Quarterlytics / Financial Services / Banks - Regional / Unity Bancorp, Inc.

Unity Bancorp, Inc.

unty · NASDAQ Financial Services
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Ticker unty
Exchange NASDAQ
Sector Financial Services
Industry Banks - Regional
Employees 227
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FY2021 Annual Report · Unity Bancorp, Inc.
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2021 ANNUAL REPORT

UNITY BANCORP, INC. (Nasdaq: UNTY) is the 
holding company for Unity Bank, a commercial bank 
insured by the FDIC, headquartered in Clinton, New 
Jersey. The Bank offers complete deposit and lending 
solutions to businesses and consumers. 

Small Business is BIG here is a mantra the 
Bank lives and breathes. Unity delivers a holistic 
approach to business clients leveraging seasoned 
Commercial and SBA lending expertise with deposit 
products and services with the latest technology 
advantages. The Bank’s brand promise of Growing 
with You is applied to all Unity stakeholders. The 
Bank is dedicated to the growth of our communities, 
customers, employees and shareholders.

THE  BAN K’S  BR AND  PROMI SE   O F 

growing with you! 

IS APPLIED TO ALL UNITY STAKEHOLDERS.

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F INA N CI AL  HIGH LIGH TS
Amounts in thousands, except per share data 
and performance ratios

Year ended December 31,

2021

2020

2019

Selected Results of Operations
Interest income

$

84,780

$

78,915

$

75,648

Interest expense

Net interest income

Provision for loan losses

Noninterest income

Noninterest expense

Provision for income taxes

Net income

Per Share Data

Net income per common share - Basic

Net income per common share - Diluted

Book value per common share

Market value per common share

Cash dividends declared on common shares

Selected Balance Sheet Data

Assets

Loans

Allowance for loan losses

Securities

Deposits

Borrowed funds and subordinated debentures

Shareholders’ equity

Common shares outstanding

Performance Ratios

Return on average assets

Return on average equity

Efficiency ratio

Net interest margin

7,741

77,039

181

12,054

40,782

12,011

14,480

64,435

7,000

12,946

39,262

7,475

18,055

57,593

2,100

9,539

34,717

6,662

36,119

$

23,644

$

23,653

$

3.47

3.43

19.80

26.25

0.36

$

2.21

2.19

16.63

17.55

0.32

2.18

2.14

14.77

22.57

0.31

$

$

$ 2,033,713

$

1,958,914

$ 1,718,942

1,649,448

1,627,817

1,425,558

(22,302)

79,322

(23,105)

47,571

(16,395)

66,564

1,758,881

1,557,959

1,250,114

50,310

205,729

10,391

210,310

173,911

10,456

293,310

160,709

10,881

1.87 %

1.35 %

1.54 %

19.16

46.09

4.16

14.20

50.80

3.85

15.86

52.00

3.95

 
 
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While the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 
pandemic have lingered, we are inspired by the 
resilience and tenacity of our customers. We 
saw that resilience in small-business owners who 
reopened despite uncertainty of demand, supply 
chains and labor shortages; in individuals who 
took advantage of historically low mortgage rates 
to buy their first home; in growing families who 
added space to their “forever house”; in retirees 
who supplemented their incomes with their first 
investment property; and in senior citizens who 
preserved their assets with our deposit products.  
We had the opportunity to serve these groups 
and many others, and we are grateful for the 
opportunity.

WE C OME  TOGE THE R   EV E RY 
DAY TO HE L P OUR   CUSTOME RS 
SOLVE PROBLEMS AN D  PR OV IDE 
EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE

The pandemic provided us the opportunity to 
delight our customers and to enrich their lives 
in a way that positions us to serve them again, 
and for their confidence to refer their friends and 
family. Their loyalty along with our customer-
centric community banking business model fuels 
sustainable, profitable growth.  

We believe that when we are successful at putting 
people first, profits naturally follow.  

Using that barometer, 2021 was a remarkable 
success. The Company posted its highest ever 
annual profit of $36.1 million. Net interest 
income, our primary source of revenue, was over 
$77 million, an impressive 19.6% increase over 
2020. The Bank’s total loan portfolio (excluding 
PPP) grew by 6.2% led by the Commercial 

Lending division which grew by 
nearly $100 million during the year.

Our Residential Mortgage division 
closed 962 loans for $424 million in 2021. 
These efforts generated gains of $4.6 million, 
representing the largest contribution to our non-
interest revenue.  While volume declined 7% from 
2020, it was 70% higher than 2019 despite a 
challenging rate environment and housing market.

Our SBA efforts remain strong. We assisted 
87.5% of our Paycheck Protection Program 
(“PPP”) borrowers through the forgiveness 
process. Meanwhile, SBA balances grew by nearly 
$15 million.  Gains on the sale of SBA loans were 
approximately $740 thousand during the year.

Our Consumer division also delivered strong 
results. Consumer loans grew by $12 million, or 
17.9% in 2021. Residential construction loans 
grew by $33 million, or 38% during the year.  

Our 19 branches located throughout northern 
New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania gathered 
over $200 million in new deposits, a 12.9% 
increase during the year. Each of these deposits 
represent an individual, family or business-owner 
who trusts our institution to keep their money 
safe, a responsibility we accept with gratitude.

In total, these efforts yielded impressive financial 
results: we delivered $3.43 net income per share, 
56.6% more than last year. This represents a 19% 
return on equity, among the highest in the state.  
We increased our dividend twice during the year 
by a total of 25% and grew book value by 
19%, from $16.63 to $19.80 per share.  
Finally, our shareholders enjoyed more 
than 50% total return during the 
year.  

 
 
Of course, the opportunity to impress our customers and 
to build shareholder value would not be possible without our 
incredible team of over 200 employees. We come together every 
day to help our customers solve problems and provide extraordinary 

service. We are grateful for their dedication.

In addition to serving our customers, we are committed to serving the 
communities where we operate. In 2021, the Bank helped to raise over $220 
thousand to support the Somerset Adult Day Center, a nonprofit agency 
providing compassionate day care services for vulnerable seniors, adults 
living with a disability or dementia-related illness, as well as support and 
education for their caregiving families. We donated $50 thousand to St. Jude 
Research Hospital. We hosted our 15th Annual Car Show, our largest ever, 
to benefit Family Promise of Hunterdon and Warren to combat homelessness 
in our community. We volunteered 54 hours to plant and harvest fruits and 
vegetables for America’s Grow-A-Row to combat hunger.

Unity Bank was recognized as one of New Jersey’s Best Places to Work for 
the fifth year by NJ Biz, as well as, the top-ranked New Jersey bank on the 
American Banker’s list of Top 200 Publicly Traded Community Banks for 
the sixth consecutive year. While we are thrilled with our 2021 performance, 
we remain in relentless pursuit of our brand promise of “Growing with 
You!”  We are humbled by the faith you have placed in us, and we believe 
the foundation is strong for even bigger things in 2022.

David D. Dallas
Chairman of the Board

James A. Hughes
President & CEO

DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE

DIVIDENDS PER SHARE

$3.50

$3.00

$2.50

$2.00

$1.50

$1.00

$0.50

$0.00

$20.00

$15.00

$10.00

$ 5.00

$ 0.00

$0.40

$0.35

$0.30

$0.25

$0.20

$0.15

$0.10

$0.05

$0.00

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

BOOK VALUE

MARKET PRICE

$30.00

$25.00

$20.00

$15.00

$10.00

$ 5.00

$ 0.00

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

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At Unity Bank we take pride in supporting our 
friends and neighbors in the communities we serve.

Our residential and commercial lending teams live 
and work in the communities in which we operate. 
We continue to add to our lending teams and improve 
our systems and processes while adding workflow 
enhancements to continue to meet customer needs and 
provide excellent customer service.  

Under challenging market conditions, our commercial 
and residential lending teams excelled. The commercial 
lending team had a record year which helped drive 
significant organic growth in our overall loan portfolio.  
The residential team had another exceptional year with 
$425 million in mortgage originations despite a general 
market cool down in the third and fourth quarters of 
2021. Loan and deposit growth was achieved while 
maintaining solid credit quality and a top tier industry 
capital position to help weather additional or continued 
market turbulence should the need arise.

We continue to work with our borrowers who are unable 
to meet their contractual obligations due to COVID-19. 
At the end of 2021, only $8.4 million in loans, or 0.51% 
of our loan portfolio was in deferral, down from $32.5 
million in 2020.

BANKING TECHNOLOG Y  EVOLUT I ON

As a community bank relationships and personal service are always a top priority 
but equally important is bringing the latest in technology to our customers. Over 
the past 15 years Unity has introduced the latest digital tools to make the customer 
experience the best it can be.

Card Control

Person to Person 
Payments*

Mobile Capture

Positive Pay

Mobile Banking

eStatements

Bill Pay

Online Banking

2
0
0
6

2
0
0
7

2
0
0
8

2
0
0
9

2
0
1
0

2
0
1
1

2
0
1
2

2
0
1
3

2
0
1
4

2
0
1
5

2
0
1
6

2
0
1
7

2
0
1
8

2
0
1
9

2
0
2
0

2
0
2
1

2
0
2
2

*Pop Money 2015-2019; Zelle® 2020 - Present

We employ extensive employee training, custom videos tutorials and targeted 
onboarding campaigns to ensure our customers are successful with these tools. 
Customer adoption of these tools has grown year over year. Since its introduction 
in 2012, the number of mobile banking users has increased 1,161%. Our digital 
tools have provided customers with the ability to bank on the go. We continue to 
expand digital products with online account opening and product updates planned 
for 2022.

 
Unity Bank is dedicated to growing 
with our customers and expanding 
our reach. In 2021, we moved our Union 
Branch into a new building.  The move not 
only benefited our customers with a new, state-
of-the-art branch, but offered a unique opportunity 

WE UNDERSTAND HOW VALUABLE 
OUR EMPLOYEES ARE AND THE 
IMPORTANCE OF INVESTING IN OUR 
TEAM AND HELPING THEM GROW. 

to the community. Our old location was purchased to 
develop new housing and business opportunities for the 
city of Union. We are excited for continued growth and 
plan to open a lending office in Lakewood, NJ in 2022.

service and security.

E We continue our commitment to customer 
C
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Providing a secure banking experience is our top 
priority.  Unity’s online and mobile applications 
are equipped with up-to-date security features 
to safeguard customer information.  In today’s 
heightened fraud environment, the Bank puts 
emphasis on providing customers with the tools 
needed to avoid scams.  UNews, our newsletter, 
educates our customers and subscribers on cyber 
security and current cyber threats to keep them 
from falling victim.  Unity Bank Debit Card 
holders can enroll in Card Control. This product 
provides the card holder with the ability to set up 
alerts for purchases, establish transaction controls, 
and turn their cards on & off from their mobile 
device.  Business customers can take advantage of 
Positive Pay, an automated fraud detection tool that 
provides early detection of fraudulent, altered, or 
counterfeit checks.

Unity Bank is proud of its employees and how 
hard they work. We understand how valuable our 
employees are and the importance of investing 
in our team and helping them grow. Over the 
past 10 years, in partnership with the New Jersey 
Department of Labor and Workforce Development 
and The Office of Continuing Professional 
Education at Rutgers, Unity Bank has utilized 
numerous hours of training through the Upskill 
Customized Grant Program. This program provides 
in person or virtual training and has covered 
numerous topics including customer service skills, 
communication, leadership, computer skills, and 
project management. 

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As the pandemic endured into its second year, 
Unity focused on helping the community in 
safe and innovative ways. By adhering to social 
distancing guidelines and scheduling outdoor 
events during low-risk periods, we were able to 
meet face to face with the community once again.

UNITY BANK RECOMMITTED TO
COMMUNITY EVENTS AND PROGRAMS

The Bank partnered with the NID Housing 
Counseling Agency (NID-HCA) to educate 
potential home buyers in underserved, minority 
areas within our footprint. Unity offered financial 
support and our mortgage loan officers held 
educational seminars for the organization.

This year Unity Bank presented the inaugural 
Easton Twilight Criterium, a new addition to the 
Tour of Somerville Cycling Series. The bank has 
participated in the Tour of Somerville since 2017 
with races in Somerville, Basking Ridge, and now 
Easton. We look forward to watching this event 
grow each year as it brings people together and 
supports businesses within the community.

Although some have been stifled by the stress of 
the pandemic, many breakthroughs have been 
made. Unity Bank contributed to modern day 

history by making a large donation to the Inspiration4 campaign, a sizable 
fundraising effort that saw the world’s first all-civilian journey to space.  
The journey was led by Jared Isaacman, Founder & CEO of Shift4, and 
designed to inspire the ongoing search for a cure to childhood cancer. He 
said, “if civilization can journey among the stars, we better have conquered 
childhood cancer along the way.” In total, the Inspiration4 campaign raised 
$200 million. Proceeds benefited St. Jude in their mission of finding cures 
and saving children. 

With proper precautions in place, Unity Bank recommitted to community 
events and programs in 2021. We continued to support America’s Grow-A-
Row both financially and physically by sending a group of volunteers each 
month to pick produce for community members in need. Food insecurity has 
expanded due to the pandemic, and this year Grow-A-Row was able to donate 
2.4 million pounds of fresh food, 60% higher than pre pandemic numbers.

To further combat food insecurity in our community Unity’s annual service 
project raised $34,200 for local Food Banks. This is a very special project 
since it comes from the generosity of our employees. Each year employees 
can elect to donate through payroll deductions. The bank matches the 
employee donation and funds are distributed to 19 locations throughout our 
footprint, providing food for those in need. 

Unity Bank hosted the 15th Annual Charity Car Show benefiting Family 
Promise of Hunterdon and Warren counties. The show raises money and 
awareness for its benefactors. 2021 was the largest show yet with 165 cars 
present. $8,000 was donated to the benefactors through the support of the 
show’s sponsors, volunteers, and spectators.

We are enthusiastic about the opportunities to come and continue to commit 
to helping those in our community.

 
 
 
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Executive & Senior Management

James Hughes
President
Chief Executive Officer

Christopher Fenimore
First Vice President
Chief Compliance Officer

George Boyan
Executive Vice President
Chief Financial Officer

Luisa Franco
First Vice President
BSA/AML/OFAC Officer

Janice Bolomey
Executive Vice President
Chief Administrative Officer/
Director of Sales

John Kauchak
Executive Vice President
Chief Operating Officer

Vincent Geraci
First Senior Vice President
Director of Mortgage Lending

David Bove
Senior Vice President
Chief Technology Officer

Michelle Kirmser
First Vice President
General Counsel

Karen Klotz
First Vice President
Loan Closing Officer

Rebecca Kugelman
First Vice President
Deposit Operations Manager

Kenneth Plinio
First Vice President
Mortgage Loan Operations 
Manager

Laureen Cook
Senior Vice President
Chief Accounting Officer

Crystal Rose
First Vice President
Marketing Director

Rosemary Fellner
Senior Vice President
Chief Experience Officer

Bridget Walsh
First Vice President
Human Resources Director

Stephen Rooney
Senior Vice President
Chief Credit Officer

Board of Directors

David Dallas
Chairman of the Board
CEO, Dallas Group of America, Inc. 

Allen Tucker 
Vice Chairman of the Board 
Chairman, Tucker Enterprises

Dr. Mark Brody
Director 
Managing Member, Financial Planning 
Analysts, LLC

Wayne Courtright
Director
Retired, Former Banker 

James Hughes
Director
President/CEO, Unity Bank

Peter Maricondo
Director
Retired Financial Consultant

Raj Patel
Director
President/CEO, Raja Group

Donald Souders, Jr. 
Director
Attorney/Partner, Florio Perrucci Steinhardt 
Cappelli Tipton & Taylor

Robert Dallas, II 
Director
President, Dallas Group of America, Inc.

Aaron Tucker
Director
President, Tucker Enterprises

Dr. Mary Gross
Director
Founder, Human Edge Resources, LLC

Shareholder Information

Annual Meeting
Shareholders of Unity Bancorp, Inc. are cordially invited to the Annual Meeting of Shareholders. 
The meeting will be held virtually at 9:30 am, April 28, 2022 and will be available at:  
meetnow.global/MACWHRH  Password: UNTY2022

Stock Listing
NASDAQ
Symbol: UNTY

Transfer Agent and Registrar
Computershare, Inc. 
PO Box 30170
College Station, Texas 77842-3170
800.368.5948
Computershare.com

Investor Inquiries
George Boyan
908-713-4565  |  George.Boyan@unitybank.com

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
RSM US LLP
New York, New York

Legal Counsel
Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP
New Brunswick, New Jersey

 
 
LOCATI ONS

New Jersey
Bergen County: 
4 Emerson Plaza West  Emerson, NJ 07630
475 Franklin Turnpike  Ramsey, NJ 07446

Hunterdon County:
64 Old Highway 22  Clinton, NJ 08809

(pictured on cover) 

157 Main St.  Flemington, NJ 08822
370 Route 22 W.  Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889

Middlesex County: 
1746 Oak Tree Rd.  Edison, NJ 08820
104 Raritan Ave.  Highland Park, NJ 08904
1230 Bound Brook Rd.  Middlesex, NJ 08846
2426 Plainfield Ave.  South Plainfield, NJ 07080

Somerset County:
450 Somerset St.  North Plainfield, NJ 07060
120 Cedar Grove Ln.  Somerset, NJ 08873
12 Mountain Ave.  Somerville, NJ 08876

Union County:
628 North Wood Ave.  Linden, NJ 07036
2222 South Ave.  Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
945 Stuyvesant Ave, Unit 7  Union, NJ 07083

Warren County: 
1225 Route 22 W.  Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
5 E. Asbury Anderson Rd.  Washington, NJ 07882

Pennsylvania
Northampton County:
2850 Easton Ave.  Bethlehem, PA 18017
1700 Sullivan Trail  Forks, PA 18040

UN ITY  BAN COR P, INC
64 Old Highway 22  Clinton, NJ 08809
unitybank.com  800.618.2265