Note 3 - Investment Securities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2024

Notes to Financial Statements

Investments in Debt and Marketable Equity Securities (and Certain Trading Assets) Disclosure [Text Block]

(3) Investment Securities

Debt securities purchased in which Bancorp has the intent and ability to hold to their maturity are classified as HTM securities. All other investment securities are classified as AFS securities.

AFS Debt Securities

The following table summarizes the amortized cost, unrealized gains and losses, and fair value of Bancorp’s AFS debt securities portfolio:

(in thousands)	Amortized		Unrealized
December 31, 2024	cost		Gains		Losses			Fair value
U.S. Treasury and other U.S. Government obligations	$	198,182	$	33	$	-		$	198,215
Government sponsored enterprise obligations		88,895		110		(4,847	)		84,158
Mortgage backed securities - government agencies		696,767		-		(105,790	)		590,977
Obligations of states and political subdivisions		128,431		1		(14,198	)		114,234
Other		2,686		-		(156	)		2,530
Total available for sale debt securities	$	1,114,961	$	144	$	(124,991	)	$	990,114
December 31, 2023
U.S. Treasury and other U.S. Government obligations	$	119,931	$	-	$	(3,662	)	$	116,269
Government sponsored enterprise obligations		104,677		157		(4,987	)		99,847
Mortgage backed securities - government agencies		789,145		83		(101,189	)		688,039
Obligations of states and political subdivisions		136,579		5		(13,094	)		123,490
Other		3,821		-		(287	)		3,534
Total available for sale debt securities	$	1,154,153	$	245	$	(123,219	)	$	1,031,179

HTM Debt Securities

The following table summarizes the amortized cost, unrecognized gains and losses, and fair value of Bancorp’s HTM debt securities portfolio:

(in thousands)	Carrying		Unrecognized
December 31, 2024	value		Gains		Losses			Fair value
U.S. Treasury and other U.S. Government obligations	$	153,850	$	-	$	(741	)	$	153,109
Government sponsored enterprise obligations		25,395		-		(2,034	)		23,361
Mortgage backed securities - government agencies		190,926		2		(26,041	)		164,887
Total held to maturity debt securities	$	370,171	$	2	$	(28,816	)	$	341,357
December 31, 2023
U.S. Treasury and other U.S. Government obligations	$	203,259	$	-	$	(4,932	)	$	198,327
Government sponsored enterprise obligations		26,918		-		(2,457	)		24,461
Mortgage backed securities - government agencies		209,660		1		(23,930	)		185,731
Total held to maturity debt securities	$	439,837	$	1	$	(31,319	)	$	408,519

All investment securities classified as HTM by Bancorp as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023 are obligations of the U.S. Government and/or are issued by U.S. Government-sponsored agencies and have an implicit or explicit government guarantee. Therefore, no ACL was recorded for Bancorp’s HTM securities as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023. Further, as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, none of Bancorp’s HTM securities were on non-accrual or in past due status.

Debt Securities by Contractual Maturity

A summary of AFS and HTM debt securities by contractual maturity as of December 31, 2024 follows:

	AFS Debt Securities				HTM Debt Securities
(in thousands)	Amortized cost		Fair value		Carrying value		Fair value
Due within one year	$	201,548	$	201,552	$	151,882	$	151,207
Due after one year but within five years		36,543		34,910		2,638		2,555
Due after five years but within 10 years		94,672		81,754		24,251		22,250
Due after 10 years		85,431		80,921		474		458
Mortgage backed securities - government agencies		696,767		590,977		190,926		164,887
Total	$	1,114,961	$	990,114	$	370,171	$	341,357

Actual maturities may differ from contractual maturities because some issuers have the right to call or prepay obligations with or without prepayment penalties. The investment portfolio includes MBS, which are guaranteed by agencies such as FHLMC, FNMA and GNMA. These securities differ from traditional debt securities primarily in that they may have uncertain principal payment dates and are priced based on estimated prepayment rates on the underlying collateral.

At December 31, 2024 and 2023, there were no holdings of debt securities of any one issuer, other than the U.S. government and its agencies, in an amount greater than 10% of stockholders’ equity.

Accrued interest on the investment securities portfolio (AFS and HTM) totaled $5 million and $6 million at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and was included in the consolidated balance sheets.

No gains or losses on sales or calls of securities were recorded for the year ended December 31, 2024. As a result of the dissolution of the Captive during the fourth quarter of 2023, a loss totaling $44,000 on the sale of AFS treasury securities held by the Captive was recorded for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Securities with a carrying value of $852 million and $991 million were pledged at December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, to secure accounts of commercial depositors in cash management accounts, public deposits and uninsured cash balances for WM&T accounts.

Based on an evaluation of available information including security type, counterparty credit quality, past events, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that are relevant to collectability, Bancorp has concluded that it expects to receive all contractual cash flows from each security held in its AFS and HTM debt securities portfolio. As such, no allowance or impairment was recorded with respect to investment securities as of December 31, 2024.

Unrealized and Unrecognized Loss Analysis on Debt Securities

Debt securities with unrealized and unrecognized losses at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, aggregated by investment category and length of time securities have been in a continuous unrealized/unrecognized loss position follows:

	AFS Debt Securities
	Less than 12 months					12 months or more					Total
(in thousands)	Fair		Unrealized			Fair		Unrealized			Fair		Unrealized
December 31, 2024	value		losses			value		losses			value		losses
Government sponsored enterprise obligations	$	5,801	$	(49	)	$	74,478	$	(4,798	)	$	80,279	$	(4,847	)
Mortgage-backed securities - government agencies		23,159		(579	)		567,818		(105,211	)		590,977		(105,790	)
Obligations of states and political subdivisions		9,181		(164	)		101,407		(14,034	)		110,588		(14,198	)
Other		-		-			2,530		(156	)		2,530		(156	)
Total AFS debt securities	$	38,141	$	(792	)	$	746,233	$	(124,199	)	$	784,374	$	(124,991	)
December 31, 2023
U.S. Treasury and other U.S. Government obligations	$	-	$	-		$	116,269	$	(3,662	)	$	116,269	$	(3,662	)
Government sponsored enterprise obligations		-		-			83,675		(4,987	)		83,675		(4,987	)
Mortgage-backed securities - government agencies		16,346		(95	)		661,195		(101,094	)		677,541		(101,189	)
Obligations of states and political subdivisions		6,326		(64	)		105,179		(13,030	)		111,505		(13,094	)
Other		-		-			3,534		(287	)		3,534		(287	)
Total AFS debt securities	$	22,672	$	(159	)	$	969,852	$	(123,060	)	$	992,524	$	(123,219	)

	HTM Debt Securities
	Less than 12 months					12 months or more					Total
(in thousands)	Fair		Unrecognized			Fair		Unrecognized			Fair		Unrecognized
December 31, 2024	value		losses			value		losses			value		losses
U.S. Treasury and other U.S. Government obligations	$	-	$	-		$	153,109	$	(741	)	$	153,109	$	(741	)
Government sponsored enterprise obligations		396		(6	)		22,965		(2,028	)		23,361		(2,034	)
Mortgage-backed securities - government agencies		-		-			164,724		(26,041	)		164,724		(26,041	)
Total HTM debt securities	$	396	$	(6	)	$	340,798	$	(28,810	)	$	341,194	$	(28,816	)
December 31, 2023
U.S. Treasury and other U.S. Government obligations	$	-	$	-		$	198,327	$	(4,932	)	$	198,327	$	(4,932	)
Government sponsored enterprise obligations		455		(1	)		23,967		(2,456	)		24,422		(2,457	)
Mortgage-backed securities - government agencies		-		-			185,504		(23,930	)		185,504		(23,930	)
Total HTM debt securities	$	455	$	(1	)	$	407,798	$	(31,318	)	$	408,253	$	(31,319	)

Applicable dates for determining when securities are in an unrealized loss position are December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As such, it is possible that a security had a market value lower than its amortized cost on other days during the past 12 months, but is not in the “Less than 12 months” category in the preceding table.

For debt securities with unrealized and unrecognized loss positions, Bancorp evaluates the securities to determine whether the decline in the fair value below the amortized cost basis (impairment) is due to credit-related factors or non-credit related factors. Any impairment that is not credit-related is recognized in AOCI, net of tax. Credit-related impairment is recognized as an a ACL for debt securities on the balance sheet, limited to the amount by which the amortized cost basis exceeds the fair value, with a corresponding adjustment to earnings. Accrued interest receivable is excluded from the estimate of credit losses. Both the ACL and the adjustment to net income may be reversed if conditions change. However, if Bancorp intends to sell an impaired debt security or more likely than not will be required to sell such a security before recovering its amortized cost basis, the entire impairment amount would be recognized in earnings with a corresponding adjustment to the security’s amortized cost basis. Because the security’s amortized cost basis is adjusted to fair value, there is no ACL in this situation.

In evaluating debt securities in unrealized and unrecognized loss positions for impairment and the criteria regarding its intent or requirement to sell such securities, Bancorp considers the extent to which fair value is less than amortized cost, whether the securities are issued by the federal government or its agencies, whether downgrades by bond rating agencies have occurred, and the results of reviews of the issuers’ financial condition, among other factors. Unrealized and unrecognized losses on Bancorp’s investment securities portfolio have not been recognized as an expense because the securities are of high credit quality, and the decline in fair values is attributable to changes in the prevailing interest rate environment since the purchase date. Fair value is expected to recover as securities reach maturity and/or the interest rate environment returns to conditions similar to when these securities were purchased. These investments consisted of 488 and 498 separate investment positions as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. By dollar value, approximately 86% and 98% of the portfolio was in a loss position as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. There were no credit related factors underlying unrealized and unrecognized losses on debt securities at December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023.