Quarterlytics / Financial Services / Banks - Regional / Union Bankshares, Inc.

Union Bankshares, Inc.

unb · NASDAQ Financial Services
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Ticker unb
Exchange NASDAQ
Sector Financial Services
Industry Banks - Regional
Employees 191
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FY2015 Annual Report · Union Bankshares, Inc.
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‘15

Year in reviewMarket for Union Bankshares Common Stock 

On March 8, 2016, there were 4,458,372 
shares of common stock outstanding 
held by 544 stockholders of record.  
The number of stockholders does not 
reflect the number of beneficial owners, 
including persons or entities who may 
hold the stock in nominee or “street 
name.” Union Bankshares’ common 

stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global 
Market trading under the symbol UNB. 
For shareholder assistance please  
contact Kristy Adams Alfieri at  
802.888.0982 or our Transfer Agent, 
Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, 
Inc., at 866.321.8022.

UNION BANKSHARES
COMMON STOCK

2015

2014

HIGH

LOW

DIVIDENDS

HIGH

LOW

DIVIDENDS

First Quarter

First Quarter

$26.68

$23.75

$0.27

$24.75

$22.12

$0.26

Second Quarter

Second Quarter

$28.06

$25.16

$0.27

$24.97

$22.93

$0.26

Third Quarter

Third Quarter

$27.07

$25.50

$0.27

$25.88

$23.97

$0.26

Fourth Quarter

Fourth Quarter

$28.05

$26.06

$0.27

$24.77

$23.00

$0.26

to our
SHAREHOLDERS 

ApRIl 7, 2016

We are pleased to report our earnings 
for the year ended December 31, 2015. 
Net income for the year was $7.9 million, 
or $1.77 per share, compared to $7.7 
million, or $1.73 per share for 2014. This 
represents the fourth year in a row we 
have been able to report record earnings. 

During 2015 total assets grew modestly 
to $628.9 million from $624.1 million at 
the end of 2014. Total loans increased 
3.2% to $506.7 million as of December 
31, 2015, while we finished 2015 with 
$560.4 million in deposits. 

While we tend to shy away from  
hyperbole, we do think it appropriate  
to remind our shareholders of their 
company’s relative performance  
compared to its peers. For banks in 
New England with assets between 
$300 Million and $1 Billion our three 
year average Return on Equity (years 
ended 2015, 2014, and 2013) surpassed 
all of our peers. We are proud of this 
accomplishment and thank our staff  
for their efforts in generating sound 
financial performance.  

2015 was another year of working  
and completing large projects. Our IT 
team with much assistance replaced all 
of the bank’s desktop computers and 
servers, some 300 units all told. We 
also completed three initiatives related 
to our re-branding project; redesigning 
all of our brochures, business cards, 
and letterhead; replacing our branch 
signage featuring our new logo; and 
unveiling our redesigned website. 
Finally, during 2015 we established our 
Customer Care Team, where we answer 
customer phone calls, diagnose their 
needs, solve most of their concerns, 
and route their calls to topic experts if 
necessary, all with a personal touch. 

The beginning of 2015 brought much 
snow and with it a strong tourism 
season. Spring brought us a late 
but productive Maple Sugar season, 
followed by a summer with excellent 
weather and an autumn with one of the 
most vivid foliage displays in memory. 
Old-timers around here might not have 
predicted the winter of 2015/2016, but 
they knew too much of a good thing 
might lead to bad times. Christmas 
Eve brought 60 degree temperatures, 
melting the best efforts of our local, 
world class snowmakers. Winter was 
pretty much downhill from there, with 
cross country ski areas and snowmobile 
related businesses taking the worst of 
it. The winter season that began in 2015 
will go down as one of the worst snow 
seasons on record. Early indications are  
that while businesses have struggled, 
most will survive, and all of us are looking  
forward to a speedy end to mud season. 

Many observers opine that 2016 will 
be even more difficult for the banking 
industry as the Fed waffles on tighten-
ing monetary policy and more of Dodd 
Frank regulations are implemented. 
Despite these challenges we remain 
confident that the culture and team we 
have built over the years will enable us 
to continue to provide sound returns to 
our shareholders while maintaining our 
community banking mission.

Sincerely,   

Kenneth D. Gibbons 
Chairman 

David S. Silverman 
President & CEO

2015 Year In Review     1  

2     2015 Year In Review

AT OR fOR THE yEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31

 2015

 2014

  2013

   2012

FINANCIAl HIGHlIGHTS

Balance Sheet Data

Total assets

(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)

$628,879

$624,063

$585,443

$577,256

Investment securities

59,327

52,964

45,492

26,126

Loans, net of  
unearned income

Allowance for loan losses
Deposits

Borrowed funds
Stockholders’ equity1

506,656

491,076

465,123

455,298

(5,201)
560,408

9,564

53,568

(4,694)
552,064

15,118

51,434

(4,647)
518,354

13,216

49,820

(4,657)
509,993

15,747

45,046

Income Statement Data

Total interest and  
dividend income

Total interest expense

Net interest and  
dividend income

Provision for loan losses

Noninterest income

$25,144

$24,852

$24,481

$25,028

(2,025)

23,119

(550)

9,792

(2,155)

22,697

(345)

8,909

(2,459)

22,022

(305)

8,509

(3,351)

21,677

(660)

10,525

Noninterest expenses

(22,304)

(21,594)

(21,229)

(23,035)

Income before provision 
for income taxes

provision for income taxes

Net income

10,057

9,667

8,997

8,507

(2,179)

$7,878

(1,973)

$7,694

(1,862)

$7,135

(1,663)

$6,844

Per Common Share Data

Net income2

Cash dividends paid
Book value1

Weighted average number  
of shares outstanding

Number of shares  
outstanding

$1.77

1.08

12.02

$1.73

1.04

11.54

$1.60

1.01

11.17

$1.54

1.00

10.11

4,458,037

4,458,393

4,457,261

4,457,029

RETURN ON AvERAgE EqUITy
SOURCE: SNl FINANCIAl lC

pEER BANKS $500M - $1B (SNl)

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

-5%

2010 

Year Ended December 31,
2012 

2013 

2011 

2014 

2015

RETURN ON AvERAgE ASSETS
SOURCE: SNl FINANCIAl lC
1.5%

pEER BANKS $500M - $1B (SNl)

1.0%

.5%

0%

-.5%

-1%

4,457,177

4,458,430

4,458,359

4,456,081

2010 

Year Ended December 31,
2012 

2013 

2011 

2014 

2015

1  Stockholders’ equity includes unrealized gains or losses, net of applicable income taxes, on investment securities 
classified as “available-for-sale” and includes the unfunded liability for pension benefits, net of taxes for the defined 
benefit pension plan.
2 Computed using the weighted average number of shares outstanding for the period.

2015 Year In Review     3   

4     2015 Year In Review

Commercial and  
Municipal Services
For years, Union Bank has been providing 
commercial and municipal loans, along with  
a full array of cash management services,  
to businesses, municipalities and non-profit 
organizations located in northern Vermont 
and New Hampshire. Our experienced  
Commercial lending Team offers one of  
the best assets available to our customers; 
banking locally, where lending decisions  
are made at the local branch level and each 
customer receives personalized, individual 
help. We offer a wide variety of loan  
products and deposit services to help  
businesses succeed.

Mortgage Lending
2015 was another outstanding year for 
mortgage loan originations. In fact we had 
record performance in the ongoing revenue 
earned from servicing mortgage loans and 
near-record performance in the volume of 
mortgage loans originated. Repeat customers, 
client referrals, strong relationships with 
builders and realtors, attractive products 
and outstanding customer service helped 
drive this successful performance.

The positive impact that Union Bank has 
made in the lives of such first time home 
buyers has been consistently recognized  
by the FDIC which rated Union Bank as  
Outstanding for our Community Reinvestment 
activities. In addition, Union Bank was once 
again recognized by the US Department of 
Agriculture as its Rural Development (RD) 
Home loan lender of the Year for Vermont.

Consumer Deposit Accounts
Union Bank offers a range of deposit  
options from our school-based Save for  
Success program to a program for our  
larger depositors.  

All customers can benefit from our recently 
upgraded ATM network, our mobile check 
deposit feature and our arrangement with 
the Allpoint ATM network where Union Bank 
customers have totally fee-free access to 
over 55,000 ATM’s in the US, Canada and 
other countries. 

For those customers who bring larger  
deposit balances to the bank, we offer  

Advantage Banking. This package of services 
rewards and helps to retain these important 
depositors who contribute substantially to 
our ability to fund our extensive community 
lending activities. participating customers 
earn special popular bank services such as  
complementary checks, ATM surcharge 
refunds, and higher CD rates. For more  
information, please contact our Customer 
Care Team at 1.800.753.4343.

Customer Service  
Investments
Union Bank’s ongoing strong financial  
performance allows us to make regular  
strategic investments in our systems.  
Sometimes the benefits of these investments 
are readily apparent to customers, but often 
the improvements entail behind-the-scenes 
work to strengthen the integrity and  
performance of our banking network.  
In 2015 we made substantial investments  
in our computer systems and software to 
accelerate processing, enhance reliability, 
bolster security and reduce risk. 

A visible representation of this was the 
establishment of our Customer Care Team 
to better handle phone support. When we 
installed a new phone system, we consciously 
elected to not institute an automated greeting 
to route customer calls based on touch tone 
responses. Instead customers reach lisa, 
Jenn, Heather or our other service team 
members directly after an average wait  
time of just under nine seconds.

Stay Local. Go Far.
In 2015 we introduced a freshened version 
of the Union Bank brand, a brand that has 
been synonymous with reliable, responsive 
community-focused banking services for 125 
years. The revised branding was reflected in 
a range of traditional advertisements as well 
as online videos and social media initiatives. 
Our message of Stay local Go Far reinforces  
the reality that in an era of impersonal 
mega-banks, a capable community bank is 
likely a more effective and less frustrating 
way to meet your banking needs. While the 
number of Vermont and New Hampshire 
community banks continues to shrink, we  
remain a vibrant community bank serving 
the financial needs of our local communities. 

DIRECTORS 
Kenneth D. Gibbons - Chairman  
Steven J. Bourgeois  
John M. Goodrich  
Timothy W. Sargent  
David S. Silverman 
John H. Steel 
Schuyler W. Sweet 
Neil J. Van Dyke

OFFICERS 
Kenneth D. Gibbons - Chairman
David S. Silverman - President & CEO
Karyn J. Hale - Vice President/Treasurer/CFO
John H. Steel - Secretary
Kristy Adams Alfieri - Assistant Secretary
Jeffrey G. Coslett - Vice President

DIRECTORS 
Kenneth D. Gibbons - Chairman
Dawn D. Bugbee
Steven J. Bourgeois 
John M. Goodrich
Timothy W. Sargent
David S. Silverman
John H. Steel
Schuyler W. Sweet
Neil J. Van Dyke 

REGIONAl ADVISORY  
BOARD MEMBERS 
Michael R. Barrett – St. Johnsbury
Joel S. Bourassa - Northern New Hampshire
Steven J. Bourgeois - St. Albans
Stanley T. Fillion - Northern New Hampshire
Rosemary H. Gingue - St. Johnsbury
John M. Goodrich - St. Johnsbury 
Richard Isabelle - St. Johnsbury
Christopher M. Knapp - Northern New Hampshire
Coleen K. Kohaut - St. Albans
Justin p. lavely - St. Johnsbury
Daniel J. luneau - St. Albans
Mary K. parent – St. Johnsbury
Samuel H. Ruggiano - St. Albans
David S. Silverman - All
Schuyler W. Sweet - Northern New Hampshire

OFFICERS 
Kristy Adams Alfieri - Assistant Secretary
Diana M. Ashley - Assistant Treasurer
Stacey M. Belanger - Assistant Treasurer
Rhonda l. Bennett - Vice President 
Karen l. Blanchard Smith - Assistant Vice President
Sherrie A. Bull - Vice President
Stacey l. B. Chase - Assistant Vice President
Barbara J. Churchill - Assistant Treasurer
Everett C. Comstock - Assistant Treasurer
Jeffrey G. Coslett - Senior Vice President
Michael C. Curtis - Vice President
Jennifer M. Degree - Assistant Vice President
Ronald C. Dion - Assistant Vice President 
Jessica M. Eastman - Vice President
Charles W. Goldstein - Assistant Vice President
Don D. Goodhue - Vice President 
Jonathan J. Gould - Senior Vice President
Melissa A. Greene - Vice President
paul E. Grogan - Facilities Officer
Karyn J. Hale - Senior Vice President & CFO
Randy l. Hannett - Assistant Treasurer
Claire A. Hindes - Vice President
Robert D. Hofmann - Senior Vice President
patricia N. Hogan - Senior Vice President
lura l. Jacques - Vice President
lynne p. Jewett - Vice President
Therese H. Johansson - Vice President 
Stephen H. Kendall - Senior Vice President
Susan F. lassiter - Vice President
Edward l. levite - Senior Loan Originator
Carrie R. locklin - Vice President
Bonnie J. losty - Vice President
Jessica l. Machia - Assistant Treasurer
John l. Malm - Vice President
Grace E. Maniatty - Assistant Treasurer
Melynda J. Miller - Assistant Treasurer
Samantha A. Norrie - Assistant Treasurer
Tina l. Norton - Assistant Vice President
Karen Carlson Noyes - Vice President
Bradley S. prior - Assistant Vice President
Craig S. provost - Vice President
Robert J. Richardson - Vice President
Christine A. Sheley - Regional Vice President
David S. Silverman - President & CEO
Abbie l. Small - Assistant Treasurer
Judy R. Smith - Vice President
Curtis C. Swan - Vice President
Carrie W. Tallman - Assistant Treasurer
linda M. Watson - Assistant Treasurer
Melyssa S. Whitcomb - Assistant Vice President
Suzanne M. Whitney - Assistant Treasurer
lorraine MG Willett - Vice President 

2015 Year In Review     5   

6     2015 Year In Review

 
VERMONT

Danville 

Fairfax 

421 Route 2 East 

Jct. Routes 104 & 128 

802.684.2211
802.849.2600

Hardwick 

103 VT Route 15 West 

802.472.8100

Jeffersonville 

44 Main Street 

802.644.6600

Johnson 

198 lower Main Street 

802.635.6600

lyndonville 

183 Depot Street 

802.626.3100

Newport  

loan Center 

Morrisville 

325 East Main Street 

802.334.0750

20 lower Main Street 
65 Northgate plaza 

802.888.6600
802.888.6860

St. Albans 

15 Mapleville Depot 

802.524.9000

St. Johnsbury 

364 Railroad Street 

802.748.3131

325 portland Street 

802.748.3121

S. Burlington 

loan Center

30 Kimball Avenue 

Stowe 

47 park Street 

802.865.1000

802.253.6600

NEW HAMpSHIRE

Groveton 

lincoln 

littleton 

3 State Street 

135 Main Street  

263 Dells Road 

76 Main Street 

N. Woodstock 

155 Main Street 

603.636.1611

603.745.4000

603.444.7136

603.444.5321

603.745.2488

UBlOCAl.com 
1.800.753.4343 (toll free)