NEW PEOPLES BANKSHARES INC [NWPP] Filings

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 31,2023

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 000-33411

New Peoples Bankshares, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (276) 873-7000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Common Stock - $2.00 Par Value

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes [ ] No [ X ]

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15 (d) of the Act. Yes [ ] No [ X ]

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 whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes [ X ] No [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes [ ] No [ X ]

The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates, based on the last reported sales price of $2.30 per share on the last business day of the second quarter of 2023, was $22,437,043.

The number of shares outstanding of the registrant’s common stock was 23,745,900 as of March 27, 2024.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE:

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders – Part III

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

General

New Peoples Bankshares, Inc. (New Peoples, the Company, we, us or our) is a Virginia financial holding company headquartered in Honaker, Virginia. Our business is conducted primarily through New Peoples Bank, Inc., a Virginia banking corporation (the “Bank”). The Bank has a division doing business as New Peoples Financial Services which offers investment services through its broker-dealer relationship with Osaic Institutions, Inc. NPB Insurance Services, Inc. (“NPB Insurance”) is a subsidiary of the Bank and generates revenue through the referral of insurance services.

The Bank, headquartered in Honaker, Virginia, offers a range of banking and related financial services focused primarily on serving individuals, small to medium size businesses, and the professional community. We strive to serve the banking needs of our customers while developing personal, hometown relationships with them. Our Board of Directors believes that marketing customized banking services enables us to establish a niche in the financial services marketplace where we do business.

We provide professionals and small to medium size businesses in our market area with responsive and technologically enabled banking services. These services include loans that are priced on a deposit relationship basis, easy access to our decision makers, and quick and innovative action necessary to meet a customer’s banking needs. Our capitalization and lending limit enable us to satisfy the credit needs of a large portion of the targeted market segment. When a customer needs a loan that exceeds our lending limit, we try to find other financial institutions to participate in the loan with us.

Our History

The Bank was incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia on December 9, 1997 and began operations on October 28, 1998. On September 27, 2001, the shareholders of the Bank approved a plan of reorganization under which they exchanged their shares of Bank common stock for shares of New Peoples common stock. On November 30, 2001, the reorganization was completed and the Bank became New Peoples’ wholly-owned subsidiary.

In June 2003, New Peoples formed two new wholly-owned subsidiaries, NPB Financial Services, Inc. (renamed NPB Insurance Services, Inc. in June 2012) and NPB Web Services, Inc., an inactive web design and hosting company.

The Bank, through its division New Peoples Financial Services, offers fixed and variable annuities, fee-based asset management and other investment products through a broker/dealer relationship with Osaic Institutions, Inc.

In July 2004, NPB Capital Trust I was formed by New Peoples to issue $11.3 million in trust preferred securities.

In September 2006, NPB Capital Trust 2 was formed by New Peoples to issue $5.2 million in trust preferred securities.

On June 7, 2017, NPB Insurance Services, Inc. purchased a 39% membership interest in Lonesome Pine Title Agency, LLC, which provides title insurance. Another member of the agency is a related party to the Company.

Branch Locations

As of March 2024, we have 17 full-service branches located in four states: Virginia - Abingdon, Bluefield, Bristol, Castlewood, Clintwood, Gate City, Grundy, Haysi, Honaker, Lebanon, Pounding Mill, Tazewell and Wise; West Virginia - Princeton (2); North Carolina – Boone, and Tennessee – Kingsport.

Our Market Areas

Our primary market area consists of southwestern Virginia, southern West Virginia, northeastern Tennessee, and western North Carolina. Specifically, we operate in the southwestern Virginia counties of Russell, Scott, Washington, Tazewell, Buchanan, Dickenson, and Wise; in the southern West Virginia county of Mercer and the northeastern Tennessee county of Sullivan (collectively, the “Tri-State Area”). In North Carolina, our loan production office in the county of Watauga became a full-service branch in March 2024. The close proximity and mobile nature of individuals and businesses in adjoining counties and nearby cities in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina place these markets within our Bank’s targeted trade area, as well.

Accessibility to Interstates I-77, I-81, I-26, I-64, I40 and I-75, as well as major state and U.S. highways including US 19, US 23, US 58, US 460 and US 421, make the area an ideal location for businesses to serve markets in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Midwest. The area is strategically located midway between Atlanta-Pittsburgh, Charlotte-Cincinnati, and Richmond-Louisville, and is within a day’s drive of more than half of the U.S. population. A regional airport located in Bristol, Tennessee serves the area with commercial flights to and from major cities in the United States. Commercial rail service providers include CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railways.

The Tri-State Area has a diversified economy supported by natural resources, which include coal, natural gas, limestone, and timber; agriculture; healthcare; education; technology; manufacturing and services industries. Predominantly, the market is comprised of locally owned and operated small businesses. Considerable investments in high-technology communications, high-speed broadband network and infrastructure have been made which has opened the area to large technology companies and future business development potential for new and existing businesses. Businesses are taking advantage of the low cost of doing business, training opportunities, available workforce and an exceptional quality of life experience for employers and employees alike.

Internet Site

Our internet banking site can be accessed at www.newpeoples.bank. The site includes a customer service area that contains branch and Automated Teller Machine (“ATM”) locations, product descriptions and current interest rates offered on deposit accounts. Customers with internet access can apply for credit cards, open deposit accounts online, access account balances, make transfers between accounts, enter stop payment orders, order checks, and use an optional bill paying service.

Available Information

We file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). The SEC maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers, like us, that file electronically with the SEC. Our SEC filings are filed electronically and are available to the public online at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. We also provide a link to our filings on the SEC website, free of charge, through our internet website https://newpeoples.bank/Bankshares-About-Us under "Investor Relations." Information on the websites of the Company and the Bank is not a part of, and is not incorporated into, this report or any other filings the Company makes with the SEC.

Banking Services

General. We accept deposits, make consumer and commercial loans, issue drafts, and provide other services customarily offered by a commercial bank, such as business and personal checking and savings accounts, walk-up tellers, drive-in windows, and 24-hour ATMs. The Bank is a member of the Federal Reserve System and its deposits are insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA) to the maximum limit.

Loans. Generally, we offer a full range of short-, medium- and longer-term commercial, 1-4 family residential mortgages and personal loans. Commercial loans include both secured and unsecured loans for working capital (including inventory and receivables), business expansion (including acquisition of real estate and improvements) and purchase of equipment and machinery. Consumer loans may include secured and unsecured loans for financing automobiles, home improvements, education, personal investments and other purposes.

Our lending activities are subject to a variety of lending limits imposed by state law. While differing limits may apply in certain circumstances based on the type of loan or the nature of the borrower (including the borrower’s relationship to the Bank), the Bank generally is subject to a loans-to-one-borrower limit of an amount equal to 15% of its capital and surplus plus the allowance for credit losses. The Bank voluntarily may choose to impose a policy limit on loans to a single borrower that is less than the legal lending limit.

We obtain short-, medium- and longer-term commercial and personal loans through direct solicitation of business owners and continued business from existing customers. Completed loan applications are reviewed by our loan officers. As part of the application process, information is obtained concerning the income, financial condition, employment and credit history of the applicant. If commercial real estate is involved, information is also obtained concerning cash flow after debt service. Loan quality is analyzed based on the Bank’s experience and its credit underwriting guidelines.

Commercial Loans. We make commercial loans to qualified businesses in our market area. Our commercial lending consists primarily of commercial and industrial loans to finance accounts receivable, inventory, property, plant and equipment. Commercial business loans generally have a higher degree of risk than residential mortgage loans but have commensurately higher yields. Residential mortgage loans are generally made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from employment and other income and are secured by real estate whose value tends to be easily ascertainable. In contrast, commercial business loans typically are made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from cash flow from its business and are secured by business assets, such as commercial real estate, accounts receivable, equipment and inventory. As a result, the availability of funds for the repayment of commercial business loans may be substantially dependent on the success of the business itself.

Further, the collateral for commercial business loans may depreciate over time and cannot be appraised with as much precision as residential real estate. To manage these risks, our underwriting guidelines generally require us to secure commercial loans with both the assets of the borrowing business and other additional collateral and guarantees that may be available. In addition, we actively monitor certain measures of the borrower, including advance rate, cash flow, collateral value and other appropriate credit factors.

Residential Mortgage Loans. Our residential mortgage loans consist of residential first and second mortgage loans, residential construction loans, home equity lines of credit and term loans secured by first and second mortgages on the residences of borrowers for home improvements, education and other personal expenditures. We make mortgage loans with a variety of terms, including fixed and floating or variable rates and a variety of maturities.

Under our underwriting guidelines, residential mortgage loans are generally made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from employment and other income and are secured by real estate whose value tends to be easily ascertainable. These loans are made consistent with our appraisal policies and real estate lending policies, which detail maximum loan-to-value ratios and maturities.

Construction Loans. Construction lending entails significant additional risks compared to residential mortgage lending. Construction loans often involve larger loan balances concentrated with single borrowers or groups of related borrowers. Construction loans also involve additional risks attributable to the fact that loan funds are advanced upon the security of property under construction, which is of uncertain value prior to the completion of construction. Thus, it is more difficult to evaluate the total loan funds required to complete a project and related loan-to-value ratios accurately. To minimize the risks associated with construction lending, loan-to-value limitations for residential, multi-family and non-residential construction loans are in place. These are in addition to the usual credit analyses of borrowers. Management feels that the loan-to-value ratios help to minimize the risk of loss and to compensate for normal fluctuations in the real estate market. Maturities for construction loans generally range from 4 to 12 months for residential property and from 6 to 18 months for non-residential and multi-family properties.

Consumer Loans. Our consumer loans consist primarily of installment loans to individuals for personal, family and household purposes. The specific types of consumer loans that we make include home improvement loans, debt consolidation loans and general consumer lending. Consumer loans entail greater risk than residential mortgage loans, particularly in the case of consumer loans that are unsecured, such as lines of credit, or secured by rapidly depreciating assets such as automobiles. In such cases, any repossessed collateral for a defaulted consumer loan may not provide an adequate source of repayment of the outstanding loan balance due to the greater likelihood of damage, loss or depreciation. The remaining deficiency often does not warrant further substantial collection efforts against the borrower. In addition, consumer loan collections are dependent on the borrower’s continuing financial stability, and thus are more likely to be adversely affected by job loss, divorce, illness or personal bankruptcy. Furthermore, the application of various federal and state laws, including federal and state bankruptcy and insolvency laws, may limit the amount which can be recovered on such loans. A borrower may also be able to assert against the Bank as an assignee any claims and defenses that it has against the seller of the underlying collateral.

Our underwriting policy for consumer loans seeks to limit risk and minimize losses, primarily through a careful analysis of the borrower’s creditworthiness. In evaluating consumer loans, we require our lending officers to review the borrower’s level and stability of income, past credit history and the impact of these factors on the ability of the borrower to repay the loan in a timely manner. In addition, we maintain an appropriate margin between the loan amount and collateral value.

Deposits. We offer a variety of deposit products for both individual and business customers. These include demand deposit, interest-bearing demand deposit, savings deposit, money market, health savings and individual retirement (IRA) deposit accounts. In addition, we offer certificates of deposit with terms ranging from 7 days to 60 months, including IRAs with terms ranging from 12 months to 60 months.

Investment Services. We offer a variety of investment services for both individual and business customers. These services include fixed income products, variable annuities, mutual funds, indexed certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, long term care insurance, employee group benefit plans, college savings plans, financial planning, managed money accounts, and estate planning. We offer these services through our broker-dealer relationship with Osaic Institutions, Inc.

Other Bank Services. Other bank services include safe deposit boxes, cashier’s checks, certain cash management services, direct deposit of payroll and social security checks and automatic drafts for various accounts. We offer ATM and debit card services that can be used by our customers throughout our service area and other regions. We also offer consumer and commercial VISA credit card services. Electronic banking services include debit cards, internet banking, telephone banking, mobile banking, remote deposit capture, merchant transaction processing and wire transfers.

We do not presently anticipate obtaining trust powers, but we are able to provide similar services through our affiliation with Osaic Institutions, Inc. Additionally, we offer programs of differentiator presentations focusing on such issues as financial literacy and elder abuse. We believe that these types of programs assist our local communities and highlight the skills of our financial service providers.

Competition

The financial services business is highly competitive. We compete as a financial intermediary with other commercial banks, credit unions, mortgage banking firms, consumer finance companies, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, money market mutual funds and other financial institutions operating in the southwestern Virginia, southern West Virginia, eastern Tennessee, and western North Carolina market areas and elsewhere, including online financial services providers. Our market area is a highly competitive, highly branched banking market.

Competition in the market area for loans to small businesses and professionals, the Bank’s target market, is intense, and pricing is important. Many of our larger competitors have substantially greater resources and lending limits than we have. They offer certain services, such as extensive and established branch networks and trust services, that we do not provide or do not expect to provide in the near future. Moreover, larger institutions operating in the market area have access to borrowed funds at lower costs than are available to us. Deposit competition among institutions in our market area is strong, resulting in the possibility of our paying above-market rates to attract or retain deposits. As the pandemic waned, funds received into our customers’ deposit accounts from PPP loans and stimulus payments were drawn down. This decreased customer liquidity, combined with increased interest rates, has resulted in increased competition for deposits.

While pricing is important, our principal method of countering the competition is service. As a community banking organization, we strive to serve the banking needs of our customers while developing personal, hometown relationships with them. Additionally, we continue to add and enhance digital banking services. As a result, we provide a significant amount of service and a range of products through multiple channels at reasonable fees.

According to a market share report prepared by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”), as of June 30, 2023, the most recent date for which market share information is available, the Bank’s deposits as a percentage of total deposits in its major market areas were as follows:

Employees

As of December 31, 2023, we had 183 full-time equivalent employees. None of our employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, and we consider relations with employees to be excellent.

Supervision and Regulation

General. As a financial holding company, we are subject to regulation under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (“BHCA”), and the examination and reporting requirements of the Federal Reserve. We are also subject to the provisions of the Code of Virginia governing bank holding companies. As a state-chartered commercial bank, the Bank is subject to regulation, supervision and examination by the Virginia State Corporation Commission’s Bureau of Financial Institutions (“BFI”). As a member of the Federal Reserve System, the Bank is also subject to regulation, supervision and examination by the Federal Reserve. Other federal and state laws, including various consumer protection and compliance laws, also govern the activities of the Bank.

The following description summarizes the most significant federal and state laws applicable to New Peoples and its subsidiaries. To the extent that statutory or regulatory provisions are described, the description is qualified in its entirety by reference to that particular statutory or regulatory provision.

The Bank Holding Company Act. Under the BHCA, the Federal Reserve examines New Peoples periodically. New Peoples is also required to file periodic reports and provide any additional information that the Federal Reserve may require. Activities at the bank holding company level are generally limited to:

Thus, the activities we can engage in are restricted as a matter of law.

With some limited exceptions, the BHCA requires every bank holding company to obtain the prior approval of the Federal Reserve before:

As a result, our ability to engage in certain strategic activities is conditioned on regulatory approval.

In addition, and subject to some exceptions, the BHCA and the Change in Bank Control Act require Federal Reserve approval prior to any person or company acquiring “control” of a bank holding company as defined in the statutes and regulations. These requirements make it more difficult for control of our company to change or for us to acquire substantial investments.

Financial Holding Company. As of March 4, 2016, the Company elected to become qualified as a financial holding company (FHC). The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) created this category of bank holding companies. FHC’s may directly or indirectly through subsidiaries engage in financial activities and activities “incidental” or “complementary” to financial activities. Generally, an FHC need not give prior notice of such activities but must notify the Federal Reserve within 30 days after an event.

The BHCA provides a long list of “financial” activities that may be engaged in by FHCs such as underwriting, brokering or selling insurance; providing financial or investment advice or underwriting, dealing in or making a market in securities.

There are other potential “financial” activities in which the Federal Reserve is permitted to designate as permitted financial or incidental to financial activities.

We do not currently undertake activities specifically permitted to us as an FHC that are not otherwise permissible for bank holding companies not qualified as FHCs.

Bureau of Financial Institutions. As a bank holding company registered with BFI, we must provide the BFI with information concerning our financial condition, operations and management, among other reports required by the BFI. New Peoples is also examined by the BFI in addition to its Federal Reserve examinations. Similar to the BHCA, the Code of Virginia requires that the BFI approve the acquisition of direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any Virginia bank or bank holding company like us.

Payment of Dividends. New Peoples is a separate legal entity that derives the majority of its revenues from the earnings of, and dividends paid to it by, its subsidiaries. The Bank is subject to laws and regulations that limit the amount of dividends it can pay. In addition, both New Peoples and the Bank are subject to various regulatory restrictions relating to the payment of dividends, including requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. Banking regulators have indicated that banking organizations should generally pay dividends only if the organization’s net income available to common shareholders over the past year has been sufficient to fully fund the dividends and the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. The FDIC has the general authority to limit the dividends paid by FDIC insured banks if the FDIC deems the payment to be an unsafe and unsound practice. The FDIC has indicated that paying dividends that deplete a bank’s capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsound and unsafe banking practice.

Capital Adequacy. The federal banking regulators have issued substantially similar capital requirements applicable to all banks and bank holding companies. In addition, those regulators may from time to time require that a banking organization maintain capital above the minimum levels because of its financial condition or actual or anticipated growth.

The Company meets the eligibility criteria to be considered a small bank holding company in accordance with the Federal Reserve’s Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement issued in February 2015 and does not report consolidated regulatory capital. With respect to the Bank, the “prompt corrective action” regulations pursuant to Section 38 of the FDIA are set forth in the following table:

The FDIA requires the federal banking regulators to take “prompt corrective action” if a depository institution does not meet minimum capital requirements as set forth above. Generally, a receiver or conservator for a bank that is “critically undercapitalized” must be appointed within specific time frames. The regulations also provide that a capital restoration plan must be filed within 45 days of the date a bank is deemed to have received notice that it is “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized” or “critically undercapitalized.” Any holding company for a bank required to submit a capital restoration plan must guarantee the lesser of (i) an amount equal to 5% of the bank’s assets at the time it was notified or deemed to be undercapitalized by a regulator, or (ii) the amount necessary to restore the bank to adequately capitalized status. This guarantee remains in place until the bank is notified that it has maintained adequately capitalized status for specified time periods. Additional measures with respect to undercapitalized institutions include a prohibition on capital distributions, growth limits and restrictions on activities.

The Bank is also subject to the rules implementing the Basel III capital framework and certain related provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the Dodd-Frank Act). The final rules established minimum capital ratios plus a “capital conservation buffer” designed to absorb losses during periods of

economic stress. The final provisions for banks with $250.0 billion or less in total assets, such as the Bank, are set forth in the following table:

The final rules include comprehensive guidance with respect to the measurement of risk-weighted assets.  For residential mortgages, Basel III retains the risk-weights contained in the prior capital rules, which assign a risk-weight of 50% to most first-lien exposures and 100% to other residential mortgage exposures.  The final rule increased the risk-weights associated with certain on-balance sheet assets, such as high volatility commercial real estate loans, and loans that are more than 90 days past due or in nonaccrual status. Capital requirements also increased for certain off-balance sheet exposures including, for example, loan commitments with an original maturity of one year or less.

Under the final rules, certain banking organizations, including the Company and the Bank, were permitted to make a one-time election to continue the prior treatment of excluding from regulatory capital most accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) components, including amounts relating to unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale debt securities and amounts attributable to defined benefit post-retirement plans.  Institutions that elected to exclude most AOCI components from regulatory capital under Basel III will be able to avoid volatility that would otherwise be caused by things such as the impact of fluctuations in interest rates on the fair value of available-for-sale debt securities.  The Company and the Bank elected to exclude AOCI components from regulatory capital under Basel III.

Failure to meet capital guidelines could subject a bank to a variety of enforcement remedies, including issuance of a capital directive, the termination of deposit insurance by the FDIC, a prohibition on taking brokered deposits and certain other restrictions on its business. As described below, the FDIC can impose substantial additional restrictions upon FDIC-insured depository institutions that fail to meet applicable capital requirements as set forth above.

On September 17, 2019, the federal banking regulators jointly issued a final rule required by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Reform and Consumer Protection Act (“EGRRCPA”) that permits qualifying banks and bank holding companies that have less than $10.0 billion in consolidated assets, such as New Peoples and the Bank, to elect to be subject to a 9.00% leverage ratio that would be applied using less complex leverage calculations (commonly referred to as the community bank leverage ratio or “CBLR”). Under the rule, which became effective on January 1, 2020, banks and bank holding companies that opt into the CBLR framework and maintain a CBLR of greater than 9.00% are not subject to other risk-based and leverage capital requirements under the Basel III rules and would be deemed to have met the well capitalized ratio requirements under the “prompt corrective action” framework.

For further detail on capital and capital ratios, see discussion contained in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” sections “Capital Resources” and “Liquidity,” and in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” “Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes,” Note 22, “Capital.”

Other Safety and Soundness Regulations. There are a number of obligations and restrictions imposed on banks and financial or bank holding companies and their bank 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 funds in the event that the depository institution is insolvent or is in danger of becoming insolvent. For example, the Federal Reserve requires a bank or financial or bank holding company to serve as a source of financial strength to its subsidiary depository institutions and to commit resources to support such institutions in circumstances where it might not do so otherwise. These requirements can restrict the ability of bank holding companies to deploy their capital as they otherwise might.

Interstate Banking and Branching. Banks in Virginia may branch without geographic restriction. Current federal law authorizes interstate acquisitions of banks and bank holding companies without geographic limitation. Bank holding companies may acquire banks in any state without regard to state law except for state laws requiring a minimum time a bank must be in existence to be acquired. The Code of Virginia generally permits out of state bank holding companies or banks to acquire Virginia banks or bank holding companies subject to regulatory approval. These laws have the effect of increasing competition in banking markets.

Monetary Policy. The commercial banking business is affected not only by general economic conditions but also by the monetary policies of the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve’s monetary policies have had a significant effect on the operating results of commercial banks in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the future. In view of unsettled conditions in the national and international political environment, economy and money markets, as well as governmental fiscal and monetary policies, their impact on interest rates, deposit levels, loan demand or the business and earnings of the Bank is unpredictable.

Federal Reserve System. Depository institutions that maintain transaction accounts or nonpersonal time deposits are subject to reserve requirements. These reserve requirements are subject to adjustment by the Federal Reserve. Because required reserves must be maintained in the form of vault cash or in a noninterest-bearing account at, or on behalf of, a Federal Reserve Bank, the effect of the reserve requirement is to reduce the amount of the institution’s interest-earning assets.

Transactions with Affiliates. Transactions between banks and their affiliates are governed by Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act. These provisions restrict the amount of, and provide conditions with respect to, loans, investments, transfers of assets and other transactions between New Peoples and the Bank.

Loans to Insiders. The Bank is subject to rules on the amount, terms and risks associated with loans to executive officers, directors, principal shareholders and their related interests.

Community Reinvestment Act. Under the Community Reinvestment Act, depository institutions have an affirmative obligation to assist in meeting the credit needs of their market areas, including low and moderate-income areas, consistent with safe and sound banking practices. The Community Reinvestment Act emphasizes the delivery of bank products and services through branch locations in a bank’s market areas and requires banks to keep data reflecting their efforts to assist in its community’s credit needs. Depository institutions are periodically examined for compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act and are assigned ratings in this regard. Banking regulators consider a depository institution’s Community Reinvestment Act rating when reviewing applications to establish new branches, undertake new lines of business, and/or acquire part or all of another depository institution. An unsatisfactory rating can significantly delay or even prohibit regulatory approval of a proposed transaction by a bank holding company or its depository institution subsidiaries. A bank holding company will not be permitted to become a financial holding company and no new activities authorized under the GLBA (see below) may be commenced by a holding company or by a bank financial subsidiary if any of its bank subsidiaries received less than a “Satisfactory” rating in its latest Community Reinvestment Act examination. The Bank received a rating of “Satisfactory” at its last Community Reinvestment Act performance evaluation, as of August 1, 2022.

In October 2023, the federal bank regulatory agencies jointly issued a final rule intended to strengthen and modernize the CRA regulatory framework. When implemented, the rule would, among other things, (i) expand access to credit, investment and basic banking services in low- and moderate-income communities, (ii) adapt to changes in the banking industry, including internet and mobile banking, (iii) provide greater clarity, consistency and transparency in the application of the regulations and (iv) tailor performance standards to account for differences in bank size, business model, and local conditions. Most of the final rule’s new requirements are applicable beginning January 1, 2026. The remaining new requirements, including data reporting requirements, are applicable on January 1, 2027.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999. The GLBA covers a broad range of issues, including a repeal of most of the restrictions on affiliations among depository institutions, securities firms and insurance companies. For example, the GLBA permits unrestricted affiliations between banks and securities firms. It also permits bank holding companies to elect to become FHCs, which can engage in a broad range of financial services as described above. In order to become an FHC, a bank holding company and all of its affiliated depository institutions must be well-capitalized, well-managed and have at least a satisfactory Community Reinvestment Act rating. On March 4, 2016 the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond approved New Peoples’ election to become an FHC.

The GLBA also provides that the states continue to have the authority to regulate insurance activities, but prohibits the states, in most instances, from preventing or significantly interfering with the ability of a bank, directly or through an affiliate, to engage in insurance sales, solicitations or cross-marketing activities.

Anti-Money Laundering Legislation. New Peoples is subject to the Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020. Among other things, these laws and regulations require New Peoples to take steps to prevent the use of New Peoples for facilitating the flow of illegal or illicit money, to report large currency transactions, and to file suspicious activity reports. The Company is also required to carry out a comprehensive anti-money laundering compliance program. Violations can result in substantial civil and criminal sanctions. In addition, provisions of the USA Patriot Act require the federal bank regulatory agencies to consider the effectiveness of a financial institution’s anti-money laundering activities when reviewing bank mergers and bank holding company acquisitions.

Privacy and Fair Credit Reporting. Financial institutions, such as the Bank, are required to disclose their privacy policies to customers and consumers and require that such customers or consumers be given a choice (through an opt-out notice) to forbid the sharing of nonpublic personal information about them with nonaffiliated third persons. The Bank also requires business partners with whom it shares such information to assure the Bank that they have adequate security safeguards and to abide by the redisclosure and reuse provisions of applicable law. In addition to adopting federal requirements regarding privacy, individual states are authorized to enact more stringent laws relating to the use of customer information. The Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, passed in 2021, became effective January 1, 2023. These privacy laws create compliance obligations and potential liability for the Bank.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. The Bank is subject to rules and regulations related to mortgage loans that, among other things, establish standards for loan origination, prohibit discrimination, provide for inspections and appraisals of property, require credit reports on prospective borrowers, in some cases restrict certain loan features and fix maximum interest rates and fees, require the disclosure of certain basic information to mortgagors concerning credit and settlement costs, limit payment for settlement services to the reasonable value of the services rendered and require the maintenance and disclosure of information regarding the disposition of mortgage applications based on race, gender, geographical distribution and income level. The Bank is also subject to rules and regulations that require the collection and reporting of significant amounts of information with respect to mortgage loans and borrowers. The Bank’s mortgage origination activities are subject to the Federal Reserve’s Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act. Certain provisions of Regulation Z require creditors to make a reasonable and good faith determination based on verified and documented information that a consumer applying for a mortgage loan has a reasonable ability to repay the loan according to its terms. To the extent that we make mortgage loans, we are required to comply with these rules, subject to available exceptions.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”) is intended to increase corporate responsibility, provide enhanced penalties for accounting and auditing improprieties by publicly traded companies and to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures made pursuant to the securities law. The changes required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and its implementing regulations are intended to allow shareholders to monitor the performance of companies and their directors more easily and effectively.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act generally applies to all domestic companies, such as New Peoples, that file periodic reports with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act includes significant additional disclosure requirements and expanded corporate governance rules and the SEC has adopted extensive additional disclosures, corporate governance provisions and other related rules pursuant to it. New Peoples has expended, and will continue to expend, considerable time and money in complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Bank’s deposits are insured by the Deposit Insurance Fund, as administered by the FDIC, to the maximum amount permitted by law, which is $250,000 per depositor. The FDIC uses a “financial ratios method” based on “CAMELS” composite ratings to determine deposit insurance assessment rates for small established institutions with less than $10 billion in assets, such as the Bank. The CAMELS rating system is a supervisory rating system designed to take into account and reflect all financial and operational risks that a bank may face, including capital adequacy, asset quality, management capability, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity to market risk (“CAMELS”). CAMELS composite ratings set a maximum assessment for banks rated CAMELS 1 and 2 and set minimum assessments for lower rated institutions. Effective for the first quarterly assessment period of 2023 the FDIC increased the deposit insurance assessment by 2 basis points for all insured institutions. In 2023 and 2022, the Company recorded expense of $360,000 and $217,000, respectively, for FDIC insurance premiums.

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law on July 21, 2010. Its wide-ranging provisions affect all federal financial regulatory agencies and nearly every aspect of the American financial services industry. Among the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act that directly impacted the Company was the creation of an independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), which has the ability to write rules for consumer protections governing all financial institutions. All consumer protection responsibility formerly handled by other banking regulators is consolidated in the CFPB. It also oversees the enforcement of all federal laws intended to ensure fair access to credit. Smaller financial institutions, such as the Company and the Bank, continued to be examined primarily by their primary regulators.

The Dodd-Frank Act contains provisions designed to reform mortgage lending, which includes the requirement of additional disclosures for consumer mortgages. The EGRRCPA modified a number of these requirements, including, for smaller institutions (under $10 billion in total assets) that qualify, a safe harbor for compliance with the “ability to pay” requirements for consumer mortgage loans. The CFPB has implemented mortgage lending regulations to carry out its mandate. In addition, the Federal Reserve has issued rules limiting the fees charged to merchants by credit card companies for debit card transactions. The result of these rules is to limit the amount of interchange fee income available explicitly to larger banks and indirectly to us. The Dodd-Frank Act also contains provisions that affect corporate governance and executive compensation.

The Dodd-Frank Act has had, and may in the future have, a material impact on New Peoples’ operations, particularly through increased compliance costs resulting from new and possible future consumer and fair lending regulations. Any future changes resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act may affect the profitability of business activities, require changes to certain business practices, impose more stringent regulatory requirements or otherwise adversely affect the business and financial condition of New Peoples and the Bank. These changes may also require New Peoples to invest significant management attention and resources to evaluate and make necessary changes to comply with new statutory and regulatory requirements.

The Economic Growth, Regulatory Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2018. The EGRRCPA, which became effective in May 2018, amended provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and other statutes administered by banking regulators. Among these amendments are provisions exempting insured depository institutions (and their parent companies) with less than $10 billion in consolidated assets and meeting certain other asset and liabilities trading tests from the Volker Rule, which prohibits banks from conducting certain investment activities with their own accounts. The EGRRCPA required the regulators to promulgate rules establishing the new CBLR, as described above. The EGRRCPA increased the asset threshold from $1 billion to $3 billion for financial institutions to qualify for a less burdensome 18-month on-site examination schedule. The EGRRCPA made numerous other changes in regulatory requirements based on the size and complexity of financial institutions, particularly benefiting smaller institutions like the Company.

Cybersecurity. Federal regulators expect that financial institutions design multiple layers of security controls to establish lines of defense and to ensure that their risk management processes also address the risk posed by compromised customer credentials, including security measures to reliably authenticate customers accessing internet-based services of the financial institution. Additionally, a financial institution’s management is expected to maintain sufficient business continuity planning processes to ensure the rapid recovery, resumption and maintenance of the institution’s operations after a cyber-attack involving destructive malware. A financial institution is expected to maintain appropriate processes to enable recovery of data and business operations and address rebuilding network capabilities and restoring data if the institution or any of its critical service providers fall victim to this type of cyber-attack. If the Company fails to observe the regulatory guidance, it could be subject to various regulatory sanctions, including financial penalties.

Federal bank regulators issued a joint rule, effective in 2022, establishing computer-security incident notification requirements for banking organizations and their bank service providers. The rule requires a banking organization to notify its primary federal regulator of any significant computer-security incident as soon as possible and no later than 36 hours after the banking organization determines that a cyber incident has occurred. In addition, the final rule requires a bank service provider to notify affected banking organization customers as soon as possible when the provider determines that it has experienced a computer-security incident that has materially affected or is reasonably likely to materially affect banking organization customers for four or more hours. The rule defines computer-security incident as an occurrence that results in actual harm to the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of an information system or the information that the system processes, stores, or transmits. For additional disclosure related to Cybersecurity, refer to Item 1.C “Cybersecurity.”

Limitations on Incentive Compensation. The federal bank regulatory agencies have issued comprehensive final guidance on incentive compensation policies intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of financial institutions do not undermine the safety and soundness of such institutions by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The Interagency Guidance on Sound Incentive Compensation Policies, which covers all employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of financial institutions, either individually or as part of a group, is based upon the key principles that a financial institution’s incentive compensation arrangements should (i) provide incentives that do not encourage risk-taking beyond the institution’s ability to effectively identify and manage risks, (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management, and (iii) be supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the financial institution’s board of directors.

The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of financial institutions, such as the Company and the Bank, that are not “large, complex banking organizations.” These reviews will be tailored to each financial institution based on the scope and complexity of the institution’s activities and the prevalence of incentive compensation arrangements. The findings of the supervisory initiatives will be included in reports of examination. Deficiencies will be incorporated into the institution’s supervisory ratings, which can affect the institution’s ability to make acquisitions and take other actions. Enforcement actions may be taken against a financial institution if its incentive compensation arrangements or related risk-management control or governance processes pose a risk to the institution’s safety and soundness, and the financial institution is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies. As of December 31, 2023, the Company and the Bank have not been made aware of any instances of noncompliance with this guidance.

Other Laws. Banks and other depository institutions also are subject to other numerous consumer-oriented laws and regulations. These laws, which include the Truth in Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 and the Fair Housing Act, require compliance by depository institutions with various disclosure and consumer information handling requirements. These and other similar laws result in significant costs and create potential liability for financial institutions, including the imposition of regulatory penalties for inadequate compliance.

Future Regulatory Uncertainty. Because federal and state regulation of financial institutions changes regularly and is the subject of constant legislative debate, New Peoples cannot forecast how regulation of financial institutions may change in the future and impact its operations. New Peoples fully expects that the financial institution industry will remain heavily regulated notwithstanding the regulatory relief that has been recently adopted.

Not required.   

Not applicable.

The Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act, enacted in March 2022, requires certain covered entities to report a covered incident to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency ("CISA") within 72 hours after a covered entity reasonably believes an incident has occurred. Separate reporting to CISA will also be required within 24 hours if a ransom payment is made as a result of a ransomware attack.

The SEC adopted a new rule on Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance, and Incident Disclosure by Public Companies in 2023, which applies to all public companies subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and requires disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents in Current Reports on Form 8-K and periodic disclosure of cybersecurity risk management, strategy, and governance in Annual Reports on Form 10-K.

State regulators have also been increasingly active in implementing privacy and cybersecurity standards and regulations and many states have recently implemented or modified their data breach notification and data privacy requirements. The Company expects this trend of state-level cybersecurity regulatory activity to continue and continues to monitor these developments.

Our risk management program is designed to identify, assess, and mitigate risks across various aspects of our company, including financial, operational, regulatory, reputational, and legal. Cybersecurity is a critical component of this program, given the increasing reliance on technology and potential cyber threats. Our Information Security Officer is primarily responsible for this cybersecurity component and is a key member of the risk management organization, coordinating with our Chief Risk Officer with board oversight through our Information Technology Steering Committee and the Audit Risk and Compliance Committee.

We maintain an Incident Response Plan that provides a documented framework for responding to actual or potential cybersecurity incidents, including timely notification of and escalation to the appropriate Board-approved management committees, and to the Information Technology Steering Committee. The Incident Response Plan is coordinated through the Information Security Officer and key members of management are embedded into the Plan by its design. The Incident Response Plan facilitates coordination across multiple parts of our organization and is evaluated at least annually.

In the ordinary course of its business, the Bank relies on electronic communications and information systems to conduct its operations and to store sensitive data and employs a variety of preventative and detective tools to monitor, block, and provide alerts regarding suspicious activity, as well as to report on any suspected advanced persistent threats. Notwithstanding these defensive measures, the threat from cybersecurity attacks is severe, attacks are sophisticated and increasing in volume, and attackers respond rapidly to changes in defensive measures. Our internal systems, processes, and controls are designed to mitigate loss from cyber-attacks and, while we have experienced cybersecurity incidents in the past, to date, risks from cybersecurity threats have not materially affected our company. The Bank’s systems and those of its customers and third-party service providers are under constant threat and it is possible that we could experience a future significant event. The Bank expects risks and exposures related to cybersecurity attacks to remain high for the foreseeable future.

As of December 31, 2023, the Company's net investment in premises and equipment was $18.3 million. Our main office and operations center are in Honaker, Virginia, which includes a full-service branch, and a separate administration and operations center.

The Bank owns 13 of its 17 full-service branch offices, including its headquarters office. In addition to the headquarters in Honaker, Virginia we own or lease branch offices located in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, and a loan production office in North Carolina. Additionally, the Bank owns an operations building housing its network and other support operations. The Bank owns one former branch office that was closed in 2022. The former ITM network and call center facility, that was closed in 2021, was sold in March 2023, as was a former branch office in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. A warehouse facility in Honaker, Virginia, was sold in 2023. Our loan production office operates from a building in Boone, North Carolina under a lease executed in June 2023. In December 2023, we executed a lease for a full-service branch office in Boone, North Carolina. This office commenced operations in March 2024. With the opening of this facility, we will not continue the lease for the loan origination office when it expires in June 2024. In February 2024, we closed one Bristol, Virginia branch and transferred the accounts to our branch located in the business district of the city. We continue to maintain the closed branch as an administrative office.

A former branch office located in Jonesborough, Tennessee was used as a hub for meeting with prospective loan customers but is currently offered for sale.

Two closed branch locations, Big Stone Gap, Virginia and Chilhowie, Virginia, continue to offer ATM services.

We continue to assess our branch network as we look to improve the efficiency of our branch operations while seeking to increase market share.

We believe that all of our properties are maintained in good operating condition and are suitable and adequate for our operational needs.

In the normal course of operations, we may become a party to legal proceedings, as discussed in Note 21 Legal Contingencies to the consolidated financial statements contained in Item 8 of this form 10-K.

Not applicable.

PART II

(a)       Market Information

Computershare Investor Services is the stock transfer agent for New Peoples Bankshares, Inc. The common stock of New Peoples is quoted on the OTC Market’s Pink Open Market under the symbol “NWPP”. The volume of trading of shares of common stock is very limited. Trades in our common stock occur sporadically on a local basis and typically in small volumes. Over-the-Counter market quotations reflect inter-dealer prices without retail mark up, mark down or commissions and may not necessarily represent actual transactions.

The most recent sales price of which management is aware was $2.50 per share on March 13, 2024.

(b)       Holders

On March 27, 2024, there were approximately 3,956 shareholders of record.

(c)       Dividends

Any declaration of dividends in the future will depend on our earnings, capital requirements, growth strategies, and compliance with regulatory mandates, principally at the Bank level, since the Company’s primary source of income is dividends paid by the Bank. The Company paid a dividend of $0.06 per share in 2023. On February 26, 2024, the Company declared a dividend of $0.07 per share, payable March 29, 2024.

We are subject to certain dividend restrictions and capital requirements imposed by the Federal Reserve Bank as well as Virginia statutes and regulations. See Note 16, Dividend Limitations on Subsidiary Bank, and Note 22, Capital, to the consolidated financial statements contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

The Company extended the stock repurchase program initiated in 2022 that authorizes the repurchase of up to 500,000 of the Company’s common shares through March 31, 2024. Repurchases may be made through open market purchases or in privately negotiated transactions. Shares repurchased will be returned to the status of authorized and unissued shares of common stock. The actual means and timing of any purchases, number of shares and prices or range of prices will be determined by the Company.

Shares of the Company’s common stock were repurchased during the three months ended December 31, 2023, as detailed below. Under the terms of the stock repurchase program, the Company has the remaining authority to repurchase up to 323,814 shares of common stock. On February 26, 2024, the Board of Directors approved an extension of the repurchase program through March 31, 2025.

Not applicable.

Caution About Forward Looking Statements

We make forward looking statements in this annual report on Form 10-K that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding expectations, intentions, projections and beliefs concerning our profitability, liquidity, and allowance for credit losses, interest rate sensitivity, market risk, growth strategy, and financial and other goals. The words “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “intends,” or other similar words or terms are intended to identify forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on various factors and were derived using numerous assumptions as of the date of this Form 10-K and are subject to significant risks.

Important factors that may cause actual results to differ from projections include:

• the success or failure of our efforts to implement our business plan;
• any required increase in our regulatory capital ratios;
• satisfying other regulatory requirements that may arise from examinations, changes in the law and other similar factors;
• deterioration of asset quality;
• changes in the level of our nonperforming assets and charge-offs;
• fluctuations of real estate values in our markets;
• our ability to attract and retain talent;
• demographical changes in our markets which negatively impact the local economy;
• the uncertain outcome of current or future legislation or regulations or policies of state and federal regulators;
• the successful management of interest rate risk;
• the successful management of liquidity;
• changes in general economic and business conditions in our market area and the United States in general;
• credit risks inherent in making loans such as changes in a borrower’s ability to repay and our management of such risks;
• competition with other banks and financial institutions, and companies outside of the banking industry, including online lenders and those companies that have substantially greater access to capital and other resources;
• demand, development and acceptance of new products and services we have offered or may offer;
• deposit flows and competition for deposits;
• the effects of, and changes in, trade, monetary and fiscal policies and laws, including interest rate policies of the Federal Reserve, inflation, interest rate, market and monetary fluctuations;
• the occurrence of significant natural disasters, including severe weather conditions, floods, health related issues and other catastrophic events;
• geopolitical conditions, including acts or threats of terrorism, international hostilities, or actions taken by the U.S. or other governments in response to acts or threats of terrorism and/or military conflicts, which could impact business and economic conditions in the U.S. and abroad;
• technology utilized by us;
• our ability to successfully manage cybersecurity;
• our reliance on third-party vendors and correspondent banks;
• changes in generally accepted accounting principles;
• changes in governmental regulations, tax rates and similar matters; and,
• other risks, which may be described, from time to time, in our filings with the SEC.

Because of these uncertainties, our actual future results may be materially different from the results indicated by these forward-looking statements. In addition, our past results of operations do not necessarily indicate our future results. We expressly disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

General

The following commentary discusses major components of our business and presents an overview of our consolidated financial position as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, as well as results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022. This discussion should be reviewed in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes and other statistical information presented elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

New Peoples generates a significant amount of its income from the net interest income earned by the Bank. Net interest income is the difference between interest income and interest expense. Interest income depends on the volume of interest-earning assets outstanding during the period and the interest rates earned thereon. The Bank's interest expense is a function of the average amount of interest-bearing deposits and borrowed money outstanding during the period and the interest rates paid thereon. The quality of the assets further influences the amount of interest income lost on nonaccruing loans and the amount of provision expense added to the allowance for credit losses. The Bank also generates noninterest income from service charges and fees on deposit accounts, debit and credit card interchange income, and commissions on insurance and investment products sold.

Critical Accounting Policies

Certain critical accounting policies affect the more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our financial statements. Our most critical accounting estimates relate to our allowance for credit losses.

The allowance for credit losses reflects the estimated losses resulting from the inability of our customers to make required payments. If the financial condition of our borrowers were to deteriorate, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make payments, our estimates would be updated, and additional provisions could be required. For further discussion of the estimates used in determining the allowance for credit losses, we refer you to the section on “Allowance for Credit Losses” in this discussion.

For further discussion of our other critical accounting policies, see Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, to our consolidated financial statements, contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Cybersecurity

The Company, primarily through the Bank, depends on its ability to continuously process, record and monitor a large number of customer transactions, and customer, public and regulatory expectations regarding operational and information security have increased over time. Accordingly, the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ operational systems and infrastructure must continue to be safeguarded and monitored for potential failures, disruptions and breakdowns. Although the Company has business continuity plans and other safeguards in place, disruptions or failures in the physical infrastructure or operating systems that support its businesses and customers, or cyber-attacks or security breaches of the networks, systems or devices on which customers’ personal information is stored and that customers use to access the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ products and services could result in customer attrition, regulatory fines, penalties or intervention, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, and/or additional compliance costs, any of which could materially adversely affect the Company’s results of operations or financial condition.

Although to date the Company has not experienced any material losses relating to cyber-attacks or other information security breaches, there can be no assurance that it or its subsidiaries will not suffer such losses in the future. On June 15, 2022, we experienced a cybersecurity incident that temporarily interrupted the operability of our computer systems. Limited operations were restored June 17, 2022, and full operations were restored June 21, 2022. Since that date, restoration efforts have been completed and normal operations have resumed. The Company’s risk and exposure to these matters remains heightened because of, among other things, the evolving nature of these threats, our plans to continue to implement our e-banking and mobile banking channel strategies and develop additional remote connectivity solutions to serve our customers when and how they want to be served. As a result, cybersecurity and the continued development and enhancement of the Company’s controls, processes and practices, designed to protect its and its subsidiaries’ systems, computers, software, data and networks from attack, damage or unauthorized access, remain a priority for the Company. As cyber threats continue to evolve, the Company has expended resources and may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance its protective measures or to investigate and remediate any information security vulnerabilities.

As discussed under the heading “Cybersecurity” in Item 1.C of this Form 10-K, the federal banking agencies have issued a joint rule that requires banking organizations to notify their primary regulator as soon as possible and no later than 36 hours after any cybersecurity incident has occurred, and the SEC has outlined rules for public disclosure.

Overview

For the year ended December 31, 2023, net income was $7.2 million, or basic and diluted net income per share of $0.30, compared to a net income of $8.1 million, or basic and diluted net income per share of $0.34, for the year ended December 31, 2022, a decrease of $0.9 million, or 11.1%. Retained earnings increased to $14.5 million as of December 31, 2023 from $8.9 million as of December 31, 2022, an increase of $5.6 million or 62.14%.

As discussed in “Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin” net interest income for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $28.0 million compared to $28.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease was primarily due to an increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities of 125 basis points (“bps”; 1 basis point is equal to 1/100^th of 1 percent) to 1.88% during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 0.63% during the year ended December 31, 2022.

Noninterest income increased $709,000 to $9.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $9.2 million for the comparable period in 2022. The primary drivers of the increase were the sales of a former operations facility and branch location resulting in a combined gain of $130,000; an increase in financial services revenue of $168,000; and income resulting from an insurance claim payment in the amount of $257,000. This was offset by decreases in service charge income and card processing fees totaling a combined $122,000 during the period. Service charge income decreased due to changes made in 2022 in assessing certain charges that reduced the number of transactions subject to such fees. Additional changes to our service charge structure took effect during the fourth quarter of 2023, which eliminated charges for certain representment items, and certain funds transfer fees. Fees from debit card activity declined as customer deposit balances have reverted to pre-pandemic levels and customer spending habits have also begun to normalize.

Noninterest expense was $28.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $26.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The $1.5 million increase was impacted by increases in salaries and employee benefits of $891,000 data processing and telecommunications costs of $112,000, legal and professional fees of $273,000, cards rewards program expense of $115,000 and deposit insurance of $143,000. These increases were partially offset by decreases in occupancy expenses of $192,000, and data processing and telecommunication costs of $171,000, in comparison to the year ended December 31, 2022. During the first quarter of 2024 changes will be made to our branch network, with the consolidation of our two offices in Bristol, VA along with the opening of a full-service branch office in Boone, NC. It is expected that personnel and occupancy costs will incur modest increases resulting from these changes.

Total assets as of December 31, 2023 were $826.3 million, an increase of $51.0 million, or 6.6%, from $775.4 million as of December 31, 2022. Gross loans increased $53.5 million, or 9.2%, during 2023 due to continuing strong loan demand. Investment securities decreased $6.3 million during 2023 primarily due to principal repayments of amortizing investments and other security maturities of $9.4 million, combined with a decrease of $2.9 million in the unrealized loss position, partially offset by $500,000 in purchases. All of the Company's investments are designated as available-for-sale.

Deposits totaled $716.5 million as of December 31, 2023 compared to $692.7 million as of December 31, 2022. The increase of $23.8 million, or 3.4%, was due to efforts to attract and retain deposits, specifically time deposits, combined with cyclical funds inflows. As a result of these efforts, total time deposits increased $64.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in time deposits contributed to the increase in our cost of funds, as previously discussed, due to the rising interest rate environment experienced over the past two years.

New Peoples Bank remains well-capitalized. The leverage ratio improved to 11.11% as of December 31, 2023, compared to 10.40% as of December 31, 2022.

The Company’s key performance indicators are as follows:

Net Interest Income and Net Interest Margin

The Company’s primary source of income is net interest income, which decreased $0.3 million, or 0.9%, in 2023 compared to 2022 due primarily to an increase in the cost of interest-bearing liabilities of 125 bps to 1.88% during the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to 0.63% during the year ended December 31, 2022. Time deposits were the primary contributor to the decline in net interest income, due to an increase of 176 bps in the cost of time deposits to 2.57% and a $33.3 million increase in the average balance due to a shift in the deposit mix from lower cost products. Additionally, the cost of borrowed funds increased, as trust preferred securities costs rose 323 bps to 7.65% and other borrowings cost rose 114 bps to 3.60%. The impact of other borrowings cost increase was partially offset by a reduction of $13.2 million in the average outstanding balance. The increase in cost of funds was offset by an increase of 85 bps in the yield on earning assets. The yield on loans increased 66 bps to 5.35%, helping to offset the increased cost of funding during the year ended December 31, 2023. These rate and volume activities combined to result in a decrease in net interest income of $266,000, while the net interest margin rose slightly to 3.67% for the year ended December 31, 2023, from 3.62% for 2022.

The following table shows the rates paid on earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities for the periods indicated.