Advertisement
Screener

C & F FINANCIAL CORPORATION (CFFI) Business

C & F FINANCIAL CORPORATION Business

The company's own words from the Business item of each annual report, in the filing's order. Some sections could not be read exactly.

  • 2013: Section Item 1. Business; Text General; Document 10-K.
  • 2012: Section Item 1. Business; Text General; Document 10-K.
  • 2011: Section General; Text C&F Financial Corporation (the Corporation) is a bank holding company that was incorporated in March 1994 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Corporation owns all of the stock of its sole operating subsidiary, Citizens and Farmers Bank (C&F Bank or the Bank), which is an independent commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Bank originally opened for business under the name Farmers and Mechanics Bank on January 22, 1927. The Bank has the following five wholly-owned subsidiaries, all incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia:; Document 10-K.
  • 2011: Section Competition; Text Retail Banking; Document 10-K.

Business, as filed

The company's own words from the Business item of each annual report, verbatim and in the filing's order, split at the filing's own headings. Nothing is summarised or reworded. Tables and images are not shown; the document has them.

Fiscal yearSectionTextDocument
2013Item 1. Business

General

C&F Financial Corporation (the Corporation) is a bank holding company that was incorporated in March 1994 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Corporation owns all of the stock of Citizens and Farmers Bank (C&F Bank), which is an independent commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. C&F Bank originally opened for business under the name Farmers and Mechanics Bank on January 22, 1927. C&F Bank has the following five wholly-owned subsidiaries, all incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia:

• C&F Mortgage Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Hometown Settlement Services LLC and Certified Appraisals LLC

• C&F Finance Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary C&F Remarketing LLC

• C&F Investment Services, Inc.

• C&F Insurance Services, Inc.

• C&F Title Agency, Inc.

On October 1, 2013, the Corporation acquired all of the outstanding common stock of Central Virginia Bankshares, Inc. (CVBK) in an all-cash transaction in which CVBK shareholders received $0.32 for each share of CVBK common stock they owned, or approximately $846,000 in the aggregate. In addition, the Corporation purchased from the U.S. Treasury for $3.4 million all of CVBK's preferred stock and warrants issued to the U.S. Treasury under the Capital Purchase Program (CPP). CVBK is a one-bank holding company incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. CVBK owns all of the stock of Central Virginia Bank (CVB), which is an independent commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. CVB's sole subsidiary, CVB Title Services, Inc., was incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia for the primary purpose of owning membership interests in two insurance-related limited liability companies. The Corporation is in the process of obtaining regulatory approval to merge CVBK into the Corporation and CVB into C&F Bank. Management anticipates that these mergers will take place late in the first quarter of 2014.

The Corporation operates in a decentralized manner in three principal business activities: (1) retail banking through C&F Bank and CVB, (2) mortgage banking through C&F Mortgage Corporation (C&F Mortgage) and (3) consumer finance through C&F Finance Company (C&F Finance). The following general business discussion focuses on the activities within each of these segments.

In addition, the Corporation conducts brokerage activities through C&F Investment Services, Inc., insurance activities through C&F Insurance Services, Inc. and title insurance services through C&F Title Agency, Inc. and CVB Title Services, Inc. The financial position and operating results of any one of these subsidiaries are not significant to the Corporation as a whole and are not considered principal activities of the Corporation at this time.

The Corporation also owns three non-operating subsidiaries, C&F Financial Statutory Trust II (Trust II) formed in December 2007, C&F Financial Statutory Trust I (Trust I) formed in July 2005, and, by virtue of the Corporation's acquisition of CVBK, Central Virginia Bankshares Statutory Trust I (CVBK Trust I) formed in December 2003. These trusts were formed for the purpose of issuing $10.0 million each for Trust II and Trust I of the Corporation's junior subordinated debt securities, and $5.0 million for CVBK Trust I of CVBK's junior subordinated debt securities in private placements to institutional investors. Trust II and Trust I are unconsolidated subsidiaries of the Corporation and CVBK Trust I is an unconsolidated subsidiary of CVBK. The principal assets of these trusts are $10.3 million each for Trust II and Trust I of the Corporation's junior subordinated debt securities and $5.2 million for CVBK Trust I of CVBK's junior subordinated debt securities (such securities of the Corporation and of CVBK referred to herein as “trust preferred capital notes”) that are reported as liabilities of the consolidated Corporation.

Retail Banking

We provide retail banking services through C&F Bank and CVB (collectively, the Banks). C&F Bank provides retail banking services at its main office in West Point, Virginia, and 17 Virginia branches located one each in Chester, Hampton, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Newport News, Norge, Providence Forge, Quinton, Saluda, Sandston, Varina, West Point and Yorktown, and two each in Williamsburg and Richmond. CVB provides retail banking services at its main office in Powhatan, Virginia, and six Virginia branches located one each in Cartersville, Cumberland and Richmond, and three in Midlothian. These branches provide a wide range of banking services to individuals and businesses. These services include various types of checking and savings deposit accounts, as well as business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity and installment loans. The Banks also offer ATMs, internet banking and debit and credit cards, as well as travelers’ checks, safe deposit box rentals, collection, notary public, wire service and other customary bank services to its customers. Revenues from retail banking operations consist primarily of interest earned on loans and investment securities and fees related to deposit services. At December 31, 2013, assets of the Retail Banking segment totaled $1.16 billion. For the year ended December 31, 2013, the net income for this segment totaled $3.3 million. The Retail Banking segment's total assets and net income as of and for the year ended December 31, 2013 include CVB's total assets as of December 31, 2013 and CVB's results of operations from October 1, 2013, the date of acquisition.

Mortgage Banking

We conduct mortgage banking activities through C&F Mortgage, which was organized in September 1995. C&F Mortgage provides mortgage loan origination services through 13 locations in Virginia, two in Maryland and one in Gastonia, North Carolina. The Virginia offices are located one each in Charlottesville, Fishersville, Fredericksburg, Glen Allen, Hanover, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Newport News, Roanoke, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, and two in Midlothian. The Maryland offices are located in Annapolis and Waldorf. C&F Mortgage offers a wide variety of residential mortgage loans, which are originated for sale generally to the following investors: Wells Fargo Home Mortgage; Franklin American Mortgage Company; Penny Mac Corporation; and the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA). C&F Mortgage does not securitize loans. C&F Bank may also purchase permanent loans from C&F Mortgage. C&F Mortgage originates conventional mortgage loans, mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the FHA), mortgage loans guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture (the USDA) and the Veterans Administration (the VA), and home equity loans. A majority of the conventional loans are conforming loans that qualify for purchase by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). The remainder of the conventional loans is non-conforming in that they do not meet Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines, but are eligible for sale to various other investors. Through its subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage also provides ancillary mortgage loan origination services for loan settlement and residential appraisals. Revenues from mortgage banking operations consist principally of gains on sales of loans to investors in the secondary mortgage market, loan origination fee income and interest earned on mortgage loans held for sale. At December 31, 2013, assets of the Mortgage Banking segment totaled $50.8 million. For the year ended December 31, 2013, net income for this segment totaled $2.0 million.

Consumer Finance

We conduct consumer finance activities through C&F Finance. C&F Finance is a regional finance company providing automobile loans throughout Virginia and in portions of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia through its offices in Richmond and Hampton, Virginia, in Nashville, Tennessee and in Hunt Valley, Maryland. C&F Finance is an indirect lender that provides automobile financing through lending programs that are designed to serve customers in the “non-prime” market who have limited access to traditional automobile financing. C&F Finance generally purchases automobile retail installment sales contracts from manufacturer-franchised dealerships with used-car operations and through selected independent dealerships. C&F Finance selects these dealers based on the types of vehicles sold. Specifically, C&F Finance prefers to finance later model, low mileage used vehicles because the initial depreciation on new vehicles is extremely high. The typical borrowers on the retail installment sales contracts purchased have experienced prior credit difficulties. Because C&F Finance serves customers who are unable to meet the credit standards imposed by most traditional automobile financing sources, C&F Finance typically charges interest at higher rates than those charged by traditional financing sources. As C&F Finance provides financing in a relatively high-risk market, it expects to experience a higher level of credit losses than traditional automobile financing sources. Revenues from consumer finance operations consist principally of interest earned on automobile loans. At December 31, 2013, assets of the Consumer Finance segment totaled $278.9 million. For the year ended December 31, 2013, net income for this segment totaled $10.5 million.

Employees

At December 31, 2013, we employed 643 full-time equivalent employees. We consider relations with our employees to be excellent.

Competition

Retail Banking

In the Banks' market area, we compete with large national and regional financial institutions, savings associations and other independent community banks, as well as credit unions, mutual funds, brokerage firms and insurance companies. Increased competition has come from out-of-state banks through their acquisition of Virginia-based banks and interstate branching, and expansion of community and regional banks into our service areas.

The banking business in Virginia, and in the Banks' primary service area in the Hampton to Richmond corridor, is highly competitive for both loans and deposits, and is dominated by a relatively small number of large banks with many offices operating over a wide geographic area. Among the advantages such large banks have are their ability to finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns, efficiencies through economies of scale and, by virtue of their greater total capitalization, substantially higher lending limits than the Banks.

Factors such as interest rates offered, the number and location of branches and the types of products offered, as well as the reputation of the institution, affect competition for deposits and loans. We compete by emphasizing customer service and technology, establishing long-term customer relationships, building customer loyalty, and providing products and services to address the specific needs of our customers. We target individual and small-to-medium size business customers.

No material part of the Banks' business is dependent upon a single or a few customers, and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Banks' business.

Mortgage Banking

C&F Mortgage competes with large national and regional banks, credit unions, smaller regional mortgage lenders and small local broker operations. Due to the increased regulatory and compliance burden, the industry has seen a consolidation in the number of competitors in the marketplace. The guidelines surrounding agency business (i.e., loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) continue to be stringent and the associated mortgage insurance for loans above 80 percent loan-to-value has continued to tighten. The housing markets in which C&F Mortgage competes have continued to be less than robust. More recently, increases in the 10-year treasury rate have caused mortgage rates to increase, which in turn caused a significant decline in refinance activity. These conditions have a dramatic effect on mortgage banking.

The competitive factors faced by C&F Mortgage may change due to the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” (the Dodd-Frank Act). The Dodd-Frank Act affects many aspects of mortgage finance regulation, which may result in changes to the competitive landscape in the future. The many modifications introduced have required or will require extensive rulemaking, and the full effect of the Dodd-Frank Act and the size of the related compliance burden will not be known for some time to come. The reforms to mortgage lending encompass broad new restrictions on lending practices and loan terms, amend price thresholds for certain lending segments, add new disclosure forms and procedures for all mortgages, and mandate stronger legal liabilities in connection with real estate finance. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act authorizes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the CFPB) to establish certain minimum standards for the origination of residential mortgages, including a determination of the borrower's ability to repay (for which the finalized rules became effective in January 2014), and allows borrowers to raise certain defenses to foreclosure if they receive any loan other than a "qualified mortgage" as defined by the Dodd-Frank Act and CFPB regulations. While C&F Mortgage is continuing to evaluate all aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act and regulations issued pursuant thereto and by the CFPB, such legislation and regulations could materially and adversely affect the manner in which it conducts its mortgage business, result in heightened federal regulation and oversight of its business activities, and result in increased costs and potential litigation associated with its business activities. Given the far-reaching effect of the Dodd-Frank Act and CFPB regulations on mortgage finance, compliance with the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act and CFPB regulations may require substantial changes to mortgage lending systems and processes and other implementation efforts.

To operate profitably in this environment, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and be able to attract and retain top mortgage origination talent. C&F Mortgage competes by attracting the top sales people in the industry, providing an operational infrastructure that manages regulatory changes efficiently and effectively, offering a product menu that is both competitive in loan parameters as well as price, and providing consistently high quality customer service.

No material part of C&F Mortgage’s business is dependent upon a single customer and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Mortgage’s business. However, given the current regulatory and compliance environment in which C&F Mortgage operates, strategies are being implemented to mitigate any significant disruption in C&F Mortgage's direct or indirect access to the secondary market for residential mortgage loans. C&F Mortgage, like all residential mortgage lenders, would be affected by the inability of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA or the VA to purchase or guarantee loans. Although C&F Mortgage sells loans to various intermediaries, the ability of these aggregators to purchase or guarantee loans would be limited if these government-sponsored entities cease to exist or materially limit their purchases or guarantees of mortgage loans or suffer deteriorations in their financial condition.

Consumer Finance

The non-prime automobile finance business is highly competitive. The automobile finance market is highly fragmented and is served by a variety of financial entities, including the captive finance affiliates of major automotive manufacturers, banks, savings associations, credit unions and independent finance companies. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources and lower costs of funds than our finance subsidiary. In addition, competitors often provide financing on terms that are more favorable to automobile purchasers or dealers than the terms C&F Finance offers. Many of these competitors also have long-standing relationships with automobile dealerships and may offer dealerships or their customers other forms of financing, including dealer floor plan financing and leasing, which we do not.

During 2008 and 2009, there was a significant contraction in the number of institutions providing automobile financing for the non-prime market. This contraction accompanied the economic downturn and the tightening of credit, which contributed to increasing defaults, a decline in collateral values and higher charge-offs. As these issues have abated, institutions with access to capital have begun to re-enter the market, resulting in intensified competition for loans and qualified personnel and, to a lesser extent thus far, credit easing. To continue to operate profitably, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and access to competitive costs of funds.

Providers of automobile financing traditionally have competed on the basis of interest rates charged, the quality of credit accepted, the flexibility of loan terms offered and the quality of service provided to dealers and customers. To establish C&F Finance as one of the principal financing sources at the dealers it serves, we compete predominately by providing a high level of dealer service, building strong dealer relationships, offering flexible loan terms, and quickly funding loans purchased from dealers.

No material part of C&F Finance’s business is dependent upon any single dealer relationship, and the loss of any single dealer relationship would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Finance’s business.

Regulation and Supervision

General

Bank holding companies and banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. The following summary briefly describes significant provisions of currently applicable federal and state laws and certain regulations and the potential impact of such provisions. This summary is not complete, and we refer you to the particular statutory or regulatory provisions or proposals for more information. Because federal regulation of financial institutions changes regularly and is the subject of constant legislative and regulatory debate, we cannot forecast how federal and state regulation and supervision of financial institutions may change in the future and affect the Corporation’s and the Banks’ operations.

As previously disclosed, the Corporation plans to merge CVBK with and into the Corporation, with the Corporation surviving, and merge CVB with and into C&F Bank, with C&F Bank surviving. The Corporation expects that these mergers will be effective during the later part of the first quarter of 2014. The following discussion focuses on regulation and supervision of the Corporation and C&F Bank. As a bank holding company, CVBK is subject to substantially similar regulations as the Corporation. Because CVB is a Virginia chartered banking corporation and is a member of the Federal Reserve System, CVB is subject to substantially similar regulations as C&F Bank and is also subject to additional regulations applicable to bank members of the Federal Reserve System.

Regulatory Reform

The financial crisis of 2008, including the downturn of global economic, financial and money markets and the threat of collapse of numerous financial institutions, and other recent events have led to the adoption of numerous laws and regulations that apply to, and focus on, financial institutions. The most significant of these laws is the Dodd-Frank Act, which was adopted on July 21, 2010 and, in part, is intended to implement significant structural reforms to the financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act is discussed in more detail below.

As a result of the Dodd-Frank Act and other regulatory reforms, the Corporation continues to experience a period of rapidly changing regulations. These regulatory changes could have a significant effect on how the Corporation conducts its business. The specific implications of the Dodd-Frank Act and other proposed regulatory reforms cannot yet be predicted and will depend to a large extent on the specific regulations that are adopted in the coming months and years to implement regulatory reform initiatives.

Regulation of the Corporation

As a bank holding company, the Corporation is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the BHCA) and regulation and supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve Board). Pursuant to the BHCA the Federal Reserve Board has the power to order any bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate its ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve Board has reasonable grounds to believe that continuation of such activity or ownership constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness, safety or stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

The BHCA generally limits the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity that is closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks, and permits interstate banking acquisitions subject to certain conditions, including national and state concentration limits. The Federal Reserve Board has jurisdiction under the BHCA to approve any bank or non-bank acquisition, merger or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. A bank holding company must be well capitalized and well managed to engage in an interstate bank acquisition or merger, and banks may branch across state lines provided that the law of the state in which the branch is to be located would permit establishment of the branch if the bank were a state bank chartered by such state.

Each of the Banks' depository accounts is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) against loss to the depositor to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, and federal law and regulatory policy impose a number of obligations and restrictions on the Corporation and C&F Bank to reduce potential loss exposure to depositors and to the FDIC insurance funds. For example, pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act and Federal Reserve policy, a bank holding company must commit resources to support its subsidiary depository institutions, which is referred to as serving as a "source of strength." In addition, insured depository institutions under common control must reimburse the FDIC for any loss suffered or reasonably anticipated by the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) as a result of the default of a commonly controlled insured depository institution. The FDIC may decline to enforce the provisions if it determines that a waiver is in the best interest of the DIF. An FDIC claim for damage is superior to claims of stockholders of an insured depository institution or its holding company but is subordinate to claims of depositors, secured creditors and holders of subordinated debt, other than affiliates, of the commonly controlled insured depository institution.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA) provides that amounts received from the liquidation or other resolution of any insured depository institution must be distributed, after payment of secured claims, to pay the deposit liabilities of the institution before payment of any other general creditor or stockholder. This provision would give depositors a preference over general and subordinated creditors and stockholders if a receiver is appointed to distribute the assets of a bank.

The Corporation also is subject to regulation and supervision by the State Corporation Commission of Virginia. The Corporation also must file annual, quarterly and other periodic reports with, and comply with other regulations of, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC).

Capital Requirements

The Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have issued substantially similar risk-based and leverage capital guidelines that currently apply to banking organizations they supervise. Under the currently applicable risk-based capital requirements, the Corporation and the Banks are required to maintain a minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0 percent and a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.0 percent. At least half of the total capital must be Tier 1 capital, which includes common equity, retained earnings and qualifying perpetual preferred stock, less certain intangibles and other adjustments. The remainder may consist of Tier 2 capital, such as a limited amount of subordinated and other qualifying debt (including certain hybrid capital instruments), other qualifying preferred stock and a limited amount of the general loan loss allowance. As long as the Corporation has total consolidated assets of less than $15 billion, under currently applicable capital standards the Corporation may include in Tier 1 and total capital the Corporation’s trust preferred securities that were issued before May 19, 2010. The currently applicable capital guidelines also provide that banking organizations experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions must maintain capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets.

In July 2013, the federal bank regulatory agencies adopted final rules (i) to implement the Basel III capital framework as outlined by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and (ii) for calculating risk-weighted assets (collectively, the Basel III Final Rules). These final rules establish a new comprehensive capital framework for U.S. banking organizations, require bank holding companies and their bank subsidiaries to maintain substantially more capital with a greater emphasis on common equity, and make selected changes to the calculation risk-weighted assets. The Basel III Final Rules, among other things, (i) introduce as a new capital measure “Common Equity Tier 1” (CET1), (ii) specify that Tier 1 capital consists of CET1 and “Additional Tier 1 capital” instruments meeting specified requirements, (iii) define CET1 narrowly by requiring that most adjustments to regulatory capital measures be made to CET1 and not to the other components of capital and (iv) expand the scope of the adjustments as compared to existing regulations. The Basel III Capital Rules implement the new minimum capital ratios and risk-weighting calculations on January 1, 2015, and Basel III's capital conservation buffer and regulatory capital adjustments and deductions will be phased in from 2015 to 2019.

When fully phased in, the Basel III Final Rules will require banks to maintain (i) a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%, plus a 2.5% “capital conservation buffer” (which is added to the 4.5% CET1 ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 7%), (ii) a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer (which is added to the 6.0% Tier 1 capital ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 8.5% upon full implementation), (iii) a minimum ratio of Total (that is, Tier 1 plus Tier 2) capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer (which is added to the 8.0% total capital ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum total capital ratio of 10.5% upon full implementation) and (iv) a minimum leverage ratio of 3%, 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 Basel III Final Rules also implement a “countercyclical capital buffer,” generally designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress and to be imposed when national regulators determine that excess aggregate credit growth becomes associated with a buildup of systemic risk. This buffer is a CET1 add-on to the capital conservation buffer in the range of 0% to 2.5% when fully implemented (potentially resulting in total buffers of between 2.5% and 5%).

The Basel III Final Rules provide new deductions from and adjustments to CET1. These include, for example, the requirement that mortgage servicing rights, deferred tax assets dependent upon future taxable income and significant investments in non-consolidated financial entities be deducted from CET1 to the extent that any one such category exceeds 10% of CET1 or all such categories in the aggregate exceed 15% of CET1.

The Basel III Final Rules also revise the general rules for calculating a banking organization's total risk-weighted assets and the risk weightings that are applied to many classes of assets held by community banks, importantly including applying higher risk weightings to certain commercial real estate loans.

Limits on Dividends

The Corporation is a legal entity that is separate and distinct from C&F Bank. A significant portion of the revenues of the Corporation result from dividends paid to it by C&F Bank. Both the Corporation and C&F Bank are subject to laws and regulations that limit the payment of dividends, including limits on the sources of dividends and requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. Banking regulators have indicated that Virginia banking organizations should generally pay dividends only (1) from net undivided profits of the bank, after providing for all expenses, losses, interest and taxes accrued or due by the bank and (2) if the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, the FDIA prohibits insured depository institutions such as C&F Bank from making capital distributions, including paying dividends, if, after making such distribution, the institution would become undercapitalized as defined in the statute. We do not expect that any of these laws, regulations or policies will materially affect the ability of the Corporation or C&F Bank to pay dividends.

On June 30, 2010, CVBK and CVB entered into a written agreement with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and the Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions (VBFI). Among other things, the written agreement restricts CVBK and CVB from paying dividends and making other capital distributions without the written consent of the Federal Reserve Bank and the VBFI. Since acquiring CVBK and CVB on October 1, 2013, this restriction has not significantly affected the operations of the Corporation or C&F Bank. The Corporation anticipates merging CVBK with and into the Corporation and CVB with and into C&F Bank during the later part of the first quarter of 2014, and further anticipates that the written agreement will terminate upon completion of these mergers.

The Dodd-Frank Act

The Dodd-Frank Act implements far-reaching changes across the financial regulatory landscape, including changes that will affect all bank holding companies and banks, including the Corporation and the Banks. Provisions that significantly affect the business of the Corporation and the Banks include the following:

• Insurance of Deposit Accounts. The Dodd-Frank Act changed the assessment base for federal deposit insurance from the amount of insured deposits to consolidated assets less tangible capital. The Dodd-Frank Act also made permanent the $250,000 limit for federal deposit insurance and increased the cash limit of Securities Investor Protection Corporation protection from $100,000 to $250,000.

• Payment of Interest on Demand Deposits. The Dodd-Frank Act repealed the federal prohibitions on the payment of interest on demand deposits, thereby permitting depository institutions to pay interest on business transaction and other accounts.

• Creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Dodd-Frank Act centralized significant aspects of consumer financial protection by creating a new agency, the CFPB, which is discussed in more detail below.

• Debit Card Interchange Fees. The Dodd-Frank Act amended the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) to, among other things, require that debit card interchange fees be reasonable and proportional to the actual cost incurred by the issuer with respect to the transaction. In June 2011, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations setting the maximum permissible interchange fee as the sum of 21 cents per transaction and 5 basis points multiplied by the value of the transaction, with an additional adjustment of up to one cent per transaction if the issuer implements additional fraud-prevention standards. Although issuers that have assets of less than $10 billion are exempt from the Federal Reserve Board’s regulations that set maximum interchange fees, these regulations could significantly affect the interchange fees that financial institutions with less than $10 billion in assets are able to collect.

In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act implements other far-reaching changes to the financial regulatory landscape, including provisions that:

• Restrict the preemption of state law by federal law and disallow subsidiaries and affiliates of national banks from availing themselves of such preemption.

• Impose comprehensive regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market, subject to significant rulemaking processes, which would include certain provisions that would effectively prohibit insured depository institutions from conducting certain derivatives businesses in the institution itself.

• Require depository institutions with total consolidated assets of more than $10 billion to conduct regular stress tests and require large, publicly traded bank holding companies to create a risk committee responsible for the oversight of enterprise risk management.

• Require loan originators to retain 5 percent of any loan sold or securitized, unless it is a “qualified residential mortgage,” subject to certain exceptions.

• Prohibit banks and their affiliates from engaging in proprietary trading and investing in and sponsoring certain unregistered investment companies (the Volker Rule).

• Implement corporate governance revisions that apply to all public companies not just financial institutions.

Many aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act remain subject to future rulemaking, making it difficult to anticipate the overall financial impact on the Corporation, its subsidiaries, its customers or the financial industry more generally. Some of the rules that have been proposed and, in some cases, adopted to comply with the Dodd-Frank Act's mandates are discussed further below.

Insurance of Accounts, Assessments and Regulation by the FDIC

The Banks' deposits are insured by the DIF of the FDIC up to the standard maximum insurance amount for each deposit insurance ownership category. As of January 1, 2014, the basic limit on FDIC deposit insurance coverage is $250,000 per depositor. Under the FDIA, the FDIC may terminate deposit insurance upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC, subject to administrative and potential judicial hearing and review processes.

Deposit Insurance Assessments. The DIF is funded by assessments on banks and other depository institutions calculated based on average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity (defined as Tier 1 capital). As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, the FDIC has adopted a large-bank pricing assessment scheme, set a target “designated reserve ratio” (described in more detail below) of 2 percent for the DIF and established a lower assessment rate schedule when the reserve ratio reaches 1.15 percent and, in lieu of dividends, provides for a lower assessment rate schedule, when the reserve ratio reaches 2 percent and 2.5 percent. An institution's assessment rate depends upon the institution's assigned risk category, which is based on supervisory evaluations, regulatory capital levels and certain other factors. Initial base assessment rates ranges from 2.5 to 45 basis points. The FDIC may make the following further adjustments to an institution’s initial base assessment rates: decreases for long-term unsecured debt including most senior unsecured debt and subordinated debt; increases for holding long-term unsecured debt or subordinated debt issued by other insured depository institutions; and increases for broker deposits in excess of 10 percent of domestic deposits for institutions not well rated and well capitalized.

The Dodd-Frank Act transferred to the FDIC increased discretion with regard to managing the required amount of reserves for the DIF, or the “designated reserve ratio.” Among other changes, the Dodd-Frank Act (i) raised the minimum designated reserve ratio to 1.35 percent and removed the upper limit on the designated reserve ratio, (ii) requires that the designated reserve ratio reach 1.35 percent by September 2020, and (iii) requires the FDIC to offset the effect on institutions with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion of raising the designated reserve ratio from 1.15 percent to 1.35 percent. The FDIA requires that the FDIC consider the appropriate level for the designated reserve ratio on at least an annual basis. On October 2010, the FDIC adopted a new DIF restoration plan to ensure that the fund reserve ratio reaches 1.35 percent by September 30, 2020, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act.

Regulation of the Banks and Other Subsidiaries

The Banks are subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions (VBFI) and their primary federal regulator, which is the FDIC in the case of C&F Bank and the Federal Reserve Board in the case of CVB. The various laws and regulations issued and administered by the regulatory agencies (including the CFPB) affect corporate practices, such as the payment of dividends, the incurrence of debt and the acquisition of financial institutions and other companies, and affect business practices and operations, such as the payment of interest on deposits, the charging of interest on loans, the types of business conducted, the products and terms offered to customers and the location of offices. Prior approval of the applicable primary federal regulator and the VBFI is required for a Virginia chartered bank to merge with another bank or purchase the assets or assume the deposits of another bank. In reviewing applications seeking approval of merger and acquisition transactions, the bank regulatory authorities will consider, among other things, the competitive effect and public benefits of the transactions, the capital position of the combined organization, the risks to the stability of the U.S. banking or financial system, the applicant's performance record under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and fair housing initiatives, and the applicant's compliance with and the effectiveness of the subject organizations in combating money laundering activities.

Community Reinvestment Act. 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 are assessed based on specified factors. These factors also are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. In 2012, C&F Bank and CVB each received a "Satisfactory" CRA rating.

Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. C&F Bank and CVB are members of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Atlanta, which is one of 12 regional FHLBs that provide funding to their members for making housing loans as well as for affordable housing and community development loans. Each FHLB serves as a reserve, or central bank, for the members within its assigned region. Each FHLB makes loans to members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB. As members, the Banks must purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB. At December 31, 2013, C&F bank owned $3.5 million and CVB owned $464,000 of FHLB stock.

Federal Reserve Bank Stock. CVB is a member of the Federal Reserve System. As a member, CVB must purchase and maintain stock in the Federal Reserve Bank. The stock may not be sold, traded, or pledged as security for a loan; dividends are, by law, six percent per year. At December 31, 2013, CVB owned $347,000 of Federal Reserve Bank stock.

Consumer Protection. The Dodd-Frank Act created the CFPB, a federal regulatory agency that is responsible for implementing, examining and enforcing compliance with federal consumer financial laws for institutions with more than $10 billion of assets and, to a lesser extent, smaller institutions. The Dodd-Frank Act gives the CFPB authority to supervise and regulate providers of consumer financial products and services, and establishes the CFPB’s power to act against unfair, deceptive or abusive practices, and gives the CFPB rulemaking authority in connection with numerous federal consumer financial protection laws (for example, but not limited to, the Truth-in-Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act).

As a smaller institution (i.e., with assets of $10 billion or less), most consumer protection aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act will continue to be applied to the Corporation by the Federal Reserve and to C&F Bank by the FDIC. However, the CFPB may include its own examiners in regulatory examinations by a small institution’s prudential regulators and may require smaller institutions to comply with certain CFPB reporting requirements. In addition, regulatory positions taken by the CFPB and administrative and legal precedents established by CFPB enforcement activities, including in connection with supervision of larger bank holding companies, could influence how the Federal Reserve and FDIC apply consumer protection laws and regulations to financial institutions that are not directly supervised by the CFPB. The precise effect of the CFPB’s consumer protection activities on the Corporation cannot be determined with certainty.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. In connection with making mortgage loans, the Banks are subject to rules and regulations that, among other things, establish standards for loan origination, prohibit discrimination, provide for inspections and appraisals of property, require credit reports on prospective borrowers, in some cases, restrict certain loan features and fix maximum interest rates and fees, 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. The Banks' mortgage origination activities are subject to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA), Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and Home Ownership Equity Protection Act, and the regulations promulgated under these acts, among other additional state and federal laws, regulations and rules.

The Banks' mortgage origination activities are also subject to Regulation Z, which implements TILA. As recently amended and effective January 10, 2014, certain provisions of Regulation Z require mortgage lenders to make a reasonable and good faith determination, based on verified and documented information, that a consumer applying for a mortgage loan has a reasonable ability to repay the loan according to its terms. Alternatively, a mortgage lender can originate “qualified mortgages”, which are generally defined as mortgage loans without negative amortization, interest-only payments, balloon payments, terms exceeding 30 years, and points and fees paid by a consumer equal to or less than 3% of the total loan amount. Higher-priced qualified mortgages (e.g., subprime loans) receive a rebuttable presumption of compliance with ability-to-repay rules, and other qualified mortgages (e.g., prime loans) are deemed to comply with the ability-to-repay rules. The Corporation’s Mortgage Banking segment predominately originates mortgage loans that comply with Regulation Z’s “qualified mortgage” rules.

In addition to certain regulations applicable to the Banks, the Corporation’s Mortgage Banking segment is subject to the rules and regulations of, and examination by, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the FHA, the USDA, the VA and state regulatory authorities with respect to originating, processing 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.

Consumer Financing Regulation. The Corporation’s Consumer Finance segment also is regulated by the VBFI and the states and jurisdictions in which it operates, and the segment's lending operations are subject to numerous federal regulations over which the CFPB has rulemaking authority and regarding which enforcement authority is shared by the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. The VBFI regulates and enforces laws relating to consumer lenders and sales finance agencies such as C&F Finance. Such rules and regulations generally provide for licensing of sales finance agencies; limitations on amounts, duration and charges, including interest rates, for various categories of loans; requirements as to the form and content of finance contracts and other documentation; and restrictions on collection practices and creditors’ rights.

Certain federal regulatory agencies, and in particular, the CFPB, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Federal Reserve, have recently become more active in investigating the products, services and operations of banks and other finance companies engaged in auto finance activities. These investigations have extended to banks that engage in indirect automobile lending, and the CFPB has released regulatory guidance that deems automobile lenders within the CFPB’s jurisdiction responsible for ECOA noncompliance even if such noncompliance is a result of dealer lending practices. As of January 1, 2014, the Corporation and C&F Finance are not subject to supervision by the CFPB.

Other Regulations

Prompt Correction Action. The federal banking agencies 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.” These terms are defined under uniform regulations issued by each of the federal banking agencies regulating these institutions. An insured depository institution which 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. As of December 31, 2013, the Banks were each considered “well capitalized.”

Incentive Compensation. The Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the FDIC have issued regulatory guidance (the Incentive Compensation Guidance) intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of such organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of banking organizations, such as the Corporation, that are not "large, complex banking organizations." The findings will be included in reports of examination, and deficiencies will be incorporated into the organization's supervisory ratings. Enforcement actions may be taken against a banking organization if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the organization's safety and soundness and the organization is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies.

As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, in March 2011 the SEC and the federal bank regulatory agencies proposed regulations that would prohibit financial institutions with assets of at least $1 billion from maintaining executive compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risk taking by providing excessive compensation or that could lead to material financial loss. If the regulations are adopted in the form initially proposed, they will impose limitations on the manner in which the Corporation may structure compensation for its executives and will require the Corporation to submit annual reports to the Federal Reserve regarding the Corporation’s incentive compensation. These proposed regulations incorporate the principles discussed in the Incentive Compensation Guidance. The comment period for these proposed regulations has closed and a final rule has not yet been published.

Financial Holding Company Status. As provided by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLBA), a bank holding company may become eligible to engage in activities that are financial in nature or incident or complimentary to financial activities by qualifying as a financial holding company. To qualify as a financial holding company, each insured depository institution controlled by the bank holding company must be well-capitalized, well-managed and have at least a satisfactory rating under the CRA. In addition, the bank holding company must file with the Federal Reserve Board a declaration of its intention to become a financial holding company. To date, the Corporation has not filed a declaration to become a financial holding company, and qualification as such by other bank holding companies has not had a material effect on the Corporation's or the Banks' business.

Confidentiality and Required Disclosures of Customer Information. The Corporation is subject to various laws and regulations that address the privacy of nonpublic personal financial information of consumers. The GLBA and certain regulations issued thereunder protect against the transfer and use by financial institutions of consumer nonpublic personal information. A financial institution must provide to its customers, at the beginning of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution’s policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers’ nonpublic personal financial information. These privacy provisions generally prohibit a financial institution from providing a customer’s personal financial information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that the information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure.

The Corporation is also subject to various laws and regulations that attempt to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The Bank Secrecy Act requires all financial institutions to, among other things, create a system of controls designed to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and imposes recordkeeping and reporting requirements. The USA Patriot Act facilitates information sharing among governmental entities and financial institutions for the purpose of combating terrorism and money laundering, and requires financial institutions to establish anti-money laundering programs. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sends banking regulatory agencies lists of the names of persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, and requests banks to search their records for any relationships or transactions with persons on those lists. If the Banks find any relationships or transactions, they must file a suspicious activity report with the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) and contact the FBI. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is a division of the Treasury, is responsible for helping to ensure 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. If the Banks find a name of an "enemy" of the United States on any transaction, account or wire transfer that is on an OFAC list, it must freeze such account, file a suspicious activity report with the Treasury and notify the FBI.

Although these laws and programs impose compliance costs and create privacy obligations and, in some cases, reporting obligations, these laws and programs do not materially affect the Banks' products, services or other business activities.

Stress Testing. As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, the federal banking agencies have implemented stress testing requirements for certain financial institutions, including bank holding companies and state chartered banks, with more than $10 billion in total consolidated assets. Although these requirements do not apply to institutions with less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets, the federal banking agencies emphasize that all banking organizations, regardless of size, should have the capacity to analyze the potential effect of adverse market conditions or outcomes on the organization's financial condition. Based on existing regulatory guidance, the Corporation and the Banks will be expected to consider the institution's interest rate risk management, commercial real estate loan concentrations and other credit-related information, and funding and liquidity management during this analysis of adverse outcomes.

Volcker Rule. The Dodd-Frank Act prohibits bank holding companies and their subsidiary banks from engaging in proprietary trading except in limited circumstances, and places limits on ownership of equity investments in private equity and hedge funds (the Volcker Rule). On December 10, 2013, the U.S. financial regulatory agencies (including the Federal Reserve, the FDIC and the SEC) adopted final rules to implement the Volcker Rule. In relevant part, these final rules would have prohibited banking entities from owning collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) backed by trust preferred securities (TruPS), effective July 21, 2015. However, subsequent to these final rules the U.S. financial regulatory agencies issued an interim rule effective April 1, 2014 to exempt CDOs backed by TruPS from the Volker Rule and the final rule, provided that (a) the CDO was established prior to May 19, 2010, (b) the banking entity reasonably believes that the CDO’s offering proceeds were used to invest primarily in TruPS issued by banks with less than $15 billion in assets, and (iii) the banking entity acquired the CDO investment on or before December 10, 2013. Neither the Corporation nor the Banks currently have any CDO investments, and the Corporation believes that its financial condition will not be significantly affected by the Volcker Rule, the final rule or the interim rule.

Written Agreement of CVBK and CVB, and Acquisition of CVBK by the Corporation

On June 30, 2010, CVBK and CVB entered into a written agreement with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and the VBFI (the Written Agreement). The written agreement required CVBK and CVB to submit plans to the Federal Reserve Bank and the VBFI to improve the financial condition, operational condition, management and oversight of CVBK and CVB, respectively. The Written Agreement also restricts CVBK and CVB from paying dividends and making other capital distributions without the written consent of the Federal Reserve Bank and the VBFI. Since acquiring CVBK and CVB on October 1, 2013, the Written Agreement has not significantly affected the operations of the Corporation or C&F Bank. Additionally, in connection with the acquisition of CVBK, the Corporation committed to its federal and state banking regulators that the Corporation would commit management and financial resources to solidify the operational and financial condition of CVBK and CVB.

The Corporation believes that CVBK and CVB are in substantial compliance with the Written Agreement, and that the Corporation has provided sufficient management and financial resources to solidify the condition of CVBK and CVB. The Corporation anticipates completing the mergers of CVBK with and into the Corporation and CVB with and into the C&F Bank during the later part of the first quarter of 2014, and further anticipates that the Written Agreement will terminate upon completion of these mergers.

Future Regulation

From time to time, various legislative and regulatory initiatives are introduced in Congress and state legislatures, as well as by regulatory agencies. Such initiatives may include proposals to expand or contract the powers of bank holding companies and depository institutions or proposals to substantially change the financial institution regulatory system. Such legislation could change banking statutes and the operating environment of the Corporation in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The Corporation cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted, and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on the financial condition or results of operations of the Corporation. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries could have a material effect on the business of the Corporation.

Available Information

The Corporation’s SEC filings are filed electronically and are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, any document filed by the Corporation with the SEC can be read and copied at the SEC’s public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of documents can be obtained at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Corporation’s SEC filings also are available through our web site at http://www.cffc.com under "Investor Relations/SEC Filings" as of the day they are filed with the SEC. Copies of documents also can be obtained free of charge by writing to the Corporation’s secretary at P.O. Box 391, West Point, VA 23181 or by calling 804-843-2360.

10-K
2012Item 1. Business

General

C&F Financial Corporation (the Corporation) is a bank holding company that was incorporated in March 1994 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Corporation owns all of the stock of its sole operating subsidiary, Citizens and Farmers Bank (C&F Bank or the Bank), which is an independent commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Bank originally opened for business under the name Farmers and Mechanics Bank on January 22, 1927. The Bank has the following five wholly-owned subsidiaries, all incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia:

• C&F Mortgage Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Hometown Settlement Services LLC and Certified Appraisals LLC

• C&F Finance Company and its wholly-owned subsidiary C&F Remarketing LLC

• C&F Investment Services, Inc.

• C&F Insurance Services, Inc.

• C&F Title Agency, Inc.

The Corporation operates in a decentralized manner in three principal business activities: (1) retail banking through C&F Bank, (2) mortgage banking through C&F Mortgage Corporation (C&F Mortgage) and (3) consumer finance through C&F Finance Company (C&F Finance). The following general business discussion focuses on the activities within each of these segments.

In addition, the Corporation conducts brokerage activities through C&F Investment Services, Inc., insurance activities through C&F Insurance Services, Inc. and title insurance services through C&F Title Agency, Inc. The financial position and operating results of any one of these subsidiaries are not significant to the Corporation as a whole and are not considered principal activities of the Corporation at this time.

The Corporation also owns two non-operating subsidiaries, C&F Financial Statutory Trust II (Trust II) formed in December 2007 and C&F Financial Statutory Trust I (Trust I) formed in July 2005. These trusts were formed for the purpose of issuing $10.0 million each of trust preferred capital securities in private placements to institutional investors. These trusts are unconsolidated subsidiaries of the Corporation and their principal assets are $10.3 million each of the Corporation's junior subordinated debt securities (referred to herein as "trust preferred capital notes") that are reported as liabilities of the Corporation.

Retail Banking

We provide retail banking services at the Bank's main office in West Point, Virginia, and 17 Virginia branches located one each in Chester, Hampton, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Newport News, Norge, Providence Forge, Quinton, Saluda, Sandston, Varina, West Point and Yorktown, and two each in Williamsburg and Richmond. These branches provide a wide range of banking services to individuals and businesses. These services include various types of checking and savings deposit accounts, as well as business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity and installment loans. The Bank also offers ATMs, internet banking and credit cards, as well as travelers' checks, safe deposit box rentals, collection, notary public, wire service and other customary bank services to its customers. Revenues from retail banking operations consist primarily of interest earned on loans and investment securities and fees related to deposit services. At December 31, 2012, assets of the Retail Banking segment totaled $813.8 million. For the year ended December 31, 2012, the net income for this segment totaled $2.2 million.

Mortgage Banking

We conduct mortgage banking activities through C&F Mortgage, which was organized in September 1995. C&F Mortgage provides mortgage loan origination services through 13 locations in Virginia, three in Maryland, one each in Wilmington, Delaware; Moorestown, New Jersey; and Gastonia, North Carolina. The Virginia offices are located one each in Charlottesville, Fishersville, Fredericksburg, Glen Allen, Hanover, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Newport News, Roanoke, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, and two in Midlothian. The Maryland offices are located in Annapolis, Ellicott City and Waldorf. C&F Mortgage offers a wide variety of residential mortgage loans, which are originated for sale generally to the following investors: Wells Fargo Home Mortgage; Franklin American Mortgage Company; US Bank Home Mortgage; Penny Mac Corporation; Ally Bank; Lake Michigan Financial

Table of Contents

Group, Inc.; Plaza Home Mortgage, Inc.; Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development; and the Virginia Housing Development Authority. C&F Mortgage does not securitize loans. The Bank also purchases permanent loans from C&F Mortgage. C&F Mortgage originates conventional mortgage loans, mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the FHA), mortgage loans guaranteed by the United States Department of Agriculture (the USDA) and the Veterans Administration (the VA), and home equity loans. A majority of the conventional loans are conforming loans that qualify for purchase by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). The remainder of the conventional loans is non-conforming in that they do not meet Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines, but are eligible for sale to various other investors. Through its subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage also provides ancillary mortgage loan origination services for loan settlement and residential appraisals. Revenues from mortgage banking operations consist principally of gains on sales of loans to investors in the secondary mortgage market, loan origination fee income and interest earned on mortgage loans held for sale. At December 31, 2012, assets of the Mortgage Banking segment totaled $87.0 million. For the year ended December 31, 2012, net income for this segment totaled $2.2 million.

Consumer Finance

We conduct consumer finance activities through C&F Finance, which the Bank acquired on September 1, 2002. C&F Finance is a regional finance company providing automobile loans throughout Virginia and in portions of Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia through its offices in Richmond and Hampton, Virginia, in Nashville, Tennessee and in Hunt Valley, Maryland. C&F Finance is an indirect lender that provides automobile financing through lending programs that are designed to serve customers in the "non-prime" market who have limited access to traditional automobile financing. C&F Finance generally purchases automobile retail installment sales contracts from manufacturer-franchised dealerships with used-car operations and through selected independent dealerships. C&F Finance selects these dealers based on the types of vehicles sold. Specifically, C&F Finance prefers to finance later model, low mileage used vehicles because the initial depreciation on new vehicles is extremely high. C&F Finance's typical borrowers have experienced prior credit difficulties. Because C&F Finance serves customers who are unable to meet the credit standards imposed by most traditional automobile financing sources, C&F Finance typically charges interest at higher rates than those charged by traditional financing sources. As C&F Finance provides financing in a relatively high-risk market, it expects to experience a higher level of credit losses than traditional automobile financing sources. Revenues from consumer finance operations consist principally of interest earned on automobile loans. At December 31, 2012, assets of the Consumer Finance segment totaled $280.2 million. For the year ended December 31, 2012, net income for this segment totaled $12.6 million.

Employees

At December 31, 2012, we employed 528 full-time equivalent employees. We consider relations with our employees to be excellent.

Competition

Retail Banking

In the Bank's market area, we compete with large national and regional financial institutions, savings associations and other independent community banks, as well as credit unions, mutual funds, brokerage firms and insurance companies. Increased competition has come from out-of-state banks through their acquisition of Virginia-based banks and expansion of community and regional banks into our service areas.

The banking business in Virginia, and in the Bank's primary service area in the Hampton to Richmond corridor, is highly competitive for both loans and deposits, and is dominated by a relatively small number of large banks with many offices operating over a wide geographic area. Among the advantages such large banks have are their ability to finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns, efficiencies through economies of scale and, by virtue of their greater total capitalization, substantially higher lending limits than the Bank.

Factors such as interest rates offered, the number and location of branches and the types of products offered, as well as the reputation of the institution, affect competition for deposits and loans. We compete by emphasizing customer service and technology, establishing long-term customer relationships, building customer loyalty, and providing products and services to address the specific needs of our customers. We target individual and small-to-medium size business customers.

No material part of the Bank's business is dependent upon a single or a few customers, and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Bank's business.

Table of Contents

Mortgage Banking

C&F Mortgage competes with large national and regional banks, credit unions, smaller regional mortgage lenders and small local broker operations. Due to the increased regulatory and compliance burden, the industry has seen a consolidation in the number of competitors in the marketplace. The downturn in the housing markets related to declines in real estate values, increased payment defaults and foreclosures has had a dramatic effect on the secondary market. The guidelines surrounding agency business (i.e., loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) have become much more restrictive and the associated mortgage insurance for loans above 80 percent loan-to-value has continued to tighten. The jumbo markets have slowed considerably and pricing has increased dramatically. These changes in the conventional market have caused a dramatic increase in government lending and state bond programs.

The competitive factors faced by C&F Mortgage may change due to the "Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act" (the Dodd-Frank Act), which was signed into law on July 21, 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act affects many aspects of mortgage finance regulation, which may result in changes to the competitive landscape in the future. The many modifications introduced have required or will require extensive rulemaking, and the full effect of the Dodd-Frank Act and the size of the related compliance burden will not be known for some time to come. The reforms to mortgage lending encompass broad new restrictions on lending practices and loan terms, amend price thresholds for certain lending segments, add new disclosure forms and procedures for all mortgages, and mandate stronger legal liabilities in connection with real estate finance. In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act authorizes the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the CFPB) to establish certain minimum standards for the origination of residential mortgages, including a determination of the borrower's ability to repay (for which the CFPB finalized rules in January 2013), and allows borrowers to raise certain defenses to foreclosure if they receive any loan other than a "qualified mortgage" as defined by the Dodd-Frank Act and the CFPB. While C&F Mortgage is continuing to evaluate all aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act, such legislation and regulations promulgated pursuant to such legislation could materially and adversely affect the manner in which it conducts its mortgage business, result in heightened federal regulation and oversight of its business activities, and result in increased costs and potential litigation associated with its business activities. Given the far-reaching effect of the Dodd-Frank Act on mortgage finance, compliance with the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act may require substantial changes to mortgage lending systems and processes and other implementation efforts.

To operate profitably in this environment, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and be able to attract and retain top mortgage origination talent. C&F Mortgage competes by attracting the top sales people in the industry, providing an operational infrastructure that manages the guideline changes efficiently and effectively, offering a product menu that is both competitive in loan parameters as well as price, and providing consistently high quality customer service.

No material part of C&F Mortgage's business is dependent upon a single customer and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Mortgage's business. However, given the current regulatory and compliance environment in which C&F Mortgage operates, strategies are being implemented to mitigate any significant disruption in C&F Mortgage's direct or indirect access to the secondary market for residential mortgage loans. C&F Mortgage, like all residential mortgage lenders, would be affected by the inability of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA or the VA to purchase or guarantee loans. Although C&F Mortgage sells loans to various intermediaries, the ability of these aggregators to purchase or guarantee loans would be limited if these government-sponsored entities cease to exist or materially limit their purchases or guarantees of mortgage loans.

Consumer Finance

The non-prime automobile finance business is highly competitive. The automobile finance market is highly fragmented and is served by a variety of financial entities, including the captive finance affiliates of major automotive manufacturers, banks, savings associations, credit unions and independent finance companies. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources and lower costs of funds than our finance subsidiary. In addition, competitors often provide financing on terms that are more favorable to automobile purchasers or dealers than the terms C&F Finance offers. Many of these competitors also have long-standing relationships with automobile dealerships and may offer dealerships or their customers other forms of financing, including dealer floor plan financing and leasing, which we do not.

During 2008 and 2009, there was a significant contraction in the number of institutions providing automobile financing for the non-prime market. This contraction accompanied the economic downturn and the tightening of credit, which contributed to increasing defaults, a decline in collateral values and higher charge-offs. As these issues have abated, institutions with access to capital have begun to re-enter the market, resulting in intensified competition for loans and qualified personnel. To continue to operate profitably, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and access to competitive costs of funds.

Table of Contents

Providers of automobile financing traditionally have competed on the basis of interest rates charged, the quality of credit accepted, the flexibility of loan terms offered and the quality of service provided to dealers and customers. To establish C&F Finance as one of the principal financing sources at the dealers it serves, we compete predominately by providing a high level of dealer service, building strong dealer relationships, offering flexible loan terms, and quickly funding loans purchased from dealers.

No material part of C&F Finance's business is dependent upon any single dealer relationship, and the loss of any single dealer relationship would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Finance's business.

Regulation and Supervision

General

Bank holding companies and banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. The following summary briefly describes significant provisions of currently applicable federal and state laws and certain regulations and the potential impact of such provisions on the Corporation and the Bank. This summary is not complete, and we refer you to the particular statutory or regulatory provisions or proposals for more information. Because federal regulation of financial institutions changes regularly and is the subject of constant legislative debate, we cannot forecast how federal and state regulation of financial institutions may change in the future and affect the Corporation's and the Bank's operations.

Regulatory Reform

The financial crisis of 2008, including the downturn of global economic, financial and money markets and the threat of collapse of numerous financial institutions, and other recent events have led to the adoption of numerous new laws and regulations that apply to, and focus on, financial institutions. The most significant of these new laws is the Dodd-Frank Act, which was adopted on July 21, 2010 and, in part, is intended to implement significant structural reforms to the financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act is discussed in more detail below.

As a result of the Dodd-Frank Act and other regulatory reforms, the Corporation is experiencing a period of rapidly changing regulations. These regulatory changes could have a significant effect on how the Corporation conducts its business. The specific implications of the Dodd-Frank Act and other proposed regulatory reforms cannot yet be predicted and will depend to a large extent on the specific regulations that are adopted in the coming months and years to implement regulatory reform initiatives.

Regulation of the Corporation

As a bank holding company, the Corporation is subject to regulation and supervision by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve Board). The Federal Reserve Board has the power to order any bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate its ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve Board has reasonable grounds to believe that continuation of such activity or ownership constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness, safety or stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

The Federal Reserve Board has jurisdiction to approve any bank or non-bank acquisition, merger or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. The Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the BHCA) generally limits the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity that is closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks, and permits interstate banking acquisitions subject to certain conditions, including national and state concentration limits. As a result of the Dodd-Frank Act, a bank holding company must be well capitalized and well managed to engage in an interstate bank acquisition or merger, and banks may branch across state lines provided that the law of the state in which the branch is to be located would permit establishment of the branch if the bank were a state bank chartered by such state.

Federal law and regulatory policy impose a number of obligations and restrictions on bank holding companies and their depository institution subsidiaries to reduce potential loss exposure to the depositors and to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) insurance funds. For example, pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act and Federal Reserve policy, a bank holding company must commit resources to support its subsidiary depository institutions, which is referred to as serving as a "source of strength." In addition, insured depository institutions under common control must reimburse the FDIC for any loss suffered or reasonably anticipated by the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) as a result of the default of a commonly controlled insured depository institution. The FDIC may decline to enforce the provisions if it determines that a waiver is in the best interest of the DIF. An FDIC claim for damage is superior to claims of stockholders of an insured depository institution or its holding company but is subordinate to claims of depositors, secured creditors and holders of subordinated debt, other than affiliates, of the commonly controlled insured depository institution.

Table of Contents

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA) provides that amounts received from the liquidation or other resolution of any insured depository institution must be distributed, after payment of secured claims, to pay the deposit liabilities of the institution before payment of any other general creditor or stockholder. This provision would give depositors a preference over general and subordinated creditors and stockholders if a receiver is appointed to distribute the assets of the Bank.

The Corporation also is subject to regulation and supervision by the State Corporation Commission of Virginia. The Corporation also must file annual, quarterly and other periodic reports with, and comply with other regulations of, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC).

Capital Requirements

The Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have issued substantially similar risk-based and leverage capital guidelines applicable to banking organizations they supervise. Under the risk-based capital requirements of these federal bank regulatory agencies, the Corporation and the Bank are required to maintain a minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0 percent and a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.0 percent. At least half of the total capital must be Tier 1 capital, which includes common equity, retained earnings and qualifying perpetual preferred stock, less certain intangibles and other adjustments. The remainder may consist of Tier 2 capital, such as a limited amount of subordinated and other qualifying debt (including certain hybrid capital instruments), other qualifying preferred stock and a limited amount of the general loan loss allowance. As long as the Corporation has total consolidated assets of less than $15 billion, under current capital standards the Corporation may include in Tier 1 and total capital the Corporation's trust preferred securities that were issued before May 19, 2010. The capital guidelines also provide that banking organizations experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions must maintain capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets.

In June 2012, the federal bank regulatory agencies proposed (i) rules to implement the Basel III capital framework as outlined by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and (ii) rules for calculating risk-weighted assets. The federal bank regulatory agencies have delayed the implementation of Basel III and the new-risk-weighted assets calculations to consider comments received on the proposed rules. The timing for the agencies' publication of revised proposed rules regarding, or final rules to implement, Basel III and the new risk-weighted assets calculations is uncertain.

Basel III, if implemented by the U.S. banking agencies and fully phased-in as proposed, will require bank holding companies and their bank subsidiaries to maintain substantially more capital, with a greater emphasis on common equity. The Basel III final capital framework, among other things, (i) introduces as a new capital measure "Common Equity Tier 1" (CET1), (ii) specifies that Tier 1 capital consists of CET1 and "Additional Tier 1 capital" instruments meeting specified requirements, (iii) defines CET1 narrowly by requiring that most adjustments to regulatory capital measures be made to CET1 and not to the other components of capital and (iv) expands the scope of the adjustments as compared to existing regulations.

If fully phased in as proposed, Basel III would require banks to maintain (i) as a newly adopted international standard, a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%, plus a 2.5% "capital conservation buffer" (which is added to the 4.5% CET1 ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 7%), (ii) a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer (which is added to the 6.0% Tier 1 capital ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 8.5% upon full implementation), (iii) a minimum ratio of Total (that is, Tier 1 plus Tier 2) capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer (which is added to the 8.0% total capital ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum total capital ratio of 10.5% upon full implementation) and (iv) as a newly adopted international standard, a minimum leverage ratio of 3%, 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).

Basel III also provides for a "countercyclical capital buffer," generally designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress and to be imposed when national regulators determine that excess aggregate credit growth becomes associated with a buildup of systemic risk. This buffer would be a CET1 add-on to the capital conservation buffer in the range of 0% to 2.5% when fully implemented (potentially resulting in total buffers of between 2.5% and 5%).

The Basel III final framework provides for a number of new deductions from and adjustments to CET1. These include, for example, the requirement that mortgage servicing rights, deferred tax assets dependent upon future taxable income and significant investments in non-consolidated financial entities be deducted from CET1 to the extent that any one such category exceeds 10% of CET1 or all such categories in the aggregate exceed 15% of CET1. Implementation of the deductions and other adjustments to CET1 are currently expected to be phased-in over a five-year period (20% per year). The implementation of the capital conservation

Table of Contents

buffer is expected to begin at 0.625% and be phased in over a four-year period (increasing by that amount each year until it reaches 2.5%).

In connection with proposing rules to adopt the Basel III capital framework, the federal banking regulators also proposed revisions to the general rules for calculating a banking organization's total risk-weighted assets (the denominator for risk-based capital ratios) (such revisions, the Standardized Approach). If adopted as proposed, the Standardized Approach would modify the risk weightings that are applied to many classes of assets held by community banks, importantly including by applying higher risk weightings to certain "higher risk" mortgage loans and commercial real estate loans that are frequently held in a community bank's loan portfolio.

The regulations ultimately applicable to the Corporation may be substantially different from the Basel III or Standardized Approach proposed rules that were issued in June 2012. Requirements to maintain higher levels of capital or to maintain higher levels of liquid assets could adversely affect the Corporation's net income and return on equity.

Limits on Dividends

The Corporation is a legal entity that is separate and distinct from the Bank. A significant portion of the revenues of the Corporation result from dividends paid to it by the Bank. Both the Corporation and the Bank are subject to laws and regulations that limit the payment of dividends, including limits on the sources of dividends and requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. Banking regulators have indicated that Virginia banking organizations should generally pay dividends only (1) from net undivided profits of the bank, after providing for all expenses, losses, interest and taxes accrued or due by the bank and (2) if the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization's capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, the FDIA prohibits insured depository institutions such as the Bank from making capital distributions, including paying dividends, if, after making such distribution, the institution would become undercapitalized as defined in the statute. We do not expect that any of these laws, regulations or policies will materially affect the ability of the Corporation or the Bank to pay dividends.

The Dodd-Frank Act

The Dodd-Frank Act implements far-reaching changes across the financial regulatory landscape, including changes that will affect all bank holding companies and banks, including the Corporation and the Bank. Provisions that significantly affect the business of the Corporation and the Bank include the following:

• Insurance of Deposit Accounts. The Dodd-Frank Act changed the assessment base for federal deposit insurance from the amount of insured deposits to consolidated assets less tangible capital. The Dodd-Frank Act also made permanent the $250,000 limit for federal deposit insurance and increased the cash limit of Securities Investor Protection Corporation protection from $100,000 to $250,000.

• Payment of Interest on Demand Deposits. The Dodd-Frank Act repealed the federal prohibitions on the payment of interest on demand deposits, thereby permitting depository institutions to pay interest on business transaction and other accounts.

• Creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Dodd-Frank Act centralized significant aspects of consumer financial protection by creating a new agency, the CFPB, which is discussed in more detail below.

• Debit Card Interchange Fees. The Dodd-Frank Act amended the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) to, among other things, require that debit card interchange fees be reasonable and proportional to the actual cost incurred by the issuer with respect to the transaction. In June 2011, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations setting the maximum permissible interchange fee as the sum of 21 cents per transaction and 5 basis points multiplied by the value of the transaction, with an additional adjustment of up to one cent per transaction if the issuer implements additional fraud-prevention standards. Although issuers that have assets of less than $10 billion are exempt from the Federal Reserve Board's regulations that set maximum interchange fees, these regulations could significantly affect the interchange fees that financial institutions with less than $10 billion in assets are able to collect.

In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act implements other far-reaching changes to the financial regulatory landscape, including provisions that:

• Restrict the preemption of state law by federal law and disallow subsidiaries and affiliates of national banks from availing themselves of such preemption.

• Impose comprehensive regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market, subject to significant rulemaking processes, which would include certain provisions that would effectively prohibit insured depository institutions from conducting certain derivatives businesses in the institution itself.

Table of Contents

• Require depository institutions with total consolidated assets of more than $10 billion to conduct regular stress tests and require large, publicly traded bank holding companies to create a risk committee responsible for the oversight of enterprise risk management.

• Require loan originators to retain 5 percent of any loan sold or securitized, unless it is a "qualified residential mortgage," subject to certain exceptions.

• Prohibit banks and their affiliates from engaging in proprietary trading and investing in and sponsoring certain unregistered investment companies (the Volker Rule).

• Implement corporate governance revisions that apply to all public companies not just financial institutions.

Many aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act remain subject to rulemaking and will take effect over several years, making it difficult to anticipate the overall financial impact on the Corporation, its subsidiaries, its customers or the financial industry more generally. Some of the rules that have been proposed and, in some cases, adopted to comply with the Dodd-Frank Act's mandates are discussed further below.

Insurance of Accounts, Assessments and Regulation by the FDIC

The Bank's deposits are insured by the DIF of the FDIC up to the standard maximum insurance amount for each deposit insurance ownership category. As of January 1, 2013, the basic limit on FDIC deposit insurance coverage is $250,000 per depositor. Under the FDIA, the FDIC may terminate deposit insurance upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC, subject to administrative and potential judicial hearing and review processes.

Deposit Insurance Assessments. The DIF is funded by assessments on banks and other depository institutions. As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, in February 2011, the FDIC approved a final rule that changed the assessment base for DIF assessments from domestic deposits to average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity (defined as Tier 1 capital). In addition, as also required by the Dodd-Frank Act, the FDIC has adopted a new large-bank pricing assessment scheme, set a target "designated reserve ratio" (described in more detail below) of 2 percent for the DIF and established a lower assessment rate schedule when the reserve ratio reaches 1.15 percent and, in lieu of dividends, provides for a lower assessment rate schedule, when the reserve ratio reaches 2 percent and 2.5 percent. An institution's assessment rate depends upon the institution's assigned risk category, which is based on supervisory evaluations, regulatory capital levels and certain other factors. Initial base assessment rates ranges from 2.5 to 45 basis points. The FDIC may make the following further adjustments to an institution's initial base assessment rates: decreases for long-term unsecured debt including most senior unsecured debt and subordinated debt; increases for holding long-term unsecured debt or subordinated debt issued by other insured depository institutions; and increases for broker deposits in excess of 10 percent of domestic deposits for institutions not well rated and well capitalized.

The Dodd-Frank Act transferred to the FDIC increased discretion with regard to managing the required amount of reserves for the DIF, or the "designated reserve ratio." Among other changes, the Dodd-Frank Act (i) raised the minimum designated reserve ratio to 1.35 percent and removed the upper limit on the designated reserve ratio, (ii) requires that the designated reserve ratio reach 1.35 percent by September 2020, and (iii) requires the FDIC to offset the effect on institutions with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion of raising the designated reserve ratio from 1.15 percent to 1.35 percent. The FDIA requires that the FDIC consider the appropriate level for the designated reserve ratio on at least an annual basis. On October 2010, the FDIC adopted a new DIF restoration plan to ensure that the fund reserve ratio reaches 1.35 percent by September 30, 2020, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act.

Regulation of the Bank and Other Subsidiaries

The Bank is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions (VBFI) and the FDIC. The various laws and regulations issued and administered by the regulatory agencies (including the CFPB) affect corporate practices, such as the payment of dividends, the incurrence of debt and the acquisition of financial institutions and other companies, and affect business practices and operations, such as the payment of interest on deposits, the charging of interest on loans, the types of business conducted, the products and terms offered to customers and the location of offices.

Community Reinvestment Act. The Community Reinvestment Act (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 are assessed based on specified factors. These factors also are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. In 2010, the FDIC issued C&F Bank's 2009 Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation (the 2009 CRA Evaluation). C&F Bank received "Satisfactory" ratings on the Investment Test component and the Service Test

Table of Contents

component evaluated as part of the 2009 CRA Evaluation. Based on issues identified at one of C&F Bank's subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage, C&F Bank received a "Needs to Improve" rating on the Lending Test component, and as a result, a "Needs to Improve" rating on its overall rating in January 2011. Upon the conclusion of the FDIC's CRA examination in January 2012, the FDIC upgraded C&F Bank's CRA Lending Test rating and the overall CRA rating to "Satisfactory."

Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Atlanta, which is one of 12 regional FHLBs that provide funding to their members for making housing loans as well as for affordable housing and community development loans. Each FHLB serves as a reserve, or central bank, for the members within its assigned region. Each FHLB makes loans to members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB. As a member, the Bank must purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB. At December 31, 2012, the Bank owned $3.7 million of FHLB stock.

Consumer Protection. The Dodd-Frank Act created the CFPB, a federal regulatory agency that is responsible for implementing, examining and enforcing compliance with federal consumer financial laws for institutions with more than $10 billion of assets and, to a lesser extent, smaller institutions. The Dodd-Frank Act gives the CFPB authority to supervise and regulate providers of consumer financial products and services, and establishes the CFPB's power to act against unfair, deceptive or abusive practices, and gives the CFPB rulemaking authority in connection with numerous federal consumer financial protection laws (for example, but not limited to, the Truth-in-Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act).

As a smaller institution (i.e., with assets of $10 billion or less), most consumer protection aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act will continue to be applied to the Corporation by the Federal Reserve and to the Bank by the FDIC. However, the CFPB may include its own examiners in regulatory examinations by a small institution's prudential regulators and may require smaller institutions to comply with certain CFPB reporting requirements. In addition, regulatory positions taken by the CFPB and administrative and legal precedents established by CFPB enforcement activities, including in connection with supervision of larger bank holding companies, could influence how the Federal Reserve and FDIC apply consumer protection laws and regulations to financial institutions that are not directly supervised by the CFPB. The precise effect of the CFPB's consumer protection activities on the Corporation cannot be forecast.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. In addition to certain of the Bank's regulations, the Corporation's Mortgage Banking segment is subject to the rules and regulations of, and examination by, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the FHA, the USDA, the VA and state regulatory authorities with respect to originating, processing 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, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and Home Ownership Equity Protection Act, and the regulations promulgated under these acts. 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. The Dodd-Frank Act has transferred rulemaking authority under many of these laws to the CFPB.

Consumer Financing Regulation. The Corporation's Consumer Finance segment also is regulated by the VBFI and the states and jurisdictions in which it operates, and the segment's lending operations are subject to federal regulations over which the CFPB has rulemaking authority. The VBFI regulates and enforces laws relating to consumer lenders and sales finance agencies such as C&F Finance. Such rules and regulations generally provide for licensing of sales finance agencies; limitations on amounts, duration and charges, including interest rates, for various categories of loans; requirements as to the form and content of finance contracts and other documentation; and restrictions on collection practices and creditors' rights.

Other Safety and Soundness Regulations

Prompt Correction Action. The federal banking agencies 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." These terms are defined under uniform regulations issued by each of the federal banking agencies regulating these institutions. An insured depository institution which 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. As of December 31, 2012, the Bank was considered "well capitalized."

Table of Contents

Incentive Compensation. The Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the FDIC have issued regulatory guidance (the Incentive Compensation Guidance) intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of such organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of banking organizations, such as the Corporation, that are not "large, complex banking organizations." The findings will be included in reports of examination, and deficiencies will be incorporated into the organization's supervisory ratings. Enforcement actions may be taken against a banking organization if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the organization's safety and soundness and the organization is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires the SEC and the federal bank regulatory agencies to establish joint regulations or guidelines that require financial institutions with assets of at least $1 billion to disclose the structure of their incentive compensation practices and prohibit such institutions from maintaining compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risk-taking by providing excessive compensation or that could lead to material financial loss to the financial institution. The SEC and the federal bank regulatory agencies proposed such regulations in March 2011, which may become effective before the end of 2013. If the regulations are adopted in the form initially proposed, they will impose limitations on the manner in which the Corporation may structure compensation for its executives only if the Corporation's total consolidated assets exceed $1 billion. These proposed regulations incorporate the principles discussed in the Incentive Compensation Guidance.

Financial Holding Company Status. As provided by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLBA), a bank holding company may become eligible to engage in activities that are financial in nature or incident or complimentary to financial activities by qualifying as a financial holding company. To qualify as a financial holding company, each insured depository institution controlled by the bank holding company must be well-capitalized, well-managed and have at least a satisfactory rating under the CRA. In addition, the bank holding company must file with the Federal Reserve Board a declaration of its intention to become a financial holding company. To date, the Corporation has not filed a declaration to become a financial holding company, and qualification as such by other bank holding companies has not had a material effect on the Corporation's or the Bank's business.

Confidentiality and Required Disclosures of Customer Information. The Corporation is subject to various laws and regulations that address the privacy of nonpublic personal financial information of consumers. The GLBA and certain regulations issued thereunder protect against the transfer and use by financial institutions of consumer nonpublic personal information. A financial institution must provide to its customers, at the beginning of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution's policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers' nonpublic personal financial information. These privacy provisions generally prohibit a financial institution from providing a customer's personal financial information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that the information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure.

The Corporation is also subject to various laws and regulations that attempt to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The Bank Secrecy Act requires all financial institutions to, among other things, create a system of controls designed to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism, and imposes recordkeeping and reporting requirements. The USA Patriot Act facilitates information sharing among governmental entities and financial institutions for the purpose of combating terrorism and money laundering, and requires financial institutions to establish anti-money laundering programs. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sends banking regulatory agencies lists of the names of persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities, and requests banks to search their records for any relationships or transactions with persons on those lists. If the Bank finds any relationships or transactions, it must file a suspicious activity report with the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the Treasury) and contact the FBI. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is a division of the Treasury, is responsible for helping to ensure 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. If the Bank finds a name of an "enemy" of the United States on any transaction, account or wire transfer that is on an OFAC list, it must freeze such account, file a suspicious activity report with the Treasury and notify the FBI.

Although these laws and programs impose compliance costs and create privacy obligations and, in some cases, reporting obligations, these laws and programs do not materially affect the Bank's products, services or other business activities.

Stress Testing. As required by the Dodd-Frank Act, the federal banking agencies have implemented stress testing requirements for certain financial institutions, including bank holding companies and state chartered banks, with more than $10 billion in total consolidated assets. Although these requirements do not apply to institutions with less than $10 billion in total consolidated assets, the federal banking agencies emphasize that all banking organizations, regardless of size, should have the capacity to analyze the potential effect of adverse market conditions or outcomes on the organization's financial condition. Based on existing regulatory guidance, the Corporation and the Bank will be expected to consider the institution's interest rate risk

Table of Contents

management, commercial real estate loan concentrations and other credit-related information, and funding and liquidity management during this analysis of adverse outcomes.

Future Regulation

From time to time, various legislative and regulatory initiatives are introduced in Congress and state legislatures, as well as by regulatory agencies. Such initiatives may include proposals to expand or contract the powers of bank holding companies and depository institutions or proposals to substantially change the financial institution regulatory system. Such legislation could change banking statutes and the operating environment of the Corporation in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The Corporation cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted, and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on the financial condition or results of operations of the Corporation. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Corporation or C&F Bank, or any of its subsidiaries, could have a material effect on the business of the Corporation.

Available Information

The Corporation's SEC filings are filed electronically and are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC's web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, any document filed by the Corporation with the SEC can be read and copied at the SEC's public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of documents can be obtained at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Corporation's SEC filings also are available through our web site at http://www.cffc.com under "Investor Relations/SEC Filings" as of the day they are filed with the SEC. Copies of documents also can be obtained free of charge by writing to the Corporation's secretary at P.O. Box 391, West Point, VA 23181 or by calling 804-843-2360.

10-K
2011General

C&F Financial Corporation (the Corporation) is a bank holding company that was incorporated in March 1994 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Corporation owns all of the stock of its sole operating subsidiary, Citizens and Farmers Bank (C&F Bank or the Bank), which is an independent commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Bank originally opened for business under the name Farmers and Mechanics Bank on January 22, 1927. The Bank has the following five wholly-owned subsidiaries, all incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia:

• C&F Mortgage Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Hometown Settlement Services LLC and Certified Appraisals LLC

• C&F Finance Company

• C&F Investment Services, Inc.

• C&F Insurance Services, Inc.

• C&F Title Agency, Inc.

The Corporation operates in a decentralized manner in three principal business activities: (1) retail banking through C&F Bank, (2) mortgage banking through C&F Mortgage Corporation (C&F Mortgage) and (3) consumer finance through C&F Finance Company (C&F Finance). The following general business discussion focuses on the activities within each of these segments.

In addition, the Corporation conducts brokerage activities through C&F Investment Services, Inc., insurance activities through C&F Insurance Services, Inc. and title insurance services through C&F Title Agency, Inc. The financial position and operating results of any one of these subsidiaries are not significant to the Corporation as a whole and are not considered principal activities of the Corporation at this time.

The Corporation also owns two non-operating subsidiaries, C&F Financial Statutory Trust II (Trust II) formed in December 2007 and C&F Financial Statutory Trust I (Trust I) formed in July 2005. These trusts were formed for the purpose of issuing $10.0 million each of trust preferred capital securities in private placements to institutional investors. These trusts are unconsolidated subsidiaries of the Corporation and their principal assets are $10.3 million each of the Corporation’s junior subordinated debt securities (referred to herein as “trust preferred capital notes”) that are reported as liabilities of the Corporation.

Retail Banking

We provide retail banking services at the Bank’s main office in West Point, Virginia, and 17 Virginia branches located one each in Chester, Hampton, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Newport News, Norge, Providence Forge, Quinton, Saluda, Sandston, Varina, West Point and Yorktown, and two each in Williamsburg and Richmond. These branches provide a wide range of banking services to individuals and businesses. These services include various types of checking and savings deposit accounts, as well as business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity and installment loans. The Bank also offers ATMs, internet banking and credit cards, as well as travelers’ checks, safe deposit box rentals, collection, notary public, wire service and other customary bank services to its customers. Revenues from retail banking operations consist primarily of interest earned on loans and investment securities and fees related to deposit services. At December 31, 2011, assets of the Retail Banking segment totaled $772.6 million. For the year ended December 31, 2011, the net loss for this segment totaled $432,000.

Mortgage Banking

We conduct mortgage banking activities through C&F Mortgage, which was organized in September 1995. C&F Mortgage provides mortgage loan origination services through 13 locations in Virginia, three in Maryland, one each in Wilmington, Delaware; Moorestown, New Jersey; Gastonia, North Carolina; and York, Pennsylvania. The Virginia offices are located one each in Charlottesville, Chester, Fishersville, Fredericksburg, Glen Allen, Hanover, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Newport News, Roanoke and Williamsburg, and two in Midlothian. The Maryland offices are located in Annapolis, Ellicott City and Waldorf. C&F Mortgage offers a wide variety of residential mortgage loans, which are originated for sale generally to the following investors: Wells Fargo Home Mortgage; Franklin American Mortgage Company; US Bank Home Mortgage; and the Virginia Housing Development Authority. C&F Mortgage does not securitize loans. The Bank also purchases lot and permanent loans from C&F Mortgage. C&F Mortgage originates conventional mortgage loans, mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the FHA), mortgage loans partially guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (the VA) and home equity loans. A majority of the conventional loans are conforming loans that qualify for purchase by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). The remainder of the conventional loans is non-conforming in that they do not meet Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines, but are eligible for sale to various other investors. Through its subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage also provides ancillary mortgage loan origination services for loan settlement and residential appraisals. Revenues from mortgage banking operations consist principally of gains on sales of loans to investors in the secondary mortgage market, loan origination fee income and interest earned on mortgage loans held for sale. At December 31, 2011, assets of the Mortgage Banking segment totaled $82.3 million. For the year ended December 31, 2011, net income for this segment totaled $1.3 million.

Table of Contents

Consumer Finance

We conduct consumer finance activities through C&F Finance, which the Bank acquired on September 1, 2002. C&F Finance is a regional finance company providing automobile loans throughout Virginia and in portions of Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia and West Virginia through its offices in Richmond and Hampton, Virginia, in Nashville, Tennessee and in Towson, Maryland. C&F Finance is an indirect lender that provides automobile financing through lending programs that are designed to serve customers in the “non-prime” market who have limited access to traditional automobile financing. C&F Finance generally purchases automobile retail installment sales contracts from manufacturer-franchised dealerships with used-car operations and through selected independent dealerships. C&F Finance selects these dealers based on the types of vehicles sold. Specifically, C&F Finance prefers to finance later model, low mileage used vehicles because the initial depreciation on new vehicles is extremely high. C&F Finance’s typical borrowers have experienced prior credit difficulties. Because C&F Finance serves customers who are unable to meet the credit standards imposed by most traditional automobile financing sources, C&F Finance typically charges interest at higher rates than those charged by traditional financing sources. As C&F Finance provides financing in a relatively high-risk market, it expects to experience a higher level of credit losses than traditional automobile financing sources. Revenues from consumer finance operations consist principally of interest earned on automobile loans. At December 31, 2011, assets of the Consumer Finance segment totaled $249.7 million. For the year ended December 31, 2011, net income for this segment totaled $12.6 million.

Employees

At December 31, 2011, we employed 512 full-time equivalent employees. We consider relations with our employees to be excellent.

10-K
2011Competition

Retail Banking

In the Bank’s market area, we compete with large national and regional financial institutions, savings associations and other independent community banks, as well as credit unions, mutual funds, brokerage firms and insurance companies. Increased competition has come from out-of-state banks through their acquisition of Virginia-based banks and expansion of community and regional banks into our service areas.

The banking business in Virginia, and in the Bank’s primary service area in the Hampton to Richmond corridor, is highly competitive for both loans and deposits, and is dominated by a relatively small number of large banks with many offices operating over a wide geographic area. Among the advantages such large banks have are their ability to finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns, efficiencies through economies of scale and, by virtue of their greater total capitalization, to have substantially higher lending limits than the Bank.

Factors such as interest rates offered, the number and location of branches and the types of products offered, as well as the reputation of the institution, affect competition for deposits and loans. We compete by emphasizing customer service and technology, establishing long-term customer relationships, building customer loyalty, and providing products and services to address the specific needs of our customers. We target individual and small-to-medium size business customers.

No material part of the Bank’s business is dependent upon a single or a few customers, and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Bank’s business.

Mortgage Banking

C&F Mortgage competes with large national and regional banks, credit unions, smaller regional mortgage lenders and small local broker operations. As loan volumes have decreased over the past five years, the industry has seen a consolidation in the number of competitors in the marketplace. However, the competition with regard to price has increased tremendously as the remaining participants struggle to achieve volume and profitability benchmarks. The downturn in the housing markets related to declines in real estate values, increased payment defaults and foreclosures have had a dramatic effect on the secondary market. The guidelines surrounding agency business (i.e., loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) have become much more restrictive and the associated mortgage insurance for loans above 80 percent loan-to-value has continued to tighten. The jumbo markets have slowed considerably and pricing has increased dramatically. These changes in the conventional market have caused a dramatic increase in government lending and state bond programs.

Table of Contents

The competitive factors faced by C&F Mortgage may change due to financial regulatory reform legislation entitled the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” (the Dodd-Frank Act), which was signed into law on July 21, 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act affects many aspects of mortgage finance regulation, which may result in changes to the competitive landscape in the future. The many modifications introduced will require extensive rulemaking, and the full effect of the Dodd-Frank Act and the size of the related compliance burden will not be known for some time to come. The reforms to mortgage lending encompass broad new restrictions on lending practices and loan terms, amend price thresholds for certain lending segment, add new disclosure forms and procedures for all mortgages, and mandate stronger legal liabilities in connection with real estate finance. While C&F Mortgage is continuing to evaluate all aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act, such legislation and regulations promulgated pursuant to such legislation could materially and adversely affect the manner in which it conducts it mortgage business, result in heightened federal regulation and oversight of its business activities, and result in increased costs and potential litigation associated with its business activities. Given the far-reaching effect of the Dodd-Frank Act on mortgage finance, compliance with the requirements of the Dodd-Frank Act may require substantial changes to mortgage lending systems and processes and other implementation efforts.

To operate profitably in this environment, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and be able to attract and retain top mortgage origination talent. C&F Mortgage competes by attracting the top sales people in the industry, providing an operational infrastructure that manages the guideline changes efficiently and effectively, offering a product menu that is both competitive in loan parameters as well as price, and providing consistently high quality customer service.

No material part of C&F Mortgage’s business is dependent upon a single customer and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Mortgage’s business. C&F Mortgage, like all residential mortgage lenders, would be impacted by the inability of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA or the VA to purchase loans. Although C&F Mortgage sells loans to various intermediaries, the ability of these aggregators to purchase loans would be limited if these government-sponsored entities cease to exist or materially limit their purchases of mortgage loans.

Consumer Finance

The non-prime automobile finance business is highly competitive. The automobile finance market is highly fragmented and is served by a variety of financial entities, including the captive finance affiliates of major automotive manufacturers, banks, savings associations, credit unions and independent finance companies. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources and lower costs of funds than our finance subsidiary. In addition, competitors often provide financing on terms that are more favorable to automobile purchasers or dealers than the terms C&F Finance offers. Many of these competitors also have long-standing relationships with automobile dealerships and may offer dealerships or their customers other forms of financing, including dealer floor plan financing and leasing, which we do not.

During 2008 and 2009, there was a significant contraction in the number of institutions providing automobile financing for the non-prime market. This contraction accompanied the economic downturn and the tightening of credit, which contributed to increasing defaults, a decline in collateral values and higher charge-offs. As these issues have abated, institutions with access to capital have begun to re-enter the market, resulting in intensified competition for loans and qualified personnel. To continue to operate profitably, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and access to competitive costs of funds.

Providers of automobile financing traditionally have competed on the basis of interest rates charged, the quality of credit accepted, the flexibility of loan terms offered and the quality of service provided to dealers and customers. To establish C&F Finance as one of the principal financing sources at the dealers it serves, we compete predominately through a high level of dealer service, strong dealer relationships, by offering flexible loan terms and by quickly funding loans purchased from dealers.

No material part of C&F Finance’s business is dependent upon any single dealer relationship, and the loss of any single dealer relationship would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Finance’s business.

10-K
2011Regulation and Supervision

General

Bank holding companies and banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. The following summary briefly describes the more significant provisions of currently applicable federal and state laws and certain regulations and the potential impact of such provisions on the Corporation and the Bank. This summary is not complete, and we refer you to the particular statutory or regulatory provisions or proposals for more information. Because federal regulation of financial institutions changes regularly and is the subject of constant legislative debate, we cannot forecast how federal regulation of financial institutions may change in the future and affect the Corporation’s and the Bank’s operations.

Regulation of the Corporation

The Corporation must file annual, quarterly and other periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). The Corporation is directly 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: (1) 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 their accuracy and compliance with the law; (2) prohibit public companies, with certain limited exceptions, from making personal loans to their directors or executive officers; (3) require chief executive officers and chief financial officers to forfeit bonuses and profits if company financial statements are restated due to misconduct; (4) require audit committees to pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by an issuer’s outside auditors, except for de minimis non-audit services; (5) protect employees of public companies who assist in investigations relating to violations of the federal securities laws from job discrimination; (6) require companies to disclose in plain English on a “rapid and current basis” material changes in their financial condition or operations, as well as certain other specified information; (7) require a public company’s Section 16 insiders to make Form 4 filings with the SEC within two business days following the day on which purchases or sales of the company’s equity securities were made; and (8) increased penalties for existing crimes and created new criminal offenses. While the Corporation has incurred additional expenses in complying with the requirements of the SOX Act and related regulations adopted by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, we anticipate that those expenses will not have a material effect on the Corporation’s results of operations or financial condition.

Table of Contents

When enacted in 2002, Section 404(a) of the SOX Act required public companies to include in their annual reports on Form 10-K an assessment from management of the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting, and Section 404(b) of the SOX Act required the company’s auditor to attest to and report on management’s assessment. From 2002 through 2012, the SEC had delayed implementation of Section 404(b) of the SOX Act for public companies with a public float below $75 million (i.e. companies that are smaller reporting companies or non-accelerated filers). The Dodd-Frank Act permanently exempted smaller reporting companies and non-accelerated filers from Section 404(b) of the SOX Act, and the SEC made conforming amendments to certain of its rules and forms in September 2010. The Corporation has voluntarily provided an attestation by the Corporation’s auditor on management’s assessment of the Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Corporation is also subject to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve Board). The Federal Reserve Board has the power to order any bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate its ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve Board has reasonable grounds to believe that continuation of such activity or ownership constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness, safety or stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

The Federal Reserve Board has jurisdiction to approve any bank or non-bank acquisition, merger or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. The Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the BHCA) generally limits the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity that is closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks. Since September 1995, the BHCA has permitted bank holding companies from any state to acquire banks and bank holding companies located in any other state, subject to certain conditions, including nationwide and state imposed concentration limits. The Dodd-Frank Act amended provisions of the BHCA (and corresponding provisions of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act) to require that a bank holding company be well capitalized and well managed before the Federal Reserve will approve an interstate bank acquisition or merger. Also as a result of the Dodd-Frank Act, banks also are able to branch across state lines, provided that the law of the state in which the branch is to be located would permit establishment of the branch if the bank were a state bank chartered by such state.

Federal law and regulatory policy impose a number of obligations and restrictions on bank holding companies and their depository institution subsidiaries to reduce potential loss exposure to the depositors and to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) insurance funds. For example, a bank holding company must commit resources to support its subsidiary depository institutions. In addition, insured depository institutions under common control must reimburse the FDIC for any loss suffered or reasonably anticipated by the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) as a result of the default of a commonly controlled insured depository institution. The FDIC may decline to enforce the provisions if it determines that a waiver is in the best interest of the DIF. An FDIC claim for damage is superior to claims of stockholders of an insured depository institution or its holding company but is subordinate to claims of depositors, secured creditors and holders of subordinated debt, other than affiliates, of the commonly controlled insured depository institution.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA) provides that amounts received from the liquidation or other resolution of any insured depository institution must be distributed, after payment of secured claims, to pay the deposit liabilities of the institution before payment of any other general creditor or stockholder. This provision would give depositors a preference over general and subordinated creditors and stockholders if a receiver is appointed to distribute the assets of the Bank.

The Corporation also is subject to regulation and supervision by the State Corporation Commission of Virginia.

Capital Requirements

The Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have issued substantially similar risk-based and leverage capital guidelines applicable to banking organizations they supervise. Under the risk-based capital requirements of these federal bank regulatory agencies, the Corporation and the Bank are required to maintain a minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0 percent and a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.0 percent. At least half of the total capital must be Tier 1 capital, which includes common equity, retained earnings and qualifying perpetual preferred stock, less certain intangibles and other adjustments. The remainder may consist of Tier 2 capital, such as a limited amount of subordinated and other qualifying debt (including certain hybrid capital instruments), other qualifying preferred stock and a limited amount of the general loan loss allowance.

Table of Contents

As long as the Corporation has total consolidated assets of less than $15 billion, the Corporation may include in Tier 1 and total capital the Corporation’s trust preferred securities that were issued before May 19, 2010. At December 31, 2011, the total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of the Corporation was 16.4 percent and the ratio of the Bank was 16.2 percent. At December 31, 2011, the Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio was 15.1 percent for the Corporation and 14.9 percent for the Bank. In addition, each of the federal regulatory agencies has established leverage capital ratio guidelines for banking organizations. These guidelines provide for a minimum Tier l leverage ratio of 4.0 percent for banks and bank holding companies. At December 31, 2011, the Tier l leverage ratio was 11.5 percent for the Corporation and 11.3 percent for the Bank. The guidelines also provide that banking organizations experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions must maintain capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets.

On January 9, 2009, as part of the Capital Purchase Program (Capital Purchase Program or CPP) established by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (the EESA), as discussed below, the Corporation issued and sold to Treasury for an aggregate purchase price of $20.0 million in cash (1) 20,000 shares of the Corporation’s fixed rate cumulative perpetual preferred stock, Series A, par value $1.00 per share, having a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share (Series A Preferred Stock) and (2) a ten-year warrant to purchase up to 167,504 shares of the Corporation’s common stock, par value $1.00 per share (Common Stock), at an initial exercise price of $17.91 per share (Warrant). On July 27, 2011, the Corporation redeemed $10.00 million, or 50 percent, of the $20.00 million of Series A Preferred Stock. The Series A Preferred Stock has been treated as Tier 1 capital for regulatory capital adequacy determination purposes.

In December 2010, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the Basel Committee) released its final framework for strengthening international capital and liquidity regulation, now officially identified by the Basel Committee as “Basel III.” Basel III, when implemented by the U.S. banking agencies and fully phased-in, will require bank holding companies and their bank subsidiaries to maintain substantially more capital, with a greater emphasis on common equity. Implementation is presently scheduled to be phased in between 2014 and 2019, although it is possible that implementation may be delayed as a result of multiple factors including the current condition of the banking industry within the U.S. and abroad.

The Basel III final capital framework, among other things, (i) introduces as a new capital measure “Common Equity Tier 1” (CET1), (ii) specifies that Tier 1 capital consists of CET1 and “Additional Tier 1 capital” instruments meeting specified requirements, (iii) defines CET1 narrowly by requiring that most adjustments to regulatory capital measures be made to CET1 and not to the other components of capital and (iv) expands the scope of the adjustments as compared to existing regulations.

When fully phased in on January 1, 2019, Basel III requires banks to maintain (i) as a newly adopted international standard, a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%, plus a 2.5% “capital conservation buffer” (which is added to the 4.5% CET1 ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 7%), (ii) a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer (which is added to the 6.0% Tier 1 capital ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 8.5% upon full implementation), (iii) a minimum ratio of Total (that is, Tier 1 plus Tier 2) capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer (which is added to the 8.0% total capital ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum total capital ratio of 10.5% upon full implementation) and (iv) as a newly adopted international standard, a minimum leverage ratio of 3%, 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).

Basel III also provides for a “countercyclical capital buffer,”" generally to be imposed when national regulators determine that excess aggregate credit growth becomes associated with a buildup of systemic risk, that would be a CET1 add-on to the capital conservation buffer in the range of 0% to 2.5% when fully implemented (potentially resulting in total buffers of between 2.5% and 5%).

The aforementioned capital conservation buffer is designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress. Banking institutions with a ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets above the minimum but below the conservation buffer (or below the combined capital conservation buffer and countercyclical capital buffer, when the latter is applied) will face constraints on dividends, equity repurchases and compensation based on the amount of the shortfall.

The implementation of the Basel III final framework will commence January 1, 2013. On that date, banking institutions will be required to meet the following minimum capital ratios:

· 3.5% CET1 to risk-weighted assets.

· 4.5% Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets.

· 8.0% Total capital to risk-weighted assets.

The Basel III final framework provides for a number of new deductions from and adjustments to CET1. These include, for example, the requirement that mortgage servicing rights, deferred tax assets dependent upon future taxable income and significant investments in non-consolidated financial entities be deducted from CET1 to the extent that any one such category exceeds 10% of CET1 or all such categories in the aggregate exceed 15% of CET1.

Table of Contents

Implementation of the deductions and other adjustments to CET1 will begin on January 1, 2014 and will be phased-in over a five-year period (20% per year). The implementation of the capital conservation buffer will begin on January 1, 2016 at 0.625% and be phased in over a four-year period (increasing by that amount on each subsequent January 1, until it reaches 2.5% on January 1, 2019).

The U.S. banking agencies have indicated informally that they expect to propose regulations implementing Basel III in mid-2012. In addition to Basel III, the Dodd-Frank Act requires or permits the federal banking agencies to adopt regulations affecting banking institutions' capital requirements in a number of respects, including potentially more stringent capital requirements for systemically important financial institutions. Accordingly, the regulations ultimately applicable to the Corporation may be substantially different from the Basel III final framework as published in December 2010. Requirements to maintain higher levels of capital or to maintain higher levels of liquid assets could adversely impact the Corporation's net income and return on equity.

Limits on Dividends

The Corporation is a legal entity, separate and distinct from the Bank. A significant portion of the revenues of the Corporation result from dividends paid to it by the Bank. Both the Corporation and the Bank are subject to laws and regulations that limit the payment of dividends, including requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. Banking regulators have indicated that Virginia banking organizations should generally pay dividends only (1) from net undivided profits of the bank, after providing for all expenses, losses, interest and taxes accrued or due by the bank and (2) if the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, the FDIA prohibits insured depository institutions such as the Bank from making capital distributions, including the payment of dividends, if, after making such distribution, the institution would become undercapitalized as defined in the statute.

We do not expect that any of these laws, regulations or policies will materially affect the ability of the Corporation or the Bank to pay dividends. During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Bank declared $14.1 million in dividends payable to the Corporation, which were used to fund a portion of the Corporation’s debt service, dividends payable to common and preferred shareholders and the redemption of $10.0 million of Series A Preferred Stock.

Payment of dividends is at the discretion of the Corporation’s board of directors and is subject to various federal and state regulatory limitations. The purchase agreement pursuant to which the Series A Preferred Stock and the Warrant were sold includes a limitation that prohibited, prior to January 9, 2012, the payment of cash dividends in excess of the Corporation’s quarterly cash dividend at the time of issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock of $0.31 per share without the Treasury’s consent.

The Dodd-Frank Act

The Dodd-Frank Act implements far-reaching changes across the financial regulatory landscape, including changes that will affect all bank holding companies and banks, including the Corporation and the Bank. Such provisions affecting the business of the Corporation and the Bank include the following:

· Insurance of Deposit Accounts. The Dodd-Frank Act changed the assessment base for federal deposit insurance from the amount of insured deposits to consolidated assets less tangible capital, eliminated the ceiling on the size of the DIF and increased the floor applicable to the size of the DIF. The Dodd-Frank Act also made permanent the $250,000 limit for federal deposit insurance and increased the cash limit of Securities Investor Protection Corporation protection from $100,000 to $250,000 and provided unlimited federal deposit insurance until December 31, 2012 for non-interest bearing demand transaction accounts at all insured depository institutions.

· Payment of Interest on Demand Deposits. The Dodd-Frank Act repealed the federal prohibitions on the payment of interest on demand deposits, thereby permitting depository institutions to pay interest on business transaction and other accounts.

· Creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Dodd-Frank Act centralized significant aspects of consumer financial protection by creating a new agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (the CFPB), responsible for implementing, examining and enforcing compliance with federal consumer financial laws for institutions with more than $10 billion of assets and, to a lesser extent, smaller institutions. As a smaller institution, most consumer protection aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act will continue to be applied to the Corporation by the Federal Reserve and to the Bank by the FDIC.

· Debit Card Interchange Fees. The Dodd-Frank Act amended the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) to, among other things, require that debit card interchange fees must be reasonable and proportional to the actual cost incurred by the issuer with respect to the transaction. In June 2011, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations setting the maximum permissible interchange fee as the sum of 21 cents per transaction and 5 basis points multiplied by the value of the transaction, with an additional adjustment of up to one cent per transaction if the issuer implements additional fraud-prevention standards. Although issuers that have assets of less than $10 billion are exempt from the Federal Reserve Board’s regulations that set maximum interchange fees, these regulations are expected to significantly affect the interchange fees that financial institutions with less than $10 billion in assets are able to collect.

Table of Contents

In addition, the Dodd-Frank Act implements other far-reaching changes to the financial regulatory landscape, including provisions that:

· Restrict the preemption of state law by federal law and disallow subsidiaries and affiliates of national banks from availing themselves of such preemption.

· Apply the same leverage and risk-based capital requirements that apply to insured depository institutions to most bank holding companies.

· Require bank holding companies and banks to be both well capitalized and well managed in order to acquire banks located outside their home state.

· Impose comprehensive regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market, which would include certain provisions that would effectively prohibit insured depository institutions from conducting certain derivatives businesses in the institution itself.

· Require large, publicly traded bank holding companies to create a risk committee responsible for the oversight of enterprise risk management.

· Require loan originators to retain 5 percent of any loan sold or securitized, unless it is a “qualified residential mortgage”, which must still be defined by the regulators. FHA, VA and Rural Housing Service loans are specifically exempted from the risk retention requirements.

· Implement corporate governance revisions, including with regard to executive compensation and proxy access by shareholders that apply to all public companies not just financial institutions.

Many aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act remain subject to rulemaking and will take effect over several years, making it difficult to anticipate the overall financial impact on the Corporation, its subsidiaries, its customers or the financial industry more generally. Provisions in the legislation that revoke the Tier 1 capital treatment of trust preferred securities and otherwise require revisions to the capital requirements of the Corporation and the Bank could require the Corporation and the Bank to seek other sources of capital in the future. Some of the rules that have been proposed and, in some cases, adopted to comply with the Dodd-Frank Act's mandates are discussed further below.

Economic Emergency Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) and the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

In October 2008, the EESA was signed into law, which provided immediate authority and facilities that the Treasury could use to restore liquidity and stability to the financial system. Specifically, Section 101 of EESA established the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, troubled assets from any financial institution, on such terms and conditions as are determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, and in accordance with EESA and the policies and procedures developed and published by the Secretary of the Treasury. Section 111 of EESA provides that entities that receive financial assistance from Treasury under TARP will be subject to specified executive compensation and corporate governance standards to be established by the Secretary of the Treasury. The statutory language in EESA includes three limitations on executive compensation for TARP recipients involved in a direct purchase. As described in more detail above, on January 9, 2009, through the CPP portion of TARP the Corporation sold and issued to Treasury shares of the Corporation’s Series A Preferred Stock and a Warrant to acquire shares of the Corporation’s common stock.

On February 17, 2009, the President signed the ARRA into law. ARRA contains a number of restrictions on executive and highly-paid employee compensation for those institutions that have received, or will receive, government assistance under TARP that are considerably more restrictive and far-reaching than the limited restrictions included in EESA.

On June 10, 2009, the Treasury released regulations in an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that sets standards for complying with the executive compensation and corporate governance provisions for TARP recipients contained in EESA, as amended by ARRA. The standards for compensation and corporate governance established in the IFR: (1) prohibit the payment or accrual of bonus, retention award and incentive compensation (with the exception of limited amounts of restricted stock) for specified individuals, depending upon the level of government assistance received by the institution; (2) prohibit making any golden parachute payments to a senior executive officer (SEO) or any of the next five most highly compensated employees (MHCE); (3) prohibit tax gross-ups to SEOs and any of the next 20 MHCEs; (4) provide for the recovery of any bonus, incentive compensation, or retention award paid to a SEO or the next 20 MHCEs based on materially inaccurate statements of earnings, revenues, gains, or other criteria (clawback); (5) require the establishment of a compensation committee of independent directors to meet semi-annually to review employee compensation plans and the risks posed by these plans to the institution; (6) limit compensation to exclude incentives for SEOs to take unnecessary and excessive risk that threaten the value of the institution and eliminate features of employee compensation plans that pose unnecessary risks to the institution; (7) prohibit employee compensation plans that would encourage manipulation of earnings to enhance an employee’s compensation; (8) require the adoption of an excessive or luxury expenditures policy; (9) require compliance with federal securities laws and regulations regarding non-binding resolution on SEO compensation to shareholders; (10) require disclosure of perquisites offered to SEOs and certain highly compensated employees; and (11) require disclosures related to compensation consultant engagements.

Table of Contents

The corporate governance and executive compensation standards and restrictions of the EESA and the ARRA, as supplemented by the IFR and other interpretive guidance provided by Treasury, will apply to the Corporation as long as Treasury holds shares of the Corporation’s Series A Preferred Stock.

Incentive Compensation

In June 2010, the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the FDIC issued a comprehensive final guidance on incentive compensation intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of such organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The guidance, which covers all employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of an organization, either individually or as part of a group, is based upon the key principles that a banking organization's incentive compensation arrangements should (i) provide incentives that do not encourage risk-taking beyond the organization's ability to effectively identify and manage risks, (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management, and (iii) be supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the organization's board of directors.

The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of banking organizations, such as the Corporation, that are not "large, complex banking organizations." These reviews will be tailored to each organization based on the scope and complexity of the organization's activities and the prevalence of incentive compensation arrangements. The findings of the supervisory initiatives will be included in reports of examination. Deficiencies will be incorporated into the organization's supervisory ratings, which can affect the organization's ability to make acquisitions and take other actions. Enforcement actions may be taken against a banking organization if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the organization's safety and soundness and the organization is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies.

The Dodd-Frank Act requires the SEC and the federal bank regulatory agencies to establish joint regulations or guidelines that require financial institutions with assets of at least $1 billion to disclose the structure of their incentive compensation practices and prohibit such institutions from maintaining compensation arrangements that encourage inappropriate risk-taking by providing excessive compensation or that could lead to material financial loss to the financial institution. The SEC and the federal bank regulatory agencies proposed such regulations in March 2011, which may become effective before the end of 2012. If the regulations are adopted in the form initially proposed, they will impose limitations on the manner in which the Corporation may structure compensation for its executives only if the Corporation’s total consolidated assets exceed $1 billion. These proposed regulations incorporate the three principles discussed in the June 2010 comprehensive final guidance on incentive compensation that was issued by the Federal Reserve, the OCC and the FDIC in June 2010.

Restrictions on Proprietary Trading

The Dodd-Frank Act requires the federal financial regulatory agencies to adopt rules that prohibit banks and their affiliates from engaging in proprietary trading and investing in and sponsoring certain unregistered investment companies (defined as hedge funds and private equity funds), with implementation starting as early as July 2012. This provision of the Dodd-Frank Act is commonly called the “Volcker Rule.” In October 2011, federal financial regulators proposed rules to implement the Volcker Rule that included an extensive request for comments on the proposed rules. The proposed rules are highly complex and many aspects of their application remain uncertain. Based on the proposed rules, the Corporation does not currently anticipate that the Volcker Rule will have a material effect on the operations of the Corporation or the Bank, as the Corporation and the Bank do not engage in the businesses prohibited by the Volcker Rule. Until final rules are adopted, the precise financial effect of these rules on the Corporation and the financial industry cannot be determined.

Insurance of Accounts, Assessments and Regulation by the FDIC

The Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the DIF of the FDIC. In July 2010, the Dodd-Frank Act permanently raised the basic limit on federal deposit insurance coverage to $250,000 per depositor, but did not change FDIC deposit insurance coverage for retirement accounts, which remains $250,000 per depositor. In November 2010, the FDIC issued a final rule to implement provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act that provide for temporary unlimited deposit insurance coverage for noninterest-bearing transaction accounts. For purposes of this extension, the definition of noninterest-bearing transaction accounts includes traditional checking accounts or demand deposit accounts on which no interest is paid and Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTAs), and excludes negotiable order of withdrawal consumer check accounts (NOW accounts) and money market deposit accounts. The extended program is not optional and will no longer be funded by separate premiums. This temporary unlimited deposit insurance coverage became effective on December 31, 2010 and terminates on December 31, 2012.

Table of Contents

Under the FDIA, the FDIC may terminate deposit insurance upon a finding that the institution has engaged in unsafe and unsound practices, is in an unsafe or unsound condition to continue operations, or has violated any applicable law, regulation, rule, order or condition imposed by the FDIC, subject to administrative and potential judicial hearing and review processes.

Deposit Insurance Assessments. In February 2011, the FDIC approved a final rule that changed the assessment base from domestic deposits to average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity (defined as Tier 1 capital); adopted a new large-bank pricing assessment scheme; and set a target “designated reserve ratio” (described in more detail below) of 2 percent for the DIF. The changes went into effect beginning with the second quarter of 2011, which was payable at the end of September 2011. The rule also implements a lower assessment rate schedule when the fund reaches 1.15 percent and, in lieu of dividends, provides for a lower rate schedule, when the reserve ratio reaches 2 percent and 2.5 percent.

Under the FDIC’s deposit insurance assessment system, insured institutions are assigned to one of four risk categories, based on supervisory evaluations, regulatory capital levels and certain other factors. As applied to small institutions, Risk Category I, which contains the least risky depository institutions, contains further risk differentiation based on the FDIC’s analysis of financial ratios, examination component ratings (CAMELS components) and other information. An institution’s assessment rate depends upon the category to which it is assigned. Assessment rates are determined by the FDIC and, beginning April 1, 2011, initial base assessment rates ranges from 2.5 to 45 basis points. The FDIC may make the following further adjustments to an institution’s initial base assessment rates: decreases for long-term unsecured debt including most senior unsecured debt and subordinated debt; increases for holding long-term unsecured debt or subordinated debt issued by other insured depository institutions; and increases for broker deposits in excess of 10 percent of domestic deposits for institutions not well rated and well capitalized.

The Dodd-Frank Act transferred to the FDIC increased discretion with regard to managing the required amount of reserves for the DIF, or the “designated reserve ratio.” Among other changes, the Dodd-Frank Act (i) raised the minimum designated reserve ratio to 1.35 percent and removed the upper limit on the designated reserve ratio, (ii) requires that the designated reserve ratio reach 1.35 percent by September 2020, and (iii) requires the FDIC to offset the effect on institutions with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion of raising the designated reserve ratio from 1.15 percent to 1.35 percent. The FDIA requires that the FDIC consider the appropriate level for the designated reserve ratio on at least an annual basis.

On October 2010, the FDIC adopted a new DIF restoration plan to ensure that the fund reserve ratio reaches 1.35 percent by September 30, 2020, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act. The restoration plan requires the FDIC to update its loss and income projections for the DIF at least semiannually, and if needed the FDIC may increase or decrease assessment rates following a notice-and-comment rulemaking.

Special Deposit Insurance Assessment and Prepayment of Assessments. In May 2009, the FDIC adopted a final rule imposing a five basis point special assessment on each insured depository institution’s assets minus Tier 1 capital as of June 30, 2009. The assessment was part of the FDIC’s efforts to rebuild the DIF and help maintain public confidence in the banking system. The Corporation was assessed $391,000, all of which was expensed in 2009. In November 2009, the FDIC adopted a final rule requiring insured depository institutions to prepay their estimated quarterly risk-based assessments for the fourth quarter of 2009, and for all of 2010, 2011 and 2012, on December 31, 2009, along with each institution’s risk-based deposit insurance assessment for the third quarter of 2009. The prepayment was based on an institution’s assessment rate and assessment base for the third quarter of 2009, assuming a five percent annual growth in deposits each year. On December 30, 2009, the Corporation prepaid $3.2 million of FDIC assessments.

Regulation of the Bank and Other Subsidiaries

The Bank is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions (VBFI) and the FDIC. The various laws and regulations administered by the regulatory agencies affect corporate practices, such as the payment of dividends, the incurrence of debt and the acquisition of financial institutions and other companies, and affect business practices, such as the payment of interest on deposits, the charging of interest on loans, the types of business conducted and the location of offices.

FDIA and Associated Regulations. Section 36 of the FDIA and associated regulations require management of every insured depository institution with total assets between $500 million and $1 billion at the beginning of a fiscal year to obtain an annual audit of its financial statements by an independent public accountant, report to the banking agencies on the institution’s compliance with designated laws and regulations and establish an audit committee comprised of outside directors, at least a majority of whom must be independent of management. The Bank is subject to the annual audit, reporting and audit committee requirements of Section 36 of the FDIA.

Community Reinvestment Act. The Community Reinvestment Act (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 are assessed based on specified factors. These factors also are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. In 2010, the FDIC issued C&F Bank’s 2009 Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation (the 2009 CRA Evaluation). C&F Bank received “Satisfactory” ratings on the Investment Test component and the Service Test component evaluated as part of the 2009 CRA Evaluation. Based on issues identified at one of C&F Bank’s subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage, C&F Bank received a “Needs to Improve” rating on the Lending Test component, and as a result, a “Needs to Improve” rating on its overall rating in January 2011. In its evaluation, the FDIC concluded that C&F Mortgage violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (the ECOA), Federal Reserve Regulation B, and the Fair Housing Act in connection with certain of its lending practices. While C&F Bank’s board of directors and management strongly disagree with the FDIC’s conclusion, C&F Mortgage has strengthened and continues to strengthen its policies, procedures and monitoring of its lending practices to address the issues raised by the FDIC. As required by statute, the FDIC referred its conclusions regarding the alleged violations to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2011. As a result of the referral, the DOJ conducted an investigation and alleged a violation of the ECOA and the Fair Housing Act in connection with certain lending practices of C&F Mortgage during 2007. In September 2011, C&F Mortgage entered into a settlement with the DOJ and agreed to (i) implement certain policies, procedures and monitoring of its lending practices and (ii) provide a $140,000 settlement fund for borrowers who may have been affected. The DOJ investigation and settlement resulted in no factual findings or adjudications with respect to any matter of the alleged violation. The results of the DOJ investigation and the settlement did not have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s results of operations or financial condition. Upon the conclusion of the FDIC’s CRA examination in January 2012, the FDIC upgraded C&F Bank’s CRA Lending Test rating and the overall CRA rating to “Satisfactory.” As a result of the improvement in C&F Bank’s CRA rating in January 2012, limitations on certain business activities that had been imposed by statute while C&F Bank had a “Needs to Improve” CRA rating have been removed.

Table of Contents

Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Atlanta, which is one of 12 regional FHLBs that provide funding to their members for making housing loans as well as for affordable housing and community development loans. Each FHLB serves as a reserve, or central bank, for the members within its assigned region. Each is funded primarily from proceeds derived from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB System. Each FHLB makes loans to members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB. As a member, the Bank must purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB. In 2004, the FHLB converted to its new capital structure, which established the minimum capital stock requirement for member banks as an amount equal to the sum of a membership requirement and an activity-based requirement. In 2009, the FHLB imposed a temporary suspension of repurchases of excess capital, which has since been removed. At December 31, 2011, the Bank owned $3.8 million of FHLB stock.

USA Patriot Act. The USA Patriot Act, which became effective on October 26, 2001, amends the Bank Secrecy Act and is intended to facilitate information sharing among governmental entities and financial institutions for the purpose of combating terrorism and money laundering. Among other provisions, the USA Patriot Act permits financial institutions, upon providing notice to the Treasury, to share information with one another in order to better identify and report to the federal government activities that may involve money laundering or terrorists’ activities. The USA Patriot Act is considered a significant banking law in terms of information disclosure regarding certain customer transactions. Certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act impose the obligation to establish anti-money laundering programs, including the development of a customer identification program, and the screening of all customers against any government lists of known or suspected terrorists. Although it does create a reporting obligation and there is a cost of compliance, the USA Patriot Act does not materially affect the Bank’s products, services or other business activities.

Reporting Terrorist Activities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has sent, and will send, banking regulatory agencies lists of the names of persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. The Bank has been requested, and will be requested, to search its records for any relationships or transactions with persons on those lists. If the Bank finds any relationships or transactions, it must file a suspicious activity report with the Treasury and contact the FBI.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is a division 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 sends banking regulatory agencies lists of names of persons and organizations suspected of aiding, harboring or engaging in terrorist acts, and publicly releases information on designations of persons and organizations suspected of engaging in these activities. 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 with the Treasury 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 areas such as new accounts, wire transfers and customer files. The Bank performs these checks utilizing software that is updated each time a modification is made to the lists of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons provided by OFAC and other agencies.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. In addition to certain of the Bank’s regulations, the Corporation’s Mortgage Banking segment is subject to the rules and regulations of, and examination by, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the FHA, the VA and state regulatory authorities with respect to originating, processing 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 ECOA, Truth-in-Lending Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and Home Ownership Equity Protection Act, and the regulations promulgated under these acts. 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. As noted above under “Community Reinvestment Act”, the FDIC concluded that C&F Mortgage violated the ECOA with certain of its lending practices in 2007. C&F Mortgage is and will continue to be committed to fair lending and, in part as a result of the settlement C&F Mortgage reached with the DOJ, has strengthened its policies, procedures and monitoring of its lending practices to address the issues raised by the FDIC and the DOJ.

Table of Contents

Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines. In December 2010, the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC, jointly with other federal regulatory agencies, issued the Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines. This guidance, which updates guidance originally issued in 1994, sets forth the minimum regulatory standards for appraisals. The guidance incorporates previous regulatory issuances affecting appraisals, addresses advances in information technology used in collateral evaluation, and clarifies standards for use of analytical methods and technological tools in developing evaluations. The guidance also requires institutions to use strong internal controls to ensure reliable appraisals and evaluations and to monitor and periodically update valuations of collateral for existing real estate loans and transactions.

Consumer Financing Regulation. The Corporation’s Consumer Finance segment also is regulated by the VBFI and the states and jurisdictions in which it operates. The VBFI regulates and enforces laws relating to consumer lenders and sales finance agencies such as C&F Finance. Such rules and regulations generally provide for licensing of sales finance agencies; limitations on amounts, duration and charges, including interest rates, for various categories of loans; requirements as to the form and content of finance contracts and other documentation; and restrictions on collection practices and creditors’ rights.

Consumer Protection. The Dodd-Frank Act created the CFPB, a federal regulatory agency that is responsible for implementing, examining and enforcing compliance with federal consumer financial laws for institutions with more than $10 billion of assets and, to a lesser extent, smaller institutions. The Dodd-Frank Act gives the CFPB authority to supervise and regulate providers of consumer financial products and services, and establishes the CFPB’s power to act against unfair, deceptive or abusive practices. The CFPB has stated that it will focus on (i) risks to consumers and compliance with 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 depository institutions with a more specialized focus, and (iv) non-depository companies that offer one or more consumer financial products or services.

As a smaller institution (i.e., with assets of $10 billion or less), most consumer protection aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act will continue to be applied to the Corporation by the Federal Reserve and to the Bank by the FDIC. However, the CFPB may include its own examiners in regulatory examinations by a small institution’s prudential regulators and may require smaller institutions to comply with certain CFPB reporting requirements. In addition, regulatory positions taken by the CFPB and administrative and legal precedents established by CFPB enforcement activities could influence how the Federal Reserve and FDIC apply consumer protection laws and regulations to financial institutions that are not directly supervised by the CFPB. The precise effect of the CFPB’s consumer protection activities cannot be forecast.

Other Safety and Soundness Regulations

Prompt Correction Action. The federal banking agencies 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.” These terms are defined under uniform regulations issued by each of the federal banking agencies regulating these institutions. An insured depository institution which 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. As of December 31, 2011, the Bank was considered “well capitalized.”

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLBA). The GLBA implemented major changes to the statutory framework for providing banking and other financial services in the United States. The GLBA, among other things, eliminated many of the restrictions on affiliations among banks and securities firms, insurance firms and other financial service providers. A bank holding company that qualifies and elects to be a financial holding company is permitted to engage in activities that are financial in nature or incident or complimentary to financial activities. The activities that the GLBA expressly lists as financial in nature include insurance underwriting, sales and brokerage activities, financial and investment advisory services, underwriting services and limited merchant banking activities.

To become eligible for these expanded activities, a bank holding company must qualify as a financial holding company. To qualify as a financial holding company, each insured depository institution controlled by the bank holding company must be well-capitalized, well-managed and have at least a satisfactory rating under the CRA. In addition, the bank holding company must file with the Federal Reserve Board a declaration of its intention to become a financial holding company.

Table of Contents

The GLBA has not had a material adverse impact on the Corporation’s or the Bank’s operations. To the extent that it allows banks, securities firms and insurance firms to affiliate, the financial services industry may experience further consolidation. The GLBA may have the result of increasing competition that we face from larger institutions and other companies that offer financial products and services and that may have substantially greater financial resources than the Corporation or the Bank.

The GLBA and certain regulations issued by federal banking agencies also provide protections against the transfer and use by financial institutions of consumer nonpublic personal information. A financial institution must provide to its customers, at the beginning of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution’s policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers’ nonpublic personal financial information. These privacy provisions generally prohibit a financial institution from providing a customer’s personal financial information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that the information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure.

Future Regulation

From time to time, various legislative and regulatory initiatives are introduced in Congress and state legislatures, as well as by regulatory agencies. Such initiatives may include proposals to expand or contract the powers of bank holding companies and depository institutions or proposals to substantially change the financial institution regulatory system. Such legislation could change banking statutes and the operating environment of the Corporation in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The Corporation cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted, and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on the financial condition or results of operations of the Corporation. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Corporation or C&F Bank, or any of its subsidiaries, could have a material effect on the business of the Corporation.

Available Information

The Corporation’s SEC filings are filed electronically and are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, any document filed by the Corporation with the SEC can be read and copied at the SEC’s public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of documents can be obtained at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Corporation’s SEC filings also are available through our web site at http://www.cffc.com under “About C&F/C&F Financial Corporation/SEC Filings” as of the day they are filed with the SEC. Copies of documents also can be obtained free of charge by writing to the Corporation’s secretary at P.O. Box 391, West Point, VA 23181 or by calling 804-843-2360.

10-K
2010Item 1. Business

General

C&F Financial Corporation (the Corporation) is a bank holding company that was incorporated in March 1994 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Corporation owns all of the stock of its sole operating subsidiary, Citizens and Farmers Bank (C&F Bank or the Bank), which is an independent commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Bank originally opened for business under the name Farmers and Mechanics Bank on January 22, 1927. The Bank has the following five wholly-owned subsidiaries, all incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia:

• C&F Mortgage Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Hometown Settlement Services LLC and Certified Appraisals LLC

• C&F Finance Company

• C&F Investment Services, Inc.

• C&F Insurance Services, Inc.

• C&F Title Agency, Inc.

The Corporation operates in a decentralized manner in three principal business activities: (1) retail banking through C&F Bank, (2) mortgage banking through C&F Mortgage Corporation (C&F Mortgage) and (3) consumer finance through C&F Finance Company (C&F Finance). The following general business discussion focuses on the activities within each of these segments.

In addition, the Corporation conducts brokerage activities through C&F Investment Services, Inc., insurance activities through C&F Insurance Services, Inc. and title insurance services through C&F Title Agency, Inc. The financial position and operating results of any one of these subsidiaries are not significant to the Corporation as a whole and are not considered principal activities of the Corporation at this time.

The Corporation also owns two non-operating subsidiaries, C&F Financial Statutory Trust II (Trust II) formed in December 2007 and C&F Financial Statutory Trust I (Trust I) formed in July 2005. These trusts were formed for the purpose of issuing $10.0 million each of trust preferred capital securities in private placements to institutional investors. These trusts are unconsolidated subsidiaries of the Corporation and their principal assets are $10.3 million each of the Corporation’s junior subordinated debt securities (referred to herein as “trust preferred capital notes”) that are reported as liabilities of the Corporation.

Retail Banking

We provide retail banking services at the Bank’s main office in West Point, Virginia, and 17 Virginia branches located one each in Chester, Hampton, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Newport News, Norge, Providence Forge, Quinton, Saluda, Sandston, Varina, West Point and Yorktown, and two each in Williamsburg and Richmond. These branches provide a wide range of banking services to individuals and businesses. These services include various types of checking and savings deposit accounts, as well as business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity and installment loans. The Bank also offers ATMs, internet banking and credit cards, as well as travelers’ checks, safe deposit box rentals, collection, notary public, wire service and other customary bank services to its customers. Revenues from retail banking operations consist primarily of interest earned on loans and investment securities and fees related to deposit services. At December 31, 2010, assets of the Retail Banking segment totaled $756.3 million. For the year ended December 31, 2010, the net loss for this segment totaled $1.5 million.

Mortgage Banking

We conduct mortgage banking activities through C&F Mortgage, which was organized in September 1995. C&F Mortgage provides mortgage loan origination services through 15 locations in Virginia, four in Maryland, two in North Carolina and one each in Wilmington, Delaware; Moorestown, New Jersey; and York, Pennsylvania. The Virginia offices are located one each in Charlottesville, Chester, Fishersville, Fredericksburg, Glen Allen, Hanover, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Newport News and Williamsburg, two in Roanoke and three in Midlothian. The Maryland offices are located in Annapolis, Baltimore, Ellicott City and Waldorf. The North Carolina offices are located in Charlotte and Gastonia. C&F Mortgage offers a wide variety of residential mortgage loans, which are originated for sale generally to the following investors: Bank of America, N.A.; Wells Fargo Home Mortgage; Franklin American Mortgage Company; the Virginia Housing Development Authority; and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. C&F Mortgage does not securitize loans. The Bank also purchases lot and permanent loans from C&F Mortgage. C&F Mortgage originates conventional mortgage loans, mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the FHA), mortgage loans partially guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (the VA) and home equity loans. A majority of the conventional loans are conforming loans that qualify for purchase by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). The remainder of the conventional loans are non-conforming loans that do not meet Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines, but are eligible for sale to various other investors. Through its subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage also provides

Table of Contents

ancillary mortgage loan origination services for loan settlement and residential appraisals. Revenues from mortgage banking operations consist principally of gains on sales of loans to investors in the secondary mortgage market, loan origination fee income and interest earned on mortgage loans held for sale. At December 31, 2010, assets of the Mortgage Banking segment totaled $78.6 million. For the year ended December 31, 2010, net income for this segment totaled $782,000.

Consumer Finance

We conduct consumer finance activities through C&F Finance, which the Bank acquired on September 1, 2002. C&F Finance is a regional finance company providing automobile loans throughout Virginia and in portions of Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia and West Virginia through its offices in Richmond and Hampton, Virginia, in Nashville, Tennessee and in Towson, Maryland. C&F Finance is an indirect lender that provides automobile financing through lending programs that are designed to serve customers in the “non-prime” market who have limited access to traditional automobile financing. C&F Finance generally purchases automobile retail installment sales contracts from manufacturer-franchised dealerships with used-car operations and through selected independent dealerships. C&F Finance selects these dealers based on the types of vehicles sold. Specifically, C&F Finance prefers to finance later model, low mileage used vehicles because the initial depreciation on new vehicles is extremely high. C&F Finance’s typical borrowers have experienced prior credit difficulties. Because C&F Finance serves customers who are unable to meet the credit standards imposed by most traditional automobile financing sources, C&F Finance typically charges interest at higher rates than those charged by traditional financing sources. As C&F Finance provides financing in a relatively high-risk market, it expects to experience a higher level of credit losses than traditional automobile financing sources. Revenues from consumer finance operations consist principally of interest earned on automobile loans. At December 31, 2010, assets of the Consumer Finance segment totaled $224.2 million. For the year ended December 31, 2010, net income for this segment totaled $9.4 million.

Employees

At December 31, 2010, we employed 544 full-time equivalent employees. We consider relations with our employees to be excellent.

Competition

Retail Banking

In the Bank’s market area, we compete with large national and regional financial institutions, savings associations and other independent community banks, as well as credit unions, mutual funds, brokerage firms and insurance companies. Increased competition has come from out-of-state banks through their acquisition of Virginia-based banks and expansion of community and regional banks into our service areas.

The banking business in Virginia, and in the Bank’s primary service area in the Hampton to Richmond corridor, is highly competitive for both loans and deposits, and is dominated by a relatively small number of large banks with many offices operating over a wide geographic area. Among the advantages such large banks have are their ability to finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns, efficiencies through economies of scale and, by virtue of their greater total capitalization, to have substantially higher lending limits than the Bank.

Factors such as interest rates offered, the number and location of branches and the types of products offered, as well as the reputation of the institution, affect competition for deposits and loans. We compete by emphasizing customer service and technology, establishing long-term customer relationships, building customer loyalty, and providing products and services to address the specific needs of our customers. We target individual and small-to-medium size business customers.

No material part of the Bank’s business is dependent upon a single or a few customers, and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Bank’s business.

Mortgage Banking

C&F Mortgage competes with large national and regional banks, credit unions, smaller regional mortgage lenders and small local broker operations. As loan volumes have decreased over the past five years, the industry has seen a consolidation in the number of competitors in the marketplace. However, the competition with regard to price has increased tremendously as the remaining participants struggle to achieve volume and profitability benchmarks. The downturn in the housing markets related to declines in real estate values, increased payment defaults and foreclosures have had a dramatic effect on the secondary market. The guidelines surrounding agency business (i.e., loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) have become much more restrictive and the associated mortgage insurance for loans above 80 percent loan-to-value has continued to tighten. The jumbo markets have slowed considerably and pricing has increased dramatically. These changes in the conventional market have caused a dramatic increase in government lending and state bond programs. To operate profitably in this environment, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and be able to attract and retain top mortgage origination talent. C&F Mortgage competes by attracting the top sales people in the industry, providing an operational infrastructure that manages the guideline changes efficiently and effectively, offering a product menu that is both competitive in loan parameters as well as price, and providing consistently high quality customer service.

Table of Contents

No material part of C&F Mortgage’s business is dependent upon a single customer and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Mortgage’s business. C&F Mortgage, like all residential mortgage lenders, would be impacted by the inability of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA or the VA to purchase loans. Although C&F Mortgage sells loans to various intermediaries, the ability of these aggregators to purchase loans would be limited if these government-sponsored entities cease to exist or materially limit their purchases of mortgage loans.

Consumer Finance

The non-prime automobile finance business is highly competitive. The automobile finance market is highly fragmented and is served by a variety of financial entities, including the captive finance affiliates of major automotive manufacturers, banks, savings associations, credit unions and independent finance companies. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources and lower costs of funds than our finance subsidiary. In addition, competitors often provide financing on terms that are more favorable to automobile purchasers or dealers than the terms C&F Finance offers. Many of these competitors also have long-standing relationships with automobile dealerships and may offer dealerships or their customers other forms of financing, including dealer floor plan financing and leasing, which we do not.

During 2008 and 2009, there was a significant contraction in the number of institutions providing automobile financing for the non-prime market. This contraction accompanied the economic downturn and the tightening of credit, which contributed to increasing defaults, a decline in collateral values and higher charge-offs. As these issues have abated, institutions with access to capital have begun to re-enter the market. To continue to operate profitably, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and access to competitive costs of funds.

Providers of automobile financing traditionally have competed on the basis of interest rates charged, the quality of credit accepted, the flexibility of loan terms offered and the quality of service provided to dealers and customers. To establish C&F Finance as one of the principal financing sources at the dealers it serves, we compete predominately through a high level of dealer service, strong dealer relationships, by offering flexible loan terms and by quickly funding loans purchased from dealers.

No material part of C&F Finance’s business is dependent upon any single dealer relationship, and the loss of any single dealer relationship would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Finance’s business.

Regulation and Supervision

General

Bank holding companies and banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. The following summary briefly describes the more significant provisions of currently applicable federal and state laws and certain regulations and the potential impact of such provisions on the Corporation and the Bank. This summary is not complete, and we refer you to the particular statutory or regulatory provisions or proposals for more information. Because federal regulation of financial institutions changes regularly and is the subject of constant legislative debate, we cannot forecast how federal regulation of financial institutions may change in the future and affect the Corporation’s and the Bank’s operations.

Regulation of the Corporation

The Corporation must file annual, quarterly and other periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). The Corporation is directly 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: (1) 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 their accuracy and compliance with the law; (2) prohibit public companies, with certain limited exceptions, from making personal loans to their directors or executive officers; (3) require chief executive officers and chief financial officers to forfeit bonuses and profits if company financial statements are restated due to misconduct; (4) require audit committees to pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by an issuer’s outside auditors, except for de minimis non-audit services; (5) protect employees of public companies who assist in investigations relating to violations of the federal securities laws from job discrimination; (6) require companies to disclose in plain English on a “rapid and current basis” material changes in their financial condition or operations, as well as certain other specified information; (7) require a public company’s Section 16 insiders to make Form 4 filings with the SEC within two business days following the day on which purchases or sales of the company’s equity securities were made; and (8) increased penalties for existing crimes and created new criminal offenses. While the Corporation has incurred additional expenses in complying with the requirements of the SOX Act and related regulations adopted by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, we anticipate that those expenses will not have a material effect on the Corporation’s results of operations or financial condition.

Table of Contents

When enacted in 2002, Section 404(b) of the SOX Act required public companies to include in their annual reports on Form 10-K an assessment from management of the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting, and required the company’s auditor to attest to and report on management’s assessment. From 2002 through 2010, the SEC had delayed implementation of Section 404(b) of the SOX Act for public companies with a public float below $75 million (i.e. companies that are smaller reporting companies or non-accelerated filers). In July 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act) permanently exempted smaller reporting companies and non-accelerated filers from Section 404(b) of the SOX Act, and the SEC made conforming amendments to certain of its rules and forms in September 2010. The Corporation has voluntarily provided an attestation by the Corporation’s auditor on management’s assessment of the Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The Corporation is also subject to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve Board). The Federal Reserve Board has jurisdiction to approve any bank or non-bank acquisition, merger or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. The Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the BHCA) generally limits the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity that is closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks.

Since September 1995, the BHCA has permitted bank holding companies from any state to acquire banks and bank holding companies located in any other state, subject to certain conditions, including nationwide and state imposed concentration limits. Banks also are able to branch across state lines, provided certain conditions are met, including that applicable state laws expressly permit such interstate branching. Virginia permits branching across state lines, provided there is reciprocity with the state in which the out-of-state bank is based.

Federal law and regulatory policy impose a number of obligations and restrictions on bank holding companies and their depository institution subsidiaries to reduce potential loss exposure to the depositors and to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) insurance funds. For example, a bank holding company must commit resources to support its subsidiary depository institutions. In addition, insured depository institutions under common control must reimburse the FDIC for any loss suffered or reasonably anticipated by the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) as a result of the default of a commonly controlled insured depository institution. The FDIC may decline to enforce the provisions if it determines that a waiver is in the best interest of the DIF. An FDIC claim for damage is superior to claims of stockholders of an insured depository institution or its holding company but is subordinate to claims of depositors, secured creditors and holders of subordinated debt, other than affiliates, of the commonly controlled insured depository institution.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA) provides that amounts received from the liquidation or other resolution of any insured depository institution must be distributed, after payment of secured claims, to pay the deposit liabilities of the institution before payment of any other general creditor or stockholder. This provision would give depositors a preference over general and subordinated creditors and stockholders if a receiver is appointed to distribute the assets of the Bank.

The Corporation also is subject to regulation and supervision by the State Corporation Commission of Virginia.

Capital Requirements

The Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have issued substantially similar risk-based and leverage capital guidelines applicable to banking organizations they supervise. Under the risk-based capital requirements of these federal bank regulatory agencies, the Corporation and the Bank are required to maintain a minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0 percent and a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.0 percent. At least half of the total capital must be Tier 1 capital, which includes common equity, retained earnings and qualifying perpetual preferred stock, less certain intangibles and other adjustments. The remainder may consist of Tier 2 capital, such as a limited amount of subordinated and other qualifying debt (including certain hybrid capital instruments), other qualifying preferred stock and a limited amount of the general loan loss allowance. For the Corporation only, Tier 1 and total capital include trust preferred securities. At December 31, 2010, the total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of the Corporation was 16.5 percent and the ratio of the Bank was 16.3 percent. At December 31, 2010, the Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio was 15.3 percent for the Corporation and 15.0 percent for the Bank.

In addition, each of the federal regulatory agencies has established leverage capital ratio guidelines for banking organizations. These guidelines provide for a minimum Tier l leverage ratio of 4.0 percent for banks and bank holding companies. At December 31, 2010, the Tier l leverage ratio was 11.6 percent for the Corporation and 11.4 percent for the Bank. The guidelines also provide that banking organizations experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions must maintain capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets.

On January 9, 2009, as part of the Capital Purchase Program (Capital Purchase Program or CPP) established by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (the EESA), as discussed below, the Corporation issued and sold to Treasury for an aggregate purchase price of $20.0 million in cash (1) 20,000 shares of the Corporation’s fixed rate cumulative perpetual preferred stock, Series A, par value $1.00 per share, having a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share (Series A Preferred Stock) and (2) a ten-year warrant to purchase up to 167,504 shares of the Corporation’s common stock, par value $1.00 per share (Common Stock), at an initial exercise price of $17.91 per share (Warrant). The Series A Preferred Stock has been treated as Tier 1 capital for regulatory capital adequacy determination purposes.

Table of Contents

In December 2010, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the Basel Committee) released its final framework for strengthening international capital and liquidity regulation, now officially identified by the Basel Committee as “Basel III.” Basel III, when implemented by the U.S. banking agencies and fully phased-in, will require bank holding companies and their bank subsidiaries to maintain substantially more capital, with a greater emphasis on common equity. Implementation is presently scheduled to be phased in between 2014 and 2019, although it is possible that implementation may be delayed as a result of multiple factors including the current condition of the banking industry within the U.S. and abroad.

The Basel III final capital framework, among other things, (i) introduces as a new capital measure “Common Equity Tier 1” (CET1), (ii) specifies that Tier 1 capital consists of CET1 and “Additional Tier 1 capital” instruments meeting specified requirements, (iii) defines CET1 narrowly by requiring that most adjustments to regulatory capital measures be made to CET1 and not to the other components of capital and (iv) expands the scope of the adjustments as compared to existing regulations.

When fully phased in on January 1, 2019, Basel III requires banks to maintain (i) as a newly adopted international standard, a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.5%, plus a 2.5% “capital conservation buffer” (which is added to the 4.5% CET1 ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets of at least 7%), (ii) a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 6.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer (which is added to the 6.0% Tier 1 capital ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 8.5% upon full implementation), (iii) a minimum ratio of Total (that is, Tier 1 plus Tier 2) capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0%, plus the capital conservation buffer (which is added to the 8.0% total capital ratio as that buffer is phased in, effectively resulting in a minimum total capital ratio of 10.5% upon full implementation) and (iv) as a newly adopted international standard, a minimum leverage ratio of 3%, 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).

Basel III also provides for a “countercyclical capital buffer,” generally to be imposed when national regulators determine that excess aggregate credit growth becomes associated with a buildup of systemic risk, that would be a CET1 add-on to the capital conservation buffer in the range of 0% to 2.5% when fully implemented (potentially resulting in total buffers of between 2.5% and 5%).

The aforementioned capital conservation buffer is designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress. Banking institutions with a ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets above the minimum but below the conservation buffer (or below the combined capital conservation buffer and countercyclical capital buffer, when the latter is applied) will face constraints on dividends, equity repurchases and compensation based on the amount of the shortfall.

The implementation of the Basel III final framework will commence January 1, 2013. On that date, banking institutions will be required to meet the following minimum capital ratios:

• 3.5% CET1 to risk-weighted assets.

• 4.5% Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets.

• 8.0% Total capital to risk-weighted assets.

The Basel III final framework provides for a number of new deductions from and adjustments to CET1. These include, for example, the requirement that mortgage servicing rights, deferred tax assets dependent upon future taxable income and significant investments in non-consolidated financial entities be deducted from CET1 to the extent that any one such category exceeds 10% of CET1 or all such categories in the aggregate exceed 15% of CET1.

Implementation of the deductions and other adjustments to CET1 will begin on January 1, 2014 and will be phased-in over a five-year period (20% per year). The implementation of the capital conservation buffer will begin on January 1, 2016 at 0.625% and be phased in over a four-year period (increasing by that amount on each subsequent January 1, until it reaches 2.5% on January 1, 2019).

The U.S. banking agencies have indicated informally that they expect to propose regulations implementing Basel III in mid-2011 with final adoption of implementing regulations in mid-2012. Notwithstanding its release of the Basel III framework as a final framework, the Basel Committee is considering further amendments to Basel III, including the imposition of additional capital surcharges on globally systemically important financial institutions. In addition to Basel III, the Dodd-Frank Act requires or permits the federal banking agencies to adopt regulations affecting banking institutions’ capital requirements in a number of respects, including potentially more stringent capital requirements for systemically important financial institutions. Accordingly, the regulations ultimately applicable to the Corporation may be substantially different from the Basel III final framework as published in December 2010. Requirements to maintain higher levels of capital or to maintain higher levels of liquid assets could adversely impact the Corporation’s net income and return on equity.

Table of Contents

Limits on Dividends

The Corporation is a legal entity, separate and distinct from the Bank. A significant portion of the revenues of the Corporation result from dividends paid to it by the Bank. Both the Corporation and the Bank are subject to laws and regulations that limit the payment of dividends, including requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. Banking regulators have indicated that Virginia banking organizations should generally pay dividends only (1) from net undivided profits of the bank, after providing for all expenses, losses, interest and taxes accrued or due by the bank and (2) if the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, the FDIA prohibits insured depository institutions such as the Bank from making capital distributions, including the payment of dividends, if, after making such distribution, the institution would become undercapitalized as defined in the statute.

We do not expect that any of these laws, regulations or policies will materially affect the ability of the Corporation or the Bank to pay dividends. During the year ended December 31, 2010, the Bank declared $2.6 million in dividends payable to the Corporation, which were used to fund a portion of the Corporation’s debt service and dividends payable to common and preferred shareholders.

Payment of dividends is at the discretion of the Corporation’s board of directors and is subject to various federal and state regulatory limitations. The purchase agreement pursuant to which the Series A Preferred Stock and the Warrant were sold includes a limitation that prohibits, prior to the earlier of January 9, 2012 or the date on which Treasury no longer holds any of the Series A Preferred Stock, the payment of cash dividends in excess of the Corporation’s quarterly cash dividend at the time of issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock of $0.31 per share without the Treasury’s consent.

The Dodd-Frank Act

On July 21, 2010, financial regulatory reform legislation entitled the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act” (the Dodd-Frank Act) was signed into law. The Dodd-Frank Act implements far-reaching changes across the financial regulatory landscape, including provisions that, among other things, will:

• Centralize significant aspects of consumer financial protection by creating a new agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, responsible for implementing, examining and enforcing compliance with federal consumer financial laws for institutions with more than $10 billion of assets and, to a lesser extent, smaller institutions. As a smaller institution, most consumer protection aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act will continue to be applied to the Corporation by the Federal Reserve and to the Bank by the FDIC.

• Restrict the preemption of state law by federal law and disallow subsidiaries and affiliates of national banks from availing themselves of such preemption.

• Apply the same leverage and risk-based capital requirements that apply to insured depository institutions to most bank holding companies

• Require bank holding companies and banks to be both well capitalized and well managed in order to acquire banks located outside their home state.

• Change the assessment base for federal deposit insurance from the amount of insured deposits to consolidated assets less tangible capital, eliminate the ceiling on the size of the DIF and increase the floor of the size of the DIF.

• Impose comprehensive regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives market, which would include certain provisions that would effectively prohibit insured depository institutions from conducting certain derivatives businesses in the institution itself.

• Require large, publicly traded bank holding companies to create a risk committee responsible for the oversight of enterprise risk management.

• Require loan originators to retain 5 percent of any loan sold or securitized, unless it is a “qualified residential mortgage”, which must still be defined by the regulators. FHA, VA and Rural Housing Service loans are specifically exempted from the risk retention requirements.

• Implement corporate governance revisions, including with regard to executive compensation and proxy access by shareholders that apply to all public companies not just financial institutions.

• Make permanent the $250,000 limit for federal deposit insurance and increase the cash limit of Securities Investor Protection Corporation protection from $100,000 to $250,000 and provide unlimited federal deposit insurance until December 31, 2012 for non-interest bearing demand transaction accounts at all insured depository institutions.

• Repeal the federal prohibitions on the payment of interest on demand deposits, thereby permitting depository institutions to pay interest on business transaction and other accounts.

• Amend the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) to, among other things, give the Federal Reserve the authority to establish rules regarding interchange fees charged for electronic debit transactions by payment card issuers having assets over $10 billion and to enforce a new statutory requirement that such fees be reasonable and proportional to the actual cost of a transaction to the issuer.

Table of Contents

Many aspects of the Dodd-Frank Act are subject to rulemaking and will take effect over several years, making it difficult to anticipate the overall financial impact on the Corporation, its subsidiaries, its customers or the financial industry more generally. Provisions in the legislation that affect the payment of interest on demand deposits and interchange fees are likely to increase the costs associated with deposits as well as place limitations on certain revenues those deposits may generate. Provisions in the legislation that revoke the Tier 1 capital treatment of trust preferred securities and otherwise require revisions to the capital requirements of the Corporation and C&F Bank could require the Corporation and C&F Bank to seek other sources of capital in the future. Some of the rules that have been proposed and, in some cases, adopted to comply with the Dodd-Frank Act’s mandates are discussed further below.

Economic Emergency Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) and the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

In October 2008, the EESA was signed into law, which provided immediate authority and facilities that the Treasury could use to restore liquidity and stability to the financial system. Specifically, Section 101 of EESA established the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, troubled assets from any financial institution, on such terms and conditions as are determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, and in accordance with EESA and the policies and procedures developed and published by the Secretary of the Treasury. Section 111 of EESA provides that entities that receive financial assistance from Treasury under TARP will be subject to specified executive compensation and corporate governance standards to be established by the Secretary of the Treasury. The statutory language in EESA includes three limitations on executive compensation for TARP recipients involved in a direct purchase. On February 17, 2009, the President signed the ARRA into law. ARRA contains a number of restrictions on executive and highly-paid employee compensation for those institutions that have received, or will receive, government assistance under TARP that are considerably more restrictive and far-reaching than the limited restrictions included in EESA.

On June 10, 2009, the Treasury released regulations in an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that sets standards for complying with the executive compensation and corporate governance provisions for TARP recipients contained in EESA, as amended by ARRA. The standards for compensation and corporate governance established in the IFR: (1) prohibit the payment or accrual of bonus, retention award and incentive compensation (with the exception of limited amounts of restricted stock) for specified individuals, depending upon the level of government assistance received by the institution; (2) prohibit making any golden parachute payments to a senior executive officer (SEO) or any of the next five most highly compensated employees (MHCE); (3) prohibit tax gross-ups to SEOs and any of the next 20 MHCEs; (4) provide for the recovery of any bonus, incentive compensation, or retention award paid to a SEO or the next 20 MHCEs based on materially inaccurate statements of earnings, revenues, gains, or other criteria (clawback); (5) require the establishment of a compensation committee of independent directors to meet semi-annually to review employee compensation plans and the risks posed by these plans to the institution; (6) limit compensation to exclude incentives for SEOs to take unnecessary and excessive risk that threaten the value of the institution and eliminate features of employee compensation plans that pose unnecessary risks to the institution; (7) prohibit employee compensation plans that would encourage manipulation of earnings to enhance an employee’s compensation; (8) require the adoption of an excessive or luxury expenditures policy; (9) require compliance with federal securities laws and regulations regarding non-binding resolution on SEO compensation to shareholders; (10) require disclosure of perquisites offered to SEOs and certain highly compensated employees; and (11) require disclosures related to compensation consultant engagements.

Incentive Compensation

In June 2010, the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC issued a comprehensive final guidance on incentive compensation intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of such organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The guidance, which covers all employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of an organization, either individually or as part of a group, is based upon the key principles that a banking organization’s incentive compensation arrangements should (i) provide incentives that do not encourage risk-taking beyond the organization’s ability to effectively identify and manage risks, (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management, and (iii) be supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the organization’s board of directors.

The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of banking organizations, such as the Corporation, that are not “large, complex banking organizations.” These reviews will be tailored to each organization based on the scope and complexity of the organization’s activities and the prevalence of incentive compensation arrangements. The findings of the supervisory initiatives will be included in reports of examination. Deficiencies will be incorporated into the organization’s supervisory ratings, which can affect the organization’s ability to make acquisitions and take other actions. Enforcement actions may be taken against a banking organization if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the organization’s safety and soundness and the organization is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies.

Table of Contents

Regulation of the Bank and Other Subsidiaries

The Bank is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions (VBFI) and the FDIC. The various laws and regulations administered by the regulatory agencies affect corporate practices, such as the payment of dividends, the incurrence of debt and the acquisition of financial institutions and other companies, and affect business practices, such as the payment of interest on deposits, the charging of interest on loans, the types of business conducted and the location of offices.

FDIA and Associated Regulations. Section 36 of the FDIA and associated regulations require management of every insured depository institution with total assets between $500 million and $1 billion at the beginning of a fiscal year to obtain an annual audit of its financial statements by an independent public accountant, report to the banking agencies on the institution’s compliance with designated laws and regulations and establish an audit committee comprised of outside directors, at least a majority of whom must be independent of management. The Bank is subject to the annual audit, reporting and audit committee requirements of Section 36 of the FDIA.

Community Reinvestment Act. The Community Reinvestment Act (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 are assessed based on specified factors. These factors also are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. In 2010, the FDIC issued C&F Bank’s 2009 Community Reinvestment Act Performance Evaluation (the 2009 CRA Evaluation). C&F Bank received “Satisfactory” ratings on the Investment Test component and the Service Test component evaluated as part of the 2009 CRA Evaluation. Based on issues identified at one of C&F Bank’s subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage, C&F Bank received a “Needs to Improve” rating on the Lending Test component, and as a result, a “Needs to Improve” rating on its overall rating. In its evaluation, the FDIC concluded that C&F Mortgage violated the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (the ECOA), Federal Reserve Regulation B, and the Fair Housing Act in connection with certain of its lending practices. While C&F Bank’s board of directors and management strongly disagree with the FDIC’s conclusion that C&F Mortgage violated the ECOA, Federal Reserve Regulation B or the Fair Housing Act, C&F Mortgage has strengthened and continues to strengthen its policies, procedures and monitoring of its lending practices to address the issues raised by the FDIC. C&F Mortgage is and will continue to be committed to fair lending.

By statute, a bank such as C&F Bank with a “Needs to Improve” CRA rating has limitations on certain future business activities, including the ability to open new branches and to make acquisitions, until its CRA rating improves. Management does not believe that these limitations will have a significant effect on C&F Bank’s current business plans. As also required by statute, the FDIC referred its conclusions regarding the alleged violations to the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the DOJ has notified C&F Mortgage that it is investigating the matter. Management has met with the DOJ regarding the investigation. At this time, it is not anticipated that the results of the investigation will have a material adverse impact on C&F Financial Corporation’s results of operations or financial condition.

Insurance of Accounts, Assessments and Regulation by the FDIC. The Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the DIF of the FDIC. The FDIC amended its risk-based assessment system in 2007 to implement authority granted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2005 (FDIRA). Under the revised system, insured institutions are assigned to one of four risk categories based on supervisory evaluations, regulatory capital levels and certain other factors. An institution’s assessment rate depends upon the category to which it is assigned. Unlike the other categories, Risk Category I, which contains the least risky depository institutions, contains further risk differentiation based on the FDIC’s analysis of financial ratios, examination component ratings and other information. Assessment rates are determined by the FDIC and, for calendar year 2008, assessments ranged from five to 43 basis points of each institution’s deposit assessment base. Due to losses incurred by the DIF in 2008 from failed institutions, and anticipated future losses, the FDIC adopted an across the board seven basis point increase in the assessment range for the first quarter of 2009. The FDIC made further refinements to its risk-based assessment that became effective April 1, 2009, and effectively made the range seven to 77.5 basis points. The FDIC may adjust rates uniformly from one quarter to the next, except that no single adjustment can exceed three basis points.

FDIRA also provided for a one-time credit for eligible institutions based on their assessment base as of December 31, 1996. Subject to certain limitations with respect to institutions that are exhibiting weaknesses, credits can be used to offset assessments until exhausted. The Bank’s one-time credit was $297,000, all of which was applied to offset assessments in 2008 and 2007. FDIRA also provided for the possibility that the FDIC may pay dividends to insured institutions if the DIF reserve ratio equals or exceeds 1.35 percent of estimated insured deposits.

The EESA temporarily raised the basic limit on federal deposit insurance coverage from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor. The legislation originally provided that the basic deposit insurance limit would return to $100,000 after December 31, 2009. The legislation did not change coverage for retirement accounts, which continues to be $250,000. In July 2010, the Dodd-Frank Act made permanent the $250,000 limit for federal deposit insurance.

Table of Contents

In November 2008, the FDIC adopted a final rule implementing the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP) because of disruptions in the credit markets, particularly the interbank lending market, which reduced banks’ liquidity and impaired their ability to lend. The goal of the TLGP is to decrease the cost of bank funding so that bank lending to consumers and businesses will normalize. The TLGP is industry funded and does not rely on the DIF to achieve its goals. The TLGP consists of two components: a temporary guarantee of certain newly-issued senior unsecured debt (the Debt Guarantee Program) and a temporary unlimited guarantee of funds in noninterest-bearing transaction accounts at FDIC-insured institutions (the Transaction Account Guarantee Program). The Corporation is participating in both of these programs and will be required to pay assessments associated with the TLGP as follows:

• Under the Debt Guarantee Program, all newly-issued senior unsecured debt (as defined in the regulation) will be charged an annualized assessment of up to 100 basis points (depending on debt term) on the amount of debt issued, and calculated through the earlier of the maturity date of that debt or December 31, 2012 (extended by subsequent amendment from June 30, 2012). The Corporation has thus far issued no such senior unsecured debt and has incurred no assessments under the Debt Guarantee Program.

• Under the Transaction Account Guarantee Program, amounts exceeding the existing deposit insurance limit of $250,000 in any noninterest-bearing transaction accounts (as defined in the regulation) will be assessed an annualized 10 basis points collected quarterly for coverage through December 31, 2010 (extended twice from December 31, 2009 and June 30, 2010, respectively). The Corporation has customer accounts that qualify for this coverage and continued its participation until December 31, 2010. The Corporation has been incurring assessment charges since November 13, 2008.

In May 2009, the FDIC adopted a final rule imposing a five basis point special assessment on each insured depository institution’s assets minus Tier 1 capital as of June 30, 2009. The assessment was part of the FDIC’s efforts to rebuild the DIF and help maintain public confidence in the banking system. The Corporation was assessed $391,000, all of which was expensed in 2009.

In November 2009, the FDIC adopted a final rule requiring insured depository institutions to prepay their estimated quarterly risk-based assessments for the fourth quarter of 2009, and for all of 2010, 2011 and 2012, on December 31, 2009, along with each institution’s risk-based deposit insurance assessment for the third quarter of 2009. The prepayment was based on an institution’s assessment rate and assessment base for the third quarter of 2009, assuming a five percent annual growth in deposits each year. While the FDIC plan would maintain current assessment rates through 2010, effective January 1, 2011, the rates would increase by three basis points across the board. The FDIC has elected to forgo this increase under a new DIF restoration plan adopted in October 2010 as discussed below. On December 30, 2009, the Corporation prepaid $3.2 million of FDIC assessments.

In October 2010, the FDIC adopted a new DIF restoration plan to ensure that the fund reserve ratio reaches 1.35 percent by September 30, 2020, as required by the Dodd-Frank Act. Under the new restoration plan, the FDIC will forego the uniform three-basis point increase in initial assessment rates scheduled to take place on January 1, 2011 and maintain the current schedule of assessment rates for all depository institutions. At least semi-annually, the FDIC will update its loss and income projections for the fund and, if needed, will increase or decrease assessment rates, following notice-and-comment rulemaking if required.

In November 2010, the FDIC issued a final rule to implement provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act that provide for temporary unlimited coverage for noninterest-bearing transaction accounts beginning January 1, 2011 and continuing through December 2012. For purposes of this extension, the definition of noninterest-bearing transaction accounts excludes negotiable order of withdraw consumer checking accounts (NOW accounts) and Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts (IOLTAs). The extended program is not optional and will no longer be funded by separate premiums.

In February 2011, the FDIC approved a final rule that changes the assessment base from domestic deposits to average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity (defined as Tier 1 capital); adopts a new large-bank pricing assessment scheme; and sets a target size for the DIF. The changes will go into effect beginning with the second quarter of 2011 and will be payable at the end of September 2011. The rule, as mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act, finalizes a target size for the DIF at 2 percent of insured deposits. It also implements a lower assessment rate schedule when the fund reaches 1.15 percent and, in lieu of dividends, provides for a lower rate schedule when the reserve ration reaches 2 percent and 2.5 percent.

Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Atlanta, which is one of 12 regional FHLBs that provide funding to their members for making housing loans as well as for affordable housing and community development loans. Each FHLB serves as a reserve, or central bank, for the members within its assigned region. Each is funded primarily from proceeds derived from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB System. Each FHLB makes loans to members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB. As a member, the Bank must purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB. In 2004, the FHLB converted to its new capital structure, which established the minimum capital stock requirement for member banks as an amount equal to the sum of a membership requirement and an activity-based requirement. In 2009, the FHLB imposed a temporary suspension of repurchases of excess capital. At December 31, 2010, the Bank owned $3.9 million of FHLB stock.

Table of Contents

USA Patriot Act. The USA Patriot Act, which became effective on October 26, 2001, amends the Bank Secrecy Act and is intended to facilitate information sharing among governmental entities and financial institutions for the purpose of combating terrorism and money laundering. Among other provisions, the USA Patriot Act permits financial institutions, upon providing notice to the Treasury, to share information with one another in order to better identify and report to the federal government activities that may involve money laundering or terrorists’ activities. The USA Patriot Act is considered a significant banking law in terms of information disclosure regarding certain customer transactions. Certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act impose the obligation to establish anti-money laundering programs, including the development of a customer identification program, and the screening of all customers against any government lists of known or suspected terrorists. Although it does create a reporting obligation and there is a cost of compliance, the USA Patriot Act does not materially affect the Bank’s products, services or other business activities.

Reporting Terrorist Activities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has sent, and will send, banking regulatory agencies lists of the names of persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. The Bank has been requested, and will be requested, to search its records for any relationships or transactions with persons on those lists. If the Bank finds any relationships or transactions, it must file a suspicious activity report with the Treasury and contact the FBI.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is a division 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 sends 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 with the Treasury 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 areas such as new accounts, wire transfers and customer files. The Bank performs these checks utilizing software that is updated each time a modification is made to the lists of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons provided by OFAC and other agencies.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. In addition to certain of the Bank’s regulations, the Corporation’s Mortgage Banking segment is subject to the rules and regulations of, and examination by, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the FHA, the VA and state regulatory authorities with respect to originating, processing 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 ECOA, Truth-in-Lending Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and Home Ownership Equity Protection Act, and the regulations promulgated under these acts. 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. As noted above under “Community Reinvestment Act”, the FDIC concluded that C&F Mortgage violated the ECOA with certain of its lending practices. C&F Mortgage is and will continue to be committed to fair lending and has strengthened its policies, procedures and monitoring of its lending practices to address the issues raised by the FDIC.

Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines. In December 2010, the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC, jointly with other federal regulatory agencies, issued the Interagency Appraisal and Evaluation Guidelines. This guidance, which updates guidance originally issued in 1994, sets forth the minimum regulatory standards for appraisals. The guidance incorporates previous regulatory issuances affecting appraisals, addresses advances in information technology used in collateral evaluation, and clarifies standards for use of analytical methods and technological tools in developing evaluations. The guidance also requires institutions to use strong internal controls to ensure reliable appraisals and evaluations and to monitor and periodically update valuations of collateral for existing real estate loans and transactions.

Consumer Financing Regulation. The Corporation’s Consumer Finance segment also is regulated by the VBFI and the states and jurisdictions in which it operates. The VBFI regulates and enforces laws relating to consumer lenders and sales finance agencies such as C&F Finance. Such rules and regulations generally provide for licensing of sales finance agencies; limitations on amounts, duration and charges, including interest rates, for various categories of loans; requirements as to the form and content of finance contracts and other documentation; and restrictions on collection practices and creditors’ rights.

Consumer Protection. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, which amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act, requires financial institutions to implement policies and procedures that track identity theft incidents; provide identity-theft victims with evidence of fraudulent transactions upon request; block from reporting to consumer reporting agencies credit information resulting from identity theft; notify customers of adverse information concerning the customer in consumer reporting agency reports; and notify customers when reporting negative information concerning the customer to a consumer reporting agency.

Table of Contents

Other Safety and Soundness Regulations

Prompt Correction Action. The federal banking agencies 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.” These terms are defined under uniform regulations issued by each of the federal banking agencies regulating these institutions. An insured depository institution which 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. As of December 31, 2010, the Bank was considered “well capitalized.”

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLBA). The GLBA implemented major changes to the statutory framework for providing banking and other financial services in the United States. The GLBA, among other things, eliminated many of the restrictions on affiliations among banks and securities firms, insurance firms and other financial service providers. A bank holding company that qualifies and elects to be a financial holding company is permitted to engage in activities that are financial in nature or incident or complimentary to financial activities. The activities that the GLBA expressly lists as financial in nature include insurance underwriting, sales and brokerage activities, financial and investment advisory services, underwriting services and limited merchant banking activities.

To become eligible for these expanded activities, a bank holding company must qualify as a financial holding company. To qualify as a financial holding company, each insured depository institution controlled by the bank holding company must be well-capitalized, well-managed and have at least a satisfactory rating under the CRA. In addition, the bank holding company must file with the Federal Reserve Board a declaration of its intention to become a financial holding company. As noted above under “Community Reinvestment Act” the Bank received a “Needs to Improve” rating on its latest CRA rating. As such, at this time, the Corporation is not eligible to be treated as a financial holding company under the GLBA.

The GLBA has not had a material adverse impact on the Corporation’s or the Bank’s operations. To the extent that it allows banks, securities firms and insurance firms to affiliate, the financial services industry may experience further consolidation. The GLBA may have the result of increasing competition that we face from larger institutions and other companies that offer financial products and services and that may have substantially greater financial resources than the Corporation or the Bank.

The GLBA and certain regulations issued by federal banking agencies also provide protections against the transfer and use by financial institutions of consumer nonpublic personal information. A financial institution must provide to its customers, at the beginning of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution’s policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers’ nonpublic personal financial information. These privacy provisions generally prohibit a financial institution from providing a customer’s personal financial information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that the information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure.

Future Regulation

From time to time, various legislative and regulatory initiatives are introduced in Congress and state legislatures, as well as by regulatory agencies. Such initiatives may include proposals to expand or contract the powers of bank holding companies and depository institutions or proposals to substantially change the financial institution regulatory system. Such legislation could change banking statutes and the operating environment of the Corporation in substantial and unpredictable ways. If enacted, such legislation could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance among banks, savings associations, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The Corporation cannot predict whether any such legislation will be enacted, and, if enacted, the effect that it, or any implementing regulations, would have on the financial condition or results of operations of the Corporation. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to the Corporation or C&F Bank, or any of its subsidiaries, could have a material effect on the business of the Corporation.

Available Information

The Corporation’s SEC filings are filed electronically and are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, any document filed by the Corporation with the SEC can be read and copied at the SEC’s public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of documents can be obtained at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Corporation’s SEC filings also are available through our web site at http://www.cffc.com under “About C&F/C&F Financial Corporation/SEC Filings” as of the day they are filed with the SEC. Copies of documents also can be obtained free of charge by writing to the Corporation’s secretary at P.O. Box 391, West Point, VA 23181 or by calling 804-843-2360.

Table of Contents

10-K
2009Item 1. Business

General

C&F Financial Corporation (the Corporation) is a bank holding company that was incorporated in March 1994 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Corporation owns all of the stock of its sole operating subsidiary, Citizens and Farmers Bank (C&F Bank or the Bank), which is an independent commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Bank originally opened for business under the name Farmers and Mechanics Bank on January 22, 1927. The Bank has the following five wholly-owned subsidiaries, all incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia:

• C&F Mortgage Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Hometown Settlement Services LLC and Certified Appraisals LLC

• C&F Finance Company

• C&F Investment Services, Inc.

• C&F Insurance Services, Inc.

• C&F Title Agency, Inc.

The Corporation operates in a decentralized manner in three principal business activities: (1) retail banking through C&F Bank, (2) mortgage banking through C&F Mortgage Corporation (C&F Mortgage) and (3) consumer finance through C&F Finance Company (C&F Finance). The following general business discussion focuses on the activities within each of these segments.

In addition, the Corporation conducts brokerage activities through C&F Investment Services, Inc., insurance activities through C&F Insurance Services, Inc. and title insurance services through C&F Title Agency, Inc. The financial position and operating results of any one of these subsidiaries are not significant to the Corporation as a whole and are not considered principal activities of the Corporation at this time.

The Corporation also owns two non-operating subsidiaries, C&F Financial Statutory Trust II (Trust II) formed in December 2007 and C&F Financial Statutory Trust I (Trust I) formed in July 2005. These trusts were formed for the purpose of issuing $10.0 million each of trust preferred capital securities in private placements to institutional investors. These trusts are unconsolidated subsidiaries of the Corporation and their principal assets are $10.3 million each of the Corporation’s junior subordinated debt securities (referred to herein as “trust preferred capital notes”) that are reported as liabilities of the Corporation.

Retail Banking

We provide retail banking services at the Bank’s main office in West Point, Virginia, and 17 Virginia branches located one each in Chester, Hampton, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Newport News, Norge, Providence Forge, Quinton, Saluda, Sandston, Varina, West Point and Yorktown, and two each in Williamsburg and Richmond. These branches provide a wide range of banking services to individuals and businesses. These services include various types of checking and savings deposit accounts, as well as business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity and installment loans. The Bank also offers ATMs, internet banking, credit card and trust services, as well as travelers’ checks, safe deposit box rentals, collection, notary public, wire service and other customary bank services to its customers. Revenues from retail banking operations consist primarily of interest earned on loans and investment securities and fees related to deposit services. At December 31, 2009, assets of the Retail Banking segment totaled $739.4 million. For the year ended December 31, 2009, the net loss for this segment totaled $2.2 million.

Table of Contents

Mortgage Banking

We conduct mortgage banking activities through C&F Mortgage, which was organized in September 1995. C&F Mortgage provides mortgage loan origination services through 11 locations in Virginia, three in Maryland, two in North Carolina and one each in Newport, Delaware; Moorestown, New Jersey; and York, Pennsylvania. The Virginia offices are located one each in Charlottesville, Fishersville, Fredericksburg, Hanover, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Midlothian, Newport News, Roanoke, Chester and Williamsburg. The Maryland offices are located in Annapolis, Ellicott City and Waldorf. The North Carolina offices are located in Charlotte and Gastonia. C&F Mortgage offers a wide variety of residential mortgage loans, which are originated for sale generally to the following investors: Bank of America, N.A.; Wells Fargo Home Mortgage; Franklin American Mortgage Company; the Virginia Housing Development Authority; and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. C&F Mortgage does not securitize loans. The Bank also purchases lot and permanent loans from C&F Mortgage. C&F Mortgage originates conventional mortgage loans, mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the FHA), mortgage loans partially guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (the VA) and home equity loans. A majority of the conventional loans are conforming loans that qualify for purchase by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). The remainder of the conventional loans are non-conforming loans that do not meet Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines, but are eligible for sale to various other investors. Through its subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage also provides ancillary mortgage loan origination services for loan settlement and residential appraisals. Revenues from mortgage banking operations consist principally of gains on sales of loans to investors in the secondary mortgage market, loan origination fee income and interest earned on mortgage loans held for sale. At December 31, 2009, assets of the Mortgage Banking segment totaled $40.5 million. For the year ended December 31, 2009, net income for this segment totaled $3.4 million.

Consumer Finance

We conduct consumer finance activities through C&F Finance, which the Bank acquired on September 1, 2002. C&F Finance is a regional finance company providing automobile loans throughout Virginia and in portions of Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia and West Virginia through its offices in Richmond and Hampton, Virginia, in Nashville, Tennessee and in Towson, Maryland. C&F Finance is an indirect lender that provides automobile financing through lending programs that are designed to serve customers in the “non-prime” market who have limited access to traditional automobile financing. C&F Finance generally purchases automobile retail installment sales contracts from manufacturer-franchised dealerships with used-car operations and through selected independent dealerships. C&F Finance selects these dealers based on the types of vehicles sold. Specifically, C&F Finance prefers to finance later model, low mileage used vehicles because the initial depreciation on new vehicles is extremely high. C&F Finance’s typical borrowers have experienced prior credit difficulties. Because C&F Finance serves customers who are unable to meet the credit standards imposed by most traditional automobile financing sources, C&F Finance typically charges interest at higher rates than those charged by traditional financing sources. As C&F Finance provides financing in a relatively high-risk market, it expects to experience a higher level of credit losses than traditional automobile financing sources. Revenues from consumer finance operations consist principally of interest earned on automobile loans. At December 31, 2009, assets of the Consumer Finance segment totaled $193.8 million. For the year ended December 31, 2009, net income for this segment totaled $4.8 million.

Employees

At December 31, 2009, we employed 509 full-time equivalent employees. We consider relations with our employees to be excellent.

Table of Contents

Competition

Retail Banking

In the Bank’s market area, we compete with large national and regional financial institutions, savings associations and other independent community banks, as well as credit unions, mutual funds, brokerage firms and insurance companies. Increased competition has come from out-of-state banks through their acquisition of Virginia-based banks and expansion of community and regional banks into our service areas.

The banking business in Virginia, and in the Bank’s primary service area in the Hampton to Richmond corridor, is highly competitive for both loans and deposits, and is dominated by a relatively small number of large banks with many offices operating over a wide geographic area. Among the advantages such large banks have are their ability to finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns and, by virtue of their greater total capitalization, to have substantially higher lending limits than the Bank.

Factors such as interest rates offered, the number and location of branches and the types of products offered, as well as the reputation of the institution affect competition for deposits and loans. We compete by emphasizing customer service and technology, establishing long-term customer relationships, building customer loyalty, and providing products and services to address the specific needs of our customers. We target individual and small-to-medium size business customers.

No material part of the Bank’s business is dependent upon a single or a few customers, and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Bank’s business.

Mortgage Banking

C&F Mortgage competes with large national and regional banks, credit unions, smaller regional mortgage lenders and small local broker operations. As loan volumes have decreased over the past five years, the industry has seen a consolidation in the number of competitors in the marketplace. However, the competition with regard to price has increased tremendously as the remaining participants struggle to achieve volume and profitability benchmarks. The downturn in the housing markets related to declines in real estate values, increased payment defaults and foreclosures have had a dramatic effect on the secondary market. The guidelines surrounding agency business (i.e., loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) have become much more restrictive and the associated mortgage insurance for loans above 80 percent loan-to-value has continued to tighten. The jumbo markets have slowed considerably and pricing has increased dramatically. These changes in the conventional market have caused a dramatic increase in government lending and state bond programs. To operate profitably in this environment, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and be able to attract and retain top mortgage origination talent. C&F Mortgage competes by attracting the top sales people in the industry, providing an operational infrastructure that manages the guideline changes efficiently and effectively, offering a product menu that is both competitive in loan parameters as well as price, and providing consistently high quality customer service levels.

No material part of C&F Mortgage’s business is dependent upon a single customer and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Mortgage’s business. C&F Mortgage, like all residential mortgage lenders, would be impacted by the inability of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA or the VA to purchase loans. Although C&F Mortgage sells loans to various intermediaries, the ability of these aggregators to purchase loans would be limited if these government-sponsored entities were to cease to exist or materially limit their purchases of mortgage loans.

Table of Contents

Consumer Finance

The non-prime automobile finance business is highly competitive. The automobile finance market is highly fragmented and is served by a variety of financial entities, including the captive finance affiliates of major automotive manufacturers, banks, savings associations, credit unions and independent finance companies. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources and lower costs of funds than our finance subsidiary. In addition, competitors often provide financing on terms that are more favorable to automobile purchasers or dealers than the terms C&F Finance offers. Many of these competitors also have long-standing relationships with automobile dealerships and may offer dealerships or their customers other forms of financing, including dealer floor plan financing and leasing, which we do not.

Over the past two years, there has been significant contraction in the number of institutions providing automobile financing for the non-prime market. This contraction accompanied the economic downturn and the tightening of credit, which contributed to increasing defaults, a decline in collateral values and higher charge-offs. To operate profitably in this environment, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills.

Providers of automobile financing traditionally have competed on the basis of interest rates charged, the quality of credit accepted, the flexibility of loan terms offered and the quality of service provided to dealers and customers. To establish C&F Finance as one of the principal financing sources at the dealers it serves, we compete predominately through a high level of dealer service, strong dealer relationships and by offering flexible loan terms.

No material part of C&F Finance’s business is dependent upon any single dealer relationship, and the loss of any single dealer relationship would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Finance’s business.

Regulation and Supervision

General

Bank holding companies and banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. The following summary briefly describes the more significant provisions of currently applicable federal and state laws and certain regulations and the potential impact of such provisions on the Corporation and the Bank. This summary is not complete, and we refer you to the particular statutory or regulatory provisions or proposals for more information. Because federal regulation of financial institutions changes regularly and is the subject of constant legislative debate, we cannot forecast how federal regulation of financial institutions may change in the future and affect the Corporation’s and the Bank’s operations.

Regulation of the Corporation

The Corporation must file annual, quarterly and other periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). The Corporation is directly 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: (1) 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 their accuracy and compliance with the law; (2) prohibit public companies, with certain limited exceptions, from making personal loans to their directors or executive officers; (3) require chief executive officers and chief financial officers to forfeit bonuses and profits if company financial statements are restated due to misconduct; (4) require audit committees to pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided

Table of Contents

by an issuer’s outside auditors, except for de minimis non-audit services; (5) protect employees of public companies who assist in investigations relating to violations of the federal securities laws from job discrimination; (6) require companies to disclose in plain English on a “rapid and current basis” material changes in their financial condition or operations, as well as certain other specified information; (7) require a public company’s Section 16 insiders to make Form 4 filings with the SEC within two business days following the day on which purchases or sales of the company’s equity securities were made; and (8) increased penalties for existing crimes and created new criminal offenses. While the Corporation has incurred additional expenses and we expect to continue to incur additional expenses in complying with the requirements of the SOX Act and related regulations adopted by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, we anticipate that those expenses will not have a material effect on the Corporation’s results of operations or financial condition.

The Corporation is also subject to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve Board). The Federal Reserve Board has jurisdiction to approve any bank or non-bank acquisition, merger or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. The Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the BHCA) generally limits the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity that is closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks.

Since September 1995, the BHCA has permitted bank holding companies from any state to acquire banks and bank holding companies located in any other state, subject to certain conditions, including nationwide and state imposed concentration limits. Banks also are able to branch across state lines, provided certain conditions are met, including that applicable state laws expressly permit such interstate branching. Virginia permits branching across state lines, provided there is reciprocity with the state in which the out-of-state bank is based.

Federal law and regulatory policy impose a number of obligations and restrictions on bank holding companies and their depository institution subsidiaries to reduce potential loss exposure to the depositors and to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) insurance funds. For example, a bank holding company must commit resources to support its subsidiary depository institutions. In addition, insured depository institutions under common control must reimburse the FDIC for any loss suffered or reasonably anticipated by the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) as a result of the default of a commonly controlled insured depository institution. The FDIC may decline to enforce the provisions if it determines that a waiver is in the best interest of the DIF. An FDIC claim for damage is superior to claims of stockholders of an insured depository institution or its holding company but is subordinate to claims of depositors, secured creditors and holders of subordinated debt, other than affiliates, of the commonly controlled insured depository institution.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA) provides that amounts received from the liquidation or other resolution of any insured depository institution must be distributed, after payment of secured claims, to pay the deposit liabilities of the institution before payment of any other general creditor or stockholder. This provision would give depositors a preference over general and subordinated creditors and stockholders if a receiver is appointed to distribute the assets of the Bank.

The Corporation also is subject to regulation and supervision by the State Corporation Commission of Virginia.

Table of Contents

Capital Requirements

The Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have issued substantially similar risk-based and leverage capital guidelines applicable to banking organizations they supervise. Under the risk-based capital requirements of these federal bank regulatory agencies, the Corporation and the Bank are required to maintain a minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0 percent and a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.0 percent. At least half of the total capital must be Tier 1 capital, which includes common equity, retained earnings and qualifying perpetual preferred stock, less certain intangibles and other adjustments. The remainder may consist of Tier 2 capital, such as a limited amount of subordinated and other qualifying debt (including certain hybrid capital instruments), other qualifying preferred stock and a limited amount of the general loan loss allowance. For the Corporation only, Tier 1 and total capital include trust preferred securities. At December 31, 2009, the total capital to risk-weighted assets ratio of the Corporation was 15.9 percent and the ratio of the Bank was 15.4 percent. At December 31, 2009, the Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets ratio was 14.6 percent for the Corporation and 14.1 percent for the Bank.

In addition, each of the federal regulatory agencies has established leverage capital ratio guidelines for banking organizations. These guidelines provide for a minimum Tier l leverage ratio of 4.0 percent for banks and bank holding companies. At December 31, 2009, the Tier l leverage ratio was 11.5 percent for the Corporation and 11.1 percent for the Bank. The guidelines also provide that banking organizations experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions must maintain capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets.

On January 9, 2009, as part of the Capital Purchase Program (Capital Purchase Program) established by the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (the EESA), as discussed below, the Corporation issued and sold to Treasury for an aggregate purchase price of $20.0 million in cash (1) 20,000 shares of the Corporation’s fixed rate cumulative perpetual preferred stock, Series A, par value $1.00 per share, having a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share (Series A Preferred Stock) and (2) a ten-year warrant to purchase up to 167,504 shares of the Corporation’s common stock, par value $1.00 per share (Common Stock), at an initial exercise price of $17.91 per share (Warrant). The Series A Preferred Stock has been treated as Tier 1 capital for regulatory capital adequacy determination purposes as of December 31, 2009.

Limits on Dividends

The Corporation is a legal entity, separate and distinct from the Bank. A significant portion of the revenues of the Corporation result from dividends paid to it by the Bank. Both the Corporation and the Bank are subject to laws and regulations that limit the payment of dividends, including requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. Banking regulators have indicated that Virginia banking organizations should generally pay dividends only (1) from net undivided profits of the bank, after providing for all expenses, losses, interest and taxes accrued or due by the bank and (2) if the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, the FDIA prohibits insured depository institutions such as the Bank from making capital distributions, including the payment of dividends, if, after making such distribution, the institution would become undercapitalized as defined in the statute.

Table of Contents

We do not expect that any of these laws, regulations or policies will materially affect the ability of the Corporation or the Bank to pay dividends. During the year ended December 31, 2009, the Bank declared $4.2 million in dividends payable to the Corporation, which were used to fund a portion of the Corporation’s debt service and dividends payable to common and preferred shareholders.

Payment of dividends is at the discretion of the Corporation’s board of directors and is subject to various federal and state regulatory limitations. The purchase agreement pursuant to which the Series A Preferred Stock and the Warrant were sold includes a limitation that prohibits, prior to the earlier of January 9, 2012 or the date on which Treasury no longer holds any of the Series A Preferred Stock, the payment of cash dividends in excess of the Corporation’s quarterly cash dividend at the time of issuance of the Series A Preferred Stock of $0.31 per share without the Treasury’s consent.

Economic Emergency Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) and the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

In October 2008, the EESA was signed into law, which provided immediate authority and facilities that the Treasury could use to restore liquidity and stability to the financial system. Specifically, Section 101 of EESA established the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, troubled assets from any financial institution, on such terms and conditions as are determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, and in accordance with EESA and the policies and procedures developed and published by the Secretary of the Treasury. Section 111 of EESA provides that entities that receive financial assistance from Treasury under TARP will be subject to specified executive compensation and corporate governance standards to be established by the Secretary of the Treasury. The statutory language in EESA includes three limitations on executive compensation for TARP recipients involved in a direct purchase. On February 17, 2009, the President signed the ARRA into law. ARRA contains a number of restrictions on executive and highly-paid employee compensation for those institutions that have received, or will receive, government assistance under TARP that are considerably more restrictive and far-reaching than the limited restrictions included in EESA.

On June 10, 2009, the Treasury released regulations in an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that sets standards for complying with the executive compensation and corporate governance provisions for TARP recipients contained in EESA, as amended by ARRA. The standards for compensation and corporate governance established in the IFR are: (1) prohibits the payment or accrual of bonus, retention award and incentive compensation (with the exception of limited amounts of restricted stock) for specified individuals, depending upon the level of government assistance received by the institution; (2) prohibits making any golden parachute payments to a senior executive officer (SEO) or any of the next five most highly compensated employees (MHCE); (3) prohibits tax gross-ups to SEOs and any of the next 20 MHCEs; (4) provides for the recovery of any bonus, incentive compensation, or retention award paid to a SEO or the next 20 MHCEs based on materially inaccurate statements of earnings, revenues, gains, or other criteria (clawback); (5) requires the establishment of a compensation committee of independent directors to meet semi-annually to review employee compensation plans and the risks posed by these plans to the institution; (6) limits compensation to exclude incentives for SEOs to take unnecessary and excessive risk that threaten the value of the institution and eliminate features of employee compensation plans that pose unnecessary risks to the institution; (7) prohibits employee compensation plans that would encourage manipulation of earnings to enhance an employee’s compensation; (8) requires the adoption of an excessive or luxury expenditures policy; (9) requires compliance with federal securities laws and regulations regarding non-binding resolution on SEO compensation to shareholders; (10) requires disclosure of perquisites offered to SEOs and certain highly compensated employees; and (11) requires disclosures related to compensation consultant engagements.

Table of Contents

Regulation of the Bank and Other Subsidiaries

The Bank is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions (VBFI) and the FDIC. The various laws and regulations administered by the regulatory agencies affect corporate practices, such as the payment of dividends, the incurrence of debt and the acquisition of financial institutions and other companies, and affect business practices, such as the payment of interest on deposits, the charging of interest on loans, the types of business conducted and the location of offices.

FDIA and Associated Regulations. Section 36 of the FDIA and associated regulations require management of every insured depository institution with total assets between $500 million and $1 billion at the beginning of a fiscal year to obtain an annual audit of its financial statements by an independent public accountant, report to the banking agencies on the institution’s compliance with designated laws and regulations and establish an audit committee comprised of outside directors, at least a majority of whom must be independent of management. The Bank is subject to the annual audit, reporting and audit committee requirements of Section 36 of the FDIA.

Community Reinvestment Act. The Community Reinvestment Act (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 are assessed based on specified factors. These factors also are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. Following the Bank’s most recent completed compliance examination in July 2006, it received a CRA performance evaluation of “satisfactory.”

Insurance of Accounts, Assessments and Regulation by the FDIC. The Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the DIF of the FDIC. The FDIC amended its risk-based assessment system in 2007 to implement authority granted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2005 (FDIRA). Under the revised system, insured institutions are assigned to one of four risk categories based on supervisory evaluations, regulatory capital levels and certain other factors. An institution’s assessment rate depends upon the category to which it is assigned. Unlike the other categories, Risk Category I, which contains the least risky depository institutions, contains further risk differentiation based on the FDIC’s analysis of financial ratios, examination component ratings and other information. Assessment rates are determined by the FDIC and, for calendar 2008, assessments ranged from five to 43 basis points of each institution’s deposit assessment base. Due to losses incurred by the DIF in 2008 from failed institutions, and anticipated future losses, the FDIC adopted an across the board seven basis point increase in the assessment range for the first quarter of 2009. The FDIC made further refinements to its risk-based assessment that were effective April 1, 2009, and effectively made the range seven to 771/2 basis points. The FDIC may adjust rates uniformly from one quarter to the next, except that no single adjustment can exceed three basis points.

FDIRA also provided for a one-time credit for eligible institutions based on their assessment base as of December 31, 1996. Subject to certain limitations with respect to institutions that are exhibiting weaknesses, credits can be used to offset assessments until exhausted. The Bank’s one-time credit was $297,000, all of which was applied to offset assessments in 2008 and 2007. FDIRA also provided for the possibility that the FDIC may pay dividends to insured institutions if the DIF reserve ratio equals or exceeds 1.35 percent of estimated insured deposits.

Table of Contents

The EESA temporarily raised the basic limit on federal deposit insurance coverage from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor. The legislation originally provided that the basic deposit insurance limit would return to $100,000 after December 31, 2009. However, Congress extended the temporary increase in the standard insurance coverage limit to $250,000 until December 31, 2013. The legislation did not change coverage for retirement accounts, which continues to be $250,000.

In November 2008, the FDIC adopted a final rule implementing the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP) because of disruptions in the credit market, particularly the interbank lending market, which reduced banks’ liquidity and impaired their ability to lend. The goal of the TLGP is to decrease the cost of bank funding so that bank lending to consumers and businesses will normalize. The TLGP is industry funded and does not rely on the DIF to achieve its goals. The TLGP consists of two components: a temporary guarantee of certain newly-issued senior unsecured debt (the Debt Guarantee Program) and a temporary unlimited guarantee of funds in noninterest-bearing transaction accounts at FDIC-insured institutions (the Transaction Account Guarantee Program). The Corporation is participating in both of these programs and will be required to pay assessments associated with the TLGP as follows:

• Under the Debt Guarantee Program, all newly-issued senior unsecured debt (as defined in the regulation) will be charged an annualized assessment of up to 100 basis points (depending on debt term) on the amount of debt issued, and calculated through the earlier of the maturity date of that debt or December 31, 2012 (extended by subsequent amendment from June 30, 2012). The Corporation has thus far issued no such senior unsecured debt and has incurred no assessments under the Debt Guarantee Program.

• Under the Transaction Account Guarantee Program, amounts exceeding the existing deposit insurance limit of $250,000 in any noninterest-bearing transaction accounts (as defined in the regulation) will be assessed an annualized 10 basis points collected quarterly for coverage through December 31, 2009. This program has been extended until June 30, 2010 and participating institutions will be assessed an annualized 15 basis points for coverage in 2010. The Corporation has customer accounts that qualify for this coverage and has opted to continue its participation until June 30, 2010. The Corporation has been incurring assessment charges since November 13, 2008.

On May 22, 2009, the FDIC adopted a final rule imposing a five basis point special assessment on each insured depository institution’s assets minus Tier 1 capital as of June 30, 2009. The assessment was part of the FDIC’s efforts to rebuild the DIF and help maintain public confidence in the banking system. The Corporation was assessed $391,000, all of which was expensed in 2009.

On November 12, 2009, the FDIC adopted a final rule requiring insured depository institutions to prepay their estimated quarterly risk-based assessments for the fourth quarter of 2009, and for all of 2010, 2011 and 2012, on December 31, 2009, along with each institution’s risk-based deposit insurance assessment for the third quarter of 2009. The prepayment was based on an institution’s assessment rate and assessment base for the third quarter of 2009, assuming a five percent annual growth in deposits each year. While the FDIC plan would maintain current assessment rates through 2010, effective January 1, 2011, the rates would increase by three basis points across the board. On December 30, 2009, the Corporation prepaid $3.2 million of FDIC assessments.

Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Atlanta, which is one of 12 regional FHLBs that provide funding to their members for making housing loans as well as for affordable housing and community development loans. Each FHLB serves as a reserve, or central bank, for

Table of Contents

the members within its assigned region. Each is funded primarily from proceeds derived from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB System. Each FHLB makes loans to members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB. As a member, the Bank must purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB. In 2004, the FHLB converted to its new capital structure, which established the minimum capital stock requirement for member banks as an amount equal to the sum of a membership requirement and an activity-based requirement. In 2009, the FHLB imposed a temporary suspension of repurchases of excess capital. At December 31, 2009, the Bank owned $3.9 million of FHLB stock.

USA Patriot Act. The USA Patriot Act, which became effective on October 26, 2001, amends the Bank Secrecy Act and is intended to facilitate information sharing among governmental entities and financial institutions for the purpose of combating terrorism and money laundering. Among other provisions, the USA Patriot Act permits financial institutions, upon providing notice to the Treasury, to share information with one another in order to better identify and report to the federal government activities that may involve money laundering or terrorists’ activities. The USA Patriot Act is considered a significant banking law in terms of information disclosure regarding certain customer transactions. Certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act impose the obligation to establish anti-money laundering programs, including the development of a customer identification program, and the screening of all customers against any government lists of known or suspected terrorists. Although it does create a reporting obligation and there is a cost of compliance, the USA Patriot Act does not materially affect the Bank’s products, services or other business activities.

Reporting Terrorist Activities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has sent, and will send, banking regulatory agencies lists of the names of persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. The Bank has been requested, and will be requested, to search its records for any relationships or transactions with persons on those lists. If the Bank finds any relationships or transactions, it must file a suspicious activity report with the Treasury and contact the FBI.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is a division 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 sends 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 with the Treasury 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 areas such as new accounts, wire transfers and customer files. The Bank performs these checks utilizing software that is updated each time a modification is made to the lists of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons provided by OFAC and other agencies.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. In addition to certain of the Bank’s regulations, the Corporation’s Mortgage Banking segment is subject to the rules and regulations of, and examination by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the FHA, the VA and state regulatory authorities with respect to originating, processing 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, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and Home Ownership Equity Protection Act, and the regulations promulgated under these acts. These laws prohibit

Table of Contents

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.

Consumer Financing Regulation. The Corporation’s Consumer Finance segment also is regulated by the VBFI. The VBFI regulates and enforces laws relating to consumer lenders and sales finance agencies such as C&F Finance. Such rules and regulations generally provide for licensing of sales finance agencies; limitations on amounts, duration and charges, including interest rates, for various categories of loans; requirements as to the form and content of finance contracts and other documentation; and restrictions on collection practices and creditors’ rights.

Consumer Protection. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, which amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act, requires financial institutions to implement policies and procedures that track identity theft incidents; provide identity-theft victims with evidence of fraudulent transactions upon request; block from reporting to consumer reporting agencies credit information resulting from identity theft; notify customers of adverse information concerning the customer in consumer reporting agency reports; and notify customers when reporting negative information concerning the customer to a consumer reporting agency.

Other Safety and Soundness Regulations

Prompt Correction Action. The federal banking agencies 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.” These terms are defined under uniform regulations issued by each of the federal banking agencies regulating these institutions. An insured depository institution which 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. As of December 31, 2009, the Bank was considered “well capitalized.”

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLBA). The GLBA implemented major changes to the statutory framework for providing banking and other financial services in the United States. The GLBA, among other things, eliminated many of the restrictions on affiliations among banks and securities firms, insurance firms and other financial service providers. A bank holding company that qualifies and elects to be a financial holding company is permitted to engage in activities that are financial in nature or incident or complimentary to financial activities. The activities that the GLBA expressly lists as financial in nature include insurance underwriting, sales and brokerage activities, financial and investment advisory services, underwriting services and limited merchant banking activities.

To become eligible for these expanded activities, a bank holding company must qualify as a financial holding company. To qualify as a financial holding company, each insured depository institution controlled by the bank holding company must be well-capitalized, well-managed and have at least a satisfactory rating under the CRA. In addition, the bank holding company must file with the Federal Reserve Board a declaration of its intention to become a financial holding company. While the Corporation satisfies these requirements, the Corporation has not elected to be treated as a financial holding company under the GLBA.

The GLBA has not had a material adverse impact on the Corporation’s or the Bank’s operations. To the extent that it allows banks, securities firms and insurance firms to affiliate, the financial services industry may

Table of Contents

experience further consolidation. The GLBA may have the result of increasing competition that we face from larger institutions and other companies that offer financial products and services and that may have substantially greater financial resources than the Corporation or the Bank.

The GLBA and certain regulations issued by federal banking agencies also provide protections against the transfer and use by financial institutions of consumer nonpublic personal information. A financial institution must provide to its customers, at the beginning of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution’s policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers’ nonpublic personal financial information. These privacy provisions generally prohibit a financial institution from providing a customer’s personal financial information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that the information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure.

Future Regulation

Regulatory Restructuring Legislation. In June 2009, the U.S. President’s administration proposed a wide range of regulatory reforms that, if enacted, may have significant effects on the financial services industry in the United States. Significant aspects of the administration’s proposals included, among other things, proposals: (i) to reassess and increase capital requirements for banks and bank holding companies and examine the types of instruments that qualify as regulatory capital; (ii) to create a federal consumer financial protection agency to be the primary federal consumer protection supervisor with broad examination, supervision and enforcement authority with respect to consumer financial products and services; (iii) to further limit the ability of banks to engage in transactions with affiliates; and (iv) to subject all “over-the-counter” derivatives markets to comprehensive regulation.

The U.S. Congress, state lawmaking bodies and federal and state regulatory agencies continue to consider a number of wide-ranging and comprehensive proposals for altering the structure, regulation and competitive relationships of the nation’s financial institutions, including rules and regulations related to the administration’s proposals. Separate comprehensive financial reform bills intended to address the proposals set forth by the administration were introduced in both houses of Congress in the second half of 2009 and remain under review by both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. In addition, both the Treasury and the Basel Committee have issued policy statements regarding proposed significant changes to the regulatory capital framework applicable to banking organizations as discussed above. The Corporation cannot predict whether or in what form future legislation or regulations may be adopted or the extent to which the Corporation may be affected thereby.

Incentive Compensation. On October 22, 2009, the Federal Reserve issued a comprehensive proposal on incentive compensation policies intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of banking organizations do not undermine the safety and soundness of such organizations by encouraging excessive risk-taking. Banking organizations are instructed to review their incentive compensation policies to ensure that they do not encourage excessive risk-taking and implement corrective programs as needed. The Federal Reserve Board will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of banking organizations, such as the Bank, that are not “large, complex banking organizations.” These reviews will be tailored to each organization based on the scope and complexity of the organization’s activities and the prevalence of incentive compensation arrangements. The findings of the supervisory initiatives will be included in reports of examination. Deficiencies will be incorporated into the organization’s supervisory ratings, which can affect the organization’s ability to make acquisitions and take other actions.

Table of Contents

In addition, on January 12, 2010, the FDIC announced that it would seek public comment on whether banks with compensation plans that encourage risky behavior should be charged at higher deposit assessment rates than such banks would otherwise be charged.

The scope and content of the U.S. banking regulators’ policies on executive compensation are continuing to develop and are likely to continue evolving in the near future. It cannot be determined at this time whether compliance with such policies will adversely affect the Bank’s ability to hire, retain and motivate its key employees.

Available Information

The Corporation’s SEC filings are filed electronically and are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, any document filed by the Corporation with the SEC can be read and copied at the SEC’s public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of documents can be obtained at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Corporation’s SEC filings also are available through our web site at http://www.cffc.com under “About C&F/C&F Financial Corporation/SEC Filings” as of the day they are filed with the SEC. Copies of documents also can be obtained free of charge by writing to the Corporation’s secretary at P.O. Box 391, West Point, VA 23181 or by calling 804-843-2360.

10-K
2008Item 1. Business

General

C&F Financial Corporation (the Corporation) is a bank holding company that was incorporated in March 1994 under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Corporation owns all of the stock of its sole operating subsidiary, Citizens and Farmers Bank (C&F Bank or the Bank), which is an independent commercial bank chartered under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Bank originally opened for business under the name Farmers and Mechanics Bank on January 22, 1927. The Bank has the following five wholly-owned subsidiaries, all incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia:

• C&F Mortgage Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries Hometown Settlement Services LLC, Certified Appraisals LLC and C&F Reinsurance LTD

• C&F Finance Company

• C&F Investment Services, Inc.

• C&F Insurance Services, Inc.

• C&F Title Agency, Inc.

The Corporation operates in a decentralized manner in three principal business activities: (1) retail banking through C&F Bank, (2) mortgage banking through C&F Mortgage Corporation (C&F Mortgage) and (3) consumer finance through C&F Finance Company (C&F Finance). The following general business discussion focuses on the activities within each of these segments.

In addition, the Corporation conducts brokerage activities through C&F Investment Services, Inc., insurance activities through C&F Insurance Services, Inc. and title insurance services through C&F Title Agency, Inc. The financial position and operating results of any one of these subsidiaries are not significant to the Corporation as a whole and are not considered principal activities of the Corporation at this time.

The Corporation also owns two non-operating subsidiaries, C&F Financial Statutory Trust II (Trust II) formed in December 2007 and C&F Financial Statutory Trust I (Trust I) formed in July 2005. These trusts were formed for the purpose of issuing $10.0 million each of trust preferred capital securities in private placements to institutional investors. These trusts are unconsolidated subsidiaries of the Corporation and their principal assets are $10.3 million each of the Corporation’s junior subordinated debt securities (referred to herein as “trust preferred capital notes,”) that are reported as liabilities of the Corporation.

Retail Banking

We provide retail banking services at the Bank’s main office in West Point, Virginia, and 17 Virginia branches located one each in Chester, Hampton, Mechanicsville, Midlothian, Newport News, Norge, Providence Forge, Quinton, Saluda, Sandston, Varina, West Point, Yorktown, and two each in Williamsburg and Richmond. These branches provide a wide range of banking services to individuals and businesses. These services include various types of checking and savings deposit accounts, as well as business, real estate, development, mortgage, home equity and installment loans. The Bank also offers ATMs, internet banking, credit card and trust services, as well as travelers’ checks, safe deposit box rentals, collection, notary public, wire service and other customary bank services to its customers. Revenues from retail banking operations consist primarily of interest earned on loans and investment securities and fees related to deposit services. At December 31, 2008, assets of the Retail Banking segment totaled $697.9 million. For the year ended December 31, 2008, income before income taxes for this segment totaled $931,000.

Table of Contents

Mortgage Banking

We conduct mortgage banking activities through C&F Mortgage, which was organized in September 1995. C&F Mortgage provides mortgage loan origination services through 13 locations in Virginia, three in Maryland, two in North Carolina and one each in Newport, Delaware and Moorestown, New Jersey. The Virginia offices are located one each in Charlottesville, Fairfax, Fishersville, Fredericksburg, Hanover, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Midlothian, Newport News, Roanoke and Virginia Beach and two in Richmond. The Maryland offices are located in Annapolis, Ellicott City and Waldorf. The North Carolina offices are located in Charlotte and Gastonia. C&F Mortgage offers a wide variety of residential mortgage loans, which are originated for sale to numerous investors. C&F Mortgage does not securitize loans. Purchasers of loans include, but are not limited to, Countrywide Bank, FSB; Wells Fargo Home Mortgage; Franklin American Mortgage Company; the Virginia Housing Development Authority; JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.; and Branch Banking & Trust Company. The Bank also purchases lot and permanent loans and home equity lines of credit from C&F Mortgage. C&F Mortgage originates conventional mortgage loans, mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the FHA), mortgage loans partially guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (the VA) and home equity loans. A majority of the conventional loans are conforming loans that qualify for purchase by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). The remainder of the conventional loans are non-conforming loans that do not meet Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines, but are eligible for sale to various other investors. Through its subsidiaries, C&F Mortgage also provides ancillary mortgage loan origination services for loan settlement and residential appraisals. Revenues from mortgage banking operations consist principally of gains on sales of loans in the secondary mortgage market, loan origination fee income and interest earned on mortgage loans held for sale. At December 31, 2008, assets of the Mortgage Banking segment totaled $45.1 million. For the year ended December 31, 2008, income before income taxes for this segment totaled $2.4 million.

Consumer Finance

We conduct consumer finance activities through C&F Finance, which the Bank acquired on September 1, 2002. C&F Finance is a regional finance company providing automobile loans throughout Virginia and in portions of Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia through its offices in Richmond and Hampton, Virginia, in Nashville, Tennessee and in Towson, Maryland. C&F Finance is an indirect lender that provides automobile financing through lending programs that are designed to serve customers in the “non-prime” market who have limited access to traditional automobile financing. C&F Finance generally purchases automobile retail installment sales contracts from manufacturer-franchised dealerships with used-car operations and through selected independent dealerships. C&F Finance selects these dealers based on the types of vehicles sold. Specifically, C&F Finance prefers to finance later model, low mileage used vehicles because the initial depreciation on new vehicles is extremely high. C&F Finance’s typical borrowers have experienced prior credit difficulties. Because C&F Finance serves customers who are unable to meet the credit standards imposed by most traditional automobile financing sources, C&F Finance typically charges interest at higher rates than those charged by traditional financing sources. As C&F Finance provides financing in a relatively high-risk market, it expects to experience a higher level of credit losses than traditional automobile financing sources. Revenues from consumer finance operations consist principally of interest earned on automobile loans. At December 31, 2008, assets of the Consumer Finance segment totaled $178.7 million. For the year ended December 31, 2008, income before income taxes for this segment totaled $4.3 million.

Employees

At December 31, 2008, we employed 497 full-time equivalent employees. We consider relations with our employees to be excellent.

Table of Contents

Competition

Retail Banking

In the Bank’s market area, we compete with large national and regional financial institutions, savings associations and other independent community banks, as well as credit unions, mutual funds, brokerage firms and insurance companies. Increased competition has come from out-of-state banks through their acquisition of Virginia-based banks and expansion of community and regional banks into our service areas.

The banking business in Virginia, and in the Bank’s primary service area in the Hampton to Richmond corridor, is highly competitive for both loans and deposits, and is dominated by a relatively small number of large banks with many offices operating over a wide geographic area. Among the advantages such large banks have are their ability to finance wide-ranging advertising campaigns and, by virtue of their greater total capitalization, to have substantially higher lending limits than the Bank.

Factors such as interest rates offered, the number and location of branches and the types of products offered, as well as the reputation of the institution affect competition for deposits and loans. We compete by emphasizing customer service and technology, establishing long-term customer relationships, building customer loyalty, and providing products and services to address the specific needs of our customers. We target individual and small-to-medium size business customers.

No material part of the Bank’s business is dependent upon a single or a few customers, and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon the Bank’s business.

Mortgage Banking

C&F Mortgage competes with large national and regional banks, credit unions, smaller regional mortgage lenders and small local broker operations. As loan volumes have decreased over the past five years, the industry has seen a consolidation in the number of competitors in the marketplace. However, the competition with regard to price has increased tremendously as the remaining participants struggle to achieve volume and profitability benchmarks. The contraction in volume, accompanied by the downturn in the housing markets related to declines in real estate values, increased payment defaults and foreclosures have had a dramatic effect on the secondary market. The guidelines surrounding agency business (i.e., loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) have become much more restrictive and the associated mortgage insurance for loans above 80 percent loan-to-value has continued to tighten. The jumbo markets have slowed considerably and pricing has increased dramatically. These changes in the conventional market have caused a dramatic increase in government lending and state bond programs. To operate profitably in this environment, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills and be able to attract and retain top mortgage origination talent. C&F Mortgage competes by attracting the top sales people in the industry, providing an operational infrastructure that manages the guideline changes efficiently and effectively, offering a product menu that is both competitive in loan parameters as well as price, and providing consistently high quality customer service levels.

No material part of C&F Mortgage’s business is dependent upon a single customer and the loss of any single customer would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Mortgage’s business. C&F Mortgage, like all residential mortgage lenders, would be impacted by the inability of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA or the VA to purchase loans. Although C&F Mortgage sells loans to various intermediaries, the ability of these aggregators to purchase loans would be limited if these government-sponsored entities were to cease to exist.

Table of Contents

Consumer Finance

The non-prime automobile finance business is highly competitive. The automobile finance market is highly fragmented and is served by a variety of financial entities, including the captive finance affiliates of major automotive manufacturers, banks, savings associations, credit unions and independent finance companies. Many of these competitors have substantially greater financial resources and lower costs of funds than our finance subsidiary. In addition, competitors often provide financing on terms that are more favorable to automobile purchasers or dealers than the terms C&F Finance offers. Many of these competitors also have long-standing relationships with automobile dealerships and may offer dealerships or their customers other forms of financing, including dealer floor plan financing and leasing, which we do not.

During 2008, there was significant contraction in the number of institutions providing automobile financing for the non-prime market. This contraction accompanied the economic downturn and the tightening of credit, which contributed to increasing defaults, a decline in collateral values and higher charge-offs. To operate profitably in this environment, lenders must have a high level of operational and risk management skills.

Providers of automobile financing traditionally have competed on the basis of interest rates charged, the quality of credit accepted, the flexibility of loan terms offered and the quality of service provided to dealers and customers. To establish C&F Finance as one of the principal financing sources at the dealers it serves, we compete predominately through a high level of dealer service, strong dealer relationships and by offering flexible loan terms.

No material part of C&F Finance’s business is dependent upon any single dealer relationship, and the loss of any single dealer relationship would not have a materially adverse effect upon C&F Finance’s business.

Regulation and Supervision

General

Bank holding companies and banks are extensively regulated under both federal and state law. The following summary briefly describes the more significant provisions of applicable federal and state laws and certain regulations and the potential impact of such provisions on the Corporation and the Bank. This summary is not complete, and we refer you to the particular statutory or regulatory provisions or proposals for more information. It is also not clear at this time what impact the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, enacted October 3, 2008, as amended by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, enacted February 17, 2009, (the EESA) or other initiatives of the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) and other bank regulatory agencies that have been announced, or any additional program that may be initiated in the future, will have on the financial markets, the financial services industry, the Corporation or the Bank. Because federal regulation of financial institutions changes regularly and is the subject of constant legislative debate, we cannot forecast how federal regulation of financial institutions may change in the future and impact the Corporation’s and the Bank’s operations.

Table of Contents

Regulation of the Corporation

The Corporation must file annual, quarterly and other periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). The Corporation is directly 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: (1) 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 their accuracy and compliance with law; (2) prohibit public companies, with certain limited exceptions, from making personal loans to their directors or executive officers; (3) require chief executive officers and chief financial officers to forfeit bonuses and profits if company financial statements are restated due to misconduct; (4) require audit committees to pre-approve all audit and non-audit services provided by an issuer’s outside auditors, except for de minimis non-audit services; (5) protect employees of public companies who assist in investigations relating to violations of the federal securities laws from job discrimination; (6) require companies to disclose in plain English on a “rapid and current basis” material changes in their financial condition or operations, as well as certain other specified information; (7) require a public company’s Section 16 insiders to make Form 4 filings with the SEC within two business days following the day on which purchases or sales of the company’s equity securities were made; and (8) increased penalties for existing crimes and created new criminal offenses. While the Corporation has incurred additional expenses and we expect to continue to incur additional expenses in complying with the requirements of the SOX Act and related regulations adopted by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, we anticipate that those expenses will not have a material effect on the Corporation’s results of operations or financial condition.

The Corporation is also subject to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve Board). The Federal Reserve Board has jurisdiction to approve any bank or non-bank acquisition, merger or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. The Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the BHCA) generally limits the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity that is closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks.

Since September 1995, the BHCA has permitted bank holding companies from any state to acquire banks and bank holding companies located in any other state, subject to certain conditions, including nationwide and state imposed concentration limits. Banks also are able to branch across state lines, provided certain conditions are met, including that applicable state laws expressly permit such interstate branching. Virginia permits branching across state lines, provided there is reciprocity with the state in which the out-of-state bank is based.

Federal law and regulatory policy impose a number of obligations and restrictions on bank holding companies and their depository institution subsidiaries to reduce potential loss exposure to the depositors and to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) insurance funds. For example, a bank holding company must commit resources to support its subsidiary depository institutions. In addition, insured depository institutions under common control must reimburse the FDIC for any loss suffered or reasonably anticipated by the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) as a result of the default of a commonly controlled insured depository institution. The FDIC may decline to enforce the provisions if it determines that a waiver is in the best interest of the DIF. An FDIC claim for damage is superior to claims of stockholders of an insured depository institution or its holding company but is subordinate to claims of depositors, secured creditors and holders of subordinated debt, other than affiliates, of the commonly controlled insured depository institution.

Table of Contents

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA) provides that amounts received from the liquidation or other resolution of any insured depository institution must be distributed, after payment of secured claims, to pay the deposit liabilities of the institution before payment of any other general creditor or stockholder. This provision would give depositors a preference over general and subordinated creditors and stockholders if a receiver is appointed to distribute the assets of the Bank.

The Corporation also is subject to regulation and supervision by the State Corporation Commission of Virginia.

Capital Requirements

The Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have issued substantially similar risk-based and leverage capital guidelines applicable to banking organizations they supervise. Under the risk-based capital requirements of these federal bank regulatory agencies, the Corporation and the Bank are required to maintain a minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8.0 percent and a minimum ratio of Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 4.0 percent. At least half of the total capital must be Tier 1 capital, which includes common equity, retained earnings and qualifying perpetual preferred stock, less certain intangibles and other adjustments. The remainder may consist of Tier 2 capital, such as a limited amount of subordinated and other qualifying debt (including certain hybrid capital instruments), other qualifying preferred stock and a limited amount of the general loan loss allowance. For the Corporation only, Tier 1 and total capital include trust preferred securities. At December 31, 2008, the total capital to risk-weighted asset ratio of the Corporation was 12.3 percent and the ratio of the Bank was 12.0 percent. At December 31, 2008, the Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted asset ratio was 10.8 percent for the Corporation and 10.7 percent for the Bank.

In addition, each of the federal regulatory agencies has established leverage capital ratio guidelines for banking organizations. These guidelines provide for a minimum Tier l leverage ratio of 4.0 percent for banks and bank holding companies. At December 31, 2008, the Tier l leverage ratio was 8.9 percent for the Corporation and 8.7 percent for the Bank. The guidelines also provide that banking organizations experiencing internal growth or making acquisitions must maintain capital positions substantially above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible assets.

On January 9, 2009, as part of the Capital Purchase Program (Capital Purchase Program) established by the Treasury under the EESA, the Corporation issued and sold to Treasury for an aggregate purchase price of $20.0 million in cash (1) 20,000 shares of the Corporation’s fixed rate cumulative perpetual preferred stock, Series A, par value $1.00 per share, having a liquidation preference of $1,000 per share (Series A Preferred Stock) and (2) a ten-year warrant to purchase up to 167,504 shares of the Corporation’s common stock, par value $1.00 per share (Common Stock), at an initial exercise price of $17.91 per share (Warrant). The Series A Preferred Stock may be treated as Tier 1 capital for regulatory capital adequacy determination purposes. However, because the Series A Preferred Stock was issued in 2009, it has not been included in the December 31, 2008 capital ratios presented above.

Table of Contents

Limits on Dividends

The Corporation is a legal entity, separate and distinct from the Bank. A significant portion of the revenues of the Corporation result from dividends paid to it by the Bank. Both the Corporation and the Bank are subject to laws and regulations that limit the payment of dividends, including requirements to maintain capital at or above regulatory minimums. Banking regulators have indicated that Virginia banking organizations should generally pay dividends only (1) from net undivided profits of the bank, after providing for all expenses, losses, interest and taxes accrued or due by the bank and (2) if the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, asset quality and overall financial condition. In addition, the FDIA prohibits insured depository institutions such as the Bank from making capital distributions, including the payment of dividends, if, after making such distribution, the institution would become undercapitalized as defined in the statute.

We do not expect that any of these laws, regulations or policies will materially affect the ability of the Corporation or the Bank to pay dividends. During the year ended December 31, 2008, the Bank declared $3.9 million in dividends payable to the Corporation, which were used to fund a portion of the Corporation’s debt service and dividends payable to shareholders.

Payment of dividends is at the discretion of the Corporation’s board of directors and is subject to various federal and state regulatory limitations. In addition, as described above, on January 9, 2009, the Corporation issued and sold to Treasury 20,000 shares of the Corporation’s Series A Preferred Stock and a Warrant to purchase 167,504 shares of the Corporation’s Common Stock as part of the Capital Purchase Program. The purchase agreement pursuant to which the Series A Preferred Stock and the Warrant were sold includes a limitation that prohibits, prior to the earlier of January 9, 2012 or the date on which Treasury no longer holds any of the Series A Preferred Stock, the payment of cash dividends in excess of the Corporation’s current quarterly cash dividend of $0.31 per share without the Treasury’s consent.

Regulation of the Bank and Other Subsidiaries

The Bank is subject to supervision, regulation and examination by the Virginia State Corporation Commission Bureau of Financial Institutions (VBFI) and the FDIC. The various laws and regulations administered by the regulatory agencies affect corporate practices, such as the payment of dividends, the incurrence of debt and the acquisition of financial institutions and other companies, and affect business practices, such as the payment of interest on deposits, the charging of interest on loans, the types of business conducted and the location of offices.

FDIA and Associated Regulations. Section 36 of the FDIA and associated regulations require management of every insured depository institution with total assets between $500 million and $1 billion at the beginning of a fiscal year to obtain an annual audit of its financial statements by an independent public accountant, report to the banking agencies on the institution’s compliance with designated laws and regulations and establish an audit committee comprised of outside directors, at least a majority of whom must be independent of management. The Bank is subject to the annual audit, reporting and audit committee requirements of Section 36 of the FDIA.

Table of Contents

Community Reinvestment Act. The Community Reinvestment Act (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 are assessed based on specified factors. These factors also are considered in evaluating mergers, acquisitions and applications to open a branch or facility. Following the Bank’s most recent scheduled compliance examination in July 2006, it received a CRA performance evaluation of “satisfactory.”

Insurance of Accounts, Assessments and Regulation by the FDIC. The Bank’s deposits are insured up to applicable limits by the DIF of the FDIC. The DIF is the successor to the Bank Insurance Fund and the Savings Association Insurance Fund, which were merged in 2006. The FDIC amended its risk-based assessment system in 2007 to implement authority granted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2005 (FDIRA). Under the revised system, insured institutions are assigned to one of four risk categories based on supervisory evaluations, regulatory capital levels and certain other factors. An institution’s assessment rate depends upon the category to which it is assigned. Unlike the other categories, Risk Category I, which contains the least risky depository institutions, contains further risk differentiation based on the FDIC’s analysis of financial ratios, examination component ratings and other information. Assessment rates are determined by the FDIC and currently range from five to seven basis points for the healthiest institutions (Risk Category I) to 43 basis points of assessable deposits for the riskiest (Risk Category IV). The FDIC may adjust rates uniformly from one quarter to the next, except that no single adjustment can exceed three basis points.

FDIRA also provided for a one-time credit for eligible institutions based on their assessment base as of December 31, 1996. Subject to certain limitations with respect to institutions that are exhibiting weaknesses, credits can be used to offset assessments until exhausted. The Bank’s one-time credit was $297,000, of which $87,000 and $210,000 was applied to offset assessments in 2008 and 2007, respectively. FDIRA also provided for the possibility that the FDIC may pay dividends to insured institutions if the DIF reserve ratio equals or exceeds 1.35 percent of estimated insured deposits.

The EESA temporarily raised the basic limit on federal deposit insurance coverage from $100,000 to $250,000 per depositor. The legislation provides that the basic deposit insurance limit will return to $100,000 after December 31, 2009. The legislation did not change coverage for retirement accounts, which continues to be $250,000.

On October 13, 2008, the FDIC adopted the Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program (TLGP) because of disruptions in the credit market, particularly the interbank lending market, which reduced banks’ liquidity and impaired their ability to lend. The goal of the TLGP is to decrease the cost of bank funding so that bank lending to consumers and businesses will normalize. The TLGP is industry funded and does not rely on the DIF to achieve its goals. The final rule implementing the TLGP was approved by the FDIC Board of Directors on November 21, 2008. The TLGP consists of two components: a temporary guarantee of newly-issued senior unsecured debt (the Debt Guarantee Program) and a temporary unlimited guarantee of funds in noninterest-bearing transaction accounts at FDIC-insured institutions (the Transaction Account Guarantee Program). The Corporation is participating in both of these programs and will be required to pay assessments associated with the TLGP as follows:

• Under the Debt Guarantee Program, all newly-issued senior unsecured debt (as defined in the regulation) will be charged an annualized assessment of up to 100 basis points (depending on debt term) on the amount of debt issued, and calculated through the maturity date of that debt or June 30, 2012, whichever is earlier. The Corporation has thus far issued no such senior unsecured debt and has incurred no assessments under the Debt Guarantee Program.

Table of Contents

• Under the Transaction Account Guarantee Program, amounts exceeding the existing deposit insurance limit of $250,000 in any noninterest-bearing transaction accounts (as defined in the regulation) will be assessed an annualized 10 basis points collected quarterly for coverage through December 31, 2009. The Corporation has customer accounts that qualify for this coverage and has been incurring assessment charges since November 13, 2008.

With higher levels of bank failures, the FDIC’s resolution costs have increased significantly. On December 16, 2008, the FDIC adopted a final rule increasing risk-based assessment rates uniformly by 7 basis points, on an annual basis, for the first quarter of 2009. The FDIC also proposed changes to take effect beginning in the second quarter of 2009 that would require riskier institutions to pay larger assessments. The comment period for these proposed changes ended on December 17, 2008. The FDIC has not yet announced a final rule with respect to these proposed changes.

Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta. The Bank is a member of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) of Atlanta, which is one of 12 regional FHLBs that provide funding to their members for making housing loans as well as for affordable housing and community development loans. Each FHLB serves as a reserve, or central bank, for the members within its assigned region. Each is funded primarily from proceeds derived from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB System. Each FHLB makes loans to members in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB. As a member, the Bank must purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB. In 2004, the FHLB converted to its new capital structure, which established the minimum capital stock requirement for member banks as an amount equal to the sum of a membership requirement and an activity-based requirement. At December 31, 2008, the Bank owned $5.3 million of FHLB stock.

USA Patriot Act. The USA Patriot Act, which became effective on October 26, 2001, amends the Bank Secrecy Act and is intended to facilitate information sharing among governmental entities and financial institutions for the purpose of combating terrorism and money laundering. Among other provisions, the USA Patriot Act permits financial institutions, upon providing notice to the Treasury, to share information with one another in order to better identify and report to the federal government activities that may involve money laundering or terrorists’ activities. The USA Patriot Act is considered a significant banking law in terms of information disclosure regarding certain customer transactions. Certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act impose the obligation to establish anti-money laundering programs, including the development of a customer identification program, and the screening of all customers against any government lists of known or suspected terrorists. Although it does create a reporting obligation and there is a cost of compliance, the USA Patriot Act does not materially affect the Bank’s products, services or other business activities.

Reporting Terrorist Activities. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has sent, and will send, banking regulatory agencies lists of the names of persons suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. The Bank has been requested, and will be requested, to search its records for any relationships or transactions with persons on those lists. If the Bank finds any relationships or transactions, it must file a suspicious activity report with the Treasury and contact the FBI.

Table of Contents

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is a division 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 sends 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 with the Treasury 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 areas such as new accounts, wire transfers and customer files. The Bank performs these checks utilizing software that is updated each time a modification is made to the lists of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons provided by OFAC and other agencies.

Mortgage Banking Regulation. In addition to certain of the Bank’s regulations, the Corporation’s Mortgage Banking segment is subject to the rules and regulations of, and examination by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the FHA, the VA and state regulatory authorities with respect to originating, processing 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, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, and Home Ownership Equity Protection Act, and the regulations promulgated under these acts. 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.

Consumer Financing Regulation. The Corporation’s Consumer Finance segment also is regulated by the VBFI. The VBFI regulates and enforces laws relating to consumer lenders and sales finance agencies such as C&F Finance. Such rules and regulations generally provide for licensing of sales finance agencies; limitations on amounts, duration and charges, including interest rates, for various categories of loans; requirements as to the form and content of finance contracts and other documentation; and restrictions on collection practices and creditors’ rights.

Consumer Protection. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, which amended the Fair Credit Reporting Act, requires financial institutions to implement policies and procedures that track identity theft incidents; provide identity-theft victims with evidence of fraudulent transactions upon request; block from reporting to consumer reporting agencies credit information resulting from identity theft; notify customers of adverse information concerning the customer in consumer reporting agency reports; and notify customers when reporting negative information concerning the customer to a consumer reporting agency.

Table of Contents

Other Safety and Soundness Regulations

Prompt Correction Action. The federal banking agencies 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.” These terms are defined under uniform regulations issued by each of the federal banking agencies regulating these institutions. An insured depository institution which 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. As of December 31, 2008, the Bank was considered “well capitalized.”

Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act (Check 21). Check 21 gives “substitute checks,” such as a digital image of a check and copies made from that image, the same legal standing as the original paper check. The major provisions of Check 21 include: allowing check truncation without making it mandatory; demanding that every financial institution communicate to account holders in writing a description of its substitute check processing program and their rights under the law; legalizing substitutions for and replacements of paper checks without agreement from consumers; retaining in place the previously-mandated electronic collection and return of checks between financial institutions only when individual agreements are in place; requiring that when account holders request verification, financial institutions produce the original check (or a copy that accurately represents the original) and demonstrate that the account debit was accurate and valid; and requiring recrediting of funds to an individual’s account on the next business day after a consumer proves that the financial institution has erred. This legislation has not significantly increased our capital spending.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 (GLBA). The GLBA implemented major changes to the statutory framework for providing banking and other financial services in the United States. The GLBA, among other things, eliminated many of the restrictions on affiliations among banks and securities firms, insurance firms and other financial service providers. A bank holding company that qualifies and elects to be a financial holding company is permitted to engage in activities that are financial in nature or incident or complimentary to financial activities. The activities that the GLBA expressly lists as financial in nature include insurance underwriting, sales and brokerage activities, financial and investment advisory services, underwriting services and limited merchant banking activities.

To become eligible for these expanded activities, a bank holding company must qualify as a financial holding company. To qualify as a financial holding company, each insured depository institution controlled by the bank holding company must be well-capitalized, well-managed and have at least a satisfactory rating under the CRA. In addition, the bank holding company must file with the Federal Reserve Board a declaration of its intention to become a financial holding company. While the Corporation satisfies these requirements, the Corporation has not elected to be treated as a financial holding company under the GLBA.

The GLBA has not had a material adverse impact on the Corporation’s or the Bank’s operations. To the extent that it allows banks, securities firms and insurance firms to affiliate, the financial services industry may experience further consolidation. The GLBA may have the result of increasing competition that we face from larger institutions and other companies that offer financial products and services and that may have substantially greater financial resources than the Corporation or the Bank.

The GLBA and certain regulations issued by federal banking agencies also provide protections against the transfer and use by financial institutions of consumer nonpublic personal information. A financial institution must provide to its customers, at the

Table of Contents

beginning of the customer relationship and annually thereafter, the institution’s policies and procedures regarding the handling of customers’ nonpublic personal financial information. These privacy provisions generally prohibit a financial institution from providing a customer’s personal financial information to unaffiliated third parties unless the institution discloses to the customer that the information may be so provided and the customer is given the opportunity to opt out of such disclosure.

Available Information

The Corporation’s SEC filings are filed electronically and are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, any document filed by the Corporation with the SEC can be read and copied at the SEC’s public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of documents can be obtained at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. The public may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The Corporation’s SEC filings also are available through our web site at http://www.cffc.com under “About C&F/C&F Financial Corporation/SEC Filings” as of the day they are filed with the SEC. Copies of documents also can be obtained free of charge by writing to the Corporation’s secretary at P.O. Box 391, West Point, VA 23181 or by calling 804-843-2360.

10-K

Similar stocks

Stock NameCountryMarket CapPE Ratio
First Western Financial Inc (MYFW)United States$0.299B17.01
FIRST COMMUNITY CORP /SC/ (FCCO)United States$0.306B13.27
Princeton Bancorp, Inc. (BPRN)United States$0.294B9.98
Oak Valley Bancorp (OVLY)United States$0.287B12.10
CoastalSouth Bancshares, Inc. (COSO)United States$0.318B
ISABELLA BANK CORP (ISBA)United States$0.286B15.06
Mechanics Bancorp (MCHB)United States$0.286B1.04
FVCBankcorp, Inc. (FVCB)United States$0.321B12.22
John Marshall Bancorp, Inc. (JMSB)United States$0.325B12.64
FRANKLIN FINANCIAL SERVICES CORP /PA/ (FRAF)United States$0.279B11.40