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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, 2004

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.           

     

Indicate by check mark 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 computed by reference to the average bid and asked price of such common equity as of June 30, 2004:

$297,055,000

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

Class

   

Outstanding as of February 28, 2005

Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share

   

10,183,888

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held April 27, 2005 (Part III)







ARROW FINANCIAL CORPORATION

FORM 10-K – INDEX


 

Page

Note on Terminology


3

Forward Looking Statements


3

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures


4

PART I

 

Item 1.

Business


5

A.

General


5

B.

Lending Activities


6

C.

Supervision and Regulation


7

D.

Recent Legislative Developments


8

E.

Critical Accounting Policies


9

F.

Statistical Disclosure (Guide 3)


9

G.

Competition


10

H.

Executive Officers of the Registrant


10

I.

Available Information


10

Item 2.

Properties


11

Item 3.

Legal Proceedings


11

Item 4.

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders


11

PART II

 

Item 5.

Market for the Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of

Equity Securities

11

Item 6.

Selected Financial Data


13

Item 7.

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


14

A. Overview


14

B. Results of Operations


17

I.

Net Interest Income


17

II.

Provision for Loan Losses and Allowance for Loan Losses


23

III.

Other Income


26

IV.

Other Expense


28

V.

Income Taxes


29

C. Financial Condition


30

I.

Investment Portfolio


30

II.

Loan Portfolio


33

a. Distribution of Loans


33

b. Risk Elements


36

III.

Summary of Loan Loss Experience


39

IV.

Deposits


40

V.

Time Deposits of $100,000 or More


42

D.

Liquidity


42

E.

Capital Resources and Dividends


43

F.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements


44

G.

Contractual Obligations


44

H.

Fourth Quarter Results


45

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk


46

Item 8.

Financial Statements and Supplementary Data


47

Item 9.

Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure


85

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures


85

Item 9B. Other Information


85

PART III

 

Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant*


86

Item 11. Executive Compensation*


86

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters *


86

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions*


87

Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services*


87

PART IV

 

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules


87

  

Signatures

90


*These items are incorporated by reference to the Corporation’s Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held April 27, 2005.



2






NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY


In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the terms “Arrow,” “the registrant,” “we,” “us,” and “our” generally refer to Arrow Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries, as a group, except where the context indicates otherwise.


At certain points in this Report, our performance is compared with that of our “peer group” of financial institutions.  Peer data has been obtained from the September 2004 Federal Reserve Board’s “Bank Holding Company Performance Report.”  Unless otherwise specifically stated, our peer group is comprised of the group of 207 domestic bank holding companies with $1 to $3 billion in total consolidated assets.


FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS


The information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains statements that are not historical in nature but rather are based on our 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 performance or changes in future performance would look like based on hypoth etical assumptions and on simulation models.  Other forward-looking statements are based on our 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.

8

Last sentence

Impact of Legal Claims

Part I,

Item 3

11

2nd paragraph

Pending Branch Acquisition

Part I,

Item 1.A.

6

First paragraph

Impact of Changing Interest Rates on Earnings

Part II,

Item 7.C.II.a.

33

“Indirect Loans”, last sentence

 

Part II,

Item 7.C.II.a.

34

Last paragraph

 

Part II,

Item 7.C.II.a.

35

3rd paragraph

 

Part II,

Item 7.C.IV.

42

1st paragraph

 

Part II,

Item 7A.

46

Last two paragraphs

Adequacy of the Allowance for Loan Losses

Part II,

Item 7.B.II.

23

Last paragraph

 

Part II,

Item 7.B.II.

24

1st paragraph

 

Part II,

Item 7.C.III.

39

2nd paragraph under “ALLOCATION OF THE ALLOWANCE FOR LOAN

LOSSES”

Liquidity

Part II,

Item 7.D.

42

Last paragraph in “D. LIQUIDITY”

Dividend Capacity

Part II,

Item 7.E.

43

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.  


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.  We undertake no obligation to revise or update these forward-looking statements to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.




3






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 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 our reasons for utilizing the non-GAAP financial measures as part of Arrow'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 whenever they include non-GAAP financial measures in filings with the SEC.  The SE C 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 we are 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 on a tax-equivalent basis.  That is, to the extent that some 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 comparing one financial institution's net interest income (pre-tax) to that of another institution, as each will have a different proportion of tax-exempt items in their portfolios.  Moreover, net interest income is itself a component of a second financial measure commonly use d 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 financial institutions, again to provide a better basis of comparison from institution to institution.  We follow 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 noninterest 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 financial institutions, in calculating the efficiency ratio, also adjust both noninterest expense and noninterest income to exclude from these items (as calculated under GAAP) certain component elements, such as intangible asset amortization (deducted from noninterest expense) and securities gains or losses (excluded from noninterest income).  We follow these practices.




4






PART I

Item 1.  Business


A. GENERAL


Our holding company, Arrow Financial Corporation, 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.  Arrow owns two nationally chartered banks in New York, Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company, Glens Falls, New York (Glens Falls National), and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company, Saratoga Springs, New York (Saratoga National), as well as seven non-bank subsidiaries, the operations of which are not significant.  We own directly or indirectly all voting stock of all our subsidiaries.


 

Subsidiary Banks

(dollars in thousands)


Glens Falls National

Bank & Trust Co.

Saratoga National

Bank & Trust Co.

Total Assets at Year-End

$1,213,605

$172,072

Trust Assets Under Administration and

 Investment Management at Year-End

 (Not Included in Total Assets)

$785,322

$16,392

Date Organized

1851

1988

Employees

374

28

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


Arrow’s business consists primarily of the ownership, supervision and control of our banks.  The holding company provides various advisory and administrative services and coordinates the general policies and operation of the banks.  There were 414 full-time equivalent employees at December 31, 2004.


We offer a full range of commercial and consumer banking and financial products.  Our deposit base consists of deposits derived principally from the communities we serve.  We target our lending activities to consumers and small and mid-sized companies in our immediate geographic areas.  Through our banks' trust operations, we provide retirement planning, trust and estate administration services for individuals, and pension, profit-sharing and employee benefit plan administration for corporations.


In 2000, Arrow 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 our Banks.


In 2001, we 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 our full-service branches.


Recent Acquisitions:  In November 2004, our lead bank, Glens Falls National, acquired all of the outstanding shares of common stock of Capital Financial Group, Inc. (CFG), an insurance agency headquartered in South Glens Falls, New York, which specializes in group health and life insurance products.  The acquisition was structured as a tax-free exchange of Arrow’s common stock for CFG’s common stock.  CFG’s president and staff continued with CFG after the acquisition.  We recorded the following intangible assets as a result of the acquisition (none of which are deductible for income tax purposes): goodwill ($1.422 million), covenant ($117 thousand) and expirations ($686 thousand).  The value of the covenant is being amortized over five years and the value of the expirations is being amortized over twenty years.  Under the acquisition agreement, we issued 60,976 shares of Arrow 46;s common stock at closing.  The agreement also provides for annual contingent future payments of Arrow common stock, based upon earnings, over a five-year period.  We have concluded that, under criteria established by SFAS No. 141, these payments will be recorded as additional goodwill at the time of payment.  The minimum contingent payment is zero and the maximum contingent payment is $3.0 million.



5






In December 2004, Arrow’s subsidiary banks entered into agreements to acquire from HSBC Bank USA, N.A. (“HSBC”) three bank branches located within the Banks’ service areas.  Glens Falls National agreed to acquire two HSBC branches located in Argyle and Salem, New York, and Saratoga National agreed to acquire a branch located in Corinth, New York.  The banks will acquire substantially all deposit liabilities, the physical facilities and certain loans related to the branches.  The acquisitions are subject to receipt of all required regulatory approvals and satisfaction of certain other terms and conditions, and are expected to be completed in April 2005.  Total deposits of the three branches are approximately $66 million and the related loans are approximately $11 million.  We expect that the acquisition will result in total intangible assets of approximately $6 million.


B. LENDING ACTIVITIES


Arrow 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.  We also maintain an active indirect lending program through our sponsorship of dealer programs, under which we purchase dealer paper from automobile and other dealers meeting pre-established specifications.  We have periodically sold a portion of 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.  Recent sales were of longer-term residential mortgage loans, with interest rates that were both fixed and historically low.


In addition to sales of loans into the secondary market, we have periodically securitized some of the mortgage loans in our portfolio.  We securitized $11.5 million and $30.2 million of residential real estate loans in 2003 and 2001, respectively, with a combined remaining balance of $17.2 million at December 31, 2004.  In the transactions, we sold mortgage loans and concurrently purchased an equivalent amount of guaranteed mortgage-backed securities issued by Freddie, with the sold loans representing the underlying collateral for the pooled securities.  In addition to interest earned on loans, we receive 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, we continue 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 our 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”).  Future cash payments may be applied all to principal, however, income in some cases may be recognized on a cash basis.


We lend primarily to borrowers within our 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.  We do 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.





6





C. SUPERVISION AND REGULATION


The following generally describes the laws and regulations to which we are subject.  Bank holding companies, banks and their affiliates 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 our business and prospects.


Arrow 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, Arrow is subject to regulation by the New York State Banking Department.  Our 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 Arrow from engaging, directly or indirectly, in activities other than banking, activities closely related to banking, and certain other financial activities.  Under the BH C 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.D., “Recent Legislative Developments.”


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.  Under final rules, issued February 28, 2005 by the FRB, trust preferred securities may also qualify as Tier 1 capital, in an amou nt not to exceed 25% of Tier 1 capital.  The final rule limits restricted core capital elements to a percentage of the sum of core capital elements, net of goodwill less any associated deferred tax liability.  We have issued trust preferred securities in each of the last two years.  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.  Our subsidiary banks ar e 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.  Arrow and each of our subsidiary banks currently qualify as “well capitalized.”  The year-end 2004 capital ratios of Arrow and our subsidiary banks are set forth in Part II, Item 7.E. "Capital Resources and Dividends."  


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, our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders, and our subsidiary banks’ ability to pay dividends to our holding company, are 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 Arrow and the banks to pay dividends in the future is, and is expected to continue to be, influenced b y regulatory policies, capital guidelines and applicable law.



7






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 Arrow nor any of our subsidiaries is now, or has been within the past year, subject to any formal or informal regulatory enforcement action or order.


D. 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 Arrow.  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 Arrow'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 corporate 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 our 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 C., “Supervision and Regul ation,” above).  We have not as yet elected to become a “financial holding company” but continue 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.


The FDIC levies a deposit insurance premium on insured banks, such as our banks.  Since 1996, the premium paid by the best-rated banks (including our 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 our 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 our banks) was 1.440 cents per $100 of insured deposits at December 31, 2004.


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




8






E. CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES


In order to prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, we were 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.  We consider 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 us to increase the allowance for loan losses resulting in a negative impact on our results of operations and financial condition.  


Liabilities for retirement plans:  We have 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, our own operations or applicable law may result in material changes to our liability for postretirement expense, with consequent impact on our 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.  Our analysis of the need for a valuation allowance for deferred tax assets is, in part, based on an estimate of future taxable income.


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 our portfolio.



F. 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.




9






G. COMPETITION


Arrow faces intense competition in all markets we serve.  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 Arrow and our subsidiary banks.  As a result of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, such non-banking financial organizations now may be in a position not only to offer comparable products to those offered by us, but actually to establish or acquire their own commercial banks.


H. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT


The names and ages of the executive officers of Arrow 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

56

President and CEO since January 1, 1997.  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 Arrow since 1974.

John J. Murphy

53

Executive Vice President, Treasurer and CFO since 1993.  Mr. Murphy was Senior Vice President, Treasurer and CFO of Arrow back to 1983.  Mr. Murphy has been with the Arrow since 1973.

John C. Van Leeuwen

61

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 Arrow since 1985.

Gerard R. Bilodeau

58

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 Arrow since 1969.

   



I. 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.  We also make 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, and our Code of Ethics.  We have adopted a financial code of ethics that applies to Arrow’s chief executive officer, chief financial officer and principal accounting officer.  We have also adopted a business code of ethics that applies to all directors, officers and employees. & nbsp;Both are available on our website: www.arrowfinancial.com.




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Item 2.  Properties


Our main offices are at 250 Glen Street, Glens Falls, New York.  The building is owned by us and serves as the main office for Glens Falls National Bank.  We own 22 branch offices, 19 of them belonging to Glens Falls National, and  lease four others at market rates.


In the opinion of management, the physical properties of Arrow and our subsidiary banks are suitable and adequate.  For more information on our 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


We are not the subject of any material pending legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation occurring in the normal course of our business.


On an ongoing basis, we are the subject of or a party to various legal claims, which arise in the normal course of our 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 2004.


PART II


Item 5.  Market for the Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities


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 our September 2004 three percent stock dividend.


 

2004

2003

 

Sales Price

Cash Dividends

Sales Price

Cash Dividends

 

Low

High

Declared

Low

High

Declared

First Quarter

$26.806

$30.340

$.214

$21.825

$24.194

$.194

Second Quarter

27.427

29.903

.223

21.988

26.058

.202

Third Quarter

25.748

31.544

.223

24.466

27.899

.202

Fourth Quarter

27.990

33.000

.230

25.194

28.883

.214


The payment of dividends by Arrow is at the discretion of its Board of Directors and is dependent upon, among other things, our 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 5,294 holders of record of Arrow’s common stock at December 31, 2004. Arrow has no other class of stock outstanding.




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Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities


On November 29, 2004, Arrow issued 60,976 shares of its common stock to the sole shareholder of Capital Financial Group, Inc. (CFG), an insurance agency engaged in the sale of group health and life insurance products, in connection with the acquisition of CFG by our subsidiary bank, Glens Falls National.  See “Recent Acquisitions” on page 5 of this Report for more information regarding the transaction.  The shares were issued without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in reliance upon the exemption for such registration set forth in Section 3(a)(II) of the Act and Rule 147 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.  In the transaction, structured as a merger of a newly formed subsidiary of Glens Falls National with and into CFG, Glens Falls National acquired 100 percent of the outstanding shares of CFG.


Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities


The following table presents information about purchases by Arrow during the three months ended December 31, 2004 of our own equity securities registered pursuant to section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., Arrow Financial Corporation’s Common Stock):

Fourth Quarter

Calendar Month

Total Number of

Shares Purchased1

Average Price

Paid Per Share1

Total Number of

Shares Purchased as

Part of Publicly

Announced

Plans or Programs2

Maximum

Approximate Dollar

Value of Shares that

May Yet be

Purchased Under the

Plans or Programs2

October

  ---

---

   ---

3,728,161

November

9,230

$31.20

  ---

3,728,161

December

15,218

32.05

---

3,728,161

Total

24,448

31.73

---

 


1The total number of shares purchased and the average price paid per share include shares purchased in open market transactions under the Arrow Financial Corporation Automatic Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the DRIP) by the administrator of the DRIP and shares surrendered to Arrow by holders of options to acquire Arrow common stock in connection with the exercise of such options.  In the months indicated, the listed number of shares purchased included the following numbers of shares purchased through such methods:  November 2004 – option exercises (9,230 shares); December 2004 – DRIP purchases (14,701 shares), option exercises (517 shares)


2Includes only shares subject to publicly-announced stock repurchase programs.  Does not include shares purchased or subject to purchase under the DRIP or any compensatory stock plan.





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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:

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

Interest and Dividend Income

$68,443 

$70,731 

$75,145 

$78,357 

$75,624 

Interest Expense

  19,206 

  21,610 

  25,106 

  33,172 

  37,368 

Net Interest Income

49,237 

49,121 

50,039 

45,185 

38,256 

Provision for Loan Losses

    1,020 

   1,460 

   2,288 

    2,289 

    1,471 

Net Interest Income After Provision

 for Loan Losses

48,217 

47,661 

47,751 

42,896 

36,785 

Other Income 1

12,830 

11,592 

11,213 

10,324 

10,784 

Net Gains (Losses) on Securities Transactions

362 

755 

100 

195 

(595)

Other Expense 2

  32,972 

   32,485 

  31,397 

   30,544 

  27,582 

Income Before Provision for Income Taxes

28,437 

27,523 

27,667 

22,871 

19,392 

Provision for Income Taxes

    8,959 

     8,606 

    8,773 

     7,055 

    5,711 

Net Income

$19,478 

$18,917 

$18,894 

$15,816 

$13,681 

      

Earnings Per Common Share: 3

     

Basic

$ 1.92

$ 1.86

$  1.84

$  1.53

$  1.32

Diluted

1.88

1.82

1.80

1.51

1.31

      

Per Common Share: 3

     

Cash Dividends

$.89

$.81

$   .73

$.64

$.56

Book Value