HILLS BANCORPORATION

Hills Bancorporation (the "Company") is a holding company principally engaged, through its subsidiary bank, in the business of banking. The Company was incorporated December 12, 1982 and all operations are conducted within the state of Iowa. The Company became owner of 100% of the outstanding stock of Hills Bank and Trust Company, Hills, Iowa (“Hills Bank and Trust” or the “Bank”) as of January 23, 1984 when stockholders of Hills Bank and Trust exchanged their shares for shares of the Company. Effective July 1, 1996, the Company formed a new subsidiary, Hills Bank, which acquired for cash all the outstanding shares of a bank in Lisbon, Iowa. Subsequently an office of Hills Bank was opened in Mount Vernon, Iowa, a community that is contiguous to Lisbon. Effective November 17, 2000, Hills Bank was merged into the Bank. On September 20, 1996, another subsidiary, Hills Bank Kalona, acquired cash and other assets and assumed the deposits of the Kalona, Iowa office of Boatmen's Bank Iowa, N.A. Effective October 26, 2001, Hills Bank Kalona was merged into the Bank.

Through its internet website (www.hillsbank.com), the Company makes available the Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, all amendments to those reports, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed or furnished.

The Bank is a full-service commercial bank extending its services to individuals, businesses, governmental units and institutional customers. The Bank is actively engaged in all areas of commercial banking, including acceptance of demand, savings and time deposits; making commercial, real estate, agricultural and consumer loans; maintaining night and safe deposit facilities; and performing collection, exchange and other banking services tailored for individual customers. The Bank administers estates, personal trusts, and pension plans and provides farm management, investment advisory and custodial services for individuals, corporations and nonprofit organizations. In addition, the Bank earns substantial fees from originating mortgages that are sold on the secondary residential real estate market without mortgage servicing rights being retained.

Lending Activities

Real Estate Loans

Real estate loans totaled $2.929 billion and comprised 85.18% of the Bank’s loan portfolio as of December 31, 2023. The Bank’s real estate loans include construction loans and mortgage loans.

Mortgage Loans. The Bank offers residential, commercial and agricultural real estate loans. As of December 31, 2023, mortgage loans totaled $2.535 billion and comprised 73.72% of the Bank’s loan portfolio.

Residential real estate loans totaled $1.366 billion and were 39.72% of the Bank’s loan portfolio as of December 31, 2023. These loans include first and junior liens on 1 to 4 family residences. The Bank originates 1 to 4 family mortgage loans to individuals and businesses within its trade area. The Bank sells certain mortgage loans to third parties on the secondary market. For the loans sold on the secondary market, the Bank does not retain any percentage of ownership or servicing rights. Interest rates for residential real estate mortgages are determined by competitive pricing factors on the secondary market and within the Bank’s trade area. Collateral for residential real estate mortgages is generally the underlying property. Generally, repayment of these loans is from monthly principal and interest payments from the borrower’s personal cash flows and liquidity, and collateral values are a function of residential real estate values in the markets that the Bank serves.

Commercial real estate loans totaled $416.67 million and were 12.12% of the Bank’s loan portfolio at December 31, 2023. The Bank originates loans for commercial properties to individuals and businesses within its trade area. The primary source of repayment is the cash flow generated by the collateral underlying the loan. The secondary repayment source would be the liquidation of the collateral. Generally, terms for commercial real estate loans range from one to five years with an amortization period of 25 years or less. The Bank offers both fixed and variable rate loans for commercial real estate.

Multi-family real estate loans totaled $471.01 million and were 13.70% of the Bank’s loan portfolio at December 31, 2023. Multi-family real estate loans are made to individuals and businesses in the Bank’s trade area. These loans are primarily secured by properties such as apartment complexes. The primary source of repayment is the cash flow generated by the collateral underlying the loan. The secondary repayment source would be the liquidation of the collateral. Generally, terms for commercial real estate loans range from one to five years with an amortization period of 25 years or less. Generally, interest rates for multi-family loans are fixed for the loan term.

Mortgage loans secured by farmland totaled $281.16 million and were 8.18% of the Bank’s loan portfolio at December 31, 2023. Loans for farmland are made to individuals and businesses within the Bank’s trade area. The primary source of repayment is the cash flow generated by the collateral underlying the loan. The secondary repayment source would be the liquidation of the collateral. Terms for real estate loans secured by farmland range from one to ten years with an amortization period of 25 years or less. Generally, interest rates are fixed for mortgage loans secured by farmland.

Construction Loans. The Bank offers loans both to individuals that are constructing personal residences and to real estate developers and building contractors for the acquisition of land for development and the construction of homes and commercial properties. The Bank makes these loans to established borrowers in the Bank’s trade area. Construction loans generally have a term of one year or less, with interest payable at maturity. Interest rate arrangements are variable for construction projects. Generally, collateral for construction loans is the underlying construction project.

As of December 31, 2023, construction loans for personal residences totaled $80.25 million and were 2.33% of the Bank’s loan portfolio. Construction loans for land development and commercial projects totaled $313.88 million and were 9.13% of the Bank’s loan portfolio. In total, construction loans totaled $394.13 million and were 11.46% of the Bank’s loan portfolio as of December 31, 2023.

Commercial and Financial Loans

The Bank’s commercial and financial loan portfolio totaled $307.19 million and comprised 8.93% of the total loan portfolio at December 31, 2023. The Bank’s commercial and financial loans include loans to contractors, retailers and other businesses. The Bank provides a wide range of business loans, including lines of credit for working capital and operational purposes and term loans for the acquisition of equipment. Although most loans are made on a secured basis, loans may be made on an unsecured basis where warranted by the overall financial condition of the borrower. Terms of commercial and financial loans generally range from one to five years. Interest rates for commercial loans can be fixed or variable.

The Bank’s commercial and financial loans are primarily made based on the reported cash flow of the borrower and secondarily on the underlying collateral provided by the borrower. The collateral support provided by the borrower for most of these loans and the probability of repayment is based on the liquidation of the pledged collateral and enforcement of personal guarantees, if applicable. The primary repayment risks of commercial loans are that the cash flows of the borrower may be unpredictable, and the collateral securing these loans may fluctuate in value.

Agricultural Loans

Agricultural loans include loans made to finance agricultural production and other loans to farmers and farming operations. These loans totaled $115.79 million and constituted 3.37% of the total loan portfolio at December 31, 2023. Agricultural loans, most of which are secured by crops and machinery, are provided to finance capital improvement and farm operations as well as acquisitions of livestock and machinery. The ability of the borrower to repay may be affected by many factors outside of the borrower’s control including adverse weather conditions, loss of livestock due to disease or other factors, declines in market prices for agricultural products and the impact of government regulations. The ultimate repayment of agricultural loans is dependent upon the profitable operation or management of the agricultural entity. Agricultural loans generally have a term of one year and may have a fixed or variable rate.

Consumer Lending

The Bank offers consumer loans including personal loans and automobile loans. These consumer loans typically have shorter terms and lower balances. At December 31, 2023, consumer loans totaled $40.21 million and were 1.17% of the Bank’s total loan portfolio.

Loans to State and Political Subdivisions

Loans to State and Political Subdivisions include only tax-exempt loans. These loans totaled $46.45 million and comprised 1.35% of the Bank’s total loan portfolio at December 31, 2023.

Deposit Activities

The Bank’s primary funding source for its loan portfolio and other investments consist of the acceptance of demand, savings and time deposits.

Average Daily Balances

The following table shows average balances of assets, liabilities and stockholders’ equity:

AVERAGE BALANCES

(Average Daily Basis)

The Bank’s business is not seasonal. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had two employees per the table below and the Bank had 474 full-time and 43 part-time employees.

For additional discussion of the impact of the economy on the financial condition and results of operations of the Company, see Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Executive Officers of the Registrant

The executive officers of the Company and the Bank, along with their respective ages and positions held, are identified in the table below.