1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Business and Organization

Citizens Financial Services, Inc. (individually and collectively, the “Company”), is headquartered in Mansfield, Pennsylvania, and provides a full range of banking and related services through its wholly owned subsidiary, First Citizens National Bank (the “Bank”), and its wholly owned subsidiary, First Citizens Insurance Agency, Inc. As of December 31, 2011, the Bank is a national banking association and operates seventeen full-service banking offices Potter, Tioga and Bradford counties, Pennsylvania and Allegany County, New York and has one Loan Production Office in Clinton County, Pennsylvania. The Bank also provides trust services, including the administration of trusts and estates, retirement plans, and other employee benefit plans, along with a brokerage division that provides a comprehensive menu of investment services. The Bank serves individual and corporate customers and is subject to competition from other financial institutions and intermediaries with respect to these services. The Company is supervised by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, while the Bank is subject to regulation and supervision by the OCC.

A summary of significant accounting and reporting policies applied in the presentation of the accompanying financial statements follows:

Basis of Presentation

The financial statements are consolidated to include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiary, First Citizens National Bank, and its subsidiary, First Citizens Insurance Agency, Inc. These statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. All significant inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated in the consolidated financial statements.

In preparing the financial statements, management makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the period. Actual results could differ significantly from those estimates. Material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change relate to determination of the allowance for loan losses and deferred tax assets and liabilities.

Operating Segments

An operating segment is defined as a component of an enterprise that engages in business activities that generates revenue and incurs expense, and the operating results of which are reviewed by the chief operating decision maker in the determination of resource allocation and performance. While the Company's chief decision makers monitor the revenue streams of the various Company's products and services, operations are managed and financial performance is evaluated on a Company-wide basis. Consistent with our internal reporting, the Company's business activities are reported as one segment, which is community banking.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalents include cash on hand, deposits in banks and interest-earning deposits. Interest-earning deposits with original maturities of 90 or less are considered cash equivalents. Net cash flows are reported for loan, deposits and short term borrowing transactions.

Investment Securities

Investment securities at the time of purchase are classified as one of the three following types:

Held-to-Maturity Securities - includes securities that the Company has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity. These securities are reported at amortized cost. The Company had no held-to-maturity securities as of December 31, 2011 and 2010.

Trading Securities - includes debt and equity securities bought and held principally for the purpose of selling them in the near term. Such securities are reported at fair value with unrealized holding gains and losses included in earnings. The Company had no trading securities as of December 31, 2011 and 2010.

Available-for-Sale Securities - includes debt and equity securities not classified as held-to-maturity or trading securities that will be held for indefinite periods of time. These securities may be sold in response to changes in market interest or prepayment rates, needs for liquidity and changes in the availability of and yield of alternative investments. Such securities are reported at fair value, with unrealized holding gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported as a separate component of stockholders' equity, net of estimated income tax effect.

The amortized cost of investment in debt securities is adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts, computed by a method that results in a level yield. Gains and losses on the sale of investment securities are computed on the basis of specific identification of the adjusted cost of each security.

Securities are periodically reviewed for other-than-temporary impairment. For debt securities, management considers whether the present value of cash flows expected to be collected are less than the security's amortized cost basis (the difference defined as the credit loss), the magnitude and duration of the decline, the reasons underlying the decline and the Company's intent to sell the security or whether it is more likely than not that the Company would be required to sell the security before its anticipated recovery in market value, to determine whether the loss in value is other than temporary. Once a decline in value is determined to be other than temporary, if the Company does not intend to sell the security, and it is more-likely-than-not that it will not be required to sell the security, before recovery of the security's amortized cost basis, the charge to earnings is limited to the amount of credit loss. Any remaining difference between fair value and amortized cost (the difference defined as the non-credit portion) is recognized in other comprehensive income, net of applicable taxes. Otherwise, the entire difference between fair value and amortized cost is charged to earnings. For equity securities where the fair value has been significantly below cost for one year, the Company's policy is to recognize an impairment loss unless sufficient evidence is available that the decline is not other than temporary and a recovery period can be predicted. A decline in value that is considered to be other-than-temporary is recorded as a loss within non-interest income in the consolidated statement of income.

Common stock of the Federal Reserve Bank, Federal Home Loan Bank and correspondent banks represent ownership in institutions which are wholly owned by other financial institutions. These equity securities are accounted for at cost and are classified as other assets.

The fair value of investments, except certain state and municipal securities, is based on bid prices published in financial newspapers or bid quotations received from securities dealers. The fair value of certain state and municipal securities is not readily available through market sources other than dealer quotations, so fair value is based on quoted market prices of similar instruments, adjusted for differences between the quoted instruments and the instruments being valued.

Loans

Interest on all loans is recognized on the accrual basis based upon the principal amount outstanding. The accrual of interest income on loans is discontinued when, in the opinion of management, doubt exists as to the ability to collect such interest. Payments received on non-accrual loans are applied to the outstanding principal balance or recorded as interest income, depending upon our assessment of our ultimate ability to collect principal and interest. Loans are returned to the accrual status when factors indicating doubtful collectability cease to exist.

The Company recognizes nonrefundable loan origination fees and certain direct loan origination costs over the life of the related loan as an adjustment of loan yield using the interest method.

Allowance For Loan Losses

The allowance for loan losses represents the amount which management estimates is adequate to provide for probable losses inherent in its loan portfolio. The allowance method is used in providing for loan losses. Accordingly, all loan losses are charged to the allowance and all recoveries are credited to it. The allowance for loan losses is established through a provision for loan losses which is charged to operations. The provision is based upon management's periodic evaluation of individual loans, the overall risk characteristics of the various portfolio segments, past experience with losses, the impact of economic conditions on borrowers, and other relevant factors. The estimates used in determining the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses are particularly susceptible to significant change in the near term.

Impaired loans are commercial, municipal, agricultural, commercial real estate loans and certain residential mortgages cross collateralized with commercial relationships for which it is probable that the Company will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. The Company individually evaluates such loans for impairment and does not aggregate loans by major risk classifications. The definition of “impaired loans” is not the same as the definition of “non-accrual loans,” although the two categories overlap. The Company may choose to place a loan on non-accrual status due to payment delinquency or uncertain collectability, while not classifying the loan as impaired if the loan is not a commercial, agricultural or commercial real estate loan. Factors considered by management in determining impairment include payment status and collateral value. The amount of impairment for these types of impaired loans is determined by the difference between the present value of the expected cash flows related to the loan, using the original interest rate, and its recorded value; or, as a practical expedient in the case of a collateral dependent loan, the difference between the fair value of the collateral and the recorded amount of the loans.

Mortgage loans on one to four family properties and all consumer loans are large groups of smaller balance homogeneous loans and are measured for impairment collectively. Loans that experience insignificant payment delays, which is defined as 90 days or less, generally are not classified as impaired. Management determines the significance of payment delays 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 borrower's prior payment record, and the amount of shortfall in relation to the principal and interest owed.

The Company allocates the allowance based on the factors described below, which conform to the Company's loan classification policy. In reviewing risk within the Bank's loan portfolio, management has determined there to be several different risk categories within the loan portfolio. The allowance for loan losses consists of amounts applicable to: (i) residential real estate loans; (ii) commercial and agricultural real estate loans; (iii) construction; (iv) consumer loans; (v) commercial and other loans and (vi) state and political subdivision loans. Factors considered in this process include general loan terms, collateral, and availability of historical data to support the analysis. Historical loss percentages for each risk category are calculated and used as the basis for calculating allowance allocations. Certain qualitative factors are evaluated to determine additional inherent risks in the loan portfolio, which are not necessarily reflected in the historical loss percentages. These factors are then added to the historical allocation percentage to get the adjusted factor to be applied to non classified loans. The following qualitative factors are analyzed:

·	Level of and trends in delinquencies, impaired/classified loans

Change in volume and severity of past due loans

Volume of non-accrual loans

Volume and severity of classified, adversely or graded loans

·	Level of and trends in charge-offs and recoveries

·	Trends in volume, terms and nature of the loan portfolio

·	Effects of any changes in risk selection and underwriting standards and any other changes in lending and recovery policies, procedures and practices

·	Changes in the quality of the Bank's loan review system

·	Experience, ability and depth of lending management and other relevant staff

·	National, state, regional and local economic trends and business conditions

General economic conditions

Unemployment rates

Inflation / CPI

Changes in values of underlying collateral for collateral-dependent loans

·	Industry conditions including the effects of external factors such as competition, legal, and regulatory requirements on the level of estimated credit losses.

·	Existence and effect of any credit concentrations, and changes in the level of such concentrations

The company also maintains an unallocated allowance to account for any factors or conditions that may cause a potential loss but are not specifically addressed in the process described above. The Company analyzes its loan portfolio each quarter to determine the appropriateness of its allowance for loan losses.

Loan Charge-off Policies

Consumer loans are generally fully or partially charged down to the fair value of collateral securing the asset when the loan is 180 days past due for open-end loans or 120 days past due for closed-end loans unless the loan is well secured and in the process of collection. All other loans are generally charged down to the net realizable value when the loan is 90 days past due.

Troubled Debt Restructurings

In situations where, for economic or legal reasons related to a borrower's financial difficulties, management may grant a concession for other than an insignificant period of time to the borrower that would not otherwise be considered, the related loan is classified as a Troubled Debt Restructuring (TDR). Management strives to identify borrowers in financial difficulty early and work with them to modify more affordable terms before their loan reaches nonaccrual status. These modified terms may include rate reductions, principal forgiveness, payment forbearance and other actions intended to minimize the economic loss and to avoid foreclosure or repossession of the collateral. In cases where borrowers are granted new terms that provide for a reduction of either interest or principal, management measures any impairment on the restructuring as noted above for impaired loans. In addition to the allowance for the pooled portfolios, management has developed a separate allowance for loans that are identified as impaired through a TDR. These loans are excluded from pooled loss forecasts and a separate reserve is provided under the accounting guidance for loan impairment.

Foreclosed Assets Held For Sale

Foreclosed assets acquired in settlement of loans are carried at fair value less estimated costs to sell. Prior to foreclosure, the value of the underlying loan is written down to fair market value of the real estate or other assets to be acquired by a charge to the allowance for loan losses, if necessary. Any subsequent write-downs are charged against operating expenses. Operating expenses of such properties, net of related income and losses on disposition, are included in other expenses and gains and losses are included in other non-interest income or other non-interest expense.

Premises and Equipment

Premises and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation expense is computed on straight line and accelerated methods over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which range from 3 to 15 years for furniture, fixtures and equipment and 5 to 40 years for building premises. Repair and maintenance expenditures which extend the useful life of an asset are capitalized and other repair expenditures are expensed as incurred.

When premises or equipment are retired or sold, the remaining cost and accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and any gain or loss is credited to income or charged to expense, respectively.

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets include core deposit intangibles, which are a measure of the value of consumer demand and savings deposits acquired in business combinations accounted for as purchases. The core deposit intangibles are being amortized from 3 to 5 ½ year life on a straight-line basis depending on the acquisition and are included in other assets. The recoverability of the carrying value of intangible assets is evaluated on an ongoing basis, and permanent declines in value, if any, are charged to expense.

Goodwill

The Company utilizes a two-step process for testing the impairment of goodwill on at least an annual basis. This approach could cause more volatility in the Company's reported net income because impairment losses, if any, could occur irregularly and in varying amounts. The Company performs an annual impairment analysis of goodwill. Based on the fair value of the reporting unit, no impairment of goodwill was recognized in 2011 or 2010.

Bank Owned Life Insurance

The Company has purchased life insurance policies on certain officers, and is the sole beneficiary on those policies. Bank owned life insurance is recorded at its cash surrender value, or the amount that can be realized. Increases in the cash surrender value are recognized as other non-interest income.

Income Taxes

The Company and the Bank file a consolidated federal income tax return. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are computed based on the difference between the financial statement basis and income tax basis of assets and liabilities using the enacted marginal tax rates. Deferred income tax expenses or benefits are based on the changes in the net deferred tax asset or liability from period to period.

Employee Benefit Plans

The Company has a noncontributory defined benefit pension plan covering employees hired before January 1, 2007. It is the Company's policy to fund pension costs on a current basis to the extent deductible under existing tax regulations. Such contributions are intended to provide not only for benefits attributed to service to date, but also for those expected to be earned in the future.

The Company has a defined contribution, 401(k) plan covering eligible employees. The employee may also contribute to the plan on a voluntary basis, up to a maximum percentage allowable not to exceed the limits of Code Sections 401(k). Under the plan, the Company also makes contributions on behalf of eligible employees, which vest immediately.

The Company also has a profit-sharing plan for employees which provide tax-deferred salary savings to plan participants. The Company has a deferred compensation plan for directors who have elected to defer all or portions of their fees until their retirement or termination from service.

The Company has a restricted stock plan which covers eligible employees and non-employee corporate directors. Under the plan, awards are granted based upon performance related requirements and are subject to certain vesting criteria. Compensation cost related to restricted stock is recognized based on the market price of the stock at the grant date over the vesting period.

The Company maintains a non-qualified supplemental executive retirement plan (“SERP”) for certain executives to compensate those executive participants in the Company's noncontributory defined benefit pension plan whose benefits are limited by compensation limitations under current tax law. The SERP is considered an unfunded plan for tax and ERISA purposes and all obligations arising under the SERP are payable from the general assets of the Company. Expenses under the SERP are recognized as earned over the expected years of service.

Mortgage Servicing Rights (MSR's)

The Company originates certain loans for the express purpose of selling such loans in the secondary market. The Company maintains all servicing rights for these loans. The loans held for sale are carried at lower of cost or market. Originated MSR's are recorded by allocating total costs incurred between the loan and servicing rights based on their relative fair values. MSR's are amortized in proportion to the estimated servicing income over the estimated life of the servicing portfolio and measured for impairment.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company entered into an interest rate swap derivative to convert floating-rate debt to fixed-rate debt. The Company's interest rate swap agreement involves an agreement to pay a fixed rate and receive a floating rate, at specified intervals, calculated on an agreed-upon notional amount. The Company's objective in entering into this interest rate financial instrument is to mitigate its exposure to significant unplanned fluctuations in earnings caused by volatility in interest rates. As of December 31, 2011 and 2010, the derivative instrument entered into was designated as a hedge of underlying exposures. The Company does not use this instrument for trading or speculative purposes. Derivative instruments used by the Company involve, to varying degrees, elements of credit risk, in the event a counter party should default, and market risk, as the instruments are subject to interest rate fluctuations. Credit risk is managed through the use of counterparty diversification and monitoring of counterparty financial condition.

All derivatives are recognized on the balance sheet at their fair value. To date, the derivative entered into by the Company qualifies for and is designated as a cash flow hedge. Changes in the fair value of a derivative that is highly effective, and that is designated and qualifies as a cash flow hedge to the extent that the hedge is effective, are recorded in other comprehensive income (loss) until earnings are affected by the variability of cash flows of the hedged transaction (e.g. until periodic settlements of a variable asset or liability are recorded in earnings). Any hedge ineffectiveness (which represents the amount by which the changes in the fair value of the derivative exceed the variability in the cash flows of the forecasted transaction) is recorded in current-period earnings. There was no net gain or loss recognized in earnings related to our derivative instruments during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009.

Comprehensive Income

The Company is required to present comprehensive income in a full set of general purpose financial statements for all periods presented. Other comprehensive income is comprised of unrealized holding gains (losses) on the available-for-sale securities portfolio, unrecognized pension costs, and unrealized gain (loss) on interest rate swap. Comprehensive income is reported in the accompanying consolidated statements of changes in shareholders' equity. See Note 13 - Other Comprehensive Income.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In April 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-02, Receivables (Topic 310): A Creditor's Determination of Whether a Restructuring Is a Troubled Debt Restructuring. The amendments in this Update provide additional guidance or clarification to help creditors in determining whether a creditor has granted a concession and whether a debtor is experiencing financial difficulties for purposes of determining whether a restructuring constitutes a troubled debt restructuring. The amendments in this Update are effective for the first interim or annual reporting period beginning on or after June 15, 2011, and should be applied retrospectively to the beginning annual period of adoption. As a result of applying these amendments, an entity may identify receivables that are newly considered impaired. For purposes of measuring impairment of those receivables, an entity should apply the amendments prospectively for the first interim or annual period beginning on or after June 15, 2011. The Company has provided the necessary disclosures in Note 4.

In April 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-03, Transfers and Services (Topic 860):Reconsideration of Effective Control for Repurchase Agreements. The main objective in developing this Update is to improve the accounting for repurchase agreements (repos) and other agreements that both entitle and obligate a transferor to repurchase or redeem financial assets before their maturity. The amendments in this Update remove from the assessment of effective control (1) the criterion requiring the transferor to have the ability to repurchase or redeem the financial assets on substantially the agreed terms, even in the event of default by the transferee, and (2) the collateral maintenance implementation guidance related to that criterion. The amendments in this Update apply to all entities, both public and nonpublic. The amendments affect all entities that enter into agreements to transfer financial assets that both entitle and obligate the transferor to repurchase or redeem the financial assets before their maturity. The guidance in this Update is effective for the first interim or annual period beginning on or after December 15, 2011 and should be applied prospectively to transactions or modifications of existing transactions that occur on or after the effective date. Early adoption is not permitted. This ASU is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's financial statements.

In May 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs. The amendments in this Update result in common fair value measurement and disclosure requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRSs. Consequently, the amendments change the wording used to describe many of the requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements. The amendments in this Update are to be applied prospectively. For public entities, the amendments are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. For nonpublic entities, the amendments are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011. Early application by public entities is not permitted. This ASU is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's financial statements.

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Presentation of Comprehensive Income. The amendments in this Update improve the comparability, clarity, consistency, and transparency of financial reporting and increase the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income. To increase the prominence of items reported in other comprehensive income and to facilitate convergence of U.S. GAAP and IFRS, the option to present components of other comprehensive income as part of the statement of changes in stockholders' equity was eliminated. The amendments require that all non-owner changes in stockholders' equity be presented either in a single continuous statement of comprehensive income or in two separate but consecutive statements. In the two-statement approach, the first statement should present total net income and its components followed consecutively by a second statement that should present total other comprehensive income, the components of other comprehensive income, and the total of comprehensive income. All entities that report items of comprehensive income, in any period presented, will be affected by the changes in this Update. For public entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. For nonpublic entities, the amendments are effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2012, and interim and annual periods thereafter. The amendments in this Update should be applied retrospectively, and early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of the standard will have on the Company's financial position or results of operations.

In September 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-08, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other Topics (Topic 350), Testing Goodwill for Impairment. The objective of this update is to simplify how entities, both public and nonpublic, test goodwill for impairment. The amendments in the Update permit an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform the two-step goodwill impairment test described in Topic 350. The more-likely-than-not threshold is defined as having a likelihood of more than 50 percent. Under the amendments in this Update, an entity is not required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit unless the entity determines that it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount. The amendments in this Update apply to all entities, both public and nonpublic, that have goodwill reported in their financial statements and are effective for interim and annual goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011. Early adoption is permitted, including for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed as of a date before September 15, 2011, if an entity's financial statements for the most recent annual or interim period have not yet been issued or, for nonpublic entities, have not yet been made available for issuance. This ASU is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's financial statements.

In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-11, Balance Sheet (Topic 210): Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities. The amendments in this Update affect all entities that have financial instruments and derivative instruments that are either (1) offset in accordance with either Section 210-20-45 or Section 815-10-45 or (2) subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement. The requirements amend the disclosure requirements on offsetting in Section 210-20-50. This information will enable users of an entity's financial statements to evaluate the effect or potential effect of netting arrangements on an entity's financial position, including the effect or potential effect of rights of setoff associated with certain financial instruments and derivative instruments in the scope of this Update. An entity is required to apply the amendments for annual reporting periods beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those annual periods. An entity should provide the disclosures required by those amendments retrospectively for all comparative periods presented. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of the standard will have on the Company's financial position or results of operations.

In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-12, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Deferral of the Effective Date for Amendments to the Presentation of Reclassifications of Items Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05. In order to defer only those changes in Update 2011-05 that relate to the presentation of reclassification adjustments, the paragraphs in this Update supersede certain pending paragraphs in Update 2011-05. Entities should continue to report reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income consistent with the presentation requirements in effect before Update 2011-05. All other requirements in Update 2011-05 are not affected by this Update, including the requirement to report comprehensive income either in a single continuous financial statement or in two separate but consecutive financial statements. Public entities should apply these requirements for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. Nonpublic entities should begin applying these requirements for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2012, and interim and annual periods thereafter. This ASU is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company's financial statements.

Treasury Stock

The purchase of the Company's common stock is recorded at cost. At the date of subsequent reissue, the treasury stock account is reduced by the cost of such stock on a last-in-first-out basis.

Cash Flows

The Company utilizes the net reporting of cash receipts and cash payments for deposit, short-term borrowing and lending activities. The Company considers amounts due from banks and interest-bearing deposits in banks as cash equivalents.

Trust Assets and Income

Assets held by the Company in a fiduciary or agency capacity for its customers are not included in the consolidated financial statements since such items are not assets of the Company. In accordance with industry practice, fees are recorded on the cash basis and approximate the fees which would have been recognized on the accrual basis.

Earnings Per Share

Earnings per share calculations give retroactive effect to stock dividends declared by the Company. The number of weighted average shares used in the earnings per share computations presented was 2,914,570, 2,923,583 and 2,930,101 for 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Reclassification

Certain of the prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. Such reclassifications had no effect on net income or stockholders' equity.