City Holding Company
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D. C. 20549

FORM 10-K405

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended Commission File Number
December 31, 1996 0-11733

CITY HOLDING COMPANY
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

West Virginia 55-0619957
(State of other jurisdiction of (IRS Employer
incorporation or organization) Identification No.)

3601 MacCorkle Avenue, Southeast
Charleston, West Virginia 25304
(Address of principal offices)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (304) 925-6611

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: Common Stock, $2.50
Par Value

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

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405
of Regulation S-K 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]

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by nonaffiliates of the
registrant based on the closing price as of March 26, 1997 (Registrant has
assumed that all of its executive officers and directors are affiliates. Such
assumption shall not be deemed to be conclusive for any other purpose):

Aggregate Market Value -- $204,811,403

The number of shares outstanding of the issuer's common stock as of March 26,
1997:

Common Stock, $2.50 Par Value -- 6,068,486 shares

The total number of pages are 65 . Exhibit Index is located on page 19 .
----- -----

Page 1 of 65

1
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Documents Part of Form 10-K
into which Document
is incorporated

Portions of the Annual Part I, Item 1; Part
Report to Shareholders II, Items 5, 6, 7,
of City Holding Company and 8; Part III, Item
for the year ended 13; Part IV, Item 14.
December 31, 1996.

Portions of City Holding Part III, Items 10,
Company's Proxy statement 11, 12 and 13.
for the 1997 Annual
Meeting of Shareholders.

2
FORM 10-K INDEX

PART I Page

Item 1. Business................................................ 4

Item 2. Properties........................................... 11

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.......................................11

Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of
Security Holders......................................11

PART II

Item 5. Market for the Registrant's Common Stock and
Related Stockholder Matters...........................12

Item 6. Selected Financial Data.................................12

Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of
Financial Condition and Results of
Operations............................................12

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.............12

Item 9. Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants
on Accounting and Financial Disclosure................12

PART III

Item 10. Directors and Executive Officers of
Registrant............................................13

Item 11. Executive Compensation..................................13

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial
Owners and Management.................................13

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related
Transactions..........................................13

PART IV

Item 14. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and
Reports on Form 8-K...................................14

Signatures..............................................17

Exhibit Index.......................................... 19

3
PART I

Item 1 Business

(a) History

The Registrant, City Holding Company, is a West Virginia
corporation chartered as of March 12, 1982. City Holding Company is a duly
qualified bank holding company under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as
amended. City Holding Company currently has nine banking subsidiaries and three
nonbanking subsidiaries (collectively, the "Subsidiaries"). All of the
subsidiaries are wholly-owned. The Company acquired First Merchants Bancorp,
Inc. and its subsidiary, Merchants National Bank, West Virginia in August 1995.
The Company continually seeks strategic aquisition opportunities for small to
medium-sized banks. The Company's acquisition policy has permitted subsidiary
banks to operate as separate entities with their historical names and boards of
directors. The Company believes that this policy maintains community loyalty to
the subsidiary banks and improves operating performance while providing the
services and efficiencies of a larger holding company. During 1996, the Company
created City Mortgage Services, a mortgage loan servicing division.
Headquartered in Charleston, West Virginia, this division was formed to
facilitate the Company's growth of its mortgage servicing portfolio. On December
31, 1996, the Company acquired certain assets and assumed certain liabilities of
Prime Financial Corporation, a mortgage loan servicing company located in Costa
Mesa, California, which increased the Company's mortgage loan servicing
portfolio by approximately $600 million. This West Coast operation was absorbed
into the mortgage loan servicing division headquartered in Charleston, West
Virginia. The nonbanking subsidiaries include a full service mortgage banking
company whose principal place of business is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a
full service securities brokerage and investment advisory company, whose
principal place of business is in City National's main location. City Holding
Company's third non-banking subsidiary is Hinton Financial Corporation, which
owns all of the capital stock of The First National Bank of Hinton and does not
conduct any additional business.

(b) Business

The banking Subsidiaries are engaged in the business of
banking in West Virginia by receiving and paying deposits; by negotiating
promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other evidence of debt; by
buying and selling exchange; by loaning money secured by personal or real
property, or both; by dealing in securities and stocks without recourse solely
upon order, and for the account of customers, except for purchases of investment
securities for its account under limitations and restrictions imposed by
regulations of the Comptroller of the Currency; by providing trust services; by
supplying credit card services as a licensee of Visa and MasterCard; by
providing safe deposit box facilities and miscellaneous other services rendered
by a full service bank. In addition, the Company engages in servicing pools of
FHA Title I insured and other loans through its City Mortgage Services division,
a full service securities brokerage and investment advisory business through
City Financial Corporation, and a full service mortgage banking business through
City Mortgage Corporation.

City Holding Company's nine banking subsidiaries operate 37
banking offices in West Virginia. The City National Bank of Charleston is a
community bank serving the Kanawha City section of Charleston and municipalities
and rural areas to the east. The Bank operates eleven branches serving Kanawha
and Putnam counties. The Peoples Bank of Point Pleasant, a state-chartered bank
located in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, serves the western portion of Mason
County. Point Pleasant's two branch banks located in Mason and New Haven serve
the northern portion of Mason County. First State Bank & Trust, a
state-chartered bank located in Rainelle, West Virginia, serves Greenbrier and
Raleigh counties. First State Bank operates seven offices located in Rainelle

4
(two offices), Rupert, Sophia, Beaver, and Beckley (two offices), West Virginia.
Bank of Ripley, a state-chartered bank, has two locations in Ripley, West
Virginia, and serves Jackson County. Home National Bank of Sutton, operates a
national bank located in Sutton, West Virginia and a branch located in Gassaway,
West Virginia.

Blue Ridge Bank (Blue Ridge), a de novo institution chartered
as a state-nonmember bank in 1992 is located in Martinsburg, West Virginia. Blue
Ridge operates five offices located in Berkeley, Jefferson, and Morgan counties.
Peoples State Bank, a state bank, has locations in Clarksburg and Bridgeport,
West Virginia, serving Harrison County. The First National Bank of Hinton
(Hinton), operates a national bank in Summers County. Merchants National Bank
operates a national bank in Montgomery, West Virginia and two branches located
in Gauley and Glasgow, West Virginia. City Holding Company's nine banking
subsidiaries are consumer-oriented banks and it is anticipated they will
continue to be operated as such.

No material portion of the Subsidiaries' deposits are derived
from a single person or a few persons, the loss of any one or more of which
could have a material adverse effect on liquidity, capital, or other elements of
financial performance. No material portion of the Subsidiaries' loans are
concentrated within a single industry or group of related industries.

City Holding Company operates as a multi-bank holding company
and has a loan servicing division which services pools of home improvement
loans. Consequently, it is generally dependent upon the Subsidiaries for cash
necessary to pay expenses, dividends to its stockholders, and to meet debt
service requirements.

City Holding Company's business is not seasonal and has no
foreign sources or applications of funds. There are no anticipated material
capital expenditures, or any expected material effects on earnings or the
Company's competitive position as a result of compliance with federal, state and
local provisions enacted or adopted relating to environmental protection.

(c) Regulation and Supervision

Bank holding companies and banks operate in a highly regulated
environment and are regularly examined by federal and state regulators. The
following description briefly discusses certain provisions of federal and state
laws and certain regulations and the potential impact of such provisions to
which the Company and its banking Subsidiaries are subject. These federal and
state laws and regulations have been enacted for the protection of depositors in
national and state banks and not for the protection of shareholders of bank
holding companies.

Bank Holding Companies

As a bank holding company registered under the Bank Holding
Company Act of 1956, as amended (the "BHCA"), the Company is subject to
regulation by the Federal Reserve Board. The Federal Reserve Board has
jurisdiction under the BHCA to approve any bank or nonbank acquisition, merger
or consolidation proposed by a bank holding company. The BHCA generally limits
the activities of a bank holding company and its subsidiaries to that of
banking, managing or controlling banks, or any other activity which is so
closely related to banking or to managing or controlling banks as to be a proper
incident thereto.

Federal law permits bank holding companies from any state to
acquire banks and bank holding companies located in any other state. Effective
June 1, 1997, the law will allow interstate bank mergers, subject to earlier
"opt-in" or "opt-out" action by individual states. The law currently allows
interstate branch acquisitions and de novo branching if permitted by the host
state. West Virginia has adopted early "opt-in" legislation that allows
interstate bank mergers. These laws also permit interstate branch acquisitions
and de novo branching in

5
West Virginia by out-of-state banks if reciprocal treatment is accorded West
Virginia banks in the state of the acquiror.

There are a number of obligations and restrictions imposed on
bank holding companies and their depository institution subsidiaries by federal
law and regulatory policy that are designed to reduce potential loss exposure to
the depositors of such depository institutions and to the FDIC insurance fund in
the event the depository institution becomes in danger of default or in default.
For example, under a policy of the Federal Reserve Board with respect to bank
holding company operations, a bank holding company is required to serve as a
source of financial strength to its subsidiary depository institutions and to
commit resources to support such institutions in circumstances where it might
not do so otherwise. In addition, the "cross-guarantee" provisions of federal
law require insured depository institutions under common control to reimburse
the FDIC for any loss suffered or reasonably anticipated by either the Savings
Association Insurance Fund (SAIF) or the Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) as a result
of the default of a commonly controlled insured depository institution or for
any assistance provided by the FDIC to a commonly controlled insured depository
institution in danger of default. The FDIC may decline to enforce the
cross-guarantee provisions if it determines that a waiver is in the best
interest of the SAIF or the BIF or both. The FDIC's claim for reimbursement is
superior to claims of shareholders of the insured depository institution or its
holding company but is subordinate to claims of depositors, secured creditors
and holders of subordinated debt (other than affiliates) of the commonly
controlled insured depository institution.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA) also provides that
amounts received from the liquidation or other resolution of any insured
depository institution by any receiver must be distributed (after payment of
secured claims) to pay the deposit liabilities of the institution prior to
payment of any other general or unsecured senior liability, subordinated
liability, general creditor or shareholder. This provision would give depositors
a preference over general and subordinated creditors and shareholders in the
event a receiver is appointed to distribute the assets of any of the banking
Subsidiaries.

The BHCA also prohibits a bank holding company, with certain
exceptions, from acquiring more than 5% of the voting shares of any company that
is not a bank and from engaging in any business other than banking or managing
or controlling banks. Under the BHCA, the Federal Reserve Board is authorized to
approve the ownership of shares by a bank holding company in any company the
activities of which the Federal Reserve Board has determined to be so closely
related to banking or to managing or controlling banks as to be a proper
incident thereto. The Federal Reserve Board has by regulation determined that
certain activities are closely related to banking withing the meaning of the
BHCA. These activities include: operating a mortgage company, finance company,
credit card company or factoring company; performing certain data processing
operations; providing investment and financial advice; and acting as an
insurance agent for certain types of credit-related insurance.

The Company is registered under the bank holding company laws
of West Virginia. Accordingly, the Company and its banking Subsidiaries are
subject to further regulation and supervision by the WV Division of Banking.

Capital Requirements

The Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC have issued
substantially similar risk-based and leverage capital guidelines applicable to
United States banking organizations. In addition, those regulatory agencies may
from time to time require that a banking organization maintain capital above the
minimum levels because of its financial condition or actual or anticipated
growth. Under the risk-based capital requirements of these federal bank
regulatory agencies, the Company and its banking Subsidiaries are required to
maintain a minimum ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets of at least 8%
in order to remain categorized as well capitalized. At least half of the total
capital is required to be "Tier 1 capital", which consists principally of

6
common and certain qualifying preferred shareholders' equity, less certain
intangibles and other adjustments. The remainder "Tier 2 capital" consists of a
limited amount of subordinated and other qualifying debt (including certain
hybrid capital instruments) and a limited amount of the general loan loss
allowance. The Tier 1 and total capital to risk-weighted asset ratios of the
Company as of December 31, 1996 were 10.20% and 11.23%, respectively, exceeding
the minimums required.

In addition, each of the federal regulatory agencies has
established a minimum leverage capital ratio (Tier 1 capital to average tangible
assets). These guidelines provide for a minimum ratio of 4% for banks and bank
holding companies that meet certain specified criteria, including that they have
the highest regulatory examination rating and are not contemplating significant
growth or expansion. All other institutions are expected to maintain a leverage
ratio of at least 100 to 200 basis points above the minimum. The Tier 1 capital
leverage ratio of the Company as of December 31, 1996, was 6.58%. The guidelines
also provide that banking organizations experiencing internal growth or making
acquisitions will be expected to maintain strong capital positions substantially
above the minimum supervisory levels, without significant reliance on intangible
assets.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of
1991 (FDICIA) requires each federal banking agency to revise its risk-based
capital standards to ensure that those standards take adequate account of
interest rate risk, concentration of credit risk and the risks of nontraditional
activities, as well as reflect the actual performance and expected risk of loss
on multi-family mortgages. Rules have been promulgated with respect to
concentration of credit risk and the risks of non-traditional activities, and
also as to the risk of loss on multi-family mortgages. A proposed rule with
respect to interest rate risk is still under consideration. The proposal would
allow institutions to use internal risk models to measure interest rate risk (if
the models are acceptable to examiners) and would require additional capital of
institutions identified as having excess interest rate risk. The Company does
not expect any of these rules, either individually or in the aggregate, to have
a material impact on its capital requirements.

Limits on Dividends and Other Payments

The Company is a legal entity separate and distinct from its
Subsidiaries. Most of the Company's revenues result from the dividends paid to
the Company by those Subsidiaries. The right of the Company and shareholders of
the Company, to participate in any distribution of the assets or earnings of any
Subsidiary through the payment of such dividends or otherwise is necessarily
subject to the prior claims of creditors of such Subsidiary, except to the
extent that claims of the Company in its capacity as a creditor may be
recognized. Moreover, there are various legal limitations applicable to the
payment of dividends to the Company as well as the payment of dividends by the
Company to its shareholders. Under federal law, the Company's Subsidiaries may
not, subject to certain limited expectations, make loans or extensions of credit
to, or investment in the securities of, or take securities of the Company as
collateral for loans to any borrower. The Company's Subsidiaries are also
subject to collateral security requirements for any loans or extensions of
credit permitted by such exceptions.

The banking Subsidiaries are subject to various statutory
restrictions on their ability to pay dividends to the Company. Under applicable
regulations, at December 31, 1996, the banking Subsidiaries could have paid
aggregate dividends to the Company of $15.9 million without obtaining prior
approval of their respective regulators. The payment of dividends by the Company
and the banking Subsidiaries may also be limited by other factors, such as
requirements to maintain adequate capital above regulatory guidelines. The
various regulators supervising the banking Subsidiaries have authority to
prohibit any subsidiary under their jurisdiction from engaging in an unsafe and
unsound practice in conducting its business. The payment of dividends, depending
upon the financial condition of the subsidiary in question, could be deemed to
constitute such an unsafe or unsound practice. The Federal Reserve Board and the
OCC have indicated their view that it generally

7
would be an unsafe and unsound practice to pay dividends except out of current
operating earnings. The Federal Reserve Board has stated that, as a matter of
prudent banking, a bank or bank holding company should not maintain its existing
rate of cash dividends on common stock unless (1) the organization's net income
available to common shareholders over the past year has been sufficient to fund
fully the dividends and (2) the prospective rate of earnings retention appears
consistent with the organization's capital needs, asset quality, and overall
financial condition. Moreover, the Federal Reserve Board has indicated that bank
holding companies should serve as a source of managerial and financial strength
to their subsidiary banks. Accordingly, the Federal Reserve Board has stated
that a bank holding company should not maintain a level of cash dividends to its
shareholders that places undue pressure on the capital of bank subsidiaries, or
that can be funded only through additional borrowings or other arrangements that
may undermine the bank holding company's ability to serve as a source of
strength.

The ability of the Company's subsidiaries to pay dividends in
the future is, and is expected to continue to be, influenced by regulatory
policies and by capital guidelines. The bank regulatory agencies have broad
discretion in developing and applying policies and guidelines, in monitoring
compliance with existing policies and guidelines, and in determining whether to
modify such policies and guidelines.

FIRREA

Under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and
Enforcement Act (FIRREA) a depository institution insured by the FDIC can be
held liable for any loss incurred by, or reasonably expected to be incurred by,
the FDIC after August 9, 1989, in connection with (i) the default of a commonly
controlled FDIC-insured depository institution or (ii) any assistance provided
by the FDIC to a commonly controlled FDIC-insured depository institution in
danger of default. "Default" is defined generally as the appointment of a
conservator or receiver and "in danger of default" is defined generally as the
existence of certain conditions indicating that a "default" is likely to occur
in the absence of regulatory assistance. Liability of any bank Subsidiary of the
Company under this cross-guarantee position could have a material adverse effect
on the financial condition of any other bank Subsidiary and the Company.

FDICIA

In December 1991, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Improvement Act of 1991 (FDICIA) became effective. FDICIA substantially revised
the depository institution regulatory and funding provisions of the Federal
Deposit Insurance Act and revised several other federal banking statutes.

Banks

The City National Bank of Charleston, The Home National Bank
of Sutton, Merchants National Bank and The First National Bank of Hinton are
national banking associations, and are subject to supervision and regulation by
the OCC, the Federal Reserve Board and the FDIC. The Peoples Bank of Point
Pleasant, First State Bank & Trust and Blue Ridge Bank are supervised and
regulated by the West Virginia Board of Banking and Financial Institutions and
the FDIC. The Bank of Ripley and Peoples State Bank are supervised and regulated
by the West Virginia Board of Banking and Financial Institutions, the FDIC and
the Federal Reserve Board. To reduce the burden associated with multiple
regulators, Peoples Bank of Point Pleasant, First State Bank & Trust, Bank of
Ripley, Blue Ridge Bank, and Peoples State Bank, have filed applications with
the OCC to become national banks. These conversions are expected to be completed
by April 1997. The various laws and regulations administered by the regulatory
agencies affect corporate practices, such as payment of dividends, incurring
debt and acquisition of financial institutions and other companies, and affect
business practices, such as payment of interest on deposits, the charging of
interest on loans, types of business conducted and location of offices.

8
Governmental Policies

The operations of the Company and its banking Subsidiaries are
affected not only by general economic conditions, but also by the policies of
various regulatory authorities. In particular, the Federal Reserve Board
regulates money and credit and interest rates in order to influence general
economic conditions. These policies have a significant influence on overall
growth and distribution of bank loans, investments and deposits and affect
interest rates charged on loans or paid for time and savings deposits. Federal
Reserve monetary policies have had a significant effect on the operating results
of commercial banks in the past and are expected to continue to do so in the
future.

Among other things, FDICIA requires the federal banking
regulators to take prompt corrective action with respect to depository
institutions that do not meet minimum capital requirements. FDICIA establishes
five capital tiers: well capitalized, adequately capitalized, undercapitalized,
significantly undercapitalized, and critically undercapitalized.

The Federal Reserve Board has adopted regulations establishing
relevant capital measures and relevant capital levels for banks. The relevant
capital measures are the total risk-adjusted capital ratio, Tier I risk-
adjusted capital ratio and the leverage ratio. Under the regulations, a bank is
considered (i) well capitalized if it has a total capital ratio of ten percent
or greater, a Tier 1 capital ratio of six percent or greater and a leverage
ratio of five percent or greater and is not subject to any order or written
directive by such regulator to meet and maintain a specific capital level for
any capital measure, (ii) adequately capitalized if it has a total capital ratio
of eight percent or greater, a Tier I capital ratio of four percent or greater
and a leverage ratio of four percent or greater (three percent in certain
circumstances) and is not well capitalized, (iii) undercapitalized if it has a
total capital ratio of less than eight percent, a Tier 1 capital ratio of less
than four percent or a leverage ratio of less than four percent (three percent
in certain circumstances), (iv) significantly undercapitalized if it has a total
capital ratio of less than six percent, a Tier 1 capital ratio of less than
three percent or a leverage ratio of less than three percent, and (v) critically
undercapitalized if its tangible equity is equal to or less than two percent of
average quarterly tangible assets. As of December 31, 1996, each of the banking
Subsidiaries had capital levels that qualify them as being well capitalized
under such regulations.

FDICIA generally prohibits a depository institution from
making any capital distribution (including payment of a dividend) or paying any
management fee to its holding company if the depository institution would
thereafter be undercapitalized. Undercapitalized depository institutions are
subject to restrictions on borrowing from the Federal Reserve Board. In
addition, undercapitalized depository institutions are subject to growth
limitations and are required to submit capital restoration plans. In order to
obtain acceptance of a capital restoration plan, a depository institution's
holding company must guarantee the capital plan, up to an amount equal to the
lesser of 5% of the depository institution's assets at the time it becomes
undercapitalized or the amount of the capital deficiency when the institution
fails to comply with the plan. Furthermore, in the event of a bankruptcy of the
parent holding company, such guarantee would take priority over the parent's
general unsecured creditors. The federal banking agencies may not accept a
capital plan without determining, among other things, that the plan is based on
realistic assumptions and is likely to succeed in restoring the depository
institution's capital. If a depository institution fails to submit an acceptable
plan, it is treated as if it is significantly undercapitalized.

Significantly undercapitalized depository institutions may be
subject to a number of requirements and restrictions, including orders to sell
sufficient voting stock to become adequately capitalized, requirements to reduce
total assets, and cessation of receipt of deposits from correspondent banks.
Critically undercapitalized depository institutions are subject to appointment
of a receiver or conservator.

9
Under FDICIA, a depository institution that is not well
capitalized is generally prohibited from accepting brokered deposits and
offering interest rates on deposits higher than the prevailing rate in its
market. In addition, pass-through insurance coverage may not be available for
certain employee benefit accounts.

Various other legislation, including proposals to overhaul the
banking regulatory system and to limit the investments that a depository
institution may make with insured funds are from time to time introduced in
Congress. The Company cannot determine the ultimate effect that FDICIA and the
implementing regulations adopted thereunder, or any other potential legislation,
if enacted, would have upon its financial condition or operations.

Other Safety and Soundness Regulations

The federal banking agencies have broad powers under current
federal law to take prompt corrective action to resolve problems of insured
depository institutions. The extent of these powers depends upon whether the
institutions in question are "well capitalized," "adequately capitalized,"
"undercapitalized," "significantly undercapitalized" or "critically
undercapitalized," as such terms are defined under uniform regulations defining
such capital levels issued by each of the federal banking agencies.

(d) Employees

As of December 31, 1996, City Holding Company and Subsidiaries
employed 711 associates. Employee relations within the Subsidiaries are
considered to be satisfactory.

(e) Statistical Information

The information noted below is provided pursuant to Guide 3 --
Statistical Disclosure by Bank Holding Companies. Page references are to the
Annual Report to Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 1996 and such
pages are incorporated herein by reference.

Page

Description of Information Reference

1. Distribution of Assets, Liabilities and Stockholders'
Equity; Interest Rates and Interest Differential

a. Average Balance Sheets 4

b. Analysis of Net Interest Earnings 5

c. Rate Volume Analysis of Changes in
Interest Income and Expense 5

2. Investment Portfolio

a. Book Value of Investments 7

b. Maturity Schedule of Investments 7

10
c.       Securities of Issuers Exceeding 10%
of Stockholders' Equity 7

3. Loan Portfolio

a. Types of Loans 8

b. Maturities and Sensitivity to Changes in Interest
Rates 8

c. Risk Elements 9, 10

d. Other Interest Bearing Assets N/A

4. Summary of Loan Loss Experience 10, 11

5. Deposits

a. Breakdown of Deposits by Categories,
Average Balance and Average Rate Paid 4

b. Maturity Schedule of Time Certificates of
Deposit and Other Time Deposits of
$100,000 or More 8

6. Return on Equity and Assets 1

Item 2 Properties

City Holding Company and its subsidiaries own the facilities
maintained as the Company's headquarters and generally own all of the facilities
maintained as operating facilities by the subsidiaries. Those facilities not
owned by the Company are maintained under long term lease agreements. The
properties owned or leased by the Company consist generally of the main offices,
twenty eight (28) branch locations and an operations center. All of the
properties are suitable and adequate for their current operations and are
generally being fully utilized.

Item 3 Legal Proceedings

There are various legal proceedings pending to which City
Holding Company and/or its subsidiaries are parties. These proceedings are
incidental to the business of City Holding Company and its subsidiaries and,
after reviewing the matters and consulting with counsel, management is of the
opinion that the ultimate resolution of such matters will not materially affect
the consolidated financial statements.

Item 4 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during
the fourth quarter of the fiscal year covered by this report.

11
PART II

Item 5 Market for Registrant's Common Stock and Related Stockholder Matters

Page 2 of the Annual Report to Shareholders of City Holding
Company for the year ended December 31, 1996, included in this report as Exhibit
13, is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 6 Selected Financial Data

Selected Financial Data on page 1 of the Annual Report to
Shareholders of City Holding Company for the year ended December 31, 1996,
included in this report as Exhibit 13, is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations

Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations on pages 2 through 13 of the Annual Report to
Shareholders of City Holding Company for the year ended December 31, 1996,
included in this report as Exhibit 13, is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 8 Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

The report of independent auditors and consolidated financial
statements, included on pages 14 through 34 of the Annual Report to Shareholders
of City Holding Company for the year ended December 31, 1996, included in this
report as Exhibit 13, are incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9 Changes In and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and
Financial Disclosure

None

12
PART III

Item 10 Directors and Executive Officers of Registrant

The information required by Item 10 of FORM 10-K appears in
the Company's 1997 Proxy Statement to be filed within 120 days of fiscal year
end under the captions "ELECTION OF DIRECTORS" and "EXECUTIVE OFFICERS".

Item 11 Executive Compensation

The information required by Item 11 of FORM 10-K appears in
the Company's 1997 Proxy Statement under the caption "EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION".

Item 12 Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management

The information required by Item 12 of FORM 10-K appears in
the Company's 1997 Proxy Statement under the caption "OWNERSHIP OF EQUITY
SECURITIES".

Item 13 Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

The information required by Item 13 of FORM 10-K appears in
the Company's 1997 Proxy Statement under the caption "CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND
RELATED TRANSACTIONS" and in NOTE FOURTEEN of Notes to Consolidated Financial
Statements appearing at page 28 of the Company's Annual Report to Shareholders
for the year ended December 31, 1996, included in this report as Exhibit 13, and
incorporated herein by reference.

13
PART IV

Item 14 Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K

(a) Financial Statements Filed; Financial Statement Schedules

The following consolidated financial statements of City
Holding Company and subsidiaries, included in the Company's Annual Report to
Shareholders for the year ended December 31, 1996, are incorporated by reference
in Item 8:

Exhibit 13

Page Number

Report of Independent Auditors 14

Consolidated Balance Sheets - December 31, 1996
and 1995 15

Consolidated Statements of Income - years
ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994 16

Consolidated Statements of Changes in
Stockholders' Equity - years ended December 31,
1996, 1995 and 1994 17

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows -
years ended December 31, 1996, 1995 and 1994 18

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements -
December 31, 1996 19 - 34

On the following page appears the independent auditors report of Persinger &
Company, LLC on the Consolidated Financial Statements of Hinton Financial
Corporation and Subsidiary for the years ended December 31, 1994, 1993 and 1992.

14
INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT

To the Board of Directors
Hinton Financial Corporation
Hinton, West Virginia

We have audited the accompanying consolidated statements of income,
stockholders' equity, and cash flows of Hinton Financial Corporation and
Subsidiary for the year ended December 31, 1994. These financial statements are
the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express
an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above
present fairly, in all material respects, the results of operations and cash
flows of Hinton Financial Corporation and Subsidiary for the year ended December
31, 1994, in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.

/s/ Persinger & Company, LLC

Beckley, West Virginia
January 6, 1995

15
Financial Schedules I and II under Article 9 of Regulation S-X are not
applicable.

(b) Reports on Form 8-K

None

(c) Exhibits

The exhibits listed in the Exhibit Index on pages 19 through
21 of this FORM 10-K are filed herewith or incorporated by reference from
previous filings.

16
SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to
be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

City Holding Company

(Registrant)

/s/
----------------------------
Steven J. Day,
President/Director
(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/
------------------------------
Robert A. Henson,
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

POWER OF ATTORNEY

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, this report on Form 10-K has been signed below by the following persons on
behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities indicated on March 11, 1997. Each
of the directors and/or officers of City Holding Company whose signature appears
below hereby appoints Steven J. Day and Robert A. Henson and each of them
severally, as his attorney-in-fact to sign in his name and behalf, in any and
all capacities stated below and to file with the Commission, any and all
amendments to this report on Form 10-K, making such changes in this report on
Form 10-K as appropriate, and generally to do all such things in their behalf in
their capacities as officers and directors to enable City Holding Company to
comply with the provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and all
requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

- --------------------------- ------------------------------
Samuel M. Bowling, C. Scott Briers,
Director Director

/s/ /s/
- --------------------------- ------------------------------
Dr. D. K. Cales, Steven J. Day,
Director Director/President

/s/ /s/
- --------------------------- ------------------------------
Robert D. Fisher, Jack E. Fruth,
Director Director

/s/ /s/
- --------------------------- ------------------------------
Jay Goldman, Carlin K. Harmon,
Director Director/Executive Vice President

/s/ /s/
- --------------------------- ---------------------------------
C. Dallas Kayser, Dale Nibert,
Director Director

17
/s/
- ------------------------ ----------------------------------
Otis L. O'Connor, Bob F. Richmond,
Director Director

/s/ /s/
- ------------------------ ----------------------------------
Mark H. Schaul, Van R. Thorn,
Director Director

/s/ /s/
- ------------------------ ----------------------------------
George F. Davis, Hugh R. Clonch,
Director/Executive Vice President Director

/s/ /s/
- ------------------------ ----------------------------------
William M. Frazier, Leon K. Oxley,
Director Director




18


EXHIBIT INDEX

The following exhibits are filed herewith or are incorporated
herein by reference.

Prior Filing
Exhibit Reference or Page
Number Description Number Herein
------ ----------- -----------------
3(a) Articles of Incorporation of I
City Holding Company

3(b) Articles of Amendment to the II
Articles of Incorporation of
City Holding Company, dated
March 6, 1984

3(c) Articles of Amendment to the III
Articles of Incorporation of
City Holding Company, dated
March 4, 1986

3(d) Articles of Amendment to the IV
Articles of Incorporation of
City Holding Company, dated
September 29, 1987

3(e) Articles of Amendment to the
Articles of Incorporation of
City Holding Company, dated
May 6, 1991 V

3(f) Articles of Amendment to the
Articles of Incorporation of
City Holding Company, dated
May 7, 1991 V

3(g) By-laws of City Holding Company I

3(h) Amendment to the By-laws of III
City Holding Company, dated
February 14, 1985

3(i) Amendment to the By-laws of III
City Holding Company, dated
March 4, 1986

3(j) Amendment to the By-laws of III
City Holding Company, dated
May 1, 1986

19
3(k)             Amendment to the By-laws of                              III
City Holding Company, dated
February 5, 1987

3(l) Amendment to the By-laws of VI
City Holding Company, dated
November 3, 1988

3(m) Articles of Amendment to the Articles of
Incorporation of City Holding Company,
dated August 1, 1994 VIII

4 Amendment and Restated Rights
Agreement, dated as of May 7, 1991,
between the Company and Sovran Bank,
N.A. (predecessor to Nations Bank,
N.A.), as Rights Agent VII

10 Agreement dated June 5, 1986, by III
and between Steven J. Day and
City Holding Company

11 Statement Re: Computation of Per
Share Earnings 22

13 City Holding Company Annual Report
to Shareholders for Year Ended
December 31, 1996 23

22 Subsidiaries of City Holding Company 62

24(a) Power of Attorney (included on the signature
page hereof) 17

24(b) Consent of Ernst & Young, LLP 63

24(c) Consent of Persinger & Company, LLC 64

27 Financial Data Schedule for the year ending
December 31, 1996 65


I Attached to, and incorporated by reference from Amendment No.
1 to City Holding Company's Registration Statement on Form
S-4, Registration No. 2-86250, filed November 4, 1983, with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.

II Attached to, and incorporated by reference from City Holding
Company's Form 8-K Report dated March 7, 1984, and filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 22, 1984.

20
III               Attached to, and incorporated by reference from City Holding
Company's Form 10-K Annual Report dated December 31, 1986, and
filed March 31, 1987, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

IV Attached to and incorporated by reference from City Holding
Company's Registration Statement on Form S-4, Registration No.
33-23295, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
August 3, 1988. Attached to, and incorporated by reference
from City Holding Company's Form 10-K Annual Report dated
December 31, 1991, and filed March 17, 1992, with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.

V Attached to, and incorporated by reference from City Holding
Company's Form 10-K Annual Report dated December 31, 1991, and
filed March 17, 1992, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

VI Attached to, and incorporated by reference from City Holding
Company's Form 10-K Annual Report dated December 31, 1988, and
filed March 30, 1989, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

VII Attached to, and incorporated by reference from City Holding
Company's Form 8-K Current Report dated May 7, 1991, and filed
May 14, 1991, with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

VIII Attached to, and incorporated by reference from City Holding
Company's Form 10-Q Quarterly Report dated September 30, 1994
and filed November 14, 1994, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

21