UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

FORM 10-K

xANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

OR

¨TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 19342023

OR

For the transition period from
N/A

toN/A

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 or 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from      N/A      to      N/A     

Commission File Number0-16540

UNITED BANCORP, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its Charter.)

Ohio

34-1405357

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

(IRS) Employer Identification No.)

201 South Fourth Street, Martins Ferry, Ohio

43935

(Address of principal executive offices)

(ZIP Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:(740) (740) 633-0445

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

(

Title of class)each class

(

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered)
registered

Common Stock, Par Value $1.00 a share

NASDAQ

UBCP

NASDQ Capital Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes Yes¨Nox.

Indicated by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes Yes¨Nox.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

YesxNo¨

Yes No s

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

YesxNo¨

Yes. No .

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this form 10-K.x

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

Large accelerated filer  ¨

Accelerated filer                     ¨

Non-accelerated filer¨

Smaller reporting company  x

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company

Emerging growth company¨

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

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

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

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes¨Nox

Yes No

As of June 30, 20172023 the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $55,140,242$57,635,454 based on the closing sale price as reported on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date:

Registrant had 5,244,1055,702,685 common shares outstanding as of March 6, 2018.11, 2024.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the proxy statement for the Annual Shareholders meeting to be held April 18, 201817, 2024 are incorporated by reference into Part III.

Portions of the Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 20172023 are incorporated by reference into Parts I and II.

PART I

Item 1

Item 1Business

Business

United Bancorp, Inc. (Company) is a bank holding company headquartered in Martins Ferry, Ohio. The Company is an Ohio corporation which filed its initial articles of incorporation on July 8, 1983. At December 31, 20172023 the Company has one wholly-owned subsidiary bank, Unified Bank, Martins Ferry, Ohio (Unified, or the Bank).

UnifiedThe Company serves customers in northeastern, eastern, southeastern and south central Ohio and the Northern panhandle of West Virginia and is engaged in the business of commercial and retail banking in Belmont, Harrison, Jefferson, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Athens, Hocking, and Fairfield counties and the surrounding localities. The bank also operates in Marshall County West Virginia. The Bank provides a broad range of banking and financial services, which includes accepting demand, savings and time deposits and granting commercial, real estate and consumer loans. Unified conducts its business through its main office and stand alone operations center in Martins Ferry, Ohio and eighteen branches located in the counties mentioned above. Unified operates a Loan Production Office in Wheeling, west Virginia. Unified also offers full brokerage service through LPL Financial® member NASD/SIPC.

Unified has no single customer or related group of customers whose banking activities, whether through deposits or lending, would have a material impact on the continued earnings capabilities if those activities were removed.

For a discussion of the development of the Company’s business over the course of the prior fiscal year, refer to “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” from the 2023 Annual Report To Shareholders filed herewith as Exhibit 13.

Competition

The markets in which Unified operates continue to be highly competitive. Unified competes for loans and deposits with other retail commercial banks, savings and loan associations, finance companies, credit unions and other types of financial institutions within the Mid-Ohio valley geographic area along the eastern border of Ohio including Belmont, Harrison and Jefferson counties and extending into the northern panhandle of West Virginia and the Tuscarawas and Carroll County geographic areas of northeastern Ohio. Unified also encounters similar competition for loans and deposits throughout the Athens, and Fairfield County geographic areas of central and southeastern Ohio.

InPursuant to deposit market share information provided by the FDIC as of June 30, 2023, Unified competes with approximately 39 other commercial banking institutions in its primary market, includingOhio and West Virginia markets. Based on this information, the Ohio counties of Belmont, Harrison, Jefferson, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Athens and Fairfiled, Unified ranks seventhBank ranked fifth in total deposit market share out of thirty-two non-credit union insured depositoryshare. The top four institutions operating in the market. The Bank’s market share, as reported by the FDIC, was 5.39% as of June 30, 2017. JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA, TheUnified’s primary banking markets included: Huntington National BankBank; JP Morgan Chase Bank; PNC Bank; and PNC Bank, NA are the top three in the Bank’s primary market, with each institution having in excess of 10% of the deposit market share. No other institution in the market had a deposit market share in excess of 10% as of June 30, 2017.Wesbanco Bank.

Supervision and Regulation

General

Regulatory Environment

The Companybanking industry is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Ohio. The business in which the Company and its subsidiaryhighly regulated. We are engaged is subject to extensive supervision, regulation, and examination by various federal and state regulators, including the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Ohio Division of Financial Institutions (ODFI). The statutory and regulatory framework that governs us is generally intended to protect depositors and customers, the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) maintained by the FDIC, the U.S. banking and financial system, and financial markets as a whole.

Banking statutes, regulations, and policies are continually under review by Congress, state legislatures, and federal and state regulatory agencies. In addition to laws and regulations, state and federal bank regulatory authorities. The supervision, regulationagencies may issue policy statements, interpretive letters, and examinationsimilar written guidance applicable to which the Company and its subsidiary are subject are intended primarily for the protection of depositors andBank. Any change in the deposit insurance funds that insure the deposits of banks, rather than for the protection of shareholders.statutes, regulations, or regulatory policies applicable to us, including changes in their interpretation or implementation, could have a material effect on our business or organization.

Several of the more significant regulatory provisions applicable to banks and bank holding companies to which the Company and Unified are subject are discussed below. To the extent that the following information describes statutory or regulatory provisions, it is qualified in its entirety by reference to the particular statutory provisions. Any change in applicable law or regulation may have a material effect on the business and prospects of the Company and Unified.

Supervision, Examination and Enforcement

A principal objective of the U.S. bank regulatory regime is to protect depositors and customers, the DIF, the U.S. banking and financial system, and financial markets as a whole by ensuring the financial safety and soundness of BHCs and banks, including the Company and the Bank. Bank regulators regularly examine the operations of BHCs and banks. In addition, BHCs and banks are subject to periodic reporting and filing requirements.

The Federal Reserve, ODFI and FDIC have broad supervisory and enforcement authority with regard to BHCs and banks, including the power to conduct examinations and investigations, impose nonpublic supervisory agreements, issue cease and desist orders, impose fines and other civil and criminal penalties, terminate deposit insurance, and appoint a conservator or receiver. Supervision and examinations are confidential, and the outcomes of these actions may not be made public.

Bank regulators have various remedies available if they determine that the financial condition, capital resources, asset quality, earnings prospects, management, liquidity, or other aspects of a banking organization’s operations are unsatisfactory. The regulators may also take action if they determine that the banking organization or its management is violating or has violated any law or regulation. The regulators have the power to, among other things, prohibit unsafe or unsound practices, require affirmative actions to correct any violation or practice, issue administrative orders that can be judicially enforced, direct increases in capital, direct the sale of subsidiaries or other assets, limit dividends and distributions, restrict growth, assess civil monetary penalties, remove officers and directors, and terminate deposit insurance.

Engaging in unsafe or unsound practices or failing to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and supervisory agreements could subject the Company, the Bank, and their respective officers, directors, and institution-affiliated parties to the remedies described above, and other sanctions. In addition, the FDIC may terminate a bank’s deposit insurance upon a finding that the bank’s financial condition is unsafe or unsound or that the bank has engaged in unsafe or unsound practices or has violated an applicable rule, regulation, order, or condition enacted or imposed by the bank’s regulatory agency.

Regulatory Agencies

The Company is a registered bank holding company and is subject to inspection, examination and supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal ReserveFederal Reserve”)(Federal Reserve) pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended.

Unified is an Ohio chartered commercial bank. It is subject to regulation and examination by both the Ohio Division of Financial Institutions (the “ODFI”)ODFI and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”).FDIC.

Regulatory Reform

Overview. Congress, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”), and the federal banking regulators, including the FDIC, have taken broad action since early September 2008 to address volatility in the U.S. banking system and financial markets. Beginning in late 2008, the U.S. and global financial markets experienced deterioration of the worldwide credit markets, which created significant challenges for financial institutions both in the United States and around the world. These actions included the adoption by Congress of both the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (“EESA”), and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”). The most recent significant piece of legislation adopted in response to this crisis was the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (“Dodd-Frank Act”), which was signed into law on July 21, 2010, and which is discussed more thoroughly below.

Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The Dodd-Frank Act created many new restrictions and an expanded framework of regulatory oversight for financial institutions, including insured depository institutions. Currently, federal regulators are still in the process of drafting the implementing regulations for many portions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Federal regulators continue to implement many provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Act created an independent regulatory body, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (“Bureau”), with authority and responsibility to set rules and regulations for most consumer protection laws applicable to all banks - both large and small. Oversight of Federal consumer financial protection functions have been transferred to the Bureau. The Bureau has responsibility for mortgage reform and enforcement, as well as broad new powers over consumer financial activities which could impact what consumer financial services would be available and how they are provided. The following consumer protection laws are the designated laws that fall under the Bureau’s rulemaking authority: the Alternative Mortgage Transactions Parity Act of 1928, the Consumer Leasing Act of 1976, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act subject to certain exclusions, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Home Owners Protection Act, certain privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA), the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act of 1994, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 (SAFE Act), and the Truth in Lending Act. Review and revision of current financial regulations in conjunction with added new financial service regulations will heighten the regulatory compliance burden and increase litigation risk for the banking industry.

The following discussion summarizes other significant aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act that may affect the Company and the Bank:

·The deposit insurance assessment base for federal deposit insurance has been shifted from domestic deposits to average assets minus average tangible equity;

·The Dodd-Frank Act instructs appropriate federal banking agencies to make the capital requirements for banks and savings and loan holding companies and insured depository institutions countercyclical so that the amount of capital required to be maintained increases in times of economic expansion and decreases in times of economic contraction, consistent with safety and soundness;

·The prohibition on the payment of interest on business demand deposits has been repealed, effective July 21, 2011, thereby permitting depository institutions to pay interest on business transaction and other accounts;

·The standard maximum amount of deposit insurance per customer has been permanently increased to $250,000.;

·Financial holding companies are required to be well-capitalized and well-managed and must continue to be both well-capitalized and well-managed in order to acquire banks located outside their home state;

·The Dodd-Frank Act extended the application to most bank holding companies of the same leverage and risk-based capital requirements that apply to insured depository institutions, which, among other things, will disallow treatment of trust preferred securities as Tier 1 capital under certain circumstances;

·New corporate governance requirements, which are generally applicable to most larger public companies, now require new compensation practices, including, but not limited to, providing shareholders the opportunity to cast a non-binding vote on executive compensation, to consider the independence of compensation advisors and new executive compensation disclosure requirements;

·The Dodd-Frank Act amended the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to, among other things, give the FRB the authority to establish rules regarding interchange fees charged for electronic debit transactions by payment card issuers having assets over $10 billion and to enforce a new statutory requirement that such fees be reasonable and proportional to the actual cost of a transaction to the issuer; and

·The authority of the FRB to examine financial holding companies and their non-bank subsidiaries was expanded.

Many aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act are still subject to rulemaking and will take effect over several years, making it difficult to anticipate the overall financial impact on the Company, its subsidiaries, their respective customers or the financial services industry more generally. The Company is closely monitoring all relevant sections of the Dodd-Frank Act to ensure continued compliance with these regulatory requirements.

The Holding Company Regulation

As a holding company incorporated and doing business within the State of Ohio, the Company is subject to regulation and supervision under the Bank Holding Act of 1956, as amended (the "Act"“Act”). The Company is required to file with the Federal Reserve on quarterly basis information pursuant to the Act. The Federal Reserve may conduct examinations or inspections of the Company and Unified.

The Company is required to obtain prior approval from the Federal Reserve for the acquisition of more than five percent of the voting shares or substantially all of the assets of any bank or bank holding company. In addition, the Company is generally prohibited by the Act from acquiring direct or indirect ownership or control of more than five percent of the voting shares of any company which is not a bank or bank holding company and from engaging directly or indirectly in activities other than those of banking, managing or controlling banks or furnishing services to its subsidiaries. The Company may, however, subject to certain prior approval requirements of the Federal Reserve, engage in, or acquire shares of companies engaged in activities which are deemed by the Federal Reserve by order or by regulation to be financial in nature or closely related to banking.

On November 12, 1999, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the "GLB Act"“GLB Act”) was enacted into law. The GLB Act made sweeping changes with respect to the permissible financial services which various types of financial institutions may now provide. The Glass-Steagall Act, which had generally prevented banks from affiliation with securities and insurance firms, was repealed. Pursuant to the GLB Act, bank holding companies may elect to become a "financial“financial holding company," provided that all of the depository institution subsidiaries of the bank holding company are “well capitalized” and “well managed” under applicable regulatory standards.

Under the GLB Act, a bank holding company that has elected to become a financial holding company may affiliate with securities firms and insurance companies and engage in other activities that are financial in nature. Activities that are "financial“financial in nature"nature” include securities underwriting, dealing and market-making, sponsoring mutual funds and investment companies, insurance underwriting and agency, merchant banking, and activities that the Federal Reserve has determined to be closely related to banking. No Federal Reserve approval is required for a financial holding company to acquire a company, other than a bank holding company, bank or savings association, engaged in activities that are financial in nature or incidental to activities that are financial in nature, as determined by the Federal Reserve. As with bank holding companies, prior Federal Reserve approval is required before a financial holding company may acquire the beneficial ownership or control of more than five percent of the voting shares, or substantially all of the assets, of a bank holding company, bank or savings association. If any subsidiary bank of a financial holding company ceases to be "well capitalized"“well capitalized” or "well managed"“well managed” under applicable regulatory standards, the Federal Reserve may, among other actions, order the Company to divest the subsidiary bank. Alternatively, the company may elect to conform its activities to those permissible for a bank holding company that is not also a financial holding company. If any subsidiary bank of a financial holding company receives a rating under the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 of less than satisfactory, the company will be prohibited from engaging in new activities or acquiring companies other than bank holding companies, banks or savings associations. The Company is not a financial holding company and has no current intention of making such an election.

Dividends and Capital Reductions. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve has issued Supervisory Guidance and Regulations on the Payment of Dividends, Stock Redemptions, and Stock Repurchases by Bank Holding Companies (the “Policy Statement”). In the Policy Statement, the Federal Reserve stated that it is important for a banking organization’s board of directors to ensure that the dividend level is prudent relative to the organization’s financial position and is not based on overly optimistic earnings scenarios. As a general matter, the Policy Statement provides that the board of directors of a bank holding company should inform the Federal Reserve and should eliminate, defer, or significantly reduce its dividends if:

(1) net income available to shareholders for the past four quarters, net of dividends previously paid during that period, is not sufficient to fully fund the dividends;

(2) the prospective rate of earnings retention is not consistent with the company’s capital needs and overall current and prospective financial condition; or

(3) the company will not meet, or is in danger of not meeting, its minimum regulatory capital adequacy ratios.

Failure to do so could result in a supervisory finding that the organization is operating in an unsafe and unsound manner. Moreover, the Policy Statement requires a bank holding company to inform the Federal Reserve reasonably in advance of declaring or paying a dividend that exceeds earnings for the period (e.g., quarter) for which the dividend is being paid or that could result in a material adverse change to the organization’s capital structure. Declaring or paying a dividend in either circumstance could raise supervisory concerns. Unified exceeded its minimum capital requirements under applicable guidelines as of December 31, 2023.

Control Acquisitions. The Federal Change in Bank Control Act prohibits a person or group of persons from acquiring "control"“control” of the Company unless the Federal Reserve has been notified and has not objected to the transaction. The acquisition of 10% or more of a class of voting stock of a bank holding company with a class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, such as the Company, is rebuttably presumed to constitute the acquisition of control of the bank holding company. In addition, a company is required to obtain the approval of the Federal Reserve under the Federal Bank Holding Company Act before acquiring 25% (5% in the case of an acquirer that is a bank holding company) or more of any class of outstanding voting stock of a bank holding company, or otherwise obtaining control or a "controlling influence"“controlling influence” over that bank holding company.

Liability for Banking Subsidiaries. Under the current Federal Reserve policy, the Company is expected to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to its subsidiary bank and to maintain resources adequate to support the Bank. This support may be required at times when the Company may not have the resources to provide it. In the event of the Company'sCompany’s bankruptcy, any commitment to a U.S. federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of the Bank would be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to priority of payment.

Regulation of the Bank

General. Unified is an Ohio-chartered bank that is not a member of the Federal Reserve System. Unified is therefore regulated by the ODFI as well as the FDIC. The regulatory agencies have the authority to regularly examine Unified, which is subject to all applicable rules and regulations promulgated by its supervisory agencies. In addition, the deposits of Unified are insured by the FDIC to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Deposit Insurance. As an FDIC-insured institution, Unified is required to pay deposit insurance premium assessments to the FDIC. The FDIC has adopted a risk-based assessment system under which all insured depository institutions are placed into one of nine categories and assessed insurance premiums based upon their respective levels of capital and results of supervisory evaluations. Institutions classified as well-capitalized (as defined by the FDIC) and considered healthy pay the lowest premium while institutions that are less than adequately capitalized (as defined by the FDIC) and considered of substantial supervisory concern pay the highest premium. Risk classification of all insured institutions is made by the FDIC for each semi-annual assessment period.

The FDIC may terminate the deposit insurance of any insured depository institution if the FDIC determines, after a hearing, that the institution has engaged or is engaging in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, regulation, order, or any condition imposed in writing by, or written agreement with, the FDIC. The FDIC may also suspend deposit insurance temporarily during the hearing process for a permanent termination of insurance if the institution has no tangible capital. Management of the Company is not aware of any activity or condition that could result in termination of the deposit insurance of Unified.

The Dodd-Frank Act revised the statutory authorities governing the FDIC’s management of the DIF. Key requirements from the Dodd-Frank Act resulted in the FDIC’s adoption of new rules in February 2011 regarding Assessments, Dividends, Assessment Base, and Large Bank Pricing. The new rules implemented the following changes: (1) redefined the definition of an institution’s deposit insurance assessment base from one based on domestic deposits to one based on assets now defined as “average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity”; (2) changed the assessment rate adjustments to better account for risk based on an institution’s funding sources; (3) revised the deposit insurance assessment rate schedule in light of the new assessment base and assessment rate adjustments; (4) implemented Dodd-Frank Act dividend provisions; (5) revised the large insured depository institution assessment system to better differentiate for risk and to take into account losses the FDIC may incur from large institution failures; and (6) provided technical and other changes to the FDIC’s assessment rules. Though deposit insurance assessments maintain a risk-based approach, the FDIC imposed a more extensive risk-based assessment system on large insured depository institutions with at least $10 billion in total assets since they are more complex in nature and could pose greater risk.

Regulatory Capital Requirements Unified is required to maintain minimum levels of capital in accordance with FDIC capital adequacy guidelines. If capital falls below minimum guideline levels, a bank, among other things, may be denied approval to acquire or establish additional branches or organize or acquire other non-bank businesses. The required capital levels and the Bank’s'sBank’s capital position at December 31, 20172023 and 20162022 are summarized in the table included in Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements.

Beginning in 2015, bank holding companies and banks were required to measure capital adequacy using Basel III accounting. Basel III is a comprehensive set of reform measures, developed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, to strengthen the regulation, supervision and risk management of the banking sector. Implementation of the rules will be overseen by the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the OCC. Reporting under the new rules began with the March 2015 quarterly regulatory filings.

FDICIA

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 ("FDICIA"(“FDICIA”), and the regulations promulgated under FDICIA, among other things, established five capital categories for insured depository institutions-well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized and critically undercapitalized-and requires U.S. federal bank regulatory agencies to implement systems for "prompt“prompt corrective action"action” for insured depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements based on these categories. Unless a bank is well capitalized, it is subject to restrictions on its ability to offer brokered deposits and on certain other aspects of its operations. An undercapitalized bank must develop a capital restoration plan and its parent bank holding company must guarantee the bank'sbank’s compliance with the plan up to the lesser of 5% of the bank’s assets at the time it became undercapitalized and the amount needed to comply with the plan. As of December 31, 20172023, the Bank was well capitalized pursuant to these prompt corrective action guidelines.

Dividends. Ohio law prohibits Unified, without the prior approval of the ODFI, from paying dividends in an amount greater than the lesser of its undivided profits or the total of its net income for that year, combined with its retained net income from the preceding two years. The payment of dividends by any financial institution or its holding company is also affected by the requirement to maintain adequate capital pursuant to applicable capital adequacy guidelines and regulations. To this effect,

Safety and Soundness Standards. The Federal banking agencies have adopted guidelines that establish operational and managerial standards to promote the Boardsafety and soundness of Governorsfederally insured depository institutions. The guidelines set forth standards for internal controls, information systems, internal audit systems, loan documentation, credit underwriting, interest rate exposure, asset growth, compensation, fees and benefits, asset quality and earnings.

In general, the safety and soundness guidelines prescribe the goals to be achieved in each area, and each institution is responsible for establishing its own procedures to achieve those goals. If an institution fails to comply with any of the Federal Reservestandards set forth in the guidelines, the institution’s primary federal regulator may require the institution to submit a plan for achieving and maintaining compliance. If an institution fails to submit an acceptable compliance plan, or fails in any material respect to implement a compliance plan that has issued Supervisory Guidancebeen accepted by its primary federal regulator, the regulator is required to issue an order directing the institution to cure the deficiency. Until the deficiency cited in the regulator’s order is cured, the regulator may restrict the institution’s rate of growth, require the institution to increase its capital, restrict the rates the institution pays on deposits or require the institution to take any action the regulator deems appropriate under the circumstances. Noncompliance with the standards established by the safety and Regulations onsoundness guidelines may also constitute grounds for other enforcement action by the Paymentfederal banking regulators, including cease and desist orders and civil money penalty assessments.

With respect to lending, the federal bank regulatory agencies have adopted uniform regulations prescribing standards for extensions of Dividends, Stock Redemptions,credit that are secured by liens or interests in real estate or made for the purpose of financing permanent improvements to real estate. Under these regulations, all insured depository institutions, such as the Bank, must adopt and Stock Repurchasesmaintain written policies establishing appropriate limits and standards for extensions of credit that are secured by Bank Holding Companies (the “Policy Statement”). Inliens or interests in real estate or are made for the Policy Statement,purpose of financing permanent improvements to real estate. These policies must establish loan portfolio diversification standards, prudent underwriting standards (including loan-to-value limits) that are clear and measurable, loan administration procedures, and documentation, approval and reporting requirements. The real estate lending policies must reflect consideration of the federal bank regulatory agencies’ Interagency Guidelines for Real Estate Lending Policies.

With respect to compensation practices, ours are subject to oversight by the Federal Reserve stated that it is important for a banking organization’s board of directorsregulatory agencies, which have issued joint guidance on executive compensation designed to ensure that the dividend level is prudent relative toincentive compensation policies of banking organizations, such as the organization’s financial positionCompany and isthe Bank, do not based on overly optimistic earnings scenarios. As a general matter, the Policy Statement provides that the board of directors of a bank holding company should inform the Federal Reserveencourage imprudent risk taking and should eliminate, defer, or significantly reduce its dividends if:

(1) net income available to shareholders for the past four quarters, net of dividends previously paid during that period, is not sufficient to fully fund the dividends;

(2) the prospective rate of earnings retention is notare consistent with the company’s capital needssafety and overall current and prospective financial condition; or

(3)soundness of the organization. In addition, in October 2022 the SEC adopted final Executive Compensation Clawback Rules directing national stock exchanges to require listed public companies to implement policies intended to recoup bonuses paid to executives if the company will not meet, or is in dangerfound to have misstated its financial results. The SEC rules, mandated by Section 954 of not meeting, its minimum regulatory capital adequacy ratios.

Failurethe Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, are intended to do so coulddiscourage executives from taking questionable actions that temporarily boost share prices but ultimately result in a supervisory finding thatcorrection of financial statements. On June 9, 2023 the organization is operating in an unsafeU.S. Securities and unsound manner. Moreover,Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) approved the Policy Statement requiresclawback listing standards proposed by the New York Stock Exchange and The Nasdaq Stock Market. As a bank holding companyresult, all listed companies had until Friday, December 1, 2023 to inform the Federal Reserve reasonably in advance of declaring or payingadopt and implement a dividend that exceeds earnings for the period (e.g., quarter) for which the dividend is being paid or that could result in a material adverse change to the organization’s capital structure. Declaring or paying a dividend in either circumstance could raise supervisory concerns. As described above, Unifed exceeded its minimum capital requirements under applicable guidelines as of December 31, 2017.compliant clawback policy.

Branching Authority. Ohio chartered banks have the authority under Ohio law to establish branches anywhere in the State of Ohio, subject to receipt of all required regulatory approvals. Additionally, in May 1997 Ohio adopted legislation “opting in” to the provisions of Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994 (the “Interstate Act”) which allows banks to establish interstate branch networks through acquisitions of other banks, subject to certain conditions, including certain limitations on the aggregate amount of deposits that may be held by the surviving bank and all of its insured depository institution affiliates. Effective with the enactment of The Dodd-Frank Act, the FDI Act and the National Bank Act have been amended to remove the expressly required “opt-in” concept applicable tode novo interstate branching and now permits national and insured state banks to engage inde novo in interstate branching if, under the laws of the state where the new branch is to be established, a state bank chartered in that state would be permitted to establish a branch.

Affiliate Transactions. Various governmental requirements, including Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act, limit borrowings by holding companies and non-bank subsidiaries from affiliated insured depository institutions, and also limit various other transactions between holding companies and their non-bank subsidiaries, on the one hand, and their affiliated insured depository institutions on the other. Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act also generally requires that an insured depository institution'sinstitution’s loan to its non-bank affiliates be secured, and Section 23B of the Federal Reserve Act generally requires that an insured depository institution'sinstitution’s transactions with its non-bank affiliates be on arms-length terms.

Depositor Preference. The Federal Deposit Insurance Act provides that, in the event of the “liquidation or other resolution” of an insured depository institution, the claims of depositors of the institution, including the claims of the FDIC as subrogee of insured depositors, and certain claims for administrative expenses of the FDIC as a receiver, will have priority over other general unsecured claims against the institution. If an insured depository institution fails, insured and uninsured depositors, along with the FDIC, will have priority in payment ahead of unsecured, non deposit creditors and shareholders of the institution.

Privacy Provisions of Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Under GLB, federal banking regulators adopted rules that limit the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose non-public information about consumers to non-affiliated third parties. These limitations require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to non-affiliated third parties. The privacy provisions of GLB affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial companies and conveyed to outside vendors.

Cybersecurity. GLB also requires financial institutions to implement a comprehensive information security program that includes administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer records and information.

Anti-Money Laundering Provisions of the USA Patriot Act of 2001. On October 26, 2001, the USA Patriot Act of 2001 (the “Patriot Act”) was signed into law. The Patriot Act is intended to strengthen U.S. law enforcement’s and the intelligence community’s ability to work cohesively to combat terrorism on a variety of fronts. The potential impact of the Patriot Act on financial institutions of all kinds is significant and wide-ranging. The Patriot Act contains sweeping anti-money laundering and financial transparency laws and requires various regulations, including: (a) due diligence requirements for financial institutions that administer, maintain, or manage private bank accounts or correspondent accounts for non-U.S. persons; (b) standards for verifying customer identification at account opening; and (c) rules to promote cooperation among financial institutions, regulators and law enforcement entities in identifying parties that may be involved in terrorism or money laundering.

Fiscal and Monetary Policies. Unified’s business and earnings are affected significantly by the fiscal and monetary policies of the federal government and its agencies. Unified is particularly affected by the policies of the Federal Reserve, which regulates the supply of money and credit in the United States. Among the instruments of monetary policy available to the Federal Reserve are (a) conducting open market operations in United States government securities, (b) changing the discount rates of borrowings of depository institutions, (c) imposing or changing reserve requirements against depository institutions’ deposits, and (d) imposing or changing reserve requirements against certain borrowing by banks and their affiliates. These methods are used in varying degrees and combinations to affect directly the availability of bank loans and deposits, as well as the interest rates charged on loans and paid on deposits. For that reason alone, the policies of the Federal Reserve have a material effect on the earnings of Unified.

Environmental Laws. Banks that hold mortgages on property as secured lenders are exempt from liability under Federal environmental protection laws if certain criteria are met. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) contains a secured creditor exemption that eliminates owner or operator liability for lenders who take an ownership interest in a property primarily to protect their interest in the facility as security on a loan, provided that the bank does not participate in the management of the facility. Generally, participation in management applies if a bank exercises decision-making control over a property’s environmental compliance, or exercises control at a level similar to a manager of the facility or property.

Additional and Pending Regulation. Unified is also subject to federal regulation as to such matters as the maintenance of required reserves against deposits, limitations in connection with affiliate transactions, limitations as to the nature and amount of its loans and investments, regulatory approval of any merger or consolidation, issuance or retirement by Unified of its own securities and other aspects of banking operations. In addition, the activities and operations of Unified are subject to a number of additional detailed, complex and sometimes overlapping laws and regulations. These include state usury and consumer credit laws, state laws relating to fiduciaries, the Federal Truth-in-Lending Act and Regulation Z, the Federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Regulation B, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Community Reinvestment Act, anti-redlining legislation and antitrust laws.

Congress regularly considers legislation that may have an impact upon the operation of the Company and Unified. At this time, the Company is unable to predict whether any proposed legislation will be enacted and, therefore, is unable to predict the impact such legislation may have on the operations of the Company.

Employees

The Company itself, as a holding company, has no compensated employees. Unified has 101115 full time employees, with 2531 of these serving in a management capacity, and 2511 part time employees.

Executive Officers Positions held with Company;

Name

Age

Business Experience

Scott Everson

56

President and Chief Executive Officer

Matthew F. Branstetter

56

Senior Vice President – Chief Operating Officer

Randall M. Greenwood

60

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer & Corporate Secretary

Each individual has held the position noted during the past five years.

Each of these Executive Officers is appointed annually by the Company’s board of directors and is serving at-will in their current positions.

Industry Segments

United Bancorp and its subsidiary are engaged in one line of business, banking. Item 8 of this 10-K provides financial information for United Bancorp’s business.

Statistical Disclosures by Bank Holding Companies

IDistribution of Assets, Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity; Interest Rates and Interest Differential

I        Distribution of Assets, Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity; Interest Rates and Interest Differential

Refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis “Average Balances, Net Interest Income and Yields Earned and Rates Paid” and “Rate/Volume Analysis on pages 19 and 20 of our 20172023 Annual Report filed herewith as Exhibit 13, which is incorporated by reference.

Average Balances, Net Interest Income and Yields Earned and Rates Paid

The following table provides average balance sheet information and reflects the taxable equivalent average yield on interest-earning assets and the average cost of interest-bearing liabilities for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. The yields and costs are calculated by dividing income or expense by the average balance of interest-earning assets or interest-bearing liabilities.

The average balance of available-for-sale securities is computed using the carrying value of securities while the yield for available for sale securities has been computed using the average amortized cost. Average balances are derived from average month-end balances, which include nonaccruing loans in the loan portfolio, net of the allowance for loan losses. Interest income has been adjusted to tax-equivalent basis.

  2016 Compared to 2015
lncrease/(Decrease)
 
     Change  Change 
  Total  Due To  Due To 
(In thousands) Change  Volume  Rate 
Interest and dividend income            
Loans $695  $1,174  $(479)
Taxable securities available for sale  (2)  20   (22)
Tax-exempt securities available for sale  (102)  (106)  4 
Tax-exempt securities held to maturity  (14)  (14)  - 
Federal funds sold  (25)  (55)  30 
FHLB stock and other  (37)  (2)  (35)
Total interest and dividend income  515   1,017   (502)
             
Interest expense            
Demand deposits  26   4   22 
Savings deposits  2   2   - 
Time deposits  (267)  (103)  (164)
FHLB advances  (85)  (110)  25 
Trust Preferred debentures  (176)  -   (176)
Repurchase agreements  1   2   (1)
Total interest expense  (499)  (205)  (294)
             
Net interest income $1,014  $1,222  $(208)

2021

2022

    

    

Interest

    

  

  

    

Interest

    

 

Average

Income/

Yield/

Average

Income/

Yield/

 

 

Balance

 

Expense

 

Rate

 

Balance

Expense

 

Rate

Loans (1)

$

451,762

 

$

20,220

 

4.48

%

$

462,692

 

$

20,748

 

4.48

%

Taxable Securitied AFS

 

13,297

 

467

 

3.51

 

54,852

 

1,899

 

3.46

Tax Exempt securities available for sale (1)

 

118,062

 

4,908

 

4.16

 

120,073

 

5,565

 

4.63

Federal funds sold

 

79,698

 

101

 

0.13

 

44,668

 

493

 

1.10

FHLB stock and other

 

3,925

 

81

 

2.06

 

3,191

 

139

 

4.35

Total interest-bearing assets

 

666,744

 

25,777

 

3.87

 

685,476

 

28,844

 

4.21

Non interest-earning assets

    

 

  

    

  

    

  

  

    

  

    

  

Cash and due from banks

 

8,593

 

 

  

 

8,301

 

 

  

Premises and equipment (net)

 

13,469

 

 

  

 

12,547

 

 

  

Other nonearning assets

 

38,170

 

 

  

 

32,471

 

 

  

Less: allowance for loan losses

 

(4,576)

 

 

  

 

(3,020)

 

 

  

Total noninterest-earning assets

 

55,656

 

 

  

 

50,299

 

 

  

Total assets

$

722,400

 

 

  

$

735,775

 

 

  

Demand deposits

$

256,638

 

313

 

0.12

%  

$

262,763

 

845

 

0.32

%

Savings deposits

 

133,826

 

17

 

0.01

 

144,283

 

77

 

0.05

Time deposits

 

69,591

 

920

 

1.32

 

67,848

 

722

 

1.06

Subordinated debentures

23,665

1,323

5.59

23,726

1,387

5.85

Repurchase agreements

 

19,452

 

23

 

0.12

 

22,581

 

242

 

1.07

Total interest-bearing liabilities

$

503,172

 

2,596

 

0.52

$

521,201

 

3,273

 

0.63

Non interest-bearing liabilities

 

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

Demand deposits

 

140,555

 

 

  

151,342

 

 

  

Other liabilities

 

7,512

 

 

  

4,016

 

 

  

Total noninterest-bearing liabilities

 

148,067

 

 

  

155,858

 

 

  

Total liabilities

 

651,239

 

 

  

677,059

 

 

  

Total stockholders’ equity

 

71,161

 

 

  

58,716

 

 

  

Total liabilities & stockholders’ equity

$

722,400

 

  

$

735,775

 

  

Net interest income

$

23,181

 

  

 

$

25,571

 

  

Net interest spread

 

 

3.35

%  

 

 

3.58

%  

Net yield on interest earning assets

 

 

3.48

%  

 

 

3.73

%  

For purposes of this schedule, nonaccrual loans are included in loans.
Fees collected on loans are included in interest on loans. However, such fees are not material for comparative purposes.
Earnings on tax-exempt earnings is shown on a tax equivalent basis using a marginal tax rate of 21%

Rate/Volume Analysis

The table below describes the extent to which changes in interest rates and changes in volume of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities have affected interest income and expense during 2022. For purposes of this table, changes in interest due to volume and rate were determined using the following methods:

  2016  2015 
     Interest        Interest    
  Average  Income/  Yield/  Average  Income/  Yield/ 
(Dollars In thousands) Balance  Expense  Rate  Balance  Expense  Rate 
Assets                        
Interest-earning assets                        
Loans $343,243   16,041   4.67% $318,337   15,346   4.82%
Taxable securities - AFS  31,292   325   1.04   29,427   327   1.11 
Tax-exempt securities - AFS  2,003   123   6.13   3,733   225   6.03 
Tax-exempt securities - HTM  -   -   -   195   14   6.99 
Federal funds sold  8,547   36   0.42   25,523   61   0.24 
FHLB stock and other  4,169   175   4.20   4,211   212   5.03 
Total interest-earning 'assets  389,254   16,700   4.29   381,426   16,185   4.24 
                         
Noninterest-earning assets                        
Cash and due from banks  4,972           4,700         
Premises and equipment (net)  11,340           10,422         
Other nonearning assets  13,955           13,437         
Less: allowance for loan losses  (752)          (2,634)        
Total noninterest-earning assets  29,515           25,925         
Total assets  418,769           407,351         
                         
Liabilities & stockholders' equity                        
Interest-bearing liabilities                        
Demand deposits $123,051   136   0.11% $118,545   110   0.09%
Savings deposits  78,811   36   0.05   73,819   34   0.05 
Time deposits  54,954   593   1.08   63,149   860   1.36 
FHLB advances  30,885   924   2.99   26,623   1,009   3.79 
Trust preferred debentures  4,124   82   1.99   4,124   258   6.25 
Repurchase agreements  11,094   13   0.12   9,769   12   0.12 
Total interest-bearing liabilities  302,919   1,784   0.59   296,029   2,283   0.77 
                         
Noninterest-bearing liabilities                        
Demand deposits  70,723           69,427         
Other liabilities  2,493           3,554         
Total noninterest-bearing liabilities  73,216           72,981         
Total liabilities  376,135           369,010         
Total stockholders' equity  42,634           38,341         
Total liabilities & stockholders' equity  418,769          $407,351         
Net interest income      14,916          $13,902     
Net interest spread          3.70%          3.47%
                         
Net yield on interest-earning assets          3.83%          3.64%
Volume variance results when the change in volume is multiplied by the previous year’s rate.
Rate variance results when the change in rate is multiplied by the previous year’s volume.
Rate/volume variance results when the change in volume is multiplied by the change in rate.

NOTE: The rate/volume variance was allocated to volume variance and rate variance in proportion to the relationship of the absolute dollar amount of the change in each. Non accrual loans are ignored for purposes of the calculations due to the nominal amount of the loans.

2022 Compared to 2021

Increase/(Decrease)

(In thousands)

Change

Change

Total

Due To

Due To

    

Change

    

Volume

    

Rate

Interest and dividend income

Loans

$

528

 

490

 

38

Taxable securities available for sale

 

1,432

1,367

65

Tax-exempt securities available for sale

 

657

 

550

 

107

Federal funds sold

 

392

 

(63)

 

455

FHLB stock and other

 

58

 

(18)

 

76

Total interest and dividend income

 

3,067

 

2,326

 

741

Interest expense

 

  

 

  

 

  

Demand deposits

 

532

 

8

 

524

Savings deposits

 

60

 

1

 

59

Time deposits

 

(198)

 

(23)

 

(175)

Trust Preferred debentures

 

64

 

 

64

Repurchase agreements

 

219

 

4

 

215

Total interest expense

 

677

 

(10)

 

687

Net interest income

$

2,390

 

2,336

 

54

IIInvestment Portfolio

A       Contractual maturities of securities at year-end 2023 were as follows:

    

Amortized 

    

Estimated 

    

Average Tax 

 

Cost

Fair Value

Equivalent Yield

(dollars in thousands)

 

US Agency obligations

Under 1 Year

 

$

15,000

 

$

14,870

 

3.71

%

1 – 5 Years

 

27,500

 

27,043

 

3.82

%

5-10 Years

 

2,500

 

2,355

 

4.00

%

Over 10 Years

 

 

 

State and municipal obligations

 

  

 

  

 

  

Under 1 Year

 

$

 

$

 

1 – 5 Years

 

 

 

5-10 Years

 

4,514

 

4,468

 

3.68

%

Over 10 Years

 

173,156

 

169,724

 

4.49

%

Subordinated Debt

 

  

 

  

 

  

Under 1 Year

 

 

 

1 – 5 Years

 

$

3,097

 

$

2,890

 

2.96

%

5-10 Years

 

25,916

 

21,410

 

3.53

%

Over 10 Years

 

 

 

Total securities available for sale

$

251,683

$

242,760

 

4.24

%

IIInvestment Portfolio

AThe following table sets forth the carrying amount of securities at December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015.

  December 31, 
  2017  2016  2015 
  (In thousands) 
Available for sale (at fair value)            
U. S. Government agencies $44,959  $38,514  $31,961 
State and political subdivision     1,252   2,662 
             
Total securities availabe for sale $44,959  $39,766  $34,623 

BContractual maturities of securities at year-end 2017 were as follows:

  Amortized
Cost
  Estimated
Fair Value
  Average Tax
Equivalent Yield
 
  (dollars in
thousands)
 
Available for Sale            
             
US Government agencies            
1 – 5 Years  45,249   44,959   1.53%
             
Total securities available for sale $45,249  $44,959   1.53%

CExcluding holdings of U.S. Government agency obligations, there were no investments in securities of any one issuer exceeding 10% of the Company’s consolidated shareholders’ equity at December 31, 2017.

IIIIII       Loan Portfolio

ATypes of Loans

The amountsA        Maturities and Sensitivities of gross loans outstanding at December 31, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013 are shownLoans to Changes in the following table according to types of loans:

  December 31, 
  2017  2016  2015  2014  2013 
  (In thousands) 
                
Commercial loans $81,327  $74,514  $67,247  $52,286  $55,136 
Commercial real estate loans  198,936   191,686   163,459   158,314   144,972 
Residential real estate loans  75,853   76,154   81,498   83,870   82,832 
Installment loans  12,473   14,367   17,459   21,284   26,562 
                     
Total loans $368,589  $356,721  $329,663  $315,754  $309,502 

Construction loans were not significant at any date indicated above.

BMaturities and Sensitivities of Loans to Changes in Interest Rates

Interest Rates

The following is a schedule of commercial and commercial real estate loans at December 31, 20172023 maturing within the various time frames indicated:

Five

    

One

    

One

    

Through

    

Year or

Through

Fifteen

After

Less

Five Years

Years

Fifteen Years

Total

 One Year or
Less
  One Through
Five Years
  After
Five Years
  Total 
 (In thousands) 
         
Commercial loans $9,976  $42,374  $28,977  $81,327 

(In thousands)

Commercial and industrial loans

$

5,599

$

62,043

$

20,562

$

3,090

$

91,294

Commercial real estate loans  3,385   8,486   187,065   198,936 

 

8,406

 

47,159

135,466

 

100,828

 

291,859

                

Total $13,361  $50,860  $216,042  $280,263 

$

14,005

$

109,202

$

156,028

$

103,918

$

383,153

The following is a schedule of fixed-rate and variable-rate commercial and commercial real estate loans at December 31, 20172023 due to mature after one year:

Total >

Fixed

Variable

One

    

Rate

    

Rate

    

Year

 Fixed Rate  Variable Rate  Total > One
Year
 
 (In thousands) 
       
Commercial loans $38,117  $33,234  $71,351 

(In thousands)

Commercial and industrial loans

$

49,288

$

36,407

$

85,695

Commercial real estate loans  10,378   185,173   195,551 

 

54,517

 

228,936

 

283,453

            

Total $48,495  $218,407  $266,902 

$

103,805

$

265,343

$

369,148

Variable rate loans are those loans with floating or adjustable interest rates.

CRisk Elements

1.Nonaccrual, Past Due, Restructured and Impaired Loans

The following schedule summarizes nonaccrual loans, accruing loans which are contractually 90 days or more past due, impaired loans and newly classified troubled debt restructurings at December 31, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013:

  December 31, 
  2017  2016  2015  2014  2013 
  (In thousands) 
                
Nonaccrual basis $1,395  $1,361  $1,044  $958  $2,880 
Accruing loans 90 days or greater past due     236   132   127   189 
Total Impaired loans  1,008   4,652   1,410   1,868   6,330 
Impaired loan with related allowance for unconfirmed losses  410   693   822   1,067   5,306 
Impaired loan without related allowance for unconfirmed losses  598   3,959   588   801   1,024 
Troubled debt restructings  228   133   102   155   3,243 

The additional amountIV      Summary of interest income that would have been recorded on nonaccrual loans, had they been current, totaled approximately $284,000 for the year ended December 31, 2017. Interest income that was recorded for the year on nonaccrual loans, totaled $243,000 for the year ended December 31, 2016.

The Company’s policy is to generally not allow loans greater than 90 days past due to accrue interest unless the loan is both well secured and in the process of collection. Interest income is not reported when full loan repayment is doubtful, typically when the loan is impaired. Payments received on such loans are reported as principal reductions.

2.Potential Problem Loans

The Company had no potential problem loans as of December 31, 2017 which have not been disclosed in Table C 1., but where known information about possible credit problems of borrowers causes management to have serious doubts as to the ability of such borrowers to comply with the present loan repayment terms and which may result in disclosure of such loans into one of the problem loan categories.

IVSummary of LoanCredit Loss Experience

The allowance for loancredit losses (“ACL”) is a valuation allowance for probable incurredreserve established and maintained by charges against income and is deducted from the amortized cost basis of loans to present the net amount expected to be collected on the loans. Loans, or portions thereof, are charged off against the ACL when they are deemed uncollectible. Expected recoveries do not exceed the aggregate of amounts previously charged-off and expected to be charged-off.

The ACL is an estimate of expected credit losses, increased bymeasured over the provision for loan losses and decreased by charge-offs less recoveries. Management estimates the allowance balance required based on past loan loss experience, the nature and volume of the portfolio, information about specific borrower situations and estimated collateral values, economic conditions and other factors. Allocations of the allowance may be made for specific loans, but the entire allowance is available for any loan that, in management’s judgment, should be charged-off. Loan losses are charged against the allowance when management believes the uncollectibilitycontractual life of a loan, balancethat considers our historical loss experience, current conditions and forecasts of future economic conditions. Determination of an appropriate ACL is confirmed.inherently subjective and may have significant changes from period to period.

The methodology for determining the ACL has two main components: evaluation of expected credit losses for certain groups of homogeneous loans that share similar risk characteristics and evaluation of loans that do not share risk characteristics with other loans.

The allowance for credit losses is measured on a collective (pool) basis when similar risk characteristics exist. The Company accountsuses the call report classification as its segment breakout and measures the allowance for impairedcredit losses using the Weighted Average Remaining Maturity method for all loan segments.

Historical credit loss experience is the basis for the estimation of expected credit losses. We apply historical loss rates to pools of loans with similar risk characteristics. After consideration of the historic loss calculation, management applies qualitative adjustments to reflect the current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts not already reflected in accordance with ASC 310-10-35-16, “Accountingthe historical loss information at the balance sheet date. Our reasonable and supportable forecast adjustment is based on a 2 year unemployment forecast provided by CreditorsBloomberg and management judgment. For periods beyond our reasonable and supportable forecast, we revert back to historical annual loss rates for Impairmentthe remainder of a Loan.” ASC 310-10-35-16 requires that impaired loans be measuredthe life of each pool after the forecast period. The qualitative adjustments for current conditions are based upon current level of inflation and the rapid increase in interest rates, changes in lending policies and practices, experience and ability of lending staff, quality of the Company’s loan review system, value of underlying collateral, the existence of and changes in concentrations and other external factors. These modified historical loss rates are multiplied by the outstanding principal balance of each loan to calculate a required reserve.

The Company has elected to exclude accrued interest receivable from the measurement of its ACL. When a loan is placed on non-accrual status, any outstanding accrued interest is reversed against interest income.

The ACL for individual loans begins with the use of normal credit review procedures to identify whether a loan no longer shares similar risk characteristics with other pooled loans and therefore, should be individually assessed. We evaluate all commercial and industrial and commercial real estate loans, as well as residential and installment loans greater than $100,000 that meet the following criteria: 1) when it is determined that foreclosure is probable, 2) substandard, doubtful and nonperforming loans when repayment is expected to be provided substantially through the operation or sale of the collateral, 3) when it is determined by management that a loan does not share similar risk characteristics with other loans. Specific reserves are established based on the following three acceptable methods for measuring the ACL: 1) the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s original effective interest rate or, as an alternative, atrate; 2) the loan’s observable market priceprice; or fair value of the collateral. A loan is defined under ASC 310-10-35-16 as impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that a creditor will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. In applying the provisions of ASC 310-10-35-16, the Company considers its investment in one-to-four family residential loans and consumer installment loans to be homogenous and therefore excluded from separate identification for evaluation of impairment. With respect to the Company’s investment in nonresidential and multi-family residential real estate loans, and its evaluation of impairment thereof, such loans are generally collateral dependent and, as a result, are carried as a practical expedient at3) the fair value of the collateral.

collateral when the loan is collateral dependent. Our individual loan evaluations consist primarily of the fair value of collateral method because most of our loans are collateral dependent. Collateral dependent loans whichvalues are morediscounted to consider disposition costs when appropriate. A specific reserve is established or a charge-off is taken if the fair value of the loan is less than ninety days delinquent are considered to constitute more than a minimum delay in repayment and are evaluated for impairment under ASC 310-10-35-16 at that time.

the loan balance.

For additional explanation of factors which influence management’s judgment in determining amounts charged to expense, refer to pages 13-15 of the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements set forth in our 20172023 Annual Report, which is incorporated herein by reference.

A

A

Analysis of the Allowance for LoanCredit Losses

The following schedule presents an analysis of the allowance for loan losses, average loan data and relatedtable provides key credit ratios for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013:each applicable period.

  2017  2016  2015  2014  2013 
  (In thousands) 
Loans                    
Gross loans outstanding $368,589  $356,721  $329,663  $315,754  $309,502 
Average loans outstanding $356,224  $343,243  $318,337  $313,691  $297,821 
                     
Allowance for Loan Losses                    
Balance at beginning of year $2,341  $2,437  $2,400  $2,894  $2,708 
Loan charge-offs:                    
Commercial  49   2   117   337   645 
Commercial real estate  81   108   152   555   130 
Residential real estate  78   143   42   235   59 
Installment  230   417   400   388   399 
Total loan charge-offs  438   670   711   1,515   1,233 
                     
Loan recoveries                    
Commercial  52   78   27   4   2 
Commercial real estate  2   102   15   35   14 
Residential real estate  20   22   42   8   5 
Installment  45   71   111   86   157 
Total loan recoveries  119   273   195   133   178 
                     
Net loan charge-offs  319   397   516   1,382   1,055 
                     
Provision for loan losses  100   301   553   888   1,241 
                     
Balance at end of year $2,122  $2,341  $2,437  $2,400  $2,894 
                     
Ratio of net charge-offs to average loans outstanding for the year  0.09%  0.12%  0.16%  0.44%  0.35%

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

    

Ratio of net charge-offs to average loans outstanding for the year

 

0.02

%  

 

0.14

%  

 

0.04

%

Ratio of commercial loans and industrial net charge-offs to average commercial loans

(0.03)

%  

(0.01)

%  

0.08

%

Ratio of commercial real estate loans net charge-offs to average commercial real estate loans

0.00

%  

0.21

%  

0.00

%

Ratio of real estate loans net charge-offs to average real estate loans

0.00

%  

0.00

%  

0.02

%

Ratio of installment loans net charge-off to average consumer loans

1.93

%  

1.90

%  

1.39

%

Total allowance for credit losses to total loans

0.81

%  

0.45

%  

0.81

%

Nonaccrual loans to total loans

0.10

%  

0.04

%  

0.64

%

Total allowance for credit losses to nonperforming loans

611.23

%  

1127.47

%  

87.27

%

B

B

Allocation of the Allowance for LoanCredit Losses

The following table allocates the allowance for loancredit losses at December 31, 2017, 2016, 2015, 20142023, 2022, and 2013.2021. Management adjusts the allowance periodically to account for changes in national trends and economic conditions in the Bank’s service areas. The allowance has been allocated according to the amount deemed to be reasonably necessary to provide for the probability of losses being incurred within the following categories of loans at the dates indicated:

 2017  2016  2015  2014  2013 
 Allowance
Amount
  % of Loans
 to Total
Loans
  Allowance
Amount
  % of Loans
to Total
Loans
  Allowance
Amount
  % of Loans
to Total
Loans
  Allowance
Amount
  % of Loans
to Total
Loans
  Allowance
Amount
  % of Loans
to Total
Loans
 
 (In thousands) 

    

2023

    

2022

    

2021

% of

% of

% of

Loans

Loans

Loans

Allowance

to Total

Allowance

to Total

Allowance

to Total

Amount

Loans

Amount

    

Loans

Amount

    

Loans

Loan type                                        

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

Commercial $537   22.06% $495   20.89% $184   20.40% $254   16.56% $412   17.82%

Commercial and Industrial

$

573

 

18.89

%  

$

215

 

19.65

%  

$

1,046

 

20.00

%

Commercial real estate  843   53.97%  804   53.73%  597   49.58%  1,116   50.14%  1,609   46.84%

 

1,408

 

60.40

%  

 

815

 

58.65

%  

 

1,235

 

58.71

%

Residential real estate  436   20.58%  591   21.35%  170   24.72%  92   26.56%  90   26.76%

 

1,843

 

19.32

%  

 

816

 

20.40

%  

 

1,121

 

19.84

%

Installment  218   3.39%  107   4.03%  113   5.30%  147   6.74%  141   8.58%

Consumer

 

94

 

1.39

%  

 

206

 

1.30

%  

 

271

 

1.45

%

General  88   N/A   344   N/A   1,373   N/A   791   N/A   642   N/A 

 

N/A

 

 

 

N/A

 

 

N/A

                                        

Total $2,122   100.00% $2,431   100.00% $2,437   100.00% $2,400   100.00% $2,894   100.00%

$

3,918

 

100.00

%  

$

2,052

 

100.00

%  

$

3,673

 

100.00

%

V       Deposits

A

VDeposits

ASchedule of Average Deposit Amounts and Rates

Refer to Section I of this “Statistical Disclosures by Bank Holding Companies” section and to Management’s Discussion and Analysis “Average Balances, Net Interest Income and Yields Earned and Rates Paid” on page 19 of our 20172023 Annual Report filed herewith as Exhibit 13, which is incorporated by reference.

At December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 the aggregate amount of uninsured deposits was approximately $102.9 million, $89.8 million and $77.9 million.

B

B

Maturity analysis of time deposits greater than $250,000.

At December 31, 2017,2023, the time to remaining maturity for time deposits in excess of $250,000 was:

 2017 
 (In thousands) 
   

    

2023

 

(In thousands)

Three months or less $252 

$

4,234

Over three through six months  798 

 

12,069

Over six through twelve months  252 

 

5,878

Over twelve months  3,772 

 

15,426

    

Total $5,074 

$

37,607

VIReturn on Equity and Assets

Our dividend payout ratio and equity to assets ratio were as follows:

  December 31, 
  2017  2016  2015 
          
Dividend Payout Ratio  63.89%  58.33%  56.92%
Equity to Assets  9.56%  9.73%  10.31%
Return on Average Assets  0.79%  0.86%  0.79%
Return on Average Equity  8.03%  8.40%  7.73%

VIIShort-Term Borrowings

Information concerning securities sold under agreements to repurchase is summarized as follows:

  2017  2016  2015 
  (Dollars in thousands) 
          
Balance at December 31, $10,022  $9,393  $5,691 
Weighted average interest rate at December 31  0.28%  0.12%  0.12%
Average daily balance during the year $13,578  $11,058  $9,769 
Average interest rate during the year  0.28%  0.12%  0.12%
Maximum month-end balance during the year $17,033  $14,200  $12,934 

Securities sold under agreements to repurchase are financing arrangements whereby the Company sells securities and agrees to repurchase the identical securities at the maturities of the agreements at specified prices.

No other individual component of borrowed funds with the exception of borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank comprised more than 30% of shareholders’ equity and accordingly is not disclosed in detail.

Supplemental Item - Executive Officers of the Registrant

Pursuant to General Instruction G(3) of Form 10-K, the following information on the executive officers of the Company is included as an additional item in Part I:

Executive Officers Positions held with Company;
NameAgeBusiness Experience
Scott Everson50President and Chief Executive Officer
Matthew F. Branstetter50Senior Vice President – Chief Operating Officer
Randall M. Greenwood54Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer
Lisa A. Basinger57Corporate Secretary

Each individual has held the position noted during the past five years, except for the following:

Effective April 17, 2013, Scott Everson was appointed to the position of President of the Company, and Effective April 16, 2014 Mr. Everson was also appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Prior to his 2013 appointment as the Company’s President, Mr. Everson served as the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Effective May 13, 2014, Matthew F. Branstetter was promoted to Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Prior to his promotion, Mr. Branstetter served as the Company’s Vice President and Chief Lending Officer.

Each of these Executive Officers is appointed annually by the Company’s board of directors and is serving at-will in their current positions.

Item 1A.Risk Factors

Item 1A. Risk Factors

Smaller Reporting Companies are not required to provide this disclosure.

Item 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity

General

All companies utilizing technology are subject to threats of breaches of their cybersecurity programs. To mitigate the threat to our business and address regulatory requirements, we take a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity risk management and have developed and implemented a cybersecurity risk management program intended to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of our critical systems and information. As described in more detail below, we have established policies, standards, processes, and practices for assessing, identifying, and managing material risks from cybersecurity threats. We devote significant financial and personnel resources to implement and maintain security measures to meet regulatory requirements and customer expectations, and we intend to continue to make significant investments to maintain the security of our data and cybersecurity infrastructure.

Legal Overview

Pursuant to the requirements of section 39 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1831p–1) and sections 501 and 505(b) of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (15 U.S.C. 6801, 6805(b)), the federal bank regulatory agencies adopted the Interagency Guidelines Establishing Information Security Standards (the “Guidelines”). The requirements of the Guidelines apply to all FDIC-insured depository institutions, most subsidiaries of such entities, and to state savings associations. Federal law also mandates that information security procedures and controls be routinely evaluated by the Bank’s state and federal regulators as part of the standard safety and soundness examination process.

Bank Security Policy

To comply with all applicable federal requirements, the Bank’s Board of Directors has adopted the Unified Bank Information Security Policy (the “ISP”), which establishes a program that the Bank’s management and board can use to:

Ensure the security and confidentiality of customer information;
Protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information; and
Protect against unauthorized access to or use of customer information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any customer.

Under the ISP, the Board of Directors or an appropriate committee thereof is required to oversee all efforts with respect to the development, implementation and maintenance of an effective information security program. In addition, the ISP charges management with responsibility for identifying all reasonably foreseeable internal and external threats that could result in unauthorized disclosure, misuse, alteration or destruction of Bank information, and directs management to develop and implement procedures and other controls designed to reduce or eliminate identified risks.

The Bank has also implemented controls designed to identify and mitigate cybersecurity threats associated with our use of the Bank’s critical third-party service providers. Such providers are subject to security risk assessments at the time of onboarding, contract renewal, and based on risk profile. A variety of inputs are used in such assessments, including information supplied by providers and third parties. In addition, we require our providers to meet appropriate security requirements, controls and responsibilities and investigate security incidents that have impacted our third-party providers, as appropriate.

In addition to being subject to routine examination by the Bank’s state and federal regulators, the efficacy of the Bank’s information security program is also audited annually by an independent third-party auditing firm.

Managerial and Board Oversight

To facilitate oversight, the Bank has established a front line committee, the Compliance Risk Assessment Committee, which is comprised of all members of senior management, the head of information security and certain other operationally significant employees. This Committee, which meets quarterly, is responsible for monitoring all key operational risks applicable to the Bank. Cyber risk assessments are routinely conducted and reported to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors In addition, key members of senior management also meet annually with a cyber risk consultant who apprises management on emerging cyber threats and evaluates the Company’s adequacy of cyber risk insurance coverage. The findings of this meeting are also reported to the Executive Committee. All significant matters are reported by the Executive Committee to the full Board of Directors.

Item 2

Item 2Properties

The Company owns and operates its Main Office and stand alone operations center in Martins Ferry, Ohio and the following offices:

Branch Office Location

Owned or Leased

Location

Owned or Leased

Bridgeport, Ohio

Owned

Sherrodsville, Ohio

Owned

Bridgeport,

Colerain, Ohio

Owned

Sherrodsville,

Glouster, Ohio

Owned

Colerain,

Jewett, Ohio

Owned

Glouster,

Nelsonville, Ohio

Owned

Jewett, OhioOwnedAmesville, OhioOwned

St. Clairsville, Ohio

Owned

Nelsonville,

Lancaster, Ohio

Owned

Dover, Ohio

Owned

Lancaster, Ohio

Owned

Dellroy, Ohio

Owned

Lancaster,

Powhatan, Ohio

Owned

New Philadelphia, Ohio

Owned

Moundsville, WV

Owned

Strasburg, Ohio

Owned

Tiltonsville, OhioOwned
Dillonvale, OhioLeased

St. Clairsville, Ohio

Owned

Tiltonsville, Ohio

Owned

Wheeling, WV

Leased

Loan Production Office
Location
Owned or Leased
Wheeling, West VirginiaLeased

Management believes the properties described above to be in good operating condition for the purpose for which they are used. The properties are unencumbered by any mortgage or security interest and are, in management’s opinion, adequately insured.

Item 3

Item 3Legal Proceedings

There are no material legal proceedings, other than ordinary routine litigation incidental to its business, to which the Company or its subsidiary is a party or to which any of its property is subject.

Item 4

Item 4Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5

Item 5Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Refer to Page 9, “Shareholder Information” of the 20172023 Annual Report To Shareholders filed herewith as Exhibit 13 and refer to Page 31, Note 1 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company in the 20172023 Annual Report To Shareholders for common stock trading ranges, cash dividends declared and information relating to dividend restrictions, which information is incorporated herein by reference. Additional disclosure regarding dividend restrictions is also included under Part I, Item 1 of this 10-K in the section captioned “Supervision and Regulation.”

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Period (a) 
Total Number of 
Shares (or Units) 
Purchased
  (b) 
Average Price Paid
per Share (or Unit)
  (c) 
Total Number of 
Shares (or Units) 
Purchased as Part 
of Publicly 
Announced Plans 
or Programs
  (d) 
Maximum Number (or
Approximate Dollar
Value) of Shares (or
Units) that May Yet Be
Purchased Under the
Plans or Programs
 
Month #l
10/1/201 to
10/31/2017
  -   -   -   - 
Month #2
11/1/2017 to
11/30/2017
  -   -   -   - 
Month #3
12/1/2017 to
12/31/2017
  735(1) $12.76   -   - 
Total  735  $12.76   -   - 

    

    

    

(c)

(d)

Total Number of

Maximum Number

Shares (or Units)

(or Approximate Dollar Value) of

(a)

(b)

Purchased as Part

Shares (or Units)

Total Number of

Average Price

of Publicly

that May Yet Be

Shares (or Units)

Paid per Share

Announced Plans

Purchased Under the

Period

    

Purchased

(or Unit)

    

or Programs

    

Plans or Programs

Month #l 10/1/2023 to 10/31/2023

$

Month #2 11/1/2023 to 11/30/2023

 

 

 

Month #3 12/1/2023 to 12/31/2023

 

10,507

(1)

 

11.57

 

 

Total

 

10,507

(1)

$

11.57

 

 

(1)

(1)

All of these shares were purchased by the Company on the open market.market to fund acquisitions under the Company’s Directors and Officers Deferred Compensation Plan.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

The Company adopted the United Bancorp, Inc. Affiliate Banks Directors and Officers Deferred Compensation Plan (the “Plan”), which is an unfunded deferred compensation plan. Amounts deferred pursuant to the Plan remain unrestricted assets of the Company, and the right to participate in the Plan is limited to members of the Board of Directors and Company officers. Under the Plan, directors or other eligible participants may defer fees and up to 50% of their annual cash incentive award payable to them by the Company, which are used to acquire common shares which are credited to a participant’s respective account. Except in the event of certain emergencies, no distributions are to be made from any account as long as the participant continues to be an employee or member of the Board of Directors. Upon termination of service, the aggregate number of shares credited to the participant’s account are distributed to him or her along with any cash proceeds credited to the account which have not yet been invested in the Company’s stock. On May 11, 2017,During the quarter ended December 31, 2023, the Plan purchased a total10,507 shares at an average cost of 3,626 common shares for$11.57, which were allocated to participant accounts. All purchases under this deferred compensation planthe Plan are funded with either earned director fees or officer incentive award payments. No underwriting fees, discounts, or commissions are paid in connection with the Plan. The shares allocated to participant accounts under the Plan have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933 in reliance upon the exemption provided by Section 4(a)(2) thereof.

Item 6Selected Consolidated Financial Data

Item 6[Reserved]

Refer to inside front cover, “Decade of Progress” of the 2017 Annual Report To Shareholders filed herewith as Exhibit 13, which financial information is incorporated herein by reference.Not Applicable

Item 7

Item 7Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Refer to Pages 10-22, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” of the 20172023 Annual Report To Shareholders filed herewith as Exhibit 13, which section is incorporated herein by reference.

For a comparison of results of operations between 2022 and 2021, see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” in the 2022 Annual Report To Shareholders filed as Exhibit 13 to the Company’s annual report on 10-K for 2022.

Critical Accounting Policy

Allowance for Credit Losses:

Our allowances for credit losses represents management’s best estimate of probable losses inherent in our loan portfolios, excluding those loans accounted for under fair value.

The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordanceallowance for credit losses represents an estimate of expected credit losses, measured over the contractual life of a loan, that considers our historical loss experience, current conditions and forecasts of future economic conditions. Determination of an appropriate allowance for credit losses is inherently subjective and may have significant changes from period to period. The methodology for determining the allowance for credit losses has two main components: evaluation of expected credit losses for certain groups of homogeneous loans that share similar risk characteristics and evaluation of loans that do not share risk characteristics with accounting principles generally acceptedother loans. The allowance for credit losses is measured on a collective (pool) basis when similar risk characteristics exist. The Company uses the call report classification as its segment breakout and measures the allowance for credit losses using the Weighted Average Remaining Maturity method for all loan segments.

Historical credit loss experience is the basis for the estimation of expected credit losses. We apply historical loss rates to pools of loans with similar risk characteristics. After consideration of the historic loss calculation, management applies qualitative adjustments to reflect the current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts not already reflected in the United Stateshistorical loss information at the balance sheet date. Our reasonable and supportable forecast adjustment is based on a 2 year unemployment forecast provided by Bloomberg and management judgment. For periods beyond our reasonable and supportable forecast, we revert back to historical annual loss rates for the remainder of America and follow general practices within the financial services industry.life of each pool after the forecast period. The application of these principles requires management to make certain estimates, assumptions and judgements that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and footnotes. These estimates, assumptions and judgementsqualitative adjustments for current conditions are based on information available asupon current level of inflation and the rapid increase in interest rates, changes in lending policies and practices, experience and ability of lending staff, quality of the dateCompany’s loan review system, value of underlying collateral, the financial statements,existence of and as this information changes in concentrations and other external factors. These modified historical loss rates are multiplied by the financial statements could reflect different estimates, assumptions, and judgements.

outstanding principal balance of each loan to calculate a required reserve.

The procedures for assessingprocess of determining the adequacylevel of the allowance for credit losses requires a high degree of judgment. To the extent actual outcomes differ from our estimates, additional provision for loan and lease losses reflect our evaluations of credit risk after careful consideration of all information availablemay be required that would reduce future earnings. Refer to management. In developing this assessment, management must rely on estimates and exercise judgement regarding matters where the ultimate outcome is unknown such as economic factors, development affecting companies in specific industries and issues with respect to single borrowers. Depending on changes in circumstances, future assessments of credit risk may yield materially different results, which may require an increase or a decreaseNote 1 in the allowanceNotes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for loan losses.further information.

The allowance is regularly reviewed by management to determine whether the amount is considered adequate to absorb probable losses. This evaluation includes specific loss estimates on certain individually reviewed loans, statistical losses, estimates for loan pools that are based on historical loss experience, and general loss estimates that are based on the size, quality and concentration characteristics of the various loan portfolios, adverse situations that may affect a borrower’s ability to repay, and current economic and industry conditions. Also considered as part of that judgement is a review of the Bank’s trends in delinquencies and loan losses, and economic factors.

The allowance for loan losses is maintained at a level believed adequate by management to absorb probable losses inherent in the loan portfolio. Management’s evaluation of the adequacy of the allowance is an estimate based on management’s current judgement about the credit quality of the loan portfolio. While the Company strives to reflect all known risk factors in its evaluation, judgement errors may occur.

Item 7A

Item 7AQuantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

ReferSmaller Reporting Companies are not required to Page 16-17 “Asset/Liability Management and Sensitivity to Market Risks” of the 2017 Annual Report to Shareholders filed herewith as Exhibit 13, which section is incorporated herein by referenceprovide this disclosure.

Item 8

Item 8Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Refer to the Report of the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and the related audited financial statements and notes thereto contained in the 20172023 Annual Report To Shareholders filed herewith as Exhibit 13, which items are incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9

Item 9Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants

Not applicable.The Corporation filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC on September 30, 2022 to report the dismissal of FORVIS, which filing included as an Exhibit item the letter from FORVIS required by Item 304(a)(3).

On September 29, 2022 the Corporation’s Audit Committee also approved the appointment of S.R. Snodgrass, P.C. (“Snodgrass”) as the Corporation’s new independent registered public accounting firm to perform independent audit services for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020 and through September 29, 2022, neither the Corporation, nor anyone acting on its behalf, consulted Snodgrass regarding either (i) the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered with respect to the consolidated financial statements of the Corporation, and no written report or oral advice was provided to the Corporation by Snodgrass that was an important factor considered by the Corporation in reaching a decision as to any accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue; or (ii) any matter that was the subject of a “disagreement” (within the meaning of Item 304(a)(1)(iv) of Regulation S-K and the related instructions) or a “reportable event” (as described in Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K).

Item 9A

Item 9AControls and Procedures

The Company, under the supervision, and with the participation, of its management and its outsourced internal audit firm Greenestock Consulting LLC, including the Company'sCompany’s principal executive and principal financial officers, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company'sCompany’s disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2017,2023, pursuant to the requirements of Exchange Act Rule 13a-15. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company'sCompany’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2017,2023, in timely alerting them to material information relating to the Company (including its consolidated subsidiaries) required to be included in the Company'sCompany’s periodic SEC filings.

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for the Company. Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our principal executive and principal financial officers, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework inInternal Control – Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, as required by paragraph (c) of Exchange Act Rule13a-15. Based on the evaluation underInternal Control – Integrated Framework, management concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31,2017.31, 2023. This annual report does not include an attestation report of the Company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm.

There was no change in the Company'sCompany’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the Company'sCompany’s fiscal quarter ended December 31, 20172023 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company'sCompany’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B

Item 9BOther Information

None.

PART III

Item 10

Item 10Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant

Information concerning executive officers of the Company is set forth in Part I, “Supplemental Item – Executive“Executive Officers of Registrant.” Other information responding to this Item 10 is included in the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 20182024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and is incorporated by reference under the captions “Proposal 1 – Election of Directors,” “Corporate Governance and Committees of the Board” and “Section“Delinquent Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance”. Information concerning the designation of the Audit Committee and the Audit Committee Financial Expert is included in the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders under the caption “Corporate Governance and Committees of the Board – Audit Committee”, and is incorporated herein by reference.

Reports.”

The Company'sCompany’s Board of Directors has adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to its Principal Executive, Principal Financial, and Principal Accounting Officers. A copy of the Company'sCompany’s Code of Ethics is posted and can be viewed on the Company'sCompany’s internet web site athttp://www.unitedbancorp.com.www.unitedbancorp.com. In the event the Company amends or waives any provision of its Code of Ethics which applies to its Principal Executive, Principal Financial, or Principal Accounting Officers, and which relates to any element of the code of ethics definition set forth in Item 406(b) of Regulation S-K, the Company shall post a description of the nature of such amendment or waiver on its internet web site. With respect to a waiver of any relevant provision of the code of ethics, the Company shall also post the name of the person to whom the waiver was granted and the date of the waiver grant.

Item 11

Item 11Executive Compensation

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference from the section of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 20182024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders captioned “Executive Compensation and Other Information”. During 2023, the Compensation Committee authorized the accelerated vesting of 12,500 shares of restricted stock for Mr. Everson and 10,000 shares of restricted stock for each of Messrs. Greenwood and Branstetter. These awards were originally scheduled to vest in 2030.

Item 12

Item 12Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stock Holder Matters

The information contained in the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 20182024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders under the caption “Ownership of Voting Shares” is incorporated herein by reference.

The following table is a disclosure of securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans:

Equity Compensation Plan Information December 31, 2017
  Number of securities to be
issued upon exercise of
outstanding options, warrants
and rights
  Weighted-average exercise
price of outstanding options,
warrants and rights
  Number of securities remaining
available for future issuance
under equity compensation
plans (excluding securities
reflected in column (a))
 
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders  175,000  $8.95   255,000 
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders            
             
Total  175,000  $8.95   255,000 

Equity Compensation Plan Information December 31, 2023

Number of securities remaining

Number of securities to be

available for future issuance

issued upon exercise of

Weighted-average exercise

under equity compensation

outstanding options, warrants

price of outstanding options,

plans (excluding securities

    

and rights

    

warrants and rights

    

reflected in column (a))

Equity compensation plans approved by security holders

 

217,500

(1)  

$

 

337,500

Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders

 

 

  

 

Total

 

217,500

$

 

337,500

(1) Represents shares of restricted stock awarded under the 2008 and 2018 Stock Incentive Plans.

Item 13

Item 13Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the sections in the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 20182024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders captioned “Director Independence and Related Party Transactions.Transactions “ and ” Corporate Governance and Committees of the Board.

Item 14

Item 14Principal Accountant Fees and Services

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference from the section under the caption “Principal Accounting Firm Fees” of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 20182024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

PART IV

Item 15Item 15Exhibits and Financial Statement/Schedules

Financial Statements

The following Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, together with the report of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 74), appear on pages 25 through 85 of the United Bancorp, Inc. 20172023 Annual Report and are incorporated herein by reference.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

December 31, 20172023 and 2016

2022

Consolidated Statements of Income

Years Ended December 31, 20172023 and 2016

2022

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

Years Ended December 31, 20172023 and 2016

2022

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity

Years Ended December 31, 20172023 and 2016

2022

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Years Ended December 31, 20172023 and 2016

2022

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 20172023 and 2016

2022

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 74)

Exhibits

Exhibit Number
Exhibit Description

Exhibit Number

Exhibit Description

3.1

3.1

Amended Articles of Incorporation (1)

3.2

Amended and Restated Code of Regulations (2)

4.0

4.1

Instruments Defining the Rights

Description of Security Holders (See Exhibits3.1Registrant’s Common Stock(4) and3.2)

10.1

4.2

Forms of 6.00% Fixed to Floating Rate Subordinated Note due May 15, 2029 (11)

10.1

Randall M. Greenwood Change in Control agreement (3)

10.2

Scott A. Everson Change in Control Agreement (3)

10.3

Matthew F. Branstetter Change in Control Agreement (10)(3)

10.4

United Bancorp, Inc. Stock Option Plan (4)

10.5United Bancorp, Inc. and Subsidiaries Director Supplemental Life Insurance Plan, covering Messrs. Glessner, Hoopingarner, Jones, McGehee, and Riesbeck. (5)

10.6

10.5

United Bancorp, Inc. and Subsidiaries Senior Executive Supplemental Life Insurance Plan, covering, Scott A. Everson, Matthew Branstetter and Randall M. Greenwood. (11)(3)

10.7

10.6

Amended and Restated United Bancorp, Inc. and United Bancorp, Inc. Affiliate Banks Directors and Officers Deferred Compensation Plan. (9)

10.8

10.7

Amended and Restated Trust Agreement among United Bancorp, Inc. as Depository, Wilmington Trust Company, as Property Trustee, Wilmington Trust Company, as Delaware Trustee, and Administrative Trustees, dated as of November 17, 2005. (6)

10.8

 

10.9

Junior Subordinated Indenture between United Bancorp, Inc. and Wilmington Trust Company, as Trustee, dated as of November 17, 2005. (6)

10.10

10.9

Guaranty Agreement between United Bancorp, Inc., as Guarantor, and Wilmington Trust Company, as Guarantee Trustee, dated as of November 17, 2005. (6)

10.11

10.10

United Bancorp, Inc. 2008 Stock Incentive Plan (8)

13

10.11

2016United Bancorp, Inc. 2018 Stock Incentive Plan (10)

10.12

Form of Subordinated Note Purchase Agreement, dated May 14, 2019, by and among United Bancorp, Inc. and the Purchasers (12)

13

2023 Annual Report

21

Subsidiaries of the Registrant (5)

23

Consent of BKD, LLPIndependent Registered Public Accounting Firms

31.1

Rule 13a-14(a) Certification – CEO

31.2

Rule 13a-14(a) Certification – CFO

32.1

Section 1350 Certification – CEO

32.2

Section 1350 Certification – CFO

97

Clawback Policy

101

101

The following materials from United Bancorp, Inc. on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017,2023, formatted in XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language): (i) the Consolidated Balance Sheets; (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income; (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and (iv) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks of text.

(1)

104

Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)

(1)    Incorporated by reference to Appendix B to the registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 14, 2001.

(2)

(2)    Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 18, 2016.2016

(3)

(3)    Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 27, 2003.

(4)

(4)    Incorporated by reference to Exhibit A4 to the registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 11, 1996.20, 2020.

(5)

(5)    Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 29, 2004.

(6)

(6)    Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchanges Commission on March 30, 2006.

(7)

(7)    Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 24, 2008.

(8)

(8)    Incorporated by reference to the registrant’s 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 22, 2008.

(9)

(9)    Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 to the registrant’sregistant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 19, 2014 .

(10)

(10)  Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the registant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 14, 2018

(11)  Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 14, 2019.

(12)  Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 19, 2014. 

(11)Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.9 to the registrant’s 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 29, 2004.14, 2019.

United Bancorp Inc.

Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

(Registrant) United Bancorp, Inc.

By:

By:

/s/Scott A. Everson

March 20, 20182024

Scott A. Everson, President & Chief Executive Officer

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

By:

By:

/s/Scott A. Everson

March 20, 20182024

Scott A. Everson, Director, President & Chief Executive Officer

By:

/s/Randall M. Greenwood

March 20, 20182024

Randall M. Greenwood, Senior Vice President & CFO

By:

/s/Gary W. Glessner

March 20, 20182024

Gary W. Glessner, Director

By:

/s/John M. Hoopingarner

March 20, 20182024

John M. Hoopingarner, Director

By:

/s/Richard L. Riesbeck

March 20, 20182024

Richard L. Riesbeck, Director

By:

/s/ Bethany E. Schunn

March 20, 2024

Bethany E. Schunn, Director

By:

/s/ Brian M. Hendershot

March 20, 2024

Brian M. Hendershot, Director

Exhibit NumberExhibit Description
132017 Annual Report
23Consent of BKD, LLP
31.1Rule 13a-14(a) Certification – CEO
31.2Rule 13a-14(a) Certification – CFO
32.1Section 1350 Certification – CEO
32.2Section 1350 Certification – CFO
101The following materials from United Bancorp, Inc. on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, formatted in XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language): (i) the Consolidated Balance Sheets; (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income; (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and (iv) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks of text.