U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Washington, D. C. 20549

Form 10-K

[ X ] Annual report pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016

[ ] Transition report pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities

Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from _____ to _____ .

Commission file number 001-12053

Southwest Georgia Financial Corporation

(Exact Name of Corporation as specified in its charter)

(Corporation’s telephone number, including area code) (229) 985-1120

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of this 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 [X]

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes [ ] No [X]

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 registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes [ X ] No [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes [X] 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 this Form 10-K. [X]

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

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

Aggregate market value of voting and non-voting stock held by nonaffiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2016: $28,189,421 based on 1,928,141 shares at the price of $14.62 per share.

As of March 23, 2017, 2,547,437 shares of the $1.00 par value common stock of Southwest Georgia Financial Corporation were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2016 annual meeting of shareholders, to be filed with the Commission are incorporated by reference into Part III.  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I

ITEM 1. BUSINESS

Southwest Georgia Financial Corporation (the “Corporation”) is a Georgia bank holding company organized in 1980, which, in 1981, acquired 100% of the outstanding shares of Southwest Georgia Bank (the “Bank”). The Bank commenced operations as Moultrie National Bank in 1928. Currently, it is a state-chartered bank insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the “FDIC”).

The Corporation’s primary business is providing banking services through the Bank to individuals and businesses principally in the following counties: Colquitt, Baker, Worth, Lowndes, and Tift as well as the surrounding counties of southwest Georgia. The Bank owns Empire Financial Services, Inc. (“Empire”), a provider of commercial mortgage banking services. The executive office of the Corporation is located at 25 Second Avenue, S. W., Moultrie, Georgia 31768, and its telephone number is (229) 985-1120.

All references herein to the Corporation include Southwest Georgia Financial Corporation, the Bank, and Empire, unless the context indicates a different meaning.

General

The Corporation is a registered bank holding company. The Bank is community-oriented and offers such customary banking services as consumer and commercial checking accounts, NOW accounts, savings accounts, certificates of deposit, lines of credit, VISA^® business accounts, money transfers, and mortgage banking services. The Bank finances commercial and consumer transactions, makes secured and unsecured loans, and provides a variety of other banking services. The Bank has a Wealth Strategies division that performs corporate, pension, and personal trust services and acts as trustee, executor, and administrator for estates and as administrator or trustee of various types of employee benefit plans for corporations and other organizations. Also, the Wealth Strategies area has a securities sales department which offers full-service brokerage services through a third party service provider. The Bank’s Southwest Georgia Insurance Services Division offers property and casualty insurance, life, health, and disability insurance.

Markets

The Corporation conducts banking activities in four counties in southwest and south central Georgia. Population characteristics in these counties range from rural to more metropolitan. Our most recent and largest market is Lowndes County with a total population of 112,865 and the highest growth rate in our markets at 14.6% from 2005 to 2015. Due primarily to the location of a state university and a large air force base in Lowndes County, this market has a median age estimated at 29.4, younger than an average median age of 39.5 in the other three counties that the Bank primarily serves. These counties, Colquitt, Worth, and Baker, have an average total population of 23,241 and an average growth in population of 1.39% from 2005 to 2015. Per capita income is approximately $19,000 in the Bank’s markets. Agriculture plays a major economic role in the Bank’s markets. Colquitt, Worth, Lowndes, and Baker Counties produce a large portion of our state’s crops, including cotton, peanuts, and a variety of vegetables.

At the beginning of 2016, the Corporation opened a loan production office in Tifton, the largest community in Tift County, Georgia. Tift County is an agricultural community as well as a major transportation hub where Interstate 75, U.S. Highway 82 and U.S. Highway 319 intersect.

Deposits

The Bank offers a full range of depository accounts and services to both consumers and businesses. At December 31, 2016, the Corporation’s deposit base, totaling $371,492,987, consisted of $116,648,264 in noninterest-bearing demand deposits (31.4% of total deposits), $143,078,989 in interest-bearing demand deposits including money market accounts (38.6% of total deposits), $29,006,734 in savings deposits (7.8% of total deposits), $39,524,168 in time deposits in amounts less than $100,000 (10.6% of total deposits), and $43,234,832 in time deposits of $100,000 or more (11.6% of total deposits).

Loans

The Bank makes both secured and unsecured loans to individuals, corporations, and other businesses. Both consumer and commercial lending operations include various types of credit for the Bank’s customers. Secured loans include first and second real estate mortgage loans. The Bank also makes direct installment loans to consumers on both a secured and unsecured basis. At December 31, 2016, consumer installment, real estate (including construction and mortgage loans), and commercial (including financial and agricultural) loans represented approximately 1.3%, 74.4% and 24.3%, respectively, of the Bank’s total loan portfolio.

Lending Policy

The current lending policy of the Bank is to offer consumer and commercial credit services to individuals and businesses that meet the Bank’s credit standards. The Bank provides each lending officer with written guidelines for lending activities. Lending authority is delegated by the Board of Directors of the Bank to loan officers, each of whom is limited in the amount of secured and unsecured loans which can be made to a single borrower or related group of borrowers.

The Loan Committee of the Bank’s Board of Directors is responsible for approving and monitoring the loan policy and providing guidance and counsel to all lending personnel. The committee approves all individual loan or relationship requests that exceed $800,000. The Loan Committee is composed of the Chief Executive Officer and President, and other executive officers of the Bank, as well as certain Bank directors.

Mortgage Banking Services

The Bank and Empire recognize mortgage banking income from secondary market loan origination fees and commercial mortgage banking fees, respectively. The Bank originates fixed rate mortgage loans for the secondary market. Empire recognizes as income in the current period fees collected on loans for investing participants. Empire does not directly fund any mortgages and acts as a service-oriented broker for participating mortgage lenders. In 2016, Bank revenue received from secondary market mortgage loan origination was $295,581 compared with $209,714 in 2015. Income from Empire’s commercial mortgage banking was $59,046 in 2016 and $108,256 in 2015.

Loan Review and Nonperforming Assets

The Bank regularly requires a review of its loan portfolio to determine deficiencies and corrective action to be taken. An independent loan review is conducted by an outside third party firm on a semiannual basis with their findings being reported annually to the Board’s Loan Committee and the Audit Committee. Also, the Bank’s external auditors as well as an outside third party firm conduct independent loan review adequacy tests and their findings are included annually as part of the overall report to the Audit Committee and to the Board of Directors.

Certain loans are monitored more often by the Credit Administration Department and the Loan Committee. These loans include non-accruing loans, loans more than 90 days past due, and other loans, regardless of size, that may be considered high risk based on factors defined within the Bank’s loan review policy.

Asset/Liability Management

The Asset/Liability Management Committee (“ALCO”) is established by the Bank’s Board of Directors and is charged with establishing policies to manage the assets and liabilities of the Bank. Its task is to manage asset growth, net interest margin, liquidity, and capital in order to maximize income and reduce interest rate risk. To meet these objectives while maintaining prudent management of risks, the ALCO manages the Bank’s overall acquisition and allocation of funds. At its monthly meetings, the ALCO reviews and discusses the monthly asset and liability funds budget and income and expense budget in relation to the actual composition and flow of funds; the ratio of the amount of rate sensitive assets to the amount of rate sensitive liabilities; the ratio of loan loss reserve to outstanding loans; and other variables, such as expected loan demand, investment opportunities, core deposit growth within specified categories, regulatory changes, monetary policy adjustments, and the overall state of the local, state, and national economy. The Board of Directors reviews ALCO data quarterly.

Investment Policy

The Bank’s investment portfolio policy is to maximize income consistent with liquidity, asset quality, and regulatory constraints. The policy is reviewed periodically by the Board of Directors. Individual transactions, portfolio composition, and performance are reviewed and approved monthly by the Board of Directors.

Employees

The Bank had 110 full-time employees and three part-time employees at December 31, 2016. The Bank is not a party to any collective bargaining agreement, and the Bank believes that its employee relations are good.

Competition

The banking business is highly competitive. The Bank competes with other depository institutions and other financial service organizations, including brokers, finance companies, savings and loan associations, credit unions and certain governmental agencies. The Bank ranks third out of twenty-one banks in a five county region (Baker, Brooks, Colquitt, Lowndes, and Worth) in deposit market share.

Monetary Policies

The results of operations of the Bank are affected by credit policies of monetary authorities, particularly the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). The instruments of monetary policy employed by the Federal Reserve include open market operations in U. S. government agency securities, changes in the discount rate on bank borrowings, and changes in reserve requirements against bank deposits. In view of changing conditions in the national economy and in the money markets, as well as the effect of action by monetary and fiscal authorities, including the Federal Reserve, no prediction can be made as to possible future changes in interest rates, deposit levels, loan demand, or the business and earnings of the Bank.

Payment of Dividends

The Corporation is a legal entity separate and distinct from the Bank. Most of the revenue of the Corporation results from dividends paid to it by the Bank. There are statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to the payment of dividends by the Bank, as well as by the Corporation to its stockholders.

Under the regulations of the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance (“DBF”), a state bank with an accumulated deficit (negative retained earnings) may not declare dividends (reduction in capital) without first obtaining the written permission of the DBF and FDIC. If a state bank has positive retained earnings, it may declare dividends without DBF approval if it meets all the following requirements:

The payment of dividends by the Corporation and the Bank may also be affected or limited by other factors, such as the requirement to maintain adequate capital above regulatory guidelines. In addition, if, in the opinion of the applicable regulatory authority, a bank under its jurisdiction is engaged in or is about to engage in an unsafe or unsound practice (which, depending upon the financial condition of the bank, could include the payment of dividends), such authority may require, after notice and hearing, that such bank cease and desist from such practice. The FDIC has issued a policy statement providing that insured banks should generally only pay dividends out of current operating earnings. In addition to the formal statutes and regulations, regulatory authorities consider the adequacy of each of the Bank’s total capital in relation to its assets, deposits and other such items. Capital adequacy considerations could further limit the availability of dividends to the Bank. At December 31, 2016, net assets available from the Bank to pay dividends without prior approval from regulatory authorities totaled $2,049,022. For 2016, the Corporation’s cash dividend payout to stockholders was $1,070,047.

Supervision and Regulation

The following is a brief summary of the supervision and regulation of the Corporation and the Bank as financial institutions and is not intended to be a complete discussion of all NYSE MKT LLC, state or federal rules, statutes and regulations affecting their operations, or that apply generally to business corporations or companies listed on NYSE MKT LLC. Changes in the rules, statutes and regulations applicable to the Corporation and the Bank can affect the operating environment in substantial and unpredictable ways.

General. The Corporation is a registered bank holding company subject to regulation by the Federal Reserve under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “Federal Reserve Act”). The Corporation is required to file annual and quarterly financial information with the Federal Reserve and is subject to periodic examination by the Federal Reserve.

The Federal Reserve Act requires every bank holding company to obtain the Federal Reserve’s prior approval before (1) it may acquire direct or indirect ownership or control of more than 5% of the voting shares of any bank that it does not already control; (2) it or any of its non-bank subsidiaries may acquire all or substantially all of the assets of a bank; and (3) it may merge or consolidate with any other bank holding company. In addition, a bank holding company is generally prohibited from engaging in, or acquiring, direct or indirect control of the voting shares of any company engaged in non-banking activities. This prohibition does not apply to activities listed in the Federal Reserve Act or found by the Federal Reserve, by order or regulation, to be closely related to banking or managing or controlling banks as to be a proper incident thereto. Some of the activities that the Federal Reserve has determined by regulation or order to be closely related to banking are:

Although the activities of bank holding companies have traditionally been limited to the business of banking and activities closely related or incidental to banking (as discussed above), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (the “GLB Act”) relaxed the previous limitations and permitted bank holding companies to engage in a broader range of financial activities. Specifically, bank holding companies may elect to become financial holding companies which may affiliate with securities firms and insurance companies and engage in other activities that are financial in nature. Among the activities that are deemed “financial in nature” include:

Under this legislation, the Federal Reserve serves as the primary “umbrella” regulator of financial holding companies with supervisory authority over each parent company and limited authority over its subsidiaries. The primary regulator of each subsidiary of a financial holding company will depend on the type of activity conducted by the subsidiary. For example, broker-dealer subsidiaries will be regulated largely by securities regulators and insurance subsidiaries will be regulated largely by insurance authorities.

The Corporation has no current plans to register as a financial holding company.

The Corporation must also register with the DBF and file periodic information with the DBF. As part of such registration, the DBF requires information with respect to the financial condition, operations, management and intercompany relationships of the Corporation and the Bank and related matters. The DBF may also require such other information as is necessary to keep itself informed as to whether the provisions of Georgia law and the regulations and orders issued thereunder by the DBF have been complied with, and the DBF may examine the Corporation and the Bank.

The Corporation is an “affiliate” of the Bank under the Federal Reserve Act, which imposes certain restrictions on (1) loans by the Bank to the Corporation, (2) investments in the stock or securities of the Corporation by the Bank, (3) the Bank’s taking of the stock or securities of an “affiliate” as collateral for loans by the Bank to a borrower, and (4) the purchase of assets from the Corporation by the Bank. Further, a bank holding company and its subsidiaries are prohibited from engaging in certain tie-in arrangements in connection with any extension of credit, lease or sale of property or furnishing of services.

The Bank is regularly examined by the FDIC. As a state banking association organized under Georgia law, the Bank is subject to the supervision and the regular examination of the DBF. Both the FDIC and DBF must grant prior approval of any merger, consolidation or other corporation reorganization involving the Bank.

Capital Adequacy. Banks and bank holding companies are subject to various regulatory capital requirements administered by state and federal banking agencies. Capital adequacy guidelines involve quantitative measures of assets, liabilities and certain off-balance-sheet items calculated under regulatory accounting practices. Capital amounts and classifications are also subject to qualitative judgments by regulators about components, risk weighting and other factors.

The Federal Reserve and the FDIC have implemented substantially identical risk-based rules for assessing bank and bank holding company capital adequacy. These regulations establish minimum capital standards in relation to assets and off-balance sheet exposures as adjusted for credit risk. “Total capital” is composed of Tier 1 capital and Tier 2 capital. “Tier 1 capital” includes common equity, retained earnings, qualifying non-cumulative perpetual preferred stock, a limited amount of qualifying cumulative perpetual stock at the holding company level, minority interests in equity accounts of consolidated subsidiaries, less goodwill, most intangible assets and certain other assets. “Tier 2 capital” includes, among other things, perpetual preferred stock and related surplus not meeting the Tier 1 capital definition, qualifying mandatorily convertible debt securities, qualifying subordinated debt and allowances for possible loan and lease losses, subject to limitations. The Federal Reserve and the FDIC use the leverage ratio in tandem with the risk-based ratio to assess the capital adequacy of banks and bank holding companies. The Federal Reserve will require a bank holding company to maintain a leverage ratio well above minimum levels if it is experiencing or anticipating significant growth or is operating with less than well-diversified risks in the opinion of the Federal Reserve. The FDIC, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) and the Federal Reserve also require banks to maintain capital well above minimum levels.

In July 2013, the Federal Reserve published the Basel III Capital Rules establishing a new comprehensive capital framework applicable to all depository institutions, bank holding companies with total consolidated assets above a certain threshold, and all savings and loan holding companies except for those that are substantially engaged in insurance underwriting or commercial activities (collectively, “banking organizations”). The rules implement the December 2010 framework proposed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (the “Basel Committee”), known as “Basel III”, for strengthening international capital standards as well as certain provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”).

The Basel III Capital Rules substantially revised the risk-based capital requirements applicable to bank holding companies and depository institutions compared to the prior U.S. risk-based capital rules. The Basel III Capital Rules:

The Basel III Capital Rules became effective for the Bank on January 1, 2015, subject to a phase in period, but are not applicable to bank holding companies, like the Corporation, with less than $1 billion in total consolidated assets that meet certain criteria.

The Basel III Capital Rules require the Bank to maintain;

In addition, Section 38 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act implemented the prompt corrective action provisions that Congress enacted as a part of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (the “1991 Act”). The prompt corrective action provisions set forth five regulatory zones in which all banks are placed largely based on their capital positions. Regulators are permitted to take increasingly harsh action as a bank’s financial condition declines. The FDIC is required to resolve a bank when its ratio of tangible equity to total assets reaches 2%. Better capitalized institutions are generally subject to less onerous regulation and supervision than banks with lesser amounts of capital.

The FDIC has adopted regulations implementing the prompt corrective action provisions of the 1991 Act, as revised by the Basel III Capital Rules effective January 1, 2015, which place financial institutions in the following five categories based upon capitalization ratios: (1) a “well-capitalized” institution has a Total risk-based capital ratio of at least 10%, a Tier 1 risk-based ratio of at least 8%, a CET1 risk-based ratio of 6.5% and a leverage ratio of at least 5%; (2) an “adequately capitalized” institution has a Total risk-based capital ratio of at least 8%, a Tier 1 risk-based ratio of at least 6%, a CET1 risk-based ratio of 4.5% and a leverage ratio of at least 4%; (3) an “undercapitalized” institution has a Total risk-based capital ratio of under 8%, a Tier 1 risk-based ratio of under 6%, a CET1 risk-based ratio of under 4.5% or a leverage ratio of under 4%; (4) a “significantly undercapitalized” institution has a Total risk-based capital ratio of under 6%, a Tier 1 risk-based ratio of under 4%, a CET1 risk-based ratio of under 3% or a leverage ratio of under 3%; and (5) a “critically undercapitalized” institution has a ratio of tangible equity to total assets of 2% or less. Institutions in any of the three undercapitalized categories would be prohibited from declaring dividends or making capital distributions. The FDIC regulations also allow it to “downgrade” an institution to a lower capital category based on supervisory factors other than capital.

As of December 31, 2016, the most recent notifications from the FDIC categorized the Bank as “well-capitalized” under current regulations.

The Basel III Capital Rules provide for a number of deductions from and adjustments to CET1. These include, for example, the requirement that mortgage servicing rights, deferred tax assets arising from temporary differences that could not be realized through net operating loss carrybacks and significant investments in non-consolidated financial entities be deducted from CET1 to the extent that any one such category exceeds 10% of CET1 or all such categories in the aggregate exceed 15% of CET1. Under prior capital standards, the effects of certain accumulated other comprehensive income items included in capital were excluded for the purposes of determining regulatory capital ratios. Under the Basel III Capital Rules, the effects of certain accumulated other comprehensive items are not excluded; however, certain banking organizations, including the Bank, may make a one-time permanent election to continue to exclude these items. The Bank made this election in the first quarter of 2015 in order to avoid significant variations in the level of capital depending upon the impact of interest rate fluctuations on the fair value of the Bank’s available-for-sale securities portfolio.

The “capital conservation buffer” is designed to absorb losses during periods of economic stress. Banking organizations with a ratio of CET1 to risk-weighted assets above the minimum but below the conservation buffer (or below the combined capital conservation buffer and countercyclical capital buffer, when the latter is applied) will face constraints on dividends, equity repurchases and compensation based on the amount of the shortfall.

Implementation of the deductions and other adjustments to CET1 began on January 1, 2015, and will be phased-in over a four-year period (beginning at 4.5% on January 1, 2015, and an additional 0.625% per year thereafter). The implementation of the capital conservation buffer began on January 1, 2016, at the 0.625% level and will be phased in over a four-year period (increasing by that amount on each subsequent January 1, until it reaches 2.5% on January 1, 2019).

The Basel III Capital Rules prescribe a standardized approach for risk weightings that expand the risk-weighting categories from the current four Basel I-derived categories (0%, 20%, 50% and 100%) to a much larger and more risk-sensitive number of categories, depending on the nature of the assets, generally ranging from 0% for U.S. government agency securities, to 600% for certain equity exposures, and resulting in higher risk weights for a variety of asset categories. Consistent with the Dodd-Frank Act, the Basel III Capital Rules replace the ratings-based approach to securitization exposures, which is based on external credit ratings, with the simplified supervisory formula approach in order to determine the appropriate risk weights for these exposures. Alternatively, banking organizations may use the existing gross-up approach to assign securitization exposures to a risk weight category or choose to assign such exposures a 1,250% risk weight. In addition, the Basel III Capital Rules provide more advantageous risk weights for derivatives and repurchase-style transactions cleared through a qualifying central counterparty and increase the scope of eligible guarantors and eligible collateral for purposes of credit risk mitigation.

As of December 31, 2016, the Bank met all capital adequacy requirements under the Basel III Capital Rules on a fully phased-in basis as if such requirements were currently in effect.

Consumer Protection Laws. The Dodd-Frank Act centralized responsibility for consumer financial protection by creating a new agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”), and giving it the power to promulgate and enforce federal consumer protection laws. Depository institutions are subject to the CFPB’s rule writing authority, and existing federal bank regulatory agencies retain examination and enforcement authority for such institutions. The CFPB and the Corporation’s existing federal regulator, the FDIC, are focused on the following:

Volcker Rule. The Dodd-Frank Act amended the Federal Reserve Act to require the federal bank regulatory agencies to adopt rules that prohibit banks and their affiliates from engaging in proprietary trading and investing in and sponsoring certain unregistered investment companies (defined as hedge funds and private equity funds).

The statutory provision is commonly called the “Volcker Rule”. The Federal Reserve adopted final rules implementing the Volcker Rule on December 10, 2013. Although the Corporation continues to evaluate the impact of the Volcker Rule and the final rules adopted by the Federal Reserve thereunder, the Corporation does not currently anticipate that the Volcker Rule will have a material effect on its operations and the operations of its subsidiaries, including the Bank, as the Corporation does not engage in businesses prohibited by the Volcker Rule. In the future, the Corporation may incur costs to adopt additional policies and systems to ensure compliance with the Volcker Rule.

Commercial Real Estate. The federal bank regulatory agencies, including the FDIC, restrict concentrations in commercial real estate lending and have noted that recent increases in banks’ commercial real estate concentrations have created safety and soundness concerns in the event of a significant economic downturn. The regulatory guidance mandates certain minimal risk management practices and categorizes banks with defined levels of such concentrations as banks requiring elevated examiner scrutiny. Although management believes that the Corporation’s credit processes and procedures meet the risk management standards dictated by this guidance, regulatory outcomes could effectively limit increases in the real estate concentrations in the Bank’s loan portfolio and require additional credit administration and management costs associated with those portfolios.

Source of Strength Doctrine. Federal Reserve regulations and policy requires bank holding companies to act as a source of financial and managerial strength to their subsidiary banks. Under this policy, the Corporation is expected to commit resources to support the Bank.

Loans. Inter-agency guidelines adopted by federal bank regulatory agencies mandate that financial institutions establish real estate lending policies with maximum allowable real estate loan-to-value limits, subject to an allowable amount of non-conforming loans as a percentage of capital.

Transactions with Affiliates. Under federal law, all transactions between and among a state nonmember bank and its affiliates, which include holding companies, are subject to Sections 23A and 23B of the Federal Reserve Act and Regulation W promulgated thereunder. Generally, these requirements limit these transactions to a percentage of the bank’s capital and require all of them to be on terms at least as favorable to the bank as transactions with non-affiliates. In addition, a bank may not lend to any affiliate engaged in non-banking activities not permissible for a bank holding company or acquire shares of any affiliate that is not a subsidiary. The FDIC is authorized to impose additional restrictions on transactions with affiliates if necessary to protect the safety and soundness of a bank. The regulations also set forth various reporting requirements relating to transactions with affiliates.

Financial Privacy. In accordance with the GLB Act, federal banking regulatory agencies adopted rules that limit the ability of banks and other financial institutions to disclose non-public information about consumers to non-affiliated third parties. These limitations require disclosure of privacy policies to consumers and, in some circumstances, allow consumers to prevent disclosure of certain personal information to a nonaffiliated third party. The privacy provisions of the GLB Act affect how consumer information is transmitted through diversified financial companies and conveyed to outside vendors.

Anti-Money Laundering Initiatives and the USA Patriot Act. A major focus of governmental policy on financial institutions in recent years has been aimed at combating terrorist financing. This has generally been accomplished by amending existing anti-money laundering laws and regulations. The United States Department of the Treasury has issued a number of implementing regulations which apply various requirements of the USA Patriot Act of 2001 to the Bank. These regulations impose obligations on financial institutions to maintain appropriate policies, procedures and controls to detect, prevent and report money laundering and terrorist financing and to verify the identity of their customers. Failure of a financial institution to maintain and implement adequate programs to combat terrorist financing, or to comply with all of the relevant laws or regulations, could have serious legal and reputational consequences for the institution.

Incentive Compensation. The federal banking agencies have issued guidance on incentive compensation policies (the “Incentive Compensation Guidance”) intended to ensure that the incentive compensation policies of financial institutions do not undermine the safety and soundness of such institutions by encouraging excessive risk-taking. The Incentive Compensation Guidance, which covers all employees that have the ability to materially affect the risk profile of an institution, either individually or as part of a group, is based upon the key principles that a financial institution’s incentive compensation arrangements should (i) provide incentives that do not encourage risk-taking beyond the institution ability to effectively identify and manage risks, (ii) be compatible with effective internal controls and risk management, and (iii) be supported by strong corporate governance, including active and effective oversight by the institution’s board of directors.

The Federal Reserve will review, as part of the regular, risk-focused examination process, the incentive compensation arrangements of financial institutions like the Corporation that are not “large, complex banking organizations.” These reviews will be tailored to each financial institution based on the scope and complexity of the institution’s activities and the prevalence of incentive compensation arrangements. The findings of the supervisory initiatives will be included in reports of examination. Deficiencies will be incorporated into the financial institution’s supervisory ratings, which can affect the institution’s ability to make acquisitions and take other actions. Enforcement actions may be taken against a financial institution if its incentive compensation arrangements, or related risk-management control or governance processes, pose a risk to the institution’s safety and soundness and the institution is not taking prompt and effective measures to correct the deficiencies.

The scope and content of banking regulators’ policies on executive compensation are continuing to develop and are likely to continue evolving in the near future. It cannot be determined at this time whether compliance with such policies will adversely affect our ability to hire, retain and motivate its key employees.

Cybersecurity. Recent cyber-attacks against banks and other financial institutions that resulted in unauthorized access to confidential customer information have prompted the federal bank regulatory agencies to issue extensive guidance on cybersecurity. These agencies are likely to devote more resources to this part of their safety and soundness examination than they may have in the past.

Fair Value. The Corporation’s impaired loans and foreclosed assets may be measured and carried at “fair value”, the determination of which requires management to make assumptions, estimates and judgments.  When a loan is considered impaired, a specific valuation allowance is allocated or a partial charge-off is taken, if necessary, so that the loan is reported net, at the present value of estimated future cash flows using the loan’s existing rate or at the fair value of collateral if repayment is expected solely from the collateral.  In addition, foreclosed assets are carried at the lower of cost or “fair value”, less cost to sell, following foreclosure.  “Fair value” is defined by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) “as the price that would be received to sell an asset in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.”  GAAP further defines an “orderly transaction” as “a transaction that assumes exposure to the market for a period prior to the measurement date to allow for marketing activities that are usual and customary for transactions involving such assets; it is not a forced transaction (for example, a forced liquidation or distress sale).”  Recently in the Bank’s markets, there have been very few transactions in the type of assets which represent the vast majority of the Bank’s impaired loans and foreclosed properties which reflect “orderly transactions” as so defined.  Instead, most transactions in comparable assets have been distressed sales not indicative of “fair value.”  Accordingly, the determination of fair value in the current environment is difficult and more subjective than it would be in a stable real estate environment.  Although management believes its processes for determining the value of these assets are appropriate factors and allow the Corporation to arrive at a fair value, the processes require management judgment and assumptions and the value of such assets at the time they are revalued or divested may be significantly different from management’s determination of fair value.  Because of this increased subjectivity in fair value determinations, there is greater than usual grounds for differences in opinions, which may result in increased disagreements between management and the Bank’s regulators, disagreements which could impair the relationship between the Bank and its regulators.

Future Legislation. Various legislation affecting financial institutions and the financial industry is, from time to time, introduced in Congress. Such legislation may change banking statutes and the operating environment of the Corporation and its subsidiaries in substantial and unpredictable ways, and could increase or decrease the cost of doing business, limit or expand permissible activities or affect the competitive balance depending upon whether any of this potential legislation will be enacted, and, if enacted, the effect that it or any implementing regulations would have on the financial condition or results of operations of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries. With the current economic environment, the nature and extent of future legislative and regulatory changes affecting financial institutions is not known at this time.

Available Information

The Corporation’s website where you can find more information is located at www.sgfc.com. We make available free of charge, through our website, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and other reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). These reports are available as soon as reasonably practicable after those materials are electronically filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Our SEC filings are publicly available at the SEC’s website located at www.sec.gov. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at its Public Reference Facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information about the Public Reference Room operations by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

Information provided on our website is not part of this report, and is not incorporated herein by reference unless otherwise specifically referenced as such in this report.

Executive Officers of the Corporation

Executive officers are elected by the Board of Directors annually in May and hold office until the following May at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. The principal executive officers of the Corporation, Bank, and Empire and their ages, positions, and terms of office as of March 31, 2017, are as follows:

None of the above officers are related and there are no arrangements or understandings between them and any other person pursuant to which any of them was elected as an officer, other than arrangements or understandings with directors or officers of the Corporation, Bank or Empire acting solely in their capacities as such.

The following is a brief description of the business experience of the principal executive officers of the Corporation, Bank, and Empire. Except as otherwise indicated, each principal executive officer has been engaged in their present or last employment, in the same or similar position, for more than five years.

Mr. Drew is a director of Southwest Georgia Financial Corporation and Southwest Georgia Bank and was named President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2002. Previously, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer beginning in 2001 and Executive Vice President in 1999 of Southwest Georgia Financial Corporation and Southwest Georgia Bank.

Mr. Cole is a director of Southwest Georgia Financial Corporation and Southwest Georgia Bank and became Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation and Bank in 2011. He has been Executive and Senior Vice President of the Corporation and Bank since 1992 and has served in various other positions with the Bank since 1976 and the Corporation since 1981.

Mr. Hanson became Executive Vice President of the Corporation in 2012 and Executive Vice President and Chief Banking Officer of the Bank in 2011. He is also the President and Chief Executive Officer of Empire. Previously, he was employed by Park Avenue Bank in Valdosta, Georgia, as Valdosta Market President and various other positions since 1994.

Mr. Kirkland became Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation and Bank in 2013. Previously, he had been Senior Vice President of the Corporation and Bank and Treasurer of the Corporation and Comptroller of the Bank since 1993.

Mr. Singley became Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of the Bank in 2014. Previously, he was appointed President Moultrie Region and Senior Vice President of the Bank in 2011 and served as Senior Vice President of the Bank since 2008. Prior to that, he had been Vice President of the Bank since 2002.

Mr. Moritz became Senior Vice President of the Bank and Valdosta Region President in 2011. Previously, he was employed by Park Avenue Bank in Valdosta, Georgia, for five years and Regions Bank for five years.

Mr. Shiver became Senior Vice President of the Bank and Sylvester Region President in 2011. Previously, he had been Vice President of the Bank since 2006 and, prior to that, Assistant Vice President of the Bank since 2005.

Ms. Lott became Senior Vice President of the Bank in 2014. She is also Cashier of the Bank. Previously, she served as Vice President of the bank since 2008 and, prior to that, Assistant Vice President of the Bank since 2007.

Ms. Boyd became Senior Vice President and Controller of the Bank in 2014. Previously, she served as Vice President of the Bank since 2010 and, prior to that, Assistant Vice President of the Bank since 2007.

Mr. Dekle became Senior Vice President of the Bank and Moultrie Region President in 2014. Previously, he served as Vice President of the Bank since 2011 and, prior to that, Assistant Vice President of the Bank since 2007.

Mr. Costin became Senior Vice President of the Bank in 2015. Previously, he served as Vice President of the Bank since 2012 and, prior to that, Assistant Vice President of the Bank since 2011.

Ms. Yeager became Senior Vice President of the Bank in 2015. Previously, she was employed for 11 years with Commercial Banking Company in Valdosta, Georgia. Prior to that, she was employed for 18 years with First State Bank and Trust in Valdosta, Georgia.

Mr. Carpenter became Senior Vice President of the Bank and Tifton Region President in 2015. Previously, he was employed by BB&T Bank in Tifton, Georgia, for 15 years where he most recently held the position of Area President for the communities of Tifton, Valdosta and Douglas.

Table 1 - Distribution of Assets, Liabilities, and Stockholders’ Equity; Interest Rates and Interest Differentials

The following tables set forth, for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2016, 2015, and 2014, the daily average balances outstanding for the major categories of earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities and the average interest rate earned or paid thereon. Except for percentages, all data is in thousands of dollars.

Table 2 – Rate/Volume Analysis

The following table sets forth, for the indicated years ended December 31, a summary of the changes in interest paid resulting from changes in volume and changes in rate. The change due to volume is calculated by multiplying the change in volume by the prior year’s rate. The change due to rate is calculated by multiplying the change in rate by the prior year’s volume. The change attributable to both volume and rate is calculated by multiplying the change in volume by the change in rate.

Table 3 - Investment Portfolio

The carrying values of investment securities for the indicated years are presented below:

At year-end 2016, the total investment portfolio decreased to $108,168,038, down $4,197,177, compared with $112,365,215 at year-end 2015. The decrease was mainly due to calls and maturities of $14,132,941 of municipal securities and U.S. government agency securities, as well as residential mortgage-backed securities principal paydowns of $2,173,667. Additionally, we sold $11,933,634 of available for sale U.S. government agency and residential mortgage-backed securities and $576,834 of held to maturity residential mortgage-backed securities resulting in a net gain of $144,034 and $24,885, respectively. These small lots of held to maturity mortgage-backed securities sold were paid down by over 85% of face value. Partially offsetting these calls, maturities and sales were purchases of $25,608,386 of U.S. government agency securities and municipal securities.

The following table shows the contractual maturities of debt securities at December 31, 2016, and the weighted average yields (for nontaxable obligations on a fully taxable basis assuming a 34% tax rate) of such securities. Mortgage-backed securities amortize in accordance with the terms of the underlying mortgages, including prepayments as a result of refinancing and other early payoffs.

The calculation of weighted average yields is based on the carrying value and effective yields of each security weighted for the scheduled maturity of each security. At December 31, 2016 and 2015, securities carried at approximately $63,902,259 and $74,772,674, respectively, were pledged to secure public and trust deposits as required by law. At year-end 2016, approximately $9,400,000 was over pledged and could be released if necessary for liquidity needs. At December 31, 2016 and 2015, no securities were pledged to secure our Federal Home Loan Bank advances.

Table 4 - Loan Portfolio

The following table sets forth the amount of loans outstanding for the indicated years according to type of loan:

The following table shows maturities of the commercial, financial, agricultural, and construction loan portfolio at December 31, 2016.

The following table shows, for such loans due after one year, the amounts which have predetermined interest rates and the amounts which have floating or adjustable interest rates at December 31, 2016.

The following table presents information concerning outstanding balances of nonaccrual, past-due, and restructured loans as well as foreclosed assets for the indicated years. Respectively, they are defined as: (a) loans accounted for on a nonaccrual basis (“nonaccruals”); (b) loans which are contractually past due 90 days or more as to interest or principal payments and still accruing (“past-dues”); and (c) loans past due 30 days or more for which the terms have been modified to provide a reduction or deferral of interest or principal because of a deterioration in the financial position of the borrower (“troubled debt restructured”). The Corporation’s nonaccrual policy is located in Footnote 3.

In 2016, nonaccrual loans decreased due primarily to one $906,504 agricultural real estate relationship. Items in foreclosed assets includes two residential properties totaling $126,713.

The Bank performs an internal analysis of the loan portfolio in order to identify and quantify loans with higher than normal risk. Loans having a higher risk profile are assigned a risk rating corresponding to the level of weakness identified in the loan. All loans risk rated Watch, Other Assets Especially Mentioned (OAEM), Substandard or Doubtful are listed on the Bank’s “watchlist.” Management monitors these loans closely and reviews their performance on a regular basis to assess the level of risk and to ensure that appropriate actions are being taken to minimize potential loss exposure. Loans identified as being Loss are fully charged off. In addition, the Bank maintains a listing of “classified loans,” of which some loans may be potential problem loans, consisting of Substandard and Doubtful loans which totaled $5,614,548 at December 31, 2016. Potential problem loans are loans other than nonaccruals, past-dues and troubled debt restructured loans which management has doubt as to the borrower’s ability to comply with the present loan repayment terms.

Management closely monitors the watchlist for signs of deterioration to mitigate the growth in nonaccrual loans. At December 31, 2016, watchlist loans, inclusive of the “classified loans”, totaled $13,391,639, of which $9,830,738 are not considered impaired. See Footnote 3, Loans and Allowance for Loan Losses, elsewhere in this report for further discussion on classification of potential problem loans.

Summary of Loan Loss Experience

The following table is a summary of average loans outstanding during the reported periods, changes in the allowance for loan losses arising from loans charged off and recoveries on loans previously charged off by loan category, and additions to the allowance which have been charged to operating expenses.

The allowance is based upon management’s analysis of the portfolio under current economic conditions. This analysis includes a study of loss experience, a review of delinquencies, and an estimate of the possibility of loss in view of the risk characteristics of the portfolio. Based on the above factors, management considers the current allowance to be adequate.

Allocation of Allowance for Loan Losses

Management has allocated the allowance for loan losses within the categories of loans set forth in the table below based on historical experience of net charge-offs. The allowance for loan losses allocated to each category is not necessarily indicative of future losses in any particular category and does not restrict the use of the allowance to absorb losses in other categories. The amount of the allowance applicable to each category and the percentage of loans in each category to total loans are presented below.

The calculation is based upon total loans including unearned interest and discount. Management believes that the portfolio is diversified and, to a large extent, secured without undue concentrations in any specific risk area. Control of loan quality is regularly monitored by management, the loan committee, and is reviewed by the Bank’s Board of Directors which meets monthly. Independent external review of the loan portfolio is provided by examinations conducted by regulatory authorities. The amount of additions to the allowance for loan losses charged to operating expense for the periods indicated were based upon many factors, including actual charge-offs and evaluations of current economic conditions in the market area. Management believes the allowance for loan losses is adequate to cover any potential loan losses.

Table 5 - Deposits

The average amounts of deposits for the last three years are presented below.

The maturity of certificates of deposit of $100,000 or more as of December 31, 2016, are presented below.

Return on Equity and Assets

Certain financial ratios are presented below.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements are intended to be covered by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact, and can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes”, “expects”, “may”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “projects”, “plans”, “goal”, “targets”, “potential”, “estimates”, “pro forma”, “seeks”, “intends”, or “anticipates” or the negative thereof or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements include discussions of strategy, financial projections, guidance and estimates (including their underlying assumptions), statements regarding plans, objectives, expectations or consequences of various transactions, and statements about the future performance, operations, products and services of the Corporation and its subsidiaries. We caution our stockholders and other readers not to place undue reliance on such statements.

The Corporation cautions that there are various factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in any forward-looking statements; accordingly, there can be no assurance that such indicated results will be realized. These factors include risks related to:

The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. Additional information with respect to factors that may cause results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements is included in the Corporation’s current and subsequent filings with the SEC.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

An investment in the Corporation’s common stock and the Corporation’s financial results are subject to a number of risks. Investors should carefully consider the risks described below and all other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents incorporated by reference. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those generally affecting the industry in which the Corporation operates and risks that management currently deems immaterial, may arise or become material in the future and affect the Corporation’s business.

As a bank holding company, adverse conditions in the general business or economic environment could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s financial condition and results of operation.

Weaknesses or adverse changes in business and economic conditions generally or specifically in the markets in which the Corporation operates could adversely impact our business, including causing one or more of the following negative developments:

For example, if the Corporation is unable to continue to generate, or demonstrate that it can continue to generate, sufficient taxable income in the near future, then it may not be able to fully realize the benefits of its deferred tax assets. Such a development, or one or more other negative developments resulting from adverse conditions in the general business or economic environment, some of which are described above, could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s financial condition and results of operations.

The Corporation’s ability to raise capital could be limited, affect its liquidity, and could be dilutive to existing stockholders.

Current conditions in the capital markets are such that traditional sources of capital may not be available to the Corporation on reasonable terms if it needed to raise capital.  In such case, there is no guarantee that the Corporation will be able to borrow funds or successfully raise additional capital at all or on terms that are favorable or otherwise not dilutive to existing stockholders.

Liquidity is essential to the Corporation’s businesses and it relies on external sources to finance a significant portion of its operations.

Liquidity is essential to the Corporation’s businesses. The Corporation’s capital resources and liquidity could be negatively impacted by disruptions in its ability to access these sources of funding. Factors that the Corporation cannot control, such as disruption of the financial markets or negative views about the financial services industry generally, could impair its ability to raise funding. Other financial institutions may be unwilling to extend credit to banks because of concerns about the banking industry and the economy generally and there may not be a viable market for raising short or long-term debt or equity capital. In addition, the Corporation’s ability to raise funding could be impaired if lenders develop a negative perception of its long-term or short-term financial prospects. Such negative perceptions could be developed if the Corporation is downgraded or put on (or remains on) negative watch by the rating agencies, suffers a decline in the level of its business activity or regulatory authorities take significant action against it, among other reasons. If the Corporation is unable to raise funding using the methods described above, it would likely need to finance or liquidate unencumbered assets to meet maturing liabilities. The Corporation may be unable to sell some of its assets, or it may have to sell assets at a discount from market value, either of which could adversely affect its results of operations and financial condition.

The Corporation’s construction and land development loans are subject to unique risks that could adversely affect earnings.

The Corporation’s construction and land development loan portfolio was $26.0 million at December 31, 2016, comprising 8.9% of total loans. Construction and land development loans are often riskier than home equity loans or residential mortgage loans to individuals. In the event of a general economic slowdown, they would represent higher risk due to slower sales and reduced cash flow that could impact the borrowers’ ability to repay on a timely basis. In addition, although regulations and regulatory policies affecting banks and financial services companies undergo continuous change and we cannot predict when changes will occur or the ultimate effect of any changes, there has been recent regulatory focus on construction, development and other commercial real estate lending. Federal policies applicable to construction, development or other commercial real estate loans make us subject to substantial limitations with respect to making such loans, increase the costs of making such loans, and require us to have a greater amount of capital to support this kind of lending, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our profitability or financial condition.

Recent performance may not be indicative of future performance.

Various factors, such as economic conditions, regulatory and legislative considerations, competition and the ability to find and retain talented people, may impede the Corporation’s ability to remain profitable.

Deterioration in asset quality could have an adverse impact on the Corporation.

A significant source of risk for the Corporation arises from the possibility that losses will be sustained because borrowers, guarantors and related parties may fail to perform in accordance with the terms of their loans. With respect to secured loans, the collateral securing the repayment of these loans includes a wide variety of diverse real and personal property that may be affected by changes in prevailing economic, environmental and other conditions, including declines in the value of real estate, changes in interest rates, changes in monetary and fiscal policies of the federal government, environmental contamination and other external events. In addition, decreases in real estate property values due to the nature of the Bank’s loan portfolio, over 74% of which is secured by real estate, could affect the ability of customers to repay their loans. The Bank’s loan policies and procedures may not prevent unexpected losses that could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s business, financial condition, results of operations, or liquidity.

Changes in prevailing interest rates may negatively affect the results of operations of the Corporation and the value of its assets.

The Corporation’s earnings depend largely on the relationship between the yield on earning assets, primarily loans and investments, and the cost of funds, primarily deposits and borrowings. This relationship, known as the interest rate spread, is subject to fluctuation and is affected by economic and competitive factors which influence interest rates, the volume and mix of interest-earning assets and interest-bearing liabilities and the level of nonperforming assets. Fluctuations in interest rates affect the demand of customers for the Corporation’s products and services. In addition, interest-bearing liabilities may re-price or mature more slowly or more rapidly or on a different basis than interest-earning assets. Significant fluctuations in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

Changes in the level of interest rates may also negatively affect the value of the Corporation’s assets and its ability to realize book value from the sale of those assets, all of which ultimately affect earnings.

If the Corporation’s allowance for loan losses is not sufficient to cover actual loan losses, earnings would decrease.

The Bank’s loan customers may not repay their loans according to their terms and the collateral securing the payment of these loans may be insufficient to assure repayment. The Bank may experience significant loan losses which would have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s operating results. Management makes various assumptions and judgments about the collectability of the loan portfolio, including the creditworthiness of borrowers and the value of the real estate and other assets serving as collateral for the repayment of loans. The Corporation maintains an allowance for loan losses in an attempt to cover any loan losses inherent in the portfolio. In determining the size of the allowance, management relies on an analysis of the loan portfolio based on historical loss experience, volume and types of loans, trends in classification, volume and trends in delinquencies and nonaccruals, national and local economic conditions and other pertinent information. As a result of these considerations, the Corporation has from time to time increased its allowance for loan losses. For the year ended December 31, 2016, the Corporation recorded an allowance for possible loan losses of $3.12 million, compared with $3.03 million for the year ended December 31, 2015. If those assumptions are incorrect, the allowance may not be sufficient to cover future loan losses and adjustments may be necessary to allow for different economic conditions or adverse developments in the loan portfolio.

The Corporation may be subject to losses due to fraudulent and negligent conduct of the Bank’s loan customers, third party service providers and employees.

When the Bank make loans to individuals or entities, they rely upon information supplied by borrowers and other third parties, including information contained in the applicant’s loan application, property appraisal reports, title information and the borrower’s net worth, liquidity and cash flow information.  While they attempt to verify information provided through available sources, they cannot be certain all such information is correct or complete.  The Bank’s reliance on incorrect or incomplete information could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s profitability or financial condition.

Technology difficulties or failures or cyber security breaches of our network security could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation.

The Corporation depends upon data processing, software, and communication and information exchange on a variety of computing platforms and networks. The computer platforms and network infrastructure we use could be vulnerable to unforeseen hardware and cyber security issues. The Corporation cannot be certain that all of its systems are entirely free from vulnerability to cyber-attack or other technological difficulties or failures. The Corporation relies on the services of a variety of vendors to meet its data processing and communication needs. If information security is breached or other technology difficulties or failures occur, information may be lost or misappropriated, services and operations may be interrupted and the Corporation could subject us to additional regulatory scrutiny, damage our reputation, result in a loss of customers and expose us to claims from customers. Any of these results could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

The Corporation’s business is subject to the success of the local economies and real estate markets in which it operates.

The Corporation’s banking operations are located in southwest Georgia. Because of the geographic concentration of its operations, the Corporation’s success depends largely upon economic conditions in this area, which include volatility in the agricultural market, influx and outflow of major employers in the area, and minimal population growth throughout the region. Deterioration in economic conditions in the communities in which the Corporation operates could adversely affect the quality of the Corporation’s loan portfolio and the demand for its products and services, and accordingly, could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. The Corporation is less able than a larger institution to spread the risks of unfavorable local economic conditions across a large number of more diverse economies.

The Corporation may face risks with respect to its ability to execute its business strategy.

The financial performance and profitability of the Corporation will depend on its ability to execute its strategic plan and manage its future growth. Moreover, the Corporation’s future performance is subject to a number of factors beyond its control, including pending and future federal and state banking legislation, regulatory changes, unforeseen litigation outcomes, inflation, lending and deposit rate changes, interest rate fluctuations, increased competition and economic conditions. Accordingly, these issues could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

The Corporation depends on its key personnel, and the loss of any of them could adversely affect the Corporation.

The Corporation’s success depends to a significant extent on the management skills of its existing executive officers and directors, many of whom have held officer and director positions with the Corporation for many years. The loss or unavailability of any of its key personnel, including DeWitt Drew, President and CEO; John J. Cole, Jr., Executive Vice President and COO; Jeffery E. Hanson, Executive Vice President and CBO; George R. Kirkland, Executive Vice President & CFO; and Danny E. Singley, Executive Vice President and CCO, could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s business, financial condition, and results of operations or liquidity.

Competition from financial institutions and other financial service providers may adversely affect the Corporation.

The banking business is highly competitive, and the Corporation experiences competition in its markets from many other financial institutions. The Corporation competes with these other financial institutions both in attracting deposits and in making loans. Many of its competitors are well-established, larger financial institutions that are able to operate profitably with a narrower net interest margin and have a more diverse revenue base. The Corporation may face a competitive disadvantage as a result of its smaller size, lack of geographic diversification and inability to spread costs across broader markets. There can be no assurance that the Corporation will be able to compete effectively in its markets. Furthermore, developments increasing the nature or level of competition could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

The short-term and long-term impact of the changing regulatory capital requirements is uncertain.

The Basel III Capital Rules include new minimum risk-based capital and leverage ratios, which are being phased in and modify the capital and asset definitions for purposes of calculating those ratios. Among other things, the Basel III Capital Rules established a new common equity Tier 1 minimum capital requirement of 4.5%, a higher minimum Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets requirement of 6% and Total capital to risk-weighted assets of 8%. In addition, the final rules provided, to be considered “well-capitalized”, a new common equity Tier 1 capital requirement of 6.5% or greater and a higher Tier 1 capital to risk-weighted assets requirement of 8% or greater. Moreover, the final rules limit a banking organization’s capital distributions and certain discretionary bonus payments if such banking organization does not hold a “capital conservation buffer” consisting of a 2.5% of common equity Tier 1 capital in addition to the 4.5% minimum common equity Tier 1 requirement and the other amounts necessary to meet the minimum risk-based capital requirements that will be phased in and fully effective in 2019.

The application of the more stringent capital requirements described above could, among other things, result in lower returns on invested capital, require the raising of additional capital, and result in additional regulatory actions if we were to be unable to comply with such requirements. Implementation of changes to asset risk weightings for risk based capital calculations, items included or deducted in calculating regulatory capital and/or additional capital conservation buffers could result in us modifying our business strategy and could limit our ability to make dividends.

Changes in government regulation or monetary policy could adversely affect the Corporation.

The Corporation and the banking industry are subject to extensive regulation and supervision under federal and state laws and regulations. The restrictions imposed by such laws and regulations limit the manner in which the Corporation conducts its banking business, undertakes new investments and activities and obtains financing. These regulations are designed primarily for the protection of the deposit insurance funds and consumers and not to benefit holders of the Corporation’s securities. Financial institution regulation has been the subject of significant legislation in recent years and may be the subject of further significant legislation in the future, none of which is in the control of the Corporation. Significant new laws or changes in, or repeals of, existing laws could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Further, federal monetary policy, particularly as implemented through the Federal Reserve, significantly affects credit conditions for the Corporation, and any unfavorable change in these conditions could have a material adverse effect on the Corporation’s business, financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. See Part I, Item 1, “Supervision and Regulation.”

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

There are no unresolved comments from the SEC staff regarding the Corporation’s periodic or current reports under the Exchange Act.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

The executive offices of the Corporation are located in the SGB Wealth Strategies office at 25 Second Avenue S.W. Moultrie, Georgia. The main banking office and operations center of the Bank are located in a 22,000 square foot facility at 201 First Street, S.E., Moultrie, Georgia. The Trust and Brokerage area are located in the SGB Wealth Strategies office. The Bank’s Administrative Services office is located across the street from the main office at 205 Second Street, S.E., Moultrie, Georgia. This building is also used for training and meeting rooms, record storage, and a drive-thru teller facility. The Bank sold Empire’s property in Milledgeville, Georgia, in 2016.

All of the buildings and land, which include parking and drive-thru teller facilities, are owned by the Bank. There are two automated teller machines on the Bank’s main office premises and one in each of the Baker County, Sylvester, North Valdosta and Baytree branch offices. These automated teller machines are linked to the STAR network of automated teller machines. The commercial banking center in Valdosta, Georgia, was completed and opened in August of 2014. The Bank also leases space for a loan production office in Tifton, Georgia. Land has been purchased and regulatory approval was recently received to build a full-service branch office in Tifton, Georgia. The Bank owns a property in Pavo, Georgia, that was formerly a branch office. It is considered bank property held for sale.

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

In the ordinary course of operations, the Corporation, the Bank and Empire are defendants in various legal proceedings. Additionally, in the ordinary course of business, the Corporation, the Bank and Empire are subject to regulatory examinations and investigations. In the opinion of management, there is no pending or threatened proceeding in which an adverse decision will result in a material adverse change in the consolidated financial condition or results of operations of the Corporation. No material proceedings terminated in the fourth quarter of 2016.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

Not applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information

The Corporation’s common stock trades on the NYSE MKT LLC under the symbol “SGB”. The closing price on December 31, 2016, was $19.99. Below is a schedule of the high and low stock prices for each quarter of 2016 and 2015.

As of December 31, 2016, there were 416 record holders of the Corporation’s common stock. Also, there were approximately 485 additional stockholders who held shares through trusts and brokerage firms.

Dividends

Cash dividends paid on the Corporation’s common stock were $0.42 per share in 2016 and $0.40 per share in 2015. Our dividend policy objective is to pay out a portion of earnings in dividends to our stockholders in a consistent manner over time. However, no assurance can be given that dividends will be declared in the future. The amount and frequency of dividends is determined by the Corporation’s Board of Directors after consideration of various factors, which include the Corporation’s financial condition and results of operations, investment opportunities available to the Corporation, capital requirements, tax considerations and general economic conditions. The primary source of funds available to the parent company is the payment of dividends by its subsidiary bank. Federal and State banking laws restrict the amount of dividends that can be paid without regulatory approval. See Part I, Item 1, “Business – Payment of Dividends.” The Corporation and its predecessors have paid cash dividends for the past eighty-eight consecutive years.

Share Repurchases

On October 26, 2016, the Corporation announced that its Board of Directors had authorized a program to repurchase up to $1.75 million of its outstanding shares of common stock through October 31, 2017. Under the program, the shares may be repurchased periodically in open market transactions at prevailing market prices, in privately negotiated transactions, or by other means in accordance with federal securities laws. The actual timing, number and value of shares repurchased under the program depends on a number of factors, including the market price of the Corporation’s common stock, general market and economic conditions, and applicable legal requirements. As of December 31, 2016, $1.74 million of the Corporation’s outstanding common stock may be repurchased under the program.

The following table contains information for shares repurchased during the fourth quarter of 2016.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans