14.          INCOME TAXES

Income tax expense for the years indicated consisted of the following:

Year Ended December 31,

  ​ ​ ​

2025

  ​ ​ ​

2024

  ​ ​ ​

2023

Current income tax expense:

Federal

$

6,144

$

4,697

$

7,021

State

 

3,045

 

3,008

 

3,711

Total current tax expense

9,189

7,705

10,732

Deferred income tax expense (benefit):

Federal

(342)

709

(206)

State

(161)

92

207

Total deferred tax expense (benefit)

(503)

801

1

Total income tax expense

$

8,686

$

8,506

$

10,733

Income tax expense resulted in effective tax rates that differed from the statutory federal income tax rate for the years indicated as follows (as reported under ASU 2023-09 on a prospective basis):

December 31, 2025

  ​ ​ ​

Amount

  ​ ​ ​

Rate%

  ​ ​ ​

Tax computed at the statutory federal rate

$

6,850

 

21.00

%  

State income taxes, net of federal benefit (a)

 

2,278

 

7.00

Tax credits

Low income housing credits (b)

(179)

(0.50)

Nontaxable or nondeductible items

BOLI

 

(159)

 

(0.50)

Tax exempt interest, net

 

(84)

 

(0.30)

Other

61

0.20

Other adjustments

 

(81)

 

(0.30)

Total income tax expense

$

8,686

 

26.60

%  

(a)   State taxes in California make up the majority (greater than 50%) of the tax effect in this category.

(b) Tax credits are net of associated investment impacts, such as proportional amortization and tax benefits of flow through losses.

Income tax expense resulted in effective tax rates that differed from the statutory federal income tax rate for the years indicated as follows (before adoption of ASU 2023-09):

December 31, 2024

December 31, 2023

 

Amount

  ​ ​ ​

Rate%

  ​ ​ ​

Amount

  ​ ​ ​

Rate%

 

Federal statutory tax rate

$

6,745

 

21.00

%  

$

8,013

 

21.00

%  

State statutory tax rate, net of federal effective tax rate

 

2,449

 

7.60

 

3,095

 

8.10

Tax exempt interest

 

(75)

 

(0.20)

 

(76)

 

(0.20)

BOLI

 

(151)

 

(0.50)

 

(140)

 

(0.40)

Other

 

(462)

 

(1.40)

 

(159)

 

(0.40)

Total income tax expense

$

8,506

 

26.50

%  

$

10,733

 

28.10

%  

The Company is subject to U.S. federal income tax as well as state income tax in multiple states, most notably in California, Colorado and New Mexico. Federal income tax returns for the years ended on or after December 31, 2022 are open to audit by the federal authorities and, with limited exception, state income tax returns for the years ended on or after December 31, 2021 are open to audit by state authorities.

Deferred tax assets included as a component of interest receivable and other assets in the consolidated balance sheets consisted of the following at the dates indicated:

  ​ ​ ​

December 31, 

  ​ ​ ​

December 31, 

2025

2024

Deferred tax assets

 

  ​

 

  ​

Net operating loss carryforward

$

2,336

$

2,776

Salary continuation plan

 

1,585

 

1,465

Allowance for credit losses

 

6,029

 

5,327

Stock based compensation

 

136

 

150

Lease liability

 

3,809

 

4,096

Unrealized loss on AFS securities

 

2,411

 

5,178

Unrealized loss on equity securities

1,623

1,496

Other

 

1,148

 

1,125

Total deferred tax assets

 

19,077

 

21,613

Deferred tax liabilities

 

  ​

 

  ​

Core deposit intangible

 

(487)

 

(767)

Depreciation

 

(16)

 

83

ROU assets

 

(3,531)

 

(3,811)

FHLB stock dividend

 

(239)

 

(571)

Partnership investments

(442)

(391)

Deferred loan costs and other

 

(1,410)

 

(940)

Total deferred tax liability

 

(6,125)

 

(6,397)

Deferred tax assets, net

$

12,952

$

15,216

The utilization of the net operating losses (“NOLs”) is subject to an annual limit pursuant to Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code. The annual limitation for Federal and California Franchise Tax purposes is $1.1 million and if not fully utilized, the NOLs will begin to expire in 2028. Based upon the level of historical taxable income and projections for future taxable income over the periods during which the deferred tax assets are expected to be deductible, management believes it is more likely than not that we will realize the benefit of the remaining deferred tax assets. Accordingly, no valuation allowance was established as of December 31, 2025 or 2024. At December 31, 2025, Federal, California and Colorado NOLs included in the deferred tax asset totaled $6.8 million, $9.6 million and $1.9 million, respectively.

During the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, the Company did not recognize any interest or penalties. The Company had no unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2025 and 2024.

Cash paid for income taxes, net of refunds, were as follows:

Year ended

  ​ ​ ​

December 31, 2025

Federal

 

$

5,550

State:

 

California

2,809

Other

153

State subtotal

2,962

Total income taxes paid, net of refunds received

$

8,512

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Mar 16, 2026Showing above
2024Mar 14, 2025
2023Mar 15, 2024
2022Mar 31, 2023
2021Mar 31, 2022
2020Mar 23, 2021
2019Mar 16, 2020
2018Mar 19, 2019

About Income Taxes Disclosures

The income tax disclosure reveals how much a company actually pays in taxes versus what the statutory rate would predict. Analysts focus on the effective tax rate (ETR) reconciliation, which breaks down every item driving the gap between the 21% federal rate and the company's reported ETR — including R&D credits, foreign rate differentials, and state taxes. Deferred tax assets (DTAs) and their valuation allowances signal management's confidence in future profitability: a rising allowance suggests the company doubts it can use accumulated tax benefits. Uncertain tax benefit (UTB) reserves quantify exposure to IRS challenges on aggressive positions.

Key signals to watch: sudden ETR drops without clear operational reasons, large increases in valuation allowances, growing UTB balances, and significant unremitted foreign earnings. Post-TCJA, pay attention to GILTI and BEAT provisions that affect multinational tax structures. Compare the cash taxes paid (from the cash flow statement) against the income tax provision to gauge earnings quality.