Note 1: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying consolidated financial statements (“the financial statements”) have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and conform to practices within the banking industry.

Nature of Operations

NSTS Bancorp, Inc. was formed to serve as the stock holding company for North Shore Trust and Savings (the “Bank”) in connection with the conversion of North Shore Trust and Savings, NSTS Financial Corporation and North Shore MHC, from the mutual to the stock form of organization, which was completed on January 18, 2022. The audited financial statements, as well as other financial information at or prior to January 18, 2022, contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K relate solely to the consolidated financial results of North Shore MHC and its consolidated subsidiaries, NSTS Financial Corporation and North Shore Trust and Savings.

NSTS Bancorp, Inc. completed its stock offering on January 18, 2022. The Company sold 5,290,000 shares of common stock at $10.00 per share in its subscription offering for gross proceeds of approximately $53.0 million. In connection with the subscription offering, NSTS Bancorp, Inc. also issued 107,959 shares of common stock and $150,000 in cash to NSTS Charitable Foundation. Shares of NSTS Bancorp, Inc. common stock began trading on January 19, 2022 on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the trading symbol "NSTS."

The Bank operates primarily in the northern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The Bank offers a variety of financial services to customers in the surrounding community. Financial services consist primarily of 1-4 family mortgage loans, savings accounts, and certificate of deposit accounts. There are no significant concentrations of loans to any one industry or customer. The Bank’s exposure to credit risk is significantly affected by changes in the economy in the Bank’s market area.

All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Certain amounts in prior year financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the 2022 presentation. 

Employee Retention Credit

Under the provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) signed into law on March 27, 2020 and the subsequent extension of the CARES Act, the Bank was eligible for a refundable employee retention credit subject to certain criteria. The Bank qualified for the tax credit for the quarters ended June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021 under the CARES Act. The Bank utilized the gross receipts method of calculating eligibility. Based on the eligibility, the tax credit is equal to 70% of qualified wages paid to employees during a quarter, and the limit on qualified wages per employee is $10,000 of qualified wages per quarter.

The Employee Retention Credit was recorded during the second quarter of 2022, when the Bank determined it was eligible. The credit is recorded as other non-interest income and offsets $503,000 of salaries and employee benefits expense previously recorded during 2021. Subsequent to December 31, 2022, the Bank has received $259,000 of the Employee Retention Credit, which represents the tax credit for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. The Bank cannot reasonably estimate when it will receive the remaining refunds. A receivable is recorded in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets to reflect the remaining amount of the credit yet to be received. The CARES Act and related Employee Retention Credit was terminated as of September 30, 2021, and therefore the Company does not expect to file for any additional refunds.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results may vary from those estimates.

The determination of the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses is based on estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant changes in the economic environment and market conditions. In connection with the determination of the estimated losses on loans, management obtains independent appraisals for significant collateral.

The Bank’s loans are generally secured by specific items of collateral including real property, consumer assets, and business assets. Although the Bank has a diversified loan portfolio, a substantial portion of its debtors’ ability to honor their contracts is dependent on local economic conditions.

While management uses available information to recognize losses on loans, further reductions in the carrying amounts of loans may be necessary based on changes in local economic conditions. In addition, regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the estimated losses on loans. Such agencies may require the Bank to recognize additional losses based on their judgments of information available to them at the time of their examination. Due to these factors, it is reasonably possible that the estimated losses on loans may change materially in the near term. However, the amount of the change that is reasonably possible cannot be estimated.

Additional material estimates that are particularly susceptible to significant change in the near term include the determination of the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets and the valuation of investment securities.

Comprehensive Income

Comprehensive income includes net income (losses) and other changes in net worth which bypass the statement of operations. For all periods presented, other comprehensive income includes only one additional component, the change in unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale investment securities.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

For purposes of reporting cash flows, cash and cash equivalents includes cash on hand and amounts due from banks, including cash items in process of clearing.

Time Deposits with Other Financial Institutions

Time deposits with other financial institutions are carried at cost and generally mature within the next two years.

Investment Securities

Securities are classified as available-for-sale and recorded at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses excluded from earnings and reported in other comprehensive income (loss). Discounts are accreted into interest income over the estimated life of the related security and premiums are amortized against income over the earlier of the call date or weighted average life of the related security using the level yield method. Gains and losses on the sale of securities are recorded on the trade date and are determined using the specific identification method.

Securities available-for-sale are securities that are intended to be held for indefinite periods of time, but which may not be held to maturity. These securities may be used as a part of the Bank’s asset/liability management strategy and may be sold in response to changes in interest rates, deterioration of issuer’s creditworthiness, or due to a desire to increase liquidity.

The Bank conducts a periodic review of available-for-sale securities with declines in fair value below their cost to evaluate if the impairment is other than temporary. In estimating other-than-temporary impairment, management considers (1) the length of time and the extent to which the fair value has been less than amortized cost, (2) the financial condition and near-term prospects of the issuer, and (3) the intent and ability of the Bank to retain its investment in the issuer for a period of time sufficient to allow for any anticipated recovery in fair value. Credit-related impairments of debt securities are recorded through earnings, and any impairment as a result of other factors is included in accumulated other comprehensive income.

Federal Home Loan Bank Stock

The Bank, as a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) system, is required to maintain an investment in capital stock of the FHLB. Based on redemption provisions of the FHLB, the stock has no quoted market price and is carried at cost of $550,000 at December 31, 2022 and 2021 and is evaluated for impairment at each reporting date.

Loans Held for Sale

Mortgage loans originated and intended for sale in the secondary market are carried at the lower of cost or market value, as determined by outstanding commitments from investors. Net unrealized losses, if any, are recorded as a valuation allowance and charged to earnings. Mortgage loans held for sale are generally sold with servicing rights released. Gains or losses are recognized through earnings.

Loans

The Bank’s loan portfolio includes segments for mortgage loans and consumer loans. Mortgage loans include classes for 1-4 family, multi-family, and commercial.

Loans that management has the intent and ability to hold for the foreseeable future or until maturity or pay-off generally are reported at their outstanding unpaid principal balances adjusted for charge offs, the allowance for loan losses, and any deferred fees or costs on originated loans. Interest income is accrued on the unpaid principal balance. Loan origination fees, net of certain direct origination costs, are deferred and recognized as an adjustment to the related loan yield using the interest method, adjusted for prepayments.

The accrual of interest on all loans is discontinued at the time the loan is 90 days past due unless the credit is well-secured and in process of collection. Past due status is based on contractual terms of the loan. In all cases, loans are placed on nonaccrual if collection of principal or interest is considered doubtful. All interest accrued but not collected for loans that are placed on nonaccrual is reversed against interest income. The interest on these loans is accounted for on the cash-basis or cost-recovery method, until the loans qualify for return to accrual. Loans are returned to accrual status when payment of all the principal and interest amounts contractually due is reasonably assured.

Allowance for Loan Losses

The allowance for loan losses (the “allowance”) is established as losses are estimated to have occurred through a provision for loan losses charged to earnings. Loan losses are charged against the allowance when management believes the uncollectibility of a loan balance is confirmed. Subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance.

The allowance for loan losses is evaluated on a regular basis by management. This evaluation is inherently subjective as it requires estimates that are susceptible to significant revision as more information becomes available. The allowance consists of general and allocated components, as further described below.

General Component

The general component of the allowance for loan losses is based on historical loss experience adjusted for qualitative factors stratified by the following loan segments: first mortgage loans and consumer loans. Management uses an average of historical losses based on a time frame appropriate to capture relevant loss data for each loan segment. This historical loss factor is adjusted for the following qualitative factors: levels/trends in delinquencies; trends in volume and terms of loans; effects of changes in risk selection and underwriting standards, and other changes in lending policies, procedures and practices; experience/ability/depth of lending management and staff; and national and local economic trends and conditions.

The qualitative factors are determined based on the various risk characteristics of each loan segment. Risk characteristics relevant to each portfolio segment are as follows:

Mortgage Loans

1-4 family mortgage loans in this segment are made to individuals. The loans are secured by real estate with the Bank typically in a first lien position. The Bank generally does not originate loans with a loan-to-value ratio greater than 80% unless mortgage insurance is obtained and generally does not grant loans that would be classified as subprime upon origination. The overall health of the economy, including unemployment rates and housing prices, will have an effect on the credit quality in this segment.

Although terms for commercial real estate and multi-family residential loans vary, our underwriting standards generally allow for terms not exceeding 30 years and loan-to-value ratios of not more than 75%. Interest rates are typically adjustable, based upon designated market indices such as The Wall Street Journal prime rate, or fixed-rate, and fees are charged to the borrower at the origination of the loan. The actual lives of such loans generally are less than their contractual terms to maturity due to prepayments and re-financings. Generally, we obtain personal guarantees of the principals as additional collateral for commercial real estate and multi-family residential loans.

Commercial real estate and multi-family residential lending involve a greater degree of risk than one- to four-family residential lending. These risks include larger loans to individual borrowers and loan payments that are dependent upon the successful operation of the project or the borrower’s business. These risks can be affected by supply and demand conditions of rental housing units, office and retail space and other commercial space in the project’s market area. We attempt to minimize these risks for loans we originate by soliciting loans from businesses with existing operating performance. We also use conservative debt coverage ratios in our underwriting, and periodically monitor the operation of the business or project and the physical condition of the property.

Consumer Loans

Loans in this segment are generally to individuals and are supported by non-real estate collateral, such as deposit accounts and personal property. Unsecured loans are also included in this segment. Repayment is dependent on the credit quality of the individual borrower or borrowers.

Allocated Component

The allocated component relates to loans that are classified as impaired. Based on internal ratings, loans are evaluated for impairment on a loan-by-loan basis. Impairment is measured by either the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent. An allowance is established when the discounted cash flows (or collateral value) of the impaired loan is lower than the carrying value of that loan.

A loan is considered impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Bank will be unable to collect the scheduled payments of principal or interest when due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Factors considered by management in determining impairment include payment status, collateral value, and the probability of collecting scheduled principal and interest payments when due. Loans that experience insignificant payment delays and payment shortfalls generally are not classified as impaired. Management determines the significance of payment delays and payment shortfalls on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration all circumstances surrounding the loan and borrower, including the length of the delay, reasons for the delay, the borrower’s prior payment record, and the amount of the shortfall in relation to the amount of principal and interest owed.

The Bank periodically may agree to modify the contractual terms of loans. When a loan is modified and a concession is made to a borrower experiencing financial difficulty, the modification is considered a troubled debt restructuring (TDR). All TDRs are classified as impaired and management performs an impairment analysis at the time of restructuring.

Premises and Equipment

Land is stated at cost. Property, improvements, and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is determined under the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives of assets:

Income Taxes

Deferred taxes are recognized using the asset/liability method. Deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences, operating loss and tax credit carryforwards; deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Temporary differences are the differences between the financial statement amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment.

When tax returns are filed, it is highly certain that some positions taken would be sustained upon examination by the taxing authorities, while others are subject to uncertainty about the merits of the position taken or the amount of the position that would be ultimately sustained. The benefit of a tax position is recognized in the financial statements in the period during which, based on all available evidence, management believes it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including the resolution of appeals or litigation processes, if any. Tax positions taken are not offset or aggregated with other positions. Tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold are measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement with the applicable taxing authority. The portion of the benefits associated with tax positions taken that exceed the amount measured as described above, if any, is reflected as a liability for unrecognized tax benefits in the accompanying balance sheet, along with any associated interest and penalties that would be payable to the taxing authorities upon examination.

Interest and penalties associated with unrecognized tax benefits, if any, are classified as additional income taxes in the statement of operations. Bank management believes that the Bank maintains no uncertain tax positions for tax reporting purposes and accordingly, no liability is required to be recorded.

The Bank is subject to U.S. federal income tax as well as income tax of the States of Illinois and Wisconsin.

Other Real Estate Owned

Property acquired in satisfaction of debt or through foreclosure is carried at the lower of cost or market value less estimated costs to sell. At foreclosure, if the fair value of the property acquired is less than the recorded investment in the related loan, a reduction in the carrying amount of the loan is recognized with a charge to the allowance for loan losses. The cost of carrying the assets subsequent to foreclosure and any decrease in the market value occurring after that date are charged to operating expenses as incurred.

Bank-owned Life Insurance

The Bank purchased life insurance policies on certain key executives. Bank-owned life insurance is recorded at the amount estimated to be realized under the insurance contract at the balance sheet date, which is the cash surrender value adjusted for other charges or amounts due which are probable at settlement.

Service Charges on Deposits

Service charges on deposits represent general service fees for monthly account maintenance and activity or transaction-based fees and consist of transaction-based revenue, time-based revenue (service period), item-based revenue, or some other individual attribute-based revenue. Revenue is recognized when the Bank’s performance obligation is completed, which is generally monthly for account maintenance services or when a transaction has been completed (such as a wire transfer). Payment for such performance obligations are generally received at the time performance obligations are satisfied.

Dividend Restrictions

Banking regulations require maintaining certain capital levels and may limit the dividends paid by the bank to the holding company or by the holding company to its stockholders. 

Transfers of Financial Assets

Transfers of financial assets are accounted for as sales when control over the assets has been relinquished. Control over transferred assets is deemed to be surrendered when the assets have been isolated from the Bank, the transferee obtains the right (free of conditions that constrain it from taking advantage of that right) to pledge or exchange the transferred assets, and the Bank does not maintain effective control over the transferred assets through an agreement to repurchase them before maturity. 

Employee Stock Ownership Plan

The ESOP shares pledged as collateral are reported as unearned ESOP shares in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. As shares are committed to be released from collateral, the Bank reports compensation expense equal to the average market price of the shares during the year, and the shares become outstanding for basic net income per common share computations. Dividends on allocated ESOP shares reduce retained earnings; dividends on unearned ESOP shares reduce the ESOP’s debt and accrued interest.

Earnings per Share
Basic earnings per share represents income available to common stockholders divided by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Unallocated ESOP shares are not deemed outstanding for earnings per share calculations. ESOP shares committed to be released are considered to be outstanding for purposes of the earnings per share computation. ESOP shares that have not been legally released, but that relate to employee services rendered during an accounting period (interim or annual) ending before the related debt service payment is made, are considered committed to be released. Diluted earnings per share reflects additional common shares that would have been outstanding if dilutive potential common shares had been issued, as well as any adjustment to income that would result from the assumed issuance.