Good morning. My name is Bill Aubrey. I'm Chairman of the Board of Directors of Peoples Financial Services Corporation. I'm very pleased to welcome you to our 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which is being held via live audio webcast. We'd like to remind all of our shareholders that they can find information throughout the year about the company's performance, strategies, and community support in our SEC filings, press releases, presentations, and other information available through the investor relations section of our website, and that is located at ir.psbt.com. As is our custom, we will conduct the formal portion of our meeting first, after which we will have a question and a comment period. To allow us to answer questions from as many shareholders as possible, we will limit each shareholder to two questions.
If there's a question about a matter to be voted upon, it may be submitted in the field provided in the web portal, and we will endeavor to answer it before the voting is closed. The rules of conduct for the meeting are posted at the bottom right side of the web portal. I'd like to recognize our directors, Mr. Louis DeNaples, Vice Chairman, Sandy Bodnyk , Bill Bracey, Joe Coccia , Billy Conaway, Joseph DeNaples, Keith Eckel, Ron Kukuchka , Katie Lambert, Rick Larkin, Tom Malone, Jim Nicholas, Lisa Ramirez, and Jill Wright, whom are also joining us today.
The bios and qualification of each of our directors can be found in our proxy statement. Ivan Schillig, our external auditor from Baker Tilly, and Donald R. Readlinger, our attorney from Troutman Pepper Locke, are present, and during the question and comment period, will be available to respond to questions and to make a statement if they so desire. Marie Luciani will serve as the secretary of this annual meeting. With that, I'll turn the meeting over to our Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer, and Corporate Secretary, Tim Kirtley, who will serve as the presiding officer for the annual meeting.
Thank you, Bill, and welcome to our 2026 annual meeting of shareholders. This meeting is now officially called to order. As stated in the notice of meeting, the purpose for today's meeting is to consider and vote upon the election of four directors to the company's board of directors, each to serve until the 2029 annual meeting of shareholders, and until their successor has been elected and qualified. A proposal to approve on an advisory basis the compensation of our named executive officers. A proposal to approve on an advisory basis the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers. A proposal to amend the Peoples Financial Services Corp. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares that may be issued under the plan to 300,000 shares.
The ratification of Baker Tilly US LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026. The Board of Directors has appointed Joseph C. Corradino from The Corradino Group to serve as the Judge of Election for this annual meeting. I have received from Mr. Corradino the oath of office, which I direct the Secretary to file with the minutes of this meeting. I understand from the Judge of Election that there is represented here today in person or by proxy, at least the majority of the votes which all shareholders are entitled to cast. I declare that a quorum is present and that the 2026 annual meeting of shareholders be, and it hereby is, properly convened for the conduct of business.
I will now ask Marie Luciani, the Secretary, to report on the mailing of the notice of meeting and related matters.
Thank you, Tim. I have received an affidavit of distribution from Broadridge Financial Solutions, certifying that proxy materials were mailed and deposited with the United States Post Office commencing on April 10th, 2026. The affidavit will be filed with the minutes of this meeting.
Thank you, Marie. As has been noted, we do have a quorum present here today, and we will proceed with our election of directors and voting on the other proposals, which will then be followed by a question and comment period. The first matter to consider today is the election of four directors to our board of directors, each to serve until the 2029 annual meeting of shareholders and until their successor has been elected and qualified. The board has nominated four incumbent directors for re-election. Our director nominees are Sandra L. Bodnyk, Joseph Coccia, Joseph L. DeNaples, Esquire, and Ronald G. Kukuchka, all to serve until the 2029 annual meeting of shareholders. The backgrounds and experiences of the director nominees, as well as other relevant information, are included in the proxy materials previously distributed to the shareholders.
We will also be voting today on proposal number two to approve on an advisory basis the compensation of our named executive officers. Number three, to approve on an advisory basis the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers. Number four, to amend the Peoples Financial Services Corp. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares that may be issued under the plan to 300,000 shares. Number five, to ratify the appointment of Baker Tilly US, LLP as our auditor for 2026. Detailed information regarding each of the proposals was included in the proxy materials previously distributed to the shareholders. At this time, I declare the polls to be open for the recordation and tally of the shareholder votes.
For those shareholders who haven't yet voted or wish to change their vote, you may do so by clicking on the voting button on the web portal and following the instructions there. If you have mailed in a proxy or voted by proxy by telephone or internet, your shares will be voted in accordance with your instructions. You do not need to vote again if you've already returned your proxy, unless you want to change your vote. I'm going to pause now to see if there are any questions on the matters to be voted upon and to see if any shareholders are going to vote at this time. Being that there are no further questions, and appearing that all shareholders desiring to vote during this meeting have done so, I declare the polls for this annual shareholder meeting closed.
Would the Judge of Election, Mr. Cordeo, like additional time to review the vote tally?
No, Mr. Kirtley. The votes have been tallied, and I am ready to report the results.
I now recognize Mr. Cordeo, the Judge of Election, to present the results of the voting.
Kirtley, based on the preliminary results of the election, all four of the company's director nominees were elected to serve until the 2029 annual meeting of shareholders. Shareholders voted to approve the compensation of the company's named executive officers, and they voted to approve the frequency of future advisory votes on a one-year basis. Also approved was the proposal to amend the 2023 Equity Incentive Plan and the appointment of Baker Tilly US as the company's independent accounting firm for the year ending December 31st, 2026.
Thank you, Mr. Corradino. Based on the preliminary report of the Judges of Election, I declare that the four director nominees have been reelected on an advisory basis. The vote on the compensation of our named executive officers has been received and recorded on an advisory basis. The frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of our named executive officers has been received and recorded. The proposal to amend the Peoples Financial Services Corp. 2023 Equity Incentive Plan to increase the number of shares that may be issued under the plan to 300,000 shares has been approved, and the proposal to ratify the appointment of Baker Tilly US, LLP has been approved.
I direct the Judge of Election to prepare his final report as soon as practicable and deliver it to the Secretary to be filed with the minutes of the annual meeting. In just a moment, we will begin a question and comment period. With the election of directors and voting on the other proposals concluded, there is no further formal business to properly come before this annual meeting. Therefore, I declare the 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be adjourned. I'd like to introduce our President and CEO, Gerry Champi. Mr. Champi will discuss our prior year's performance, and then he'll be answering any questions from our shareholders.
Thank you, Tim, and good morning, everyone. As we look back on 2025, it was a year defined by execution. Following our merger with FNCB Bank, our focus shifted to strengthening performance, improving our balance sheet, and continuing to grow in a disciplined way. This focus helped us deliver strong financial results. Net income reached $59.2 million, driven by improved net interest margin, growth in earning assets, and improved asset quality. We also strengthened our capital position, increased book value, and continued to return to our shareholders through increased dividends. Beyond the numbers, what matters most is how we achieve those results, by staying focused on relationship-driven banking and long-term value creation. We continue to invest in how we serve our customers.
In 2025, we expanded our virtual branch, which connects customers directly with our bankers through live chat and digital channels, and launched PSBT.NOW, our online account opening platform. Together, these initiatives are driving strong results. At the same time, we made everyday banking simpler. Tools like card management and ClickSWITCH give customers more control to manage their finances. These are practical improvements that remove friction and strengthen relationships. We also continue to invest in our physical presence. During the year, we relocated our Nanticoke branch, opened our first location in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and completed construction of our new Daleville office, all long-term investments in the communities we serve. In addition, we made meaningful progress with our operational infrastructure.
During the year, we completed our move into the new corporate center in Moosic, Pennsylvania, consolidating several operational and administrative location into one central headquarters. This has improved efficiency, strengthened collaboration across teams, and reinforced our long-term commitment. Our dedication to the community remains a core part of who we are. In 2025, we provided more than $2.3 million in tax credit contributions to support education, workforce development, and essential services, along with more than $900,000 in support for local nonprofits and Community Reinvestment Act initiatives. Our employees also remained actively engaged, contributing their time and talent across our markets through volunteer efforts, nonprofit board service, and community engagement. This year also marked the planned retirement of our president, Thomas P. Tulaney. Thom s erved for many years as a trusted partner to our clients, employees, and communities.
We thank him for his leadership and the lasting impact he has made across the organization. As we look ahead, our priorities remain clear. Grow responsibly, invest in our capabilities, and deliver consistent results. This supports our mission to provide better banking and strengthen the communities we serve. We are focused on building a stronger organization over time. Finally, I would like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment, and our shareholders for their continued trust. To our customers, thank you for choosing Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company. We've made solid progress and we're confident in what's ahead. There being no questions, we would like to thank everyone for joining our 2026 annual meeting.
This concludes today's meeting. Thank you for attending. You may now disconnect and have a wonderful rest of your day.