Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Account Policies

Cincinnati Bancorp (“Company”) is the mid-tier holding company for Cincinnati Federal (the “Bank”), a federally chartered stock savings and loan association that is primarily engaged in providing a full range of banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers. Our business operations are conducted in the larger Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky metropolitan area which includes Hamilton, Warren, Butler and Clermont Counties in Ohio, Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties in Kentucky, and Dearborn County, Indiana. On October 14, 2015, the Bank reorganized into the mutual holding company structure. As part of the reorganization, the Company sold 773,663 shares of common stock at a price of $10.00 per share in a public offering and issued 945,587 shares of common stock to CF Mutual Holding Company, the Company’s parent mutual holding company. The Company is subject to competition from other financial institutions. The Company is subject to the regulation of certain federal and state agencies and undergoes periodic examinations by those regulatory authorities.

On December 20, 2019, the Company's shareholders approved a plan of conversion and reorganization, whereby CF Mutual Holding Company and Cincinnati Bancorp will convert and reorganize from the mutual holding company structure to the stock holding company structure. The conversion and reorganization were completed effective January 22, 2020, whereby Cincinnati Bancorp, Inc., a Maryland corporation and successor to the Company sold a total of 1,652,960 shares of common stock at a price of $10.00 per share in the subscription offering, which included 132,237 shares sold to Cincinnati Federal's Employee Stock Ownership Plan and issued 1,322,665 shares of common stock in exchange for the outstanding shares of common stock owned of the Company owned by stockholders other than CF Mutual Holding Company.

Revenue Recognition

On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09 "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" (Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 606) and all subsequent ASUs that modified ASC 606. ASC 606 provides that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods and services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Interest income, net securities gains (losses), gains from the sale of mortgage loans and bank-owned life insurance are not included within the scope of ASC 606. For the revenue streams in the scope of ASC 606, service charges on deposits and electronic banking fees, there are no significant judgments related to the amount and timing of revenue recognition. All of the Company’s in the revenue from contracts with customers is recognized within other noninterest income.

Service charges on deposit accounts: The Company earns fees from its deposit customers for transaction-based, account maintenance and overdraft services. Transaction-based fees, which include services such as stop payment charges, statement rendering and other fees, are recognized at the time the transaction is executed as that is the point in time the Company fulfills the customer's request. Account maintenance fees, which relate primarily to monthly maintenance, are earned over the course of a month, representing the period over which the Company satisfies the performance obligation. Overdraft fees are recognized at the point in time that the overdraft occurs. Service charges on deposits are withdrawn from the customer's account balance. Service charges are recorded in other noninterest income.

Interchange income: The Company earns interchange income from cardholder transactions conducted through the various payment networks. Interchange income from cardholder transactions represents a percentage of the underlying transaction value and is recognized daily, concurrently with the transaction processing services provided to the cardholder. The gross amount of these fees is processed through noninterest income. Interchange fees are recorded in other noninterest income.

Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements include Cincinnati Bancorp and its wholly subsidiary, Cincinnati Federal, together referred to as “the Company.” Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America 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. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change relate to the determination of the allowance for loan losses, valuation of real estate acquired in connection with foreclosures or in satisfaction of loans, loan servicing rights and fair values of financial instruments.

Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

From time to time, the Company’s interest-bearing cash accounts may exceed the FDIC’s insured limit of $250,000 per account. Management considers the risk of loss to be low based on the quality of the institutions where the funds are maintained.

Interest-bearing Time Deposits in Banks

Interest-bearing deposits in banks are carried at cost.

Securities

Available-for- sale debt securities are recorded at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported in other comprehensive income. Purchase premiums and discounts are recognized in interest income using the interest method over the terms of the securities. Gains and losses on the sale of securities are recorded on the trade date and are determined using the specific identification method.

For debt securities with fair value below amortized cost, when the Company does not intend to sell a debt security, and it is more likely than not the Company will not have to sell the security before recovery of its cost basis, it recognizes the credit component of an other-than-temporary impairment of a debt security in earnings and the remaining portion in other comprehensive income.

Loans Held for Sale

Mortgage loans originated and intended for sale in the secondary market are carried at the lower of cost or fair value in the aggregate. Net unrealized losses, if any, are recognized through a valuation allowance by charges to noninterest income. Gains and losses on loan sales are recorded in noninterest income. Direct loan origination costs and fees are deferred at origination of the loan and are recognized in noninterest income upon sale of the loan.

Loans

Loans that management has the intent and ability to hold for the foreseeable future, or until maturity or payoff, are reported at their outstanding principal balances adjusted for unearned income, charge-offs, the allowance for loan losses, any unamortized deferred fees or costs on originated loans and unamortized premiums or discounts on purchased loans.

For loans amortized at cost, interest income is accrued based on the unpaid principal balance. Loan origination fees, net of certain direct origination costs, as well as premiums and discounts, are deferred and amortized as a level yield adjustment over the respective term of the loan.

The accrual of interest on mortgage and commercial loans is discontinued at the time the loan is 90 days past due unless the credit is well-secured and in process of collection. Past due status is based on contractual terms of the loan. In all cases, loans are placed on nonaccrual or charged off at an earlier date if collection of principal or interest is considered doubtful.

All interest accrued but not collected for loans that are placed on nonaccrual or charged off are reversed against interest income. The interest on these loans is accounted for on the cash-basis or cost-recovery method, until qualifying for return to accrual status. Loans are returned to accrual status when all the principal and interest amounts contractually due are brought current and future payments are reasonably assured.

When cash payments are received on impaired loans in each loan class, the Company records the payment as interest income unless collection of the remaining recorded principal amount is doubtful, at which time payments are used to reduce the principal balance of the loan. Troubled debt restructured loans recognize interest income on an accrual basis at the renegotiated rate if the loan is in compliance with the modified terms, no principal reduction has been granted and the loan has demonstrated the ability to perform in accordance with the renegotiated terms for a period of at least six consecutive months.

Loans acquired at the effective date of a merger are recorded at fair value with no carryover of the acquired entity’s previously established allowance for loan losses. The excess of expected cash flows over the estimated fair value of the acquired loans is recognized as interest income over the remaining contractual lives of the loans using the level yield method. Subsequent decreases in expected cash flows will require additions to the allowance for loan losses. Subsequent improvements in expected cash flows result in the recognition of additional interest income over the remaining contractual lives of the loans. Management estimates the cash flows expected to be collected at acquisition using a third-party risk model, which incorporates the estimate of key assumptions, such as default rates and prepayment speeds.

Allowance for Loan Losses

The allowance for loan losses is established as losses are estimated to have occurred through a provision for loan losses charged to income. Loan losses are charged against the allowance when management believes the uncollectability of a loan balance is confirmed. Subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance.

The allowance for loan losses is evaluated on a regular basis by management and is based upon management’s periodic review of the collectability of the loans in light of historical experience, the nature and volume of the loan portfolio, adverse situations that may affect the borrower’s ability to repay, estimated value of any underlying collateral and prevailing economic conditions. This evaluation is inherently subjective as it requires estimates that are susceptible to significant revision as more information becomes available.

The allowance consists of allocated and general components. The allocated component relates to loans that are classified as impaired. For those loans that are classified as impaired, an allowance is established when the discounted cash flows (or collateral value or observable market price) of the impaired loan is lower than the carrying value of that loan. The general component covers nonclassified loans and is based on historical charge-off experience and expected loss given default derived from the Company’s internal risk rating process. Other adjustments may be made to the allowance for pools of loans after an assessment of internal or external influences on credit quality that are not fully reflected in the historical loss or risk rating data.

A loan is considered impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect the scheduled payments of principal or interest when due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Factors considered by management in determining impairment include payment status, collateral value and the probability of collecting scheduled principal and interest payments when due. Loans that experience insignificant payment delays and payment shortfalls generally are not classified as impaired. Management determines the significance of payment delays and payment shortfalls on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration all of the circumstances surrounding the loan and the borrower, including the length of the delay, the reasons for the delay, the borrower’s prior payment record and the amount of the shortfall in relation to the principal and interest owed. Impairment is measured on a loan-by-loan basis by either the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate, the loan’s obtainable market price or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent.

Groups of loans with similar risk characteristics are collectively evaluated for impairment based on the group’s historical loss experience adjusted for changes in trends, conditions and other relevant factors that affect repayment of the loans.

In the course of working with borrowers, the Company may choose to restructure the contractual terms of certain loans. In this scenario, the Company attempts to work-out an alternative payment schedule with the borrower in order to optimize collectability of the loan. Any loans that are modified are reviewed by the Company to identify if a troubled debt restructuring (“TDR”) has occurred, which is when, for economic or legal reasons related to a borrower’s financial difficulties, the Company grants a concession to the borrower that it would not otherwise consider. Terms may be modified to fit the ability of the borrower to repay in line with the borrower’s current financial status, and the restructuring of the loan may include the transfer of assets from the borrower to satisfy the debt, a modification of loan terms or a combination of the two. If such efforts by the Company do not result in a satisfactory arrangement, the loan is referred to legal counsel, at which time foreclosure proceedings commence. The Company may terminate foreclosure proceedings if the borrower is able to work-out a satisfactory payment plan.

It is the Company’s policy that any restructured loans on nonaccrual prior to being restructured remain on nonaccrual status until six consecutive months of satisfactory borrower performance, at which time management would consider its return to accrual status. If a loan was accruing at the time of restructuring, the Company reviews the loan to determine if it is appropriate to continue the accrual of interest on the restructured loan.

With regards to determination of the amount of the allowance for credit losses, TDRs are considered to be impaired. As a result, the determination of the amount of impaired loans for each portfolio segment within troubled debt restructurings is the same as detailed previously.

Lender Reserve Account

Certain loan sale transactions with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati (FHLB) provide for the establishment of a Lender Reserve Account (LRA). The LRA consists of amounts withheld from loan sale proceeds by the FHLB for absorbing inherent losses that are probable on those sold loans. These withheld funds are an asset to the Company as they are scheduled to be paid the Company in future years, net of any credit losses on those loans sold. The receivables are initially measured at fair value. The fair value is estimated by discounting the cash flows over the life of each master commitment contract. The accretable yield is amortized over the life of the master commitment contract. Expected cash flows are re-evaluated at each measurement date. If there is an adverse change in expected cash flows, the accretable yield would be adjusted on a prospective basis and the asset evaluated for impairment.

Premises and Equipment

Depreciable assets are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is charged to expense using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets.

The estimated useful lives for each major depreciable classification of premises and equipment are as follows:


Buildings and improvements		15-40 years
Equipment		3-5 years

Federal Home Loan Bank Stock

Federal Home Loan Bank stock is a required investment for institutions that are members of the Federal Home Loan Bank system. The required investment in the common stock is based on a predetermined formula, carried at par and evaluated for impairment.

Foreclosed Assets Held for Sale

Assets acquired through, or in lieu of, loan foreclosure are held for sale and are initially recorded at fair value, less estimated costs to sell, at the date of foreclosure, establishing a new cost basis. Subsequent to foreclosure, valuations are periodically performed by management and the assets are carried at the lower of carrying amount or fair value, less estimated costs to sell. Net revenue and expenses from operations and changes in the valuation allowance are included in noninterest expense from foreclosed assets. There were no valuation allowances established during 2019 or 2018.

Mortgage Servicing Rights

Mortgage servicing assets are recognized separately when rights are acquired through sale of financial assets. Under the servicing assets and liabilities accounting guidance (ASC 860‑50 Transfers and Servicing), servicing rights resulting from the sale of loans originated by the Company are initially measured at fair value at the date of transfer. The Company subsequently measures each class of servicing asset using the fair value method. Under the fair value method, the servicing rights are carried in the balance sheet at fair value and the changes in fair value are reported in earnings in the period in which the changes occur.

Fair value is based on a valuation model that calculates the present value of estimated future net servicing income. The valuation model incorporates assumptions that market participants would use in estimating future net servicing income, such as the cost to service, the discount rate, the custodial earnings rate, an inflation rate, ancillary income, prepayment speeds and default rates and losses. These variables change from quarter to quarter as market conditions and projected interest rates change, and may have an adverse impact on the value of the mortgage servicing rights and may result in a reduction or addition to noninterest income.

Servicing fee income is recorded for fees earned for servicing loans. The fees are based on a contractual percentage of the outstanding principal or a fixed amount per loan and are recorded as income when earned.

Employee Stock Ownership Plan ("ESOP")

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (“ESOP”)

The cost of unearned ESOP shares is shown as a reduction of stockholders’ equity. Compensation expense is based on the average fair value of shares as they are committed to be released to participant accounts and the shares become outstanding for earnings per share computations. Dividends on allocated ESOP shares reduce retained earnings; dividends on unearned ESOP shares are used to reduce annual ESOP debt service. As of December 31, 2019, 22,465 shares have been allocated to eligible participants in the ESOP. (See Note 13 – Employee and Director Benefits).

Income Taxes

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with income tax accounting guidance (ASC 740, Income Taxes). The income tax accounting guidance results in two components of income tax expense: current and deferred. Current income tax expense reflects taxes to be paid or refunded for the current period by applying the provisions of the enacted tax law to the taxable income or excess of deductions over revenues. The Company determines deferred income taxes using the liability (or balance sheet) method. Under this method, the net deferred tax asset or liability is based on the tax effects of the differences between the book and tax bases of assets and liabilities, and enacted changes in tax rates and laws are recognized in the period in which they occur. Deferred income tax expense results from changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities between periods. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of evidence available, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of a deferred tax asset will not be realized.

Uncertain tax positions are recognized if it is more likely than not, based on the technical merits, that the tax position will be realized or sustained upon examination. The term more likely than not means a likelihood of more than 50 percent; the terms examined and upon examination also include resolution of the related appeals or litigation processes, if any. A tax position that meets the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is initially and subsequently measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. The determination of whether or not a tax position has met the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold considers the facts, circumstances and information available at the reporting date and is subject to management’s judgment.

If necessary, the Company recognizes interest and penalties on income taxes as a component of income tax expense.

With a few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to examinations by tax authorities for years before 2016. As of December 31, 2019, and 2018, the Company had no uncertain tax positions.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income consists of net income and other comprehensive income (loss), net of applicable income taxes. Other comprehensive income (loss) includes unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities and changes in the funded status of the directors’ retirement plan.

Earnings Per Share

Basic earnings per share (“EPS”) allocated to common shareholders is calculated using the two-class method and is computed by dividing net income allocated to common shareholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. The two-class method is an earnings allocation formula that determines the EPS for each class of common stock and participating securities according to dividends distributed and participation rights in undistributed earnings.

Diluted EPS is adjusted for dilutive effects of stock-based compensation and is calculated using the two-class method or treasury method. The average number of common shares outstanding is increased to include the number of shares that would have been outstanding if all potentially dilutive common stock equivalents were issued during the period, as well as for any adjustment to income that would result from the assumed issuance.

Unallocated common shares held by the Company’s ESOP are shown as a reduction in stockholders’ equity and are excluded from weighted-average common shares outstanding for both basic and diluted earnings per share calculations until they are committed to be released.

Subsidiary and Other Activities

The Bank had no active subsidiaries at December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Reclassifications

Certain reclassifications have been made to the 2018 consolidated financial statements to conform to the 2019 consolidated financial statement presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on net income.