Note 12 - Subordinated Debentures

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2024

Notes to Financial Statements

Subordinated Borrowings Disclosure [Text Block]

Note 12. Subordinated Debentures

During 2003, the Company formed a statutory business trust, which exists for the exclusive purpose of (i) issuing Trust Securities representing undivided beneficial interests in the assets of the Trust; (ii) investing the gross proceeds of the Trust securities in junior subordinated deferrable interest debentures (subordinated debentures) of the Company; and (iii) engaging in only those activities necessary or incidental thereto. On December 19, 2003, Center Bancorp Statutory Trust II, a statutory business trust and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Parent Corporation issued $5.0 million of MMCapS capital securities to investors due on January 23, 2034. The capital securities presently qualify as Tier I capital. The trust loaned the proceeds of this offering to the Company and received in exchange $5.2 million of the Parent Corporation’s subordinated debentures. The subordinated debentures are redeemable in whole or in part prior to maturity. Upon the cessation of publication of LIBOR rates and pursuant to the Federal LIBOR Act and Federal Reserve regulations implementing the Act, the MMCapS capital securities converted effective June 30, 2023 to a new index based on CME Term SOFR, as defined in the LIBOR Act, plus a tenor spread adjustment, which is referred to as the Benchmark Replacement. Therefore, effective for quarterly interest rate resets after  July 3, 2023 the subordinated debentures’ floating rate will be three-month CME Term SOFR plus 2.85% plus a tenor spread adjustment of 0.26161%. The rate as of June 30, 2024 was 8.44%. These subordinated debentures and the related income effects are not eliminated in the consolidated financial statements, as the statutory business trust is not consolidated in accordance with FASB ASC 810-10. Distributions on the subordinated debentures owned by the subsidiary trust have been classified as interest expense in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

The following table summarizes the mandatory redeemable trust preferred securities of the Company’s Statutory Trust II as of June 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023.

As of June 30, 2024
Issuance Date	Securities Issued	Liquidation Value	Coupon Rate	Maturity	Redeemable by Issuer Beginning
12/19/2003	$5,000,000	$1,000 per Capital Security	Floating 3-month CME Term SOFR + 285 Basis Points + 26.161 Basis Points	1/23/2034	1/23/2009
As of December 31, 2023
Issuance Date	Securities Issued	Liquidation Value	Coupon Rate	Maturity	Redeemable by Issuer Beginning
12/19/2003	$5,000,000	$1,000 per Capital Security	Floating 3-month CME Term SOFR + 285 Basis Points+26.161 Basis Points	1/23/2034	1/23/2009

On June 10, 2020, the Parent Corporation issued $75 million in aggregate principal amount of fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes (the “2020 Notes”). The 2020 Notes bear interest at 5.75% annually from, and including, the date of initial issuance up to, but excluding, June 15, 2025 or the date of earlier redemption, payable semi-annually in arrears on June 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing December 15, 2020. From and including June 15, 2025 through maturity or earlier redemption, the interest rate shall reset quarterly to an interest rate per annum equal to a benchmark rate, which is expected to be Three-Month Term SOFR: (as defined in the Second Supplemental Indenture), plus 560.5 basis points, payable quarterly in arrears on March 15, June 15, September 15 and December 15 of each year, commencing on September 15, 2025. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the benchmark rate is less than zero, then the benchmark rate shall be deemed to be zero.