UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018

Commission file number 0-10792

Horizon Bancorp, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 219-879-0211

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act     Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act     Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to the Form 10-K.  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant, based on the average sale price of such stock as of June 29, 2018, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $763.7 million.

As of February 27, 2019, the registrant had 38,375,407 shares of common stock outstanding.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

HORIZON BANCORP, INC.

2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K

Table of Contents

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HORIZON BANCORP, INC.

2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

A cautionary note about forward-looking statements: In addition to historical information, information included and incorporated by reference in this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (“Horizon”) intends such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this statement for purposes of invoking those safe-harbor provisions. Forward-looking statements can include statements about estimated cost savings, plans and objectives for future operations and expectations about Horizon’s financial and business performance as well as economic and market conditions. They often can be identified by the use of words such as “expect,” “may,” “likely,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “intend,” “project,” “estimate,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “seek,” “plan,” “goals,” “strategy,” “future” and variations of such words and similar expressions.

Horizon may include forward-looking statements in filings it makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), such as this Form 10-K, in other written materials, and in oral statements made by senior management to analysts, investors, representatives of the media and others. Horizon intends that these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and Horizon undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the forward-looking statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Although management believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially, whether adversely or positively, from the expectations of Horizon that are expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement. Risks, uncertainties, and factors that could cause Horizon’s actual results to vary materially from those expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement include but are not limited to the following:

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You are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 of this Form 10-K lists some of the factors that could cause Horizon’s actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or implied by any forward-looking statements. We direct your attention to this discussion.

Other risks and uncertainties that could affect Horizon’s future performance are set forth below in Item 1A, “Risk Factors.”

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

The disclosures in this Item 1 are qualified by the disclosures below in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” and Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and in other cautionary statements set forth elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

General

Horizon Bancorp, Inc. (“Horizon” or the “Company”) is a registered bank holding company incorporated in Indiana and headquartered in Michigan City, Indiana. Horizon provides a broad range of banking services in the Northern and Central regions of Indiana and the Southern, Central and Great Lakes Bay regions of Michigan through its bank subsidiary, Horizon Bank (“Horizon Bank” or the “Bank”) and other affiliated entities and Horizon Risk Management, Inc. Horizon operates as a single segment, which is commercial banking. Horizon’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol HBNC. Horizon Bank (formerly known as “Horizon Bank, N.A.”) was a national association until its conversion to an Indiana commercial bank effective June 23, 2017. Prior to that date, Horizon was chartered as a national banking association founded in 1873. The Bank is a full-service commercial bank offering commercial and retail banking services, corporate and individual trust and agency services and other services incident to banking. Horizon Risk Management, Inc. is a captive insurance company incorporated in Nevada and was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of Horizon.

On October 29, 2018, Horizon entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) providing for Horizon’s acquisition of Salin Bancshares, Inc. (“Salin”). Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Salin will merge with and into Horizon, with Horizon surviving the merger (the “Merger”), and Salin Bank and Trust Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Salin, will merge with and into Horizon Bank, with Horizon Bank as the surviving bank.

The boards of directors of each of Horizon and Salin have approved the merger and the Merger Agreement. Subject to the approval of the Merger by Salin shareholders, regulatory approvals and other closing conditions, the parties anticipate completing the Merger during the first quarter of 2019.

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In connection with the Merger, shareholders of Salin will receive fixed consideration of 23,907.5 shares of Horizon common stock and $84,417.17 in cash for each share of Salin common stock. Based on the closing price of Horizon’s common stock on October 26, 2018 of $16.95 per share, the transaction value for the shares of common stock is approximately $135.3 million.

The Merger Agreement also provides for certain termination rights for both Horizon and Salin, and further provides that upon termination of the Merger Agreement under certain circumstances, Salin will be obligated to pay Horizon a termination fee.

As of December 31, 2018, Salin had total assets of approximately $929.4 million, total deposits of approximately $749.5 million and total loans of approximately $593.7 million.

On October 17, 2017, Horizon completed the acquisition of Wolverine Bancorp, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“Wolverine”) and Horizon Bank’s acquisition of Wolverine Bank, a federally-chartered savings bank and wholly-owned subsidiary of Wolverine, through mergers effective October 17, 2017. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, shareholders of Wolverine received 1.5228 shares of Horizon common stock and $14.00 in cash for each outstanding share of Wolverine common stock. Wolverine shares outstanding at the closing to be exchanged were 2,129,331, and the shares of Horizon common stock issued to Wolverine shareholders totaled 3,241,045. Based upon the October 16, 2017 closing price of $19.37 per share of Horizon common stock immediately prior to the effectiveness of the merger, less the consideration used to pay off Wolverine Bancorp’s ESOP loan receivable, the transaction has an implied valuation of approximately $93.8 million. As a result of the acquisition, the Company was able to increase its deposit base and reduce transaction costs. The Company also expects to reduce costs through economies of scale.

On September 1, 2017, Horizon completed the acquisition of Lafayette Community Bancorp, an Indiana corporation (“Lafayette”) and the Bank’s acquisition of Lafayette Community Bank, a state-chartered bank and wholly-owned subsidiary of Lafayette, through mergers effective September 1, 2017. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, shareholders of Lafayette received 0.8817 shares of Horizon common stock and $1.73 in cash for each outstanding share of Lafayette common stock. Lafayette shareholders owning fewer than 100 shares of common stock received $17.25 in cash for each common share. Lafayette shares outstanding at the closing to be exchanged were 1,856,679, and the shares of Horizon common stock issued to Lafayette shareholders totaled 1,636,888. Based upon the August 31, 2017 closing price of $17.45 per share of Horizon common stock immediately prior to the effectiveness of the merger, the transaction has an implied valuation of approximately $34.5 million. As a result of the acquisition, the Company was able to increase its deposit base and reduce transaction costs. The Company also expects to reduce costs through economies of scale and to increase revenue in this vibrant growth market.

On February 3, 2017, Horizon completed the purchase and assumption of certain assets and liabilities of a single branch of First Farmers Bank & Trust Company, in Bargersville, Indiana. Net cash of $11.0 million was received in the transaction, representing the deposit balances assumed at closing, net of amounts paid for loans acquired in the transaction of $3.4 million and a 3.0% premium on deposits. Customer deposit balances were recorded at $14.8 million and a core deposit intangible of $452,000 was recorded in the transaction which will be amortized over ten years on a straight line basis. There was no goodwill generated in the transaction.

On November 7, 2016, Horizon completed the acquisition of CNB Bancorp, an Indiana corporation headquartered in Attica, Indiana (“CNB”) and the Bank’s acquisition of The Central National Bank and Trust Company (“Central National Bank & Trust”), through mergers effective November 7, 2016. Under terms of the acquisition, shareholders of CNB received merger consideration in the form of cash. The total value of the consideration for the acquisition was $5.3 million. As a result of the acquisition, the Company was able to increase its deposit base and reduce transaction costs. The Company also expects to reduce costs through economies of scale.

On July 18, 2016, Horizon completed the acquisition of LaPorte Bancorp, Inc., a Maryland corporation (“LaPorte Bancorp”) and the Bank’s acquisition of The LaPorte Savings Bank, a state-chartered savings bank and wholly owned subsidiary of LaPorte Bancorp, through mergers effective July 18, 2016. Under the terms of the merger agreement, shareholders of LaPorte Bancorp had the option to receive $17.50 per share in cash or 1.4153 shares of Horizon common stock for each share of LaPorte Bancorp’s common stock, subject to allocation provisions to assure that in aggregate,

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LaPorte Bancorp shareholders received total consideration that consisted of 65% stock and 35% cash. As a result of LaPorte Bancorp stockholder stock and cash elections and the related proration provisions of the merger agreement, Horizon issued 5,132,232 shares of its common stock in the merger. Based upon the July 18, 2016 closing price of $12.24 per share of Horizon common stock, less the consideration used to pay off LaPorte Bancorp’s ESOP loan receivable, the transaction had an implied valuation of approximately $98.6 million. As a result of the acquisition, the Company was able to increase its deposit base and reduce transaction costs. The Company also expects to reduce costs through economies of scale.

On June 1, 2016, Horizon completed the acquisition of Kosciusko Financial, Inc., an Indiana corporation (“Kosciusko”) and the Bank’s acquisition of Farmers State Bank, a state-chartered bank and wholly owned subsidiary of Kosciusko, through mergers effective June 1, 2016. Under the terms of the merger agreement, shareholders of Kosciusko had the option to receive $81.75 per share in cash or 6.7775 shares of Horizon common stock for each share of Kosciusko’s common stock, subject to allocation provisions to assure that in aggregate, Kosciusko shareholders received total consideration that consisted of 65% stock and 35% cash. Kosciusko shareholders owning fewer than 100 shares of common stock received $81.75 in cash for each common share. As a result of Kosciusko stockholder stock and cash elections and the related proration provisions of the merger agreement, Horizon issued 1,310,145 shares of its common stock in the merger. Based upon the June 1, 2016 closing price of $11.04 per share of Horizon common stock, the transaction had an implied valuation of approximately $23.0 million. As a result of the acquisition, the Company was able to increase its deposit base and reduce transaction costs. The Company also expects to reduce costs through economies of scale.

On July 1, 2015, Horizon completed the acquisition of Peoples Bancorp, an Indiana corporation (“Peoples”) and the Bank’s acquisition of Peoples Federal Savings Bank of DeKalb County (“Peoples FSB”), through mergers effective July 1, 2015. Under the terms of the acquisition, the exchange ratio was 2.1375 shares of Horizon common stock and $9.75 in cash for each outstanding share of Peoples common stock. Peoples shareholders owning fewer than 100 shares of common stock received $33.14 in cash for each common share. Peoples shares outstanding at the closing were 2,311,858, and the shares of Horizon common stock issued to Peoples shareholders totaled 4,932,454. Horizon’s stock price was $11.25 per share at the close of business on July 1, 2015. Based upon these numbers, the total value of the consideration for the acquisition was $78.1 million. As a result of the acquisition, the Company experienced, and expects to continue to experience, increases in its deposit base, reductions in transaction costs and reduced costs through economies of scale.

On April 3, 2014 Horizon completed its acquisition of SCB Bancorp, Inc. (“Summit”) and the Bank’s acquisition of Summit Community Bank, through mergers effective as of that date. Under the final terms of the acquisition, the exchange ratio was 1.1034 shares of Horizon’s common stock and $5.15 in cash for each share of Summit common stock outstanding. Summit shares outstanding at the closing were 1,164,442, and the shares of Horizon common stock issued to Summit shareholders totaled 1,284,345. Horizon’s stock price was $9.88 per share at the close of business on April 3, 2014. Based upon these numbers, the total value of the consideration for the acquisition was $18.9 million (not including the retirement of Summit debt). As a result of the acquisition, the Company experienced, and expects to continue to experience, increases in its deposit base, reductions in transaction costs and reduced costs through economies of scale.

The Bank maintains 63 full service offices and 3 loan and deposit production offices. At December 31, 2018, the Bank had total assets of $4.25 billion and total deposits of $3.14 billion. The Bank has wholly-owned direct and indirect subsidiaries: Horizon Investments, Inc. (“Horizon Investments”), Horizon Properties, Inc. (“Horizon Properties”), Horizon Insurance Services, Inc. (“Horizon Insurance”), Horizon Grantor Trust, The Loan Store, Inc. and Wolverine Commercial Holdings, LLC. Horizon Investments manages the investment portfolio of the Bank. Horizon Properties manages the real estate investment trust. Horizon Insurance is used by the Company’s Wealth Management to sell certain life insurance products through a third party. Horizon Grantor Trust holds title to certain company owned life insurance policies. The Loan Store, Inc. does not presently engage in any business activities. Wolverine Commercial Holdings, LLC currently holds one piece of property but does not otherwise engage in significant business activities.

Horizon formed Horizon Bancorp Capital Trust II in 2004 (“Trust II”) and Horizon Bancorp Capital Trust III in 2006 (“Trust III”) for the purpose of participating in pooled trust preferred securities offerings. The Company assumed additional debentures as the result of the acquisition of Alliance Financial Corporation in 2005, which formed Alliance Financial Statutory Trust I (“Alliance Trust”). The Company also assumed additional debentures as the result of the

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acquisition of American Trust & Savings Bank (“American”) in 2010, which formed Am Tru Statutory Trust I (“Am Tru Trust”). The Company also assumed additional debentures as the result of the Heartland transaction, which formed Heartland (IN) Statutory Trust II (“Heartland Trust”). In 2016, the Company also assumed additional debentures as the result of the LaPorte Bancorp transaction. LaPorte Bancorp acquired City Savings Financial Corporation in 2007. City Savings Financial Corporation issued the debentures and formed City Savings Statutory Trust I (“City Savings”) in 2003. See Note 15 of the Consolidated Financial Statements included at Item 8 for further discussion regarding these previously consolidated entities that are now reported separately.

The business of Horizon is not seasonal to any material degree. No material part of Horizon’s business is dependent upon a single or small group of customers, the loss of any one or more of which would have a materially adverse effect on the business of Horizon. In 2018, revenues from loans accounted for 73.5% of the total consolidated revenue, and revenues from investment securities accounted for 9.1% of total consolidated revenue.

Available Information

The Company’s Internet address is www.horizonbank.com. The Company makes available, free of charge through the “About Us - Investor Relations – Documents - SEC Filings” section of its Internet website, copies of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after those reports are filed with or furnished to the SEC.

Employees

The Company and its subsidiaries employed approximately 716 full and part-time employees as of December 31, 2018.

Competition

Horizon faces a high degree of competition in all of its primary markets. The Bank’s primary market consists of areas throughout the northern, northwestern, northeastern and central regions of the state of Indiana along with the southern, central and Great Lakes Bay regions of the state of Michigan. The Bank’s primary market is further defined by the Indiana counties of La Porte, Lake, Porter, St. Joseph, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaGrange, DeKalb, Noble, Whitley, Allen, Fountain, Tippecanoe, Hamilton, Marion and Johnson, as well as the Michigan counties of Berrien, Cass, St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, Ingham, Midland, Saginaw, Oakland and Ottawa. The Bank competes with other commercial banks, savings and loan associations, consumer finance companies, credit unions and other non-bank and digital financial service providers. To a more moderate extent, the Bank competes with Chicago money center banks, mortgage banking companies, insurance companies, brokerage houses, other institutions engaged in money market financial services and certain government agencies.

Horizon was the largest of the eight bank and thrift institutions in La Porte County with a 54.99% market share, as of June 30, 2018. In July 2016, Horizon completed its acquisition of The LaPorte Savings Bank adding its market share and a net of four branches located in La Porte County. In Porter County, Horizon was the fifth largest of 12 institutions with a market share of 10.93%. As of June 30, 2018, Horizon held 1.70% of the market share in Lake County. Horizon entered Kosciusko County in June 2016 through its acquisition of Farmers State Bank. As of June 30, 2018, Horizon held a market share of 7.63% and was ranked fourth out of 10 institutions in Kosciusko County. Horizon entered the Indiana counties of Allen, DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble and Whitley in 2015 through its acquisition of Peoples FSB. As of June 30, 2018, Horizon was the second largest of the 11 bank and thrift institutions in DeKalb County with a market share of 21.96%, followed by market shares of 7.97% in Whitley County; 7.63% in Noble County; 5.33% in LaGrange County; and less than 1% in Allen County. Horizon’s market share in the counties of St. Joseph and Elkhart were less than 1% at June 30, 2018. At June 30, 2018, Horizon held a 10.49% market share in Fountain County, which it entered in late 2016 through the acquisition of Central National Bank and Trust. On September 1, 2017, Horizon acquired Lafayette Community Bank and entered Tippecanoe County. At June 30, 2018, Horizon ranked fifth out of 15 institutions in Tippecanoe County with a 11.06% market share. In 2012, Horizon entered Johnson County through its acquisition of Heartland Bank and ranked second of the 19 institutions with a market share of 12.24%, as of June 30, 2018. Horizon’s market share of deposits was less than 1% each in Hamilton and Marion Counties.

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Horizon was the fourth largest of the 10 bank and thrift institutions in Berrien County with an 8.88% market share, as of June 30, 2018. The branches acquired from Peoples FSB in Michigan are located in Cass, St. Joseph and Kalamazoo Counties where Horizon held market share of 6.18%, 4.62% and 1.36%, respectively, as of June 30, 2018. Horizon entered Ingham County through its acquisition of Summit Community Bank in 2014 and held 2.26% market share as of June 30, 2018. On October 17, 2017, Horizon acquired Wolverine Bank and entered Midland and Saginaw counties. At June 30, 2018, Horizon was the second largest of seven institutions in Midland County with a 6.32% market share. Horizon held less than 1% market share in Saginaw County and Kent County, Michigan at June 30, 2018. (Source: FDIC Summary of Deposits Market Share Reports, available at www.fdic.gov.)

Regulation and Supervision

General

As a bank holding company and a financial holding company, the Company is subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve Board” or “Federal Reserve”) as its primary federal regulator under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (“BHC Act”). The Company is required to file annual reports with the Federal Reserve and provide other information that the Federal Reserve may require. The Federal Reserve may also make examinations and inspections of the Company.

The Bank, as an Indiana-chartered bank, is subject to extensive regulation, supervision and examination by the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions (“DFI”) as its primary state regulator. Also, as to certain matters, the Bank is under the supervision of, and subject to examination by, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) because the FDIC provides deposit insurance to the Bank and is the Bank’s primary federal regulator.

The supervision, regulation and examination of Horizon and the Bank by the bank regulatory agencies are intended primarily for the protection of depositors rather than for the benefit of Horizon’s shareholders.

Horizon is also subject to the disclosure and regulatory requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as administered by the SEC. Horizon’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the trading symbol “HBNC,” and Horizon is subject to the NASDAQ rules applicable to listed companies.

Included below is a brief summary of significant aspects of the laws, regulations and policies applicable to Horizon and the Bank. This summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the statutes, regulations and policies that are referenced and is not intended to be an exhaustive description of the statutes, regulations and policies applicable to the business of Horizon and the Bank. Also, such statutes, regulations and policies are continually under review by Congress and state legislatures and by federal and state regulatory agencies. A change in statutes, regulations or regulatory policies applicable to Horizon and the Bank could have a material effect on Horizon’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Bank Holding Company Act

The BHC Act generally limits the business in which a bank holding company and its subsidiaries may engage to banking or managing or controlling banks and those activities that the Federal Reserve Board has determined to be so closely related to banking as to be a proper incident thereto. Those closely related activities currently can include such activities as consumer finance, mortgage banking and securities brokerage. Certain well-managed and well-capitalized bank holding companies may elect to be treated as a “financial holding company” and, as a result, will be permitted to engage in a broader range of activities that are financial in nature and in activities that are determined to be incidental or complementary to activities that are financial in nature. Horizon has both qualified as, and elected to be, a financial holding company. Activities that are considered financial in nature include securities underwriting and dealing, insurance underwriting and making merchant banking investments.

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To commence any new activity permitted by the BHC Act or to acquire a company engaged in any new activity permitted by the BHC Act, each insured depository institution subsidiary of the financial holding company must have received a rating of at least “satisfactory” in its most recent examination under the Community Reinvestment Act. The Federal Reserve Board has the power to order any bank holding company or its subsidiaries to terminate any activity or to terminate its ownership or control of any subsidiary when the Federal Reserve Board has reasonable grounds to believe that continuation of such activity or such ownership or control constitutes a serious risk to the financial soundness, safety or stability of any bank subsidiary of the bank holding company.

Federal Reserve Board policy has historically required bank holding companies to act as a source of financial and managerial strength for their subsidiary banks. The Dodd-Frank Act, which was signed into law on July 21, 2010, codified this policy. Under this requirement, Horizon is required to act as a source of financial strength to the Bank and to commit resources to support the Bank in circumstances in which Horizon might not otherwise do so. For this purpose, “source of financial strength” means Horizon’s ability to provide financial assistance to the Bank in the event of the Bank’s financial distress.

The BHC Act, the Bank Merger Act (which is the popular name for Section 18(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act) and other federal and state statutes regulate acquisitions of banks and bank holding companies. The BHC Act requires the prior approval of the Federal Reserve before a bank holding company may acquire more than a 5% voting interest or substantially all the assets of any bank or bank holding company. Banks must also seek prior approval from their primary state and federal regulators for any such acquisitions. In reviewing applications seeking approval for mergers and other acquisition transactions, the bank regulatory authorities will consider, among other things, the competitive effect and public benefits of the transactions, the capital position of the combined organization, the risks to the stability of the U.S. banking or financial system, the applicant’s performance record under the Community Reinvestment Act and the effectiveness of the subject organizations in combating money laundering activities.

Under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (“FDICIA”), a bank holding company is required to guarantee the compliance of any insured depository institution subsidiary that may become “undercapitalized” (as defined in FDICIA), with the terms of any capital restoration plan filed by such subsidiary with its appropriate federal bank regulatory agency.

Bank holding companies, such as Horizon, and their insured depository institutions, such as the Bank, are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by the federal and state regulators. The guidelines establish a systematic analytical framework that makes regulatory capital requirements more sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banking organizations. Risk-based capital ratios are determined by allocating assets and specified off-balance sheet commitments to four risk weighted categories, with higher levels of capital being required for the categories perceived as representing greater risk. For an additional discussion of the Company’s regulatory capital ratios and regulatory requirements as of December 31, 2018, please refer to the subsection titled “Capital Regulation” in this “Regulation and Supervision” section.

Branching and Acquisitions

Indiana law, the BHC Act and the Bank Merger Act restrict certain types of expansion by the Company and the Bank. The Company and the Bank may be required to apply for prior approval from (or give prior notice and an opportunity for review to) the Federal Reserve, the DFI and the FDIC, and or other regulatory agencies as a condition to the acquisition or establishment of new offices, or the acquisition by merger, purchase or otherwise of the stock, business or assets of other banks or companies.

Under current law, Indiana chartered banks may establish branches throughout the state and in other states, subject to certain limitations. Indiana law also authorizes an Indiana bank to establish one or more branches in states other than Indiana through interstate merger transactions and to establish one or more interstate branches through de novo branching or the acquisition of a branch. The Dodd-Frank Act permits the establishment of de novo branches in states where such branches could be opened by a state bank chartered by that state. The consent of the state in which the new branch will be opened is no longer required.

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Deposit Insurance and Assessments

The Bank’s deposits are insured to applicable limits by the Deposit Insurance Fund (“DIF”) of the FDIC. Generally, deposits are insured up to the statutory limit of $250,000. Banks are subject to deposit insurance premiums and assessments to maintain the DIF. The FDIC has authority to raise or lower assessment rates on insured banks in order to achieve statutorily required reserve ratios in the DIF and to impose special additional assessments.

The Dodd-Frank Act resulted in significant changes to the FDIC’s deposit insurance system. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the FDIC is authorized to set the reserve ratio for the DIF at no less than 1.35%, and must achieve the 1.35% designated reserve ratio by September 30, 2020. The FDIC must offset the effect of the increase in the minimum designated reserve ratio from 1.15% to 1.35% on insured depository institutions of less than $10 billion and may declare dividends to depository institutions when the reserve ratio at the end of a calendar quarter is at least 1.5%, although the FDIC has the authority to suspend or limit such permitted dividend declarations. The FDIC has set the long term goal for the designated reserve ratio of the deposit insurance fund at 2% of estimated insured deposits.

Also as a consequence of the Dodd-Frank Act, the assessment base for deposit insurance premiums was changed in 2011 from adjusted domestic deposits to average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity. Tangible equity for this purpose means Tier 1 capital. The initial base assessment rates ranged from 5-35 basis points. For small Risk Category I banks, such as Horizon Bank, the rates ranged from 5-9 basis points.

Adjustments are made to the initial assessment rates based on long-term unsecured debt, depository institution debt, and brokered deposits.

Effective as of June 30, 2016, the reserve ratio reached 1.15% and a new assessment rate schedule became effective July 1, 2016, with rates ranging from 3 to 30 basis points instead of 5 to 35 basis points. Assessment rates for all established smaller banks will be determined using financial measures and supervisory ratings derived from a statistical model estimating the probability of failure over three years. The new pricing system eliminates risk categories, but establishes minimum and maximum assessment rates for established small banks based on a bank’s CAMELS composite ratings (i.e., capital adequacy, asset quality, management, earnings, liquidity and sensitivity).

Horizon’s FDIC deposit insurance expense decreased $513,000 during 2017 compared to 2016 as a result of the new assessment rate schedule effective July 1, 2016. Horizon’s FDIC deposit insurance expense increased $398,000 during 2018 compared to 2017 primarily due to an increase in average consolidated total assets.

The FDIC may terminate the deposit insurance of any insured depository institution if the FDIC determines, after a hearing, that the institution has engaged or is engaging in unsafe or unsound practices, is in an unsafe and unsound condition to continue operations or has violated any applicable law, regulation, order or any condition imposed in writing by, or written agreement with, the FDIC. The FDIC may also suspend deposit insurance temporarily during the hearing process for a permanent termination of insurance if the institution has no tangible capital.

FDIC-insured institutions are also subject to the requirement to pay assessments to the FDIC to fund interest payments on bonds issued by the Financing Corporation (“FICO”), an agency of the Federal government established to recapitalize the insolvent Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, an early predecessor of the DIF. The FICO bonds were scheduled to be repaid between 2017 and 2019, and the last bond is now scheduled to be repaid in September 2019. For 2018, the Bank paid 0.46 basis points for each $100 of insured deposits for the first quarter, 0.44 basis points for the second quarter, and 0.32 basis points for the third and fourth quarters. The assessment rate was further reduced to 0.14 basis points for the first quarter of 2019. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which is the agency authorized by Congress to prescribe regulations relating to FICO, recently adopted a final rule effective January 7, 2019, that projects that the last FICO assessment on institutions like Horizon Bank will be collected on the March 29, 2019, FDIC Quarterly Certified Statement Invoice.

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Transactions with Affiliates and Insiders

Horizon and the Bank are subject to the Federal Reserve Act, which restricts financial transactions between banks, affiliated companies and their executive officers, including limits on credit transactions between these parties. The statute prescribes terms and conditions in order for bank affiliate transactions to be deemed to be consistent with safe and sound banking practices, and it also restricts the types of collateral security permitted in connection with a bank’s extension of credit to an affiliate. In general, extensions of credit (i) must be made on substantially the same terms, including interest rates and collateral, and subject to credit underwriting procedures that are at least as stringent as those prevailing at the time for comparable transactions with non-affiliates, and (ii) must not involve more than the normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features.

Capital Regulation

The federal bank regulatory authorities have adopted risk-based capital guidelines for banks and bank holding companies that are designed to make regulatory capital requirements more sensitive to differences in risk profiles among banks and bank holding companies and account for off-balance sheet items. Generally, to satisfy the capital requirements, the Company must maintain capital sufficient to meet both risk-based asset ratio tests and a leverage ratio test on a consolidated basis. Risk-based capital ratios are determined by allocating assets and specified off-balance sheet commitments into various risk-weighted categories, with higher weighting assigned to categories perceived as representing greater risk. A risk-based ratio represents the applicable measure of capital divided by total risk-weighted assets. The leverage ratio is a measure of the Company’s core capital divided by total assets adjusted as specified in the guidelines.

The capital guidelines divide a bank holding company’s or bank’s capital into two tiers. The first tier (“Tier I”) includes common equity, certain non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock and minority interests in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, less goodwill and certain other intangible assets (except mortgage servicing rights and purchased credit card relationships, subject to certain limitations). Supplementary capital (“Tier II”) includes, among other items, cumulative perpetual and long-term limited-life preferred stock, mandatory convertible securities, certain hybrid capital instruments, term subordinated debt and the allowance for loan and lease losses, subject to certain limitations, less required deductions. The regulations also require the maintenance of a leverage ratio designed to supplement the risk-based capital guidelines. This ratio is computed by dividing Tier I capital, net of all intangibles, by the quarterly average of total assets. Pursuant to the regulations, banks must maintain capital levels commensurate with the level of risk, including the volume and severity of problem loans to which they are exposed.

Effective January 1, 2015 (subject to certain phase-in provisions through January 1, 2019), the Company became subject to new federal banking rules implementing changes arising from Dodd-Frank and the U.S. Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, providing a capital framework for all U.S. banks and bank holding companies (“Basel III”). Basel III increased the minimum requirements for both the quantity and quality of capital held by Horizon and the Bank. The rules include a new common equity Tier 1 capital ratio of 4.5%, a minimum Tier 1 capital ratio of 6.0% (increased from 4.0%), a total capital ratio of 8.0% (unchanged from prior rules) and a minimum leverage ratio of 4.0%. The final rules also require a common equity Tier 1 capital conservation buffer of 2.5% of risk-weighted assets, which is in addition to the other minimum risk-based capital standards in the rule. Institutions that do not maintain the required capital conservation buffer will become subject to progressively more stringent limitations on the percentage of earnings that can be paid out in dividends or used for stock repurchases and on the payment of certain bonuses to senior executive management. The capital conservation buffer requirement was phased in over three years beginning in 2016 at 0.625% of risk-weighted assets and increased each year until fully implemented at 2.5% on January 1, 2019. The capital conservation buffer requirement effectively raises the minimum required common equity Tier 1 capital ratio to 7.0%, the Tier 1 capital ratio to 8.5% and the total capital ratio to 10.5% on a fully phased-in basis.

Basel III also introduced other changes, including an increase in the capital required for certain categories of assets, including higher-risk construction real estate loans and certain exposures related to securitizations. Banking organizations with less than $15 billion in assets as of December 31, 2010, such as Horizon, are permitted to retain non-qualifying Tier 1 capital trust preferred securities issued prior to May 19, 2010, subject generally to a limit of 25% of Tier 1 capital.

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In May 2018, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (the “Regulatory Relief Act”) was enacted, which could change the regulatory capital requirements applicable to Horizon. The Regulatory Relief Act was enacted to modify or remove certain financial reform rules and regulations, including some implemented under the Dodd-Frank Act. Of particular significance for financial institutions and their holding companies with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion, the Regulatory Relief Act directs the federal banking regulators to establish a single “Community Bank Leverage Ratio” of between 8% to 10% to replace the leverage and risk-based regulatory capital ratios. Any qualifying depository institution or its holding company that exceeds the “Community Bank Leverage Ratio” will be considered to have met generally applicable leverage and risk-based regulatory capital ratios, and any qualifying depository institution that exceeds the new ratio will be considered to be “well-capitalized” under the prompt correction action rules.

Horizon’s management believes that, as of December 31, 2018, Horizon and the Bank met all capital adequacy requirements under the Basel III capital rules currently in effect.

The following is a summary of Horizon’s and the Bank’s regulatory capital and capital requirements at December 31, 2018.

The Dodd-Frank Act also requires the Federal Reserve to set minimum capital levels for bank holding companies that are as stringent as those required for insured depository subsidiaries, except that bank holding companies with less than $1 billion in assets are exempt from these capital requirements.

Dividends

Horizon is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank. The primary source of Horizon’s cash flow, including cash flow to pay dividends on its common stock, is the payment of dividends to Horizon by the Bank. Under Indiana law, the Bank may pay dividends of so much of its undivided profits (generally, earnings less losses, bad debts, taxes and other operating expenses) as is considered appropriate by the Bank’s Board of Directors. However, the Bank must obtain the approval of the DFI for the payment of a dividend if the total of all dividends declared by the Bank during the current year, including the proposed dividend, would exceed the sum of retained net income for the year to date plus its retained net income for the previous two years. For this purpose, “retained net income” means net income as calculated for call report purposes, less all dividends declared for the applicable period. The Bank is generally exempt from this DFI pre-approval process for dividends if (i) the Bank has been assigned a composite uniform financial institutions rating of 1 or 2 as a result of the most recent federal or state examination; (ii) the proposed dividend will not result in a Tier 1 leverage ratio below 7.5%; and (iii) the Bank is not subject to any corrective action, supervisory order, supervisory agreement or board approved operating agreement.

The FDIC has the authority to prohibit the Bank from paying dividends if, in its opinion, the payment of dividends would constitute an unsafe or unsound practice in light of the financial condition of the Bank.

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In addition, under Federal Reserve supervisory policy, a bank holding company generally should not maintain its existing rate of cash dividends on common shares unless (i) the organization’s net income available to common shareholders over the past year has been sufficient to fully fund the dividends and (ii) the prospective rate of earnings retention appears consistent with the organization’s capital needs, assets, quality and overall financial condition. The Federal Reserve issued a letter dated February 24, 2009, to bank holding companies informing them that it expects bank holding companies to consult with it in advance of declaring dividends that could raise safety and soundness concerns (i.e., such as when the dividend is not supported by earnings or involves a material increase in the dividend rate) and in advance of repurchasing shares of common stock or preferred stock. Although the effect of this letter was revised in December 2015 to become inapplicable to certain large U.S. bank holding companies (generally, those with at least $50 billion in average total consolidated assets), the guidance remains effective for bank holding companies like Horizon.

Prompt Corrective Regulatory Action

Under FDICIA, federal banking regulatory authorities are required to take regulatory enforcement actions known as “prompt corrective action” with respect to depository institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. The extent of the regulators’ powers depends on whether the institution in question is categorized as “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized,” “undercapitalized,” “significantly undercapitalized,” or “critically undercapitalized,” as defined by regulation. Depending upon the capital category to which an institution is assigned, the regulators’ corrective powers include: (i) requiring the submission of a capital restoration plan; (ii) placing limits on asset growth and restrictions on activities; (iii) requiring the institution to issue additional capital stock (including additional voting stock) or to be acquired; (iv) restricting transactions with affiliates; (v) restricting the interest rate the institution may pay on deposits; (vi) ordering a new election of directors of the institution; (vii) requiring that senior executive officers or directors be dismissed; (viii) prohibiting the institution from accepting deposits from correspondent banks; (ix) requiring the institution to divest certain subsidiaries; (x) prohibiting the payment of principal or interest on subordinated debt; and (xi) ultimately, for critically undercapitalized institutions, appointing a receiver for the institution.

New prompt corrective action requirements that became effective January 1, 2015, increased the capital level requirements necessary to qualify as “well capitalized.” At December 31, 2018, the Bank was categorized as “well capitalized,” meaning that the Bank’s total risk-based capital ratio exceeded 10%, the Bank’s Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio exceeded 8%, the Bank’s common equity Tier 1 risk-based capital ratio exceeded 6.5%, the Bank’s leverage ratio exceeded 5%, and the Bank was not subject to a regulatory order, agreement or directive to meet and maintain a specific capital level for any capital measure.

Banking regulators may change these capital requirements from time to time, depending on the economic outlook generally and the outlook for the banking industry. For instance, when established, the new Community Bank Leverage Ratio prescribed by the Regulatory Relief Act will set the standard for a “well-capitalized” institution for purposes of “prompt corrective action.” The Company is unable to predict whether and when any such further capital requirements would be imposed and, if so, to what levels and on what schedule.

Anti-Money Laundering – The USA Patriot Act and the Bank Secrecy Act

Horizon is subject to the provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, which contains anti-money laundering and financial transparency laws and requires financial institutions to implement additional policies and procedures to address money laundering, suspicious activities and currency transaction reporting, and currency crimes. The regulations promulgated under the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 require financial institutions such as the Bank to adopt controls to detect, prevent and report money laundering and terrorist financing and to verify the identities of their customers.

The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, which was amended to incorporate certain provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, also focuses on combating money laundering and terrorist financing and requires financial institutions to develop policies, procedures and practices to prevent, detect and deter these activities, including customer identification programs and procedures for filing suspicious activity reports. Banks had until May 2018 at the latest to update their policies with respect to new customer due diligence regulations adopted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the Bank Secrecy Act. During 2018, Horizon Bank implemented the Fifth Pillar of the Bank Secrecy Act (“BSA”) which focuses on identifying beneficial ownership. The BSA officer and BSA analysts incorporated these enhanced due diligence requirements into the Bank’s policies, procedures and training programs in 2018.

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Failure to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, or to comply with all of the relevant laws or regulations relating thereto, could have serious legal and reputational consequences for Horizon and the Bank.

Federal Securities Law and NASDAQ

The shares of common stock of Horizon have been registered with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act (the “1934 Act”). Horizon is subject to the information, proxy solicitation, insider trading restrictions and other requirements of the 1934 Act and the rules of the SEC promulgated thereunder.

Shares of common stock held by persons who are affiliates of Horizon may not be resold without registration unless sold in accordance with the resale restrictions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933. If Horizon meets the current public information requirements under Rule 144, each affiliate of Horizon who complies with the other conditions of Rule 144 (including those that require the affiliate’s sale to be aggregated with those of certain other persons) would be able to sell in the public market, without registration, a number of shares not to exceed, in any three-month period, the greater of (i) 1% of the outstanding shares of Horizon or (ii) the average weekly volume of trading in such shares during the preceding four calendar weeks.

Under the Dodd-Frank Act, Horizon is required to provide its shareholders an opportunity to vote on the executive compensation payable to its named executive officers and on golden parachute payments in connection with mergers and acquisitions. These votes are non-binding and advisory. At least once every six years, Horizon must also permit shareholders to determine, on an advisory basis, whether such votes on executive compensation (called “say on pay” votes) should be held every one, two, or three years. In both 2012 and 2018, Horizon’s shareholders voted in favor of presenting the executive compensation “say on pay” question every year.

Shares of common stock of Horizon are listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the trading symbol “HBNC,” and Horizon is subject to the rules of NASDAQ for listed companies.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Horizon is subject to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), which revised the laws affecting corporate governance, accounting obligations and corporate reporting. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act applies to all companies with equity or debt securities registered under the 1934 Act. In particular, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act established: (i) new requirements for audit committees, including independence, expertise and responsibilities; (ii) additional responsibilities regarding financial statements for the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the reporting company; (iii) new standards for auditors and regulation of audits; (iv) increased disclosure and reporting obligations for the reporting company and its directors and executive officers; and (v) new and increased civil and criminal penalties for violation of the securities laws.

Pursuant to the final rules adopted by the SEC to implement Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Horizon is required to include in each Form 10-K it files a report of management on Horizon’s internal control over financial reporting. The internal control report must include a statement of management’s responsibility for establishing and maintaining adequate control over financial reporting of Horizon, identify the framework used by management to evaluate the effectiveness of Horizon’s internal control over financial reporting and provide management’s assessment of the effectiveness of Horizon’s internal control over financial reporting. This Annual Report on Form 10-K also includes an attestation report issued by Horizon’s registered public accounting firm on Horizon’s internal control over financial reporting.

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Financial System Reform – The Dodd-Frank Act, the CFPB and the 2018 Regulatory Relief Act

The Dodd-Frank Act, which was signed into law in 2010, significantly changed the regulation of financial institutions and the financial services industry. The Dodd-Frank Act includes provisions affecting large and small financial institutions alike, including several provisions that have profoundly affected how community banks, thrifts, and small bank and thrift holding companies are regulated. Among other things, these provisions eliminated the Office of Thrift Supervision and transferred its functions to the other federal banking agencies, relaxed rules regarding interstate branching, allowed financial institutions to pay interest on business checking accounts, changed the scope of federal deposit insurance coverage and imposed new capital requirements on bank and thrift holding companies.

The Dodd-Frank Act created the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) as an independent bureau within the Federal Reserve System with broad rulemaking, supervisory and enforcement powers under various federal consumer financial protection laws, including the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Consumer Financial Privacy provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and certain other statutes. In July 2011, many of the consumer financial protection functions formerly assigned to the federal banking and other designated agencies were transferred to the CFBP. The CFBP has a large budget and staff, and has the authority to implement regulations under federal consumer protection laws and enforce those laws against financial institutions. The CFPB has examination and primary enforcement authority over depository institutions with $10 billion or more in assets. Smaller institutions are subject to rules promulgated by the CFPB but continue to be examined and supervised by the federal banking regulators for consumer compliance purposes. The CFPB also has authority to prevent unfair, deceptive or abusive practices in connection with offering consumer financial products. Additionally, the CFPB is authorized to collect fines and provide consumer restitution in the event of violations, engage in consumer financial education, track consumer complaints, request data, and promote the availability of financial services to underserved consumers and communities.

The CFPB has indicated that mortgage lending is an area of supervisory focus and that it will concentrate its examination and rulemaking efforts on the variety of mortgage-related topics required under the Dodd-Frank Act, including minimum standards for the origination of residential mortgages. The CFPB has published several final regulations impacting the mortgage industry, including rules related to ability-to-repay, mortgage servicing, escrow accounts, and mortgage loan originator compensation. The ability-to-repay rule makes lenders liable if they fail to assess a borrower’s ability to repay under a prescribed test, but also creates a safe harbor for so called “qualified mortgages.” Failure to comply with the ability-to-repay rule may result in possible CFPB enforcement action and special statutory damages plus actual, class action, and attorneys’ fees damages, all of which a borrower may claim in defense of a foreclosure action at any time.

The CFPB also amended Regulation C to implement amendments to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act made by the Dodd-Frank Act. The amendment added a significant number of new information collecting and reporting requirements for financial institutions, most of which became effective as of January 1, 2018.

The Dodd-Frank Act contains numerous other provisions affecting financial institutions of all types, many of which may have an impact on the operating environment of Horizon in substantial and unpredictable ways. Horizon has incurred higher operating costs in complying with the Dodd-Frank Act, and expects these higher costs to continue for the foreseeable future.

In May 2018, the Regulatory Relief Act was enacted to modify or remove certain financial reform rules and regulations, including some of those implemented under the Dodd-Frank Act. While the Regulatory Relief Act maintains most of the regulatory structure established by the Dodd-Frank Act, it amends certain aspects of the regulatory framework for small depository institutions with assets of less than $10 billion and for large banks with assets of more than $50 billion. Many of these changes could result in meaningful regulatory relief for community banks such as Horizon Bank.

The Regulatory Relief Act, among other matters, expands the definition of qualified mortgages which may be held by a financial institution and simplifies the regulatory capital rules for financial institutions and their holding companies with total consolidated assets of less than $10 billion by instructing the federal banking regulators to establish a single “Community Bank Leverage Ratio” of between 8% and 10% to replace the leverage and risk-based regulatory capital ratios. The federal banking agencies may consider a financial institution’s risk profile when evaluating whether it qualifies as a community bank for purposes of the new ration. In addition, the Regulatory Relief Act includes regulatory relief for community banks regarding regulatory examination cycles, call reports, the Volcker Rule (proprietary trading prohibitions), mortgage disclosures and risk weights for certain high-risk commercial real estate loans.

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It is difficult at this time to predict when or how any new standards under the Regulatory Relief Act will ultimately be applied to us or what specific impact the yet-to-be-written implementing rules and regulations will have on community banks.

Horizon’s management will continue to review the status of the rules and regulations adopted pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act and the Regulatory Relief Act, and to assess their probable impact on the business, financial condition and results of operations of Horizon.

Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) System

The Bank is a member of the FHLB of Indianapolis, which is one of twelve regional FHLBs. Each FHLB serves as a reserve or central bank for its members within its assigned region. The FHLB is funded primarily from funds deposited by banks and savings associations and proceeds derived from the sale of consolidated obligations of the FHLB system. It makes loans to members (i.e., advances) in accordance with policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors of the FHLB. All FHLB advances must be fully secured by sufficient collateral as determined by the FHLB. The Federal Housing Finance Board (“FHFB”), an independent agency, controls the FHLB System, including the FHLB of Indianapolis.

The FHLB imposes various limitations on advances such as limiting the amount of certain types of real estate related collateral to 30% of a member’s capital and limiting total advances to a member. Interest rates charged for advances vary depending upon maturity, the cost of funds to the FHLB of Indianapolis and the purpose of the borrowing.

The FHLBs are required to provide funds for the resolution of troubled savings associations and to contribute to affordable housing programs through direct loans or interest subsidies on advances targeted for community investment and low and moderate income housing projects.

As a member of the FHLB, the Bank is required to purchase and maintain stock in the FHLB of Indianapolis in an amount equal to at least 1% of its aggregate unpaid residential mortgage loans, home purchase contracts, or similar obligations at the beginning of each year. At December 31, 2018, the Bank’s investment in stock of the FHLB of Indianapolis was $18.1 million. For the year ended December 31, 2018, dividends paid by the FHLB of Indianapolis to the Bank on the FHLB stock totaled approximately $875,000, for an annualized rate paid in dividends of 4.9%.

Limitations on Rates Paid for Deposits; Restrictions on Brokered Deposits

FDIC regulations restrict the interest rates that less than well-capitalized insured depository institutions may pay on deposits and also restrict the ability of such institutions to accept brokered deposits. These regulations permit a “well capitalized” depository institution to accept, renew or roll over brokered deposits without restriction, and an “adequately capitalized” depository institution to accept, renew or roll over brokered deposits with a waiver from the FDIC (subject to certain restrictions on payments of rates). The regulations prohibit an “undercapitalized” depository institution from accepting, renewing or rolling over brokered deposits. These regulations contemplate that the definitions of “well capitalized,” “adequately capitalized” and “undercapitalized” will be the same as the definitions adopted by the agencies to implement the prompt corrective action provisions of FDICIA. The Bank is a well-capitalized institution, and management does not believe that these regulations have a materially adverse effect on the Bank’s current operations.

Community Reinvestment Act

Under the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”), the Bank has a continuing and affirmative obligation consistent with its safe and sound operation to help meet the credit needs of its entire community, including low and moderate income neighborhoods. The CRA does not establish specific lending requirements or programs for financial institutions nor does it limit an institution’s discretion to develop the types of products and services that it believes are best suited to its particular

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community, consistent with the CRA. The CRA requires the FDIC in connection with its examination of the Bank, to assess its record of meeting the credit needs of its community and to take that record into account in its evaluation of certain applications by the Bank. For example, the regulations specify that a bank’s CRA performance will be considered in its expansion proposals (e.g., branching and acquisitions of other financial institutions) and may be the basis for approving, denying or conditioning the approval of an application. As of the date of its most recent regulatory examination, the Bank was rated “satisfactory” with respect to its CRA compliance.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, Financial Privacy

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act adopted in 1999 (“Gramm-Leach”) was intended to modernize the banking industry by removing barriers to affiliation among banks, insurance companies, the securities industry and other financial service providers. Gramm-Leach was responsible for establishing a distinct type of bank holding company, known as a financial holding company, which is allowed to engage in an expanded range of financial services, including banking, securities underwriting, insurance (both agency and underwriting) and merchant banking. As previously discussed, Horizon has qualified as, and elected to become, a financial holding company under the Gramm-Leach amendments to the BHC Act.

Under Gramm-Leach, federal banking regulators adopted rules limiting the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose non-public information about consumers to non-affiliated third parties. The rules require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to non-affiliated third parties. The privacy provisions of Gramm-Leach affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial services companies and conveyed to outside vendors.

As a financial institution, the Bank handles a significant amount of sensitive data, including personal information. The Company does not disclose any non-public information about any current or former customers to anyone except as permitted by law and subject to contractual confidentiality provisions which restrict the release and use of such information.

We are also subject to guidance from the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (“FFIEC”), an interagency body for five federal banking regulators, with respect to such matters as data privacy, disaster recovery and cybersecurity.

Horizon continues to monitor existing and new privacy and data security laws for their impact on Horizon’s business operations, including the applicability of laws such as the European Union’s comprehensive 2018 General Data Privacy Regulation to Horizon and its customers.

Interchange Fees for Debit Cards

Under the Dodd-Frank Act, interchange fees for bank card transactions must be reasonable and proportional to the issuer’s incremental cost incurred with respect to the transaction plus certain fraud related costs. Interchange fees are transaction fees between banks for each bank card transaction, designed to reimburse the card-issuing bank for the costs of handling and credit risk inherent in a bank credit or debit card transaction. Although institutions with total assets of less than $10 billion, like the Bank, are exempt from this requirement, competitive pressures are likely to require smaller depository institutions to reduce fees with respect to these bank card transactions.

Other Regulation

In addition to the matters discussed above, the Bank is subject to additional regulation of its activities, including a variety of consumer protection regulations affecting its lending, deposit and debt collection activities and regulations affecting secondary mortgage market activities. Both federal and state law extensively regulate various aspects of the banking business, such as reserve requirements, truth-in-lending and truth-in-savings disclosures, equal credit opportunity, fair credit reporting, trading in securities and other aspects of banking operations.

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Effect of Governmental Monetary Policies

The Bank’s earnings are affected by domestic economic conditions and the monetary and fiscal policies of the United States government and its agencies. The Federal Reserve’s monetary policies have had, and are likely to continue to have, an important impact on the operating results of commercial banks through its power to implement national monetary policy in order, among other things, to curb inflation or combat a recession. The monetary policies of the Federal Reserve have major effects upon the levels of bank loans, investments and deposits through its open market operations in United States government securities and through its regulation of the discount rate on borrowings of member banks and the reserve requirements against member bank deposits. It is not possible to predict the nature or impact of future changes in monetary and fiscal policies.

Legislative Initiatives

Additional legislative and administrative actions affecting the banking industry may be considered by the United States Congress, state legislatures and various regulatory agencies, including those referred to above such as the 2018 Regulatory Relief Act. Horizon cannot predict with certainty whether such legislative or administrative action will be enacted or the extent to which the banking industry in general or Horizon and its affiliates in particular will be affected.

BANK HOLDING COMPANY STATISTICAL DISCLOSURES

Information required by this section of Securities Act Industry Guide 3 is presented in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” as set forth in Item 7 below, herein incorporated by reference.

A. The following is a schedule of the amortized cost and fair value of investment securities available for sale and held to maturity.

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The weighted-average interest rates are based on coupon rates for securities purchased at par value and on effective interest rates considering amortization or accretion if the securities were purchased at a premium or discount. Yields are not presented on a tax-equivalent basis.

Excluding those holdings of the investment portfolio in Treasury securities and other agencies and corporations of the U.S. Government, there were no investments in securities of any one issuer that exceeded 10% of the consolidated stockholders’ equity of Horizon at December 31, 2018.

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The following is a schedule of fixed-rate and variable-rate commercial, financial, agricultural and commercial tax-exempt loans due after one year. (Variable-rate loans are those loans with floating or adjustable interest rates.)

Non-accrual, Past Due and Restructured Loans—The following schedule summarizes non-accrual, past due and restructured loans.

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Discussion of Non-Accrual Policy

Impaired and non-accrual loans for which the discounted cash flows or collateral value exceeded the carrying value of the loan totaled $15.2 million and $16.4 million at December 31, 2018 and 2017. The allowance for impaired and non-accrual loans included in the Bank’s allowance for loan losses totaled $1.0 million and $184,000 at those respective dates. The average balance of impaired loans during 2018 and 2017 was $7.4 million and $3.8 million.

None.

As of December 31, 2018, there are no significant concentrations of loans exceeding 10% of total loans. See Item III A above for a listing of the types of loans by concentration.

There are no other interest-bearing assets as of December 31, 2018, which would be required to be disclosed under Item III C.1 or 2 if such assets were loans.

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In 1999, Horizon began a mortgage warehousing program. This program is described in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 below and in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 below, which are incorporated herein by reference. The greatest risk related to these loans is transaction and fraud risk. During 2018, Horizon processed approximately $2.359 billion in mortgage warehouse loans.

Information required by this section is found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 below and in the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes in Item 8 below, which are incorporated herein by reference.

Information required by this section is found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Item 7 below and in the Consolidated Financial Statements and related Notes in Item 8 below, which are incorporated herein by reference.

The following is a schedule of statistical information relative to securities sold under agreements to repurchase which are secured by Treasury and U.S. Government agency securities and mature within one year. There were no other categories of short-term borrowings for which the average balance outstanding during the period was 30% or more of stockholders’ equity at the end of the period.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

An investment in Horizon’s securities is subject to risks inherent to our business. The material risks and uncertainties that management believes currently affect Horizon are described below. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider these risks as well as information we include or incorporate by reference in this report and other filings we make with the SEC. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may affect our business operations.

If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes or any of these assumptions proves incorrect, our results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements in this report are current only as of the date on which the statements were made. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which any statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Risks Related to Our Business

As a financial institution, we are subject to a number of risks relating to our daily business. Although we undertake a variety of efforts to manage and control those risks, many of the risks are outside of our control. Among the risks we face are the following:

The current economic environment poses challenges that could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

For many years, we operated in a challenging and uncertain economic environment due to the volatility and disruption caused by the major recession that began in 2008. The housing market was significantly impacted, several major banks collapsed, and the U.S. economy continued to shrink through the third quarter of 2009, representing the longest downturn since the Great Depression. Now, a decade later, the U.S. economy has been recovering slowly and unevenly. The labor market has seen significant recovery and employment levels are returning to pre-2008 recession levels, but many challenges face the economy going forward, such as elevated pension and medical costs, government budget deficits, and looming escalation of trade conflicts with China and others. In addition, economic growth going forward from 2018 into 2019 has been impacted by the partial government shutdown from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019, causing business disruptions from understaffed federal agencies, and loss of income and employment for federal contractors, as well as temporary loss of income for over 800,000 federal employees. In addition, even though the Federal Reserve has indicated that after four interest rate hikes in 2018, it will slow down on raising rates, both the current higher interest rates and the fading impact of the 2017 tax cuts could affect the strength of the economy for 2019. Global and national economic changes will ultimately have local economic impact, and can impact us directly and indirectly. Financial institutions, such as the Bank, retain direct exposure to the residential and commercial real estate markets, and local declines in real estate values, home sales volumes, and loss of confidence in the U.S. economy or loss of employment by borrowers, could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In general, any loss confidence in the U.S. or local economy could cause financial stress on borrowers and their customers, driving losses beyond that which is provided in our allowance for loan losses and potentially resulting in the following additional consequences: increases in loan delinquencies, problem assets and foreclosures; declining demand for our products and services; decreased deposits, which would negatively impact our liquidity position; and declining asset and collateral values associated with our existing loans, reducing a customer’s borrowing power and our security for the loans.

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We face intense competition in all phases of our business from other banks, financial institutions and non-banks.

The banking and financial services business in most of our markets is highly competitive. Our competitors include large regional banks, local community banks, savings and loan associations, securities and brokerage companies, mortgage companies, insurance companies, finance companies, money market mutual funds, credit unions and other non-bank financial and digital service providers, many of which have greater financial, marketing and technological resources than us. Many of these competitors are not subject to the same regulatory restrictions that we are and may be able to compete more effectively as a result.

Also, technology and other changes have lowered barriers to entry and made it possible for customers to complete financial transactions using non-banks that historically have involved banks at one or both ends of the transaction. Non-banks now offer products and services traditionally provided by banks. The wide acceptance of Internet-based commerce has resulted in a number of alternative payment processing systems and lending platforms in which banks play only minor roles. For example, consumers can maintain funds that would have historically been held as bank deposits in brokerage accounts or mutual funds. Consumers can also complete transactions such as paying bills and/or transferring funds directly without the assistance of banks. Use of emerging alternative payment platforms, such as Apple Pay or Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, can alter consumer credit card behavior and consequently impact our interchange fee income.

The process of eliminating banks as intermediaries, known as “disintermediation,” could result in the loss of fee income, as well as the loss of customer deposits and the related income generated from those deposits. The effects of disintermediation can also impact the lending business because of the fast growing body of financial technology companies that use software to deliver mortgage lending and other financial services. A related risk is the migration of bank personnel away from the traditional bank environments into financial technology companies and other non-banks.

Increased competition in our market may result in a decrease in the amounts of our loans and deposits, reduced spreads between loan rates and deposit rates or loan terms that are more favorable to the borrower. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on our ability to maintain our earnings record, grow our loan portfolios and obtain low-cost funds. If increased competition causes us to significantly discount the interest rates we offer on loans or increase the amount we pay on deposits, our net interest income could be adversely impacted. If increased competition causes us to relax our underwriting standards, we could be exposed to higher losses from lending activities. Additionally, many of our competitors are larger in total assets and capitalization, have greater access to capital markets and offer a broader range of financial services than we can offer.

Annually, the number of banks and the number of bank branches continues to decrease, which decreases the opportunities to expand through acquisitions. Horizon is also experiencing an increase in competition to acquire other banks, due to the overall strength of financial institutions and their high capital levels. In addition, credit unions are now actively pursuing small bank acquisitions within our markets. Increased competition for bank acquisitions may slow Horizon’s ability to grow earning assets at comparable historical growth rates.

Our commercial and consumer loans expose us to increased credit risks.

We have a large percentage of commercial and consumer loans. Commercial loans generally have greater credit risk than residential mortgage loans because repayment of these loans often depends on the successful business operations of the borrowers. These loans also typically have much larger loan balances than residential mortgage loans. Consumer loans generally involve greater risk than residential mortgage loans because they are unsecured or secured by assets that depreciate in value. Although we undertake a variety of underwriting, monitoring and reserving protections with respect to these types of loans, there can be no guarantee that we will not suffer unexpected losses.

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Our holdings of construction, land and home equity loans may pose more credit risk than other types of mortgage loans.

Construction loans, loans secured by commercial real estate and home equity loans generally entail more risk than other types of mortgage loans. When real estate values decrease, the developers to whom we lend are likely to experience a decline in sales of new homes from their projects. Land and construction loans are more likely to become non-performing as developers are unable to build and sell homes in volumes large enough for orderly repayment of loans and as other owners of such real estate (including homeowners) are unable to keep up with their payments. We strive to establish what we believe are adequate reserves on our financial statements to cover the credit risk of these loan portfolios. However, there can be no assurance that losses will not exceed our reserves, and ultimately result in a material level of charge-offs, which could adversely impact our results of operations, liquidity and capital.

The allowance for loan losses may prove inadequate or be negatively affected by credit risk exposures.

Our business depends on the creditworthiness of our customers. We periodically review the allowance for loan and lease losses for adequacy considering economic conditions and trends, collateral values, and credit quality indicators, including past charge-off experience and levels of past due loans and non-performing assets. There is no certainty that the allowance for loan losses will be adequate over time to cover credit losses in the portfolio because of unanticipated adverse changes in the economy, market conditions or events adversely affecting specific customers, industries or markets. If the credit quality of the customer base materially decreases, if the risk profile of a market, industry or group of customers changes materially, or if the allowance for loan losses is not adequate, our business, financial condition, liquidity, capital, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Changes in market interest rates could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our financial condition and results of operations are significantly affected by changes in market interest rates. We can neither predict with certainty nor control changes in interest rates. These changes can occur at any time and are affected by many factors, including international, national, regional and local economic conditions, competitive pressures and monetary policies of the Federal Reserve.

Our results of operations depend substantially on our net interest income, which is the difference between the interest income that we earn on our interest-earning assets and the interest expense that we pay on our interest-bearing liabilities. Our profitability depends on our ability to manage our assets and liabilities during periods of changing market interest rates. If rates increase rapidly as a result of an improving economy, we may have to increase the rates paid on our deposits and borrowed funds more quickly than loans and investments re-price, resulting in a negative impact on interest spreads and net interest income. The impact of rising rates could be compounded if deposit customers flow funds away from us into direct investments, such as U.S. Government bonds, corporate securities and other investment vehicles, including mutual funds, which, because of the absence of federal insurance premiums and reserve requirements, generally pay higher rates of return than those offered by financial institutions such as ours. These consequences and consumer reactions may be more likely to occur during a future rise in interest rates as a result of, and in reaction to, the historically low interest rates that persisted for an extended period of time from 2008 until the rates started to rise again slowly in late 2015. In other words, historical consumer behavior may not be a reliable predictor of future consumer behavior in a period of rising interest rates (such as 2018, with four interest rate increases), resulting in a larger outflow of deposits or a higher level of loan prepayments than we would expect. In either case, our deposit costs may increase and our loan interest income may decline, either or both of which may have an adverse effect on our financial results.

Changes in interest rates also could affect loan volume. For instance, an increase in interest rates could cause a decrease in the demand for mortgage loans (and other loans), which could result in a significant decline in our revenue stream.

Conversely, should market interest rates fall below current levels, our net interest margin could also be negatively affected, as competitive pressures could keep us from further reducing rates on our deposits, and prepayments and curtailments on assets may continue. Such movements may cause a decrease in our interest rate spread and net interest margin, and therefore, decrease our profitability.

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We also are subject to reinvestment risk associated with changes in interest rates. Changes in interest rates may affect the average life of loans and mortgage-related securities. Increases in interest rates may decrease loan demand and/or may make it more difficult for borrowers to repay adjustable rate loans. Decreases in interest rates often result in increased prepayments of loans and mortgage-related securities, as borrowers refinance their loans to reduce borrowing costs. Under these circumstances, we are subject to reinvestment risk to the extent that we are unable to reinvest the cash received from such prepayments in loans or other investments that have interest rates that are comparable to the interest rates on existing loans and securities.

An economic slowdown in our primary market areas could affect our business.

Our primary market area for deposits and loans consists of Northern and Central Indiana and the Southern, Central and Great Lakes Bay regions of Michigan. An economic slowdown could hurt our business and the possible consequences of such a downturn could include the following:

The loss of key members of our senior management team and our lending teams could affect our ability to operate effectively.

We depend heavily on the services of our existing senior management team, particularly our CEO Craig M. Dwight, to carry out our business and investment strategies. As we continue to grow and expand our business and our locations, products and services, we will increasingly need to rely on Mr. Dwight’s experience, judgment and expertise as well as that of the other members of our senior management team. We also depend heavily on our experienced and effective lending teams and their respective special market insights, including, for example, our agricultural lending specialists. In addition to the importance of retaining our lending team, we will also need to continue to attract and retain qualified banking personnel at all levels. Competition for such personnel is intense in our geographic market areas. If we are unable to attract and retain an effective lending team and other talented people, our business could suffer. The loss of the services of any senior management personnel, particularly Mr. Dwight, or the inability to recruit and retain qualified lending and other personnel in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition and prospects.

Potential acquisitions may disrupt our business and dilute stockholder value.

We periodically evaluate merger and acquisition opportunities and conduct due diligence activities related to possible transactions with other financial institutions and financial services companies. We generally seek merger or acquisition partners that are culturally similar and possess either significant market presence or have potential for improved profitability through financial management, economies of scale or expanded services. Acquiring other banks, businesses, or branches involves various risks commonly associated with acquisitions, including, among other things:

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As a result, merger or acquisition discussions and, in some cases, negotiations may take place and future mergers or acquisitions involving the payment of cash or the issuance of our debt or equity securities may occur at any time. Acquisitions typically involve the payment of a premium over book and market values, and, therefore, some dilution of our tangible book value and net income per common share may occur in connection with any future transaction. To the extent we were to issue additional common shares in any such transaction, our current shareholders would be diluted and such an issuance may have the effect of decreasing our stock price, perhaps significantly. Furthermore, failure to realize the expected revenue increases, cost savings, increases in geographic or product presence, and/or other projected benefits from an acquisition could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, merger and acquisition costs incurred by Horizon may temporarily increase operating expenses.

We may need to raise additional capital in the future, and such capital may not be available when needed or at all.

We may need to raise additional capital in the future to fund acquisitions and to provide us with sufficient capital resources and liquidity to meet our commitments, regulatory capital requirements and business needs, particularly if our asset quality or earnings were to deteriorate significantly. Although we are currently, and have historically been, “well capitalized” for regulatory purposes, in the past we have been required to maintain increased levels of capital in connection with certain acquisitions. Additionally, we periodically explore acquisition opportunities with other financial institutions, some of which are in distressed financial condition. Any future acquisition, particularly the acquisition of a significantly troubled institution or an institution of comparable size to us, may require us to raise additional capital in order to obtain regulatory approval and/or to remain well capitalized.

Our ability to raise additional capital, if needed, will depend on, among other things, conditions in the capital markets at that time, which are outside of our control, and our financial performance. Economic conditions and the loss of confidence in financial institutions may increase our cost of funding and limit access to certain customary sources of capital, including inter-bank borrowings, repurchase agreements and borrowings from the discount window of the Federal Reserve.

We cannot guarantee that such capital will be available on acceptable terms or at all. Any occurrence that may limit our access to the capital markets, such as a decline in the confidence of debt purchasers, our depositors or counterparties participating in the capital markets, may adversely affect our capital costs and our ability to raise capital and, in turn, our liquidity. Moreover, if we need to raise capital in the future, we may have to do so when many other financial institutions are also seeking to raise capital and would have to compete with those institutions for investors. An inability to raise additional capital on acceptable terms when needed could have a materially adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and may restrict our ability to grow.

The preparation of our financial statements requires the use of estimates that may vary from actual results.

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make significant estimates that affect the financial statements. One of our most critical estimates is the level of the allowance for loan losses. Due to the inherent nature of these estimates, we cannot provide absolute assurance that we will not have to increase the allowance for loan losses and/or sustain loan losses that are significantly higher than the provided allowance.

Our mortgage warehouse and indirect lending operations are subject to a higher fraud risk than our other lending operations.

We buy loans originated by mortgage bankers and automobile dealers. Because we must rely on the mortgage bankers and automobile dealers in making and documenting these loans, there is an increased risk of fraud to us on the part of the third-party originators and the underlying borrowers. In order to guard against this increased risk, we perform investigations on the mortgage companies with whom we do business, and we review the loan files and loan documents we purchase to attempt to detect any irregularities or legal noncompliance. However, there is no guarantee that our procedures will detect all cases of fraud or legal noncompliance.

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Our mortgage lending profitability could be significantly reduced if we are not able to resell mortgages at a reasonable gain on sale or experience other problems with the secondary market process or we are unable to retain our mortgage loan sales force due to regulatory changes.

Currently, we sell a substantial portion of the mortgage loans we originate. The profitability of our mortgage banking operations depends in large part upon our ability to aggregate a high volume of loans and to sell them in the secondary market at a gain. Thus, we are dependent upon the existence of an active secondary market and our ability to profitably sell loans into that market.

Our ability to sell mortgage loans readily is dependent upon the availability of an active secondary market for single-family mortgage loans, which in turn depends in part upon the continuation of programs currently offered by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Ginnie Mae (the “Agencies”) and other institutional and non-institutional investors. These entities account for a substantial portion of the secondary market in residential mortgage loans. Some of the largest participants in the secondary market, including the Agencies, are government-sponsored enterprises whose activities are governed by federal law. Any future changes in laws that significantly affect the activity of such government-sponsored enterprises could, in turn, adversely affect our operations.

In September 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were placed into conservatorship by the U.S. government. Although to date, the conservatorship has not had a significant or adverse effect on our operations, and during 2010 and 2012 the Federal Housing Finance Agency indicated that the Treasury Department is committed to fund Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to levels needed in order to sufficiently meet their funding needs, it is currently unclear whether further changes would significantly and adversely affect our operations. Members of the present federal administration have expressed an intent to seek an end to the conservatorship and to privatize the Agencies, and it is unclear how that might impact us. In addition, our ability to sell mortgage loans readily is dependent upon our ability to remain eligible for the programs offered by the Agencies and other institutional and non-institutional investors. Our ability to remain eligible may also depend on having an acceptable peer-relative delinquency ratio for the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) and maintaining a delinquency rate with respect to Ginnie Mae pools that are below Ginnie Mae guidelines. In the case of Ginnie Mae pools, we have repurchased delinquent loans from them in the past to maintain compliance with the minimum required delinquency ratios. Although these loans are typically insured as to principal by the FHA, such repurchases increase our capital and liquidity needs, and there can be no assurance that we will have sufficient capital or liquidity to continue to purchase such loans out of the Ginnie Mae pools if required to do so.

Any significant impairment of our eligibility with any of the Agencies could materially and adversely affect our operations. Further, the criteria for loans to be accepted under such programs may be changed from time-to-time by the sponsoring entity which could result in a lower volume of corresponding loan originations. The profitability of participating in specific programs may vary depending on a number of factors, including our administrative costs of originating and purchasing qualifying loans and our costs of meeting such criteria.

Our mortgage lending profitability could be significantly reduced as changes in interest rates could affect mortgage origination volume and pricing for selling mortgages on the secondary market.

Currently, we sell a substantial portion of the mortgage loans we originate. The profitability of our mortgage banking operations depends in large part upon our ability to originate and sell mortgages to the secondary market at a gain.

A higher interest rate environment can negatively affect the volume of loan originations and refinanced loans reducing the dollar amount of loans available to be sold to the secondary market. Higher interest rates can also negatively affect the premium received on loans sold to the secondary market as competitive pressures to originate loans can reduce pricing.

We are exposed to intangible asset risk in that our goodwill may become impaired.

As of December 31, 2018, we had $130.3 million of goodwill and other intangible assets. A significant and sustained decline in our stock price and market capitalization, a significant decline in our expected future cash flows, a significant adverse change in the business climate, or slower growth rates could result in impairment of goodwill. If we were to conclude that a future write-down of our goodwill is necessary, then we would record the appropriate charge, which could be materially adverse to our operating results and financial position. For further discussion, see Notes 1 and 11, “Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and “Goodwill and Intangible Assets,” to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

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We are subject to extensive regulation and changes in laws and regulatory policies could adversely affect our business.

Our operations are subject to extensive regulation by federal agencies. See “Regulation and Supervision” in the description of our Business in Item 1 of Part I of this report for detailed information on the laws and regulations to which we are subject. Changes in applicable laws, regulations or regulator policies can materially affect our business. The likelihood of any major changes in the future and their effects are impossible to determine. As an example, the Bank could experience higher credit losses because of federal or state legislation or by regulatory or bankruptcy court action that reduces the amount the Bank’s borrowers are otherwise contractually required to pay under existing loan contracts. Also, the Bank could experience higher credit losses because of federal or state legislation or regulatory action that limits its ability to foreclose on property or other collateral or makes foreclosure less economically feasible.

We face other risks from recent actions of the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service. 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 and it is not certain at this point how the Notice may impact us on our operation of the captive insurance company as a risk management tool.

Legislation enacted in recent years, together with additional actions announced by the U.S. Treasury and other regulatory agencies, continue to develop. It is not clear at this time what impact legislation and liquidity and funding initiatives of the U.S. Treasury and other bank regulatory agencies, and additional programs that may be initiated in the future, will have on the financial markets and the financial services industry.

The full impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on us and our customers is unknown at present, creating uncertainty and risk related to our customers’ future demand for credit and our future results.

On December 22, 2017, President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Reform Act”), which introduced broad and complex tax reforms. Among other changes, the Tax Reform Act reduced the corporate tax rate for 2018 and limited the utilization of net operating losses to offset taxable income. As a result, during the fourth quarter of 2017, Horizon recognized an increase in income tax expense because of a $2.4 million adjustment of Horizon’s net deferred tax assets to the new corporate rate. Many aspects of the Tax Reform Act were clarified during 2018 by the U.S. Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service. As additional clarification and implementation guidance is issued on the Tax Reform Act, we may need to make further adjustments, which could have an impact on our earnings.

Increased economic activity expected to result from the decrease in tax rates on businesses generally could spur additional economic activity that would encourage additional borrowing. At the same time, some customers may elect to use their additional cash flow from lower taxes to fund their existing levels of activity, decreasing borrowing needs. The limitations on the federal income tax deductibility of business interest expense (subject to new proposed regulations announced in November 2018) may affect a significant number of our customers, effectively increasing the cost of borrowings and making equity or hybrid funding relatively more attractive. This could have a long-term negative impact on business customer borrowing. We experienced an increase in our after-tax net income available to stockholders in 2018, and anticipate an increase in future years as a result of the decrease in our effective tax rate. Some or all of this benefit could be lost to the extent that the banks and financial services companies we compete with elect to lower interest rates and fees and we are forced to respond in order to remain competitive. There is no assurance that presently anticipated benefits of the Tax Reform Act for the Company will be realized.

In addition, the Tax Reform Act could have an impact on how we compensate our executives due to amendments affecting the deductibility of certain executive compensation, and it could also prompt tax changes at the state level that could impact us.

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In short, the Tax Reform Act may have wide-ranging, unexpected and material effects on our business practices, financial condition and results of operations, and we are not able to predict all of these effects at this time.

In the long-term, U.S. corporate tax rates may increase and therefore would have an adverse impact on earnings.

Our inability to continue to process large volumes of transactions accurately could adversely impact our business and financial results.

We process large volumes of transactions on a daily basis and are exposed to numerous types of operational risk. Operational risk resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and systems includes the risk of fraud by persons inside or outside Horizon, the execution of unauthorized transactions by employees, errors relating to transaction processing and systems, and breaches of the internal control system and compliance requirements. This risk of loss also includes the potential legal actions that could arise as a result of the operational deficiency or as a result of noncompliance with applicable regulatory standards. Accordingly, if systems of internal control should fail to work as expected, if systems are used in an unauthorized manner, or if employees subvert the system of internal controls, significant losses could result.

We establish and maintain systems of internal operational controls that are designed to provide us with timely and accurate information about our level of operational risk. While not foolproof, these systems have been designed to manage operational risk at appropriate, cost-effective levels. Procedures also exist that are designed to ensure that policies relating to conduct, ethics and business practices are followed. If these systems fail, significant losses could result.

While we continually monitor and improve the system of internal controls, data processing systems and corporate-wide processes and procedures, there can be no assurance that future losses will not occur.

Our information systems may experience cyber-attacks or an interruption or breach in security. Our cybersecurity systems could be inadequate or fail.

We rely heavily on internal and outsourced technologies, communications, and information systems to conduct our business. Additionally, in the normal course of business, we collect, process and retain sensitive and confidential information regarding our customers. As our reliance on technology has increased, so have the potential risks of a technology-related operation interruption (such as disruptions in our customer relationship management, general ledger, deposit, loan, or other systems) or the occurrence of cyber-attacks (such as unauthorized access to our systems, computer viruses or other malicious code). These risks have increased for all financial institutions as new technologies, including the use of the Internet and telecommunications technologies (including mobile devices), have become commonly used to conduct financial and other business transactions, during a time of increased technological sophistication of organized crime, perpetrators of fraud, hackers, terrorists and others. In addition to cyber-attacks or other security breaches involving the theft of sensitive and confidential information, hackers recently have engaged in attacks against large financial institutions, particularly denial of service attacks, that are designed to disrupt key business services, such as customer-facing web sites. We are not able to anticipate or implement effective preventive measures against all security breaches of these types, especially because the techniques used change frequently and because attacks can originate from a wide variety of sources, both domestic and foreign. However, we have analyzed and will continue to analyze security related to device-specific considerations, user access topics, transaction-processing and network integrity.

We also face risks related to cyber-attacks and other security breaches in connection with credit card and debit card transactions that typically involve the transmission of sensitive information regarding our customers through various third parties, including merchant acquiring banks, payment processors, payment card networks and our processors. Some of these parties have in the past been the target of security breaches and cyber-attacks, and because the transactions involve third parties and environments such as the point of sale that we do not control or secure, future security breaches or cyber-attacks affecting any of these third parties could impact us through no fault of our own, and in some cases we may have exposure and suffer losses for breaches or attacks relating to them. Further cyber-attacks or other breaches in the future, whether affecting us or others, could intensify consumer concern and regulatory focus and result in reduced use of payment cards and increased costs, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

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To the extent we are involved in any future cyber-attacks or other breaches, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures or to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures, and we may be subject to litigation and financial losses that are either not insured against or not fully covered through any insurance we maintain. We could also suffer significant damage to our reputation. Although we are insured against many of these risks, including privacy breach response costs, notification expenses, breach support and credit monitoring expenses, cyber extortion and cyber terrorism, there can be no assurances that such insurance will be sufficient to cover all costs arising from a data or information technology breach and our exposure may exceed our coverage.

We continually encounter technological changes.

The financial services industry is continually undergoing rapid technological change with frequent introductions of new technology-driven products and services. The effective use of technology increases efficiency and enables financial institutions to better serve customers and to reduce costs. Our future success depends, in part, upon our ability to address the needs of our customers by using technology to provide products and services that will satisfy customer demands, as well as to create additional efficiencies in our operations. Many of our competitors have substantially greater resources to invest in technological improvements, and we may not be able to effectively implement new technology-driven products and services or be successful in marketing these products and services to our customers. Failure to successfully keep pace with technological change affecting the financial services industry could have a material adverse impact on our business and, in turn, our financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on other companies to provide key components of our business infrastructure.

Third-party vendors provide key components of our business infrastructure, including Internet connections, mobile and internet banking, statement processing, loan document preparation, network access and transaction and other processing services. Although we have selected these third-party vendors carefully, we do not control their actions. Any problems caused by these third parties, including as a result of inadequate or interrupted service or breach of customer information, could adversely affect our ability to deliver products and services to our customers and otherwise to conduct our business. In addition, any breach in customer information could affect our reputation and cause a loss of business. Replacing these third-party vendors also could result in significant delay and expense.

Damage to our reputation could damage our business.

Our business depends upon earning and maintaining the trust and confidence of our customers, investors and employees. Damage to our reputation could cause significant harm to our business and prospects. Harm to our reputation can arise from numerous sources, including, among others, employee misconduct, compliance failures, litigation or regulatory outcomes or governmental investigations. In addition, a failure to deliver appropriate standards of service and quality, or a failure or perceived failure to treat customers and clients fairly, can result in customer dissatisfaction, litigation, privacy breach and heightened regulatory scrutiny, all of which can lead to lost revenue, higher operating costs and harm to our reputation. Adverse publicity about Horizon, whether or not true, may result in harm to our existing business, customer relationships and prospects. Should any events or factors that can undermine our reputation occur, there is no assurance that the additional costs and expenses that we may need to incur to address the issues giving rise to the reputational harm would not adversely affect our earnings and results of operations.

The soundness of other financial institutions could adversely affect us.

Financial services institutions are interrelated as a result of trading, clearing, counterparty, or other relationships. We have exposure to many different industries and counterparties, and we routinely execute transactions with counterparties in the financial services industry, including brokers and dealers, commercial banks, investment banks, mutual and hedge funds, and other institutional clients. Many of these transactions expose us to credit risk in the event of default by our counterparty or client. In addition, our credit risk may be exacerbated when the collateral held by us cannot be realized or is liquidated at prices not sufficient to recover the full amount of the loan or derivative exposure due us. There is no assurance that any such losses would not materially and adversely affect our results of operations or earnings.

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Loss of income due to payment systems leaving the banking industry.

As technology continues to improve there is an increasing erosion of banks processing payments to Fintech companies, such as Amazon, Walmart and Paypal, to name a few. As banks lose transaction processing volume we may experience a decline in deposits and related fee income. In addition, an increase in the usage of crypto currencies will diminish the need for banks and their related payment systems.

Risks Related to our Common Stock

The price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly, and this may make it difficult for you to resell our common stock at times or at prices you find attractive.

Although our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, our stock price constantly changes, and we expect our stock price to continue to fluctuate in the future. Our stock price is impacted by a variety of factors, some of which are beyond our control.

These factors include:

In addition the stock market in general has experienced price and volume fluctuations. This volatility has had a significant effect on the market price of securities issued by many companies and particularly those in the financial services and banking sector, including for reasons unrelated to their operating performance. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect our stock price, notwithstanding our operating results.

Because our stock is moderately traded, it may be more difficult for you to sell your shares or buy additional shares when you desire to do so and the price may be volatile.

Although our common stock has been listed on the NASDAQ stock market since December 2001, our common stock is moderately traded. The prices of moderately traded stocks, such as ours, can be more volatile than stocks traded in a large, active public market and can be more easily impacted by sales or purchases of large blocks of stock. Moderately traded stocks are also less liquid, and because of the low volume of trades, you may be unable to sell your shares when you desire to do so.

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Provisions in our articles of incorporation, our by-laws, and Indiana law may delay or prevent an acquisition of us by a third party.

Our articles of incorporation and by-laws and Indiana law contain provisions that have certain anti-takeover effects. While the purpose of these provisions is to strengthen the negotiating position of the board of directors in the event of a hostile takeover attempt, the overall effects of these provisions may be to render more difficult or discourage a merger, tender offer or proxy contest, the assumption of control by a holder of a larger block of our shares, and the removal of incumbent directors and key management.

Our articles of incorporation provide for a staggered board, which means that only one-third of our board can be replaced by shareholders at any annual meeting. Our articles also provide that our directors may only be removed without cause by shareholders owning 70% or more of our outstanding common stock.

Our articles also preempt Indiana law with respect to business combinations with a person who acquires 10% or more of our common stock and provide that such transactions are subject to independent and super-majority shareholder approval requirements unless certain pricing and board pre-approval requirements are satisfied.

Our by-laws do not permit cumulative voting of shareholders in the election of directors, allowing the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares to control the election of all our directors, and our directors are elected by plurality (not majority) voting. Our by-laws also establish detailed procedures that shareholders must follow if they desire to nominate directors for election or otherwise present issues for consideration at a shareholders’ meeting. We also have a maximum age for new directors and a mandatory retirement age for directors.

These and other provisions of our governing documents and Indiana law are intended to provide the board of directors with the negotiating leverage to achieve a more favorable outcome for our shareholders in the event of an offer for the Company. However, there is no assurance that these same anti-takeover provisions could not have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a transaction or a change in control that might be in the best interest of our shareholders.

Not applicable.

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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

The main office and full service branch of Horizon and the Bank is located at 515 Franklin Street, Michigan City, Indiana. The building located across the street from the main office of Horizon and the Bank, at 502 Franklin Street, houses the credit administration, operations, facilities and purchasing, and information technology departments of the Bank. In addition to these principal facilities, the Bank has 62 sales offices located at: