SSBP Ssb Bancorp Inc Common Stock (QX)

Forward Looking Statements

This annual report contains forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of words such as “estimate,” “project,” “believe,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “assume,” “plan,” “seek,” “expect,” “will,” “may,” “should,” “indicate,” “would,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “potential,” “target” and words of similar meaning. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on such statements. We are under no duty to and do not take any obligation to update any forward-looking statements after the date of this annual report.

The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements:

Because of these and a wide variety of other uncertainties, our actual future results may be materially different from the results indicated by these forward-looking statements.

SSB Bancorp, Inc.

SSB Bancorp, Inc., a Maryland corporation organized on August 17, 2017, was incorporated as part of the mutual holding company reorganization of SSB Bank, which was completed on January 24, 2018. In the reorganization, SSB Bancorp, Inc. sold 1,011,712 shares of common stock to the public at $10.00 per share, representing 45% of its outstanding shares of common stock. SSB Bancorp, MHC owns 1,236,538, or 55%, of the outstanding common stock of SSB Bancorp, Inc. At December 31, 2019, SSB Bancorp, Inc. had total consolidated assets of $202.6 million, net loans of $156.1 million, deposits of $149.0 million, and stockholders’ equity of $20.9 million.

SSB Bancorp, Inc. owns 100% of the common stock of SSB Bank following the reorganization and offering. Upon completion of the reorganization, SSB Bancorp, Inc. became the holding company for SSB Bank.

SSB Bancorp, Inc. conducts its operations primarily through its wholly owned subsidiary, SSB Bank, a Pennsylvania-chartered savings bank. SSB Bancorp, Inc. manages its operations as one unit, and does not have separate operating segments.

The executive offices of SSB Bancorp, Inc. are located at 8700 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15237, and its telephone number is (412) 837-6955.

SSB Bancorp, MHC

SSB Bancorp, MHC, a Pennsylvania-chartered mutual holding company, was formed as part of the reorganization. Upon completion of the reorganization, which was completed on January 24, 2018, SSB Bancorp, MHC does and will, for as long as it is in existence, own a majority of the outstanding shares of SSB Bancorp, Inc.’s common stock. SSB Bancorp, MHC’s principal assets are the common stock of SSB Bancorp, Inc. it received in the reorganization and offering and $40,000 of cash from its initial capitalization. Presently, it is expected that the only business activity of SSB Bancorp, MHC will be to own a majority of SSB Bancorp, Inc.’s common stock. SSB Bancorp, MHC is authorized, however, to engage in any other business activities that are permissible for mutual holding companies under Pennsylvania law, including investing in loans and securities.

SSB Bank

SSB Bank is a Pennsylvania-chartered stock savings bank headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We conduct our business from our main office and one branch office. Both of our banking offices are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is located in Allegheny County in western Pennsylvania.

Historically, our business has consisted primarily of taking deposits from the general public and investing those funds, along with borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, in one to four family residential real estate loans and, to a lesser extent, commercial real estate, commercial and industrial, and consumer loans. More recently, we have increased our focus on commercial and industrial lending to diversify our loan portfolio, increase the yield earned on our loans, and assist in managing interest rate risk. To a limited extent, we also invest in securities for liquidity purposes. We offer a variety of deposit products, including checking accounts, savings accounts and time deposits.

Our main office is located at 8700 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15237, and our telephone number at that address is (412) 837-6955. Our website address is www.ssbpgh.com. Information on our website is not and should not be considered a part of this annual report.

Market Area

We provide financial services to individual consumers and businesses from its main branch office and headquarters located in the North Hills of Pittsburgh as well as its branch office located in the Northside of Pittsburgh. We view Allegheny County and the adjacent portions of surrounding counties as our primary market area for deposits and lending. We view the neighborhoods located in the North Side of Pittsburgh and in the North Hills Area of Pittsburgh as primary areas for growth.

Our primary focus in the marketplace is on small businesses, real estate investors, and homeowners. We believe that we have developed products and services that will meet the financial needs of our current and future customer base. Our marketing strategies focus on the strength of our knowledge of local consumer and small business markets, as well as expanding relationships with current business and consumer customers.

Competition

We face intense competition within our market area both in making loans and attracting deposits. Our market area has a concentration of financial institutions that include large national and regional banks, community banks and credit unions. We also face competition from savings institutions, mortgage banking firms, consumer finance companies and, with respect to deposits, from money market funds, brokerage firms, mutual funds and insurance companies.

Lending Activities

General. Our historical principal lending activity has been originating one to four family residential real estate loans and, to a lesser extent, commercial real estate loans, commercial and industrial loans, and consumer loans. More recently, we have increased our focus on originating commercial and industrial loans in an effort to diversify our overall loan portfolio, increase the overall yield earned on our loans, and assist in managing interest rate risk. At December 31, 2019, our portfolio consisted predominantly of one to four family mortgages and commercial real estate loans. We primarily make loans to customers located in Allegheny County.

Historically, we have not originated significant amounts of loans for sale. In recent years, we have increased this activity in order to manage the duration and time to repricing of our loan portfolio, to manage interest rate risk, and to generate fee income. Currently, we sell all eligible fixed rate residential mortgages that we originate, preferably with servicing rights retained. We also engage in a significant amount of loan participation sales of loans in our commercial portfolio in order to manage portfolio risk.

One to four Family Residential Real Estate Lending. At December 31, 2019, we had $70.5 million of loans secured by one to four family real estate, representing 44.8% of our total loan portfolio. Our one to four family residential real estate loans typically have terms of up to 30 years and include fixed rate residential mortgages, adjustable rate residential mortgages, and home equity loans in 1^st or 2^nd lien position. Our adjustable rate one to four family residential mortgage loans have an initial five year fixed-interest rate period followed by annual adjustments to the interest rate. Interest rates are generally based on LIBOR. Our one to four family residential real estate loans are generally underwritten to internal guidelines, although recently we have begun underwriting loans to agency guidelines. We generally limit the loan-to-value ratios of our one to four family residential mortgage loans to 80% of the purchase price or appraised value, whichever is lower. In addition, we occasionally make one to four family residential mortgage loans with loan-to-value ratios in excess of 80%, but no higher than 95%, of the purchase price or appraised value, whichever is less, with private mortgage insurance.

We also have a mortgage banking operation that generates mortgage loans through three mortgage loan originators and one correspondent mortgage company. Loans are originated both for sale in the secondary market and for retention in our portfolio.

Currently, we retain all adjustable rate residential mortgage loans that we originate and generally seek to sell the majority of fixed rate residential mortgage loans that we originate, with servicing rights retained, through the Mortgage Partnership Finance (MPF) program administered by the Federal Home Loan Bank. We have an additional mortgage loan investor to whom we sell service-released mortgage loans that are outside of the scope of the MPF program. During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we sold $13.9 million and $9.7 million, respectively, of one to four family mortgages to these investors. During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, we earned servicing fee income of $168,000 and $143,000, respectively. At December 31, 2019, we serviced $55.5 million of one to four family residential real estate loans held by others.

We do not offer “interest only” mortgage loans on permanent one to four family residential real estate loans, where the borrower pays interest for an initial period, after which the loan converts to a fully amortizing loan. Additionally, we do not offer loans that provide for negative amortization of principal, such as “Option ARM” loans, where the borrower can pay less than the interest owed on the loan, resulting in an increased principal balance during the life of the loan, or mortgage loans with balloon terms, pursuant to which a loan does not fully amortize over its relatively short term and the outstanding amount becomes payable in full at the end of the term.

Commercial Real Estate Loans. In recent years, we have increased our commercial real estate loans. Our commercial real estate loans are secured primarily by one to four family and multi-family non-owner-occupied investment properties, hotels, and mixed-use properties, which may include both apartment and condominium units and retail or office space, all of which are located in our primary market area. At December 31, 2019, we had $57.1 million in commercial real estate loans, representing 36.3% of our total loan portfolio. This amount included $37.7 million of one to four family, non-owner-occupied investment properties, and $5.1 million of multi-family residential real estate loans, which are described below. At December 31, 2019, $10.3 million of our commercial real estate loans were for owner-occupied properties, and $4.0 million were commercial construction loans.

Our commercial real estate loans are generally balloon loans, with a five-year, seven-year, or ten-year fixed interest rate term based on a maximum 25-year amortization schedule. We offer fixed-interest rate commercial real estate loans of up to 15 years without a balloon feature. We also offer fixed rate multi-family residential real estate loans of up to 20 years without a balloon feature. The maximum loan-to-value ratio of our commercial real estate loans is generally 80%. At December 31, 2019, the average balance of our commercial real estate loans was $178,000, and our largest commercial real estate loan totaled $1.4 million and was secured by mixed used commercial real estate property. At December 31, 2019, this loan was performing according to its original terms.

We consider a number of factors in originating commercial real estate loans. We evaluate the qualifications and financial condition of the borrower, including credit history, profitability and expertise, as well as the value and condition of the property securing the loan. When evaluating the qualifications of the borrower, we consider the financial resources of the borrower, the borrower’s experience in owning or managing similar property and the borrower’s payment history with us and other financial institutions. In evaluating the property securing the loan, the factors we consider include the ratio of the loan amount to the appraised value of the mortgaged property and the debt service coverage ratio (the ratio of net operating income to debt service). We require appraisals by state certified appraisers for all real estate related or business purpose loans for $250,000 or more. Personal guarantees are generally obtained by individuals who own 20% or more of the borrowing business. We engage a third party to perform a preliminary site evaluation to determine environmental risk for each commercial property and conduct additional testing, if necessary.

We generally limit our loans-to-one borrower to 15% of capital, or approximately $2.6 million at December 31, 2019. At December 31, 2019, our largest commercial real estate relationship was approximately $1.8 million, which consists of loans secured by one to four family non-owner-occupied properties and multi-family properties.

In recent years, we have begun to sell participation interest in individual commercial real estate loans that we originate to other financial institutions in order to reduce portfolio risk and manage our liquidity. Generally, we retain 50% of the loan amount and continue to service such loans.

Multi-Family Residential Real Estate Loans. At December 31, 2019, multi-family real estate loans totaled $5.1 million, or 3.3% of our total loan portfolio. Our multi-family real estate loans are typically secured by properties consisting of five or more rental units in our market area. At December 31, 2019, our largest multi-family residential real estate loan had an outstanding balance of $548,000 and was secured by real estate containing retail space and apartments. At December 31, 2019, this loan was performing according to its original terms.

Our multi-family residential real estate loans are generally balloon loans, with five-year, seven-year, or ten-year fixed-interest rate terms based on a 25-year amortization schedule. The maximum loan-to-value ratio of our multi-family residential real estate loans is generally 80% and we generally limit our loans-to-one borrower to 15% of capital, or approximately $2.6 million at December 31, 2019.

We consider several factors in originating multi-family residential real estate loans. We evaluate the qualifications and financial condition of the borrower, including credit history, profitability and expertise, as well as the value and condition of the property securing the loan. When evaluating the qualifications of the borrower, we consider the financial resources of the borrower, the borrower’s experience in owning or managing similar property and the borrower’s payment history with us and other financial institutions. In evaluating the property securing the loan, the factors we consider include the ratio of the loan amount to the appraised value of the mortgaged property and the debt service coverage ratio (the ratio of net operating income to debt service). We require appraisals by state certified appraisers for all real estate related or business purpose loans for $250,000 or more. Personal guarantees are generally obtained by individuals who own 20% or more of the borrowing business. We engage a third party to perform a preliminary site evaluation to determine environmental risk for each multi-family residential property and conduct additional testing, if necessary.

In recent years, we have begun to sell participation interest in individual multi-family real estate loans that we originate to other financial institutions in order to reduce portfolio risk and manage our liquidity. Generally, we retain a 5% to 50% portion of the loan amount and continue to service such loans. We are not an active purchaser of such loans.

Construction Loans. We originate loans to individual homeowners and a limited group of established local builders to finance the construction of one to four family residential properties, and commercial and multi-family properties. At December 31, 2019, construction loans totaled $9.2 million, or 5.8% of our total loan portfolio, consisting of $5.2 million of one to four family residential construction loans and $4.0 million of commercial and multi-family real estate construction loans. These loans generally are secured by properties located in our primary market area. We generally do not originate speculative construction loans, which are construction loans made to a builder who does not have a buyer under contract for the completed property when we originate the loan. At December 31, 2019, we did not have any speculative construction loans outstanding.

Our commercial and multi-family real estate construction loans typically involve purchase and renovation projects, and are primarily secured by non-owner-occupied properties located within the Pittsburgh city limits. Generally, the construction period of these loans may last up to 18 months, during which the borrower may make payments of interest only. Upon completion of construction, commercial construction loans generally become fixed rate five-year, seven-year, or ten-year balloon loans, based on a maximum 25-year amortization schedule. The maximum loan-to-value ratio of such loans is generally 80%.

We also offer residential construction mortgages, which are made for the purpose of constructing a borrower’s primary residence. Generally, the construction period of these loans may last up to 12 months, during which a borrower may make payments of interest only. Construction periods of longer than 12 months require the approval of our senior lending officer or the president and chief executive officer. Licensed contractors must be approved by us and an inspection of the construction process is performed before each scheduled disbursement to verify the stages of construction. Upon completion of construction, all residential construction mortgages become fixed rate mortgages, which we attempt to sell, with servicing rights retained. The home must be fully completed and certified as such by the inspector before final disbursements and permanent financing.

At December 31, 2019, our largest construction loan had an outstanding balance of $1.2 million and was secured by residential real estate. At December 31, 2019, this loan was performing according to its original terms.

Commercial and Industrial Loans. We make commercial and industrial loans, primarily in our market area, to a variety of professionals, sole proprietorships, and small businesses. Our commercial lending efforts focus on experienced, growing small- to medium-sized, privately-held companies with solid historical and projected cash flow that operate in our market areas. These loans are generally secured by blanket liens on business assets, although we do from time to time offer unsecured lines of credit and term loans. At December 31, 2019, commercial and industrial loans were $24.0 million, or 15.3% of total loans, of which $1.2 million were unsecured.

Our commercial lending products include term loans and revolving lines of credit. Commercial lines of credit are typically made with variable interest rates, which are adjusted annually and float over time. Term loans generally consist of fixed rate loans for equipment, with terms of up to seven years and a maximum loan-to-value ratio of 100% of the purchase price.

When making commercial and industrial loans, we consider the financial statements of the borrower, our lending history with the borrower, the debt service capabilities and global cash flows of the borrower and other guarantors, the projected cash flows of the business and the value of the collateral, accounts receivable, inventory and equipment.

Our largest commercial and industrial loan at December 31, 2019 totaled $2.0 million and was a term loan secured by accounts receivable, inventory, equipment and other business assets. At December 31, 2019, this loan was performing in accordance with its original terms.

Consumer Loans and Home Equity Lines of Credit. We offer a limited range of consumer loans, principally to customers residing in our primary market area with acceptable credit ratings. Our consumer loans consist primarily of loans on new and used automobiles, loans on recreational vehicles, home equity lines of credit, and personal loans and lines of credit. Adjustable rate lines of credit are prime-based and reset each quarter. The maximum term for auto loans depends on the age of the vehicle, generally with a maximum term of seven years and maximum amount of $75,000, for new vehicles. Unsecured lines of credit and home equity lines of credit have terms up to 15 years. The maximum loan-to-value ratio for home equity lines of credit is generally up to 90% (taking into account any outstanding first mortgage loan balance), while the maximum amount for home equity lines of credit is generally $250,000. At December 31, 2019, consumer loans and home equity lines of credit were $5.7 million, or 3.6% of total loans, of which $3.7 million were home equity lines of credit and $1.5 million were new and used auto loans.

The procedures for underwriting home equity lines of credit include an assessment of the applicant’s payment history on other debts and ability to meet existing obligations and payments on the proposed loan, including an assessment of the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio. Although the applicant’s creditworthiness is a primary consideration, the underwriting process also includes a comparison of the value of the collateral to the proposed loan amount. Borrowers are required to maintain insurance coverage whenever collateral is pledged in support of the loan.

Loan Underwriting Risks

Commercial Real Estate Loans. Loans secured by commercial real estate generally have larger balances and involve a greater degree of risk than one to four family residential real estate loans. The primary concern in commercial real estate lending is the borrower’s creditworthiness and the feasibility and cash flow potential of the project. Payments on loans secured by income properties often depend on successful operation and management of the properties. As a result, repayment of such loans may be subject to adverse conditions in the real estate market or the economy to a greater extent than residential real estate loans. To monitor cash flows on income properties, we require borrowers and loan guarantors to provide annual financial statements on commercial real estate loans. In reaching a decision on whether to make a commercial real estate loan, we consider and review a global cash flow analysis of the borrower and consider the net operating income of the property, the borrower’s expertise, credit history and profitability and the value of the underlying property. We generally require that the properties securing these real estate loans have an aggregate debt service ratio, including the guarantor’s cash flow and the borrower’s other projects, of at least 1.20x. An environmental phase one report is obtained when the possibility exists that hazardous materials may have existed on the site, or the site may have been impacted by adjoining properties that handled hazardous materials. Additional environmental evaluations are performed, if required.

If we foreclose on a commercial real estate loan, the marketing and liquidation period to convert the real estate asset to cash can be lengthy with substantial holding costs. In addition, vacancies, deferred maintenance, repairs and market stigma can result in prospective buyers expecting sale price concessions to offset their real or perceived economic losses for the time it takes them to return the property to profitability. Depending on the individual circumstances, initial charge-offs and subsequent losses on commercial real estate loans can be unpredictable and substantial.

Additionally, commercial construction lending presents additional risks when compared with traditional permanent lending, because funds are advanced upon the security of the project, which is of uncertain value before its completion. Because of the uncertainties inherent in estimating construction costs, as well as the market value of the completed project and the effects of governmental regulation of real property, it is relatively difficult to evaluate accurately the total funds required to complete a project and the related loan-to-value ratio. These loans often involve the disbursement of substantial funds with repayment substantially dependent on the success of the ultimate project and the ability of the borrower to sell or lease the property or obtain permanent take-out financing, rather than the ability of the borrower or guarantor to repay principal and interest. If the appraised value of a completed project proves to be overstated, we may have inadequate security for the repayment of the loan upon completion of construction of the project and may incur a loss.

We have a concentration in commercial real estate loans under applicable bank regulatory guidance. At December 31, 2019, commercial real estate loans represented 309.2% of SSB Bank’s total capital. This calculation includes all loans secured by commercial real estate, multi-family, and non-owner-occupied one to four properties. It does not include construction loans.

Commercial and Industrial Loans. Unlike residential real estate loans, which generally are made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from his or her employment or other income, and which are secured by real property whose value tends to be more easily ascertainable, commercial and industrial loans are of higher risk and typically are made on the basis of the borrower’s ability to make repayment from the cash flow of the borrower’s business and the collateral securing these loans may fluctuate in value. Our commercial and industrial loans are originated primarily based on the identified cash flow of the borrower and secondarily on the underlying collateral provided by the borrower. Most often, this collateral consists of real estate, accounts receivable, inventory or equipment. Credit support provided by the borrower for most of these loans is based on the liquidation of the pledged collateral and enforcement of a personal guarantee, if any. Further, any collateral securing such loans may depreciate over time, may be difficult to appraise and may fluctuate in value. As a result, the availability of funds for the repayment of commercial and industrial loans may depend substantially on the success of the business itself.

Adjustable Rate Loans. While we believe that adjustable rate loans better offset the adverse effects of an increase in interest rates as compared to fixed rate loans, an increased monthly payment required of adjustable rate loan borrowers in a rising interest rate environment could cause an increase in delinquencies and defaults. The marketability of the underlying collateral also may be adversely affected in a high interest rate environment.

Balloon Loans. Although balloon loans help to mitigate our vulnerability to interest rate risk because they reprice at the end of the short balloon term, the ability of the borrower to renew or repay the loan and the marketability of the underlying collateral may be adversely affected if real estate values decline or if interest rates rise before the expiration of the balloon term.

Consumer Loans. Consumer loans may entail greater risk than residential real estate loans, particularly in the case of consumer loans that are unsecured or secured by assets that depreciate rapidly, such as motor vehicles. Repossessed collateral for a defaulted consumer loan may not provide an adequate source of repayment for the outstanding loan and a small remaining deficiency often does not warrant further substantial collection efforts against the borrower. Consumer loan collections depend on the borrower’s continuing financial stability, and therefore are likely to be adversely affected by various factors, including 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 that can be recovered on such loans.

Originations, Purchases and Sales of Loans

Lending activities are conducted by loan personnel operating at our main and branch office locations. All loans originated by us are underwritten pursuant to our policies and procedures. We primarily originate fixed rate residential mortgage loans and adjustable rate commercial real estate loans. Our ability to originate adjustable rate loans is dependent upon customer demand for such loans, which is affected by current and expected future levels of market interest rates. We originate real estate and other loans through our loan officers, marketing efforts, our customer base, walk-in customers and referrals from existing customers, real estate agents, brokers, attorneys, builders and others.

We also purchase loans from correspondent lenders to supplement our loan production. These loans generally consist of one to four family residential mortgage loans. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we purchased $3.2 million of whole loans. Substantially all of our purchased loans are to borrowers located in our primary market area. We underwrite our participation interest in the loan that we are purchasing according to our own underwriting criteria and procedures.

Generally, we sell all our eligible fixed rate residential real estate loans upon origination, with servicing rights retained, in order to manage the duration and time to repricing of our loan portfolio, and to generate non-interest income. We currently sell loans through the Mortgage Partnership Finance program administered by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh. We sold $11.0 million of fixed rate residential mortgages during the year ended December 31, 2019, all on a servicing-retained basis through the Mortgage Partnership Finance program. We sold another $2.9 million of fixed rate residential mortgages to a secondary investor on a service-released basis during the year ended December 31, 2019.

In addition, we sold two commercial mortgage loan pools during the year ended December 31, 2019. The first pool consisted of $3.6 million in commercial mortgage loans in which we retained a 5% participation interest and retained servicing rights. The second pool consisted of $3.1 million in commercial mortgage loans in which we retained no participation interest, but we did retain servicing rights.

At December 31, 2019, we serviced $55.2 million of one to four family residential real estate loans and $10.6 million of commercial real estate loans for others and we generated $168,000 in loan servicing fee income during the year ended December 31, 2019.

Loan Approval Procedures and Authority

Our lending activities follow written, non-discriminatory, underwriting standards and loan origination procedures established by our board of directors and management. Consistent with our lending policy, the board of directors has granted loan approval authority to certain senior officers up to prescribed limits, not exceeding $1.75 million in the case of the President and Chief Executive Officer, $1.0 million in the case of the Vice President of Commercial Lending, and $510,400 in the case of the Consumer Loan Manager. Loans in excess of such amounts require the approval of the board of directors, as do any extensions of credit to borrowers who already have significant outstanding loan relationships. Loans that involve exceptions to policy, including loans in excess of our internal loans-to-one borrower limitation, must be authorized by the board of directors. Exceptions are reported to the board of directors monthly.

Loans-to-One Borrower

Under Pennsylvania banking laws, a Pennsylvania chartered savings bank, with certain limited exceptions, may lend to a single or related group of borrowers on an “unsecured” basis an amount equal to 15% of its capital accounts, which is the aggregate of capital, surplus, undivided profits, capital securities and reserve for loan losses. We have established an internal limit for an aggregate amount of loans to one borrower or guarantor equal to the legal lending limit or 15% of our total capital accounts, which was approximately $2.6 million at December 31, 2019.

Under certain circumstances, well qualified customers or customers with multiple individually qualified projects, our internal loans-to-one borrower limit may be exceeded subject to the approval of the board of trustees. As of December 31, 2019 we had no relationships that exceeded the limit-to-one-borrower.

Investment Activities

We have legal authority to invest in various types of investment securities and liquid assets, including U.S. Treasury obligations, securities of various government-sponsored enterprises, residential mortgage-backed securities, municipal government securities, deposits at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, certificates of deposit of federally insured institutions, investment grade corporate bonds, and federally insured deposits at other institutions. We also are required to maintain an investment in Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh stock, in which the amount invested is based on the level of our Federal Home Loan Bank borrowings. Although we have the authority under applicable law to invest in derivative securities, we had no investments in derivative securities at December 31, 2019. At December 31, 2019, our securities investment portfolio had a fair value of $9.9 million and consisted of municipal bonds, corporate bonds, and mortgage-backed securities. See Notes 3, 4, and 5 of the Notes to Financial Statements.

Our investment objectives are to maintain liquidity for use in our lending and deposit activities and to supplement interest income when demand for loans is weak. The Asset and Liability Committee of our board of trustees has the overall responsibility for the investment portfolio. Our Chief Financial Officer is responsible for implementation of the investment policy and monitoring our investment performance. The Asset and Liability Committee is responsible for monthly and quarterly reviews and reports on the status of our investment portfolio.

Sources of Funds

General. Deposits have traditionally been our primary source of funds for our lending and investment activities. We also use Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh advances to supplement cash flow needs, as needed. In addition, funds are derived from scheduled loan payments, investment maturities, loan prepayments, retained earnings and income on interest-earning assets. While scheduled loan payments and income on interest-earning assets are relatively stable sources of funds, deposit inflows and outflows can vary widely and are influenced by prevailing interest rates, market conditions and levels of competition.

Deposit Accounts. The majority of our deposits are from depositors who reside in our primary market area, however, we do accept some brokered and listing service deposits. Deposits are attracted through the offering of a broad selection of deposit instruments for both individuals and businesses. At December 31, 2019, our deposits totaled $149.0 million.

Deposit account terms vary according to the minimum balance required, the time period that funds must remain on deposit, and the interest rate paid on such deposits, among other factors. In determining the terms of our deposit accounts, we consider the rates offered by our competition, our liquidity needs, profitability, and customer preferences and concerns. We generally review our deposit mix and pricing on a weekly basis. Our deposit pricing strategy has generally been to offer competitive rates and services and to periodically offer special rates in order to attract deposits of a specific type or term.

Borrowings. We use advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh to supplement our supply of investable funds. The Federal Home Loan Bank functions as a central reserve bank providing credit for its member financial institutions. As a member, we are required to own capital stock in the Federal Home Loan Bank and are authorized to apply for advances on the security of such stock and certain of our whole first mortgage loans and other assets (principally securities which are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the United States), provided certain standards related to creditworthiness have been met. Advances are made under several different programs, each having its own interest rate and range of maturities. Depending on the program, limitations on the amount of advances are based either on a fixed percentage of an institution’s net worth or on the Federal Home Loan Bank’s assessment of the institution’s creditworthiness. At December 31, 2019, we had $91.3 million of available borrowing capacity with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh and had $31.4 million in advances outstanding.

Personnel

As of December 31, 2019, we had 21 full-time employees and 2 part-time employees. Our employees are not represented by any collective bargaining group. Management believes that we have good working relations with our employees.

Subsidiaries

SSB Bank is the wholly-owned subsidiary of SSB Bancorp, Inc. SSB Bancorp, Inc. has no other subsidiaries. SSB Bank has no subsidiaries.

Regulation and Supervision

General

As a bank holding company, SSB Bancorp, Inc. is required to comply with the rules and regulations of the Federal Reserve Board and Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities. It is required to file certain reports with the Federal Reserve Board and is subject to examination by the enforcement authority of the Federal Reserve Board and the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities. SSB Bancorp, Inc. is also subject to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission under the federal securities laws.

SSB Bank is a Pennsylvania chartered stock savings bank. Its deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. SSB Bank is subject to extensive regulation by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities, as its chartering agency, and by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, as its deposit insurer. SSB Bank is required to file reports with, and is periodically examined by, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities concerning its activities and financial condition and must obtain regulatory approvals before entering into certain transactions, including, but not limited to, mergers with or acquisitions of other financial institutions. SSB Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, which is one of the 11 regional banks in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. SSB Bank’s relationship with its depositors and borrowers also is regulated to a great extent by federal law and, to a lesser extent, state law, including in matters concerning the ownership of deposit accounts and the form and content of SSB Bank’s loan documents.

The regulation and supervision of SSB Bank establish a comprehensive framework of activities in which an institution can engage and are intended primarily for the protection of depositors and borrowers and, for purposes of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the protection of the insurance fund. The regulatory structure also gives the regulatory authorities extensive discretion in connection with their supervisory and enforcement activities and examination policies, including policies with respect to the classification of assets and the establishment of adequate loan loss reserves for regulatory purposes.

Set forth below is a description of certain material regulatory requirements that are applicable to SSB Bank and SSB Bancorp, Inc. This description of statutes and regulations is not intended to be a complete description of such statutes and regulations and their effects on SSB Bank and SSB Bancorp, Inc. Any change in these laws or regulations, whether by federal legislators or the applicable regulatory agencies, could have a material adverse impact on the operations of SSB Bancorp, Inc. and SSB Bank.

Holding Company Regulation

SSB Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company within the meaning of Bank Holding Company of 1956, as amended. As such, SSB Bancorp, Inc. is registered with the Federal Reserve Board and is subject to regulations, examinations, supervision and reporting requirements applicable to bank holding companies. In addition, the Federal Reserve Board has enforcement authority over SSB Bancorp, Inc. and its non-savings bank subsidiaries. Among other things, this authority permits the Federal Reserve Board to restrict or prohibit activities that are determined to be a serious risk to the subsidiary savings bank.

A bank holding company is generally prohibited from engaging in non-banking activities, or acquiring direct or indirect control of more than 5% of the voting securities of any company engaged in non-banking activities. One of the principal exceptions to this prohibition is for activities found by the Federal Reserve Board to be so closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto. Some of the principal activities that the Federal Reserve Board has determined by regulation to be so closely related to banking are: (i) making or servicing loans; (ii) performing certain data processing services; (iii) providing discount brokerage services; (iv) acting as fiduciary, investment or financial advisor; (v) leasing personal or real property; (vi) making investments in corporations or projects designed primarily to promote community welfare; and (vii) acquiring a savings and loan association whose direct and indirect activities are limited to those permitted for bank holding companies.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 authorized a bank holding company that meets specified conditions, including being “well capitalized” and “well managed,” to opt to become a “financial holding company” and thereby engage in a broader array of financial activities than previously permitted. Such activities can include insurance underwriting and investment banking.

SSB Bancorp, Inc. is subject to the Federal Reserve Board’s capital adequacy guidelines for bank holding companies (on a consolidated basis), which have historically been similar to, though less stringent than, those of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for SSB Bank. The Dodd-Frank Act, however, required the Federal Reserve Board to promulgate consolidated capital requirements for depository institution holding companies that are no less stringent, both quantitatively and in terms of components of capital, than those applicable to institutions themselves. Instruments such as cumulative preferred stock and trust preferred securities would no longer be includable as Tier 1 capital, as is currently the case with bank holding companies, subject to certain grandfathering rules. The previously discussed final rule regarding regulatory capital requirements implements the Dodd-Frank Act as to bank holding company capital standards. Consolidated regulatory capital requirements identical to those applicable to the subsidiary banks apply to bank holding companies (with greater than $1.0 billion of assets) at January 1, 2015. As is the case with institutions themselves, the capital conservation buffer began to be phased-in in 2016 and was completely phased-in on January 1, 2019.

A bank holding company is generally required to give the Federal Reserve Board prior written notice of any purchase or redemption of then outstanding equity securities if the gross consideration for the purchase or redemption, when combined with the net consideration paid for all such purchases or redemptions during the preceding 12 months, is equal to 10% or more of the company’s consolidated net worth. The Federal Reserve Board may disapprove such a purchase or redemption if it determines that the proposal would constitute an unsafe and unsound practice, or would violate any law, regulation, Federal Reserve Board order or directive, or any condition imposed by, or written agreement with, the Federal Reserve Board. There is an exception to this approval requirement for well-capitalized bank holding companies that meet certain other conditions.

The Federal Reserve Board has issued a policy statement regarding capital distributions, including dividends, by bank holding companies. In general, the policies provide that dividends should be paid only out of current earnings and only if the prospective rate of earnings retention by the bank holding company appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. The policies also require that a bank holding company serve as a source of financial strength to its subsidiary banks by standing ready to use available resources to provide adequate capital funds to those banks during periods of financial stress or adversity and by maintaining the financial flexibility and capital-raising capacity to obtain additional resources for assisting its subsidiary banks where necessary. The Dodd-Frank Act codified the source of strength doctrine. Under the prompt corrective action laws, the ability of a bank holding company to pay dividends may be restricted if a subsidiary bank becomes undercapitalized. These regulatory policies could affect the ability of SSB Bancorp, Inc. to pay dividends or otherwise engage in capital distributions.

Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, depository institutions are liable to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for losses suffered or anticipated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in connection with the default of a commonly controlled depository institution or any assistance provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to such an institution in danger of default.

The status of SSB Bancorp, Inc. as a registered bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 will not exempt it from certain federal and state laws and regulations applicable to corporations generally, including, without limitation, certain provisions of the federal securities laws.

Federal Securities Laws

SSB Bancorp, Inc.’s common stock is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. SSB Bancorp, Inc. is subject to the information, proxy solicitation, insider trading restrictions and other requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Emerging Growth Company Status

SSB Bancorp, Inc. is an emerging growth company under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the “JOBS Act”). We will cease to be an emerging growth company upon the earliest of: (i) the end of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial stock offering, (ii) the first fiscal year after our annual gross revenues are $1.0 billion or more (as adjusted for inflation), (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities, or (iv) the end of any fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700 million as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year. We expect to lose our status as an emerging growth company in January 2023, five years after the completion of our initial stock offering.

An “emerging growth company” may choose not to hold stockholder votes to approve annual executive compensation (more frequently referred to as “say-on-pay” votes) or executive compensation payable in connection with a merger (more frequently referred to as “say-on-golden parachute” votes). An emerging growth company also is not subject to the requirement that its auditors attest to the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting, and can provide scaled disclosure regarding executive compensation. Finally, an emerging growth company may elect to comply with new or amended accounting pronouncements in the same manner as a private company, but must make such election when the company is first required to file a registration statement. Such an election is irrevocable during the period a company is an emerging growth company. We have elected to use the extended transition period to delay adoption of new or revised accounting pronouncements applicable to public companies until such pronouncements are made applicable to private companies.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is intended to improve corporate responsibility, to provide for enhanced penalties for accounting and auditing improprieties at publicly traded companies and to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures pursuant to the securities laws. SSB Bancorp, Inc. has in place policies, procedures and systems designed to comply with these regulations, and SSB Bancorp, Inc. periodically reviews such policies, procedures and systems to ensure continued compliance with these regulations.

Change in Control Regulations

Under the Change in Bank Control Act, no person, or group of persons acting in concert, may acquire control of a bank holding company, such as SSB Bancorp, Inc., unless the Federal Reserve Board has been given 60 days’ prior written notice and not disapproved the proposed acquisition. The Federal Reserve Board considers several factors in evaluating a notice, including the financial and managerial resources of the acquirer and competitive effects. Control, as defined under the applicable regulations, means the power, directly or indirectly, to direct the management or policies of the company or to vote 25% or more of any class of voting securities of the company. Acquisition of more than 10% of any class of a bank holding company’s voting securities constitutes a rebuttable presumption of control under certain circumstances, including where, as will be the case with SSB Bancorp, Inc., the issuer has registered securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

In addition, federal regulations provide that no company may acquire control (as defined in the Bank Holding Company Act) of a bank holding company without the prior approval of the Federal Reserve Board. Any company that acquires such control becomes a “bank holding company” subject to registration, examination and regulation by the Federal Reserve Board.

Dodd-Frank Act

The Dodd-Frank Act made extensive changes in the regulation of depository institutions and their holding companies. The Dodd-Frank Act created a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as an independent bureau of the Federal Reserve Board. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is responsible for the implementation of the federal financial consumer protection and fair lending laws and regulations, a function previously assigned to prudential regulators, and now has the authority to impose new requirements. However, institutions of less than $10 billion in assets, such as SSB Bank, continue to be examined for compliance with consumer protection and fair lending laws and regulations by, and be subject to the enforcement authority of, their federal prudential regulator, although the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has back-up authority to examine and enforce consumer protection laws against all institutions, including institutions with less than $10 billion in assets.

In addition to creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Dodd-Frank Act, among other things, directed changes in the way that institutions are assessed for deposit insurance, mandated the imposition of tougher consolidated capital requirements on holding companies, required the issuance of regulations requiring originators of securitized loans to retain a percentage of the risk for the transferred loans, imposed regulatory rate-setting for certain debit card interchange fees, repealed restrictions on the payment of interest on commercial demand deposits and contained a number of reforms related to mortgage originations. Many of the provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act are subject to delayed effective dates and/or still require the issuance of implementing regulations. Their impact on operations cannot yet be fully assessed. However, there is significant possibility that the Dodd-Frank Act will, at a minimum, result in increased regulatory burden, compliance costs and interest expense for SSB Bank and SSB Bancorp, Inc.

The Dodd-Frank Act contained the so-called “Volcker Rule,” which generally prohibits banking organizations from engaging in proprietary trading and from investing in, sponsoring or having certain relationships with hedge or private equity funds (“covered funds”). The federal agencies have issued a final rule implementing the Volcker Rule which, among other things, requires banking organizations to restructure and limit certain of their investments in and relationships with covered funds.

Pennsylvania Savings Bank Law

The Pennsylvania Banking Code of 1965, as amended (the “Banking Code”), contains detailed provisions governing the organization, operations, corporate powers, savings and investment authority, branching rights and responsibilities of directors, officers and employees of Pennsylvania savings banks. A Pennsylvania savings bank may locate or change the location of its principal place of business and establish an office anywhere in, or adjacent to, Pennsylvania, with the prior approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities. The Banking Code delegates extensive rulemaking power and administrative discretion to the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities in its supervision and regulation of state-chartered savings banks.

The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities generally examines each savings bank not less frequently than once every two years. Although the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities may accept the examinations and reports of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in lieu of its own examination, the current practice is for the Department of Banking to conduct individual examinations. The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities may order any savings bank to discontinue any violation of law or unsafe or unsound business practice and may direct any director, officer, or employee of a savings bank engaged in a violation of law, unsafe or unsound practice or breach of fiduciary duty to show cause at a hearing before the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities why such person should not be removed. The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities may also appoint a receiver or conservator for an institution in appropriate cases.

The “Banking Law Modernization Package” was Pennsylvania legislation effective on December 24, 2012. The legislation was intended to update, simplify and modernize the banking laws of Pennsylvania and reduce regulatory burden where possible. The legislation, among other things, increased the threshold for investments in bank premises without the approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities from 25% of capital, surplus, undivided profits and capital securities to 100%, eliminated archaic lending requirements and pricing restrictions, and changed the procedure for Pennsylvania chartered institutions closing a branch from an application for approval to a notice. The legislation also clarified the examination and enforcement authority of the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities over subsidiaries of Pennsylvania institutions, and authorized the assessment of civil money penalties of up to $25,000 under certain circumstances for violations of laws or orders related to the institution or unsafe or unsound practices or breaches of fiduciary duties.

In the case of a Pennsylvania-chartered savings bank, the Banking Code states that no dividend may be paid out of surplus without the approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities. Dividends may be paid out of accumulated net earnings. No dividend may generally be paid that would result in SSB Bank failing to comply with its regulatory capital requirements.

Federal Bank Regulation

Capital Requirements. Under Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation regulations, federally insured state-chartered banks that are not members of the Federal Reserve System (“state non-member banks”), such as SSB Bank, are required to comply with minimum leverage capital requirements. The minimum capital leverage requirement is a ratio of Tier 1 capital to total assets that is not less than 4.0%. Tier 1 capital consists of common equity Tier 1 (“CET1”) and “Additional Tier 1 capital” instruments meeting specified requirements. CET1 is defined as common stock, plus related surplus, and retained earnings plus limited amounts of minority interest in the form of common stock, less the majority of the regulatory deductions.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation regulations require state non-member banks to maintain certain levels of regulatory capital in relation to regulatory risk-weighted assets. The ratio of regulatory capital to regulatory risk-weighted assets is referred to as a bank’s “risk-based capital ratio.” Risk-based capital ratios are determined by allocating assets and specified off-balance sheet items (including recourse obligations, direct credit substitutes and residual interests) to risk-weighted categories ranging from 0.0% to 200.0%, with higher levels of capital being required for the categories perceived as representing greater risk.

State non-member banks must maintain a minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%, of which at least one-half must be Tier 1 capital. Total capital consists of Tier 1 capital and Tier 2 capital. Tier 1 capital consists of common stock, plus related surplus and retained earnings. Under the new capital rules, for most banking organizations, the most common form of Additional Tier 1 capital is noncumulative perpetual preferred stock and the most common form of Tier 2 capital is subordinated notes and a portion of the allowance for loan and lease losses, in each case, subject to the new capital rules’ specific requirements. Banks that engage in specified levels of trading activities are subject to adjustments in their risk based capital calculation to ensure the maintenance of sufficient capital to support market risk.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the other federal bank regulatory agencies have issued a final rule that has revised their leverage and risk-based capital requirements and the method for calculating risk-weighted assets to make them consistent with agreements that were reached by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Among other things, the rule establishes a new common equity Tier 1 minimum capital requirement (4.5% of risk-weighted assets), increases the minimum Tier 1 capital to risk-based assets requirement (from 4% to 6% of risk-weighted assets), sets the leverage ratio at a uniform 4% of total assets and assigns a higher risk weight (150%) to exposures that are more than 90 days past due or are on non-accrual status and to certain commercial real estate facilities that finance the acquisition, development or construction of real property. The final rule also requires unrealized gains and losses on certain “available for sale” securities holdings to be included for purposes of calculating regulatory capital requirements unless a one-time opt-out is exercised. SSB Bank has elected to exercise its one-time option to opt-out of the requirement under the final rule to include certain “available for sale” securities holdings for purposes of calculating its regulatory capital requirements. The rule limits a banking organization’s capital distributions and certain discretionary bonus payments to executive officers if the banking organization does not hold a “capital conservation buffer” which, as fully phased in, consists of 2.5% of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets in addition to the amount necessary to meet its minimum risk-based capital requirements. The “capital conservation buffer” was phased in from January 1, 2016 to January 1, 2019, when the full capital conservation buffer became effective.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act required each federal banking agency to revise its risk-based capital standards for insured institutions to ensure that those standards take adequate account of interest-rate risk, concentration of credit risk, and the risk of nontraditional activities, as well as to reflect the actual performance and expected risk of loss on multi-family residential loans. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, along with the other federal banking agencies, adopted a regulation providing that the agencies will take into account the exposure of a bank’s capital and economic value to changes in interest rate risk in assessing a bank’s capital adequacy. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation also has authority to establish individual minimum capital requirements in appropriate cases upon determination that an institution’s capital level is, or is likely to become, inadequate in light of the particular circumstances.

Standards for Safety and Soundness. As required by statute, the federal banking agencies adopted final regulations and Interagency Guidelines Establishing Standards for Safety and Soundness to implement safety and soundness standards. The guidelines set forth the safety and soundness standards that the federal banking agencies use to identify and address problems at insured depository institutions before capital becomes impaired. The guidelines address internal controls and information systems, internal audit system, credit underwriting, loan documentation, interest rate exposure, asset growth, asset quality, earnings and compensation, fees and benefits. The agencies have also established standards for safeguarding customer information. If the appropriate federal banking agency determines that an institution fails to meet any standard prescribed by the guidelines, the agency may require the institution to submit to the agency an acceptable plan to achieve compliance with the standard.

Investment Activities. All state-chartered Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation-insured banks, including savings banks, are generally limited in their investment activities to principal and equity investments of the type and in the amount authorized for national banks, notwithstanding state law, subject to certain exceptions. For example, state chartered banks may, with Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation approval, continue to exercise state authority to invest in common or preferred stocks listed on a national securities exchange and in the shares of an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The maximum permissible investment is 100% of Tier 1 Capital, as specified by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s regulations, or the maximum amount permitted by Pennsylvania law, whichever is less.

In addition, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is authorized to permit such a state bank to engage in state-authorized activities or investments not permissible for national banks (other than non-subsidiary equity investments) if it meets all applicable capital requirements and it is determined that such activities or investments do not pose a significant risk to the Deposit Insurance Fund. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has adopted procedures for institutions seeking approval to engage in such activities or investments. In addition, a non-member bank may control a subsidiary that engages in activities as principal that would only be permitted for a national bank to conduct in a “financial subsidiary” if a bank meets specified conditions and deducts its investment in the subsidiary for regulatory capital purposes.

Interstate Banking and Branching. Federal law permits well capitalized and well managed bank holding companies to acquire banks in any state, subject to Federal Reserve Board approval, certain concentration limits and other specified conditions. Interstate mergers of banks are also authorized, subject to regulatory approval and other specified conditions. In addition, among other things, recent amendments made by the Dodd-Frank Act permit banks to establish de novo branches on an interstate basis provided that branching is authorized by the law of the host state for the banks chartered by that state.

Prompt Corrective Regulatory Action. Federal law requires, among other things, that federal bank regulatory authorities take “prompt corrective action” with respect to banks that do not meet minimum capital requirements. For these purposes, the law establishes five capital categories: well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized and critically undercapitalized.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has adopted regulations to implement the prompt corrective action legislation. An institution is deemed to be “well capitalized” if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of 10.0% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or greater, a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 5.0% or greater and a common equity Tier 1 ratio of 6.5% or greater. An institution is “adequately capitalized” if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of 8.0% or greater, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of 6.0% or greater, a Tier 1 leverage ratio of 4.0% or greater and a common equity Tier 1 ratio of 4.5% or greater. An institution is “undercapitalized” if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 8.0%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 6.0%, a Tier 1 leverage ratio of less than 4.0% or a common equity Tier 1 ratio of less than 4.5%. An institution is deemed to be “significantly undercapitalized” if it has a total risk-based capital ratio of less than 6.0%, a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of less than 4.0%, a Tier 1 leverage ratio of less than 3.0% or a common equity Tier 1 ratio of less than 3.0%. An institution is considered to be “critically undercapitalized” if it has a ratio of tangible equity (as defined in the regulations) to total assets that is equal to or less than 2.0%. At December 31, 2019, SSB Bancorp, Inc. was classified as a “well capitalized” institution.

At each successive lower capital category, an insured depository institution is subject to more restrictions and prohibitions, including restrictions on growth, restrictions on interest rates paid on deposits, restrictions or prohibitions on payment of dividends, and restrictions on the acceptance of brokered deposits. Furthermore, if an insured depository institution is classified in one of the undercapitalized categories, it is required to submit a capital restoration plan to the appropriate federal banking agency, and the holding company must guarantee the performance of that plan. Based upon its capital levels, a bank that is classified as well-capitalized, adequately capitalized, or undercapitalized may be treated as though it were in the next lower capital category if the appropriate federal banking agency, after notice and opportunity for hearing, determines that an unsafe or unsound condition, or an unsafe or unsound practice, warrants such treatment. An undercapitalized bank’s compliance with a capital restoration plan is required to be guaranteed by any company that controls the undercapitalized institution in an amount equal to the lesser of 5.0% of the institution’s total assets when deemed undercapitalized or the amount necessary to achieve the status of adequately capitalized. If an “undercapitalized” bank fails to submit an acceptable plan, it is treated as if it is “significantly undercapitalized.” “Significantly undercapitalized” banks must comply with one or more of a number of additional restrictions, including but not limited to an order by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to sell sufficient voting stock to become adequately capitalized, requirements to reduce total assets, cease receipt of deposits from correspondent banks or dismiss directors or officers, and restrictions on interest rates paid on deposits, compensation of executive officers and capital distributions by the parent holding company. “Critically undercapitalized” institutions are subject to additional measures including, subject to a narrow exception, the appointment of a receiver or conservator within 270 days after it obtains such status.

Transaction with Affiliates and Regulation W of the Federal Reserve Regulations. Transactions between banks and their affiliates are governed by federal law. An affiliate of a bank is any company or entity that controls, is controlled by or is under common control with the bank. In a holding company context, the parent bank holding company and any companies which are controlled by such parent holding company are affiliates of the bank (although subsidiaries of the bank itself, except financial subsidiaries, are generally not considered affiliates). Generally, Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act and the Federal Reserve Board’s Regulation W limit the extent to which the bank or its subsidiaries may engage in “covered transactions” with any one affiliate to an amount equal to 10.0% of such institution’s capital stock and surplus, and with all such transactions with all affiliates to an amount equal to 20.0% of such institution’s capital stock and surplus. Section 23B applies to “covered transactions” as well as to certain other transactions and requires that all such transactions be on terms substantially the same, or at least as favorable, to the institution or subsidiary as those provided to a non-affiliate. The term “covered transaction” includes the making of loans to, purchase of assets from, and issuance of a guarantee to an affiliate, and other similar transactions. Section 23B transactions also include the provision of services and the sale of assets by a bank to an affiliate. In addition, loans or other extensions of credit by the financial institution to the affiliate are required to be collateralized according to the requirements set forth in Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act.

Sections 22(h) and (g) of the Federal Reserve Act place restrictions on loans to a bank’s insiders, i.e., executive officers, directors and principal stockholders. Under Section 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act, loans to a director, an executive officer and to a greater than 10.0% stockholder of a financial institution, and certain affiliated interests of these, together with all other outstanding loans to such person and affiliated interests, may not exceed specified limits. Section 22(h) of the Federal Reserve Act also requires that loans to directors, executive officers and principal stockholders be made on terms substantially the same as offered in comparable transactions to other persons and also requires prior board approval for certain loans. In addition, the aggregate amount of extensions of credit by a financial institution to insiders cannot exceed the institution’s unimpaired capital and surplus. Section 22(g) of the Federal Reserve Act places additional restrictions on loans to executive officers.

Enforcement. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has extensive enforcement authority over insured state savings banks, including SSB Bank. The enforcement authority includes, among other things, the ability to assess civil money penalties, issue cease and desist orders and remove directors and officers. In general, these enforcement actions may be initiated in response to violations of laws and regulations, breaches of fiduciary duty and unsafe or unsound practices. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is required, with certain exceptions, to appoint a receiver or conservator for an insured state non-member bank if that bank was “critically undercapitalized” on average during the calendar quarter beginning 270 days after the date on which the institution became “critically undercapitalized.” It may also appoint itself as conservator or receiver for an insured state non-member bank under specified circumstances, including: (1) insolvency; (2) substantial dissipation of assets or earnings through violations of law or unsafe or unsound practices; (3) existence of an unsafe or unsound condition to transact business; (4) insufficient capital; or (5) the incurrence of losses that will deplete substantially all of the institution’s capital with no reasonable prospect of replenishment without federal assistance.

Federal Insurance of Deposit Accounts. SSB Bank is a member of the Deposit Insurance Fund, which is administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Deposit accounts in SSB Bank are insured up to a maximum of $250,000 for each separately insured depositor.

As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has issued final rules implementing changes to the assessment rules. The rules change the assessment base used for calculating deposit insurance assessments from deposits to total assets, less tangible (Tier 1) capital. Since the new base is larger than the previous base, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation also lowered assessment rates so that the rule would not significantly alter the total amount of revenue collected from the industry. The range of adjusted assessment rates is now 2.5 to 45 basis points of the new assessment base. The rule is expected to benefit smaller financial institutions, which typically rely more on deposits for funding, and shift more of the burden for supporting the insurance fund to larger institutions, which are thought to have greater access to non-deposit funding. No institution may pay a dividend if it is in default of its assessments.

The Dodd-Frank Act increased the minimum target Deposit Insurance Fund ratio from 1.15% to 1.35% of estimated insured deposits. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was required to seek to achieve the 1.35% ratio by September 30, 2020, and insured institutions with assets of $10 billion or more were supposed to fund the increase. On September 30, 2018, the 1.35% ratio was exceeded, reaching 1.36%. Insured institutions of less than $10 billion of assets will receive credits for the portion of their assessments that contributed to raising the reserve ratio between 1.15% and 1.35% effective when the fund rate achieves 1.38%. The fund rate achieved 1.40% as of June 30, 2019, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation first applied small bank credits on the September 30, 2019 assessment invoice (for the second quarter of 2019). The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will continue to apply small bank credits so long as the ratio is at least 1.35%. After applying small bank credits for four quarters, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation will remit to banks the value of any remaining small bank credits in the next assessment period in which the ratio is at least 1.35%.The Dodd-Frank Act eliminated the 1.5% maximum fund ratio, instead leaving it to the discretion of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to establish a maximum fund ratio. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has exercised that discretion by establishing a long range fund ratio of 2%.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation has authority to increase insurance assessments. A significant increase in insurance premiums would likely have an adverse effect on the operating expenses and results of operations of SSB Bank. Future insurance assessment rates cannot be predicted.

Insurance of deposits may be terminated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule order or regulatory condition imposed in writing. We do not know of any practice, condition or violation that might lead to termination of SSB Bank’s deposit insurance.

In addition to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation assessments, the Financing Corporation (“FICO”) is authorized to impose and collect, with the approval of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, assessments for anticipated payments, issuance costs and custodial fees on bonds issued by the FICO in the 1980s to recapitalize the former Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation. The bonds issued by the FICO were due to mature in 2017 through 2019.

Privacy Regulations. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation regulations generally require that SSB Bank disclose its privacy policy, including identifying with whom it shares a customer’s “non-public personal information,” to customers at the time of establishing the customer relationship and annually thereafter. In addition, SSB Bank is required to provide its customers with the ability to “opt-out” of having their personal information shared with unaffiliated third parties and not to disclose account numbers or access codes to non-affiliated third parties for marketing purposes. SSB Bank currently has a privacy protection policy in place and believes that such policy is in compliance with the regulations.

Community Reinvestment Act. Under the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”), as implemented by Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, a state non-member bank has a continuing and affirmative obligation, consistent with its safe and sound operation, to help meet the credit needs of its entire community, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions nor does it limit an institution’s discretion to develop the types of products and services that it believes are best suited to its particular community, consistent with the CRA. The CRA requires the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, in connection with its examination of a state non-member bank, to assess the institution’s record of meeting the credit needs of its community and to take such record into account in its evaluation of certain applications by such institution, including applications to acquire branches and other financial institutions. The CRA requires the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to provide a written evaluation of an institution’s CRA performance utilizing a four-tiered descriptive rating system. SSB Bank’s latest Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation CRA rating was “Satisfactory.”

Consumer Protection and Fair Lending Regulations. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act prohibit lenders from discriminating in their lending practices on the basis of characteristics specified in those statutes. The failure to comply with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and the Fair Housing Act could result in enforcement actions by federal regulatory agencies or the Department of Justice. Additionally, Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive acts and practices against consumers, authorizes private individual and class action lawsuits and the award of actual, statutory and punitive damages and attorneys’ fees for certain types of violations. The Dodd Frank Act also added a new statute that prohibits unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices against consumers, which can be enforced by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and state Attorneys General.

USA Patriot Act. SSB Bank is subject to the USA PATRIOT Act, which gives federal agencies additional powers to address terrorist threats through enhanced domestic security measures, expanded surveillance powers, increased information sharing, and broadened anti-money laundering requirements. By way of amendments to the Bank Secrecy Act, Title III of the USA PATRIOT Act provided measures intended to encourage information sharing among bank regulatory agencies and law enforcement bodies. Further, certain provisions of Title III impose affirmative obligations on a broad range of financial institutions, including banks, thrifts, brokers, dealers, credit unions, money transfer agents, and parties registered under the Commodity Exchange Act.

Other Regulations

Interest and other charges collected or contracted for by SSB Bank are subject to state usury laws and federal laws concerning interest rates. Loan operations are also subject to state and federal laws applicable to credit transactions, such as the:

The deposit operations of SSB Bank also are subject to, among others, the:

Federal Reserve System

Federal Reserve Board regulations require depository institutions to maintain non-interest-earning reserves against their transaction accounts (primarily NOW and regular checking accounts). For 2020, the regulations generally require that reserves be maintained against aggregate transaction accounts as follows: for that portion of transaction accounts aggregating $127.5 million or less (which may be adjusted by the Federal Reserve Board) the reserve requirement is 3.0%, and the amounts greater than $127.5 million require a 10.0% reserve (which may be adjusted annually by the Federal Reserve Board between 8.0% and 14.0%). The first $16.9 million of otherwise reservable balances (which may be adjusted by the Federal Reserve Board) are exempted from the reserve requirements. SSB Bank is in compliance with these requirements. Subsequent to the end of the reporting period, the Federal Reserve Board lowered the reserve requirement to 0.00% on March 15, 2020, effective March 26, 2020.

Federal Home Loan Bank System

SSB Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, which consists of 11 regional Federal Home Loan Banks. The Federal Home Loan Bank provides a central credit facility primarily for member institutions. Members of the Federal Home Loan Bank are required to acquire and hold shares of capital stock in the Federal Home Loan Bank. SSB Bank complied with this requirement at December 31, 2019. Based on redemption provisions of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, the stock has no quoted market value and is carried at cost. SSB Bank reviews for impairment based on the ultimate recoverability of the cost basis of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh stock. At December 31, 2019, no impairment has been recognized.

At its discretion, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh may declare dividends on the stock. The Federal Home Loan Banks are required to provide funds for certain purposes including the resolution of insolvent thrifts in the late 1980s and to contributing funds for affordable housing programs. These requirements could reduce the amount of dividends that the Federal Home Loan Banks pay to their members and result in the Federal Home Loan Banks imposing a higher rate of interest on advances to their members. There can be no assurance that such dividends will continue in the future. Further, there can be no assurance that the impact of recent or future legislation on the Federal Home Loan Banks also will not cause a decrease in the value of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh stock held by SSB Bank.

Taxation

SSB Bank, SSB Bancorp, MHC and SSB Bancorp, Inc. are subject to federal and state income taxation in the same general manner as other corporations, with some exceptions discussed below. The following discussion of federal and state taxation is intended only to summarize material income tax matters and is not a comprehensive description of the tax rules applicable to SSB Bancorp, MHC, SSB Bancorp, Inc. and SSB Bank.

Our federal and state tax returns have not been audited for the past three years.

Federal Taxation

Method of Accounting. SSB Bancorp, Inc. and SSB Bank file a consolidated federal income tax return. For federal income tax purposes, we report our income and expenses on the accrual method of accounting and use a tax year ending December 31 for filing our federal income tax returns. The Small Business Protection Act of 1996 eliminated the use of the reserve method of accounting for income taxes on bad debt reserves by savings institutions with more than $500 million in assets. For taxable years beginning after 1995, we have been subject to the same bad debt reserve rules as commercial banks. It currently utilizes the specific charge-off method under Section 166 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”).

Net Operating Loss Carryovers. Generally, a financial institution may carry forward net operating losses an unlimited number of years with an 80% taxable income limitation. At December 31, 2019, we had no federal net operating loss carryforwards.

Capital Loss Carryovers. A corporation cannot recognize capital losses in excess of capital gains generated. Generally, a financial institution may carry back capital losses to the preceding three taxable years and forward to the succeeding five taxable years. Any capital loss carryback or carryover is treated as a short-term capital loss for the year to which it is carried. As such, it is grouped with any other capital losses for the year to which it is carried and is used to offset any capital gains. Any undeducted loss remaining after the five-year carryover period is not deductible. At December 31, 2019, we had no capital loss carryovers.

Corporate Dividends. SSB Bancorp, Inc. may generally exclude from its income 100% of dividends received from SSB Bank as a member of the same affiliated group of corporations.

State Taxation

As a Maryland business corporation, SSB Bancorp, Inc. is required to file annual tax returns with the State of Maryland. In addition, SSB Bancorp, Inc. is subject to Pennsylvania’s corporate net income tax. Dividends received by SSB Bancorp, Inc. from SSB Bank will qualify for a 100% dividends received deduction and are not subject to corporate net income tax.

SSB Bank is subject to Pennsylvania’s mutual thrift institutions tax based on SSB Bank’s net income determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, with certain adjustments. The tax rate under the mutual thrift institutions tax is 11.5%. Interest on Pennsylvania and federal obligations is excluded from net income. An allocable portion of interest expense incurred to carry the obligations is disallowed as a deduction.