Bridgewater Bancshares, Inc. Annual Report

Overview The Company is a financial holding company headquartered in Bloomington, Minnesota, which is currently celebrating fourteen years of successful operations. The principal sources of funds for loans and investments are transaction, savings, time, and other deposits, and short-term and long-term borrowings. The Company’s principal sources of income are interest and fees collected on loans, interest and dividends earned on investment securities and service charges. The Company’s principal expenses are interest paid on deposit accounts and borrowings, employee compensation and other overhead expenses. The Company’s simple, efficient business model of providing responsive support and unconventional experiences to clients continues to be the underlying principle that drives the Company’s profitable growth. Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates The consolidated financial statements of the Company are prepared based on the application of certain accounting policies, the most significant of which are described in Note 1 of the notes to the consolidated financial statements included as a part of this report. Certain policies require numerous estimates and strategic or economic assumptions that may prove inaccurate or subject to variation and may significantly affect the reported results and financial position for the current period or in future periods. The use of estimates, assumptions, and judgments are necessary when financial assets and liabilities are required to be recorded or adjusted to reflect fair value. Assets carried at fair value inherently result in more financial statement volatility. Fair values and information used to record valuation adjustments for certain assets and liabilities are based on either quoted market prices or are provided by other independent third-party sources, when available. When such information is not available, management estimates valuation adjustments. Changes in underlying factors, assumptions or estimates in any of these areas could have a material impact on the future financial condition and results of operations. Management has discussed each critical accounting policy and the methodology for the identification and determination of critical accounting policies with the Company’s Audit Committee. The JOBS Act permits the Company an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards affecting public companies. The Company has elected to take advantage of this extended transition period, which means that the financial statements included in this report, as well as any financial statements filed in the future, will not be subject to all new or revised accounting standards generally applicable to public companies for the transition period for so long as the Company remains an emerging growth company or until the Company affirmatively and irrevocably opts out of the extended transition period under the JOBS Act. The following is a discussion of the critical accounting policies and significant estimates that require the Company to make complex and subjective judgements. Allowance for Loan Losses The allowance for loan losses, sometimes referred to as the “allowance,” is established through a provision for loan losses which is charged to expense. Loan losses are charged against the allowance when management determines all or a portion of the loan balance to be uncollectible. Subsequent recoveries, if any, are credited to the allowance for cash received on previously charged-off amounts. If the allowance is considered inadequate to absorb future loan losses on existing loans for any reason, including but not limited to, increases in the size of the loan portfolio, increases in charge- offs or changes in the risk characteristics of the loan portfolio, then the provision for loan losses is increased. A loan is considered impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the original contractual terms of the loan agreement. The collection of all amounts due according to original contractual terms means that both the contractual interest and principal payments of a loan will be collected as scheduled in the loan agreement. An impaired loan is measured based on the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate, or, as a practical expedient, at the loan’s observable market price, or the fair value of the underlying collateral, reduced by costs to sell on a discounted basis, is used if a loan is collateral dependent.

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