Asset quality
was rated 3 in the ROE.
The appeal stated that it should be rated 2. The bank's credit quality
had deteriorated, evidenced by the increasing trend in problem
assets. While the bank
operates in an agricultural based economy that can be affected by
the weather, ineffective credit administration practices had
contributed to the deterioration in credit quality. There was a need to improve
credit administration practices in the following
areas:
- Developing
action plans for problem borrowers;
- Using
comparative analysis on borrowers' performance to projections;
and
- More detailed
analysis to support borrowers' credit worthiness for unsecured
lending.
The current
level of problem loans, deteriorating trends in asset quality, and
weaknesses in credit administration practices provided support for
the 3 rating assigned to asset quality.
Management
Rating
Management was
rated 3 in the ROE. The
appeal stated that it should be rated 2. Safety and soundness ROEs
from 1994, 1995, and 1996 revealed management had made progress in
several areas where there was supervisory concern. However, there was a need to
improve credit administration practices and reverse the increasing
trend in problem assets.
The weaknesses in the bank's credit culture and processes
continued to plague the overall performance of the bank with
significant loan losses, high provision expenses, erratic earnings
fluctuations, and minimum capital accretion. Given the nature and
significance of the loan portfolio to the overall performance of the
bank, the administrative weaknesses associated with lending
supported a 3-rated management component.
Earnings
Rating
The earnings
component was rated 4 in the ROE. The appeal stated that it
should be rated 3.
Earnings performance in the bank had been erratic. Excluding the results of the
examination under appeal, the bank recorded a net loss in two of the
last five years. In
addition, loan losses exceeded net income in three of the last five
years. After adjusting
for the changes in classifications discussed above, losses would
still exceed net income.
The significant provisions to the ALLL have prevented
earnings from adequately increasing the level of capital in the
bank. The earnings
performance, erratic fluctuations in net income and insufficient
accretion of capital are characteristics of a 4-rated earnings
component.
Composite
Rating
A composite
rating of 3 was assigned as a result of the examination. The appeal stated that the
rating should be 2. At
the time of the examination, the bank exhibited a significant degree
of supervisory concern because of the lack of effective management
and board supervision, which negatively affected the quality of the
bank's loan portfolio and earnings stream. Given these weaknesses, the
level of capital in the institution was strained, which lessens the
ability of the bank to withstand business fluctuations that are
common to banks in an agricultural based economy. Therefore, a composite 3
rating appropriately reflected the condition of the
bank.
Formal Agreement and
Summary
Enforcement
Actions are not appealable matters. As discussed in "OCC
Bulletin 96-18: National Bank Appeals Process," when the primary
supervisory office determines and notifies a national bank of its
intention to pursue available remedies under applicable statues or
published enforcement-related policies of the OCC, the decision
becomes unappealable.
Recognizing communication as an essential part of the
supervisory process, the ombudsman encouraged the board to discuss
the issues in the ROE with the supervisory office and specifically
outline their course of action and the designated time frames for
completing implementation of those actions. However, the bank was
reminded that the final determination on enforcement action
decisions rests with the supervisory office.
Appeal of Composite
CAMELS Rating of 3 and Other Examination Conclusions - (Fourth Quarter 1998)
A bank formally
appealed its composite rating, all component rating, bank
information systems rating / year 2000 assessment (BIS/Y2K), and all
risk assessment system (RAS) determinations. The assigned ratings were
4/344433 for the composite/CAMELS component ratings,
respectively. BIS was
rated 3 and Y2K was assigned a "needs to improve." RAS ratings were: strategic
risk-high and increasing; reputation risk-high and increasing;
credit risk-high and increasing; compliance risk-high and
increasing; liquidity risk-moderate and increasing; transaction
risk-moderate and increasing; and interest rate risk-moderate and
increasing. The Board
believed the Report of Examination (ROE) presented a much distorted
picture of the bank in an effort to justify certain results intended
to be achieved by the supervisory office.
Capital
Background
The appeal
stated the bank was a well-capitalized institution under any
benchmark of the OCC, FDIC, or the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve and to say otherwise smacks of credulity. The appeal stated that the
bank has increased capital every year for the past 50 years through
its conservative nature, which is why the bank can weather the
current credit problems.
The ROE requests the bank adopt a capital plan. The appeal stated the bank
had a capital plan in place for years and has always provided it to
the examiners. The most
recent plan was revised in August 1997.
Discussion and
Conclusion
The ROE stated
that capital is fair based on the high and increasing credit risk,
poor earnings, and ineffective control structures of the bank. Capital ratios at the time
of the examination were above the requirements for the
well-capitalized category; however, for the last two years capital
ratios had decreased.
The rate of asset growth out-paced capital accretion. The supervisory office was
concerned that capital adequacy was threatened by the bank's
increasing risk profile.
During 1997, the board approved the formation of a holding
company subsidiary to hold and sell the bank's other assets acquired
from debts previously contracted. In order to capitalize the
subsidiary, the bank issued a $3 million dividend to the holding
company, which also contributed to the assigned capital
rating.
The Office of
the Ombudsman (ombudsman) determined that at the time of the
examination, asset quality deterioration had affected capital. Extraordinary provisions to
the allowance for loan and lease losses (ALLL) eliminated earnings
for the year and, therefore, earnings did not contribute to the
accretion of capital.
The majority of the actual capital decline in 1997 resulted
from the decision to capitalize the holding company subsidiary to
hold the bank's problem assets. While capital declined, this
also removed, to some extent, some of the riskier assets from the
bank's books. The level
of identified risk and problem assets did not pose an immediate
threat to the viability of the bank because of the capital
base. The ombudsman's
office further analyzed capital levels and determined the bank's
capital base could absorb significant losses. Therefore, at the time of
the examination, the ombudsman determined that a 2 rating more
appropriately described the bank's capital
position.
Asset
Quality
Background
The appeal
attributed the problems in asset quality to two officers that
perpetrated fraudulent and unsound lending activities despite
established underwriting guidelines. The appeal also pointed out
that the circumvention of underwriting guidelines did not go
unnoticed, but was uncovered by internal controls, specifically
through delinquency reports.
Loan review and audit reported exceptions to the executive
officer responsible for lending who delayed responding to "cover his
own tracks." The bank
also noted that since the departure of the officer, asset quality
trends had improved, and loan review and audit had been strengthened
and refocused. Lending
policies had been revised and the ALLL calculation
improved.
Discussion and
Conclusion
The ROE stated
asset quality is unsatisfactory based on continued declining trends,
severe credit administration deficiencies, the lack of sound
underwriting policies, and weak control mechanisms. Further the ROE asserted the
high level of risk and problem assets were significant and expose
the bank to continued credit losses. The supervisory office also
noted the ALLL methodology was flawed, which resulted in
questionable coverage for the inherent risks presented in the
portfolio.
The ombudsman
recognized that at the time of the examination, the increase in
problem assets, the high level of past-due loans, and significant
credit losses adversely affected asset quality and resulted in
elevated credit risk.
Board oversight and senior management supervision of lending
activities and credit administration practices was poor. After examination
charge-offs, 99 percent of classified assets were in the substandard
category, indicating collateral provided some level of protection
from losses. However,
it was difficult to determine the true magnitude of the
credit-oriented problems that confronted the bank. A significant level of
underwriting exceptions occurred throughout 1997, and the majority
of these credits were unseasoned. These credits possessed
characteristics that mirrored the problem portfolios that had
negatively affected the bank's financial performance. However, the level of
identified risk and problem assets did not immediately threaten the
viability of the bank because of the bank's capital position. The ombudsman determined
that an asset quality rating of 3 was more reflective of the
position that existed at the time of the
examination.
Management
Background
The appeal
stated that the board and senior management had successfully managed
the bank for years, as supported by previous OCC comments, despite a
local economy that had experienced difficulties. They made a mistake, by
trusting an experienced executive officer. The appeal noted that the
board recognized the limited depth of resources with the discharge
of two loan officers, and had redirected personnel focus from
corporate to bank matters.
In addition the appeal asserted lending experience, however,
remained considerable.
Discussion and
Conclusion
The ROE stated
management and board oversight was deficient, given the lack of
management expertise and the limited depth of resources to address
the significant risks threatening the safety and soundness of the
bank. The ombudsman
determined, through discussion with bank representatives and the
supervisory office, that management and the board did not exercise
control over the bank's lending activities, which negatively
affected earnings and capital at the time of the examination. The amount of resources
dedicated to managing the level of risk and resolving the problems
in the loan portfolio was inadequate. The loan portfolio
represented the largest portion of the bank's balance sheet and the
largest contributor to the income statement. Losses encountered in 1997
provide evidence the loan portfolio is significant to the bank's
financial performance.
Therefore, the ombudsman concluded a 4 rating was appropriate
considering the deficiencies noted in overall board and management
supervision of the bank's affairs.
Earnings
Background
The appeal
noted earnings last year were more than adequate to support
operations before increasing the ALLL to the level required by the
OCC. Because all
indirect loans had been credit scored, the board and senior
management believed the greatest bulk of loss had been identified
and appropriately reserved in the ALLL. The appeal recognized the
bank's net interest margin had been declining and attributed it to
competition and the rising costs of funds.
Discussion and
Conclusion
The ROE stated
earnings were unsatisfactory, insufficient to support operations,
allow for appropriate capital accretion, and maintain adequate
allowance levels.
Future earnings streams were at-risk, given asset quality
problems, the questionable adequacy of the ALLL, and strained net
interest margin (NIM).
The ombudsman
recognized that earnings were generated through traditional means
with no extraordinary income sources. The bank relied almost
entirely on the NIM coupled with low overhead and low ALLL provision
expense to support its historically solid earnings. The NIM was relatively low
and declining faster than for banks of similar size and
characteristics over the last several years. Thus, it was important to
control overhead costs and provision expenses to support net income
levels. The bank's
historical rate of return was not going to be recognized because of
the material problems in the lending area. The capital growth would be
significantly less than the bank had experienced in the past. The ombudsman determined the
rapid declining NIM, the substantive drop in earnings experienced at
fiscal year end, and the anticipated significant decrease in
recurring earnings for the subsequent year provided support for the
4 rating assigned to the bank's earnings
component.
Liquidity and Sensitivity to
Market Risk
Background
The appeal
stated the criticism of liquidity and sensitivity is lacking and
further lends credence to the board's belief that the examiners
needed to reach certain scoring criteria to arrive at predetermined
composite rating. The
bank had used a fairly detailed interest rate risk model for a
number of years. To
improve this risk assessment, the bank began working with a
nationally recognized model, using standard assumptions until bank
staff is more familiar with the model. The interest rate risk
program has been complemented by the OCC in the past. In addition, the appeal
noted the bank's liquidity was very strong at the date of the ROE
and even stronger as of the submission of the appeal. The ROE was critical of the
bank's liquidity largely on what might happen in the future. The bank's liquidity policy
had never been criticized in past OCC examinations.
Discussion and
Conclusion
The ROE
assessed liquidity and sensitivity to market risk as "fair." The supervisory office noted
that while funds management policies and processes had been
established, management remained in the development stage with
monitoring and reporting mechanisms. Further, the current
financial stress on the bank, the uncertainty of 1998 earnings
performance, and management's response to such trends expose the
bank to increasing liquidity and interest rate risk. The bank also lacked a
formal liquidity contingency plan.
The ombudsman
review determined the bank had a stable core deposit base and an
adequate liquidity position.
The amount of liquidity and the bank's policies and practices
were sufficient to ensure adequate liquidity to meet funding
needs. Almost 9 percent
of total assets were in federal funds sold, with an additional 11
percent in unpledged investment securities. Supervision was adequate
regarding liquidity and funds management practices. Based on these facts the
ombudsman determined a 2 rating was more appropriate for the bank's
liquidity position.
The level of
interest rate risk (IRR) at the time of the examination was low and
well within policy limits.
In addition, the bank measured equity at risk, which also was
within the bank's policy limit. Adequate risk management
processes were in place to monitor sensitivity to market risk. The ombudsman concluded a 2
rating was appropriate at the time of the
examination.
Bank Information Systems Rating/Year-2000
Assessment
Background
The appeal
stated the board and senior management addressed the data processing
needs, as well as Year-2000 (Y2K) compliance prior to the
examination, and was clearly focused on the problem. They were committed to
staying on schedule.
Initial input received from OCC examiners was that the new
system was a good choice and they were pleased with Y2K
progress. The appeal
noted that OCC rated liquidity "fair" because of events that might
occur in the future, and yet rated bank information systems (BIS)
"less than satisfactory" with no regard or credit given for the near
future event of a complete management information systems (MIS)
changeover. The bank
stated this jaundiced grading lacks credibility and should be wholly
discounted in the appeal.
Discussion and
Conclusion
The reasons
provided in the ROE for the "less than satisfactory" rating for BIS
and Y2K compliance was:
- Deficient
board and management rating;
- Distressed
financial condition of the bank; and
- Management's
commitment to address significant asset quality
issues.
While it was
true that asset quality deterioration had significantly affected the
bank's earnings and overall condition, there was no evidence to
suggest this would materially affect BIS activities and Y2K
compliance and remediation efforts. At the time of the
examination, the bank's efforts were in compliance with the
established time line for the system conversion. During the processing of the
appeal it was determined that bank management remained on
schedule. Based on the
information reviewed, the bank's Y2K compliance efforts were
satisfactory and the information systems department met the FFIEC
Information Systems Handbook (1996) definition of a 2-rated
department.
Risk Assessment
System
A risk
assessment system (RAS) comparison is presented on the following
chart, followed by a detailed discussion of the factors contributing
to the ombudsman's decision.
|
Risks
|
Supervisory
Office
|
Ombudsman's
Office
|
|
Strategic
|
High/increasing
|
High/increasing
|
|
Reputation
|
High/increasing
|
High/increasing
|
|
Credit
|
High/increasing
|
High/increasing
|
|
Interest
rate
|
Moderate/increasing
|
Moderate/stable
|
|
Liquidity
|
Moderate/increasing
|
Low/increasing
|
|
Transaction
|
Moderate/increasing
|
Moderate/increasing
|
|
Compliance
|
Moderate/increasing
|
Moderate/stable
|
Strategic
Risk
The board's
strategic implementation of the conversion to a new computer system
and Y2K had been very thorough and continued to proceed with little
or no glitches. During
the ombudsman's visit with the board, they discussed the bank's
extensive experience in out of-territory lending, with minimum
losses. However very
different from its history, the bank encountered rapid growth
originated by relatively new officers that assured the board
appropriate steps were being taken to address potential problems and
protect the bank. A
high-risk assessment considers the impact that problems in indirect
lending and the shortage of resources in the bank to resolve these
issues had on the franchise value in 1997. The need to re-engineer the
lending area, the level of unidentified risk in the indirect lending
portfolio, and the negative impact indirect lending was expected to
have on 1998 earnings caused strategic risk to be
increasing.
Reputation
Risk
The bank's
vulnerability to negative market perception in light of the large
losses in 1997, the volume of repossessed marine craft, and the
number of accounts affected by fraudulent activities supports a
high-risk assessment.
The determination that reputation risk was increasing
captured the uncertainty of not knowing how the community would
respond to issues associated with the board's inadequate control
over indirect lending and competitors' ability to use these problems
in their marketing efforts.
Credit Risk
Credit-related
losses had necessitated abnormally high ALLL provisions to cover
inherent losses.
Exposure to earnings from credit risk was substantial,
evidenced by the losses in 1997 and the budgeted ALLL provisions for
1998. At the time of
the examination, the department lacked the necessary resources to
work through problems within a reasonable time frame. In addition, the nature of
the repossessed collateral could extend the time needed to resolve
the credit problems.
Based on these factors credit risk was high and
increasing.
Interest Rate
Risk
The bank had a
low level of earnings exposure to interest rate risk (IRR), moderate
exposure in terms of equity at risk, and satisfactory IRR
measurement and monitoring.
Because of the interrelationship between IRR, liquidity, and
funds management practices, and because of the bank's higher volume
of longer-term fixed-rate assets, moderate risk was
appropriate. With
improved modeling and reporting capabilities, management should be
able to better monitor and control the bank's IRR
exposure.
Liquidity
Risk
The bank had a
high level of balance sheet liquidity, a solid core deposit base,
sufficient off- balance-sheet sources, and adequate measuring
systems in place, indicating low liquidity risk. However, there was the
potential of a negative impact on liquidity at the time of the
examination based on reputation risk. The issues facing the bank
and the inevitable publicity that follows in a small community,
caused liquidity risk to be increasing.
Transaction
Risk
The bank was
planning a major system conversion for the third quarter of
1998. A major
conversion can and usually does increase a bank's transaction risk
profile. The bank had
to migrate and reconcile two sources (mainframe and PC-based) to the
new system. In
addition, the bank's time frame was aggressive. Therefore, transaction risk
was increasing.
Compliance
Risk
Management
used automated tools to assist them in minimizing compliance
exposure. Compliance
management systems had been adequate to avoid significant or
frequent violations.
The moderate assessment represents an increase in compliance
risk since the December 1996 compliance examination. Although at the examination,
several violations of Loans to Executive Officers, Directors, and
Principal Shareholders of Member Banks (Regulation O) were
identified, the bank had no history of violating this
regulation. The limited
compliance scope of the examination did not support a change from
the stable assessment.
Composite Rating and
Summary
At the time of
the examination the bank exhibited a significant degree of
supervisory concern because of the lack of effective management and
board supervision, which negatively affected the quality of the
bank's loan portfolio and earnings stream. The level of capital support
at the time mitigated a more severe composite rating. Therefore, the ombudsman
determined that a 3 composite rating was more reflective of the
condition of the bank at that time.
However, the
ombudsman was concerned with the adverse trends that had continued
to develop during the processing of the appeal. The condition of the bank
deteriorated further and provided sufficient evidence to justify a
higher level of supervisory concern. Asset quality problems
continued to deplete earnings and trends had not reversed. A full year had expired
since the problems first surfaced and the depth of the asset quality
problems was still not quantified. The level of nonperforming
assets was exceptionally high and there had been no comprehensive,
independent evaluation of the loan portfolio to identify the full
magnitude of the problem.
The condition of the bank was more characteristic of a 4
composite rating, primarily because of management and the board's
lack of effective steps to control the continued deterioration in
asset quality and impact on the bank's earnings stream and capital
base. Therefore, the
ombudsman did not change the bank's overall composite rating or its
capital or asset quality component ratings, in the OCC's official
supervisory record.