EXHIBIT 99
Safe Harbor Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the "Act") provides a
"safe harbor" for forward-looking statements to encourage companies to
provide prospective information about their companies, so long as those
statements are identified as forward-looking and are accompanied by
meaningful cautionary statements identifying important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the
statement. InterCounty Bancshares, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the "Company")
desires to take advantage of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Act.
Certain information, particularly information regarding future economic
performance and finances and plans and objectives of management, contained or
incorporated by reference in the Company's Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended September 30, 2000 is forward-looking. In some cases,
information regarding certain important factors that could cause actual
results of operations or outcomes of other events to differ materially
from any such forward-looking statement appear together with such statement.
In addition, forward-looking statements are subject to other risks and
uncertainties affecting the financial institutions industry, including,
but not limited to, the following:
Interest Rate Risk
The Company's operating results are dependent to a significant degree on its
net interest income, which is the difference between interest income from
loans, investments and other interest-earning assets and interest expense on
deposits, borrowings and other interest-bearing liabilities. The interest
income and interest expense of the Company change as the interest rates on
interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities change. Interest
rates may change because of general economic conditions, the policies of
various regulatory authorities and other factors beyond the Company's
control. In a rising interest rate environment, loans tend to prepay slowly
and new loans at higher rates increase slowly, while interest paid on
deposits increases rapidly because the terms to maturity of deposits tend to
be shorter than the terms to maturity or prepayment of loans. Such
differences in the adjustment of interest rates on assets and liabilities may
negatively affect the Company's income.
Possible Inadequacy of the Allowance for Loan Losses
The Company maintains an allowance for loan losses based upon a number of
relevant factors, including, but not limited to, trends in the level of
nonperforming assets and classified loans, current and anticipated economic
conditions in the primary lending area, past loss experience, possible losses
arising from specific problem loans and changes in the composition of the
loan portfolio. While the Company's Board of Directors believes that it
uses the best information available to determine the allowance for loan
losses, unforeseen market conditions could result in material adjustments,
and net earnings could be significantly adversely affected if circumstances
differ substantially from the assumptions used in making the final
determination.
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Loans not secured by one- to four-family residential real estate are
generally considered to involve greater risk of loss than loans secured by
one- to four-family residential real estate due, in part, to the effects of
general economic conditions. The repayment of commercial loans and
multifamily residential and nonresidential real estate loans generally
depends upon the cash flow from the operation of the business or property,
which may be negatively affected by national and local economic conditions.
Construction loans may also be negatively affected by such economic
conditions, particularly loans made to developers who do not have a buyer for
a property before the loan is made. The risk of default on consumer loans
increases during periods of recession, high unemployment and other adverse
economic conditions. When consumers have trouble paying their bills, they
are more likely to pay mortgage loans than consumer loans. In addition, the
collateral securing such loans, if any, may decrease in value more rapidly
than the outstanding balance of the loan.
Competition
The National Bank and Trust Company (the "Bank") competes for deposits with
other commercial banks, savings associations and credit unions and issuers of
commercial paper and other securities, such as shares in money market mutual
funds. The primary factors in competing for deposits are interest rates and
convenience of office location. In making loans, the Bank competes with
other commercial banks, savings and loan associations, savings banks,
consumer finance companies, credit unions, leasing companies, mortgage
companies and other lenders. Competition is affected by, among other things,
the general availability of lendable funds, general and local economic
conditions, current interest rate levels and other factors which are not
readily predictable. The size of financial institutions competing with the
Bank is likely to increase as a result of changes in statutes and regulations
eliminating various restrictions on interstate and inter-industry branching
and acquisitions. Such increased competition may have an adverse effect upon
the Bank.
Legislation and Regulation That May Adversely Affect InterCounty's Earnings
The Bank is subject to regulation, examination and oversight by the Office of
the Comptroller of the Currency (the "OCC"), special examination by the Board
of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the "FRB") and some regulation,
oversight and special examination by the Federal Deposit Insurance
corporation (the "FDIC"). As a bank holding company, InterCounty Bancshares,
Inc. ("InterCounty") is also subject to regulation and examination by the
FRB. Such supervision and regulation of the Bank and InterCounty are
intended primarily for the protection of depositors and not for the
maximization of shareholder value and may affect the ability of the Company
to engage in various business activities. The assessments, filing fees and
other costs associated with reports, examinations and other regulatory
matters are significant and may have an adverse effect on the Company's net
earnings.
The FDIC is authorized to establish separate annual assessment rates for
deposit insurance of members of the Bank Insurance fund (the "BIF") and the
Savings Association Insurance Fund (the "SAIF"). The FDIC has established a
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risk-based assessment system for both SAIF and BIF members. Under such
system, assessments may vary depending on the risk the institution poses to
its deposit insurance fund. Such risk level is determined by reference to the
institution's capital level and the FDIC's level of supervisory concern about
the institution.
On November 12, 1999, President Clinton signed into law the Gramm-Leach-
Bliley Act (also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999).
The Financial Services Modernization Act, effective March 11, 2000,
permits bank holding companies to become financial holding companies and
thereby affiliate with securities firms and insurance companies and engage in
other activities that are financial in nature. A bank holding company may
become a financial holding company if each of its subsidiary banks is well
capitalized under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Act of 1991
prompt corrective action provisions is well managed, and has at least a
satisfactory rating under the Community Reinvestment Act, by filing a
declaration that the bank holding company wishes to become a financial
holding company. No regulatory approval will be required for a financial
holding company to acquire a company, other than a bank or savings
association, engaged in activities that are financial in nature or incidental
to activities that are financial in nature, as determined by the Federal
Reserve Board.
The Financial Services Modernization Act defines "financial in nature" to
include:
- securities underwriting, dealing and market making;
- sponsoring mutual funds and investment companies;
- insurance underwriting and agency;
- merchant banking; and
- activities that the Federal Reserve Board has determined to be
closely related to banking.
A national bank also may engage, subject to limitations on investment, in
activities that are financial in nature, other than insurance underwriting,
insurance company portfolio investment, real estate development and real
estate investment, through a financial subsidiary of the bank, if the bank is
well capitalized, well managed and has at least a satisfactory Community
Reinvestment Act rating. Subsidiary banks of a financial holding company or
national banks with financial subsidiaries must continue to be well
capitalized and well managed in order to continue to engage in activities
that are financial in nature without regulatory actions or restrictions,
which could include divestiture of the financial in nature subsidiary or
subsidiaries. In addition, a financial holding company or a bank may not
acquire a company that is engaged in activities that are financial in nature
unless each of the subsidiary banks of the financial holding company or the
bank has a Community Reinvestment Act rating of satisfactory or better.
The specific effects of the Financial Services Modernization Act on the
banking industry in general and on the Bank and InterCounty in particular
have yet to be determined due to the fact that the Financial Services
Modernization Act became effective only recently.
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