NBT Bancorp Inc. (the Registrant) is a registered financial holding company incorporated in the state of Delaware in 1986, with its principal headquarters located in Norwich, New York. The Company is the parent holding company of NBT Bank, N.A. (the Bank), NBT Financial Services, Inc. (NBT Financial), Hathaway Agency, Inc., CNBF Capital Trust I, NBT Statutory Trust I and NBT Statutory Trust II.  Through these subsidiaries, the Company operates as one segment focused on community banking operations. The Company’s primary business consists of providing commercial banking and financial services to its customers in its market area. The principal assets of the Company are all of the outstanding shares of common stock of its direct subsidiaries, and its principal sources of revenue are the management fees and dividends it receives from the Bank and NBT Financial.

The Bank is a full service commercial bank formed in 1856, which provides a broad range of financial products to individuals, corporations and municipalities throughout the central and upstate New York and northeastern Pennsylvania market area.

The accompanying unaudited interim consolidated financial statements include the accounts of NBT Bancorp Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, NBT Bank, N.A., NBT Financial Services, Inc., and Hathaway Agency, Inc., CNBF Capital Trust I, NBT Statutory Trust I and NBT Statutory Trust II.  Collectively, the Registrant and its subsidiaries are referred to herein as “the Company.”  All intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Amounts in the prior period financial statements are reclassified whenever necessary to conform to current period presentation.

Preparing financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period, as well as the disclosures provided. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates associated with the allowance for loan losses, pension expense, fair values of financial instruments and status of contingencies are particularly susceptible to material change in the near term.

The allowance for loan and lease losses is the amount which, in the opinion of management, is necessary to absorb probable losses inherent in the loan and lease portfolio. The allowance is determined based upon numerous considerations, including local economic conditions, the growth and composition of the loan portfolio with respect to the mix between the various types of loans and their related risk characteristics, a review of the value of collateral supporting the loans, comprehensive reviews of the loan portfolio by the independent loan review staff and management, as well as consideration of volume and trends of delinquencies, nonperforming loans, and loan charge-offs. As a result of the test of adequacy, required additions to the allowance for loan and lease losses are made periodically by charges to the provision for loan and lease losses.

The allowance for loan and lease losses related to impaired loans is based on discounted cash flows using the loan’s initial effective interest rate or the fair value of the collateral for certain loans where repayment of the loan is expected to be provided solely by the underlying collateral (collateral dependent loans). The Company’s impaired loans are generally collateral dependent. The Company considers the estimated cost to sell, on a discounted basis, when determining the fair value of collateral in the measurement of impairment if those costs are expected to reduce the cash flows available to repay or otherwise satisfy the loans.

Management believes that the allowance for loan and lease losses is adequate. While management uses available information to recognize loan and lease losses, future additions to the allowance for loan and lease losses may be necessary based on changes in economic conditions or changes in the values of properties securing loans in the process of foreclosure. In addition, various regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the Company’s allowance for loan and lease losses. Such agencies may require the Company to recognize additions to the allowance for loan and lease losses based on their judgments about information available to them at the time of their examination which may not be currently available to management.

Other real estate owned (“OREO”) consists of properties acquired through foreclosure or by acceptance of a deed in lieu of foreclosure. These assets are recorded at the lower of fair value of the asset acquired less estimated costs to sell or “cost” (defined as the fair value at initial foreclosure). At the time of foreclosure, or when foreclosure occurs in-substance, the excess, if any, of the loan over the fair value of the assets received, less estimated selling costs, is charged to the allowance for loan and lease losses and any subsequent valuation write-downs are charged to other expense. Operating costs associated with the properties are charged to expense as incurred. Gains on the sale of OREO are included in income when title has passed and the sale has met the minimum down payment requirements prescribed by GAAP.

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. The Company files consolidated tax returns on the accrual basis. Deferred income taxes are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income or the existence of sufficient taxable income within the available carryback period. A valuation allowance is provided when it is more likely than not that some portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. Based on available evidence, gross deferred tax assets will ultimately be realized and a valuation allowance was not deemed necessary at September 30,March 31, 2008 and 2007, and 2006, or December 31, 2006.2007. The effect on deferred taxes of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

The Company is a party to financial instruments in the normal course of business to meet financing needs of its customers and to reduce its own exposure to fluctuating interest rates. These financial instruments include commitments to extend credit, unused lines of credit, and standby letters of credit. Exposure to credit loss in the event of nonperformance by the other party to the financial instrument for commitments to make loans and standby letters of credit is represented by the contractual amount of those instruments. The Company uses the same credit policy to make such commitments as it uses for on-balance-sheet items. Commitments to extend credit and unused lines of credit totaled $667.3$666.5 million at September 30, 2007March 31, 2008 and $536.3$654.0 million at December 31, 2006.2007.  Since commitments to extend credit and unused lines of credit may expire without being fully drawn upon, this amount does not necessarily represent future cash commitments. Collateral obtained upon exercise of the commitment is determined using management’s credit evaluation of the borrower and may include accounts receivable, inventory, property, land and other items.

The Company guarantees the obligations or performance of customers by issuing stand-by letters of credit to third parties. These stand-by letters of credit are frequently issued in support of third party debt, such as corporate debt issuances, industrial revenue bonds and municipal securities. The risk involved in issuing stand-by letters of credit is essentially the same as the credit risk involved in extending loan facilities to customers, and they are subject to the same credit origination, portfolio maintenance and management procedures in effect to monitor other credit and off-balance sheet products. Typically, these instruments have terms of five years or less and expire unused; therefore, the total amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements. Standby letters of credit totaled $47.4$26.5 million at September 30, 2007 and $30.8March 31, 2008, $27.5 million at December 31, 2006.2007, and $27.9 million at March 31, 2007. As of September 30, 2007,March 31, 2008, the fair value of standby letters of credit was not significant to the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Basic earnings per share excludes dilution and is computed by dividing income available to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock or resulted in the issuance of common stock that then shared in the earnings of the entity (such as the Company’s dilutive stock options).

The following is a reconciliation of basic and diluted earnings per share for the periods presented in the consolidated statements of income.