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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2003

Commission File Number: 0-12507

ARROW FINANCIAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

New York

 

22-2448962

(State or other jurisdiction of

 

(IRS Employer Identification

incorporation or organization)

        

Number)

 

250 GLEN STREET, GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK 12801

(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:   (518) 745-1000

 

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OF THE ACT - NONE

SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(g) OF THE ACT

Common Stock, Par Value $1.00

(Title of Class)

Indicate by checkmark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

 

Yes    X        No        

Indicate by checkmark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.      X   

     

Indicate by checkmark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).

 

Yes    X        No        

State the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of registrant at June 30, 2003 based on the average of the closing bid and the closing asked prices on the NASDAQ Exchange:

$263,549,000

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common stock.

                          Class                                

   

Outstanding as of February 27, 2004

Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share

   

9,823,450

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held April 28, 2004 (Part III)







ARROW FINANCIAL CORPORATION

FORM 10-K

INDEX

PART    I


Item 1.

Business

A.

General

Cautionary Statement under Federal Securities Laws

Code of Ethics

Critical Accounting Policies

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Peer Group Comparisons

B. Lending Activities

C. Supervision and Regulation

D. Competition

E. Statistical Disclosure (Guide 3)

F. Recent Legislative Developments

G. Executive Officers of the Registrant

Item 2.

Properties

Item 3.

Legal Proceedings

Item 4.

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

PART   II

Item 5.

Market for the Registrant's Common Equity and  Related Stockholder Matters

Item 6.

Selected Financial Data

Item 7.

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

A. Overview

B. Results of Operations

  I.  Net Interest Income

 II.  Provision for Loan Losses and Allowance for Loan Losses

III.  Other Income

IV.  Other Expense

 V.  Income Taxes

C. Financial Condition

  

  I.  Investment Portfolio

 II.  Loan Portfolio

a. Distribution of Loans

b. Risk Elements

III.  Summary of Loan Loss Experience

IV.  Deposits

 

 

 V.  Time Deposits of $100,000 or More

D. Liquidity

E. Capital Resources and Dividends

F. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

G. Contractual Obligations

H. Fourth Quarter Results

Item 7A.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Item 9.

Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

Item 9A

Controls and Procedures

PART  III

Item 10.

Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant*

Item 11.

Executive Compensation*

Item 12.

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management *

Item 13.

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions*

Item 14.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services*

PART   IV

Item 15.

Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K

Signatures

Exhibits Index


*These items are incorporated by reference to the Corporation’s Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held April 28, 2004.

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PART I

Item 1:  Business


A. GENERAL


Cautionary Statement under Federal Securities Laws: The information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains statements that are not historical in nature but rather are based on management’s beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections about the future.  These statements are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and involve a degree of uncertainty and attendant risk.  Words such as “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “estimates” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.  Some of these statements, such as those included in the interest rate sensitivity analysis in section 7A, below, entitled “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” are merely presentations of what future per formance or changes in future performance would look like based on hypothetical assumptions and on simulation models.  Others are based on management’s general perceptions of market conditions and trends in activity, both locally and nationally, as well as current management strategies for future operations and development.  


Examples of forward-looking statements in this Report are referenced in the table below:


Topic

Section

Page

Location

Impact of Legislative Developments

Part I,

Item 1.F.

10

Last sentence

Impact of Legal Claims

Part I, Item 3

11

2nd paragraph

Impact of Changing Interest Rates on Earnings

Part II,

Item 7.B.I.a.

20

2nd paragraph before “CHANGES IN

NET INTEREST INCOME DUE TO

VOLUME”

 

Part II,

Item 7.C.II.a.

32

“Indirect Loans”, Last sentence

 

Part II,

Item 7.C.II.a.

33

1st Paragraph, 1st sentence under

“LOAN PORTFOLIO” tables

 

Part II,

Item 7.C.IV.

41

1st Paragraph

Adequacy of the Allowance for Loan Losses

Part II,

Item 7.B.II.

22

2nd and 3rd paragraphs under

2003 vs. 2002

 

Part II,

Item 7.C.III.

38

2nd paragraph under the

“ALLOCATION OF THE

ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN

LOSSES”

Liquidity

Part II,

Item 7.D.

41

Last paragraph in “D. LIQUIDITY”

Dividend Capacity

Part II,

Item 7.E.

42

Next to last paragraph


These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to quantify or, in some cases, to identify.  In the case of all forward-looking statements, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what the statements predict or forecast.  

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Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, unexpected changes in economic and market conditions, including unanticipated fluctuations in interest rates; new developments in state and federal regulation; enhanced competition from unforeseen sources; new emerging technologies; unexpected loss of key personnel; and similar risks inherent in banking operations or business generally.  Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.  The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.


Organization:

Arrow Financial Corporation (the Company), a New York corporation, was incorporated on March 21, 1983 and is registered as a bank holding company within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956.  The Company owns two nationally chartered banks in New York, Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company, Glens Falls, New York (GFNB), and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company, Saratoga Springs, New York (SNB), as well as five non-bank subsidiaries, the operations of which are not significant.  The Company owns directly or indirectly all voting stock of all its subsidiaries.


Available Information:

Our Internet address is www.arrowfinancial.com.  We make available free of charge on or through our Internet website our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Company also makes available on the internet website various other documents related to corporate operations, including Corporate Governance Guidelines (By-laws) and the charters of principal committees of the Board of Directors.


Code of Ethics: The Company has adopted a financial code of ethics that applies to its chief executive officer, chief financial officer and principal accounting officer.  The Company has also adopted a business code of ethics that applies to all directors, officers and employees.  Both are available on the Company’s website: www.arrowfinancial.com.


Critical Accounting Policies:  In order to prepare the Company’s consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, management was required to make estimates and assumptions that affected the amounts reported in these statements.  There are uncertainties inherent in making these estimates and assumptions, which could materially affect the results of operations and financial position.  Management considers the following to be critical accounting policies:


The allowance for loan losses:  The adequacy of the allowance for loan losses is sensitive to changes in current economic conditions that may make it difficult for borrowers to meet their contractual obligations.  A significant downward trend in the economy, regional or national, may require the Company to increase the allowance for loan losses resulting in a negative impact on its results of operations and financial condition.  


Liabilities for retirement plans:  The Company has a variety of pension and retirement plans.  Liabilities under these plans rely on estimates of future salary increases, numbers of employees and employee retention, discount rates and long-term rates of investment return.  Changes in these assumptions due to changes in the financial markets, the economy, the Company’s own operations or applicable law may result in material changes to the Company’s liability for postretirement expense, with consequent impact on its results of operations and financial condition.


Valuation Allowance for deferred tax assets:  Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109 requires a reduction in the carrying amount of deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of available evidence, it is more likely than not (a likelihood of more than 50 percent) that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.  The valuation allowance should be sufficient to reduce the deferred tax asset to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized.  The Company’s analysis of the need for a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets is, in part, based on an estimate of future taxable income.

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Goodwill:  SFAS No. 142 requires that goodwill be tested for impairment at a level of reporting referred to as a reporting unit.  Impairment is the condition that exists when the carrying amount of goodwill exceeds its implied fair value.  The first step of the goodwill impairment test, used to identify potential impairment, compares the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill.  The second step of the goodwill impairment test, used to measure the amount of impairment loss, compares the implied fair value of a reporting unit’s goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill.


Other than temporary decline in the value of debt and equity securities:  SFAS No. 115 requires that, for individual securities classified as either available-for-sale or held-to-maturity, an enterprise shall determine whether a decline in fair value below the amortized cost basis is other than temporary.  For example, if it is probable that the investor will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of a debt security not impaired at acquisition, an other-than-temporary impairment shall be considered to have occurred.  If the decline in fair value is judged to be other than temporary, the cost basis of the individual security shall be written down to fair value as a new cost basis and the amount of the write-down shall be included in earnings.  A significant economic downturn might result in an other-than-temporary impairment in securities held in the Company’s portfolio.


Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has adopted Regulation G, which applies to all public disclosures, including earnings releases, made by registered companies after March 28, 2003, that contain “non-GAAP financial measures.”  GAAP is generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.  Under Regulation G, companies making such disclosures must also disclose, along with the non-GAAP financial measures, certain additional information, including a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the closest comparable GAAP financial measures and a statement of management's reasons for utilizing the non-GAAP financial measures as part of the Company's financial disclosures.  At the same time that the SEC issued Regulation G, it also made amendments to Item 10 of Regulation S-K, requiring companies to make the same types of supplemental disclosures wheneve r they include non-GAAP financial measures in filings with the SEC.  The SEC has exempted from the definition of “non-GAAP financial measures” certain specific types of commonly used financial measures that are not based on GAAP.  When these exempted measures are included in public disclosures or SEC filings, supplemental information is not required.  The following measures used in this Report may constitute "non-GAAP financial measures" within the meaning of the SEC's new rules, although management is unable to state with certainty that the SEC will so regard them.


Tax-Equivalent Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin: Net interest income, as a component of the tabular presentation by financial institutions of Selected Financial Information regarding their recently completed operations, is commonly presented by financial institutions on a tax-equivalent basis.  That is, to the extent that any component of the institution's net interest income will be exempt from taxation (e.g., was received by the institution as a result of its holdings of state or municipal obligations), an amount equal to the tax benefit derived from that component is added back to the net interest income total.  This adjustment is considered helpful in the comparison of one financial institution's net interest income to that of another institution, as each will have a different proportion of tax-exempt items in their portfolios.  Moreover, net interest income is a component of a second financial meas ure commonly used by financial institutions, net interest margin, which is the ratio of net interest income to average earning assets.  For purposes of this measure as well, tax-equivalent net interest income is generally used by institutions, again to provide a better basis of comparison from institution to institution.  The Company follows these practices.


The Efficiency Ratio: Financial institutions often use an "efficiency ratio" as a measure of expense control.  The efficiency ratio typically is defined as the ratio of noninterest expense to net interest income and other income.  As in the case of net interest income generally, net interest income as utilized in calculating the efficiency ratio is typically expressed on a tax-equivalent basis.  Moreover, most institutions also adjust both noninterest expense and other income to exclude certain component elements, such as intangible asset amortization (deducted from noninterest expense) and securities gains or losses (excluded from other income), in calculating the efficiency ratio.  The Company follows these practices, to provide a better basis of comparison with other institutions.


#



Peer Group Comparisons:  At certain points in the ensuing discussion and analysis, the Company’s performance is compared with that of its peer group of financial institutions.  Peer data has been obtained from the September 2003 Federal Reserve Board’s “Bank Holding Company Performance Report.”  Unless otherwise specifically stated, the Company’s peer group is comprised of the group of 181 domestic bank holding companies with $1 to $3 billion in total consolidated assets.


The business of the Company consists primarily of the ownership, supervision and control of its bank subsidiaries.  The Company provides its subsidiaries with various advisory and administrative services and coordinates the general policies and operation of the subsidiary banks.  There were 401 full-time equivalent employees of the Company and the subsidiary banks at December 31, 2003.


 

Subsidiary Banks

(dollars in thousands)


Glens Falls National

Bank & Trust Co.

Saratoga National

Bank & Trust Co.

Total Assets at Year-End

$1,201,834

$176,949

Trust Assets Under Administration and

 Investment Management at Year-End

 (Not Included in Total Assets)

$736,544

$11,912

Date Organized

1851

1988

Employees

374

27

Offices

24

3

Counties of Operation

Warren, Washington

Saratoga, Essex &

Clinton

Saratoga


Main Office

250 Glen Street

Glens Falls, NY

171 So. Broadway

Saratoga Springs, NY


The Company offers a full range of commercial and consumer banking and financial products.  The Company’s deposit base consists of deposits derived principally from the communities served by the subsidiary banks.  The Company targets its lending activities to consumers and small and mid-sized companies in the banks' immediate geographic areas.  Through its banks' trust departments, the Company provides retirement planning, trust and estate administration services for individuals, and pension, profit-sharing and employee benefit plan administration for corporations.


B. LENDING ACTIVITIES


The Company through its subsidiary banks engages in a wide range of lending activities, including commercial and industrial lending primarily to small and mid-sized companies; mortgage lending for residential and commercial properties; and consumer installment and home equity financing.  The Company also maintains an active indirect lending program through its sponsorship of dealer programs, under which it purchases dealer paper from automobile and other dealers meeting pre-established specifications.  The Company has periodically sold a portion of its residential real estate loan originations into the secondary market, primarily to the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and state housing agencies, while retaining the servicing rights.  The recent sales were of longer-term residential mortgage loans, with interest rates that were both fixed and historically low, that the Company did not want to keep in its own portfolio.

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In addition to these transactions involving periodic loan sales into the secondary market, the Company has securitized $11.5 million, $0 and $30.2 million of residential real estate loans in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively (remaining balance of $25.6 million at December 31, 2003).  This represents the sale of mortgage loans and the concurrent purchase of the securities issued by Freddie Mac as guaranteed mortgage-backed securities, with the sold loans representing the underlying collateral for the pooled securities.  In addition to interest earned on loans, the Company receives facility fees for various types of commercial and industrial credits, and commitment fees for extension of letters of credit and certain types of loans.


Generally, the Company continues to implement conservative lending strategies and policies that are intended to protect the quality of the loan portfolio.  These include stringent underwriting and collateral control procedures and credit review systems through which intensive reviews are conducted.  It is the Company's policy to discontinue the accrual of interest on loans when the payment of interest and/or principal is due and unpaid for a designated period (generally 90 days) or when the likelihood of repayment is, in the opinion of management, uncertain (see Part II, Item 7.C.II.b., “Risk Elements”).  Income on such loans is thereafter recognized only upon receipt.


The Company lends primarily to borrowers within its geographic area.  The loan portfolio does not include any foreign loans or any significant risk concentrations except as described in Note 26 to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8 of this report.  The Company does not participate in loan syndications, either as originator or as a participant.  The portfolio, in general, is fully collateralized, and many commercial loans are further secured by personal guarantees.


In 2000, the Company formed a subsidiary, North Country Investment Advisers, Inc. (NCIA), which is an investment adviser registered with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. NCIA advises two SEC-registered mutual funds, the North Country Intermediate Bond Fund and the North Country Equity Growth Fund.  Currently, the investors in these funds consist primarily of individual, corporate and institutional trust customers of the Company.


In 2001, the Company established a subsidiary insurance agency, NC Financial Services, Inc., which is licensed by the State of New York to sell various insurance products, including life insurance, fixed annuities and long-term health care products.  The agency is headquartered in Warrensburg, New York and offers these products at most of its full-service branches.


C. SUPERVISION AND REGULATION


The following generally describes the regulation to which the Company and its affiliates are subject.  Bank holding companies and banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law.  To the extent that the following information summarizes statutory or regulatory provisions, it is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular laws and regulations.  Any change in applicable law or regulation may have a material effect on the business and prospects of the Company.


The Company is a registered bank holding company within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (BHC Act) and is subject to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB).  Additionally, as a “bank holding company” under New York state law, the Company is subject to regulation by the New York State Banking Department.  The two subsidiary banks are both nationally chartered banks and are subject to supervision and examination by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The banks are members of the Federal Reserve System and the deposits of each bank are insured by the Bank Insurance Fund of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) up to $100,000 per depositor.  The BHC Act generally prohibits the Company from engaging, directly or indirectly, in activities other than banking, activities closely related to banking, and certain other financial activities.  Under the BHC Act, a bank holding company must obtain FRB approval before acquiring, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of the voting shares of another bank or bank holding company (unless it already owns a majority of such shares).  Bank holding companies are able to acquire banks or other bank holding companies located in all 50 states.  In addition, 48 of the 50 states permit banks headquartered in other states to establish branches in their states, although in some cases such branching may be achieved only by acquiring existing banks in such states.  As a result of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, bank holding companies are now permitted to affiliate with a much broader array of other financial institutions than was previously permitted, including insurance companies, investment banks and merchant banks.  See Item 1.F., “Legislative Developments.”


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An important area of banking regulation is the establishment by federal regulators of minimum capitalization standards for banks and bank holding companies.  The FRB has adopted various "capital adequacy guidelines" for its use in the examination and supervision of bank holding companies.  The FRB’s risk-based capital guidelines assign risk weightings to all assets and certain off-balance sheet items and establish an 8% minimum ratio of qualified total capital to the aggregate dollar amount of risk-weighted assets (which is almost always less than the dollar amount of such assets without risk weighting).  At least half of total capital must consist of "Tier 1" capital, which comprises common equity, retained earnings and a limited amount of permanent preferred stock, less goodwill.  Up to half of total capital may consist of so-called "Tier 2" capital, comprising a limited amount of subordinated debt , preferred stock not qualifying as Tier 1 capital, certain other instruments and a limited amount of the allowance for loan losses. The FRB’s other important guideline for measuring a bank holding company’s capital is the leverage ratio standard, which establishes minimum limits on the ratio of a bank holding company's "Tier 1" capital to total tangible assets (not risk-weighted).  For top-rated holding companies, the minimum leverage ratio is 3%, but lower-rated companies may be required to meet substantially greater minimum ratios.  Subsidiary banks are subject to similar capital requirements adopted by their primary federal regulator, the OCC.


Under applicable law, federal banking regulators are required to take prompt corrective action with respect to depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements.  The regulators have established five capital classifications for banking institutions, the highest being "well capitalized."   Under regulations adopted by the federal bank regulators, a banking institution is considered "well capitalized" if it has a total risk-adjusted capital ratio of 10% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-adjusted capital ratio of 6% or greater and a leverage ratio of 5% or greater and is not subject to any regulatory order or written directive regarding capital maintenance.  The Company and each of its subsidiary banks currently qualify as “well capitalized.”  The year-end 2003 capital ratios of the Company and its subsidiary banks are set forth in Part II, Item 7.E. "Capital Resources and Dividends.&qu ot;  


A holding company's ability to pay dividends or repurchase its outstanding stock, as well as its ability to expand its business through acquisitions of additional banking organizations or permitted non-bank companies, may be restricted if capital falls below these minimum capitalization ratios or fails to meet other informal capital guidelines that the regulators may apply from time to time to specific banking organizations.  In addition to these potential regulatory limitations on payment of dividends, the ability to pay dividends is also subject to various restrictions under applicable corporate laws, including banking laws (affecting subsidiary banks) and the New York Business Corporation Law (affecting the holding company).  The ability of the Company and the banks to pay dividends in the future is, and is expected to continue to be, influenced by regulatory policies, capital guidelines and applicable law.


In cases where banking regulators have significant concerns regarding the financial condition, assets or operations of a bank or bank holding company, the regulators may take enforcement action or impose enforcement orders, formal or informal, against the organization.  Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is now, or has been within the past year, subject to any formal or informal regulatory enforcement action or order.


D. COMPETITION


The Company faces intense competition in all markets it serves.  Traditional competitors are other local commercial banks, savings banks, savings and loan institutions and credit unions, as well as local offices of major regional and money center banks.  Also, non-banking financial organizations, such as consumer finance companies, insurance companies, securities firms, money market and mutual funds and credit card companies offer substantive equivalents of the transactional deposit accounts and various loan and financial products, even though these non-banking organizations are not subject to the same regulatory restrictions and capital requirements that apply to the Company and its subsidiary banks.  As a result of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (discussed further in Part I.1.F., below), such non-banking financial organizations now may be in a position not only to offer comparable products to those offered by the Company, but actually to est ablish or acquire their own commercial banks.


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E. STATISTICAL DISCLOSURE


Set forth below is an index identifying the location in this Report of various items of statistical information required to be included in this Report by the SEC’s industry guide for Bank Holding Companies.


Required Information

Location in Report

Distribution of Assets, Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity;

  Interest Rates and Interest Differential

Part II, Item 7.B.I.

Investment Portfolio

Part II, Item 7.C.I.

Loan Portfolio

Part II, Item 7.C.II.

Summary of Loan Loss Experience

Part II, Item 7.C.III.

Deposits

Part II, Item 7.C.IV.

Return on Equity and Assets

Part II, Item 6.

Short-Term Borrowings

Part II, Item 8. Note 10.


F. RECENT LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS


The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the "Act"), signed into law on July 30, 2002, adopted a number of measures having a significant impact on all publicly-traded companies, including the Company.  Generally, the Act seeks to improve the quality of financial reporting of these companies, strengthen the independence of their auditors and compel them to adopt good corporate governance practices.  The Act places substantial additional duties on directors, officers, auditors and attorneys of public companies.  Among other specific measures, the Act requires that chief executive officers and chief financial officers certify periodically to the SEC regarding the accuracy of the company's financial statements and the integrity of its internal controls.  The Act also accelerates insiders' reporting obligations for transactions in company securities, restricts certain executive officer and director transactions, imposes new obligations on corpora te audit committees, and provides for enhanced review of company filings by the SEC.  As part of the general effort to improve public company auditing, the Act placed limits on consulting services that may be performed by a company's independent auditors and creates a federal public company accounting oversight board to set auditing standards, inspect registered public accounting firms, and exercise enforcement powers, subject to oversight by the SEC.  In the wake of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the nation’s stock exchanges, including the Company’s exchange, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD), promulgated a wide array of good governance standards that must be adopted by listed companies.  The NASD standards include having a Board of Directors the majority of whose members are independent of management, and having audit, compensation and nomination committees of the Board consisting exclusively of independent directors.


The USA Patriot Act of 2001, as amended (the "Patriot Act"), has imposed substantial new record-keeping and due diligence obligations on banks and other financial institutions, with a particular focus on detecting and reporting money-laundering transactions involving domestic or international customers.  The U.S. Treasury Department has issued and will continue to issue regulations clarifying the Patriot Act's requirements.  The Patriot Act requires all "financial institutions," as defined, to establish certain anti-money laundering compliance and due diligence programs.


In November 1999, Congress enacted the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act ("GLBA"), which permitted bank holding companies to engage in a wider range of financial activities.  For example, under GLBA bank holding companies may underwrite all types of insurance and annuity products and all types of securities products and mutual funds, and may engage in merchant banking activities.  Bank holding companies that wish to engage in these or other newly-permitted financial activities generally must do so through separate “financial” subsidiaries and may themselves be required to register (and qualify to register) as so-called “financial holding companies.”  A bank holding company that does not register as a financial holding company will remain a bank holding company subject to substantially the same regulatory restrictions and permitted activities as applied to bank holding companies prior to GLBA (See Part I.1.C., “Super vision and Regulations,” above).  The Company has not yet elected to become a “financial holding company” but continues to evaluate the opportunities provided by GLBA.  Under GLBA, as well as the Fair Credit Reporting Act amendment of 2003, all financial institutions have become subject to more stringent customer privacy regulations.


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The FDIC levies a deposit insurance premium on insured banks.  Since 1996, the premium paid by the best-rated banks (including the Company’s subsidiary banks) has been a flat charge of $2 thousand per year. Also in that year, Congress enacted the Deposit Insurance Funds Act, under which deposits insured by the Bank Insurance Fund (“BIF”), such as the deposits of the Company’s banks, are subject to assessment for payment on bond obligations financing the FDIC’s Savings Association Insurance Fund (“SAIF”) at a rate 1/5 the rate paid on deposits by SAIF-insured thrift institutions.  Beginning in 2000, the BIF and SAIF rates were equalized.  The BIF rate for institutions with the lowest risk classification (including the Company) was 1.540 cents per $100 of insured deposits at December 31, 2003.


Various federal bills that would significantly affect banks are introduced in Congress from time to time.  The Company cannot estimate the likelihood of any currently pending banking bills being enacted into law, or the ultimate effect that any such potential legislation, if enacted, would have upon its financial condition or operations.


G. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT


The names and ages of the executive officers of the Company and positions held by each are presented in the following table.  Officers are elected annually by the Board of Directors.


Name

Age

Positions Held and Years from Which Held

Thomas L. Hoy

55

President and CEO since January 1, 1997 and President and CEO of Glens Falls National Bank since 1995. Mr. Hoy was Executive Vice President of Glens Falls National Bank prior to 1995.  Mr. Hoy has been with the Company since 1974.

John J. Murphy

52

Executive Vice President, Treasurer and CFO since 1993.  Mr. Murphy has served as Senior Vice President, Treasurer and CFO of the Company since 1983.  Mr. Murphy has been with the Company since 1973.

John C. Van Leeuwen

60

Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer since 1995.  Prior to 1995, Mr. Van Leeuwen served as Vice President and Loan Review Officer.  Mr. Van Leeuwen has been with the Company since 1985.

Gerard R. Bilodeau

57

Senior Vice President and Secretary since 1994.  Mr. Bilodeau was Vice President and Secretary from 1993 to 1994 and was Director of Personnel prior to 1993.  Mr. Bilodeau has been with the Company since 1969.

   


Item 2:  Properties


The Company is headquartered at 250 Glen Street, Glens Falls, New York.  The building is owned by the Company’s subsidiary, Glens Falls National Bank, and serves as the bank’s main office.  Glens Falls National Bank owns nineteen additional offices and leases four others at market rates.  The Company’s other subsidiary bank, Saratoga National Bank, owns its three offices.


In the opinion of management of the Company, the physical properties of the Company and the subsidiary banks are suitable and adequate.  For more information on the Company’s properties, see Notes 1, 6 and 22 to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Part II, Item 8 of this Report.


#



Item 3:  Legal Proceedings


The Company is not the subject of any material pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation occurring in the normal course of its business.


On an ongoing basis, the Company's subsidiary banks are the subjects of or parties to various legal claims which arise in the normal course of their business.  The various pending legal claims against the subsidiary banks will not, in the opinion of management based upon consultation with counsel, result in any material liability.


Item 4:  Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders


None in the fourth quarter of 2003.


PART II



Item 5:  Market for the Registrant's Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters


The common stock of Arrow Financial Corporation is traded on The Nasdaq Stock MarketSM under the symbol AROW.


The high and low prices listed below represent actual sales transactions, as reported by Nasdaq.  These prices and the cash dividends per share have been restated for the September 2003 five for four stock split.



 

Sales Price


Cash

Dividends

  Declared

 

Low

High

2002

   

First Quarter

$21.333

$23.048

$.175

Second Quarter

21.219

27.368

.190

Third Quarter

21.356

27.604

.190

Fourth Quarter

19.848

27.976

.200

    

2003

   

First Quarter

$22.480

$24.920

$.200

Second Quarter

22.648

26.840

.208

Third Quarter

25.200

28.736

.208

Fourth Quarter

25.950

29.750

.220



The payment of dividends by the Company is at the discretion of the Board of Directors and is dependent upon, among other things, the Company's earnings, financial condition and other factors, including applicable legal and regulatory restrictions.  See "Capital Resources and Dividends" in Part II, Item 7.E. of this report.


There were approximately 3,194 holders of record of common stock at December 31, 2003. The Company has no other class of stock outstanding.


#



Item 6:  Selected Financial Data

FIVE YEAR SUMMARY OF SELECTED DATA

Arrow Financial Corporation and Subsidiaries

(Dollars In Thousands, Except Per Share Data)



Consolidated Statements of Income Data:

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

Interest and Dividend Income

$70,731

$75,145

$78,357

$75,624

$67,135

Interest Expense

  21,610

  25,106

  33,172

  37,368

  29,266

Net Interest Income

49,121

50,039

45,185

38,256

37,869

Provision for Loan Losses

      1,460

      2,288

      2,289

      1,471

      1,424

Net Interest Income After Provision

 for Loan Losses

47,661

47,751

42,896

36,785

36,445

Other Income 1

11,592

11,213

10,324

10,784

9,382

Net Gains (Losses) on Securities

 Transactions

  755

  100

  195

 (595)

 (4)

Other Expense 2

  32,485

  31,397

  30,544

  27,582

  27,298

Income Before Provision for Income Taxes

27,523

27,667

22,871

19,392

18,525

Provision for Income Taxes

    8,606

    8,773

    7,055

    5,711

    5,666

Net Income

$18,917

$18,894

$15,816

$13,681

$12,859

      

Earnings Per Common Share: 3

     

Basic

$ 1.92

$ 1.90

$  1.58

$  1.36

$ 1.22

Diluted

  1.88

  1.85

  1.55

  1.35

  1.21

      

Per Common Share: 3

     

Cash Dividends

$   .84

$   .76

$   .66

$   .58

$   .53

Book Value

10.83

10.23

9.14

 8.09

7.06

Tangible Book Value 4

9.86

9.25

 8.14

 6.99

5.90

      

Consolidated Year-End Balance Sheet Data:

     

Total Assets

$1,373,920

$1,271,421

$1,151,007

$1,081,354

$1,001,107

Securities Available-for-Sale

349,831

326,661

251,694

229,026

228,364

Securities Held-to-Maturity

105,776

74,505

74,956

60,580

55,467

Loans

855,178

811,292

755,124

735,769

655,820

Nonperforming Assets

2,687

2,756

3,798

2,630

2,745

Deposits

1,046,616

958,007

885,498

858,925

795,197

Federal Home Loan Bank Advances

150,000

145,000

115,000

85,200

85,000

Other Borrowed Funds

55,936

53,498

42,645

42,697

36,021

Shareholders’ Equity

105,865

101,402

91,504

80,781

72,287

      

Selected Key Ratios:

     

Return on Average Assets

1.42%

1.55%

1.41%

1.30%

1.33%

Return on Average Equity

18.34   

19.49   

18.17   

18.60   

17.02   

Dividend Payout

44.68   

41.08   

42.58   

42.96   

43.80   


1 Other Income in 2000 includes the net gain on the sale of the credit card portfolio of $825.

2 Amortization of goodwill was discontinued effective January 1, 2002, upon the adoption of SFAS No. 147.  Goodwill amortization amounted to $888

     in 2001, 2000 and 1999.

3 Share and per share amounts have been adjusted for subsequent stock splits and dividends, including the most recent September 2003 five-for-four

     stock split.

4 Tangible book value excludes from total equity intangible assets, primarily goodwill and intangible assets associated with prior branch purchases.

#



Item 7:  Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations


The following discussion and analysis focuses on and reviews the Company's results of operations for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2003 and the financial condition of the Company as of December 31, 2003 and 2002.  The discussion below should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and other financial data presented elsewhere herein.


A. OVERVIEW


Selected Quarterly Information:

(Dollars In Thousands, Except Per Share Amounts)

Per share amounts and share data have been restated for the September 2003 five-for-four stock split.


 

Dec 2003

Sep 2003

Jun 2003

Mar 2003

Dec 2002

Net Income

$4,787

$4,569

$4,755

$4,806

$4,776

      

Transactions Recorded in Net Income (Net of Tax):

     

Net Securities Gains (Losses)

  1

  147

   85

  221

  (43)

Net Gains on Sales of Loans

1

70

206

17

12

Recovery Related to Former Vermont Operations

---

---

---

---

103

Net Gains on the Sale of Other Real Estate Owned

---

---

---

  7

---

      

Period End Shares Outstanding

9,779

9,808

9,874

9,869

9,914

Basic Average Shares Outstanding

9,811

9,841

9,881

9,895

9,911

Diluted Average Shares Outstanding

10,057

10,080

10,112

10,109

10,148

Basic Earnings Per Share

.49

.46  

.48  

.49  

.48  

Diluted Earnings Per Share

.48

.45  

.47  

.48

.47  

Cash Dividends Per Share

.22

.21  

.21

.20  

.20  

Stock Dividends/Splits

---

5-for-4

---  

---  

5%

      

Average Assets

$1,386,271

$1,344,090

$1,310,826

$1,287,240

$1,287,493

Average Equity

103,955

102,911

103,843

101,943

100,645

Return on Average Assets