8. LOANS & ALLOWANCE FOR CREDIT LOSSES ON LOANS

Loans that management has the intent and ability to hold for the foreseeable future or until maturity or pay-off are stated at the principal amount outstanding, net of deferred loan fees and costs. Interest income is accrued on the principal amount outstanding. Loan origination and commitment fees and related direct costs are deferred and amortized to income over the term of the respective loan and loan commitment period as a yield adjustment.

Loans held-for-sale consists of residential mortgage loans that are carried at the lower of aggregate cost or fair value. Net unrealized losses, if any, are recognized through a valuation allowance charged to income. Gains and losses on residential mortgages held-for-sale are included in non-interest income.

The Company maintains an allowance for credit losses on loans, which is intended to absorb probable known and inherent losses in the outstanding loan portfolio. The allowance is reduced by actual credit losses and is increased or decreased by the provision (reversal) for loan losses and increased by recoveries of previous losses. The provisions or reversals for credit losses are charged to earnings to bring the total allowance for loan losses to a level considered necessary by management.

The allowance for credit losses is measured on a pool basis when similar risk characteristics exist; these pools are identified in the first table below. The Company establishes a general valuation allowance for performing loans, including non-accrual student loans. QNB calculates each segment's historical loss rate using a full economic cycle of loan balance and historical loss experienced. The level of the allowance is determined by assigning specific reserves to all non-accrual loans, except the homogeneous pool of student loans which are measured in the general reserve. An allowance on these non-accrual loans is established when the discounted cash flows (or collateral value) of the loan is lower than the carrying value of that loan. The portion of the allowance that is allocated to non-accrual loans is determined by estimating the inherent loss on each credit after giving consideration to the value of underlying collateral. The general component is adjusted for qualitative factors. These qualitative risk factors include:

Management emphasizes loan quality and close monitoring of potential problem credits. Credit risk identification and review processes are utilized in order to assess and monitor the degree of risk in the loan portfolio. The Company’s lending and credit administration staff are charged with reviewing the loan portfolio and identifying changes in the economy or in a borrower’s circumstances which may affect the ability to repay debt or the value of pledged collateral. A loan classification and review system exists that identifies those loans with a higher-than-normal risk of collectability. Each commercial loan is assigned a grade based upon an assessment of the borrower’s financial capacity to service the debt and the presence and value of collateral for the loan. An independent firm reviews risk assessment and evaluates the adequacy of the allowance for loan losses. Management meets monthly to review the credit quality of the loan portfolio and quarterly to review the allowance for loan losses.

In addition, various regulatory agencies, as an integral part of their examination process, periodically review the Company's allowance for credit losses on loans. Such agencies may require the Company to recognize additions to the allowance based on their judgments using information available to them at the time of their examination.

Management believes that it uses the best information available to make determinations about the adequacy of the allowance and that it has established its existing allowance for credit losses on loans in accordance with Accounting Principles Generally Accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP.) If circumstances differ substantially from the current calculation, future adjustments to the allowance for credit losses on loans may be necessary and results of operations could be affected. Because future events affecting borrowers and collateral cannot be predicted with certainty, there can be no assurance that increases to the allowance will not be necessary should the quality of any loans deteriorate.

Loans secured by commercial real estate include all loans collateralized at least in part by commercial real estate. These loans may not be for the express purpose of conducting commercial real estate transactions.

QNB generally lends in Bucks, Lehigh, and Montgomery counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. To a large extent, QNB makes loans collateralized at least in part by real estate. Its lending activities could be affected by changes in the general economy, the regional economy, or real estate values.

The Company engages in a variety of lending activities, including commercial, residential real estate and consumer transactions. The Company focuses its lending activities on individuals, professionals and small to medium-sized businesses. Risks associated with lending activities include economic conditions and changes in interest rates, which can adversely impact both the ability of borrowers to repay their loans and the value of the associated collateral.

Commercial and industrial loans, commercial real estate loans, construction loans and residential real estate loans with a business purpose are generally perceived as having more risk of default than residential real estate loans with a personal purpose and consumer loans. These types of loans involve larger loan balances to a single borrower or groups of related borrowers and are more susceptible to a risk of loss during a downturn in the business cycle. These loans may involve greater risk because the availability of funds to repay these loans depends on the successful operation of the borrower’s business. The assets financed are used within the business for its ongoing operation. Repayment of these kinds of loans generally comes from the cash flow of the business or the ongoing conversions of assets, such as accounts receivable and inventory, to cash. Typical collateral for commercial and industrial loans includes the borrower’s accounts receivable, inventory and machinery and equipment. Commercial real estate and residential real estate loans secured for a business purpose are originated primarily within the eastern Pennsylvania market area at conservative loan-to-value ratios and often backed by the individual guarantees of the borrowers or owners. Repayment of this kind of loan is dependent upon either the ongoing cash flow of the borrowing entity or the resale or lease of the subject property. Commercial real estate loans may be affected to a greater extent than residential loans by adverse conditions in real estate markets or the economy because commercial real estate borrowers’ ability to repay their loans depends on successful development of their properties, as well as the factors affecting residential real estate borrowers.

Loans to state and political subdivisions are tax-exempt or taxable loans to municipalities, school districts and housing and industrial development authorities. These loans can be general obligations of the municipality or school district repaid through their taxing authority, revenue obligations repaid through the income generated by the operations of the authority, such as a water or sewer authority, or loans issued to a housing and industrial development agency, for which a private corporation is responsible for payments on the loans.

The Company originates fixed-rate and adjustable-rate real estate-residential mortgage loans for personal purposes that are secured by first liens on the underlying 1-4 family residential properties. Credit risk exposure in this area of lending is minimized by the evaluation of the credit worthiness of the borrower, including debt-to-income ratios, credit scores and adherence to underwriting policies that emphasize conservative loan-to-value ratios of generally no more than 80%. Residential mortgage loans granted in excess of the 80% loan-to-value ratio criterion are generally insured by private mortgage insurance.

The real estate-home equity portfolio consists of fixed-rate home equity loans and variable-rate home equity lines of credit. Risks associated with loans secured by residential properties are generally lower than commercial loans and include general economic risks, such as the strength of the job market, employment stability and the strength of the housing market. Since most loans are secured by a primary or secondary residence, the borrower’s continued employment is the greatest risk to repayment.

The Company offers a variety of loans to individuals for personal and household purposes. Consumer loans are generally considered to have greater risk than first or second mortgages on real estate because they may be unsecured, or, if they are secured, the value of the collateral may be difficult to assess and is more likely to decrease in value than real estate. Credit risk in this portfolio is controlled by conservative underwriting standards that consider debt-to-income levels and the creditworthiness of the borrower and, if secured, collateral values.

The Company employs a ten-grade risk rating system related to the credit quality of commercial loans and loans to state and political subdivisions of which the first six categories are pass categories (credits not adversely rated). The following is a description of the internal risk ratings and the likelihood of loss related to each risk rating.

The Company maintains a loan review system, which allows for a periodic review of our loan portfolio and the early identification of potential problem loans. Each loan officer assigns a risk rating to all loans in the portfolio at the time the loan is originated. Loans are generally reviewed annually based on the borrower’s fiscal year and the dollar amount of the relationship. Loans with risk ratings of seven through ten are reviewed at least quarterly, and as often as monthly, at management’s discretion. The Company also utilizes an outside loan review firm to review the portfolio on a semi-annual basis to provide the Board of Directors and senior management with an independent review of the Company’s loan portfolio on an ongoing basis. These reviews are designed to recognize deteriorating credits in their earliest stages in an effort to reduce and control risk in the lending function as well as identifying potential shifts in the quality of the loan portfolio. The examinations by the outside loan review firm include the review of lending activities with respect to underwriting and processing new loans, monitoring the risk of existing loans and to provide timely follow-up and corrective action for loans showing signs of deterioration in quality. In addition, the outside firm reviews the adequacy of the allowance for credit losses on loans.

The following tables present the classes of the loan portfolio summarized by the aggregate pass rating and the classified ratings of special mention, substandard and doubtful within the Company’s internal risk rating system as of June 30, 2025 and December 31, 2024: