INCOME TAXES

The following table summarizes the current and deferred components of income tax expense (benefit) for each of the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016:



(in thousands)	2018			2017		2016
Current:
Federal tax expense	$	6,775		$	8,705	$	5,189
State tax expense	1,230			1,039		217
Total current tax expense	8,005			9,744		5,406

Deferred tax expense	(443		)	2,898		470
Impact of federal tax reform enactment	—			3,988		—
Total income tax expense	$	7,562		$	16,630	$	5,876

The following table reconciles the expected federal income tax expense (computed by applying the federal statutory tax rate of 21%, 35% for years prior to 2018) to recorded income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016:



	2018					2017					2016
(in thousands, except ratios)	Amount			Rate		Amount			Rate		Amount			Rate
Statutory tax rate	$	8,505		21.00	%	$	14,918		35.00	%	$	7,283		35.00	%
Increase (decrease) resulting from:
State taxes, net of federal benefit	908			2.24		986			2.31		141			0.68
Tax exempt interest	(1,315		)	(3.25	)	(2,074		)	(4.87	)	(1,388		)	(6.67	)
Federal tax credits	(125		)	(0.31	)	(130		)	(0.3	)	—			—
Officers' life insurance	(382		)	(0.94	)	(538		)	(1.26	)	(244		)	(1.17	)
Acquisition costs	—			—		89			0.21		289			1.39
Stock-based compensation plans	(120		)	(0.30	)	(241		)	(0.57	)	—			—
Impact of federal tax reform enactment	—			—		3,988			9.36		—			—
Other	91			0.23		(368		)	(0.86	)	(205		)	(0.99	)
Effective tax rate	$	7,562		18.67	%	$	16,630		39.02	%	$	5,876		28.24	%

The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities at December 31, 2018 and 2017 are summarized below. The net deferred tax asset, which is included in other assets, amounted to $9.5 million at December 31, 2018 and $7.2 million at December 31, 2017.

The significant components of deferred tax assets and liabilities at December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017 were as follows:



	2018				2017
(in thousands)	Assets		Liabilities		Assets		Liabilities
Allowance for loan losses	$	3,085	$	—	$	2,729	$	—
Deferred compensation	3,242		—		3,333		—
Unrealized gain or loss on securities available for sale	2,641		—		649		—
Unrealized gain or loss on derivatives	685		—		853		—
Depreciation	—		1,517		—		1,356
Deferred loan origination costs	—		725		—		655
Non-accrual interest	374		—		273		—
Branch acquisition costs and goodwill	—		784		—		737
Core deposit intangible	—		1,309		—		1,525
Acquisition fair value adjustments	3,171		—		4,000		—
Prepaid expenses	—		215		—		302
Interest rate cap premium amortization	—		257		—		276
Mortgage servicing rights	—		721		—		769
Equity compensation	335		—		297		—
Prepaid pension	—		366		—		345
Contract incentives	1,658		—		594		—
Other	217		—		417		—
Total	$	15,408	$	5,894	$	13,145	$	5,965

The Company has determined that a valuation allowance is not required for its net deferred tax asset since it is more likely than not that this asset is realizable principally through future taxable income and future reversal of existing temporary differences.

The Company is subject to income tax in the U.S. federal jurisdiction and also in the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The Company is no longer subject to examination by taxing authorities for years before 2015.

On December 22, 2017, H.R.1, commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”), was signed into law. The Act included several provisions affecting the Company's federal income tax expense, including the reduced federal income tax rate from 35% to 21% effective January 1, 2018. As a result of this rate reduction, the Company was required to re-measure, through income tax expense in the period of enactment, the deferred tax assets and liabilities using the enacted rate at which these items are expected to be recovered or settled. The re-measurement of the Company's net deferred tax asset resulted in additional 2017 income tax expense of $4.0 million.

Also on December 22, 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) released Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118 (“SAB 118”) which addressed any uncertainty or diversity of views in practice in accounting for the income tax effects of the Act in situations where a registrant does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed in reasonable detail to complete this accounting in the reporting period that includes the enactment date. SAB 118 allows for a measurement period not to extend beyond one year from the Act’s enactment date to complete the necessary accounting.

As of December 31, 2017 the Company's $1.4 million deferred tax liability for temporary differences between the tax and financial reporting bases of fixed assets was recorded as a provisional amount based upon reasonable estimates. The final determination of this deferred tax liability was awaiting completion of a cost segregation analysis to determine the impact of applying accelerated tax depreciation to certain building costs, including application of the Act's new provisions for 100% bonus depreciation.

Also as of December 31, 2017, the Company made no adjustments to deferred tax assets representing future deductions for accrued compensation that may be subject to new limitations under Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m) which, generally, limits the annual deduction for certain compensation paid to certain employees to $1.0 million. All of these matters were finalized in 2018 with no material impact to the Company's federal income tax expense.