Lake Shore Savings Bank Announces Termination of OCC Consent Order

Rhea-AI Summary

Lake Shore Savings Bank announced on December 3, 2024, that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has terminated its Consent Order and 'Troubled Condition' status. The Consent Order had required the Bank to address deficiencies in several operational areas, including information technology, security, automated clearing house, audit, management, and Bank Secrecy Act / Anti-Money Laundering.

President, CEO, and Director Kim C. Liddell highlighted the team's significant and swift progress in remediation efforts. Lake Shore Savings Bank, a subsidiary of Lake Shore Bancorp (NASDAQ: LSBK), operates ten full-service branch locations across Western New York, providing retail and commercial lending and deposit services.

Positive

• Termination of OCC Consent Order indicating resolution of operational deficiencies
• Removal of 'Troubled Condition' status by regulatory authority
• Early completion of regulatory requirements

Negative

• None.

Insights

Financial Analyst

The termination of the OCC Consent Order and removal of the "Troubled Condition" status represents a significant positive development for Lake Shore Savings Bank. The lifting of regulatory restrictions typically reduces compliance costs, improves operational flexibility and enhances the bank's ability to pursue growth opportunities. The early termination particularly signals strong execution in addressing operational deficiencies in critical areas including IT security, BSA/AML compliance and management oversight.

For regional banks, regulatory compliance issues can significantly impact profitability and growth potential. The resolution of these matters removes a key overhang on the stock and could lead to improved investor confidence. With $75.8M market cap, LSBK can now focus on core banking operations and potential expansion of its 10-branch network across Western New York, potentially driving shareholder value through improved operational efficiency and reduced regulatory burden.

DUNKIRK, N.Y., Dec. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On December 3, 2024, Lake Shore Savings Bank (“Bank”), the wholly-owned federal savings bank subsidiary of Lake Shore Bancorp, Inc. (“Company”) received termination notice of the Consent Order by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”), the Bank’s primary federal regulator. The Consent Order required the Bank to correct deficiencies related to information technology, security, automated clearing house, audit, management, and Bank Secrecy Act / Anti-Money Laundering. In addition to the termination of the Consent Order, the OCC terminated the “Troubled Condition” status.

“Our primary goal has been remediation of the operational issues identified by our primary regulator,” stated Kim C. Liddell, President, CEO, and Director. “The early lifting of the Consent Order by the OCC reflects the significant and speedy progress our team made. I am proud of the team and their continued focus on serving our customers and communities.”

About Lake Shore
Lake Shore Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Market: LSBK) is the mid-tier holding company of Lake Shore Savings Bank, a federally chartered, community-oriented financial institution headquartered in Dunkirk, New York. The Bank has ten full-service branch locations in Western New York, including four in Chautauqua County and six in Erie County. The Bank offers a broad range of retail and commercial lending and deposit services. The Company’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Market as “LSBK”. Additional information about the Company is available at www.lakeshoresavings.com.

Safe-Harbor
This release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company’s and the Bank’s industry, and management’s beliefs and assumptions. Words such as anticipates, expects, intends, plans, believes, estimates and variations of such words and expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect management’s current views of future events and operations. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company as of the date of this release. It is important to note that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve and are subject to significant risks, contingencies, and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond our control including, but not limited to, compliance with the Written Agreement with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, data loss or other security breaches, including a breach of our operational or security systems, policies or procedures, including cyber-attacks on us or on our third party vendors or service providers, economic conditions, the effect of changes in monetary and fiscal policy, inflation, unanticipated changes in our liquidity position, climate change, geopolitical conflicts, public health issues, increased unemployment, deterioration in the credit quality of the loan portfolio and/or the value of the collateral securing repayment of loans, reduction in the value of investment securities, the cost and ability to attract and retain key employees, regulatory or legal developments, tax policy changes, dividend policy changes, and our ability to implement and execute our business plan and strategy and expand our operations. These factors should be considered in evaluating forward looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements, as our financial performance could differ materially due to various risks or uncertainties. We do not undertake to publicly update or revise our forward-looking statements if future changes make it clear that any projected results expressed or implied therein will not be realized.

Source: Lake Shore Bancorp, Inc.
Category: Financial

Investor Relations/Media Contact
Kim C. Liddell
President, CEO, and Director
Lake Shore Bancorp, Inc.
31 East Fourth Street
Dunkirk, New York 14048
(716) 366-4070 ext. 1012

FAQ

When did Lake Shore Savings Bank (LSBK) get its OCC Consent Order terminated?

Lake Shore Savings Bank (LSBK) received termination notice of the OCC Consent Order on December 3, 2024.

What operational issues were addressed in Lake Shore Savings Bank's (LSBK) OCC Consent Order?

The Consent Order addressed deficiencies in information technology, security, automated clearing house, audit, management, and Bank Secrecy Act / Anti-Money Laundering.

How many branch locations does Lake Shore Savings Bank (LSBK) operate?

Lake Shore Savings Bank operates ten full-service branch locations in Western New York, with four in Chautauqua County and six in Erie County.