Company Description
United Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBCP) is a bank holding company in the commercial banking industry within the finance and insurance sector. According to company disclosures and press releases, it operates through a single bank charter, Unified Bank, to provide commercial and retail banking services. United Bancorp, Inc. is headquartered in Martins Ferry, Ohio and its common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol UBCP.
Through Unified Bank, United Bancorp, Inc. offers banking and financial services that include accepting demand, savings, and time deposits and granting commercial, real estate, and consumer loans. The company serves customers in multiple Ohio counties, including Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Fairfield, Harrison, Jefferson, and Tuscarawas, along with Marshall County in West Virginia. Company press releases describe an emphasis on relationship-driven, small-business-oriented commercial lending, which management has noted accounts for a substantial portion of its total loans.
United Bancorp, Inc. reports that it operates eighteen banking offices or banking centers through Unified Bank across its Ohio and West Virginia markets. These locations support both deposit gathering and loan origination activities. The company has highlighted growth initiatives such as the development of a new regional banking center in Wheeling, West Virginia, intended to deepen its presence in that market, and the acquisition of a property in St. Clairsville, Ohio to serve as the "Unified Center" for accounting, technology, and customer support functions.
Management commentary in earnings releases indicates that United Bancorp, Inc. focuses on balancing growth, asset quality, and capital strength. The company discusses net interest income, net interest margin, and the mix of deposits (demand, savings, and time deposits) as key drivers of performance. It also reports on credit quality metrics such as nonaccrual loans, loans past due 30-plus days, nonperforming assets to total assets, net loan charge-offs, and allowance for credit losses to total loans and to nonaccrual loans.
United Bancorp, Inc. has described several initiatives aimed at expanding revenue sources beyond traditional interest income. These include the development of the Unified Mortgage Division, which focuses on mortgage origination and the sale of secondary market mortgage products, and the enhancement of a Treasury Management function that offers fee-based services to commercial customers in areas such as cash management, merchant services, and payments. Company statements link these initiatives to goals of generating additional fee income and supporting growth in low- or no-cost deposits.
In public communications, United Bancorp, Inc. has also referenced investments in technology, digital transformation, and omni-channel delivery to meet changing customer needs. The company has discussed implementing artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions to improve customer support, respond to inquiries more efficiently, and route customer interactions to skilled sales professionals. The planned Unified Center in St. Clairsville, Ohio is described as centralizing customer support and sales-oriented functions to provide a more consistent customer experience.
Dividend policy is a recurring theme in United Bancorp, Inc.’s press releases. The Board of Directors has declared regular quarterly cash dividends and, at times, special cash dividends per common share. The company often reports the forward dividend yield based on its most recent market value and compares current dividend levels to prior-year periods. Management commentary links dividend decisions to factors such as earnings performance, liquidity, and capital position.
United Bancorp, Inc. also reports on its regulatory capital and equity position, including tangible shareholders’ equity and equity-to-assets ratios, noting that it remains well capitalized by regulatory or industry standards. The company has disclosed the use of funding sources such as a Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB) advance and has discussed the composition of its deposit base, including the proportion of uninsured deposits and the absence of brokered deposits, as part of its funding and liquidity profile.
Overall, United Bancorp, Inc. presents itself as a regional commercial bank holding company focused on community banking through Unified Bank, with operations centered in specific Ohio counties and Marshall County, West Virginia. Its business model, as described in company filings and press releases, combines traditional deposit and lending activities with growing fee-based lines of business, technology investments, and a stated objective of growing its asset base while maintaining credit quality and capital strength.