their net realizable value in situations where it is determined with certainty that we will not recover the entire amount of our principal. This practice may lead to a lower allowance for loan and lease loss to non-accrual loans and leases ratio as compared to our peers or industry expectations. As asset quality strengthens, our allowance for loan and lease losses is measured more through general characteristics, including historical loss experience, of our portfolio rather than through specific identification and we would therefore expect this ratio to rise. Conversely, if we identify further impaired loans, this ratio could fall if the impaired loans are adequately collateralized and therefore require no specific or general reserve. Given our business practices and evaluation of our existing loan and lease portfolio, we believe this coverage ratio is appropriate for the probable losses inherent in our loan and lease portfolio as of December 31, 2021.

    To determine the level and composition of the allowance for loan and lease losses, we break out the portfolio by segments with similar risk characteristics. First, we evaluate loans and leases for potential impairment classification. We analyze each loan and lease identified as impaired on an individual basis to determine a specific reserve based upon the estimated value of the underlying collateral for collateral-dependent loans, or alternatively, the present value of expected cash flows. For each segment of loans and leases that has not been individually evaluated, management segregates the Bank’s loss factors into a quantitative general reserve component based on historical loss rates throughout the defined look back period. The quantitative general reserve component also considers an estimate of the historical loss emergence period, which is the period of time between the event that triggers the loss to the charge-off of that loss. The methodology also focuses on evaluation of several qualitative factors for each portfolio category, including but not limited to: management’s ongoing review and grading of the loan and lease portfolios, consideration of delinquency experience, changes in the size of the loan and lease portfolios,

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existing economic conditions, level of loans and leases subject to more frequent review by management, changes in underlying collateral, concentrations of loans to specific industries, and other qualitative factors that could affect credit losses.

    When it is determined that we will not receive our entire contractual principal or the loss is confirmed, we record a charge against the allowance for loan and lease loss reserve to bring the loan or lease to its net realizable value. Many of the impaired loans as of December 31, 2021 are collateral dependent. It is typically part of our process to obtain appraisals on impaired loans and leases that are primarily secured by real estate or equipment annually, or more frequently as circumstances warrant. As we have completed new appraisals and/or market evaluations, in specific situations current fair values collateralizing certain impaired loans were inadequate to support the entire amount of the outstanding debt. Foreclosure actions may have been initiated on certain of these commercial real estate and other mortgage loans.

    As a result of our review process, we have concluded an appropriate allowance for loan and lease losses for the existing loan and lease portfolio was $24.3 million, or 1.09% of gross loans and leases, at December 31, 2021. However, given ongoing complexities with current workout situations and the uncertainty surrounding future economic conditions, further charge-offs, and increased provisions for loan and lease losses may be recorded if additional facts and circumstances lead us to a different conclusion. In addition, various federal and state regulatory agencies review the allowance for loan and lease losses. These agencies could require certain loan and lease balances to be classified differently or charged off when their credit evaluations differ from those of management, based on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their examination.

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    A summary of the activity in the allowance for loan and lease losses follows:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","Year Ended December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Allowance at beginning of period","","$","28,521","","","$","19,520"],["Charge-offs:"],["Commercial real estate"],["Commercial real estate \u2014 owner occupied","","(11)","","","(3,339)"],["Commercial real estate \u2014 non-owner occupied","","\u2014","","","(2,780)"],["Construction and land development","","\u2014","","","\u2014"],["Multi-family","","\u2014","","","\u2014"],["1-4 family","","(245)","","","\u2014"],["Commercial and industrial","","(3,227)","","","(1,951)"],["Direct financing leases","","\u2014","","","(56)"],["Consumer and other"],["Home equity and second mortgage","","\u2014","","","\u2014"],["Other","","(25)","","","(13)"],["Total charge-offs","","(3,508)","","","(8,139)"],["Recoveries:"],["Commercial real estate"],["Commercial real estate \u2014 owner occupied","","435","","","1"],["Commercial real estate \u2014 non-owner occupied","","1,422","","","3"],["Construction and land development","","2,078","","","\u2014"],["Multi-family","","\u2014","","","\u2014"],["1-4 family","","\u2014","","","\u2014"],["Commercial and industrial","","1,168","","","325"],["Direct financing leases","","\u2014","","","\u2014"],["Consumer and other"],["Home equity and second mortgage","","2","","","1"],["Other","","21","","","2"],["Total recoveries","","5,126","","","332"],["Net charge-offs","","1,618","","","(7,807)"],["Provision for loan and lease losses","","(5,803)","","","16,808"],["Allowance at end of period","","$","24,336","","","$","28,521"],["Net charge-offs as a percent of average gross loans and leases","","(0.07)","%","","0.39","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

    We review our methodology and periodically adjust allocation percentages of the allowance by segment, as reflected in the following table. Within the specific categories, certain loans or leases have been identified for specific reserve allocations as well as the whole category of that loan type or lease being reviewed for a general reserve based on the foregoing analysis of trends and overall balance growth within that category.

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    The table below shows our allocation of the allowance for loan and lease losses by loan portfolio segments. The allocation of the allowance by segment is management’s best estimate of the inherent risk in the respective loan segments. Despite the specific allocation noted in the table below, the entire allowance is available to cover any loss.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","As of December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","Balance","","(a)","","Balance","","(a)"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Loan and lease segments:"],["Commercial real estate","","$","15,110","","","1.04","%","","$","17,157","","","1.26","%"],["Commercial and industrial","","8,413","","","1.13","","","10,593","","","1.40"],["Consumer and other","","813","","","2.05","","","771","","","2.10"],["Total allowance for loan and lease losses","","$","24,336","","","1.09","%","","$","28,521","","","1.33","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(a)Allowance for loan losses category as a percentage of total loans by category.

    Although we believe the allowance for loan and lease losses was appropriate based on the current level of loan and lease delinquencies, non-accrual loans and leases, trends in charge-offs, economic conditions, and other factors as of December 31, 2021, there can be no assurance that future adjustments to the allowance will not be necessary.

Deposits

    As of December 31, 2021, deposits increased by $102.4 million to $1.958 billion from $1.856 billion at December 31, 2020. The increase in deposits was primarily due to a $143.0 million and $112.9 million increase in transaction accounts and money market accounts, respectively partially offset by a decrease in wholesale deposits and certificates of deposit of $142.9 million and $10.6 million, respectively. The large increase in in-markets deposits was primarily due to successful business development efforts and PPP loan proceeds.

    The following table presents the composition of the Bank’s consolidated deposits. 

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","As of December 31,"],["","","2021","","2020"],["","","Balance","","% of Total Deposits","","Balance","","% of Total Deposits"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Non-interest-bearing transaction accounts","","$","589,559","","","30.1","%","","$","472,818","","","25.4","%"],["Interest-bearing transaction accounts","","530,225","","","27.1","","","503,992","","","27.2"],["Money market accounts","","754,410","","","38.5","","","641,504","","","34.6"],["Certificates of deposit","","54,091","","","2.8","","","64,694","","","3.5"],["Wholesale deposits","","29,638","","","1.5","","","172,508","","","9.3"],["Total deposits","","$","1,957,923","","","100.0","%","","$","1,855,516","","","100.0","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

    Period-end deposit balances associated with in-market relationships will fluctuate based upon maturity of time deposits, client demands for the use of their cash, and our ability to service and maintain existing and new client relationships. Deposits continue to be the primary source of the Bank’s funding for lending and other investment activities. A variety of accounts are designed to attract both short- and long-term deposits. These accounts include non-interest-bearing transaction accounts, interest-bearing transaction accounts, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit. Deposit terms offered by the Bank vary according to the minimum balance required, the time period the funds must remain on deposit, the rates and products offered by competitors, and the interest rates charged on other sources of funds, among other factors. Our Bank’s in-market deposits are obtained primarily from the South Central, Northeast and Southeast regions of Wisconsin and the greater Kansas City Metro.

    We measure the success of in-market deposit gathering efforts based on the average balances of our deposit accounts as compared to ending balances due to the volatility of some of our larger relationships. Average in-market deposits for the year ended December 31, 2021 were approximately $1.784 billion, or 78.23% of total bank funding. Total bank funding is defined as total deposits plus FHLB advances and Federal Reserve PPPLF advances. This compares to average in-market deposits of

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$1.569 billion, or 75.01% of total bank funding, for 2020. Refer to Note 9 - Deposits in the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information regarding our deposit composition.

    The following table sets forth the amount and maturities of the Bank’s certificates of deposit and term wholesale deposits at December 31, 2021. 

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Interest Rate","","Three Months and Less","","Over Three Months Through Six Months","","Over Six Months Through Twelve Months","","Over Twelve Months","","Total"],["","","(In Thousands)"],["0.00% to 0.99%","","$","36,821","","","$","6,797","","","$","4,343","","","$","4,897","","","$","52,858"],["1.00% to 1.99%","","370","","","\u2014","","","300","","","403","","","1,073"],["2.00% to 2.99%","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","112","","","112"],["3.00% to 3.99%","","9,389","","","\u2014","","","10,000","","","297","","","19,686"],["","","$","46,580","","","$","6,797","","","$","14,643","","","$","5,709","","","$","73,729"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

    At December 31, 2021, time deposits included $7.9 million of certificates of deposit and wholesale deposits in denominations greater than or equal to $250,000. Of these certificates, $3.0 million are scheduled to mature in three months or less, $2.1 million in greater than three through six months, $251,000 in greater than six through twelve months and $2.6 million in greater than twelve months.

    Of the total time deposits outstanding as of December 31, 2021, $68.0 million are scheduled to mature in 2022, $4.5 million in 2023, $349,000 in 2024, $324,000 in 2025, and $488,000 in 2026. As of December 31, 2021, we have no wholesale certificates of deposit which the Bank has the right to call prior to the scheduled maturity.

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Borrowings

    We had total borrowings of $413.5 million as of December 31, 2021, a decrease of $15.7 million, or 3.7%, from $429.2 million at December 31, 2020. While total wholesale funding as a percentage of total bank funding has decreased meaningfully overall due to significant in-market deposit growth, we continue to replace our maturing brokered certificates of deposit with FHLB advances at lower rates, if needed, to match-fund fixed rate loans and mitigate interest rate risk. Total bank funding is defined as total deposits plus FHLB advances and Federal Reserve PPPLF advances.

As of December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Corporation had other borrowings of $10.4 million and $920,000, respectively, which consisted of sold loans accounted for as secured borrowings because they did not qualify for true sale accounting, as well as borrowings associated with our investment in a community development entity.

During the second quarter of 2020, management tested the availability of the Federal Reserve PPPLF due to the uncertainty of when PPP loans would be required to close and fund and obtained a $29.6 million PPPLF advance. As of December 31, 2021, the Corporation had no PPPLF advances outstanding.

The Corporation incurred a $744,000 loss, recognized through non-interest expense, on the early extinguishment of $59.5 million in FHLB term advances late in the second quarter of 2020, as the Corporation lowered wholesale funding costs and improved the Corporation’s funding position. Management believes this strategy helped stabilize net interest margin during the extended low interest rate environment.

     Consistent with our funding philosophy to manage interest rate risk, we will use the most efficient and cost effective source of wholesale funds. We will utilize FHLB advances to the extent we maintain an adequate level of excess borrowing capacity for liquidity and contingency funding purposes and pricing remains favorable in comparison to the wholesale deposit alternative. We will use FHLB advances and/or brokered certificates of deposit in specific maturity periods needed, typically three to five years, to match-fund fixed rate loans and effectively mitigate the interest rate risk measured through our asset/liability management process and to support asset growth initiatives while taking into consideration our operating goals and desired level of usage of wholesale funds. Please refer to the section titled Liquidity and Capital Resources, below, for further information regarding our use and monitoring of wholesale funds.

    The following table sets forth the outstanding balances, weighted average balances, and weighted average interest rates for our borrowings (short-term and long-term) as indicated. 

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","","December 31, 2021","","December 31, 2020"],["","","Balance","","Weighted Average Balance","","Weighted Average Rate","","Balance","","Weighted Average Balance","","Weighted Average Rate"],["","","(Dollars in Thousands)"],["Federal funds purchased","","$","\u2014","","","$","\u2014","","","\u2014","%","","$","\u2014","","","$","71","","","0.69","%"],["Federal Reserve PPPLF","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","15,207","","","0.35"],["FHLB advances","","368,800","","","376,781","","","1.30","","","394,500","","","379,891","","","1.45"],["Line of credit","","500","","","78","","","2.90","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","\u2014"],["Other borrowings","","10,363","","","8,090","","","4.11","","","920","","","676","","","12.60"],["Subordinated notes payable","","23,788","","","23,766","","","5.94","","","23,747","","","23,725","","","5.95"],["Junior subordinated notes","","10,076","","","10,068","","","11.05","","","10,062","","","10,054","","","11.09"],["","","$","413,527","","","$","418,783","","","1.86","","","$","429,229","","","$","429,624","","","1.91"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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A summary of annual maturities of borrowings at December 31, 2021 is as follows:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["(In Thousands)"],["Maturities during the year ended December 31,"],["2022","","$","173,500"],["2023","","37,300"],["2024","","35,500"],["2025","","23,363"],["2026","","\u2014"],["Thereafter","","143,864"],["","","$","413,527"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

The subordinated notes payable consist of two series of notes, each of which qualifies as Tier II capital. At December 31, 2021, $15.0 million bore a fixed interest rate of 5.50% with a maturity date of August 15, 2029 and $9.1 million bore a fixed interest rate of 6.00% with a maturity date of April 15, 2027. The Corporation may, at its option, redeem the 5.50% notes, in whole or part, at any time after August 15, 2024, and may redeem the 6.00% notes any time after June 15, 2022. The 5.50% notes will begin to lose Tier II capital treatment at a rate of 20% per year effective August 15, 2024, while the 6.00% note will begin to lose Tier II capital treatment at a rate of 20% per year effective June 15, 2022.

Given the historically low interest rate environment, management continues to evaluate options to optimize the Corporation’s capital structure and reduce borrowing costs, wherein we may redeem and replace various notes at the next earliest redemption periods. Refer to Note 10 – FHLB Advances, Other Borrowings and Junior Subordinated Notes in the Consolidated Financial Statements for additional information on the terms of Corporation’s current debt instruments.

Stockholders’ Equity

    As of December 31, 2021, stockholders’ equity was $232.4 million, or 8.76% of total assets, compared to stockholders’ equity of $206.2 million, or 8.03% of total assets, as of December 31, 2020. Excluding PPP loans, stockholders’ equity was 8.85% of total assets as of December 31, 2021, compared to 8.80%. Stockholders’ equity increased by $26.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 attributable to net income of $35.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, partially offset by dividend declarations of $6.2 million and stock repurchases of $5.0 million authorized under the repurchase program discussed below.

    On January 28, 2021, the Board of Directors of the Corporation approved a new share repurchase program. The program authorized the repurchase by the Corporation of up to $5 million of its total outstanding shares of common stock over a period of approximately twelve months, ending January 31, 2022. The Corporation completed the $5 million repurchase program in October 2021, repurchasing a total of 182,151 shares during the year at a weighted average price of $27.40 per share. The Corporation did not have an active share repurchase plan as of December 31, 2021.

    Under the share repurchase program, shares were repurchased from time to time in the open market or negotiated transactions at prevailing market rates, or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws. In connection with the share repurchase program, the Corporation implemented a 10b5-1 trading plan. The trading plan allowed the Corporation to repurchase shares of its common stock at times when it otherwise might have been prevented from doing so under insider trading laws by requiring that an agent selected by the Corporation repurchase shares of common stock on the Corporation’s behalf on pre-determined terms.

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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

     The Corporation expects to meet its liquidity needs through existing cash on hand, established cash flow sources, its third party senior line of credit, and dividends received from the Bank. While the Bank is subject to certain generally applicable regulatory limitations regarding its ability to pay dividends to the Corporation, we do not believe that the Corporation will be adversely affected by these dividend limitations. The Corporation’s principal liquidity requirements at December 31, 2021 were the interest payments due on subordinated and junior subordinated notes. During 2021 and 2020, FBB declared and paid dividends totaling $8.5 million and $12.0 million, respectively. The capital ratios of the Bank met all applicable regulatory capital adequacy requirements in effect on December 31, 2021, and continue to meet the heightened requirements imposed by Basel III, including the capital conservation buffer that was fully phased-in as of January 1, 2019. The Corporation’s Board and management teams adhere to the appropriate regulatory guidelines on decisions which affect their capital positions, including but not limited to, decisions relating to the payment of dividends and increasing indebtedness.

    The Bank maintains liquidity by obtaining funds from several sources. The Bank’s primary source of funds are principal and interest payments on loans receivable and mortgage-related securities, deposits, and other borrowings, such as federal funds and FHLB advances. The scheduled payments of loans and mortgage-related securities are generally a predictable source of funds. Deposit flows and loan prepayments, however, are greatly influenced by general interest rates, economic conditions, and competition.

    We view on-balance sheet liquidity as a critical element to maintaining adequate liquidity to meet our cash and collateral obligations. We define our on-balance sheet liquidity as the total of our short-term investments, our unencumbered securities available-for-sale, and our unencumbered pledged loans. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, our immediate on-balance sheet liquidity was $529.5 million and $640.2 million, respectively. At December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Bank had $47.0 million and $26.7 million on deposit with the FRB recorded in short-term investments, respectively. Any excess funds not used for loan funding or satisfying other cash obligations were maintained as part of our on-balance sheet liquidity in our interest-bearing accounts with the FRB, as we value the safety and soundness provided by the FRB. We plan to utilize excess liquidity to fund loan and lease portfolio growth, pay down maturing debt, allow run off of maturing wholesale certificates of deposit or to invest in securities to maintain adequate liquidity at an improved margin.

    We had $398.4 million of outstanding wholesale funds at December 31, 2021, compared to $567.0 million of wholesale funds as of December 31, 2020, which represented 17.1% and 25.2%, respectively, of period end total bank funding. Wholesale funds include FHLB advances, Federal Reserve PPPLF advances, brokered certificates of deposit, and deposits gathered from internet listing services. Total bank funding is defined as total deposits plus FHLB advances and Federal Reserve PPPLF advances. We are committed to raising in-market deposits while utilizing wholesale funds to mitigate interest rate risk. Wholesale funds continue to be an efficient and cost effective source of funding for the Bank and allows it to gather funds across a larger geographic base at price levels and maturities that are more attractive than local time deposits when required to raise a similar level of in-market deposits within a short time period. Access to such deposits and borrowings allows us the flexibility to refrain from pursuing single service deposit relationships in markets that have experienced unfavorable pricing levels. In addition, the administrative costs associated with wholesale funds are considerably lower than those that would be incurred to administer a similar level of local deposits with a similar maturity structure. During the time frames necessary to accumulate wholesale funds in an orderly manner, we will use short-term FHLB advances to meet our temporary funding needs. The short-term FHLB advances will typically have terms of one week to one month to cover the overall expected funding demands.

     Period-end in-market deposits increased $245.3 million, or 14.6%, to $1.928 billion at December 31, 2021 from $1.683 billion at December 31, 2020 as in-market deposit balances increased due to successful business development efforts and PPP loan proceeds. Our in-market relationships continue to grow; however, deposit balances associated with those relationships will fluctuate. We expect to establish new client relationships and continue marketing efforts aimed at increasing the balances in existing clients’ deposit accounts. Nonetheless, we will continue to use wholesale funds in specific maturity periods, typically three to five years, needed to effectively mitigate the interest rate risk measured through our asset/liability management process or in shorter time periods if in-market deposit balances decline. In order to provide for ongoing liquidity and funding, all of our wholesale funds are certificates of deposit which do not allow for withdrawal at the option of the depositor before the stated maturity (with the exception of deposits accumulated through the internet listing service which have the same early withdrawal privileges and fees as do our other in-market deposits) and FHLB advances with contractual maturity terms and no call provisions. The Bank limits the percentage of wholesale funds to total bank funds in accordance with liquidity policies approved by its Board. The Bank was in compliance with its policy limits as of December 31, 2021.

    The Bank was able to access the wholesale funding market as needed at rates and terms comparable to market standards during the year ended December 31, 2021. In the event that there is a disruption in the availability of wholesale funds at maturity, the Bank has managed the maturity structure, in compliance with our approved liquidity policy, so at least one year of maturities could be funded through on-balance sheet liquidity. These potential funding sources include deposits maintained

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at the FRB or Federal Reserve Discount Window utilizing currently unencumbered securities and acceptable loans as collateral. As of December 31, 2021, the available liquidity was in excess of the stated policy minimum. We believe the Bank will also have access to the unused federal funds lines, cash flows from borrower repayments, and cash flows from security maturities. The Bank also has the ability to raise local market deposits by offering attractive rates to generate the level required to fulfill its liquidity needs.

    The Bank is required by federal regulation to maintain sufficient liquidity to ensure safe and sound operations. We believe that the Bank has sufficient liquidity to match the balance of net withdrawable deposits and short-term borrowings in light of present economic conditions and deposit flows.

    During the year ended December 31, 2021, operating activities resulted in a net cash inflow of $36.0 million driven by net income of $35.8 million. Net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $111.0 million which consisted of $86.7 million in cash outflows to fund net loan growth and $20.3 million in net cash outflows to purchase available-for-sale securities. Net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 was $75.2 million. Financing cash flows included a $102.4 million net increase in deposits, partially offset by a $25.7 million net decrease in FHLB advances, cash dividends paid of $6.2 million, and authorized share repurchases of $5.0 million, respectively.

    Refer to Note 11 - Regulatory Capital for additional information regarding the Corporation’s and the Bank’s capital ratios and the ratios required by their federal regulators at December 31, 2021 and 2020.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

    The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. By their nature, changes in these assumptions and estimates could significantly affect the Corporation’s financial position or results of operations. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Discussed below are certain policies that are critical to the Corporation. We view critical accounting policies to be those which are highly dependent on subjective or complex judgments, estimates and assumptions, and where changes in those estimates and assumptions could have a significant impact on the financial statements.

    Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses. The allowance for loan and lease losses represents our recognition of the risks of extending credit and our evaluation of the quality of the loan and lease portfolio and as such, requires the use of judgment as well as other systematic objective and quantitative methods which may include additional assumptions and estimates. The risks of extending credit and the accuracy of our evaluation of the quality of the loan and lease portfolio are neither static nor mutually exclusive and could result in a material impact on our Consolidated Financial Statements. We may over-estimate the quality of the loan and lease portfolio, resulting in a lower allowance for loan and lease losses than necessary, overstating net income and equity. Conversely, we may under-estimate the quality of the loan and lease portfolio, resulting in a higher allowance for loan and lease losses than necessary, understating net income and equity. The allowance for loan and lease losses is a valuation allowance for probable credit losses, increased by the provision for loan and lease losses and decreased by charge-offs, net of recoveries. We estimate the allowance reserve balance required and the related provision for loan and lease losses based on quarterly evaluations of the loan and lease portfolio, with particular attention paid to loans and leases that have been specifically identified as needing additional management analysis because of the potential for further problems. During these evaluations, consideration is also given to such factors as the level and composition of impaired and other non-performing loans and leases, historical loss experience, results of examinations by regulatory agencies, independent loan and lease reviews, our estimate of the fair value of the underlying collateral taking into consideration various valuation techniques and qualitative adjustments to inputs to those estimates of fair value, the strength and availability of guarantees, concentration of credits, and other factors. Allocations of the allowance may be made for specific loans or leases, but the entire allowance is available for any loan or lease that, in our judgment, should be charged off. Loan and lease losses are charged against the allowance when we believe that the uncollectability of a loan or lease balance is confirmed. See Note 1 – Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies and Note 4 – Loan and Lease Receivables, Impaired Loans and Leases and Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses in the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion of the allowance for loan and lease losses.

    We also continue to exercise our legal rights and remedies as appropriate in the collection and disposal of non-performing assets, and adhere to rigorous underwriting standards in our origination process in order to achieve strong asset quality. Although we believe that the allowance for loan and lease losses was appropriate as of December 31, 2021 based upon the evaluation of loan and lease delinquencies, non-performing assets, charge-off trends, economic conditions, and other factors, there can be no assurance that future adjustments to the allowance will not be necessary. If the quality of loans or leases

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deteriorates, then the allowance for loan and lease losses would generally be expected to increase relative to total loans and leases. If loan or lease quality improves, then the allowance would generally be expected to decrease relative to total loans and leases.

    Goodwill Impairment Assessment.  Goodwill is not amortized but, instead, is subject to impairment tests on at least an annual basis, and more frequently if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount, including goodwill. The Corporation conducted its annual impairment test as of August 1, 2021, utilizing a qualitative assessment, and concluded that it was more likely than not the estimated fair value of the reporting unit exceeded its carrying value, resulting in no impairment. Although no goodwill impairment was noted, there can be no assurances that future goodwill impairment will not occur. See Note 1 – Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies for the Corporation's accounting policy on goodwill and see Note 7 – Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets in the Consolidated Financial Statements for a detailed discussion of the factors considered by management in the assessment.

    Income Taxes. The Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries file a consolidated federal income tax return and a combined Wisconsin state tax return. Deferred income taxes are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. The determination of current and deferred income taxes is based on complex analysis of many factors, including the interpretation of federal and state income tax laws, the difference between the tax and financial reporting basis of assets and liabilities (temporary differences), estimates of amounts currently due or owed, such as the timing of reversals of temporary differences, and current accounting standards. We apply a more likely than not approach to each of our tax positions when determining the amount of tax benefit to record in our Consolidated Financial Statements. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.

    We have made our best estimate of valuation allowances utilizing available evidence and evaluation of sources of taxable income including tax planning strategies and expected reversals of timing differences to determine if valuation allowances were needed for deferred tax assets. Realization of deferred tax assets over time is dependent on our ability to generate sufficient taxable earnings in future periods and a valuation allowance may be necessary if management determines that it is more likely than not that the deferred asset will not be utilized. These estimates and assumptions are subject to change. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could adversely affect future consolidated results of operations. The Corporation believes the tax assets and liabilities are properly recorded in the Consolidated Financial Statements. See also Note 15 – Income Taxes in the Consolidated Financial Statements.

    The Corporation also invests in certain development entities that generate federal and state historic and low income housing tax credits. The tax benefits associated with these investments are accounted for either under the flow-through method, equity method, or proportional amortization method and are recognized when the respective project is placed in service or over the investment term.

    The federal and state taxing authorities who make assessments based on their determination of tax laws may periodically review our interpretation of federal and state income tax laws. Tax liabilities could differ significantly from the estimates and interpretations used in determining the current and deferred income tax liabilities based on the completion of examinations by taxing authorities.