Bank Of The James Finl Gp Stock Price, News & Analysis

Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: BOTJ) is a financial holding company in the commercial banking industry. It is the parent company of Bank of the James, a full-service commercial and retail bank, and Pettyjohn, Wood & White, Inc. (PWW), an SEC-registered investment advisor. According to multiple company press releases, Bank of the James opened for business in July 1999 and is headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia. The company’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol BOTJ.

Business model and core operations

Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. operates through community banking, mortgage banking, and investment advisory activities, as reflected in the Polygon description and subsequent company communications. The Bank provides retail and commercial banking, deposit services, lending services, mortgage loan origination, and other banking services. The Company also generates noninterest income through wealth management and investment advisory services via PWW, and through investment and insurance services offered under the BOTJ Investment Services division and BOTJ Insurance, Inc. subsidiary.

The Bank offers a range of deposit services, including checking accounts, savings accounts, and time deposits, as described in the Polygon profile. Company press releases further emphasize the importance of core deposits such as noninterest-bearing demand deposits, NOW accounts, money market accounts, and savings accounts as a funding source for loans and a contributor to liquidity. Time deposits also form part of the funding mix.

On the lending side, the Polygon description notes that the Bank offers various types of secured and unsecured consumer loans, including personal loans, lines of credit, overdraft lines of credit, automobile loans, installment loans, demand loans, and home equity loans. Company financial results releases provide additional detail on the loan portfolio, highlighting commercial real estate loans (owner-occupied and non-owner occupied), commercial construction and land loans, residential construction and land loans, commercial and industrial loans, residential mortgage loans (both retained and sold into the secondary market), and consumer loans.

Geographic footprint and markets served

Bank of the James serves customers in Virginia from a network of offices across multiple markets. Company press releases state that the Bank serves Region 2000 (the greater Lynchburg metropolitan statistical area) and the Blacksburg, Buchanan, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Nellysford, Roanoke, and Wytheville, Virginia markets. Other releases list additional locations in Altavista, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Forest, Madison Heights, Rustburg, and Wytheville. These offices support both commercial and retail banking activities and provide a base for deposit gathering and loan origination.

The Bank’s mortgage division, Bank of the James Mortgage, originates residential mortgage loans, many of which are sold into the secondary market, as repeatedly described in the company’s financial results. The Bank also reports activity in commercial and residential construction lending in its served markets, reflecting local economic and real estate conditions.

Investment, insurance, and advisory services

Beyond traditional banking, Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. participates in investment and insurance services and investment advisory services. Press releases explain that:

• The Bank offers full investment and insurance services through its BOTJ Investment Services division and BOTJ Insurance, Inc. subsidiary.
• The Company provides investment advisory services through Pettyjohn, Wood & White, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary and SEC-registered investment advisor, which generates wealth management fee income.

These activities contribute to noninterest income, alongside fees from debit card activity, commercial treasury services, and gains on the sale of mortgage loans held for sale, as detailed in multiple quarterly and annual financial results releases.

Revenue drivers and balance sheet themes

Company financial disclosures emphasize a balanced revenue stream that combines interest income from loans and investments with noninterest income from fees and advisory services. Press releases for 2024 and 2025 highlight:

• Interest income driven by commercial loan interest rates, commercial real estate loan growth, and higher-rate residential mortgages.
• Net interest margin and interest spread trends influenced by the prevailing interest rate environment and management of deposit pricing and borrowings.
• Noninterest income contributions from commercial treasury services, residential mortgage origination fee income, and wealth management fees from PWW.
• Ongoing focus on asset quality, with low ratios of nonperforming loans to total loans and no other real estate owned (OREO) reported in recent periods.

Press releases also describe the Company’s emphasis on maintaining a strong cash position, liquidity, and regulatory capital ratios, including Tier 1 leverage ratios at the Bank level that reflect a well-capitalized institution.

Corporate structure and capital management

Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. is incorporated in Virginia, as noted in its SEC filings. It functions as the holding company for Bank of the James and PWW. SEC Form 8-K filings and earnings releases describe several capital and funding actions, including:

• The use of capital notes and their subsequent retirement, which reduced interest expense and the average rate on interest-bearing liabilities.
• A secured promissory note with The National Bank of Blacksburg used in part to finance the acquisition of Pettyjohn, Wood & White, Inc., later modified to extend maturity and adjust interest rate and amortization terms.
• Regular quarterly cash dividends declared by the Board of Directors, with the rate per share specified in multiple 8-K filings and press releases.

The Company has also reported share repurchase activity in prior years, which, according to its 2023 financial results release, reduced the number of outstanding common shares and supported earnings per share.

Leadership and governance developments

Recent SEC filings and news releases document changes in senior leadership. An October 2025 Form 8-K and related press release describe a planned transition effective January 1, 2026, in which J. Todd Scruggs, who has served as Chief Financial Officer of the Bank since 1999 and as the Company’s principal accounting officer since 2003, will move into the newly established role of Chief Investment Officer. Eric J. Sorenson, Jr., who has served as General Counsel of the Bank and advised the Company on legal, regulatory, and financial matters for many years, is appointed to succeed Mr. Scruggs as Chief Financial Officer.

A January 2026 press release then announces Mr. Scruggs’ retirement from the Boards of Directors of the Company and the Bank and from his executive roles, effective January 5, 2026, while noting his role as one of the two founders of Bank of the James in 1998 and his contribution to the Bank’s growth and transition to a public company with regional expansion.

Growth, markets, and strategic themes

Across its financial communications, Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. highlights several recurring themes:

• Community and regional banking focus in Virginia markets such as Lynchburg, Roanoke, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Lexington, Blacksburg, Buchanan, Nellysford, and Wytheville.
• Loan portfolio growth led by commercial real estate loans, with additional activity in commercial and industrial, construction, residential mortgage, and consumer lending.
• Deposit expansion and efforts to grow and retain core deposits to fund lending and support liquidity.
• High asset quality, with low levels of nonperforming loans and no OREO reported in recent periods.
• Noninterest income diversification through treasury services, mortgage banking, and wealth management.

Press releases also describe the opening of new banking offices in locations such as Buchanan and Nellysford, Virginia, to expand deposit-gathering capabilities and support market share growth.

Stock information

Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the ticker symbol BOTJ, as stated in multiple company press releases and SEC filings. The Company’s SEC filings identify it under Commission File Number 001-35402 and note that it is incorporated in Virginia.

Evergreen considerations for investors and observers

Based on the information in the company’s public communications and SEC filings, Bank of the James Financial Group, Inc. can be characterized as a Virginia-based financial holding company focused on community and regional banking, mortgage banking, and investment advisory services. Its operations center on commercial and retail banking through Bank of the James, mortgage origination through Bank of the James Mortgage, and wealth management through Pettyjohn, Wood & White, Inc., with additional investment and insurance services offered under BOTJ-branded entities. The company emphasizes asset quality, deposit growth, and diversified revenue sources as key elements of its business model.