Bridgewater Bank Annual Report

effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. Recent political developments, including the change in administration in the United States, have increased additional uncertainty to the implementation, scope and timing of regulatory reforms. Changes in tax laws and regulations, or changes in the interpretation of existing tax laws and regulations, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. We operate in an environment that imposes income taxes on our operations at both the federal and state levels to varying degrees. We engage in certain strategies to minimize the impact of these taxes. Consequently, any change in tax laws or regulations, or new interpretation of an existing law or regulation, could significantly alter the effectiveness of these strategies. The net deferred tax asset reported on our balance sheet generally represents the tax benefit of future deductions from taxable income for items that have already been recognized for financial reporting purposes. The bulk of these deferred tax assets consists of deferred loan loss deductions and deferred compensation deductions. The net deferred tax asset is measured by applying currently-enacted income tax rates to the accounting period during which the tax benefit is expected to be realized. As of December 31, 2018, our net deferred tax asset was $6.7 million. On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law. The act includes numerous changes to existing tax law, including a permanent reduction in the federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, which took effect on January 1, 2018. The reduction in the federal corporate income tax rate resulted in an impairment of our net deferred tax asset based on our revaluation of the future tax benefit of these deferrals using the lower tax rate. We recorded this impairment as an additional tax provision of $2.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. We also face risk based on actions of the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS. In November 2016, these agencies issued a notice making captive insurance company activities “transactions of interest” due to the potential for tax avoidance or evasion. We have a captive insurance company, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company that provides insurance coverage to the Company and its subsidiaries for risk management purposes or where commercial insurance may not be available or economically feasible. It is not certain at this point how the notice may impact us or the continued operation of the captive insurance company as a risk management tool, but if the activity is deemed by the IRS to be an abusive tax structure, we may become subject to significant penalties and interest. In addition, on February 13, 2018, we formed Bridgewater Investment Management, Inc., a Minnesota corporation and a subsidiary of the Bank, to hold certain municipal securities and to engage in municipal lending activities. Based on current tax regulations and guidance, we believe that municipal securities held by a non-bank subsidiary of a financial institution are eligible to receive favorable federal income tax treatment. Like our captive insurance company, there is a risk that the IRS may investigate these types of arrangements and issue new guidance eliminating the tax benefit to such a structure. There is uncertainty surrounding potential legal, regulatory and policy changes by new presidential administrations in the United States that may directly affect financial institutions and the global economy. Changes in federal policy and at regulatory agencies occur over time through policy and personnel changes following elections, which lead to changes involving the level of oversight and focus on the financial services industry. The nature, timing and economic and political effects of potential changes to the current legal and regulatory framework affecting financial institutions remain highly uncertain. Uncertainty surrounding future changes may adversely affect our operating environment and therefore our business, financial condition, results of operations and growth prospects. We are subject to more stringent capital requirements. Banking institutions are required to hold more capital as a percentage of assets than most industries. In the wake of the global financial crisis, our capital requirements increased, both in the amount of capital we must hold and in the quality of the capital to absorb losses. Holding high amounts of capital compresses our earnings and constrains growth. In addition, the failure to meet applicable regulatory capital requirements could result in one or more of our regulators

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