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CFNL > SEC Filings for CFNL > Form 10-Q on 11-May-2009All Recent SEC Filings

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Form 10-Q for CARDINAL FINANCIAL CORP


11-May-2009

Quarterly Report


Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following presents management's discussion and analysis of our consolidated financial condition at March 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008 and the unaudited results of our operations for the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our unaudited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report and the audited consolidated financial statements and the notes to consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Caution About Forward-Looking Statements

We make certain forward-looking statements in this Form 10-Q that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding our profitability, liquidity, allowance for loan losses, interest rate sensitivity, market risk, growth strategy, and financial and other goals. The words "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "should," "projects," "contemplates," "anticipates," "forecasts," "intends," or other similar words or terms are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements are subject to significant uncertainties because they are based upon or are affected by factors including:

† the ability to successfully manage our growth or implement our growth strategies if we are unable to identify attractive markets, locations or opportunities to expand in the future;
† changes in interest rates and the successful management of interest rate risk;
† risks inherent in making loans such as repayment risks and fluctuating collateral values;
† changes in market conditions, specifically declines in the residential real estate market, volatility and disruption of the capital and credit markets, soundness of other financial institutions we do business with;
† there is no assurance that recently enacted legislation, in particular the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will stabilize the U.S. financial system and there is uncertainty in the implementation of this legislation by federal regulators;
† sudden declines, significant volatility in market prices and market illiquidity may cause us to record an other-than-temporary impairment, specifically in our pooled trust preferred securities portfolio;
† exposure to repurchase loans sold to investors for which borrowers failed to provide full and accurate information on or related to their loan application or for which appraisals have not been acceptable or when the loan was not underwritten in accordance with the loan program specified by the loan investor;
† maintaining cost controls and asset quality as we open or acquire new branches;
† maintaining capital levels adequate to support our growth;
† reliance on our management team, including our ability to attract and retain key personnel;


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† competition with other banks and financial institutions, and companies outside of the banking industry, including those companies that have substantially greater access to capital and other resources;
† changes in general economic and business conditions in our market area including the local and national economy;
† changes in operations of George Mason Mortgage, LLC as a result of the activity in the residential real estate market and any associated impact on the fair value of goodwill in the future;
† risks and uncertainties related to future trust operations;
† changes in the operations of Wilson/Bennett Capital Management, Inc., its customer base and assets under management and any associated impact on the fair value of goodwill in the future;
† demand, development and acceptance of new products and services;
† problems with technology utilized by us;
† changing trends in customer profiles and behavior; and
† changes in banking and other laws and regulations applicable to us.

Because of these uncertainties, our actual future results may be materially different from the results indicated by these forward-looking statements. In addition, our past results of operations do not necessarily indicate our future results.

In addition, this section should be read in conjunction with the description of our "Risk Factors" in Part II, Item 1A of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Overview

We are a locally managed financial holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, committed to providing superior customer service, a diversified mix of financial products and services, and convenient banking to our retail and business customers. We own Cardinal Bank (the "Bank"), a Virginia state-chartered community bank, Cardinal Wealth Services, Inc. ("CWS"), an investment services subsidiary, and Wilson/Bennett Capital Management, Inc. ("Wilson/Bennett"), an asset management firm. Through these three subsidiaries and George Mason Mortgage, LLC ("George Mason"), a mortgage banking subsidiary of the Bank, we offer a wide range of traditional banking products and services to both our commercial and retail customers. In January 2009, the Bank opened a second mortgage subsidiary, Cardinal First Mortgage, LLC ("Cardinal First"). Cardinal First originates mortgage loans for new homes and refinancing in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. principally for existing Cardinal Bank customers. Our commercial relationship managers focus on attracting small and medium-sized businesses as well as government contractors, commercial real estate developers and builders and professionals, such as physicians, accountants and attorneys. We have 25 branch office locations and six mortgage banking office locations and provide competitive products and services. We complement our core banking operations by offering a full range of investment products and services to our customers through our third-party brokerage relationship with Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., asset management services through Wilson/Bennett and services through our trust division which include trust, estates, custody, investment management, escrows, and retirement plans. The trust division is included, along with CWS and Wilson/Bennett, in the wealth management and trust services segment.

Net interest income is our primary source of revenue. We define revenue as net interest income plus noninterest income. As discussed further in the interest rate sensitivity section, we manage our balance sheet and interest rate risk exposure to maximize, and concurrently stabilize,


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net interest income. We do this by monitoring our liquidity position and the spread between the interest rates earned on interest-earning assets and the interest rates paid on interest-bearing liabilities. We attempt to minimize our exposure to interest rate risk, but are unable to eliminate it entirely. In addition to management of interest rate risk, we analyze our loan portfolio for exposure to credit risk. Loan defaults and foreclosures are inherent risks in the banking industry, and we attempt to limit our exposure to these risks by carefully underwriting and then monitoring our extensions of credit. In addition to net interest income, noninterest income is an important source of revenue for us and includes, among other things, service charges on deposits and loans, investment fee income, which includes trust revenues, gains and losses on sales of investment securities available-for-sale, gains on sales of mortgage loans, and management fee income.

Critical Accounting Policies

General

U. S. generally accepted accounting principles are complex and require management to apply significant judgment to various accounting, reporting, and disclosure matters. Management must use assumptions, judgments and estimates when applying these principles where precise measurements are not possible or practical. These policies are critical because they are highly dependent upon subjective or complex judgments, assumptions and estimates. Changes in such judgments, assumptions and estimates may have a significant impact on the consolidated financial statements. Actual results, in fact, could differ from initial estimates.

The accounting policies we view as critical are those relating to judgments, assumptions and estimates regarding the determination of the allowance for loan losses, accounting for economic hedging activities, accounting for impairment testing of goodwill, accounting for the impairment of amortizing intangible assets and other long-lived assets, and the valuation of deferred tax assets, and the fair value measurements of certain assets and liabilities.

Allowance for Loan Losses

We maintain the allowance for loan losses at a level that represents management's best estimate of known and inherent losses in our loan portfolio. Both the amount of the provision expense and the level of the allowance for loan losses are impacted by many factors, including general and industry-specific economic conditions, actual and expected credit losses, historical trends and specific conditions of individual borrowers. Unusual and infrequently occurring events, such as weather-related disasters, may impact our assessment of possible credit losses. As a part of our analysis, we use comparative peer group data and qualitative factors such as levels of and trends in delinquencies and nonaccrual loans, national and local economic trends and conditions and concentrations of loans exhibiting similar risk profiles to support our estimates.

For purposes of our analysis, we categorize our loans into one of five categories: commercial and industrial, commercial real estate (including construction), home equity lines of credit, residential mortgages, and consumer loans. In the absence of meaningful historical loss factors, peer group loss factors are applied and are adjusted by the qualitative factors mentioned above. The indicated loss factors resulting from this analysis are applied for each of the five categories of loans. In addition, we individually assign loss factors to all loans that have been identified as having loss attributes, as indicated by deterioration in the financial condition of the borrower or a decline in underlying collateral value if the loan is collateral dependent. Since we have limited historical data on which to base loss factors for classified loans, we typically apply, in accordance with regulatory guidelines, a 5% loss factor to loans classified as special mention, a


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15% loss factor to loans classified as substandard and a 50% loss factor to loans classified as doubtful. Loans classified as loss loans are fully reserved or charged off. In certain instances, we evaluate the impairment of certain loans on a loan by loan basis. For these loans, we analyze the fair value of the collateral underlying the loan and consider estimated costs to sell the collateral on a discounted basis. If the net collateral value is less than the loan balance (including accrued interest and any unamortized premium or discount associated with the loan) we recognize an impairment and establish a specific reserve for the impaired loan.

Credit losses are an inherent part of our business and, although we believe the methodologies for determining the allowance for loan losses and the current level of the allowance are adequate, it is possible that there may be unidentified losses in the portfolio at any particular time that may become evident at a future date pursuant to additional internal analysis or regulatory comment. Additional provisions for such losses, if necessary, would be recorded in the commercial banking or mortgage banking segments, as appropriate, and would negatively impact earnings.

Accounting for Economic Hedging Activities

We account for our derivatives and hedging activities in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards ("SFAS") No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Certain Hedging Activities, as amended, which requires that all derivative instruments be recorded on the statement of condition at their fair values. We do not enter into derivative transactions for speculative purposes. For derivatives designated as hedges, we contemporaneously document the hedging relationship, including the risk management objective and strategy for undertaking the hedge, how effectiveness will be assessed at inception and at each reporting period and the method for measuring ineffectiveness. We evaluate the effectiveness of these transactions at inception and on an ongoing basis. Ineffectiveness is recorded through earnings. For derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, the fair value adjustment is recorded as a component of other comprehensive income, except for the ineffective portion which is recorded in earnings. For derivatives designated as fair value hedges, the fair value adjustments for both the hedged item and the hedging instrument are recorded through the income statement with any difference considered the ineffective portion of the hedge.

We discontinue hedge accounting prospectively when it is determined that the derivative is no longer highly effective. In situations in which cash flow hedge accounting is discontinued, we continue to carry the derivative at its fair value on the statement of condition and recognize any subsequent changes in fair value in earnings over the term of the forecasted transaction. When hedge accounting is discontinued because it is probable that a forecasted transaction will not occur, we recognize immediately in earnings any gains and losses that were accumulated in other comprehensive income.

In the normal course of business, we enter into contractual commitments, including rate lock commitments, to finance residential mortgage loans. These commitments, which contain fixed expiration dates, offer the borrower an interest rate guarantee provided the loan meets underwriting guidelines and closes within the time frame established by us. Interest rate risk arises on these commitments and subsequently closed loans if interest rates change between the time of the interest rate lock and the delivery of the loan to the investor. Loan commitments related to residential mortgage loans intended to be sold are considered derivatives and are marked to market through earnings.


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To mitigate the effect of the interest rate risk inherent in providing rate lock commitments, we economically hedge our commitments by entering into best efforts delivery forward loan sales contracts. During the rate lock commitment period, these forward loan sales contracts are marked to market through earnings and are not designated as accounting hedges under SFAS No. 133, as amended. The fair values of loan commitments and the fair values of forward loan sales contracts generally move in opposite directions, and the net impact of changes of these valuations on net income during the loan commitment period is generally inconsequential. At the closing of the loan, the loan commitment derivative expires and we record a loan held for sale and continue to be obligated under the same forward loan sales contract. The forward sales contract is then designated as a hedge against the variability in cash to be received from the loan sale. Loans held for sale are accounted for at the lower of cost or fair value in accordance with SFAS No. 65, Accounting for Certain Mortgage Banking Activities.

Accounting for Impairment Testing of Goodwill

Goodwill and other intangible assets are accounted for in accordance with SFAS No. 142, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets. In accordance with this statement, goodwill will not be amortized but will be tested on at least an annual basis for impairment.

To test goodwill for impairment, we perform an analysis to compare the fair value of the reporting unit to which the goodwill is assigned to the carrying value of the reporting unit. We make estimates of the discounted cash flows from the expected future operations of the reporting unit. If the analysis indicates that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we do an analysis to compare the implied fair value of the reporting unit's goodwill with the carrying amount of that goodwill. The implied fair value of the goodwill is determined by allocating the fair value of the reporting unit to all its assets and liabilities. If the implied fair value of the goodwill is less than the carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized.

Accounting for the Impairment of Amortizing Intangible Assets and Other Long-Lived Assets

In accordance with SFAS No. 144, Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, we continually review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the remaining estimated useful life of such assets might warrant revision or that the balances may not be recoverable. We evaluate possible impairment by comparing estimated future cash flows, before interest expense and on an undiscounted basis, with the net book value of long-term assets, including amortizable intangible assets. If undiscounted cash flows are insufficient to recover assets, further analysis is performed in order to determine the amount of the impairment.

An impairment loss is then recorded for the excess of the carrying amount of the assets over their fair values. Fair value is usually determined based on the present value of estimated expected future cash flows using a discount rate commensurate with the risks involved.

Valuation of Deferred Tax Assets

We record a provision for income tax expense based on the amounts of current taxes payable or refundable and the change in net deferred tax assets or liabilities during the year. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the tax effects of differing carrying values of assets and liabilities for tax and financial statement purposes that will reverse in future periods. When substantial uncertainty exists concerning the recoverability of a deferred tax asset, the carrying value of the asset is reduced by a valuation allowance. The amount of any valuation


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allowance established is based upon an estimate of the deferred tax asset that is more likely than not to be recovered. Increases or decreases in the valuation allowance result in increases or decreases to the provision for income taxes.

Fair Value Measurements

We determine the fair values of financial instruments based on the fair value hierarchy established in SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements, which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. The standard describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value. We carry our investment securities available-for-sale portfolio, certain loans receivable, derivative assets and derivative liabilities at fair value. Our investment securities available-for-sale are recorded at fair value using reliable and unbiased evaluations by an industry-wide valuation service. This service uses evaluated pricing models that vary based on asset class and include available trade, bid, and other market information. Generally, the methodology includes broker quotes, proprietary models, vast descriptive terms and conditions databases, as well as extensive quality control programs. Our interest rate swap derivatives are recorded at fair value using observable inputs from a national valuation service. These inputs are applied to a third party industry-wide valuation model.

We also fair value our interest rate lock commitments, forwards loan sales and mortgage loans held for sale. The fair value of our interest rate lock commitments considers the expected premium (discount) to par and we apply certain fallout rates for those rate lock commitments for which we do not close a mortgage loan. In addition, we calculate the effects of the changes in interest rates from the date of the commitment through loan origination, and then period end, using applicable published mortgage-backed investment security prices. The fair value of the forward sales contracts to investors considers the market price movement of the same type of security between the trade date and the balance sheet date. At loan closing, the fair value of the interest rate lock commitment is included in the cost basis of loans held for sale, which are carried at the lower of cost or market value.

We have not designated any asset or liability to be measured at fair value under SFAS No. 159, The Fair Value Option for Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities - including an amendment for FAS 115. For additional information on the fair value of these assets, refer to Note 8 in our notes to the consolidated financial statements.

New Financial Accounting Standards

Effective January 1, 2009, we adopted SFAS No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities. SFAS No. 161 amends SFAS No. 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities,requires companies with derivative instruments to disclose information about how and why a company uses derivative instruments, how derivative instruments and related hedged items are accounted for under SFAS No. 133, and how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect a company's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. The required disclosures include the fair value of derivative instruments and their gains and losses in tabular format, information about credit-risk-related contingent features in derivative agreements, counterparty credit risk, and the Company's strategies and objectives for using derivative instruments. SFAS No. 161 is effective prospectively for periods beginning on or after November 15, 2008. The adoption provided for enhanced disclosure but otherwise did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial


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condition or results of operations. Information pertaining to our derivative instruments can be found in Note 8 to the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS 115-2 and FAS 124-2, Recognition and Presentation of Other-Than-Temporary Impairments (the "FSP"). This standard modified the indicator of other-than-temporary impairment for debt securities. In addition, it amended the amount of an other-than-temporary impairment that is recognized in earnings when there are credit losses on a debt security for which management does not intend to sell and for which it is more likely than not that the entity will not have to sell prior to recovery of the noncredit impairment. In those situations, the portion of the total impairment that is attributable to the credit loss would be recognized in earnings, and the remaining difference between the debt security's amortized cost basis and its fair value would be included in other comprehensive income. The FSP is effective for interim and annual periods ending after June 15, 2009, with early adoption permitted for periods ending after March 15, 2009. The adoption of this standard will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS 157-4, Determining When a Market for an Asset or a Liability is Active or Inactive and Determining When a Transaction is Distressed. This standard reaffirmed the exit price objective of fair value measurements and provides guidance on inactive markets and distressed transactions. This standard is to be applied prospectively and is effective for interim and annual periods ending June 15, 2009, with early adoption permitted for periods ending after March 15, 2009. The adoption of this standard will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

In April 2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS 107-1 and APB 28-1, Interim Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments. This statement amends FASB Statement No. 107, Disclosures about Fair Value of Financial Instruments, to require disclosures about fair value of financial instruments for interim reporting periods of publicly traded companies as well as in annual financial statements. This statement also amends APB Opinion No. 28, Interim Financial Reporting, to require those disclosures in summarized financial information at interim reporting periods. This standard is effective for interim reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009, with early adoption permitted for periods ending after March 15, 2009. The adoption of this standard will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

2009 Economic Environment

Our credit quality remains strong despite the challenges we face during the current economic environment. At March 31, 2009, we have non-accrual loans totaling $5.6 million and loans contractually past due 90 days or more as to principal or interest of $386,000. Net charge-offs were 0.15% of our average loans receivable for the quarter ended March 31, 2009. Our mortgage banking segment has profited from the recent actions taken by the Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates which has spurred an increase in mortgage activity as homeowners have reacted by applying to refinance their current mortgages and other consumers have seen an opportunity to purchase housing as it has become more affordable. Net income from our mortgage banking segment increased over 140% to $1.3 million for the first quarter of 2009 as compared to the same period of 2008.

The market dislocations that have been experienced in the financial markets over the past year continue to impact our results. Market illiquidity continues to impact certain portions of our investment securities portfolio, specifically the ratings of certain monoline insurance providers, which has affected the pricing of certain municipal securities in our portfolio. In addition, we


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hold an investment of $8.0 million in par value of pooled trust preferred securities, which are significantly below book value as of March 31, 2009 due to the lack of liquidity in the market.

The recessionary conditions together with deterioration in the overall economy may continue to affect these and other markets in which we do business and could adversely impact our results in 2009. The degree of the impact is dependent upon the duration and severity of the aforementioned conditions.

While our loan growth was strong during the first quarter of 2009, continued negative economic conditions are likely to adversely affect our loan portfolio, including causing increases in delinquencies and default rates, which we expect could impact our charge-offs and provision for loan losses. Continued deterioration in real estate values and household incomes could result in higher credit losses for us. Also, in the ordinary course of business, we may also be subject to a concentration of credit risk to a particular industry, counterparty, borrower or issuer. A deterioration in the financial condition or prospects of a particular industry or a failure or downgrade of, or default by, . . .

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