MVB FINANCIAL CORP annual report, FY2011

Business context and reporting period

MVB Financial Corp. is a West Virginia bank holding company whose sole operating subsidiary, MVB Bank, provides community banking services. This Form 10-K covers the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011, with 2010 as the principal comparable period. The Bank operated six offices, including a new Morgantown facility opened in 2011, and focused on markets in five West Virginia counties.

Financial results and condition

Metric20112010
Net income$2.702 million$2.237 million
Net interest income$14.108 million$10.817 million
Net interest margin3.17%2.94%
Return on average assets0.57%0.57%
Return on average equity6.69%7.98%
Total assets at year-end$533.5 million$414.3 million
Loans at year-end$373.8 million$294.0 million
Deposits at year-end$390.5 million$300.4 million
Stockholders’ equity at year-end$47.7 million$30.8 million
Cash and cash equivalents at year-end$9.8 million$3.7 million

Interest income was $19.0 million and interest expense $4.9 million. Net interest income after the $1.7 million loan-loss provision was $12.4 million. Other income totaled $3.7 million; non-interest expense was $12.4 million. Income before taxes was $3.7 million and income tax expense was $1.0 million. The filing does not provide a single conventional operating margin measure.

Net cash used in operating activities was $0.4 million; investing activities used $109.7 million, principally reflecting loan and securities activity; financing activities provided $116.1 million. Cash increased by $6.1 million during the year. Year-end liabilities included $77.8 million of repurchase agreements, $9.8 million of FHLB and other borrowings, and $4.1 million of subordinated debt.

The Bank reported regulatory capital ratios above “well-capitalized” thresholds: total risk-based capital 15.8%, Tier 1 risk-based capital 14.9%, and Tier 1 leverage 9.6%. Management said available cash, investment maturities, loan payments, deposits, and borrowing sources were sufficient to meet liquidity needs.

Material changes versus the prior comparable period

  • Net income rose $465,000, while basic earnings per share declined to $1.24 from $1.40; average shares increased following equity issuance.
  • Net interest income increased $3.3 million, supported by loan growth of $79.8 million and lower funding costs. Net interest margin improved 23 basis points even as earning-asset yield declined from 4.42% to 4.28%.
  • Deposits increased $90.1 million; repurchase agreements rose $30.2 million, while FHLB and other borrowings fell $18.8 million. Investment securities increased $43.6 million.
  • Non-interest income rose $1.2 million, including a $745,000 increase in securities gains. Non-interest expense rose $3.2 million, including $1.9 million in higher salaries and benefits and $465,000 in legal expense.
  • Loan quality indicators weakened in some areas: impaired loans increased to $2.8 million from $856,000 in the filing’s impaired-loan comparison, and loans past due more than 30 days increased to $5.1 million from $2.6 million. Net charge-offs were $1.2 million versus $863,000.
  • Equity increased by about $17.0 million, including a common-stock offering and $8.5 million of Small Business Lending Fund preferred capital. Accumulated other comprehensive loss widened to $742,000 from $263,000.

Outlook, risks, contingencies and unusual items

Management said it expected loan activity to remain strong in the near term and planned to pursue growth, customer-service and technology initiatives. It provided no quantified earnings or revenue guidance. Management also noted continued pressure on margins from competition and a low-rate environment; its interest-rate simulation estimated one-year net interest income would decline 8.8% with a 100-basis-point rate increase and 14.3% with a 200-basis-point increase.

Key risks include local and national economic conditions, credit losses and collateral values, competition, interest-rate changes, and securities-market movements. The allowance for loan losses depends on management estimates and is identified as a critical accounting judgment. Commercial lending is the largest portfolio component, at about 62% of loans, with material geographic concentration in West Virginia.

A lawsuit related to the Morgantown office contributed to higher legal costs; the claim was settled in February 2012, and the Company said it had accrued adequately at year-end. The filing reported $47.4 million in off-balance-sheet commitments, primarily available lines of credit; these may expire undrawn. Two 2011 troubled debt restructurings totaled $518,000. The Company also received $8.5 million of SBLF preferred capital; the filing says the 1% dividend rate depends on continued qualifying loan production. No pending legal proceedings were reported in the business section, while the notes refer to ordinary-course legal actions not expected to have a significant adverse effect.

The Bank paid $0.10 per common share in 2011. The common shares were not traded on a national exchange. Management reported effective disclosure controls and no material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting; the auditor did not provide an internal-control attestation.

Important facts for investors to verify

  • Reconcile the filing’s EPS disclosures: the MD&A narrative gives 2010 diluted EPS as $1.36, while the income statement reports $1.38; confirm the correct comparative figure and treatment of preferred dividends.
  • Reconcile loan-quality disclosures: one MD&A passage gives 2010 non-accrual loans of $519,000, while the non-performing-assets table reports $2.229 million. Confirm the comparable figure and the definitions used.
  • Review the drivers and sustainability of earnings growth, particularly securities-sale gains, loan growth, the higher provision, and the substantial increase in operating costs.
  • Assess credit migration, non-accrual and past-due loans, troubled restructurings, charge-offs, and the adequacy of the $3.045 million allowance against rapid portfolio growth.
  • Check funding concentration and liquidity exposure, including repurchase agreements, brokered and public deposits, large certificates of deposit, and pledged securities.
  • Confirm the SBLF preferred-stock dividend terms and the conditions for retaining the 1% rate, along with restrictions on dividends and capital distributions.