While it's certainly disappointing to see that United Security Bancshares shares lost 4.7% throughout the year, that wasn't as bad as the market loss of 11%. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 0.5%, each year, over five years. It could be that the business is just facing some short term problems, but shareholders should keep a close eye on the fundamentals. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with United Security Bancshares (at least 1 which is significant), and understanding them should be part of your investment process.