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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

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☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024

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☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission file number 0-50765

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VILLAGE BANK AND TRUST FINANCIAL CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 804-897-3900

Securities registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:

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Securities registered under Section 12(g) of the Exchange 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 ◻ No☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. Yes ◻ No☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act 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. Yes☒  No◻

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted 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 such files). Yes☒  No◻

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth 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.

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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. ◻

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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). ◻

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

Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the Registrant’s most recent completed second fiscal quarter was approximately $27,436,000.

The number of shares of common stock outstanding as of March 15, 2025 was 1,498,097.

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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

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Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp.

Form 10-K

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PART I

In addition to historical information, the following report contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp.’s actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s analysis only as of the date of the report. For discussion of factors that may cause our actual future results to differ materially from those anticipated, please see Item 7 – “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” herein.

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp. (“Company”) was incorporated in January 2003 and was organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia as a bank holding company. The Company has three wholly owned subsidiaries: Village Bank (the “Bank”), Southern Community Financial Capital Trust I, and Village Financial Statutory Trust II. The Bank has one active wholly owned subsidiary: Village Bank Mortgage Corporation (the “Mortgage Company”), a full service mortgage banking company. The Company is the holding company of and successor to the Bank. Effective April 30, 2004, the Company acquired all of the outstanding stock of the Bank in a statutory share exchange transaction. Unless the context suggest otherwise, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer collectively to the Company, the Bank, and the Mortgage Company.

The Bank is the primary operating business of the Company. The Bank offers a wide range of banking and related financial services, including checking, savings, certificates of deposit and other depository services, and commercial, real estate and consumer loans, primarily in the Richmond, Virginia and Williamsburg, Virginia metropolitan areas. The Bank was organized in 1999 as a Virginia chartered bank to engage in a general banking business to serve the communities in and around Richmond, Virginia and expanded its services to Williamsburg, Virginia in 2017. Deposits with the Bank are insured to the maximum amount provided by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). The Bank offers a comprehensive range of financial services and products and specializes in providing customized financial services to small and medium sized businesses, professionals, and individuals. The Bank provides its customers with personal customized service utilizing modern technology and delivery channels.

Bank revenues are derived from interest and fees received in connection with loans, deposits, and mortgage services. Administrative and operating expenses are the major expenses, followed by interest paid on deposits and borrowings. Revenues from the Mortgage Company consist primarily of gains from the sale of loans and loan origination fees and its major expenses consist of personnel, occupancy, data processing, and other operating expenses. In 2024, revenue (after intercompany eliminations) generated by the Bank totaled $43.1 million and the Mortgage Company generated $3.2 million in revenue.

Segment Reporting

The Company has two reportable segments: traditional commercial banking and mortgage banking. For more financial data and other information about each of the Company’s operating segments, refer to Note 19 “Segment Reporting” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Business Strategy

We have pursued strategies aimed at helping us achieve long-term total shareholder returns that rank in the top quartile of a nationwide peer group. To achieve this goal, we strived to deliver a top quartile return on equity, produce sustainable earnings growth, achieve best quartile earnings volatility in our industry and deliver best quartile asset quality in the worst part of the economic cycle. Our business strategies include the following:

Market Area

The Company, the Bank, and the Mortgage Company are headquartered in Chesterfield County and primarily serve the Central Virginia region and the Richmond and Williamsburg metropolitan statistical areas. We currently conduct business from nine full-service branch banking offices, and a mortgage loan production office in Central Virginia in the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, Powhatan, James City, and the city of Richmond.

Banking Services

Deposit Services. Deposits are a major source of our funding. The Bank offers a full range of deposit services that are typically available in most banks and other financial institutions including checking accounts, savings accounts and other time deposits of various types, ranging from daily money market accounts to longer term certificates of deposit and Individual Retirement Accounts. These deposit accounts are offered at rates competitive with other institutions in our market area. We service our deposit clients in our full-service branches, at drive-up windows, at our ATMs, through our customer care team and through technology such as online banking, mobile banking applications and remote deposit capture for business clients. We have not applied for permission to establish a trust department and offer trust services. The Bank is not a member of the Federal Reserve System. Deposits are insured under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act of 1950 (the “FDI Act”) to the limits provided thereunder.

Lending Services. We offer a full range of short-to-medium term commercial and personal loans. We also provide a wide range of real estate finance services. Our primary focus is on making loans in the Central Virginia and greater Williamsburg markets where we have branch banking offices. We offer residential construction-to-permanent financing to clients of the Mortgage Company.

We also purchase the guaranteed portion of United State Department of Agriculture Loans (“USDA”) which are guaranteed by the USDA for 100% of the principal and interest. The originating institution holds the unguaranteed portion of the loan and services the loan. These loans are typically purchased at a premium. In the event of a loan default or early prepayment the Bank may need to write off any unamortized premium.

Lending Limit. As of December 31, 2024, our legal lending limit for loans to one borrower was approximately $13,973,000.

Competition

We encounter strong competition from other local commercial banks, credit unions, mortgage banking firms, consumer finance companies, securities brokerage firms, insurance companies, money market mutual funds, financial technology companies, and other financial institutions. A number of these competitors are well-established. Competition for loans is keen, and pricing is important. Most of our competitors have substantially greater resources and higher lending limits than ours and offer certain services, such as extensive and established branch networks and trust services, which we do not provide at the present time. Deposit competition also is strong, and we may have to pay higher interest rates to attract deposits. Nationwide banking institutions and their branches have increased competition in our markets, and federal legislation adopted in 1999 allows non-banking companies, such as insurance and investment firms, to establish or acquire banks. We believe that the Company can capitalize on recent merger activity to attract customers from the acquired institutions.

At June 30, 2024, the latest date such information is available from the FDIC, the Bank’s deposit market share in Chesterfield County was 4.36%, 4.99% in Hanover County, 11.88% in Powhatan County, 1.12% in the Richmond metropolitan statistical area, 0.99% in Henrico County and 0.63% in James City County.

Supervision and Regulation

We are subject to extensive regulation by certain federal and state agencies and receive periodic examinations by those regulatory authorities. As a consequence, our business is affected by state and federal legislation and regulations.

The discussion below is only a summary of the principal laws and regulations that comprise the regulatory framework applicable to us. The descriptions of these laws and regulations, as well as descriptions of laws and regulations contained elsewhere herein, do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to applicable laws and regulations.

General. The Company is qualified as a bank holding company within the meaning of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the "BHC Act"), and is registered as such with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the "Federal Reserve"). As a bank holding company, the Company is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Federal Reserve and is required to file various reports and additional information with the Federal Reserve. The Company is also registered under the bank holding company laws of Virginia and is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Bureau of Financial Institutions of the Virginia State Corporation Commission (the "BFI"). The Bank is a Virginia chartered bank and is not a member of the Federal Reserve System. The Bank is subject to regulation, supervision and examination by the FDIC and the BFI.

The Dodd-Frank Act.  The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) was signed into law on July 21, 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act significantly restructured the financial regulatory regime in the United States and has had a broad impact on the financial services industry as a result of the significant regulatory and compliance changes required under the act.

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The Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act of 2018 (the “EGRRCPA”), which became effective May 24, 2018, amended the Dodd-Frank Act to provide regulatory relief for certain smaller and regional financial institutions, such as the Company and the Bank. The EGRRCPA, among other things, provides financial institutions with less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets with relief from certain capital requirements and exempts banks with less than $250 billion in total consolidated assets from the enhanced prudential standards and the company-run and supervisory stress tests required under the Dodd-Frank Act.

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The Dodd-Frank Act has had, and may in the future have, a material impact on the Company’s operations, particularly through increased compliance costs resulting from new and possible future consumer and fair lending regulations. The future changes resulting from the Dodd-Frank Act may affect the profitability of business activities, require changes to certain business practices, impose more stringent regulatory requirements, or otherwise adversely affect the business and financial condition of the Company and the Bank. These changes may also require the Company to invest significant management attention and resources to evaluate and make necessary changes to comply with new statutory and regulatory requirements.

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Reporting Obligations Under Securities Laws. The Company is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), including the requirement to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) annual, quarterly and other reports on the financial condition and performance of the organization. The Company’s common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market and, as a result, the Company is subject to the rules and listing standards adopted by The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”). The Company is also affected by the corporate responsibility and accounting reform legislation signed into law on July 30, 2002, known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “SOX Act”), and the related rules and regulations. The SOX Act includes provisions that, among other things, require that periodic reports containing financial statements that are filed with the SEC be accompanied by chief executive officer and chief financial officer certifications as to the accuracy and compliance with law, additional disclosure requirements and corporate governance and other related rules. The Company has expended considerable time and money in complying with the rules and regulations of the SEC and Nasdaq, and with the SOX Act, and expects to continue to incur additional expenses in the future.

Bank Holding Company Act. The Federal Reserve has jurisdiction under the BHC Act to approve any bank or non-bank acquisition, merger or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. The BHC Act, and other applicable laws and regulations, generally limit the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity that is so closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto.

In determining whether a particular activity is permissible, the Federal Reserve must consider whether the performance of such an activity reasonably can be expected to produce benefits to the public that outweigh possible adverse effects. Despite prior approval, the Federal Reserve may order a bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve has reasonable cause to believe that a serious risk to the financial safety, soundness or stability of any bank subsidiary of that bank holding company may result from such an activity.

Support of Subsidiary Institutions. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, and previously under Federal Reserve policy, the Company is required to act as a source of financial strength for the Bank and to commit resources to support the Bank. This support can be required at times when it would not be in the best interest of the Company’s shareholders or creditors to provide it. In the event of the Company’s bankruptcy, any commitment by us to a federal bank regulatory agency to maintain the capital of the Bank would be assumed by the bankruptcy trustee and entitled to a priority of payment. The Company has periodically raised capital and contributed it to the Bank to support the Bank’s operations.

Privacy Legislation. Several laws, including the Right To Financial Privacy Act and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, provide protections against the transfer and use of customer information by financial institutions. Financial Institutions generally are prohibited from disclosing customer information to non-affiliated third parties, unless the customer has been given the opportunity to object and has not objected to such disclosure. Financial institutions must disclose their specific privacy policies to their customers annually and must conduct an internal risk assessment of their ability to protect customer information.

In October 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a final rule regarding personal financial data rights that is designed to promote “open banking.” The final rule requires, among other things, that data providers, including any financial institution, make available to consumers and certain authorized third parties, upon request, certain covered transaction, account, and payment information. On the same day the final rule was released, certain industry participants filed a complaint against the CFPB challenging the final rule. This legal challenge has since been paused to allow time for the CFPB to assess the rule and determine whether it aligns with the agency’s current policy objectives.

Mergers and Acquisitions. The Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act of 1994, as amended (the “Interstate Banking Act”), generally permits well capitalized and adequately managed bank holding companies to acquire banks in any state, and preempts all state laws restricting the ownership by a bank holding company of banks in more than one state. The Interstate Banking Act also permits a bank to merge with an out-of-state bank and convert any offices into branches of the resulting bank if both states have not opted out of interstate branching; and permits a bank to acquire branches from an out-of-state bank if the law of the state where the branches are located permits the interstate branch acquisition. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, a bank holding company or bank must be well capitalized and well managed to engage in an interstate acquisition. Bank holding companies and banks are required to obtain prior Federal Reserve approval to acquire more than 5% of a class of voting securities, or substantially all of the assets, of a bank holding company, bank or savings association. The Interstate Banking Act and the Dodd-Frank Act permit banks to establish and operate de novo interstate branches to the same extent a bank chartered by the host state may establish branches. Virginia law permits branching across state lines, provided there is reciprocity with the state in which the out-of-state bank is based.

Limits on the Payment of Dividends. The Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank and its other subsidiaries. Virtually all of the Company’s cash revenues will result from dividends paid to it by the Bank, which is subject to laws and regulations that limit the amount of dividends that it can pay. Under Virginia law, a bank may not declare a dividend in excess of its accumulated retained earnings without approval by the BFI. As of December 31, 2024, the Bank’s retained earnings were $17,283,000. In addition, the Bank may not declare or pay any dividend if, after making the dividend, the Bank would be "undercapitalized," as defined in FDIC regulations.

The FDIC and the state have the general authority to limit the dividends paid by insured banks if the payment is deemed an unsafe and unsound practice. Both the FDIC and the state have indicated that paying dividends that deplete a bank’s capital base to an inadequate level would be an unsound and unsafe banking practice.

In addition, the Company is subject to certain regulatory requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. These regulatory requirements regarding capital affect our dividend policies. Regulators have indicated that holding companies should generally pay dividends only if the organization’s net income available to common shareholders over the past year has been sufficient to fully fund the dividends, and the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, the Federal Reserve has issued guidelines that bank holding companies should inform and consult with the Federal Reserve 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.

Insurance of Accounts, Assessments and Regulation by the FDIC. Our deposits are insured by the FDIC up to the limits set forth under applicable law, currently $250,000. We are subject to the deposit insurance assessments of the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”). The deposit insurance assessment base is average total assets minus average tangible equity. The FDIC uses a “financial ratios method” based on CAMELS composite ratings to determine assessment rates for small established institutions with less than $10 billion of assets, such as the Bank. The CAMELS rating system is a supervisory rating system designed to take into account and reflect all financial and operational risks that a bank may face, including capital adequacy, asset quality, management capability, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity to market risk (“CAMELS”). CAMELS composite ratings set a maximum assessment for CAMELS 1 and 2 rated banks, and set minimum assessments for lower rated institutions.

The FDIC is authorized to prohibit any DIF-insured institution from engaging in any activity that the FDIC determines by regulation or order to pose a serious threat to the respective insurance fund. Also, the FDIC may initiate enforcement actions against banks, after first giving the institution’s primary regulatory authority an opportunity to take such action. The FDIC may terminate the deposit insurance of any depository institution if it 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 the FDIC. It also may suspend deposit insurance temporarily during the hearing process for the permanent termination of insurance if the institution has no tangible capital. If deposit insurance is terminated, the deposits at the institution at the time of termination, less subsequent withdrawals, shall continue to be insured for a period from six months to two years, as determined by the FDIC. We are aware of no existing circumstances that could result in termination of our deposit insurance.

Capital Adequacy. Both the Company and the Bank are required to comply with the capital adequacy standards established by the Federal Reserve, in the case of the Company, and the FDIC, in the case of the Bank. The Federal Reserve and the FDIC have adopted rules to implement the Basel III capital framework as outlined by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the “Basel Committee”) and certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act (the “Basel III Capital Rules”). The Basel III Capital Rules implement minimum capital ratios and establish risk weightings that are applied to many classes of assets held by community banks, including applying higher risk weightings to certain commercial real estate loans.

The Basel III Capital Rules require banks and bank holding companies to comply with the following minimum capital ratios: (1) a ratio of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%, plus a 2.5% “capital conservation buffer” (effectively resulting in a minimum ratio of common equity Tier 1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 7%); (2) a ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6.0%, plus the 2.5% capital conservation buffer (effectively resulting in a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 8.5%); (3) a ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%, plus the 2.5% capital conservation buffer (effectively resulting in a minimum total capital ratio of 10.5%); and (4) a leverage ratio of 4%, calculated as the ratio of Tier 1 capital to balance sheet exposures plus certain off-balance sheet exposures (computed as the average for each quarter of the month-end ratios for the quarter). The capital conservation buffer is designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress. Banking organizations with a ratio of common equity Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets above the minimum but below the minimum plus the conservation buffer face constraints on dividends, equity repurchases, and compensation based on the amount of the shortfall.

The Company meets the eligibility criteria of a small bank holding company in accordance with the Federal Reserve’s Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement (the “SBHC Policy Statement”). Under the SBHC Policy Statement, qualifying bank holding companies with total consolidated assets of less than $3 billion, such as the Company, have additional flexibility in the amount of debt they can issue and are also exempt from the Basel III Capital Rules. The SBHC Policy Statement does not apply to the Bank and the Bank must comply with the Basel III Capital Rules. The Bank must also comply with the capital requirements set forth in the “prompt corrective action” regulations pursuant to Section 38 of the FDI Act, as described below.

Prompt Corrective Action. Federal banking agencies have broad powers to take prompt corrective action to resolve problems of insured depository institutions. The extent of these powers depends upon whether the institution in question is “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized” or “critically undercapitalized.” These terms are defined under uniform regulations issued by each of the federal banking agencies regulating these institutions. An insured depository institution that is less than adequately capitalized must adopt an acceptable capital restoration plan, is subject to increased regulatory oversight and is increasingly restricted in the scope of its permissible activities.

To be well capitalized under these regulations, a bank must have the following minimum capital ratios: (1) a common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of at least 6.5%; (2) a Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio of at least 8.0%; (3) a total risk-based capital ratio of at least 10.0%; and (4) a leverage ratio of at least 5.0%. At December 31, 2024, the Bank’s common equity Tier 1 capital ratio was 13.82%, its Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio was 13.82%, its total risk-based capital ratio was 14.45% and its leverage ratio was 11.56%. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2024, the Bank met the minimum ratios to be classified as well capitalized. More information concerning our regulatory ratios at December 31, 2024 is included in Note 13 to the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

Restrictions on Transactions with Affiliates. Both the Company and the Bank are subject to the provisions of Section 23A of the Federal Reserve Act. Section 23A places limits on the amount of: (1) a bank’s loans or extensions of credit, including purchases of assets subject to an agreement to repurchase, to affiliates; (2) a bank’s investment in affiliates; (3) assets a

bank may purchase from affiliates, except for real and personal property exempted by the Federal Reserve; (4) the amount of loans or extensions of credit to third parties collateralized by the securities or debt obligations of affiliates; (5) transactions involving the borrowing or lending of securities and any derivative transaction that results in credit exposure to an affiliate; and (6) a bank’s guarantee, acceptance or letter of credit issued on behalf of an affiliate.

The total amount of the above transactions is limited in amount, as to any one affiliate, to 10% of a bank’s capital and surplus and, as to all affiliates combined, to 20% of a bank’s capital and surplus. In addition to the limitation on the amount of these transactions, each of the above transactions must also meet specified collateral requirements. The Bank must also comply with other provisions designed to avoid acquiring low-quality assets from its affiliates.

The Company and the Bank are also subject to the provisions of Section 23B of the Federal Reserve Act which, among other things, prohibits an institution from engaging in the above transactions with affiliates unless the transactions are on terms substantially the same, or at least as favorable to the institution or its subsidiaries, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with nonaffiliated companies.

The Bank is also subject to restrictions on extensions of credit to its executive officers, directors, principal shareholders and their related interests. These extensions of credit (1) must be made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with third parties, and (2) must not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features.

The Dodd-Frank Act also provides that an insured depository institution may not purchase an asset from, or sell an asset to a bank insider (or their related interests) unless (1) the transaction is conducted on market terms between the parties, and (2) if the proposed transaction represents more than 10% of the capital stock and surplus of the insured institution, it has been approved in advance by a majority of the institution’s non-interested directors.

Incentive Compensation Policies and Restrictions. In July 2010, the federal banking agencies issued guidance that applies to all banking organizations supervised by the agencies (thereby including both the Company and the Bank). Pursuant to the guidance, to be consistent with safety and soundness principles, a banking organization’s incentive compensation arrangements should: (1) provide employees with incentives that appropriately balance risk and reward; (2) be compatible with effective controls and risk management; and (3) be supported by strong corporate governance including active and effective oversight by the banking organization’s board of directors. Monitoring methods and processes used by a banking organization should be commensurate with the size and complexity of the organization and its use of incentive compensation. At December 31, 2024, we had not been made aware of any instances of non-compliance with this guidance. The Dodd-Frank Act requires the appropriate federal regulators to establish standards prohibiting as an unsafe and unsound practice any compensation plan of a bank holding company or bank that provides an insider or other employee with “excessive compensation” or that could lead to a material financial loss to such firm. These standards have not yet been established.

The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC, the exchange on which our common stock is listed, enacted a listing rule that became effective in 2023 requiring listed companies to adopt policies mandating the recovery or “clawback” of excess incentive compensation earned by a current or former executive officer during the three fiscal years preceding the date the listed company is required to prepare an accounting restatement, including to correct an error that would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period or left uncorrected in the current period. The Company has adopted a clawback policy compliant with such rule, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 97 to this Form 10-K.

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Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Regulations. The Company is subject to several federal laws that are designed to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and transactions with persons, companies or foreign governments designated by U.S. authorities (“AML laws”). This category of laws includes the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, and the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020.

The AML laws and their implementing regulations require insured depository institutions, broker-dealers, and certain other financial institutions to have policies, procedures, and controls to detect, prevent, and report money laundering and terrorist financing. The AML laws and their regulations also provide for information sharing, subject to conditions, between federal law enforcement agencies and financial institutions, as well as among financial institutions, for counter-terrorism purposes.

Federal banking regulators are required, when reviewing bank holding company acquisition and bank merger applications, to take into account the effectiveness of the anti-money laundering activities of the applicants. To comply with these obligations, the Company has implemented appropriate internal practices, procedures, and controls.

Reporting Terrorist Activities. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), which is a division of the Department of the Treasury, is responsible for helping to insure that United States entities do not engage in transactions with “enemies” of the United States, as defined by various Executive Orders and Acts of Congress. OFAC has sent, and will send, our banking regulatory agencies lists of names of persons and organizations suspected of aiding, harboring or engaging in terrorist acts. If the Bank finds a name on any transaction, account or wire transfer that is on an OFAC list, it must freeze such account, file a suspicious activity report and notify the FBI. The Bank has appointed an OFAC compliance officer to oversee the inspection of its accounts and the filing of any notifications. The Bank actively checks high-risk OFAC areas such as new accounts, wire transfers and customer files. The Bank performs these checks utilizing software, which is updated each time a modification is made to the lists provided by OFAC and other agencies of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. The Mortgage Company is subject to the rules and regulations by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Veteran Affairs and state regulatory authorities with respect to originating, processing, servicing and selling mortgage loans. Those rules and regulations, among other things, establish standards for loan origination, prohibit discrimination, provide for inspections and appraisals of property, require credit reports on prospective borrowers and, in some cases, restrict certain loan features, and fix maximum interest rates and fees. In addition to other federal laws, mortgage origination activities are subject to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Truth-in-Lending Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and the Home Ownership Equity Protection Act, and the regulations promulgated thereunder. These laws prohibit discrimination, require the disclosure of certain basic information to mortgagors concerning credit and settlement costs, limit payment for settlement services to the reasonable value of the services rendered and require the maintenance and disclosure of information regarding the disposition of mortgage applications based on race, gender, geographical distribution and income level.

Other Safety and Soundness Regulations. There are a number of obligations and restrictions imposed on depository institutions by federal law and regulatory policy that are designed to reduce potential loss exposure to the depositors of such depository institutions and to the FDIC insurance funds in the event the depository institution becomes in danger of default or is in default. The Federal banking agencies also have broad powers under current Federal law to take prompt corrective action to resolve problems of insured depository institutions. The extent of these powers depends upon whether the institution in question is well-capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized, significantly undercapitalized or critically undercapitalized, as defined by the law. Federal regulatory authorities also have broad enforcement powers over us, including the power to impose fines and other civil and criminal penalties, and to appoint a receiver in order to conserve the assets of any such institution for the benefit of depositors and other creditors. At December 31, 2024, the Bank met the ratio requirements to be classified as a well capitalized financial institution.

Loans-to-One Borrower. Under applicable laws and regulations the amount of loans and extensions of credit which may be extended by a bank to any one borrower, including related entities, generally may not exceed 15% of the sum of the capital, surplus, and loan loss reserve of the institution.

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Consumer Financial Protection.  The Company is subject to a number of federal and state consumer protection laws that extensively govern its relationship with its customers. These laws include the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Truth in Lending Act, the Truth in Savings Act, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the Expedited Funds Availability Act, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Service Members Civil Relief Act, laws governing flood insurance, federal and state laws prohibiting unfair and deceptive business practices, foreclosure laws, and various regulations that implement some or all of the foregoing. These laws and regulations mandate certain disclosure requirements and regulate the manner in which financial institutions must deal with customers when taking deposits, making loans, collecting loans and providing other services. If the Company fails to comply with these laws and regulations, it may be subject to various penalties. Failure to comply with consumer protection requirements may also result in failure to obtain any required bank

regulatory approval for merger or acquisition transactions the Company may wish to pursue or being prohibited from engaging in such transactions even if approval is not required.

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The Dodd-Frank Act centralized responsibility for consumer financial protection by creating a new agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and giving it responsibility for implementing, examining, and enforcing compliance with federal consumer protection laws. The CFPB focuses on (i) risks to consumers and compliance with the federal consumer financial laws, (ii) the markets in which firms operate and risks to consumers posed by activities in those markets, (iii) depository institutions that offer a wide variety of consumer financial products and services, and (iv) non-depository companies that offer one or more consumer financial products or services. The CFPB has broad rule making authority for a wide range of consumer financial laws that apply to all banks, including, among other things, the authority to prohibit “unfair, deceptive or abusive” acts and practices. Abusive acts or practices are defined as those that materially interfere with a consumer’s ability to understand a term or condition of a consumer financial product or service or take unreasonable advantage of a consumer’s (i) lack of financial savvy, (ii) inability to protect himself in the selection or use of consumer financial products or services, or (iii) reasonable reliance on a covered entity to act in the consumer’s interests. The CFPB can issue cease-and-desist orders against banks and other entities that violate consumer financial laws. The CFPB may also institute a civil action against an entity in violation of federal consumer financial law in order to impose a civil penalty or injunction.

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In February 2025, the Trump administration halted the CFPB’s operations, and its employees were instructed to cease all supervision and examination activity.  As a result, the future of the CFPB and its impact on our business are uncertain.

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Community Reinvestment. The requirements of the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) are applicable to the Company and the Bank. The CRA imposes on financial institutions an affirmative and ongoing obligation to meet the credit needs of their local communities, including low and moderate income neighborhoods, consistent with the safe and sound operation of those institutions. A financial institution’s efforts in meeting community credit needs currently are evaluated as part of the examination process pursuant to 12 assessment factors. These factors also are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. Under the CRA, institutions are assigned a rating of “outstanding,” “satisfactory,” “needs to improve,” or “substantial non-compliance.” The Bank was rated “satisfactory” in its most recent CRA evaluation.

On October 24, 2023, the federal bank regulatory agencies issued a final rule to modernize their respective CRA regulations. The revised rule substantially alters the methodology for assessing compliance with the CRA, with material aspects taking effect January 1, 2026 and revised data reporting requirements taking effect January 1, 2027. Among other things, the revised rule evaluates lending outside traditional assessment areas generated by the growth of non-branch delivery systems, such as online and mobile banking, apply a metrics-based benchmarking approach to assessment, and clarify eligible CRA activities. The final rule has been subject to an injunction since March 29, 2024, and the effective dates will be extended pending resolution of the lawsuit.

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Cybersecurity. In March 2015, federal regulators issued two related statements regarding cybersecurity. One statement indicates that financial institutions should design multiple layers of security controls to establish lines of defense and to ensure that their risk management processes also address the risk posed by compromised customer credentials, including security measures to reliably authenticate customers accessing internet-based services of the financial institution. The other statement indicates that a financial institution’s management is expected to maintain sufficient business continuity planning processes to ensure the rapid recovery, resumption and maintenance of the institution’s operations after a cyber-attack involving destructive malware. A financial institution is also expected to develop appropriate processes to enable recovery of data and business operations and address rebuilding network capabilities and restoring data if the institution or its critical service providers fall victim to this type of cyber-attack. If the Company fails to observe the regulatory guidance, it could be subject to various regulatory sanctions, including financial penalties.

On November 18, 2021, the federal bank regulatory agencies issued a final rule, effective April 1, 2022, imposing new notification requirements for cybersecurity incidents. The rule requires financial institutions to notify their primary federal regulator as soon as possible and no later than 36 hours after the institution determines that a cybersecurity incident has occurred that has materially disrupted or degraded, or is reasonably likely to materially disrupt or degrade, the institution’s: (i) ability to carry out banking operations, activities, or processes, or deliver banking products and services to a material

portion of its customer base, in the ordinary course of business, (ii) business line(s), including associated operations, services, functions, and support, that upon failure would result in a material loss of revenue, profit, or franchise value, or (iii) operations, including associated services, functions and support, as applicable, the failure or discontinuance of which would pose a threat to the financial stability of the United States.

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In July 2023, the SEC issued a final rule to enhance and standardize disclosures regarding cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance, and incident reporting by public companies that are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. Specifically, the final rule requires current reporting about material cybersecurity incidents, periodic disclosures about a registrant’s policies and procedures to identify and manage cybersecurity risk, management’s role in implementing cybersecurity policies and procedures, and the board of directors’ cybersecurity expertise, if any, and its oversight of cybersecurity risk. See Item 1C. Cybersecurity of this Form 10-K for a discussion of the Company’s cybersecurity risk management, strategy and governance.

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To date, we have not experienced a significant compromise, significant data loss or any material financial losses related to cybersecurity attacks, but our systems and those of our customers and third-party service providers are under constant threat and it is possible that we could experience a significant event in the future. Risks and exposures related to cybersecurity attacks are expected to remain high for the foreseeable future due to the rapidly evolving nature and sophistication of these threats, as well as due to the expanding use of Internet banking, mobile banking and other technology-based products and services by us and our customers.

Future Legislation and Regulation. Congress may enact legislation from time to time that affects the regulation of the financial services industry, and state legislatures may enact legislation from time to time affecting the regulation of financial institutions chartered by or operating in those states. Federal and state regulatory agencies also periodically propose and adopt changes to their regulations or change the manner in which existing regulations are applied. The substance or impact of pending or future legislation or regulation, or the application thereof, cannot be predicted, although enactment of the proposed legislation could impact the regulatory structure under which we operate and may significantly increase costs, impede the efficiency of internal business processes, require an increase in regulatory capital, require modifications to business strategy, and limit the ability to pursue business opportunities in an efficient manner.

Employees

As of December 31, 2024, the Company and its subsidiaries had a total of 133 full-time employees and 3 part-time employees. None of the Company’s employees is covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The Company considers its relations with its employees to be good.

The Company has a Code of Ethics for directors, officers and all employees of the Company and its subsidiaries, which is applicable to the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and other principal financial officers. The Code addresses such topics as protection and proper use of Company assets, compliance with applicable laws and regulations, accuracy and preservation of records, accounting and financial reporting and conflicts of interest. A copy of the Code will be provided, without charge, to any shareholder upon written request to the Secretary of the Company, whose address is 13319 Midlothian Turnpike, Midlothian, Virginia 23113.

Additional Information

The Company files annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Electronic copies of our SEC filings are available on the SEC’s Internet site (http://www.sec.gov).

The Company’s Internet address is http://www.villagebank.com. At that address, we make available, free of charge, the Company’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (see “Investor Relations” section of website), as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC.

In addition, we will provide, at no cost, paper or electronic copies of our reports and other filings made with the SEC (except for exhibits). Requests should be directed to Donald M. Kaloski, Jr., Chief Financial Officer, Village Bank and Trust Financial Corp., 13319 Midlothian Turnpike, Midlothian, VA 23113.

The information on the websites listed above is not and should not be considered to be part of this annual report on Form 10-K and is not incorporated by reference in this document.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock is subject to risks inherent to our business. Investors should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information included or incorporated by reference in this report. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks and uncertainties that management is not aware of or focused on, or that management currently deems immaterial, may also impair our business and operations. If any of the following risks adversely affects our business, financial condition or results of operations, the value of our common stock could decline.

The Merger with TowneBank may distract management of the Company from its other responsibilities.

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The Merger could cause management of the Company to focus its time and energies on matters related to the Merger that otherwise would be directed to the Company’s business and operations. Any such distraction on the part of management of the Company, if significant, could affect its ability to service existing business and develop new business and may adversely affect the business and earnings of the Company.

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Termination of the Agreement with TowneBank could negatively impact the Company.

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Each of the Company’s and TowneBank’s obligation to consummate the Merger remains subject to a number of conditions which must be fulfilled to consummate the Merger, and there can be no assurance that all of the conditions will be satisfied, or that the Merger will be completed on the proposed terms, within the expected timeframe, or at all. Any delay in completing the Merger could cause the Company not to realize some or all of the benefits that the Company expects to achieve if the Merger is successfully completed within its expected timeframe. If the Agreement is terminated, the Company’s business may be impacted adversely by the failure to pursue other beneficial opportunities due to the focus of management on the Merger, without realizing any of the anticipated benefits of completing the Merger. Additionally, if the Agreement is terminated, the market price of the Company’s common stock could decline to the extent that the current market prices reflect a market assumption that the Merger will be completed. TowneBank and/or the Company may be subject to litigation related to any failure to complete the Merger or to proceedings commenced against either company to perform obligations under the Agreement. If the Agreement is terminated under certain circumstances, including circumstances involving a change in recommendation by the Company’s board of directors, the Company may be required to pay to TowneBank a termination fee of $4.8 million.

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In addition, the Company has incurred and will incur substantial expenses in connection with the negotiation and completion of the transactions contemplated by the Agreement. If the Merger is not completed, the Company would have to recognize these expenses and would have committed substantial time and resources by management, without the Company’s shareholders receiving cash proceeds from the Merger. In addition, failure to consummate the Merger also may result in negative reactions from the financial markets or from the Company’s customers, vendors and employees.

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The Agreement with TowneBank limits the ability of the Company to pursue alternatives to the Merger.

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The Agreement contains customary “no-shop” provisions that, subject to limited exceptions, limit the ability of the Company to initiate, solicit, endorse, encourage or knowingly facilitate any inquiries or proposals with respect to any competing third-party proposals to acquire all or a significant part of the Company. In addition, under certain circumstances, if the Agreement is terminated and the Company consummates a similar transaction with a party other than TowneBank, the Company must pay to TowneBank a fee of $4.8 million. These provisions might discourage a potential competing acquirer that might have an interest in acquiring all or a significant part of the Company from considering or

proposing the acquisition even if it were prepared to pay consideration, with respect to the Company or its shareholders, with a higher per share market price than that proposed in the Merger.

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The Company will be subject to business uncertainties and contractual restrictions while the Merger is pending.

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Uncertainty about the effects of the Merger on employees and customers may have an adverse effect on the Company. These uncertainties may impair the Company’s ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel until the Merger is completed, and could cause customers and others that deal with the Company to seek to change existing business relationships with the Company. Retention of certain employees by the Company may be challenging while the Merger is pending, as certain employees may experience uncertainty about their future roles with the Company or the combined company following the Merger. If key employees depart because of issues relating to the uncertainty and difficulty of integration or a desire not to remain with the Company or the combined company following the Merger, the Company’s business could be harmed. In addition, the Company has agreed to operate its business in the ordinary course prior to the closing of the Merger and from taking certain specified actions without the consent of TowneBank. These restrictions may prevent the Company from pursuing attractive business opportunities that may arise prior to the completion of the Merger.

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Shareholder litigation could prevent or delay the completion of the Merger or otherwise negatively impact the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Shareholders of the Company and/or TowneBank may file lawsuits against the Company, TowneBank and/or the directors and officers of either company in connection with the Merger. One of the conditions to the closing is that no order, decree or injunction by any court or governmental entity of competent jurisdiction that would enjoin or prohibit the completion of the Merger be in effect. If any plaintiff were successful in obtaining an injunction prohibiting the Company or TowneBank from completing the Merger or any of the other transactions contemplated by the Agreement, then such injunction may delay or prevent the effectiveness of the Merger and could result in significant costs to the Company, including any cost associated with the indemnification of the Company’s directors and officers. The Company may incur costs in connection with the defense or settlement of any shareholder lawsuits filed in connection with the Merger. Shareholder lawsuits may divert management attention from management of the Company’s business or operations. Such litigation could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations and could prevent or delay the completion of the Merger.

Risk Related to the Company’s Lending Activities

Our credit standards and on-going credit assessment processes might not protect us from significant credit losses.

We take credit risk by virtue of making loans and extending loan commitments and letters of credit. We manage credit risk through a program of underwriting standards, the review of certain credit decisions and an ongoing process of assessment of the quality of the credit already extended. In addition, our credit administration function employs risk management techniques intended to promptly identify problem loans. While these procedures are designed to provide us with the information needed to implement policy adjustments where necessary and to take appropriate corrective actions, there can be no assurance that such measures will be effective in avoiding future undue credit risk, and credit losses will occur in the future and they may be significant.

Our allowance for credit losses may be insufficient.

We maintain an allowance for credit losses, which consists of the allowance for credit losses on loans, reserve for unfunded commitments, and the allowance on securities. The allowance for credit losses on loans is established as losses are estimated to have occurred through a provision for credit losses charged to earnings. Credit losses on loans are charged against the allowance when management believes the uncollectibility of a loan balance is probable. Subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance.

The level of the allowance for credit losses on loans reflects management’s evaluation of the level of loans outstanding, the level of nonperforming loans, historical loan loss experience, delinquency trends, underlying collateral values, the amount of actual losses charged to the reserve in a given period and assessment of present and anticipated economic

conditions. The determination of the appropriate level of the allowance for credit losses on loans inherently involves a high degree of subjectivity and requires us to make significant estimates of current credit risks and future trends, all of which may undergo material changes. Although we believe the allowance for credit losses on loans is a reasonable estimate of expected losses in the loan portfolio, we cannot precisely predict such losses or be certain that the allowance for credit losses on loans will be adequate in the future. Deterioration of economic conditions affecting borrowers, new information regarding existing loans, identification of additional problem loans and other factors, both within and outside our control, may require an increase in the allowance for credit losses on loans. In addition, bank regulatory agencies and our auditors periodically review our allowance for credit losses on loans and may require an increase in the provision for credit losses or the recognition of further loan charge-offs, based on judgments different than those of management. Further, if charge-offs in future periods exceed the allowance for credit losses on loans, we will need additional provisions to increase the allowance for credit losses on loans.

Nonperforming assets take significant time to resolve and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Our nonperforming assets adversely affect our net income in various ways. Nonperforming assets, (which include nonaccrual loans and other real estate owned, but exclude loans past due 90 days and still accruing as these loans are rehabilitated student loans which have a 98% guarantee by the DOE of principal and interest), were $332,000, or 0.04% of total assets, as of December 31, 2024. When we receive collateral through foreclosures and similar proceedings, we are required to mark the related loan to the then fair value of the collateral less estimated selling costs, which may result in a loss. An increased level of nonperforming assets also increases our risk profile and may impact the capital levels regulators believe are appropriate in light of such risks. We utilize various techniques such as workouts, restructurings and loan sales to manage problem assets. Increases in or negative changes in the value of these problem assets, the underlying collateral, or in the borrowers’ performance or financial condition, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, the resolution of nonperforming assets requires significant commitments of time from management and staff, which can be detrimental to the performance of their other responsibilities, including generation of new loans. There can be no assurance that we will avoid increases in nonperforming loans in the future.

We have a high concentration of loans secured by real estate, and a downturn in the local real estate market could materially and negatively affect our business.

We offer a variety of secured loans, including commercial lines of credit, commercial term loans, real estate, construction, residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit, consumer and other loans. Many of these loans are secured by real estate (both residential and commercial) located principally in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of December 31, 2024, 82.14% of all loans were secured by mortgages on real property. A major change in the real estate market, such as deterioration in the value of this collateral, or in the local or national economy, could adversely affect our customers’ ability to pay these loans, which in turn could impact us. If there is a decline in real estate values, especially in our market area, the collateral for loans would deteriorate and provide significantly less security. The ability to recover on defaulted loans by selling the real estate collateral could then be diminished and we would be more likely to suffer losses.

A portion of our loan portfolio consists of construction and land development loans, and a decline in real estate values and economic conditions would adversely affect the value of the collateral securing the loans and have an adverse effect on our financial condition.

At December 31, 2024, approximately 9.35% of our loan portfolio, or $57,869,000, consisted of construction and land development loans. Construction financing typically involves a higher degree of credit risk than financing on improved, owner-occupied real estate and improved, income producing real estate. Risk of loss on a construction or land development loan is largely dependent upon the accuracy of the initial estimate of the property’s value at completion of construction or development, the marketability of the property, and the bid price and estimated cost (including interest) of construction or development. If the estimate of construction or development costs proves to be inaccurate, we may be required to advance funds beyond the amount originally committed to permit completion of the project. If the estimate of the value proves to be inaccurate, we may be confronted, at or prior to the maturity of the loan, with a project whose value is insufficient to assure full repayment. When lending to builders and developers, the cost breakdown of construction or development is provided by the builder or developer. Although our underwriting criteria are designed to evaluate and minimize the risks

of each construction or land development loan, there can be no guarantee that these practices will have safeguarded against material delinquencies and losses to our operations. In addition, construction and land development loans are dependent on the successful completion of the projects they finance. Loans secured by vacant or unimproved land are generally riskier than loans secured by improved property. These loans are more susceptible to adverse conditions in the real estate market and local economy.

We have a significant concentration of credit exposure in commercial real estate, and loans with this type of collateral are viewed as having more risk of default.

As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately $317,821,000 in loans secured by commercial real estate, representing approximately 51.36% of total loans outstanding at that date. The real estate consists primarily of non-owner-operated properties and other commercial properties. These types of loans are generally viewed as having more risk of default than residential real estate loans. They are also typically larger than residential real estate loans and consumer loans and depend on cash flows from the owner’s business or the property to service the debt. It may be more difficult for commercial real estate borrowers to repay their loans in a timely manner, as commercial real estate borrowers’ abilities to repay their loans frequently depends on the successful rental of their properties. Cash flows may be affected significantly by general economic conditions, and a downturn in the local economy or in occupancy rates in the local economy where the property is located could increase the likelihood of default. Some degree of instability in the commercial real estate markets is expected in the coming quarters as loans are refinanced in markets with higher vacancy rates under current economic conditions. The outlook for commercial real estate remains dependent on the broader economic environment and, specifically, how major subsectors respond to a higher interest rate environment and higher prices for commodities, goods and services.  Because our loan portfolio contains a number of commercial real estate loans with relatively large balances, the deterioration of one or a few of these loans could cause a significant increase in our percentage of non-performing loans. An increase in non-performing loans could result in a loss of earnings from these loans, an increase in the provision for loan losses and an increase in charge-offs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

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Our banking regulators generally give commercial real estate lending greater scrutiny, and may require banks with higher levels of commercial real estate loans to implement improved underwriting, internal controls, risk management policies and portfolio stress testing, as well as possibly higher levels of allowances for credit losses and capital as a result of commercial real estate lending growth and exposures, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

Our focus on lending to small to mid-sized community-based businesses may increase our credit risk.

Most of our commercial business and commercial real estate loans are made to small business or middle market customers. These businesses generally have fewer financial resources in terms of capital or borrowing capacity than larger entities and have a heightened vulnerability to economic conditions. If general economic conditions in the market area in which we operate negatively impact this important customer sector, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected. Moreover, a portion of these loans have been made by us in recent years and the borrowers may not have experienced a complete business or economic cycle. The deterioration of our borrowers’ businesses may hinder their ability to repay their loans with us, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We rely upon independent appraisals to determine the value of the real estate which secures a significant portion of our loans, and the values indicated by such appraisals may not be realizable if we are forced to foreclose upon such loans.

A significant portion of our loan portfolio consists of loans secured by real estate. We rely upon independent appraisers to estimate the value of such real estate. Appraisals are only estimates of value and the independent appraisers may make mistakes of fact or judgment which adversely affect the reliability of their appraisals. In addition, events occurring after the initial appraisal may cause the value of the real estate to increase or decrease. As a result of any of these factors, the real estate securing some of our loans may be more or less valuable than anticipated at the time the loans were made. If a default occurs on a loan secured by real estate that is less valuable than originally estimated, we may not be able to recover the outstanding balance of the loan and will suffer a loss.

We are exposed to risk of environmental liabilities with respect to properties to which we take title.

In the course of our business we may foreclose and take title to real estate, potentially becoming subject to environmental liabilities associated with the properties. We may be held liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage, personal injury, investigation and clean-up costs or we may be required to investigate or clean up hazardous or toxic substances or chemical releases at a property. Costs associated with investigation or remediation activities can be substantial. If we are the owner or former owner of a contaminated site, we may be subject to common law claims by third parties based on damages and costs resulting from environmental contamination emanating from the property. These costs and claims could adversely affect our business.

Risk Related to Market Interest Rates

Our business is subject to interest rate risk, and variations in interest rates may negatively affect financial performance.

Changes in the interest rate environment may reduce our profits. It is expected that we will continue to realize income from the differential or “spread” between the interest earned on loans, securities, and other interest earning assets, and interest paid on deposits, borrowings and other interest bearing liabilities. Net interest spreads are affected by the difference between the maturities and repricing characteristics of interest earning assets and interest bearing liabilities. In addition, loan volume and yields are affected by market interest rates on loans, and rising interest rates generally are associated with a lower volume of loan originations. Management cannot ensure that it can minimize our interest rate risk. While an increase in the general level of interest rates may increase the loan yield and the net interest margin, it may adversely affect the ability of certain borrowers with variable rate loans to pay the interest and principal of their obligations. Also, when the difference between long-term interest rates and short-term interest rates is small or when short-term interest rates exceed long-term interest rates, our margins may decline and our earnings may be adversely affected. Accordingly, changes in levels of market interest rates could materially and adversely affect the net interest spread, asset quality, loan origination volume and our overall profitability.

Risks Related to the Company’s Business, Industry and Markets

We face strong and growing competition from financial services companies and other companies that offer banking and other financial services, which could negatively affect our business.

We encounter substantial competition from other financial institutions in our market area and competition is increasing. Ultimately, we may not be able to compete successfully against current and future competitors. Many competitors offer the same banking services that we offer in our service area. These competitors include national, regional and community banks. We also face competition from many other types of financial institutions, including finance companies, mutual and money market fund providers, brokerage firms, insurance companies, credit unions, financial subsidiaries of certain industrial corporations, financial technology (“fintech”) companies and mortgage companies. In particular, the activity of fintech companies has grown significantly over recent years and is expected to continue to grow. Fintech companies have and may continue to offer bank or bank-like products and some fintech companies have applied for bank charters. In addition, other fintech companies have partnered with existing banks to allow them to offer deposit products to their customers. Increased competition may result in reduced business for us.

Additionally, banks and other financial institutions with larger capitalization and financial intermediaries not subject to bank regulatory restrictions have larger lending limits and are thereby able to serve the credit needs of larger customers. Areas of competition include interest rates for loans and deposits, efforts to obtain loans and deposits, and range and quality of products and services provided, including new technology-driven products and services. If we are unable to attract and retain banking customers, we may be unable to continue to grow loan and deposit portfolios and our results of operations and financial condition may otherwise be adversely affected.

Consumers may decide not to use banks to complete their financial transactions.

Technology and other changes are allowing parties to complete financial transactions through alternative methods that historically have involved banks. The activity and prominence of so-called marketplace lenders and other technological financial service companies have grown significantly over recent years and are expected to continue growing. In addition, consumers can now maintain funds that would have historically been held as bank deposits in brokerage accounts, mutual funds, digital wallets or general-purpose reloadable prepaid cards. Consumers can also complete transactions, such as paying bills and/or transferring funds directly without the assistance of banks. The process of eliminating banks as intermediaries, known as “disintermediation,” could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of customer deposits and the related income generated from those deposits. If we are unable to address the competitive pressures that we face, we could lose market share, which could result in reduced net revenue and profitability and lower returns. The loss of these revenue streams and the lower cost of deposits as a source of funds could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our ability to operate profitably may be dependent on our ability to integrate or introduce various technologies into our operations.

The market for financial services, including banking and consumer finance services, is increasingly affected by advances in technology, including developments in telecommunications, data processing, computers, automation, online banking and tele-banking. Our ability to compete successfully in our market may depend on the extent to which we are able to exploit such technological changes. If we are not able to afford such technologies, properly or timely anticipate or implement such technologies, or effectively train our staff to use such technologies, our business, financial condition or operating results could be adversely affected.

Changes in economic conditions, especially in the areas in which we conduct operations, could materially and negatively affect our business.

Our business is directly impacted by economic conditions, legislative and regulatory changes, changes in government monetary and fiscal policies, and inflation, all of which are beyond our control. A deterioration in economic conditions, whether caused by global, national or local concerns, especially within our market area, could result in the following potentially material consequences: loan delinquencies increasing; problem assets and foreclosures increasing; demand for products and services decreasing; low cost or non-interest bearing deposits decreasing; and collateral for loans, especially real estate, declining in value, in turn reducing customers’ borrowing power, and reducing the value of assets and collateral associated with existing loans. An economic downturn could result in losses that materially and adversely affect our business.

We may be adversely impacted by changes in market conditions.

We are directly and indirectly affected by changes in market conditions. Market risk generally represents the risk that values of assets and liabilities or revenues will be adversely affected by changes in market conditions. As a financial institution, market risk is inherent in the financial instruments associated with our operations and activities, including loans, deposits, securities, short-term borrowings, long-term debt and trading account assets and liabilities. A few of the market conditions that may shift from time to time, thereby exposing us to market risk, include fluctuations in interest rates, equity and futures prices, and price deterioration or changes in value due to changes in market perception or actual credit quality of issuers. Our investment securities portfolio, in particular, may be impacted by market conditions beyond our control, including rating agency downgrades of the securities, defaults of the issuers of the securities, lack of market pricing of the securities, and inactivity or instability in the credit markets. Any changes in these conditions, in current accounting principles or interpretations of these principles could impact our assessment of fair value and thus the determination of other-than-temporary impairment of the securities in the investment securities portfolio.

Our mortgage banking revenue is cyclical and is sensitive to the level of interest rates, changes in economic conditions, decreased economic activity, and slowdowns in the housing market, any of which could adversely impact our profits.

Mortgage banking income, net of commissions, represented approximately 42.33% of total noninterest income, excluding loss on sale of investment securities, net, for the year ended December 31, 2024. The success of our mortgage company is dependent upon our ability to originate loans and sell them to investors at or near current volumes. Loan production levels are sensitive to changes in the level of interest rates and changes in economic conditions. Any sustained period of decreased activity caused by fewer refinancing transactions, higher interest rates, housing price pressure or loan underwriting restrictions would adversely affect our mortgage originations and, consequently, could significantly reduce our income from mortgage banking activities. As a result, these conditions would also adversely affect our results of operations.

Risk Related to Liquidity

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Liquidity risk could impair our ability to fund operations and jeopardize our financial condition.

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Liquidity is the ability to meet cash flow needs on a timely basis at a reasonable cost. Our access to funding sources in amounts adequate to finance our activities or on terms that are acceptable to us could be impaired by factors that affect us specifically or the financial services industry or economy generally. Factors that could reduce our access to liquidity sources include a downturn in the economy, difficult credit markets or the liquidity needs of our depositors. A substantial majority of our liabilities are demand, savings, interest checking and money market deposits, which are payable on demand or upon several days’ notice, while a substantial portion of our assets are loans, which cannot be called or sold in the same time frame. We may not be able to replace maturing deposits and advances as necessary in the future, especially if a large number of our depositors sought to withdraw their accounts, regardless of the reason. Our access to deposits may be negatively impacted by, among other factors, changes in interest rates which could promote increased competition for deposits, including from new fintech competitors, or provide customers with alternative investment options. Additionally, negative news about us or the banking industry in general could negatively impact market and/or customer perceptions of our company, which could lead to a loss of depositor confidence and an increase in deposit withdrawals, particularly among those with uninsured deposits. Furthermore, as many regional banking organizations experienced in 2023, the failure of other financial institutions may cause deposit outflows as customers spread deposits among several different banks so as to maximize their amount of FDIC insurance, move deposits to banks deemed “too big to fail” or remove deposits from the banking system entirely. As of December 31, 2024, approximately 35.84% of our deposits were uninsured and we rely on these deposits for liquidity. A failure to maintain adequate liquidity could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Unrealized losses in our securities portfolio could affect liquidity.

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As market interest rates increased in 2022 and 2023, we experienced significant unrealized losses on our available for sale securities portfolio. Unrealized losses related to available for sale securities are reflected in accumulated other comprehensive loss in our consolidated balance sheets and reduce the level of our book capital and tangible common equity. However, such unrealized losses do not affect our regulatory capital ratios. We actively monitor our available for sale securities portfolio and we do not currently anticipate the need to realize material losses from the sale of securities for liquidity purposes. Furthermore, we believe it is unlikely that we would be required to sell any such securities before recovery of their amortized cost bases, which may be at maturity. Nonetheless, our access to liquidity sources could be affected by unrealized losses if securities must be sold at a loss; tangible capital ratios continue to decline from an increase in unrealized losses or realized credit losses; the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (“FHLB”) or other funding sources reduce capacity; or bank regulators impose restrictions on us that impact the level of interest rates we may pay on deposits or our ability to access brokered deposits. Additionally, significant unrealized losses could negatively impact market and/or customer perceptions of our company, which could lead to a loss of depositor confidence and an increase in deposit withdrawals, particularly among those with uninsured deposits.

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During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company executed a securities repositioning and balance sheet deleveraging strategy by selling available for sale securities with a total book value of $55,195,000 and a weighted average yield of 1.48% at a pre-tax loss of $4,986,000. The net proceeds from the sale were used to reduce FHLB borrowings by

$15.0 million costing 5.57% and the remaining funds were reinvested back into the securities portfolio with a weighted average yield of 5.48%, with a duration of 3.4 years, and a weighted average life of 5.0 years. The transaction was structured to improve the forward run rate on earnings, add interest rate risk protection to a higher level for longer and potential down rate environments, while improving tangible common equity and maintaining our strong liquidity position.

Risk Related to the Company’s Operations

We are dependent on key personnel and the loss of one or more of those key personnel may materially and adversely affect our operations.

We are a relationship-driven organization, and currently depend heavily on the services of a number of key management and business development personnel. These officers have primary contact with our customers and are extremely important in maintaining personalized relationships with our customer base and producing new business, which is a key aspect of our business strategy and earnings momentum. The unexpected loss of key personnel could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

The success of our strategy depends on our ability to identify and retain individuals with experience and relationships in our markets.

In order to be successful, we must identify and retain experienced key management members and sales staff with local expertise and relationships. Competition for qualified personnel is intense and there is a limited number of qualified persons with knowledge of and experience in the community banking and mortgage industry in our chosen geographic market. Even if we identify individuals that we believe could assist us in building our franchise, we may be unable to recruit these individuals away from their current employers. In addition, the process of identifying and recruiting individuals with the combination of skills and attributes required to carry out our strategy is often lengthy. Our inability to identify, recruit and retain talented personnel could limit our growth and could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to successfully implement and manage our growth strategy, our results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy if we are unable to identify attractive markets, locations or opportunities to expand in the future. In addition, the ability to manage growth successfully depends on whether we can maintain adequate capital levels, cost controls and asset quality, and successfully integrate any acquired branch offices or banks. We cannot assure you that any integration efforts relating to our growth strategy will be successful. In implementing our growth strategy by opening new branches or acquiring branches or banks, we expect to incur increased personnel, occupancy and other operating expenses. In the case of new branches, we must absorb those higher expenses while we begin to generate new deposits; there is also further time lag involved in redeploying new deposits into attractively priced loans and other higher yielding earning assets.

We may consider acquiring other businesses or expanding into new product lines that we believe will help us fulfill our strategic objectives. We expect that other banking and financial companies, some of which have significantly greater resources, will compete with us to acquire financial services businesses. This competition could increase prices for potential acquisitions that we believe are attractive. Acquisitions may also be subject to various regulatory approvals. If we fail to receive the appropriate regulatory approvals, we will not be able to consummate acquisitions that we believe are in our best interests.

When we enter into new markets or new lines of business, our lack of history and familiarity with those markets, clients and lines of business may lead to unexpected challenges or difficulties that inhibit our success. Our plans to expand could depress earnings in the short run, even if we efficiently execute a growth strategy leading to long-term financial benefits.

We are subject to a variety of operational risks, including reputational risk, legal and compliance risk, and the risk of fraud or theft by employees or outsiders.

We are exposed to many types of operational risks, including reputational risk, legal and compliance risk, the risk of fraud or theft by employees or outsiders, unauthorized transactions by employees, operational errors, clerical or record-keeping errors, and errors resulting from faulty or disabled computer or communications systems.

Reputational risk, or the risk to our earnings and capital from negative public opinion, could result from our actual or alleged conduct in any number of activities, including lending practices, corporate governance, and from actions taken by government regulators and community organizations in response to those activities. Negative public opinion can adversely affect our ability to attract and keep customers and employees and can expose us to litigation and regulatory action.

Further, if any of our financial, accounting, or other data processing systems fail or have other significant issues, we could be adversely affected. We depend on internal systems and outsourced technology to support these data storage and processing operations. Our inability to use or access these information systems at critical points in time could unfavorably impact the timeliness and efficiency of our business operations. We could be adversely affected if one of our employees causes a significant operational break-down or failure, either as a result of human error or where an individual purposefully sabotages or fraudulently manipulates our operations or systems. We are also at risk of the impact of natural disasters, terrorism and international hostilities on our systems and from the effects of outages or other failures involving power or communications systems operated by others. We may also be subject to disruptions of our operating systems arising from events that are wholly or partially beyond our control (for example, computer viruses or electrical or communications outages), which may give rise to disruption of service to customers and to financial loss or liability. In addition, there have been instances where financial institutions have been victims of fraudulent activity in which criminals pose as customers to initiate wire and automated clearinghouse transactions out of customer accounts. Although we have policies and procedures in place to verify the authenticity of our customers, we cannot guarantee that such policies and procedures will prevent all fraudulent transfers. Such activity can result in financial liability and harm to our reputation.

If any of the foregoing risks materialize, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The soundness of other financial institutions could adversely affect us.

Our ability to engage in routine funding transactions could be adversely affected by the actions and commercial soundness of other financial institutions. Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty or other relationships. We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and we routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial industry. As a result, defaults by, or even rumors or questions about, one or more financial services institutions, or the financial services industry generally, have led to market-wide liquidity problems and could lead to losses or defaults by us or by other institutions. Many of these transactions expose us to credit risk in the event of default of our counterparty or client. In addition, our credit risk may be exacerbated when the collateral held by us cannot be realized upon or is liquidated at prices not sufficient to recover the full amount of the financial instrument exposure due us. There is no assurance that any such losses would not materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

Failure to maintain effective systems of internal and disclosure control could have a material adverse effect on our results of operation and financial condition.

Effective internal and disclosure controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and effectively prevent fraud and to operate successfully as a public company. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our reputation and operating results would be harmed. As part of our ongoing monitoring of internal control, we may discover material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal control that require remediation. A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

Our inability to maintain the operating effectiveness of the controls described above could result in a material misstatement to our financial statements or other disclosures, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, any failure to maintain effective controls or to timely effect any necessary improvement of our internal and disclosure controls could, among other things, result in losses from fraud or error, harm our reputation or cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operation and financial condition.

We depend on the accuracy and completeness of information about clients and counterparties and our financial condition could be adversely affected if we rely on misleading information.

In deciding whether to extend credit or to enter into other transactions with clients and counterparties, we may rely on information furnished to us by or on behalf of clients and counterparties, including financial statements and other financial information, which we do not independently verify. We also may rely on representations of clients and counterparties as to the accuracy and completeness of that information and, with respect to financial statements, on reports of independent auditors. For example, in deciding whether to extend credit to clients, we may assume that a client’s audited financial statements conform with GAAP and present fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of that client. Our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted to the extent we rely on financial statements that do not comply with GAAP or are materially misleading.

We rely on other companies to provide key components of our business infrastructure.

Third parties provide key components of our business operations such as data processing, recording and monitoring transactions, online banking interfaces and services, internet connections and network access. While we have selected these third party vendors carefully, we do not control their actions. Any problem caused by these third parties, including poor performance of services, failure to provide services, disruptions in communication services proved by a vendor and failure to handle current or higher volumes, could adversely affect our ability to deliver products and services to our customers and otherwise conduct our business, and may harm our reputation. Financial or operational difficulties of a third party vendor could also hurt our operations if those difficulties interface with the vendor’s ability to serve us. Replacing these third party vendors could also create significant delay and expense. Accordingly, use of such third parties creates an unavoidable inherent risk to our business operations.

Our information systems may experience an interruption or breach in security.

In the ordinary course of business, we collect and store sensitive data, including proprietary business information and personally identifiable information of our customers and employees, in systems and on networks. The secure processing, maintenance and use of this information is critical to operations and our business strategy. While we have policies and procedures designed to protect our networks, computers and data from failure, interruption, damage or unauthorized access, there can be no assurance that a breach will not occur or, if it does, that it will be adequately addressed. The occurrence of any failure, interruption, damage or security breach of our communications and information systems could damage our reputation, result in a loss of customer business, subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny or expose us to civil litigation and possible financial liability, any of which could adversely affect our business.

Risk Related to the Company’s Regulatory Environment

Changes in accounting standards could impact reported earnings.

From time to time there are changes in the financial accounting and reporting standards that govern the preparation of our financial statements. These changes can materially impact how we record and report our financial condition and results of operations. In some instances, we could be required to apply a new or revised standard retroactively, resulting in the restatement of prior period financial statements. For information regarding recent accounting pronouncements and their effect on us, see “Recent Accounting Pronouncements” in Note 1 “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” contained in Item 8 of this Form 10-K.

We operate in a highly regulated industry and the laws and regulations that govern our operations, corporate governance, executive compensation and financial accounting, or reporting, including changes in them or our failure to comply with them, may adversely affect us.

We are subject to extensive regulation and supervision that govern almost all aspects of our operations. These laws and regulations, among other matters, prescribe minimum capital requirements, impose limitations on our business activities, limit the dividends or distributions that we can pay, restrict the ability of institutions to guarantee our debt and impose certain specific accounting requirements that may be more restrictive and may result in greater or earlier charges to earnings or reductions in our capital than GAAP. Compliance with laws and regulations can be difficult and costly, and changes to laws and regulations often impose additional compliance costs.

We are currently facing increased regulation and supervision of our industry as a result of the financial crisis in the banking and financial markets. The Dodd-Frank Act instituted major changes to the banking and financial institutions regulatory regimes. Other changes to statutes, regulations or regulatory policies or supervisory guidance, including changes in interpretation or implementation of statutes, regulations, policies or supervisory guidance, could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways. Such additional regulation and supervision has increased, and may continue to increase, our costs and limit our ability to pursue business opportunities. Further, our failure to comply with these laws and regulations, even if the failure was inadvertent or reflects a difference in interpretation, could subject us to restrictions on our business activities, fines and other penalties, any of which could adversely affect our results of operations, capital base and the price of our securities. Further, any new laws, rules and regulations could make compliance more difficult or expensive or otherwise adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Regulatory capital standards may have an adverse effect on our profitability, lending, and ability to pay dividends on our securities.

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We are subject to capital adequacy guidelines and other regulatory requirements specifying minimum amounts and types of capital that we must maintain. From time to time, regulators implement changes to these regulatory capital adequacy guidelines. If we fail to meet these minimum capital guidelines and/or other regulatory requirements, our financial condition would be materially and adversely affected. The Basel III Capital Rules require bank holding companies and their subsidiaries to maintain significantly more capital as a result of higher required capital levels and more demanding regulatory capital risk weightings and calculations. While the Company is exempt from these capital requirements under the Federal Reserve’s SBHC Policy Statement, the Bank is not exempt and must comply. The Bank must also comply with the capital requirements set forth in the “prompt corrective action” regulations pursuant to Section 38 of the FDI Act. Satisfying capital requirements may require us to limit our banking operations, retain net income or reduce dividends to improve regulatory capital levels, which could negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Scrutiny and evolving expectations from customers, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders with respect to environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) practices may impose additional costs on us or expose us to new or additional risks.

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We face scrutiny from customers, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders related to ESG practices and disclosure. In March 2024, the SEC adopted rules requiring public companies, such as the Company, to provide climate-related disclosures in their annual reports and registration statements. Investor advocacy groups, investment funds and influential investors may also focus on these practices, especially as they relate to climate risk, hiring practices, the diversity of the work force, and racial and social justice issues. Increased ESG related compliance costs could result in increases to our overall operational costs. Failure to adapt to or comply with regulatory requirements or investor or stakeholder expectations and standards could negatively impact our reputation, ability to do business with certain partners, and our stock price. New government regulations could also result in new or more stringent forms of ESG oversight and expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence, and disclosure.

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Risk Related to the Company’s Common Stock

Our common stock is thinly traded which may limit the ability of shareholders to sell their shares and may increase price volatility.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VBFC.” Our common stock is thinly traded and has substantially less liquidity than the average trading market for many other publicly traded companies. Mr. Lehman’s significant share ownership also limits the number of shares available to other investors and the liquidity of our common stock. We cannot assure you that a more active trading market for our common stock will develop or be sustained. The development of a liquid public market depends on the existence of willing buyers and sellers, the presence of which is not within our control. The number of active buyers and sellers of our common stock at any particular time may be limited. Therefore, our shareholders may not be able to sell their shares at the volume, prices, or times that they desire. Shareholders should be financially prepared and able to hold shares for an indefinite period.

In addition, thinly traded stocks can be more volatile than more widely traded stocks. Our stock price has been volatile in the past and several factors could cause the price to fluctuate substantially in the future. These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in analysts’ recommendations or projections, developments related to our business, operations, stock performance of other companies deemed to be peers, news reports of trends, concerns, irrational exuberance on the part of investors, and other issues related to the financial services industry. Our stock price may fluctuate significantly in the future, and these fluctuations may be unrelated to our performance. General market declines or market volatility in the future, especially in the financial institutions sector of the economy, could adversely affect the price of our common stock, and the current market price may not be indicative of future market prices.

Our ability to pay dividends is limited, and we may be unable to pay future dividends.

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Our ability to pay dividends is limited by regulatory restrictions and our need to maintain sufficient capital. The ability of the Bank to pay dividends to the Company also will be limited by the Bank's obligations to maintain sufficient capital, earnings and liquidity and by other general restrictions on its dividends under federal and state bank regulatory requirements. Under Virginia law, a bank may not declare a dividend in excess of its accumulated retained earnings without approval by the BFI. Any future financing arrangements that we enter into may also limit our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders. If we do not satisfy these regulatory requirements or arrangements, we will be unable to pay dividends on our common stock. Further, even if we have earnings and available cash in an amount sufficient to pay dividends to our shareholders, the board of directors, in its sole discretion, may decide to retain them and therefore not pay dividends in the future.

If we fail to pay interest on or otherwise default on our subordinated notes and subordinated debt securities, we will be prohibited from paying dividends or distributions on our common stock.

As of December 31, 2024, we had $5,700,000 of subordinated notes and $8,764,000 of subordinated debt securities outstanding. The agreements under which the subordinated notes and subordinated debt securities were issued prohibit us from paying any dividends on our common stock or making any other distributions to our shareholders upon our failure to make any required payment of principal or interest or during the continuance of an event of default under the applicable agreement. Events of default generally consist of, among other things, certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or liquidation relating to us. If we were to fail to make a required payment of principal or interest on our subordinated notes or subordinated debt securities, it could have a material adverse effect on the market value of our common stock.

Our governing documents and Virginia law contain anti-takeover provisions that could negatively impact our shareholders.

Our articles of incorporation and bylaws and the Virginia Stock Corporation Act contain certain provisions designed to enhance the ability of our board of directors to deal with attempts to acquire control of the Company. These provisions, among others, provide that a plan of merger, share exchange, sale of all or substantially all of our assets, or similar transaction must be approved and recommended by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the directors in office or by the affirmative vote of 80% or more of all of the votes entitled to be cast on such transaction by each voting group entitled to

vote, and limit the ability of shareholders to call a special meeting. These provisions and the ability to set the voting rights, preferences and other terms of any series of preferred stock that may be issued, may be deemed to have an anti-takeover effect and may discourage takeovers (which certain shareholders may deem to be in their best interest). To the extent that such takeover attempts are discouraged, temporary fluctuations in the market price of our common stock resulting from actual or rumored takeover attempts may be inhibited. These provisions also could discourage or make more difficult a merger, tender offer or proxy contest, even though such transactions may be favorable to the interests of shareholders, and could potentially adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

Our largest shareholder, Kenneth R. Lehman, has significant influence over our business through his share ownership and his interests may not align with the interests of other holders of our common stock.

According to the Form 4 filed by Mr. Lehman with the SEC on December 16, 2020, Mr. Lehman owns 768,379 shares, or approximately 51.29%, of the Company’s outstanding common stock. Due to this ownership, he is able to influence the outcome of any matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders. In addition, Mr. Lehman previously served on the boards of directors of the Company and the Bank and management regularly seeks guidance and perspective from him given his extensive industry experience. Mr. Lehman owns significant shares of other financial institutions, some of which may compete with us. These affiliations may create conflicts of interest that could incentivize him to take or approve actions with respect to other institutions that may have a negative impact on us (e.g. marketing efforts, product pricing, lending policies, business combination transactions, etc.). While we believe Mr. Lehman’s significant investment in the Company provides some protection in this regard, Mr. Lehman’s interests may not directly align with the interests of other holders of our common stock.

If Mr. Lehman acquires more than 66.67% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, it will cause the acceleration of benefits under certain of our employment and benefit agreements, which will cause us to incur additional compensation expenses.

Certain of our employment and benefit agreements include customary provisions that provide for additional or accelerated compensation in the event of a change of control of the Company. If Mr. Lehman acquires more than 66.67% of the Company’s outstanding shares of common stock, it will cause the acceleration of benefits under some of these agreements. As described above, to the Company’s knowledge, Mr. Lehman owned approximately 51.29% of our outstanding common stock as of December 31, 2024.

Our change of control agreements provide for “double-trigger” acceleration of change of control benefits, which means the benefits are only payable if the employee experiences a qualifying termination of employment in connection with a change of control. Mr. Lehman’s acquisition of more than 66.67% of the Company’s outstanding common stock would not automatically result in the payment or acceleration of change of control benefits under these agreements. However, under certain circumstances, if the Company were to terminate these employees or the employees were to voluntarily resign following Mr. Lehman’s acquisition of more than 66.67% of the Company’s outstanding common stock, the Company would incur significant additional expenses.

Climate change and related legislative and regulatory initiatives may result in operational changes and expenditures that could significantly impact our business.

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The current and anticipated effects of climate change are creating an increasing level of concern for the state of the global environment. As a result, political and social attention to the issue of climate change has increased. Federal and state legislatures and regulatory agencies have continued to propose and advance numerous legislative and regulatory initiatives seeking to mitigate the effects of climate change. These climate-related initiatives could include increasing supervisory expectations with respect to banks’ risk management practices, accounting for the effects of climate change in stress testing scenarios and systemic risk assessments, revising expectations for credit portfolio concentrations based on climate-related factors and encouraging investment by banks in climate-related initiatives and lending to communities disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change.  To the extent that these initiatives lead to the promulgation of new regulations or supervisory guidance applicable to us, we would likely experience increased compliance costs and other compliance-related risks.

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The lack of empirical data surrounding the credit and other financial risks posed by climate change render it impossible to predict how specifically climate change may impact our financial condition and results of operations; however, the physical effects of climate change may also directly impact us. Specifically, unpredictable and more frequent weather disasters may adversely impact the value of real property securing the loans in our loan portfolio. Additionally, if insurance obtained by borrowers is insufficient to cover any losses sustained to the collateral, or if insurance coverage is otherwise unavailable to borrowers, the collateral securing loans may be negatively impacted by climate change, which could impact our financial condition and results of operations. Further, the effects of climate change may negatively impact regional and local economic activity, which could lead to an adverse effect on customers and impact the communities in which we operate. Overall, climate change, its effects and the resulting, unknown impact could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

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Severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, trade restrictions and tariffs, public health issues, and other external events could significantly impact our business.

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Severe weather, natural disasters, acts of war or terrorism, trade restrictions and tariffs, public health issues, and other adverse external events could have a significant impact on our ability to conduct business. In addition, such events could affect the stability of our deposit base, impair the ability of borrowers to repay outstanding loans, impair the value of collateral securing loans, cause significant property damage, result in loss of revenue, and/or cause us to incur additional expenses. The occurrence of any such event in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business, which, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable

Item 1C. CYBERSECURITY

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our executive and administrative offices are owned by the Bank and are located at 13319 Midlothian Turnpike, Midlothian, Virginia 23113 in Chesterfield County. The current location also houses the principal office of the Mortgage Company.

In addition to its executive offices, the Bank owns six full service branch buildings including the land and leases an additional three full service branch buildings. Three of our branch offices are located in Chesterfield County, with two branch offices in Hanover County, one in Henrico County, one in Powhatan County, one in the city of Richmond and one in James City County.

Our properties are maintained in good operating condition and we believe they are suitable and adequate for our operational needs. Management believes that, upon expiration of each of the Company’s leases, it will be able to extend the lease on satisfactory terms or relocate to another acceptable location.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

In the ordinary course of its operations, the Company is a party to various legal proceedings. As of the date of this report, there are no pending or threatened proceedings against the Company that, if determined adversely, would have a material effect on the business, results of operations, or financial position of the Company.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable

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PART II

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ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market and Dividend Information

Shares of the Company’s common stock trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VBFC”.

The Company declared quarterly cash dividends totaling $0.72 and $0.66 per common share for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. All dividends paid are limited by the requirement to meet capital requirements issued by the regulatory authorities, and future declarations are subject to financial performance and regulatory guidelines.

The amount and declaration of future cash dividends are subject to the Board of Directors’ approval. In making its decision on the payment of dividends, the Board of Directors considers operating results, financial condition, capital adequacy, regulatory requirements, shareholder returns, market conditions and other factors. A discussion of certain restrictions and limitations on the ability of the Bank to pay dividends to the Company, and the ability of the Company to pay dividends to shareholders of its common stock, is set forth in Item 1 – “Business” under “Supervision and Regulation.”

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Holders

At March 15, 2025, there were 1,498,097 shares of common stock outstanding held by approximately 841 shareholders of record.

For information concerning the Company’s Equity Compensation Plans, see Item 12 – “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Shareholder Matters.”

Purchases of Equity Securities

The Company did not repurchase any of its common stock during 2024 or 2023.

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ITEM 6. RESERVED

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion is intended to assist readers in understanding and evaluating the financial condition, changes in financial condition and the results of operations of the Company, consisting of the parent company and its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Bank. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and other financial information contained elsewhere in this report.

Caution About Forward-Looking Statements

In addition to historical information, this report may contain forward-looking statements. For this purpose, any statement, that is not a statement of historical fact may be deemed to be a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding profitability, liquidity, allowance for credit losses, interest rate sensitivity, market risk, growth strategy and financial and other goals. Forward-looking statements often use words such as “believes,” “expects,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “anticipates,” “forecasts,” “intends” or other words of similar meaning. You can also identify them by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from historical results or those anticipated by such statements.

There are many factors that could have a material adverse effect on the operations and future prospects of the Company including, but not limited to:

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For additional information on factors that could materially influence the forward-looking statements included in this report, see the risk factors in Item 1A – “Risk Factors” in this report. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained herein, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made. In addition, past results of operations are not necessarily indicative of future results.

Merger Agreement

On September 23, 2024, the Company, the Bank and TowneBank entered into an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the “Agreement”), which provides that, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Agreement, the Company and the Bank will merge with and into TowneBank (the “Merger”), with TowneBank being the surviving corporation in the Merger. Under the terms of the Agreement, shareholders of the Company will receive $80.25 per share in cash for each share of the Company’s common stock outstanding immediately prior to the Merger.

The Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby have been approved by the shareholders of the Company, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), and the Bureau of Financial Institutions of the State Corporation Commission of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The Merger remains subject to other customary closing conditions. The Company and TowneBank anticipate closing the Merger at the end of the first quarter of 2025.

General

The Company’s primary source of earnings is net interest income and income from mortgage banking activities, and its principal market risk exposure is interest rate risk. The Company is not able to predict market interest rate fluctuations and its asset/liability management strategy may not prevent interest rate changes from having a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.

Although we endeavor to minimize the credit risk inherent in the Company’s loan portfolio, we must necessarily make various assumptions and judgments about the collectability of the loan portfolio based on our experience and evaluation of economic conditions. If such assumptions or judgments prove to be incorrect, the current allowance for credit losses may not be sufficient to cover loan losses and additions to the allowance for credit losses may be necessary, which would have a negative impact on net income.

Results of Operations

The following presents management’s discussion and analysis of the financial condition of the Company at December 31, 2024 and 2023, and results of operations for the Company for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. This discussion should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Summary

The Company recorded net income of $7,017,000, or $4.69 per fully diluted share, in 2024, compared to net income of $1,918,000, or $1.29 per fully diluted share, in 2023.

On January 1, 2023, the Commercial Banking Segment adopted the current expected credit loss (“CECL”) methodology for estimating credit losses, which resulted in an increase of $150,000 in the allowance for credit losses on January 1, 2023 to $3.52 million. The allowance for credit losses included an allowance for credit losses on loans of $3.24 million and a reserve for unfunded commitments of $277,000.

As of December 31, 2024, the allowance for credit losses was $4.03 million and included an allowance for credit losses on loans of $3.70 million and a reserve for unfunded commitments of $328,200. As of December 31, 2023, the allowance for credit losses was $3.73 million and included an allowance for credit losses on loans of $3.42 million and a reserve for unfunded commitments of $306,000.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company executed a securities repositioning and balance sheet deleveraging strategy by selling available for sale securities with a total book value of $55,195,000 and a weighted average yield of 1.48% at a pre-tax loss of $4,986,000. The net proceeds from the sale were used to reduce FHLB borrowings by $15.0 million costing 5.57% and the remaining funds were reinvested back into the securities portfolio with a weighted average yield of 5.48%, with a duration of 3.4 years, and a weighted average life of 5.0 years. The transaction was structured to improve the forward run rate on earnings, add interest rate risk protection to a higher level for longer and potential down rate environments, while improving tangible common equity and maintaining our strong liquidity position.

Net interest income

Net interest income, which represents the difference between interest earned on interest-earning assets and interest incurred on interest-bearing liabilities, is the Company’s primary source of earnings. Net interest income can be affected by changes in market interest rates as well as the level and composition of assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity. Net interest spread is the difference between the average rate earned on interest-earning assets and the average rate paid on interest-bearing liabilities. The net yield on interest-earning assets (“net interest margin” or “NIM”) is calculated by dividing tax equivalent net interest income by average interest-earning assets. Generally, the net interest margin will exceed the net interest spread because a portion of interest-earning assets are funded by various noninterest-bearing sources, principally noninterest-bearing deposits and shareholders’ equity.

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The following are variances of note for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023:

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The following table illustrates average balances of total interest-earning assets and total interest-bearing liabilities for the periods indicated, showing the average distribution of assets, liabilities, shareholders’ equity and related income, expense and corresponding weighted-average yields and rates (dollars in thousands). The average balances used in these tables and other statistical data were calculated using daily average balances. We have no tax exempt assets for the periods presented.

Average Balance Sheets, Income and Expense, Yields and Rates

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Interest income and interest expense are affected by changes in both average interest rates and average volumes of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities. The following table analyzes changes in net interest income attributable to changes in the volume of interest-sensitive assets and liabilities compared to changes in interest rates. Nonaccrual loans are included in average loans outstanding. The changes in interest due to both rate and volume have been allocated to changes due to volume and changes due to rate in proportion to the relationship of the absolute dollar amounts of the changes in each (dollars in thousands).

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