NOTE 8. SUBORDINATED DEBT

On May 17, 2022, the Company (as successor to Assabet Valley Bancorp) issued $28.0 million of subordinated debt to institutional investors. The subordinated debt is unsecured and subordinated on liquidation as to principal and interest to all claims against the Company that have the same or higher priority as deposit accounts. The subordinated debt is included in capital of the Bank. At the Company, the subordinated debt is classified as a liability but included in Tier 2 capital for regulatory capital. The Company used the subordinated debt to infuse capital into the Bank in the form of common equity to support capital levels and further growth and for general corporate purposes.

The subordinated debt is payable in full by June 2032; earlier prepayment is permitted after five years. Interest is paid semi-annually at a fixed rate of 4.50% until June 1, 2027 and thereafter the interest rate resets quarterly to an interest rate per annum equal to the then current three-month SOFR (provided, however, that in the event three-month SOFR is less than zero, three-month SOFR shall be deemed to be zero) plus 167 basis points. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, contractual interest expense on the subordinated debt amounted to $1.3 million and amortization of debt issuance costs was $136 thousand and $137 thousand, respectively. The recorded balance of this debt, net of debt issuance costs, was $27.8 million and $27.7 million at December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively.