CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:
•statements of our beliefs, goals, intentions and expectations;
•statements regarding our business plans, prospects, growth and operating strategies;
•statements regarding the quality of our loan and investment portfolios; and
•estimates of our risks and future costs and benefits.
These forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and expectations of our management and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, these forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions with respect to future business strategies and decisions that are subject to change.
The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements:
•general economic conditions, either nationally or in our market areas, that are worse than expected including as a result of employment levels and labor shortages, and the effects of inflation, a potential recession or slowed economic growth caused by supply chain disruptions or otherwise;
•changes in the level and direction of loan delinquencies and write-offs and changes in estimates of the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses;
•our ability to access cost-effective funding;
•fluctuations in real estate values and both residential and commercial real estate market conditions;
•demand for loans and deposits in our market area;
•deposit outflows and our ability to successfully manage liquidity;
•our ability to implement and change our business strategies;
•competition among depository and other financial institutions;
•inflation and changes in the interest rate environment that reduce our margins and yields, the fair value of financial instruments or our level of loan originations or prepayments on loans we have made and make;
•adverse changes in the securities or secondary mortgage markets;
•changes in laws or government regulations or policies affecting financial institutions, including changes in regulatory fees and capital requirements and insurance premiums;
•changes in the quality or composition of our loan or investment portfolios;
•technological changes that may be more difficult or expensive than expected;
•the inability of third-party providers to perform as expected;
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•our ability to manage market risk, credit risk and operational risk in the current economic environment;
•our ability to enter new markets successfully and to capitalize on growth opportunities;
•our ability to ability to successfully integrate into our operations any assets, liabilities, customers, systems and management personnel we may acquire, including those recently acquired from Citizens Bank of Cape Vincent, and our ability to realize related revenue synergies and cost savings within expected time frames and any goodwill charges related thereto;
•changes in consumer spending, borrowing and savings habits;
•changes in accounting policies and practices, as may be adopted by the bank regulatory agencies, the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission or the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board;
•our ability to attract and retain key employees; and
•changes in financial condition, results of operations or future prospects of issuers of securities that we own.
Any of the forward-looking statements that we make in this report and in other public statements we make may later prove incorrect because of inaccurate assumptions, the factors illustrated above or other factors that we cannot foresee. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable law or regulation, we do not undertake, and we specifically disclaim any obligation, to release publicly the result of any revisions that may be made to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of the statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.
Further information on other factors that could affect us are included in the section captioned “Item 1A: Risk Factors.”
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PART I
ITEM 1.BUSINESS
General
Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) is a Maryland corporation that was incorporated in June 2023 to be the successor to Gouverneur Bancorp, Inc., a federally chartered corporation (the “Mid-Tier Holding Company”), upon completion of the second-step conversion of Gouverneur Savings and Loan Association (the “Bank”) from the two-tier mutual holding company structure to the stock holding company structure. Cambray Mutual Holding Company was the former mutual holding company for the Mid-Tier Holding Company prior to the completion of the second-step conversion. In conjunction with the second-step conversion, each of Cambray Mutual Holding Company and the Mid-Tier Holding Company merged out of existence and now cease to exist. The second-step conversion was completed on October 31, 2023, at which time the Company sold, for gross proceeds of $7.2 million, a total of 723,068 shares of common stock at $10.00 per share, including 57,845 shares sold to the Bank’s employee stock ownership plan. As part of the second-step conversion, each of the existing outstanding shares of Mid-Tier Holding Company common stock owned by persons other than Cambray Mutual Holding Company was converted into 0.5334 shares of Company common stock. As a result of the second-step conversion, all share information has been subsequently revised to reflect the 0.5334 exchange ratio, unless otherwise noted.
The Company is a savings and loan holding company regulated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board”). The shares of the Company’s common stock are quoted on the OTCQB Marketplace (OTCQB) under the symbol “GOVB.”
Gouverneur Savings and Loan Association. The Bank is a New York-chartered stock savings and loan association headquartered in Gouverneur, New York. The Bank has provided community banking services to individuals, families and businesses since 1892. The Bank currently conducts business through its five branch offices located in Jefferson and St. Lawrence Counties in New York.
The Bank’s principal business consists of originating one- to four-family residential real estate mortgage loans and, to a lesser extent, commercial real estate loans, construction loans and home equity loans and lines of credit. We also offer commercial loans and consumer loans. We offer a variety of retail deposits to the general public in the areas surrounding our main office and our branch offices. We offer our customers a variety of deposit products with interest rates that are competitive with those of similar products offered by other financial institutions operating in our market area. We also utilize borrowings as a source of funds. Our revenues are derived primarily from interest on loans and, to a lesser extent, interest on investment securities and mortgage-backed securities. We also generate revenues from other income including deposit fees and service charges, realized gains on sales of securities, realized gains on sales of loans associated with loan production and realized gains on sales of other real estate owned.
GS&L Municipal Bank. The Bank operates a limited-purpose wholly owned subsidiary, GS&L Municipal Bank, that was formed in September 2022 as a New York-chartered limited purpose commercial bank. The Bank formed GS&L Municipal Bank as a limited purpose commercial bank subsidiary because, under New York municipal laws, a New York-chartered savings and loan association, such as the Bank, is not authorized to directly receive New York state or municipal deposits. GS&L Municipal Bank has the power to receive deposits only to the extent of accepting for deposit the funds of the State of New York and its respective agents, authorities and instrumentalities, and local governments as defined in Section 10(a)(1) of the New York General Municipal Law. GS&L Municipal Bank’s purpose is to attract deposits from local municipalities and, at September 30, 2023, GS&L Municipal Bank had $19.7 million in deposits. GS&L Municipal Bank is not authorized under New York law to make loans or to exercise certain fiduciary powers.
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