12. COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES AND CREDIT RISK

Financial Instruments With Off-Balance-Sheet Risk

The Corporation is a party to financial instruments with off-balance-sheet risk in the normal course of business to meet the financing needs of its customers. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit. Those instruments involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk in excess of the amount recognized in the consolidated balance sheets.

The Corporation’s exposure to credit loss, in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instrument for commitments to extend credit and standby letters of credit, is represented by the contractual amount of those instruments. The Corporation uses the same credit policies in making commitments and conditional obligations as it does for on-balance-sheet instruments. These commitments are as follows (dollars in thousands):

	March 31,		December 31,		March 31,
	2013		2012		2012
Commitments to extend credit:
Variable rate	$	41,978	$	39,782	$	29,088
Fixed rate	17,015		18,427		15,636
Standby letters of credit - Variable rate	2,894		2,879		4,427
Credit card commitments - Fixed rate	3,078		3,060		3,137

	$	64,965	$	64,148	$	52,288

Commitments to extend credit are agreements to lend to a customer as long as there is no violation of any condition established in the contract. Commitments generally have fixed expiration dates or other termination clauses and may require payment of a fee. Since many of the commitments are expected to expire without being drawn upon, the total commitment amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. The Corporation evaluates each customer’s creditworthiness on a case-by-case basis. The amount of collateral obtained, if deemed necessary by the Corporation upon extension of credit, is based on management’s credit evaluation of the party. Collateral held varies, but may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment, and income-producing commercial properties.

Standby letters of credit are conditional commitments issued by the Corporation to guarantee the performance of a customer to a third party. Those guarantees are primarily issued to support public and private borrowing arrangements. The credit risk involved in issuing letters of credit is essentially the same as that involved in extending loan facilities to customers. The commitments are structured to allow for 100% collateralization on all standby letters of credit.

Credit card commitments are commitments on credit cards issued by the Corporation’s subsidiary and serviced by other companies. These commitments are unsecured.

Legal Proceedings and Contingencies

In the normal course of business, the Corporation is involved in various legal proceedings. For expanded discussion on the Corporation’s legal proceedings, see Part II, Item 1, “Legal Proceedings” in this report.

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Bank grants commercial, residential, agricultural, and consumer loans throughout Michigan. The Bank’s most prominent concentration in the loan portfolio relates to commercial real estate loans to operators of nonresidential buildings. This concentration at March 31, 2013 represents $94.828 million, or 27.48% compared to $78.769 million, or 24.71%, of the commercial loan portfolio on March 31, 2012. The remainder of the commercial loan portfolio is diversified in such categories as hospitality and tourism, real estate agents and managers, new car dealers, gaming, petroleum, forestry, agriculture and construction. Due to the diversity of the Bank’s locations, the ability of debtors of residential and consumer loans to honor their obligations is not tied to any particular economic sector.

Forward Looking Statements/Risk Factors

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This report contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Corporation intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this statement for purposes of these safe harbor provisions. Forward-looking statements which are based on certain assumptions and describe future plans, strategies, or expectations of the Corporation, are generally identifiable by use of the words “believe”, “expect”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “project”, or similar expressions. The Corporation’s ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Factors that could cause actual results to differ from the results in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

RISK FACTORS

Risks Related to our Lending and Credit Activities

· Our business may be adversely affected by conditions in the financial markets and economic conditions generally, as our borrowers’ ability to repay loans and the value of the collateral securing our loans decline.

· Weakness in the markets for residential or commercial real estate, including the secondary residential mortgage loan markets, could reduce our net income and profitability.

· Our allowance for loan losses may be insufficient.

Continuing deterioration in economic conditions affecting borrowers, new information regarding existing loans, identification of additional problem loans, and other factors, both within and outside of our control, may require an increase in our allowance for loan losses.

Risks Related to Our Operations

· We are subject to interest rate risk.

Our earnings and cash flows are largely dependent upon our net interest income, which is the difference between interest income on interest-earning assets such as loans and securities and interest expense paid on interest-bearing liabilities such as deposits and borrowed funds. There are many factors which influence interest rates that are beyond our control, including but not limited to general economic conditions and governmental policy, in particular, the policies of the FRB.

· Changes in our accounting policies or in accounting standards could materially affect how we report our financial results and condition.

· Our controls and procedures may fail or be circumvented.

· Impairment of deferred income tax assets could require charges to earnings, which could result in an adverse impact on our results of operations.

In assessing the realizability of deferred income tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some allowance requires management to evaluate all available evidence, both negative and positive. Positive evidence necessary to overcome the negative evidence includes whether future taxable income in sufficient amounts and character within the carry back and carry forward periods is available under the tax law, including the use of tax planning strategies. When negative evidence (e.g. cumulative losses in recent years, history of operating loss or tax credit carry forwards expiring unused) exists, more positive evidence than negative evidence will be necessary. At March 31, 2013, net deferred tax assets are approximately $8.726 million. If an additional valuation allowance becomes necessary with respect to such balance, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

· Our information systems may experience an interruption or breach in security.

Risks Related to Legal and Regulatory Compliance

· We operate in a highly regulated environment, which could increase our cost structure or have other negative impacts on our operations.

· The full impact of the recently enacted Dodd-Frank Act is currently unknown given that many of the details and substance of the new laws will be implemented through agency rulemaking.

Among the many requirements if the Dodd-Frank Act for new banking regulations is a requirement for new capital regulations to be adopted within 15 months. These regulations must be at least as stringent as, and may call for higher levels of capital than, current regulations.

Strategic Risks

· Maintaining or increasing our market share may depend on lowering prices and market acceptance of new products and services.

· Future growth or operating results may require us to raise additional capital but that capital may not be available.

Reputation Risks

· Unauthorized disclosure of sensitive or confidential client or customer information, whether through a breach of our computer system or otherwise, could severely harm our business.

Liquidity Risks

· We could experience an unexpected inability to obtain needed liquidity.

The ability of a financial institution to meet its current financial obligations is a function of its balance sheet structure, its ability to liquidate assets and its access to alternative sources of funds. We seek to ensure our funding needs are met by maintaining an appropriate level of liquidity through asset/liability management.

Risks Related to an Investment in Our Common Stock

· Limited trading activity for shares of our common stock may contribute to price volatility.

· Our securities are not an insured deposit.

· You may not receive dividends on your investment in common stock.

Our ability to pay dividends is dependent upon our receipt of dividends from the Bank, which is subject to regulatory restrictions. Such restrictions, which govern state-chartered banks, generally limit the payment of dividends on bank stock to the bank’s undivided profits after all payments of all necessary expenses, provided that the bank’s surplus equals or exceeds its capital.

These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements. Further information concerning the Corporation and its business, including additional factors that could materially affect the Corporation’s financial results, is included in the Corporation’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this report are based upon information presently available and the Corporation assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

The following discussion will cover results of operations, asset quality, financial position, liquidity, interest rate sensitivity, and capital resources for the periods indicated. The information included in this discussion is intended to assist readers in their analysis of, and should be read in conjunction with, the consolidated financial statements and related notes and other supplemental information presented elsewhere in this report. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and footnotes contained in the Corporation’s Annual Report and Form 10-K for the year-ended December 31, 2012. Throughout this discussion, the term “Bank” refers to mBank, the principal banking subsidiary of the Corporation.