UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 10-K
FOR ANNUAL AND TRANSITION REPORTS
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
(Mark One)
| x | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
| For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 |
OR
| ¨ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
| For the transition period from to |
Commission File Number 0-14549
UNITED SECURITY BANCSHARES, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
| Delaware | 63-0843362 | |
| (State or Other Jurisdiction | (I.R.S. Employer | |
| of Incorporation or Organization) | Identification No.) |
| 131 West Front Street Post Office Box 249 Thomasville, Alabama |
36784 | |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code (334) 636-5424
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of Each Class | Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered | |
| None | None |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Common Stock, Par Value $0.01 Per Share
(Title of Class)
Indicate by check mark 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 check mark 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 registrants 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 check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2). Yes x No ¨
The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by nonaffiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2003 was $133,752,634.
The number of shares of common stock outstanding as of March 1, 2004 was 6,432,274 shares.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE.
Portions of the registrants definitive proxy statement for the 2004 annual meeting of its shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III.
United Security Bancshares, Inc.
Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2003
i
PART I
| Item 1. | Business. |
General
United Security Bancshares, Inc. (Bancshares) is a Delaware corporation organized in 1999, as a successor by merger with United Security Bancshares, Inc., an Alabama corporation. Bancshares is a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended, and it operates one banking subsidiary, First United Security Bank (the Bank). The Bank owns all of the stock of Acceptance Loan Company, Inc. (ALC), a finance company organized for the purpose of making consumer loans and purchasing consumer loans from vendors. Bancshares owns all the stock of First Security Courier Corporation (First Security), an Alabama corporation organized for the purpose of providing certain bank courier services. The Banks wholly-owned Arizona subsidiary, FUSB Reinsurance, Inc. (FUSB Reinsurance), reinsures or underwrites credit life and credit accident and health insurance policies sold to the Banks consumer loan customers. FUSB Reinsurance is responsible for the first level of risk on these policies up to a specified maximum amount, and the primary third-party insurer retains the remaining risk. The third-party insurer and/or a third-party administrator is responsible for performing most of the administrative functions of FUSB Reinsurance on a contract basis.
The Bank has eighteen banking offices, which are located in Thomasville, Coffeeville, Fulton, Gilbertown, Grove Hill, Butler, Jackson, Brent, Centreville, Woodstock, Bucksville, Calera, Harpersville and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and its market area includes portions of Bibb, Chilton, Clarke, Choctaw, Hale, Jefferson, Marengo, Monroe, Perry, Shelby, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Washington and Wilcox Counties in Alabama, as well as Clarke, Lauderdale and Wayne Counties in Mississippi.
The Bank conducts a general commercial banking business and offers banking services such as the receipt of demand, savings and time deposits, personal and commercial loans, credit card and safe deposit box services and the purchase and sale of government securities.
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As of December 31, 2003, the Bank had 184 full-time equivalent employees, ALC had 100 full-time equivalent employees and Bancshares had no employees, other than the executive officers of Bancshares who are indicated in Part III, Item 10 of this report.
Competition
Bancshares and its subsidiaries encounter strong competition in making loans, acquiring deposits and attracting customers for investment services. Competition among financial institutions is based upon interest rates offered on deposit accounts, interest rates charged on loans, other credit and service charges relating to loans, the quality and scope of the services rendered, the convenience of banking facilities and, in the case of loans to commercial borrowers, relative lending limits. The Bank competes with other commercial banks (including at least ten in its service area), savings and loan associations, credit unions, finance companies, mutual funds, insurance companies, brokerage and investment banking companies and other financial intermediaries operating in Alabama and elsewhere. Many of these competitors, some of which are affiliated with large bank holding companies, have substantially greater resources and lending limits. In addition, many of the Banks non-bank competitors are not subject to the same extensive federal regulations that govern bank holding companies and federally-insured banks.
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the GLB Act), which became effective March 11, 2000, permits bank holding companies to become financial holding companies and thereby affiliate with securities firms and insurance companies and engage in other activities that are financial in nature. See Supervision and Regulation. Under the GLB Act, securities firms and insurance companies that elect to become financial holding companies may acquire banks and other financial institutions. The GLB Act, which represented at the time of enactment the most sweeping reform of financial services regulation in over sixty years, may significantly change the competitive environment in which Bancshares and the Bank conduct business. At this time, however, it is not possible to predict the full effect that the GLB Act will have on Bancshares. One consequence may be increased competition from large financial services companies that will be permitted to provide many types of financial services, including bank products, to their customers.
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The financial services industry is also likely to become more competitive as further technological advances enable more companies to provide financial services. These technological advances may diminish the importance of depository institutions and other financial intermediaries in the transfer of funds among parties.
The Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994 (the IBBEA) authorized bank holding companies to acquire banks and other bank holding companies without geographic limitations beginning September 30, 1995, which has increased further the competitiveness of the banking industry.
In addition, beginning on June 1, 1997, the IBBEA authorized interstate mergers and consolidations of existing banks, provided that neither banks home state had opted out of interstate branching by May 31, 1997. The State of Alabama opted in with respect to interstate branching. Once a bank has established branches in a state through an interstate merger, the bank may establish and acquire additional branches at any location in the state where any bank involved in the interstate merger could have established or acquired branches under applicable federal or state law.
Under the IBBEA, Alabama banks may also establish branches or offices in any other state, any territory of the United States or any foreign country, provided that the branch or office is established in compliance with federal law and the law of the proposed location and is approved by the Alabama Superintendent of Banks. Under former law, Alabama banks could not establish a branch in any location other than its principal place of business, except as authorized by local laws or general laws of local application. These more liberal branching laws have increased and are likely to continue increasing competition within the State of Alabama among banking institutions located in Alabama and from those located outside of Alabama, many of which are larger than Bancshares. Size gives the larger banks certain advantages in competing for business from large corporations. These advantages include higher lending limits and the ability to offer services in other areas of Alabama and the southeastern United States.
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Supervision and Regulation
Bancshares and the Bank are subject to state and federal banking laws and regulations which impose specific requirements and restrictions on, and provide for general regulatory oversight with respect to, virtually all aspects of operations. These laws and regulations are generally intended to protect depositors, not shareholders. To the extent that the following summary describes statutory or regulatory provisions, it is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statutory and regulatory provisions. Any change in applicable laws or regulations may have a material effect on the business and prospects of Bancshares.
Beginning with the enactment of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989 and following in 1991 with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act (FDICIA), numerous additional regulatory requirements have been placed on the banking industry in the past fifteen years, and additional changes have been proposed. The operations of Bancshares and the Bank may be affected by legislative changes and the policies of various regulatory authorities. Bancshares is unable to predict the nature or the extent of the effect on its business and earnings that fiscal or monetary policies, economic control or new federal or state legislation may have in the future.
As a bank holding company, Bancshares is subject to the regulation and supervision of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Board of Governors). Bancshares is required to file with the Board of Governors an annual report and such additional information as the Board of Governors may require. The Board of Governors may also conduct examinations of Bancshares and each of its subsidiaries.
The Bank Holding Company Act (the Act) imposes numerous restrictions on Bancshares. In particular, the Act requires a bank holding company to obtain the prior approval of the Board of Governors before it may acquire substantially all of the assets of any bank or control of any voting shares of any bank, if, after such acquisition, it would own or control, directly or indirectly, more than 5% of the voting shares of such bank. The Board of Governors may not approve an acquisition by Bancshares of substantially all the assets or the voting shares of any bank located outside Alabama unless such acquisition is specifically authorized by the laws of the state in which the bank to be acquired is located.
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The GLB Act permits bank holding companies to become financial holding companies and thereby affiliate with securities firms and insurance companies and engage in other activities that are financial in nature. A bank holding company may become a financial holding company by filing a declaration if each of its subsidiary banks is well capitalized under the FDICIA prompt corrective action provisions, is well managed and has at least a satisfactory rating under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). No regulatory approval will be required for a financial holding company to acquire a company, other than a bank or savings association, engaged in activities that are financial in nature or incidental to activities that are financial in nature, as determined by the Board of Governors.
The GLB Act defines financial in nature to include securities underwriting; dealing and market making; sponsoring mutual funds and investment companies; insurance underwriting and agency; and activities that the Board of Governors has determined to be closely related to banking. A national bank also may engage, subject to limitations on investment, in activities that are financial in nature (other than insurance underwriting, insurance company portfolio investment, merchant banking, real estate development and real estate investment) through a financial subsidiary of the bank, if the bank is well capitalized, well managed and has at least a satisfactory CRA rating. Subsidiary banks of a financial holding company or national banks with financial subsidiaries must continue to be well capitalized and well managed in order to continue to engage in activities that are financial in nature without regulatory actions or restrictions, which could include divestiture of the financial subsidiary or subsidiaries. In addition, a financial holding company or a bank may not acquire a company that is engaged in activities that are financial in nature unless each of the subsidiary banks of the financial holding company or the bank at issue has a CRA rating of satisfactory or better.
The GLB Act preserves the role of the Board of Governors as the umbrella supervisor for holding companies while at the same time incorporating a system of functional regulation designed to take advantage of the strengths of the various federal and state regulators. In particular, the GLB Act replaces the broad exemption from Securities and Exchange Commission regulation that banks previously enjoyed with more limited exemptions, and it reaffirms that states are the regulators for the insurance activities of all persons, including federally-chartered banks.
5
The GLB Act also establishes a minimum federal standard of financial privacy. In general, the applicable regulations issued by the various federal regulatory agencies prohibit affected financial institutions (including banks, insurance agencies and broker/dealers) from sharing information about their customers with non-affiliated third parties unless (1) the financial institution has first provided a privacy notice to the customer; (2) the financial institution has given the customer an opportunity to opt out of the disclosure; and (3) the customer has not opted out after being given a reasonable opportunity to do so.
Subsidiary banks of a bank holding company are subject to certain restrictions on extensions of credit to the bank holding company or any of its non-bank subsidiaries, on investments in the stock or other securities thereof, and on the acceptance of such stocks or securities as collateral for loans to any borrower. Among other requirements, transactions between a bank and its affiliates must be on an arms-length basis.
The Bank is subject to extensive supervision and regulation by the Alabama State Banking Department and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC). Among other things, these agencies have the authority to prohibit the Bank from engaging in any activity (such as paying dividends) that, in the opinion of the agency, would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice. The Bank is also subject to various requirements and restrictions under federal and state law. Areas subject to regulation include dividend payments, reserves, investments, loans (including loans to insiders and significant shareholders), mergers, issuance of securities, establishment of branches and other aspects of operation, including compliance with truth-in-lending laws, usury laws and other consumer protection laws. The GLB Act establishes minimum federal standards of financial privacy pursuant to which financial institutions will be required to institute written privacy policies that must be disclosed to customers at certain required intervals. In addition to the impact of regulation, commercial banks are affected significantly by the actions of the Board of Governors as it attempts to control the money supply and credit availability in order to influence the economy.
There are a number of obligations and restrictions imposed on bank holding companies and their depository institution subsidiaries by federal law and regulatory policy that are designed to reduce potential loss exposure to the depositors of such depository institutions and to the FDIC insurance fund in the event the depository institution becomes in danger of default or is in default. For example, under a policy of the Board
6
of Governors with respect to bank holding company operations, a bank holding company is required to serve as a source of financial strength to its subsidiary depository institutions and commit resources to support such institutions in circumstances where it might not do so absent such policy. In addition, the cross-guarantee provisions of federal law require insured depository institutions under common control to reimburse the FDIC for any loss suffered or reasonably anticipated as a result of the default of a commonly controlled insured depository institution or for any assistance provided by the FDIC to a commonly controlled insured depository institution in danger of default. Although the FDICs claim is junior to the claims of non-affiliated depositors, holders of secured liabilities, general creditors and subordinated creditors, it is superior to the claims of shareholders.
The federal banking agencies have broad powers under current federal law to take prompt corrective action to resolve problems of insured depository institutions. The extent of these powers depends upon whether the institutions in question are well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized or critically undercapitalized as such terms are defined under regulations issued by the federal banking agencies. In general, the agencies measure capital adequacy within a framework that makes capital requirements sensitive to the risk profiles of individual banking companies. The guidelines define capital as either Tier 1 (primarily common shareholders equity) or Tier 2 (certain debt instruments and a portion of the allowance for loan losses). Bancshares and the Bank are subject to a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio (Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets) of 4%, total capital ratio (Tier 1 plus Tier 2 to risk-weighted assets) of 8% and Tier 1 leverage ratio (Tier 1 to average quarterly assets) of 3%. To be considered a well capitalized institution, the Tier 1 capital ratio, the total capital ratio and the Tier 1 leverage ratio must equal or exceed 6%, 10% and 5%, respectively.
The CRA requires that, in connection with examinations of a financial institution such as the Bank, the FDIC must evaluate the record of the financial institution in meeting the credit needs of its local communities, including low and moderate income neighborhoods, consistent with the safe and sound operation of those institutions. The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions nor does it limit an institutions discretion to develop the types of products and services
7
that it believes are best suited to its particular community. These factors are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. The CRA also requires all institutions to make public disclosure of their CRA ratings. The Bank received a satisfactory rating in its most recent evaluation.
On October 26, 2001, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the USA Patriot Act) was signed into law. The USA Patriot Act broadened the application of anti-money laundering regulations to apply to additional types of financial institutions, such as broker-dealers, and strengthened the ability of the U.S. government to detect and prosecute international money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The principal provisions of Title III of the USA Patriot Act require that regulated financial institutions: (i) establish an anti-money laundering program that includes training and audit components; (ii) comply with regulations regarding the verification of the identity of any person seeking to open an account; (iii) take additional required precautions with non-U.S. owned accounts; and (iv) perform certain verification and certification of money laundering risk for their foreign correspondent banking relationships. The USA Patriot Act also expanded the conditions under which funds in a U.S. interbank account may be subject to forfeiture and increased the penalties for violation of anti-money laundering regulations. Failure of a financial institution to comply with the USA Patriot Acts requirements could have serious legal and reputational consequences for the institution. Bancshares has adopted policies, procedures and controls to address compliance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act under the existing regulations and will continue to revise and update its policies, procedures and controls to reflect changes required by the USA Patriot Act and implementing regulations.
From time to time, various bills are introduced in the United States Congress with respect to the regulation of financial institutions. Certain of these proposals, if adopted, could significantly change the regulation of banks and the financial services industry. Bancshares cannot predict whether any of these proposals will be adopted or, if adopted, how these proposals would affect Bancshares.
8
FDIC regulations require that management report on its responsibility for preparing its institutions financial statements and for establishing and maintaining an internal control structure and procedures for financial reporting and compliance with designated laws and regulations concerning safety and soundness.
Supervision, regulation and examination of banks by the bank regulatory agencies are intended primarily for the protection of depositors rather than for holders of Bancshares common stock.
Available Information
The Banks website address is http://www.firstusbank.com (Bancshares does not maintain a website). Bancshares 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 Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act are not currently available on the Banks website; however, Bancshares is currently assessing the expense associated with implementing this feature on the Banks website. These reports are available on the Securities and Exchange Commissions website, http://www.sec.gov, and Bancshares will provide paper copies of these reports free of charge upon written request.
| Item 2. | Properties. |
Bancshares owns no property and does not expect to own any property. The business of Bancshares is conducted from the eighteen offices of the Bank. The Bank owns all of its offices in fee without encumbrances. ALC leases office space throughout Alabama and Mississippi but owns no property. During 2003, the aggregate annual rental payments for office space for ALC totaled approximately $336,672.
| Item 3. | Legal Proceedings. |
Bancshares and the Bank, because of the nature of their businesses, are subject at various times to numerous legal actions, threatened or pending. In the opinion of Bancshares, based on review and consultation with legal counsel, the outcome of any legal proceedings presently pending against Bancshares or the Bank will not have a material effect on Bancshares consolidated financial statements or results of operations.
| Item 4. | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders. |
Not applicable.
9
PART II
| Item 5. | Market For Registrants Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities. |
Bancshares common stock trades under the symbol, USBI, on The Nasdaq SmallCap Market. The sales price range for Bancshares common stock during each calendar quarter of 2002 and 2003 are shown below. On June 19, 2003, the Board of Directors of Bancshares declared a two-for-one stock split in which shareholders of record at the close of business on June 30, 2003 received one additional share for every share held. The market prices represent sales prices as reported in the Nasdaq Historical Quotes, as adjusted for the two-for-one stock split that was payable July 22, 2003. Additionally, Bancshares has declared dividends on its common stock on a quarterly basis in the past two years, as adjusted for the two-for-one stock split, as shown below.
| High |
Low |
Dividends Declared | |||||||
| 2002 |
|||||||||
| First Quarter |
$14.65 | $ | 14.00 | $ | 0.15 | ||||
| Second Quarter |
15.17 | 13.35 | 0.15 | ||||||
| Third Quarter |
15.01 | 13.50 | 0.15 | ||||||
| Fourth Quarter |
15.75 | 14.38 | 0.15 | ||||||
| 2003 |
|||||||||
| First Quarter |
$27.15 | $ | 14.68 | $ | 0.17 | ||||
| Second Quarter |
26.72 | 22.25 | 0.17 | ||||||
| Third Quarter |
33.45 | 22.25 | 0.17 | ||||||
| Fourth Quarter |
33.64 | 25.93 | 0.17 | ||||||
As a holding company, Bancshares, except under extraordinary circumstances, will not generate earnings of its own, but will rely solely on dividends paid to it by the Bank as the source of income to meet its expenses and pay dividends. Under normal circumstances, Bancshares ability to pay dividends will depend entirely on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends to Bancshares.
The Bank is a state banking corporation, and the payment of dividends by the Bank is governed by the Alabama Banking Code. The Alabama Banking Code imposes certain restrictions on banks regarding the payment of dividends. The Bank is required by Alabama law to obtain approval of the Superintendent of the State Banking Department of Alabama (the Superintendent) prior to the payment of dividends if the total of
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all dividends declared by the Bank in any calendar year will exceed the total of (a) the Banks net earnings (as defined by statute) for that year plus (b) its retained net earnings for the preceding two years, less any required transfers to surplus. Also, no dividends may be paid from the Banks surplus without the prior written approval of the Superintendent.
Bancshares management currently expects that comparable cash dividends will continue to be paid in the future.
Bancshares has only one class of common stock. As of March 1, 2004, there were approximately 960 shareholders of Bancshares.
| Item 6. | Selected Financial Data. |
UNITED SECURITY BANCSHARES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
| Year Ended December 31, |
||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 |
2002 |
2001 |
2000 |
1999 |
||||||||||||||||
| (In Thousands of Dollars, Except Per Share Amounts) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest Income |
$ | 46,722 | $ | 45,752 | $ | 47,776 | $ | 48,323 | $ | 44,919 | ||||||||||
| Interest Expense |
11,135 | 14,134 | 18,419 | 18,292 | 15,365 | |||||||||||||||
| Net Interest Income |
35,587 | 31,618 | 29,357 | 30,031 | 29,554 | |||||||||||||||
| Provision for Loan Losses |
3,505 | 3,859 | 5,255 | 6,837 | 4,305 | |||||||||||||||
| Non-Interest Income |
5,662 | 5,069 | 4,730 | 4,883 | 4,747 | |||||||||||||||
| Non-Interest Expense |
21,306 | 20,032 | 19,493 | 19,106 | 18,534 | |||||||||||||||
| Income Before Income Taxes |
16,438 | 12,796 | 9,339 | 8,971 | 11,462 | |||||||||||||||
| Income Taxes |
5,023 | 3,621 | 2,552 | 2,193 | 3,302 | |||||||||||||||
| Net Income Before Cumulative Effect of a Change in Accounting Principle |
$ | 11,415 | $ | 9,175 | $ | 6,787 | $ | 6,778 | $ | 8,160 | ||||||||||
| Cumulative Effect of a Change in Accounting Principle |
$ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | (200 | ) | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | |||||||||
| Net Income After Cumulative Effect of a Change in Accounting Principle |
$ | 11,415 | $ | 9,175 | $ | 6,587 | $ | 6,778 | $ | 8,160 | ||||||||||
| Net Income Per Share: |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic |
$ | 1.77 | $ | 1.41 | $ | 0.95 | $ | 0.95 | $ | 1.15 | ||||||||||
| Diluted |
$ | 1.77 | $ | 1.41 | $ | 0.94 | $ | 0.95 | $ | 1.14 | ||||||||||
| Average Number of Shares Outstanding* |
6,432 | 6,506 | 6,988 | 7,140 | 7,122 | |||||||||||||||
| PERIOD END STATEMENT OF CONDITION |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Assets |
$ | 567,188 | $ | 535,318 | $ | 523,112 | $ | 509,165 | $ | 476,599 | ||||||||||
| Loans, Net |
379,736 | 351,434 | 332,994 | 296,941 | 276,172 | |||||||||||||||
| Deposits |
387,680 | 353,100 | 354,815 | 338,156 | 326,751 | |||||||||||||||
| Shareholders Equity |
73,329 | 67,032 | 65,206 | 67,628 | 61,671 | |||||||||||||||
| AVERAGE BALANCES |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Total Assets |
$ | 549,705 | $ | 532,409 | $ | 516,305 | $ | 491,580 | $ | 459,922 | ||||||||||
| Earning Assets |
511,220 | 498,868 | 486,615 | 454,055 | 424,074 | |||||||||||||||
| Loans, Net |
365,532 | 345,374 | 318,453 | 295,394 | 256,192 | |||||||||||||||
| Deposits |
372,142 | 357,539 | 345,919 | |||||||||||||||||