NOTE 7 - EMPLOYEE AND DIRECTOR BENEFITS

Stock Options

The Company has a stock-based compensation plan as described below. The compensation cost that has been charged to earnings for the plan was approximately $294,000 and $781,000 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and $202,000 and $684,000 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018.

The Company’s 2009 Amended and Restated Stock Incentive Plan authorizes the grant of up to 5,550,000 shares and allows for the issuance of Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Stock Options, Performance Shares or Performance Units. The plan allows for the grant of incentive stock options and non-qualified stock options, and option awards are granted with an exercise price equal to the market value of the Company’s common stock at the date of grant. The maximum term of the options granted under the plan is ten years.

The Company estimates the fair value of each stock option award using a Black-Scholes-Merton valuation model that uses the assumptions noted in the following table. Expected volatility is based on historical volatilities of the Company’s common stock. The expected term for options granted is based on the short-cut method and represents the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding. The risk-free rate for periods within the contractual life of the option is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant.

The weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018 was $12.60 and $10.98, respectively.

The following table summarizes stock option activity during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018:

As of September 30, 2019, there was approximately $1,198,000 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested stock options. The cost is expected to be recognized on the straight-line method over the next 1.3 years.

Restricted Stock

The Company periodically grants restricted stock awards that vest upon service conditions. Dividend payments are made during the vesting period. The value of restricted stock is determined to be the current value of the Company’s stock, and this total value will be recognized as compensation expense over the vesting period. As of September 30, 2019, there was $1,491,000 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested restricted stock. The cost is expected to be recognized evenly over the remaining 2.7 years of the restricted stock’s vesting period.

The following table summarizes restricted stock activity during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively: