8-K

PEOPLES BANCORP OF NORTH CAROLINA INC (PEBK)

8-K 2021-07-19 For: 2021-07-19
View Original
Added on April 12, 2026
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
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CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of<br>Report (Date of earliest event<br>reported):                                                                                                 July<br>19, 2021
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Peoples Bancorp of North<br>Carolina, Inc.
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(Exact<br>Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
North<br>Carolina
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(State<br>or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
000-27205 56-2132396
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(Commission<br>File No.) (IRS<br>Employer Identification No.)
518 West C Street, Newton,<br>North Carolina 28658
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(Address<br>of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip<br>Code)
(828)<br>464-5620
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(Registrant’s<br>Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Peoples<br>Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc.
INDEX
Page
Item<br>2.02 – Results of Operations and Financial<br>Condition 3
Item<br>9.01 – Financial Statements and Exhibits 3
Signatures 4
Exhibit<br>(99)(a) Press Release dated July 19, 2021 5

Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition

On July 19, 2021, Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. issued a press release announcing second quarter 2021 earnings results.

A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit (99)(a) and is incorporated by reference herein.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d)           Exhibits

(99)(a)     Press Release dated July 19, 2021

Disclosure about forward-looking statements

Statements made in this Form 8-K, other than those concerning historical information, should be considered forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of management and on the information available to management at the time that this report was prepared. These statements can be identified by the use of words like “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” and “believe,” variations of these words and other similar expressions. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, changes in interest rate environment, management’s business strategy, national, regional, and local market conditions and legislative and regulatory conditions.

The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Readers should also carefully review the risk factors described in other documents the Company files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SIGNATURES
Pursuant<br>to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the<br>registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf<br>by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
PEOPLES<br>BANCORP OF NORTH CAROLINA, INC.
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Date:<br>July 19, 2021 By: /s/<br>Jeffrey N. Hooper
Jeffrey N.<br>Hooper
Executive<br>Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

pebk_ex991

Exhibit 99(a)

NEWS RELEASE

July 19, 2021

Contact:

Lance A. Sellers

President and Chief Executive Officer

Jeffrey N. Hooper

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

828-464-5620, Fax 828-465-6780

For Immediate Release

PEOPLES BANCORP ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER EARNINGS RESULTS

Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEBK), the parent company of Peoples Bank, reported second quarter earnings results with highlights as follows:

Second quarter highlights:

Net earnings were $4.6 million or $0.82 basic net earnings per share and $0.80 diluted net earnings per share for the three months ended June 30, 2021, as compared to $2.6 million or $0.46 basic net earnings per share and $0.44 diluted net earnings per share for the same period one year ago.

The Bank originated 72 Small Business Administration (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, totaling $3.3 million, during the three months ended June 30, 2021. The Bank recognized $1.5 million in PPP loan fee income during the three months ended June 30, 2021.

Year to date highlights:

Net earnings were $8.7 million or $1.55 basic net earnings per share and $1.51 diluted net earnings per share for the six months ended June 30, 2021, as compared to $4.9 million or $0.87 basic net earnings per share and $0.84 diluted net earnings per share for the same period one year ago.

The Bank originated 419 SBA PPP loans, totaling $29.1 million, during the six months ended June 30, 2021. The Bank recognized $2.5 million in PPP loan fee income during the six months ended June 30, 2021.

Core deposits were $1.4 billion or 98.09% of total deposits at June 30, 2021, compared to $1.1 billion or 97.88% of total deposits at June 30, 2020.

Lance A. Sellers, President and Chief Executive Officer, attributed the increase in second quarter net earnings to an increase in net interest income, a decrease in the provision for loan losses and an increase in non-interest income, which were partially offset by an increase in non-interest expense during the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to the three months ended June 30, 2020, as discussed below.

Net interest income was $11.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $10.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in net interest income was due to a $879,000 increase in interest income and a $70,000 decrease in interest expense. The increase in interest income was primarily due to a $823,000 increase in interest income and fees on loans, which was primarily due to a $1.5 million increase in fee income on SBA PPP loans. The decrease in interest expense was primarily due to a decrease in Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) borrowings. Net interest income after the provision for loan losses was $11.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $9.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The provision for loan losses for the three months ended June 30, 2021 was a credit of $226,000, compared to an expense of $1.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease in the provision for loan losses is primarily attributable to a decrease in reserves on loans with payment modifications made as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a decrease in reserves due to a net decrease in the volume of loans in the general reserve pool. At June 30, 2021, the balance of loans with existing modifications as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic was $283,000. At December 31, 2020, the balance of loans with existing modifications as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic was $18.3 million. The Company continues to track all loans that are currently modified or have been modified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The loan balances associated with COVID-19 pandemic related modifications have been grouped into their own pool within the Company’s Allowance for Loan and Lease Losses (“ALLL”) model as they have a higher likelihood of risk, and a higher reserve rate has been applied to that pool. Of all loans modified as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, $108.2 million have returned to their original terms; however, the effects of stimulus in the current environment are still unknown, and additional losses may be present in loans that are currently modified and/or loans that were once modified. At December 31, 2020, the balance for all loans that were then currently modified or previously modified but returned to their original terms was $119.6 million. The $11.4 million decrease from December 31, 2020 to June 30, 2021 in the balance of currently or previously modified loans that had returned to their original terms is primarily due to loans paid off during the six months ended June 30, 2021.

Non-interest income was $6.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $5.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in non-interest income is primarily attributable to a $593,000 increase in miscellaneous non-interest income primarily due to an increase in debit card income resulting from increased debit card activity and an increase in income on Small Business Investment Company (“SBIC”) investments, and a $271,000 increase in appraisal management fee income due to an increase in the volume of appraisals.

Non-interest expense was $12.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $11.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in non-interest expense was primarily attributable to a $301,000 increase in appraisal management fee expense due to an increase in the volume of appraisals and a $170,000 increase in other non-interest expenses.

Year-to-date net earnings as of June 30, 2021 were $8.7 million or $1.55 basic net earnings per share and $1.51 diluted net earnings per share for the six months ended June 30, 2021, as compared to $4.9 million or $0.87 basic net earnings per share and $0.84 diluted net earnings per share for the same period one year ago. The increase in year-to-date net earnings is primarily attributable to an increase in net interest income, a decrease in the provision for loan losses and an increase in non-interest income, which were partially offset by an increase in non-interest expense during the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2020, as discussed below.

Year-to-date net interest income as of June 30, 2021 was $22.8 million, compared to $21.9 million for the same period one year ago. The increase in net interest income was due to a $551,000 increase in interest income and a $296,000 decrease in interest expense. The increase in interest income was primarily due to a $807,000 increase in interest income and fees on loans, which was primarily due to a $2.5 million increase in fee income on SBA PPP loans. The decrease in interest expense was primarily due to a decrease in rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities and a decrease in FHLB borrowings. Net interest income after the provision for loan losses was $23.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $19.0 million for the same period one year ago. The provision for loan losses for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was a credit of $681,000, compared to an expense of $2.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The decrease in the provision for loan losses is primarily attributable to a decrease in reserves on loans with payment modifications made as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a decrease in reserves due to a net decrease in the volume of loans in the general reserve pool.

Non-interest income was $11.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $9.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in non-interest income is primarily attributable to a $708,000 increase in mortgage banking income due to an increase in mortgage loan volume, a $737,000 increase in appraisal management fee income due to an increase in the volume of appraisals and a $1.0 million increase in miscellaneous non-interest income primarily due to an increase in debit card income resulting from increased debit card activity and an increase in income on SBIC investments.

Non-interest expense was $24.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $22.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in non-interest expense was primarily attributable to a $723,000 increase in appraisal management fee expense due to an increase in the volume of appraisals and a $590,000 increase in salaries and employee benefits expense primarily due to increases in insurance costs and incentive compensation.

Income tax expense was $1.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $535,000 for the three months ended June 30, 2020. The effective tax rate was 20.55% for the three months ended June 30, 2021, compared to 17.28% for the three months ended June 30, 2020. Income tax expense was $2.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to $1.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. The effective tax rate was 20.41% for the six months ended June 30, 2021, compared to 16.90% for the six months ended June 30, 2020.

Total assets were $1.6 billion as of June 30, 2021, compared to $1.4 billion at December 31, 2020. Available for sale securities were $367.5 million as of June 30, 2021, compared to $245.2 million as of December 31, 2020. Total loans were $888.4 million as of June 30, 2021, compared to $948.6 million as of December 31, 2020. The decrease in loans is primarily due to a $38.3 million decrease in PPP loans primarily due to PPP loans being forgiven by the SBA during the six months ended June 30, 2021 and a $33.7 million decrease in commercial loans due to loan payoffs during the six months ended June 30, 2021. The Company had $37.5 million and $75.8 million in PPP loans at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, respectively.

Non-performing assets were $3.4 million or 0.21% of total assets at June 30, 2021, compared to $3.9 million or 0.27% of total assets at December 31, 2020. Non-performing assets include $3.3 million in commercial and residential mortgage loans and $67,000 in other loans at June 30, 2021, compared to $3.5 million in commercial and residential mortgage loans, $226,000 in other loans, and $128,000 in other real estate owned at December 31, 2020.

The allowance for loan losses at June 30, 2021 was $9.3 million or 1.05% of total loans, compared to $9.9 million or 1.04% of total loans at December 31, 2020. Management believes the current level of the allowance for loan losses is adequate; however, there is no assurance that additional adjustments to the allowance will not be required because of changes in economic conditions, regulatory requirements or other factors.

Deposits were $1.4 billion at June 30, 2021, compared to $1.2 billion at December 31, 2020. Core deposits, which include noninterest-bearing demand deposits, NOW, MMDA, savings and non-brokered certificates of deposit of denominations less than $250,000, were $1.4 billion at June 30, 2021, compared to $1.2 billion at December 31, 2020. Certificates of deposit in amounts of $250,000 or more totaled $26.6 million at June 30, 2021, compared to $25.8 million at December 31, 2020.

Securities sold under agreements to repurchase were $31.2 million at June 30, 2021, compared to $26.2 million at December 31, 2020. Junior subordinated debentures were $15.5 million at June 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020. Shareholders’ equity was $145.4 million, or 9.09% of total assets, at June 30, 2021, compared to $139.9 million, or 9.89% of total assets, at December 31, 2020.

Peoples Bank currently operates 17 banking offices entirely in North Carolina, with offices in Catawba, Alexander, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Iredell and Wake Counties. The Bank also operates loan production offices in Lincoln, Mecklenburg and Rowan Counties. The Company’s common stock is publicly traded and is quoted on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “PEBK.”

Statements made in this press release, other than those concerning historical information, should be considered forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are based on the beliefs and assumptions of management and on the information available to management at the time that this release was prepared. These statements can be identified by the use of words like “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” and “believe,” variations of these words and other similar expressions. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, (1) competition in the markets served by Peoples Bank, (2) changes in the interest rate environment, (3) general national, regional or local economic conditions may be less favorable than expected, resulting in, among other things, a deterioration in credit quality and the possible impairment of collectibility of loans, (4) legislative or regulatory changes, including changes in accounting standards, (5) significant changes in the federal and state legal and regulatory environment and tax laws, (6) the impact of changes in monetary and fiscal policies, laws, rules and regulations and (7) other risks and factors identified in the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to those described in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

June 30, 2021, December 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020

(Dollars in thousands)

June<br>30,<br><br><br>2021 December<br>31,<br><br><br>2020 June<br>30,<br><br><br>2020
(Unaudited) (Audited) (Unaudited)
ASSETS:
Cash and due from<br>banks $47,151 $42,737 $48,990
Interest-bearing<br>deposits 240,158 118,843 15,694
Federal funds<br>sold - - 124,955
Cash and cash<br>equivalents 287,309 161,580 189,639
Investment<br>securities available for sale 367,529 245,249 207,469
Other<br>investments 3,758 4,155 7,196
Total<br>securities 371,287 249,404 214,665
Mortgage loans held<br>for sale 5,501 9,139 10,594
Loans 888,360 948,639 966,543
Less: Allowance for<br>loan losses (9,287) (9,908) (9,433)
Net<br>loans 879,073 938,731 957,110
Premises and<br>equipment, net 17,217 18,600 18,480
Cash surrender<br>value of life insurance 17,164 16,968 16,507
Accrued interest<br>receivable and other assets 22,022 21,753 19,994
Total<br>assets $1,599,573 $1,416,175 $1,426,989
LIABILITIES<br>AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY:
Deposits:
Noninterest-bearing<br>demand $512,577 $456,980 $457,637
Interest-bearing<br>demand, MMDA & savings 775,009 657,834 594,948
Time, $250,000 or<br>more 26,631 25,771 24,477
Other<br>time 77,837 80,501 77,267
Total<br>deposits 1,392,054 1,221,086 1,154,329
Securities sold<br>under agreements to repurchase 31,249 26,201 31,747
FHLB<br>borrowings - - 70,000
Junior subordinated<br>debentures 15,464 15,464 15,464
Accrued interest<br>payable and other liabilities 15,432 13,525 18,408
Total<br>liabilities 1,454,199 1,276,276 1,289,948
Shareholders'<br>equity:
Preferred stock, no<br>par value; authorized
5,000,000 shares;<br>no shares issued and outstanding - - -
Common stock, no<br>par value; authorized
20,000,000 shares;<br>issued and outstanding
5,789,166 shares at<br>6/30/21,
5,787,504 shares at<br>12/31/20 and 6/30/20 56,910 56,871 56,871
Common stock held<br>by deferred compensation trust,
at cost; 158,985<br>shares at 6/30/21, 155,469 shares
at 12/31/20 and<br>150,309 shares at 6/30/20 (1,901) (1,796) (1,700)
Deferred<br>compensation 1,901 1,796 1,700
Retained<br>earnings 84,504 77,628 72,942
Accumulated other<br>comprehensive income 3,960 5,400 7,228
Total shareholders'<br>equity 145,374 139,899 137,041
Total liabilities<br>and shareholders' equity $1,599,573 $1,416,175 $1,426,989

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020

(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

Three<br>months ended Six months<br>ended
June<br>30, June<br>30,
2021 2020 2021 2020
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited)
INTEREST<br>INCOME:
Interest and fees<br>on loans $11,003 $10,180 $21,667 $20,860
Interest on due<br>from banks 48 41 83 84
Interest on federal<br>funds sold - 22 - 145
Interest on<br>investment securities:
U.S. Government<br>sponsored enterprises 682 651 1,220 1,336
State and political<br>subdivisions 758 684 1,397 1,325
Other 26 60 72 138
Total interest<br>income 12,517 11,638 24,439 23,888
INTEREST<br>EXPENSE:
Interest-bearing<br>demand, MMDA & savings deposits 543 448 1,040 973
Time<br>deposits 191 224 403 501
FHLB<br>borrowings - 102 - 166
Junior subordinated<br>debentures 71 90 142 220
Other 37 48 72 93
Total interest<br>expense 842 912 1,657 1,953
NET<br>INTEREST INCOME 11,675 10,726 22,782 21,935
PROVISION<br>FOR (RECOVERY OF) LOAN LOSSES (226) 1,417 (681) 2,938
NET<br>INTEREST INCOME AFTER
PROVISION<br>FOR LOAN LOSSES 11,901 9,309 23,463 18,997
NON-INTEREST<br>INCOME:
Service<br>charges 910 718 1,836 1,826
Other service<br>charges and fees 171 162 383 355
Mortgage banking<br>income 723 563 1,593 885
Insurance and<br>brokerage commissions 238 205 498 447
Appraisal<br>management fee income 2,005 1,734 3,821 3,084
Miscellaneous 1,993 1,400 3,782 2,780
Total non-interest<br>income 6,040 5,239 11,913 9,834
NON-INTEREST<br>EXPENSES:
Salaries and<br>employee benefits 5,666 5,535 11,849 11,259
Occupancy 1,939 1,861 3,892 3,782
Appraisal<br>management fee expense 1,634 1,333 3,090 2,367
Other 2,893 2,723 5,569 5,493
Total non-interest<br>expense 12,132 11,452 24,400 22,901
EARNINGS BEFORE<br>INCOME TAXES 5,809 3,096 10,976 5,930
INCOME<br>TAXES 1,194 535 2,240 1,002
NET<br>EARNINGS $4,615 $2,561 $8,736 $4,928
PER<br>SHARE AMOUNTS
Basic net<br>earnings $0.82 $0.46 $1.55 $0.87
Diluted net<br>earnings $0.80 $0.44 $1.51 $0.84
Cash<br>dividends $0.16 $0.15 $0.32 $0.45
Book<br>value $25.82 $24.82 $25.82 $24.82

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

For the three and six months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, and the year ended December 31, 2020

(Dollars in thousands)

Three<br>months ended Six months<br>ended Year<br>ended
June<br>30, June<br>30, December<br>31,
2021 2020 2021 2020 2020
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited)
SELECTED<br>AVERAGE BALANCES:
Available for sale<br>securities $346,889 $195,101 $305,127 $191,986 $200,821
Loans 916,393 947,344 931,714 904,489 935,970
Earning<br>assets 1,477,256 1,258,583 1,425,990 1,181,237 1,271,764
Assets 1,563,570 1,360,408 1,510,789 1,278,673 1,365,642
Deposits 1,370,159 1,104,394 1,319,755 1,038,839 1,115,019
Shareholders'<br>equity 141,167 134,803 142,566 135,775 141,287
SELECTED<br>KEY DATA:
Net interest margin<br>(tax equivalent) 3.20% 3.48% 3.26% 3.79% 3.52%
Return on average<br>assets 1.18% 0.76% 1.17% 0.78% 0.83%
Return on average<br>shareholders' equity 13.11% 7.64% 12.36% 7.30% 8.04%
Average<br>shareholders' equity to total average assets 9.03% 9.91% 9.44% 9.91% 9.89%
ALLOWANCE<br>FOR LOAN LOSSES:
Balance, beginning<br>of period $9,532 $8,112 $9,908 $6,680 $6,680
Provision for<br>(Recovery of) loan losses (226) 1,417 (681) 2,938 4,259
Charge-offs (151) (168) (236) (378) (1,414)
Recoveries 132 72 296 193 383
Balance, end of<br>period $9,287 $9,433 $9,287 $9,433 $9,908
June<br>30,<br><br><br>2021 June<br>30,<br><br><br>2020 December<br>31,<br><br><br>2020
--- --- --- ---
(Unaudited) (Unaudited) (Audited)
ASSET<br>QUALITY:
Non-accrual<br>loans $3,378 $3,999 $3,758
90 days past due<br>and still accruing - - -
Other real estate<br>owned - - 128
Total<br>non-performing assets $3,378 $3,999 $3,886
Non-performing<br>assets to total assets 0.21% 0.28% 0.27%
Loans modifications<br>related to COVID-19 $283 $120,569 $18,246
Allowance for loan<br>losses to non-performing assets 274.93% 235.88% 254.97%
Allowance for loan<br>losses to total loans 1.05% 0.98% 1.04%
Allowance for loan<br>losses to total loans, excluding PPP loans 1.09% 1.09% 1.14%
LOAN<br>RISK GRADE ANALYSIS:
--- --- --- ---
Percentage<br>of loans by risk grade
Risk Grade 1<br>(excellent quality) 0.63% 1.58% 1.18%
Risk Grade 2 (high<br>quality) 19.16% 21.64% 20.45%
Risk Grade 3 (good<br>quality) 68.78% 65.35% 65.70%
Risk Grade 4<br>(management attention) 8.68% 9.39% 9.75%
Risk Grade 5<br>(watch) 1.97% 1.26% 2.20%
Risk Grade 6<br>(substandard) 0.78% 0.78% 0.72%
Risk Grade 7<br>(doubtful) 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Risk Grade 8<br>(loss) 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%

At June 30, 2021, including non-accrual loans, there were three relationships exceeding $1.0 million in the Watch risk grade (which totaled $8.3 million). There were no relationships exceeding $1.0 million in the Substandard risk grade.