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Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Loans

Loans

The Company grants mortgage, commercial and consumer loans to customers. A substantial portion of the loan portfolio is represented by mortgage loans. The ability of the Company’s debtors to honor their contracts is dependent upon the general economic conditions in the Company’s market area.

Loans are reported at their recorded investment, which is the outstanding principal balance net of any unearned income, such as deferred fees and costs, and charge-offs. Interest on loans is recognized over the term of the loan and is calculated using the interest method on principal amounts outstanding. Loan origination fees, net of certain direct origination costs, are deferred and recognized as an adjustment of the related loan yield via straight line amortization over the contractual term of the loan, adjusted for early pay-offs.

The accrual of interest is generally discontinued at the time a loan is 90 days or more past due, or earlier, if collection is uncertain based on an evaluation of the net realizable value of the collateral and the financial strength of the borrower. Payments received for loans no longer accruing interest are applied to the unpaid principal balance. Loans greater than 90 days past due may remain on accrual status if the credit is well secured and in process of collection. Credit card loans and other personal loans are typically charged off no later than 180 days past due. Past due status is based on the contractual terms of the loan. In all cases, loans are charged off at an earlier date if collection of principal or interest is considered doubtful. Nonaccrual and past due policies are materially the same for all types of loans.

All interest accrued but not collected for loans that are placed on non-accrual or charged off is reversed against interest income. Any interest received on these loans is accounted for on the cash basis or cost recovery method until qualifying for return to accrual. Generally, a loan is returned to accrual status when all the principal and interest amounts contractually due are brought current and future payments are reasonably assured, or it becomes well secured and in the process of collection.

Allowance For Loan Losses

Allowance for loan losses

The allowance for loan losses (“ALL”) reflects management’s judgment of probable loan losses inherent in the portfolio at the balance sheet date. Management uses a disciplined process and methodology to establish the allowance for losses each quarter. To determine the total allowance for loan losses, the Company estimates the reserves needed for each segment of the portfolio, including loans analyzed individually and pools of loans analyzed on a segmented basis. Considerations include historical experience, the nature and volume of the loan portfolio, adverse situations that may affect a borrower’s ability to repay, estimated value of any underlying collateral and prevailing economic conditions. This evaluation is inherently subjective, as it requires estimates that are susceptible to significant revision as additional information becomes available.

During the third quarter of 2012, management enhanced the ALL calculation methodology by changing the historical loss factor period from six quarters to the length of a business cycle. This increased the historical loss period to 16 quarters, since the current business cycle is assumed to have begun in the fourth quarter of 2008. As the length of the current business cycle extends, so will the length of the historical loss factor period.

 

The allowance consists of specific, general, and unallocated components. The specific component generally evaluates large commercial and construction loans which are adversely risk rated, in bankruptcy, nonaccruing, or more than 30 days past due, to determine which are impaired. The scope of this evaluation can include commercial borrowers utilizing mortgages on their residences for their businesses. For those loans determined to be impaired, an allowance is established when the discounted cash flows (or collateral value or observable market price) of the impaired loan is lower than the carrying value of that loan. The general component collectively evaluates smaller commercial loans, residential mortgages and consumer loans, grouped into segments. Historical loss experience is calculated and applied to each segment, then adjusted for qualitative factors. Qualitative factors include changes in the local economic outlook, including unemployment, interest rates, inflation rates and real estate trends; the level and trend of past due and nonaccrual loans; strength of policies and procedures; and oversight of credit risk and quality of underwriting. These qualitative adjustments reflect management’s judgment of risks inherent in the segments. An unallocated component is maintained to cover uncertainties that could affect management’s estimate of probable losses. The unallocated component of the allowance reflects the margin of imprecision inherent in the underlying assumptions used in the methodologies for estimating specific and general losses in the portfolio. Changes in the allowance for loan losses and the related provision expense can materially affect net income.

Management employs a risk rating system to evaluate and consistently categorize loan portfolio credit risk. Loans assigned risk rating grades include all commercial loans, commercial loans secured by real estate (commercial mortgages), large residential loans secured by real estate (residential mortgages), loans to real estate developers and contractors, large consumer loans with chronic delinquency, and troubled debt restructures. Risk rating categories are as follows:

Pass – Borrower is strong or sound and collateral securing the loan, if any, is adequate.

Watch – Borrower exhibits some signs of financial stress but is generally believed to be a satisfactory customer and collateral, if any, may be in excess of 90% of the loan balance.

Special Mention – Adverse trends in the borrower’s financial position are evident and warrant management’s close attention and any collateral may not be fully adequate.

Substandard – A loan in this category has a well-defined weakness in the primary repayment source that jeopardizes the timely collection of the debt. There is a distinct possibility that a loss may result if the weakness is not corrected.

Doubtful – Default has already occurred and it is likely that foreclosure or repossession procedures have begun or will begin in the near future. Weaknesses make collection or liquidation in full, based on currently existing information, highly questionable and improbable.

Loss – Uncollectible and of such little value that continuance as a bankable asset is not warranted.

The specific component of the ALL calculation considers adversely classified loans, as noted above. Adversely classified loans are considered to be those loans risk rated as substandard, doubtful or loss. All other loans not specifically assigned a risk rating are monitored as a discreet pool of loans generally based on delinquency status. A loan is considered impaired when, based on current information and events, it is probable that the Company will be unable to collect the scheduled payments of principal or interest when due according to the contractual terms of the loan agreement. Factors considered by management in determining impairment include payment status, collateral value, and the probability of collecting scheduled principal and interest payments when due. Loans that experience insignificant payment delays and payment shortfalls generally are not classified as impaired. Management determines the significance of payment delays and payment shortfalls on a case-by-case basis, taking into consideration all of the circumstances surrounding the loan and the borrower, including the length of the delay, the reasons for the delay, the borrower’s prior payment record, and the amount of the shortfall in relation to the principal and interest owed. Accrual of interest may or may not be discontinued for any given impaired loan. Impairment is measured by either the present value of expected future cash flows discounted at the loan’s effective interest rate, the loan’s obtainable market price, or the fair value of the collateral if the loan is collateral dependent. Because large groups of smaller balance homogeneous loans are collectively evaluated for impairment, the Company does not generally separately identify smaller balance individual consumer and residential loans for impairment disclosures, unless such loans are the subject of a restructuring agreement.

The general component of the ALL calculation collectively evaluates groups of loans in segments, as noted above. Segments are not disaggregated into classes. These segments are 1) Construction, land and land development; 2) Farmland; 3) Residential first mortgages; 4) Residential junior mortgages; 5) Commercial mortgages (non-owner-occupied); 6) Commercial mortgages (owner-occupied); 7) Commercial and industrial; and 8) Consumer. Every loan is assigned to a segment. Segments 1 through 6 are secured by real estate. Segments 7 and 8 are secured by other types of collateral or are unsecured. A given segment may not reflect the purpose of a loan. For example, a business owner may provide his residence as collateral for a loan to his company, in which case the loan would be grouped in a residential mortgage segment.

 

Construction and development loans carry risks that the project will not be finished according to schedule or according to budget and the value of the collateral, at any point in time, may be less than the principal amount of the loan. These loans also bear the risk that the general contractor may face financial pressure unrelated to the project. Loans secured by land, farmland and residential mortgages carry the risk of continued credit-worthiness of the borrower and changes in value of the underlying real estate collateral. Junior mortgages include equity lines. Commercial mortgages and commercial and industrial loans carry risks associated with the profitable operation of a business and its related cash flows. Additionally, commercial and industrial loans carry risks associated with the value of collateral other than real estate which may depreciate over time. Consumer loans, which include credit cards and automobile loans, carry risks associated with the continuing credit-worthiness of the borrower and are more likely than real estate loans to be adversely affected by divorce, unemployment, personal illness or bankruptcy of an individual. Consumer loans secured by automobiles carry risks associated with rapidly depreciating collateral.

Additions to the allowance for loan losses are made by charges to earnings through the provision for loan losses. Credit exposures deemed to be uncollectible are charged against the allowance for loan losses. Recoveries of previously charged off amounts are credited to the allowance for loan losses. Charge-off policies are materially the same for all types of loans.

In situations where, for economic or legal reasons related to a borrower’s financial condition, management may grant a concession to the borrower that it would not otherwise consider, the related loan is classified as a troubled debt restructuring. Management strives to identify borrowers in financial difficulty early and work with them to modify their loan to more affordable terms before their loan reaches nonaccrual status. These modified terms may include rate reductions, principal forgiveness, payment forbearance and other actions intended to minimize the economic loss and to avoid foreclosure or repossession of the collateral. In cases where borrowers are granted new terms that provide for a reduction of either interest or principal, management measures any impairment on the restructuring as noted above for impaired loans.